by Clark, Lydia
“Nay,” Dale answered. “Those are my mother’s private thoughts. I will only read them if necessary.”
“Then how did you know what was written in this here book? And, weren’t you captured and being held captive by some Pirate’s daughter?”
“I escaped. A friend, the very woman who kidnapped me, told me about what was written in the book.”
“You call this woman who held you captive for ransom of her Pirate father a friend?”
“Aye, she never meant me any harm. She was just looking for a way to get her father given back to her. She is not a terrible person. He, like my Mum, is the only family she has got.”
The King seemed to study Dale before reading on until he came to another passage. “You have your mother’s eyes. Do you have this so called birthmark?”
“You want me to show it to you? It is a private mark.”
“If you are my son as this indicates and had I known, I’m sure I would have seen it when you were a babe. Show me the mark as proof to match the book.”
Dale’s face turned a bright shade of pink. He never once thought he would be doing this before the King of all people, even if he were supposed to be his father. “All right.” He stood up and hitched up his shirt and dropped his pants. The dark colored birthmark covered one testicle and part of his manhood.
“You are marked like a bull and built like one too, Son,” The King emphasized the word son while he laughed at the sight.
Dale quickly recovered his composer by hitching his pants back up.
The two sat speechless for a few moments before the King finally spoke after a long sip of his tea. “All this time I did not know I had a son. You will have to move into the castle at once. There is a lot of work to be done and a lot for you to learn before you will take over the reins of the Kingdom. I thought for sure I would be forced to hand down the crown to Duke Ellington. Now, I’m glad to hear I have a better alternative. If you are anything like your mother, then you are the right choice to be my heir. We must send for your mother at once. I have missed her all these years. It’s a wonderful surprise to know she is still alive after all this time.”
“I’m not sure she will come.”
“Is she still mad at me after all these years?”
“Nay, it’s that she still fears for her life.”
“But why? I can protect her. I can protect her more if she is by my side.”
Dale wasn’t sure if the King knew who wanted he and his mother dead. Even Dale wasn’t sure. Treea seemed to believe they were in danger from the Duke. If the Duke had been expecting to be the heir to the throne then, that would explain why he had been the one to order the soldiers to kill Treea’s prisoner. He had to keep his mother safe and the only way was to keep her whereabouts hidden until the truth of the matter was dealt with by the King.
“She is safe for now. I will be happy to send for her when I am sure all the danger is gone.”
“Well, then Son, we will have to come to the bottom of these threats and find out who is threatening her. Won’t we?”
“Aye, I plan on seeing to that.”
Chapter 16
Duke Ellington’s hair felt as though it stood up on end when he laid eyes on the King’s visitor. Then to learn that he was the one who was claiming to be the King’s heir set him on flame. His soldiers told him they had killed the prisoner. They were supposed to find Hurley. But they never did. In fact, the man had not turned up yet. Had he double-crossed the Duke?
There was only one thing to do to a Pirate to get even with them when they double-crossed you. Set their ship on fire. He paid his lieutenant a visit.
“Lieutenant Knox, any word on the whereabouts of Hurley?”
“Nay, Sire, he has not yet turned up.”
“I want you and your men to set the Sea Wench on fire.”
“Aye, Sire, if that is what you wish. Consider it done.”
“Oh, and make sure that the daughter of the Pirate Pellesi is dead. She has caused me enough trouble.”
The lieutenant bowed and left hurrying away.
There was no way the Duke would be able to change the King’s mind once he decided to make the illegitimate heir his successor. He would just have to take matters into his own hands again. He had managed to keep the Queen from bearing an offspring. He even managed to kill her, slowly, of course. Now he would have to take care of this new threat to the crown. Maybe a slow working poison would suffice or maybe he could be sent out to a mock battle and have him killed by accident. The accident would be a better choice.
Better yet a celebratory duel for the hand of a fair maiden. He had a change of plans for the lieutenant and quickly found him preparing with his men outside the barracks.
“Good, I found you in time. I’ve had a change of heart. Instead of killing that Pirate’s daughter I have a better idea. She would make a lovely prize wouldn’t she?”
Knox didn’t know how to respond. “She is a beauty.” Agreeing was always the best policy when it came to politics.
“Wouldn’t you love to win her in a jousting battle?”
“Jousting? Aye, she would make a mighty fine prize for a jousting battle.”
Duke Ellington smiled. He knew the lieutenant was the best jouster in the kingdom. She would be an easy win for him and the most successful in making the heir’s death appear to be accidental should he see fit to take part in the contest. Most likely he would since he referred to her as being a friend. “Bring her back alive. We will keep her in my tower until the day of the Joust. We will hold a fair that day and celebrate a day for our King. Oh, and Knox, don’t worry, I will post your entry fee. You are my champion and deserve this woman.”
“Thank you, Sire.” The lieutenant bowed.
The Duke left the officer to his work and watched for a short time while Knox barked out orders to his men on how and what they were to set out to do. The day was turning out better than he had expected.
