praedonum | pirates

“But Princess Cirrus, if some is to find out-“ a maid tried to protest to what Cirrus had told her.

“No one is to find out, so long as you remain quiet,” Cirrus shot the maid a look. “I’ve been doing this for I don’t know, how many months now? I know what I’m doing. I’ll be in and out in less than hour.”

“But, your highness-“

“Hm, I wonder if the other maids have run out of gossip yet. Surely they’d love to hear the tale of a young maid and butler having secret rendezvouses under the oh so convenient balcony of their mistress’s room,” the princess raised a brow at the maid and folded her arms. When the maid said nothing in response, the princess smiled and flattened out the hems of her shirt.

“I’ll be back in an hour. You know what to do in order to keep Suho and my brother busy for that time, am I correct?” Cirrus asked as she tied her dark chestnut hair into a bun and wrapped a thin, pale blue scarf around her head.

“Yes, princess. I will be awaiting your safe return,” the maid said and bowed deeply.

“Thank you,” Cirrus replied, trying to mask the excitement in her voice. Then, she added, “Oh and by the way, Rose. I really think you and Basil should pick a better place to have your rendezvous sessions. My eyes may be fixated on the scriptures but my ears are another story.”

Rose blushed furiously and bowed even lower. Cirrus let out a chuckle and slipped into a pair of worn-out shoes that had belonged to the maid who was currently at her side. “Thanks once again for these. The shoes really add the finishing touch to the outfit.”

“I am grateful to be of service.” Rose smiled shyly, feeling giddy from having received such kind words from someone of the royal family.

“So, what do you think? How do I look?” Cirrus asked as she twirled on the spot.

“Like any other girl, your highness.”

Cirrus raised a brow at the maid and cleared , prompting Rose to re-evaluate her last statement. “I mean,” Rose started. “You look like any other girl, Cirrus.”

Cirrus smiled once more at Rose, twirling again on the spot. It felt so nice to have the weight of the royal clothing off her shoulders. Finally, Cirrus removed her jeweled crown and placed it in the safe beside her bed. She bid Rose farewell and took a step into the garden. How she had missed the feeling of grass at her feet, the breeze at her knees, and the Sun’s embrace.

.::.        .::.        .::.

The market was bustling with life; as to expected for a Sunday afternoon. Cirrus loved visiting the village at this time. For the palace, Sunday afternoon was the calmest time of day. The royal guards were lazier during this time, and Cumulus was usually fencing or hunting for game. Since half a year ago, the Queen had begun taking afternoon naps to regain her strength. Lastly, King Solis was usually attending to royal matters.

Not that she saw her father much anyway.

Despite the fact that she could only promise herself an hour outside of the palace, the commute from the castle to the small village at the foot of the trail took 15 minutes if she ran. That, and the trip back meant that she could only afford to spend 30 minutes perusing through the small stores and stands.

Cirrus walked into her favourite store in the entire village. It was a tiny store that belonged to an elderly couple who sold stained glass. The husband, despite being very old, woke up every day at the dawn to start creating new pieces of work. She remembered the first time she had stumbled upon the store. It had been a hot day, and it was also the first time Cirrus had escaped from the palace. The commute to the village had made her extremely parched, and she stumbled into the store, practically fainting from dehydration. The couple gave her water to drink and kindly welcomed her into their home.

“Welcome to our store! Oh, well if it isn’t little Cherie!” the jolly old man laughed and greeted her. Cherie was the name she had given them when they asked about her identity. “Dear! Cherie is here!”

An elderly woman emerged from the back of the store with a tray of cookies in her hands. “Perfect timing too! Won’t you stay and have a cookie?”

“I’m sorry, I’m actually not very hungry right now,” Cirrus replied. The truth was she had the room to stomach another cookie, but she couldn’t take any risks. She tried her best to keep her identity a secret, but if someone in the village recognized her, who’s to say they wouldn’t try to poison her? She cared for the old couple very much, but there was a fine line between care and trust.

“Oh, that’s fine, dear,” the wife replied with a smile. She set the cookies on a nearby table and dusted her hands of any cookie crumbs. “Anything you fancy in the store?”

“I’m just going to take a quick look around and then I’ll be on my way,” she smiled. The couple nodded their heads and told her that if she needed anything, to just holler. Cirrus strode through the aisles and admired the pieces of artwork. Each image represented a story, so the old man had told her. One piece had the image of a fishing boat, while another had a mother caressing her baby. From the various visits she had paid them, she learned that each image described a memory of the old couple’s.

When the old woman saw Cirrus staring at a piece of glass with a man and woman standing in front of a chapel, she approached her. “That’s of the day we got married,” she said nostalgically.

