Chapter III: The Storm
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"The Princess is gone! She is not in her room! Oh my god the princess is gone! King! Queen! The Princess is not here!" A young maid ran down the halls of the top floor of the Volleta Castle. It was the day after the pirates had invaded the Neatherlands. She scurried all the way to the Throne Room where the king and queen were seated along an extensive marble table. They were discussing the damage that the pirates had caused.
Actually the pirates did not cause too much damage in the town. There were only around five windows broken and three carriages destroyed. It would not take long before it was all repaired.
The largest problems being faced were the killings. At least, twenty soldiers and ten commoners were murdered defending their country. Luckily, all children and women ended up being safe without one scratch on them.
"Why? How did we not see this coming? This could be the start of a series of attacks on us! For now on I am watching guard all night! I will not put my country, my daughters, or my beautiful queen in danger again," spoke King Edward III. He stood up and paced around the Throne Room.
"Edward you have to be joking. We have the Navy to do that. You could get hurt; you are far more valuable than blacksmiths or Navy men. The King rules over the land! Have the Blacksmiths watch the sees!" ordered the Queen aggressively.
"Your Majesty," the maid started, "Someone was kidnapped by the pirates. Someone very important to our country." The maid was worried about her King's and Queen's reaction would be.
The faces of the King and Queen grew scared. "Who?" asked the Queen of the country looking at her husband and then to the petite maid.
"Princess Lily is not in her room," the maid said so softly neither the King nor Queen could hear her. She moved closer to the table where now both royals sat.
"Come her, child," instructed the queen quietly. The young woman walked over cautiously. "No need to be worried. I am as gentle as the wind on a calm night." The maid began to make her way to the Netherlands' royals. "Now, what was that you were trying to tell us?" Elizabetha wore a small but pleasant smile on her lips.
"Well, we, meaning the maids and Navy men, have searched the whole castle but we can not seem to find Princess Lily Ana anywhere. We are really trying. The Navy is searching all over the whole country now but by what we are being told they have had no such luck. Can I get you anything to calm your nerves?"
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Captain James Potter of The Entrepreneur took a knife to his chin; he gently trimmed his heavy beard. James turned his head towards a bed in the cabin. A red-haired woman laid tangled in the quilts. He strolled over to the bed smoothly without making a sound and sat down on the corner. The captain took his boots off along with his coat and white flannel shirt. He leaned back onto the bed next to the woman. Instinctively James wrapped his arms around Princess Lily's small waist.
For so many years he longed to hold her in his arms. Lonely, is what he was for all those years. His friends were there but Lily was what made him whole. She made him enjoy life. Captain James Potter did not act like the rest of the pirates out in the sea. He was not completely obsessed with gold. Unless someone was doing something terribly bad he would try not to kill them but if he had to he would. He believed in a silent approach during an invasion. He did not like to barge into countries. Most of the time more things were done when the crew stayed quiet. James did not like his men raping women. In his mind it was improper for anyone to act so animalistic.
It was not going to be long before the Royal Navy came looking for the pirates. The crew of the ship had to be ready at every moment. You never know when someone could strike.
First mate Sirius Black was still wondering why a princess was traveling on The Entrepreneur. The captain still had not told anyone the reason Lily was there and rumors were flying around the ship.
"I heard," said one man, "That the captain wants to hold her captive. An' when the Royal Navy come after 'er; he can have the Neatherlands." Someone came up behind the man and striked him on the back with a large sword. The sting rang all the way down to his feet and up to his head. A hand automatically traveled to his lower back.
"Fancy saying that to the captain, Mr. Williamson," a rough voice spoke behind the man. Williamson turned his bruised body to see no other than Captain James Potter. An angry expression was plastered on his face. At any moment he could strike again. The whole crew turned to watch.
Williamson shook his head. "Good, now get back to work you piece of scum!" Potter pushed him so hardly that the man fell over the side of the ship and into the warm water.
James walked up to the helm of the ship where a few men were working. He motioned for them to leave that part of the ship. Potter stood there looking out over the water. Slowly the wind blew past, pushing the liner to go faster and faster. Small fishes were visible swimming in the waves of the salt water ocean.
"Captain Potter!" Remus Lupin's voice flowed through Potter's ears. Lupin ran up to stand beside James. "What is bothering you? You're not yourself. Usually you would not push a man into the ocean." Remus chuckled silently.
James turned his head slightly. "Nothing," he mumbled and stared back out onto the aqua water. "Where are we located now?"
"I believe we are somewhere off of Africa. We are not close to Africa but you get the general idea. Come on James, we have been friends for years. I know when something is wrong. What is the matter?" Remus patted James on the shoulder in a brotherly way.
"She won't remember."
"Who won't remember what?