Chapter 17
Treea made it back to the ship while the crew slept. She walked about the deck pondering on how she was going to distract the duke while Dale set his plan in motion for the next few days. Nothing she came up with seemed to appease her. Would she be able to bring herself to do that which she had implied to Dale before they parted? Could she really seduce the Duke?
The actual seducer appeared to be Dale, but it did go with his line of work. It was shady, but who was she to judge, wasn’t she a pirate’s daughter?
Maybe she should just pay the Duke a personal visit and take a gamble. Dale should be at the castle by now. Hopefully, he hadn’t been imprisoned. All hope would be lost if that happened.
“My Lady, a ship approaches from our South.” The crew hand yelled from the Crow’s nest above. “It is coming straight for us.”
“Does it bear a flag?”
“Aye, it does. It’s the Duke’s colors.”
“Ring the alarm! I don’t trust this ship. They tried to board us once already, they may try once again.” Treea shaded her eyes trying to see off in the distance. She needed a scope, like the one the sailor used up in the nest. She had sent him up there at sunrise, it was a quirk of a feeling that something bad might happen. This was not the way she had planned on paying the Duke his visit.
A bell on the deck was rung by another sailor calling everyone to arm themselves. Twenty sailors joined Treea on deck, waiting for the ship to approach.
It wasn’t a fast moving vessel. They could’ve easily outrun it if they were willing to set sail back out to the open seas. This was not their intent. Instead, they would stand their ground and fight if need be.
The ship came closer. Treea could barely make out the shape of the vessel, but the sailor with the scope could see it better. “My Lady, the ship is armed with cannons,” he shouted down to her.
The man, who was fifteen years senior to Treea took the helm, “Do you want us to out run it?”
Too late to run. Archers appeared on the Duke’s ship and began launching
flaming arrows. Treea had never taken flaming arrows into account. The crew ran about trying to put the fires out, but the arrows kept coming in massive volleys.
The helm man tried to have the anchor hoisted, but it was too late to try to run. Their ship was aflame and the only thing to do was to jump into the water or onto the other ship, which is what they all chose to do once the ship was close enough.
By using the ropes to the sails, they were able to swing from the flaming ship to the Duke’s ship with ease. Any cargo they had was about to be lost. Thankfully, they had nothing of great value on board. They had taken care of that load the day Captain Pellesi was taken prisoner.
As soon as they set foot on the Duke’s ship, archers dropped their bows and produced short swords to defend themselves with. Each man engaged in combat while the Sea Wench burned. Smoke filled the air making it hard to see the enemy or the fellow crew members. Clanging swords rang out along with shouts while the fighting continued.
Treea knocked her opponent down and prepared to take on the next soldier when an arm grabbed her about the neck from behind, choking off her air flow. She tried with all her might to fight off her attacker before she lost conscious from the lack of air in her lungs. Before she passed out, she thought of Dale and wondered if this was it. Was she about to join Hurley in the after world?
Chapter 18
Duke Ellington was surprised to learn the King had sprung into action as fast as he did with this supposed heir to the throne. How could he be so certain that this was not an impostor? Though, the duke was certain it wasn’t either. The resemblance to the king was there. Between his eyes and his hair right down to the stature of his body if compared to how the King had looked in his younger years.
This was why he had sought out the Lieutenant to capture Pellesi’s daughter. Which he had learned just in the nick of time, had happened. Things were finally going as the Duke had planned. He was even able to be present when the King announced the date the coronation was to take place.
“Your majesty, may I make an announcement to go along with the Coronation?”
“Aye, Ellington. What is it that you wish to say?”
“I would like to arrange a celebration of honor your son. It would also have an event that would bring a substantial amount of gold to your coffer. A contest of a sort, for the hand of a maiden. Not so much a duel of swords but more of a jousting match.”
“What an excellent idea, Ellington. You have a maiden to spare?” The king knew the Duke kept a large collection of women about his compound. It was rarely that he would let them out of his service. “I am honored that you would do such a thing for my son.”
“Indeed - I will go make the arrangements then.”
The duke wanted to jump for joy when the king agreed to the contest. At first he thought that maybe, the King wouldn’t accept his offer, by the way, he had appeared to have a skeptical eyebrow raised when he made his suggestion. Miracles do happen and so do accidents.
Plans were made, posters were placed about the streets of the city and in surrounding towns. A fair was to take place outside the King’s city just beyond the forest. Tents were set up to house contestants traveling from far away.
News of jousting matches traveled fast when not only a purse was offered, but also a maiden too. Many times the winner also was able to claim a high ranking spot in the King’s army. That meant, secure employment and money to send back home to support their family. It also meant possible death.
The city was bustling with its own activity while vendors arranged to set up a market area outside the city gates near where the jousting match was to take place. It had been years since the city had such an advent that would bring income to its citizens.
Duke Ellington had sought out his Lieutenant before the match was to begin. “Is our prize in top condition?”
“Aye, and she is such a lovely lassie at that. I never truly knew she was such a beauty until the maids drew her bath for her. It certainly did wonders for her. I want to thank you for arranging this match. I look forward to my new mistress.” A broad proud grin covered the Lieutenant’s face. All the bets were for him to win.
