[A/N: This is my first English written Fanfiction, so bear with me :'D. English is not my first language so if you find grammatical mistakes please tell me :') I hope my improvements in English will progress in the future. I always wanted to write a story about my OTP and so I came up with this story :D. ]


Elizabeta

Every tale starts with a legend.
Mine started with my father's abduction.
It was a rainy day; waves were clashing against the ship while the wind whipped my long brown hair in my sweaty face. I saw my father being thrown on the enemy's ship called 'Proteus' as we fought our ways through the attacking pirates. It was a bloody fight and chances were small to win it.

Living a pirate's life wasn't an easy one; especially living it as a woman. I was born on my father's ship, raised to act like a boy. He knew it would be hard for me as a girl to survive in this world and so my childhood consisted of swordsmanship and sailing. My mother died during my childbirth and so my father was left alone to nurture me. The ship's crew wasn't amused as they learned of my existence, considering the beliefs they had about women being bad luck on a ship, although they warmed up to me. Most of them now see me as their own daughter or little sister.

I wasn't the only female on board as a young woman joined our crew a few years ago. She looked no older than me and lost her family. Homeless and desperate, she looked for someone to take her in. The only thing that remained with her was her name. Natalya. Upon seeing her, my father was reminded of me and accepted her.

My eyes focused on the scene before me.

"Eliza, we need to get out of here. The ship is lost." Someone called from behind me.

"We can't…!" I shouted.

The ship was violently shaken by the clashing waves; my screaming could barely be heard. I fell on the ground as someone pushed me down.

"Oh, what do we have here? What a lovely lady."

A big grin was plastered on his face; he wanted to grab me but failed as I jumped back to my feet and hit his face.

"You bloody wench! I am going to-"

My sword pierced his dark heart before he could finish his sentence. His lifeless body fell to the ground. Yes, I was a good swordswoman; mostly everyone underestimated me and was paying it with their life.
I wasn't a cold-hearted killer; I was a survivor. Rule number one on my father's ship: Never let anyone kill you without a fight. Meaning, if I had to be killed, I would rather fight and defend myself before I would be stabbed to death. One doesn't die without a battle. As a woman, you should not depend on others to save you but trust yourself and believe in your skills.

That's what he always told me.

I looked back at the enemy ship whose crew held my father as a hostage.

"Father…" I whispered.

"Eliza! Stop!" One of my crewmates screamed.

Something crushed on me the moment I turned around to answer him. All I could hear were some muffled voices and screams. Seconds went by as I lost my conscience.


Gilbert

"Lady Emma Van Haegen." One of the royal servants announced.

There it goes again. I don't know how my father could endure such boring balls neither could I stand the fact that this was all made for me. He got the insane idea to find my future wife. At least I could choose one of these royal ladies if they caught my interest.

"Sir Vash Zwingli accompanied by Lady Lilly Zwingli!"

It was the third gathering my father had planned out. He wanted me to wed someone to save the family bloodline, instead of 'playing' outside with weapons as he liked to describe my training. In his eyes I was a spoiled, war-loving fool whose focus wasn't on important things in life. Totally unawesome. Being the king's son wasn't an easy task.

"Isn't Lady Emma lovely?"

"Well… Yes, though not quiet suited for me father." I retorted.

The king shot me a questioning look and opened his mouth to protest but closed it when the music started to play. My father's stern look told me to ask a lady for a dance. It was my evening after all, however I wasn't in the mood to follow the rules of the social behaviour of a host. The tension between us two grew.

"I beg your pardon your Royal Highness, but Prince Ludwig is asking for you."

I looked up to see one of the royal servants; out of breath and clearly concerned about my brother.

"Another nightmare?"

The servant's speechless response I received only confirmed my question.

Since my mother died, Ludwig was plagued with bad dreams. He could not understand why she was gone leaving him to grow up without motherly love; it was too much for him and so was his crying for me. I may be a bored foolish young man but when it comes to my brother, I would do anything to see him happy and save.

"Son, let the nurse take care of him." My father's voice held a warning, as if he would kill me when I would leave my seat. His look normally frightens our servants and several other persons except for me; I wasn't afraid of him.

"No. I am going to leave this farce and take care of my brother who needs me more than those boring girls." I declared angrily while standing up.

Even though my back was facing him I could feel his outraged looks.

I didn't care.

Before entering my brother's chamber; Ludwig's muffled cries were echoing through the halls and worrying me in an anguish manner. It broke my heart upon witnessing his sobs.

"Luddy." My voice was only above a whisper nevertheless he heard it and noticed me. The five year old jumped out of the bed, right into my arms.

It was almost a routine to sooth him. Our mother's lullaby was the key to calm him down, which I hummed, rocking him to sleep.

I put him softly in his bed and stayed by his side. I was well aware of the fact that there was a ball downstairs but it didn't pick my attention anymore. My brother was my first priory leading me stay with him all night long.

The settee near Ludwig's bed seemed like a cosy place to watch over him until sleep would take over me.

I closed my eyes and thought about Ludwig and my future. Being trapped in a loveless marriage was something I certainly didn't wished for. It wasn't the future I wanted to have, yet I had no choice. I was hoping against hope that maybe someday I could plan my life on my own. An awesome life.