this story is based on a story called "Learning how to run" by NoReins-XO please read it first, it's amazing and a lot of my story is based on it. I do have the author's permission and I'm trying to mix it up so I'm not completely taking the ideas...so with no further ado my story "my freedom"

chapter one:

James the son of the duke...

"Emilia come down, we have something very important to talk about" my father calls to me. I walk half way down the steps, a place were you can see who's standing at the door but they can't see you, and can not believe my eyes, the duke is in our home! I put a bit more grace in my step, I am just as smart, just as elegant, and just as beautiful as any rich woman in this town, I don't want be seen as less of a woman because father is not as rich as the governor or the admiral.

"there she is" the duke exclaims as I am on the second the last step. I look to the bottom of my dress, the seam is ripped to shreds, mother never taught me to sew before she died, my hair is frazzled because I could not find my brush and I just simply pulled the tangled mess in to a braid. The duke walks over to me and carefully pulls up my head up to were I look him in the eyes and puts his hands on my shoulders.

"were will you be if all you see in this world is the ground" he playfully mocks.

"she doesn't really speak more then one word answers, after her mothers passing" my father tells him.

"yes, I heard few people tell me that" the duke answers bluntly. he walks around behind me and un-braids my hair, I wince.

the duke chuckles "do not fret, the maid will fix this tonight."

"t-tonight?"I ask

"yes!" my father tells me

"my son has seen you in the market reading and thought you very beautiful" the duke continues, "he has asked me to through a ball in your honor so that he can learn more of you than your looks." again the duke speaks in a very blunt tone, but father looks pleased so I continued on with my mouth shut. I nodded,"thank you" I don't believe that the duke likes my father.

"you and your father shall accompany me back to my home so that, you may pick a dress, have alteration done, do your hair, and be ready for tonight!"

"yes sir! "my father answers for me, that kind of bugs me but I guess its his job when I choose to say very little, some times I wish I could speak my mind but I know that no one will understand, I think what the king and everyone of high power below him are doing something wrong, I've seen lord becket slap a colored man before when he was still living, I knew it was wrong, that man was no different from me or becket, I think I understand why some people commit to piracy! We were in the carriage going to the dukes mansion in a matter of seconds.

I picked a beautiful little blue silk over-dress with a simple cotton under-dress and pink lace to tie the two sides of the over-dress together. the maid brushed my hair a lot! I brought my hair over my shoulder and looked at her in the mirror, confused.

"sorry miss, it's just that your hair is so beautiful!" I smiled and she started to pin up my hair when she was finished she messed around with my bangs, she finally huffed giving up on them!

I made a "uh" noise and she turned back around to look at me, I began to braid my bangs and pin them behind the hair that still hung down in complicated curls. she figured out what I was doing and helped. we actually ended up un-doing my hair and changing it a lot because we were bored, finally some of the dukes family came and I was called down, by that time my hair was curled and hung down loose and free, with my bangs twisted and pined behind my head. I slipped on my over-dress and my shoes, the maid helped lace it. "thank you,"

"oh so she does talk," the maid laughed

"I talk," I nodded, " to the mirror"

"well instead of the mirror, why don't you find a friend," she was still fiddling with the lace.

"I should" I told her.

"okay" she said turning me toward the mirror

"wow!" I couldn't believe my eyes, I-I looked stunning. I hugged the maid. I walked out of my room and down the hall as slowly as I could, so many thoughts run through my head, but all vanished when the duke's family's faces went from neutral to amazed, his son, James stepped forward and offered me his hand I took it, he looked me up and down I thought he stopped at my chest a bit to long as he licked his lips, but maybe that's what rich people do?

chapter 2:

Payton Smithson

after most of the guest arrived James invited me to go to the beach with him. he asked simple yes or no questions;

"do you like the house?"

"yes"

"father, you see him as a good man"

"Yes"

he stopped and pulled me a little closer to him "and me, you like me"

"yes"

"well, I like you a lot" I felt his hand ease down south of my back

"no!" I said as I pulled his hand away.

"come on,no one has to know!" he whined

"NO!" he grabbed me again but I pulled away and ran back to the party, I heard him calling for me to come back, I looked back and laughed in till I ran into either a wall, a very strong man, or a woman with metal breast! I saw big brown eyes looking down at me and heard a husky voice say "are alright love?" he had caught me and was standing me upright.

"well" I laughed "that's one way to say hello" the ruff looking man laughed too.

