Dayle, the pirate, nods, her expression smug and amused at the same time. “That’s me. Queen of the seas, queen of the pirates, queen of pretty much everything.” She spins the knife before tucking it into her boot. “I was looking for valuable cargo down here, but I wasn’t expecting to find anything as valuable as this.” She nudges Elsie’s chair with her foot, causing the princess to whimper.
“Let them go. There are six of us on here, and your men are all gone.”
She snorts. “My men? Replaceable every one of them, and none of them is a patch on me. I love a challenge. Go get your crew, little boy.”
Tom laughs at that, but does as he’s told. He opens the door, still facing Dayle, not taking his eyes off her, not giving her a chance to do anything.
“Boys!” He yells the word, the urgency clear in his tone, then he yells it again and the thunder of feet coming down the stairs tells them all that they heard him. Dave stops short at Tom’s expression and the rest of the crew crash into him.
“We have company.” Tom’s tone is serious, and the men surround him. Dave glares at Dayle, John and James look at her in awe, already half in love with her. Mark and Twitch hold back. “Who is it?” Mark whispers to Tom.
“Dayle. Pirate extraordinaire.”
“Come on in boys. Don’t be shy. There’s room enough in this cabin for me to slice you all limb from limb, while these pretties watch. I wonder what the going rate for a princess is these days. I don’t know whether to sell her or ransom her.”
Twitch pushes past Mark and the rest of the crew and into the cabin. “You’ll do neither.”
There’s a moment of confusion from the crew and Dayle and then she squeals, jumping up and down in excitement before taking Twitch in her arms. “Joey! It’s so long since I saw you. You’ve grown.” She is beaming now, all traces of threat gone from her expression and her body language. She slaps Twitch on the back and then grabs hold of Tom’s hand, shaking it almost loose from the socket. “Thank you! I’d heard that someone had given Joey a chance and taken him in. Following his big sister out onto the waves, though in a much less criminal manner.” She looks a little disappointed as she frowns at Twitch, but then she grins again, and starts untying Elsie and Meg. “Please forgive me. I had no idea this was Joey’s crew. Do you like it, Joe? I’m so glad you got away from home and our father’s right hook.”
Twitch rubs his face and scratches his neck. “I love it, Dayle. Tom, you won’t throw me off the ship, will you? Because of her?”
Tom shakes his head, a bemused expression on his face. They’ve gone from imminent and life-threatening danger to a family reunion in far too quick a time for them all to keep up. “Twitch, this is your sister? Dayle, the most feared pirate to ever sail the seas, is your big sister?”
Twitch nods, pride colouring his cheeks. “Yes. I always hoped we’d avoid her, though.”
“I’d never hurt you.” She ruffles his hair and then hugs him again before turning to Tom. “Aren’t you going the wrong way, though? I thought the princess was crossing the seas to marry some prince or other. Why are you coming back to Allaire?”
Elsie clears her throat, finally feeling brave enough to speak up. “Thank you for untying us.”
“Oh, sorry for tying you up. I had no idea my little Joey was on board. Does he listen to you, captain, is he good at his job?”
Tom nods, and Dayle punches her brother on the arm, making him wince. “Good on you, boy.” She turns back to Elsie, nodding for her to continue.
“We are going back to Allaire so I can stop my step parents.”
Dayle frowns. “You want to stop them now? Why didn’t you ever try stopping them before?”
“They had her locked up in the castle since her father died, since she was ten.” Meg answers on Elsie’s behalf. “She didn’t know what was going on.”
Elsie nods and holds up her hands “I know it sounds unbelievable but it’s true. Now I know I want to go home and fix things.”
“My sister is part of the troupe; they’ve stayed hidden from the clippers. The ship will take us close to the West woods and we’ll go to my sister.”
Dayle whistles. “The West woods are rough. Outlaws, bandits, talk of spirits roaming the pathways.”
Meg smiles. “The spirits at least I can handle. My sister and the troupe like to spread that rumour around, hide in the trees and throw things at people passing through, make strange noises that scare people. It keeps them safe, so they reckon, encouraging fewer people into the woods.”
