Jackie's POV

The captain and I slowly walked up to the castle. I must say, it looked less frightening as an adult four years later. The last time I set foot on this staircase, it was to run out for my own safety. In fact, she was the one getting me out of jail. I was waiting for my execution after my parents had been killed. She and the captain managed to find out about it (I was shocked by how quickly they got news while on the sea), and after realizing that I was one of the Collins', the duo managed a heroic feat of a rescue mission.

And here I am with a pirate crew that is so tightly connected by an engraving on our weapons...

"Jackie, dear?" The captain said. "Are you alright? Are those heels hurting your feet already?"

I shook my head to get out of my thoughts. I was suppose to pose as the captain's daughter. The story goes like this: my father has a reputation of being a famous merchant that knows the ins and outs of Africa, and I was his little helper when I learned to read at age five. I ended up learning about the maps of the world on my own without his permission, but he ended up laughing it off and let me come along with him on his journeys.

I glared at the captain for making such a remark. "Oh hush you," I said in my feminine voice that reminded me of her's. "Just because I haven't worn heels in a while doesn't mean that I instantly feel sore. Besides-" I nudged him slightly as I picked up my skirts to get up the steps better. "I'm not the little lad- lass I use to be."

He glanced up, noticing my fault but gave me a smirk. "I know." He turned his head completely to look at me. "And you've grown into one of the best sailors I know."

Those words hit my heart. I know it was silly to think that he actually meant it and it wasn't just for act, but... it really seemed like he was being sincere about it.

Anyways, I walked into the ballroom, parting ways from the captain after going through the plan once more, and the room gave off an arrogant vibe. The idea of me dressing as a woman and actually attempting to seduce the prince was still laughable. Many of the crew members did say that I made a convincing lady, but I will have to see how my rusty skills do in front of a crowd. After all, I had to get close to the prince.

Now that I think of it, where is he?

"Good evening, madam," a low voice said behind me.

I turned my head, making sure my head wear didn't move, and my eyes lied on a young man bowing to me. He had blue eyes and brown hair. His skin was the same color as the prince's, but he seemed a bit more mature and tall. This must be the bastard son of the king: Jack.

A little funny how Jackie meets Jack first...

"Good evening, Sir," I replied in my female, Irish voice and doing a curtsy.

"I understand that the prince and king haven't made an appearance, but I couldn't help but notice you here alone." He put his hand out. "Would you like to dance?"

So the king hasn't appeared yet. I looked at the dance floor, and I noticed quite a few people already dancing. I had to get to the prince, but perhaps getting to his brother would better my chances of meeting him. After all, they were quite close.

I smiled at him, looking slightly down as if from shyness, and I put my hand in his. I still cannot believe that my disguise is working. I've known Royalty to being quite observant, but it seems that my looks are too deceiving even for their eyes. I guess this bodice and other accessories accentuate my feminine features.

When we reached the dance floor, Jack put his hand on my waist and his other still held mine. We danced to the elegant music for a short while before he began speaking.

"You know, I've never seen you around until now," he said. "Mind if I ask your name?"

"Oh," I said, keeping up my coy persona. "My name is Jaclyn. I come from Ireland."

"So your accent does tell," he smiled. "Are you here to visit?"

"Yes," I replied with a sweet smile. "My father and I are visiting some cousins that live here, and when they told us of the ball, I couldn't resist."

"The balls within the castle are quite marvelous," he said. "But they seem a bit boring sometimes."

"Really? Why so?"

Jack sighed. "I'm not use to staying in one place. I like traveling around the world and enjoying the scenery." He then did something I wasn't expecting. "Liom a phiocadh suas a trick beag anseo agus ansiúd chomh maith." I have a few tricks that I picked up along the way.

He spoke in Irish.

"Oh my," I said, actually a bit shocked. "I didn't know you could speak other languages."

"It's a small thing about having the Royal freedom," he said while winking at me.

I did a fake smile as the trumpets began to sound. I looked towards the thrones at the high table, and I saw the king, princess, and prince appear. However, I noticed that the king had a cane and a limp in his step. Seemed that a mark had been left by the most feared pirate.

