If the Pirates
Phillip ran to the tree they had sat in not long ago. Norah, her dress far too heavy to climb in, waited anxiously below, watching his face. Immediately his jaw tightened, and his eyes grew wide.
“What is it?” Norah asked. It was a stupid question, as she knew he couldn’t answer, but it was all she could think to say.
In response, Phillip jumped back down, grabbed her by the hand, and began to drag her back toward the palace.
Norah let him lead her, her mind exploding with questions and more fear than she knew what to do with. What was going on in the harbor? Was it the pirates? But more than anything, she longed to know...
Did he blame her?
Could he love her even though her love had failed him?
Unfortunately, every one of her questions remained unanswered when they arrived back in the main courtyard to a scene of chaos. Soldiers were already gathering in groups near the gate, and servants were hurriedly packing up wedding decorations as though there had been no wedding at all.
“There you are!” Freya ran toward us. “I’m afraid yourcelebration will have to wait until later. Pirates have taken control of the shipyard!”
Phillip gently pushed Norah toward Freya before placing a peck on her cheek and then hurrying off toward the nearest officer.
“Oliver wants us to take shelter inside,” Freya said, leading me back toward the palace. “But tell me, is his voice quite deep?” In spite of the tumult going on around them, her eyes still sparkled with hope.
“I’m…” Norah stopped and swallowed. “I’m afraid he hasn’t spoken yet.”
Freya froze for a long moment before she blinked several times and looked in the direction Phillip had gone. Sure enough, he was listening to one of the commanding officers, but rather than speaking, he was pointing to something on a piece of paper the officer was holding. Norah bit her tongue as she watched Freya watch her younger brother. And sure enough, when Freya looked at Norah again, her eyes had grown colder, and she looked Norah up and down as though seeing her for the first time.
“Well,” she finally said after clearing her throat. “I suppose we’ll have time to explore that later. But for now, come. He’ll never forgive me if something happens to you out here.”
Norah followed miserably. Once they were inside, Freya called over several servants to detach the long, white train from Norah’s gown so she could walk without dragging it behind her. Like Freya, the servants said nothing, but Norah could see the questions in their eyes as they glanced back and forth between the two princesses.
“Could I… go to my room?” Norah asked. Anything to get away from the disappointment that seemed to be spreading around her like a plague.
“No,” Freya’s voice was sharp. Then she paused and took a deep breath. When she spoke again, her voice was softer. “I’mafraid you are most likely the one the pirates are looking for. If they somehow got wind of the wedding, there’s a good chance they came to stop it.”
Norah moved closer as they walked so she could lower her voice. “How would they learn of the wedding?”
“We’re rather secluded here, but we’re not isolated,” Freya said in an equally low voice. “All someone had to do was let their tongue waggle once the wedding was announced yesterday. If the pirates were close enough, it wouldn’t have been difficult for them to get the word out that the wedding was today. They were most likely hiding nearby in some of the shoals up north.”
Norah thought again of Phillip talking to the military officers. “What is Phillip doing?”
Freya gave her a grim smile. “You thinkwecould talk him out of defending his bride?”
No, Norah knew they certainly could not. Because Phillip was noble like that, even if he believed his bride didn’t love him.
Oh,whyhadn’t her healing worked?
“We’ll stay in here,” Freya said, breaking through Norah’s thoughts. She was leading them toward a trapdoor in the main kitchen’s floor. “We have servants’ garb down here that you and I will put on. And if the pirates–”
Norah was yanked backward as a strong hand grasped her arm. A woman in a kitchen uniform, probably in her late fifth decade, pinned Norah against her chest with one arm while with her other hand, she held the tip of a very large knife inches from Norah’s neck.
“If the pirates find you, love, I’m afraid it’s too late,” she cackled, dragging Norah back. Freya and the servants stood, horrified as the woman continued to move. Two guards began to run forward, but the woman tilted the knife so that it bit into Norah’s skin, and she felt something wet trickle down her neck. The guards came to a halt.
“That’s rather wise,” the woman said, holdingNorah tighter still. She gave a single sharp nod. Immediately, one of the guards turned and stabbed the other. Norah screamed, but the guard then turned and began to tie a gag around her mouth.
“I’ve more of my men hidden among your staff,” the woman warned Freya as she took a hesitant step forward. “Follow us, and they’ll go on a killing spree!” Then they turned with Norah and hauled her through a servants’ door Norah hadn’t known was there.
Norah looked for a chance to bolt the same way she had in her own cottage–to take advantage of a some distraction–any distraction that might steal their attention. But the woman’s blade was still against her neck, and she knew one unexpected move could cut her life short. And while she had gotten stronger since coming to the palace and walking so often with Phillip, she knew better than to even think of challenging a hardened pirate.
The woman and the guard dragged Norah out to a cart in the palace yard, to which a waiting horse was hitched. Once they were at the cart, the guard–who Norah supposed was no guard at all–grabbed a large black sack from the inside of the cart. Then he threw it over Norah’s head. With the knife no longer at her neck, Norah began to struggle, but the two of them were too strong. She was quickly tied into the sack, which somehow swallowed her entire body. Then, none too gently, she was tossed into the cart before it immediately began to roll.