"yes it is" I heard James say angrily "James Roberts duke in waiting,who are you?" he asked the man.

the man told him "Payton Smithson." he smiled at me "I believe it's your turn dale"

"Em-" James interrupts me "Emilia soon to-" Mr. Smithson interrupts him, "I believe the lovely woman was trying to speak, go on"

finally I get to say, "Emilia Clyde" James grabs me and takes me to dance. we had been dancing for an hour when I notice that his friend is dancing with a blonde woman much prettier than me, James and his friend notice too. then tried to switch partners, but their little trick ended with James having the pretty blonde, his friend having no one and me once again in the arms of the ruff looking man. we start to do this tango that made everyone stop and watch us. the tango ended with me some what on the floor and everyone cheering as he pulls me back up.

I laugh and now that we are actually doing ballroom dance, I lean close to him and whisper so that only he can hear me say, "I've got a feeling that your name isn't really Payton Smithson"

"lets take walk" he says

"how" I ask

"watch and learn" he tells me. he changes the direction we were turning in the dance and twirls me widely in till we are at the door, then he takes my hand and we run to the beach, laughing the entire time!

chapter 3:

the beach...

finally we were far enough away from the ball and we walked. "Payton" talked about how he sailed around the world. he had been so many places!

"Lucky" I shyly commented, "so what is your real name Mr. Smithson?"

he smiled slightly and sighed, "thinking on it, it might be best if you don't know" with that he grabbed my hand and escorted me back to the party. James was waiting, "there you are!" he beamed. pulling me in at arms length, gawking at my chest almost. the mystery man was leaving. I pulled away from James and ran after him, "Payton! wait!" he turned around and I hugged him, pulled away and said, "please don't leave so soon!"

he laughed," love, I was suppose to be back on the ship five hours ago, the captain is most likely very mad at me."

I laughed as well. James seeing that the man and I are some what close walked down and put an arm around my waist. I curled into his arm and put my hand on his chest, maybe he wasn't that bad. still looking at the man I said, "well, good bye then Mr. Smithson." he smiled, "good luck to you two." he smiled at us and told James, "don't let this one get away, even though she's Australian, she's still beautiful." I gave him a look and he smiled at me.

James and I danced for awhile talking to each other as we did so, in till my father asked for a word with me. "I'm very proud of you, you've really opened up since we've been here!" my father beamed. I hadn't realized it and was surprised the mystery man was the one I needed to find my courage to speak again.

I smiled at the maid who had taken care of me and said, "I guess I only needed a friend."

"James is that friend?" my father asked happily.

I sighed, "no, James is a friend, but he isn't the friend that I needed to open up to, the man who just left is, Mr. Smithson, I wish you could've meet him but he needed to get back to the ship he was employed on."

my father looked at me and smiled, "well it is still a good thing that you are talking again!"

chapter 4:

we stayed at the dukes mansion for weeks. no one ever talked of the party or if James still fancied me. that was in till the other day. I walked down the steps to the kitchen. I heard people talking as I was just about to enter, "Yes! of course I know she would be delighted!" my father said very happily. I smiled and lean against the frame of the door and kept listening, "lets just be sure first please Mr. Clyde." the duke was still very blunt with my father, as if he only had to put up with him, not think of him as a friend. I rushed to the other room and found a book, picking up and sitting down pretending to read it. I caught a few words in it and one of them was "captain" the other one was "Blackbeard"

"Mrs. Clyde?" I heard James call for me

"in here" I called back quiet, and a bit mousey. I fake smile as James walks in the room. the duke beams at this, "well, we we're thinking, James and you know each other much more and we are hoping-"

"that you and Mr. Roberts could be married by fall." my father said very happily. father and the duke looked at me awaiting my answer, James stared at my chest...pig!

I thought quickly about what I would say next, "I don't know, James you are a good friend but, I can not marry you, I'm very sorry" I told them. I gave them a reassuring smile.

"fine then!" James gave me an evil glare and the duke began to speak with my father, "triple the negotiated amount, she WILL marry my son!"

"agreed." my father shook the dukes hand.

"beg pardon?" I ask

"James is your fiancé" my father told me firmly, "and you will marry him, the sooner the better!"

"I will not, I do not love this man, this is my choice!" I firmly say back.

" no it isn't, I'll have the minister come as soon as the family can, and you are marrying James, consider yourself, Mrs. Roberts!" the duke tells me. I look in shock as the duke pulls a coin purse and gives it to my father, "pleasure doing business with you sire" my father offers as he leaves he calls over his shoulder, "she's all your...ha ha ha, I'M RICH!" I still sat there not believing my father just sold me. the duke and James left me with my thoughts. I heard a bird chirp and noticed a white robin!

A/N: sorry I just figured out how to add more chapters and had to much already wrote out so here the first four chapters of my freedom. I just have to type and edit and I should have about five more chapters coming in a week