Chapter 2 - [The Kidnapping]
1685 Words
Nerina placed her hands on her head and fell back onto her bed. What was wrong with her? The last thing she wanted was to be thinking of Pirates.
Well actually, that wasn’t completely true.
She was actually absolutely thrilled, though she was trying to convince herself that it wasn’t true.
Pirates in Caspian? She thought. Impossible. The soldiers would have surely driven them away.
And the thought of a pirate being in the ballroom sounded even more unbelievable.
She then heard a knock at her door. “Nerina?” She heard her brother call.
“Come in.” She sighed.
Her brother opened the door and walked towards her. He pulled her bed curtains to one side and looked at her. “You’ve been lying here all morning. Are you okay?”
She nodded, without saying a word.
“Nerina, are you sick?”
She shook her head.
He thought for a moment. “Now that I think about it, however, you’ve been awfully quiet since the ball yesterday… did something happen?”
Nerina sighed. “…There was this young man…”
This made her brother laugh in surprise. “Ahh, I see.” He smiled. He then stepped back. “Alright, you can stay here and enjoy your little fantasies. But come out soon, mother is worried about you.”
Nerina nodded, absent mindedly.
Prince Destin walked down the castle halls looking a little worried and oddly surprised.
Did his sister really have feelings for that young man at the ball? She only met him yesterday.
Destin felt a little useless. One of his priorities was to protect his sister, and because of the fact that he barely knew this man made him worry.
Was he the right one for his sister? Would he take care of her? Would he make her happy?
When he entered the throne room, he smiled at his parents. “Mother.” He called, as he slightly bowed his head. “I’m actually very surprised to say this but you were right about Nerina.”
The queens’ smile grew.
“She seems to fancy that young Prince from the ball.” He said with a small smile.
“I knew it!” The queen chirped. She looked over at her husband. “Isn’t this wonderful?” She asked.
The king shrugged. He didn’t seem that pleased at all.
She looked back at her son. “For once, Nerina and I may be on the same side.”
Nerina left her room shortly after her brother left and immediately started to plan her next outing.
It must be soon. She thought. He might leave…
That was all she was worried about at that moment. Whether or not she would have the chance to meet this Pirate.
She walked down the hallways and thought some more, barely noticing her mother, who was walking towards her.
“Nerina, sweetheart?” Her mother called.
Nerina looked up.
“Did you know that Prince Dale is coming to see you?”
Nerina raised her eyebrows. She had completely forgotten about him. “Why is he coming to see me?”
Her mother smiled. “I really don’t know.”
Nerina looked at her, suspiciously.
“Come along now, you should dress up nicely, you look like a mess!”
"Mother! I am busy, I—”
“Oh, of course you are.”
Nerina sighed, knowing that no matter what she said, she wouldn’t be able to get away from her mother.
She stared into space as her mother braided her hair. Her mother was speaking to her, but she could barely hear what she was saying.
The only person she was thinking of was that pirate.
“Nerina? Nerina are you listening to me?” Her mother asked, raising her voice.
Nerina looked up, surprised and upset with the fact that she was awakened from her daydream.
There was suddenly a knock at the door.
“Come in.” Her mother said.
A servant walked in. “PrinceDale of Aria has arrived.” The woman said with her head bowed.
“Oh dear, he’s awfully early!” The queen looked at her daughter. “Hurry up and put on your jewelry, I will go greet the Prince.” She then turned to the servant. “Please escort her to the throne room once she is ready.”
“Yes your highness.” The servant responded.
And with that, the queen turned around and rushed out.
Nerina rolled her eyes, got up and quickly threw on her jewelry, but then she froze.
A smile formed on her face, proud of herself and her brilliant mind.
She knew exactly how to get out of the castle.
Prince Dale was definitely happy to see her and she was happy to see him too. But not for the same reasons.
It didn’t take her too long to get him away from her mother, and as soon as she did, she commenced her plan.
After listening to him talk for a short while, she interrupted him. “PrinceDale, do you like the ocean?” She asked him.
He hesitated. “When it is calm and quiet, yes.”
She nodded her head. “I find it pleasurable to walk near the oceans; will you please take me there?”
He hesitated again. “Now?”
“Yes, please.”
He smiled. “If that is what you like then alright, I will take you.”
And Nerina smiled as excitement filled her.
Of course,PrinceDale had to ask Nerina’s parents for permission before taking her, and though her mother wasn’t too pleased, she accepted. Soon, she was in a carriage that was headed towards the ocean.
When they had arrived at the ship port, she exited the carriage immediately and looked around, hoping to see a pirate ship.
But she saw nothing.
Prince Dale linked his arm with hers. “The view of the ocean here is quite nice.” He said.
She nodded. “It is…”
“The port itself could use some repairs… and the smell isn’t very nice.”
She didn’t respond, she was too busy looking for the pirate.
“Maybe that should be the first thing we do when we are married.”
He now had her full attention. “What?”
“When we are married, I think the first thing we should do is make this place look a little better… and smell a little better.”
Nerina stopped walking. “Married?”
Prince Dale looked at her. “Yes…” He then laughed. “Oh, your mother hasn’t told you?”
“Told me what?”
“That we are to be married?”
She stared at him, anger filling her. “You and I?”
“…Yes.”
She shook her head and then took a breath. “I’m sorry… please leave me be for a moment.” She turned around and rushed away, ignoringPrinceDale’s calls and pleased that he didn’t chase after her.
She quickly walked into the Ocean Side Market, holding her breath because she didn’t like the smell of all the fish.
What was her mother thinking? Not even mentioning this to her!
Nerina was furious. She refused to marry that man, a man she’s only known for two days.
It took her a while of thinking, but she eventually decided that she was going to tellPrinceDale that she was not interested.
She turned around and headed back into the port.
But as she walked back through the market, she started to feel strange, like she was being followed.
“Do you see those jewels?” She heard a man ask.
“She must be rich…” Another said.
“She looks like… wait, is she the Princess?” The first one asked.
Nerina stopped walking and turned around. She gasped when she saw who she was looking at.
Two large men who wore torn clothing and looked extremely frightening were standing behind her. They both grinned.
Nerina turned back around and started to walk away quickly, heart racing in fear.
“We should grab her.” The first one said.
“Yeah, the Captain would be pleased… I mean think of all the money we’d get for her!”
“Not to mention that body. He’d like that…”
Nerina lifted her dress and started to run, but she wasn’t even close to fast enough.
The two men grabbed her right away and she screamed.
One covered her mouth with a cloth and the other tied her hands together before throwing her over his shoulder. And they ran, carrying her with them.
She continued to try and scream and though people saw her being kidnapped, no one dared to take on the two grotesque men.
But just as the men jumped onto the port, Prince Dale turned around. He stood there for a moment, mouth gaping, but then realized that he had to do something.
He ran after them, pulling his sword out, and some guards who had came to watch over them chased after the men as well.
The two men, still carrying Nerina, jumped onto a small boat. The man who was holding her dropped her in and both of them started rowing away.
Prince Dale stopped at the dock and shouted at them, demanding them to return as the guards dived in, thinking that they could catch up to the boat.
The two men laughed at the helpless guards and began to sing happily, ignoring Nerina’s muffled screams.
They rowed and rowed for a long time, but successfully caught up to the large pirate ship that had set sail only a short while before Nerina had arrived.
- Writer
