The King's Artist

Ch 4: A Rough Boat Ride to A Rougher Beginning

Adelaide muttered multiple prayers on the night she journeyed across a rough, unforgiving sea. The rocking of the ship made her sick, as did the salty sea air. The combination had her throwing up every second. At this point, she had a strange green glow to her skin that didn't seem to want to fade. Sweat plastered knotted, unevenly cut hair to Adelaide's forehead while the rest of her body shivered for the warmth that her head seemed to be harvesting for itself. She had never imagined it could be this cold out at sea.

"Is this your first time sailing?" Henry asked as he watched Adelaide from a reasonably safe distance. He and Adelaide were both wrapped in blankets the crew had given them. Or at least, Adelaide was under the impression they were the crewmen of the ship. She couldn't seem to get rid of the nagging feeling that Henry's men may have just stolen the ship. There were several loud, banging noises and notable wood splintering sounds that made her question whether they actually had keys to anything.

Adelaide gave a stiff nod to Henry's question and immediately regretted it. The movement made her head spin and she tightened her arms around her knees to try and center herself and ignore the continuous swaying. Henry inquired Adelaide for several seconds with a strange, almost-mocking grin. He clearly found her situation amusing. Adelaide was going to yell at him for not being courteous and considerate of her current state but speculated that wasn't how boys typically spoke to one another. At least, the boys she'd grown up around were always pretending to be stronger than they really were and would have rather died than express their true feelings.

She still found their behavior strange but figured she didn't have to fully understand in order to replicate and mimic it.

For the majority of the trip, they were quiet. Henry would occasionally speak under hushed breath to his companies, but other than that, they were incredibly still. Adelaide dozed off several times but always woke startled. imaging herself back home in the run-down shack. Whenever she was fully pulled from her comatose, she would find Henry staring at her. It wasn't a suspicious look, but a curious one.

"You're really pretty for a boy," he said rather casually at one point. Adelaide was worried her cover was blown but calmed herself enough to speak evenly.

"You are too," Adelaide responded. She had meant it to sound like an insult, but it ended up being more of a bland statement. She realized quickly that she'd just been stating her opinion. Henry was a peculiarly pretty boy in her eyes. His hair was long, more copper in color than brown, and was an accessory to his high cheekbones and slender neck. His eyes were hazel in color and lined by thick, long lashes that Adelaide found herself envying. His lips were thin, but he had nice, clean teeth with no noticeable gaps or holes. His skin was clear, blemish-free and slightly flushed under the candlelight. Altogether, it was clear he was wealthy and cared for. It explained the guards that surrounded him, but not what he was running from. Or who.

Henry smirked at Adelaide's comment as he leaned casually against one of the storage bins. The statement didn't seem to affect him outwardly and was something he was probably used to hearing regularly. Adelaide breathed a small sigh of relief when she realized he wasn't questioning her gender status.

"So Arthur," Henry spoke coolly. "What exactly are you hiding from?"

The question caught Adelaide off guard for multiple reasons. She still wasn't used to the notion of going by her father's name, and she wasn't sure if she should reveal her little plan honestly to this stranger of a boy. She wasn't aware of the laws in the new land she was going to, but pretending to be someone else and an entirely different gender, probably wasn't smiled upon.

"I'm not hiding from anyone," Adelaide's voice was level. Lying was second nature, after all. "I have nothing to gain from staying back in that small harbor town. I have no family, no money, and a ton of art supply that's going to waste."

Henry cocked an eyebrow at the mention of art supplies. He tilted his head slightly to see around Adelaide and noted the sack that was bursting and barely contained at the knot. He nodded his head slightly as his attention shifted back to Adelaide.

"My father and mother weren't well-liked back in our town," Adelaide continued. "As a result, people disliked me. I can't get hired, I can't sell my paintings or drawings, I can't breathe without someone complaining."

Adelaide hoped her sob story was coming out believable. There was a certain degree of truth to her story, the whole part about struggling on a daily basis, but her stubbornness was a larger contributor to her misery than the people that lived around her. Then again, if they weren't so prejudiced about her being a girl, she wouldn't be in such a predicament right now.

"So what do you hope to accomplish in this new life of yours?" His question was laced with sarcasm. Adelaide's eyes narrowed into a glare but he didn't seem bothered again. He just was openly mocking her and her ambitions. It was clear Henry saw a variety of humorous, loopholes to this plan of hers. In truth, though, Adelaide saw them too. Going to a new place and living there wasn't necessarily going to change her situation. She still had no home, no money, and nothing to her name.

Adelaide hung her head with a sigh. She was relying rather heavily on her talent. The talent that she'd been one of few to acknowledge.

"I could help you," Henry suddenly stated. Adelaide's head shot up. His guards, too, were thrown off by the young boy's sudden statement. Henry waved them away the moment they stepped close to him to question his judgment. "Since it's clear to me you have nothing, why don't you come with me? That way I can provide you with a place to stay, food, and clothing, and you can continue whatever it is you're going to do with all that art stuff."

He grinned widely, and Adelaide felt herself shiver.

"Why would you do that?" She questioned. "We barely know each other."

"That's true," Henry paused temporarily. "The thing is, Arthur, I rather like you. You're amusing. You're driven. You're a boy just like me with dreams. So I would really hate having to kill you."

Adelaide froze. Her eyes went wide, and her seasickness was quickly forgotten. She seemed several degrees colder, and her hands twitched in a panic. Henry, however, remained very calm and composed, as if he had just asked her about the weather.

"You see, you may not be hiding from anything, Arthur, but I am," a fake and unpleasant smile grew on Henry's face. It was a wicked look for a boy of only thirteen to muster. "And the thing is until I get where I'm going, I'm not safe. My companions here," Henry motioned to large men around him, "are hired to make sure I'm delivered safely to my eventual host. You are an unfortunate liability, seeing as you know my name and face. So you can either come with me, live a new life under my supervision, or I can kill you here and now. Your choice."

It didn't seem like much of a choice.

"Just think about it Arthur," Henry leaned forward still with that forced, insincere grin. "You have nothing anyway. Nothing to lose. Nobody who will miss you. So why don't you just say yes and spare me the future guilt?"

His words were harsh and Adelaide felt a pang in her chest. As much as she hated it, he was right. Swallowing her fear to still her shaking, Adelaide sat up straighter and stared Henry directly in the eyes.

"If I say yes, I get to live?" She asked her question slowly. "I'll still get to paint and do what I want?"

"With my permission, until I know I can trust you," Henry stated smoothly. Adelaide was hesitant before nodding. Henry clapped his hands loudly and sat back with a true smile on his face now. It helped to ease Adelaide's anxiety but she didn't relax entirely. "That's great news. Killing people isn't something I'm fond of."

Adelaide gulped. She found herself questioning just how many people he'd killed to be able to say such a thing.