Pirate Princess (28 page)

He kissed the tip of my nose and stood up. He held out his hand for me, but I stood up on my own and walked back to where he had cut me, grabbed my daggers, and turned to face him. “How fast are you?”

He shrugged. “I’m sure you will find out eventually.”

I put the daggers away and inspected the cuts. They were shallow and wouldn’t take long to heal. “Do you need a bandage?” he asked, reaching for my arms.

“No,” I said and pulled my arms out of his reach. “It’s just a minor cut.”

“You’re mad,” he guessed.

“You went easy on me,” I complained, “You might as well have said, ‘you’re not good enough so I am not going to try’. It’s insulting.”

“I am faster than you,” he stated, “And I don’t like the idea of hurting you. So yes, I went easy on you. I was also taking the time to enjoy sparing with you.”

“I won’t improve if I’m not pushed beyond my limits,” I explained. “If you don’t push me it might get me killed.”

He frowned, his brows furrowing as he thought about that. “Disarming you and pinning you to the ground in a matter of seconds is not going to teach you to get better.”

“Yes it will. I learn quickly and after a few times I will figure out a way to defend or escape. Would you go easy on your crew?”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “Fine. I understand. I just don’t like the idea of hurting you. I would rather not injure you and keep our training to a less vigorous level, but I understand your wishes.”

I nodded my head and went to the cabin to sleep.

Sometime during my sleep I was woken by Finn. “Tilia,” Finn whispered.

“Tired,” I mumbled.

“You’ve been summoned,” he whispered.

“What?” I asked. Clearly my sleep fogged brain wasn’t hearing him properly.

“Put your mask on and come outside,” he instructed with hushed words. “And make sure you’re armed.

I heard the door close and opened my eyes. It was still dark outside. I got dressed, put all my weapons on and picked up my mask. Someone had fixed the string. I put it on and threw open the door. “Who interrupts my sleep?” I asked angrily.

I stopped as soon as I said it, seeing a Crilan warrior ship off our port side. Only those ranked warrior and above were allowed on ships to patrol the waters. The warrior men and women were aiming guns at us and the commander stood facing me with a smile. “I take it you are Jax?” he asked.

I walked towards the port side where Finn was standing. “I am and who might you be?” They didn’t usually travel this far away from Crilan, did they?

“It hurts when they don’t recognize you,” he muttered and his crew laughed.

“What business do you have with Jax?” Finn asked sternly.

“Calm down, pirate. I’m not here to harm her or haul her away,” the commander said. He jumped up and then did a double flip in the air, and landed right in front of me. He bowed, picked my hand up and kissed the back of it. “Tilia I have missed you,” he whispered.

I stared at him and felt a slight recognition tingling in the back of my head. “If I had a name I could perhaps reciprocate,” I whispered.

“Back away from her,” Finn growled, his sword pressed to the commander’s chest.

“Have you forgotten so soon?” the commander asked. “Why it was only four years ago that we spent an entire summer together during which you kicked my butt every day with a smile on your face. My own mother clapped each time you defeated me.”

I remembered! He was of royal blood in his kingdom, but so far back he had no hopes of any claim to the throne. He and his family had visited our kingdom and Esmeralda had forced me to entertain him. Instead, I had used him as a sparring partner and his mother had loved that a girl was so adept at fighting that she demanded I do it every day in hopes that he would improve. “Eric?” I asked. The Eric I remembered had been scrawny, arms so twig-like I had worried about breaking them whenever I threw him to the ground and legs no bigger.

He smiled happily. “You do remember!”

I pushed Finn’s sword down with my hand and he pulled it to his side. “What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“Can’t a man wishing to see a beautiful woman visit when nearby?” he asked.

“You had no idea where I was and have no capability of finding me,” I said.

“Alright, I was sent a message by Queen Esmeralda since I was on this part of the sea and instructed to look for this ship,” he admitted.

“How do you know my identity?” I asked nervously.

He winked. “My magic lets me see your true self even when wearing a mask or using spells to alter your appearance. Plus, why would the Queen want to send Jax a letter?”

