3
AS THOUGH TALKING ABOUT him summoned him, the captain of the ship comes down to greet them. He bows low, and when he straightens Elsie flushes slightly. He is the most handsome man she has ever seen, and he looks young, maybe only a few years older than her, young to be a ship’s captain.
“Princess.” His deep voice is as pleasing as his face and Elsie gives him her hand and flushes a little more when he kisses it. He nods his head to Meg, and Elsie smiles when she blushes.
“I’m your captain, but my name’s Tom, so just call me that. I’m nervous to have a princess on board. I rarely carry such important cargo.”
“Cargo?” Elsie laughs, despite feeling unsettled by the little girl with no wings. “I’ve never been described as cargo.”
Now it’s his turn to flush and stammer his apology. “I’m so sorry, princess, that was clumsy. I meant guest. I rarely have the pleasure of such an important guest.”
She cannot hide her smile and he just laughs, holding out his arm, ready to take her aboard.
“Your cabin is below deck and you have the best that we have. It’s usually my cabin-”
“Oh, no, you can’t give up your cabin for us.”
“Too late. You and your lady-in-waiting will be in together, I assume that’s all right?”
Elsie nods. “That’s wonderful. I feel bad, though-”
“You mustn’t. This ship is a beauty, but we don’t have a lot of esteemed guests and so our beds are all bunks, narrow and uncomfortable. My cabin is better. Still not what you are used to, but it’s comfortable.”
Elsie takes in a sharp breath. If he only knew what she was used to. She changes the subject. “How long should the crossing be?”
“Somewhere between three or five nights, depending on how the wind favours us.”
“I’ve never been on a ship before. I’m nervous to sail.”
“Don’t be. It’s the most wonderful feeling. It’s like flying without the effort of flying.” His wings twitch, as though they are ready to fly, and he pulls them in, looking strangely awkward.
“Excuse me, I have many things to do before we set sail. Aside from your cabin, there is a small room off the main deck where we congregate, where we eat, and where you may wish to sit now. You are free to walk around the open deck, just be careful. I have lost nobody yet, and I don’t want to lose you.”
He nods and bows again before leaving them alone.
Elsie watches him then looks up at Meg, who is grinning.
“What? I was just looking at the unusual colour of his wings.”
“I’m sure you were. Let’s go down to the cabin, see what it’s like.”
Elsie sits on the bed – a large double that she will share with Meg. “It’s comfy.”
Meg joins her for a second, bounces slightly, nods. “It’s softer than what we’re used to.” Meg smiles and unpacks Elsie’s things. They have packed light, mainly because Elsie didn’t have much to take. “Here’s a tonic so you don’t get seasick; Alyce gave it to me. I have seven little vials of it, which should be enough to get us there. Drink one now, and one each morning. She advised that the best cure for seasickness is flying ahead or behind the ship, though. Not for so long that your wings get exhausted, but just long enough to stop the nausea.”
“I hope I’ll be okay. I’d rather be onboard.”
“With Tom.”
“Oh, he is handsome, isn’t he Meg?”
Meg has to nod. He is a good-looking young man. “He looks young to be a captain, though.”
“I thought that too, and then I thought he must be good at it, sailing, I mean, to be in charge of such an enormous ship.” She sighs. “I wonder if my new husband is as handsome as Tom.”
“The painting of him showed him to be very handsome.”
“We all know that paintings are not an accurate likeness. Don’t you remember the one they did of Isla? When she is old enough to wed, her husband will not recognise her.”
Meg snorts with laughter and then covers her mouth. “Elsie! That’s terrible.”
“And true. I think my step father paid him extra money to paint her in a more favourable light.”
“That may be, but it’s not kind to say so.”
Elsie shrugs. “I’ll never see her again or my step parents. I’m as good as an orphan now. I have only you, until I am married.”
“I think it’s the right thing for you to do, to forget them. Try to remember your mother and father, if you can, but forget those two.”
Elsie closes her eyes. “I don’t remember them. It’s harder every day to picture their faces.”
