I do hope that no one gets confused because I am placing this story up, which is actually the one that takes place before "The Princess and the Pirate". If anyone has any suggestions on things that I should add to either story, please feel free to let me know and I will attempt to add them into an appropriate place.
Chapter One
"I dearly hope Marcus would be finding himself another woman to be warming his bed for him," a young blonde headed woman whispered to herself as she walked down the long metal corridor. Her name was Jewel May McKenzie. To Marcus, she was called Songbird.
Marcus had given her the name Songbird because her singing voice was so enchanting that it could halt anyone. Her voice enabled Marcus to win several wars.
Jewel had waist length pale blonde hair and almond shaped sky blue eyes. Her classic heart shaped face was complimented with a pin straight nose and full pouty pink lips. She stood about five-foot-six and weighed about one hundred ten pounds. Her skin was the color of cream and soft to the touch, like silk.
As Jewel continued to walk, she blocked out the sound of her gold anklets that clanked together on each of her legs as she walked. She also wore two gold ankle bracelets on each of her legs and a gold armband on each arm.
She also wore a dark blue ankle length sheath gown made out of silk. It had two small shoulder straps and a long side split that came up to her hip. Jewel had been dressing like this for almost three years, since she was sixteen.
Just after Jewel turned sixteen, Marcus kidnapped her from her home. Marcus explained to Jewel that he had heard her singing in one of the Boston Cathedrals one Sunday morning and fell in love with her. Well, he fell in love with her voice and her body. He acted as though he was interested in her, in her family, and everything about her life. Jewel explained to him that her family was originally from Ireland, which accounted for her Irish accent, that she was a catholic, and believed in helping people and animals.
Her true passion was singing but her secret passion was dancing. Jewel made a vow to herself that she would not marry a man unless he could dance with her for an entire night without tiring. She has yet to meet the man who could accomplish this task.
The only blessing was Marcus never dared to take her innocence. Jewel had planted the false notion into his head that if he were to take her virginity she would loose her singing voice. She knew it would only be a matter of time before Marcus caved into his desire for her.
She was also thankful that he did not care about her family's money or the reward that they probably had up for her. Her family came from "old money" and their history was very long.
Jewel was still lost in her train of thought when she arrived at Marcus's bedchamber door. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand up and gently knocked on the metal door.
"Enter my lovely Songbird" Marcus stated.
"Ye sent for me," Jewel sweetly said as she lowered her eyes. She knew it was expected of her. Marcus did not approve of anyone looking him in the eyes.
As Jewel entered the room, she saw Marcus sitting on the couch. He stood only a few inches taller than she did, with dark gray eyes and dark blue skin. His skin felt like leather, hard and unforgiving, much like his personality. His eyes were large, nearly black, and round with no pupil. In Jewel's mind, she saw him as most humans have pictured what an alien would look like. Tall and skinny but he was not as willowy as what many humans depicted an alien. Jewel was very thankful for the fact that Marcus spoke English and very well.
Marcus's quarters consisted of a large king size bed that was covered in green sateen sheets, a large oak desk with a matching chair where he did all his paperwork, an oversized black velvet chair with matching loveseat and couch, and a massive oak armoire.
The bed was located in the center of the room against the wall. The desk was on one side of the bed. The couch, loveseat, and chair were located on the other side of the bed, in a corner, forming a semi-circle.
"Yes my darling. Come, sit by me" Marcus said as he gently patted the black velvet couch.
"Aye. What do wish of me?" Jewel whispered as she walked over to the couch and gracefully seated herself.
"I was just informed that a small band of Desert Warriors were heading this way. They will supposedly be here in forty-eight hours," Marcus determinedly stated as he turned to look at his "Songbird".
"What would ye be havin' me do?" Jewel questioned as she fiddled with the lower portion of her dress.
"What do you think?"
"Ye are wantin' me to distract them," Jewel answered, dreading the answer.
"That's right, Songbird" Marcus stated.
He had to hand it to Songbird; she was as beautiful as she was smart. He made her use her voice to win many wars. Her voice was so enchanting that it froze the opposing side in their tracks. He knew that some day he would no longer need her singing talent and when that time came, he would finally bed her. It was only the fact that she would loose her talent that stayed his male hormones.
Marcus knew that she tolerated his expectations of her. She did not love him or even like him. He told her when and where to go. He ordered her to sleep in his bed. He even went so far as to tell her how to dress.
Every one of his men thought she was his mistress but he knew otherwise and was not about to change their ideas. He also forbade any of his men from looking at her. They obeyed his order for fear that he would kill them without remorse. Several men already lost their lives because they assisted Songbird by either opening a door for her or by bringing her a glass of water.
"And what would ye be wantin' me to wear?" Jewel softly questioned.
"That pale blue tube dress. You know, the one with side split that comes down to your mid-thigh," Marcus smugly stated.
"Aye. I will do as ye say. Though, know this, I do not agree with you" Jewel stated.
"I don't care if you agree with me or not, Songbird. Everyone does what I tell them to do or else they end up dead," Marcus laughed.
"Aye. I know," Jewel solemnly spoke as she remembered all those men who died trying to defeat Marcus.
The worst thing was that Jewel knew she aided to their deaths but it was not by her choice. Marcus gave her the choice of staying alive by distracting the opposition or her five-year-old sister would be put to death. Her sister was only two years old at the time that they were taken from their home and since that time, Jewel had taken Valerie under her wing.
"Begging your pardon, Marcus, but what is a 'Desert Warrior'?" Jewel questioned.
"They're a dangerous band of rebels that follow strict rules of conduct. They have pointed ears, fur that covers a good percentage of their bodies, and very long tails. They're the only alien race that has antennae," Marcus stated with a vicious snarl.