“Does your crew…” I began, but he shook his head. “Follow me,” I ordered him. I went to the cabin and he followed me in, Finn on his heels. I took my mask off and hugged him tightly. “It is good to see you. You’ve changed so much there was no way for me to know it was you!” I explained.

“I didn’t know it was possible, but you’ve grown even more beautiful,” he whispered and kissed my cheek before we separated.

Finn clutched his sword and ground his teeth.

“I heard a rumor that you had been involved in some pirate trouble, but I never thought you would be on a pirate ship!” he exclaimed.

“Just for a year,” I told him, “They’re letting me explore the seas and allowing me some freedoms now that I’m of age.”

“Speaking of that,” he said, “I apologize for missing your party. I was at a port two days from here and I couldn’t have made it in time.”

“It’s alright,” I said, “Business is more important than my birthday.”

He pulled out a rolled letter with the royal seal and set it in my hands. “From the Queen.”

I set it on the table, walked to one of the drawers Finn had declared mine and pulled out two rolled letters with my royal seal on them. “These are for Esmeralda and Faxon,” I explained.

He put them in his bag and said, “I will ensure they are delivered to them.”

“So you joined our King’s Steel?” I asked him.

He nodded his head. “After you beat me all summer I started training as much as I could and at fourteen I enrolled in the academy. I’m not going to get anywhere in my kingdom and I like your kingdom better anyways so I joined here.” He smiled and said, “Plus I thought it would give me a higher likelihood of seeing you.”

“You royal boys always liked to flirt with whatever girl was nearby and tell her whatever you thought she would want to hear,” I accused him.

“So you’ll be sailing for a year and then you return to the Capitol?” he asked me.

“No, to Markleville.”

“How long will you be in the kingdom?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I have to wait for a response from Esmeralda.”

“Well I will have to be sure to visit Markleville next year and steal a dance or two at your birthday celebration since I missed this one.”

“So how do you know each other?” Finn asked, still clutching his sword.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, “Eric is a royal from our neighboring kingdom Blith and he visited for a summer when we were twelve.”

“Thirteen,” Eric corrected.

“Right, thirteen. Esmeralda forced me to entertain him, but I took out my frustration on poor Eric who at the time was nothing, but twiggy arms and legs,” I explained.

“Why were you so frustrated?” Eric asked. “You refused to talk to me about it.”

“I was still upset my dad had left me there and I missed the ocean,” I admitted to him. “Plus you were rather droll back then.”

He sighed. “Yes, but it wasn’t my fault.” He smirked at me and I could see that he was handsome, not the traditional handsomeness, but his attitude paired with his looks to make an enticing man. He exuded an air of confidence that women craved in a man. “I think you’ll find I’m no longer droll and my fighting abilities have drastically improved.”

“Well I would hope your fighting abilities have improved now that you have biceps as large as a scrying crystal,” I said with a smirk of my own. Finn cleared his throat and I realized I had just flirted with another man in front of him. Oops. “Well, you better get back to your ship or they might attack to find you,” I said to Eric.

“I suppose you are right. I wish we had more time together, but I will look forward to your ball next year in Markleville.” He stole a kiss on the cheek and then left, shutting the door behind him.

“What was that about?” Finn asked angrily.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized earnestly, “I wasn’t trying to be rude to you.”

“You let him kiss you,” he growled, gripping his sword pommel so tightly that it creaked.

“He kissed my cheek,” I said defensively, “In royalty that is a common greeting or departing gesture.”

“So you’ll let anyone with royal blood kiss your face?” he asked, seething with anger.

“Finn,” I said softly, “I have no romantic intentions towards him. Whose ship am I on? Who am I sailing with for a year? Who did I let kiss me on the lips for the first time and several times after? Who did I sneak away with? You. Not him or any other man. You.” I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, locking my fingers behind his head. “You’re incredibly sexy when you are jealous,” I whispered.

“The next man I see kiss you or hug you like that is going to lose a hand or a head,” he growled.

I raised myself up on my toes and kissed him on the lips. “Now you’re just trying to tempt me even more with your sweet words.”

