《The Bridges We Must Cross (Part 1/5)》


 Chapter 1

    I groaned as I lifted my head and looked around. All around me was water. I squinted in the bright sunlight, wondering what had happened. Then I remembered; the shipwreck, the storm. I was floating on some driftwood and beside me lay my best friend, William. I shook William¡¯s shoulder, ¡°William¡­¡± I mumbled, ¡°Wake up.¡±


    William slowly lifted his head and glanced around wearily.


    My throat was dry and my stomach grumbled unhappily. What day was it? I wondered. Only me and William floated in this one area. I wondered where my other friends were: Amber, Philip, Leo, Robin, Rachel and Kate. I was pretty sure they had all jumped into the water with me when the ship had been sinking. My parents would be looking for me, I hoped they would find me before I died from thirst.


    Suddenly, a shadow fell across us on the driftwood. We both looked up to a looming ship that had silently appeared at our backs. I breathed a sigh of relief as the ship pulled up beside them, we were rescued!


    ¡°Ahoy!¡± Came a yell from above, ¡°Cap¡¯n, we got some washed up fish bait!¡± It was a man¡¯s voice, young but strong.


    A rope ladder fell down to them and we scrambled to climb up. When we climbed over, we both fell limply to the deck, grunting. I lifted my head to thank my rescuers, but the world was spinning and the last thing I saw before I blacked out was the beautiful face of a blonde girl.


    * * *


    I woke up in a swinging hammock and in total darkness. I glanced around as my eyes adjusted to the dim light. All around me, multiple hammocks swung, all empty except one, which held William. William was sitting up, cross-legged and fully awake. On his lap was a bowl filled with a food that I didn¡¯t recognize, but William was hungrily digging into it. He glanced up at me and gave a little wave. Then, without speaking, he pointed to a small table below my hammock. It held a bowl with the same food and a small cup of water. I instantly grabbed it, but had no sooner started eating when a door to my left swung open. I glanced over and saw it was a boy, around our age, eighteen. He had messy brown hair and deep green eyes that sparkled. He was heavily built and I didn¡¯t doubt that he would beat me in a wrestling match. He grinned at us good naturally and watched me eat as he approached.


    ¡°Hungry, much?¡± He asked. I shrugged mindlessly.


    ¡°I¡¯m Henry.¡± The boy continued, he waited for me to introduce himself, so I did.


    ¡°I¡¯m Perryn.¡± I nodded at William, ¡°That¡¯s William.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d you get out in the middle of the ocean?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Our ship sank.¡± William explained, ¡°We had friends on it too, but we don¡¯t know where they are.¡±


    ¡°How many others?¡± Henry asked.


    William and I looked at each other, counting our friends in our heads, ¡°Six of our friends, but we had a captain who jumped when the ship sank too.¡±


    Henry nodded thoughtfully, pondering this.


    As we finished eating, Henry led us out the door. When we stepped out, there was a hallway leading to more rooms on our right and to our left was a staircase. Henry led us up the staircase and out onto the deck of the ship. On the deck, sailors bustled all around us, glancing over at us as they passed. The deck was about eighty feet long and thirty feet wide from what I could gather and there were about sixty sailors all around us, climbing up the rig and mast, a few in the crows nest and even more were swabbing the deck. Their ages ranged from around fourteen to fifty. A boy around our age approached us.


    ¡°Hey.¡± He said simply. He didn¡¯t smile like Henry, and he was much skinnier, but he had dirty blonde hair, green eyes and a fair complexion.


    ¡°This is Tanner,¡± Henry said, patting the boy¡¯s shoulder fondly, ¡°He¡¯s kinda mean, but he gets friendlier once you get to know him.¡±


    We exchanged introductions before Henry led us to another staircase, next to the door we had stepped out of. It led up to the top deck, where two girls also around our age stood. One stood at the helm, her eyes on the horizon. She had pitch black hair, shocking blue eyes and grinned at us as we stepped towards her. The other girl stood beside the one with the black hair, pointing her finger at something on the horizon. She was the girl I had seen right before passing out. Her hair was so blonde it looked like strands of soft gold strung together. Her eyes were a strange turquoise blue that glinted with a wicked spark. A scar traced her face, starting next to her nose and cutting down the side of her lip, stopping just above her chin. She looked over at us, but didn¡¯t smile.


    ¡°This is Elizabeth,¡± Henry said, nudging the black haired girl, ¡°and this is Serafina.¡± He motioned to the other girl, who nodded a greeting.


    William coughed, ¡°Who¡¯s your Captain?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Serafina.¡± Henry said simply.


    William couldn¡¯t mask his surprise and Elizabeth snickered at his expression.


    ¡°Oi!¡± Came a sudden yell from the crow¡¯s nest. Another blonde girl poked her head over the side, looking over at us. She looked a year or two younger than us, maybe sixteen or seventeen. ¡°More fish bait Cap¡¯n!¡±


    Henry looked back at us, ¡°That¡¯s Lydia, Tanner¡¯s little sister.¡±


    ¡°How many people are we going to find in the ocean today?¡± Elizabeth wondered out loud.


    ¡°I hope everyone who jumped off our ship.¡± William replied.


    ¡°Except Cedrick.¡± I said.


    ¡°Except Cedrick.¡± William agreed.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Cedrick?¡± Tanner asked, having snuck up on them from behind.


    William flinched but said, ¡°He¡¯s the captain of the ship that sank. He¡¯s evil. I¡¯m pretty sure he sunk the ship on purpose to get rid of us.¡±


    ¡°I wonder why.¡± Elizabeth sighed.


    Instantly, both William and I frowned at her. She jumped and quickly said, ¡°Uh, I wonder why he¡¯d sink his own ship just to get rid of you.¡±


    Apparently satisfied she had thrown us off track, she pushed past us, climbed down the stairs and strode to the railing. We followed her quietly. As I glanced over the side of the boat, I sighed in relief. All my friends were huddled together on some driftwood, looking up at us. Unfortunately, Cedrick was with them, his orange hair and mustache dripping with sea water.


    Leo waved, ¡°Finally!¡± He called, ¡°I see you two caught yourself a ship and just left us to die, huh?¡± Even though Leo looked tired, his clothes ripped in some places, his brown hair disheveled, he still grinned at us. I could almost laugh. While Leo looked happy and peppy, as usual, his twin brother and sister, Robin and Amber, were both giving him dry glares.


    Henry let down the ladder and allowed them to climb up. Amber was the first to stand as they tumbled onto deck, her straight brown hair clung to her cheeks and back. She glanced around at us before crumbling. Elizabeth caught her and gently lowered her to the deck. I watched quietly as sailors swarmed around them, picking them all up and carrying them downstairs. Slowly I turned to face Henry again and realized that Lydia was standing beside him. She was sizing us up, glancing from our hair to our feet. She had dirty blonde hair, just like Tanner. But unlike her brother, she was smiling. She was skinny like him, and her face was pretty.


    * * *


    William and I switched following different people around deck for two hours. First we followed Tanner around before he became irritated and then we switched to Elizabeth. She talked happily with us for a while but eventually got bored of us and climbed up the mast to help another sailor to sew small holes shut. So, since Henry was nowhere to be seen and Lydia was just sitting up in the crows nest, we climbed the staircase to join Serafina. She didn¡¯t speak much, only when we asked questions, and even then she gave short answers.


    ¡°How did you become captain?¡± William asked.


    ¡°I killed the first captain.¡± She replied, keeping her eyes on the horizon.


    ¡°Um¡­So where do you live? Like, do you always live on the ship or do you stop somewhere?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We stop everywhere. But I have a home on one of the port islands.¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    ¡°Do you have a family?¡±


    ¡°The crew is my family.¡±


    ¡°But like, blood family. Like a sibling, or mother or father, or grandparent.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Are you finished?¡±


    ¡°No. What does this ship do? Take things from one place to another or something?¡±


    ¡°We steal stuff. Take gold, prisoners we can sell, the like.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± I swallowed nervously, ¡°Uh, what kind of prisoners?¡±


    ¡°Royals.¡±


    I instantly froze. William and I exchanged nervous glances.


    We were royals.


    * * *


    I remember when I had been a boy, back when my father and mother, the king and queen of Persia, paid attention to me instead of looking around for wives for me and my brothers. My father¡¯s words rang through my mind, ¡°Stay away from pirates, my son.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± I, who always dreamed of sailing the high seas with a crew, asked.


    ¡°Because they are evil. They will kill you, enslave you, or sell you any chance they get. Do not receive help from a pirate. They will expect something in return. They are greedy, shifty and untrustworthy folk.¡±


    ¡°But you said to love and help all people, Father.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But not pirates. There are many many handsome or beautiful pirates out there who might steal your heart before you realize it¡¯s too late. Then, as soon as they have your trust, they will break it. Stay away from them, son. Promise me.¡±


    ¡°I promise, Father.¡±


    * * *


    Now I stood in shock beside a pirate captain.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s a relief.¡± William said, always the quick thinker, ¡°I thought you were going to sell us.¡±


    ¡°I might.¡± She replied coolly, ¡°Depends on how much you come for.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just¡­like, take us home or something?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± She shrugged.


    Suddenly, there was a commotion on the deck. William and I quickly scrambled down the stairs. Our friends stood in a circle, glaring at the sailors around them. Cedrick stood to one side, yelling at Henry.


    ¡°I demand to be let off at the nearest port island.¡± He snapped.


    ¡°Chill out.¡± Henry replied, ¡°Still a few days to go.¡±


    ¡°Well, go faster!! Have you any idea who I am?¡± Cedrick demanded, ¡°Where is your captain? I demand to speak to him.¡±


    ¡°Her.¡± William corrected as Serafinaappeared from the top deck.


    She approached Cedrick, who didn¡¯t even glance at her, instead he was glaring at William.


    ¡°What did you say? Do you take me for a fool? Do you know who these people are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± William replied, ¡°Pirates. Who helped us.¡±


    Cedrick whipped around, facing Henry and raised his hand as if to slap him, but Serafinainterceded. She grabbed Cedrick¡¯s hand and pulled it down back to his side. Then she said,


    ¡°I¡¯m the captain of this ship.¡±


    Cedrick stared at her, ¡°Is this a joke?¡± He asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Serafinareplied, ¡°I saved your butt, I¡¯m the captain, my ship, my rules. First rule that you need to memorize, if you¡¯re going to physically attack someone, be prepared for a fight. So if you want to hit one of my crew members, they will hit you back with all of my permission.¡±


    Cedrick scoffed.


    ¡°Second rule.¡± Serafinacontinued, ¡°No complaining. This ship has limited rations for seventy crew members. Now we have extras, no complaining about hunger¡ªor anything for that matter. Third rule, you¡¯re going to work for your stay.¡±


    Now Cedrick outright laughed, ¡°Work!?¡± He asked, ¡°Haha, no. I don¡¯t do work, and there¡¯s no way you can make me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, really?¡± The captain asked.


    * * *


    Five minutes later, we were all swabbing the deck, with Cedrick grumbling the loudest.


    The captain paced in front of us, keeping one eye on Cedrick and the other on the horizon.


    ¡°Second rule?¡± She asked as Cedrick¡¯s complaining became louder.


    ¡°No complaining about anything.¡± All the sailors on deck chanted. They seemed to enjoy the work that Cedrick was receiving. At one point, my friends and I were swabbing the same corner of the ship, away from the other sailors, who were still laughing and taunting Cedrick.


    ¡°Guys.¡± I murmured, ¡°We have to get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Amber whispered, ¡°I kind of enjoy watching Cedrick work.¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re pirates.¡± William growled, ¡°The captain said they sell royals, it¡¯s only a matter of time before they realize we¡¯re all princes and dukes and duchesses.¡±


    ¡°Nah, we know.¡± Said a sudden voice. Amber yelped as she fell backwards. Lydia had appeared in between Rachel and Kate, her back to Cedrick.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    She tapped the golden ring on my index finger, ¡°You think we didn¡¯t see this?¡±


    ¡°So we¡¯re being sold into slavery?¡± Amber asked.


    Lydia shrugged, ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. Serah isn¡¯t that mean, she won¡¯t just drop you off somewhere and sell you. She just says that to intimidate you. She¡¯ll probably get rid of your captain though.¡± She glanced at Cedrick who was spitting insults at the sailors, which only loudened their laughter.


    ¡°He¡¯s just the captain of the guard.¡± Amber explained, ¡°We don¡¯t count him as our leader.¡±


    ¡°Amber.¡± I growled.


    ¡°She already knows, Perryn. It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°But¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ªLess talking, for swabbing!¡± The Captain yelled, glancing over at them. Lydia moved away and climbed up the rig, to the crow¡¯s nest.


    * * *


    By the time the evening bell rang for supper, my arms were sore. We dropped their mops and buckets into a closet that was below decks in the long hallway. Then we followed Henry further down the hallway, to a door. He swung open the door to reveal a small room with a table in it. The table looked like it could hold twelve people. Already eating were Tanner, Lydia and Elizabeth. Upstairs, I could hear the bustle of the sailors¡¯ laughter as they ate food just on the deck. Quietly, we sat down at the table. A few moments passed as we ate a soup that tasted like a beef soup, before the door opened again and the captain and Cedrick strode in. The captain sat at the head of the table, while Cedrick crossed to sit on the other side, away from the pirates. They ignored him however, with the us being silent at dinner and the pirates talking among themselves.


    ¡°Uthera and her crew will hear about their ship sinking.¡± Elizabeth commented suddenly, ¡°I don¡¯t know about you Cap¡¯n, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯re worth the fight.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Kate protested.


    ¡°Won¡¯t matter.¡± Henry said, before Kate could continue arguing, ¡°She¡¯ll just get money off of ¡®em. I say, we get the money before she does.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? She won¡¯t be able to set foot on this ship without losing some part of her body. Uthera knows better than to pick a fight with us.¡± Tanner growled.


    ¡°And even if she does, we¡¯ll kick her butt back to Spain where she came from.¡± Lydia added.


    ¡°Next port is the Forgotten Isle. The traders will pay loads for them.¡± Elizabeth continued.


    ¡°Or a ransom.¡± Henry added, ¡°If we asked for ransom, it could be higher.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work because we don¡¯t know where they¡¯re from.¡± Tanner muttered, ¡°Ransom only works if you know the parents or guardian is rich.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re royals. They have to be rich.¡± Elizabeth protested.


    She looked at William, ¡°Are you rich?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not telling you!¡±


    She sighed and returned to her soup. During this conversation, the captain hadn¡¯t spoken a word, but now she did, ¡°Persia.¡± She concluded, ¡°They¡¯re from Persia.¡±


    ¡°How would you know?¡± Cedrick demanded.


    ¡°Because you were cursing earlier today. Curses in the Persian language, whatever it¡¯s called.¡±


    I set down my spoon, glaring at Cedrick, ¡°Why am I not surprised?¡±


    Cedrick ducked his head under my angry gaze but returned his attention to the Captain.


    ¡°You won¡¯t get much for him by the way.¡± He said.


    ¡°Oh, I know. The king and queen don¡¯t pay attention to the matters of their children, especially since he¡¯s not the oldest prince. But I also know for a fact that a tidy sum could come in for the captain of the guard.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­You really think so?¡± Cedrick asked, gazing at his soup.


    ¡°Yes. I do. Not for ransom but for slavery. People all around the world could use your fighting skills.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­So like your crew?¡± He looked up hopefully.


    There was a moment of silence. Then the pirates all burst into laughter and my buried my face into my hands, sighing.


    ¡°You really are stupid.¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°We¡¯re dropping you off at the next port, buddy. You¡¯re going to become a slave and we¡¯ll become rich off of selling you.¡± The Captain said bluntly.


    Cedrick scowled, ¡°You can¡¯t sell me!¡±


    ¡°Yes I can. Right now you¡¯re being treated as a crew member. Under my rules. I do what I want on this ship.¡±


    ¡°So if you decided to sell him¡­¡± Cedrick waved in Tanner¡¯s direction, ¡°You could?¡±


    ¡°I could if I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°But she wouldn¡¯t.¡± Tanner interceded, ¡°Because we¡¯re a good crew.¡±


    Elizabeth nodded in agreement to this, ¡°Only crew out there that can hold a candle to us is Uthera¡¯s crew.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s she?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°One of the cruelest pirates sailing the Seven Seas.¡± Lydia replied, ¡°She¡¯s worse than the captain before Serah, and he was pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°So¡­what?¡± Cedrick asked, ¡°You¡¯re a bunch of little kids who created a tiny group and call it a pirate crew? You¡¯re starting to sound like these bunch right here.¡± He waved his fork in my direction.


    ¡°Yeah, but the difference between us and them are that we have the power to kill you.¡± Henry said, smirking.


    Cedrick frowned at him, ¡°Are you sure this Uthera person is the meanest pirate sailing the seas?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Tanner said, ¡°We just said she¡¯s cruel. She¡¯s not the meanest. Serah¡¯s definitely the meanest pirate captain. But she isn¡¯t cruel.¡±


    Cedrick frowned, confused.


    ¡°There¡¯s a fine line between being the meanest pirate sailing the Seven Seas, and the cruelest pirate.¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°May I make a suggestion about selling me?¡± Cedrick asked.


    ¡°No.¡± The captain replied.


    But Cedrick ignored her and continued, ¡°I would suggest selling her instead.¡± He pointed at Kate, who blinked, ¡°Her parents are rich and she¡¯s their only daughter. They¡¯d pay a lot for her.¡±


    Kate¡¯s mouth was hanging open, but she quickly clamped it shut and looked at me desperately. My mouth had gone dry. I didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Slowly, everyone turned to look at the captain. The captain had been watching Cedrick but now her eyes were focused on Kate. It was true what Cedrick said, her parents would pay a lot for her.


    The captain leaned back into her chair, her eyes flicking from Kate to Cedrick, ¡°No.¡±


    The room seemed to breath a collective sigh of relief. Even the other pirates seemed to lose some tension.


    Cedrick frowned, ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to sell her.¡±


    ¡°But¡­She¡¯s probably worth more than me!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± The captain nodded, ¡°She¡¯s worth a lot more than you. But she can work and is more useful to me on this ship than anywhere else.¡±


    Cedrick seemed to sit lower in his seat, glaring at the captain, who merely stared blankly back at him.


    While she stared at Cedrick, I got a good look at her face. Her skin was fair, except for the scar. She held herself in a carefree manner, relaxed and yet ready for anything. Her blonde hair was wavy as it fell down her back, reaching just below her waist. In her turquoise eyes, I could see a spark of bright red. Her eyes were both angry and cruel, but gentle and caring at the same time. She held her emotions in her eyes; she never smiled nor frowned, but when she was happy, the red spark would disappear, leaving a blue brightness. When she was unhappy or angry, the spark flashed in pulses like a heartbeat.


    She was often unhappy.


    A commotion upstairs caused the captain and Henry to leave the room. Elizabeth and Lydia were both quietly eating their dinners, but Tanner was watching Cedrick, as if waiting for him to move.


    ¡°I feel like all of this is one big joke.¡± Cedrick growled.


    ¡°Maybe it is and you¡¯re just acting stupid for no reason,¡± Tanner replied, shrugging.


    ¡°Or maybe it isn¡¯t but you¡¯re still acting stupid.¡± Elizabeth muttered.


    ¡°You know what?¡± Cedrick snapped, standing and glaring at Elizabeth, ¡°I don¡¯t like you very much.¡±


    Elizabeth didn¡¯t even glance up as she replied, ¡°I know. The feeling¡¯s mutual.¡±


    ¡°You have a lot of guts.¡± Cedrick snarled.


    Elizabeth blinked at him in surprise, ¡°You know I can probably beat you up, right?¡±


    Slowly Cedrick sat back down, as if surprised by this statement, ¡°Um¡­Well, that¡¯s just because you have a weapon.¡±


    Elizabeth nodded, ¡°And you don¡¯t. So be quiet. We¡¯re in charge here.¡±

 Chapter 2

    I have never slept so fitfully in all my life. The captain split us up; while the girls slept in one room with Elizabeth, Lydia and two other girls I hadn¡¯t seen earlier, the boys slept in a room with all the sailors. It was the same room we had woken up in. Hammocks hung all throughout. William, Philip, Robin, Leo and I all chose the hammocks farthest from the door and in a small corner. Beside my hammock was a small window in whichI looked out into the ocean. Occasionally in the night, the seas would get rough in one part and the boat would bob up and down, giving me views of the surface at one time and dark water another time. The sailors slept with lamps over their head. Most of the time, they were lit, but in our small corner, it was dark. I couldn¡¯t understand how the sailors slept with lights on.


    When I finally fell asleep, I had a dream. In my dream, I was standing on the deck of the ship. To one side of me, a woman stood. She had nearly a hundred tiny braids in her brown hair, her eyes were angry and crazed. She held a cutlass in one hand and a rolled up paper in the other. On my other side, stood the captain of our ship, Serafina. She looked tired and worn out, but her cutlass was held out in front of her, ready for a fight. She glared at the woman and for some reason I knew who the woman was: Uthera. Suddenly I felt something touch my shoulder. I turned and came face to face with Serafina. She was staring at me, wide eyed. She looked like she wanted to tell me something but her eyes drifted to my chest. I looked down and just then noticed the sword tip that was sticking out of my stomach. I stumbled and fell to the ground, not feeling anything, but hearing Uthera¡¯s wicked laughter echoing through my mind. Serah knelt beside me, frowning. Then she began to shake me, ¡°Wake up.¡± She ordered. I tried to push her away, but she kept shaking me, ¡°Wake up¡­Wake up or else you¡¯ll die.¡±


    I jolted awake. In the silence, I heard only the thumping of my racing heart and my heavy breathing. To my side was Leo. He lifted his head when I started, and stared at me. ¡°You okay?¡± He asked, ¡°You look terrified.¡±


    I swallowed then nodded, ¡°Uh¡­Where¡¯s Henry?¡±


    Leo waved towards the door, ¡°Left a few seconds ago, night watch or something. Why?¡±


    ¡°I need him.¡± I whispered as I slipped out of my hammock. Curious, Leo followed me. We slipped through all the hammocks and out the door. Outside in the hallway, we glanced around. The hallway was empty and dimly lit. Doors lined it and I tried to remember which one the girls were sleeping in. Our door was the third from the end. Leo nudged me and nodded towards the last door. It was different from the other doors; the wood was more worn out and a complex lock was fit onto the door knob.


    ¡°Bet I can pick that lock.¡± Leo whispered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not try.¡± I replied, ¡°Whatever¡¯s in there might be important. Like, a treasure room or something.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Leo grumbled, ¡°Or ¡®something¡¯. I bet they keep their prisoners in there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Came another whisper. Both Leo and I turned and faced Robin who had followed us out.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I had a dream.¡± I whispered, ¡°About the captain.¡±


    ¡°Ooooh already? Slow down there Perryn¡­¡± Leo said, making goggly eyes at me and puckering his lips.


    ¡°Not like that.¡± I hissed, ¡°I mean, in the dream she was fighting Uthera.¡±


    ¡°The bad pirate lady?¡± Robin asked.


    ¡°I like to think of all of them as bad pirate ladies.¡± Leo grumbled.


    ¡°Yeah, that one. Anyway, in my dream she could see me, and it really freaked me out. Then she was going to talk to me, but Uthera stabbed me in my chest.¡± I tapped my chest for emphasis, ¡°Then when I fell over, she was laughing and it sounded so terrible. Then the captain shook me and she kept telling me to wake up. She told me I had to wake up before I died¡­So I woke up.¡±


    ¡°Before you died?¡± Leo asked curiously.


    Robin looked thoughtful as I nodded, ¡°So it was like she was dreaming with you.¡±


    ¡°Or¡­¡± I said, ¡°My dream was real and it¡¯ happening above decks.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if you go up there now and Uthera is there she might stab you.¡± Leo murmured, catching on.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°So what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°Go upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Genius.¡±


    We crept silently through the hall and up the stairs. Above deck, we were shocked. Below deck, it was quiet and peaceful, the boat rocked as usual, but above deck, the skies had opened. It was pouring rain. Sailors ran around everywhere, grabbing ropes and tying them down, steadying each other and just trying to grab everything that flew around in the wind. The captain had her foot hooked into a rope in the rigging, she had her arm hooked around the mast pole and was yelling orders to the sailors, while attempting to steady ropes that flew around aimlessly. She looked just like she had in my dream, tired, worn out and miserable. Her voice was hoarse as she yelled, but she was loud enough for the sailors to hear her over the roar of the ocean. Henry and Tanner suddenly ran past us, both holding onto a rope. They steadied themselves against each other and pulled tight on the ropes. Then Lydia appeared a few feet in front of us. Her smile from earlier was gone, and the stormy look in her eyes matched her brother¡¯s. She yelled something at us but I cupped my hands to my mouth, ¡°What!?¡±


    She stepped closer, ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOVE DECK!?¡± She yelled into my ear.


    ¡°I want to help!¡± I cried.


    She frowned, then grabbed my arm and dragged me along behind her, Leo and Robin scrambled after us. Then she led us up to the helm, where she forcefully put my hands on the rudder, ¡°KEEP THIS STRAIGHT!¡± She yelled at me.


    Then she motioned for Leo to help me. Pulling Robin behind her, she yelled backwards at us, ¡°DON¡¯T GO FLYING OVERBOARD!¡±


    Leo and I struggled to keep the rudder straight. Contrary to how easy it usually was in calm water, it took both of us to just barely hold it straight. I didn¡¯t know how much time had passed before the sea began to calm down.


    The skies slowly cleared to the sunrise. Leo watched it quietly, ¡°Feels like forever since I¡¯ve seen a sunrise¡­But I saw the one yesterday.¡±


    I nodded understandably, it felt as if we¡¯d been on this ship for a long time, but we had only been here a day. Robin joined us at the helm, ¡°Hey.¡± He said quietly. We stood there in silence for a long time.


    Finally, Henry joined us as well, ¡°I¡¯m impressed.¡± He said simply, ¡°You know, you¡¯ve only slept for like two hours, so if you want to go down and hit the hay, feel free too.¡±


    We nodded, turned the rudder over to him and headed toward the main deck. The captain was busy lowering herself from her earlier perch. She glanced over at us, hesitated, then approached us as we headed to the stairs. Out of nowhere, Elizabeth and another girl jumped from the rigging and took either side of her, like a pack. Leo whimpered, ¡°Are they going to beat us up?¡± He whispered to me.


    I frowned at him, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°They scare me.¡±


    When they reached us the captain spoke, ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She hesitated, and for a moment, I wondered if she was being shy, ¡°For uh, helping last night.¡±


    ¡°Probably would¡¯ve lost the rudder¡­¡± The other girl murmured. She noticed all three of us staring at her so she said, ¡°I¡¯m Lilly by the way, but everyone calls me Scarlett. I usually work the night shift, you know, steering, making sure everything¡¯s going well. So that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t see me yesterday, I¡¯m usually asleep in the day. Then there¡¯s Kat, who also works the night shift. She¡¯s asleep right now.¡± She smiled at us happily and reminded me of an older version of Lydia. Scarlett had bright red hair, probably why her nickname was Scarlett, and clear green eyes. She looked tired but her smile was genuine and not forced in any way. Hooked into her belt on one side was a slingshot and a small pouch, on the other side was a sheathed dagger. We introduced ourselves and she smiled one last time before heading below decks. When we looked back at the captain, Henry had appeared at her side.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get confused with the difference between Kat and Kate.¡± Elizabeth grumbled, ¡°They both have red hair.¡±


    Henry ignored her and spoke to us, ¡°You can go to sleep.¡± He said, ¡°Wake everyone else up when you get down there. Usually Tanner does, but I can¡¯t find him anywhere right now.¡± He turned and began to walk around deck, looking for his best friend.


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡± Leo started.


    The captain frowned at him, ¡°Yes you are, you look very tired.¡±


    ¡°Not tired enough though.¡± Leo said, ¡°Perryn¡¯s a dump. You should sleep, Perryn.¡±


    ¡°Thanks Leo.¡± I said coldly as I made my way to the stairs. I stopped at the door, turning to face Leo and Robin, who both stood there quietly, watching me.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡±


    They both shook their heads then followed me down the stairs, ¡°What is your problem?¡± I hissed as soon as we were alone in the hallway.


    ¡°She¡¯s kinda cute.¡± Leo replied.


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The captain. I mean, when she gets flustered, like she did.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t get flustered! She just, doesn¡¯t know how to, I don¡¯t know, express thanks?¡±


    ¡°Yeah sure.¡± Robin said dryly, ¡°I think she likes you.¡¯¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± I replied, ¡°And you¡¯re both starting to sound like my little sister. She¡¯s a pirate captain and I¡¯m a prince.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    I opened our door before they could continue arguing and walked in. The sailors were most still asleep. I swallowed hard, how was I supposed to wake them up? Suddenly, Tanner pushed in behind us through the open door. He glanced at us and I desperately prayed that he hadn¡¯t heard the conversation, but from the glint in his eye and the smirk on his face, I guessed he had heard every word. He closed the door and reached behind it, pulling out a pot and spoon. I threw my hands up and covered my ears as he began pounding on the pot, ¡°Wake up!¡± He roared, ¡°It¡¯s past sunrise boys, get up! You missed the fantastic storm last night!¡±


    The sailors scrambled out of their hammocks, yawning. Then Tanner opened the door and they filed out, shaking themselves awake as they tromped out. When William came to us, he stopped dead in his tracks, ¡°You look insane.¡± He told me.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± I replied, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I like it.¡±


    When the last person was out, Tanner returned the pot and looked at us, ¡°Uh¡­Henry was looking for you by the way.¡± Robin said.


    ¡°I know.¡± Tanner replied, ¡°I hear everything on this boat.¡±


    ¡°Listen,¡± I started, ¡°Nothing that you heard from us was true¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, okay.¡± Tanner replied, ¡°I¡¯m just going to tell you it¡¯s never going to happen. Like you said, you¡¯re a prince and she¡¯s a pirate. She¡¯s kicked out one too many guys who come to her, why should you be any special?¡± He turned to the door, ¡°You can have Elizabeth, you can try with the captain, but my sister is off limits.¡± He closed it in our faces.


    Robin cursed, ¡°I was starting to think she was hot, though!¡±


    ¡°Yeah I know.¡± Tanner¡¯s voice came through the door, ¡°But you heard me.¡±


    We walked to the farthest corner of the room, where our hammocks were, ¡°Jerk.¡± Robin mumbled.


