The Pirate's Princess

by Bethany Wicker

  Armored men and women ran by me holding swords and spears. Panicked murmurs followed them and curiosity had me falling into step behind the warriors. They sped out the front door and stopped once they got outside. I pushed through them to see what they were looking at, but froze halfway through at the sight.

  The Kraken was hovering just outside of the bubble that protected the castle. Its familiar purplish-blue color matched the picture I’d just seen. Its tentacles tested the strength of the bubble, but it let out a deafening roar when the barrier wouldn’t budge.

  “What does it want?” someone near me cried with fear.

  My gaze found my father standing in the front, so I didn’t listen to the reply. Instead, I made my way towards him. His mouth was twisted into a scowl as he stared up at the gigantic creature.

  “What do you think it’s after?” Dad asked without even looking at me.

  “Me,” I answered simply, and all of the people within hearing range swiveled their heads to look at me. A couple even took a few steps away.

  “What makes you think that?” Dad looked at me with raised eyebrows.

  “Because I hurt it.”

  The sirens around me gasped and more of them moved away, like it was going to attack them just for being near me.

  “That’s impossible. Nobody can hurt the Kraken. Its skin is too tough.” Dad shook his head. “There has to be something else that’s bothering it.”

  “How about I go out there and ask it?” I asked sarcastically.

  “You’re not going anywhere near it,” Dad growled.

  “Maybe I could lead it away.”

  “No reason to. The barrier around this castle is fortified by Poseidon’s power. Nothing can penetrate it. At least, not anytime soon. Let’s go back inside and eat some dinner. Maybe it’ll go away on its own.”

  “Dinner? But I just ate breakfast.”

  “Alda told me you were sleeping in the tub. You’ve slept the day away apparently, so now, yes, it’s time for dinner. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes,” I admitted as my stomach grumbled.

  “Then, let’s head to the dining room.”

  Dad led the way and everyone else followed behind us. I thought he was leading me to the same room we’d eaten breakfast in. Instead, we walked passed those doors to stop in front of a grand dining room this time. It was the one I’d been anticipating since I arrived. The tables and chairs were made of gold and there were enough to seat hundreds—maybe even thousands—of people.

  There was one table in the shape of a rectangle and it’d been placed in the front. Dad led me towards it and my heart rate spiked. People took their seats as we continued to walk. My steps felt heavier and heavier the closer we got to our table. The chairs were turned so we would be facing everyone else.

  “You really expect me to eat in front of everyone? With all of them watching?” I asked as Dad started steering me around to the empty seats.

  “Yes, considering you’re the princess, I do,” he replied.

  “I’m no princess,” I grumbled.

  “Unfortunately, you don’t have a choice. The title is yours and these people are counting on you. Maybe you can even make up for some of my mistakes. But, that’s for another time.”

  I didn’t have time to think on that last comment because Dad stood in front of his chair and clapped his hands together. The room was completely filled and I grimaced as everyone’s eyes fell on us—specifically me. Silence took over the room and Dad cleared his throat.

  “Thank you all for joining us for dinner tonight,” Dad said in a booming baritone voice. “As you know, this night is more special than any other. Our princess, my daughter, has been returned to us. We will eat in her honor tonight and welcome her with open arms. Before we indulge, I must warn you. Anyone attempting to go against my daughter because of her heritage may as well consider themselves already dead. It’s an act against Poseidon to go against the next heir.”

  I grimaced. “Thanks for that lovely introduction, Dad.”

  Nobody laughed at my attempt to lighten things. Instead, they continued to stare openly and curiously.

  “Can we please just eat now?” I asked.

  Dad nodded his head and clapped his hands together once more. This time, people came from behind us carrying silver platters. I hadn’t noticed the doors behind us until they stepped out.

  The servers stopped at our table first and I welcomed the distraction. I wasn’t surprised to see grilled octopus sitting in front of me. I had a feeling I was going to be sick of octopus by the time I was allowed to leave. This had to be my father’s way of trying to make things up to me. He’d always been well aware of my weakness for food.

  After I loaded my plate with food, I was surprised to see everyone still looking at us. I swallowed hard and my fingers tightened around my fork. I wouldn’t be able to eat with all of these eyes on me.

  “We have to take the first bite before they can start eating,” Dad whispered.

  “Why’s that?” I asked.

  “Because we’re royalty and it’s the way things are here. Royalty must be first to begin everything.”

  “That’s stupid.”

  He chuckled. “Now, you’re finally starting to sound like yourself. I missed you.”

  “I missed you too.” As an afterthought, I added, “So, Mom’s really gone then.”

  For the first time, he allowed the sadness to enter his gaze. “I’m afraid so. Let’s start eating so everyone else can too.”

  That was the end of that conversation and I watched Dad take his first bite. He motioned for me to follow his lead, so I chewed on a piece of fish. It tasted bland with the memories of Mom swimming in my head.

  A server came up to me as I was eating and handed me a silver goblet. I’d been drinking water out of a glass cup like everyone else and quirked an eyebrow at his offer.