"Oh. What is the purpose of the antennae?" Jewel asked, keeping her voice soft and gentle.
"Supposedly they are able to read peoples' minds," Marcus started to say, "Now; I do not want you to ask me any further questions about the Desert Warriors."
"Aye Marcus. I will not bother you any further. Will there be anything else that ye require of me?" Jewel asked as she slowly rose off the couch.
"No. You will spend the night in my bed tonight," Marcus ordered before he shoed Jewel away.
"Aye. I'll be in the shower if ye need me," Jewel whispered as she walked out the bedchamber door with her head hung in despair.
"Good. I still have yet to understand why you humans have such a fascination with being clean," Marcus commented.
With that last statement, Jewel closed his door and walked back down the long corridor, and towards the showers. It was a ritual for her to cleanse herself every night before going to bed. She also bathed her sister and sang to her. Valerie enjoyed listening to her sister sing a lullaby while cradling her. Jewel made a habit of rocking Valerie to sleep while she sang a short lullaby. It was one of the few chances Jewel had to spend with her each day.
During that quiet time, Jewel would tell her little sister that someday someone would rescue them and bring them back home to their mother and father. Every night that Jewel went to bed, she prayed that someone would rescue her and her little sister from this life of torment and degradation.
Jewel was very thankful that Marcus did not know anything about her true feelings. Even though he tried to convince her that someday, she would love him but Jewel knew that would never happen. As far as she was concerned, Marcus was nothing more than another male on an ego trip who could care less for the lives of individuals.
For now, Jewel would play along with Marcus's charades but would never bend to his desire for making love. She knew her innocence could only be given once and she would save it until the right man came along and swept her off her feet. She knew it would only take one dance with him to know if he was the right man for her.
"Sis!" came the scream from Valerie as she ran towards Jewel from a side corridor.
"Aye, Valerie," Jewel said as she knelt down and opened her arms for her sister.
Valerie was tiny for a five year old with a head full of wild reddish-orange curls. Other than the hair color, Valerie was a much younger looking version of Jewel; even their eyes were the same color and shape.
"Ye going to sing for me" Valerie asked as she jumped into her sister's open arms and wrapped herself very snugly around Jewel.
"Aye, to be sure I will" Jewel said as she lifted Valerie up as she stood up. Jewel held her tiny sister close to her as she walked down the corridor that her sister had appeared out of.
"Goody" Valerie stated as she laid her head against Jewel's shoulder and snuggled close to her older sister.
"Ye did not think that I would forget" Jewel stated as she rubbed the back of her sister's head with one of her hands.
"Nay, I didn't" Valerie commented with a large smile.
"But first things first, a bath for both of us. After that, then I'll be singing to you," Jewel calmly stated as came to a stop in front of her sister's room.
Valerie's room was little more than a large walk-in closet. It contained a small twin size bed with cotton blankets, a rickety wooden dresser, and a rag type rug on the floor. Jewel normally kept some of her clothes in Valerie's room, just to have some place other than Marcus's room to stay in if he decided to deny her anything to wear, which had happened more than once.
"Ok" Valerie cheerfully stated as she squiggled out of her sister's embrace and opened the bottom draw on the dresser. She pulled out one of her pink cotton tee shirts and then pulled out one of Jewel's blue ankle length cotton nightgowns.
"Ye ready?" Jewel asked as she held out her hand and felt Valerie slide her hand into Jewel's.
"Aye" Valerie stated as she walked alongside Jewel.
"Then let us be off" Jewel stated.
"Aye, I agree"
About an hour later, Jewel sat comfortably on Valerie's bed with her little sister sitting in her lap. As they quietly spoke, Jewel braided Valerie's freshly washed hair into two long braids, one on either side of her tiny head.
"Sis? Do ye think we will be rescued?" Valerie asked.
"Aye, I do. We just have to keep our faith in the Lord and know that he will be providing for us" Jewel solemnly spoke as tied off the first braid with a piece blue sateen ribbon. Marcus gave Jewel many pieces of ribbons and laces for her own hair but Jewel chose to use the ornaments in her sister's hair.
"Does He always provide?" Valerie asked.
"Aye, He always does" Jewel said as she combed out the other half of her sister's hair and started to braid it.
"Sing to me, please" Valerie begged.
"Alright" Jewel said and began to sing softly:
"'Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,"
"Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!"
"A charm from the sky seems to hallow us there,"
"Which, seek through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere?"
"Home, home, sweet, sweet home!"
"There's no place like home!" (John Howard Payne)
"That's pretty" Valerie started to say, "I wish we were home."
"So do I" Jewel lamented with a long sigh as she finished off the second braid and then tied it off with another blue ribbon.
She wished she could tell Valerie when they would go home but Jewel knew that her sister would never fully understand. Jewel was uncertain about when they would get out of there and be on their way home. Therefore, how could she expect a child to understand this kind of uncertainty?
"Do ye think a knight in shining armor will save us?" Valerie asked as she gazed up at her older sister.
"Aye, he will be the most handsome and bravest knight in the entire world," Jewel lamented with a sad smile, wishing it were true.
"Do ye think he'd have a grand horse?" Valerie asked.
"Aye, the grandest and most beautiful," Jewel softly spoke as she looked into her sister's sky blue eyes that were beaming with joy.
"Would ye marry him and live happily ever after?" she asked.
"Aye but only if he could dance the night away with me. Only a knight who can make my heart soar will win my hand," Jewel stated.
"If he does then will ye?" she asked.
"Aye. I will" Jewel said.
"Then let's hope he comes soon," Valerie giggled.
"Aye, we shall pray for him," Jewel agreed even though she doubted a prayer would suffice to bring their knight to life.