Ellington snickered at the Lieutenant’s arrogance. “I see you do have quite the competition. That one over there,” he pointed to a man built like a boulder. “He is going to be tough to beat because of his size, but if you look closely, you will see a small flaw in his armor just below his breastplate. If you sink your lance there, you should be able to easily unseat him.”
The Lieutenant smirked at the Duke’s advice. “Aye, thank you for looking out for me, but as a trained guard, I know how to look for my opponents weaknesses. The only one I am worried about is the heir I am supposed to go up against if your plan goes as expected. I have not seen his armor yet. He is thin but built like that of a street thug. If I do not kill him when I unseat him, the going will be tough in the hand to hand combat. But I do like a challenge.”
“My guess, is that he can’t even ride. His control over his horse will be something to see.” The duke replied while he scanned the growing crowd for the arrival of the King and his heir.
“Where is our pretty little prize anyways? I would like to take one last look at her before you carry her away.”
At the edge of the forest in a tent set off by itself was where the Lieutenant led the duke. It was heavily guarded. They didn’t need someone stealing the prize before the competition took place, nor did they need the prize escaping which was the more likely thing to happen.
Her hair was done up in a fashion worn by royalty as the duke had requested. The gown was that of satin with a velvet sash about the waist. Lace covered her bodice exposing a deep cleavage.
This was his first face to face meeting with the famous pirate’s daughter. She had her father’s eyes that met his with a bold, cunning look of a pirate. He knew her spirit burned deep. Such a fiery lassie, she should have been added to his own collection. He would make her surrender to him while in chains.
“You’re such a lovely one.” Ellington lifted a loose strand of hair off Treea’s neck with a single finger. Then with that same finger he gently stroked her neck from her ear down to her bare shoulder.
Treea had many ideas floating around in her head. She was supposed to distract the duke from discovering Dale, but that had never happened as planned. From the look of the events taking place, he never needed her help to begin with. Now she was a ploy in some scheme the duke had cooked up at her convenience.
Was he doing this to her to get back at her for discovering the heir’s existence? Or, was there some other plan he had in the works to stop the King’s plans of Dale’s coronation. The girls in the compound had been buzzing about it for the past few weeks while they worked on Treea’s appearance.
With a tweak to her hair and a scrubbing in the tub, even she could see her own transformation. The dress she wore was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. It was something she had never dreamed she would have worn, let alone enjoyed wearing since she didn’t like dresses.
Except when it came to Dale. He had made that dress worth while wearing. She had never stopped thinking about that night in the cellar hole. His touch still lingered after weeks had gone by.
All this was also complicating things for having her Pop released from his bonds. The fire that burned in her eyes was not a heat from her loins, but the anger she felt for the Duke. “You will pay for this.” What else was she to say?
Ellington laughed. “Such a fiery wench. Such words make me want to take you before the contest to try you out. But I don’t want to mess up your beautiful dress or your lovely hair. The servants put such great effort in making you presentable for this day.”
He did move about her while he spoke to stop and stand behind her. He wrapped his arms about her waist and pulled her close to him to whisper in her ear. “I will buy a visit from the winner, I promise.” His hands slide to her breast while his fingers sought out her nipples and gave them a brief p
inch before letting her go.
It took all of Treea’s will to keep from kicking him where he deserved it the most. His touch left her defiled.
“My Lord, the games are about to begin.” Announced a messenger sent by the King to find the Duke.
“Aye, let the fun begin.” Ellington winked at Treea as he departed the tent with the messenger.
Chapter 19
“Welcome all to the Coronation of Dale Montey, the King’s long lost son.” The announcer began, “We have a series of jousting matches planned for today to entertain the King and Prince. All who wish to enter, need to see John Marvich with an entry fee.” A cheer rose from the gathered crowd at the edge of the arena.
“The prize is a purse of 100 gold pieces that will make any contestant happy to win, along with the hand of this fair maiden.” The announcer pulled Treea by the arm with the help of another to display her to the crowd of contestants and viewers.
The sight of Treea sucked the air out of Dale’s lungs. For weeks since he had met with the king, he had worried about her. He had not caught sight of her once. She had promised to distract the duke from the King’s presence, but she had never arrived at the castle.
He thought she had either chickened out or something bad had happened to her. The later being his final conclusion when he had learned of the Sea Wench’s fate days after his arrival at the castle.
He had kept his word about requesting the King release her pop from prison. The king had the papers drawn up hours ago. By the end of the day, her pop should be a free man. Now though, he would be a pirate without a ship. His daughter held captive, to be given as a prize.
Dale couldn’t help but reach out and grab onto the King’s wrist with a start at the sight of Treea. “That’s her. Captain Pellesi’s daughter. She didn’t burn with the ship as was reported. He has had her captive.”
The King furrowed his brow. It was too late to take matters in his own hands and stop the match. The entry fees had already been accepted. If he stopped the contest over the matter of the women, the crowd would be in an uproar. It wasn’t something that should be done.