Prince Of The Sea

Chapter 2, Never Trust A Pirate.

A slight, salty breeze waved over the deep blue ocean, carrying the crooning sound of seagulls with it. Alexander groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. He opened his eyes, the blurry sight of his own, tied up feet infront of him. The room around him seemed to be swaying from left to right, making him feel nauseous. But as the prince got more aware of his surroundings, he counted 2 and 2 together. The salty air, seagulls, he was tied up in a wooden room that was shaking, the voices of men walking and talking loudly on the floor above him. He was on a ship! And he was alive...Wait, has he been rescued? Was this a ship of the crown guard? But then it came crashing down on Alexander. Yes, he was on a ship and alive. But he was tied up and instead of his brand new suit, he was clothed in a dirty, old set of clothes he had seen on fishermen in the harbour of Aramis. The pirates hadn't killed him, at least not yet. They must've kidnapped him and now, who knew how far away from his kingdom had they brought him already?! 

The princes' mind started racing. Was his father alright? Did the pirates kidnap him too...or did they kill him..? Tears started filling his eyes, just when the thumbing noise of someone going down wooden stairs interupted his thoughts. He tried to crouch down even more in his corner while listening to the steps anxiously. His breathing stopped and he could hear his own heartbeat louder than ever before. The door got opened roughly and a tall man appeared in its frame. His face was covered in scars and an eyepatch told the missing of what's supposed to be in its place. Suddenly, Alexander regained his ability to speak. "who are you?! I demand that you free me this instand, you scum!!", he yelled at the pirate. But he just scoffed lightly into his beard before approaching the prince. Alexander got louder but even his raging anger couldn't cover his fear. "D-Don't you dare taking one single step closer! I-I'll kill you if I must, you dirty rat!" But the man ignored him and was standing infront of him now. He was unarmed but by the look of him, Alexander knew the stranger could kill with his bare hands. The prince squeezed his eyes shut tight, awaiting his death. But the noise of ceramic being put on the ground and a delicious smell hitting his nose made him open them again. The pirate had, instead of killing or at least hurting him, placed a plate of what seemed to be soup infront of the young prince. Then, he kneeled infront of him and only freed his arms and hands before forcing a silver spoon into his hand. Alexander was too shocked and confused to attack him or even ask questions. The man nodded as if he had fulfilled his duty and then turned around, leaving the room. This time, the metallic sound of a key told him the door had been locked.

The young prince looked at the plate infront of him. It smellled like some kind of stew, he saw chunks of meat and vegetables swimming around in it. Should he try it? The rumbling in his stomach kept telling him to. No! What if it contained poison? The warning words of his father waved through his mind. Never trust a pirate. "Never trust a pirate.", Alexander repeated to himself while pushing the plate away from himself. Never trust a pirate. 

The prince groaned, as if he was trying to be louder than his raging stomach in order to forget about it. By now, it was dark outside. He could hear the pirates above his head. They were yelling drunkenly, chanting songs about the sea and the monsters it contained. The loud noise of them "dancing" was such a difference from the peaceful, cultivated waltzes he knew. A key rattling in the wooden door made him flinch. The same pirate entered, carrying another plate and a jug of water with him. He stopped when he saw the untouched stew infront of the imprisoned royal. He put the water down and then pointed at the plate. "Eat." That was the first time Alexander heard the mans voice, even tough it was just one word. His voice was deep and rugged but far less scary than Alexander had imagined. The pirate left again, taking the old plate with him before locking the door once again.

Alexander looked at the stew. Should he trust him? There was certainly no reason to do that. But also no reason to not. If the pirates really wanted to kill him, they surely would've already, right? Shaking, the prince picked up the spoon and pulled the plate closer, like it could bite him all of the sudden. He put it into his lap, feeling it was still warm. Carefully, with his best manners, he tried a spoonful. His eyes lit up before he started hammering it down his throat, throwing his manners out of the window. 

For the third time of the day, the door to his prison was opened. The pirate looked at the empty plate in pleasant surprise. The prince was avoiding his gaze, too proud to admit his defeat. The man placed a blanket next to him, suddenly pulling out a pistol. Alexander had to bite his tounge in order to not shriek. Did the pirate change his mind? Or was he maybe wrong in his opinion about him right all along? Would the misplace of his trust mean his death? 

The pirate pointed the gun at his face with one hand while the other one started to...untie him?! Only the chain around his neck remained and Alexander was finally able to lie down comfortably. Again, the pirate turned around. "W-wait!" He looked at Alexander in confusion. "...thank you." A big smile appeared on the pirates face, some theeth missing, others replaced by golden ones. He left the room and the prince layed down, pulling the warm blanket over himself. Soon, he drifted off into sleep, leaving a nerve straining day full of fear and confusion in the past.