The Exiled Prince Domination

Chapter 86: Stowaway

The deck of the massive ship was bustling with activity as the gang settled in. Most of them were still organizing their belongings in the spacious cabins below deck. The vessel was enormous, easily large enough to feel like a floating fortress.

Snotlout wandered over to Lucian, glancing nervously at Mor’du, who was sitting quietly on a barrel near the railing.

"Are you really sure you should tag him along?" Snotlout whispered.

Lucian shrugged. "He’s still figuring out his new life. Visiting new places might help him find direction. Besides... the more the merrier, right?"

He left Snotlout and walked toward a large table where Hiccup and Fishlegs were poring over maps.

"Look here, Lucian," Fishlegs said excitedly, pointing at one of the charts. "This is the closest port town to the lost kingdom we’re looking for. It’s called Easthaven, and it’s under the Duke household of Montague."

Fishlegs flipped open one of his books and continued, "After Easthaven is the city of Montfort, where the Duke of Montague resides. There’s another major city nearby called Capella, ruled by the Capulet household. Both are powerful noble families under the Kingdom of Verona, which is quite far from here."

Lucian frowned slightly. "Alright, I get the layout... but why do I need to know them right now?"

"Right, sorry— I got carried away," Fishlegs said, clearing his throat. "We need to dock at Easthaven first. From there, we can travel inland toward the lost kingdom, which according to your map is located deep within the Dark Forest on the Aurellion continent. It should take us about a week just to reach the port."

"I see," Lucian nodded. "Then we should set sail as soon as possible."

"Yeah, about that..." Hiccup said, looking concerned. "How exactly are we supposed to sail this thing? It’s massive. We don’t have a full crew, and we don’t even have a proper navigator. We can manage small boats, but something this size..."

Lucian smiled. "Don’t worry about it. This ship is... special."

He pointed toward the front of the vessel. Suddenly, the ship began to move on its own, slowly at first, then gaining smooth, powerful momentum as it cut through the waves at impressive speed.

Hiccup, Fishlegs, and the others stared in shock.

"H-How?" Hiccup asked.

"It’s a magical artifact," Lucian explained. "It can sail by itself and quite fast. What you estimated as a week might only take us three or four days."

He then opened his palm. A cluster of soft blue lights appeared, Will-o’-the-Wisps. They danced around his hand before floating ahead, guiding the way.

Fishlegs’ eyes widened. "What are those?"

"One of my abilities," Lucian said with a small smile. "They’ll lead us straight to the port of Easthaven."

_____ freewёbn૦νeɭ.com

Later, as the group chatted on deck, a loud scream suddenly echoed from below.

They all exchanged glances before rushing down to the storage hold. The others were already gathered there. frёewebηovel.cѳm

Ruffnut was pointing at one of the large crates, looking startled.

"There’s something moving inside that one!" she exclaimed.

Lucian frowned and cautiously approached the crate. He abruptly yanked it open.

Inside, curled up among some supplies, was a familiar redheaded girl.

"Merida?" Lucian said, stunned.

"Hi..." Merida waved awkwardly, giving a sheepish smile.

_____

Back at DunBroch Castle, Queen Elinor was searching for her daughter.

"Fergus, have you seen Merida?" she asked after finishing lecturing the triplets about sneaking onto boats.

Fergus shook his head. "I thought she was in her room."

Elinor frowned and headed to Merida’s chambers. When she entered, she saw a human-shaped bump under the blankets. She sat on the edge of the bed with a gentle sigh.

"Merida, I know it’s sad to see your friends leave, but you shouldn’t be sulking in bed like—"

She pulled back the blanket and froze. Only pillows remained, along with a neatly folded letter on top.

Elinor opened it and read quickly. After finishing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a long sigh, though a small, fond smile tugged at her lips.

"You were the one who wanted to stop the betrothal... and now you’re running off to chase after one," she murmured with a soft chuckle. "That girl..."