The Tale of a Princess Kidnapped by Pirates

Chapter Three

Aurora awoke several hours later with a banging, misty head trying to make sense of who she was. She hissed as she reached up to find her head bandaged and hair damp, and it hurt every time she tried to think. Where was she? Her eyes gingerly graced the room, her thoughts jumbled like a messy child's playroom. She seemed to be in an ornate, rocking room telling her she was at sea. She slowly tried to sit up, feeling sick at the movement, and looked around. She was currently on a large bed with soft pillows and a rich red covering. The were thick wine-red drapes tied back to the left of her, exposing a table and two plump purple chairs in the centre of the room. On the table there was a selection of fruits, making her stomach growl hungrily. Looking down Aurora gasped as she realised she was wearing clean bedding clothes which she certainly did not possess. How she knew this, she did not know, as her thoughts were very jumbled and unclear. In fact the more she thought the less she knew, causing her to panic, as she could not even clutch at the memory of her own name.

"A... Aura... Ro?" She mumbled aloud, wanting to break down into tears.

She knew she could not though, as the pirates abused any sign of weakness she showed. Wait, pirates? How did she know pirates? Aurora did not know, which made her even more frustrated and her head burn in pain. She decided to focus on what she did recall, which was that as far as she could remember she did not belong on this grand ship, and she was a simple maid with no one to look out for her. Aurora did not know who had shown her kindness and cleaned her and dressed her in a frilly nightgown, but she was sure she should feel thankful. The loss of her memories unsettled her, but she simply put that to one side and gently slipped her feet out of bed. She had to figure out if she was in danger, and fast. The hard wooden floor was cold under her feet, and she squinted as six large arrow shaped windows came into view, the setting sun making the room glow orange. Aurora's assumptions were right – she was on a ship, the gentle swaying meaning they were in calm waters.

Suddenly the door was pushed open and Aurora gasped, falling backwards against a hidden floor to ceiling bookshelf. Panic forced its way into Aurora, causing her to shake as she looked at the new being in the room in a terrified manner.

"Oh, sorry my dear, please, relax. I did not mean to scare you. Please calm down, you are safe." The short balding old man with an eyeglass in one eye soothed her, causing Aurora to calm slightly.

Then another man entered into the room who astounded Aurora. He was decidedly handsome and of impressive build, standing so tall she had to crane her neck to see all of him. A worried smile played upon his lips, and his dark eyes like pools of swirling chestnuts pierced into her own. His handsomeness pulled at a hidden memory, but Aurora was unable to locate him in her mind. His hair was tied back with a leather strap, but a loose curl had fallen just above his left eye, giving Aurora the unexplainable urge to sweep it out of the way.

"W-who are you?" Aurora squeaked, her eyes darting between both of the men like a pinball. "Where am I?"

"Do you not remember?" The handsome man asked with a frown as he stepped forward, and Aurora could not help but glance at a scar disappearing under his shirt from his collarbone. "I rescued you from the pirates which you said took you. Do you remember what happened?"

Aurora crestfallenly shook her head without a word, causing her now clean curls to bounce majestically.

"It is as I feared..." The short man with the eyeglass sighed pitifully, causing Aurora's heartbeat to race.

"What? What is it?" She asked with the nature of a hunted deer.

"Do not worry my dear, I am Doctor James Eldridge and I will do my best to help you. Unfortunately, there was an accident when our Prince here saved you from the pirate ship, and you hit your head pretty hard on the boat, which is why you have lost your memories. You are lucky to be alive my dear; if it was not for the Prince who dived in after you and pulled you from the water, you would have drowned." The doctor reveals solemnly.

Aurora's ears pricked at the mention of a prince. The handsome man next to the doctor stood stoically, but could not take his eyes off the strange, angelic girl.

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked gently.

Ro swallowed nervously and tried her hardest to think, but it was like static in her head. It truly pained her to think.

"I... I think it's Ro." She revealed quietly, and the doctor and handsome man shared a disappointed glance.

"Do you remember how you came to be with the pirates? Anything from when you were a child?" The handsome man prodded as if her past was deeply important, and of course it was but she could not remember.

"I... I remember running... and a woman, woman with red hair... but no... I can't even remember the boat." Ro revealed miserably.

"It is ok my dear, it is possible that if you experienced some traumatising events your brain is locking the memories away to protect you. I suggest plenty of food and rest, do not push your self dear and hopefully your memories will come back in time as you heal." The kindly doctor explained whilst twiddling his moustache.

"Wait, come on Ro or whoever you are, think for me, it is imperative that we find out if you are an... old friend of mine." The handsome man pushed as he strode forward, grasping Ro's shoulders sending pleasant tingles down her spine.

"I... I... I am sorry... I do not know..." Ro stumbled out, feeling anxious as her headache grew.

"Are you quite certain?" The man sighed tiredly as he let go of her.

"Yes... my head hurts, I am sorry..." Ro reiterated as she tried to rub out the throbbing in her temples.

"I think it is time for young Ro here to get some rest, I will ask the cook to bring you some nutritious food as you do not look as though you have eaten well in over a century." The doctor shook his head pitifully at the tiny girl whose bones peeked through her skin.

"Thank you." Ro mumbled as she fell back onto the bed with a light head. "Wait! Sir... what is your name?" She asked as the disappointed striking man turned to leave.

"My apologies, I am Prince Theodosius of Yemini. I am taking you back to my country to see if we can figure out who you are." The Prince explained.

Theodosius... The name tugged at something in Ro's mind, but she could not sort through the cloud of thoughts to determine why it was so familiar.

"Ok, thank you for looking after me." Ro said with a small, nervous smile causing one to pull at Theodosius' own lips.

"Ok we will get you some food but you get yourself tucked into bed now Miss Ro, you need rest if you ever want to recover." The doctor insisted, breaking the small moment between the two.

With one last smile, Theodosius exited the room, leaving the mysterious yet beautiful girl to rest under the doctor's orders.

Let me know if you are enjoying this book so far guys! I'm excited for how this story is going to pan out. xoxo

Edited