A/N: Hello there! This is my very first fanfic so read, review and all that jazz! Contrastive criticism is welcome but please be nice! I would like to thank my wonderful Beta HunHund! You should definitely go check her out, she's got some awesome stories! Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter one!
xXx
As the wind swept through her hair, Anna cast her gaze out onto the crystalline waters of the sea. Her mind wandering to the three weeks she had spent in Corona with her beloved cousin.
It had been a much needed holiday for the young heiress, as her studies were beginning to take a heavy toll on her mind. When you were preparing to be the future queen, one would expect as much. So when her parents immediately took to her idea of visiting the neighboring kingdom, Anna couldn't have been happier.
Rapunzel and her spent their days doing whatever they wished, be that riding the horses, strolling in the town square, or simply laying in the grass talking for hours on end. Anna recalled one memory of when she and Rapunzel had been aimlessly wandering the docks in the harbour. It had been a wonderfully sunny day and the redhead relished in the warmth as the sun gently kiss her skin. It had been that sensation that lead her to not pay attention to where she was going. Not ten seconds later, she found that her foot had become tangled in a pile of rope. She then picked her foot up to try and unravel said rope but unfortunately she began to lose her balance. The next thing she knew, she was sailing head first into the river. Rapunzel playfully bugged her about it for the duration of her trip.
Yes, the trip had been splendid indeed. And now she was sailing home to her own kingdom, where she would resume her studies prepping to someday become the Queen of Arendelle. She may only be eighteen but her parents wanted her to be fully prepared for when that day came. Of course her days in the castle weren't always spent with her nose in dusty old books or listening to even dustier old men. No, some days she would venture into the town and hang out with her good friend Kristoff and his reindeer Sven.
Many of the people of Arendelle suspected the two to be a couple but Anna knew in her heart that she only loved Kristoff as a friend. Although she longed to find that person she would live out the rest of her days with, just as her cousin had with Eugene.
Only when a hand tapped her on the shoulder was she pulled from her musings. She dragged her gaze from the waters and looked at the person behind her.
"Your 'ighness," it was one of the many crew members, "you shouldn't be out 'ere. What wif' the storm 'ats brewin' ahead."
"Storm?"
"Aye m'lady," the crew member pointed at the horizon, which was glowing a bright pink, "'ave you not 'eard the sayin' 'bout a pink sky in the mornin'?"
The Princess shook her head in a 'no'.
"Nah, I suppose not eh? Well it goes as such: 'Pink sky at night, sailor's delight. Pink sky at morn, sailors be forewarned'."
"Huh. Well that sounds a bit ominous doesn't it?" Was all the young woman had to say as she casted her gaze outward once again, she could indeed see the dark clouds that lingered just above the bright horizon, bleeding into the pink.
"Right, so I should probably take cover in my cabin, shouldn't I? But first…" Anna trailed off and glanced up at the Crow's Nest.
"Aye m'lady. I 'fink that would be the best 'fing for you to do-" The sailor was cut off as Anna blew by him and hoisted herself onto the shrouds and began the climb up the mainmast.
"Oiy! Get down from there!" Another crew member hollered.
Anna paid them no mind and just kept climbing. When she reached the Crow's Nest, she looked out to the wide open sea that stretched before the ship. It was a breathtaking view and as Anna stood there at the highest point of the massive ship, she could feel a sense of longing in her chest. She longed for something more than her sealed fate and the pressure of being the only heir to a kingdom. She wanted adventure, danger, and romance. All the things she knew she could never have.
"I want so much more than they've got planned." She thought sadly.
"Princess Anna! Could you please come down from there? It is not safe!" It was Kai, the butler her parents had sent to accompany her.
With a sigh, Anna made her way back down to the deck.
"Miss Anna, what do you think you were doing up there? It's very dangerous and you could have been seriously injured!"
"Sorry Kai, I just had to see what the sea and sky looked like from the Crow's Nest. It's such an amazing view, the way the sky flows together with the pink and grey of the clouds! Oh and the water! It just looks so beautiful, one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen-"
Kai could do nothing but stare at the princess as she rambled on about the sea water. He cleared his throat.
"-and, oh! Sorry, I was rambling again wasn't I?"
"It is quite alright Princess. But I suggest you return to your cabin as I have just finished speaking with the captain and the storm will be on us in a matter of hours."
"Oh…uh right. Cabin." She mumbled, turning toward the back of the ship.
A smile appeared on the butlers face as he watched the girl go.
xXx
A few hours later, Anna was sitting on her bed reading when the ship gave a violent jerk sending the redhead off the bed and onto the floor.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow." She wined using the desk to help her stand.
Once she was fully upright, she made a beeline for the door.
"Kai!" She yelled. "Oh god…"
Upon opening her door, the princess caught sight of the chaos that they faced on the main deck.
Crew men were running everywhere securing lines while the captain barked orders from his place at the helm. Icy rain water poured from the sky and the wind screamed as Anna searched frantically for Kai.
When she finally managed to spot him up near the helm by the captain, she made a quick break for the two men.
"Kai! Captain Anglehorn! What can I do to help?" She had to shout to be heard over the howling storm.
"Princess Anna, what are you doing out here?! I told you to stay in your room!"
"The ship lurched and I fell! Please, I can help!"
"No," shouted the captain, "this is no place for a princess! Go back to the cabin, it is not safe out here!"
Just as the words left his mouth, the sky resonated with a defining crack. Lightning came screeching down and shattered the mizzenmast, sending chunks of wood everywhere.
Anna tried to turn away but felt a shooting pain in the back of her head, and when her face came in contact with the soaking, cold deck everything went black.
xXx
Upon waking up, Anna opened her eyes only to see and array of imagines slurred together accompanied by a dreadful pounding in her head.
"Princess Anna? Princess Anna can you hear me?" Someone said to her.
"Ugh, what happened? My head is absolutely killing me!"
"Well," it was Kai, "you took a very nasty knock to the head when the mast was hit. It rendered you unconscious and the captain and I brought you back here."
"Oh, well thank you. What happened after I was knocked out?"
"The storm battered us for a few more hours. The mizzenmast and the foremast were greatly damaged and we also lost most of the railings near the bow."
"Oh dear, that's not good is it?"
"No Princess it's not." Spoke the captain, appearing in the doorway. "I'm glad you're awake. You had us worried for a bit. How are you feeling?"
"Hello captain. My head is quite sore but other than that I am alright. Is there anything else that happened?"
"That's good to hear. And yes, there is. There were six casualties and as a result of the extensive damage, we will have to delay our return and make port at the nearest settlement to fix the ship, as we will not make it back to Arendelle with the condition we are in."
"Wow, ok-"
"CAPTAIN!" The shout came from a sailor gripping the doorframe frantically.
"Angus, what's going on?"
"There's a ship approaching from the north!"
"What colours is she flying?"
"That's the problem captain. She ain't flying any!"
The captain's face immediately paled and he shot up and raced out onto the deck.
Anna sent Kai a confused glance and proceeded to follow the captain out.
They found him standing at the back of the helm with a telescope glued to his eye.
"Captain, w-what does that mean?" Anna stammered, sensing his uncertainty.
The man's face was unreadable but when he turned and looked at the princess, the fear was clearly riddled through his dark eye and when he spoke, her blood ran cold.
"Pirates."