"Today represents the 18 day of birth of my son," the king said in his usual gruff voice. "So we bring you all together in order to give our thanks." He grabbed a glass of champagne from a waiter offering it to him and raised it. "To prince Dylan of England!"

"To the Prince," those who had glasses said, raising theirs with him.

"You said you had Royal freedom," I said to Jack. "What do you mean by that?"

He smiled while putting his arm out. "I'll tell you once I introduce you to my siblings."

I put my hand in the crook of his elbow as I gracefully walked over to the Royal siblings. I took a deep breath in as I stopped in front of them. The king gave Jack a look before bowing to me.

"Father," he said. "Meet Lady Jaclyn."

"Good evening, my Lady," he said.

"Good evening, Your Highness," I said, giving a curtsey. 

Atza did the same while Dylan gave me a bow, glancing a bit at his brother.

"My lady," the king said. "May I ask where you come from?"

"I come from Ireland," I replied, trying to keep my shy and graceful form. "I am merely visiting some cousins."

"I see," he said, giving a small smile.

"Brother," Atza said, looking to Jack. "Would you mind if I get to know this young lady?"

"Not at all," he said. "Just be kind to her."

"I will." She smiled to me sweetly.

She still had that same playfulness.

So I was taken to the side to speak with the princess. I must admit that she was quite a pleasure to speak to. Her stories of this lass were as accurate as ever. And her beauty was also breathtaking.

"I've always wanted to join Jack on the sea," she told me. "It's so boring here. I don't exactly wish to be married off either."

"I understand," I said, genuinely smiling at her. "Ireland isn't exactly full of exciting things, so my father always tries to take me to the countries he visits."

"Ooohh. What places have you visited?"

"Spain, Netherlands, France, and even Italy."

"By God, you've been to quite a bit of places."

"It's what my father does. He sails around the entire country of Europe for trade."

"How did you tag along?"

"After learning how to read, I secretly learned how to read his maps."

She laughed. "Oh, my fellow woman is a strong one. Is your father at the ball now?"

"He is..." I looked around for the captain. "But I don't-"

I then saw him talking to the king. I saw our ally, Jorge- or George as the Royals call him- introducing the captain to the king. I took a deep breath in and out, a bit nervous for what the king would think of my "father." Well, he is my uncle, but I've stopped calling him that after I became his first mate. It made me seem weak.

However, my nerves went down after the king smiled and laughed with him.

"Your father seems close to George," Atza said. "Is he a famous merchant or traveler?"

"Yes," I replied. "Though, I don't know too much on his craft."

"I'd like to speak to him myself," she said, locking arms with me. "Shall we?" I smiled and waved ahead. "You know," she then said. "You seem to have more to you than just a shy front. Maybe we could chat some more later?"

I forced myself to smile as I felt a bit self-conscious. Atza definitely has that Royal observance.

We walked together towards my father just as the king and he were finishing a conversation.

"Father," Atza said. "You never told me that Lady Jaclyn was the daughter of a famous merchant!"

"Atza," The prince and Jack said in a bit of a warning voice.

"Sorry," she said. "But I just spoke to Lady Jaclyn about the places she has visited in the past. She's been to all the places within the alliance and a couple other countries as well. She's a very adventurous woman outside of her shy form."

"I've heard," the king said. "Mr. Ó Murchadha has told me all about his craft and how Lady Jaclyn come along for his journeys. And also-" He smiled at me. "You are one sneaky child going through your father's maps."

"Oh, well, I couldn't resist," I said, looking down.

"She's one of the best sailors I've ever seen, Your Highness," Captain said in an Irish accent. Again with those words... "And, please call me Mr. Murphy. I go by that name in England."

That use to be his mother's maiden name.

"Ah, I see." He looked over to me, but in a different way. "I'll be sure to remember that."

I glanced over to the Royal siblings, and I noticed Dylan's eyes searching me back and forth. I looked down, acting as if I were embarrassed by such, but in reality, I knew that he was interested in me. I knew that shy yet adventurous women were his liking. After all, that feared pirate was one of them.

