"Ye did what?!" Father yelled at the top of his lungs. "Do ye understand what troubles that could cause, Lass?"

"By God, Cinead," Mother said. "What's wrong with the Prince of England asking her to dance?"

"Damn Dia e Jaclyn!" He swore in Gaelic. "Because of how horrid these people of England are, Coora won't be able to survive one second in that ballroom!"

"Dylan said that he'd tell the guards and the king that I was a friend he met!" I blurted. I covered my mouth since I just spoke of the prince by his first name. Without listenin' to me father's commands of returning, I ran out of his quarters and into me room. 

I slammed me door shut and locked it. I sat at me desk and looked out the window. It showed the evenin' sun fallin' into the horizon line and about to allow the moon and stars to take its position. I wish England- no, the world- would treat us Scots equally. France is in an alliance with us, but even they think of us as "informal".

I then opened me window and stood on the ledge. I took a deep breath before divin' into the salty cold. Openin' me eyes, I saw how golden everythin' was. The fish of yellows, reds, blacks, and whites swam around me like some sort of storm, and it made me smile.

The water was always me friend. No matter the place I was at, I knew that if I listened closely enough, I could speak to it and its creatures. The water won't judge you either. Sure, it made me seasick, but it was always there for me. Even now.

I then rose to the surface for air as the sound of seagulls filled the skies. I pulled me hair back, and I heard someone scream with joy while a wave of water splashed me. I coughed to get the salty taste out of me mouth, and when I opened me eyes, a girl with black hair, dark brown eyes, tan skin, and a commoner's outfit emerged from below.

"You swim at this time?" she asked me in a British accent. "Interesting."

"Aye," I replied. "And what about ye? Shouldn't ye be inside or somethin'?"

"A Scot? Are you a pirate?"

I growled at her. She was already startin' to get on me nerves, and we just met. Then again, she was an English; all the English angered me.

"And what if I am?"

"EEEEEKKK!!" she squealed. "Could you please teach me how to be a pirate?!"

Me eyes widened. She wanted to become a pirate? Who in the world of humanity would want to be a pirate? The freedom of one comes with the consequence of being a top criminal on the wanted list.

"Why would ye want that?" I blurted.

"Because being in England is boring! My father is going to marry me off like some toy, my brother Jack will always be a bastard that's not legitimized, and my other brother Dylan is-"

"Wait!" I interrupted. "Ye are Princess Atza?"

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL ME A PRINCESS! I hate that title!"

"A'ight!" I agreed. "But can ye at least give me an actual reason for why ye want to be a pirate? It's more dangerous than ye think."

"It's boring being princess, I hate staying in the castle, and being a pirate suits my personality. I refuse to wear a dress on a daily basis. Even Dylan thinks that our clothing is too uncomfortable to wear everyday."

"W-w-well..." I thought for a second. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Really?" Atza said all cheerful.

"If ye promise to meet me by the docks with some combat uniform or somethin', to keep from lookin' suspicious, then I might be able to teach ye. Don't count me on it though. I have to be at the ball tomorrow night, too."

"Ooohh!" she teased. "Did me brother ask ye out?"

"W-w-what? Why would ye say that?"

"He and I agree that Scots have been treated like trash since the war ended. If he wanted to invite a Scot to the palace, why not? Plus..." Her eyes scanned me face like a painting. "Ye do seem like his type."

"W-w-what?!" I felt me face turn bright red.  A prince liking me? A pirate? 

"It's not impossible," Atza continued. "Anyways, do we have a deal or not?"

"Hmm? A-aye! Remember, if I can't see ye, then no can do."

Atza then splashed me with water and swam to the shoreline. She ran as fast as her legs could go, and I watched the sunset in that remainder of time. Just in time to look at more constellations. Coora, what have ye done this time to yourself?