"You gave me away? As a hostage? To pirates?"
"You must understand, Ainsley. I had no choice. The captain requested a sign of trust."
"That's horseshit!"
"Ainsley!"
The princess was too angry to correct her language. She folded her arms across her chest. "I won't go."
"You have no choice."
"I can run."
"From my soldiers? In my kingdom?"
She regarded him balefully. "My kingdom."
"Not yet, it isn't. It will not last forever, Ainsley. You'll be back in plenty of time."
"Plenty of time to come back and marry the fool from Reyngal. That is why you're selling me off, is it not? Because I refused to show interest in him?"
"I'm doing no such thing, and I'm under no obligation to argue with you over this. Go prepare your belongings immediately. You leave tomorrow at dawn."
Furious, the princess whirled and stormed from the room, still dressed in her sweaty tunic and trousers from her sparring practice only moments ago. The knight she had been training with hurried to catch up.
"Princess—?"
"He gave me as a prisoner to a group of pirates," she seethed, not looking at him. "Bastard. I'm going to murder him."
"That would not be wise."
She slowed down only slightly.
"Where are you going?"
"My chambers. I need to get my belongings together."
"I'm sorry, Princess."
For the first time, she stopped and looked at the young man. The two had been friends since he was a page boy, looking to earn his place among the knights. It was he who trained her when she begged the soldiers to teach her to fight, to be strong. Her father hadn't approved at first, but by now he had realized he couldn't control his daughter.
Except, now he had come up with a plan to deal with that, it seemed.
"I know, Luca. My apologies for snapping at you. But I won't go. I'll get beyond the castle walls and then I'll run and hide in the city until the ship has left."
He smiled, a little sadly. "You won't get far."
"I will. You'll see."
"And if you're caught?"
"Then—" she hesitated, a frown furrowing her brow, before she tilted her chin up defiantly. "I know I'll come back yet. Please don't worry for me. I can handle a group of pirates."
"I could never doubt that, princess."
"I'll be queen someday, Luca."
"Yes."
"Things will be better then."
"I believe you."
She smiled, mixed tears of anger and gratitude for her friend stinging her eyes. Nodding briskly and regaining her composure, she pulled herself to her full height.
"Well," she managed to choke out, "I'll see you. At—at some point."
"Of course."
He reached for her shoulder and she allowed him to clap her on the back and then pull her in for a brief embrace, tensing up slightly. He knew she wasn't fond of the contact, but this time, who could blame him? She begrudgingly returned the hug, then pulled away quickly, almost feeling guilty about it.
"Goodnight, Luca."
"Sleep well, princess."
Inside her chambers, Ainsley fell down onto the bed and let herself cry.
—
The next morning, Ainsley was awoken by a maid, who laid out clothes and breakfast for her, pulled open the drapes, and then left again. The young heir sat up and approached the mirror in her chambers, still dressed in only her nightgown. She hadn't gotten much sleep during the night, and it showed in the bright light streaming into the room. Dark shadows ringed her eyes and she was paler than usual. She huffed, ran a hand through her hair, and turned to the clothing, ignoring the food placed on the low wooden table. The maids had long since stopped helping her dress herself in the morning, but they still insisted on setting out a gown or similar article of clothing. There were days she would comply, but if things went wrong, she would be on a ship within the next few hours. The full-skirted, lace-detailed dress before her would not be appropriate clothing.
Instead, she turned to her tunic and trousers, the same as much of what she had packed the evening before. Getting dressed quickly, she pulled on boots and a dark cloak that draped around her shoulders and was held in place by a bronze pin on her chest. She preferred this. Preferred to look intimidating, like someone who would not be pushed around. Except, was that what was going to happen? Was her father going to win this time around? She frowned at her reflection, pulling a belt snugly around her waist. Dressed like this, as she so often did to train with Luca, she wished she could feel the familiar weight of her weapons hanging off her hips. Her father wouldn't permit her to be armed while a hostage. She would still have the power of the dragon on her side, assuming her father didn't damper that...
As long as dragonbloods had existed, so had artifacts to restrain their abilities. They were fairly uncommon, but since the only powerful dragonbloods were found in her family line, the reigning monarch had always owned them all. The idea that her father might send her away without even the power to call on a dragon for help made her nervous, more nervous than she usually was.
Ainsley strode over to the hawker dragon perched on her windowsill, her own personal hunting beast. About the size of a bird of prey, Ainsley was the only one who'd ever been able to control it- Ainsley and her mother. It was tame enough that the others would be able to settle it when she was gone, but only she could give it orders.
Now, too, it sensed her anxiety, shuffling it's leathery wings, jaw clicking open and shut. The creature could feel anything she felt, and she could understand its own emotions- one of the gifts of being dragonblood. She reached out and tickled the underside of its scaly chin, a deep-throated rumble beginning in its chest in response. The thing could take down and kill any knight with ease, but with her connection, it was easy to forget about the wickedly sharp teeth and claws. Dragons were friends to her, to any dragonblood.
"I don't suppose I'll be allowed to take you along," she murmured, stroking the top of its head once before backing away. It settled its wings again, still uneasy with her own rampant emotion but calmer now. "Be nice to the handlers, yes? They don't know you as I do."
If the dragon couldn't understand her words, it could understand the sorrow that weighed on her heart. Chirping softly, the heavy creature closed its jaws around the folds of her cloak and used it to pull itself up onto her shoulder, nibbling gently on her ear. Despite herself, Ainsley couldn't resist a halfhearted chuckle mixed with a grimace of pain.
"Ouch. What is it we said about the claws, hm?" Feeling herself choking up again, she carefully pried the heavy creature from its perch and set it back down. "Alright. Take care of Luca. Goodbye."
