"You foolish, foolish boys! Do you realize what could have happened?!" Captain Hadsen yelled at the three stowaways on his ship. "Did you truly believe you could hide below deck for three days and not be found?! My men do inventory twice a day down there!"
Monty and Dave stayed silent as they sat before the captain, heads lowered in shame and their arms bound at the small of their backs.
"You are lucky we are a merchant fleet! Try something like this on a pirate ship and they would tie a cannonball to your ankles and sink you like the cowards you are!" the captain banged his hand on the desk before him causing the papers and candles to shake.
All three stowaways jumped simultaneously and Alby bit his lip nervously, "What will happen from here captain?"
The captain moved his hypercritical gaze to the blonde prince and frowned deeply. "We already sent a raven to your guardian informing them that when we arrive at Port Crispin in the morn that you are to be sent home right away. They will arrange to have someone meet you once we are fully docked."
Alby let out a frustrated sigh, "Please Captain Hadsen...I can pay you an excellent sum of money if you just act like you never saw me...I could perhaps slip away when we dock and your men are delivering their cargo?"
The captain let out a booming laugh causing Alby to jump again, "And risk my forty-two year reputation and career on the fantastical whims of a spoiled prince?! I think not, your highness. Our country is in a delicate situation as it is with the ascension of your brother and the reoccurring attacks on our sister fleets."
"I thought there was peace in the seas around Nivarre?" Alby naively asked.
"Things have not been peaceful for over five years, boy. Ever since your father became sick and the country's influence has waned, more and more privateers are daring to tread into our territories," the captain scoffed at the boy's naivety.
"I...I had no idea...news from the capital does not reach us on the coast for a long time and I suppose they intentionally did not tell me this..." Alby sighed.
"A wise move on their part. You have no need to concern yourself with political matters, boy-prince. Instead I will return you to play the role of good prince along the coast," the captain stood up, his height very intimidating, as was his sharp, navy uniform.
"And you two are lucky I don't have time to bother with charging you for stowing away on my ship. You are both to return to your posts at the estate with the prince. I will let your employers deal with you however they see fit," he snapped his fingers and Monty and Dave were roughly yanked up by two of the captain's men.
"Lock them in the barracks below. The prince will be staying in my quarters, as is the custom when a royal visits, or in this case...steals away, on any of her fleets. I will be bunking in First Mate Dudleigh's quarters and he shall bunk with the rest of you lot." Snapping his fingers, the two bound servants were dragged away without any struggle.
Alby now stood awkwardly before the brooding captain and was too ashamed to meet his hard gaze. "I...apologize for all this, sir. It was never my intention to inconvenience you...or your men. I just was eager to get away from the coast and discover what the sea had to offer..."
The captain's gaze softened a bit at this, "I understand the appeal of seeking freedom aboard the sea. That is a reason many of my men enlist within the royal navy. But you could have been seriously injured, Prince Albert. What if some criminal became aware of your location and stole you away? Imagine what grief it would bring to your mother...so shortly after the death of your father."
"I...I never thought about it that way," Alby admitted, shoulders slumping more in shame.
"Because you are young, my boy. With time I am sure your mother will allow you more freedoms...but this certainly is not the way to go about it. Now, I will have fresh sheets placed upon the bed for you, a bath drawn and a fresh meal brought up right away. Good night, your majesty," the captain bowed elegantly.
"Thank you for your hospitality and kindness Captain Hadsen," Alby replied with a soft smile. "It will not be forgotten."
The captain disappeared out of the room as he closed the door gently and Alby was left alone in the luxurious apartments.
-------
The captain's orders had been followed immediately. A large and ornate metal tub was dragged in and filled with steaming water for the young prince to soak in. Fluffy towels, a fresh nightshirt, a hot meal and clean sheets were all presented to him as well.
Alby figured this was his one night of adventure and independence, so he might as well enjoy it. He soaked in the tub until the water turned lukewarm and had scrubbed himself from head to toe. Unfortunately, much of the cargo on the lower deck he had concealed himself within was filled with goats, sheep and cattle to be traded upon arrival at Port Crispin. Therefore, he smelled of manure and livestock and was eager to wash all remnants of that away.
Alby pulled on the starched nightshirt and crawled into the soft, freshly laundered bed and sighed in relief. While he had grown up outside the ornate and luxurious walls of the ancestral palace within the confines of the capital, he still had known nothing but an easy and pampered lifestyle. There was always an endless amount of food, drink, clean clothes, warm baths and soft beds.
"Perhaps I am more naïve than I thought...I must have looked so foolish before the captain," Alby mumbled to himself as he buried his face into a pillow. Captain Hadsen was correct about one thing...and that was, if Alby did desire more freedoms he needed to clearly and frankly speak with his mother about them.
By the time his four older brothers had been his age they had either enlisted in the royal army or navy...or taken up an ambassadorial post in a neighboring country to learn more about politics and foreign monarchies.
Instead, Alby's life was an endless recurrence of lessons and days buried in the library reading about exotic, foreign lands. What was the point of his expensive, royal education if he was never to use any of it? With a deep sigh, he finally let his entire body go limp as he was ready to be lulled to sleep by the rocking of the ship.
