Queen of Darkness
Summary: How long would you be willing to wait for your one true love?
Chapter 1
EPOV
—QoD—
I'd spent most of the day roaming around the village. As the day had turned to night, the air had cooled considerably. I'd seen and heard things that made me realize just how sheltered a life I'd been living. Everything I'd ever needed had been handed to me on a silver platter. I'd never known what it was to go without food or any other daily essentials of life. My father was King of Estington, and I was next in line to take the throne.
But today, my eyes had been opened. There were beggars, people with no home to go to, and there were women who sold their bodies for money. Then there were the men who openly bragged about the depraved things they'd done in their lives. The thought of it all made me shudder. I'd had a vague notion it all existed; I'd been taught to pray for the poor and downtrodden every night and to be charitable. However, to see how bad it truly was with my own eyes was a revelation.
I came to a stop outside of a Public House. Shouts and curses, along with the heavy scent of rum, filled the night air. I'd considered stopping in for a minute, just for the experience, though I wasn't sure that I could handle anymore exploration for the day. I was exhausted from all that I'd seen and the walking I'd done.
It was when I heard the shattering of glass that I finally made my decision against it. I turned to head back from where I'd come when I heard the most ethereal singing voice coming from the alley behind the tavern.
I shut my eyes, trying to let myself delve deeper into the sweet voice that was negating all of the noise from the pub. I lost myself for a moment, but my eyes popped open when I realized this was no place for a lady to be. It would only be a matter of time before a man stumbled drunkenly out the door and stole her away. God only knew what he would do to her.
I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. It was silly for me to worry about a woman I'd never laid eyes on. I continued to tell myself that I had no obligation to her, and for all I knew she was a barmaid who could handle herself with the likes of men inside.
But I was rooted in my spot, her voice continuing to drift from the darkened alley as I stood beside its entrance. I sighed heavily, knowing that I was fooling myself. After all I had witnessed today, I couldn't help but be concerned. I took a few more steps, and the closer I moved, the more I could make out how haunting the words of her song were:
Come all ye pretty fair maids
Wherever you may be
Love a jolly sailor bold
Who ploughs through the raging sea
From Towerhill to Blackwall
I will wander, weep and moan
All for my jolly sailor
Until he comes back home
His hair does hang in ringlets
His eyes as black as sloes
My happiness is with him
Wherever he may go
My heart is pierced by Cupid
I disdain all glittering gold
There is nothing can console me
But my jolly sailor bold
My feet continued to move me farther, but as I stepped on a twig, its snap echoed in the alley and the singing abruptly stopped. Now, I was no coward, but I'd never considered myself brave either. I wasn't one to fight and I may have panicked, turning to head back toward the street. It was then that I realized I was surrounded.
There was a man on every side of me, each with a weapon raised; one man pressed his sword to my throat. The flurry of their voices made me dizzy.
"What are ye doin' back here?"
"Who dares to get close to me captain?"
"I'll bloody gut ya if ya take another step."
Just when I began to think one of these men would run me through, the ethereal voice I'd heard rose above those threatening to kill me.
"Lower your weapons, men. Let him through."
All but one complied, the sword at my throat not budging an inch. One by one, the men stepped away, their attention drawn to the woman approaching.
Though the light was low, her imposing silhouette demanded attention. Her form was small but still cast a dark shadow on the alleyway. Her long coat swirled around her as she drew closer, the glint of steel shining in the paltry moonlight. My gaze traveled from her heeled boots, up her shapely body, until I met her fierce stare.
But she was quickly drawn away by the men who were doing her bidding.
"But Captain—"
"Dare you question me, boy?" she snarled.
"No, ma'am," he said, flinching.
"Aye, I think not. Now let him through, Jacob."
He quickly dropped his sword and stepped back. I tried to move forward, but my legs wouldn't carry me. I dropped to my knees, feeling like a fool in front of these men and, from what I could tell from the light of the moon, a very beautiful lady. What happened next did nothing to soothe my bruised ego.
She clucked her tongue as she stood in front of me, slipping her hand beneath my chin. I shivered at her touch, the air around us was cool, yet not cool enough to warrant the frigid feel of her skin. Slowly, she raised my gaze to meet hers. "Oh, you poor dear. We've surely given you a fright, haven't we?"
There was no malice in her words, her voice was sincere, still they made my blood boil. I may have been taken by surprise and even frightened for a moment, but I was still a man who was capable of handling himself. "I am not a child, I don't need to be coddled!"
I swore her eyes flashed red, but as soon as I blinked, they were back to normal. "You need no coddling, do you? Aye, I see. Prove it, then!" she sneered, her teeth so white they gleamed in the moonlight. "Show me you can stand on your own two legs, man, or will you faint away at the sight of a few paltry pirates?" It was then that her crew broke out into raucous laughter at her taunting.
"Silence!" she bellowed, not even turning to face them, and if it hadn't been for the noise from inside the Public House, you wouldn't have heard a sound.
I scrambled to my feet, only to realize that she was more than a foot shorter than I was. She had to be one of the tiniest women I'd ever come across, yet she was fearsome.
She circled me slowly, looking me up and down as though I was a heifer she was planning to purchase. She stopped, eyeing me carefully. Her voice dripped with sweetness once again. "What's yer name, love?"
My insides shook, and my heart thundered. I wasn't sure how someone so small could cause so much fear in me. I didn't know if it was because she was a pirate, but something seemed off about her.
I swallowed thickly, trying to find my voice. "My name is Edward."
—QoD—
A/N: Hi my loves! I hope you're all doing well and thank you for coming along with me on this journey!
If you haven't already, you can find the link to my Facebook group here on my FFN profile, or by searching on Facebook for 'Stories by MissLiss15' where you'll find teasers for chapters and a bunch of other (hopefully) fun stuff!
Thanks to Sunshine1220 for continuing on as my beta, and for being so kind and supportive.
And for all of my pre-readers, you ladies definitely keep me going!
Alyscia
SassYNoleS
shouldbecleaning
LunaEclipse17
Brierlynn03
The song mentioned in the chapter is Jolly Sailor Bold by Ginny Di