"Let us go!" Aphmau struggles to stand up. The rope strangles her around her waist. She can't see anything but pitch blackness

She hears Aaron growl, "Let us go, in the name of the king!" He snarls as a woman begins to chuckle.

"Oh you're so scary, King Aaron. I'm shaking in fear." She states, Aphmau can hear the woman's footsteps come closer.

"Its been so long, Aphmau." The woman touches her cheek. She wanted to slap her hand off so bad, but she couldn't. She began to poke the side of her cheek with her tongue. Hopefully to make the woman remove her hand.

She takes the blindfold off of Aphmau. "Mom?" Aphmau gasps at the sight of her. She was speechless.

"Aphmau?" Aaron calls out for her. She begins to breathe heavily. After all these years... she was right here. On this ship, ruling over all of these men.

She untied Aphmau's rope and helped her up. "I want nothing to do with you. Take us home. Where we belong." She points to Aaron.

"Aphmau," Her mother reaches out for her. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I left you to take over my reputation, I'm so sorry." She says.

"I don't forgive you. After all these years you were never there to protect me, all those years you could've been there for me, I refuse to apologize to you. " Aphmau responds.

"I'm your mother, Aph." She says as Aphmau shakes her head disapprovingly.

"No. You're just Sylvana to me."Aphmau walks over to Aaron and takes off his blindfold.

"We're leaving." Aphmau looks for the knot on the rope.

"I can't let you do that," Sylvana snaps her fingers. Two men push Aphmau over and untied Aaron from the pole. They hook his arms together. "I love you, Aphmau Camilla Everton. I'm making this up to you." The men take Aaron to the bottom of the ship.

"Stop being an asshole, lady!" I try to run for Aaron but another man picks me up. "You're doing this." She says, making the man holding me follow her.

•○●A Purplla Publish●○•

Aphmau and Sylvana are on the second floor, sitting at a table. Aphmau tapped her foot on the sturdy hard floor.

"I want to go see Aaron." She bluntly says. Sylvana rolls her eyes at her.

"He is a dangerous man, mi hija. An Ultima King, for Irene's sake! He will RIP you to shreds and you don't realize it." She says.

"The only thing I'm realizing is that my psycho mother kidnapped me and who is doing who knows what to him!" Aphmau exclaim. She claps.

"You called me your mother!" She coos. Aphmau had an sudden urge to push her over the boat. But there were too many eyes on her.

"After dinner, I get to see Aaron. Either that happens, or I jump over this boat and you never get the time you want," Aphmau makes a compromise. "And we both know what you want."

Sylvana smirks, "You learned that from your father," She says, softly chuckling. "He was always like that. Fine, after dinner. Then you can go see your royal boyfriend." She says.

"He's a friend, someone who's better than you." Aphmau instantly retorts.

"Same thing, dear. I don't have to let you see him." She snaps.

Aphmau copies her smirk, "And I don't have to be on this boat. I told you what I'd do."

"You wouldn't." She says. Aphmau stands up in front of her.

She walk over to her and lean my arm besides Sylavana's, "You don't know me at all." I whisper.

"Make your men hurry up. I'm bored." Aphmau sits back down. Sylvana leans back in her chair.

"Your father raised you well," Sylvana mentions. "You don't take shit from others."

"He did nothing to make me this way. It was you leaving me so early in life. You were the first person to break my heart." Aphmau explains.

"If anything, I should be thanking you. For making me stronger, for not caring." Aphmau says.

"You sound like me when I was 18. I didn't care about others opinions- I was carefree. Now look at me now," She throws her arms in the air. "I'm Captain of this vessel. Your attitude gets you far in life." She says.

"You're forgetting one thing, mommy dear," Aphmau sighs, "I'm not you. I never will be."

~~~

Tap.

Aphmau walk along the rickety floorboard at the lowest floor of the ship. Silence.

Tap.

She sees the barred room until I find Aaron's. He's asleep, the poor thing.

"Hey Aaron." She whisper and he stirs in his sleep. Of course, she didn't want to disturb him but everyone needs to eat.

"Yeah?" He groans and rubs his eyes. Aphmau opens a cloth.

"I brought you bread from earlier. It was the best thing I could hold." Aphmau slides it to the other side of the bars. Aaron gave her a gracious smile and took it from her.

"How come you're helping me?" Aaron asks. "Everyone in the kingdom fears me greatly."

"I don't judge a book by its cover." She says. Aaron begins to gnaw on the loaf, savoring every crumb. Aphmau softly giggled at the way he tore at it.

"You're not scary." She admits. Aaron stops eating. "Your history just gave the rest of us a bad image."

"I am scary, Aphmau. I'm the Ultima, for Irene's sake." He says. She shakes off his comment and continues.

"You were lonely for so many years and barely had human contact. I can understand why you would say that about yourself. But I'm here now. I'm changing that." Aphmau says.

Aaron hadn't felt like this for so long. After years of isolation, he found a friend. "Thanks for the loaf. You didn't have to get it." Aaron thanks her.

"I'd do it for anyone, especially a friend." Aphmau responds.

Aaron continues to gnaw on the bread and Aphmau watched. Not like a creep, but in appreciation for a friend.

~~~~
Thanks for reading my peeps!
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Well, until then!
Cya later
~Purplla