She then proceeded to tell the princess about how they had met. They were both young and reckless, she explained. He had been a fisherman and her family had owned a fishing supplies store. He waltzed in one day when she was put in charge of the store and suddenly proclaimed his love. They had never talked prior to the event, but apparently he had been admiring her from afar for a very long time.

“I was taken aback, that’s for sure,” the wife chuckled. “Then he asked my father for permission to marry me!”

“And you did? Just like that?” Cirrus asked with wide eyes.

“Well yes, I suppose I had fallen in love with him at that very moment.”

“How could you be so sure? What if you were just confused at the time?”

“Cherie, my sweet,” the old woman placed her hand on Cirrus’s shoulder and stared tenderly into her eyes. “When you are in love, your heart will let you know. You will be sure of it.”

Cirrus nodded her head, but didn’t quite understand. She thought back to when she had first met Suho, but couldn’t remember what she had thought of him. All she recalled was that it had taken her time before she felt comfortable enough to share her feelings with him.

.::.        .::.        .::.

Prince Cumulus had just returned from a hunting session. He was eager to find Cirrus so that he could boast to his sister about having caught a deer. He figured that Cirrus would be in the library, since that seemed to be her favourite place in the palace. He searched the entire room, checked every aisle and under every desk. When he was certain that she was not in the library, he made his way to her room.

He gently rapped on his sister’s bedroom door. He hadn’t had the opportunity to spend much time with her as of late, and the older brother side of him felt a tinge of guilt. He knew she was always cooped up indoors, and had plans of taking her out on a picnic in the afternoon.

When no one responded, Cumulus scratched his head. Cirrus is not one to take naps. Perhaps she is upset with me? I’ve been so busy that I haven’t so much as spared her a glance in the last few days.

“Um, excuse me!” Cumulus hollered at Rose, who had been dusting a vase nearby. “Is my sister, I mean, Princess Cirrus taking a nap?”

“Yes, your highness,” Rose replied. “The princess woke up early this morning to translate some scriptures and felt tired. So, she is taking a nap.”

“Strange,” Cumulus cocked his head and mumbled to himself. “Well, I wouldn’t want to disturb her. When she awakens, tell her to meet me at the library.”

“Yes, Prince Cumulus,” Rose replied dutifully and curtseyed as Cumulus walked away.

Does Cirrus usually translate scriptures in the morning? I thought she usually saved them for the afternoon, Cumulus wondered.

.::.        .::.        .::.

A quick glance at the sundial she kept with her told Cirrus that she had to start heading back to the palace. She always despised this part of the trip; the return. Cirrus exited the village as swiftly as she had entered it and made her way in to the woods, where she followed a trail back home.

“… won’t know what was coming their way!”

Cirrus stopped in her tracks when she heard a voice. The voice was faint, but nonetheless there. The forest was usually quiet, save for the songs that the birds sang. Then, she heard another voice.

“And then we attack?”

Cirrus was sure of it now. She wasn’t alone in the forest.

“Yes, you idiot!”

The voices were getting louder.

“Hey, there’s someone there! Don’t let them escape! We can’t let them know we’re here!” a voice yelled. Cirrus swiveled around and saw a gang of men dressed in ragged clothing. Among them stood a burly man who was pointing in her direction.

Run! Cirrus’s conscious yelled.

The princess ran as fast as she could. She didn’t stop to look back, only trying to get as far away as she could from them. It was then that she asked herself; how many were there? She estimated approximately 7 men were in the group that was currently chasing her.

But was that all of them?

Before she had time to think about the question any further, she tripped on something and fell on the ground. She cursed herself for having tripped on a tree root, and turned to examine her foot. Except, there wasn’t a tree root next to her foot.

There was a black boot protruding from behind a tree.

The owner of the black boot walked forward and stopped in front of her. Cirrus let her gaze wander as her eyes travelled from the man’s boots to his red trench coat, finally stopping at his hair, which was the same shade as his jacket.

Fire.

“I was already in a good mood, but this puts the cherry on top. To think I’d run into the princess outside her home! I just hit the lotto,” his deep voice and menacing glare sent shivers down her spine. “You’ve made my job so much easier.”

Suddenly, Cirrus felt a moist cloth cover from behind. Within seconds, her strength dissipated along with her consciousness. Then, there was nothing but black.

A/N: Gee I wonder who the mysterious "firey" person is >.> Also to all of you who are wondering, Baekhyun will officially be making his first appearance in the next chapter, so stay tuned! If you're enjoying the story so far, do leave a comment (and subscribe/upvote if you would like to)! Reading your comments and talking with ya'll really brings a smile to my face. It also gives me something to look forward to during work lol.

\\ xoxo