Kinana opened her eyes with a jolt, then instantly regretted it. She was sprawled out unceremoniously on a decently sized bed that was too hard and squeaked as she shifted her body. The sheets smelled as though they hadn't been washed for days, but there was a scent coming from them that faintly reminded her of the sea. Other than the bed, there wasn't anything else in the wooden room to give away her location.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight flickering on a nearby desk, she wished that she could've stayed unconscious for a while longer if only to forget the situation she was currently in. Her head hurt, like she had just banged it against a sharp rock. Her body felt stiff from lying in the same position for what she guessed must have been hours. Her hands were bound together behind her back with a sturdy piece of rope that rubbed uncomfortably against her wrists whenever she tried to move. She craned her neck in an attempt to look around, and froze when she saw a dark figure out of the corner of her eye.
"So the princess has finally awoken from her slumber," the figure sneered at her. Now that she could see better, she was able to study the person in front of her. He lounged lazily in a chair by the bed, feet resting on top of the battered desk as though he didn't have a care in the world. He was wearing a long, white coat with dark stripes that ran along the side of his arms, showing off his buff muscles perfectly. She gasped as her eyes landed on a scar that crossed over his right eye. It made him look especially daunting, and she shuddered, wondering what had happened for him to have earned it.
Wait a minute...now that she had gotten a good look at him, she had a feeling that she had seen this man somewhere before. But she couldn't remember for the life of her. Her head ached, so she decided to just stop thinking about it. "It wasn't like I had any other choice, was it?" she retorted in annoyance.
He gave her a smirk. "Like what you see, Princess?"
Uh-oh. Kinana felt her cheeks flush at the fact that he had caught her staring, then instantly hated herself doing something so scandalous. She was a princess, she should have better manners than that! "Why you! Who...who are you, anyway?" she blurted, unable to help herself.
His good eye widened at her question. That was clearly not the question he had been expecting. "You mean you don't know who I am?"
"No, I don't," she admitted, trying not to show her fear. If she had met him before, she would most certainly have remembered someone with such distinct characteristics.
He looked at her like she was crazy. After a moment, he shrugged, then stood up and gave her a mocking bow. "Cobra, Captain of the Oracion Seis, at your service, princess."
Kinana's heart leapt to her throat. So that was why he seemed eerily familiar despite her not knowing who he was. She had passed by many wanted posters with his face smirking down at her within the castle. Though, it was funny because none of the posters looked anything like the real him - ruthless and dangerous. Still, she had heard a lot of rumors about him from her father, whose dream was to catch him. Cobra and his gang had caused many problems along the trading routes between Fiore and her neighboring countries, and local fishermen were starting to blame the king for these problems. That was why the King would do anything to get his hands on Cobra.
"Why...why did you capture me?" she asked finally. It probably wasn't because of her looks. Kinana was rather self-conscious, and she didn't think her bobbed cut, complete in a weird shade of purple, was what men would call hot. Besides the gown that reminded her of her status, she could pass as just a normal girl.
"You're a weird one," Cobra remarked, making her puff her cheeks at him. He had kidnapped and traded many women throughout his time as a pirate, and none of them had behaved like her. They would always cry and beg him to let them go, saying that they would do anything in return for their freedom. But he knew that they had been lying, and so he would simply laugh mercilessly and beat them. That was the kind of man he was.
But this girl...even though she was his victim, she remained calm. She seemed...curious. Her fierce green eyes challenged him to back down, and he could tell that she was trying to act brave despite how grim her situation was. That certainly wasn't something he saw everyday, and he had to admit that he was a little impressed. Though, at the end of the day, she was just a part of a deal. That was all she was, all she would ever be. Sure, her body curved in all the right places, and she was strangely cute in her own way as she pouted angrily at him, but he didn't bring himself to care. Like her, he was just a pawn in an even bigger scheme.
He folded his arms across his chest as he pondered how to answer her. He decided that she deserved to know the truth for being brave, at least. She would be gone by morning anyway, so it's not like telling her would hurt. "Do you believe in magic?" he asked.
Kinana frowned warily, wondering why he was asking her such a silly question instead of answering her. Was it supposed to be a trick? "Depends. Why, are you going to tell me that this ship can fly?"
"No, not that kind of magic," he snorted, partly amused. She was feisty. "Well, rumor has it that there's a certain poison so powerful that just the scent of it can kill you. And you know what the best part is? It can't be detected in your bloodstream, not even by the best doctors in the land."