“What about bandits and outlaws, Meg? Will we get attacked?” Elsie looks petrified. Dayle narrows her eyes, looking from Elsie to Meg and then back again. Then she nods.
“I’ll take you. Make sure your safe.”
Elsie shakes her head. “Oh, no, I mean thank you ever so much, but I wouldn’t want to put you out or-”
Dayle grins and pats Elsie on the back, nearly breaking her back, causing Elsie to bend in half in a fit of coughing.
“No arguments. I know I frightened the living daylights out of you when I tied you up, but I’m a delightful girl really, and if you’re going back to Allaire to sort out your family, then I’m more than happy to help. In fact, I know so many people who’ve been clipped, that I’m duty bound to help.”
Meg nudges Elsie and then answers on their behalf. “Thank you. We’d be delighted to accept your help.”
“Brilliant. Now I’ll call off my men before they attack in strike two.”
She leaves them all in the cabin and after a second of silence they break into laughter.
“I thought I would die,” Elsie says, shifting and wincing and rubbing her back. “I think she killed me just patting my back.”
Twitch coughs nervously. “Are you mad at me?”
“No!” They all answer at the same time.
“You’re not your sister’s keeper, Twitch.”
“Same as I’m not responsible for my step parents or what they’ve done.”
Tom shakes his head. “How didn’t I know that your sister was the legendary queen of the seas?”
“Because I don’t tell anybody. She’s not all bad.”
“She’s a pirate. She steals and murders people.”
Twitch frowns. “Or so legend says. They steal, but they give almost all of it to the fairies who don’t have a lot. And they don’t murder people – they just... beat them up. They only ever kill terrible people.”
“Oh, that’s all right then!”
Twitch shrugs. “I think she’s amazing.”
John and James are still gazing at the empty cabin door she disappeared through. “We do too,” they say in unison. “Is she married?”
Twitch laughs. “My sister wouldn’t look twice at either of you.”
The men look hurt and everybody laughs. Twitch shrugs. “Her true love drowned, and she’s been alone ever since.”
“This is a strange old day. Let’s gather on deck, break some bread with your sister and her crew. We should get to the West woods within the next few hours, quicker than I thought. You’ll have time to get to the troupe before nightfall. Elsie, are you happy to have Dayle accompany you? We could try to change her mind...”
“I’m happy. I’m a little scared of her, I have to admit, but I’d feel safer in the woods if she was with us. No outlaw or bandit would stand a chance.”
“That’s true.”
They troop up the stairs, and Dayle and her crew are already on board. The men all look bashful, especially the long-haired one who punched Twitch. They all look like they’ve had a telling off, though they couldn’t have known Dayle’s brother was on this ship any more than she could have.
Apologies and acceptances over and done with, the table is filled with food and the cups are filled with ale and there are toasts made and bawdy jokes told, and the day passes by in a blur, the knot in Elsie’s stomach tightening with each passing hour.
Dayle flies on ahead looking for trouble, though Elsie is sure with her o
n board, the worst of the trouble is over. The men exchange fighting tips, and Meg packs up the cabin; they’ll be leaving everything on the ship, but Meg wants it all neatly put away. Elsie stands at the railings watching the water, hoping that Tom will talk to her. Now it’s almost time to go, she’s reluctant. There’s still a bit of her that just wants to run away.
“Do you still have my pebble?” He eventually comes to her side, and she feels better in an instant.
“I do. I shan’t ever lose it.”
“And when you look at it, you’ll think of me?”
“I will.”
“And I’ll think of you.”
“You’ll forget me in a day. You forgot me as soon as you saw Dayle.”
“Not true, and not possible. I think you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. And the bravest. I’ll come back to Allaire once I’ve been across the seas. I have to voyage from there to the great sea; I have already arranged to pick cargo up when we dock to take along, but I’ll come back. Do you think you’ll remember me?”
“I’ll never forget you.”
