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Chapter 1
"What do you make of that? More pirates?" He joked. There hadn't been a pirate sighted in years.
His poker buddies laughed. "Knowing you, you'd let them in anyway, carrying skulls and bones and everything."
Felix straightened, let the sun glint off of his badge and scowled, "Well, you just – you just wait."
"What for? Not like you're man enough to do anything about it. Everybody knows to come to port when you're on watch." This was from Tim, the skinniest and most cowardly of the group.
Felix returned, "You're one to talk. You can't even say no to your wife."
As the group broke into laughter, Felix hit the table once and said through a grin, "The point is, fellas, that this group ain't gettin' through me without…appropriate materials." There was more laughter. With a bow, Felix sat down and gestured to the cards. "Come on, dealer, what's the hold up?" But he kept an eye on the boat all the same.
When it finally pulled ashore, he got up lazily, winked at his buddies, and strode outside to meet the arriving company. A man stepped out first. He was an unremarkable figure, attired in black slacks and a white button-up shirt. The sleeves were rolled sloppily up to his elbows, the front of his shirt open and the top few buttons loose. Sweat shimmered across his broad chest, his skin a rich tan from sun.
The man turned his back to Felix, bending over to quickly rope the boat to the dock. He then offered a chiseled hand to the lady in white still seated in the gently rocking boat. Felix glanced at his boys again, giving them a snide nod of confidence.
"Excuse me, good sir," came a whisper.
Felix snapped around to see soft, pale blue eyes gazing at him. Startled, he took a step back and squinted against the sun to take in the strikingly beautiful woman now standing before him. The parasol held loosely in one hand framed her face and the smooth red hair she wore neatly pulled back. Her skin was the fairest he had ever seen, almost pearly in its iridescence, and just as flawless. Felix swallowed, straining to speak against the tightness building in his throat. "Good day, to you, Miss, how may I help you?"
"I'm looking to dock here for maybe a night, maybe longer. Is there anyway you can accommodate me? I understand that I don't have very much to offer..." her eyes flickered to the ground and up, her long lashes lush against her high cheeks.
Trying not to stutter, Felix swallowed again and mumbled, "Miss, I'll have to ask you for your indenti-"
Her eyes grew large, her lips open in a small parted 'oh.' "Sir, I haven't brought them with me. I was only planning on staying for a short while, just enough time to tie up some loose ends. You understand, my dear mother just passed away and I am here to claim any belongings and to...settle the burial matters." The last words came as barely a whisper. Her pale blue eyes fogged with sadness as she looked away hurriedly, covering her mouth with a gloved hand as she blinked away tears.
"Miss, I didn't mean to upset you, I just--"
"Sir, I understand you're simply doing your job." she turned with a dignified, though shaky, inhalation, her eyes brilliantly pitiable, and turned to the man accompanying her. "Good sir, it seems that we will be finding ourselves another port."
Felix grabbed her shoulder as she turned away. "Miss, there's no need to be doing that --"
"Sir, I wouldn't want you to suffer for my own forgetfulness. There's no need for you to sacrifice your own wellbeing for an inconvenience like myself."
"No, Miss, please allow me the honor of having you dock in my harbor."
A small smile grew on her lips. "Sir, I don't know how I will ever repay your kindness."
He blushed under her gaze, her beauty growing by the second. "It's nothing, Miss, really nothing."
She stepped forward, eyelashes shading her mystifying blue eyes, and kissed his cheek gently. Leaning in closer, she whispered soothingly, "Then let this be my thanks, good Sir, and let us part until another fair day when I may grace your presence." She turned and nodded toward the man still standing by the boat. He reached in to gather a few small bags, the scent of orchid and rose fresh upon them. The two walked toward the city walls, her hair teasingly trailing behind as some strands loosened from their hold under a silver band and white roses.