His belly was full, the bed was fresh and warm and he was ready to snuggle down in the crisp white sheets and have a deep night's rest.
"So much for my adventure..." Alby forlornly thought as he blew out the single candle on the bedside table. Slivers of moonlight flooded in through the windows above the captain's desk and they were the last thing Alby saw before his light blue eyes closed and he entered dreamland.
------
BOOM! CRACK! BOOM!
Alby was startled awake and pushed himself up with trembling arms as he had been so abruptly awakened from a deep sleep. He pushed the messy blonde hair from his eyes as he looked around the darkened room in confusion. Had the ship perhaps hit a rough patch of reef...or was it the crack of nearby lightning?
Muffled yelling and the heavy clanking of boots running up and down the various levels of the ship was heard beyond the chamber door. Hesitantly, the young prince tiptoed to the door and cracked it open just barely. He was able to see the empty corridor, lit by only a few candles as most of the crew was asleep this time of night.
"Take all that you can men! Gather all the crew on the deck! Posthaste!" a cruel voice boomed from the deck above. Alby gasped in horror as he realized what was occurring...this was an attack by privateers!
Alby snapped the door shut and bolted the lock. He knew that the lock would only hold them at bay for so long. He had to hide! But where? His eyes fell onto the large wall of cabinets beneath the windows behind the captain's desk. The prince scampered over and wrenched open the cabinet and was lucky it was only full of unused parchment paper, still neatly wrapped up with string.
He pushed them aside, crinkling the paper as he crawled within. He tugged his knees to his chest tightly, and snapped the cabinet door shut. It was a tight fit, but at least he was enclosed in a space they probably would not bother to look. The young prince's heart raced in his chest as he awaited the sounds of anyone approaching and prayed to the gods that he was left unscathed and that the navy men were able to fend off the privateers.
This particular ship, the Mirabelle, was one of the premiere and fastest ships in the monarchy's entire fleet. It always held the richest cargo and that made it a prime target for an attack. None of these facts ever crossed Alby's mind when he had stowed away. What would happen if he was killed by these privateers? It would destroy his mother! And would Lance, Bernette or Paris be blamed for this? Would it affect Paris and his upcoming nuptials?
"I was so foolish! I should have thought of how my stupid and spontaneous decisions would affect everyone else," Alby shamefully buried his face into his knees.
The young prince was snapped out of his pitiful reverie when the knob to the captain's quarters was roughly jiggled.
"It's locked!" a voice snarled from outside the door.
"Stand back!" another voice insisted. Alby tensed up and held his breath and waited...
Less than three seconds later the door was kicked in roughly, almost detaching from its hinges and the men chuckled under their breath.
"Move aside and let the captain have a look," the first voice demanded.
"Aye sir!" two other voices agreed in unison.
The heavy footfall of the captain walking into the room made Alby curl up as tight as possible as his heart pounded in his ears.
"This was the way you found it?" he asked his men simply.
"Aye captain! The door was locked from the inside...but we procured the captain down the hall in the first mate's room. Curious indeed..." one man mumbled.
"Yes...very curious..." the captain walked over to regard the half-eaten meal and the wrinkled sheets. He touched a hand to the plush bed and smirked, "Still warm..."
"Captain?" one of his men murmured over his shoulder.
"Go and round up all the Mirabelle's crew on deck. Bind their arms behind their back...I will be up momentarily. Leave me to search this room," the captain ordered.
Without any hesitation, his orders were followed and his men departed immediately to obey their feared captain.
"I know you are in here...the bed is warm and I smell the distant fragrance of soap. Did the captain try to hide his prized whore within this room?" the captain laughed darkly.
Immediately he began to wrench open two other doors within the cabin; one which led to a small privy and the other was used to house the captain's prized artillery.
Finally, the pirate captain's eyes fell onto the row of cabinets along the back wall of the cabin, beyond the large desk.
Alby's heart pounded so loudly in his ears that he did not even detect the captain approaching until suddenly light flooded his small space and he let out a shriek of terror.
"Found you!" the captain hissed, wrapping his strong fist around Alby's upper arm and wrenching the boy clumsily from the cabinet.
The captain was stunned when a young blonde boy was in his grasp and not a voluptuous whore like he had imagined. The young boy looked no older than fifteen...perhaps sixteen? His golden blonde hair was slightly messy due to being awoken from slumber. He had yet to get a good look at the boy's face, only noticed that he had fine, pale flesh and was dressed in only a white, linen shirt.
Alby tried to wrench his arm away but whimpered when the hold on it tightened. "Please...don't hurt me..." he finally broke the silence. He gasped when a strong hand clasped his silky hair and wrenched his head back to reveal his face.
The captain was speechless as he gazed down into eyes the color of turquoise waters. However, they were filled with absolute terror. The captain ran a calloused thumb over the soft lips of the boy who was trembling so hard in his grasp, that he probably would have keeled over if the captain was not holding him up.
"Who are you to the captain? Why were you within his quarters? Are you his little blonde plaything?" the dark-haired pirate teased the blonde youth.
