The Starboard Side

Chapter 1: Trapped

Nadia sat at a vintage, gold-finished desk in her bedroom, fiddling with a small hand mirror. Staring back at her, she saw a woman with dark hazel eyes and long, dark brown hair tied in a bun behind her head. She had acorn colored skin and beautifully defined features. On other days, she might have considered herself pretty, but the expression on her face made it evident that she was not content.

Nadia was a noblewoman in an English town called Longdale. Around three years ago, when she was merely nineteen years old, her parents had arranged a marriage for her, and despite all of her attempts to convince them not to make her do this, she was wed to a man nearly fifteen years older than she was. So, that summer, she moved into his mansion house near the sea and was destined to remain there for the rest of her life. It all happened that quickly.

Nadia couldn't say that her new "husband" was a bad one. He wasn't abusive or troubled, but he was a man who was never at home. He was a Commodore, and he was always off hunting down the pirates sailing the seas. Even when he was home, he barely even acknowledged that Nadia was even there. Sometimes, she wondered if he even knew she was there. All in all, she felt more like a prisoner than a noblewoman.

One thing that she despised was that she was never allowed to leave the mansion. The servants were the ones who went to market, and Commodore Lancaster, her husband, made the money, so there was no need for her to leave. She was trapped in her own household. Exploring had been her pastime, but after a while, she knew exactly where everything was and what everything looked like. She wrote in a diary for a while, but the only thing she could write about was how miserable she felt, so she quit writing. Occasionally, other noble ladies would come over to have tea or play croquet, but Nadia hated that. The other noblewomen thought of themselves as gods and wanted everyone to drop everything to take care of their needs. They enjoyed their pedestals, along with their fancy houses and overly decorated dresses. Nadia, unlike them, did not care for these things.

She missed her old life, where she would help her father, a cartographer, create maps and sell them. He, in turn, taught her how to navigate using the stars, just in case she happened to travel via ship. Though she never planned to sail the seas, she enjoyed these lessons. She also missed sitting at the small dining table with her entire family, her mother, father, and little brother, and discussing the events of the day, no matter how mundane they might have been. They would laugh and play games, and after the day was over, they would head for their thin beds and dream of the next day. But this life had been ripped from her years ago, and she couldn't go back. Her parents did love her, but they thought she would have been happier in a noble household. They were wrong.

Nadia got up and exited the bedroom to look out of one of the large windows in a corridor nearby. She saw the edge of the town, along with the busy port nearby. She saw men carrying cargo on and off ships and drunken men swerving down the street, trying to maintain balance, a bottle of rum in one hand and broken desires in the other. Their lives may have been misguided, but at least they weren't trapped in a mansion for the rest of their lives.

Suddenly, a maid exited a room nearby and saw Nadia looking longingly out the window. They approached her and gave her a warm smile. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" The maid said. They were recently hired, and they didn't understand the mistress-servant relationship. Of course, Nadia didn't agree with this relationship. She believed that every servant should be treated the same as her. But, despite her attempts to create positive relationships with them, the servants steered clear of her, fearing that Commodore Lancaster would catch them talking to his wife. This was also a factor in Nadia's dull life.

Nadia looked over at the maid, then down at her own dress, which was bright blue embroidered with gold stitching. It was the least decorative of all her dresses, and this is why she preferred to wear it. "Yes, it is," she muttered.

"Something troubling you, miss?" the maid asked, twirling her long ginger hair around her finger.

"I am always troubled," Nadia replied. "I did not want this life. I hate being stuck in here with all of this... 'noble lady' stuff. I just want a normal life. I do not love my husband, nor his house or any of the noblewomen who he thinks are my 'friends.'"

The maid thought for a moment. "Why not run away? You say there is nothing keeping you here. You could live a better life somewhere else."

"Can't," Nadia said. "My husband will hunt me down and bring me back here. It's hopeless."

"Not if you're unable to find," the maid said. "If you purchase passage on a ship, it could take you far away from this place. Away from Commodore Lancaster."

Nadia thought for a moment. What the maid was saying did make sense. If she managed to get away this way, she could live a life of her own, free of selfish noblewomen and poofy dresses.

She looked back at the maid. A huge, glittering smile crossed her face. "Thank you so much..." She said, urging the maid to tell her her name.

"Wendy," the maid said. "Wendy Darling."

"Thank you so much, Wendy. I will do as you suggest. I will make sure that you are well rewarded for this advice." With that, Nadia rushed down the endless hallway, beginning to prepare for her escape. She would finally be able to leave. Finally, be noticed for something. Finally, be rid of the luxuries of the noble household. She would finally have her own life.