“Here we go!” Dayle lands on the deck, shaking out her wings. Elsie has to admit that she is glorious, she’s beautiful and the way she holds herself is so confident, like she wants everybody to look at her. Elsie feels meek and mild beside her. And forgettable. Dayle wouldn’t have put up with being locked up like a prisoner in her own home. She wouldn’t put up with anything she wasn’t happy with.
“I can see land. Won’t be long now.”
“I’m scared.” Elsie has to say it, it’s making her feel sick. She feels like someone is pushing down on her chest. It’s hard to breathe.
“It’s normal to feel scared. You’re doing something scary. I’ll say goodbye to my men and then we’ll be ready to go. Get your maid woman up here.”
Elsie does as she’s told by Dayle, as she’s always done as she’s told by anyone who tells her to do anything. She’s so conditioned it wouldn’t occur to her to say no.
Inside the cabin, Meg is sitting on the bed and she’s been crying. Elsie goes to her side and sits, talking hold of her hand.
“I’m sorry. My decision has changed your life too.”
Meg shakes her head and smiles at her charge, wiping her tears away. “It’s all right. I’d never let you go anywhere without me. But I didn’t think we’d be coming back this way. I thought...”
“You thought?”
“I thought I would be safe. But I also felt guilty for leaving my family behind. This is the best thing to do. I’m so pleased and proud of you. This is an incredible thing you’re doing; I don’t know when you got so brave! I have no idea what we’ll do and if it will work, but we’ll try.”
“We will try. And we will succeed. I feel like this is what I’m meant to do, Meg, after a lifetime of doing nothing.”
“Go easy on yourself, you’re just a baby.”
“Maybe. But it’s time for this baby to grow up. Dayle told me it’s time for us to go. She told me to come and fetch you.”
“She frightens the life out of me. On the one hand, I’m glad she’s coming with us, because we’ll definitely make it to my sister in one piece, but I’m also scared to look at her in case she beats me up.”
“I think that’s the effect she has on everyone.”
“Except John and James. They would like to marry her.”
“I think they’d marry anyone.”
“Anyone who’d have them. Ready?”
Elsie nods. This is it. They are leaving the safety of the ship, the promise of a simple life across the seas, and going back to Allaire to face dangers unknown. There is no turning back.
8
ELSIE FLIES OFF THE ship, looking longingly over her shoulder at Tom and everything he represents – safety, surety and the passage to a new life. Then she looks at Dayle, who represents everything new and scary to her. She’s going home, back to Allaire, back to trouble.
If she’s doing the wrong thing it’s too late to change her mind. She won’t admit to Dayle how scared she is and how much she wishes she had never been told what her step parents get up to.
Dayle flies on ahead, and Meg brings up the rear and they quickly fly out of sight of the ship and the crew and land at the edge of the West woods. Dayle turns to them, her eyes bright. “Ready?”
“Not really,” Elsie says, shrugging and peering past Dayle into the dark of the woods.
“I am. I love a good fight.”
Meg tuts. “I’m hoping we won’t get into any fights. I want to keep her safe and we don’t want anyone to know she’s here.”
“Do you know how long I’ve sailed these seas?” Dayle flies ahead, clearing the path and watching the woods carefully, sword at the ready.
Elsie and Meg follow along, staying close together, and shrug at each other. Dayle doesn’t wait for an answer.
“Since I was thirteen years old. Much too young to head out on my own, but I figured anything was better than staying at home. And I was right.”
She stops and turns mid air, causing Elsie and Meg to fly into her. She holds up her hands.
“I know people call me a murderer and worse, but I promise all the songs and poems written about me are an exaggeration. I might hurt people, but I rarely kill them.”
“Oh well, that’s good...” Elsie has no idea what to say to this woman who is the complete opposite of her. Brave while she is meek and mild. Confident while she is awkward in her own skin.
Dayle pushes on, unafraid. “The first man to hurt me was my father. He hit me so hard, I saw stars. I should have taken Mark with me, but he was only ten. He wouldn’t have kept up with me. I wouldn’t have been able to keep him safe.”
