Pirate Princess (15 page)

“I had an early start,” he said, “Now, how about you stop trying to change the subject. I’m not as experienced as you think I am. I was being honest when I said you were the first one I have kissed.”

“Honestly?” I asked him. Why was I so happy at that notion? Why so eager for him?

“Swear on my pirate flag,” he told me. That was a pledge very few would use for any situation.

“So you just learned to talk like that, but hadn’t kissed anyone?” I asked him, feeling like he was lying.

“A captain has to be a smooth talker and educated,” he reminded me.

“Right.”

“So, are you going to believe me now when I say things like I wish I could steal you from here and keep you as my personal treasure?” he asked.

“You wouldn’t make it out of the harbor,” I told him, “the Queen would blow up your ship after the King killed you and all of your men and took me back.”

“Tilia,” he chastised.

“Yes, I believe you,” I said, “Despite knowing it would be better if I didn’t.”

“Why do you say that?” he asked.

“Land ho!” someone yelled above.

“Let’s go!” I said, ignoring his question and headed out his door to the main deck to look at the island. I ran to the bow and looked at the island, which had beautiful sandy beaches, palm trees, and a jungle where I could hear several types of birds and animals. The island wasn’t as big as I thought it would be, looking like it was only the size of Markleville.

“Are the provisions prepared?” Finn asked one of his crew.

“Yes, Cap’n. We’ve got everything prepared,” his crewman said.

“Feel free to enjoy yourselves while I’m gone, but we will set sail just before dark,” he explained.

“Yes Cap’n.”

I walked over to the starboard beam and started climbing down the rope ladder, dropping into the dinghy below. “You should have let me go first,” Finn said.

“So you could look at my butt again?” I asked with a smirk.

He dropped into the dinghy and smiled. “Of course.”

I sat down and he sat across from me, rowing us towards the island. “So, what are we doing here?” I asked him.

“Oh you’ll see,” he said. I looked around and saw a bag under his seat. I recalled him asking for provisions. Hopefully it was food because I was really hungry. We pulled ashore and he put the bag around his shoulders. “There are a lot of animals,” he said, “So keep your daggers ready.” I followed him as he walked straight into the jungle and looked around at all the strange plants and animals. I must have stopped too long because he took my hand and tugged. “Keep up or you’ll get lost,” he told me.

“It’s so stunning,” I whispered in shock.

“You haven’t even seen the best part yet,” he said smugly.

“Well let’s get there.”

He laughed and we walked a bit faster. The deeper we got into the jungle the louder I heard a sound like rushing water. “How can there be rushing water inland?” I asked him.

He didn’t answer me, but the sound grew louder and louder as we walked and then we stepped out of the trees and I found myself staring at a waterfall. I had heard about them and seen drawings, but never in real life. There was a small lake beneath the waterfall and it was perfectly clear. “Wow,” I whispered.

Finn set the bag on the ground near a tree and took his boots and weapons off. “Come on,” he said, “there’s something even better.”

“Um, are we going swimming?” I asked.

He smirked. “Afraid I might strip in front of you?” he asked.

“I’m not stripping,” I replied instead of answering him.

“Just take off your boots and weapons,” he said.

I did as he asked and he took my hand, leading me towards the side of the waterfall. “It’s slippery so be careful,” he called over his shoulder, having to yell because of how loud the water was. He was right, it was very slippery, but we made it and I realized we were behind the waterfall in a small cave.

“How did you know about this?” I asked.

“I come to this island once a year,” he told me.

I looked at the wall of water in front of us and enjoyed the water splashing onto me. Finn wrapped his arms around me from behind and kissed my cheek. “Are you happy you ran away with me today?”

I nodded my head and turned to look at him. “Very.”

He smiled and kissed me. “Well I won’t apologize for this…” He picked me up and jumped through the waterfall. We fell into the lake and the cold water surged around me. I kicked my way to the surface and sputtered as I wiped water out of my eyes.