  “Go ahead, take it,” Dad urged. “I had them acquire coconut juice for you since I know how much you love it.”

  I smiled at the man and accepted the cup. “Thank you.”

  The man simply nodded and left me to go back through the doors.

  “Do those lead to the kitchen?” I pointed where the man had made his exit.

  “Yes, they do,” Dad answered.

  “Can I go see it? I’ve never actually seen a kitchen before. We’ve always had a bonfire to cook over.”

  “That isn’t a place for a princess to be.”

  “Shouldn’t a princess dictate where she can and cannot be?” I narrowed my eyes.

  There were a lot of rules so far that I wasn’t okay with.

  Dad sighed. “If it’s something you truly desire, then it will be. I’ll have our head chef Ada give you a tour after the dining room clears out.”

  “Thank you, Dad.” I smiled brightly and felt excited for the first time since I’d been here.

  It would be interesting to learn how siren food was prepared. To be honest, I was surprised to discover that they didn’t just eat everything raw.

  We ate our dinner in silence after that and it was some of the best food I’d ever tasted. I’d have to give my compliments to Ada when I met her, but thoughts of the chef made me think of Felix—the cook from The Sea Nymph’s Revenge. The quiet nibbling of the sirens was nothing compared to the loud chomping of pirates. It made me miss them all over again.

  “What’s the sad look for? Do you not like the food?” Dad asked.

  “Oh, no, the food is perfect. I just miss my friends,” I replied with a sigh full of longing.

  “You mean those pirates?” Dad said the word “pirates” like it was filthy.

  “Yes, they’re amazing people.”

  “They steal and kill for a living.”

  “So do sirens, and that isn’t all pirates are.”

  “Sirens are a different story because it’s in our nature to kill humans. We don’t typically kill each other. Humans killing other humans for no reason is barbaric. I think you’ve spent too much ti
me with them to think clearly on the matter. They’ve tricked you. Pirates only want sirens to either kill or use them as a weapon.”

  “Steel wouldn’t do that to me.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do.”

  He slammed his fist on the table and put a small dent in it. “That is enough. I’m done with this conversation. I don’t want to hear you speak of those pirates ever again.”

  Dad was trying to appear intimidating, but I wasn’t backing down. “Considering that they’re like family, asking me to do that is the same thing as forcing me to not talk about Mom anymore.”

  “That’s completely different.”

  “Maybe to you it is, but it isn’t to me.”

  Dad rose to his feet. “You will not speak to me that way and this will be the last time you defy me.”

  I stood, rising to the challenge. “Being here has obviously gone to your head. The father I knew was calmer and nicer. He thought things through with an open mind and didn’t talk to me in such a demeaning way. I’m going to my room. When you decide to go back to being my dad again, come see me.”

  I threw my napkin on the table and walked away from him. I even ignored his pleas for me to come back and the eyes of the other sirens that bore into me as I left. The ground rumbled underneath me as I exited the dining room, and I knew instinctively that it was nature reacting to my anger. There was probably a storm booming overhead, but I didn’t care. I wanted to be angry. Anger was better than the sadness that threatened to consume me. I never thought I’d miss living on a pirate ship as much as I did now.

  Chapter Three

  The halls were quiet as I went in the direction that I hoped my room was in. Instead, my feet led me back outside. I wondered how I could escape this prison. The Kraken still lingered overhead and my steps continued moving towards the edge of the barrier on instinct.

  The Kraken followed me until we were standing eye-to-eye. His eyes were much larger up close and just one of them was probably the size of my head. The bubble was the only thing stopping him from grabbing me with his tentacle. I cocked my head as I stared curiously.

  “Why are you here?” I asked without truly meaning to, but once the words started, they didn’t stop. “Are you out to get me for what I did to you? I’m sorry if I hurt you, but in my defense, you were trying to eat my friends.”

  “I’m here because of you and know that I forgive you,” a voice said in my head and I recoiled as if I’d been slapped.

  “You forgive me? Wait… you can speak?” My mouth had dropped open and it was hard for me to close it back.

  “Only to you.”

  “I don’t understand. Why only me? Why now?”

  “Something changed that day I attacked your ship. I now realize it is because you are the Fated Princess. Poseidon has told me so.”

  “Fated Princess? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Know that I’m here if you ever need my assistance.”

  “Why would you help me?”

  “Because it is what’s meant to be.”

  “I don’t understand. That doesn’t make any sense.”

  “It will when the time comes.”

  The Kraken started to swim away and ignored my attempts to get him to come back.

  “It is you,” a voice said to my left and it made me jump.

  My hand flew to my heart as I felt it skip a beat and I turned towards the intruder. An older woman with white hair and wide, probing eyes stood only a couple of feet away.

  “What’s me?” I asked as I tried to regain my composure.

  “Come with me,” was all she said before she began making her way back towards the castle.

  “Wait, I’m so confused. Where are you taking me?” I had no other choice but to follow her.

