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The Prince slowly stirred and regained his consciousness. The sound of waves and creaking of wood had awoken him. He opened his eyes and noticed three things:
The right lens of his glasses was broken. Crap, he murmured. He had a splitting headache. He was not in the palace anymore.He frantically looked around the room. It was made entirely of wood, rafters lined the ceiling, and his heart raced as he realized he was tied firmly to a support beam. He immediately started trying to wriggle out of the ropes and continued to look around. The room was filled with golden treasures and fine furniture. There was a four-poster bed, similar to the one he had always slept in, a massive pillow on the floor, candelabras all around the room, a desk and he was sure there was more that he couldn’t see. Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t be strange. There was a window behind the desk and he strained to see what was outside.He nearly fainted when he saw nothing but water.
He started to panic. He wracked his brain to remember how he’d gotten there.He was standing on a grassy cliff in the dead of night, the moon was full and bouncing off of the ocean. The cool breeze and the ocean’s salty air tickled his pale skin. He was watching a large ship, not a royal ship, coming closer to the shore.But why? Cosmos was never the type to sneak out at midnight, that was his little sister’s job. He couldn’t explain the sudden urge he had to jump out of bed that night.He caught a quick glint of light coming from the ship. Some kind of spy-glass, perhaps? He stood and watched as the ship drew closer and closer until it finally docked at the sandy cove below. The ship's crew were loud and boisterous and certainly weren’t dressed like noblemen. The next thing he knew one of them looked up at him with a smirk. Realizing he’d been spotted, he dove into a run. Next thing he knew he was pinned to the ground, took a blow to the head, faded out of consciousness, and now he was here.He kept trying to squirm out the ropes that hugged his torso and arms. He looked down at his wrists, hoping to see the knot, but his shoulders fell when he saw a complicated and unintelligible twist of rope.
“Shit,” he whispered.Knowing escape wasn’t yet an option, his panic doubled down. He knew two things:
If he’d been taken by an enemy country, he was dead. If he’d been taken by pirates, he might be dead.He wasn’t sure which answer was more terrifying. He wondered how far he was from home. How would his father find him? Did his family even notice he was missing?His questions lingered in his mind like a bad stench, before they suddenly fled when he heard a loud creak.He sat straight up and held his breath. The sound of hinges came from behind him and was followed by the sound of a quiet clink, boots, and another odd set of footsteps. It sounded like the second person was taking inch-long steps in their tiptoes. The panting sounds made it even more confusing.It seemed to take forever for the two to walk past him. The odd footsteps grew closer and closer until, to his surprise, a wolf rounded the corner and began aggressively sniffing him. Large dogs terrified Cosmos, and this was the next level. He tried to pull away but this rope stopped him, leaving him at the mercy of the wolf. He whimpered as it rubbed its wet nose against him.“Dante! Down.” An authoritative voice commanded.
