Fairy Tale Treasure (Book Two: The Road to Ever After)

Chapter Five

The Sea of Diamonds deserved its name for many reasons. During the day, the sun beat down white rays of blinding light which reflected off the water exactly like the rarest jewels. This was gloriously beautiful, if one took it in during brief, sight-preserving glimpses.

As shocking as daylight was upon the Sea of Diamonds, it was the peace of evening that consumed all imagination. When darkness set the sea and sky into a mellow mood, then the landscape altered completely and the diamonds truly sparkled. The blue-black of the heavens melded with the lapping water, turning into one united vision of deep night speckled with dots of romantic starlight. There was no way to differentiate between sky and sea; the world became one expanse of diamonds more numerous than any treasure trove, the night like a blanket wrapped around any ship travelling the expanse.

For the fresh, young sailors who were not yet immune to this natural miracle of illusion, the falling of night was their danger hour. When air and water melded into one, the inexperienced crewmate could easily lose his balance, his equilibrium confused and even entranced by the marvel around him. A false step, a release of a single rope meant an everlasting fall...well, until the final crunch that resulted in a broken bone or a week of very achy muscles. Sometimes beauty is treacherous.

For the older members of the crew, night's miracle was no longer a matter worthy of their attention. They forgot decades ago what life on land was like and that such views as the one surrounding them was not possible from the shore. They were not consumed by creation, nor did they give it a thought. Nothing surprised them upon the Sea of Diamonds, because they survived it all. Tempests, comets, monsters, dry spells without wind, windy spells with the sun – that was life, nothing more. These ancient mariners were exempt of all fear, their emotions locked behind a wooden world of its own workmanship.

Or so it usually played out...but tonight was not an ordinary evening, nor was their present place upon the map a regular setting. Their captain, the Pirate King, had charted a course that took the ship and its men across Sirens' Shoals. This called for an extra dose of wariness. More men were lost in these waters than anywhere else upon the Sea of Diamonds, when caution was not taken to foil the urges of human nature. If any rescue attempt was on its way to save the pirate's prisoner, a trip through Sirens' Shoals would give them pause and, thus, the scallywags more time to sail away. The pirates were cautious but not afraid of these waters; though, they would have had every right to be petrified.

Princess Sarah, now free to roam the pirate ship's many decks, noticed something peculiar about the atmosphere. Though she had been with these brutes for less than twenty-four hours, her astute sense told her something was up. She was still being basically ignored, but every once and awhile one of the pirates would glance at her, just for a second, and in that glance she detected a touch of resentment. They looked at her with judgment, as if she was to blame for their current situation. Sarah did not yet understand this, though she was determined to get to the bottom of it.

At present, the princess was making her way to the main deck. The barbaric claustrophobia of the wooden world already started to oppress her. She needed fresh air and space to move her limbs. Once under the stars, Sarah knew she would feel better, liberated. This enslavement was not as bad as it could be. Sarah was well aware that she should be grateful, not to be trapped in the bilges, yet the loss of her total freedom irked and enclosed her more than any chains or iron bars. Part of this was no doubt due to the Pirate King and their conversation the evening before. His habit of mocking her royal titles made her feel locked into a blank identity. She was more than just a monarch's child, and his refusal to see her for herself made Sarah feel the sparkle of her personality dimmed into black and white boredom. She was not just the Princess of Once-upon-a Time, not a mere tool or chess piece in the larger frame of the Pirate King's schemes.