“That’s normal. It means nothing.”
“It doesn’t mean I’m a terrible person for forgetting them?”
“Not at all. It means you’re exactly like everyone else who ever lost someone they love.”
Elsie shrugs. It sounds too easy. She heads over to the small round window and looks out. “If we have rough seas, we’ll be able to see the fish as they swim by.”
“Great.” Meg shakes her head. She will not be looking at fish as they swim by; she will be getting as much fresh air as possible, and flying daily, as long as she’s able. Fish! “Let’s go up on deck, we don’t want to miss the sail away.”
Elsie spots Tom straight away, deep in conversation with several men. One of them is shouting at Tom, his hand raised, his finger pointing towards her and Meg. They are too far away for her to know what they are saying, but she has the same sinking feeling she felt at the campsite, the same ominous understanding that people don’t like her. Tom sees her, raises a hand, and breaks away from his crew. The angry man throws his arms up in the air and storms off the ship.
“Princess.” Tom bows.
“You can call me Elsie. You don’t have to be so formal. Tom, why was that man so angry?”
“He’s always angry. You need not worry.” He puts an arm around her and leads her away from the other men, and around to the far side of the ship. “I wish my ship was smarter. She’s not really a passenger ship, just a merchant one.”
“It’s perfectly lovely,” Elsie says, staring up at him.
“It’s not. We’ll be travelling with a smaller crew than normal, and I’ll make sure they know to tone down the swearing and the drinking and to remember that we have two ladies aboard.” He hesitates for a moment. “It surprised me to be asked to ensure your safe passage, honoured but-” Elsie sees Meg throw him a glare; a subtle warning of something that stops him mid-sentence. He stutters slightly and then catches himself. “So if you look over here we can wave as we set sail. Is the royal family here to see you off?” Again, Elsie sees Meg send him a warning glare, and can’t stop herself from feeling angry. There’s something going on and she’s not sure what it is.
Meg takes her arm. “Nobody is here. Just us.”
Her tone is enough to stop Tom asking any more questions and Elsie shoots her a grateful smile but feels unsettled.
Tom scratches his neck, a blush colouring his skin. “So, let’s wave goodbye.”
Meg squeezes Elsie’s arm as they go. “Come on brave adventurer – this seems like a much nicer adventure than that tavern.”
“Will you ever let me forget that?”
“Unlikely.”
Tom ushers Elsie to the front of the ship and she pretends not to listen as he talks in a hushed tone to Meg behind her.
“I misspoke?”
“You couldn’t have known. The princess has never had a close relationship with her step parents.”
“If she has a hard relationship with her step parents, does that mean that she’s unhappy with all that goes on?”
“Unaware.”
“Surely not?”
Elsie spins around. “I cannot pretend that I don’t hear you. I’m standing right here, and I want to know what you’re talking about, why everyone hates me, why that man stormed off. What goes on that I am unaware of? Meg!”
Meg takes her by the arm and steers her awa
y from Tom. “My lovely, I’m so, so sorry. I’m not being fair on you, but now is not the time or place. Please, let us set sail, then we’ll go to the cabin, and then...” She takes a huge breath. “There is something I need to tell you.”
Elsie shakes her head and opens her mouth to argue, before closing it again. She looks around and can see Tom staring at her, the other crew members looking, and she lets her anger go. “All right. I can wait. But you must stop talking about me as though I’m not here. I’m not a child, Meg.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.” Meg stays beside her charge, wiping her tears and holding her hand, and then turns to Tom, allowing Elsie to wallow without being observed. “How are you a captain at such a young age, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Not at all. I’m proud to be the youngest captain to ever sail the seas. Apparently.” He grins, and she laughs. “My father was a captain, his father a sailor. The sea is in my blood. My mother always joked that if you cut me open, I wouldn’t bleed, I’d spill out salt water. I hope you know that you’re in safe hands?”
“I do. I trust you with my princess. And I’m fiercely protective of her. Just so you know.”
