Red

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

It was three days later that I was lying in a cabin underneath the very naval ship I had stolen that day. The rocking of the boat did nothing to ease my insomnia. I had been locked in this very cabin for the duration of the trip, my meals being shoved through a small flap in the door, like I had some disease no one wanted to catch. I did not know for certain, but they may have thought, if given the opportunity, I would drown myself in the ocean’s depths. I felt like it, I really did, especially after the letters.

I reopened a creased letter I had lying next to me, and read the harsh, cursive script that flowed across the parchment, hot tears welling in my eyes and spilling over my cold cheeks.

Dearest daughter,

You must understand I have no choice in this matter. Making this decision solves two of my kingdom's problems: the war with Arandell, and you. If I had let this be, Arandell would have reduced Larilia to ruins, and you would have continued with your childish schemes. I did not mean to ignore you. You just remind me so much of your mother, Marissa.

Oh, and that boat-smith's son you claimed to love? He was decapitated the night you left for Arandell. I am dearly sorry, but it was a crime that he committed. You have to understand that the peasants and us can not mix. If it makes you feel any better, his last words were “Tell Marissa that everything will be okay”-

The letter was stained with wet blotches from my continuous tears and the ink was smudged in many places. One sentence chased circles around my mind, like a fish circling in a tank: Will is dead Will is dead Will is dead Will is dead Will is dead Will is dead.

I had read that paragraph countless times, yet it hadn’t yet sunk in. I couldn’t believe, I wouldn’t believe it. My father was cruel and heartless, but not so much so that he would kill the only person I deeply cared for. I had known Lyra was jealous of the attention Will gave me, them being the same age, but it never occurred to me that she would act on her envy. Wouldn’t she have seen that it would get both Will and I killed? Or maybe she didn’t care. If she couldn’t have him, then I couldn’t either.

Suddenly, a cry from up on the deck woke me from the thoughts. Footsteps thundered across the wooden floor-boards above, and I could hear the clashing of metal on metal.

 'Pirates’, I thought, dread filling my heart. I half jumped, half fell out of my hammock in an attempt to pull on my cloak which hung from a nearby hook. There was no time to search for a more appropriate outfit than my nightgown, and besides, I doubted the maids had packed anything but dresses.

The sound of a thundering knock on the door filled the cabin. I froze, my hand on the cloak button at my throat. It was too heavy for the usual knock the ship’s cook gave when he was pushing my food through the flap. A few seconds later it happened again, so hard this time that I could feel the entire room shake. Then it dawned on me. They were kicking down the door to get to me. My eyes darted around the room for something to use as a weapon, and eventually they fell on the solid silver candle-stick holder that held the flaming candle I had lighted a short while ago. I was just wrenching the candle off its base when the door flew open, splinters of wood flying through the air. I pulled the holder into the folds of my faded black cloak, hoping the pirate had not seen.

Unlike most of the pirates I had heard legends and tales about, this one was obviously female. In the dim candle-light her pale skin glowed, and her short-cut hair blended in with the shadows that filled the room. Her crimson lips formed a cruel and terrifying smile as the sword in her hand glinted in the light of the flame.

"Now who do we have here?” She purred, taking one slow step at a time towards me. I stepped back in turn, my bare feet making next to no noise on the floorboards. My hand shook under the cloak as I gripped the holder even tighter.

The woman came closer still, her head tilted to one side like a curious animal. “There is supposed to be a princess on this ship, the owner of a very expensive dowry. Are you her?”

I shook my head frantically, recalling for the first time the multitudes of chests that were hauled onto the vessel before I was. I hated myself for not remembering that crucial detail. I knew my father wouldn't have let me leave without one. and that the King of Arandell wouldn’t accept me as a peace offering without one. I couldn’t let them realize that I was the Larilian princess.

With another step the pirate came closer, so close I could smell her sickly sweet perfume. Her arm raised to grab my throat, but before I could even think I had stabbed the candle out at her cheek, holding it into her skin until it was snuffed out. She lowered her face into her hands with an ear-splitting scream, and what happened next seemed to be in slow motion. I lifted the heavy candlestick to shoulder height, clutching it with both hands as I dropped the now cooler candle onto the wood. I swung the object with all my might, and it made contact with her temple with a loud crack that made me cringe. I watched as she immediately fell limply to the ground, her eyes rolling up into her head and the sword falling from her hand to my feet. There was already a bruise the size of a goose egg forming on the side of her head, and I couldn’t hear her breathing. There was no way I could tell if she was dead or not without getting closer. So without another thought, I slowly picked up the fallen sword and fled from the cabin.