The wolf immediately retreated to the large pillow on the floor, which Cosmos now understood to be a bed.The man strolled past Cosmos as if nothing had happened. Long muted purple hair cascaded down his back and his posture was statuesque. He dropped a leather leash on the desk, along with his black coat and a stiff leather hat. A large sword remained at his side. Finally, he turned to the Prince and leaned against the desk with his arms folded. The nobleman’s eyes widened when they met the sailors. They were milky white, misshapen, and surrounded by white scars, which stood out against his tan skin.“I suppose you’re awake now?” the sailor asked.Cosmos froze again. Would the man even notice if he just stayed quiet, or would he press that sword to his throat? Words failed to escape Cosmos’s mouth.“When the captain asks you a question, you’re to answer it.”The captain?“Th- th- c-?”“You stammer like a child.”“And you’re acting like one,” Cosmos snapped. He slammed his mouth shut and looked up at the captain in fear. He was trembling and prayed the man wouldn’t notice.The captain snickered. “A proud one, I see. I hadn’t expected that. You know, I didn’t even realize you were a prince until we brought you aboard. Figured we’d get a pretty penny for a nobleman’s head, but the heir to Lunarisia’s throne? Hit the jackpot!”“What do you mean, ‘you didn’t expect that?’”The captain chuckled again. “Well, when my first mate told me the one we captured was Cosmos Francis, I didn’t expect such a smart mouth. After all, you’ve got a pathetic reputation. But I guess it suits you, right?”Cosmos was smart enough to know not to answer that question.“Who are you?” He asked.“Captain Leo Montoya,” he said with a grin and a dramatic bow, “El capitán de La Loba.”La Loba, Cosmos thought. He’d never heard of it, nor the name Leo Montoya—definitely a pirate.“Well, Leo,” he said.“It’s Captain to you.”Cosmos sighed, “Captain, whatever it is you want, my father will pay you tenfold. Please, I just want to go home.” He pleaded.Captain Montoya shook his head. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. If only the world revolved around you. The goods go to the highest bidder. What they do with you after the fact is none of my business.”The prince started hyperventilating. “What?! You can’t- I-I- Do you know what they might do to me?! Those- Those FREAKS will kill me! Or worse-!”Cosmos was stopped by the woosh of a blade cutting through the air. Mere seconds later it was underneath his chin, pointing his face up at Leo’s, paralyzing him.“Like I said, if only the world revolved around you.” He slid the sword back into his belt, folded his arms, and rested one on the other. He put his face in his hand and grumbled to himself,
“Sangre Azul.”“Excuse me?”“Blue blood. You’re the definition of blue blood: pale, rich, and annoying.”“I expect I shall be hearing that quite often.”“Ha! You know, I think I like that smart mouth of yours,” he said as he bent down and put a finger to his prisoner’s chin. Cosmos gritted his teeth as the pirate forced him to look into his blank eyes.“Now tell me,” he said, “what was a pretty little blue blood like you doing by himself at night? You of all people should know it’s not safe. There are dangerous people who might hurt you.” He snickered. Cosmos was starting to hate his laughter.“I can’t quite recall,” he said with narrowed eyes, “It seems your men might have hit my head too hard.”“Oh well, it doesn’t matter. Speaking of, that blood of yours is why you’re in my quarters.”“I can tell you’re dying to explain why.”“Ha! Clever. You’re catching on quickly. Our brig isn’t where we store treasure. Your family will want you back unscathed. An enemy will want to do the scathing.”“That’s comforting.” Cosmos rolled his eyes.“I’m willing to bet that blow to the head is the first scratch that pretty little head of yours has ever had. Start getting comfortable; you won’t be treated like a delicate flower anymore.”“Bastard! My father will send a battalion after you, and you’ll be lucky to get the death penalty!”Montoya doubled over and howled with laughter. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” he said as he wiped a tear from his eye, “But what makes you think they can find you?!”“I…” Cosmos stopped. He was right. He had no idea if his father had even noticed he was missing. How on earth was he supposed to know he was on a pirate ship?“Just as I thought.”
The captain turned back towards the desk and put his hat on. “I wouldn’t bother with those ropes,” he said, “I tied them myself.” He reached behind the desk and grabbed a straight long cane, then turned around and started towards the door, leaving the dog with Cosmos.
“Wait, you’re just going to leave the dog?!”Captain Montoya stopped dead in his tracks.
“Dog?!” He laughed, but he was clearly taken aback.“Yes?”“Ha! I suppose a blue blood like you wouldn’t know what La Loba means?”“No?”The captain snickered again. Each time he laughed Cosmos felt a bruise to his pride and an increase in his anger.
The captain smirked, “It means The Wolf.”Cosmos looked back at the animal sleeping mere feet from him and gulped. How could this get any worse?
“I’d keep an eye open,” Leo said, “Sometimes he bites.” Then he strolled out of the room and left the Prince with his thoughts. With the captain gone, tears started to roll down his cheeks.The tears stung his face and realized the only thing he could do was pray.And so he did.