He nods at the warning, and turns to Elsie, keeping a little more distance between them. He takes her hands in his. “Princess I am honoured to have you on board. I need to go, but I’ll dine with you tonight, if I may. My crew as well?”
Elsie nods, unable to speak, and then turns to Meg when Tom walks away, her eyes wide. “I’m scared. Something very wrong is going on – people don’t like me, and they are angry with me. I need to know why.”
“I’m scared to tell you.”
Elsie is about to reply when she feels the ship move. She clutches onto Meg’s arm. “You can’t be scared, you just have to tell me.”
Meg nods and leads the way down below deck. She sits Elsie on a chair in the cabin, and perches on the edge of the bed. “Elsie, they have locked you up for six years, you know that was wrong of your step parents, don’t you?”
Elsie nods. “Of course. But what could I do?”
Meg holds up her hands. “Nothing. There’s nothing you could have done. But you know they’re terrible people, right?”
“I didn’t at first. When my mother died, I was sad, but only six. I don’t really remember her. Then when my father remarried, I was happy. He wasn’t sad anymore, and she was very kind to me.”
Meg takes a deep breath. “And then he died.”
“Exactly. I didn’t like the man my step mother married. He was cruel and unkind to me and Isla. My step mother changed. She became more like him. He tried to hurt me a few times, but he never managed... then they locked me up.”
“Well, in that six years they have been unkind to, and hurt, many people. All the fairies in the Kingdom fear them.”
“I can understand that.”
“They rule through fear and abuse and they’re not even royal. They don’t deserve the thrones they sit on, or the crowns on their heads.”
Elsie feels a wave of dread wash over her and stands up. “What do they do?”
“They take money off everyone – too much money. They leave their subjects hungry and ill. They also... they clip them. That little girl we saw before; her parents didn’t hurt her, the king and queen of Allaire hurt her. At their command, thousands and thousands of fairies have been clipped.”
“Clipped?”
“Clipped. They take grown men and clip their wings, new mothers and clip their wings, tiny babies and clip their wings. And they charge them for the pleasure – money for the royal coffers.”
“That’s so awful. Why would they do that – it’s sick.”
“To scare people and keep them under their control. They are terrible, terrible people, and I’m so glad you’re safe, that we are safe, away from them.”
“That’s the proper reason your sister hides. Why she was so furious that you brought me there – it was in case someone from the castle had followed me.”
Meg nods. “I knew they hadn’t. It’s sad to say, but they don’t care enough.”
Elsie closes her eyes, tears sliding down her face. “And the man who stormed off the ship. He was angry.” She spins around to face Meg. “Do people think I know about this? That I condone of it or approve of it somehow?”
Meg nods, her face pained. Elsie covers her mouth, sobbing now.
“Don’t. It’s not your fault. You’ve been mistreated too. They locked you up like a common prisoner, when rightfully...” She pauses.
“Rightfully what?”
“Rightfully the throne is yours. You’re the only true heir to the throne of Allaire. Not those monsters.”
“The true heir?” Elsie looks uncertain.
Meg nods. “They’ve kept you locked up and now you’re sixteen they are happy to send you away for a marriage of their convenience and not yours. They are lucky you don’t start an uprising against them.”
“An uprising?”
“People talk about it.”
“They do?”
“Nobody I know – they wouldn’t dare, but Gwenna has mentioned it to me. I am glad nobody ever did it.”
“Why? If they’re so terrible, wouldn’t you be glad that someone stopped them?”
“Not while you were there. If rebels had stormed the castle and found you, us in it, we wouldn’t have survived. Besides, I think it’s just talk.”
“You think?”
“I have always hoped. Maybe they’ll do it, maybe they won’t. The fairies are angry, but they’d need a spark to set something like that off. You don’t just wake up and rebel if you’ve put up with mistreatment for years.”
“A spark.” Elsie looks thoughtful for a moment and then tunes back into what Meg is saying.