    ¡°Respect the brother, brother.¡± Leo said, ¡°Remember you told Philip to go soak his head when he asked if he could court Amber? Same thing here.¡±


    Robin grumbled as he climbed into his hammock. We settled down quietly as we swayed in our hammocks along with the boat. ¡°What do you guys suppose my dream meant?¡± I asked suddenly.


    ¡°I think you should ask Amber later,¡± Robin said, ¡°because I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you saw the future?¡± Leo asked.


    But I shook my head, ¡°Then why would the captain tell me to wake up before I died?¡±


    ¡°Maybe your conscience was speaking to you in the form of the captain. Maybe if we hadn¡¯t gone above decks to help the boat would¡¯ve sank.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t.¡± Came a sudden voice from the other side of the room. Instantly, the twins and I jumped in our hammocks and looked around. We hadn¡¯t noticed him before, but lying in a corner, his arm and head bandaged up, was another boy. He waved us over.


    ¡°I¡¯m Colten.¡± He said, ¡°Colt for short.¡±


    ¡°Why are you down here?¡± Leo asked, ¡°And what happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Fight.¡± Colt said, ¡°With Uthera¡¯s crew. I didn¡¯t come out so well, so the Cap put me down here to ¡®heal¡¯.¡±


    Colt had black hair and bright blue eyes, he reminded me of Elizabeth, with the same grin and carefree nature.


    ¡°Are you related to Elizabeth?¡± I asked.


    But Colt shook his head, ¡°We look alike and act alike, but we¡¯re not related. People always think we¡¯re siblings.¡± He lay back on the hammock, ¡°So you¡¯re the new guys, huh?¡±


    We nodded quietly. Unlike Elizabeth, Colt had a look in his eyes that frightened me. He looked almost empty, afraid, lonely. He looked searchingly at us as we stood there, inspecting each other.


    ¡°Are you just alone all day?¡± Leo asked, ¡°And why weren¡¯t you here last night?¡±


    ¡°I usually sleep in my own room with Tanner and Henry, but the Cap put all three of us in here last night because the sailors were making a ruckus and she wanted it to be sorted out, but she didn¡¯t want me to be alone in a room in case I fell out of a hammock.¡± He laughed at this, but his laugh was hollow, ¡°She¡¯s worries a lot, you know. She seems all tough and mean, but she¡¯s a real sweetheart. Same with Tanner, I heard him chewing you out a moment ago. He¡¯s protective over his sister after what happened to their family, and I can¡¯t really blame the poor kid. He¡¯s been through some rough stuff.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡± I asked curiously.


    Colt seemed hesitant at first, but when we settled into hammocks around him, he eased up, ¡°Tanner used to live with his stepmom and father. Great parents, both of them. His stepmom treated both him and Lydia as her own children, quite contrary to what usually happens with stepmoms. Eventually, as his father grew older, however, he turned to drinking, gambling, the like. He stayed out late, brought home random women that set off Tanner¡¯s stepmom, I mean, what wife wouldn¡¯t be mad. Eventually she wanted to move away from him. She wanted to take Tanner and Lydia with her, as they¡¯d live a much better life with her anyway, but his father refused. He didn¡¯t care for either of them, but he was spiteful and he didn¡¯t allow the woman to take them away from him. She didn¡¯t want to leave either one of them alone with Tanner¡¯s father, so she stayed and dealt with her husband¡¯s infidelity. Eventually, one night, his dad became too drunk. He hit Tanner¡¯s stepmom multiple times. Tanner was about fourteen at the time, and he stood up for her, so his father basically threw him and his stepmom out of the house, but he kept Lydia, who was about twelve. They both knew the father would just sell her or marry her off to some rich lord, because their family was rather poor, so they basically kidnapped Lydia from the house. The stepmom grew sick after a while, and she didn¡¯t want them to be alone, so she dropped them off before she died at the best place she could find: The orphanage, which was where they met Elizabeth, Scarlett and Kat.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯d they get there?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°Elizabeth ran away from her mom, who was abusive. She was eventually caught by some people who dropped her at the orphanage. Scarlett and Kat are cousins, whose parents all died when they were young in a town fire, so they were left at the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°So how do the captain and Henry fit in?¡± Robin asked curiously.


    ¡°Henry¡¯s story is a lot like Tanner¡¯s. They were actually best friends at the time, so they¡¯ve known each other since the beginning. But while Tanner was a poor man¡¯s son, Henry was actually the son of a very rich lord. His father was like Tanner¡¯s however, drunk, abusive and he married way too many women. But, unlike Tanner, Henry didn¡¯t have a mother figure. He didn¡¯t really have anyone to take care of him, even his servants hated him. When Elizabeth, Scarlett, Kat, Tanner and Lydia made plans to run away from the orphanage, Tanner wanted to take Henry with, because he was so miserable. So he did. As soon as they escaped the orphanage, they got Henry and ran to the sea, not really knowing where to go or what to do. They stowed away on a boat, which both the captain and I were working on at the time, except she wasn¡¯t the captain yet. She found the stowaways first, but didn¡¯t tell anyone except me. So we basically just made this big plan to overthrow the first captain, who was cruel. And we did. It was awesome too. And now she¡¯s the captain.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s her real name?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°Serafina.¡± Colt replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know her last name. Heck, I don¡¯t even know if she has one. She doesn¡¯t share much about herself. Not even with her crew. I just know everyone calls her Sareh.¡±


    ¡°Sharing all of our life secrets Colt?¡± Elizabeth¡¯s voice echoed through the room. We turned and faced her. She stood at the door, watching us quietly, a smirk on her face.


    ¡°How long have you been standing there?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°Not very long, I¡¯m not like Tanner, I don¡¯t really eavesdrop.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± Colt replied, ¡°You heard every word.¡±


    ¡°No, I really didn¡¯t.¡± She laughed, ¡°And what does it matter? I¡¯ve heard it all before. You tell our life stories to every person we bring aboard this ship. It¡¯s nothing new. Although you could elaborate more on the part where I threw you overboard.¡±


    Leo barked laughter, ¡°She threw you overboard?¡±


    Colt scowled, ¡°Once. It was once!¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Robin asked, ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Colt.¡± Elizabeth asked, ¡°What did you do?


    ¡°I did nothing! I just took some food from your plate and you exploded and threw me overboard. I was hungry!¡±


    Elizabeth shook her head, ¡°You never take food from my plate. It¡¯s my food. You better be glad you didn¡¯t do it to Cap because she would¡¯ve literally killed you and fed you to the sharks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but, I knew Cap before you guys and I knew she would¡¯ve killed me. So I didn¡¯t chance it.¡±


    Elizabeth sighed, ¡°Okay, well, the Cap wants you upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Colt.¡± Elizabeth replied, ¡°She says the fresh air will be good for you.¡±


    Colt blinked then slowly rolled out of his hammock, steadying himself as he stood. As tired as we were, we followed him and Elizabeth upstairs. Upstairs, it was the regular bustle. The sun was in full shine and the seas were clm. Most of the sailors were up in the rigging and climbing the sails, fixing any holes they could find. Perryn¡¯s friends weren¡¯t swabbing the deck anymore. Kate and Rachel were up in the sails, sewing the holes shut. William was up at the helm, where Tanner was showing him how to work the rudder. Philip and Amber were on one side with Henry, who was showing them how to load the cannons in case any ships tried to attack us. The captain ran around, inspecting everything and everyone. When she saw them, a hint of a smile played on her lips. She waved at Colt fondly then turned back to Henry, who had also paused his work to acknowledge Colt¡¯s presence.


    Suddenly Tanner appeared at my shoulder, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be asleep?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired.¡± I replied.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying. You should go to sleep, you need your strength.¡±


    But I shook my head, I didn¡¯t really feel like going back into the dark room again.


    Tanner frowned momentarily, then he turned away from us.


    ¡°You know, he¡¯s right.¡± Colt said, glancing back at us, ¡°You look terrible.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine.¡± Leo said, I could see he didn¡¯t want to miss anything either.


    Colt shrugged then moved to the front of the boat, where he merely sat down on the deck and watched everyone.


    Leo and Robin set off to go stand with William while I looked around mindlessly.


    ¡°Do you need something to do?¡± The captain asked, approaching me.


    ¡°Uh, yeah.¡± I replied.


    She motioned for me to follow her, so I did. We climbed the rigging to the crows nest, where Lydia was perched.


    ¡°Show him what to look for.¡± The Cap told her. Then she glanced at me and climbed back down to the deck.


    Lydia pulled a spyglass from the folds of her skirt and gave it to me, ¡°You¡¯re looking for dark spots in the water, where rocks, corral or shipwrecks could be. You also look for just ships in general, or islands. Basically, you¡¯re looking for anything that isn¡¯t water.¡±


    I nodded, seemed easy enough.


    ¡°You see anything, and you yell down to one of us.¡± She continued. Then she climbed down the rigging, ¡°Have fun.¡±


    I grunted but raised the spyglass to my eye and inspected the water. For a few hours, nothing out of the usual happened. Occasionally, I would see a rock jutting from the water or some corral, I would yell down to the captain, who would then yell to William who managed to steer the ship masterfully around the obstacles. At around noon, the captain brought dinner for me. It was the same soup as last night, this time served with some crackers. I understood the captain better now. She had gone through a lot in her childhood, so she didn¡¯t trust many people. But she worked alongside her crew, still the captain and well respected, but also as a friend.


    I realized as she handed me my food, that I hadn¡¯t eaten until the night before at supper. My stomach grumbled mercilessly and I glanced up at the captain, as she raised an eyebrow, sheepishly.


    I sat down in the crows nest as Lydia combed up and took over ¡®lookout¡¯ business. The captain stood with her book to the horizon, watching me eat.


    ¡°Do you fight?¡± She asked suddenly.


    I stopped eating and frowned, ¡°Fight what?¡±


    ¡°Sword fight.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± I said, ¡°Sometimes. I¡¯ve been trained but I¡¯ve never actually fought someone except for training.¡±


    ¡°You can train him.¡± Lydia said suddenly, ¡°That way if Uthera attacks the royals can at least stand up for themselves.¡±


    The captain nodded, then looked at me again, ¡°Stay up tonight. You can train above decks.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s either train and protect yourself or get kidnapped by Uthera and sold into slavery.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re not going to sell us?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No.¡± She replied, ¡°I don¡¯t get anything from it really. I¡¯m just taking you back to Persia.¡±


    I wanted to fall on my knees and thank her profusely, but I decided she wouldn¡¯t really appreciate it. Also, she jumped down the rigging before I could say anything.


    ¡°Told ya.¡± Lydia said, ¡°She won¡¯t sell you.¡±


    Maybe she felt like she owed me for saving her ship a few nights ago. Maybe she really didn¡¯t get anything from selling us. Or maybe something else¡­ I decided not to dwell on it, there was no way a pirate captain like her could fall for me. Sure, I was a prince, I considered myself to be pretty good looking, but I still felt as if something about her, held her way out of my league. It was then that I realized that Lydia was staring at me, ¡°What?¡± I quickly asked.


    She smirked, ¡°Thinking deeply, are we?¡±


    I frowned at her, ¡°Not really.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t hear me say your name like five times?¡±


    I scowled, ¡°It¡¯s none of your business.¡±


    She handed the spyglass back to me, ¡°I¡¯m just going to tell you¡­¡±


    ¡°-Yeah, I know. There¡¯s no point in going for the captain.¡± I snapped, ¡°Your brother gave me all the details.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say that. I was going to say; the captain likes you. Well, she likes you and Kate. No one else really. So maybe there is a point in going for her. Stop listening to my brother, he¡¯s all bark and no bite.¡±


    ¡°I feel like his bark is letting us know that his bite is really gonna hurt.¡± I replied.


    She shrugged, ¡°Eh. He¡¯s killed a few people in his day. But both Henry and Tanner are like Colten: Big puppy dogs. Just give them a chance. It¡¯s like the captain, give her time to chill out and figure out some things right now, then go for it.¡±


    ¡°And if she kills me?¡± I asked


    ¡°Then you¡¯re dead and you¡¯ll have no more worries. You only live once, you know. Go for the big things in life.¡±


    ¡°Are you done preaching?¡± I asked, sighing.


    She grinned and wagged her finger at me, ¡°Listen to my advice. I know the captain better than you. I¡¯m trying to help you. But yeah, I¡¯m done preaching now.¡±


    Then she climbed down the rigging and left me to my thoughts.

 Chapter 3

    That night, Henry woke me up, dragged me above decks, and forced me to train with the captain. At first, I trained with Tanner, who was an actually an archer and had been long before becoming a pirate, I found out. But then I switched to training with the captain when I became more advanced. Cedrick usually left everyone alone and was alone for most of the day, but no one bothered with him. A week passed as everyone eventually got into a routine: Working during the day, sleeping for me, then the captain, me and one other sailor always stayed awake to work the nightshift and train. Every day I felt more and more attracted to the captain, beside one thought in my head that always rang out: She¡¯s a pirate. On the seventh night, the training became harder for me.


    Serah, pulled back slightly, ¡°Okay. Hold with one hand this time, use the other hand to balance yourself out.¡± She held her sword in her left hand and stretched out her right to show me. I nodded and copied her movements.


    ¡°Fight only with one hand. Use short wrist movements, and don¡¯t move the rest of your body so much. This will conserve energy.¡±


    In the darkness, I could only see her from the light of the moon. Her blonde hair was tied back and her eyes sparkled with something that surprised me. Mischief? This made me wonder what she was planning. Her eyes didn¡¯t look so turquoise in the strange light anymore. Instead, they looked deep, navy blue. I sighed inwardly. My mother would¡¯ve loved to meet her.


    ¡°Ready?¡± The captain asked.


    I nodded as I readied my sword, spreading my feet apart in balance and wiping sweat from my forehead. She lunged at me. I quickly managed to block her strike and used the block to push her farther away. She twirled, which surprised me, then kicked her foot out mid-twirl and knocked one of my legs out from under me. I stumbled backwards, trying to find my balance, when she struck again. This time her sword came flying towards my face. I flinched, but at the last second, she turned the blade and smacked my face with the flat side. I recoiled from the hit, scowling at her. She laughed and I blinked. I hadn¡¯t heard her laugh yet. It was a rare laugh, one of those kinds that you only get when you¡¯re really enjoying life, and I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Attack more.¡± She said, her laughter fading, but she was still grinning, ¡°Stop using defense. Defense is only if you don¡¯t have any more energy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± I protested, ¡°We¡¯ve been going for, what? Three hours?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only been one hour.¡± She said simply,¡±You need to be able to hold out. Our fights with Uthera last very long.¡±


    I sighed as I balanced out again, readying my sword. This time, Serah stood back, in a defense motion. Holding her sword with one hand, and stretching out her right hand, I saw my chance. Would this be it? What if she really hurt me¡­Or what if I really hurt her? She was looking too good in the moonlight for me to resist.


    I lunged at her, diving towards her left shoulder. She instantly blocked the blow faster than I could¡¯ve thought. I lunged again, stretching my right sword and towards her left shoulder to distract her and using my left hand, I grabbed her right. Then, faster than even I knew I could move, I twirled her in a circle and, still holding her hand, I pinned her empty hand against her own waist and pulled her back against my chest. She jerked her head sideways, frowning at me slightly, but I didn¡¯t care. I pushed the sharp side of my sword against her throat, making her freeze.


    Then I kissed her.


    I guess she was very surprised from the way she reacted. First, her sword clattered from her hand, then her entire body went limp against me. For a moment, I was so surprised myself, I forgot I still had my sword at her throat. I quickly dropped it and moved my hand to caress her cheek. My thumb brushed over the scar on her cheek. She didn¡¯t pull away.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    She put her hand against my chest and pushed me away slightly, our lips parting, ¡°I don¡¯t like royal boys.¡± She breathed, our lips still brushing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like pirates.¡± I replied. But neither one of us was convinced by our own words.


    Her hand slipped from my chest down my arm, and before I knew what was happening, the kiss ended, she whipped around and placed the sharp tip of my own sword against my neck. ¡°Gotcha.¡± She smirked.


    Then her foot kicked out agin and she whipped both my feet from under me. I grunted as my back slammed onto deck.


    I began to raise myself up, but Serah stopped me. She placed one knee on my chest and pushed me down again. Then, using both hands, she grabbed my face and kissed me again. When she pulled away, she was studying me, as if trying to decide whether I was worth it or not.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute when you¡¯re bewildered.¡± She said simply. Then she got up, walked across deck, and vanished down the staircase to belowdecks.


    I lay there in shock for a moment. Thoughts raced through my mind until the world was spinning. I just kissed a pirate. I thought first. Then I thought, I just kissed a pirate captain. My dad¡¯s gonna blow a fuse. Then I thought, I just kissed Serafina, the baddest pirate captain to sail the Seven Seas. And I¡¯m okay with that.


    I pulled myself to my feet, picking up my sword and sheathing it. Then I glanced around the deck. It was completely empty, except the helm, where, to my horror, stood Colten grinning down at me. I groaned as I made my way up to him.


    He clapped my back, ¡°Amazing!¡± He cried, ¡°You¡¯re amazing! I thought, hey, this is gonna be a boring sword fight like last night, and half of the time I wasn¡¯t even looking. But the moment I looked, you! You¡­You boy genius, kissed my freakin pirate captain. I¡¯m so proud of you.¡± He pat my arm fondly.


    ¡°It was nothing¡­¡± I started, but he cut me off.


    ¡°Nothing!? You call that nothing!? She even came in for a second kiss when she floored you! That, my friend, is something. And it¡¯s something great. You¡¯ve got her twirled around your little finger, literally, and you don¡¯t even realize it.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± I replied coldly, ¡°it¡¯s just a kiss.¡±


    ¡°JUST A KISS??¡± He demanded, ¡°Perryn, any boy who even attempts to touch my captain ends up losing a limp. You¡¯re so emotionally nearsighted, it¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, in the middle of it I remembered something.¡± I snapped. He went silent, surprised at my sudden attitude change.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked quietly.


    ¡°I¡¯m a prince and she¡¯s a pirate. And sure, I¡¯d love it if the entire crew could come live in the castle with us, but my father would explode and then kill you all.¡±


    Colten was silent for a moment, ¡°But hey, we saved his son¡¯s life and your friends. Wouldn¡¯t he appreciate that?¡±


    ¡°Sure, he would.¡± I replied, ¡°But even then he won¡¯t let you come live with us. It gives the royal family a bad rep.¡±


    ¡°Whatever happened to true love?¡± Colten asked, sighing, ¡°I remember back in the day when a guy would kill to be with his love.¡±


    ¡°You think I should kill my father?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. But talking from experience here, Serah wants a guy who¡¯s gonna fight for her. Who¡¯ll do anything just to call her his own. Not a guy who¡¯s going to leave her, even though he loves her, just because it might give him a bad reputation. Serah¡¯s a good leader. She might be able to do wonders to help your kingdom.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll never come to live in my kingdom Colt. You can¡¯t just take a pirate and put her into the royal courts and expect her to become a perfect princess.¡± I scowled.


    ¡°No one can be perfect.¡± Colten said slowly, ¡°Serah isn¡¯t the perfect captain. She has her flaws. Yes, she hides them very, very well. But she still has them. Sometimes she¡¯s too cold and ruthless. You just need to help her the way Lydia helps her. Lydia will let her know if she¡¯s doing something wrong, and she listens. Lydia¡¯s not afraid of Serah¡¯s quick temper like the rest of us, you shouldn¡¯t be either. If you want to be her lover, you have to act like it. Don¡¯t take complete control, but don¡¯t let her take control either. Serah wants a guy who¡¯s going to take the leadership role. She wants to sit back and let someone else take control for a while. It¡¯s hard to be the captain of a seventy-manned ship. It might take her a while to get used to it, but she¡¯ll appreciate it.¡±


    I stared at him, ¡°it was one kiss and you¡¯re already telling me how to be the perfect prince.¡±


    ¡°One kiss is all that it takes.¡± Colt said, grinning, ¡°What do you expect? Something more?¡±


    ¡°Well, no.¡± I said slowly, ¡°But I¡¯m still not certain.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you kiss her?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Why did you kiss her if you weren¡¯t certain? You knew there were three ways it could have gone: She¡¯d either kiss you back and love you forever, she could slap you across the face but still feel complimented, or she could impale you with her sword and demand what the heck you were doing.¡± Colt explained.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s kinda how my thought process went.¡± I admitted.


    Colt grinned at me, ¡°Get some sleep. Tomorrow we should get to the Forgotten Isle.¡±

 Chapter 4

    I woke up to William shaking my hammock furiously. I frowned at him, but he was grinning, ¡°Is it true?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Is what true?¡± I mumbled, pulling my thin blanket up.


    ¡°That you hooked up with the captain?¡±


    I stared at him in horror, ¡°Hooked up? Who do you think I am?¡±


    ¡°Okay, sorry. Did you kiss her?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°Really??¡± Leo demanded, lifting his head from his hammock.


    ¡°I heard Colten and Henry talking as they walked past the room.¡± William said, ¡°Henry was laughing and said that the captain¡¯s going to steal your crown eventually and rule the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Anyway, Tanner stormed in here yelling at us that we¡¯ll be at the Forgotten Isle in an hour or so, so we have to figure out our boarding situation.¡±


    ¡°Boarding situation?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Because the Forgotten Isle is where they live, plus they want to get rid of Cedrick, so we¡¯re staying for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°A few weeks!?¡± Philip demanded from his hammock, ¡°I thought we were only staying for a few days.¡±


    William ignored him and continued, ¡°Tanner says him and Lydia share a house, but usually Lydia goes over to Elizabeth, who lives with Scarlett and Kat, and stays there when she gets bored of him. Serah and Henry also both have their own homes apparently. Henry says his is pretty big because his dad died a while ago and since he was his only child, he left Henry the house. So Henry¡¯s basically got a mansion.¡± He was talking very quickly and I had to take a second to process everything that he had said.


    The door suddenly flew open and Amber stood in the doorway. Then I noticed that we were the only ones still belowdecks, so it wasn¡¯t weird in any way for Amber to stalk in like that.


    ¡°The girls decided we¡¯re going to go stay at Serah¡¯s.¡± She announced as Kate and Rachel appeared behind her, ¡°That leaves space for you guys at either Tanner or Henry¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± I said suddenly, ¡°Where does Colt live?¡±


    ¡°At Henry¡¯s.¡± William replied.


    ¡°How do you guys know all this?¡± I demanded.


    Amber grinned, ¡°While you were asleep, we talked with Lydia. You slept for forever by the way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you remember, but I usually stay up all night with the captain working me to death.¡±


    ¡°At least you get to work and train when it¡¯s cool. We have to do it in the middle of the afternoon.¡± Leo grumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± I replied, ¡°I think we should stay with Henry because he lives in a mansion.¡±


    ¡°And Tanner will probably kill us all in our sleep.¡± Robin added.


    Amber shrugged, ¡°Rachel¡¯s afraid that the captain will lock us in a basement and starve us.¡±


    ¡°She will!¡± Rachel protested, ¡°She¡¯s scary.¡±


    ¡°I feel like Elizabeth would do that just for the fun of it.¡± Kate said, shrugging, ¡°And the captain loves me by the way, just in case you forgot. I¡¯m like, her favorite.¡±


    ¡°Wrong!¡± Came a sudden shout from in the hallway somewhere as I finally pulled myself to my feet, ¡°Lydia is obviously her favorite.¡± It was Lydia talking.


    ¡°Why do you talk about yourself like that?¡± Kate asked, laughing as we all filed out of our room. Lydia and Tanner were heading in our direction, their arms full of different supplies, Lydia carried long swords in her arms and Tanner balanced a bunch of bows in his arms.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    ¡°Just know,¡± Lydia said, ¡°the captain doesn¡¯t like it when you eat her sweets, or any of her food for that manner.¡± She laughed, ¡°And definitely don¡¯t touch her alcohol collection.¡±


    ¡°She has an alcohol collection?¡± Rachel asked.


    Lydia nodded, grinning, ¡°Come on then! We only have a few minutes!¡±


    When we scrambled above deck, the Forgotten Isle was in view. It was a large island, spotted with large and small houses. Directly in front of us was a large shipping port, where other large ships loomed.


    ¡°Remember,¡± Henry said as he approached us, ¡°You¡¯re not royalty on this island. You¡¯re just a few innocent people who washed up against our ship as we were coming home and you¡¯re good use to us, so we¡¯re keeping you.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t we that, in anyway?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°Yes. But forget the royalty part. If anyone on this island finds out you¡¯re royalty, your lives are over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to yell that out as soon as we set foot on that island.¡± Cedrick said smugly.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll be sure to sell you to a cruel and heartless master, we know a few. And then Elizabeth will spread rumors around town about how you are a madman.¡± Lydia replied cheerfully.


    ¡°Why Elizabeth? Why not you? Like, why Elizabeth specifically?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°Because everyone thinks that Elizabeth is the innocent one, so they all listen to her.¡± Lydia replied.


    Elizabeth jumped down from the rigging, grinning at us, ¡°Yeah but, you have to admit Lydia. Neither one of us is innocent. If anyone was to be the most innocent on this ship, it would be Henry and that¡¯s just because he grew up in a rich household and happens to have better manners than the rest of us.¡±


    Henry shrugged, ¡°I mean, Serah has pretty good manners too.¡±


    ¡°When have you ever seen me practice my good manners?¡± Serah demanded, appearing at his shoulder.


    ¡°Just in general!¡± He protested, laughing.


    All the pirates seemed lighthearted as we approached their hometown. Neither Serah nor I glanced at each other on our way to the island. It was as if last night had never happened.


    * * *


    When we reached port, I was surprised to see the town was actually very busy. Crowds of people swept through the market. Pirates and sailors alike were unloading goods from their ships and small children ran around the streets, laughing and playing. It didn¡¯t seem like the main port for pirates.


    We helped the pirates attach the ship to the port with long ropes and then we climbed off.


    We set our plan into action: The boys would go live with Henry, while Tanner and Serah took Cedrick to the traders, and would then get rid of him. Tanner would then come to live with the us and Henry. The girls would go live with Serah, but stayed with us until Serah came to get them that night.


    We followed Henry through the streets of the Forgotten Isle to his home. Homes were built upon one another, stacked high almost like building blocks. Everyone scrambled out of our way as we walked through the street. I wondered if seeing new people freaked them out, or if these pirate friends of ours had a reputation on this island.


    Suddenly, when the captain, Cedrick and Tanner were about to split from us, a yell echoed through the streets. Everyone around us froze and looked around, trying to see where the yell had come from. Then everyone slowly moved away from us, creating a circle of emptiness in the street where we stood together. Out of the crowd, a woman stepped. She was a dark, tall and beautiful. A cutlass hung by her side and her long, dark brown hair was pulled into tiny braids on her head. She wore an elaborate captain¡¯s hat, decorated with feathers and shells. I recognized her from my dream instantly: Uthera. She smirked at our reactions before stepping towards our captain threateningly.


    Compared to Uthera, Serah looked much smaller. She was shorter than Uthera, and even though they were both beautiful, they were very different. Serah was fair-headed and had a sort of icy, ruthless beauty to her. She was like a wild mustang, crazy and fearless, but beautiful in her recklessness.


    Uthera had the type of model queen look. She didn¡¯t look like she liked to get her hands dirty, but from what I¡¯d heard, she got them dirty quite often. She was the girl who would lay in the sun on a beach while everyone else was swimming and getting wet. Her eyes were deep and enchanting. But she reminded me too much of those stories my father had told me: about the cold and ruthless pirates and about the sirens, who would lure one into their charms and then kill you. I decided I would stay away from Uthera.


    ¡°Where are you running off to Serafina?¡± Uthera asked.


    ¡°Just came back into port.¡± The captain said calmly, ¡°Heading home right now. Why? Are you following us?¡±


    ¡°Just wondering who these new people are. You now, Serah, we don¡¯t accept newcomers that easily.¡± Uthera smirked again.


    ¡°I am not a fool. I know very well the habits of this town and her inhabitants.¡± Serah replied coldly, not appreciating Uthera¡¯s use of her nickname.


    ¡°Good. Then you know they must go through inspection?¡± Uthera asked innocently.


    ¡°No they mustn¡¯t.¡± Serah replied, ¡°That isn¡¯t a rule.¡±


    ¡°It is now.¡± Uthera said, ¡°They look just slightly soft for me. Not really like anyone on this island, hmm?¡±


    It was true what she said. We didn¡¯t fit in at all. The men around us were all buff, strong and heavily built, like Henry. The women¡¯s hands were calloused from hard work and tough.


    ¡°You don¡¯t make the rules on this island, Uthera. They¡¯re merely a load of fish bait that we picked up on our way home. No use to you.¡± Serah¡¯s voice had turned cold.


    ¡°Sometimes¡­¡± Uthera mused, ¡°Sometimes fish bait can be worth¡­quite¡­a lot¡­¡±


    Serah snarled, ¡°Whether they¡¯re worth something or not, they¡¯re mine.¡±


    Next to me, Amber grunted silently, her meaning was clear: We don¡¯t belong to anyone.


    But Lydia sharply nudged Amber and we all knew what she meant: The captain was protecting us. Keeping us away from Uthera. Sure, we were royals. And yes, we had caused a bit of trouble so far, but she wouldn¡¯t leave us. None of them would.

 Chapter 5

    Serah and Uthera glared at each other. I could see the deep hatred in Serah¡¯s eyes, the red spark flashing furiously and taking over the blue in her eyes. I wondered if she ever walked past a mirror and noticed the red, or maybe it was just my imagination. But it was obvious that Serah was not in the mood for a fight.


    Uthera, on the other hand, had a grin on her face. She smirked at Serah, enjoying putting her on the spot in front of the crowd.


    ¡°I¡¯m watching you.¡± Uthera said finally, her smirk fading into a scowl.


    Serah growled, ¡°Stay out of my business, Uthera,¡± She lowered her voice until I could barely hear her, ¡°Remember who rules this town.¡±


    Uthera didn¡¯t seem to like that. She straightened up ever so slightly, her scowl deepening. She glared at us angrily, then she stalked straight up to Amber. I noticed Lydia gently put her hand on a sheathed dagger on her waist.