Finn waded water a little ways away with a satisfied grin on his face. “That was not nice,” I said. I splashed water at him and he laughed, wiped the water from his face and then splashed me back. We splashed each other and then he jumped at me, grabbed me and pulled me under the water. He kissed me and then let me go back up. I grabbed him as soon as we surfaced and pushed him back under the water. I swam away quickly and pulled myself out of the water. I wrung my hair out and he swam closer to me. “At least it is warm here,” I said.

He climbed out of the water and took his shirt off, wringing it out like I had done my hair. I watched him and was surprised at how muscular he was. It was difficult to tell with his shirt on, but his muscles were very defined. He also had scars across his chest, one across his stomach and a few whip marks on his back.

“Who gave you the stomach scar?” I asked.

He turned and smiled smugly. “Checking me out without my shirt on?”

I just smiled at him. “It is a nice view.”

“Well to answer your question it was the previous captain of my ship. He is also the one who gave me the whip scars. He was a tyrant and treated us like slaves. I killed him and freed the crew, but they all swore loyalty to me and I was voted into my position as captain.”

I walked over and ran my finger down a thick whip mark. “I’m glad you escaped him.”

He turned to face me and I rested my hand on his chest. His skin was warm and soft. “Are you sure you won’t run away with me permanently?” he asked softly, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me against him. “I swear on my flag that I wouldn’t cheat on you or leave you.”

I stared at him in shock. “Finn,” I said softly, “I…”

He put his finger on my lips and smiled. “Let me pretend for the day that you’re mine. We can talk about everything else later.”

He kissed me and I didn’t hesitate to kiss him back, wrapping my arms around him and gripping his strong back with my hands. I knew he would leave soon and I could tell that I would fall for him if I wasn’t careful. He opened his bag, pulled out a sheet for us to sit on and then took out food, water, and something wrapped in cloth with a ribbon around it. We ate and I told him some of the stories of me at the Capitol and sneaking off with Esmeralda to spar instead of dancing at the balls. He told me some of his exciting feats and somehow the day grew darker.

“We need to head back,” he said.

I stood up and he handed me the wrapped item. “What is it?” I asked.

“Open it and you’ll find out,” he told me.

I pulled off the ribbon and unwrapped the cloth. I gasped and stared at a silver ring shaped like two dolphins holding a gem the color of the ocean on their noses. “Finn,” I whispered in shock.

“I know you can’t leave with me,” he said quietly, “but I know the King and Queen come here around the same time that I do. I also wouldn’t mind sailing to the other side to see the Capitol,” he said, “That is, if you want to see me after today.”

“Finn, what are you saying?” I asked. I didn’t want to misunderstand his meaning.

“If you’ll accept,” he said, walking closer to me, “I would like to be yours. I won’t take another woman and will visit you as much as I can. I can’t promise how often I’ll see you in the Capitol, but I can promise to see you for a month or two every year here.”

“And me?” I asked.

“You’ll agree that you are mine and won’t take another man,” he said.

“They’ll never let me marry you if you ever wanted to do that in the future,” I whispered around the lump in my throat.

He smiled. “We have plenty of time before we have to think about that. You may grow tired of me before then.”

“How do I know you’ll keep your word?” I asked. He could sleep with a thousand women while sailing and I would never know.

“I’ll swear on whatever or to whoever you want me to. I’ll even give my crew instruction and permission to tell you if I don’t abide by my word,” he said.

“You don’t really know me. We just met,” I whispered. There were secrets he had no idea about.

“We have time to get to know each other. That’s what courtship is for,” he said.

I stared at the ring and said, “I have to tell you something first. If you decide you want to take the ring back after you know, I’ll understand.”

“I don’t think you could tell me anything that would make me do that.”

“My father is Captain Rocco,” I told him and pulled my shirt down to show him the symbol. “I was raised on his ship until I was ten and then he sent me to live with my aunt and uncle in the Capitol.”

He stood very still as he stared at me in shock. “The King of Pirates is your dad?” I nodded my head and prepared to hand him back the ring. He smiled and laughed. “Wow. That explains a lot about you.”

“You’re not mad?” I asked.

“Mad? Why would I be mad?” he asked me, “I don’t care who your dad is. He could be a warrior or that grumpy mage or the god of the sea. It doesn’t change you or how I feel about you.”

