by Marie Hall
Table of Contents
A Pirate’s Dream
Kingdom Series: Dark Princess Saga
A Pirate’s Dream
Author’s Notes
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Marie Hall Books | Kingdom Series (Fairytale Romance)
Future Kingdom Books written as Jovee Winters (In no particular order)
About Marie Hall/Jovee Winters
Sneak Peak: The Ice Queen
Foreword
Epilogue | The Snow Queen as told by one of the thirteen Keepers:
Chapter 1
A Pirate’s Dream
––––––––
Nimue, daughter of Hook, is desperate to prove to her parents that she’s just as brave and as much of a pirate as they are. So when she serendipitously spies the hidden isle, she knows what she must do. A fearsome creature known as the Sea Hag is reputed to be hiding thirteen soul orbs within its sands, and rumor has it that any pirate brave enough to trespass there and snatch up an orb will be able to harness the power of the hag as his or her own. And that’s just what Nimue aims to do. But, as is often her lot in life, things go horribly awry.
Sircco, King of the Sea, has no time for leggers, those vile creatures in the above also known as humans, and pirates are the worst of the lot. But when a feminine cry reaches his ears, his curiosity gets to him, and against his better judgment, he finds himself offering the hag a trade for the wild little legger with eyes of blue and hair the deepest color of his seas.
Human and merfolk do not fall in love with each other. It is simply impossible. But in Kingdom, there is no such thing as the impossible, merely obstacles a certain fairy godmother can easily overcome with a little fairy magic and some help from a few friends in very high places...
A Pirate’s Dream is the final book in the Dark Princess Saga.
Kingdom Series: Dark Princess Saga
Copyright Marie Hall 2015
A Pirate’s Dream
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy from an established e-book vendor. Thank you for respecting the author's work.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patent Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Author’s Notes
Several months ago, I’d decided to end all Marie Hall books. My reasons are still valid and personal, but after receiving literally hundreds of emails from fans confused as to why I would stop writing altogether, I realized that in my sadness, I failed to let you all know that even though I would no longer be writing as Marie Hall, I would still be writing.
Even though this is the final Dark Princess book, this isn’t the final Kingdom book. I’m still working on the Dark Queens series as I’d promised, and if you’d like to continue to follow the journey of some of my favorite fairytale villains, please look for stories written under my new pen name, Jovee Winters.
And I want to say thank you to those of you who took the time to write to me and share just how personal and special these books are to you. From those of you escaping the ugliness of chemo by immersing yourself in Kingdom, to those who’ve lost loved ones... never could I have imagined how very important these books had become to you guys. I am humbled and grateful that I could provide even a small smile through such trials.
This is the final Marie Hall book, but as I’ve said above, not the final book “I” will be writing. So now I hope I’ve cleared the air and that you all will continue to think kindly of me.
Dedication
To my harem. You guys have encouraged me so much through these difficult times; I couldn’t do half of what I do without you guys being there to be my constant cheerleaders.
And also to my beta readers, Tiyonia, Venus, Rayalle aka The Pied Pier, Philip aka Teddy Bear, Jess, Patience, Rachel, and Deidre... you guys really rocked it out for me, and you have no idea how grateful I am to all of you.
Chapter 1
Drip.
Drop.
Drop.
Drip.
Nimue counted each pinkish drop falling off the jagged lip of the cave, landing in the mercurial puddle of “water” by her booted foot. The day was glorious; the air was full of the scent of salt and the brine of the sea.
Twin rainbows arched across the azure, cloudless sky. Seren’s waters rolled continuously upon the marble-like sands of the hidden island—unique because of its distinctive glassy obsidian coloration.
Drip.
Drop.
Pursing her lips, she curled her nose as the wind shifted, revealing the truth of just what that pink water actually was. The cave stone was gray; there were no minerals inside the rock, nothing that could have accounted for the strange color of the water.
Nothing survived in this hidden island.
No animals sheltered here.
No humans called this goddessforsaken stretch of land home. Tis place belonged to a monster. The monster.
The Sea Hag was a creature of such awesome and frightful power that not even land dwellers dared to trespass upon her sacred land. And the water dripping off the cave was the runoff of blood from a feeding.
The metallic scent offended Nimue’s nostrils, and she wiggled her nose, fighting hard not to breathe any deeper than necessary. Gripping the hilt of her cutlass tighter, she counted slowly to twenty.
Her heart was still trapped in her throat fifteen minutes after coming ashore. As brave as she was, even she wasn’t stupid enough to think taking on the sea hag would be easy.