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"Commodore! Get the Commodore! He is going out to sea!" hollered the King on the harbor. He was wearing his sailing suit. Swords and knives in his pockets and in his belt. Lord Pettigrew was standing beside him wearing a similar outfit but in a larger size.
"Edward, I am going on the ship. I will save her from the beastly pirates! You have no need getting the Commodore involved," Pettigrew informed the king in his predictable squeaky voice.
The King chuckled, "Lord Pettigrew, that is very noble of you, but I think my daughter would rather be saved by the Commodore. You may come along. Adams is coming with us along with his crew."
Suddenly, a man in around his late thirties came up right in front of the Lord and his King. "Your highness, you wanted to see me about a voyage."
"Ah yes, Commodore Adams! I would like to introduce you to Lord Peter Pettigrew! Peter this is Commodore William Adams!" The two men shook each other's hand. Pettigrew stared straight at his face and glared at him. William shook it off, thinking nothing about it.
"What do you need me to do? Well, first I need to know the problem. I have been out for sea for ten months and I got back about five minutes ago," asked Adams. He wore a long white wig and had dark brown eyes. He stood tall, noble, and ready to do his duty.
"I want you to come along with us to go find Princess Lily. I will explain later, no time now."
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A young woman sat by a large bay window over looking all of the Netherlands. Mostly she was looking at the water and women talking to their friends. Tears still resided in her soft eyes.
"Marpessa dear? She will be fine. Your father and Lord Pettigrew are joining the Navy in the search for her. There is nothing in the world to worry about, at the moment," Queen Elizabetha told her daughter uncertainly. Marpessa immediately left her seat by the window.
"Fine! She will be fine! How can you say that! That bastard is going to save her!" she sobbed heavily for her sister. The Queen was outraged by her daughter's improper reaction.
"Don't you dare speak of your father that way!" Elizabetha scolded harshly. Both women glared into each other's eyes. Tears were running down the women's faces. Neither of them had expected Lily to be captured nor were they ready to deal with it. They did not know how to act or who to blame.
"Not him! Lord Pettigrew! He is a horrible man! Do you or father listen to any of the whispers! He is a whore's man! Sleeps with every women he can, he does! I can not even see why any women of the night would want to sleep with him. Now that I think of it, maybe, yes it is probable, that Lily wanted to be taken. I know I would too!" Marpessa yelled. Quickly she stormed out of the large room, long skirt flowing behind her, leaving her mother.
The Queen positioned herself on the nearest chase. Maybe, just maybe, Lily did want to be captured. She erased the thought instantaneously. 'Who would not want to marry such a respectful man that could give the woman anything she wanted?' Elizabetha contemplated.
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Sirius Black strutted with his head held up high toward the captain and his long time friend, James Potter. His long black hair was flying due to the extremely fierce winds. A bird, one bird, flew by. 'That doesn' belong 'ere,' he thought inside his head. It was a sign. The wind, the bird were all signs to a storm approaching.
"James! There is a hurricane! There is a hurricane! We are goin' to hit a storm!" Black shouted over the loud wind. James Potter turned around to face his first mate. His sword was held in his right hand and his compass in the left. He slid the sword back into his belt.
"Really? Wouldn't have known, isn't the sun shining so brightly?" James replied sarcastically looking up to the clouds. "I am not that daft you idiot! Of course I know there is hurricane! You git!" He turned back out facing the disturbed water. Sirius walked up to stand right next to him.
"Why is she on the ship?" he asked. "I have heard several rumors."
James quickly interrupted. "What are they? And who are saying them?"
Sirius was not prepared for the reaction he got from James. "One of 'em was you needed someone to 'fool' around with. Anderson firs' said that. Then the one 'bout using her as bait. You 'eard that one already. Johnson started one 'bout wanting to kill her. Now that I said that, I want to know the truth."
"The truth? You or any pirate would not want to know the truth," muttered James. He was a bit ashamed that he had been a servant for the Royal Family of the Netherlands. People, meaning the rest of the pirates, would call him soft but he wasn't. He was the best pirate that roamed the seas to that day. The wit he had got his crew out of the toughest situations you could be faced with.
"James! I don't think we will be able to get out of this hurricane! It's too powerful for this ship! I knew we shouldn't of stolen from the French! The British ships are put together better!" Black shouted. The wind was picking up rapidly. Rain came pouring down and splattering across the crew's bodies as they prepared. Viciously the wind knocked a few men off their feet including Sirius Black. The captain still stood tall steering the ship through the storm.
"We'll be fine. It's a small storm!"
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Princess Lily Ana's eyes gradually flickered open until they were wide. She was having a little trouble breathing for a moment but overall, she was well. Her upper body flew up from the surface of the bed. The emerald eyes she possessed darted around the room quizzically. 'Where am I?' she thought.
