AN: tell me if you guys figure it out! I left all of the clues there for you! Enjoy!
I try my best to stay calm as I sit at the front of the row boat while the two men paddle behind me. We have been rowing for quite some time and now the two men are in a deep conversation with themselves. I know in my gut that there will be no miraculous rescue from Cassius or anyone from the House. I stare at my reflection in the rippling water beneath the boat and decide that it's high time that I start saving myself.
As the row boat makes a turn at the bend I throw myself into the water. The frigid shock of the water only hits me for a moment before the current begins to drag my heavy dress downstream, taking me with it. I kick to the surface and suck in a breath. Distantly I can hear the two men shouting for me. I smile triumphantly, knowing that I've gotten away.
Until something rips me from the water. I am thrown on to the grass in a wet heap and whirl around to see who threw me out of the water.
An even bigger man than Rich and even taller than Rene stares down at me through hooded eyes and long dark hair.
"Awh, come on, Hugo," Rene says as he struggles to get out of the rowboat, "we had it under control."
Hugo merely stares at the two men as they flop around trying to get onto dry land. In any other situation I would have found it a funny sight, but all I could really think about was how I was going to get away from these two clueless pirates and the other monster of a man with them. I stood as quickly as I could and tumbled back a step, my wet gown weighing me down. Hugo noticed me moving and grabbed me by the arm, his hand wrapping itself around my arm easily. I look up and meet his dark eyes.
We are at the top of a hill and as we reach the edge, I can see down at the base of the hill there is a large camp. Rene and Rich were right, we aren't very far from the House at all, maybe only slightly out of range of the cameras that the royals had set up all over the forest. There are so many tents, full of so many pirates.
"You boys are a long way from the sea," I comment.
"Shut it, princess," Rich spits as he starts down the hill.
I drag my feet as hard as I can, but Hugo doesnt even seem to notice, merely pulls me along after him.
Once we are in the camp, Hugo continues to drag me along to a large tent in the middle of the camp. Once we are outside of the tent, I see that many pirates have gathered around us, smiling viciously. Some even call out to me, but I try my best to ignore their shouts. In the distance I can see someone staring at me and the harder I look the more my heart rate speeds up. It is Maxim, I'm sure of it.
"Impossible," I breathe. I watched him die.
He winks at me and yells, "Victor, you have a visitor."
The crowd of pirates goes completely silent as the flap to the large tent moves and a figure steps out. He is tall and muscular, with a head of blond hair and a wicked smile. He meets my eyes and I recognize him almost instantly. I try to lunge at him but Hugo's firm grip holds me back. "You liar!" I cry, "How could you betray them like that! How could you betray Cassius!"
Peter merely looks me up and down as if I am no more than a somewhat interesting painting he needs to decide whether to sell or keep. "I assure you," he finally says, "the only one who has been betrayed here is me."
I glare balefully at him as he approaches me. I've never been violent in my life, but now I only wanted to see my hand whip across his face. I wanted him to hurt the way that I was hurting now, mainly because of him.
"You're too dirty to be Cassius' wife, yet you're too clean to be a Lost One." He brushes my hair out of my face and I flinch away from the contact. "Ah, I remember now, you're the princes favorite. I do believe I sent you over seas with those indians. How ever did you find your way back?"
I still say nothing, merely stare at him. He looks so different since the last time I saw him at the House. Oddly, he seems to carry himself with more confidence, and he wears his hair differently. As he tilts his head to inspect me I see a scar on his cheek, one that I failed to notice before.
"Of course," he says, answering his own question. "Cassius. I should have known. No hard feelings about sending you away like that, I hope. I just cant afford to have anyone leave this domain. It makes things...messy."
"We found her sneaking around the forest," Rene says.
"Well, then we're just going to have to march her right back to the House." Peter smiles at me.
"You know I'm not allowed to go back," I tell him.
He raises his eyebrows. "An outcast? Just like me. There still may be use for you, yet."
"Dont act like you don't know," I say, "you threw me out. I'm of no use to anyone anymore."
