CHAPTER 2: A New Journey. Emerald Juliet Winter
"Princess?" said a soft, mellow voice.
The lady gripped her sheets tightly. Her face was sweaty, just like how she was in the dream. The difference was that her face wasn't grimy, and her sweat is very cold. The lady was shivering as she recalled what she had seen.
"My lady?" said the same mellow voice. The owner of the voice was knocking on the door, this time with more force. "Are you alright?"
The lady had only realized now that someone was outside her door. She cleared her throat, and said "Come in."
The person outside came in. She was one of the maids of the royal family. It is very awkward though that she and the princess shared striking similarities. She had the same caramel coloured hair and green eyes. Only, the maid kept her hair tucked in a lacy hat, as prescribed by their uniform.
"My lady", the maid asked. "Are you alright?"
The princess shuddered, but she tried her best to stay brave. "No. I'm alright. You need not worry about me, Sonny. I just had a nightmare."
Sonny frowned at her. "You had a nightmare about your ship again, have you, Princess?"
The lady tried to lie, but looking into Sonny's concerned eyes, the princess found it impossible to do so. "Yes," she admitted. "I've had the same nightmare for a week now. I don't know what I should do to stop it."
"Maybe," Sonny said carefully, "If we let your father contact the physician—"
"Thank you for your concern, Sonny, but I don't need my father's doctors. I don't need a psychologist. I'm not crazy," the princess said in a cold, icy tone.
The heat rose in Sonny's cheeks. "I—I—I—I didn't mean that, my lady. My apologies, for offending you."
The princess, whose name is Emerald Juliet Winter, looked at the maid. Sonny is her best friend. For some reason, it is easier to talk to her than with other rich and royal people. Emerald knew that Sonny had nothing but the princess's best intentions at heart. "No. I'm sorry, dear. I shouldn't have snapped at you. You were just trying to help."
Sonny nodded, and said. "Well, I'd better let you return to your sleep, Princess. Good night." She turned to leave.
"Sonny, wait." Emerald said.
Sonny turned uncertainly. "Yes, my lady?"
"I can't sleep. I don't want to go back to that nightmare again. Stay here. I want somebody to talk to."
Sonny blinked. "Are you sure, my lady? Your father might not like—"
"Oh father, father," Emerald said. She took a brush that was lying on her bedside table, and began to brush her hair. "Father is asleep. You need not worry. And if anyone asks, let's just say that I gave you orders to do so, and that you couldn't disobey orders."
Sonny gulped, but then she couldn't say no to her best friend. "Of course, Princess." She quickly sat on the floor.
Emerald put down her brush and laughed. "Oh no, dear. Sit on my chair. That's why chairs are made. Floors were never meant to be sat on, for that is what chairs are for." Sonny pulled out a chair, and sat next to Emerald's bed.
"Please tell me, my lady. Why did you run away? You told your parents that you are going to another planet as a scholar. You never told anyone that you were going to other PLANETS, with an additional s. And you are going there on voyages. Then, due to your hard work, you became the captain of the Nightwalker. You were gone for six years, my lady. Everyone knew that the princess was studying on another planet, but nobody knew that the princess was participating on voyages. Then suddenly, your ship exploded into bits. Luckily, no crew member of yours had died, although you were left severely injured. We only knew what you have been doing for six years when your crew members brought you to the hospital. You were wounded, and very close to death."
Emerald blushed. "It's just that—" She looked around uneasily. She sighed. "I want to be free. My life as a princess gives me as much freedom as a prisoner in the dungeons. I want to have a normal and adventurous life, for once. For years, I have been stuck here, reading about Literature, Mathematics, and Art. The closest thing to adventure that I ever had was trying to balance 5 books on my head for 20 minutes." She looked down at her lap, slightly ashamed. These thoughts weren't thoughts that should be in a princess's mind.
Sonny sensed that the princess was holding back something. Sonny looked Emerald at the eyes and said, "You ran away since you didn't want to marry the Prince Alton, didn't you?"
Emerald shuddered. She sighed. "What can I do, Sonny? I was scared. I don't know anything about him, and I don't even love him. I'd very much rather spend the remainder of my life as a beggar than marry him. I've heard so much negative things about him."
Sonny held her hand. "I can't blame you, my lady. I've always known that you had a reason for running away. It's not what the others say it is. Everyone else thinks that you are a rebellious and unworthy princess, yet what do they know about your situation?"
Emerald gripped her friend's hand. "Thank you so much, Sonny. I don't know what I would do without you."
The two women were silent for a while, until Sonny finally spoke up. "I heard news. It's something very big. Some guy named Dr. Delbert Doppler is hiring a crew. The crew is going on a voyage to Treasure Planet."
At the sound of the words 'Treasure Planet', Emerald immediately got up from bed, clearly excited. "Treasure Planet! I've heard about that from my crew," A spasm of pain flitted to the princess's face for a moment, but the excitement immediately replaced the pain. "The Loot of a Thousand Worlds." Emerald began to mutter incomprehensibly for a while, until her face brightened up. "Of course! That's the answer to our problems!"
Sonny blinked. "What do you mean, my lady?"
Emerald smiled at Sonny. "Why did my parents try to force me into a marriage with Prince Alton? It's because our planet's economy isn't blooming as of the moment, so we need the help of his planet, which is a very rich planet. We need financial support, Sonny." She held Sonny's hands, and swung her into a full circle. "If I manage to go there, and get sufficient riches, then I could save the kingdom without marrying."
Sonny's face turned pale. "Hold on a minute. If you manage to go there? You're going out on voyages again?"
"I have to," Emerald said, determination burning in her eyes. "It's the chance to save my planet."
"Somehow," Sonny muttered, "marrying the prince seems better."
"No, it's not." Emerald said. "At least I could get an adventure if I went on that voyage. What adventure will I get if I marry the prince? Nothing. In this way, I could prove to my parents that what I had been doing for six years isn't all useless at all."
Sonny nodded. The princess is very skilled in this aspect. Pretty much, she could convince people easily. Emerald is skilled when it comes to interpersonal matters. Although Sonny strongly disapproved of the princess's plans, Sonny could already begin to see the sense in Emerald's words. "Alright, my lady, but you'll have to convince your father about this. I don't think he might agree to it, though. It's very un-ladylike in his opinion."
"I will try my best," Emerald said. "And I will succeed."
Sonny shuddered. Whenever Emerald said those words, she always kept that promise. Sonny hated to see her friend go on yet another journey, yet what could she do? She is just a maid. Even if she is of authority, Sonny could never manage to change someone who is as stubborn as Emerald Winter.
"We are going to leave in a few days. You'd better rest," Emerald told her.
Sonny was stunned. "Me? Go with you?"
Emerald smiled. "Why, of course. I doubt that Father will let me go if I will not bring someone whom he trusts. Oh, and let us also bring along Robert. Father will like it if I bring along his most trusted bodyguard."
"Robert," Sonny said. She was unaware that her cheeks were flaming red. She was silent for a while, until she realized that she had just missed something.
"Did you hear me, Sonny?" Emerald asked.
Sonny shook herself out of her reverie. "My apologies, my lady. Please repeat what you have said."
Emerald smiled. "I said good night. You better go now. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."
"As you say, my lady," Sonny murmured as she tried to hide her embarrassment. "Good night." She turned and left the room, wondering what will happen in the days to come.