He set the sword on the table and wrapped me up inside of his arms. He kissed me fiercely, possessively and said, “You’re lucky he was a Crilan Commander or I would not have held back.”

“Perhaps you should stop holding back,” I whispered and kissed his jaw.

He slid his hand up into my hair and gripped a handful of it. “I don’t know how I will be able to let you depart my ship next year.” He kissed me roughly and then left me gasping for breath as he went to instruct the crew to continue sailing.

I sat down in one of the chairs and picked up the letter from my aunt. I opened the letter and started reading.

Dear Jax,

I hope you are enjoying your time on the sea and I hope you are behaving. Things are too quiet here in Markleville now that you have gone and everyone seems to be in a sour mood. Faxon blew up a small deserted island yesterday and your uncle spends all his time picking on the trainees who just arrived from the Capitol. I’ve been left with absolutely nothing to do and have resorted to knitting! Don’t you dare tell anyone! I end most nights just burning it, but it helps the days pass. Duke is getting fat already so I am taking him for daily rides or he’ll be of no use to you when you return. Oh, Faxon says to tell you that he misses you and to tell Finn to keep his lips to himself. Your uncle seconds that. Love you and stay safe.

Esmeralda

I rolled the letter back up and shook my head. My family was so strange and wonderful. Finn came back a short while later and sat on the edge of the bed to take his boots off. I put the letter in my drawer, took all my weapons off and crawled onto the bed. He lay down facing me and draped an arm across my waist. “Are you still mad?” I asked him softly.

“A little,” he admitted.

I kissed the tip of his nose and snuggled closer to him. “You should be very happy to know that you are the only one I have ever done this with.”

“I’ll be happier when you can say that in two years’ time,” he muttered.

“I agree,” I whispered.

I was almost asleep when I heard him sigh and he whispered, “Good night, my pirate princess.”

The next morning I stepped out onto the deck and saw an ocean as clear as the sky above. Fish of every color swam around and even sharks, but I could see all of them! Ahead I saw land and a small town bustling with activity.

“Good morning,” Bernard called.

“Where’s the captain?” I asked.

“He went on ahead, but some of us stayed behind to go with you once you awoke,” he explained.

Finn must still be mad at me. I didn’t blame him. I would have been mad if I saw him flirt with a girl and let her kiss his cheek. “I need to grab my mask and then we can shove off.”

Bernard nodded his head and called orders to the other crew members. I ran to the cabin, grabbed my mask and returned to climb in the boat with them. I peered down into the water and Paul laughed at me. “You look like a kid with presents in front of them.”

“I’ve never seen such clear water!” I exclaimed. “I went snorkeling and I could see most of the fish and things, but it was darker than this.” Or maybe I was too little to recall correctly.

“Did things go alright with that Commander?” Paul asked.

“Yes. Nothing to worry about,” I said dismissively with a wave of my hand. “He won’t be bothering us again.”

“Finn was in a very foul mood after he left,” Bernard commented.

I said nothing. I didn’t need to explain everything to them. I trailed my hand in the water and gasped. “It’s warm!”

The crew laughed.

“Aye, it’s warm,” Paul said.

I was tempted to jump out of the boat and swim, but I wanted to find Finn first. They docked the boat and led me towards a large hut. All of the buildings were made of wood with leaves for a roof. How did that protect against the rain? Or did they just not care about rain here?

We stepped inside and I was surprised to find Carlos, one of the fiercest pirates on the seas, talking with Finn while they drank and ate fruit.

Finn looked up when we entered and waved me towards him. I walked towards him, keeping an eye on Carlos who watched me curiously. “Have some fruit,” Finn offered. I sat in the chair beside him and picked up a banana. “Carlos, this is Jax. Jax this is…”

“Carlos the Crusher,” I said, “Everyone knows of you.”

He smiled and said, “I have to say I’m shocked I had not heard of you sooner, Jax. I spent some time with your father, but he never mentioned having a daughter.”

“Perhaps that was because he didn’t want you to try to find me and use me,” I said, lifting my mask slightly up so I could put the banana in my mouth.

Carlos laughed loudly. “Very likely.”