The Princess and the Pirate

Chapter 3

Marco sat at his desk still sulking. It had only been mere minutes since the Princess had mouthed off to him, leaving him at a loss for words. It set him in a tizzy, which was short-lived as the door to his cabin burst open. Alfonzo stood there, his face frantic and his movements jittery.

"Cap'n," he said hurriedly. "Another ship has been spotted on the horizon."

Marco steeled himself and sat upright. He raised an eyebrow at him, putting on a calm facade. "Has the ship been identified?" he questioned.

"Yes," Alfonzo gulped. "It's.. Ludo."

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Star glided out of the cabin and back towards the room she had woken up in, confident after having come out of the prior discussion victorious. For a pirate known throughout Mewni, he was surprisingly slow. As she approached the door to the aforementioned room, she heard a commotion behind her.

Something had set the inhabitants of the ship on edge, she noticed, as several of them rushed across the deck in a frenzy. Some were heaving and hoeing while others pushed at a wheel, boosting up a darkly-colored flag. Among them, she noticed the girl she had interacted with previously– Jackie. She was the calm among the storm, staying perfectly composed as she addressed the whirlwind around her.

Star was rather awed at her performance. She wondered if the scenario was common practice on the ship. Based on how quickly the others responded to her, it most likely was. Even so, surely there was some sort of reasoning behind it all. Curious, she withdrew from the door and made her way towards the group. She would find out what was going on–though temporary, she was still an occupant of the ship.

Before she could do so, however, the booming sound of a door being thrust open with no hesitance reverberated throughout the ship. Star's head whirled towards the noise and saw it had come from the Captain's quarters, and standing in the doorway was none other than the Captain himself.

"What is going on?!" Marco hollered, staring around at his crew. They ignored him and continued their work, not even sparing a glance.

The captain of the ship doesn't even know what's happening?! Star thought to herself, bewildered. She watched as the confused leader made his way through the crowd to Jackie. Though his words could not be heard from across the deck, Star realised that something was wrong by his frantic actions.

Debating over what to do, Star was caught off guard by a loud shout. "Ludo is approaching!" came a voice from up high, in the crow's nest.

Ludo? Star felt a chill run down her spine as she heard the name. She recognized it–anyone would recognize it. Ludo was one of the most infamous pirates out there. Though his small build was not particularly imposing, he and his gang of bloodthirsty monsters were a force to be reckoned with. She gulped as she thought about the possible events that could occur during a clash between the two pirate crews.

She took a few steps backward, her back reaching a wall. She put a hand out to it and shook her head, eyes wide. Why did this have to happen? Why couldn't she be back in Mewni, safe in her castle... with her mom, her dad, Tom... She slid slowly down against the surface until she rested on the planks, her knees bunched up in front of her. She wrapped her arms around them, holding down her dress.

What could she do? She didn't have anything but an oversized dress that hindered her every movement. She needed her wand. Her wand! Star jumped to her feet and surveyed her surroundings. All of the crew members were occupied, working to prepare the ship to either escape or apprehend Ludo, or barking orders at each other and adding even more to the clamor of sounds.

She subtly crept towards Marco's cabin, carefully avoiding the potential gazes of those around her. She slipped in through the open doorway, shutting the door silently behind her. She looked around, searching for places the wand could be kept in. There was clutter everywhere, but she was determined. She dug through several different spots, having no luck.

In the corner, she noticed, lay a worn-out old chest–the blue on it had long since faded to a dull gray. She shuffled towards it. She slowly reached to lift the lid, her hopes high for what may lie within. Clunk. The lid was snapped tightly shut, stubbornly waiting for a key as its only cue to open. She narrowed her eyes at it. Her wand–it had to be in there. There was nowhere else in the room that it could be hiding.

Star scanned her surroundings once more, now seeking the key needed to unlock said chest. She spotted a small glass bottle on the mahogany table lying in the center of the room–the captain's desk. She picked it up and examined it. Inside lay an intricately carved wooden ship, its sails strung up high and proud. She smiled slightly at it. It was beautiful.

All of a sudden, the booming crash of wood on wood collision resonated throughout the ship, and Star jerked forwards, thrown off balance by the immense tremor caused from the impact. However, this jolt of movement caused the glass bottle, that had formerly been resting snugly in her hands, to fly forward and onto the ground, smashing into hundreds of tiny shards.

Star gasped as the delicate piece was demolished, and solemnly bent to pick up the ship that had been inside. Upon further inspection, she noticed something peculiar. Looped around the mast was a ring–a keyring, which was attached to none other than the key itself. She carefully removed it and her eyes widened as she glanced back at the chest in the corner.

As she moved to attempt to unlock it, she heard loud shouts from the deck. Not shouts–roars. It couldn't be... had Ludo caught up with them? She delightfully heard the click of the chest unlock, and was elated to see her wand resting within. She grabbed it and smushed it up against her cheek, hugging it relievedly.

The reunion was cut short however, as she overheard the clash of steel against steel from outside of the cabin. There was no doubt about it. Ludo's crew had caught up and was fighting head to head with those who had kidnapped her. She had her wand.. But what should she do? She couldn't just zap herself back to Mewni. Whether she liked it or not, she was stuck out on the ocean. While she had been captured by these pirates, she was sure that they were a better option than Ludo and company.

Star sighed, finding it hard to believe she was about to fight with the pirates that had taken her away from her family, her home. But what choice did she have? Nevertheless, she had her wand now. She could just threaten them, force them to take her home–it wasn't long before she would be back in Mewni, she reassured herself.

With that, she gently opened the door.