She hurried out and shut the heavy wooden doors behind her, hearing the hawker keening worriedly from inside. Ignoring it, she hurried down the hall towards the courtyard, heart thudding loudly in her chest. She could end this all, perhaps. She didn't know the extent of her abilities, but she knew she was powerful. Perhaps she could call one of the dragons rumoured to live far beyond the cities, one of the huge beasts the size of the kingdom itself. Everyone would be afraid of her, she would be untouchable. She wouldn't know unless she tried.
But she couldn't. She wouldn't let herself attempt it.
Swallowing past her dry throat, Ainsley entered the courtyard, struck by blinding morning sunlight from above. Birds chirped and her boots clicked on the cobblestone. It was too nice a day for this, for the sweat that made her palms slick and the nervous heat coiling in her chest. She could barely breathe.
How she made it to the center of the yard, she didn't know. There were people of there, but she had kept her eyes firmly on her feet the entire way. Every breath trembling, she came to a stop, finally looking at the people around her.
There was her father. And there were the pirates. Two of them.
One of them was wholly unremarkable- a solid-looking man slightly taller than her father, dressed plainly but better than she would have expected from a pirate. The other, however, was a young woman, probably close to her own age. She looked considerably more refined than Ainsley had been prepared for, and the first thing she noticed was that she was tall, nearly a full head taller than the princess herself. She carried herself with a grace and confidence she instantly envied and hated at once. It didn't help that she was rather pretty- dark-skinned and lean, with long, curly black hair that was tied back by a brightly coloured scrap of fabric. She was dressed better than Ainsley would've expected, too.
"Princess Ainsley," the king greeted curtly.
"Father," she replied, tone clipped and angry as she brought herself back to her preferred cool demeanor.
"This is Captain Gael of the Finch and her officer, Nathe."
Ainsley found it in herself to state directly at the two of them, quivering with rage and nerves. The lady captain had the audacity to offer her a small smile.
"Are you going to introduce yourself, daughter?"
"To my captors?" She replied, managing to keep her time even. "No."
He frowned, and for a moment she was glad she was going to be gone, at least for a little while. He was going to be angry at her for some time.
"It's alright, my lord," the captain stated pleasantly. Ainsley thought she detected some tension to her tone, which wouldn't be surprising. Most people hated her father. "Let the princess be angry. It won't hurt anyone."
Shaking with rage, Ainsley looked away. Being treated like a child by both her father and someone no older than herself! She would make a run for it as soon as they were outside the courtyard walls.
Her father scrutinized her for a moment, then reached into the pockets of his cloak. Ainsley knew what he was retrieving even before he pulled it out.
No. No, no, please, no.
No amount of internal begging would change the object he held- a wide metal bracelet, made of hammered metal and with a piece of rock embedded in it. She didn't need to see it up close to recognize it- dark grey and laced with strands of green mineral. This was meant to restrain her, a cuff to remove her abilities.
"Ainsley, come here."
Ainsley reluctantly held out a hand, clenching her fist in a vain attempt to keep it from trembling. If Ackerley saw, he didn't bring it up. The metal clicked securely into place, held closed by a small lock. The snaggle-toothed key passed between the king's hand to the captain.
"Father, please," she whispered, voice shaky. "This isn't necessary."
"The captain will decide that. For now, consider it a safety manoeuvre."
He backed off and Ainsley rubbed her wrist, the metal cold on her skin. It was the first time she had worn any sort of dragonblood detained- the sudden absence of ability was frightening. She could feel her own vulnerability, but worse than that was what she couldn't feel. She couldn't feel the lazy passiveness of a forest dragon napping in a far-off glade, couldn't reach out and touch the mind of her hawker dragon. Was this how normal people felt, all the time? So cut-off from the world around them? So helpless?
Her heart beat erratically as she watched the final exchange between the captain and the king.
"My daughter is your prisoner for the time being as a sign of my kingdom's good will towards your crew."
"We thank you, my lord. She'll be returned the same way she left."
They were speaking about her like she wasn't there. Ainsley's blood boiled as she dropped her arm to her side, willing away the odd sensation of the metal cuff around her wrist.
The two shook hands.
"Farewell, captain. Safe travels."
"Thank you. Goodbye."
The captain and the officer—Nathe? Was that his name?—backed up, the woman's hands tucked into her trouser pockets in casual expectation. Ainsley ground her teeth together. She'd follow them through the gates, and then she was gone. She would get the cuff off herself, somehow. She didn't need the key.
Ainsley worried her legs would give out from under her, but she managed to follow after the two, trailing a few steps behind and with her eyes firmly on the ground once more. The shadow of the high stone archway passed over the three of them and she heard the distinct sound of a small group of horses, hooves clicking against cobblestone. Then they were past the guards, the guards that would surely stop her under her father's orders. She looked up to see a group of five mounts, one of them being ridden by another pirate that hadn't followed them in. Of course they would have to ride to get to the sea—the city was built on the rocky beachside, but the castle they were coming from was far inside the guts of it. It would take them half a day or so by horseback.
"May I take your bag?"
Ainsley looked up, startled, to find the captain talking to her. Realizing she had automatically shrunk back, she straightened her posture and silently handed over the sack of her belongings. This close, the woman seemed taller than before, and Ainsley couldn't help but notice the smell of ocean water on her. She turned to tie the bag securely to one of the saddles, and Ainsley saw her chance- and took it.
In a split second, she was racing down one of the narrow streets that branched off the main road, hearing a startled shout from behind her. It didn't stop her. She flew down the cobblestone, pushing past confused citizens and making stray dogs scatter from her chaotic path. She just had to get lost in the tangle of buildings and people, so lost that neither the king nor captain could find her, and then she'd be safe.
i figured i should post an actual chapter to go with the prologue so uhhhhh here it is lol. remember to vote and comment, feedback means a lot to me!