He was 21, less than half the age of the next youngest person in the room. He had a life. He had a girlfriend. What was he doing cooped up in this room? Bitterly, he jotted down a couple notes. Pirates. Kaysar. September 18th. None if it meant anything to him. And yet, there he sat, pretending to care, pretending he understood. His eyes shifted briefly towards the man sitting at the head of the table – a tall, intimidating figure with bulging muscles and battle scars. If it hadn’t been for him, Brandon would have been out of the room in no time. But he wasn’t man enough to stand up to his father, a fact that would have depressed him had it not been for his sureness that no man was.
The meeting was ending now, and Brandon sprung to his feet. Snapping his binder shut and shoving it under an arm, he hustled out of the room. Kaeira would be arriving soon. The thought quickened his pulse, and as he walked past one of the many gold-framed mirrors in the hallway, he paused for a moment to check his reflection. Chiseled jaw, deep blue eyes, arching golden eyebrows – he looked every bit the prince he was. Running a hand through his dirty blonde hair, Brandon nodded satisfactorily at his image and moved on.
Two guards bowed to him as he neared his personal chambers. Brandon nodded and waited for them to open the heavy oak doors. They hesitated briefly before doing so, but it was not in Brandon’s nature to notice such things. Sauntering into his room, he pulled off his jacket, threw it carelessly on the ground, and almost jumped into the air when he heard a sly voice behind him tease, “Surprise.”
Brandon turned around slowly and took in the girl lying on his bed with a sharp intake. Kaeira was decked in a low-cut, almost see-through white gown with her long legs stretched out over his sheets. Gorgeous black hair fell in ringlets from her lovely face and her lush red lips were curved into a smirk. Eyelashes batted once, twice, three times – and any intellect Brandon might have had was gone. His Adam’s apple bobbed visibly in his throat as he attempted feebly to swallow.
Kaeira laughed and slid into a sitting position, taking care to lean forward a little as she did so. Her bright blue eyes danced playfully as she patted the bed beside her. “Take a seat, my prince,” she said in a pretend coy voice, dimpling as her smirk sweetened into a smile.
He obliged willingly and cleared his throat, shaking his head at her as he tried to rearrange his senses. “You vixen. When’d you arrive?”
She ran a couple fingers lightly across his arm and tilted her head slightly. “Oh, about an hour ago. I came straight down to your room and asked your guards to let me in.”
He swallowed again, struggling to get out his words. “They aren’t supposed to let anyone in here without my permission.”
She laughed, a loud and crisp sound. “No, they aren’t,” she murmured, moving closer. “But they are men.”
Brandon smiled finally. “I don’t want to know, do I?”
Her lips curved once again into a smirk and she leaned forward, wrapping a slim arm around his well-toned body. “No,” she said against his lips. “You really don’t.”
"Really, my dear boy, you been far too long." she pinched his cheeks and he tried not to grimace in embarrassment. She looked behind him for a second and grinned slyly, pulling him down to whisper in his ear, "Ah, is this the young lass you want me to house?"
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, the bags forgotten on the ground. "Yes'm," he whispered back, his cheeks flushed.
"Well don't leave 'er bags to gather dust on the ground! Take 'em on up! You know where they go." she chuckled and patted him lovingly on the back. "You haven't changed a bit." As he left and the lady followed, she reached out for her hand. "Milady, nice to finally meet ya."
The dainty girl blushed prettily, a pink tint touching her high cheekbones. She offered her hand hesitantly, unsure what to do with it.
"The name's Adelle," the innkeeper said with a wide, welcoming smile. She shook the girl's hand firmly, obviously startling her. "There's no need to by shy. Give me a smile!"
Smiling hesitantly and nervously returning the shake with an awkward wiggle, the girl said politely, "How do you do? If you'd like, my name is Marianna."
"Don't ask me 'ow I like it! Tell me 'ow it is!" Adelle laughed a round, carefree laugh at the girl's confusion. "Oh, dearie, of all the things you learn here, git a sense of 'umor."
"Milady," called the young man, "Your room is waiting."
