19. Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Meria

S o many things seemed to be happening all at once. One moment, I was on the beach, waving at the ship in the distance, calling for Dominick to come over; then, there was a small boat coming at me from the ship.

“They are coming. Are you ready with our story?” Dominick asked.

I turned to him, his hair blowing in the sea breeze, covering one eye. “Um, what do you mean?” I asked.

He turned toward me, away from the small boat. “You are my maiden. I need to make sure they know that, so no harm comes to you.”

“Alright, like we are betrothed?”

Dominick choked.

“Not necessarily.” He squeezed and unsqueezed his fists. I looked at the black veins there. Although I wondered about his curse, and how it worked, those veins added something to him that I liked. Maybe that was strange, but they fit him. Even though they were probably the painful result of his curse.

“I need to get gloves as soon as possible,” he whispered, not to me, but into the wind. The small boat rocked over a larger wave, and in only a few moments, we would be able to see their faces.

“Do not forget what I told you. I am a pirate. I may do things that startle you, but they are for our own good.”

I looked at him, his once kind expression, although hard at times, was gone–and a smirking, pained one was left in its place.

“I am not afraid of you, Dominick.”

“I am afraid that you will be.”

“Hello, there!” one of the men called from the boat. I looked into the waves and the small, rocking, wooden boat. There were only three men inside. “We are coming onto the island,” a young man, younger than myself or Dominick, said from the front of the boat. His eyes were wild with excitement, a beautiful dark blue, and his hair was dark brown and falling into his eyes a bit. He wore very fine clothing, too. He had a very dark blue jacket with gold trim and details. It looked like the sunshine was sewn right into the fabric. There was a small crest on the side of the little boat, that of an anchor and a shark swimming behind it.

“Walden,” Domnick grunted from beside me.

The other man on the boat was closer in age to Dominick and I with very deeply tanned skin, black hair, and a rather striking face. He was handsome, not as handsome as Dominick, but attractive in his own way. His hair whipped in the wind, and when he turned to the side, it seemed he had pulled back some of it. He wore very weathered clothes, similar to Dominick’s: a shirt, brown vest, pants, and coat. He stood and waved.

“Of course, he really did make it out alive,” Dominick said beside me with a chuckle.

“Do you know that man?”

“Sands. I was right; that’s who this Walden ship rescued. He was a pirate with me on the Crimson Blade.”

“Fancy meeting you here, mate!” The man named Sands called as he jumped from the small boat to help tug it ashore.

“Yes, it seems the winds are blowing in my favor,” Dominick grunted, but he was smirking, and his eyes seemed happy to see a familiar face.

“And what do you have here?” Sands asked, moving from the boat and bowing down with an outstretched arm. “I am Sands, who might your lovely maiden be? And–why are you with Nick ?”

I turned to Dominick, but he was looking at me with questioning eyes. I moved even closer to him, unsure of what to say.

“Not a talker?” Sands asked.

“That’s alright. I am sure that both of them have been through a great deal. We are traveling to the Misted Seas. You have safe passage with us if you desire it. It seems we do not need a magical sea creature after all to find hidden things out here,” the man in the fancy blue coat said while walking up to us.

Dominick, Sands, and I all turned to look at him.

“Hello,” I said, and although we were not touching, I could sense Dominick going rigid.

“I am Prince Peter of Walden. What are your names?”

I turned to look at Dominick who was glaring at Prince Peter of Walden.

Is this—his brother? I placed a hand on his arm.

“I am Meria,” I said simply.

“Nice to meet you, and you are?” Prince Peter turned to Dominick.

“Nick.”

“Nice to meet you, Nick. Do you and Sands know each other? You are, also, a fisherman who lost his way?”

“Yes, Sands and I often fished together,” Dominick said, looking at Sands, who was nodding his head, smiling at Prince Peter.

“Well, glad to have you reunited. I found him floating in the sea over a week ago. He is a fighter, and it seems you two are fighters as well.” Peter looked at me, up and down, possibly taking in my clothes.

My lack of clothing, when I first met Dominick, had startled him. Perhaps, wearing nothing other than Dominick’s shirt was startling, for the Prince’s eyes widened at me, then quickly turned away.

“I am a survivor, it’s true,” Sands said with a smirk,

“Are you the captain of this ship?” Dominick asked Prince Peter.

“No, but I am in charge of our mission.”

“To the Misted Seas?” Dominick asked.

“Yes, and you are all welcome to join us. We are on a rescue mission of sorts.”

“Yes, the Walden Prince is looking for his lady love who was stolen by pixies,” Sands said with a smile.

“Not my ‘lady love,’ but, yes, my dearest friend was stolen by pixies, and I am searching for her. Everyone knows that pixies live beyond the Misted Seas,” Prince Peter said in correction.

“Indeed,” Sands said, nodding at the Prince.

“This is Captain William. It is his first time commanding a ship, but he does a fair job of it,” Prince Peter said when the third man left the small boat and walked over to where we conversed. He had a similar blue coat, while not as fine, and a rather large black hat. I wondered if all captains wore such hats.

What will it be like on a ship? I wondered. Will I like it better than the island? Will I hate it? Will I be able to go into the ocean and swim? There was no way I could go without the sea. As I was thinking those things over, there was a glint in my peripheral vision near Sands and Dominick. I turned to them and saw Dominick holding something in his hand, but I did not see what, as his hand was behind him.

“What an honor, Captain, that you would come personally for this rescue,” Dominick said.

