Headshake.

It will be good if the ship is very powerful from people and objects on it, but I have to be very strong I think, or

(she pauses here)

it is not the right story.  After I saved you, my family told everyone else that I loved to do hard things so much that this is why I did that.  So I have to be able to do really hard things.

"...I think I have the gist but I'm not sure of it, could you explain more?"

I need to give my father a way to win.  To do this, I should give him a story he can say that fits with the one he already told to our people.  Adding this, I and all of us need to be strong enough that he will not try to make us lose.

Your sister said a thing I liked about it being the job of a king to not have a war and how to do that.

"She was probably quoting our father. Is your father... good at that part even if he's not good at much else about being king?"

No.  He might say his job is to win wars.

"So to not have one, he has to think not having one is winning, or that having one would be losing."

Nod nod nod nod.

"Well, you're the expert on how to make him think anything, but - taking your word alone for that makes my parents nervous. It might help if we could talk to your uncle, is that possible?"

I do not know him to speak Loegrian.  If there are still two of him maybe we can keep one.

"You could translate?"

Only one way.

"...oh, right, because sea people don't write. Hm. No sign language either, I guess?"

I have not heard of that!

"I don't know any but I've heard they're usable, making hand shapes instead of written shapes to communicate... hm."

That sounds good.

"Yes, but like teaching your uncle to write it would be time-consuming."

I more mean it takes so much time for me to write things every time.

"I don't know how fast sign languages can be but I can see if we have a book on it or something."

Nod nod.

How much does it matter to your parents that I saved you?  Or how useful is it for a story they might tell about why they took in a runaway princess?

"It matters to them a lot personally, and it will matter for the story we tell Loegrians. But if it's not satisfying to your father, then it's not satisfying to your father."

....Nod.

I think there is a story he likes where I yes was interested in humans, but the story he told was also true, and then I smartly found the one in debt to me and smartly worked to become in charge of some.  There is some worry that he will not like the things I do with the amount of being in charge I am, but I think there can also be a story of I am so busy putting magic light and heat in every home so our country is stronger than every other because of no big scary fires, and no one here will want me to die because then all the light and heat will stop.  And I can think up how to make that always true with some new thing, and maybe he will someday stop thinking I am doing being in charge wrong even if he starts that way.

"...I think that story works pretty well on our end, it's a little - irregular - but in a way that my public personality and family's known attitudes are compliant with. The amount of in charge that you'll be if you become queen would be - significant but not unilateral, because you're a princess but I'm the heir to the throne of Loegria, and also for gender reasons - my parents don't exhibit these regularities very well, my mother's the one with the royal blood but also natively less inclined to the business of rulership, but that's an expectation they're not satisfying, not the norm."

We may want to think of a name for things you are in charge of that sounds right to Loegrians and a name for things I am in charge of that sounds right to sea people, which are not lies and have you in charge of more things.  I mostly want to do fun good magic and not rule people.

"Well, in Loegrian the word for it is that I'd be the king regnant and you'd be the queen consort, but that's not very specific in terms of job description."

I think in the sea people tongue the next ruler would still be what I have been saying as king even though it will probably be a woman.  The thing I have been saying as queen is not to my father ruling or impressive I think.