Chasing Pirates - Nora Jones

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  The next few days flew by without any incident. I spent most of my time taking my royal studies or wandering aimlessly through the castle. I didn't hear about the shooting or get called, and my life seemed to return back to normal.

   As Niftri rose above the horizon, filling the sky with different hues of yellow, red and orange, I was awakened by loud cawing. Outside my window were two birds, pure white, flapping their wings as they struggled to cling to the icy railing of my balcony. They stared bravely into the oncoming winds, with it coming snow. Invisible lids covered their eyes to protect them, something they'd developed during their time here on Adron. Their white beaks clicked against the glass constantly. I stepped onto the cold floor and opened the door. A chilly breeze swept in as I shooed away the annoying birds. They lifted into the sky with indignant squawks.

  I watched as they grew smaller and smaller, their white shapes drifting back and forth as they caught onto the swift wind. Their large wing feathers gripped the cold air, keeping themselves from blowing away.

  When my grandma came to Adron, she'd brought several species of animals. The different temperatures and climates had slowly changed them, and what we had were not the same as Earth's.

  The city's bell was sending out loud peals, and though I couldn't see the city, I could hear the people wandering around the streets. My feet ached for something besides the cold stone floors, and my eyes for something more colorful than gray walls.

  I took a slip of paper and quickly scrawled:

                  Am going out - Silver

   I opened my closet and rummaged through my outfits. I finally pulled out a white shirt and black skirt. I quickly ran my brush through my hair and tied it back with a red ribbon. A blood red cloak hanging on a hook near the back caught my attention. I pulled it out and ran my fingers through the fuzzy material. It had been my mother's, passed down to me after her head. I hadn't worn it yet, and the faint smell of lemons, her favorite perfume, still lingered around it.

   "I miss you, mom." I whispered, burying my face in it. I swung it over my shoulders, pulled the hood down around my face, a quick try to disguise myself. I rushed over to my dresser and pulled opened the top drawer. It held my precious things that I'd gotten from my family or from Earth. Sitting amongst the numerous knick knacks was a small glass vial filled with yellow liquid. I pulled of the lid and sprayed the lemon scent over me, smiling as the sweet scent descended over me.

   A door down in the hall slammed shut. I jumped, realizing that Rayma was coming to get me up. I closed the closet doors and pushed in my dresser drawer. Then I ran behind my bed and crouched down on the floor.

   Knock, Knock.

  "Silver?" Raymas' timid voice called through the wood. The door opened. "I have tea for y-" she stopped abruptly. I heard her footsteps come closer, and held my breath.

  "Oh, Silver." she clucked like a hen. I almost stood up, thinking she'd seen me. "You could at least make your bed before leaving. Oh well, I'll do it later." the footsteps receded and the door closed. I waited until the door farther down the hall closed before standing up.

  I ran over to the door, grabbing the basket sitting on the floor. Opening it a crack, I looked out into the gloomy corridor. It was empty, the only sounds the wind rushing around the castle. Stepping lightly, I went in the opposite direction of Rayma, heading for flight of stairs that would lead to the center of the castle, a huge garden.

  Once in the garden, I went to the opposite side, ignoring the plants covered in frost that grew all around me. I arrived at the opposite set of doors and popped into another hallway. This one led around a few corners before leading to the main gate.

  "Silver?" a voice called from behind me. I spun around, looking into the face of a surprised palace guard.

  "I'm just going out for a small walk." My hand wrapped around the knob. "If my grandma worries, tell her that I'm fine."

  "Yes, ma'am." he turned around and continued his rounds.

  I slid out into the cold air, the wind tearing at my exposed skin. I was suddenly very grateful for the cloak. There were stairs that spread out in front of the door, leading down to the ground. I carefully walked down them, slipping several times on the slick ice. At the bottom of the steps, my feet flew out from under me and I landed heavily on the ground.

  "Ouch..." I pushed myself up and shook the snow off my dress. I ran unsteadily to the stable and opened the door. The smell of barn wafted past my nose, straw and poop.

  Neigh! The horses whinnied when the wind blew past me. I ran to the closest one, a dapple gray, and leaped onto his back. My red cloak spread out on its back, covering its rump.

  "Hyah!" I yelled, digging my heels into his side. He reared up before speeding out of the small wooden shack. We ran down the road, his hooves clip clopping on the cobblestone road.

-

  The marketplace was full of hagglers standing in front of booths, and hawkers yelling into the packed streets. As I galloped into the market, people scrambles to get out of my way. I pulled down the hood, covering my face, a few strands of black hair falling out the sides.

  Around the courtyard, where most of the market was, huge tapestries hung down the icy white walls. On them was Argon's symbol, a circle with triangles sticking out the side. It almost looked like the images of the sun I had in my school textbooks. The rest of the courtyard was booths and tables, surrounded by excited buyers.

  I hopped off the horse, my cloak billowing around me like a strange bloody cloud. The thought made me smile, and I was happy no one could see my face. I quickly tied it to a hitching post before looking around. Strangers walked by in somber silence, their hands holding baskets full of merchandise. A few children ran around, weaving in and out of the stalls. I suppressed a grin as one boy falls down.

