The Pirate Princess

Hearts to Hearts

I wake up tangled in the sheets of the Captains bed, the silky covers wrapping me in a warm yet suffocating embrace. I try to sit up, wincing as pain blooms on my back. I look around, the room is empty except me and the furniture. I look down and see that I'm wearing a silk navy blue nightgown, the hem of the skirt hitting my upper thigh, the silk straps falling down my shoulders. I pull them up and tugged the hem of the dress down in an attempt to stay modest. I look at the other side of the bed and notice that it's pretty much made, besides a little stretching from my tossing and turning. I toss the blankets to the side and swing my legs over the edge. I reach my foot toward the floor and carefully place the ball of my feet on the wood. The wood creaks under the slight pressure and I retract my foot. I hear movement out in the office and freeze. I look around. I don't see anything I can use as a weapon. I curl my legs slowly up onto the bed again. I slide carefully back into the position I was in when I was asleep. I pull the blankets soundlessly over my body again, the warmth from earlier gone, sapped by the chilly air. I carefully lay my head on the pillow and as my body shifts down, the bed creaks. I freeze, a shadow moves in front of the light streaming in from the crack at the bottom of the door. I hold my breath while I stare at the crack. I dare not move a single muscle. As if the shadow can sense my eyes, it moves to the side of the door. The door handle jiggles as an unseen key is placed into the lock. I quickly and soundlessly slide down into the pillow and stare at the door. The lock turns over and the door handle turns slowly, slowly, ever so slowly that I can feel every second tick by. It's like watching it in slow motion. The door swings open just as I shut my eyes, the light pouring in blinding me even through my closed eyelids. I tighten my muscles just enough to keep from flinching away from the light. The floor creaks as an unseen figure walks across the room. I keep my breathing even and try to make my facial expression serene.

A shadow crosses in front of my closed eyes. It makes out the shape of a head. It stays there for a minute, the persons breathe whipping my face. A hair falls into my face, the strands tickling my cheek as it plunges down my shoulder. I resists the urge to tuck it behind my ear. As if reading my thoughts, the figure takes their hand and gently moves the hairs back from my face. I take the chance and act as if I'm waking up. The figure backs away a bit, scared that they might be caught. I slowly open my eyes and see Skylar leaning against the wall as if nothing happened. His hair looks mused and his eyes bloodshot. He looks at me and smirks, his mouth quirking up at one end. I feel too exposed just in this thing that you can barely call a nightgown. I sit up slowly, pulling the covers over my chest as I do. I hold them there as if my life depended on it. He stares at me as if I'm an interesting puzzle that he wants to solve. A strange look crosses over his face, as if something inside him breaks. I look down at my hands, not knowing what to say or do. I feel as if I should give him some privacy but I don't want to move.

Finally he walks over to the bed and sits down on the edge. He stares at the floor in silence, making no attempt to talk. I stare at my hands which are now in my lap because I gave up on trying to hide under the blanket. We sit there, the stillness of the boat shocking. Finally Skylar reaches over and tries to take my hand. I pull it out of his grasp and scoot away from him, pulling my knees up to my chest in the process. I look at him expecting him to be furious with me, and yet all I see in his eyes is pain and sadness. His normally chilling gaze is soft, the icy blue that can usually cut through to your very center is dull and watery. He looks at his hand which now rests on top of the sheets, his dark hair falling in front of his eyes so I can't see them. He retracts his hand and faces the wall again. I rest my head on top of my arms which lay across my pulled up knees. We sit in silence, each person left with their own thoughts.

Skylar lets out a long sigh that reminds me of the whispering winds at the castle right before a thunderstorm rolls in. The thought makes me want to cry, it makes me home sick and yet there's a part of me that has enjoyed this adventure. A part that I never knew existed. I never tried my skills with a sword against people who were actually trying to win. Sure Carter was a good guy but he never truly exerted himself in a fight. He always went easy on me trying not to harm the future queen of Solaris. I never thought about how my agility and quick thinking could help in a pinch, such as earlier when I needed to use the rope. I have never done anything like that before and yet it felt so natural, so comfortable. Then there was Stephen. Was I only trying to fool myself into believing I was in love with him or do I truly have feelings for him? Do I truly want to become Aliana of Sterling and be forced to cater to his every whim? There's no true way to answer that question, not until I can see him again. If I'm elated and relieved then maybe there is something there, but what if it was nothing but a flicker of a flame. What if I return and find that everyone has moved on? I shut the thoughts out. I can't bare to think like that. If I do I may never get home. What's the best way to get home? I can't take over the ship by myself: too hard. I can't escape with a boat: tried that and failed. So what's left for me? If we dock to gather supplies they'll most likely lock me in a room so I can't sneak off board and I highly doubt that we're docking anytime soon unless it's at the cove. A thought pops into my head. A nasty, horrible, repulsive thought that I have no desire to follow through with, but unfortunately I have no other choice. If my father wont save me then it's up to me, myself, and I to get myself out of this predicament.