Greedy Hearts

Four: The Deal

Elena's face brightened as she saw the Captain, and she rose to her feet. "Kitt!" She embraced him immediately, and his arms practically swallowed her little body whole.

"It's been too long, little cousin," The Captain breathed, his voice light with relief.

Juniper was at a loss for words. This whole time, her little maid was a spy? She was a terrible one, but she was a spy nonetheless.

The two pulled apart and Elena's eyes landed on the Princess. She immediately looked down at her hands. "My- my Lady-"

"I can't believe this," Juniper interrupted, anger boiling up. "All this time you were nothing but a sneaky little rodent. And you couldn't even do your job that well! You told this pirate that he could get something out of taking me? How incompetent can you be?"

Her back suddenly hit the wall as Kitt's arm slammed into her chest and pinned her down, his dark eyes simmering with rage. "Be careful in the words you choose when it comes to my cousin," he growled. "Cool your temper."

"Cool my temper?" Juniper seethed. "How the hell do you expect me to do that when the one person I don't completely hate has betrayed my trust?" She shoved Kitt back and his hand went to his sword.

"Stop!" Elena cried, jumping between them. "Don't go killing each other on my account."

"Oh, you have nothing to do with my reasons for killing this pirate," Juniper assured, eyes locked on the Captain.

Kitt didn't faulter. "Morty, restrain the Princess."

The skeleton of a man grabbed Juniper's arms roughly, and she tried to shake him off. He looked scrawny, but his grip was iron. She glared at the Captain.

The pirate only smiled a little. "It's been a long day, and it's getting late. I've got the perfect place for you, Princess. You'll find it quite comfortable." Kitt stepped up to her, eyes glittering with victory. His hand suddenly touched Juniper's side, making her jolt, and he slowly traced his fingers down to her hip. "I'll be taking this." He yanked her dagger from its sheath. With a smile, he stepped back and nodded to Morty. "Take her to the brig."

"Damn you." Juniper spat at his feet and Morty pulled her away.

Juniper's mind spun as she mulled over everything. She had to find a way out of this, and quickly. Once the Priestess reported her missing, the King probably wouldn't care to search for his younger daughter, but Valarie would more than likely convince him to. All that combined would only fuel his anger at Juniper, and things would be messier than before. She didn't need him on her case. Not now.

Her thoughts were briefly cut short as Morty pushed her into a filthy cell that was completely empty and didn't smell very good. "How am I expected to sleep in this?"

"Talk to the Cap'n about it." Morty grumbled as he locked it. He left without another glance.

Juniper kicked at the cell door with a yell of rage. The metal clanged loudly but didn't budge and her bare foot ached from the hit. She didn't expect the door to move, but it made her feel better. She kicked it again. "Filthy pirates!" She stepped back with a growl and ran a hand over her wet hair. How was she supposed to sleep in this dirty cell while soaking wet?

"Quiet down there!" A voice shouted in annoyance.

"Make me!" No response came. Not surprising. It's not like any of these pirates could make her shut up anyway.

Juniper glared at the dirty floor. With no other choice, she plopped down in the corner and rubbed her arms. Now that her initial rage was cooling down, she was realizing just how cold it was down here in drenched clothes. How annoying. Her annoyance grew as she was reminded of the night she left, waiting in the cold rain for her parents to not even show up. She couldn't decide which situation was preferable at the moment.