The Empress of the Seas

So here we are, sitting in the throne room, waiting for the chief advisor to come get us. He was assembling the crowd for Queen Crystal to make her appearance. Maybe I should explain.

After almost crashing into the deadly rocks, another rock slowly came out of the water. Magically a door opened and out stepped was a beautiful girl. She looked to be in her early twenties and wore a silvery blue gown made of silk. Her long straight hair matched it perfectly. Sounds like an old tale, right? Well that’s what happened.

“Who dares try to get into the kingdom of Shendral? And what authority do you have to raise these rocks?” Her voice was clam and strong as she looked at each persons face. I picked up Kyle and rested him on my hip in that protective mother way.

“Well,” Jack started, taking a step forward. “I am Captain Jack Sparrow, the most infamous pirate of these seas-”

“Ye wish,” I mumbled rolling my eyes. The girl looked my way then at Kyle before returning her gaze to Jack.

“We stumbled across these rocks in the fog and are desperately low on supplies. All we ask is for some food and a place to rest.” I had to hand it to him, he knew how to lie.

Just then Crystal fought her way to the front of the crowd. “What happened?” she asked, spotting the girl and turned to her. “Oh, hello. Who are ye?”

The girl looked taken back by Crystal’s presence and even more so that she talked to her.

“I-I am Moorey.” She stuttered. “I w-will open the gates immediately. Sorry for the inconvenience.” Moorey glanced down at Crystal’s wrist quickly before turning back to the rock and sinking down into the water again.

I looked at Crystal for an explanation but she just shrugged and said, “She seems nice.”

A moment later the rocks started to move all around us before they were in two rows on either side. Another boulder rose from the water at the end of the rocks and four people stepped out onto the sand bar now in front of us.

“Greetings to the great kingdom of Shendral!” The man in front said. His outfit resembled the Pope’s but was a dark blue and green.

He climbed the side of the ship and went straight to Crystal, kissing her hand like a gentleman. For a society that hates man kind, they sure had a lot of the same customs. “Good afternoon, and welcome back.” I would have asked but I already knew.

“We will quickly make accommodations for your…” he looked over the crew with slight disgust but then smiled, “guests. So please, come in, come in.” He was the first to get off the ship before we lowered a gang plank. Jack went down first and began talking to Moorey. Next to her were two elderly men dressed as Priests, but again in the different colors.

I let the crew go first and Kyle run off by Jack so I could stay with Crystal in the back.

“My ship?” Jack asked the Pope like man who’s name was Triton.

“We will make sure it is safe.” He said and walked into the cave like rock.

Jack still looked uncertain and I patted his shoulder. “I have a feeling it’ll be fine.” He smiled and walked inside.

Crystal and I waiting for the crew and just before we went in she whispered to me. “Why did he act like that? I thought they were this fierce place. Why did they just let us in?”

“I don’t know,” I said. And I didn’t know. How could Crystal be queen?

Now back in the throne room Crystal was trying to think of what to say to her people. Kyle was playing in the sand at my side. Grotter was with the crew, eating at a huge buffet set up for us. Jack was pacing and muttering to himself about something. He was probably worried sick about his precious ship.

“I can’t really be their queen, can I?” She asked me. She looked horrible with all this stress.

I scrunched up my eyebrows, thinking. “I guess ye are. I mean I don’t know how but they must know right? They have to have a good reason.”

“Yeah, I guess…” She said and sat down heavily next to me. “I just don’t think I’d make a good queen.”

“Nonsense!” I yelled at her. “Ye helped me when no one else did! Ye took me in! Ye’d make a great queen!”

She laughed. “Well ye’re only one person.”

I smiled and shook my head. Crystal would be the best queen they ever had.

Just then Triton walked in. “We’re ready for you now.” He said and led the four of us onto a balcony that looked over thousands of people. They were all immediately cheering and yelling so loud I thought I would go deaf.

There was some sort of contraption made from shells that made Crystals voice reach everyone there. So when she timidly whispered “hi” the people all the way in the back could hear her.

Everyone went quiet when she said that but then I thought I would go deaf from the silence. Crystal cleared her throat.

“I um, am Crystal, you’re, um, Queen?” she said more as a question but everyone started cheering again. That was enough to confirm that that at last have found her. She smiled and took the cheering as a good sign.

I couldn’t help smiling too. The crowds’ enthusiasm was contagious. When I looked at Jack and Kyle they were cheering too. We were in her kingdom. We found it. They loved us. And we had great connections with the Queen. Could this get any better?

We went back inside and once the doors closed the cheering stopped.

“Well,” Triton said calling over the crew. “I’ll have the servers show you your quarters. Queen Crystal will be staying in her own room, of course, which I will show her too now if she wishes.”

Crystal looked at me, all nervousness gone and replaced by pure joy.

“Go ahead, Your Highness.” She laughed and followed Triton down some hallway.

I turned to Jack, smiling like an idiot. “What?” he asked, smiling back.

“And ye were ready to give up,” I told him.

“Was not,”

“Were too! But because of me,” I pointed to myself very proudly. “We found it. And now Crystal is so happy.” We laughed until Grotter came up to us.

“I have never ate that well in my entire life,” he said and patted his stomach. “I could get used to this.”

“I think we all could.”