"Ah, run along now, lass, we'll be seeing more of each other. No need to 'urry the introductions." She gave Marianna a tug and gentle push. "Come now, no need to be so 'esitant. The 'ouse ain't goin' to eat ya."
Marianna turned to Adelle and nodded thanks as she quickly hurried after her servant into the doorway and up the stairs. He caught her by surprise as she rounded the corner.
"Hush," he said, covering her mouth before the squeak could become a scream. He led her into a bedroom, checking behind them as he shut the door tightly. He latched the hook and proceeded to look out the two open windows, closing each one firmly after he had found no one to be near. "You were brilliant," he said in an excited whisper. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, brushing aside a strand of her hair as it fell loose from the rest tied tightly behind her.
"I was so nervous when I met Adelle," she conceded, voice also quiet. "I was sure she would see right through me. I remember meeting her when we were younger! We used to play in her yard chasing her hens!"
He chuckled and repeated with proud eyes, "You were brilliant."
Straightening up, she squared her shoulders and brushed her skirt. "What's next?" she said eagerly, eyes intent and mind already whirring.
"Who's next," he corrected quickly. Glancing around the room, he stepped deeper into the dark corners, further from the windows and door. He waved for her to follow. "Prince Roderick. He's a cousin of Prince Brandon, but he's a complete fool. He dabbles in all of the sins, but particularly sex, greed, and jealousy. He frequents the brothels, at least three times a week, sometimes more. Lately, with his darling cousin preoccupied with a girlfriend, some call her the fiancée, he's been ravaging the whores every night. He has a weakness for beauties and strength for wanting without end. You, my dear, are a beauty. Bring out his strength and make him want you."
She hesitated for a moment, a flicker of fear in the pale blue of her eyes. "I will not be compromised--" she started defiantly.
He shook his head and almost laughed. "No, no, don't worry. Nothing of the sort will happen. While this man has a weakness, he is still royalty. He would never treat a lady such as yourself with disrespect unless you allowed him the leisure. Do not allow him the leisure and he will never touch you." He looked at her possessively, an angry safety promised in the depths of his eyes. "And if he so much as considers it, I will have him taken care of." He blinked and his eyes were once more calm and calculating. "The brothel he frequents is on the other side of town. I understand that it is dangerous, but we must risk it. You will wear the same attire as you are now, but be careful to put on this dark brown cloak." He pointed at a cloak that had been lain carefully on the bed on the other side of the room. "Tie it tightly and make sure the hood always covers your face. You do not want to be recognized. Do you understand me?"
She nodded quickly.
"Tonight when the clock strikes three of the chimes 'til nine, you will leave this room. No sooner, no later. After the third chime has rung, understand?" He didn't wait for her to nod. "You will walk down the stairs whence you just came. You will step onto the street and stand absolutely still. A horse drawn carriage will come up as the final chime tolls. A man will say, 'Riding tonight?' and you will not say a word. Board carefully, do not lose the hood of your cloak, and sit in the middle. He will take you a block from the brothrel. Do not pay him. Step out of the carriage as carefully as you boarded and walk in the direction he takes off. He will go slowly and you will follow five marks behind him. No closer and no further, do you understand?"
She nodded again, her brows knitting as she remembered his specific instructions.
"He will stop, tip his hat to no one, and turn away from you. On your right should be a dark alleyway. I will be waiting there for you."
"How will I know that it is you?" she said nervously.
"I will be carrying a cane. I will tap it against the pipe three times, like this." He took her hand, palm up, and tapped it slowly three times. "Will you remember?"
Her eyes held his firmly as she gave a quick nod.
His eyes trailed her delicate face, taking in her sparkling innocent eyes, her smooth skin, and her pouting mouth. He hugged her quickly and pressed her lips to her ear. "And you must trust me," he said fiercely, "You must trust that I would never do intentional harm to you. I cannot tell you what will happen because we need this to be real," he said swallowed against his own twisting anxieties, "But know," he said again his voice almost hoarse with restraint and seriousness, "I would never do intentional harm to you."