    Uthera snarled into Amber¡¯s face as the crowd around us melted back to the normal hustle, disappointed apparently that there hadn¡¯t been a fight, ¡°I¡¯ll find out exactly who you are. And I¡¯ll make you regret ever coming to this island. Serah may be the boss around here, but she isn¡¯t the boss of me.¡± She stepped closer to Amber, ¡°She can¡¯t protect you forever.¡±


    Then her voice became sweeter, almost charming, ¡°And besides, I wouldn¡¯t trust this crew if I were you. They have a reputation on this island for being ruthless and for killing anyone who crosses their path. Just lock your doors tonight when you go to sleep. You never know who¡¯ll sneak in and kill you whilst you sleep.¡±


    She began to pace in front of us, her eyes drilling into ours, ¡°Henry and Colten will both go for the good ol¡¯ throwing out the window. Tanner and Elizabeth will both slit your throats. Serah willjust stab you. She¡¯s old fashioned that way.¡± She stopped in front of Lydia, and grinned wickedly, ¡°It¡¯s Lydia you have to look out for. She seems all innocent and nice, unlike most pirates. But under that sweet facade lies dark secrets, hmm?¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    Lydia scowled darkly, ¡°Maybe you should look out for me, Uthera. Because I¡¯ll slit your throat, stab you, and then throw you out of a window all at once.¡±


    Uthera laughed, but her laughter was hollow and there was a shake to it, as if Lydia¡¯s threat really did frighten her, ¡°See? I told you, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    The captain, who had merely been watching a few moments ago, now stepped forward and pushed Uthera out of Lydia¡¯s face, ¡°Go away, Uthera. The Isle was intended for peace between us, remember? Not mockery.¡±


    Uthera¡¯s laughter faded and a more serious look replaced her grinning face, ¡°Aye. But remember what I said.¡± She pointed at Amber and made eye contact with each and every one of us before turning her back and vanishing into the crowd.


    ¡°Will you really do that?¡±Amber asked suddenly, turning to Lydia.


    The dark look from Lydia quickly vanished into a forced smile, ¡°Nay, I won¡¯t.¡±


    But I had a feeling that she would if she wanted to.


    * * *


    We were all shocked when we arrived at Henry¡¯s home. I had imagined his house to be a simple cottage in the streets, as Elizabeth explained to us; that was what she lived in. But Henry lived in a house nearly as large as a castle.


    ¡°Rich dad.¡± Colt coughed at my confused face.


    Oh. Right. Henry had the rich but abusive dad. I wondered if he was still alive to boss us around.


    We marched up to the front door and a tall man opened it. He had small eyes and a long, thin nose. He didn¡¯t smile or greet us, but merely stepped out of the way as we entered the house.


    ¡°Good morning, Butch.¡± Colt said cheerfully. The other pirates joined in the chorus of greeting and the man nodded at them all. Henry¡¯s home was plain but beautiful. The room we first walked into was a huge living room, with a big fireplace on one side and soft furniture surrounding it. A large, glass chandelier hung from the ceiling, dotted with the gentle flicker of candlelight. Large windows lined the walls, giving us a gorgeous view of the Isle and its port. We gawked at the large room, but Henry smirked at us, ¡°You¡¯re royalty. Aren¡¯t you used to huge houses?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°Yeah. But this is a more modern home. At the castle, everything is old and you can¡¯t touch anything, otherwise they¡¯ll hang you.¡±


    I looked back at Henry, who¡¯s face had drained of all color. Behind him, Tanner was studying me, trying to see if I was kidding, but my face remained blank.


    ¡°Oh. So we call it a castle now.¡± Serah noted, scowling. She glared at Tanner and Henry, ¡°He¡¯s kidding, you idiots.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear the sarcasm.¡± Henry said coldly, ¡°He¡¯s turning into a male version of you, Serah. I don¡¯t appreciate that.¡±


    Both Serah and I sighed and Henry¡¯s scowl vanished into his regular grin, ¡°Well, anyway. Come see your rooms.¡±

 Chapter 6

    We spent the rest of the day in our rooms. William and I both shared a room that consisted of two small beds, a fireplace and a large desk. Above each bed was a window overlooking a well kept and beautiful garden. I realized in the moment that my mother would¡¯ve loved joining us in this adventure. She would¡¯ve quietly adored the strict but gentle ways of the captain, Serah. She would¡¯ve loved Elizabeth¡¯s spunky attitude and Lydia¡¯s peppy personality. She would¡¯ve loved to sit down and study the maps of the ocean with Tanner and built stuff with Henry.


    I sighed quietly.


    William looked up from his bed where he was reading a book that he had found in Henry¡¯s large library, ¡°What?¡± He asked.


    I shook my head, ¡°My mother would¡¯ve wanted to be here. To get away from the castle.¡±


    William quietly agreed, ¡°Your mother would make a great pirate.¡±


    Suddenly, a loud knock came from the door. I quickly scrambled to my feet and opened the door. A young servant girl stood in front of me. She blushed as I opened the door, ¡°Erm¡­the Lord Black requests your presence in the dining room¡­it is time for supper.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± I glanced at William who stood to his feet and joined me at the door, ¡°Can you show us where it is?¡±


    The girl flushed and we followed her down the hallway, down some stairs and through the first living room again. We walked straight across it to a door and when we went through, we saw a large table. Everyone was already seated, except for Serah, Tanner and Cedrick; they were missing from the room. I sat down quietly beside Philip and William sat beside me.


    ¡°Serah and Tanner will be here in a second.¡± Lydia explained as servants filled the room with plates of steaming food. Henry sat at the head of the table, looking surprisingly like the lord he was. He held a type of power in the room. Normally, I would think that Serah, Tanner or even Elizabeth were in charge. But now Henry seemed to grandly tower over everyone. As we began to eat, the door flew open again and Serah and Tanner strode in. I felt Henry¡¯s power diminish as Serah sat on the other head of the table. Tanner took his seat between Henry and Lydia.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I realized something: Even though Henry was the leader in this household, the boss of us and the other pirates, he couldn¡¯t beat Serah. She didn¡¯t say it out loud, but it was clear to everyone that she was the leader and no one was to mess with her authority.


    The dinner was silent. Everyone ate in comfortable silence. I noticed that Cedrick wasn¡¯t there which was a relief.


    ¡°So¡­question.¡± Leo said suddenly.


    ¡°For who?¡± Tanner asked, not glancing up from his plate.


    ¡°Uh¡­anyone who can answer it. Are you all rich but you just act poor and choose to live like pirates?¡± Leo asked quickly.


    Elizabeth snickered, ¡°Sure. Being a pirate makes you rich from all the ships that you loot. Henry¡¯s the only one who just decides to use his money on servants, houses and a fancy garden.¡±


    ¡°I like the garden.¡± Henry said grumpily.


    ¡°Yeah, me too.¡± Elizabeth replied, ¡°I just don¡¯t like the bugs, so I¡¯m confused on why you would use money on a garden.¡±


    ¡°Because it looks good!¡± Henry protested, ¡°Why does Serah use her money on upgrading the ship? Because it looks good!¡±


    Tanner laughed, ¡°First of all, Serah uses most of her money on whiskey and the local bar. Second, she upgrades the ship so that we don¡¯t sink every time that Colten smashes us into some rocks.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Serah agreed, ¡°You owe me about ten thousand gold coins for the damages, Colt.¡±


    Colt grunted unhappily, ¡°Lydia has caused the most damages to the ship, especially while you were trying to show her how to steer. She¡¯s a terrible driver but she¡¯s your favorite so you blame it on me!¡±


    Lydia choked on her food, ¡°I do not cause the most damages!¡±


    ¡°I love how you don¡¯t even deny that he said that you¡¯re Serah¡¯s favorite.¡± Elizabeth grumbled.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help that everyone loves me.¡± Lydia said, grinning at Elizabeth.


    Serah sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t have favorites.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no!¡± Tanner exclaimed, ¡°You do too! Remember that one time when Elizabeth and Lydia were out pick-pocketing¡­¡±


    He said it so casually, I noted.


    ¡°And Lydia got caught by that old lady who started yelling at her, so Liz just ran away and left her so you yelled at her even though that¡¯s the exact thing that you do to us?!¡±


    The other pirates laughed and the tip of Serah¡¯s lips curled into a smile, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever heard you talk that much in your entire life.¡±


    The rest of dinner molded into quiet conversation between us and the pirates.


    As I glanced around the table, I noticed something. We were royalty, and they were not. But our differences weren¡¯t that extreme. They laughed, talked and acted a lot like us. I didn¡¯t understand why my father had always wanted to be wary around people like them. Their attitudes were a bit on the rotten side, but their hearts were the same as ours.

 Note from Author

    Hey guys! I hope you''re enjoying the novel so far. Usually, the chapters are from Perryn''s point of view, but I''m going to start changing it to other characters'' points of view, to add some fun.


    If this hasn''t been cleared up yet, which i thught I did, but may not have, the line of royalty in the book goes like so:This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Perryn: Prince


    William: Duke


    Kate: Princess


    Amber: Duchess


    Leo: Duke


    Robin: Duke


    Philip: Prince


    Rachel: Duchess


    They are all the princes/princesses/dukes and duchesses of different courntries in alliances, more on this later in the story. For now, the pirates are the main focus.


    Enjoy!

 Chapter 7

    Perryn POV:


    It was around midnight when there was a knock at our bedroom door. Both William and I wearily raised our heads to stare at it. The knock came again.


    ¡°What?¡± William mumbled, stretching.


    The door flew open and Colten stomped in, ¡°Come on!¡± He cried, ¡°You¡¯re missing the party!¡±


    ¡°What party?¡± I asked, pulling the covers over my head. Colten pulled them away, ¡°Everyone¡¯s gathered in the kitchen except you two. Get up, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wanna!¡± I mumbled.


    Colten grabbed my arms, dragged me out of bed and began to pull me down the hall.


    William followed quietly, yawning the whole way as we went down to the dining room again. This time, we went straight through the dining room to the kitchen. It was a large kitchen with counters fool of food and cabinets overflowing. A large chandelier hung in the middle of the room, and this was where everyone was. Serah and Elizabeth both lay on top of the chandelier, watching lazily as we approached.


    ¡°Why do they remind me of cats?¡± William whispered to me.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re super judgmental.¡± I replied.


    As we joined their small circle, a wonderful smell hit me.


    ¡°Is someone¡­baking bread?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I am!¡± Came Lydia¡¯s happy chirp from somewhere in the kitchen. The others all had slices of bread in their hands and were hungrily wolfing it down. I glanced at Amber, who was stuffing her mouth with the bread. She frowned at me, ¡°What? Don¡¯t judge me, it¡¯s good.¡±


    Henry held out a piece to me and I took it. It tasted amazing compared to what we had been eating on the ship. On the ship we had been eating crackers, salted meat and every once in a while, a fruit or two that we picked up in some driftwood. It was what we had survived on on the pirate ship. But the bread was homemade and warm. Something I hadn¡¯t tasted in a long time.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Lydia POV:


    I happily watched as everyone ate the the bread that I had baked. It was a small feat, but it was an important one. Before my mom had died, I had always baked bread with her for dinner. She¡¯d bury my hands in flour and make me pat the dough as she kneaded it. It was one of the only memories I had of her, besides the stories Tanner used to tell me. I looked at him. There was pride in his eyes, which made me flush happily. He didn¡¯t express many emotions, but I knew what he thought all the time. I remembered that he had secretly been delighted in having the royals aboard our ship, although he had been cold to them. I often caught him stealing quick glances at Rachel. I told him to talk to her, but he was nervous, which I found cute. Henry teased him, saying ¡®The Great Tanner Forrester is too afraid to talk to a girl! Such a pity!¡± At which Tanner would reply with a loud boom, ¡°The Great Henry Black, vanquisher of sea sirens, is too afraid to talk to a girl whom he obviously is in love with!¡± At which we would all start laughing at Henry¡¯s surprised face. I still had to find out which girl he spoke of. But it really wasn¡¯t that hard as I thought of Kate, the only other single girl. I was pretty sure Amber and Philip were courting, but I still couldn¡¯t be sure.


    Elizabeth jumped from the chandelier, dropping next to me and plucking a piece of bread from my hand. She leaned against the counter and smirked at the royals¡¯ faces. They all had faces of pure delight and happiness. I grinned at her when her face molded the same after taking a bite. She pushed me away, ¡°Back off Forrester.¡±


    Serah dropped beside me, silently and gracefully. I glanced around the circle and saw Perryn glance up at Serah, his eyes flashing with an emotion I could not comprehend. Normally, I could read everyone¡¯s body and facial language. It was easy for me to see when people were angry, sad or gleeful. But this time, I couldn¡¯t read Perryn¡¯s or Serah¡¯s. Serah didn¡¯t show facial expressions, I mainly looked at her eyes and body language.


    I remember nearly five years ago, when I had been only twelve, and Tanner and I had met her. Having Colten find us hidden on the ship had been one of the scariest moments in my life. He had retrieved Serah and revealed us to her. At first she had been cold, rude and bitter. But she eventually warmed up to us, Elizabeth especially, and it became easier to read her thoughts. When I had related my childhood with Tanner to her and Elizabeth, her turquoise eyes somehow seemed to change color to a deep navy blue as she watched me with pity. I remember how hard it had been for me to choke out my story, but then Elizabeth hugged me and Serah merely watched me with her blue eyes. She wasn¡¯t much for physical expressions, but her gaze somehow meant more to me than any hug. In the first few years that we had known her, she had made it clear we weren¡¯t to ask any personal questions. But eventually, she did share her story, but we swore to never reveal it to anyone.

 Chapter 8

    Serah''s POV:


    My eyes lazily darted over the group of people around me. I analyzed their emotions. Most of them were happy, but in both Perryn and Robin, I saw something bothered them.


    Perryn. I don¡¯t know what made me think his name, but I was reminded of only a few nights before, when I had kissed him. I had mentally banged my head against the mirror a million times after that night in my quarters. Why had I kissed him?


    ¡®I had probably been drunk.¡¯ I thought. And this was most likely true, at least a little. I didn¡¯t want to give him false hope where there didn¡¯t need to be any, but something still tugged at the edge of my mind. What if I hadn¡¯t been drunk? What if I just really wanted to kiss him? But I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind, along with other thoughts that haunted me. I had only known him for a few days. He was cute¡­No¡­He was really, really handsome, but that wasn¡¯t what bothered me the most. He was a royal, a prince at that, and I couldn¡¯t bear princes. Not after the last one¡­


    ¡°But he¡¯s different.¡± My conscience told me.


    ¡°He¡¯s still a prince.¡± I replied.


    ¡°A handsome prince, who literally stares at you as you walk past, who held you so gently, who¡¯s kind¡­cares for his kingdom, and not for getting a wife¡­¡±


    My conscience was right.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± I replied, ¡°I don¡¯t need you.¡±


    ¡°Apparently you don¡¯t need anyone and that¡¯s why you¡¯re not married yet.¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡± I mentally roared.


    My conscience didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°And I¡¯m only eighteen so I can wait a while.¡± I growled to my conscience.


    <ul>


    <li>* *</li>


    </ul>


    When everyone eventually left to their rooms, I went to the front balcony instead. It was above the staircase to go up to the rooms and overlooked the town and port. I hummed as I stood in the darkness, the only light being the moon. The town was quite beautiful at night. I missed watching it. Usually, I was down in the town at night, in my own small house, but Henry requested that I stay just this one trip with the royals. I didn¡¯t really mind. I didn¡¯t like too many people, but I didn¡¯t like to be alone either. Being alone brought nightmares from the past, and I preferred to avoid my nightmares. When I had nightmares, I often woke up screaming and covered in sweat, my dog sitting at the edge of the bed and watching me curiously. Once I had done this when Elizabeth had stayed with me. It scared the living daylights out of her, and whenever I had two or less people living with me, I always made sure to stay up at night. Elizabeth often told me that I didn¡¯t sleep enough, nor did I apparently eat enough. I preferred not to tell her why I avoided sleep when I could. I heard from some old hags in a bar once that not having sleep was apparently bad for you, but I ignored them. Soon after giving this comment, the women grew drunk and fell asleep in the bar.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    My thoughts were interrupted by a slight rustle behind me. My relaxed shoulders instantly tensed but then I recognized the footsteps as they approached me; Perryn.


    My heart skipped a few beats.


    ¡°You get excited when he comes around.¡± My conscience commented, having returned suddenly.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yes you do. When he looks at you, you flush inwardly and you avoid his gaze lest you may show some facial expression and ruin your frosty facade.¡±


    My conscience had better vocabulary than me.


    I mentally rolled my eyes as he approached and stood beside me, watching me momentarily.


    ¡°Hey.¡± He said finally, turning to watch the view.


    ¡°Don¡¯t choke it out. Stand strong. Don¡¯t let your voice crack. Look pretty. Sound careless.¡± My conscience reminded me.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I said smoothly.


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    Her eyes were very blue in the light. They reminded me of the ocean. Her gaze was transfixed on the view, and she refused to look at me so that I could see her eyes clearer. Every once in a while, her lips twitched, as if she was having a mental conversation with herself, but that was all that moved on her face. I wondered what she was thinking about.


    Serah¡¯s POV:


    ¡°Cheese.¡± My conscience mumbled dreamily.


    I sighed and Perryn instantly looked at me. I realized I had done it out loud.


    ¡°What?¡± He asked, looking worried, ¡°I can leave¡­¡± He sounded panicked.


    ¡°Stop.¡± I ordered, stifling my laughter. He was always so worried that I hated him, it was kind of cute.


    He seemed to settle down slightly, ¡°What are you doing here?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Waiting.¡± I replied.


    ¡°For who?¡±


    ¡°Not who; what.¡±


    ¡°Okay, what?¡±


    ¡°Time.¡±


    I could see he was getting confused.


    ¡°What do you-¡° He started, but was interrupted by the midnight bell. It slowly rung and when it passed, he looked at me, ¡°That time?¡± He asked.


    I nodded, ¡°Nineteen stupid years of existence.¡± I remarked, ¡°I feel so old, but in reality I¡¯m still a kid.¡±


    He blinked at me, ¡°It¡¯s¡­your birthday?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer him, instead we both turned to the door behind us as a thunderous sound came throughout the house. As it became louder, I realized it was footsteps. The balcony doors flew open, and Henry, Tanner, Colten, Elizabeth and Lydia scrambled in, followed by a few sleepy royals.


    Henry grabbed me and slung me over his shoulder effortlessly, laughing as he turned and stomped back into the house. I sent Perryn a helpless look as my friends started chanting ¡°Happy birthday!¡±

 Chapter 9

    Serah¡¯s POV:


    Henry bounced me around on his shoulder for fifteen minutes while everyone was chanting. When I started complaining, he gently lowered me to the ground, presented me with a sweet roll and went back to sleep. I sighed, this happened every year. It was the way that they showed me how much they appreciated me I guess. In public, we weren¡¯t allowed to show weaknesses, Uthera and her crew would be upon us in seconds. Affection was a sign of weakness on the Isle. My thoughts roamed to Uthera as I nibbled on the roll and made my way back to the balcony.


    I remembered the way she had threatened the royals in the streets. I had somehow felt protective over them. I didn¡¯t know why I did.


    Perryn still stood on the balcony quietly, an idiotic grin on his face.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked, coming to stand beside him.


    He shrugged, ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    Serah was quiet beside me. I grinned as thought of what had just happened. Normally, Serah didn¡¯t allow anyone to come near her. But just now, she had allowed Henry to swing her around and the others to hug her without a fight. I marveled at her difference in attitude. On the ship, she had been cruel, strict and heartless. She barked orders at sailors and when something wasn¡¯t done to her satisfaction, there was to be punishment. Her crew was to listen whenever she spoke otherwise they would miss something important and got in trouble. They were afraid of her, they flinched when she walked past and never spoke when she was around. The pirates treated her like their captain; their leader. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Now, on the Isle, away from prying eyes, she seemed more normal. She seemed quieter, more timid and gentle. She was a friend to them, not a captain.


    ¡°Why are you like this?¡± I blurted suddenly, forgetting that she couldn¡¯t read my thoughts.


    She looked at me, confused, ¡°Like how?¡±


    ¡°Like¡­I don¡¯t know¡­you¡¯re all cruel on the ship and in front of people but then when you get here, you¡¯re suddenly nicer?¡± I managed to get out. Her sudden friendliness made it hard to talk to her. As if since she felt more human now, I had more trouble talking to her and carrying a conversation.


    She blinked, ¡°I can be mean if you want me to.¡±


    ¡°No, no that¡¯s not what I meant.¡± I quickly replied.


    Her eyes flashed as she continued, ¡°Because you can¡¯t show weakness on the Isle. Your crew should just be your crew. They need to follow your orders and in return you protect them. There shouldn¡¯t be a¡­relationship between the captain and the crew, other than the chain of command.¡±


    ¡°So¡­having friends is considered a weakness?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What people think when they see you have ¡®friends¡¯ is that you¡¯re not strong, you can¡¯t take care of yourself, you always need someone to back you up.¡±


    I bit my lip, ¡°Why care what they think?¡±


    She looked amused, ¡°What are you, a prophet? All people have weaknesses. If you keep your friends around you in public, that most likely is your weakness: That you can¡¯t take care of yourself. And they¡¯ll use that against you in fights, break you away from your crew, corner you, and attack.¡±


    I saw a forlorn look in her eyes, as if she was reliving an experience that had happened a long time ago.


    ¡°Did that¡­happen to you?¡± I asked quietly.


    For the first time, I saw her blank expression change, if only for a second. She looked at me, eyes wide in surprise, her mouth forming an O and a look of slight hurt on her face. But then it vanished, and her face was as blank as ever.


    ¡°Uh¡­no.¡±


    It was obvious she was lying.

 Chapter 10

    Serah¡¯s POV:


    I don¡¯t know what overcame me, but I suddenly felt the urge to tell Perryn everything. What if he wasn¡¯t like everyone else? What if he did just accept me for who I was?


    I shoved these thoughts down, as I usually did, because deep down I knew he would just be another heartbreak.


    My heart nearly stopped, and my vision blacked out for a moment as a flashback from the past entered my mind.


    Not again¡­ I groaned.


    A tall, dark haired man with kind eyes and a scruffy beard smiled down at younger me. He was young; maybe in his mid-thirties.


    Dad. I instantly thought, my eyes beginning to swell with tears as his voice boomed through my brain,


    ¡°Serafina, darling, that is not the way to do it. Let me show you¡­¡± He reached out and took my small, teenage hands in his large, soft ones. He helped me to fix the metal pan in my grip. I used to hate it when he called me ¡®darling¡¯.


    ¡°It makes me sound weak.¡± I told him matter-of-factly, ¡°I am not weak.¡±


    He chuckled, ¡°No, you are not.¡± He leaned down and whispered, ¡°You are my favorite child.¡±


    I giggled as he wrapped his arms around me and swung me in a circle, ¡°Of course I am, I am the first girl to be born for six generations.¡±


    He set me down, ¡°How do you know that?¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°I did my research.¡±


    He laughed a booming laugh and ruffled my long, perfect hair, making it frizz. I almost frowned, Mother will not be pleased with the mess, but I decided that would ruin Father¡¯s mood. Unfortunately, his mood was ruined a split second later, when my four siblings rushed into the room. Corrin, my older brother, crossed his arms as he approached. He didn¡¯t look happy as he surveyed the scene in front of him.


    ¡°Mother is-¡° He started, but was cut off by both my younger sisters who squealed at him unhappily.


    ¡°She is your stepmother!! You are not allowed to call her your mother! She is our mother.¡±


    Lili and Stella were their names. For short, anyway. I could never say their long names. Liliavina or something and Stelstars¡­Their mother was obsessed with odd names.


    My real mother had died, only two years earlier, when I had turned twelve. Well, my father said she had died. She had merely gone missing. I believed she was still out there, waiting to be found. Only a year after her disapearance, my father had remarried, wanting to give my two brothers, Corrin and Lukas, and myself, another mother. We had disliked the woman, the instant she had stepped into our lives. Her daughters were young, spoiled children who got everything that they wanted. My stepmother also demanded that we call her just mother for the public. She wasn¡¯t ever mean to my face, but she was to both Corrin and Lukas. She hated all of us, but she kept me in little favor because even at my young age, I had many kings, dukes and princes offering their sons to be my spouse.


    When I had grown older, the suiters themselves began to visit our kingdom. Men of my age and older came to see me. My stepmother was pleased with the attention¡­her daughters, were not. They did not want us calling their mother, mother, even when that was what was requested of us. They were young and spoiled. Their appearances weren¡¯t ugly in the least, but their hearts were.


    ¡°Serah.¡±


    Perryn¡¯s voice jolted me from the past and I quickly cleared my throat and looked at him. His eyes were drilling into me, trying to break my cover.


    ¡°I love¡­¡±


    I instantly tensed up as he began, afraid of what he was about to say.


    ¡°¡­being with the crew.¡±


    I tried not to let my relief seem too obvious, but it was hard.


    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    ''Phew¡­nice save.'' I told myself.

 Chapter 11

    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    I eventually grew bored of standing in silence. So I said goodnight and went to my room. On the way, I ran into Henry. He was humming with his arms behind his back as he came out of his room.


    ¡°Hey, Perryn.¡± He said cheerfully.


    ¡°Hi.¡± I smiled back at him.


    ¡°Where are you coming from in such a hurry?¡± He asked, stopping me.


    ¡°Uh¡­the balcony. I was watching the view.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow and smirked good-naturally, ¡°I know Serah¡¯s always up there too so this begs the question: Which view were you enjoying?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t help but laugh, ¡°Both, I suppose. Serah doesn¡¯t talk much and the town is really peaceful at night.¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Best view on the island. It¡¯s when you really get to appreciate this place. But don¡¯t worry about Serah.¡± He winked, ¡°If she isn¡¯t talking it means she¡¯s shy¡­and if she¡¯s shy then-¡°


    ¡°-Don¡¯t finish that sentence.¡± I interrupted. ¡°Goodnight, Henry.¡±


    Henry didn¡¯t seem fazed, ¡°Good morning, you mean.¡±


    I waved him off as I opened the door to my room.


    William was asleep when I walked in, a gentle smile on his tanned face. I stood in front of him, watching him in the dim light of the room. He was probably dreaming something about home, something about his parents. He had great parents, who loved him very much. I wished my parents pid attention to me the way William¡¯s parents paid attention to him.


    I had enough of the peace.


    I shoved him off the bed he was lying in.


    He groaned as he blinked up at me sleepily, ¡°What was that for?¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You were lying in my bed.¡± I grumbled, ¡°Thanks for keeping it warm.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He protested, ¡°I worked hard to keep that bed warm, why don¡¯t we switch for one night?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I said, ¡°I called this bed. It¡¯s mine. Look, my stuff is all around it.¡±


    He lunged at me, dragging me out from under the covers.


    ¡°Never. I slept in it first.¡±


    This eventually became a fight. With William and I slamming each other into walls, doors and lamps. It lasted for nearly half and hour without break before the door flew open. The light from the hallway pooled in on William lying on the floor, one hand on my chest, the other holding my fist away from his face. I was on top of him, my free hand around his neck.


    We both squinted into the bright light, before our eyes focused on Serah, Elizabeth, Henry and Tanner. Elizabeth whooped, ¡°We¡¯re missing a fist fight, guys!¡±


    Tanner groaned, ¡°Well, can you guys at least fist fight a little quieter? My room is two doors down and I can still hear you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dent my walls or break my furniture!¡± Henry protested, his eyes surveying the mess in the room.


    ¡°Who¡¯s winning?¡± Serah asked, watching us.


    ¡°I am.¡± I said.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not!¡± William protested.


    I glared down at him, ¡°Who has the death grip here?¡±


    ¡°If I had a knife¡­¡± William started, but was interrupted by Henry stomping in, grabbing me and practically throwing me off of William.


    ¡°We¡¯re done now.¡± He said, ¡°You¡¯re just supposed to sleep in this room. If you want to fight, take it outside.¡±


    ¡°It takes too long to go outside.¡± I said, ¡°And William will be out of the fighting spirit by the time we do get outside.¡±


    ¡°You can throw him out the window.¡± Serah said.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be dead.¡± Elizabeth frowned.


    ¡°No he won¡¯t. Henry planted some rose bushes all around the bases of the walls around the house. He¡¯ll land all comfy in a rosebush.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Comfy. The thorns will impale him and I don¡¯t feel like pulling another body out of the garden.¡±


    William¡¯s face paled, ¡°Another?¡±


    Elizabeth smirked, ¡°The last guy who fell out the window lost a fight to Serah.¡± Her smirk faded and she scowled at her best friend, ¡°And as usual, I had to clean up her mess.¡±


    ¡°On, he wasn¡¯t dead.¡± Serah protested, ¡°Just¡­hurt!¡±


    ¡°He was dead by the time I got him out of there.¡± Elizabeth grumbled.


    ¡°Oh, hush up Liz, he shouldn¡¯t have broken in in the first place, it was his own fault.¡±


    ¡°Anyway.¡± Tanner interrupted, glaring at the two girls. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at his interruption, and Serah¡¯s face remained as icy as ever. ¡°Go to sleep because the rest of us want to sleep and we can¡¯t when you¡¯re banging around in here¡­why were you fighting anyways?¡±


    ¡°Perryn woke me up in the middle of a wonderful dream by dragging me out of bed, then he began to attack me when I told him to go away.¡± William protested.


    ¡°You were in my bed.¡± I growled.


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable.¡± Elizabeth nodded.


    ¡°Okay well, it doesn¡¯t matter. Just shut up and go to sleep.¡± Serah said as she turned and vanished down the hallway.

 Chapter 12

    Elizabeth¡¯s POV:


    I woke up sweating and all the covers on my bed were thrown off. A maid crouched in one corner of my room, lighting the fireplace. I yawned as I wearily sat up.


    ¡°¡®Morning.¡± The maid said cheerfully, turning to smile at me, then heading to the door. I nodded a greeting and returned her smile as she went out. I looked around the room, Serah was asleep at my desk. After last night¡¯s ruckus with the royals, she had come into my room to read a bit, and had fallen asleep at my desk, her head leaning against the desk itself. I quickly pulled on some clothes as I moved towards her. A peaceful smile rested on her face and I grinned. I hadn¡¯t seen Serah smile in a long time, even if it was in her sleep. I knew she didn¡¯t like to sleep, and whenever she did, she had nightmares, so her smile was a pleasant surprise. A moment later, I felt her sense my presence and her eyes fluttered open, her smile vanishing in an instant and a blank expression replacing it. I almost sighed out loud. I missed the old Serah.