Hook would kill her if he found out his only daughter had disobeyed a direct order. Above water, Neverland was his domain, but below... he’d often warned her never to mess around with the denizens who lurked in the deep.
Why? Because of who Nimue was—the daughter of the most feared and revered pirate to ever sail the Seren Seas. It was common knowledge that Hook would do anything to protect his daughter, even pay a king’s ransom to get her back if necessary.
That had made her parents take extreme precautions to ensure her safety and guarantee that none of his innumerable foes would come after her. The few times she was ever allowed above deck, she was surrounded by a bevy of sailors and other unsavory sorts.
She couldn’t just sit down and enjoy the scent of salt, feel the rush of the breeze feather through her hair, or hear the roll of waves as the Jolly Roger cut a straight path through the enchanted waters.
Nimue yearned to dip her toes in, to learn how to swim, to feel the coolness of salt water caress her flesh. When awake, she craved it. When asleep, she dreamed of nothing else.
The waves.
The blue.
The life.
She may have been born a human, but her soul dwelled within the waters of the deep. And as much as her father and mother adored sailing, for Nimue, it wasn’t enough. Today, the need to show them that had finally come to a head when she’d glanced out a porthole and witnessed the miraculous—a double rainbow.
Her mind had scrambled with the reality of what that had meant. It couldn’t have been just coincidence that her parents had decided to drop anchor here of all places, a port they rarely visited. The Sea Goddess, Calypso, had given her a sign, and she refused to squander that gift.
Nimue hadn’t stopped to consider all the reasons she shouldn’t do this or how her parents would react when they discovered her gone. She couldn’t think that way, because it would slow her down. Then the miracle of that double rainbow would vanish, and the goddess only knew if she’d ever have another chance as perfect as this to prove to them she wasn’t a fragile, weak girl.
Nimue was Hook’s daughter. His blood ran through her veins. She was a warrior. She was a pirate.
With those words echoing in her brain, she’d yanked a dirk from Smee’s belt and shoved it tight to his throat. He’d looked at her with a hint of shock.
Terrified out of her mind about what she was doing, but knowing she had no choice, she’d threatened to slit him from gullet to sternum if he even so much as sounded the alarm for her father. She never would have done it, truthfully. She adored Uncle Smee. But she’d been desperate to prove to her parents that she was capable of taking care of herself, and if that meant landing a blow against her uncle’s temple to knock him out, then so be it.
Uncle was strong enough that he could have prevented the strike, but the look in his dark-blue eyes let her know that he at least understood what she was about. He’d stood there and given her a soft smile, and she’d almost lost her nerve. But the thought of living another day trapped inside that box hadn’t been an option.
Not anymore.
Her parents had dropped anchor roughly a half mile from port. They’d gone to land for the afternoon and taken most of the pirates with them. Hiking up her skirts, she’d raced up the steps. They’d left only a skeleton crew behind, and most of them were either napping or eating chow. They’d been too interested in what they were doing to notice that Hook’s greatest treasure had just shimmied her way down a rope and into a rowboat they kept tethered behind for the crew who might need to reach them quickly.
Biceps muscles had burned as she’d rowed furiously and quickly toward an island that only ever materialized during the rare appearance of a double rainbow. The stretch of land ahead had wavered like a mirage, beckoning her with the promise of freedom.
For years, Smee and Nimue had trained her body to become a weapon. As skilled as any pirate with a blade, she refused to be some simpering princess tucked away in a tower any longer—even if the tower was filled with anything a woman could want. Father and mother brought her innumerable treasures.
Chests filled with jewels.
Yards of the finest silk.
Her room was decorated in gold and diamonds. She even had friends, not just the pirates, but actual friends. Father had made a trade with the Mad Hatter years ago when she’d cried about how lonely she was and how much she wanted to get out and go exploring. The next day, a strange door covered in rust and black iron scrollwork had appeared in her room.
And anytime she opened the door, she could step through it into strange lands built upon the clouds or gardens overflowing with bizarre and wondrous creatures of all sorts—birds, fairies, and a floating cat with strange silvery eyes. Once a week, she met her friends for tea and treats, and if they noticed that she never arrived without at least two burly, dangerous-looking pirates in tow, they never said so.
She had a good life, an envious life, but always one thing was missing. No matter how many lands she explored or how many people she met, the seas and all that lived in it were always denied her.
A heavy slithering sound yanked her thoughts back to the present. Though she’d never gotten this far off the ship without guards, she knew the Seren Seas and the lands that dotted the waters because it’d been all she’d studied since the moment she learned to read.
