Lizzie's POV
"Better to be feared, better to be feared, better to be feared" I chanted rocking back and forth at the base of my bed, my room trashed around me with clothes and the curtains torn from the window letting the the dark shadowed moonlight, my whole body ached from the cuts and bruises which marked me entire body, my mind a jumbled mess flashing back to earlier this week when I was brought back to this nightmare.
"Welcome back daughter" my mother sneered from her throne looking up at me, the door closed behind me with a heavy thud and I was aware that I was now trapped in here with her.
"Mother" I spat back, keeping my voice steady and clipped as I slowly walked towards her keeping my hands behind my back and my head raised signalling that I was not afraid as neither one of us spoke until she suddenly laughed rising from her throne.
"You look utterly ridiculous child" she began walking around me while I kept my eyes facing forward, not letting myself be intimidated. "So tell me Ilizabeth, are you proud of your latest feat?" she asked and I let out a paused breath knowing that she'd have heard about our beast knapping, the whole island had by now.
"I'll admit it didn't go to plan-"
"Oh I'm not talking about your failed attempt to play hostage with King Beasts son that you and your band of misfit pirates decided to play...I'm talking about a certain son of Hook" my whole posture froze.
"I don't-"
"DO NOT LIE TO ME!" she yelled and I instinctively jumped in place at the sudden raised voice. "I have eyes everywhere" she smiled, a wicked gleam in her sinister eyes. "Did you really think I'd ever allow a daughter of mine to waste her life by getting involved with a worthless pirate" I glared at her.
"And what am I, you forget mother that I'm a pirate myself" I spat at her and her response was to raise her hand towards me.
"Do not speak back!" I flinched on instinct again. "I've let you have your fun pretending, now it's time to return and follow in my footsteps"
"No" I spat immediately and this time she didn't pull her hand back, I felt the harsh slap and sting in my cheek as my head whipped to the side.
"I told you not to speak back you ungrateful child" I glared at her, not showing how much that had actually hurt and even spit a little bit of blood on her floor. "Argh you disgusting brat"
"I don't care what you think of me, I am a pirate and if you don't like it then disown me because I no longer give a rats ass what you think about me...mother" I spat venomously standing tall. "And as for Harry, the fact that I love him means that I've outgrown you, you can do whatever you want to me but you no longer hold any power of me" I felt the next slap much harsher than the first but I didn't react like I'm sure she wanted me to but she continued to laugh.
"You're a foolish child Ilizabeth, it's far better to be feared than loved and I'm going to have to teach you that" she walked back to her throne sitting down motioning to something behind me and I felt hands grip my upper arms and start pulling me back.
It was Ace and another guard and they started pulling me out of the room with me fighting and kicking furiously attempting to escape but their grip was solid and bruising into my arm as my mother continued to chuckle connivingly.
"Let's see how you feel after your reminded of your place, my child" I heard her call out as I was dragged out of the room towards my own which had the door kicked in and my eyes took in the way it had been trashed but before I could take in the damage too much I felt the first fist connect to the side of my face and before long I found myself on the ground, teetering on consciousness with the beatings never stopping until I finally passed out...
For the past four days, the beatings were continuousness...like clockwork always ending with Ace asking me where my loyalty's lied and I always responded with the same thing 'I RIDE WITH THE TIDE' and the beatings would continue until I passed out, the cycle was slowly driving me insane...dare I say even mad.
I didn't receive any food no doubt at my mothers request knowing that she was starving me to lower my resolve to remain obstinate and loyal to the crew but as more days passed the weaker I grew which further let the madness in.
"Far better to be feared, far better to be feared" rocking back and forth, my arms wrapped around my knees holding them against my chest. "Feared not loved, feared not loved, I cannot love-" I felt the tears falling down my cheeks...the madness slowly becoming suffocating as more and more time ticked aimlessly away.
I wanted nothing more to escape...escape the madness but mother had seemed to make some improvements to my room and my windows were now covered in bars keeping me locked inside...locked inside with the madness...slowly consuming my mind.
Harry's POV
It's been a week since I had been forced to watch Lizzie's mothers goons drag her away from me, I spent my time distracting myself with the crew seeing as I was filling in for our missing captains but the crew knew I was not in the mood for our usual hangout in the Chip Shoppe and were blatantly ignoring me which I preferred, the only one stupid enough to talk to me was Gil.
"So what's on the agenda today Captain?" he asked appearing beside me, I glared at him hating the crew calling me captain as it felt like they were forgetting who our real captains were.
"Go bother someone" I shrugged not really caring what they did. "Steal stuff" he gave me a pitiful look for my lack of interest but I could care less.
"I'll cya later man" I stood up and headed out of the Chip Shoppe walking mindlessly around the Isle finding myself at Tick-Tocks dock and I stopped hearing the faint ticking of clock inside the croc who was no doubt asleep below the dock since the old thing barely moved these days and left terrorizing my dad to it's descendants around the Jolly Rodger.
The ticking of the clock reminded me of the cave Ilizabeth and I fell into, the stupid alarm clock that scared us both...that was the first time I started to see her as more than a friend, she had helped calm me down when I had panicked upon hearing the ticking, I loved our playful banter but that day was one of my favorites as we'd both been scared and saw the deepest parts of ourselves promising to keep our flaws to ourselves, she was keeping my fear of the blasted crocodile and I was keeping her fear of water.
Before I'd realised where I had continued walking while my mind drifted elsewhere and I found myself looking at the wrought iron gates of the Queen of Hearts mansion, it's thorn hedges the only thing I could see for at least a couple hundred acres, the lone twisted mansion tiny in the distance and I glared at it knowing that Lizzie was trapped up there and I was unable to get to her without risking me head.