Lily gently placed her feet on the wood floor. Skeptically she turned her body to look behind herself. 'This is defiantly not the palace.'
The boat began to rock from side to side. She screamed in surprise and quickly covered her mouth with a hand. Lily held onto an old wardrobe for support. Immediately the door to the wardrobe busted open. Tons of swords and knives fell out and covered the ground. She yelped, jumping on the large four poster bed.
Lily looked outside the window above the bed. Her eyes met the raging water and violent winds pushing the heavy rain around. Lily screamed continuously. 'I am on a ship,' she realized.
'Oh my god! I have no idea what is going on!'
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"What's that?" Sirius Black asked Captain Potter over the wind, as he pulled up the sails.
"You steer the ship! I will be below deck!" James yelled back. Black leaped up to the helm and took control of the ship. James ran down the stairs that led off of that part of the deck.
"Black is in charge you scallywags! Listen to him and keep you asses working hard!" he told his crew. James lifted up the latch to the lower deck and dived in. He landed in a hall as long as the whole ship. It had creaking wood floors and old paintings all around. Screaming, not the only disturbance in the air could be heard coming from the left. James knew who it was because the noise was coming from his head quarters. The boat rocked violently back and forth. James knocked on the door loudly so Lily could hear over the wind. He could hear her yelp and fall onto the ground with a big 'thump.' James shrugged; he opened the oak door.
Lily looked up from the floor. There was something about the man standing before her in the doorway that was familiar. She could not put her finger on it. Water dripped from his clothes and jet-black hair. His warm hazel eyes brought comfort to her. She had not felt that way in years.
James closed the door behind him as he entered the cabin. Slowly he walked over to the wardrobe and picked up a couple of swords; he placed the swords back inside and closed the doors again.
"All right? Didn't get cut, did you?" he said calmly. James held out his hand to Lily. She just stared at his hand for a moment; hesitantly she gently took his hand. He lifted her off the ground.
"Who are you?" Princess Lily asked. Suddenly the ship began to twist and turn. Soon the violence of the ships motion made Lily lose her balance. A moment before she hit the ground James caught her. Her small hands rested on one of his broad shoulders. He was supporting her with his arm locked around her waist. For moments they stood still looking into the other's eyes.
Heavy stomping rang through the walls. A young boy barged in through the entranceway. He had light golden brown hair tied back by a thin grey ribbon. His pale green eyes shined with fear.
"What you want Anderson?" James spun around, still holding onto Lily.
"We're goin' to crash into a rock, a big rock! It's not Black's fault; he couldn' control it!" Anderson scurried off to the upper deck.
James let go of Lily. She held onto the bed for reinforcement. "Who are you and what am I doing here?"
"This is not the time for this," James answered while gathering as much swords and knives he could carry. "Get that quilt off the bed and wear it."
Lily did as she was told. James grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the corridor. Once he got to the latch, he pulled himself up; then, he pulled Lily up. She wrapped the quilt even tighter around her body.
The wind viciously tore down the masts of the ship. Rain poured on everyone's bodies. Their hair and clothes were soaked. A gigantic, sharp rock laid ahead. Soon the Entrepreneur would hit it and no one could turn the ship.
As James pulled Lily across the length of the ship, the crew whistled at her. If there had not been a storm James would have killed them with his bare hands.
"Sirius!" James yelled up onto the deck above him. "WE HAVE TO JUMP OVER BOARD! THERE IS AN ISLAND OVER THERE!"
He pointed to his right. It seemed so far away. Trees stood in the middle of the small island with sand all around.
Sirius nodded.
"Princess," James started, "we have to jump over board! You know how to swim!"
He knew she knew how to; he was the one to teach her how. All he wanted to know if she still remembered. Everything or some of the things he said was to get her to remember even the slightest memory of her childhood.
She nodded quickly. "Good. Keep the blanket around you. I will jump in first. Then, we will swim over to that island, where we will stay for a while! You understand!"
"Yes, I do," Lily responded. She still had no idea of her surroundings. Who were these people? Where in the sea was she? What was this ship?
"Black! Give orders! The lady and I will go ahead!" Sirius nodded and began to give orders.
"Come on," James whispered roughly into Lily's ear. His voice made her spine shiver; she was once again tugged along by him. He stood on the edge of the ship and dived into the disturbed water. The ship was beginning to scrape up against the rock. James motioned over the waves for Lily to jump in. 'I have gone insane!'
She stood on the edge and jumped in. James helped her break through the surface of the water. Waves crashed up against their bodies. James began to swim toward the island; Lily followed him.
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Author's Note
YES! I updated! It's long! Thank you for all the reveiws! I love them!
Hope you liked and please reveiw again!
Lillay