"Now there's a cheery thought," she said with a grimace. "Wouldn't surprise some of the people I talked to back home. My father's friends had quite a few things to day. Many of them are still sailing." She sipped at her tea before continuing. "You have to pay freight and a half to get your typical sea captain to accept a trip into Emillion now. Double, if the captain is twitchy. Some of the more superstitious sort - you know corsairs - claim the local waters are cursed."
She nibbled, commented, "The scones are quite lovely," then continued. "Really, I wonder what they're playing at. One might think the king would check him, if he wanted to sow collaboration and not discord. That he doesn't implies either tacit approval or incompetence. I would not presume the king to be incompetent but," she shrugged, "what do I know? I'm just a bard."