The Beginning

"Princess!"

Someone knocked at the door and called out.

"Princess, are you ready for the dinner?"

The door opened and a woman dressed in a brown dress and a white apron around her waist stepped inside.

"Princess! Why are you still in your afternoon dress?! The king will cut my head off!"

She rushed inside, nagging the princess to stand up from her bed and get dressed.

"Relax, Anastasia. My father can wait"

The princess said not looking away from the book in her hand.

The maid grabbed the book out her hands.

"Hey!"

"Come on! We don't have much time!"

Anastasia put the book down on the nightstand and turned around, heading toward the princess's closet.

"Why are you rushing so much? Its just an ordinary dinner. Like all other nights"

The princess complaint.

"Tonight is special, princess. We have a guest from the South!"

Anastasia said as she grabbed a dresses.

"The king spoke to me personally to make you as presentable as possible."

She placed it on the bed and began removing the princess's dress.

"From the South? From which country?"

The princess asked, turning her back toward her maid.

Anastasia placed a corset around the princess's waist.

"From Spain from what I've heard."

She tightened it

"Ah!"

The princess exclaimed taking a deep breath in.

"Dont make it so tight!"

"Bear it... Done!"

She grabbed the dress and put it on her. Fixing her hair and dressing her neck with tons of beautiful golden jewellery.

"Okay, I believe your makeup is fine. Let's go"

The maid opened the door and the princess walked through.

"This guest... What's his status?"

The princess walked foward and Anastasia followed behind.

"I don't know, princess. I don't know much more than I've told you.

After a few minutes of walking they stopped infront of 2 large doors.

The princess could feel herself getting nervous.

"Princess, take a deep breath. Be at your best behaviour."

"Yes, Yes I promise I will do my best."

Anastasia smiled and put her hands on the doorknobs.

"Good luck"

The princess put her chin up and walked in as Anastasia opened the doors. The maid stepped to the side.

"Oh, my child. You finally made it. Come, sit"

King Theo said.

The princess nodded and took a seat next her mother. Infront of her was an older looking man with a white crusty beard and an almost bolding head.

Anastasia stayed besides the door with her hands behind her back.

"Sophia, I would like you to meet Carlos Arabado Martinez, Duke of Abrantes and cousin of the current king of Spain."

The king said.

"I'm honoured to be in your presence."

Sophia bowed slightly with her hand on her chest.

"The pleasure is all mine, princess"

Carlos replied, with a huge grin.

"I must say, your highness, you were right. She's a beauty to look at"

He continued, his glaze never leaving Sophia's body.

"Why of course. She's my daughter after all"

They laughed. Sophia chuckled nervously. She was starting to feel quite uncomfortable by how the man was staring at her. Her mother, Queen Charlotte, placed her hand on her hand. Sophia looked at her and saw her mother's reassuring smile. She took a deep breath and smiled back.

"Now, let our feast began. Today is a day to celebrate!"

The king announced and a few servents stepped inside the room carrying many plates of delicious dishes.

Sophia turned toward her father confused.

"Forgive me father but what is there to celebrate?"

She asked nervously.

"Oh, did I not inform you? You're getting married, dear! Lord Carlos has agreed to marry you in 2 days!"

The king exclaimed happily. Sophia's jaw dropped. She was shocked to say the least.

"M-Marry? But father i just turned 18 isn't that a little too early?"

"Early? Darling, that's almost too late! You should have been married off when you turned 13 like your mother but I couldn't find you a good husband."

"Princess Sophia of England, I promise you that i will have no regrets. We shall get married and I will shower you with treasure. All you have to do is give me strong and powerful sons!"

Tha man said with that same grin on his face.

"But father i-"

"No buts Sophia. It is arranged. You will marry Duke Carlos and that's final"

The king cut her off. Sophia sighed in defeat. There was nothing she could do against her father's words. She looked at her mother, who was looking back at her with pity.

The dinner continued and Sophia tried to act as calm as possible but inside she was scared. Scared for her future and for her safety. The whole night the man made dirty remarks and tried to slide his foor up her skirt. It was truly a nightmare for her.

When the dinner was over she stormed inside her room and layed face first on her bed. Anastasia followed behind, closing the door.

"Princess? Are you alright?"

Anastasia asked, concerned.

Sophia stood up, her makeup messed up from the tears running down her cheeks.

"No! I'm not alright! How can you even assume that?"

"My apologies, princess."

"Damn it! Damn it! Ugh! Why me!?"

She exclaimed hitting the bed sheets beside her.

"Come now, that's no language for a princess"

Sophia glared at her.

"That's my last concern right now"

"I know, princess but you have to accept it. You can't change the King's mind"

The princess sniffed and whipped some of her tears away.

"I get that but I don't want to! You saw him! He's disgusting and perverted! He said such disgusting things infront of everyone! I don't want to imagine what he would say if im alone with him!"

Anastasia sat next to her.

"Oh, princess. Unfortunately, this is the reality of most princess."

Sophia leaned over and layed her head on her shoulder. Anastasia proceeded to put an arm around her.

"And besides, you can't just escape. It's your duty as a princess to marry and have children and to..."

Sophia did not hear the rest of what maid Anastasia was saying, her hearing stopped the moment she heard the word 'escape'. That's when she thought of something.

"Princess, are you listening?"

She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts.

"Yes yes. I am. My duties, got it"

She sat upright and whipped the rest of her tears.

"Anastasia, I think I want to be alone for tonight."

Anastasia turned to her and nodded.

"I understand."

She stood up and headed toward the door.

"Sleep well, princess"

"You too"

Anastasia walked outside and closed the door behind her. The moment Sophia was certain Anastasia was far away she stood up and began pacing around her room.