“He’s safe now,” Elsie’s voice is small. Even talking to this woman intimidates her.
“He is. And so am I. No man would ever dare lay his hands on me now.” She grins at them over her shoulder. “Sometimes the hyperbole surrounding me has its advantages. I’m a teenager on the seas; I have to protect myself in every way I can.”
Elsie can’t help but splutter. “A teenager?”
Dayle nods. “I’m nineteen. Been on my own for six years. It’s probably why I seem older.”
It’s not just that she seems older; it’s that she is fully in control of her life and her choices. Elsie is in awe of her. Nobody could tell her what to do or lock her up.
“Don’t look sad, princess. Aren’t you doing exactly what I did? Refusing to do as you’re told and taking matters into your own hands. The king and queen of Allaire are the worst. They deserve everything they get. And you’re the one to give it to them. That’s amazing.”
Elsie flies quietly along. Is Dayle right? Are there some similarities between them? The idea makes her smile and feel a little better.
“My worry is that nobody will help me. Or that all the fairies will think I’m like them because I’m a princess.”
“You’re nothing like them. We are all different from our families. We define ourselves. We get to say who we are. Nobody else.” Dayle’s face is filled with fury and she lands, leaning against a tree. “Do you know in everything I do, I try to forget my family and what my father was. I invade ships and boats at sea, I do, and I give what we steal to other people. People who don’t have the things I have. I have myself. And I’m all I’ll ever need.”
Elsie has no idea what to say, and neither does Meg judging from her expression and so they quietly fly on.
“Do you think I’m a terrible person?”
Elsie shakes her head, wondering where all this soul searching is coming from. “No. I think you’re marvellous. I think you’re strong and independent, brave and fearless. You’re everything I need to be if I will fix this mess my step parents have made and help the fairies of Allaire.”
Dayle stops again, and this time throws her arms around Elsie. “Really? I always get like this when I come home. I feel like I’m thirteen years old all over again, questioning every word and every decision
and feeling like nobody has ever felt as awkward and out of place as me. It’s why I left. It’s why I hardly ever come back. Allaire has nothing but bad memories for me. I love my life on the sea.”
“Well then, you’re even braver than I thought. If you hate Allaire but you’ve come here to help me, then you’re twice as marvellous as I thought.”
Dayle is beaming, a flush colouring her cheeks. Without a word she flies on ahead, but Elsie sees her wiping her eyes and knows she’s made her cry. In a good way.
The journey through the woods is uneventful. Now and then a loud bang or a strange creak will make Elsie start, but Meg reminds her that the troupe pretends the woods are haunted to keep people out of it.
“They have chimes tied to trees too, if you listen, you’ll hear them.”
“It’s so spooky.”
“It works. The clippers never venture in here.”
They fly quickly, flitting between the trees and pausing only to adjust their course.
“I thought we’d meet trouble in these woods for sure. I’m sorry you had a wasted journey, Dayle.”
“Not wasted at all. I’m glad to keep you safe, and it’s always good to face your demons, even if it’s just to show them you aren’t afraid of them anymore.”
The further they walk, the more signs of life they come across. A fire recently put out and still smouldering in a clearing between the trees. They hear a horse neighing and galloping, not in sight but close enough to be in earshot. Then Meg smiles. “I can hear them now, can you?”
They all smile. They can hear children talking and laughing, men calling out to each other and the chatter of women.
“I think it’s over this hill. Let me check.” Meg flits up and nods when she gets to the top of the hill. Elsie hugs Dayle. “Thank you. Will you come with us?”
Dayle shakes her head. “No, I don’t much like meeting people. They make me itchy.”
“Itchy?”
“Yeah, all uncomfortable and on edge. I’ll go now and wish you love and luck with your venture. I can’t help you, but if you’re ever on the sea and we cross paths, know that I’ll make sure you’re safe. I won’t beat up your crew again.”
The Rise of the Fairy Queen (The Fairy Queen Trilogy Book 1) Page 7