"Mr. Murphy," I then heard him say. "Would you be so kind as to allow me to dance with your daughter?"

"Why not?" he replied, smiling behind his beard and mustache. "Jaclyn?"

"I accept the offer," I said, feeling success within my words.

Dylan offered his arm to me, and I put my hand within his elbow. We went down the steps as the music began to play. Many folks looked at us, specifically me, possibly wondering who was dancing with the heir to the throne. I ignored them as Dylan put his hands on my waist and in my other hand.

The dance of death had begun.

Dylan's POV

I must admit that Lady Jaclyn was quite a pleasure. She was shy, but it did seem that she had a bit of something else hiding within her. It was interesting how she caught Atza's attention. Nobody does that unless she found them quite interesting. If she liked Jaclyn, then maybe I'll get to know her as well. But I should be careful in case she is linked to Piracy.

"My sister has obviously spoken to you about travel," I said. "Mind if I ask how your experiences were?"

"Oh," she said. "They're rather short seeing how my father only goes for a few days."

"So you join him whenever he gets a chance to bring you along?"

"He's always brought me along. Ever since I was a young girl, he's always wanted me to know the world before I get married. Besides, with my knowledge of the world, he wanted me to see the world that wasn't on paper." She looked to me. "I keep telling him that I understand his want to me to see independence before I go under the dependence of a man, and I greatly appreciate it."

Hmm. Seems that Lady Jaclyn isn't very fond of marriage. No wonder Atza liked her.

"An interesting way to think of marriage," I said, amusement within my smile. "You don't suppose that I could use that for my own father, do you?"

"Alright," she smiled. "But don't tell my father that I gave you that idea. He'd never bring me along anywhere if he knew that the prince didn't want to get married because of a description I gave of marriage."

I chuckled. "Don't worry. I'll speak to him in private."

She let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

I then whispered in her ear. "Mind if I ask a few questions?"

"Go on," She said as I spun her around.

"For a woman that goes on such adventures, I'd expect you to be more social."

"Oh, trust me. If I had my cousin here, I would be a chatterbox."

"So you show your true colors to those you feel comfortable around?" I asked, a smirk appearing on my face.

"It seems so."

"Well, then I'd just have to get to know you to see who you really are."

We continued to dance until the song was over. But instead of going back to the king and her father, I took her hand and spoke.

"May I?"

"Where are we going?" She asked, a bit confused.

"To one of my favorite places in this castle."

I looked over to her father. He caught my sight and nodded with a small smile, allowing his daughter to go somewhere with me. I saw this and nodded my head to him before leading Jaclyn out of the ballroom.

We went through the corridors and hallways until we reached the castle courtyard. A few couples were there, as well as some waiters, but it was still enough people to be witnesses if I were hurt.

Can't take any chances.

I then began getting some memories of when I was last here. The beautiful sea underneath the gorgeous stars was my favorite part.

Which is what I wanted to show Jaclyn.

"Wow..." She said, walking towards the edge of the area. "You just made me love the sea much more! It is like a world of fantasy."

"It's my favorite thing about nighttime," I said, leaning against the railing next to her. "I had a friend that showed me something special that happened the night I met her at a ball."

She looked to me. "What might that be?"

"It was a meteor shower. There were streaks of lights everywhere in the sky. It was as if angels had been flying over our heads."

I looked over to Jaclyn and saw that her face was full of shock. It was as if I reminded her of something bad, and I then felt a bit upset about mentioning the shower. Maybe she had a strange past with that?

I then cleared my throat. "So, when you aren't traveling to the grand parts of Europe, what do you do?"

"Uhh... Just a few small things," Jaclyn said, looking out to the ocean as her head wear swayed with the wind. "I read all sorts of books on the stars and the constellations. Every time Father and I go sailing, I always point out the constellations that help him navigate."

"Seems to me that you could become quite an expert on sailing," I said, remembering that she knew about her father's work. "Maybe I could get some tricks?"

