To Yonder

I Don’t Care
“I don’t care what you think as long as it’s about me
The best of use can find happiness in misery”
- Fall Out Boy

The day was finally coming to a close. Alessia thought about making her way down to the cabin where all the meals were to be served. Without any assignment, Alessia had stayed on deck watching the ocean waves go by while overhead men were swinging through the sails and hanging from the masts without a single care. It was strange to think that people lived like this; this though, was a life she wanted to experience even if only for a little while.

It was an out of body experience for her. For as long as the Princess could remember she had always admired the sea… from the view from her window back home in the castle at the top of the south tower. Now she was on the water, a truly magnificent feeling. Silently, she envied the men who carried out their lives on this breathtaking ship. The wonders of how such a large vessel managed to stay afloat, it all fascinated Alessia.

While Alessia could happily sit and watch the serene ocean waves roll by all day, she decided to tear herself away and go look for her friend and see how she was fairing in comparison. Walking down the half flight of steps she instantly looked for Nelly. Alessia easily spotted her small frame behind a table serving the hungry men as they got in line to be fed and silently prayed the ravenous men wouldn’t devour her tiny friend. She quickly made her way over to Nelly curious about how her day had been going – Nelly was probably relieved she had been given a task to keep her mind off of their current predicament.

“P-P-Prin-“

“Shhh!” Alessia cut her off quickly, “It’s Alec.”

“S-S-Sor-“

“Shhh!” Alessia quieted the girl once again, “Don’t apologize, you’re a man! Men are never sorry, ever!” She whispered forcefully under breath careful so nobody else would hear. Nelly gulped nodding in response. She didn’t dare open her mouth again afraid she might say something else to upset the Princess even further.

Alessia looked around to see if it were possible that anyone could’ve possibly overheard Nelly’s faux pas. Luckily, the room was boisterous. It was loud, filled with the laughter of men… pirates. They drank, they sang, and they danced. Stories Alessia had been told of them were extremely different than what she was witnessing currently with her own two eyes. Beyond the castle walls there was a whole world out there that she had yet to discover. Pirates weren’t filthy, barbaric men, they were just men living their lives in a manner foreign to her own. To be honest, they looked jolly, way happier than any courtiers or members of the peerage.

The types of people Alessia communicated with on a regular basis were always wound so tightly. They tiptoed around her afraid that they may accidently insult the head of state instead of speaking freely of what was on their mind. Then there were the suitors… the ones who were too debonair for their own good, those who were heartbreakingly awkward, and those who fell somewhere in between… and of course; there were also their mothers, a whole other species.

Alessia was caught up in her own deep thoughts until the sounds of men suddenly stopped. It was like the air supply had been cut off, the atmosphere had become extremely thick – it could be cut with a knife. Alessia felt the silence eerily creep into the room ready to choke anyone who even thought about taking an unwarranted breath. She looked up, and right near the entrance standing tall and broad was the Captain himself.

She studied the man once again trying to memorize each of his flawless features. His dark hair was slightly disheveled from what looked like running his hand through it multiple times throughout the day. His crystalline eyes could pierce through anything he looked at, and the scowl he wore that seemed to be permanently etched onto his face only made him look even more devilishly handsome.

When Alessia thought he couldn’t get anymore beautiful, he surprised her. The scowl began to slowly transform. She watched as the corners of his lips twitched upward and before she knew it, he was softly smiling at his crew… at his hard work. It was truly one of the most magnificent things she had ever seen.

“Men, comrades, brothers…” Tanek’s voice echoed throughout the still room as nobody dared to move an inch, “Today has not gone as planned, but there is always tomorrow. Perhaps we are a step closer to reaching our goal, but for now, we have hope and we have good health and so, we feast.”

Suddenly the room erupted into cheers and the men quickly become preoccupied with whatever they had previously been doing. Tanek seemed to disappear from her field of vision. Where had he gone? Alessia was frozen still processing the movements of the gorgeous mans mouth. Had she been so ignorant about pirates that she couldn’t be bothered to notice a beautiful man when she had observed Tanek’s “wanted” poster back home? She released a breath she hadn’t even realized she had been holding. The man truly made her dizzy.

Regardless, Alessia was knocked from her thoughts by Nelly’s elbow coming into contact with her side several times. The quick jabs brought her back down to reality where she noticed the world’s most renowned pirate walking towards them. No, he was walking toward her. Once again a dizzying sensation was felt all throughout her body.

“Daniel,” Tanek gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. All Nelly could do now was nod in return. Tanek still unnerved her immensely. “Alec…” His eyes flickered toward her for a second. Something in his eyes told Alessia that he was suspicious of something, it put her even more on edge, “I trust the two of you are feeling comfortable here.”

“Of course!” Nelly answered quickly and rather meekly. Alessia made a mental note to work on that. Hopefully it was the fact that Alessia knew Nelly was a girl and not the fact that Nelly sounded completely like a girl that was a dead giveaway that she was in fact a girl.

