Chapter 18

You couldn't sleep.

You'd retreated to the crow's nest, just under the pirate flag flapping in the wind.

It was cold up there, and even in the blanket that you brought, sewn together that day, you still shivered in the wind.

You sat there, in all silence but the waving banner above you, the stars staring back down at you without a single word to say.

You felt alone.

You'd never been in the presence of so many stars in your life, and yet you felt like that only made it feel worse, like you were the odd one out, the one who didn't fit or belong, and never had.

Not in a palace.

Not on a pirate ship.

Not as a Princess.

Not as a Slave.

Not anywhere in between.

"I thought I was going to go home," you whispered aloud to the stars. "I thought the Captain cared more about me than the money he might get for me. I thought..."

You didn't finish. What if he changed direction because he liked me enough to want to keep me prisoner? Maybe having me as a cabin slave is more rewarding than a ransom...

You couldn't help yourself but to cry there.

It was all over.

All over because you'd decided to take a walk through the city at night, wanting to forget that jerk prince who you were betrothed to. That stupid prince had this idea that women were like property, like wives were servants, like they were all...dunno, cabin slaves or something.

Every time that guy opened his mouth, you wanted to stick a sword in it, and every time he looked at you, you wanted to kick his a**.

If there was any bigger idiot in the world, you hadn't found them yet.

That is, until you ran into the pirates.

And you had no doubt that whatever happened, you'd end up back in that prince's grasp.

Ugh. He's the reason you'd first been glad to learn a little self-defense from the Captain.

Someone who had a lot of respect to take and give was the Captain. Someone who had a lot of respect to take but none to give, was the prince of Tristram.

You could never escape your life.

You were bound to end up as property to that sick prince one day or another. Or as property to a band of pirates.

In being kidnapped, you'd just been putting it off.

And now this little scenario had really...complicated things.

But just maybe if you could get home, your Dad would marry you off somewhere else, if you begged hard enough. Maybe he'd marry you off...who knows, Raximia or Termo or somewhere. Even Fueganum would be better than Tristram.

And you cried harder.

But then, you stopped.

You heard something behind you.

Something was making the ropes creak.

And a the face that appeared was none other than the Captain's.

And a the face that appeared was none other than the Captain's

"Cold?" he asked you.

"Yes. But I'm fine."

"Not like that you're not," he said. He pulled himself up into the nest with you and sat right by your side, his bare feet hanging down over the edge by yours.

He was still in all his Captain's gear, minus that he'd left the boots behind.

So he took an arm out of his cloak and draped half of his Captain's cloak over your shoulder.

After a moment, he asked, "Are you alright?"

"No," you muttered. "I thought you were taking me home. Back to Etholira."

"And I am," he said.

You looked at him, confused and surprised.

"I just have to take a detour."

"Why?"

"Because I spotted an 'old friend' waiting for you on the horizon, and I didn't really want to cross his path."

"You mean..."

"Yeah, your dear prince, he has all these ships with his flag scouring the seas for you. We might end up needing to make that meat last even longer than we'd thought if we have to keep running."

"So you really are going to take me home?"

"If that's where you want to go, that's where I'll take you."

"You mean you'd let me go anywhere?"

"Anywhere this ship can sail."

"So I could start an all new life, like, in the backcountry of Raximia?"

"Well, if Raximia is where you wanted to go, I mean, I've heard that country is ruled by sages."

"Yeah right. But really, do you mean it, that you'd take me anywhere?"

"Yes I do. I'll take you anywhere anytime, just give the word, and I'll show you the world on my very own ship, Anika. I'll travel the seven seas, and every ocean in between, stop at the warm beach-islands along the way, show you places you can only imagine."

"So if I imagine a place where the prince of Tristram doesn't exist, will you take me there?"

"In a heartbeat."

His eyes twinkled in the night sky, and it seemed like they could smile an ocean wide. You looked at him for a long time.

You smiled, sighed, and looked up at the stars. He followed suit.

"Very pretty out tonight," the Captain commented.

"Yeah, I've never seen so many stars before. Not even when I slept outside first getting on the ship."

"And I'm sorry about that. But I know you didn't want to move into any of the quarters, but I tried to help you as I could..."

"So you were the one who scrubbed my deck?" you asked.

He sighed. "Yes, yes I was."

"And gave me the blanket."

"Yes."

"So you do care about me."

"Of course I do."

"As more than property or a favor?"

"Much more than that, Anika. I'd think you'd have realize that by now."

"I have," you said. "I was wondering if you did."

"I have from the moment I first saw you."

You blushed.

Neither of you said anything for a bit, but another breeze blew by, and you shivered, and leaned your head on his shoulder.

"Do you know what 'Anika' means?" he asked suddenly.

"I means something?" you asked.

"Yes. It means 'very beautiful,'" he said. "And it suits you well."

"You flatter me, Captain, but I don't think I can stay."

"No, but I might as well while I still can."

"I'm afraid that might not be long."

"That's up to us."

You sighed. "Of course, but...oh, things just got a lot more complicated."

He didn't say anything.

Nor did you.

There was a long pause.

"Don't you think you should get to sleep?" the Captain asked. "You must be tired after today."

"Not really. You must not be tired either. You said you don't sleep much."

"Well I've been sleeping a lot better recently knowing that not everyone I care about is lost. You should be glad you haven't lost anyone, Anika. It hurts the soul. Forever. A scar on your heart."

"Does losing myself count?" you asked.

"To someone or something?"

"Either."

"Well, I'd find someone or something to think about that gives you a reason to save your energy for a later fight."

You nodded slowly. "So does that mean I'm going to bed now?"

"I won't sleep well knowing you're shivering up alone in the crow's nest."

You sighed. "Then alright. Let's go."

The Captain climbed down just below you, making sure you didn't fall on the rope ladder, letting you keep his cloak for the climb, and you followed him into his quarters.

He gave you his cot, his cloak, and a blanket, and he slept shivering on the floor.