No one has seen or heard from the Queen of Hearts or her men in a week and that startled me to think about what was happening up there, I never should have let those goons take her since I knew what would happen to her.
Once again before I'd even thought about it I'd climbed over the iron fence seeing as the gate was locked nicking myself on the spikes on the top but I didn't care, my boots hit the dirt as I looked ahead at the maze trying to work out the correct way through it since I'd never visited her before so I set to the task of solving the maze.
I annoying hit several dead ends and had to continuously turn around and try a different route but ended up hitting another dead end, I yelled out in frustration getting even further annoyed with the lack of progress seeing as I was closer to the iron fences than I was the mansion.
I backtracked deciding to start from the beginning in order to take a different route, I now understood why no one ever visited the Queen of Hearts at her home except her goons as this stupid maze was impossible and wrapped around her entire home meaning one could get lost in here and never be found or they gave up quickly but they didn't have the determination I had.
Right...left...right...right...left and a right...DEAD END!...back to the beginning.
Left...right...left...right...right and a left...DEAD END!...back to the beginning.
Right...left...left...right...left and a right...house...HOUSE!...that only took me three and a half hours but I finally found the mansion and quickly tried to commit the directions to memory in case I had to come back but I hoped I wouldn't have to which I why I quickly hid checking out the place for any sign of the Queens goons as well as any sign of Lizzie...nothing of either so I moved silently around the mansion focusing on the upper levels finding a window with a light and finally I spotted a familiar head of black hair and red highlights passing by a barred in window...I smirked and walked over spotting thorny vines climbing their way up the wall which lead almost all the way up to her window in a clichéd fashion so I of course began climbing eagerly.
Lizzie's POV
I was going mad...Mad Hatter mad...I began pacing to keep myself moving since the longer I spent sitting and thinking with my head the longer and deeper I was slipping into my subconscious madness...I spun when I heard something hit against the side of the house near my window but didn't see anything so I passed it of probably just the wind and resumed my pacing until there was a more forceful thud making me turn around again.
"It's nothing, I'm hearing things" I shook it off since it's not the first time I've heard things, I was starving, exhausted and sore everywhere from the daily beatings.
I heard numerous raps on the glass of my window and my eyes widened turning to the window seeing Harry hanging on to the vines that run up the sides of the house, he was looking in through the bars, I went over to it seeing him motion for me to open my window but I shook my head because I could, it was nailed shut.
"I can't" I whispered hoping he could read my lips.
'Step aside' he told me and I frowned confused until he raised his hook looking like he was about to break the glass.
"No!" I protested but it was too late and he smashed the window which created a lot of noise and I instantly turned towards the door fearing that Ace or one of the other guys heard that.
"Lizzie" he smiled.
"Your insane Harry, they probably heard that you have to go" I warned him.
"Not until I get yeh out of here"
"You can't, you have to leave...I told you to let me go"
"No can do darlin', I'm here to save me damsel"
"Harry please, she'll hurt you...or worse and I can't watch that happen, you have to go before they find you"
"I'm willing to risk it for you" I shook my head at him but was unable to hid the smile as he knocked more glass out of the way creating too much noise making me nervous that Ace was gonna hear it.
"Will you stop, Ace could hear you?"
"I'm getting yeh out of here" he suddenly started pulling on the bars making an awful clunk sound as the bolts.
"Harry I mean it don't!" I warned him right as he pulled on the bars again but lost his footing in the meantime nearly falling but he grabbed hold of the windowsill to keep himself from falling and I let out a relieved sigh. "See what I mean, it's impossible and you have to go before-"
"What was that?!" I heard from my bedroom door.
"You have to go, now!" I told him quickly trying to close my curtains.
"I'm not leaving yeh here when yeh already look like shit"
"Gee thanks, but I'm serious Harry if they see you here they'll hurt you"
"I don't care about meh"
"They'll hurt me worse than they already have" I added hopping that would get him to leave and it seemed to work. "Please Harry, I'll be fine so long as you stay away" I reached past the glass and grabbed his hand between the bars. "You have to stay away, for your own good and mine"
"I can't do that princess, I'll be back" he quickly said and I didn't have the time to reply as I heard the key in the lock on my door so I hastily pushed him to climb down throwing my curtains closed before I jumped towards the floor at the base of my bed where I'd been sitting for the past week when they came in so that nothing looked suspicious.
I made it but my eyes widened when I saw the glass on the floor near the window from where Harry smashed it in but the door opened not giving me the time to hide it so I hoped it wasn't as noticeable given my room was already a mess.
"What was that noise?" Ace asked marching into my room, I stayed silent locking my eyes on the ground in front of me while leaning my chin on my knees. "Your not helping yourself Ilizabeth, all you have to do is renounce your loyalty with the sea rats and you can return to normal, don't you want that?" he asked and I frowned looking up at him.
"You think this is normal?" I spat at him finding my voice to spit back at him. "Having a mother you treats me like I'm her property, who orders men to beat me up, who starves her own daughter...none of this is normal, a mother should be glad that her daughter is happy not keep her locked away so she doesn't feel an ounce of love or happiness"
"Look kid, life's not fair and the sooner you learn that the better off you'll be" he argued leaning down in front of me. "If you keep this up you know it'll get worse, just give in to your mother...be loyal that's all she asks"
"I am loyal" I replied and I watched his surprised face clearly thinking I was finally giving in but there was no way in hell I was ever doing that. "I'm loyal to my friends and my crew, 'I RIDE WITH THE TIDE!'..." I yelled not caring who heard or for the fact that I watched two other guards come in and knew what came next but nothing was going to break me.
A/N: This is just a filler chapter, showing a few more little moments before I truly begin with the last book in Melissa De La Cruz's book series. Hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review please.