"My sources tell me that Cassius may have found the one who is perfect for him," Peter continues, ignoring what I had just said, "and it isnt that Daphne girl. You'll be of use to use, girly, dont you worry."
Before I can open my mouth to argue with him, I hear a voice in the distance. "Captain!" one of the men cries.
Arrows begin falling from the sky. One lands right between Peter and I. He looks at me and smiles before taking me from Hugo's grip and hauling me after him into the large tent. "Protect the camp," he calls to the pirates before shoving me inside of the tent before him.
The inside of the tent is lit by candles. I look around to see that there is a table in the middle of the tent with maps and pieces that look like they belong in a chess set sitting in various places along the map. There is a large bed in one corner of the tent that is decorated with animal skins and silk pillows.
"How long have you been working with the pirates?" I ask, watching Peter as he shuffles around in one of the drawers of the map table. "Does Cassius know?"
"Cassius," Peter says as he finally finds what he is looking for, "is about as oblivious as his mother and father and dim-witted wife." He pulls a gun out of the drawer and leers at me. "It seems you and I are the only smart ones."
"But you're his father," I say.
"My, maybe I was mistaken when I lumped you in with the smart ones. You're a bright girl, Sophia, think."
It takes me a moment to even know where to begin the thought process. I stare at Peter, trying to think of something that wasnt right with him. "When did you get that scar?" I finally ask.
He nods approvingly. "The day I was born."
"I've never noticed it before."
"If you'd taken the time to really look when I first met you at that gazebo, you would have."
"The pirates called you Victor."
"That's because it is my name."
The noises outside of the tent are almost too loud for me to continue to think. I wrack my brain as I try and put the pieces together. "You take on the name of Peter when you're made king," I continue, "you dont have your old name anymore."
"I was never made king."
"What?" I ask and look at him.
He rolls his eyes. "Think, Sophia. Dont be ordinary like the rest of them. Figure this out."
My eyes rove back to his scar. "Mary has that same scar," I observe.
Peter merely stares at me, his eyes glowing bright. He knows I am close to figuring it out.
I knock a candelabra toward him a second later. Stunned, he jumps back. I take this as an opportunity to rush out of the tent.
Once I am outside, I am immediately surrounded by chaos and smoke. There are men fighting everywhere, fighting...
"Lost Boys?" I ask out loud.
I hear the flap of the tent opening behind me and run through the men fighting, not wanting to get caught up with any of these people.
"Rene!" I hear Peter yell.
I run faster, knowing that Rene will be after me soon enough.
I am tackled from behind and hit the ground hard. I cry out and try to crawl away from him.
"Not today, Princess," Rene says as he turns me over. "It's a pirate's life for you."
But an arrow catches him in the shoulder and throws him off of me. I sit up and back away from the man now writhing with an arrow in his shoulder. I look to see who loosed the arrow and through the smoke I see a figure appear. He is tall and wiry, with curling black hair pulled back and piercing golden eyes.
"Cassius?" I ask. He is dressed like a Lost Boy, and just as dirty as one too.
He holds a hand down to help me up, but the words that come out of his mouth render me motionless.
"Not quite," he says.
"Cassius," I say again, lamely. I take his hand and he helps me to my feet.
"Not quite," he says again. He looks me up and down. "Nice dress, though. Fit for a royal. I'd imagine you're the prince's favorite?"
"What are you talking about?" I nearly cry. "I'm not a royal."
"Kicked out as well, I see. Welcome to the Lost Boys."
"You're not a Lost Boy, Cassius," I say. The smoke is making me light headed.
"Cassius is definitely not a Lost Boy," Cassius says, "but I am not him."
"Then who are you?" I ask.
An arrow whizzes past us and I grab onto Cassius. He pulls me close and looks around. "I'm the man trying to save your life, if you'll let me."
And then the smoke was too much and I fell into darkness.
AN: so this is just the tip of the iceberg, my lovelies. It will all be made clear soon enough, but I didnt want to dump it all on you! Tell me what you think!