𝚇𝚅𝙸𝙸
(Name's POV)
As I open my eyes, I am greeted by darkness, heavy breathing, and someone's tight grip on my right hand. I blink my eyes, my vision beginning to adjust to my dark surroundings, and I realize I am in some sort of castle. My right shoulder is firmly pressed against the back of, what I assume to be, a couch, wrapped in a very luxury looking fabric. I can't tell exactly what I'm dealing with here, but the sounds of swords clanging and men screaming somewhere nearby tells me that something is terribly wrong. I follow the hand grasping mine to a boy who seems to be around my age. He peeks his head up to look around before he says, "It appears to be safe now, Princess. Come with me."
"What's going on?" My voice shakes in fear.
He stands and extends his hand to me with a reassuring smile. "You needn't worry about that. Let us get you to safety." I hesitantly reach for his hand and he pulls me to my feet, and although his face is somewhat blurred, I can clearly make out the color of his eyes.
His right eye is a bright, emerald green, and his left eye a soft, pale blue.
I've never seen such beautiful eyes before in my life.
He brings me to the far doorway and checks the next room before making a run for it, pulling me behind him. "Follow me, quickly!"
"O-Ok!" I run as fast as my feet can carry me, but it seems like it's still not fast enough to keep up with him. I trip and go crashing to the ground, my hand slipping from the boy's grasp. He abruptly turns around and comes back for me, a worried look on his face.
"Are you alright?!" He whispers, crouching beside me as he helps me up. I can't say a word through the quivering of my lips and just stare at the floor. He places a hand on my cheek and raises my gaze to meet his. "Hey, it's ok. Don't worry. I'll figure out another way to get you out of here." His smile was genuine and comforting— but I could tell he was trying to put on a brave face for me.
The kid was just as terrified as I was.
His eyes scan our surroundings before his eyes open wide. "Can you walk?" I nod, and he helps me to my feet and slowly leads me to the wall. I stare at it, trying to find its significance as he brushes his hand along the wallpaper before resting it on a small crevice. His eyes light up and he pushes his fingers into the crack, pulling open a hidden door. He hoists me up into the opening and as I look around, confused as to what the contraption is, he smiles as he begins wrapping a rope around his hand. "It's a dumbwaiter. I can lower you down into the kitchen. There should be some servants down there who can lead you safely out of the castle."
I grasp his sleeve, "What about you?"
"Don't worry," he reassures me. "I'll be right behind you." I nod, slowly releasing his shirt and he nods his head. Just as he gets ready to lower me down, we hear dozens of footsteps, and a man's voice barking orders.
"Search every room— we have yet to find the Prince. No member of the Royal Family is leaving here alive today!" Cheers erupt out in the hallway, and the men begin closing in on us.
The boy turns to look at me with a frightened look, whipping his head back and forth between me and the corridor. He unwraps the rope from his hand and hands it to me. "Hold this tightly. You will have to lower yourself down."
"B-But-"
"I'm going to lead them away. Don't move until things are quiet— the dumbwaiter is old and noisy."
"Don't leave me alone," I sniffle.
His eyebrows crease and he bites his lip, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. "You will be ok. I know you are afraid, but you are strong, (Name)."
I raise my eyes to meet his: the way he says my name is so comforting. So familiar.
"I promise, they won't find you. Don't move until they leave."
I nod. "Ok."
With a look of determination in his eye, he reaches up and pulls the door to the dumbwaiter down, hiding me in the wall. I sit there, frozen in the spot as I hear the boy mumble to himself beyond the wall. His hurried footsteps begin to make their way out of the room just as the men reach the corridor. "There's someone here!" One of them yells, and the men all come charging in. My heart is pounding a mile a minute as I hear the boy scream, fighting back against the men as the laugh and taunt him. I lay on my side and push up on the door just enough for me to peek through, and I see the boy on the floor, his face already bruised.
The biggest man, seemingly the leader, picks the boy up by his collar, raising him to be eye level with him. "Who are you, boy?" I can hear the boy answer, but I can't make out his response.