    She yawned, ¡°Hey Liz.¡±


    I quickly brightened up, plastering a smile to my face, ¡°Hey Cap. Just wondering, but where are we heading out to today?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wanted to sleep in, but I guess that plan¡¯s ruined. Maybe we should go to the market. They¡¯re having a sale today.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any interests in slaves?¡± I asked instantly.


    ¡°No,¡± She grinned wickedly, ¡°But I do have an interest in a certain captain of the royal guard who will be sold today. Just to see how much he might come for.¡±If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I sighed. Often I forgot about the cold side of Serah. She was quiet, and many took her silence for kindness. After all, if not for her icy glare, she would be mistaken for a kind young woman. But I knew her better than anyone else. Deep down, her heart was as cold as her eyes. It took a lot to melt her heart, and none had even thawed it yet. She did care about us, however. Her crew was her family and I knew she would do everything in her power to protect us. This was a comforting thought to me.


    However, something uncomfortable nagged in the back of my mind. Somewhere, I knew Serah was faulting. Her dark walls that she had built were crumbling and I couldn¡¯t figure out why. She was more tense all the time, she was quieter, more solitary and independent. It almost felt like she was a domestic dog. Quiet, comforting and protective but she longed for the wild. She wanted to run around and go crazy, but she couldn¡¯t because we were holding her back. I felt as if she was straining at the end of a leash. Her loyalty was to us but her heart was to the world and all of its freedom.


    Serah stood up from the desk, grabbed her jacket off the bed and made her way towards the door, ¡°I¡¯m going into town before the sales, you guys can meet me there.¡±


    ¡°What will you be doing?¡± I asked as I followed her out into the hallway and down the stairs to the kitchen.


    ¡°Just taking care of some private matters.¡± She replied coldly as we stepped into the quiet kitchen.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get into any fights.¡± I said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s getting into a fight?¡± Tanner asked as we rounded the corner of the fireplace and entered into the living room where everyone sat.


    ¡°No one.¡± I quickly replied.


    ¡°Yet.¡± Serah said smoothly.


    I sent her a quick glare, hiding my face from the royals.


    I hummed as I made my way towards everyone. They sat in a circle on the floor, all the furniture pushed away. In the middle of their circle, were a few trays full of cookies, rolls and other pastry treats. I immediately snatched up a sweet roll and plopped down beside Tanner and Lydia.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to the sale today.¡± I announced as I bit into my roll.

 Chapter 13

    Serah¡¯s POV:


    The room went silent for a moment.


    ¡°What sale?¡± Amber asked finally, breaking the silence.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter because I will be the only one going.¡± I snapped, glaring daggers at Elizabeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s your birthday, though.¡± Tanner said, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be like, sleeping in and getting drunk?¡±


    I frowned, ¡°You know, I¡¯m rarely ever very drunk, right? And getting drunk isn¡¯t the best thing in the world, that¡¯s why people do it mostly when they want to forget about things.¡±


    ¡°Have I ever been drunk?¡± Tanner asked, peering at his best friend.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Henry replied, ¡°Like once, and that was back in the day when you were young and stupid.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still young and stupid.¡± Colten grumbled from a corner of the room.


    Tanner threw a roll at him, ¡°Older than you!¡± He protested.


    ¡°And dumber than me.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ.¡± Lydia said suddenly.


    ¡°Oh, no no no no no!!¡± Elizabeth protested, ¡°You can¡¯t stand up for him just because he¡¯s your brother!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡± Lydia cried, ¡°But tell me that Colten is smarter than Tanner. Come on, tell me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Tanner said, ¡°I may be dumb but I¡¯m not stupid.¡±


    ¡°That makes no sense.¡± I said, frowning.


    ¡°Point proven.¡± Colten said smugly.


    ¡°No!¡± Tanner said, ¡°There¡¯s no point proven! Just because Serah has no sense of humor, doesn¡¯t mean that you¡¯re right. She literally agrees with whatever just makes sense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so confused.¡± I said quietly, but no one was listening.


    ¡°Serah just has a dry sense of humor!¡± Elizabeth claimed.


    ¡°Serah has no sense of humor, and she has favorites, so therefore she cannot be in this argument right now because the same person always wins!¡±


    ¡°Your logic is flawless.¡± I noted.


    ¡°Do you have a favorite royal?¡± Leo asked suddenly.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The pirates went silent, then slowly turned to me as I nodded.


    ¡°Who?¡± Amber asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.


    ¡°That never works.¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°I¡¯ve tried.¡±


    I ignored her, ¡°Kate.¡± I said simply.


    ¡°Boom!¡± Kate cried, holding out her hands to William, Leo and Rachel. I blinked as all three sighed reluctantly and handed over small pouches jingling with coins.


    Elizabeth nearly died laughing. She choked as she gasped to breathe through her laughter. I couldn¡¯t help but grin at Kate¡¯s triumphant smirk.


    I looked around the room at the royals, I was almost proud. In the small time that the royals had spent with us, they had already changed. They weren¡¯t as well-held and proper as they had been; their edges had roughened a bit. But what relieved me the most, was that anytime any one of us pirates walked past now, they wouldn¡¯t flinch. For a long time, they would wince as we spoke or duck their heads when one of us lifted an arm to point somewhere. It had bothered all of us. But now, they didn¡¯t seem so afraid.


    I stepped into the mini circle that everyone had created, snatched up a roll and made my way to the door.


    As I was about to step out, Henry yelled out to me, ¡°When will you be home?¡±


    ¡°I will be at my house later tonight. I¡¯m not coming back here.¡±


    ¡°Glad you¡¯re having such a good birthday,¡± Tanner remarked dryly, ¡°All alone.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s ideal.¡± I replied.


    ¡°How about we get lunch at Chippers, then you can go live your sad, dreary life by yourself all alone afterwards?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    ¡°Sounds fantastic." I grumbled as I vanished out the door.


    As I stepped out of Henry¡¯s mansion, I took a deep breath of the morning air. In the cove beneath the mansion, I could hear the waves of the ocean crashing against rocks. A part of me wanted to crawl down into the cove and look for fish and pretty shells. As I thought of it, a strong memory hit me like a wave, and suddenly, I was ten years younger.


    ¡°Father, I can¡¯t find any!¡± Samantha¡¯s voice rang through my young mind. I quickly attempted to make my way over to her, but my foot slipped on a rock. My toes slipped into the water, slamming against a sharp piece of corral, hidden by some seaweed. I frowned as blood started to escape a large cut on my foot as I drew it out of the water. I watched, fascinated, as drops of blood dripped from my foot, into the water, spreading out in the water and remaining there, suspended, until another wave washed over and washed it away. I set my mind back to the task at hand: Help my sister find some shells. As I made my way over to her, more carefully now, I wondered why I was doing this for her. My mind told me that if I hadn¡¯t come over to Samantha in the first place, I wouldn¡¯t now have a stinging cut on my foot, that was starting to hurt quite a bit. But then I remembered, ¡°Oh yeah¡­because it makes her happy¡­and I want her to be happy.¡±


    It was all I ever wanted; to make the people around me happy. First it had been mother, then father, then after mother died, it had been stepmother and all her children. But now it was Samantha. She was the center of my life, and everything I did revolved around her happiness.


    She now looked up at me curiously, ¡°Serah, are you alright?¡±


    I finally hopped up on the rock that she was on and forced a smile, ¡°Yes, Sammy. I just stubbed my toe a bit, and got cut. Now I¡¯m bleeding a lot. But I¡¯m alright.¡±


    She laughed at my blank face and dry reply. She ruffled my neatly combed hair, ¡°Well good job, but I found one while you were busy being injured, so now it¡¯s time to return to shore.¡±


    I frowned slightly as I turned back to shore, where my Father and stepmother were enjoying the view, and said, ¡°But I don¡¯t want to. I don¡¯t like stepmother.¡± I turned back to Samantha, expecting her to agree with me. But her smile had vanished and a cold fear, that I had come to recognize, set into her eyes.


    ¡°She wants us to like her. So we pretend like we do. At least until we get out of here.¡± Samantha said, a wicked glint in her eye.


    ¡°When will that be?¡± I asked curiously as we made our way to the shore.


    She looked down at me, smiling fondly, ¡°Soon, sis. Soon.¡±

 Chapter 14

    Serah''s POV:


    ¡°Should we be cheerful today or the usual?¡± My conscience asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling cheerful.¡± I replied out loud. My feet felt like flying over the cobblestones of the path I was walking on. A shiver of excitement ran throughout my entire body and I felt like running¡­so I did. My feet carried me across the market square, through the crowds and out of town.


    Finally, I stopped to catch my breath. A large, golden wheat field spread out in front of me. I stood up on a small cliff above it, surveying the beautiful scene. The sun had now officially risen fully as I breathed in deeply. I felt the sudden urge to laugh. To laugh and roll in the grass, to forget my troubles and be a child again. The feeling vanished as soon as it had come as I sensed something. I turned around and faced the direction I had come from. I had pulled myself out of an alleyway in the town so I expected someone to walk past the alley. But a weird feeling had struck me as I now approached the alley. A figure stood in the center, still and silent. I now froze and quietly watched the figure as they approached. As they stepped into the sunlight, I took a step back.


    A man stood in front of me, tall and shockingly handsome. He had wavy, brown hair and deep green eyes. He smirked, ¡°Hello.¡±


    ¡°Hello.¡± I replied, keeping my eyes on him steadily.


    ¡°I am Louis.¡±


    Instantly everything inside of me turns cold. Louis. Wasn¡¯t he like, related to Perryn? I remembered doing research on the princes in Persia. Louis, Perryn and then a younger one. His hair and eyes were just like Perryn¡¯s. But he was taller, slightly chubbier. The muscles on his arms, and chest weren¡¯t as defined as¡ªI stopped myself. What was I doing? I shook myself back to reality with a grunt, ¡°What do you want?¡±If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    He stepped closer, ¡°You know what.¡±


    A million thoughts raced through my brain, ¡°Your¡­brother. You want him back.¡±


    He nodded wickedly.


    ¡°How did you get on this island?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I have my ways. Now¡­where is Perryn?¡±


    ¡°Why do you want him?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°We have some¡­¡± His eyes flashed angrily, ¡°¡­unfinished business; my brother and I¡­You know, princes don¡¯t always get along. My father thinks that Perryn will be the perfect king, not me, the oldest!¡±


    I tried to step away from him, glaring, ¡°I do not wish to be a part of your sibling rivalry. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a lunch to attend too.¡±


    ¡°With my brother?¡± Louisasked, following me as I stalked out of the alleyway and into market square.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± I snarled, ¡°Get off my back and off my island.¡±


    ¡°I am a prince.¡±


    ¡°An annoying one!¡± I protested, turning and shoving his chest away from me. He was too close for comfort, ¡°No wonder your father thinks Perryn will be a better king, he¡¯s not nearly as irritating!¡±


    Louisgrowled, ¡°Do not speak to me in such a¡ª¡°


    And suddenly, Tanner was there. He grabbed my hand, that embarrassingly was still pushing Louisaway.


    He frowned at Louis, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Louis Sanchez, Prince of Persia.¡±


    Tanner froze. Then his eyes shifted from the man to me, then back to him, ¡°What is a prince doing on this island?¡± He asked finally, ¡°Some say this is the most dangerous place in all of Persia. And yet¡­here you are¡­how do you know that we won¡¯t kill you?¡±


    Louissmirked then looked at me, ¡°She¡¯s your captain, right? Like, your leader, your boss. The person who runs this town. You haven¡¯t killed me yet¡­¡± He stepped close to my face, until our noses almost touched. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the others gather, ready to back me up.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you?¡± He demanded, continuing, ¡°Are you soft?¡±


    I quickly decided to shut him up. My fist jerked out of Tanner¡¯s grasp, whipped up, and I punched him hard across the face. I felt and heard the crack against my knuckles as my fist met his nose. He howled in outrage as he stumbled backwards from the force of the hit.


    ¡°You¡­dare!?¡± He demanded.


    ¡°Like you said, I run this town. So get off of it.¡± Now it was I who took the threatening step towards him, ¡°Before I do much worse than just break your nose.¡±


    Louisbegan to back away before glancing over in the others'' direction. His eyes landed instantly on Perryn, who¡¯s face had twisted into a dark scowl. Louis¡¯s scowl matched his brother¡¯s¡­and then he was gone.

 Chapter 15

    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    My heart had sank when I had seenLouis. I knew why he was here, I knew why he had tracked me down. I didn¡¯t know how he had, and this scared me.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    ¡°Perryn¡¯s¡­brother¡­¡± William replied slowly.


    Elizabeth gawked at me, ¡°Like¡­another prince?¡±


    I nodded miserably, ¡°He wants the throne. He wants to get rid of me.¡±


    Instantly a thought burst up inside of me. I quickly turned to William, ¡°Wait. Wasn¡¯t Louisthe one who suggested we go on that stupid ship to ¡®view¡¯ the future kingdom?¡±


    William nodded thoughtfully.


    ¡°And he and Cedrick have always been plotting things together.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re thinking Cedrick sank the ship on purpose to get rid of us?¡± William asked, catching on.


    I nodded, ¡°But now Cedrick¡¯s out of the picture, so Louiscame to finish the job¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oh. You¡¯re dead.¡± Lydia suddenly interrupted.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    She pointed behind me, ¡°I think Cap¡¯s a bit angry.¡±


    Immediately I whirled. Serah was storming towards me, her eyes flashing and her hands balled into fists.


    ¡°Who. Was. That?¡± Serah snarled into my face as she stepped towards me.


    Elizabeth and William both recoiled from us, exchanging nervous glances. It made me nervous that Elizabeth, who was supposed to be Serah¡¯s best friend, was afraid of her anger.


    I took a nervous step backwards, ¡°It¡¯s not my fault he tailed us.¡±Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°You could have said something about the fact that your brother is trying to murder you.¡±


    Suddenly her anger seemed to drain, and was replaced by something that scared me even more: Fear. She took a step away from me.


    Her eyes glazed over slightly and she seemed to drift to another world before whirling on Tanner, ¡°Get him back.¡± She ordered.


    Not questioning, Tanner nodded and molded into the crowd of people to find Louis.


    Serah began to pace in front of us impatiently, muttering to herself and sweeping her eyes over the crowd of faces.


    ¡°So¡­I take it lunch is cancelled?¡± Elizabeth asked warily.


    Serah sent her a dry glare and continued to inspect the crowd, before Tanner appeared out of nowhere. He shook his head as he approached, ¡°He¡¯s gone.¡±


    Serah looked panicked, ¡°We have to find him. Soon.¡±


    Tanner nodded grimly.


    ¡°Why?¡± Amber asked suddenly.


    Serah stopped pacing and looked at her. Her eyes were icy cold, and she seemed to be taking time to think about what she was about to say, ¡°He¡¯s¡­a liability.¡±


    ¡°To what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°First of all, your life. But that¡¯s not the most important thing right now¡ª¡°


    I frowned.


    ¡°¡ªAnd second¡­our¡­reputation. He could have royal guards swarming this island in a matter of days. We could all die.¡±


    ¡°Die?¡± Amber asked.


    Serah nodded, distracted, ¡°Tanner. You, Henry and Elizabeth need to immediately begin looking for that prince. Lydia, Scarlett and Kat, watch these royals.¡± She nodded at us, ¡°And Colten. Come with me.¡±


    The earlier, light mood had vanished from the group as Tanner, Elizabeth and Henry split away from us, faces set grim.


    ¡°So¡­we aren¡¯t going to go live with Serah after all?¡± Amber asked.


    Lydia shook her head, ¡°Nah. She has too much on her plate.¡±


    ¡°I feel sorry for her.¡± Kate sighed, ¡°It is her birthday after all.¡±


    Lydia didn¡¯t answer, she glanced at Kate, a look of gratitude on her face.


    Serah¡¯s POV:


    ¡°Don¡¯t stop running Serah! Don¡¯t look back!¡± Samantha¡¯s voice echoed through my brain. Twigs, leaves and branches slapped my face as I ran through the woods. Samantha was right on my heels, ¡°Don¡¯t let them see your face. Don¡¯t let them recognize you!¡± She hissed into my ear.


    ¡®The princes will recognize me.¡¯ I thought. My parents had always been intent on getting my name out there. They wanted all the kings and princes to know about me. And now they all knew what I looked like. This escape with Samantha was going to be hard than I thought.


    ¡°Serah.¡± Colten¡¯s voice jolted me out of the past and my eyes focused on his, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± I replied shortly.


    ¡°We¡¯re away from the royals.¡± Colten noted.


    I sighed, ¡°I think he recognized me.¡± I told him.


    Colten seemed to go rigid, ¡°That¡¯s why you want to get him. Otherwise he¡¯ll return to his kingdom¡­¡±


    ¡°And tell all the royals about how he found the missing princess of Arcadia.¡± I growled.


    ¡°What?¡± A sudden voice demanded.


    We both whirled around, shocked. Lydia had snuck up on us.


    ¡°The missing what!?¡± She demanded.

 Chapter 16

    Lydia¡¯s POV:


    I couldn¡¯t believe what I had just heard. Serah was¡­a princess?


    ¡°You¡¯re a¡­a¡­a royal?¡± I demanded.


    Serah winced, ¡°Lower your voice Lydia, please. And I will explain everything.¡±


    ¡°Everything?¡± Colten demanded.


    ¡°Wait, you knew, Colt?¡± I asked.


    He hesitated, ¡°Well¡­yes.¡±


    Serah suddenly reached out, grabbing my arm and dragging me farther away from the royals.


    ¡°I¡¯m a princess, Lydia.¡± She said simply, ¡°I ran away from home with my older sister when I was fourteen. I had a stepmother who just wanted to get rid of me, so that her five children could get the throne. So Sammy, my sister, and I just made a run for it.¡±


    I stared at her, ¡°And¡­Colten? What do you have to do with this?¡±


    ¡°I was a stable boy. Serah and I have been friends for a long time. So when she ran¡­I did too.¡±


    ¡°And you have a sister?¡± I whimpered.


    Serah was silent for a moment, hurt flashed across her face, ¡°Had. She¡­died. Right before we met you guys.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Died?¡± I asked, ¡°How?¡±


    Serah swallowed hard. I could see it was hard for her to talk about it, but I needed to know.


    ¡°How?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­know.¡± Serah said slowly, ¡°I woke up one morning, alone. I found her sword, and her jacket but nothing else. I searched for days, but I couldn¡¯t find her. I even snuck back to the palace to find her, but she was gone. Eventually, I managed to grow my hair over my face, so no one would recognize me. I asked around towns, around the isles, but no one had seen her. My father eventually gave up the search, convinced that we were gone.¡±


    ¡°So you¡­moved on?¡± I asked.


    When Serah didn¡¯t answer, Colten did. Watching his words carefully, he said, ¡°Serah moved on from anything in life. Family, emotions¡­¡± He hesitated, ¡°¡­Love.¡±


    I looked back at Serah. She seemed to have drifted off to some far off place, where she was alone and no one could join her.


    A sudden yell behind us made me turn around. The royals were waving me over. I ignored them. This was more important.


    ¡°So what now Serah? You¡¯re a runaway princess, who became a pirate captain.¡± I froze, ¡°Will you ever tell Perryn?¡±


    Immediately Serah looked horrified, ¡°What? No! Never!¡±


    ¡°But he fancies you! And don¡¯t even start to make up the excuse of, ¡®oh I don¡¯t like him¡¯ because I know you like him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a prince.¡± Serah said coldly.


    ¡°And you¡¯re a princess, so nothing is keeping you two apart except you.¡±


    Serah sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t like princes Lydia. They get a wife and they¡¯re all about showing them off to the public, or making peace with a neighboring kingdom. That¡¯s why I ran away in the first place, because I didn¡¯t want to be some trophy that a prince held out for a while to show off but eventually just forgets about and shoves into the closet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Perryn¡¯s like that.¡± I protested.


    ¡°So what do you want me to do?¡± Serah sighed.


    ¡°Be sweet!¡± I said, ¡°He¡¯s not that type of prince, Serah. He¡¯ll never forget about you.¡±


    Serah sighed again, defeated, ¡°Fine.¡±


    I nodded as I turned to go back to the royals, who seemed to be in a panic.


    ¡°Lydia.¡± Colten said suddenly.


    I stopped and turned to face him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± Serah said slowly, ¡°I¡¯ll tell them when I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 17

    Serah¡¯s POV:


    I watched reluctantly as Lydia stormed away. I didn¡¯t want her to sleep on her anger. I could see in her eyes that she was frustrated with me, but she didn¡¯t act on her frustration.


    ¡°What am I going to do?¡± I groaned to myself.


    ¡°Tell everyone. See how they feel about you.¡± Colten replied simply.


    ¡°They¡¯re going to hate me, Colt. I¡¯m a royal. I¡¯m supposed to be against royals, but I am one. What¡¯ll Elizabeth say?¡±


    ¡°Hey.¡± Colten said.


    I looked at him helplessly.


    ¡°We¡¯re not just your crew, Serah. We¡¯re your family, your friends. You know they¡¯ll follow you with whatever you do and wherever you go.¡± Colt grabbed my shoulders and turned to look him in the eye, ¡°Remember that time when we were running from that band of rogues and Elizabeth literally jumped off her horse to kick that leader in the face just so that he wouldn¡¯t touch you?¡±


    I nodded miserably.


    ¡°And when Tanner dove into your burning cabin to save the maps that you had drawn to find Sammy, when you were afraid to, and he didn¡¯t even ask why the maps were so important?¡±


    Once again, I nodded.


    ¡°And look at Lydia. She just listened as you explained your childhood. Did she make fun of you? Did she reject you?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°But she was hurt¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course she was. But the only thing that you can do is tell the others, and stop keeping them in the dark. They¡¯ll stick with you no matter what.¡±


    I sighed. Then I turned away from him and began walking towards the edge of town.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± He called after me.


    ¡°I¡¯m going somewhere quiet.¡±


    I turned away and vanished down an alley.


    I needed some time alone, by myself and way from the others.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I returned to my previous cliff, and sat down quietly.


    I felt the tears begin to force themselves to my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away.


    My life was slowly falling apart. I had never given myself the liberty to mourn the disappearance of Sammy, but now all the sadness of not having her around, came flooding back to me. I had shoved all the memories of her back into my mind, but they forced themselves back. I buried my face in my knees and tried to forget about what had happened, again. Silent footsteps approaching made me life up my head slightly, and go silent. But I knew who it was by now, I recognized his footsteps: Perryn.


    I buried my face in my hands again, I¡¯d rather him not see my face at all than know that I was trying desperately to not cry. He sat down beside me quietly.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked finally.


    ¡°Fine.¡± I growled in return.


    ¡°Did Louissay something?¡± He asked.


    ¡°¡­No.¡±


    He was silent for a moment longer. I knew he was struggling to find words to say, but I didn¡¯t want to talk to him. Another feeling tugged at my mind. I wanted him to be here, right next to me, to know that I wasn¡¯t alone.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Perryn finally prodded.


    ¡°I¡­¡± I stopped. Did I want to tell Perryn everything? I suddenly felt like I did. He was different, he listened and never fought against me. I couldn¡¯t decide.


    Perryn¡¯s POV:


    Serah lifted her head slightly to look over the field beneath the cliff. Gentle tears were streaming from her eyes, making her look somehow even more beautiful. The sun shone bright against her face. She swallowed before she began to speak.


    Her voice was shaking, ¡°I made a mistake¡­that could break the trust of my¡­crew. I didn¡¯t tell them something, and now¡­I have no choice but to tell them. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯ll be angry at me for keeping it from them, or they¡¯ll just move on.¡±


    I hesitated, ¡°Do you mind if I ask what it was you were hiding from them?¡±


    She buried her head in her knees again, ¡°It depends on how you¡¯re going to react. Will you be mad or hurt?¡±


    ¡°It depends.¡± I replied, ¡°But I¡¯ll try to not have any emotion.¡±


    Slowly she lifted her head and looked at me. Her eyes were a deep shade of navy blue, and filled with sadness, ¡°When I was little, I used to have a sister. And older one. She always took care of me. She taught me how to protect myself, how to show myself to be void of emotions, how to¡­be what I am today. At first, it just felt like basic training, what everyone else around us was doing. But then one day, she decided that I was ready.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± I pushed.


    ¡°To run away. My father had remarried a woman who had many children. Her children basically replaced us. So we¡­ran away. I didn¡¯t really care about how my father felt. I knew he had only remarried because he wanted us to have a mother. But it didn¡¯t work out. I never really thought about how much it might hurt him if we just vanished off the face of the earth. Anyway, a few weeks after we ran away, Sammy went missing. We couldn¡¯t find her anywhere. It was as if, she had literally vanished into thin air.¡±


    ¡°Sammy.¡± I said slowly, ¡°Your sister.¡±


    Suddenly I thought of something that shocked me. Stories flooded my mind of two princesses. Samantha and Serafina, two princesses who had vanished about five years earlier. No one ever saw them again. No wonder her name had seemed familiar. The king of Arcadia had always boasted of the beauty and kindness of his daughters, but then they had vanished and it had taken away his fire.


    I stared at her in pure shock.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡± I stopped, blinking a few times to make sure I wasn¡¯t dreaming, ¡°You¡¯re the missing princess of Arcadia.¡±

 Chapter 18

    Perryn''s POV:


    She seemed to tense up, before letting her shoulders droop in defeat.


    I jumped to my feet, ¡°And Louis realized who you were, so you want him out of the picture so that no one finds out who you are.¡±


    I paced behind her, my emotions in a jumble, ¡°You¡¯re still alive! Everyone thought you died, but here you are. I¡¯ve seen portraits of you, I don¡¯t know how I didn¡¯t recognize you!¡±


    She still didn¡¯t move from her hunched position on the ground. I sat beside her and gently placed my hand on her arm.


    ¡°Serah.¡± I said quietly. She sighed, then turned, wrapped her arms around my waist, and buried her face into my chest. Her shoulders shook gently with her sobs, so I wrapped my arms around her and held her.


    I tilted my head slightly when I heard footsteps. Behind us, approaching, was Louis.


    In my arms, Serah went silent and soon tensed up as well. I almost sighed, she can¡¯t even have five minutes of peace and quiet, can she?


    We untangled ourselves from each other and turned to face Louis.


    I glared at him bitterly, but he stretched out his arms as if for a hug, ¡°It¡¯s been a while, brother.¡±


    Serah began to growl a warning as Louis took a step towards us, but I stuck out my hand and placed it on her shoulder, ¡°He¡¯s my brother.¡± I said under my breath, ¡°Let me handle this.¡±


    She looked wary.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    ¡°Trust me.¡± I pleaded.


    Finally, she nodded reluctantly.


    ¡°This is sweet, Perryn. You have found the princess of Arcadia and have her wrapped around your little finger. If she wasn¡¯t shooting dagger looks at me behind your back right now, I might just¡ª¡°


    I cut him off, ¡°What do you want Louis?¡±


    His fake smile vanished instantly and he glared at me, ¡°The throne, Perryn. The throne.¡±


    I waved him off, ¡°Other than that.¡±


    ¡°You ran away!¡± He snapped.


    ¡°I did not. You tricked me, and then tried to kill me. It¡¯s too bad your plan didn¡¯t work out though.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°That¡¯s not what Father and Mother think.¡±


    I froze, ¡°Why do you want the throne anyways?¡± I asked, attempting to change the subject.


    He straightened up slightly, ¡°Why do you think?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be anything good.¡± I spat, ¡°You¡¯re a terrible leader. Persia will be in ruin with you as a king.¡±


    Louis waved me off, ¡°That¡¯s what all of you think¡­¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re all right!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± He snapped, ¡°You¡¯re wrong, as always Perryn. And so is Father. He was wrong about us when we were little, and he is wrong about us now. I will be the better ruler.¡±


    ¡°What are your plans?¡± I asked finally.


    ¡°Easy. Kill you. Tell a sweet dramatic story to Mother and Father about how you tried to save my life while I was hanging off a cliff or¡­¡± His eyes flashed to Serah, ¡°¡­Or fighting against a pirate captain who happens to be the missing princess of Arcadia¡­And then I will become king.¡±


    He smirked triumphantly.


    I hesitated, ¡°What if I just never return?¡±


    Serah made a sound in her throat but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Louis seemed to be considering this, ¡°If you never return, then I won¡¯t tell anyone about the pirate princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, you know.¡± Serah snapped, tired of staying silent. She turned to me, ¡°And you said it yourself, Persia would be in ruin with him as king. In case you forgot, we live in Persia. This would affect all of us. So why would you stay?¡±


    ¡°You said you hated the royal life.¡± I said simply, ¡°If Louis tells anyone you¡¯ll be dragged back into it.¡±


    I looked back at Louis, ¡°And besides, I¡¯m getting the hang of just living out here.¡±


    Louis stomped towards me, even as Serah began to protest, ¡°Deal.¡±


    I shook his hand quietly, nodding my agreement. Serah watched helplessly as a wicked grin crossed Louis¡¯ face, ¡°I would say I¡¯ll see you soon, but I hope we never do.¡±


    I scowled, ¡°Now get off this island.¡±


    He turned sharply to the alley.


    ¡°Louis.¡± Serah said finally, a scowl on her face.


    He tilted his head in her direction.


    ¡°You better keep your end of the deal.¡±

 Chapter 19

    Serah¡¯s POV:


    I whipped around to face Perryn. ¡°Why did you just do that?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Do what?¡± He asked.


    ¡°You know what. Give up your responsibilities. Give the kingdom away. Ruin your entire life.¡±


    He smirked, ¡°I don¡¯t think I have ever told you this, but I am an expert liar and great at hiding secrets.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­comforting¡­¡± I said slowly, ¡°But what¡¯s your plan?¡±


    ¡°Hide away for a while. When everyone thinks I¡¯m dead¡­boom! I come in and shock them all. Take over my kingdom, kick Louis out and yeah, all that fun stuff.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± I said dryly, ¡°Fantastic plan.¡±


    Then I turned serious. I looked at him, forcing him to keep my steady gaze, ¡°Do you think Louis will hold his side of the deal?¡±


    He took a moment to think. I immediately took note of his hesitation, my gaze becoming instantly wary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± He finally admitted, ¡°I think he will. He¡¯s never been the type of guy to break deals or promises.¡±


    I nodded quietly, then turned to the alleyway again, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± I said simply.