"But that's just a rumor, isn't it? How can you know that it's real?" Kinana asked, staring at him with wide eyes. This was the first time she had heard of something like this!
"I have my sources," he said mysteriously.
Forgetting the situation she was in, she leaned in eagerly. "Why are you trying to get your hands on it?"
Cobra rolled his eyes. This girl asked too many questions for her own good. But he was bored, and she provided him with the entertainment that he hadn't had in ages. It would be fun to lead her on just to see what her reaction would be. "If it were you, why would you want it?" he countered, standing up and approaching her slowly.
Kinana's eyes bore into his as the implications finally sank in. She shivered when she suddenly felt his body heat lingering dangerously close to hers. "To kill someone, right?" he whispered in her ear, pressing the tip of the curved cutlass he had just drawn out against her throat. She hadn't even saw him move. "Killing with swords is a messy business. But with such a poison, you would be able to get away with it. And nobody would ever know," he finished, giving her a sickening smile as he pulled away from her again.
Kinana collapsed into the bed as soon as the coldness from his sword disappeared. She lay still, gasping for breath, perfectly aware of how close to death she had been in that single second.
This man was deadly. And if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't live to see the next day.
"But...why me?" she spoke finally in a small voice. It was as though any energy she still possessed had completely drained from her body.
"Let's see," he drawled each word slowly, like he was talking to a five year old. "You're a princess. Your father is rich. With you in our hands..." he didn't need to finish for Kinana to understand. They would demand ransom from her father for her. And then, after the transaction is complete, there was a chance that he could still kill her.
She didn't want to die. But even if, miraculously, she did return to the castle, she would face her father's wrath. That wasn't what she wanted, either. "Wait. I...you're right. I am a princess. I know people. And maybe one of them could help you. I ...I could help you gather intel! You don't have to let me go back yet. Let me help you first. Then you can do whatever you want with me."
That wasn't entirely a lie. She didn't know anyone herself, but maybe she could ask Hisui for help. Because no matter what happened, she had to stay alive. Even if it meant helping out the enemy.
"Oh? But what would you do if I told you that the poison was meant for...your father?" he taunted. Of course, it wasn't really meant for that foolish old king. He was saving it for someone far more powerful, but he wasn't one to trust others so easily and had no intention of actually telling her that.
"I..." she trailed off, debating how to answer his question. She was torn between the freedom that was calling to her and the fact that it would be for her own father. How was she supposed to choose between them...?
Finally, she smiled a little as she remembered something from her past, when Arcadios had passed on a message for her from Hisui. They had meant to spend the day together, but instead the other princess had caught a cold the day before. Arcadios had then personally came to tell her what had happened. When he saw that she was upset because their plans had been ruined, he added, "Don't blame me, Princess. I'm just the messenger, you know!"
"In that case, I'm just the messenger," she spoke now, her lips tugging up at the memory. Oh, how much she missed them...
"You really are weird," Cobra mused, standing up. "I suppose I won't do anything to you, yet. But don't get your hopes up, princess. This is the world of pirates, after all."
Kinana was about to ask him what he meant by that when he suddenly hauled her over his shoulder and headed out of the bedroom. She tried to wriggle free, but his grip around her waist was so tight that it hurt. He must be really strong to not even bat an eye at her feeble attempts of protest. "What are you doing? Let me down!" she struggled again, but he merely laughed cruelly.
"You're not exactly our guest, are you? I merely wanted to test you first," he said, striding down a set of stairs before turning at the bottom corner. Kinana remained silent, not daring to ask him what failing the test would have entailed. He probably would have killed her on the spot.
He nodded to a bulky man who was standing guard - Kinana instantly panicked when she saw how menacing he looked. To think that someone like him worked for Cobra...just how powerful was he? - then opened the door and tossed her inside. She landed onto the cold, rocky ground with a loud "Omph!"
"See you around, Princess." With that last infuriating smirk, he was gone, leaving her alone in the damp, cold room.
"You could at least have been a little gentler!" she yelled after him, her bottom still stinging from the sudden contact with the ground. Not that he could hear her, though, for he had long disappeared from the room.
Now that she was alone, she looked around, her heart sinking as she recognized where she was...
The brig.
A/n: Here is the second chapter! Sorry it took a bit longer, but at least I finally figured out the plot so the story should be moving along, yay! Hope the two's interactions made up for the lack of updating? ;)
Like it? Hate it? Let me know with a review! ;) Special thanks to CarolineSenpai, Vilandel, MeowMix1100, and MoshwithMaddy for reviewing the first chapter! :)