The Pirate and the Princess

Chapter 1

The night rolled through without silence. Beside her bed lay a photo of her family, looking happy and well loved, though behind the sweet smiles and solemn faces was something more, something welling below the surface. She stared at the ceiling, hoping that change will form something more comforting in the blank spaces.
Every night was fueled with shouts and disagreements a room over. Her parents couldn't ever decide on what to do. They thought a child would spark good conversations and build their relationship, but it wasn't any real help to the fact they didn't speak unless there was vile spite in their words. She could never make out the words they were saying, but they obviously set one another off.
She curled up to her stuffed fish, resting her head on top of the fishes. The blankets didn't comfort her much, she felt they only pulled her deeper into a hot hell. She whispered to her fishy companion wrapped tightly in her arms, telling him her dreams, trying to block out the sound of her parents. Through the thick walls she heard her name.
"Are you even thinking about Melody? She shouldn't have to grow up without a mother! And you know damn well that you can't go back to being happy-go-lucky..." Her fathers voice faded from her hearing and reverted back to angry growls and unidentifiable shouts. She whispered to her friend, clutching him to her chest.
"Mom wants to leave... She doesn't want me anymore." It didn't affect her much. Her mother was the spontaneous type. She fell in love with her father without saying a single word to him. She called it when she was younger, "love at first sight." But Melody called it foolish. There's no such thing as love at first sight, or true love for that matter. And even if such a thing was real, she'd never seen it.
The sun rose quicker than she wanted, letting her see the outlines of the toys and trinkets in her room. Her vanity watched her as she struggled to sit up. She glanced at her reflection, long black hair glaringly dull and unkept with knots in every strand. Green eyes were tired and accompanied by thick bags underneath. Her fair skin looking like milk with a slight pink hue around her cheeks.
The fish she was once gripping so tightly in her arms now lay beside her bed on the floor. She leaned over, swiping it up from the dust. She wished so much to lay back to bed and sleep for another million years, but she knew the chances of that happening were very low. Instead, she grudgingly pulled herself from her bed and searched through her selection of clothing to pull on.
She wasn't a fan of the frilly dresses that illuminated her closet, so instead she decided her underwear was just fine, for it covered most of her body, and she was sure no one would be over at the home that hadn't seen her in her bosom and tush.
Her underwear were kind of long, with her underpants more like long johns and her undershirt a tank top. They sustained a creamy color, slightly more yellow than her skin. She opened the door to her bedroom, grabbing a small ragged bag. She had it since she was probably nine, when she had realized her obsession with swimming. She could hear the jingling from her sea shells and bells that had fallen below the ocean surface.
The house maids and butlers greeted her, kindly bowing and calling her princess. She returned the gesture, though she knew it was not needed, for they viewed her as higher class. She didn't want to be treated like that. She wasn't a princess in her eyes. She was just Melody. The public eye glared too harshly on her and wanted every juicy drop of drama in her life. Hell, they milked everything out of her one spontaneous outburst when she was twelve, become a mermaid, almost causing kingdom-wide destruction. It had been four years since then and still, people questioned her ability to rule the kingdom.
She continued her stroll down the corridors, yawning as she pulled into the dining room. She presented herself to the chef, giving a glimmering smile.
"What's for breakfast, chief?" She watched as some of the maids came about, smiling at her, the chef quickly shooing her out. They didn't really work that diligently on breakfast unless someone was coming over. She widened her eyes, unsure whether to run back to her room and change, or if it's too late to do that. She decided to try and take the chance.
Her feet were nimble against the ground, her toes pushing her forward and waiting for the next one to land to repeat the process. In her attempt to make it to her room as fast as she could, her shoulder collided with someone's torso, breaking her stride slightly. She turned, gave a swift but sweet apology, and continued running into her room. The person was utterly baffled by her swiftness, staring blankly into the direction she had ran into, then proceeded with what they were doing.
She slammed shut her door and let out a large sigh of relief. She still felt bad for running into the person in the hall, but really needed to change if someone was visiting them today. Probably another kingdom working out trading and business routines with her parents, but they usually didn't come until about late afternoon. She gave a light huff of displeasure, proceeding to open her closet once more. She wanted something semi-formal, in case she needed to actually confront the people, which hardly ever happened.
She then settled, after about 3 minutes of contemplation, on a very breezy but classy yellow summer dress. She decided tying her hair up would also be needed, so her entire thick mass of hair was swiftly brushed of most tangles and formed into a regular braid. She slipped her little bag around her waist, letting the continuous jingles of shells and bells ring through her room. She twirls, checking her backside to be sure it was covered sufficiently. She shrugged and thought it was decent enough.
She waited in her room, rolling her toy fish over in her hands. If her parents needed her, they'd call her in. She dragged herself from the window, to her bed, to the vanity, then back to the window. She was caught up in thought, ready to jump from her ledge from pure boredom before her mother opened her door.
"Melody, can we speak?" Her mothers soothing yet rasped voice echoed in the once silent room. Melody glanced across and saw her mothers worn face. She had her copper hair tied up neatly into a bun. She nodded in response to her question, allowing her mother to enter and sit on her bed. Melody sat beside her, shifting uncomfortably from what she heard last night.
"Honey, we need to start discussing marrying you off," Her mother ran fingers across Melodys face. Her skin tingled slightly, but she brushed the hand away.
"Why can't I rule alone? I know how to rule! I watch dad conduct business and I'm fairly good with foreign affairs and-" her mother stopped her, by placing a hand to her shoulder. They were staring into one another's eyes, her mothers hollow blue giving her less hope.
"Honey, I know you don't want to. But you must understand we're on the verge of war. We need to marry you off to the German Kings son so he doesn't start a conflict." Both hearts sank, relatively in time with one another. Melody rested her head against her mothers narrow and bony shoulders. She felt her head being stroked in short bursts. Melody felt her toes curl uncomfortably.
Ariel tapped her back, trying to comfort her as she stood. Melody stared back at her mother, and nodded in agreement. Ariel exited towards the dining room and Melody decided to leave in an opposite direction.