"Not the Prince," one man to his right says, disappointed. "He's not even a Royal."
"He's still nobility!" Another man growls as he uses his sword to swipe a painting from the wall. "We can't just let him go."
The leader turns his attention back to the boy, his tone a weird mixture of apologetic and sarcastic, "My friend, here, is right, young one. We can't just let you go."
"I-I won't say a word!" The boy pleads for his life. "I will forget everything I saw here today, I swear it!"
"I've no doubt about that," he chuckles darkly, pulling a small knife from his pocket and raising it to the boy's face. His knife suddenly cuts into the air and the boy begins screaming once again, this time, in pain. I watch in horror as the man releases him, and he falls to his knees with his hands covering his left eye, bright red blood oozing down his face. I shut my eyes tight at the sight, and when I open them again...
I'm greeted by the bright blue sky. "Oh, thank God, you're awake." I sit up and turn to the voice and am greeted by Abel's soft smile of relief. The memory of our escape from the Renegado suddenly comes rushing back to me, and without saying a word, I raise my hand and whip it across his face. "Augh!" His body rocks the boat and he desperately paws at the wood to prevent himself from falling out. "What was that for?!"
"You saved me!"
He throws his arms into the air in confused defeat, "And that's a bad thing?!"
"You worked so hard to become a part of the crew, and now you will never be welcomed back!" I yell back at him. "My God," my stomach drops. "Bella. What about Bella?!"
"I l-left her." He, who had been silent up and until now, wraps his arms around my shoulders, pulling me tightly to his chest.
"Abel-"
He squeezes me tighter, cutting me off. It seems the weight of the situation has finally come crashing down on him. "I abandoned my baby sister."
"Why didn't you bring her with us?" I ask quietly, my hand tightly gripping his shirt.
He stays silent for a few moments— the quiet sniffles telling me he's trying to calm himself. He takes a deep breath and mutters, "She never would've survived." The way he said it made it seem as though he I was trying to convince himself that he made the right decision.
I didn't really know what to say, but I knew he needed reassurance. "You did the right thing."
His arms release me, and he wipes his face with a sad smile, "This was all her plan."
"Bella asked you to help me escape?"
"More like demanded," he chuckles fondly as he reaches for the oars of the boat to continue paddling. I stand up and take the two steps to be in front of him. "What?"
"Scoot over. Let me help."
"You sure?"
"Yes." He shrugs, obliging my request and he scoots to the far right side of the boat. I smile proudly and take my seat next to him. Just as he turns his face away, I notice his cheeks are bright red. "Sorry for slapping you."
"O-Oh, no, it's ok," he grunts, pulling his paddle through the water
"Do you know where we're going?"
He nods. "The Siren should be docking in Avis (1) any day now."
"How do you know?"
"Messenger birds."
I roll my eyes, sarcastically, "I don't think anyone on that ship would give up their position."
"No, but there are people who know everything there is to know."
I crease my eyebrows from the familiarity of that saying. Shaking my head to dismiss the thought, I ask, "How long will it take us to get there?"
He looks at me gravely, lowering his voice. "Too long."
We spend days upon days floating around on the open sea, no land in sight. I rest my arm over my face to block the sun, my head on Abel's chest. "I'm sorry I got you into this mess, (Name)," he whispers hoarsely, wrapping a protective arm around me.
I sit up to look at him. "You saved me, Abel. I would most likely be dead right now if you hadn't." I raise my head a little bit further, and audibly gasp as I spot a large range of mountains just off in the distance. "What is that?!"
Abel shoots up, squinting his eyes in the same direction. "That is the range of Grati! (2) We made it!" He grabs the paddles excitedly, pushing them through the water. I sit down next to him, gently taking my paddle from his grasp. He smiles at me, a glint of hope in his eye, and we begin to make our way to the shoreline. After about twenty minutes, land seems so close that we can almost touch it. The second I hear laughter from the town, I stand up, and Abel tilts his head, confused. "What are you doing?"