  She didn’t answer me as she continued walking. She even picked up speed and I had to jog to keep up with her. For an older lady, she sure moved swiftly. Her hair was tied up into a bun and had a jeweled pin keeping it in place. With her back to me, I could see the jeweled trident on the pin. It was the symbol of Poseidon. Dad had taught me that when I was little.

  The woman finally stopped outside of a familiar door and motioned for me to go in.

  “Where are we?” I asked.

  “This door will lead you into your room.” She smiled manically.

  “My room? Why are we at my room? I thought you were going to give me some answers.”

  “I never said that. You need rest. You have a long journey ahead of you.”

  I narrowed my eyes, but didn’t waste another breath as I walked into my room. That lady was mad. That was the only explanation I had for her behavior. I listened as she left and sank to the floor. I drew my knees into my chest and wrapped my arms around them.

  Instead of the older lady, was I actually the crazy one or did I really just communicate with the Kraken? Nothing made sense anymore. I had no idea where Steel was. My mom wasn’t coming back. I barely recognized the man my dad had become. I could talk to the Kraken. I was apparently something called the “Fated Princess”. Did I leave anything out?

  My chest heaved as a sob threatened to break loose. The tears finally spilled over when a knock sounded at the door.

  “My Lady, the king has requested your presence in his throne room,” an unfamiliar voice called and it was muffled by the door.

  “I’m not coming out,” I yelled.

  “My Lady, it is the king’s wish.”

  “So? My wish is to stay here for the rest of the night. Tell him I’ll see him in the morning.”

  “But, My Lady—”

  “Thank you.”

  I heard the man muttering under his breath for a moment before he finally left. I breathed a sigh of relief as I continued to cry. I was so confused and had a hard time processing everything. My defensive tactic of shutting down wanted to take over and this time, I allowed it to and lunged for the comfort of my bed.

  ***

  It wasn’t until the next morning that I felt brave enough to leave my room, but I quickly wished I could hide away in it forever. Everyone was staring at me and it was even more people than yesterday. I counted the steps in my head to distract me as I went in search of my dad. I didn’t have to look long because he found me first.

  “There you are.” He smiled tentatively. “I’m sorry about last night. You were right. I wasn’t behaving how I should. You're my daughter and I need to remember that you should always come first. I’ve been under a lot of stress and have also been grieving over the loss of your mother, but I won’t let that change who I am anymore.”

  I hugged him and he quickly returned it. “I love you Dad, and I’m sorry for yelling at you.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You had every right to. There is something I want to discuss with you though. I heard something peculiar happened between you and the Kraken last night after you left dinner,” Dad said with curiosity written all over his face.

  “I don’t want to talk about it because I don’t really understand what happened. How do you even know about it? I’ve honestly been hoping it was all a dream.” I crossed my arms.

  “You’ll learn word travels fast around here. Sirens love gossip. All of the guards saw you last night and it didn’t take long for news of it to reach my ears. Let’s go into my personal dining room for breakfast again today instead of eating with everyone else. It seems we need to have another talk.”

  I followed behind him silently. Instead of the room being empty like I’d anticipated, a seat was occupied by a familiar lady. The same insane one from last night.

  “You.” I pointed my finger at her.

  The woman cackled. “I typically go by Eleanor, My Lady.”

  “Eleanor is one of my advisors,” Dad said with a gentle smile. “Have a seat and I’ll have some food brought in for us. She’s going to help me fill you in on siren beliefs and lifestyle.”

  This was it. I was going to finally get the answers I’d been se
arching for. Dad disappeared behind the door that led to the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry if I frightened you yesterday,” Eleanor said as I took the seat across from her.

  “Oh, it’s okay. You didn’t scare me,” I replied.

  “You sure? I typically have that effect on people. It’s why your dad likes to keep me around.”

  “Because you scare people off?”

  “Running people off can have its pros, like allowing room for silence.”

  “That makes a little sense. So, I know you saw me… did I really talk to the Kraken last night?”

  “I believe so.” Eleanor nodded.

  “How is that even possible?”

  Dad walked in at that moment and prevented Eleanor from answering. People followed behind him with gold trays this time instead of silver ones. I peeled a banana and ate a few bites of it as I waited for either one of them to say something.

  “Eleanor, you can tell her everything now that we’re all seated and have some food,” Dad said as he loaded his plate. “You know I like to have food present whenever there’s going to be some type of discussion. An empty stomach is too distracting when talking about serious matters.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.” Eleanor smiled at me encouragingly. “Let me know if this becomes too overwhelming, Sera. There is much you don’t know about how sirens act from what your father has told me.”

  “Speaking of that, why did you keep me in the dark about all of this? Especially if you knew I would eventually have to rule them.” I looked at Dad expectantly.

  He cleared his throat and scratched the scruff on his face. “Well, it was your mother’s request for one. I would do anything for her, even if it meant keeping you from knowing about your true heritage. To be honest, nobody knew it would be you to take my place until you demonstrated powers of controlling the weather. Only someone with royal blood can possess an ability like that.”

  “Why didn’t Mom want me to know?” My voice sounded more like a squeak.