VIOLENT TIDES (gxg - editing)

2

Gael wasn't very surprised when the princess ran. Who wouldn't? She was in a bad situation, and the girl had reacted like any frightened creature would, human or not. Fight or flee. The king had taken away her first option.

"Captain, should we—"

"I'll go after her," Gael ordered instantly, dropping the reins of her horse. Ainsley would most likely be heading towards the narrow, crowded streets to try and disappear. "Do not call for the king or the guards."

They obeyed, Nathe reaching out to take her mount's reins. They were more than willing to let her handle this; if anyone could catch the runaway, it was the captain.

Gael ran after her, able to keep her in sight for a split second or right before she would turn a corner or duck down an alley. The pirate pushed her way through throngs of people, catching glimpses of the escapee in the crowd for mere moments at a time. It was all she needed. The princess was holding up better than she had expected; clearly someone had trained her, but she would tire before long. She just had to pace herself, keep her in her sights, and preserve her own energy.

Ainsley's escape brought the two of them into narrow streets, devoid of the usual cobblestone paths and smelling of unwashed animals and crowds of people. It would be much easier to lose the girl here, but Gael pressed on, glad to see she was finally beginning to falter, slowing to a jog and then, at long last, stopping completely to catch her breath. By this point, she would assume she had lost them.

Ainsley glanced over her shoulder, and Gael caught the exact moment she recognized the captain. She burst back into a run, but at this point, it was hopeless. Gael caught up to the winded girl in a few seconds, getting in front of her and drawing her cutlass. She stumbled back, both fists raised and ready to fight her way out barehanded. Gael took a moment to realize what a mess she was—soft, short blonde hair plastered to her flushed face, eyes wide and legs trembling. She had flown, it had failed her, and now she was prepared to fight instead. The pirate let out a long exhale and sheathed her cutlass again.

"Princess, please do not make this more difficult than necessary."

She was silent, chest heaving with her gasps for breath, but Gael could see the way her jaw clenched and her fists tightened. She was not to be easily persuaded.

"Where are the guards?"

"There are no guards. It's only me."

She watched the pirate with narrowed eyes, apparently not quick to trust. Gael didn't care for involving soldiers. She could achieve the same goal without the violence and harsh treatment—in fact, she was hoping to convince the princess to come along willingly.

"Where were you running to?" She questioned, taking her hand off the hilt of her cutlass. She didn't want to appear any more threatening than she already naturally was as a pirate. Ainsley's stance had lowered slightly, though Gael couldn't be sure whether it was in surrender or if she was just tired.

"I—" she cut herself off, not looking directly at her. Gael waited patiently, watching as the princess bit down hard on her lower lip and blinked a few times. "I don't know." Her tone was unconvincingly well-controlled. She pushed past Gael, who stepped aside to let her go, then immediately followed after her again. She wasn't trying to run this time, more focused on catching her breath, so Gael could go after her at a leisurely pace.

For a while, the princess refused to say anything, so finally the pirate took it upon herself to start the conversation up again.

"Well, Princess, we can turn around any moment now. The Finch is in the other direction."

"Then I think I will keep going this way."

Gael moved up to fall into step with the out-of-breath heiress.

"Princess, I must insist. I haven't called the guards and I haven't told your father, but this is my job and I will bring you to my ship."

She stopped walking, and Gael hurried to finish her side of the argument while she had the girl's attention.

"You won't be harmed, I swear it on my life. You will not be expected to work around the ship or share quarters with the men. Everything will be to the highest standard we can manage. All that's required of you is to be there for a number of weeks until we land again."

This time, the royal's grey eyes, almost exactly like her father's, met Gael's gaze. It was clear she had been—and still was—doing her best not to cry. Despite herself, her career, Gael couldn't help a stab of pity.

"Why would your father request you do this?" She asked suddenly, completely switching from her earlier train of thought. Ainsley blinked, breaking the moment of eye contact.

"He—excuse me?"

It was clear the princess was at a loss for words, so Gael supplied.

"He's the one who offered you as a sign of good faith." A moment of realization. "But I suppose he didn't tell you that, did he?"

The look of anger that twisted the young heir's face made Gael nervous, and for a moment she was glad she was wearing the cuff. This princess could topple kingdoms like sandcastles, and for a split second, it looked like she was prepared to. When she spoke, though, her voice was shaky and meek.

"No. He—he told me was forced to in order to strike the bargain. I—I believed him, I thought you had ordered it, I..." She turned away from Gael, shoulders trembling as she pushed her hands through her sweat-damp hair. The pirate chewed on her lower lip. Should she offer her condolences? That would be out of place, likely.

The princess composed herself and turned back around, eyes rimmed by red but with an expression made of stone. The hatred in her gaze was clear to see- hatred for her father, hatred for Gael, hatred for the world.

"I suppose I don't have a choice," she finally stated, tone brittle. Gael found herself glancing away for a moment.

"No. Come, I'll take you back to the horses."

She reached out to touch Ainsley's shoulder and guide her in the opposite direction, but the princess flinched away from her and set off resolutely back down the narrow dirt road herself. Gael watched for a moment, then hurried to catch up.

uhhh what's good here's another chapter! i've got quite a few stockpiled so i'll try to update pretty regularly. comments and votes mean a lot to me! and have a wonderful day