"I'm tired of paddling." I put my hands on my hips and stretch, then lift my arms in the air to release some pressure in my shoulders.
"How are we going to get to shore, then? We're so close."
"Exactly," I respond, the tone in my voice mischievous. I take one more look at his puzzled expression before jumping into the water.
The ocean has never felt so good.
I kick through the water and swim towards the sky, taking in the freshest breath of fresh air as I break the surface of the water.
"What are you doing?!" Abel shouts from a few feet away. "Get back in the boat!"
"No!" I go back under the water, purposely kicking and splashing him. I hold my breath as he worriedly shout for me.
"(Name)?! Please, Princess!" Just as he reaches his hand in to comb through the water for me, I grasp his hand and sharply pull, causing him to fall overboard. I watch him from above the water, chaotically thrashing to get back to the surface. I grab his hand and hoist him back up so he can grab the side of the boat. He shakes his head and shoots me a subtle glare as he chokes and spits out the salty ocean water.
"You can't swim?" I snicker, floating on my back.
"I-I never needed to learn how!" He says between coughing fits.
"What kind of pirate doesn't know how to swim?" I grasp his free hand and he looks at me fearfully. "Kick, Abel. I've got you."
He takes a deep breath and nods, hesitantly releasing his hand on the boat, kicking his way in my direction. "I-I don't know about this, (Name)," his voice shakes as the top of his chin bobs in and out of the water.
"You are doing great," I laugh, releasing his hand.
"Don't let me go!" His arms go back to the chaotic thrashing as he tries to paw for me, but I push myself out of reach. "(Name)!" I follow him under the water as he starts sinking down, his eyes shut tight. I pat his chest to comfort him as bubbles escaping his lips in a panic, and his green eyes peek open through his floating mop of blonde hair. I motion for him to use his hands and legs to get himself back up. He looks at the sky through the water, and with a look of determination, slowly makes his ascent back up. The second his head breaches the surface, his hand shoots for the boat and he shakes his head, water from his hair flying everywhere. "That was dangerous!" He grumbles.
"It was fun!" I laugh as I swim over to him. He raises a disapproving eyebrow at me, and I reach my hand to his face, moving the blonde bangs away from his eyes. His eyes soften and he turns away, hoisting himself back into the boat before offering a hand to me.
"I don't know if I'm going to survive this mission if your idea of fun is almost drowning me."
We paddle the rest of the way and dock our boat on the shore, walking into town as discreetly as possible to blend in with the townspeople. "I didn't see the Siren in the dockyard," he murmurs as he weaves through the crowd beside me.
I grab his wrist and pull him into a nearby alley. "What do we do?"
He steps aside to stand next to me, back against the wall as he runs a hand through his hair. A warm feeling washes over me as the strands shoot right back towards the sky, reminding me of a certain loudmouth I hadn't seen in years. He reaches into the bag at his right side and pulls out a piece of paper, reading the words etched into it. He sighs before stuffing the paper, messily, back into his bag. "We should stay local until they hit the shore."
With that, we find an inn to rest up in, and Abel reaches into his bag once again, this time, pulling it a map. He rolls it out onto his bed and begins tracing, what I assume to be, ship routes. I watch him, lazily, before something about the style of the map peaks my interest. "Where did you get this?" I ask, moving to sit on his bed with him.
This is one of Matthew's maps!
"A broker," he responds, looking at me with a wry smile. "You know maps?"
"I told you I knew my way around a ship," I nudge my shoulder into his, and he directs my attention to certain section of the map.
"This is where we last saw the Siren," he points to a large area of Ocean far off the coast of Paz. "If they took the wise route," he continues, tracing his finger from there to Avis. "They should've docked here in a little under two weeks."
"They never seemed to be in a rush to get anywhere when I was aboard."
"Really?" He raises an eyebrow.
"They're quite self sufficient," I respond, almost fondly as I reminisce on my time with the crew.
Abel stares at me intently, seemingly scanning for something in my facial expression. "For someone who was pretty much stolen from home, you seem to think highly of them."