Then Moorey came up to us in her polite but strong manner. “Queen Crystal requested that I see to you four privately.”

“That’s fine,” I said and brushed the dirt off of Kyle. “Ye should get to sleep; we have a big day tomorrow.”

Kyle whined but Grotter picked him up. “I could sleep for days right now. Come on, Kyle, I’ll tell you the story of how I met your mother.”

He smiled at me and I ran my hand over my face. “Please don’t give him any ideas!” I called after them as Moorey showed them to their rooms.

Jack and I went over to the table to see if we could find anymore food and surprisingly there was a lot.

“I thought the crew would have eaten it all.” Jack said and I laughed and grabbed a chicken leg. I couldn’t stop myself from moaning it tasted so good. Good is an understatement. It tasted godly.

Right before I swallowed I felt two arms wrap around my waist from behind. Jack rested his head on my shoulder and whispered in my ear. “I know ye want to give me some of that.”

“No way!” I yelled but didn’t make any move to get away from him. “Get your own!” I took another bite.

“Please?” he said and kissed my neck.

“That reminds me,” I said, finally getting out of his arms. “Ye have to tell the crew they’re off limits.”

He looked confused. “Who’s off limits?”

“Don’t give me that, ye know.” He didn’t look like he knew. “Her people, Jack. They can’t touch those girls.”

“And just why not?” he crossed his arms.

“We’re lucky they excepted us! Do ye really want to start a war?” He didn’t say anything. “They’re off limits.”

He smiled. “That doesn’t include ye right?”

“Jack,” I rolled my eyes and walked away from him, down some hallway.

“Emma,” he poked me and I jumped. “I never knew ye were ticklish!”

I slowly covered my stomach and sides with my arms. “Who said I was?”

But there was no stopping him. He smiled evilly as he walked closer.

“Jack, now let’s think about this.” He kept coming. “Jack…. Jack…. Jack!” I finally screamed and ran.

He laughed as he chased me and poked me when I was in reach. Every time I screamed and laughed with him until I stopped dead in my tracks. I had no idea where we were or how we got there but we found the room. Like the room. The treasure room.

Jack stopped right behind me and a smile came to my face. “We found it,” I said under my breath. “We found it,” I said louder. I turned to him once again smiling like an idiot. “We found it!” I yelled and ran into the room.

There was gold everywhere. Piles and piles of it; mountains of gold. But it wasn’t just gold, there were dresses and jewels and fine furniture. But most of all, as we went farther and farther into the room (which seemed to get bigger and bigger the farther we went in), there were emeralds. They were everywhere. Huge chucks of emeralds that seemed to be growing off the walls. Pieces that fell off the wall didn’t look as perfect though. It seemed as if once they were separated from the wall, they lost some of their beauty.

“This is amazing!” I screamed, spinning around in a circle with my arms out. Jack caught me and immediately kissed me. And I didn’t even think “Oh my god, he’s kissing me! But I’m not supposed to love him!” I just kissed him right back and he picked me up and spun in a circle.

He put me down a moment later and smiled. “You’re amazing.” He said and rested his head on mine.

I was about to kiss him again when we heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see Moorey standing there quietly. “Your rooms are ready for you now.” She said looking down like she just saw something she wasn’t supposed to see.

“Sorry,” I said, a little embarrassed for her since she was embarrassed, if that made sense. “We got lost.”

“And if you don’t mind,” Jack stepped forward. “We would like to make those ‘rooms’ into one room.”

“Jack!” I whispered harshly.

“Um, well, yes, ok, um follow me.” She said blushing and started to walk away.

Jack took my hand and started to pull me along but I wouldn’t go.

“Jack, I can’t, Kyle-”

He kissed me and wouldn’t let me continue. “Kyle is just fine.” He sighed when he saw the worry in my eyes. “Emma, I-”

“Right this way!” We heard Moorey call from another room and ran to catch up with her. She led us to a spacey room and quickly left. Jack took my face and kissed me again but I pulled away.

“No, Jack. I gotta go see if Kyle-”

“Emma!” he said not letting go of my face. “Kyle is fine! He’s with Grotter learning some story that I’m trying to think about right now!”

I was so confused. What story? Me and Grotter’s story?

He sighed again. “I don’t want to know what ye did with any other guy!” I started to protest but he talked over me. “I don’t want to know! Even if it’s nothing! It was ye and him and I don’t know if I can handle that.”

I took a deep breathe. I didn’t know where this was going.

He kissed me again, softer this time. “Emma, I love ye. I’ve loved ye ever since that first time I kissed ye. Even before that probably! But I wouldn’t let myself see that. I mean I’m a pirate! Pirates aren’t supposed to fall in love!” he laughed weakly. “So I don’t want to hear about ye and him. All I want to hear about is us.”

I stood there frozen for a couple seconds until I realized his speech was over. He loved me? HE FUCKING LOVED ME?!

“Ye fucking bastard,” I said calmly and he looked down, letting go of my face. He took a deep breath as if he should have expected me to say that. I lifted his chin up and made him look at me. I was smiling. “Ye know how easy it could have been if ye just told me that before?”

He looked confused at first but then smiled and kissed me again. Well ye know our history so that kiss didn’t exactly stay sweet and innocent for long.