I exhaled and wanted to tell him something else, but I bit my tongue instead. “Will you promise not to tell anyone else?”

“Of course,” he said. He laughed. “Now I know why you didn’t tell me. You’re right that a pirate seeking to usurp your dad would try to use you against him.” He tilted my chin up and kissed me. “So, what is your decision? If you say no, we will part on good terms.”

I slipped the ring on my middle finger on my left hand and kissed him again. “I’m yours until you trade me in for some pirate girl who can sail with you.”

“Won’t happen,” he informed me, “who could be better than a pirate princess?”

He hugged me and kissed me again and then we stood holding each other for a long time before heading back to his ship. His crew set sail immediately and the first mate walked over to us. “So, she accepted?” Finn nodded his head. “Well, I’ll be sure to whip his hide if he tries to flirt with any other girls.”

“Oh let him flirt,” I told the first mate, “He needs the practice so when he comes back to me he’ll have improved.” I turned to Finn and said, “But you better keep your hands to yourself or I’ll cut them off the next time I see you.”

His first mate laughed and said, “I can see why you like her.”

Finn took me to his cabin and I sat in his arms while we sailed back to Markleville. “When are you leaving?” I asked him.

“One week,” he told me, “the festival will be over in a few days and we’ll stay for a few more days afterwards to ensure we’re fully stocked and then we’ll leave.”

“Will you write?” I asked him.

“As often as I can,” he assured me.

“One week, huh?” I asked with a sigh.

“I know, it’s not nearly long enough, but if I stay longer than that I might have a mutiny on my hands.”

“We could take them together,” I said with a smile, tilting my head back so I could look at him.

He kissed me and said, “I do not doubt that for a second.”

“You better not spread word about your involvement with me,” I told him.

“Don’t want to scare potential suitors away from you?” he asked with an arched eyebrow.

“I don’t want my father to come after you,” I told him truthfully.

“Maybe he’ll like me,” he suggested.

“No father ever likes any guy that his daughter is dating, especially not a pirate.”

“But he is a pirate.”

“Exactly,” I said with a smirk.

“You have a point,” he said with a sigh.

Someone knocked on the door and said, “We’re here.”

Finn hugged me and kissed the back of my head. “Promise not to take it off?” he asked in a whisper.

“Never.”

We stood and I hugged him, leaning my head against his chest. “When will I see you again?”

“I’ll sneak to our balcony tomorrow night,” he said, “just after dark.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get you home so I don’t get attacked by your uncle,” he said jokingly even though it wasn’t really a joke. As he rowed us towards the docks I felt like I was leaving a piece of me on that ship. I missed the ocean already and I was still on her. “Don’t look so sad. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he assured me.

“I’m missing your ship,” I told him.

“She’ll be ready any time you want to sail on her again,” he promised.

We walked hand in hand down the docks, through the quiet town as darkness covered everything. When we made it to the castle I could see Jared pacing at the doors with a sword in his hand.

“Um, maybe you should say goodbye here,” I suggested.

“He can’t kill me just for taking you out,” he told me, “Plus, I’m not terrible with a sword myself.”

“You do know who he is, right?” I asked.

“Yes, I’ve watched him fight before,” he told me.

Faxon stepped outside and said something to Jared who shook his head and resumed pacing. Faxon closed the door, leaned against it and watched the road with a scowl.

“Are you sure?” I asked him.

“Will it make you feel better if I kiss you here and say goodnight?” he asked.

I nodded my head. He wrapped me in his arms, his warmth surrounding me, the scent of the ocean and something I had never smelled before enveloping me. I kissed him back and then smiled as we walked backwards away from each other. “Tomorrow night,” I called.

He nodded his head. “Right after dark.”

I watched him walk back towards the docks and then took a deep breath for strength and walked up the stairs.

“Jared,” Faxon said to get his attention.

Jared stopped pacing and looked at me. “Where have you been?” he asked icily.

“Out,” I said with a smile.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?” he asked angrily.

“Yes, that’s why I’m home now,” I responded, walking passed him to push the doors open. They were too heavy for me to open though.