I throw my head back into the pillow and stare at the ceiling. "I'll be honest, I don't know why I do." Abel slowly lays back with me, his hair brushing up against the headboard. "I mean, Toby was always very good to me."
"Who's Toby?" He asks, somewhat quickly.
"The Doctor and First Mate," I chuckle. "He always stuck up for me and protected me— Leon, too. He trusted and sided with me against Kirkland, even when his life was threatened because of it."
"You seem to make quite the impression on people you meet." I turn to look at him to find a small smile on his face. "Bella risked everything for you."
A wave of guilt washes over me once again, and I cross my arms in front of my chest. "I am so sorry," I whisper, a lump forming in my throat.
"She wouldn't have done it if she didn't feel like you weren't worth it," he sits up, turning his upper body towards me.
"Even so, it must've been hard for you to watch her do that for someone she barely knew."
"It was, but," he shrugs, each word quieter as they leave his lips. "I'm starting to realize why she did it."
"What was that?"
"Oh, nothing," he laughs, standing up from the bed in a hurry. "I think I'm going to go scout out the town. Would you like to join me?"
"No, I think I'm going to rest for a bit."
"No worries, I won't be long." I nod my head in response and he nods back, walking to the door and closing it behind him.
I stand from the bed and jump into my own, finally taking a chance to relax after a few days on the open water. By the time I open my eyes again, the sun had already set— but Abel has yet to return. I walk to the corner of the room and light the lantern, the light illuminating the bag Abel left on the floor.
I wonder how far we are from Lapis...
I walk over to his bag and dig around for the map before pulling it out, a pile of papers falling onto the floor. "Great," I roll my eyes. I start to pick them up when a few words catch my eye.
Their next stop is in Avis— maybe you will be able to catch them there.
The words were messily etched into the paper, barely legible— and the sender didn't even bother with a signature. "This must've been the letter he was reading earlier." I begin to sort through them to find any other updates on the Siren crew. Most of the notes were information on the Siren's whereabouts, but nothing about the crew, specifically. Strangely, these letters date back to before I was taken from them.
How long has Abel been keeping tabs on us— and why...?
I put the papers into a neat pile and go to put them back in his bag when another bunch of letters peeked out of a side pocket on the inside. After sliding the Siren letters back in, I take those out to read, as well.
Brother,
How are you? How has the village been the last few weeks?
It's been a while since I received a letter from you— I'm just going to assume that life has been busy, and you haven't had time to write.
Bella misses you, dearly, and as do I. I'm sorry we haven't been able to come home yet, I'm doing my best to get us back to you. Thank you for taking care of mother all of this time and being the man of the house while I go and fulfill my duties.
I look forward to your next letter,
Abel
"He never mentioned having a brother." I sift the next few letters, but don't find one addressed to Abel, all of them seem to be written by him to his brother. "Did he just never send them?" As I go to tap the bottom of the papers to neaten them up, the first letters slip from my grasp and falls to the floor, revealing writing on the back side. I pick it up and find it is, indeed, addressed to Abel. "The receiver must have returned the letter with his response on the back."
Abel,
I'm sorry I haven't had time to write, things have been crazy here in the village— in a good way I mean. I have been practicing my swordsmanship, just as I promised. One day, I'll be able to join you on your quest, though I wish you would at least tell me what it is.
My heart begins pounding loudly in my ears as I my eyes continue moving down the page.
I can't wait to hear of your next adventures; have you seen any more giant flower fields since last time? The one here at home seems to feel smaller with each passing day.
Then, my heart stops.
(Name) is doing well, by the way. I've made good progress with her now that her brother and I have gotten closer due to practice. She watches us spar all the time and it makes me nervous... that's probably why Klaus always manages to win.
Anyways, I hope I have a more exciting update for you by the time I receive your next letter. I'm planning on confessing to her the day after her birthday, which is two days from now. She is everything I have ever dreamed of and more— I hope she feels the same.
Until next time,
Luca
Translations:
1. "Bird" in Latin.
2. "Grateful" in Latin.
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