Astoria always had her destiny planned out for her but what would happen when her life changes and her destiny becomes something she didn't expect. Her life changed when she met the Ateez Pirates. Will her destiny be what she always wanted or will n...
After her discussion with her mother, Astoria went off to fencing lessons to take her mind off of it. As she changes into her fencing uniform. She could not help but feel sad. 21 years of being in the castle has taken a toll on her. She envies the villagers. They did not have to confide in a space and abide by strict rules that don't give you little to no choice in your future. She wished to be like them everyday. Even if she can't express her feelings to her family, she can unleash them through fencing.
The thought of marriage was still on her mind as she practiced with her instructor, Jackson. He noticed and stopped right in the middle of practice. Her instructor took off his mask. There was nothing different about him. He was just an average looking man who enjoyed helping the princess with fencing.
"Astoria, I can tell something is on your mind. You are getting sloppy." Astoria takes off her mask and sighs. "It's that obvious?" She asks. He nods and puts the fencing tools away. Astoria helps him. "My mother said I must marry Prince Carter. That arrogant man wouldn't know love even if it hit him in the face." Jackson chuckles at her remark. "I have seen him before at parties and he does not seem like the man to rule a kingdom with."
Astoria leans against the wall, crossing her arms. "Jackson, I feel trapped in this castle. I, of course, enjoy our fencing lessons and you did help me with self defense. But, I want to see the world and figure out my own destiny." Jackson stands by her. "I wish there was something I could do but I can not back down orders from the king. He allowed me to teach you. I believe in you. Wherever you may go, your destiny will be there to welcome you." Those words were what Astoria wanted to hear for so long. She then gave Jackson a hug and smiled at him. "Let's get back to practice." With that, Astoria concentrated on her fencing with a new attitude and new way of thinking. She will be welcomed somewhere, in a place where she belongs.
After her lesson, she changes from her fencing uniform to a white blouse with black trousers, a corset, and black boots. This suited her just right. Astoria was not the dress kind of girl. She longed to rebel but had to abide by what her parents said. "It was not ladylike to wear trousers that make her look like a man" according to her father. But she did not care. This was her way of rebelling. She was an adult and should be allowed to make her own choices in clothing. But as daughter of royalty, she had no say in the matter.
The last words Jackson told her were still playing in her head. She wants to explore and figure out what she wants in her life. She wants to be in a place where there are no high social events, no lessons, and certainly no arranged marriages. But in order to have that happen, she needs to believe in the possibility. Was it truly possible to change your destiny once it was decided? Astoria must believe in it.
3 days went by and the wedding was drawing near. Astoria was running out of time. If she wanted to escape, now was her one and only chance. So she has decided to do what she should have done a long time ago, run away. Her plan was to bring nothing but a book. The book she chose was on pirates. She wanted to be prepared for anything. Astoria was warned before of a band of pirates of the seas but she did not fear them.
After breakfast, she goes up to her room to change into her white peasant blouse, black corset, black trousers, and black boots. She writes a note for her family. The note reads, 'Dearest Mother and Father, I must follow my own destiny. I will always love you both and Adam. Please let Jackson know of what is happening. Do not go looking for me. Love, Astoria' As Astoria places the note on her writing desk, she questions herself if she is making the right choice. "I must do what is right," she says to herself. Astoria takes a deep breath and sneaks out of the castle. Luckily, no one saw her. She could not believe it. She broke herself free from the cage she was trapped in. She was leaving the castle and ready to take on the world!
That was until she realized that since she has been in the castle mostly, she did not find her way out of the forest. Astoria has found herself too deep in the forest. The tall trees now felt like another cage. She was trapped and feeling scared. But it did not matter to her. She was determined to keep on going. She was not gonna go crawling back to her parents and abide by their rules. That has gone on for far too long.
After what felt like hours, Astoria was beginning to feel hungry and thirsty too. It has been a while since breakfast. She was never taught how to survive in the forest or which food is the safest to eat. She did not think about this. She sighs, "Now what? I am starving, I don't see a river nearby, and I can't tell if there's a village nearby."
As soon as she finished complaining, she heard a noise. It sounded like someone stepping on a twig, causing it to snap. Astoria freezes at the sound and rushes to hide behind a tree. She held her breath for as long as she could. From then on, she heard voices, loud ones. It was as if they were all talking at once. They were heading in her direction. She tried to distinguish how many people were there based on the voices. She counts in her head. '1..2...3....4...5...6...7...8' There were 8 voices nearby. She stays quiet in order to hear.
"Come on Captain! Let's go eat!!" One of the voices shouted out. It sounded childish but Astoria could tell it was a man's. Another man groans. "Once we search for food, We can start cooking back on the ship." That man was the captain. The voices sounded like they were getting closer. Astoria did not dare to see who they were. The footsteps grew louder and louder. Her heart was beating faster by the second. She closes her eyes and prays that they would not find her. Then as soon as the footsteps became louder, they got quiet. The men walked past her. As soon as Astoria heard nothing but the birds for several minutes, she peeked behind the tall tree she was hiding behind and saw nothing. The men disappeared.
Astoria sighs of relief and walks towards where they were before. "They're pirates. Maybe they left tracks behind. I'll follow them and see if they lead to a village or even water." Astoria follows the footsteps the pirates left behind. After a few minutes, she was in luck. The tracks came from a riverbend. Astoria was overjoyed that she found water. She runs over to bend by the river and gets a handful of water to drink. She has never felt more relieved. She was so thirsty that she didn't even notice the giant ship by the shore. Astoria looks up and sees the ship. (source: twitter. Back to the story! )
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Astoria has never seen the ship before, nor was she told about it. As she tries to take a closer look at it, she sees a name on the side of the ship, "ATINY". She was certain that the name sounded familiar. But she could not place her finger on it. Suddenly, she remembered, her brother Adam told her that a famous band of pirates had a ship called the ATINY. They were rumored to be wild and wreak havoc wherever they went. As Astoria stood up, not feeling scared, she backed up with her eyes glued on the ship. The pirates she heard about must have come from that ship.
After only taking a few steps, she bumped into something. It felt like a person. Astoria was too scared to turn back. Suddenly, a voice whispers in her right ear, "Will you be my friend?" It sounded familiar to her. It was the captain she heard before. Astoria turns around and finds herself face to face with the famous pirates Adam warned her about, the Ateez pirates. They were all taller than her. She had to tilt her head up just to meet their faces. Some looked intrigued while others glared at her. At that moment, everything turned black. Astoria had fainted at the sight of them. So much for finding her own destiny.