“It is okay…” Alessia said to him without thinking about the consequence her words could have. Words seemed to fail her whenever she was in Tanek’s presence. Alessia could swear she lost control of her tongue, “I am sure there is better,” she tried to tease. Unfortunately, it sounded like anything other than lighthearted. She noticed Nelly’s eyes start to widen as she observed the exchange. What had she just done?

Alessia hadn’t meant for that to come out the way it did. While she was normally teasing in personality she knew boundaries and made sure never to cross them. Obviously, that had no happened. A bright, flashing warning sign had been going off in her head ever since she stepped onto this ship – under all circumstance, don’t challenge the Captain – yet somehow that’s exactly what she managed to do.

“So tell me,” He turned his back to both girls. Tanek surveyed his men, what he’d spent his entire life building. He didn’t sound too angry, but there was something especially menacing about his tone, perhaps the lack of anger, “How many pirate ships have you been on?”

Alessia was caught off guard. Silly though, she should have thought he’d ask some kind of vague question like that, “I have not sir, but it is definitely is not as fine as those of the royal family’s fleet. I would think piles of gold and treasure surrounded you. As a young child my Father used to tell me stories of the fearless men who ruled the seven seas. The pirates.” So maybe it was partially a lie, but Alessia’s Father had told her plenty of stories about the pirates… just not the kind she alluded to, the ones that could easily be mistaken as heroic war stories and not the shunning of savage men. Right now, she was hoping they weren’t all true and that Tanek wouldn’t find it necessary to haul her onto the deck and send her over the side and into the frigid sea.

“Then I can assure you my ship is pristine, my men are the fiercest, and my name is one that will be heard until the stars fall from the heavens.” He turned to face Alessia with a hard look in his eyes as he spoke such magnanimous words with such a level voice and calm expression, “Now if you’ll kindly excuse me.”

Before she could say anything else Tanek had quickly stalked across the room in several large strides to join his men. Unsurprisingly, Alessia had once again been caught under his spell unable to look anywhere else until she lost him the sea of men. She continued to stare shamelessly into the abyss.

Tanek was an enigma. He spoke so eloquently… there was more to him, a whole story. While Alessia hadn’t been around the pirates for long, she could tell that the Captain was of a different class. He portrayed the pride of any one of the aristocrats she knew back home, but mixed with his ability to lead and the compassion he showed towards his men? It left Alessia completely unraveled. Who was this man and where had he come from?

“Don’t worry about him,” An unfamiliar voice broke her from her thoughts, “He’s always like that… or at least that’s what I tell people. There aren’t enough apologies in the world to cover his quick temper and sharp tongue. I swear he means well… he’s actually quite civilized and… dare I say, downright gentlemanly at times. You must forgive my dear friend, he’s having a particularly rough day today, I’m sure he’s very apologetic.”

Alessia turned to find the source of the voice when she noticed a handsome man slightly leaning on the table next to her. In no way did his beauty even compare to Tanek’s in her eyes but there was something warm and welcoming about him. There was no doubt in her mind that this man had any trouble securing female companionship. In essence, he was the complete opposite of Tanek. He sported golden, blond hair and his eyes were a brilliant shade of emerald green – he seemed jovial… partially angelic. Something about him reminded Alessia of her younger brother Alistair.

“We haven’t met yet, but I’m Will.”

Unlike Tanek, Will seemed easy going. He would be the type of pirate to let down his sails and allow the boat to go wherever the wind may take it. Alessia couldn’t picture him plundering anyone’s treasure, much less serving under the infamous Tanek. Could it be opposites attract? Something though seemed unusually familiar about him, like she had seen his face somewhere before. Where could it have been?

“Alec,” Alessia extended her arm for him to shake. She made a mental note to make sure her grip was firm, “And the other there is Danny. We came together from the ship that was raided this morning.”

“Ahhh, yes,” He smiled brightly before his expression became something boarding seriousness, “I’ve heard plenty about you, the two mysterious, young recruits from the royal ship. Hopefully the royal guard doesn’t come after us to retrieve you. Some of the men are itching to fight, but I’d rather avoid it if we could. There is always another fight to be had and we here have got plenty of other, more important things to worry ourselves about.” In a way Alessia felt like Will was giving her a very subtle warning, almost like an ultimatum. Stay and pledge alliance with Tanek and his men or leave and stay loyal to the throne.

It hit her hard when she realized where she had seen his face previously. Although it was less prominent, it had been there, posted right alongside Tanek’s on bounty posters. She was quite sure that his head was at least half the treasure Tanek’s was worth. And this was the man who reminded her of her baby brother?

Alessia thought quickly and deeply about his words. She silently apologized to Nelly before turning to offer Will her brightest smile. She had made up her mind; Alessia would stay here for however long she could get away with it. The throne would be there when she got back; she would never have a chance like this again.

Will seemed to notice the determination in her eyes because he smiled once again lightening the mood instantly. As if on cue, the men in the background began to break out into song and she even noticed a few doing a jig off to the side, “Well then, if there’s anything you need be sure to come let me know. As Quartermaster I would officially like to welcome you to the good life.”

Alessia smiled once more. And a good life it seemed.
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