Against The Waves

The Princess's Decision

Run away with me.

Every time they went to part ways, their lips brushing in a temporary fair well, he would whisper those word against her lips. Each time she wished with all her might that he wouldn't. He had to know by now that her answer would always be the same, that her lips would always fall into a regretful smile, her dark eyes pained at his request.

I can't, was always the reply.

Week after week, month after month, year after year, it was the same thing.

She was a princess, she couldn't just run away with a pirate. Her mother would never allow it. She would chase after them to the ends of the Earth, and then they would both find out just how much of an Evil Queen she could be. A life on the run wasn't something she could bear. She didn't want to be constantly on edge, dreading the day her mother discovered them. And she would, Evie had no doubts about that. Her mother had her ways, unusual though they may be.

Evie let out a sigh, resting her arms on the ship bannister. All around her the sea shone with a golden light, the sun's reflections shimmering across the gentle waves. Whenever she looked at the ocean, all she could think of was her mischievous pirate and his irksome persistence. Run away with me! Run away with me! Run away with me! Run away with me! The man could be insufferable!

He had said that every single time they left to go their separate ways, ever since their second encounter that never should have happened. Evie couldn't stop the wistful smile of the memory. It still irked her that he had been ballsy enough to pull the stunt that he had. He had been a love struck fool even back then, long before he had realized what feelings for her he harboured.

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The carriage shook and creaked as it travelled down the bumpy old forest road. Evie gently fanned herself with her elegant blue fan, utterly bored and tired from the long journey. Much to her dismay, they had only travelled half way to their destination and still had a tiresome three-day voyage across the sea ahead of them.

She silently cursed her mother for making her go to this silly social gathering in The Southern Isles. Really, it should have been Snow White going, but instead, her mother had insisted that Evie should go. She knew why her mother was making her go. The Queen wanted to cement stronger relations with The Southern Isle Kingdom for herself and hopefully use it to help undermine Snow White's potential allies for when she took the throne on her twenty-first birthday, as was customary for their country.

I'm supposed to be a princess and yet I'm treated like a pawn, Evie thought warily, sick of all the twisted political games.

With a sigh she closed her eyes, allowing herself to daydream of a life outside the back-stabbing and malicious world of royals. In her dreams, she could do what she wanted, when she wanted, her mother's constant shadow gone, allowing the sun to shine down on her. Wrapped snuggly in her dreams, Evie found herself lulled to sleep, blissfully unaware of the world around her.

It wasn't until something tickled her nose that she opened her eyes. She would have screamed had a large hand not covered her mouth. Instead, she could only glare furiously at the intruder in her carriage. He looked like a pirate and was sitting on the seat across from her. Evie swatted away his hand, watching as he grinned in amusement and sank back into his seat.

Oh poison apples, had the carriage been attacked by ruffians while she was asleep?

"Who are you and how on Earth did you get in here?" Evie all but shrieked, staring at the intruder wide eyed.

"Awww, I'm hurt, Princess," the young man crooned, looking wounded. "Have ye forgotten me?"

She looked at him up and down, realization dawning over her.