For instance, she knew that the hag had no weaknesses to blade or poison. But one thing could bring the creature to her knees. Called “soul orbs,” there were thirteen of them, and they resembled ostrich-egg-sized pearls. But they were far from jewels.
Long ago, during the dawn of time itself, the hag had fallen from the sea witch’s grace. The creature had tried to usurp the powers of the sea for her own. The witch, after learning of her child’s treachery, had cursed the hag’s soul, splitting it into thirteen separate parts and placing them inside iridescent orbs.
The sea witch shoved the orbs deep into the sands of the hidden island and told the hag that should anyone ever find one and take one, she would become little more than a puppet to its master.
So though a thief could come and take an orb, the hag herself could never handle them, for doing so would kill her instantly. That meant she could never again leave her cave.
And the only time she ever got food was when the rainbows appeared and seals and turtles crawled upon her land for warmth and a nap. The double rainbow meant she was distracted.
Licking her lips, Nimue rubbed the golden pendant hanging from around her neck. A tiny seahorse dipped in gold, the gift was given to her by her mother the day she was born. Touching it had always helped calm her mind.
Pirates had often spoken of the hag, almost lustily, not with lust for the creature itself, but for the desire to possess an orb. To command such a beast would make one invincible.
And today, that’s exactly what Nimue aimed to do.
Taking one final, deep breath, she forced her numb legs to move. She hadn’t exactly been sure what to expect when she’d come here. She’d thought it would be a cave littered with the bones of half-eaten carcasses. The smell of mold. Of death. The impenetrable darkness typical of such places... but the hag’s cave wasn’t at all like that.
Hugging tightly to the walls and keeping herself as deep in shadow as possible, Nimue couldn’t quite fathom that such an evil creature could live in such a lovely place. The walls of the cave glittered with brilliant gems. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and even strings of smoky-hued pearls dangled from the roof. Lit torches flickered at even intervals, and rather than giving the place an ominous feel, the light actually made it all look warm and inviting.
Large cushions the size of a small pond littered the marble-veined floor, except for at its very center. It looked as though someone had cut a hole through the stone to reveal sand beneath. And sitting inside that depression rested a shimmering mound of thirteen eggs.
Nimue’s eyes grew large, and she had to remember that somewhere on this island was the hag. Cooing at the glowing blue orbs could be a very bad idea. Steeling her nerve, she shoved the cutlass into the sheath at her waist and moved nimbly toward the stack of eggs. All she needed was one.
Galloping hooves pounded away in her chest when she dropped to her knees, holding her hands, palms open, over the nest. One thing her father had taught her was that treasure of such value was never so easy to take.
There were always traps in place.
Frowning, she waved a hand. No invisible wires or alarms. Twisting her lips, she gazed hungrily at the orbs. They were so beautiful. Pulsing, as though with life, they had such a smoky, luminescent color.
But something nagged at her—a foreboding suspicion that this was much, much to
o easy. Worrying her bottom lip, she gazed over her shoulder, expecting to see the entrance full of a shadowy figure ready to pounce on her and rip her to pieces for coming after its most valued treasure.
Treasure.
A pirate’s one weakness.
A true fortune hunter wouldn’t stop to wonder what stealing an orb would mean to the victim. All knew the hag to be a vile, scornful beast. And yet, Nimue couldn’t stop from wondering how she would feel if someone came in and stole a sliver of her soul.
Shivering, she gripped her pendant, rubbing the tiny head nearly bald of gold. She was taking too much time; she needed to grab one and go while she still could. But she couldn’t stop from remembering what’d happened to the pixie seven years ago.
Father had come across one trapped inside an empty pickle jar. A pixie was a cross between a fairy and an imp, not quite as benevolent as a fairy and nowhere near as nasty as an imp. They were mischievous creatures full of magic.
It’d been her birthday, and Nimue had asked for a pony. Hook hadn’t been able to find her one of those, but he had found her the next best thing.
The pixie had stared at her through the glass wall, her tiny face pressed tightly against it, pleading with Nimue to release her, saying that if she were forced to grant even one more wish, she would die.
But Father had told her pixies were notorious tricksters, and she’d not believed the pretty little fae. Too desperate to get her hands on her prize, she’d made that wish. Then there was a pony in her room, on the ship, and she’d forgotten everything in her haste to pet it, love it.
That night, when she went back to the jar to release the pixie, she’d found her lying lifeless, and Nimue had never wanted to make another wish again in her life.
The hag wasn’t a good creature. But the pixie been to some, either. Even so, killing the creature had broken her heart.
But how could she go back to the ship without an orb? Without one, how could she prove to her parents that she was capable of being her own person?