  I clutched my basket in my delicate, snow white hands and walked over to a near booth. A few trinkets were displayed, including jewellery. My hands rubbed against the cold silver and the icy gold. I picked up a small golden ring with a ovular sapphire in the center, something different than what I usually wore.

  "How much is this?" I inquired, holding up the piece into Niftri's light.

  "Fifteen tokens." he replied, holding out his hand.

  "Fifteen?" I opened the purse and counted out the asked price. "I'll give you thirteen."

  "I'm not a haggler, girl." He held out his hand. "Fifteen or you don't get it."

  "Fine." I gave him the price and received the ring. I slid it onto my ring finger, admiring the way it glinted in the light.

  "Watch out!" A loud call jerked me back into reality. I looked up and screamed as a boy ran towards me. He bumped into my arm, throwing us both onto the ground. I landed on my arm and winced as it twisted strangely behind my back.

  "Look where you're going!" I snapped, sitting up. He lay on his side and began to chuckle. A small trickle of blood ran from a cut in his hand. He looked at it, and his laughter grew bigger. I sighed and stood up unsteadily, my heart pounding from the fall. A small crowd had gathered around us, and I became self conscious.

  "Excuse me." I walked through the crowd. My horse was still standing in the same spot, though he was tugging on the taut rope. I jumped onto his back and slapped his rump. He started a slow trot, his breath visible in the frosty air. I left the market and rode aimlessly, turning at random points in the road.

  A horse running up behind me makes me pause. I looked behind my shoulder and saw the same boy riding up on a black mare. It's nostrils were flared, and its sides were heaving. It apparently ran as fast as it could to catch up to me.

  "Hey, wait up!" The boy called, waving his hand. I sighed and pulled my horse to a stop.

  "Whaddaya want?" I asked.

  "I wanted to talk with you." He said, jumping from his horse and taking it by its reins. "Want to walk with me?"

  "Walk?" I arched my eyebrows. "Why?"

  "I don't know, you're interesting."

  Interesting... That was a word I'd never been called before. I was usually referred to as beautiful, kind, gentle and ladylike, but never interesting. This boy was the first person who'd ever taken real interest in my true self.

  "Well, first I want your name." I said.

  "Jed. Yours?"

  "Silver." I pulled the hood from my head, showing my face. He seemed startled, and took a step back.

  "Princess Silver." He bowed in respect. "I beg your pardon, I didn't know it was you."

  "That was the whole point." I giggled. "I came out for a day to live normally for a few hours. I don't want to be known right now, so if you don't mind." I covered my face again.

  "No, of course not." He patted his horse on its nose. "I guess you don't want to walk with someone like me."

  "No, it's nice to be able to talk to a normal person. I'd love to walk, if you're not to nervous in the presence of royalty."

  "Okay." He held out his hand. I jumped down, grabbing his arm for support. We walked in silence, the horses softly nickering to one another behind us.

  I looked in awe at the city. Close up it was even more beautiful than what I saw from my window. We were in the rich part, and the houses were awesome. They weren't even houses, they were more mansions.

  Three to four story houses sat on either side. They were made of pure white stone, the snow on top reflecting the light from Niftri and creating a blinding glare. More flocks of the white birds perched on the chiseled statues that sat on the corners of the roof. The doorways were put back a bit in the stone, leaving a small entry space in front. Around the sides of the door were carving in the stone, either for decoration or the vague history of the family inside. Some went all the way around, and were starting again, or were only halfway. I looked at a few and saw pictures of the spaceship pods that carried the people here, or the strange buildings of the old earth.

  "It's never looked so pretty." I murmured.

  "What do you mean?" Jed stopped and looked at me.

  "From the castle, all I see is a blur of white houses. Down here it's all so clear and beautiful."

  "You've never been out here?" He sat on a bench by the side of the road.

  "Not since I was a girl." I explained. "I lived out here, but when my parents died i moved to the castle. It was all so long ago that I've forgotten what it was like."

  "Oh, I'm sorry."

  "Yeah, me too." Silence enveloped us again, and I looked towards the castle. It loomed in the oncoming storm; dark and strong. The risen ground it was on almost made it look like a whole different place. Like it was divided from the city by a wall. The image of a snow globe popped into my head, as the snow hadn't yet reached the city but was surrounding the castle.

  "Looks like you might get stuck out here tonight." Jed said, following my gaze.

  "I'll have to make it back." I stood up. "I should probably go."

  "Wait," Jad grabbed my hand. "The storm is bad. Come to my house."

  "Your house?" I raised my eyebrows.

  "Yeah, my mom loves company, and wouldn't mind having you come, especially since your Silver." He laughed, a sharp barking laugh that made me feel uncomfortable.

  "Umm, sure." I followed him deeper into the city. The snow was picking up, and I pulled my cloak tighter around my body.

  We hurried through the storm. I held onto his hand as we ran across slippery patches of ice, the wind blowing us sideways.

  "Are we almost there?" I shouted to be heard over the wind.

  "Yeah!" He placed his hand on my back and guided me onto another street. "Just a little ways."

  "Okay." The impenetrable darkness swallowed him up, and his hand disappeared. "Jed!" I stumbled around in the darkness, calling his name. The light from Niftri was completely gone, and I was left alone.

  My foot caught on a rock and I fell down, my head smacking the road. I had time to cry out in pain before everything vanished.