Pirate Princess

Chapter 6

Dyce was standing by the Queen's side at the party trying not to let his frustration show. His men never found the missing ship or that strange woman. How unnerving. Something was just not right, but what? His men were on high alert for anything suspicious while the party was going on. All of the royals were here from far off lands and he knew the Queen needed this to go smoothly in order for her to cement her place amongst them. Even though she was born a royal, one still had to prove themselves worthy of that title.

Soon Dyce found himself daydreaming about the beautiful woman he saw in the square today. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. Her long Palomino hair and toned body. She surely was not an ordinary street rat. One of the party guests who just arrived had hair just like her. Oh and her backside looks just as tight as it did in those black shaggy shorts. Her feet were encased in strappy silver heels and she had a tattoo on her right foot of a crocodile. No women royalty had tattoos… All of a sudden she turns around and faces him full on. Her eyes meet his and they hold his gaze, piercing right through his heart, feeling as if she is seeing his soul. Oh wow, it’s her! How can it be her? She is nothing but a street girl, but here she is dressed in fine pink silk, looking as if she belongs. She has an air about her that commands respect. But who is she? Her ears are pierced half way up on both sides, but each ear is something different. The two bottom rings are gold hoops, while the next one on the right side is a blue topaz and the one above it is an opal with pink tinges. The inner flap of her ear also had a piercing and it was jeweled with a diamond ball. Her left ear had a ruby in the middle stud and a black Onex on the top. This screamed Pirate, but no Pirate wore silk.

Mysteri has outdone herself again, by slipping into the royal party. Useful information will travel freely tonight as they all sip their wine. Suddenly, she feels someone’s eyes on her. She turns to find the Captain of the Guard staring at her practically drooling. Mmm he’d be a nice catch. Especially because he will be an easy prey item to get information from. The Captain is tall, easily six feet, with blue eyes like the color of dusk. His hair is dark and he’s got broad shoulders, showing that he does just as much work as the men below him.

Mysteri slowly and seductively makes her way towards him. As she nears, she spies the Queen staring at her from the corner of her eye, seemingly in awe of her. Mysteri lets a satisfied smile cross her lips. Fear me… “Hello sir” I said to the drooling Captain.

“H…Hi. I am Captain Dyce. Who may I ask are you?”

Mysteri contemplates saying she is his worst nightmare but refrains and instead gives him her true name. “I am Mysteri.” She loved her name, for it always struck confusion into others. Captain Dyce was no exception.

“Mysteri. It suits you very much. Would you like to dance?”

“Sure” she responds with a twinkle in her pale ice-green eyes. She extends her hand out towards him. His eyes widen in fear as he notices the wickedly long nails that adorn each of her fingers. Her nails were not only long, but also thick and hard to break, filed to sharp points. They were her last defense mechanism for desperate situations. This is only too easy.

As they begin to dance, Mysteri notices how all eyes have suddenly turned on her. That is never a good thing for one who tries to remain invisible. Keep your cool girl, I can out fox them all if need be. Plus, Cinder is outside if I need him. Suddenly, Dyce moves his hands, so they are resting around her waist. He has a firm, but light pressure on her hips. He’s got a strange look in his eye. Does he know he is making her feel trapped? Does he know who she is? Surely not.

“I saw you in the market place today.” Oh... “Doing what may I ask.” She says while flirtatiously batting her eyelashes at him. “Oh um, you saved a dog from being whipped right after you stole a vial from a man’s stall. Then you hopped up on a roof like you were some sort of cat.” Does he know I’m a pirate? “Surely you have mistaken me for someone else. After all, do I look like a street mongrel to you?”

“No you don’t, but there is a way to find out if you are the same woman I saw in the square.”

Lifting an eyebrow in question, Mysteri gives Dyce her most withering glare, daring him to reveal his secrets. All of a sudden, there is a great commotion at the door and three of Dyce’s guards’ barge through the door dragging a wiggling, whimpering rucksack behind them. Oh no, Cinder! Quickly, Mysteri spins around to face Dyce, only to have her hands tied behind her back and surrounded by more guards. Cinder comes sprawling out of the bag barking mad, hackles raised and ready to bite. If I am to escape, I need Cinder on the outside…On the other hand, jail is a lonely place…Hum, what to do, what to do… Two soft whistles signal for Cinder to heel, and slowly he walks towards his master. Once he is at her side, she makes her move. With one sharp whistle blast, Cinder bolts for escape, while Mysteri quickly unties her hands and lays three quick guards flat on their backs. Only to come face to face with Dyce and the giant guard with the whip. The butt of the whip came crashing down on her. Trying to stay conscious, she falls to her knees. She’s surrounded and there’s now a chain around her neck. Perfect!

She is being carried unceremoniously down a long flight of stairs. It's dark and her head hurts. Someone, possibly Dyce, is talking in whispers, saying something about a mysterious ship and a prophecy. A prophecy, which could be interesting! Her curiosity is now spiked, but the fuzziness in her head blocks out her consciousness again.

Mysteri wakes up in a dark hole in a cell. There are no windows. It’s suffocating. I’ve never been locked up and not able to see freedom. Movement stirs in the corner of the cell. She’s not alone. Dyce moves into the tiny shard of light that filters into her cell though a crack in the mortar. He stares down at me. “Who are you? And what is your connection to the Pirate ship called the Black Furry?”

My throat is hoarse but I answered him,” I am Captain Mysteri of the Black Furry. I have arrived on your shores to get medicine for my First Mate, Bryan. My dog is named Cinder.”

“What do you know about a prophecy involving a Princess Pirates?”

Oh, this is interesting… “I have no clue what you are talking about.” Suddenly the door opens with a bang and the Queen walks in. She’s around my age, I think. She has mousy brown hair and pouty lips. Her eyes show that she is intelligent and quick of mind, but not of body. “Your Highness, this is Captain Mysteri of the Pirate ship Black Furry.” The Queen's mouth falls open as if she has seen a ghost. “What’d you say her name was?”

“My name is Mysteri, and yours?” I asked boldly as I squared my shoulders and challenged her dominance over me.

“I am Queen Michel, daughter of Nibor.” She turns on her heel and as she walks past Dyce she whispers a command to him that I can not hear.

Cinder passes around the castle grounds, smelling the ground, searching for his masters’ cell. Master let herself get caught. Now Master needs his help to escape. Master can hear my thoughts and understand me, so I must remember to tell her where to escape. His ears pricked up. Hoof beats on cobblestone, they are frantic. I raced towards the horse paddock to see the new arrival. It’s a black and white wild horse. This horse is a chimera. That means she has two different kinds of cells, each with a distinct genetic code. The horse is black on its upper half and white on the lower half. Her face looked as if she was wearing a mask. Her eyes are pale blue, almost white in color and are surrounded by black, only for her nose to be pure white. There is no blending between the two colors, just a crisp line dividing the two. Her legs are white with two black hooves in the back and two white ones in the front. Her mane and tail start out black only to abruptly change to white half way to the tip. She is beautiful. Cinder now knew how to help his master escape. Time to make friends with this wild one.