“Sands made a good point, that there might be fruit here. I am a lover of all fruit. We have all kinds of dried fruit on the ship. I feel as if even while sailing, why go without the finer things in life?” the captain said.

“Yes, he has many different fruits,” Prince Peter said. “I am sure you are both going to enjoy the variety,” he added with a smile. I nodded, and then in a split second, everything changed.

Prince Peter was on the ground, Sands standing over him with a dagger, and Dominick was standing over the captain with a longer blade at his throat.

“Now, listen here and listen well, we are taking over your ship,” Dominick growled.

“Over my dead body you are!” Prince Peter called. “I mean, over William’s dead body–as it is his command–William?” Peter questioned.

“Ah–right! Yes, over my dead body will you take command of my vessel–and my fruit!” He shifted stiffly under Dominick’s knife as if trying to see Prince Peter. “I dare say, Peter, if they are left to care for things, it will all be spoiled.”

“Not now. Stop it about your fruit, Will! There are knives at our throats.”

“Yes, indeed. Well–what the Prince said,” the captain finished.

“Over our dead bodies!” Prince Peter said again. Sands bent down lower and moved his blade to the side of Prince Peter's face.

“That could be arranged, Prince,” Sands chuckled.

“I saved you!” Prince Peter shouted.

“Yes, you did, and I thank you for that. Thank you, also for this ; we are in desperate need of a ship,” Sands said with a smile.

“You are pirates, aren’t you?” Peter gasped.

“Aye,” Sands answered with a grin.

I was standing there with no idea what to do. Obviously, it was wrong to steal those people's ship, especially when they were trying to help us. But Dominick, he did say he was a pirate, and I did say I was okay with that.

Is this not what pirates do?

What shall I do?

“Meria, grab some rope from the boat for me, will you?” Dominick called. I met his eyes. He looked pleading as if he needed me to trust him.

I do trust him, don't I? He had kept us safe and alive on the island. I guess I listen to Dominick. I nodded and walked over to the small boat and pulled out some rope, walking back up to the men.

“Thank you,” Dominick said to me as I tossed the rope at his feet. As I moved away, he began to address the captain: “You are welcome aboard my ship, or in the depths of the sea; it is your choice.”

“You will pay for this. Walden will see you all hang!” Captain William shouted, but I watched as he wrapped his arms through the rope at Dominick’s direction.

“Meria, can you finish tying this to make sure it is tight,” Dominick asked, still holding his sword to the captain’s neck.

I walked over, trembling. Dominick is kind. This has to be an act. I would play along and feel out how things progressed.

“You do not have to help him–” the captain began, turning to address me fully.

“Do not speak to her!” Dominick shouted, his sword drawing blood from the captain’s neck. “Do not speak to her or even look at her; she is mine,” he bellowed.

My heart swelled.

She is mine.

“Okay, okay!” the captain said.

Once the rope was tied tight, Dominick dropped his sword and motioned for the captain to enter the boat. He walked over to Sands, and together, they helped get Prince Peter tied up and into the boat.

“The crew will never do as you say,” the captain spat.

“You think they will still follow you after you let their ship be taken over by pirates, one of them being The Cruel Hand?” Sands said with a laugh.

“You–you are The Cruel Hand?” Prince Peter gulped, looking from Sands to Dominick.

“Aye, a pleasure. Now, do sit down and shut up. I’d rather not touch anyone if I don’t have to; I have no gloves,” Dominick said and turned to me, and in a different tone, much kinder, asked, “You ready?”

Am I ready? I wondered.

“Domi–”

He looked at me; he did not want me to call him that.

“ Nick , are you sure this is the best idea?”

“All will be well, Meria. As long as they do as I say, they will not be permanently damaged,” he shrugged.

“Only their minds,” Sands said with a laugh and climbed into the boat.

Dominick gave me a sweet smile and helped me into the rocking boat, not letting his skin touch mine. It was a small boat, but we all fit, and soon, we were heading to the large ship.

I had no idea what was going to happen aboard–no idea if we would be killed the moment we stepped onto the deck because we had captured their captain and prince.

“Do not worry, Meria. Nothing will happen to you, I promise,” Dominick said as I sat and shivered, but not at all from the cool sea breeze and salty spray.

“Thank you,” was all I could say because Dominick and I had a deal. I would help him cross those waters and find his sister; then he would help me travel to Walden and find my mother. I paused, looking at Dominick, then Prince Peter.

Peter was his brother. Dominick had to realize that. “Is he?”

He nodded.

Perhaps, if things don't work out with Dominick, I can help Prince Peter and have him help me find my mother in Walden.

While I did not wish to betray Dominick, I did not know fully what pirates did. That first act as a pirate was not promising.

I had two options there–two ways to go about it, and I was not sure what I would do. I wanted to be on Dominick’s side, but what if Dominick, the human I had come to care for, was on the wrong side?

May the Ancients help me.

I could not help but feel like who he was on the island was more who he was meant to be–and that pirate persona, The Cruel Hand, was not who he really was. He’d held my hand just that morning, and there was nothing cruel about it. Was it possible that his pirate side was what he was forced to be, not who he wanted to be?

I had been obedient in order to survive, living under my father’s rule. Had Dominick lived as a pirate to survive, too? Was it possible we were more alike than I ever would have believed? Dominick was good, I just knew it, even if he did questionable things. I needed to learn more.

Perhaps, I could inform Peter that Dominick was his brother if things got bad. What would he say to that?

I wished Finn was there. What would he do?

I would do nothing until I was sure.