    I glanced back over the cliff before heading into the alleyway. The sun had set slightly and I now realized how long we had sat together on the cliff. I also realized how much I had told Perryn. Everything. I had told him everything. And he hadn¡¯t judged me.


    Now I just had to tell my crew.


    I bit my lip in concentration as we started down the alley.


    A sudden snicker beside me made me turn.


    Perryn was watching me, a smirk on his face. Then he loped his arm casually around my shoulders, ¡°Has anyone even told you that you look cute when you concentrate?¡± He asked.


    I smoothly flipped my hair over my shoulder and sent him my most brilliant smile, ¡°Oh they have.¡± I said sweetly, ¡°But none of them survived until the next day.¡±Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    He smirked again, and this time, I got a good look at his face. I remembered the first day I had seen him thinking, ¡®dang, he¡¯s hot¡¯.


    His eyes were emerald green with small flakes of gold in the center. They sparkled with a constant glow of amusement. His wavy, rugged brown hair had grown longer in the short time that we had known each other, and it fit him.


    Without thinking, I jumped onto my tiptoes and placed a kiss on his lips. Instantly, his arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me into the air until I giggled against his lips. He swung me in a circle, laughing along with me.


    I sighed as we settled down, nestling my face into the crook of his neck contentedly. He hummed happily as we stood together in the empty alleyway, the sun setting on our worries.


    Finally, he spoke, ¡°I¡¯m happy.¡± He said simply.


    I hesitated a moment. I still had many troubles in my life, many worries and struggles. But I was happy in all of it, ¡°Me too.¡± I said finally.


    As much as I regretted it, I pulled away from him after a while. Instead I laced my hand into his and started down the alley once again. This time, we made our way out of it. The market was no longer busy, only a few people still strolled along amongst the street vendors. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell anyone where I went.¡± Perryn admitted as we scanned the marketplace for a familiar face.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± I replied, ¡°They either went home or Chippers.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Chippers?¡± He asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like the island¡¯s best restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever been to one?¡± I asked suddenly.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°A restaurant.¡± I hesitated, then said shyly, ¡°I know it¡¯s not really something that royals go to.¡±


    He shrugged, ¡°Not really. I mean, the kitchen staff makes good food.¡±


    I nodded quietly. We walked, still hand in hand towards Chippers. It was just outside the market square. As I swung through the door I was greeting with noise from all directions. In one corner of the restaurant, two old sailors were sharing seafaring tales with other sailors, exaggerating on the small bits of the stories and laughing heartily along with each other. I pulled Perryn towards the bar, where we both sat down.


    Dahlia, the bar maid, instantly approached me, ¡°Hey, if it isn¡¯t my favorite pirate captain.¡± She said happily, her green eyes sparkling. She looked at Perryn, ¡°Who¡¯s your handsome friend?¡±


    Perryn blinked then looked to me for help.


    ¡°This is Perryn.¡± I said simply, ¡°Dahlia, did Colt, Liz or any of the others come by here today?¡±


    She winked at Perryn, who surprisingly blushed underneath her gaze, then turned back to me, ¡°Hmm¡­Colt and Liz? Nope. But Lydia, Scarlett and Kat did. Along with some fish bait apparently. They came by about five hours ago, for dinner.¡±


    I nodded, ¡°Alright, thanks.¡±


    Dahlia nodded, ¡°So¡­the usual?¡±


    I nodded, ¡°For both of us.¡±


    She turned and vanished into the crowd of servers to get our orders. Perryn opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a sudden yell in the crowd.


    I tilted my head to watch as a sailor was thrown across the room, slamming into a barrel of mead¡­which promptly exploded, covering all that were with a five foot radius in it. A cheer went up through the crowd as I recognized the man to be a part of Uthera¡¯s crew.


    A young man, only about fifteen years old, pulled a girl around his age onto a table, raising her hand in victory, ¡°And that¡¯s how it is done, ladies and gents.¡± He said proudly.


    Immediately applause sounded throughout the room. The girl looked around, a smug grin on her face.


    I instantly disliked both of them.


    ¡°Would anyone else like to challenge the greatest pirate of all? Captain Hurricane!¡±

 Chapter 20

    I snarled, ¡°These children think they¡¯re pirates.¡±


    Perryn snickered, ¡°Show ¡®em how it¡¯s done, Cap.¡± He said, doing his best imitation of Henry.


    I swatted his shoulder, but turned and walked towards the commotion, Perryn tight on my heels.


    ¡°Anyone?¡± The boy continued shouting, ¡°It seems that everyone on this island is a wimp!¡±


    I snarled, but at the same time, I heard a growl from a familiar voice; Uthera.


    We made eye contact and nodded to each other, coming to a mental agreement: Shut these kids down.


    People went shockingly silent as we approached, making a path for us through.


    ¡°You threaten. I¡¯ll be back up.¡± Uthera said under her breath as we approached. Neither one of us wanted our authority to be challenged by amateurs.


    The girl jumped from the table and began to approach us cooly as we stormed towards her. Uthera pulled back a few feet behind me, her arms crossed, watching.


    I stormed up to the girl, my fingers wrapped around the collar of her shirt, and I pushed my face into hers, shoving her back against the table.


    ¡°Serafina, Captain of the Predator.¡± I snarled into her face, lingering on the words ¡®Captain¡¯ and ¡®Predator¡¯.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Her face went pale in fear, all confidence shattering.


    The room was deathly silent as I glared into her eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s my captain!¡± The boy suddenly cried, trying to break the silence. He still stood on the table and now knelt to peel my grip away. Instantly my other hand snaked out, grabbed his, and I flipped him coolly over my shoulder. Shoving the girl to the ground, I placed my heel against the boys neck, relishing as he squirmed in my grasp.


    ¡°Now.¡± I said slowly, ¡°You seem new here. Let¡¯s make some rules clear. I run this town. I¡¯m the boss. You do what I say or you pay. This here,¡± I waved at Uthera, ¡°Is Uthera, Captain of the SeaRay. If I¡¯m not around, you do what she says. And that sailor you just threw across the room? He was a part of her crew. So when I¡¯m done with you, you¡¯ll have to deal with her.¡±


    The girl had gotten up. She glared around at everyone in the crowd, ¡°She runs this town? You¡¯re listening to someone like her? Why?¡±


    A few whimpers went through the crowd, before an older sailor spoke up, ¡°Captain Serafina is the baddest pirate captain. We all fear and respect her. Captain Uthera is the cruelest pirate captain. We also fear and respect her. If you know what¡¯s good for you little girl, you¡¯ll avoid a fight with any of them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late.¡± She replied haughtily, then turning to me, she said, ¡°I am Myth the Unstoppable. And you happen to be the person I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    For a moment, there was silence. Then both Uthera and I burst into mock laughter.


    ¡°You made up your own nickname?¡± Uthera demanded, snickering.


    I smirked as I turned back to the girl, ¡°Run home, little girl. You don¡¯t belong on this island.¡±


    She glared at me, ¡°I need the emerald of the Forgotten Isle.¡±


    Both Uthera and I gawked at her in shock. I looked at Uthera. She glanced at the boy, still at my feet, and nodded at me.


    I turned and lunged at the girl, my fingers tightening around her neck, my snarl was even more intense than the first time, ¡°You are playing with fire and my patience is running out.¡± I tilted my head in Perryn¡¯s direction and flicked my eyes towards the door. He nodded and quickly vanished out of it. I soon followed, dragging the girl behind me and leaving everyone behind me in shock.

 Chapter 21

    I pulled the girl through the streets, Perryn beside me, all the way to Henry¡¯s house. I stormed through the door, into the living room. Perryn had caught onto my bad mood, a scowl on his face. Everyone was sitting int the middle of the living room in a circle, drinks in hand. I threw the girl into the middle of the circle. Everyone drew back in shock.


    ¡°Perryn!¡± Kate gasped, seeing his expression.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Henry asked, ¡°Who is this?¡±


    ¡°I would like to know the same thing.¡± The girl said haughtily, ¡°I am not pleased with the way you handle me, woman.¡± She glared at me.


    ¡°You little¡ª¡° I started, taking a threatening step towards her, but Perryn grabbed my arm, silencing me.


    ¡°Some girl who thinks she¡¯s some unstoppable myth or something.¡± Perryn said, ¡°She¡¯s a little prideful¡­¡±


    ¡°¡®A little¡¯ is an understatement.¡± I growled.


    ¡°My name is Myth the Unstoppable.¡± The girl snapped, taking a step towards me, her hands balled into fists.


    Elizabeth burst into laughter, ¡°You gave yourself your own nickname? That¡¯s sick, girl. You don¡¯t give yourself your own nickname.¡±


    ¡°Well, then. ¡®Myth The Unstoppable¡¯,¡± Tanner said mockingly, ¡°What can you do? Show us.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    She looked suddenly nervous, ¡°Er¡­well if I told you, then I¡¯d have to kill you.¡±


    Tanner smirked coyly, ¡°How would you kill me?¡±


    The girl ignored him and turned back to me, ¡°So¡­Like I said before, I need the emerald of The Forgotten Isle.¡±


    Instantly, the mood in the room went south.


    Tanner¡¯s smirk vanished and he jumped to his feet, snarling at the girl.


    Henry slowly rose, behind him, sensing his distrust, a few servants stood ready. Elizabeth drew a sword and pointed it threateningly at the girl. Lydia coolly stood to her feet, reaching for her sword as well. The royals all looked confused.


    ¡°Outsiders know nothing of the emerald.¡± Tanner growled, ¡°So how do you?¡±


    ¡°A man wants to kill me, unless I bring him the emerald.¡± The girl replied.


    ¡°Who is this man?¡±


    ¡°He is none other than the captain of the royal guard.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°We just can¡¯t get rid of him, huh?¡±


    The girl turned back to me, ¡°And you have to show me where it is.¡±


    ¡°Ha.¡± I said simply, ¡°I don¡¯t have to do anything.¡±


    She scowled, ¡°My life is at stake.¡±


    ¡°Do I look like I care? You¡¯re the one who challenged me. You¡¯re the one who ran around screaming about how you¡¯re this new pirate captain.¡± I stepped towards her, my eyes narrowing suspiciously, ¡°Do you even know what a pirate does? Because¡­you don¡¯t look the sort.¡±


    She swallowed nervously, as she glanced around the room.


    ¡°You¡¯re a fake.¡± I snarled, ¡°You¡¯re just here to get the emerald and get out. What¡¯s your real name?¡±


    She swallowed again, ¡°Um¡­Etta.¡±


    I nearly spat an insult abut her name, but I was interrupted by a crash at the front door. The sound of shattering made Henry straighten up, glowering. The living room door flew open, and the boy from earlier scrambled in, followed by two girls. He gasped when he saw us, ¡°There¡¯s more of you scary pirate ladies?¡± He demanded.


    Leo snickered, but I glared at him.


    ¡°Nah, there¡¯s only two more of us.¡± Elizabeth spoke up, ¡°But the rest of the girls are scary royal ladies.¡±

 Chapter 22

    Serah glanced back at us, grinning at each other, ¡°Since when did we all become best friends?¡± She demanded, but there was a flash of mischief in her eyes.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± The boy approached and snapped his fingers in front of Serah¡¯s face to get her attention. I choked as I took a sip of my drink.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Was all that Lydia managed.


    Pure hatred filled Serah¡¯s eyes as she turned and snarled at the boy, ¡°And who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Just Blaze.¡± He said, seemingly unaffected by her glare.


    ¡°Well¡­Blaze. What brings you crashing in here?¡±


    ¡°You stole my captain.¡± He pointed at Etta.


    ¡°Wrong.¡± Serah snapped, ¡°She is no captain.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my captain.¡± Blaze said protectively.


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet.¡± Serah said, her voice practically dripping with sarcasm.


    ¡°Okay, but the real question is, why did you come to Serah to get the emerald?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Well the guy who wants it said look for a pretty blonde pirate captain who¡¯s ship name is The Predator.¡±


    I noted that when he had said pretty and blonde he had sent sidelong glances at Serah, looking her up and down. She didn¡¯t seem to notice it, instead, she was watching Etta. Perryn however, saw it and crossed his arms, glaring at the boy. I snickered, and he shifted his glare to me.


    ¡°I¡¯m not helping you.¡± Serah said coldly, returning to the boy and ignoring Perryn.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Instantly Etta turned to Henry sharply, ¡°Can you¡ª¡°


    ¡°None of us will.¡± Serah snapped, irritated.


    Etta glared at Serah, ¡°You are not the boss of¡ª¡°


    Serah¡¯s self control snapped. She lunged at the girl and knocked her over, ¡°I am the boss of everyone in this room.¡± She snarled.


    I blinked in surprise. It was obvious; Serah was our leader. But she didn¡¯t like to push everyone to do what she asked, it was more of a ¡®please can you do this¡¯ or ¡®do you have time to do this¡¯ type of relationship. I had never heard her out loud say to someone that she was our leader. I grinned proudly, she was becoming more brave.


    The girl pulled herself to her feet again, a look of defeat on her face, ¡°Fine. We¡¯ll find someone else to help us.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Serah replied.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The girl snapped, as she walked past.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Serah roared.


    The girl and her buddy quickly scrambled from the room. Serah marched after them, to make sure they were really gone.


    A few moments later, Serah reappeared, looking weary and miserable.


    ¡°Why''d you bring her here?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°She works for someone who is against us." Serah replied, plopping down in the circle.


    ¡°How do you know?" Amber asked.


    ¡°She had this." And with that, Serah lifted her hand to reveal a sparkling necklace. The chain was made of silver beads. The charm of the necklace was a rustic anchor. In the center of the anchor lay a sparkling green jewel.


    I frowned, ¡°Why was she asking you to lead them to the emerald if they already had it?¡±


    ¡°It was a trap.¡± Serah said shrugging as everyone seemed to settle down once again. Serah passed the necklace to Tanner, who quietly slipped it into his pocket.


    ¡°What is the emerald?¡± Amber asked curiously watching Tanner.


    But Serah shook her head. The emerald was a secret and was to remain a secret.


    Tanner caught her drift and returned his gaze to Amber, his usually cold facade returning, ¡°Who knows.¡±


    It was a simple answer, but I could tell none of the royals wanted to test Tanner. Serah and Tanner both had the same disguise. They were infinitely cold and ruthless, but could be sweet at the same time. I could tell Serah was slowly warming up to the royals, but Tanner wasn¡¯t. He preferred to stay his distance, and quietly assert his dominance. He was protective over those he cared about and even though he knew the royals weren¡¯t a real threat, he stuck to our original plan: Get rid of them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get attached.¡± Serah had told us, the first week with the royals. I could tell she was drawn to the prince, despite her dislike for normal princes.


    Her eyes sparkled with mischief whenever he was near, and she was normally more relaxed.


    My eyes narrowed in suspicion; I needed to know if something was going on between them.

 Chapter 23

    I quietly settled onto the floor a few moments after Serah did. I sat behind her quietly and watched everyone.


    Tanner¡¯s shoulders were still tense after the encounter with the spies.


    While we had settled down, the royals still stood around, nervously glancing around.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Elizabeth said finally, ¡°I¡¯m tired.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even that late¡­¡± Henry started but Elizabeth cut him off.


    ¡°Serah?¡± She asked as she stepped towards the door.


    Serah was busy nibbling on a cookie, she seemed lost in thought. Elizabeth nudged her, ¡°Cap!¡±


    Serah jerked her head up to look at Elizabeth, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Come on!¡± Then Elizabeth gave me a pointed looking I sighed as I stood to my feet and followed her out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill anyone, Tanner.¡± I said as I vanished out the door. His only reply was a grunt.


    Elizabeth dragged us to her room, where she pushed us onto her bed and locked the door.


    Then she turned with crossed arms and glared at both of us, her sharp blue eyes flicking from me to Serah and back again, ¡°Talk.¡± She ordered.


    Serah sighed and lazily plopped back on the bed, ¡°Some girl came onto the island with the emerald hanging around her neck. I saw her as a threat. What¡¯s there to¡ª¡°Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    ¡°Not that!¡± Elizabeth interrupted, ¡°Guys. Let¡¯s talk guys.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± Serah replied, closing her eyes.


    Elizabeth lunged at her and jumped on top of her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her until her eyes opened with an irritated flash.


    ¡°I see the way you look at him.¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°You¡¯ve fallen for him.¡± She said it matter-of-factly.


    I hummed, ¡°Serah¡¯s in love!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Serah protested, scowling at us both, ¡°No, no, no. I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t deny it!¡± Elizabeth cried, as she rolled onto her back, giggling.


    ¡°You are too!¡± Serah said suddenly.


    Elizabeth¡¯s laughter instantly faded, and in reply, both Serah and I burst into fits of giggling.


    ¡°You¡¯ve fallen for the hot one.¡± I grinned, ¡°Will.¡±


    ¡°William.¡± Elizabeth corrected, ¡°He doesn¡¯t like the name Will.¡±


    Serah laughed, ¡°You know what he likes and doesn¡¯t like now?¡±


    She winked, ¡°What does he like about you?¡±


    Elizabeth blushed slightly, ¡°Well¡­uh¡­I don¡¯t know¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet it¡¯s your blush.¡± I said, ¡°You¡¯re cute when you blush.¡±


    ¡°But enough about me now.¡± Elizabeth said sharply turning to Serah, ¡°What does Perryn like about you?¡±


    ¡°Whoa. Perryn?¡± I instantly demanded.


    ¡°Go big or go home.¡± Serah said with a sly smirk. Then she shrugged, ¡°I mean, I¡¯m pretty amazing so I don¡¯t know what¡¯s not to love about me.¡±


    Elizabeth pouted, ¡°You¡¯re avoiding the actual question.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not! I just answered it.¡±


    A sudden knock at the door made all three of us sit straight up.


    ¡°Are we alright in here?¡± Henry¡¯s voice echoed out.


    We instantly jumped to our feet and ran to the door. Elizabeth opened it slightly to peek out. Serah lifted her head above Elizabeth¡¯s and I lifted mine above Serah¡¯s. Henry stood outside, blinking at us, ¡°We heard banging¡­¡± He said slowly.


    ¡°Yeah. We were banging around. Do you have a problem?¡± Elizabeth demanded.


    Suddenly Amber shoved past Henry.


    She crossed her arms and glared at us, ¡°I was listening through the vents in the roof to your conversation and we need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Why were you eavesdropping?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    "How''d you get on the roof?" Serah demanded, frowning.


    But Amber didn¡¯t answer, instead she lunged forward, grabbed Serah¡¯s collar and began to drag her down the hall. Serah sighed as she vanished down the hallway.


    ¡°What were you talking about?¡± Henry asked, turning to us.


    ¡°We were plotting Philip¡¯s murder.¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°Now since Amber has heard us we need to go rescue Serah and kill Amber too because she knows too much.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Henry replied, nodding, ¡°Okay.¡±

 Chapter 24

    I was so tired. I didn¡¯t know why, but I suddenly felt like sleeping for ages, even as I allowed Amber to pull me down the hallway. I didn¡¯t know what she had heard, but even so, I felt my cheeks begin to flush as I thought of our conversation. We were such children. I quickly forced down the knot in my throat and straightened up as we approached the living room where everyone was still snacking. But instead of stopping, Amber marched past the door, where Tanner stood to his feet in suspicion and followed us. Behind him, Rachel scrambled to catch up.


    We headed out to the garden, where Amber pushed me into a bench. She stood in front of me, arms crossed.


    Behind her, peeking out of the bushes, was Tanner. Rachel suddenly sped past in excitement. Tanner lunged at her quickly, grabbed her waist and dragged her into the bushes with him. Even from a few yards away, I could see the blush on her cheeks as she shifted in his grip. Tanner didn¡¯t seem to notice, his eyes dead set on Amber suspiciously.


    I wasn¡¯t afraid however, Amber didn¡¯t scare me.


    ¡°You are pirates.¡± She said.


    ¡°Yes. I am aware of that fact.¡± I replied, training my eyes on hers.


    ¡°We are royals.¡±


    Yes, I am also aware of that. We took you hostage¡­remember?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do!¡± Amber snapped, ¡°The point that I¡¯m getting at is that pirates and royalty don¡¯t mix. You¡¯re helping us get home. We may be friends. But none¡­¡± She leaned into my face, ¡°none of us can be more.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    I stood and she took a step back. I was a few inches taller than her, which I bet she hated.


    ¡°And who are you to stop me?¡± I asked, a wicked grin on my face.


    She blinked, then quickly tore her gaze away from me, ¡°Just don¡¯t¡­ruin my life¡­¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°You¡¯re a jerk, Amber.¡± Then I shoved past her and made my way towards Tanner. I spared a glance over my shoulder and saw Amber was sitting on the bench, deep in thought.


    Tanner still sat in the bushes, Rachel was nearly on his lap with how tight he was holding her and her face was flushed pink.


    ¡°Tanner, you¡¯re going to give Rachel a heart attack. Let her go.¡± I ordered.


    Tanner seemed to blink out of his daze before he gave Rachel a sheepish apology and let her go. She stumbled out of the bushes and still flushed, she turned to walk over to Amber.


    Tanner stood to his feet and looked me over, ¡°You okay?¡± He asked.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked, rolling my eyes.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just tell her to let you go?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°I wanted to see what she wanted to tell me.¡± I replied, starting back to the house.


    He followed quietly, with a single glance back at Amber and Rachel, who seemed be in deep discussion.


    I sighed as we entered the house and everyone came thundering towards us.


    ¡°Did you kill Amber?¡± Philip demanded.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Rachel?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°Did you hide the bodies?¡±


    I glanced up as Elizabeth stepped slowly down the staircase, watching me, amused.


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I replied, ¡°Elizabeth, you need to bury the bodies. We¡¯ll be sure to have a grand funeral in the pirate style.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not.¡± Kate said quietly.


    The door behind us flew open and Rachel and Amber entered, blinking at everyone crowding around us.


    ¡°The dead are alive.¡± William noted.


    ¡°What?¡± Amber demanded.


    ¡°We just thought that since you had physically touched Serah, that she would physically kill you.¡± Kate replied.


    ¡°Serah doesn¡¯t scare me.¡± Amber replied sharply.


    Instantly, all eyes turned to me.

 Chapter 25

    I stared at Amber in quiet horror. Serah wasn¡¯t usually one who took such disrespect very well. Beside me, Henry drew in a sharp breath, his hand slipping into mine. I squeezed his hand gently. We both feared the same thing, Serah¡¯s rage, and we were both afraid that Amber had finally stepped over the line.


    The room was dead silent as Serah tilted her head and locked eyes with Amber. Beside her, Tanner tensed up, his hand resting on his belt where his sword was stowed away. His emerald green eyes met mine and I swallowed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t scare you?¡± Serah asked, her voice dangerously calm.


    At the bottom of the stairs, Lydia straightened up, her usual smile was gone, replaced by a sneer that matched Tanner¡¯s. Lydia was usually the friendly sibling, but her anger had the possibility of being as intense as Tanner¡¯s. I slowly stepped down the stairs, all eyes except Serah¡¯s and Amber¡¯s turning towards me. All the earlier friendliness between us and royals was gone, replaced by a cold intensity. None of us liked it when people challenged our captain, especially not royals.


    ¡°Not one bit.¡± Amber replied levely.


    I approached Amber silently, the snarl on my lips escaping with her next words:


    ¡°You¡¯re just a girl pretending to be a scary pirate captain.¡±


    Amber seemed surprised by the threatening sound from me and snapped out of her trance, breaking eye contact with Serah to look around the room at Tanner, Lydia, Henry, Colten and me.


    ¡°You have your crew. They protect you. But what are you without them?¡± Amber continued.


    ¡°Amber. Shut. Up.¡± Perryn growled from a doorway, but she waved him off.


    ¡°You¡¯re all so blinded by their flashy swords, big ship and good looks!¡± Amber snapped, turning on her friends, ¡°You don¡¯t see what pirates really are, do you?¡±


    She whirled on Serah, ¡°You are murderers. You kill people for fun. You¡¯re thieves. Rogues.¡± With every word she stepped closer to Serah threateningly, ¡°Misfits¡­riffraffs...pirates.¡± She shifted her glare to me, ¡°Do you even have real families? Or are you orphans? Elizabeth, have you ever even loved someone other than yourself? You seem to have this sunshiny personality but I know that empty look in your eyes...none of you have love.


    Serah shoved Amber backwards, hard, ¡°Don¡¯t you dare speak to Elizabeth that way. We could¡¯ve left you floating in that ocean and you¡¯d all be dead now if it weren¡¯t for us. We could¡¯ve killed you after learning you were royals. We could¡¯ve handed you over to slave traders along with your captain. We could¡¯ve thrown you at the mercy of Uthera...but we didn¡¯t.¡± Her snarl was intense, and deep. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Amber¡¯s words cut deep into me. People were usually so afraid of us that they never dared to insult us.


    ¡°And yeah, we are all orphans.¡± Serah continued, ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ve all lost our families. And okay, we¡¯ve all killed our fair share. But that¡¯s what brings us together, we stick together through thick and thin. If that¡¯s not love to you, FishBait...then what is?¡±


    Amber didn¡¯t answer her, instead blinking slowly.


    ¡°We can¡¯t all have the fairytale lives of you royals.¡± Serah said, her voice sounding weary, ¡°At least we look out for each other. You wouldn¡¯t care one bit if Kate died, now would you? You¡¯re selfish, Amber. You say we¡¯re the evil ones? Maybe you should look in a mirror some time.¡±


    Turning away from Ambr, Serah loped her arm around my shoulders and we both vanished out the front door and into the darkness.


    After walking for some while, I spoke up, ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do that, you know.¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± Serah asked.


    ¡°Protect us. Protect me¡­¡±


    She sounded confused, ¡°Why not? You¡¯re my best friend.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but now you have no chance with the prince.¡±


    She laughed, ¡°If I wanted him, I would have gotten him earlier, Liz.¡±


    ¡°Part of what she said was true, though.¡± I sighed.


    ¡°What?¡± Serah asked.


    ¡°We do need love in our lives. I mean, sure, we all have that sense of security around each other. We all have that instinct to protect each other. And yeah, I think we love each other. But...not that kind of love.¡±


    After a few moments of silence, Serah spoke again, her voice sad, ¡°I think we¡¯ve all forgotten how to love, to be honest.¡±


    I blinked at her, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth, when was the last time you were with a guy that you actually had the intent to marry?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± I swallowed, ¡°Not ever, i don¡¯t think.¡±


    ¡°When have you seen Tanner with a girl? They come for his looks but can¡¯t accept him for who he is. They can¡¯t see past his wall. Lydia has no interest in love either, we¡¯re her family and she seems okay with that. Henry can¡¯t trust any girl because any girl who wants him comes for his money, good looks and occasionally the butler. They want a big guy like Henry to be able to be tough and mean but that¡¯s not who he is. Elizabeth, you¡¯re a play girl. No offense here, but you see guys to be toys, you play with their hearts and lead them on for the fun of the chase. Then the second they want to start something serious, you panic. You can¡¯t understand that maybe, just maybe someone is loving you just for who you are.¡±


    I nodded quietly, ¡°We are misfits¡­¡±


    ¡°No one will ever accept us just for who we are.¡± Serah said quietly, ¡°and we need to come to peace with that.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°You had something going with him, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Serah turned away from me, ¡°He¡¯s a prince. I never listened to my own command. I can¡¯t--¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t what?¡± I demanded, ¡°If he¡¯s who you need to be with then be with him. If he makes you happy, and truly happy, Serah, not just the ¡®Oh I¡¯m drunk, I¡¯ll flirt with a few people, I¡¯ve gotten a million compliments and had too much wine today¡¯ happy. You and Tanner have one thing in common...you both have a thick wall that needs to be broken down. You say I panic when people get serious with me, and that¡¯s true! But the moment someone starts breaking down your wall, once they finally see you for who you are and love it, you deny them. You steer clear. You say I¡¯m the one who plays with their hearts? Serah, don¡¯t be a hypocrite. Have some faith in yourself.¡±


    I stopped and she stopped with me, shocked into silence, ¡°This is my street.¡± I said quietly, ¡°Goodnight, Serah.¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply as I vanished into the darkness. As I glanced back at her, standing in the dim moonlight, I saw a gentle tear trickle down her cheek as she watched me leave.

 Chapter 26

    I watched Elizabeth vanish into the dark alley, the only light was from the pale moon. I turned quietly, deep in thought and made my way down the empty streets of the Isle to my home. As walked only a little longer, I felt eyes on me. I stopped in the middle of the street, ¡°Elizabeth?¡± I demanded.


    Sheepishly, she stepped out of the shadows and came to join me as I continued on my way, ¡°I just wanted to make sure you were okay.¡±


    ¡°I can take care of myself, thank you very much.¡± I replied, ruffling her black hair fondly.


    She smirked, ¡°Well someone has to look out for you.¡±


    ¡°How sweet.¡± A female voice suddenly interrupted us.


    I stopped short, glaring into the darkness, ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t recognize my voice, captain?¡± A girl stepped out of the shadows and I snarled: Etta.


    ¡°You just won¡¯t leave, will you?¡± I demanded.


    Etta smirked, ¡°I thought you would have recognized me in the bar¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you before in my life.¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Maybe not in this form¡­¡± Etta¡¯s voice and face began to change simultaneously. Soon, instead of a young teenage girl, a shockingly beautiful woman stood in front of us. Pale white hair flowed down her body, and glittering green eyes stared back at us.


    After a moment of silence, I continued, ¡°Nope. Doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡±


    The woman glowered, ¡°My name is Ettalia Myth, sorceress to the wild and protector of the dead.¡±


    After another moment of silence, Elizabeth spoke up, ¡°Well...we¡¯re not dead...so...what do you want?¡±


    She snarled, ¡°Have you no fear?¡±


    Elizabeth and I looked at each other, then shook our heads.


    ¡°Very well then. I will change your reckless ways¡­¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just...change someone¡¯s personality.¡± I grumbled.