“Don’t let it worry you. There’s nothing you can do. You’ve never had to make choices or decisions, not yet, but when you do, I know you’ll make wonderful choices, different choices to what your step parents have made. Choices that reflect you and who you are, who you want to be, what you want to be remembered for.”
“They don’t clip everyone.”
“They don’t.”
“You have your wings, Tom and his crew have their wings.”
“Elsie, I’m in service, so is Tom in a way.”
“I feel ashamed of them. Shouldn’t I go back, try to fix things?”
“You cannot fix anything. I won’t put you in harm’s way, for a start, and what could you do or say?”
Elsie sobs harder, soaking Meg’s shoulder. “You cannot worry, you cannot let this spoil your new life, you cannot undo this, or change it, or help anybody. Please.” Meg is crying too.
“I’m selfish. If I just leave, I’m selfish. Isn’t this one of those choices you’re talking about? Where I do better than them?”
“I wish it was. But this is one of those times where you count yourself lucky and don’t look back.”
Elsie looks so pained that Meg can only take her in her arms again and hold her like she hasn’t been held for a long, long time.
“I don’t want to go up and face everyone. What must they think of me, Meg?”
“Nothing. If they thought anything, Tom will make sure they know the truth.”
“And Alwen? Does he know? Does his family know? Why doesn’t anybody stop them?”
“Alwen might know. His parents might know. But they have enough to do running their own Kingdoms. They wouldn’t want to start a war by interfering.”
“So, why would he want to marry me?”
“Darling girl, he probably doesn’t. This is a political marriage, strengthening bonds between our Kingdom and theirs, and probably ensuring that they don’t interfere. He had as much choice in it as you did.”
“So none?”
Meg nods. “I can’t imagine how you’re feeling, but I only want you to know that this isn’t your fault, and it isn’t your problem to fix. We’ll go up when you’re ready.”
Elsie lies on her bed, and turns to
face the wall, silently crying, listening to Meg bustle around the cabin as she readies comfier clothes for Elsie to wear.
4
THE DECK IS EMPTY, with all the men at their stations, and the ship on her way. They are the only two extra guests and it isn’t a huge crew. The proper work comes before they sail, loading up the ship with cargo, and when they arrive across the sea, and empty the ship of her goods, before they are taken and carted off to wherever they end up. Traders pay good money for safe transport of their goods, and it’s definitely not a fitting vessel for a princess.
Tom joins them, and Elsie touches his arm. “I know everything.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Do your crew think I’m like them?”
“I don’t know. But I’ll speak to them before we dine. They would never upset you; they’re friendly people.”
“Unlike my step parents.”
None of them know what to say.
“Meg, can I fly?”
“Yes, but be careful; you’re bound to be rusty after six years.”
“Six years?” Tom looks shocked.
“She’s flown once in six years and that was just after we left the castle.”
Elsie faces Tom, taking in his confusion. “You can’t fly when you’re locked up.”
“They locked you up?”
“Me and my sister. And not even together.”
“That’s awful.”
“Not as awful as what they’ve done to other people.”
“What a horrible thing to find out. But you’re free now. Would you like me to fly with you?”
Elsie nods.
Free. What a paltry word for such a big feeling, for such an enormous thing. Free. She might be free, but others aren’t as lucky. Fury and sadness and helplessness fill her, and she flies off the ship, high into the sky, straight up, like an arrow. Then she drops like a stone, before swooping, twirling and somersaulting. Meg might have been scared that she’d have forgotten how to fly, but she hasn’t.
Tom joins her in the sky, and the two of them fly, flit and soar over the water. They swoop down and hover beside the dolphins, laughing when they get splashed and zipping out of the way before they get soaked. The sun shines on the two of them, making Elsie’s wings look even more beautiful than usual – they are glittering in the sun. Tom’s wings have the strangest colour, a mossy green, almost muddy, but they look striking with the water and the sun on them.
The Rise of the Fairy Queen (The Fairy Queen Trilogy Book 1) Page 3
