The Tale of a Princess Kidnapped by Pirates

Chapter Four

Ro had been on Prince Theodosius' ship for four days, and was rather enjoying the relaxation. The first two days she was sentenced to bed rest, and it felt very odd as she was waited on hand and foot by Hattie, the ships cook. Ro was very thankful for her help, and as soon as the doctor allowed her out of bed, she made sure to assist her with her chores. Thankfully the swelling in her head went down and she was not in much pain anymore, although her mind was still blank of memories.

She had discovered a golden necklace hanging around her neck when she was washing herself one night, and with a quick fiddle she was surprised to find out it opened, revealing a blurry picture of a woman holding a faceless little girl. There was some sort of family crest engraved on the back, although Aurora's mind could not conjure the answer as to what it was. She thought the little girl must have been a younger her, although she was not sure. She was not sure about anything, which annoyed her to no end, but she tried to keep calm like the doctor instructed. Whatever the case, Ro had decided to keep it a secret under her dress until she figured the puzzle out; she did not want to bother the Prince again.

Just the thought of him made Ro blush, an infuriating action that she could not control. He was just so handsome and manly; she was sure she had never met anyone like him. Although he was a Prince, he was very kind and normal, often engaging in conversations with her and revealing facts about his life. Ro did not think she had ever met a Prince before, but he certainly did not behave as she would expect one too. Everyday he asked her questions about her past and a place called Alluvia, which sounded familiar but she was not sure why. Sometimes he got frustrated and she half expected him to try to beat the answer out of her, but he never laid a finger on her – except to escort her to the dining hall of course. He was the perfect gentleman.

Ro always felt most comfortable helping others, so she was often found cleaning or cooking with Hattie, her new friend and the only other female on the ship. They had a private room they were sharing together with twin beds, and even though Hattie snored atrociously, every night was a wonderful, comfortable night for Ro. Theodosius was always finding Ro scrubbing the floors or laying the table for the meals which he did not like her doing, but she was unstoppable.

Ro was happy, but only really spoke to Hattie, Doctor Eldridge and the Prince. She had shyly engaged in a conversation with Master Levi, a dashing young fellow who seemed to be always laughing and Theodosius' best friend. The rest of the men stayed away from her, but she could not help sometimes watching them as they ambled about or practiced their sword fighting, it was very impressive to watch. Ro's favourite place was to hide on the upper deck behind the mast and watch Theodosius fight his men and always come out victorious. He was undefeatable, and Ro always silently rooted for him. However, although the soldiers never really talked to her, she did receive a few looks from them, some with kind intent, some with contempt, and others with an unidentifiable gleam. She made sure to stay away from those.

Theodosius had kindly given Ro a stunning dress to wear whilst they travelled back to his kingdom Yemini, which was actually a present to his little sister Annalise. One evening whilst they watched the twinkling bulbs of the heavens, Theodosius explained to Ro that he had been away from his country for over a year, and he was on his final stretch home now. He had courageously been hunting pirates and bandits, helping to keep the high seas safe when he came across the ship Ro was on. Theo apologised for attacking her and thinking she was a pirate, and Ro forgave him with a smile even though she could not remember their encounter. At one of the ports he docked at, he made sure to buy an abundance of presents for his family, as he had left them unattended for so long.

Theo allowed Ro to choose which dress she desired to wear, each one decorated with frills, silk and lace she could only dream of. She settled on a baby blue one with golden flowers and little pearls embroided into the fabric, which ballooned elegantly to her feet and was flattering on the top. It was safe to say she was in love with the soft material, which strangely reminded her of her childhood. Hattie had to show her how to put it on and introduce her to the painful corset Ro was certainly not a fan of. She could hardly breathe with it on, but Hattie told her that a corset is a requirement for every lady to wear, so she tried to keep from complaining. Hattie cooed and told her she looked quite beautiful, and Theodosius' eyes widened in appreciation when he first saw the new Ro. She could hardly believe her reflection herself, as with the healthy meals Hattie was stuffing down her throat (in order to 'fatten her up'), and the rest and fresh sea air she was exposed to, the colour had returned to her cheeks and she felt better in herself.

That day Ro had volunteered to help Hattie with preparing the evening meal, and she realised she was quite adept at cooking although she did not remember where she got her skills. She wasn't wearing her fancy dress of course; that was squished in the wardrobe with Hattie's other belongings, but was instead borrowing a simple frock from Hattie that hung off her since Hattie was a much larger woman compared to Ro. She had been instructed to chop the vegetables for the stew with Caleb and Kairon – the designated kitchen helpers, who proved nice enough although they did not speak a lot to her. Hattie said this is because the Prince ordered them not to.

"So, what are you going to do when we reach land?" Ro asked Hattie curiously, who was kneading bread with her beefy arms.

"Well I guess I'll return to the kitchens on land lil Miss. It will be nice to see my papa after so long, although I will miss bein' out at sea." Hattie replied as she used the back of her hand to wipe a loosened black strand of hair out of her eye.

"Oh I see. I have no idea what I will do. I do not remember where I come from or any family I might have." Ro replied miserably.

"Don't you go worryin' about that missy. The prince will sort you out at the castle; he won't just turn you away." Caleb said kindly.

"Yeah, you don't need to be worrying 'bout nothing lass. The Prince is a fine man and you will be looked after. Folks say he will make the greatest King Yemini has ever had. Did ye know we took down eight pirate ships on our voyages this year? That amount of victories is unheard of. He's brilliant." Kairon praised.

"Yes I quite thought the ship was going'a sink with all the treasure he has accumulated! He's a good man though, our Prince, and shared a lot out with the common folk and the crew. I've got a fine pearl necklace because of his generosity, and I'll be able t' help me parents out too." Hattie revealed happily.

Ro thought that Theodosius was a wonderful man, and she felt so fortunate that he had been the one to save her from her troubles.

"Wow, he does sound like an amazing man. Is he wed?" Ro asked innocently although her cheeks flamed.

Caleb and Hattie shared a fleeting glance of amusement.

"No he's not lil miss. He had a betrothed he was quite taken with – or so the folks say – as a child, however she went missing and is presumed dead." Hattie explained.

"Oh how terrible, I hope she is ok!" Ro replied, unaware that the lady in question was actually she.

The spelling mistakes in the speech is obviously on purpose everybody, as it is how I imagine my characters to speak xo

Love you all! xx

Edited