    But even as I said it, a sharp pain ran through my body. I yelped, crumbling to the ground. My vision began to blur, and in it, I could see Elizabeth fall to the ground as well, writhing in pain. Soon, my vision became clear again and the pain subsided, but everything was different now. Everything was in sharper focus, but...without color. I blinked, ¡°Have you made us colorblind?¡± I tried to ask, but all that came out was a whine...a canine whine. I jerked backwards, but instead of falling, my feet landed: All four of them. As I looked down, I realized I now had paws for hands and feet. I yelped in fear as a creature beside me rose. The largest wolf I¡¯d ever seen, nearly the size of a horse, whined in fear. Her sharp blue eyes made me recognize Elizabeth. I choked, but all that came out was a low growl. I looked at the wolf beside me, for some reason, I understood what she was saying when she spoke, ¡°What have you done to us?¡± She demanded with a growl.


    Ettalia smirked, ¡°I have turned you into my servants. With that privilege comes good and bad for you. All good for me. Good for you is that now you are horse-sized wolves. Bad for you, you now must obey my every word. Oh, and no human can understand you.¡±


    Elizabeth bared her teeth, then seemed surprised that she could bare her teeth, and sat down in confusion.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Ettalia continued, ¡°You will get used to your new bodies soon.¡±


    I turned to look at Elizabeth¡¯s new self and she stared back at me. Her fur was pitch black like her hair, and one of her ears was completely white, like the streak through her human hair. Her eyes remained sky blue, even in wolf form.


    ¡°Come.¡± Ettalia ordered. As she turned away, I sat down stubbornly; there was no way I was going with her.


    But the next instant, an unseen force began to drag me behind her, pulling my feet against the hard mortar bricks of the street. I whined as I scrambled to my feet.


    ¡°I told you: You have no choice but to do as I say.¡± Ettalia called out without a backwards glance.


    Then, quietly, Elizabeth and I began to trot after her, feeling much like trapped animals.


    * * *


    (Back at the mansion)


    *Tanner''s POV*This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Perryn!?¡± Rachel¡¯s terrified scream jerked me out of my thoughts. Around me, the walls of the library were usually my safe haven, but now Rachel¡¯s scream interrupted the tranquility of the night. Everyone was mostly asleep, but Henry had stayed with some of the royals a little while longer.


    ¡°Tanner!¡±


    Speak of the devil. I thought grumpily. Then I sat back down on my sofa and buried my nose in my book.


    ¡°Tanner!¡± Henry¡¯s voice echoed through the house again, ¡°Help!¡±


    I growled in anguish as I pulled myself to my feet. Then I stomped out of the library and down to the living room.


    ¡°The Odyssey.¡± I snapped when I walked in, slamming the book in front of Henry, ¡°It¡¯s a great read. Hard to read, so one needs concentration to be able to understand what Odysseus is going through. So answer me: What could be so important that I need to put him on hold?¡±


    Henry swallowed, then pointed behind me, ¡°Something¡¯s wrong with Perryn.¡±


    I whirled to see Perryn on the ground, curled up into a ball. Rachel sat beside him, trying to coax him into talking, but he was shaking in fear or pain, I couldn¡¯t tell. Sweat dripped down his forehead as I approached him.


    Gently, I nudged him, ¡°Hey P. What is it?¡±


    ¡°D-don¡¯t...c-call...me t-that.¡± He managed.


    ¡°He¡¯s okay.¡± I announced.


    ¡°Tanner!¡± Rachel protested, ¡°Please! What¡¯s wrong with him?¡±


    I sighed as I gently began to inspect Perryn. Bead of sweat dripped down his forehead, back and chest. He bit his lip to keep from crying out and squeezed his eyes shut.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± I asked.


    He nodded.


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Everywhere.¡± He whispered, ¡°But mainly my head.¡±


    I swallowed, ¡°Do you see anything?¡±


    Rachel frowned at me, ¡°His eyes are closed you--¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Perryn interrupted.


    I nodded, putting a finger to my lips as I glared at Rachel, ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°A-a woman.¡±


    ¡°What does she look like?¡± I continued to quiz him as Lydia and Amber came into the room, looking very sleepy and confused.


    ¡°She¡¯s beautiful...with¡­ white? Yes...white..hair. And she looks like...like...Etta. An older version of her.¡±


    ¡°Etta?¡± I asked, ¡°The girl who challenged Serah?¡±


    Perryn didn¡¯t answer, instead he continued, ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡±


    Perryn¡¯s voice became stronger and he stopped shaking, ¡°A wolf. A huge wolf.¡±


    ¡°A wolf?¡± I frowned.


    His green eyes flew open, and met mine. But even as he looked at me, I could tell he was in a far off place, seeing something that no one else could see.


    ¡°The wolf...she looks familiar.¡±


    ¡°If the wolf were to be a person...who would it be?¡± I asked, an idea shooting into my head.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Perryn stopped and looked past me. I followed his gaze and saw William, standing in the doorway, looking concerned.


    When I turned back to Perryn, he was looking at me again, ¡°Elizabeth.¡±


    The silence in the room was terrifying, before Lydia ended it, ¡°The girl. No wonder she had the emerald.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Amber asked, ¡°What does it mean? How can Elizabeth look like a wolf?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a sorceress.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Elizabeth is a what?¡± William demanded.


    ¡°For all we know, she¡¯s a dog right now.¡± Lydia explained, ¡°Etta, the girl, is a sorceress.¡±


    ¡°Perryn, how does the wolf look?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Black fur. A white ear. Blue eyes...like Elizabeth¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°White ear.¡± Lydia muttered, ¡°Like her hair. Okay, wait. So listen to this, Tanner.¡± I tilted my head to meet her eyes, ¡°Etta, the sorceress, found the emerald. But she wanted to use it.¡±


    ¡°What does it do?¡± Rachel asked.


    Lydia waved her off, ¡°That information isn¡¯t for outsiders.¡±


    I could tell Lydia¡¯s words stung Rachel, but I didn¡¯t say anything. None of us had forgotten Amber¡¯s words.


    ¡°Serah wouldn¡¯t show her how to use it, so Etta went with the violent approach.¡± Lydia continued.


    ¡°Add Serah and Elizabeth to her horse-sized wolf army as they¡¯re walking down a dark street in the middle of the night where no one would know if they went missing until morning.¡± I nodded, catching on to her idea.


    ¡°Except...Perryn.¡± Lydia nodded.


    ¡°What?¡± Perryn demanded.


    ¡°Somehow, you have a better connection with...I think Serah considering you didn¡¯t see her...than one of us. I don¡¯t know why, and jealousy is slowly sinking in, but let¡¯s not talk about that right now. So basically, you see what she sees when she¡¯s caught off guard.¡±


    ¡°Do you see anything right now?¡± I asked.


    But he shook his head.


    Lydia nodded, "She has gathered her senses."


    ¡°This all sounds insane.¡± Henry said, ¡°And as much as I trust your instincts and occasional nerd side, this can¡¯t happen, Tanner.¡±


    ¡°You believe in the sorceress?¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Well...yes.¡± Henry admitted.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s not to believe in this?¡±


    ¡°It just sounds crazy. And Lydia, how do you know all this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve read the history of the Isle. Like, multiple times.¡±


    Henry groaned, ¡°So Serah and Elizabeth are suddenly wolves, what next?¡±


    Lydia and I exchanged glances, ¡°Uh, horse-sized wolves.¡± Lydia corrected.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be so bad, right? I mean, they can fight off the sorceress.¡± Kate, who sat beside Henry, said gently.


    ¡°No.¡± I said simply, ¡°All wolves in the sorceress¡¯ army are under her control.¡±


    ¡°As far as we know, old Serah and Elizabeth are gone.¡± Lydia nodded.


    ¡°If we come within sight and the sorceress orders them to do it, they will tear us to pieces whether they want to or not.¡± I continued.


    The silence in the room stretched, before it was interrupted.


    A loud and desperate knock resounded through the house, coming from the front door. We heard the butler scramble to open it.


    Footsteps resounded through the hall, running towards us. I rose, drawing my sword, expecting the sorceress. But instead, a breathless Uthera ran in.


    ¡°Uthera?¡± Lydia asked.


    ¡°Help.¡± Uthera gasped, ¡°I-I was in the street, going t-to Serah¡¯s h-house.¡±


    ¡°Slow down.¡± Lydia said, she pushed Henry off of the couch, ¡°Sit down.¡±


    Uthera obeyed, lowering herself in the cushions breathlessly.


    The royals backed away, wary.


    But we approached her. In public, Uthera was our enemy. But in reality, she was a friend.


    ¡°What did you see?¡± Lydia knelt in front of her.


    ¡°S-Serah. I saw her¡­and Elizabeth¡­both of them. But Elizabeth wasn¡¯t supposed to be with her, I heard them talking.¡±


    ¡°What were they saying?¡± I asked.


    ¡°They were just¡­I don¡¯t know, talking! I wasn¡¯t eavesdropping so I don¡¯t remember¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay, but what happened?¡± I prodded.


    ¡°Well I wanted to talk to Serah about me being a jerk the other day, but when I went up to talk to her, this girl started walking towards her. It was the girl from the bar¡­¡±


    Lydia and I looked straight at Henry, who scowled, ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean your ¡®theory¡¯ is right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a theory.¡± Lydia replied, ¡°It¡¯s true.¡± She turned to Uthera, ¡°Did the girl turn into the sorceress of the Isle and proceed to curse Serah and Elizabeth?¡±


    Uthera¡¯s face paled and slowly, she nodded, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened.¡±

 Chapter 27

    My mind raced as I paced the room. All eyes were on me, waiting for a verdict.


    ¡°We have to find them.¡± Rachel said quietly.


    I didn¡¯t answer, but just continued pacing. Then I stopped, ¡°The hills!¡± I cried.


    Surprised by my sudden outburst, Uthera jumped, ¡°Wh-what about the hills?¡± She asked curiously.


    ¡°I mean, where else can you hide an army of horse-sized wolves?¡± I asked, ¡°She must be hiding in one of the caves up there¡­¡±


    Tanner nodded, ¡°Pack a bag.¡± He ordered, looking at all the royals, ¡°We¡¯re going camping.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m coming with you!¡± Uthera announced.


    Instantly, Tanner looked wary, ¡°You can¡¯t bring any of your crew.¡±


    Uthera¡¯s face fell, ¡°Oh¡­fine¡­¡±


    I looked at Tanner, ¡°Do you still have it?¡± I asked.


    He nodded.


    ¡°I can figure it out, somehow¡­ohh why didn¡¯t Serah ever teach me how to use it?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s dangerous?¡± Henry replied.


    ¡°What?¡± Kate asked, ¡°What¡¯s dangerous?¡±


    ¡°The emerald.¡± I replied.


    Immediately, Uthera scrambled away from us, her eyes wide in fear, ¡°You have the emerald, Tanner?¡±


    He nodded again.


    Uthera¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Get rid of it!¡±


    ¡°No!¡± I cried, ¡°It can help us find Serah and Elizabeth. If I can figure it out¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous!¡± Uthera cried, ¡°I mean, look what happened to Serah when she used it!¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened to her¡­¡± Tanner muttered.


    ¡°Uh, yes! She got that scar.¡± Uthera snapped.


    ¡°You gave her that scar because you cut her across the face in that fight that we had! That¡¯s on you.¡±


    Uthera blinked, ¡°Oh. But we still shouldn¡¯t risk it!¡±


    ¡°Serah and Elizabeth would both sacrifice their lives to make sure we were okay.¡± I snapped, ¡°So we¡¯re going to do it for them.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    My mind was made up, so I turned out of the living room and made my way to my room.


    Only an hour later, we were all ready to go. Henry¡¯s servants brought horses from the stables and we prepared to set off. Colten, Scarlett and Kat offered to stay behind and watch the house in case Serah or Elizabeth came back.


    We set off through the town and out through an alleyway.


    We came to a small cliff.


    Tanner circled the top suspiciously.


    ¡°What?¡± I asked.


    But he shook his head, ¡°Never mind.¡±


    Perryn finished his thought for him, ¡°This is the cliff that Serah comes to. He¡¯s looking to see if she might¡¯ve left a clue.¡±


    I looked at him incredulously.


    He shrugged sheepishly, ¡°What?¡±


    I turned back to Tanner, ¡°Is there anything?¡±


    He shook his head again, ¡°No. Let¡¯s keep going.¡±


    I nodded and we continued on our way.


    We tromped through the forest, stopping beside a stream when nightfall came.


    We tied our horses to trees and built a small fire. Huddling together around it, no one spoke. Everyone was tired, but no one wanted to go to sleep.


    A low wolf howl made us all jerk up.


    Tanner threw dirt over the fire, and we all huddled closer, chilled by the absence of heat and fear of what was in the dark.


    The howl came again, closer this time. Two more howls joined it in song. We listened to the eerie but beautiful song.


    ¡°We must be in her territory.¡± I murmured, ¡°They¡¯re hunting.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re humans¡­¡± Amber whispered.


    ¡°With wolf instincts.¡± Uthera replied, ¡°They hunt to eat.¡±


    The horses began to paw the ground nervously when the howls came closer.


    A sudden snarl to our left made us jump to our feet.


    A large she-wolf, with pale fur and blue eyes snarled at us, she had appeared just out of the thick brush of the forest.


    ¡°Serah?¡± I asked.


    Uthera shook her head, ¡°Serah was smaller, with completely white fur. And her eyes were more turquoise than just blue.¡±


    I swallowed, ¡°That¡¯s comforting.¡±


    She approached, her eyes hungry and intense, her teeth bared threateningly.


    Then she lunged.


    I ducked as she lunged, but realized it wasn¡¯t necessary. She effortlessly jumped over us, instead targeting one of the horses.


    The fearful mare reared, snapped her lead rope, and vanished into the woods. We heard the hunting howl of the she-wolf fade as she followed the mare.


    ¡°That was my horse.¡± Kate whimpered.


    ¡°No.¡± Henry said grumpily, ¡°You just rode her. She was my horse.¡±


    ¡°You have like a hundred.¡± Tanner grumbled.


    After the she-wolf left, we finally settled down again.


    I listened to the howling of wolves in the night. When I was at home, I would often hear them. But this was different. Now, they were closer, they seemed more real and in that, even more beautiful.


    I finally fell asleep under Tanner¡¯s watchful eye.


    ¡°Lydia.¡± A voice said, ¡°Lydia!¡± The voice was becoming more urgent.


    ¡°Lydia!!¡±


    I jerked awake. I sat straight up, my head hitting Robin¡¯s. He yelped as he fell backwards, ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Lydia, let¡¯s go.¡± Tanner said suddenly, pulling me to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him glaring at Robin, who blinked back at him innocently. I smirked, even though Robin had not yet made any moves towards me, Tanner still felt like making sure that Robin knew that he was to never mess with me or Tanner himself.


    We saddled up and started off through the woods again.


    Henry, much to Kate¡¯s bewilderment, allowed her to ride on his own horse behind him. He didn¡¯t seem bothered, but Kate¡¯s face held a permanent blush.


    ¡°How much longer?¡± Kate asked after a few hours.


    ¡°Why? Are you in a rush?¡± Henry asked, smirking back at her.


    Her blush intensified, ¡°No! I mean, well¡­uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be much longer.¡± I said, deciding to put her out of her misery, ¡°We should be at the cave by noon.¡±

 Chapter 28

    Excitement bubbled through my entire being. I hadn¡¯t seen anything like the hills of the Isle before. So much open space, so much peaceful silence, so much freedom.


    Beside me, and beside our mission, William was grinning madly. He looked around the field, then made eye contact with me. I dug my heels into my horse¡¯s flank and broke into a canter. I went past Tanner, who instantly broke into a gallop to catch up to me.


    ¡°Last one to get to that line of trees is bait for the wolves tonight!¡± Tanner laughed.


    ¡°No fair!¡± Henry protested.


    We all broke into gallops, scrambling to be the first to get to the tree line. We didn¡¯t stop at the forrest entrance, instead, we kept going.


    A sudden howl piercing the air stopped us in our tracks. We pushed our horses into a circle formation.


    ¡°Wolves?¡± Kate asked, ¡°In the middle of the day?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re close to the cave.¡± Lydia whispered, ¡°They¡¯re probably guarding the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Stay close.¡± Henry murmured as we started in the direction of the howl.


    Only having gone a few feet, Lydia stopped, ¡°Leave the horses.¡±


    We nodded and everyone slipped out of their saddles and we continued on foot.


    We stopped in the brush, close to the entrance. In the entrance to cave lay three large wolves. I instantly recognized the pale she-wolf, laying directly in the center of the entrance. To her right, a pitch black she-wolf sat back on her haunches, gazing around into the forrest.


    ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± Uthera whispered urgently, ¡°That¡¯s Elizabeth.¡±


    To the large she-wolf¡¯s left, a smaller, ghostly white she-wolf lay. Her head lay in her paws and her eyes were closed.


    ¡°That one¡¯s Serah.¡± Uthera whispered, ¡°But why would the sorceress put them in front of the cave?¡±


    ¡°Bait.¡± Tanner replied, ¡°They can¡¯t run away, but she thinks we don¡¯t know that.¡±


    Elizabeth lifted her nose in the air and howled; long, deep and sad.


    The middle she-wolf lifted her head and snarled until Elizabeth uneasily lowered herself into a lying position.


    Serah opened her eyes to watch the larger she-wolf.


    Her turquoise eyes flashed with anger, but she made no movement.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We wait until they leave for the hunt. Then go inside, find the sorceress and have her un-curse all the wolves.¡± Lydia replied.


    ¡°All of them?¡± Uthera asked.


    Lydia nodded, but didn¡¯t elaborate.


    So we sat. And waited.


    A few hours after we had arrived, Serah pulled herself to her feet. She was slightly smaller than the other she-wolf but didn¡¯t seem bothered by that. She trotted out of the cave entrance and into the small clearing in front of it. She stopped and looked back at the large she-wolf; she hadn¡¯t moved.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    So Serah turned around, trotted into the woods and vanished.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay.¡± Amber whispered, Philip nodded, ¡°Me too.¡±


    We scrambled after Serah, following the broken twig trail that she had created.


    We followed her trail to a small stream.


    When we came to the stream, we settled down out of sight again.


    She lapped up water gently, then stood back and watched the water swirl around in the stream.


    Then, with a great sigh, she collapsed, the tips of her paws touching the water.


    ¡°Now¡¯s our chance.¡± Uthera whispered, a bit too loud.


    Serah jerked her head around, her white ears perked. She bared her teeth and snarled in our direction.


    ¡°Won¡¯t she recognize us?¡± Rachel whimpered.


    ¡°Maybe if she sees us.¡± Tanner whispered, ¡°Maybe. Or she¡¯ll kill us. I don¡¯t really know.¡±


    Serah pulled herself to her feet and faced us, still snarling.


    ¡°But¡­just in case she doesn¡¯t recognize us¡­we should run.¡± Lydia whispered.


    ¡°She¡¯ll probably catch us.¡± Uthera hissed.


    ¡°I know, but at least it might give her time to recognize us.¡±


    ¡°Run!¡± Henry yelped as Serah lunged.


    We whirled and sprinted in the opposite direction, scrambling back towards the cave.


    We heard Serah crashing through the brush behind us for a few yards, but then the noise faded and we slowed down.


    ¡°Did we lose her?¡± William gasped.


    Lydia nodded, ¡°Or she recognized us.¡±


    ¡°Or she just decided we weren¡¯t worth the chase.¡± Tanner grumbled.


    ¡°Stay positive!¡± Lydia scolded him.


    We returned to Amber and Philip, only to find them now out in the open, in the clearing in front of the cave.


    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Tanner¡¯s voice faded when he noticed their predicament.


    In front of them, the large pale she-wolf had her teeth bared, eyes trained on their weapons.


    Elizabeth sat in the entrance, un-moving.


    A snarl behind us, caused us the scramble into the clearing, joining Amber and Philip. But when we turned around, we realized it was Serah, instead it was a different wolf, with only a single eye, and a nasty scar across his muzzle.


    He snarled at us, taking threatening steps until we were pushing together.


    The wolf¡¯s eyes met mine and he gathered his feet beneath him. I swallowed as I took a step back.


    He lunged for me, jumping nearly eight feet in the air to get at me.


    A vicious snarl and a black, torpedo body interrupted his attack.


    Elizabeth lunged between us, bracing her paws in front of me, her head lowered, teeth bared in a threatening manner.


    The scarred wolf seemed surprised by the attack. He sat back on his haunches and stared at Elizabeth, who didn¡¯t back down.


    Finally, he took a few steps back and vanished into the woods.


    We turned to the large she-wolf, who didn¡¯t seem bothered by Elizabeth¡¯s attack.


    But Elizabeth had built up her confidence, so she lunged straight at the she-wolf. Her jaws clamped around the she-wolf¡¯s muzzle, and she twisted her body around, and pulled the she-wolf with her.


    Elizabeth did nearly a full flip, twisting her body to jerk the she-wolf in a wolf-like judo flip.


    The she-wolf hit the ground with a loud thud and a grunt.


    Elizabeth wriggled away from her, but was back in an instant, dancing around the she-wolf in a taunting manner. The she-wolf snarled at her, but turned her attention back to us. Instantly, Elizabeth lunged again.


    This time, the she-wolf was ready for her. She turned her head and clamped her jaws around the soft of Elizabeth¡¯s neck, then easily, threw her across the clearing, against a tree.


    Elizabeth yelped painfully as she slammed into the tree, the branches shaking violently with her weight.


    Tanner snarled angrily, but didn¡¯t move.


    When Elizabeth didn¡¯t get up from where she had fallen, we knew that we were done for.


    The she wolf returned to us, her eyes meeting mine intently. I swallowed as I gazed deeply into her eyes.


    Then, in the blue, I saw something other than hatred. Sadness took over her gaze as she looked at me, and I struggled to remember where I had seen a forlorn gaze like that before.


    Then I remembered: Serah. Only a week or two ago, when she had sat on the cliff and cried, grieving for the reminder of her lost sister.


    I choked as I completely recognized the wolf¡¯s eyes from a painting. The painting that a master artist had sold to our kingdom of the princesses of Arcadia.


    Serafina and Samantha.


    Samantha¡¯s eyes had hypnotized me in the painting.


    And now I was sure that I was staring right back into her real eyes.

 Chapter 29

    Elizabeth¡¯s cry echoed in my ears as I sat still at the stream. It was a pained cry, full of anger.


    I jumped to my feet in an instant.


    My mind raced back as I thought of the noise in the bushes. I had smelled someone familiar: Perryn. Now I wondered if he had something to do with Elizabeth¡¯s cry.


    I scrambled through the brush, blinded by anger and spurred on by the urge to protect.


    I dove out of the brush and surveyed the scene in front of me within a split second.


    To my left, Elizabeth lay at the trunk of a tree, her eyes shut in sleep.


    Directly in front of me was the person I had expected: Perryn, backed up by everyone else. But I noticed Colten was missing. In front of Perryn, snarling into his face, was the lead she-wolf.


    I didn¡¯t often feel comfortable challenging her, there was something familiar about the way she looked at me, but now she was threatening my friends, and I didn¡¯t stand for that.


    I tackled her from behind with a vicious snarl, my jaws snapped shut on her neck. As I bit into her throat, I felt the warm taste of blood meet my tongue, but the next instant, she dug her claws into my gut and pushed me off forcefully. She threw me across the clearing, but I twisted in mid-air and managed to land on my feet. Her pale coat was now stained with blood but her body language wasn¡¯t threatening or angry. Instead, she seemed to understand why I had attacked her, and she slowly backed towards the cave entrance and away from the others. I snarled as I followed her, before she sat down stiffly at the entrance and watched me. I huffed as I turned back to them. Perryn¡¯s face was white as a sheet, but he wasn¡¯t looking at me. His gaze was on the she-wolf. I ignored it as I trotted past them to Elizabeth. I nudged her until she growled at me, and pawed my face. I nipped her paw in return and she opened a single eye to look at me.


    Finally, after a moment, she pulled herself to her feet painfully. She walked back towards the cave stiffly, sending a growl in the pale wolf¡¯s direction as she passed.


    I returned to the group and stalked straight up to Lydia. She was nervous as I approached; I sensed it in her.


    I stood in front of her, our eyes locking.


    Inside of me, I felt the sudden urge to return to the cave, to get ready for the hunt. I realized it was the sorceress calling us back. Lydia and I gazed at each other for a long time. I had a weird sensation inside of me. I knew who she was, I knew why she had come and I felt her emotions, but for some reason, something was missing. I didn¡¯t feel any emotion when I saw her, and neither when I looked at anyone else.


    It was like all my emotions had disappeared, leaving a large hole that was only slightly filled with the instinct to hunt, to protect, and to kill.


    In Lydia¡¯s emotions I sensed her want for something. I knew she wanted to reach out, to touch me and to feel if I was real, so I lowered my head, and stepped towards her.


    Gently, she placed her hand on my head between my ears.


    I closed my eyes at her warm touch, ignoring the insistent command of the sorceress inside of me.


    Lydia rubbed my head, a smile lighting up on her face, ¡°You¡¯re fuzzy.¡± She giggled.


    I grunted, lifting my head sharply and knocking her backwards gently. Then I licked her face, to which she yelped and jumped away.


    Then I turned towards the cave to follow the call of the sorceress.


    The pale she-wolf walked side by side with me as I entered the cave. The gentle footsteps of my friends followed us into the cave, and I stopped. I didn¡¯t want them to be cursed as well. I turned around to face them. I whined as I looked at them.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming!¡± Lydia whispered, mistaking my call for a call of help.


    But I grunted and walked up to her. Gently, I took her small wrist in my jaws and pulled her back towards the outside. She frowned at me, still not understanding, ¡°What do you want us to do?¡±


    Stay! I protested, Don¡¯t come in!


    But they couldn¡¯t understand me, and just stared back at me blankly.


    Turning towards the inside of the cave, I let out a loud bark.


    In a few seconds, Elizabeth bounded into view. She wagged her tail playfully when she saw the others, but I growled a warning before she could approach.


    They cannot enter. I growled at her, they must stay outside.


    She stopped in her tracks, How can we tell them? She asked.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.


    ¡°Well, hello there.¡± A sudden voice interrupted our thoughts. Instantly, Elizabeth and I placed ourselves in front of our friends, snarling at the voice. Seeing our anger and distrust, our friends drew their weapons.


    The sorceress stepped out of the shadows, smirking, ¡°You seem awfully brave considering I turned your leader into one of my servants.¡±


    My snarl intensified, but the sorceress ignored it. Instead, she flicked her hand, motioning for us to move. I snarled even louder, but her order was clear. I moved out of her way as she approached my friends. It was like I was being held by an invisible chain. I barked angrily as she approached them. Rearing on my back legs I snarled a threat. I clawed the air desperately, but I was stuck in place, I couldn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Oh, shut up.¡± The sorceress snapped at me.


    After a moment, I shut my jaws, but continued to whine deep in my throat as I paced away from them.


    This display seemed to make them nervous and they backed away from the sorceress.


    ¡°We just want to get Serah and Elizabeth back.¡± Lydia said, glaring at her.


    The sorceress ignored her, ¡°Do you like fairytales?¡± She asked.


    No one answered.


    ¡°Do you know the story of the elf, Rumplestilskin?¡± The sorceress continued.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t an elf.¡± Lydia replied, ¡°He was a sorcerer who got his power from a blade. He was a lonely creature who took pleasure in scaring others. His one love was gold.¡±


    ¡°Good!¡± The sorceress replied, clapping her hands, ¡°Now you forgot to add one part: He granted wishes to those who needed it.¡±


    ¡°But he required a price for every wish that he granted. Whether it was a single lock of hair or a firstborn child. He was heartless.¡± Tanner finished for her.


    The sorceress sighed, ¡°Never really one to keep your mouth shut, were you Tanner? I¡¯m trying to tell you something. Rumplestilskin an I, even though we¡¯re both heartless, we can be reasoned with. I require a price in return for your leader and that other girl.¡±


    She waved her hand in Elizabeth¡¯s direction, who snarled in return.


    After a moment of silence, Tanner spoke again, ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°The Emerald.¡± The sorceress instantly replied.


    I howled in anger, you¡¯ll never get it! I yelled, Tanner won¡¯t give it up!


    The sorceress growled at me, ¡°Be silent!¡±


    Her eyes bore into me, and I stiffly sat down, then slipped into a lying position when she continued glaring at me.


    Tanner pulled the emerald out of his pocket and looked at it. His eyes met mine before he turned to the sorceress.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how to use it.¡± Tanner said simply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll figure it out.¡± The sorceress¡¯ eyes filled with greed as she reached for the emerald.


    Tanner pulled it away momentarily, ¡°You will return them to their human selves, unharmed. Correct?¡±


    The sorceress waved her finger in his face, ¡°You are a smart one, Forrester. But I¡¯m afraid that I cannot do that.¡±


    ¡°You promised!¡± Lydia snapped, ¡°In return for the emerald!¡±


    ¡°I said that I can release your friends to you, and allow them to break out of my control. But I cannot return them to their normal forms. However, there is a stream just west of this cave that holds magical properties. If your friends jump in, they will return to their human forms.¡±


    ¡°You promise?¡± Perryn asked, speaking for the first time.


    ¡°I promise.¡± The sorceress replied, ¡°You will get your girlfriend back and the girl with the raven hair.¡±


    Perryn scowled at this remark, but Tanner spoke before he could, ¡°Deal.¡±


    He held the emerald out to the sorceress who grinned wickedly and reached for it.


    With all the power inside of me, I gathered my feet beneath me.


    A low growl began deep in my throat and it became louder and louder. When the sorceress turned to reprimand me again, I lunged.


    My jaws snapped around the emerald, still in Tanner¡¯s hand, and I rolled away.


    Spurred by my outburst, the pale she-wolf saw her chance. She lunged at the sorceress while she was distracted and snapped her jaws around the sorceress¡¯ leg. The sorceress screamed in anger, ¡°Release me!¡±


    The she-wolf released her, but lunged at Tanner next, who instantly threw his arms over his face to try to protect himself.


    Elizabeth lunged at the she-wolf again, knocking her out of the way.


    They¡¯re friends! Elizabeth cried.


    The she-wolf backed away, then spoke for the first time, You could have said that a long time ago.


