Queen of the Seas Ch. 69

   Fits grabbed each paddle and rowed the little boat with strong arms. Henriette found herself staring at his hidden muscles, "I promise ya, Tennessee will do the same. He won't keep all his gold to himself."

   Fits grunted as the waves fought against his paddling, "Well, that's very noble of him," he laughed.

   Henriette stared between the island and Fits, sighing, "Fits, You shouldn't have gone through the Thievius Raccoonus."

   "Oh don't go back to that now," Fits started.

   Henriette held up a finger to stop him, "But, let me finish, You shouldn't have gone through it BUT I suppose I couldn't have let you go through all of this without you knowing what that book had to say. If I ever pass before my time, you will be left with Tennessee and it's better that you learn it now."

   Fits was silenced, but only briefly, "Psh, I don't know nothin' about raisin' a kid, so don't you plan on leavin' me with him," he pulled one hand off of rowing duty to wave the thought away.

   Henriette watched the island get closer, "If anything happens to me, you have to give Tennessee the Thievius Raccoonus, alright?"

   "Or-You can do it yerself," Fits quieted again.

   "Promise?"

   Fits smiled, "You have to promise to stick around, and I promise to give Tennie the book."
~ ~ ~
   Henriette cringed as the little boat scraped on the sand. Fits jumped out and she hopped out right behind him to pull the rowboat ashore, "Fits, don't take a stray step, follow my every move until I give you free range," she explained, pulling bags of gold over her shoulder.

   "Um, OK," Fits slung gold over his own shoulder, the bags nearly tipping him over, "Yer the leader."

   Henriette began walking across the sand, her feet sinking a little before they reached more solid ground. Easily she spotted the crooked tree and headed from the path behind it. Fits followed until he ran into her hand, "Hold on," she looked at the dirt, knowing a trap lay there, but she couldn't quiet figure out how to get around it without having to reset it, "Sir Galleth Cooper, you read about him, took the very first spot, you can't get out of it unless…" Henriette turned her eyes to the trees where the peaches hung dying in the off season.

   Fits rolled his eyes and stepped around her hand, springing the trap.

   The ground exploded, scaring Henriette, "FITS!" she screamed as the chainmail Sir Galleth had so cleverly set, engulfed Fits. The sandy floor leaked out of the little wholes, making the air cloudy.

   "WHAT IS THIS?" Fits squirmed in the chainmail net, the bags of gold squishing him.

   Henreitte dropped her gold, staring at the netting looking for someway to release the trap, "I told you to wait Fits!" She stepped under the net, looking for it's supports, trying to remember how she reset it before.

   She jumped up, clinging to the chainmail, and fiddled with one corner of the chainmail.

   A snap sound made her smile-until Fits fell through the open corner and pulled her down into the soft dirt. A second cloud of dust exploded around them, "Fits! I told you to follow me!" she coughed, covering her mouth against the dust.

   "What in the world was that?" Fits coughed back.

   Henriette pushed to her feet, looking back at the chainmail. Only three corners were still attached, "Yer lucky that wasn't venom, or arrows!"

   Fits dusted himself off and followed her gaze, "Why in blazes would that be necessary?" he rubbed his backend sorely.

   "Just help me reset the trap," Henriette dragged the gold under the net and left it in a pile in the path.

   She and Fits climbed the net and released each corner and set it back in place, "Fits, Stay behind me, you got that?"