Scarlet Queen

Chapter 8- Lucas' POV

I woke up to cheering. I was so traumatized from the attempted assassination of Father that for a second, I forgot where I was. I thought that I was back on the stage, the villagers rising to applaud Father, the hooded assassin falling from the roof with blade in hand. I woke up with sweat coating my body, and bolted straight upright. I remembered where I was, and took a few deep breaths to calm down. But then I had a realization.

The cheering! I've never heard these people cheer before. What happened?

My answer came around sunset. The door to my cell was opened, and a tall, burly pirate with a peg leg stepped in. "Come on, prince," he said, pulling me to my feet and dragging me out of the door. I didn't resist, knowing full well that the little strength I had was nothing against this pirate. He stopped at a door, and I thought I heard music on the other side. The pirate beckoned for me to open it.

I was nervous about what was behind the door. Were the pirates singing my death ballad? I didn't think so. Was Father dead? My curiosity won out over my fear, and I pushed it open. Inside, the pirates were laughing and dancing, singing old tunes that were horribly off-key. I cringed at all of the noise, then followed the peg-legged pirate to the head of the table. There, the captain and the hooded assassin sat, gazing at each other intently. Were they... in love? I silently gagged.

The captain caught sight of me, and stood up from his chair. "Ah, Prince Lucas! I'm glad you could make it. We are celebrating an occasion that will change our lives forever!" He stands up and taps his spoon against his glass, getting the attention of all of the pirates in the room. He gestures to a chair near him, and I carefully sit down.

"As most of you know, I and First Mate Scarlet are going to be wed!" He proclaimed, and the pirates erupted into cheers again. Scarlet, huh? She never told me her name. Scarlet's a pretty nice name...

They stand together, and the captain produces a ring from his pocket. It's a gorgeous ring, inlaid with silver that seemed to glow, with a large garnet set into it. He slides it onto Scarlet's finger, then holds up her hand. "She is the chosen! Not just the one chosen to kill the king, but the one chosen to be my wife, my one true love!" I squint carefully at First Mate Scarlet, trying to see if her face shows any sort of emotion at this, but I cannot see past her hood and scarf.

"Let us celebrate!" the captain cries, and the crew cheers even louder. Food is placed on the table, and my stomach growls eagerly. I carefully take a bread roll, and bite into it. It's delicious, rich with butter and honey. My hunger quickly wins out over my caution, and I stuff myself full of glazed chicken, ripe fruit, and even vegetables soaked in a sweet, tangy sauce. It's the best meal I've had in ages.

Once everyone has finished eating, the pirate with a peg leg says, "Why don't we have a song? Strike up the band, boys!" A group of scruffy pirates picks up some battered instruments and starts playing a slow old shanty. I cringe at the noise, and realize that I'm not the only one. First Mate Scarlet stands up and waves at the band, and they stop. "I have a better idea," she says, her voice rough. "Why don't I sing for us?"

The pirates around the room gasp, and I get the feeling that she rarely sang. Or talked, for that matter. The captain takes her hand and says, "Are you sure? You don't have to..." She dismisses his worries with a wave of her hand. "Nonsense, Slinger. I want to sing. Anything is better than those rusty old instruments." She moves to the head of the room, clears her throat, and starts to sing in the clearest, brightest voice I've ever heard.

"What are you willing to lose,
You cover your wounds, but underneath them
A million voices in your head that whisper, "Stop, now"
Another twist of the knife, turn of the screws
It's all in your mind and it's fighting you
Arm yourself, a storm is coming Well, kid, what you gonna do now?
It's your reflection looking back to pull you down So are you gonna die today or make it out alive?
You gotta conquer the monster in your head and then you'll fly
Fly, phoenix, fly
It's time for a new empire
Go bury your demons then tear down the ceiling
Phoenix, fly"

As she was singing, she started dancing. Slowly but surely, her feet mapped out a pattern on the rough wooden floor. She twisted and turned, slowly spinning and sliding in an elegant pattern. As the song went on, she danced faster and faster, her cloak whipping through the air. When the song finished, she leaped into the air, spinning, and landed back on the deck. But something went wrong.

Her cloak caught on a nail. It came loose, and as she landed, her scarf fell from her face, the hood no longer there to keep it in place. She turned towards the crowd, and I let out a gasp of horror.

Her face was horribly scarred, a long scar twisting from her left eyebrow to the right side of her chin. Part of her mouth was twisted into a permanent snarl. Her blond hair fell freely to her waist, and her green eyes shone with excitement, but when she realized her scarf and hood were gone, they became filled with horror.

Feeling like the breath was knocked from my lungs, I whimpered, "Ruby?"