    Elizabeth blinked, Would you have listened?


    The she-wolf growled but made no move. Then she turned to me, While the sorceress is injured, she cannot control us. Please.


    Her eyes were pleading with me, I¡¯ve been stuck in her army for four years. I lost my sister and I need to find her. Take me with you.


    I stared back at her. Only moments ago, this she-wolf had been the mute leader of the pack, attacking anyone who got in her way.


    Everyone needs to be free. I replied. Then I lifted my nose to the air, the emerald falling between my paws, and howled, long and drawn out. The she-wolf lifted her nose and howled with me. After a moment, Elizabeth joined us. From the inside of the cave, a single eerie howl replied and the entire pack of wolves came out. Hundreds upon thousands of wolves came running out, barking thanks to us as they ran out into freedom. The she-wolf followed them to the cave entrance and howled after them, ¡°The lake! West of here! You will be human once you feel the waters upon your fur!¡±


    Then we turned to the sorceress, who sat on the ground, her leg a bloody mess. She snarled at us, ¡°This isn¡¯t the last you¡¯ll ever see of me.¡± She snapped at me, ¡°I¡¯ll make sure you pay, Sherbourne.¡±


    I stopped short. It had been five years since someone had last called me by my last name, and I instantly flinched.


    I realized everyone was now staring at me, including the she-wolf.


    ¡°What?¡± Tanner asked finally.


    The sorceress grinned wickedly, ¡°Royals are my target most of the time. Usually, I like to capture them when they¡¯re young, when no one will really care if they¡¯re missing.¡±


    The she-wolf was ignoring the sorceress. She studied my face, her head cocked, ¡°Your last name is Sherbourne?¡± She asked.


    I didn¡¯t answer, instead I stared straight back into her blue eyes.


    ¡°Serah?¡± She asked suddenly.


    Elizabeth made a whine sound of confusion as she looked at the she-wolf.


    The she-wolf began to wag her tail, ¡°Serah!¡±


    I jumped away as she lunged at me. She danced around me, ¡°Serah! It¡¯s me. It¡¯s Sam!¡±


    I blinked, ¡°Sammy?¡± Then I recognized her bright blue eyes, ¡°Sam!¡± I howled as I rushed at her. She tackled me, and pinned me against the floor, licking my muzzle fondly.


    I pushed her off and continued to dance excitedly around her, echoing her name as I nipped her gently. She pawed my face, but her tail wagged happily.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Lydia wondered, watching us.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen Serah move that much in my entire life.¡± Henry muttered.


    Elizabeth was tired of being left out, ¡°Who¡¯s Sammy!?¡± She demanded, jumping between us.


    ¡°My sister!¡± I said excitedly.


    ¡°You have a sister?¡±


    I ignored her, and jumped over her instead to get to Sam. We tackled each other again, barking gleefully. We had finally found each other.

 Chapter 30

    ¡°Okay, hey?¡± Tanner interrupted our gleeful dance with his sharp, cutting voice.


    Sam gave him a dirty look, ¡°He¡¯s cute but annoying, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him cute.¡± I replied, ¡°You can¡¯t have him.¡±


    ¡°We need to get to that stream if you guys want to ever be humans again.¡± Tanner said, oblivious to the conversation going on, ¡°Then you, Serah, can explain why your surname is Sherbourne and who this random wolf is.¡±


    ¡°A little bossy, but I mean, I grew up with you, so I can live with that.¡± Sam barked.


    ¡°I mean it, Sam. Stay away from all of them.¡± I replied.


    ¡°Never really one to share your toys, huh?¡±


    ¡°Sam! They¡¯re my friends.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, sis.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious. They have their girls.¡±


    ¡°And there¡¯s no way you¡¯re stealing my man, either!¡±Elizabeth protested.


    ¡°Which one¡¯s yours?¡± Sam asked curiously.


    ¡°The hot one.¡±


    ¡°Which hot one?¡±


    ¡°Just stay away from all of them.¡± I grumbled, interrupting their banter.


    ¡°Are we going?¡± Lydia asked, impatiently glaring at us.


    I grunted and we turned to follow them out of the cave. Trotting along into the woods, Perryn came to comfortably walk by my side. He sighed.


    Instantly, I looked at him sharply, whining quietly to get his attention, but he merely glanced at me and didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Is this your man?¡± Sam asked suspiciously, coming to walk at my other shoulder and sniffing at Perryn.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my man. He¡¯s a friend.¡±


    ¡°Right. A friend.¡±


    I growled, ¡°You¡¯re as annoying as I remember.¡±


    ¡°But hey, at least you remember me, right?¡±


    ¡°How could I forget you? My sister who had me run away from home, turned me into a killing machine, and got me stuck in an orphanage for two years of my life?¡± But even as the words left my mouth, I felt guilt sinking in.


    Sam looked hurt, and she recoiled as if she had been slapped.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± I said quickly, ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that.¡± I looked away from her, almost shamefully. My eyes met Perryn¡¯s, who, seeing the guilt in my eyes, stopped, frowning.


    But I didn¡¯t stop, and eventually, he scrambled to stay with us.


    ¡°I get how you feel, though.¡± Sam said, her voice in my head gentle, ¡°I did leave you for four years.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault though.¡±


    ¡°Serah.¡± Now Sam¡¯s voice had taken on a stern turn, ¡°You forgot one thing, I¡¯m still your sister. I know what you¡¯re like. You blame yourself for stuff that had nothing to do with you. So stop blaming yourself for what happened to me. And stop blaming yourself for what happened to Mom.¡±


    Her words cut right into me, and I stopped short, staring at her as she continued walking without a backwards glance.


    Perryn stopped beside me, sighing again. When Sam disappeared into the brush ahead, he turned to me, ¡°Who is she?¡± He finally asked. I looked at him, baring my teeth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that ¡®back off¡¯ crap. One minute you two are dancing around each other, the next she¡¯s beating you down somehow.¡± He scowled as I kept walking, shaking him off, ¡°Is it Samantha?¡± He asked, his voice taking on a gentler tone.


    I stopped, blinking at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± He continued, ¡°I have seen paintings of you both. My father told me you were myths because he didn¡¯t want me to jump into something dangerous and go looking for you. But hey, here I am. Living the pirate¡¯s life while hunting down sorceresses and talking to a wolf.¡±


    I growled.


    ¡°Sorry. Ex-human.¡± Perryn corrected himself sarcastically.


    I sighed andI broke into a trot to follow the others, who had disappeared farther into the brush.


    When we emerged through the brush, we stopped beside everyone else.


    Directly in front of us, as blue as the sky, was a crystal clear lake of water. A small stream trickled into it, and the bright trees around it made it seem like an oasis in the desert.


    ¡°We get to swim in that?¡± Elizabeth asked, ¡°Hooray!¡±


    Then, without warning, she dove straight into the water.


    She resurfaced and paddled her way over to us. She shook her fur out, spraying water in all directions and sending the others screaming and jumping away.


    ¡°Am I human yet?¡± She asked excitedly.


    ¡°No.¡± I said simply.


    She growled in frustration, ¡°Why isn¡¯t it working!?¡±


    ¡°Give it a sec!¡± Sam said. Then she lunged at Elizabeth playfully. Elizabeth wasn¡¯t completely comfortable with Sam yet, and dodged her lunge, but I grabbed her from the opposite side and flipped her onto her back.


    ¡°Aww come on!¡± She protested, ¡°You can¡¯t team up against me!¡±


    ¡°How about this?¡± Sam playfully came to lay next to Elizabeth, ¡°All three of us team up, and we become the dynamic trio. We take over the world.¡±


    Elizabeth thought over it for a moment, hesitating, ¡°If I get to be the fearless leader.¡±


    Sam sighed, ¡°Well, I suppose so. But I want to be the captain of the guard.¡±


    They both looked at me expectantly.


    I sniffed, ¡°Then I¡¯ll be queen and tyrant.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Elizabeth howled, jumping to her feet. But before she could get a hold of me, I dove into the crystal clear water. Both Sam and Elizabeth lunged after me, still howling.


    Elizabeth¡¯s paws landed square on my back and pushed my head beneath the water. I felt my paws rub against the rough ground of the lake bottom.. Then my front feet floated in front of me, leaving my back legs on the ground. In front of my eyes, my legs changed back into my normal arms. I squealed underwater happily. On my shoulders, Elizabeth¡¯s bare feet now weighed me down. I pushed off of the ground, breaking the surface with a happy laugh. Behind me, Elizabeth, now in human form, was splashing around, looking confused.


    Beside her, bubbling to the surface, a blonde haired girl popped out. She had golden-blonde hair, a little darker than my own, but her eyes matched mine as she looked back at me. She flashed a perfect smile, then lunged at me again. Wrapping her arms around me, Sam pulled me into a wet hug, whooping as she did. On the shore, everyone else was slowly gathering, having recovered from Elizabeth¡¯s wet spray.


    But neither Sam, nor Elizabeth, nor I, cared. We grabbed each other in a group hug, grinning and laughing gleefully.

 Chapter 31

    Serah and Elizabeth stomped back to shore, grinning from ear to ear. Behind them, looking nervous, another blonde girl trailed. Henry wrapped his arms around Serah in a hug, but glared at the other girl, who averted her gaze instantly.


    Elizabeth was bouncing up and down, like a child on a sugar-rush and she danced around us, randomly hugging whoever. Then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, she planted a gentle kiss on William¡¯s cheek. William blushed, but a warm smile lit his features as she danced away from him again.


    I inspected the other girl with a dark scowl, I didn¡¯t trust her. Golden, blond hair fell down her shoulders, shorter than Serah¡¯s and darker than Serah¡¯s. Her royal blue eyes were troubled as she watched us greet our friends. I was brought out of my thoughts with Serah throwing her arms around my neck, ¡°Be nice.¡± She whispered into my ear.


    ¡°So she is your sister?¡± I murmured, my eyes locking with the girl¡¯s.


    Serah nodded, ¡°Sam.¡± She said matter-of-factly.


    She pulled away and turned back to Henry, who was firing off random questions.


    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lydia approach Sam. Sam was slightly taller than Serah, and she had the same angry vibe, but this didn¡¯t seem to bother Lydia.


    She sniffed as she stood in front of Sam, ¡°Two nights ago you could have killed us in our camp, but you didn¡¯t, even though you were under the sorceress¡¯ control. Why not? We¡¯ve never met you before, so there was honestly no reason for you to spare us.¡±


    Sam stared back at her, ¡°Maybe I just didn¡¯t want to have to carry ten human bodies back to our cave. And I don¡¯t feel like being a cannibal.¡±


    ¡°That was my horse.¡± Henry said grumpily.


    ¡°Speaking of which, we left the horses back at the cave.¡± Amber muttered.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not losing more horses.¡± Henry growled.


    Turning back to the brush, we prepared to go find our horses again. As we walked, Elizabeth recounted to us what it was like to be a wolf. Serah walked beside me, her eyes bright and happy in the mid-day sun.


    I almost smiled at her own carefree smile. It was nearly the opposite of her attitude less than a week ago when she and Amber had argued.


    Beside her, Sam¡¯s head was hanging. She didn¡¯t look as happy as her sister, instead she looked almost guilty.


    ¡°That happens when you leave your sister to fend for herself for most of her teenage years.¡± Elizabeth¡¯s voice whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Can you read minds?¡± I hissed in return, turning and scowling at her.


    She smirked, ¡°Pretty much, yeah. Also, you were staring.¡±


    ¡°I was not!¡±


    ¡°Um¡­yes, you were.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that was her sister¡­when you guys were wolves?¡±


    Elizabeth shook her head, ¡°We didn¡¯t know who she was until the sorceress lost control over us. Before that, she never spoke. She just¡­¡± Elizabeth shrugged, ¡°¡­bossed everyone around. But it¡¯s different when you¡¯re under the sorceress¡¯ control. It¡¯s like¡­it¡¯s like you can¡¯t¡­feel anything.¡±


    William, who had been walking on the other side of Elizabeth, now listened in, ¡°What do you mean? Like, you can¡¯t feel pain?¡±


    But Elizabeth shook her head, ¡°No, you can feel pain. But you can¡¯t feel any¡­emotions?¡­I guess. It¡¯s like, when I saw you guys. I knew who you were, but I didn¡¯t feel like I knew you really, I knew why you had come, but I didn¡¯t really care. But then, when Sam started to scare you away, I felt almost protective, so I jumped at her, but I still didn¡¯t know why I was doing it¡­You know?¡± She glanced at us.


    I shrugged mindlessly.


    I turned back to Serah when her foot slipped over a branch. She grabbed my arm as she began to fall.


    ¡°S-sorry.¡± She said quickly, letting a small giggle escape her lips, ¡°Haven¡¯t really gotten used to walking on two legs, yet.¡±


    ¡°How was it walking on four legs?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Actually, easier. It¡¯s harder to lose your balance and fall over because of the fact that you have two extra legs.¡±


    When I glanced up at her, Sam was frowning. Her eyes flashed when mine met her and she scowled. I blinked innocently and returned to Serah.


    ¡°Your sister¡¯s not super friendly, is she?¡± I murmured into her ear, ¡°The cold heart seems to run in the family, I suppose.¡±


    Serah glared at me, ¡°I said, be nice!¡±


    ¡°I am being nice!¡± I protested, ¡°She¡¯s just glaring at me, and I don¡¯t understand why. I think she doesn¡¯t like me.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know you.¡±


    I sighed, unconvinced by Serah¡¯s words.


    I glanced away from Sam, but I still felt her cold glare on my back as I continued walking.

 Chapter 32

    A million questions ran through my mind when I glanced back at Serah. The girl beside her, Sam apparently, had long blonde hair. She was pretty, but I didn¡¯t trust her. Her blue eyes flashed protectively every time that Perryn helped Serah, or even spoke to her.


    I frowned at her slightly when her glare on Perryn intensified as he and Serah began whispering, their heads close together.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Rachel¡¯s voice broke me out of my thoughts and I turned to her.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. Of course. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been sending death glares over to Sam.¡± Rachel smirked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t trust her.¡± I replied, ¡°But Serah treats her like an old friend, and even Elizabeth seems to trust her. And despite her facade, it takes a lot to earn Elizabeth¡¯s trust.¡± I scowled back at Sam again, ¡°And she also seems to think that Serah is hers. And no one else can talk to her.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°No! Just¡­miffed.¡±


    ¡°Miffed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah! She irritates me.¡±


    ¡°Everyone irritates you, Tanner. You hated us when we first came.¡±


    I sighed quietly, ¡°She¡¯s different. She feels like she has power.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rachel demanded, ¡°Do we royals seem powerless to you?¡±


    ¡°Well, I wouldn¡¯t put it that way¡­but yes.¡±


    ¡°And since Sam actually has a threatening vibe around her, which by the way, feels a lot like your own vibe, and Serah¡¯s, you don¡¯t trust her?¡±


    ¡°I think Serah has too much trust in her.¡± I replied, ¡°And I¡¯m not threatening.¡±


    On the other side of Rachel, listening in, Leo had been walking. He barked a laugh at my last comment, ¡°Tanner! You look like you¡¯ll kill at least one of us every day. You¡¯ve got a permanent glare.¡±


    ¡°I do not!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do. And nothing you say is going to change that.¡±


    Rachel brushed him off, ¡°I have a question.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I asked grumpily.


    ¡°Why does the surname Sherbourne hold so much importance to you? When the sorceress said it, you went pale. You also haven¡¯t said a word to Serah since she transformed, even though you were the most worried out of anybody else.¡±


    I stared at her incredulously, ¡°You don¡¯t know the Sherbournes?¡±


    Rachel frowned and shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯d expect you to know the history of your own kind.¡± I growled.


    ¡°My own kind?¡± Rachel demanded, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Meaning, the Sherbournes are a royal family that lived in some land that I can¡¯t remember the name of. There were two princesses, a king and his queen. But then the queen died a tragic death at a young age, leaving the princesses motherless and the kingdom queenless. But the king didn¡¯t want to raise his daughters without a mother, so he remarried. No one¡¯s really sure what happened next. The new queen had five kids: Two spoiled brats as daughters and three more spoiled brats as sons. So either the new queen killed the two princesses so that her own children could get the throne, or the princesses hated the queen and ran away.¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Rachel nodded, ¡°So you think that Serah might be one of these princesses?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer, but then quietly nodded, ¡°But it doesn¡¯t make sense!¡± I protested, ¡°Serah despises royals.¡± I sent her a sidelong glance when she sighed, ¡°No offense. But anyway, I don¡¯t get why she wouldn¡¯t tell any of us.¡±


    ¡°Actually¡­¡± From my left, Lydia appeared. Robin walked beside her, but backed away slightly when our eyes met.


    ¡°Actually, what?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Serah did tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± I said, ¡°So, she is the princess?¡±


    Lydia turned away slightly, ¡°She promised me she¡¯d tell you all the truth only a day before she was kidnapped. She¡¯ll get there. Just don¡¯t¡­¡± She hesitated before meeting my eyes, ¡°¡­freak out on her¡­it intimidates her. Believe me, I freaked out and she did not like it.¡±


    I sucked in a deep breath, then sighed in defeat.


    ¡°When do we¡­¡± Rachel started, ¡°¡­go home?¡±


    Lydia stiffened slightly. The question had been directed at me, but I pretended to be deep in thought and she took over, ¡°As soon as we get back to port. We¡¯ll load ship and take you home.¡± Her voice had a cold edge to it, and Rachel blinked at her in surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to sound-¡°


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Lydia scowled, her scowl matched my mood, ¡°That was the original plan. Did you think we¡¯d change it?¡±


    Rachel seemed surprised by the mood change and slowly backed away from us both, going to walk beside Amber instead.


    We walked the rest of the path to the horses in silence. When we got there, the sorceress had vanished, but the horses remained. We mounted up and started off again, with Serah in the lead. I broke into a trot to catch up with her, and Henry and Lydia quietly followed.


    ¡°Serah?¡± I asked.


    She blinked at me, ¡°Hey, stranger.¡±


    She seemed peppy, unlike her usual, cold mood. I hated to ruin her mood.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±


    Instantly, her face fell, ¡°The Sherbourne thing?¡± She asked, her eyes dropped to her hands at the reins.


    Elizabeth rode up on the other side of her, listening in.


    I nodded, ¡°Are you related?¡±


    After a moment of silence, she steeled herself and looked straight ahead into the open field that we had broken out of. Respecting our privacy, the royals remained a few yards behind us, talking amongst themselves. Right between our groups, Sam quietly trotted between us.


    Serah nodded, ¡°You didn¡¯t get the hint from my name? Serafina is the craziest name around.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were a runaway slave form Arabia.¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    Henry shrugged sheepishly, ¡°When you¡¯re a thirteen year old kid who¡¯s fighting alongside some mysterious cold-hearted girl who won¡¯t share her past, you tend to get creative.¡±


    Elizabeth outright laughed, ¡°I thought you were born into a band of thieving rogues who raised you until your band was killed and you ran away by yourself.¡±


    ¡°You said that your mom died and you were wanting to find out who murdered her.¡± Lydia frowned at Serah, who swallowed, ¡°That part¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°I liked my idea better.¡± Henry said, frowning at Elizabeth distastefully. Elizabeth merely shook her head, smirking.


    ¡°You¡¯re not mad?¡± I demanded, scowling at them both.


    ¡°You are?¡± Serah asked, peeking at me between her locks of blonde hair that fell across her face.


    ¡°Yes! I am!¡± I snapped at her, sounding more ferocious than I had meant. She flinched against my reply, ¡°First, you told my sister before me. I thought we were a crew, we never keep secrets! Don¡¯t you trust us enough to tell us about your background?¡±


    ¡°It just¡­never came up! None of you ever asked what happened to me as a kid, you just went along with it. So it¡¯s not completely my fault!¡± Serah protested, straightening up. The scared puppy look from earlier was replaced by her cold facade.


    ¡°Then tell us what happened, now.¡± Elizabeth said quietly.


    ¡°Okay, I ran away as a kid with Sam and Colten¡ª¡°


    ¡°-Colten, too!?¡± I interrupted, ¡°And Sam is this random girl?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my sister.¡± Serah snapped, ¡°Shut up, you want me to tell you so just listen ¡¯til the end.¡±


    I went silent as she continued.


    ¡°Sam is my sister. Colten was the stable boy for the castle. When my mom was killed, my father remarried a bratty woman. So Sam, Colt and I just¡­ran away. One day, I wake up and¡­Sam¡¯s gone. The one person in my life who ever really cared about me. She basically raised me. Turns out, the sorceress cursed her. She didn¡¯t abandon me, like I thought, she just¡­couldn¡¯t find me. So Colt and I jumped on a ship. When the captain found us as stowaways, he dumped us here, on the Forgotten Isle. We found the Predator, worked up in our positions until the crew trusted us. Then you guys came along and we took over.¡±


    ¡°When¡¯d you run away?¡± Elizabeth asked, ¡°How old were you?¡±


    ¡°¡­I was twelve. Sam was fifteen.¡±


    ¡°So your dad is a king¡­you¡¯re a princess?¡±


    ¡°¡­Aye.¡±

 Chapter 33

    ¡°Cool.¡± Elizabeth said simply.


    ¡°Cool?¡± I demanded. I was not happy.


    ¡°Tanner.¡± Lydia growled quietly.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t get it, though. I thought you trusted us enough to¡ª¡°


    ¡°Listen, neither you nor Lydia have been completely honest with us either.¡± Elizabeth snapped, ¡°We all have our secrets. I mean, you never told us exactly why you left your mom and dad.¡±


    ¡°Mom died.¡± Lydia said quietly, ¡°Then Father remarried a wonderful woman who had a lot of children, but she still loved us.¡±


    ¡°So why did you run away?¡± Serah demanded, ¡°As far as we¡¯re concerned, you two had the best childhoods out of any of us, and here you are complaining with me about my own childhood that I don¡¯t want to share. If you haven¡¯t felt what I¡¯ve felt, then stop complaining because you don¡¯t understand my reasons.¡±


    ¡°Our father was a drunkard.¡± I snapped, ¡°He killed our stepmother, who raised us by the way, in front of us and all of her children.¡±


    ¡°What happened to her children?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    ¡°They were all older than us.¡± Lydia said quietly, ¡°They left after their mother died and just abandoned us with our insane father. So we¡­ran away. But someone caught us and we were thrown into the orphanage.¡±


    ¡°Was that so bad?¡± I demanded, ¡°We just told you about us without flinching.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Serah sighed, ¡°Well, now you know everything so no more questions need to be asked.¡±


    ¡°I actually have one last question.¡± Henry spoke up, ¡°What happened to your father?¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Serah shook her head, ¡°As far as we know, he¡¯s still ruling the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Are you the heir?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No. Sam is because she¡¯s older.¡±


    ¡°Is Sam¡­¡± My anger faded as I glanced back at Sam, still lagging behind.


    ¡°Trustable?¡± Serah finished for me.


    Hesitantly, I nodded.


    Serah shrugged, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m not going to make you like her, Tanner. I¡¯d like it if you guys got along, but it¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t.¡±


    Changing the subject abruptly, Lydia asked, ¡°What will we do with the royals, Serah?¡±


    Serah seemed surprised by this question, a confused look flashing across her face, ¡°What do you want to do with them?¡±


    ¡°I think they should go home.¡± Lydia replied haughtily.


    ¡°Rachel didn¡¯t mean that she wanted to go home¡­¡± I started, but Elizabeth interrupted me.


    ¡°I agree. You told us yourself the first day, Serah, ¡®Don¡¯t get attached.¡¯¡±


    Serah seemed to mull over this for a moment, ¡°What do you think, Tanner? Henry?¡±


    Henry shrugged, ¡°I mean, they are kind of taking over my house right now. But they¡¯re not a real threat.¡±


    ¡°Yet.¡± Elizabeth sniffed, ¡°Keeping them here would be selfish and would endanger our lives, as well as theirs, Serah.¡±


    ¡°Let Tanner speak.¡± Serah snapped, silencing Elizabeth.


    I desperately tried to make up my mind. On one hand, I had become attached to the royals. They were kind and not in any way snobby, as most royals were. They even seemed to like the idea of living on the edge, fighting through the rough seas and being around us. On the other hand, however, what Elizabeth said was true. Keeping them on the island would only endanger all our lives. I shook my head, ¡°I don¡¯t know, Serah. You¡¯re the captain, you decide.¡±


    Serah sighed, unhappy with my words. Then she turned slightly and faced her older sister, motioning with her head for the girl to join us.


    Sam¡¯s face lit up slightly and she trotted into line with us.


    ¡°Sam.¡± Serah said simply, motioning to us, ¡°This is my crew. Tanner, Lydia, Henry and you know Elizabeth.¡±


    Sam flashed a brilliant smile at each of us.


    ¡°Guys, this is Sam.¡±


    Henry, Lydia and Elizabeth smiled back at her, but my gaze remained steely and cold, instead I simply nodded a greeting.


    ¡°Can I join the party?¡± Leo suddenly appeared beside Lydia, grinning like a madman, ¡°We¡¯re already almost home. How have we traveled so fast?¡±


    ¡°Because this time, we¡¯re not looking out for horse-sized wolves and fearing for our lives.¡± Lydia said stiffly.


    I noted that Leo had said ¡®home¡¯ as if it was his.


    ¡°It¡¯s our home.¡± Serah¡¯s voice was cold and sharp. I hadn¡¯t heard her speak like that in a long time. ¡°It¡¯s not yours.¡±


    Leo recoiled as if he¡¯d been slapped, ¡°I-I know¡­I just meant-¡°


    ¡°I know.¡± Serah interrupted coldly. Leo fell back into line with the other royals with a sorrowful glance at Serah.

 Chapter 34

    Leo rejoined us, bringing his colt to walk in rhythm with us.


    ¡°So. How did the talk go?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°I think Serah¡¯s still mad. Tanner¡¯s grumpy. And that other girl is also terrifying.¡± Leo replied.


    ¡°Samantha.¡± I said stiffly.


    Amber blinked at me, ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°A princess. From a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°The missing one from Arcadia.¡± Rachel replied. When I blinked at her, she smiled shyly, ¡°I was talking to Tanner. He was surprised I didn¡¯t know who she was.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know her?¡± I asked, ¡°She¡¯s like, world famous for her beauty.¡±


    ¡°They were.¡± Robin corrected, ¡°There were two princesses. Samantha is the older one. Serafina is the younger one.¡±


    ¡°So our captain is a princess.¡± Amber noted.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem surprised.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°How long have you known? Did you just find out, Perryn?¡± Amber faced me.


    Instantly, I flushed, ¡°Uh¡­well¡­not really. She told me a while ago and-¡°


    ¡°She told you? Of all the people, you?¡±


    I scowled at her, ¡°What¡¯s your problem with them, Amber? They¡¯re helping us. They could¡¯ve killed us or sent us off with Cedrick, but they didn¡¯t.¡±


    But Amber waved me off, ¡°Now you sound like Serah.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s true!¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re pirates, Perryn.¡± Amber snarled under her breath, ¡°They are not trustworthy. I¡¯d think you of all people would understand that. They¡¯re not as nice as they seem.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°I think you¡¯re just the only one here who just can¡¯t see them for who they really are.¡±Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m the only one who sees what they are.¡± Amber hissed.


    I sighed, ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this, Amber.¡±


    ¡°Whatever, Perryn. I just want to go home.¡± Amber sighed.


    I nearly fell off my horse. I had forgotten that we had to go home.


    ¡°But¡­I don¡¯t want to go home.¡± Kate protested, saying what we had all been thinking.


    ¡°Yeah, me neither.¡± Rachel chimed in, ¡°I mean, we¡¯re not princesses here, but our lives at home suck compared to what we can have here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad at home.¡± Amber snapped, ¡°Besides, they¡¯re criminals. Is that really the life that you want?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better than what awaits us on the mainland.¡± Kate sniffed, ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to grow up with parents who hate your guts and just want to marry you off to get rid of you, Amber. It sucks.¡±


    ¡°Your parents aren¡¯t like that!¡± Amber protested.


    ¡°Yes, they are. They don¡¯t care about how I feel about things.¡± Kate replied coldly.


    ¡°I thought you were fine at home!¡± Amber said.


    ¡°How would you know?¡± Kate demanded, ¡°Sure, we¡¯ve known each other since childhood, but not once have you asked me how my royal life is going. Do you know that every time that I think about my parents, I am just a little more grumpy in the day. Did you know that every time that has happened so far in the past month or two, Serah has walked up to me to ask me if I¡¯m alright? And we¡¯re not even really that good of friends! She just knows when something¡¯s wrong.¡±


    ¡°That gives us no reason to stay.¡±


    ¡°No, that gives you no reason to stay.¡± Kate snapped, ¡°They actually understand us here. On the mainland, no one cares what we want to do, we¡¯re just slaves to our parents¡¯ wishes.¡±


    Amber shook her head, ¡°And if you stayed?¡±


    ¡°Then just make something up, tell everyone that we vanished after the shipwreck.¡± Rachel said.


    There was a moment of silence as Amber thought about this, ¡°And what if I start missing you guys?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll just be me and Rachel, you won¡¯t miss us at all.¡± Kate replied.


    ¡°What about me and William?¡± I demanded, ¡°What if we want to stay?¡±


    Amber straightened, ¡°Absolutely not. Perryn, you can stay because you told your brother that you would, but I draw the line at William.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± William protested.


    ¡°Because who knows how Elizabeth will poison your mind!¡± Amber hissed, lowering her voice, ¡°She¡¯s nothing but a flirt, a cheat and a pirate. She¡¯s nothing like what you can get back home--¡°


    ¡°¡ªDon¡¯t talk about her like that.¡± William interrupted, a dark shadow falling across his face ¡°Don¡¯t judge people when you haven¡¯t bothered to try to get to know them. There¡¯s a lot more to Elizabeth than what she shows.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Amber demanded, ¡°She lost her brother and sister? Yeah, Colten told you guys that your first day. There¡¯s nothing special about that.¡±


    ¡°Elizabeth ran away from her abusive mother with her baby brother and toddler sister. She was kidnapped, separating her from her siblings. She was then sold as a slave, after which she ran away and then was caught again and thrown into the orphanage. She doesn¡¯t even know if they¡¯re still alive, and can you imagine the guilt she feels?¡± William snapped.