"Do you not know how to sail?" She asked, stifling a smile.

"I know a bit, but my brother Jack knows more than me."

"I could tell since he started speaking in my tongue."

Just then, a waiter came up to ask if we wanted champagne. He seemed a bit off balance, but Jaclyn and I both took our glasses. I'm guessing that he was a new servant. I raised my glass to Jaclyn to cheers with her.

"Cheers," I said.

"Cheers to what?" She asked.

"For meeting someone that I enjoy speaking to," I joked.

"I'll cheers to that," she laughed as we clinked glasses.

As I drank the champagne, something seemed a bit off about it. I felt a little off after taking a few sips, but it was probably because I wasn't use to drinking alcohol yet. I then set my drink down, feeling a bit woozy after drinking the champagne.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Jaclyn asked, taking my arm as I caught myself on the railing.

"Yes," I said. "I think I need to sit down."

"Should I take you inside?"

My thoughts were all over the place. I suddenly forgot where I was, why I was so cautious today... I just forgot.

"No," I said. "I think the fresh air will help me."

I led her to another part of the courtyard. We went down a couple of stairs until we reached the beach below us. There was a bench by the shores that I use to sit on when I felt stressed. I leaned back on the bench as Jaclyn sat next to me.

My vision was becoming slightly blurred, and the world seemed to sound as if I were underwater. I could hear Jaclyn's muffled voice as I began to black out.

*********************************

"Are you sure he didn't give him too much?" A muffled voice said as I slowly woke up.

"I'm sure," a deep, British voice spoke. "He'll open his eyes in three... Two... One."

As if on cue, I slowly blinked my eyes open to me being on a wooden floor in a darkened, mucky room. In front of me were two pairs of boots. One being simple leather boots, and the other had a Royal seal on them. They kind of looked like... A butler's boots.

I opened my eyes completely as the two men came into full view.

"I told you he'd wake up," the man with the simple boots said. "You've just gotten yourself paranoid by everything."

"I should be paranoid!" George said as I looked up to see his round face full of anger. "I am the king's butler, Jackie! I am the first one that he will ask, aside from Prince Dylan's siblings, of his whereabouts."

"Then just say that you haven't seen him since I- Lady Jaclyn- took him to you and you took him to his bed chambers."

"Then I will seem suspicious! What do I do then?"

"Then say that he closed the door and didn't ask to be bothered. You are suppose to be that jolly and innocent butler."

Jaclyn? What?

I looked up at the man that spoke about Lady Jaclyn. He had blue eyes and black, curly hair that barely went past the base of his neck. He wore a Noble's sailing jacket along with a sailor's shirt and trousers. He wore a navy blue bandanna over his mouth and nose. But when I took another look at his face, I noticed something. His skin that was showing out of his bandanna looked quite smooth. I then felt something dawn upon me.

Oh God, don't tell me that Lady Jaclyn was actually a man dressed as a woman.

If that were the case, then how did this man look so much like a woman? It would be easy seeing as his skin seemed smooth, and he even had a hint of a lady's grace as well. It made me a bit sick to my stomach.

"Aye!" The man said, nudging me with his foot. "Sit up, Lad. No time to lie on this nasty floor all day."

I did as I was told, still bewildered by my thoughts.

"What do you want me to do?" George asked the man.

The man smiled at me as I was lying on the ground. "Follow me. I want to give you something before we set sail." He then spoke something in Spanish that I didn't understand.

The man kicked me in my stomach, making me topple over. I was still too weak from whatever happened to me at the castle, so I couldn't do much to save myself. He then grabbed my arms, tying them with a rope, and lifting me up with barely any struggle.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"Shut it," he said. "No one is going to harm you too badly on the ship."

By God, what was that suppose to mean? I doubt they'll let me live.

And I doubt I'll be able to return home.

A/N: And our Prince Charming became kidnapped! GREEEEAAAAATTTTTT! It actually is great because the story is progressing into something really awesome. What is that awesomeness? You'll see! Be patient! PEACE!