My Treasure (Norman Reedus Pirate)

Thirty Three: Mermaids

There's the ship!

It had been about two weeks since Norman "kidnapped" me. So far, all things had been calm and steady. We were on our way to another port in Iceland. I didn't want to go, especially after last time, but Norman had explained that we needed enough supplies to get from there to the Americas in one trip. And that was a three month trip by itself. Then we'd have to get to the Caribbean, and that trip would last for at least two and a half months.

I was standing in a market, watching as Norman browsed through some selections of salted meat. I was bored, to say the least. It was dusk, so soon we'd either have to get back on the ship or stay the night at an inn. Norman didn't want to stay at an inn, and I didn't blame him. Most of these seemed shady, with women standing outside of them, batting their eyelashes at men. I instantly clung to Norman's arm, prepared to keep him away from the hookers.

"Don't worry, love. I love you. Not them." He stated, rubbing my back.

"I know. And no getting drunk." I ordered.

"Of course. Maybe a shot here and there-"

"No, no drinking." I said sternly. I heard him sigh.

"You're no fun." He muttered.

"You're no fun when you're drunk." I retorted, gently punching his arm. He grunted, glancing down at me.

"I know. Now will you let me go so I can get some food? We're not going to see land again for about three months." He stated, pulling away from me. "Go buy some books or something."

"Speaking of books, are you ever going to read again?" I asked, following him towards some fish options.

"Dunno. Whenever you wanna start teaching again." He stated, picking up a large fish from the pile. "How much is this?" He asked the shop keeper. I rolled my eyes, and turned around. The market was full of many different types of sailors were walking around, some of them eyeing me. I ignored their eyes for the most part, but kept a hand on my sword. I wandered the stands, feeling the heavy bag of coins on my belt. Each stand sold something different, like fish, clams, jewelry, and pickled eggs. I felt my stomach churn in disgust, and I continued to walk further and further away from Norman.

I paused at a book stand, where an elderly man wearing thin round glasses sat. He glanced at me and smiled. "Good day, ma'am. Interested in a good read? I write these myself. I have all you can ask for! Romance, adventure, mystery, horror; you name it, I got it!"

I smiled. "I suppose I could use a good romance novel. Any ones that you'd recommend?" I asked.

"Well, this one has to be my favorite. It's a tale about a princess getting captured by a ruthless pirate! Ah, but the pirate is friendly, and they fall in love." He said, digging around in a chest below the counter. I bit my lip, keeping my mouth shut. The last thing I wanted was for this man to know that I was a princess. Or, I used to be a princess. "Ah, here it is." He stated, pulling out an old looking book. The cover was made out of worn leather, and there was a silk red ribbon sticking out of the first page. The book was extremely thick, and that was coming from me! It had to be a couple thousand pages long! It was thicker than my thigh!

"My, that's quite a thick book you have there." I said, knitting my eyebrows together. "When did you have the time to write this?"

"Oh, I have a lot of time! I've been writing books for a very long time." He said, setting it on the counter. "You interested, ma'am?" He asked, smirking at me. Suddenly, he seemed less friendly.

"Er, well, I..." I didn't want to buy the book anymore, but at the same time, something was begging me to buy it from him. I closed my eyes and nodded. "How much?"