Alby closed his eyes in fright and whimpered in his throat when his hair was cruelly tugged again. "Answer me," the captain hissed – not used to his orders not being immediately obeyed.
"No! I am a stowaway aboard this ship," Alby explained.
"Ah...a stowaway. Now why were you not locked in the barracks below with the other two prisoners, who I assume are also stowaways? And why in the seven hells are you sleeping in the captain's quarters? And I must warn you boy...if one lie comes out of those lips, I will kill you without hesitation," the captain hissed in his trembling captive's ear.
Alby knew it was useless to try and lie about who he was. It was obvious he was not some street urchin who had stowed away on the ship. His very fine clothes that were thrown over a chair were evidence enough of that.
"I followed those two men onto this ship in the early hours of the morning just yesterday. I managed to hide in the lowest bowels of the ship with the livestock. But the captain's men take inventory several times a day and they found me earlier this afternoon. They took me directly to Captain Hadsen who was very angry to have stowaways on a ship like the Mirabelle. He explained how this ship does not accept stowaways and it could ruin his reputation and..." Alby was silenced by a finger pressing against his soft lips.
"Enough boy! Answer my main questions: who are you and why are you in the captain's quarters?" the pirate demanded.
"I am Prince Albert of Nivarre...youngest brother to the current reigning monarch, King Adam III," Alby stated in a quivering voice.
The pirate's eyes lit up with excitement and shock. He tossed his head back and the room was filled with his booming laughter. "Well that answers my other question little prince. Of course the honorable captain would allow a royal, stowaway or not, to have his quarters until you arrived at port. But why the hell is a young prince stowing away on a ship? Tired of the busy life in the capital or being a pampered little shit?"
"I..." Alby began to explain but was immediately struck across the face.
"Silence! You only speak when I ask you a question or give permission. Do you have any idea who you are even addressing boy?" the captain asked with a cold smirk.
Alby shook his head naively and this caused the captain's smirk to widen even more. "I am Captain Sebastiano Mason and you now belong to me, my blonde prince. Oh this is my luckiest of days...I have captured the Mirabelle...Captain Hadsen and a royal. The gods are just raining down the blessings upon me."
Alby was suddenly flung over the captain's broad shoulder and he squeaked in shock. He kicked his bare legs and realized suddenly he was dressed in the threadbare white linen shirt...with no underpants!
"Struggle all you want boy. I like 'em with a little fight and fire in their eyes," Captain Mason laughed as they ascended to the deck.
Alby remained over the captain's shoulder as he addressed his captive and pirate crew. "Listen here! You will all be given a choice. Either agree to join my fleet and pledge loyalty to me...or we slit you open like the white-bellied fish you are and toss you overboard without a second thought."
"My men will never agree to join you and your scandalous fleet! They would all rather sink to the murky depths than spend one day under a pirate's command," Captain Hadsen boldly proclaimed.
"Does he speak for all of you then?" Sebastiano smirked coldly as he gazed into the eyes of all the bound crewmen. "I suppose your silence is answer enough. Slit all their throats and send Hadsen's head to the king."
"No! Wait! Please Captain Mason!" Alby pounded on his back with his small hands.
The pirate captain was stunned by his small captive's sudden burst of energy and words. He let the squirming boy off his shoulder and glared down at him coldly. "Do you wish to join them boy? One more unwanted word out of that mouth and..."
"Please Captain Mason! Spare these men! They have done nothing wrong...they proudly serve my family and the people of Nivarre. Please do not punish them for upholding their duty and honor," Alby pleaded with the cold-eyed captain.
"This ship and its cargo do not even hold that much wealth sir. Believe me...I spent all morning trying to find a hiding place below deck. All that is on this ship is livestock, barrels of wine, haybales and foodstuffs," Alby explained desperately.
The pirate captain immediately darted his eyes up to regard Captain Hadsen. "Is what he says true? Does this ship hold no precious cargo below deck?"
"What the boy says is true. Our first stop in Port Crispin is to drop off these supplies...we will have no precious metals or cargo during this particular month at sea," Hadsen flatly stated.
"Yes! See! Please Captain Mason...spare these men and the ship. Take me with you as a captive. I am worth more than all the cargo this ship could ever hold...precious or not. My brother and family will pay the ship's weight in gold or more to get me back," Alby declared.
The captain seemed to be thinking this over in his mind...and Alby continued to pleadingly stare up into the captain's fearsome but handsome face.
"Please Captain Mason. I will not struggle...I will do whatever you ask of me. Just let these men go and leave the ship in peace...I beg of you," Alby fell to his knees, pleading with the dark-haired pirate.
"Very well," he whispered to the boy, those bright blue eyes widening in shock. "Leave the captain and his men! We take the boy and go on our way! But if this ship or any others attempt to follow us...we will gut the prince before you even blink," Sebastiano believingly lied to Captain Hadsen and his men.
"Boy! You don't have to do this!" Hadsen tried to break free of the rope that bound him against one of the masts.
"My decision is final. Let's go boy...I have another captain's bed that you can keep warm..." Sebastiano smirked darkly at Alby before he was flung over that broad shoulder again and was now the captive of the most fearsome pirate captain in all of the Leiwyn Seas.