    Amber pointedly looked away from all of us, ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not sticking around though, and I will not be responsible for you if these pirates get you thrown into jail. Deal?¡±


    ¡°Deal.¡± I replied, ¡°As long as you promise to keep our secret.¡±

 Chapter 35

    We decided to set up camp instead of riding through the night. We tied the horses around the camp as Henry made a small fire. We had stopped in the middle of a field, an idea which I had disagreed to, but Serah didn¡¯t seem afraid of being found by anything or anyone. Her fearless nature often kept us going, but I secretly wondered if there was a reason why Serah aways stayed out in spacious places. Her house itself was not very large, but very open, with the kitchen, dining room and living room all together. She usually slept on deck of the ship, and sometimes even climbed out to the roof of Henry¡¯s house when she stayed over.


    ¡°Do you like seeing the stars when you sleep?¡± I whispered to her as we all settled down to sleep.


    She blinked at me, and shrugged, ¡°They remind me of a place I used to call home.¡±


    ¡°The castle?¡± I turned on my side to face her.


    But she shook her head, ¡°When you guys lived in the orphanage, and after I had run away, I used to live out in the country, by myself and a single dog. Colten had left and was still usually out on the seas, but I liked the quiet country. I used to sit outside with my dog, her name was Betsy, and we¡¯d watch the stars. There were these three stars, all in a row, and they were always directly above our house at one point in the night. Whenever I¡¯m out on the sea, and I see the three stars, I think of Betsy. It¡¯s dumb, I know. But she was the best thing that happened to me after Sam¡­disappeared.¡±


    I smiled gently, ¡°It¡¯s not dumb. Did she die?¡±


    Serah nodded, ¡°She was a sweetheart. She had mixed eyes. One was brown, one was blue. She was really big too.¡±


    She sighed contentedly as her eyes drifted shut, ¡°Goodnight Lydia¡­¡±


    The circle was silent as everyone started to drift to sleep.


    ¡°Where does the sun go after it sets?¡± Elizabeth interrupted the silence.


    ¡°What?¡± Henry asked.


    ¡°Elizabeth, are you stupid?¡± Serah shot back at her, wide awake.


    ¡°No. I mean, seriously, where does it go? Does it go out, like a candle?¡±


    ¡°It just disappears from view.¡± Tanner replied patiently, ¡°It¡¯s like we¡¯re on a big ball that turns and now we¡¯re like, hanging upside down facing a bottomless pit of darkness.¡±


    ¡°At least the view¡¯s nice.¡± Perryn commented, ¡°since we¡¯re hanging from the earth.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    ¡°What if we let go?¡± Elizabeth asked, ¡°we don¡¯t fall, so how are we upside down?¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s holding us up here.¡± I said.


    ¡°But why can¡¯t we feel it pushing on us?¡± Elizabeth sounded confused.


    ¡°Maybe because we¡¯re just used to the pressure.¡± Serah said.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°Elizabeth always has deep night thoughts.¡± I explained, ¡°The best way to get her to shut up is to answer them.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Elizabeth protested, ¡°It¡¯s a serious question.¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m curious, are we really hanging upside down?¡± William asked.


    ¡°No, because our hair doesn¡¯t stick up. It falls like normal.¡± Serah said.


    ¡°Well, how else would you explain the sun vanishing? We would have to be on a ball that turns in the sky, we¡¯re now upside down, facing away from the sun.¡± Tanner retorted.


    ¡°But what are the stars?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re other suns, that are just far away.¡± Serah replied.


    ¡°Is our sun moving closer to us?¡± Elizabeth continued, ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll kill us one day?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s coming closer.¡± Tanner replied, ¡°We¡¯d experience a lot of temperature changes if it did.¡±


    ¡°And what about the moon?¡± William asked, ¡°What is the moon?¡±


    ¡°I heard somewhere that it¡¯s a big circle of cheese.¡± Henry commented.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that from? The town crazy lady?¡± Elizabeth demanded with a laugh


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a sun that died out a long time ago, and now it¡¯s just the remnants of what was once a burning flame. It lights our night, while the new sun lights our day¡­¡± Serah said wistfully.


    ¡°¡­Deep.¡± Elizabeth muttered.


    ¡°But what color is light?¡± I asked, ¡°The sun looks yellow, but then when you look around, nothing else is yellow, it¡¯s just¡­lit up.¡±


    ¡°What color is light?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    ¡°Yellow.¡± Serah replied.


    ¡°White.¡± Henry continued.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s all the colors mixed together, it just looks white.¡± Tanner commented.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually really smart.¡± I noted, ¡°That could be a thing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s on the other side of the world?¡± Elizabeth continued her questioning.


    There was a moment of silence as everyone pondered this.


    ¡°Maybe more people.¡± William replied.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s a land where there¡¯s no magic, and you don¡¯t have to walk down the street fearing that a sorceress might turn you into a dog.¡± Sam spoke for the first time that night.


    Elizabeth snorted, ¡°I¡¯d love to live there.¡±


    ¡°I want to go there someday.¡± Serah said simply.


    ¡°To a no magic land?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, well, maybe. I want to explore the whole world, and see everything it has to offer. What if they have larger ships on that side of the world?¡±


    ¡°Or more sea captains that you can beat up.¡± Tanner added. We snickered at this remark, but Serah only smiled softly, her expression gentle, but utterly unreadable.


    ¡°Maybe they have more hot guys over there.¡± Elizabeth remarked.


    ¡°Are we not enough for you?¡± Tanner asked.


    ¡°Considering that you just counted yourself into the ¡®hot guy¡¯ category, no, there¡¯s definitely not enough.¡± Elizabeth retorted


    ¡°Maybe we have doppelg?ngers over there.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Maybe everyone lives in trees.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they live under the water!¡±


    Now everyone was throwing in ideas.


    ¡°Maybe animals rule that side of the world.¡±


    ¡°Maybe animals can talk!¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re all secret geniuses, and I must¡¯ve come from that side of the world because the rest of you are really stupid.¡± This was Serah.


    ¡°So many maybe¡¯s.¡± I said, ¡°Can we maybe go to sleep?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡± Was the reply that I received.

 Chapter 36

    I woke up with a gasp and a small scream. Pain and fear blinded my senses momentarily, before I gathered my thoughts together and looked around. The fire was almost out, emitting a small, heating pulse inside our circle. Beside me, Lydia stirred before opening her eyes and gazing up at me. She studied my face a moment before whispering, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    I shuddered, attempting to clear my head, but it wasn¡¯t working.


    ¡°Serah?¡± Lydia repeated, frowning.


    To the other side of Lydia, Elizabeth lifted herself up on her elbow, ¡°You good, sis?¡±


    I ignored her teasing tone and pulled myself to my feet.


    ¡°Where you going?¡± Elizabeth asked, alarm entering her voice.


    ¡°A short walk. Chill out a bit, will you?¡± I snapped as I pulled my hair out of my face and began to walk away from camp, grabbing my horse¡¯s reigns as I walked past.


    I let the light from the full moon guide me through the night, and a million thoughts ran through my head as I did so. I mounted my stallion as we came out of the field and into the woods. And promptly broke into a fast gallop, dodging at all the branches and roots that sprang out at us.


    We travelled through the woods until we came to a cliff, where I dismounted quietly. I slung my horse¡¯s reins over a tree stump and sat quietly at the edge of the cliff.


    ¡°You really like cliffs, huh?¡± Amber¡¯s voice jolted me out of my thoughts a few minutes later.


    I tilted my head without turning around and listened to her silent approach.


    ¡°Also, late night walks.¡± She added.


    I shrugged, ¡°I do my best thinking at night, and in a place where I can see a lot.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Amber came and sat beside me, quietly. We sat in tense silence for a few moments before she spoke up again, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, by the way.¡± She said finally.


    ¡°For what?¡± I asked.


    ¡°For¡­making fun of you and the others the other night, and being just rude this entire time in general.¡±


    ¡°You are quite rude.¡± I admitted.


    She frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it already is.¡±


    I smirked, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± I said, ¡°I know you just wanna go home.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you ever get homesick?¡± Amber asked, ¡°For both the Isle and¡­your kingdom?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°I never liked the kingdom. It was Sam¡¯s to begin with, so I never bothered with it. I don¡¯t miss the Isle. I like being out where I can see everything and I feel free, even though I can¡¯t go farther than the boards of the ship.¡±


    Amber nodded, as if she understood.


    ¡°Do you¡­want us to stay?¡± She asked finally.


    I choked at her question and sat straight up, blinking down at the spot where she had been laying beside me in the grass. She casually looked back up at me.


    ¡°¡­S-stay?¡± I asked.


    She frowned, confused by the sudden edge of fear in my voice, ¡°Yes. Stay. Sure, we get homesick, but we¡¯ll get over it eventually. If Louis doesn¡¯t want Perryn to come back, maybe we should just stay here. We could join your crew and even¡ª¡°


    ¡°No!¡± I yelped, jumping to my feet, ¡°You can¡¯t stay here!¡±


    She stood up as well, facing me, ¡°Why not? Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll attract the royal guards once they catch wind that you¡¯re on the island. And believe me, someone here is going to recognize you and send the information over to the mainland. And then we¡¯ll all be in danger.¡±


    A few moments passed as she studied my face, ¡°You¡¯re¡­afraid of being caught. You don¡¯t want to go home and be known as the princess again.¡±


    I swallowed, before quietly sitting down again, ¡°Sam wants to go back. She wants to rule the kingdom. But not me. I want to be free to wear what I want, say what I want, and just do what I want.¡±


    ¡°Ahh. Typical rebellious princess crap.¡±


    I scowled, ¡°What¡¯s what supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°Nothing bad.¡± Amber said quickly, ¡°It¡¯s just that every prince or princess goes through that stage. There¡¯s just very few who act on it. You and Sam were the only two, as far as I can recall, who have stayed away for so long. People started thinking you were dead. But your father insisted that you were alive. That old man was right, I guess.¡±


    I sighed, ¡°Well, looks like Sam¡¯s going to admit defeat. She wants to go home.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Amber asked.


    My heart hardened against her question and I scowled up at the twinkling, starlit sky, ¡°Never.¡± I growled, ¡°I will never go back there.¡±

 Chapter 37

    I gazed around the small camp. By now, mostly everyone was awake. Tanner was standing by his mare, saddling her up.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Sam asked him quietly.


    Tanner glanced over at her, looking slightly irritated, ¡°Going after your sister, of course.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sam asked, frowning.


    ¡°Because¡­she rode off into the darkness about three hours ago and hasn¡¯t returned.¡± Tanner scowled at her.


    ¡°Amber¡¯s gone too.¡± Elizabeth said quietly, ¡°She followed Serah.¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± Tanner grumbled, ¡°C¡¯mon Henry. Now we have to go find Serah and hide Amber¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Sam asked as Henry stood to join Tanner.


    ¡°Serah and Amber aren¡¯t exactly friends.¡± Elizabeth explained.


    ¡°Well, why do you want to go after Serah?¡± Sam asked, ¡°Isn¡¯t she alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, she¡¯s probably fine.¡± Tanner said, ¡°I don¡¯t doubt that. But we need to get going, and I don¡¯t know about you, princess, but I want to get home. So get up.¡±


    Sam sighed as she stood to her feet and gathered her blankets together.


    The sudden sound of thundering hooves caused the rest of us to scramble to our feet. Turning in a full circle, I surveyed the field around us, searching for nay sign of movement, or where the approaches hoofbeats could be coming from. Then I saw them, two riders coming in our direction, having just exited the woods and making their way towards us.


    ¡°Never mind.¡± I said, ¡°They¡¯ve made their way to us.¡±


    Serah and Amber quietly trotted back into the gentle flicker of the remaining fire.


    Elizabeth scrambled towards them, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She demanded, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    Serah frowned at her, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    But Elizabeth scowled at her, ¡°Not you, Cap. Amber, you good?¡±


    Amber laughed for the first time in months, which surprised everyone, ¡°I¡¯m okay, Elizabeth.¡±


    I noted how she called Elizabeth by her name instead of just ¡®pirate¡¯.


    This pleased Elizabeth, who flashed Amber a friendly smile.


    Uthera interrupted the moment by jumping in front of Serah, her eyes wide and a grim frown on her face, ¡°I had a dream last night.¡± She said simply,The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Serah, surprised by her every exaggerated display, frowned back at her, ¡°About what?¡±


    Uthera turned and pointed an almost accusing finger at Perryn, ¡°Him.¡±


    Perryn blinked at her, frowning.


    Tanner sighed, ¡°Listen, Uthera. If you think that you¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ªAnd you.¡± Uthera turned back to Serah, interrupting Tanner. ¡°He died. You got mad at me because I killed him.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°Maybe you¡¯re telling the future. Kill him real quick.¡±


    Serah scowled, which got a smirk from Elizabeth, but she ignored it, ¡°Yes well. We all have our fair share of dreams, Uthera.¡±


    ¡°No, but this was different. I was evil.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you evil anyways?¡± Leo asked.


    ¡°No! Well, not to you. Anymore.¡±


    ¡°But you were.¡±


    ¡°That was when you were a threat to me. I didn¡¯t know where you came from.¡± Uthera explained.


    ¡°And we¡¯re not a threat anymore?¡± William asked, sounding slightly offended.


    Uthera shrugged, ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡±


    ¡°Because Serah won¡¯t let you hurt me.¡±


    ¡°Well Serah won¡¯t let you hurt any of us.¡± Leo replied sharply. By now, the royals were all glaring at Uthera.


    ¡°Uh, you guys can kill each other for all I care.¡± Serah said, dismounting her horse, ¡°I¡¯m not your caretaker.¡±


    Leo looked at me, ¡°Perryn had a dream like this once, though.¡±


    Instantly, Serah jerked towards Perryn, ¡°You did? What happened? Why didn¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    Perryn threw up his hands in surrender, ¡°Because I didn¡¯t think it was important?¡±


    ¡°Well, what happened in your dream?¡± Uthera demanded impatiently.


    ¡°We were on deck of the ship. Well, actually, at first it was just you two on deck then somehow I came up there. And it was raining, and there was a big storm, and you were yelling at each other and it was just general mass chaos. Then you stabbed me. And I fell. And then woke up. And Leo was there, yelling at me.¡±


    Leo pumped his chest proudly, ¡°I did wake you up, didn¡¯t I? You¡¯re welcome."


    ¡°It was raining in my dream too! And, we were on the ship!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t both have the same dream.¡± Serah said, shaking her head as she sat down around the fire, poking the remains of it with a stick.


    ¡°But it happened.¡± Uthera said.


    ¡°You could be lying.¡± Tanner said.


    ¡°Why would I be lying?¡± Uthera snapped.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re pirates.¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°That¡¯s what we do.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to believe this random kid who washed up against your ship over me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Henry said.


    ¡°What if he¡¯s also just a pirate from another land? He could be just as deceitful!¡±


    ¡°Believe me, he¡¯s not.¡± Elizabeth scoffed, ¡°Do any of them look like pirates?¡±


    Uthera inspected them, one by one, ¡°Maybe they¡¯re royals but you just don¡¯t know it.¡±


    I felt my body go cold as the campsite became dead silent.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous.¡± Elizabeth interrupted the silence, ¡°The Isle is no place for royals.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. It isn¡¯t. But, if some royals were to stumble their way on this Isle, you do know what hefty sum we can get for them from Milah, correct?¡±


    ¡°I am aware, yes.¡± Serah said, her voice steady, but filled with malice, ¡°That is why you know that if I were to find some royals, Milah would know of it immediately.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Milah?¡± Kate asked quietly.


    ¡°She¡¯s the real ruler of this town.¡± Uthera said, ¡°She¡¯s the most terrifying person out there. Serah rules our port, but Milah rules the entire island and all of its inhabitants.¡±


    ¡°Is she also a pirate?¡± Amber asked.


    Uthera shrugged, ¡°She used to be. But no one has seen her around for a while. A few years or so.¡±


    ¡°She ever beat you up, Serah?¡± Amber prompted.


    Serah chuckled humorously, ¡°Many, many times.¡±


    Amber¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°Really? And you let her?¡±


    ¡°Well, Amber, when one gets beat up, you don¡¯t tend to want it to happen. You don¡¯t ¡®let¡¯ someone beat you up. They do it on their own accord.¡±


    ¡°Well, why did she beat you up?¡±


    ¡°Because Serah has a sharp tongue and has a bit of a problem with authority higher than her.¡± Uthera said before Serah could reply, ¡°Also, her sarcasm sometimes ticks people off.¡±


    ¡°Will we ever meet this Milah person?¡± Robin asked.


    ¡°Pray that you don¡¯t.¡± Serah sighed.

 Chapter 38

    ¡°Alright, Serah.¡± Sam said, ¡°Where should we go now that we''re all awake?¡±


    A half hour had passed since Serah and Amber had returned, and we had packed up all our supplies.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Serah said crossly.


    ¡°Well, which way is town?¡± Amber asked, ¡°We¡¯ll just backtrack.¡±


    ¡°We took a different route.¡± Lydia explained, ¡°It¡¯s not the same way as before.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so, Serah, which way do we go?¡± Sam persisted.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Serah protested.


    ¡°I thought you said you know where we were going!¡± Sam demanded.


    ¡°Yeah, I lied. I was just going where Lydia was going.¡±


    ¡°I was following Tanner!¡± Lydia protested.


    ¡°I was just going in a straight line, to be honest.¡± Tanner admitted.


    ¡°Great.¡± Sam said, ¡°We¡¯re lost on an island where the sorceress could easily find us again and I¡¯m surrounded by idiots!¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Serah demanded, ¡°No one ever said I was supposed to find our way back. This wasn¡¯t my job!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re our leader!¡± Tanner cried, ¡°It is, in fact, your job!¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°You found your way out here in the first place! You should be the one leading us!¡± Serah snapped back at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re lost on your own island?¡± William asked suddenly.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Every one of the pirates screamed back at him.


    William yelped and jumped backwards, straight into my arms. I scrambled to grab William before he fell to the ground.


    ¡°Okay, so. How do we get back?¡± I asked calmly, putting William down slowly.


    ¡°We keep walking straight on til sunrise.¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°It is sunrise.¡± I said glancing around at the rising light.


    ¡°Shut up, Sanchez, I was making fun of Lydia.¡± Elizabeth snapped. Then froze and glanced at Uthera.


    Everyone knew Sanchez was the last name of the royal family.


    Serah tried to cover it up, ¡°It¡¯s an inside joke, you know? We were traveling this one time through the Arab desert and Lydia said¡ª¡°


    ¡°¡ªHold up!¡± Uthera interrupted, whirling on Elizabeth, who flinched.


    ¡°I was talking.¡± Serah said crossly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, you¡¯re just trying to distract me.¡±


    ¡°Is it working?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Uthera glared and took a threatening step towards Serah.


    ¡°They are royals¡­You lied!¡±


    Serah shrugged, ¡°Yes well, that¡¯s what I do. Pirate, remember?¡±


    Uthera lunged, her fingers curling around the collar of Serah¡¯s shirt and jerking her to her feet.


    Serah snarled instantly, burying her hand in Uthera¡¯s long, brown hair and tugging back hard. Uthera yelped and smacked her other fist against Serah¡¯s jaw.


    Tanner lunged at Uthera but froze when figures began jumping out of the long grass around us. Slowly, one by one, Uthera¡¯s entire crew appeared out of the grass.


    ¡°You tricked us.¡± Lydia said, drawing a sword and pointing it at the closest enemy, ¡°You lied!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a pirate.¡± Uthera smirked, ¡°Remember? Just like Serah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Serah growled, blood now dripping from her busted lip where Uthera had hit her, ¡°And since you don¡¯t ever fight fair, neither will we.¡±


    Her fist wrapped around the arm holding her still and she twisted it sideways, throwing Uthera off balance. Then Serah lifted her leather clad boot and kicked Uthera in the gut, sending her flying backwards. But Serah didn¡¯t stop, even as chaos erupted around her, she lunged at Uthera and began to pummel her even as she lay on the floor.


    Each one of us grabbed a sword or stick and lunging at the oncoming pirate crew.

 Chapter 39

    I landed in top of Uthera, my fist landing against her cheek. She snarled angrily, grabbing at my fists to stop their descent to her face, but only succeeding in slowing me down. She lifted her feet up, her heels digging into my gut and kicking me back hard. I grunted as my back hit the smoking remains of our fire. I scrambled to my feet, whirling on Uthera, but was surprised when she began to back away from me, scowling. I glared at her, then for the first time, observed the scene around me. My crew and the royals alike were now backing towards me, glaring at the other pirates as they began to retreat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you next time, Predator. I will.¡± Uthera growled, backing away towards the woods and vanishing into them.


    ¡°Predator?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Sometimes the captains call each other by their ship names.¡± Elizabeth explained.


    ¡°Well, our vacation is cut short.¡± I grumbled as I wiped the blood from my jaw with my sleeve and turned to my horse.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Amber asked.


    ¡°We leave.¡± Tanner said, ¡°We get you guys back to your kingdom and everybody goes back to their normal lives.¡±


    ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to go back?¡± William asked.


    ¡°You have to.¡± Henry said, mounting his horse, ¡°You have no choice.¡±


    Everyone set into a solemn mood as they mount their horses and we set off in a fast gallop back to town.


    When we got there, it was almost midday and the town was alive with people. When we moved to the port, I turned my horse sharply back to everybody, stopping all of them in their tracks.


    ¡°Sam, you go home.¡± I ordered.


    Sam frowned, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because Colten¡¯s waiting. Go tell him to come down to port.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in four years.¡±


    ¡°I give you thirty minutes. It takes about five to ride up to Henry¡¯s house and five back down so I want Colten back here in at most an hour.¡±


    ¡°You want me to stay?¡±


    I shrugged, ¡°You wanna marry Louis and become the queen of Persia?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who Louis is, but no.¡±


    ¡°Then yes, I want you to stay.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Sam sighed as she turned her horse away from us, ¡°Just hurry.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back in a week at most.¡± Elizabeth called after her.


    We dismounted our horses and gave them to a nearby crew member, who had been watching us from our ship and promised to take the horses home.


    ¡°Load up.¡± I ordered.


    ¡°Captain, we don¡¯t have the whole crew.¡± One pirate called out as I stepped onto the deck of my ship.


    ¡°Well round them up. We leave in an hour if nobody is here in time they¡¯ll answer to Tanner and his sword.¡±


    To add emphasis, Tanner flashed a wicked grin at the crew, who immediately dispersed to find their fellow pirates.


    ¡°So that¡¯s just it?¡± Perryn followed me into the captain¡¯s quarters, shutting the door behind him, ¡°We¡¯re just going to leave?¡±


    ¡°You have to leave otherwise you get in deep trouble and the rest of us are hanged.¡± I pulled out a map form my desk and laid it flat on my table. I began to mark our journey.


    We¡¯d sailed this route many times before, but I wanted to get them home as fast as possible.


    ¡°So, never to see each other again?¡±


    I glanced up at him from my drawings.


    There was a sad, heartbroken look in his eyes that threatened to rip mine in half.


    ¡°What did you expect, Perryn? I¡¯m a pirate. A captain, too. I told you before, we could never be together.¡± It pained me to say it, but I¡¯d rather have him think that I never liked him to begin with rather than have him fight for it.


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t there just a little part of you¡ªwhen Louis came by? When you ran into a freaking sorceress and saw us all come after you? That first training night? Did you never wonder if it could work out?¡±


    ¡°Maybe there was a bit of me, at that time.¡±


    ¡°But now?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t happen.¡±


    As I looked up at him, I saw the merry light literally fade from his eyes.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± He turned sharply and left the quarters.


    I cursed quietly as I returned to my work.


    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t go as planned.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it didn¡¯t.¡± A voice said.


    I glanced up, not even surprised, ¡°Colten.¡±


    ¡°Serah.¡± He closed the door behind him as he entered my quarters.


    ¡°That was fast.¡±


    ¡°I was already down the middle of the road. Nice surprise, by the way. Sam is back.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I noticed.¡±


    ¡°What are your thoughts.¡±


    I froze, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Right now. What are you thinking? How do you feel about Sam¡¯s return? The fact that you¡¯re about to lose the love of your life¡ª¡°


    ¡°Oh, give it up already.¡± I snapped, ¡°He¡¯s not the love of my life and this has to be done so don¡¯t make it harder than it already is.¡±


    I stood back to glance over the map one more time before turning to Colten, ¡°I have to make sacrifices for my crew sometimes, okay?¡±


    He looked like he wanted to object, but clamped his mouth shut when I glared at him. Then I brushed past him back out on deck.


    Most of my crew had gathered and immediately scrambled to attention when I strode out over the deck. The royals had gathered at the helm with Henry, Elizabeth and Lydia were up in the crow¡¯s nest and Tanner was bickering with Sam about something.


    ¡°Weigh anchor and host this mizzen!¡± I ordered, ¡°Quickly!¡±


    The pirates scrambled to do my bidding and in no time at all, we had pulled out of port and were on our way.


    ¡°Darkin.¡± I said, calling to one of the older pirates, who was often our navigator.


    ¡°Aye, captain.¡± He approached.


    ¡°Follow this map.¡± I gave him my drawings and turned away, towards Sam who was waving me over.


    ¡°Captain!¡± Darkin called after me.


    ¡°Aye?¡±


    ¡°This leads to the Persian Kingdom? Shouldn¡¯t we follow our regular route?¡±


    ¡°Nay.¡± I replied, ¡°Uthera is setting off in the same direction. I want to be there first.¡±


    Darkin¡¯s face clouded over at the mention of our rival pirate captain and he nodded.


    ¡°So get us there.¡± I snapped.


    ¡°Aye aye captain.¡± He scrambled to the helm to set us on course, relieving Henry of his steering.

 Authors note.

    Hello readers! I hope you''re enjoying my novel so far.


    I apologize for the long wait in updating lately, I took a bit of a break from writing, but i am back at it!


    As this novel comes to a close in the next few chapters, I want my followers to know that even though the book is ending, there will be a part 2. This part 2 is called "A Typical Love Story" and will come out in a few weeks. Keep your eyes peeled as this story will continue Serah and Perryn''s story, and will start Henry and Kate''s.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Please comment on this note with any constructive criticism, comments or anything, really! I hope you enjoyed this novel and remember to keep an eye out for the next one. Thank you so much for the praise comments and reviews!


    For fun, comment on who your favorite characters were in this novel and why. Also, what you would change about the character.


    Have a great day, readers, and don''t forget to comment, follow and review!

 Chapter 40

    My eyes drifted over to Serah throughout the day, but she was firmly avoiding eye contact. I hadn¡¯t realized how attached I¡¯d become in the past month or two. Everything about her mesmerized me, even now when I knew we were parting ways.


    The way she ordered the pirates around, her hair blowing in the breeze, her cutlass fixed to her waist.


    Her eyes scanned the horizon lazily, but I could see the tension in her shoulders and especially in her sharp jawline.


    I sighed as I turned back to Henry on the helm. He glanced at me, ¡°Trouble in paradise?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± I asked, ¡°This whole time I thought she was interested, she wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I think she was. And is.¡± Henry said, ¡°But, she¡¯s got sacrifices to make. As the captain she¡¯s got our lives in her hand, your lives and the crew¡¯s. If we drop you guys off we will avoid the guards coming to the island in search of you, which would lead to our entire crew¡¯s arrest and hanging.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you escaped from prisons before?¡±


    Henry chuckled humorlessly, ¡°Never let your past victories define your future losses. Any time that we get arrested, could be our last. Serah¡¯s just taking that into account. And what do you want to do? Tell your father that you want to marry a pirate captain?¡±


    ¡°But Serah¡¯s a princess.¡± I protested.


    ¡°Serah would never settle into that life. It¡¯s not who she is.¡± Henry said firmly.


    I sighed as I turned to face the horizon, ¡°So, we just go home and forget all this?¡±


    Henry shrugged, ¡°You can forget it, or you can remember it. Doesn¡¯t matter. But you¡¯re going home. And it would be better for everybody if you stayed there, too.¡±Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    I sighed again, my shoulders sagging in defeat.


    ¡°Hey.¡± Tanner came up behind me and clapped my shoulder, ¡°We¡¯ll see you again someday, prince. Maybe when you¡¯re king you can put in a good word for us with the kingdom and let us come visit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an idea.¡± I said suddenly.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Tanner looked distracted as he watched Serah below us. She seemed to be chewing Sam out for following us on board instead of staying home.


    ¡°You can visit once I put in a good word for you.¡±


    ¡°As long as you don¡¯t tell anyone of our whereabouts.¡±


    I stilled.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Tanner asked, ¡°Don¡¯t think you can keep a secret?¡±


    ¡°Louis.¡± I muttered, ¡°If I go back he¡¯ll be the one to tell everyone of your whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°Why is this?¡± Tanner prompted.


    I stared at him, ¡°Serah didn¡¯t say anything about Louis?¡±


    ¡°No, as you may recall only a week or two later, she was kidnapped and during that time we aren¡¯t often alone.¡± He looked displeased with the fact that we interrupted his time with his pirate family.


    ¡°Well, Louis wants the throne and to get it I have to be dead. So I made a deal with him; he doesn¡¯t tell of this islands whereabouts and the fact that Serah is still alive, and he gets the Persian throne.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an insane plan.¡± Tanner muttered.


    ¡°But now that Sam has returned and wishes to go home, perhaps it won¡¯t be such a big deal that Serah¡¯s identity is compromised.¡± Henry said suddenly.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± I mumbled.


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    Three days later, we had reached the Persian mainland port.


    We docked and the pirates exited the ship with us.


    ¡°Well.¡± William was the first to speak as he turned back to the pirates, ¡°Goodbye, pirates.¡±


    Henry and Tanner shook our hands and Elizabeth and Lydia hugged each and every one of us. But Serah hung back, merely nodding at us.


    ¡°Oh come on.¡± Kate reached for her but Serah stepped back from her hug, ¡°No, no. We don¡¯t do that here.¡±


    But Kate ignored her protests and wrapped her arms around Serah, ¡°Goodbye, Serah.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Serah replied.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see each other soon.¡±


    ¡°The only way we¡¯d see each other was if we were arrested.¡± Serah said dryly.


    ¡°And let¡¯s hope that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± Elizabeth said cheerily.


    ¡°Yes. Let¡¯s hope.¡± Serah said.


    And with that, we turned away from them and went home.