"Okay,okay, escape. Yes! I should just get away! Yes, run away! They cant marry me to that man if I'm gone! It has to be tonight!"

She looked around her drawers.

"Ha! Found it!"

She took out a bag of coins.

"These should be enough.I just need to find a ship. Someone that can take me away from England. Far away. Where they'll never find me."

She sat on her nightstand and whipped away the smugged makeup from her face using a wet cloth. She then let down her brown long hair.

"There should be someone on the docks with a ship or a boat that would take me to the nearest country or island."

The princess began removing her corset, which was quite difficult on her own.

"I should have told Anastasia to do it before she left. Damn... Aha! Yes!"

She took off the corset and threw it on the ground. The dress was next until she was finally left with in her undergarments.

"Now let's see"

She looked at her closet.

"Something light, something i can run in if needed to... This one!"

She picked out a purple long dress with cuffed sleeves and short white flowers at the end of it. She placed a belt around her waist as well, tying the bag of coins on it.

Sophia immediately put it on and put her hair up in a bun, leaving only a 2 long strips of her around her face. She grabbed a robe from her closet with a hood and clipped it on around her.

"I won't take anything else. There is no time."

She rushed to the door and was about to open it but stopped herself.

"Am I really going to do this? Run away?"

She asked herself. She pulled her hand hesitantly from the doorknobs.

"What am I doing? I've never even been outside this castle."

Her hands began to shake.

"Maybe I should just accept it..."

She took a step back from the door. She began to think. All the scenarios, everything that might happen to her out there. The thought of that man came into her head again, which quickly snapped her back into reality.

"No. I have to do this. Better getting killed on the streets than marrying that awful man."

Sophia grabbed the doornob and twisted it slowly. She picked her head out of the door and looked around. There was no one in sight.

"This is it. Let's go"

She walked down the hallways of the castle. If anyone asked she said that going outside to clear her head.

"Let me guard while you're outside princess"

A guard said.

"No. Im fine. There is no need for you to leave your post for me."

She smiled.

"But prin-"

"There are other guards outside. They will keep an eye on me, okay?"

The guard nodded.

"Yes, my princess"

The gaurd bowed. Sophia waved at him and walked outside. She sighed in relieve.

"Oh, thank god, that was close."

She turned and looked for a way out in the garden as the front gate was definitely not an option. The garden was quite large and at night even spooky but Sophia didn't care, she just wanted a way out. The princess approached the bars of the garden and noticed the that one of the bars in the garden was quite lose. She pulled it enough for her body to fit through. However, before she could step outside, a hand grabbed her arm.

She turned around immediately thinking it was a guard but it was actually

"Mother?"

The princess's eyes widened

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

The woman asked as she glared at her child.

"I don't know. But im not staying here."

"And where will you go? Do you have a plan?"

"No... but ill think of something as i go!"

Queen Charlotte shook her head.

"Please, mother. You saw him too. I don't want to marry someone like that."

There it was again that pitiful look in her mother's eyes. As much as it hurted to see her mother like that, Sophia did not back down. Her mother sighed and let go of her hand.

"Find Captain Eleonora's ship. You'll be safe there."

"Captain Eleonora's? But how do you know she's in England?"

"I just do. Now go."

Queen Charlotte caressed Sophia's cheeks and kissed her forehead.

"Go before I change my mind."

"Yes mother"

Sophia nodded and went through the gate.

She looked behind onces more and smiled softly before leaving. Her mother waved her goodbye, holding back her tears.

"Do what I was too afraid to do"

Queen Charlotte exclaimed as she turned around and headed toward the castle.

...

Sophia ran, as fast as possible. She tried to be sneaking and hide behind corners whenever she saw that someone was coming her way. Although she never left the castle, she had the map of her town memorised by heart so it was easy for her to navigate herself toward the docks.

Her whole walk there she thought about why her mother told her to find Captain Eleonora. She knew her mother knew the captain personally but never expected her to tell her to find her.

A few moments later she arrived at the docks.

She looked around for the ship. She knew that the ship had a mermaid of the front of it. She managed to find it and snuck onto the ship. It was easy as the men guarding it were asleep on the deck.

She stepped slowly and found a small door that lead her to a room that looked like a storage. Bottle on the floor, sacks of food and barrels at the bottom. She sat behind a few berrals in the corner and sighed.

"Finally."

Sophia exclaimed as she rested her head on the wall next to her.

Slowly, she began to fall asleep.

The ship sailed and for 2 days nobody had discovered her inside the storage room. Until one of the crew members entered the storage and head straight to the berrals. Sophia had no where to run and so she got caught by him. He grabbed her by the coller and pushed her against the wall.

"Who are you?!"

The man asked but then he noticed her face.

"Princess?!?"

Shocked the man let go of her and backed away.

"What the hell are you doing here, princess Sophia? And how did you get inside the ship?!"

"Shhhh, listen, I know i have some explaining to do but please dont tell the captain im here."

"I apologise princess but im afraid i cant do that. I'll be risking getting my head cut off!"

"SIB,  WHAT THE HELL IS TAKING YOU SO LONG IN THERE?! GRAB THE RUM AND COME OUT ALREADY!"

A voiced screamed from outside.

"COMING! "

He yelled back.

"Just stay here princess. I'll figure something out"

"Thank you"

The man grabbed a bottle of rum and went outside.

Sophia sat down again, scared that things might not end as she hoped.

A few more days past by and the man, whose name was Sib, began visiting the princess often. Giving her stuff like a blanket for the night and water. The two of them started to bond little by little. However,  Sib was not as sneaky as he thought he was. Eventually, someone started noticing him going so often to the storage room. So one day while Sib and Sophia were talking they heard a loud meow from behind them.

When they turned around they saw a woman standing there and her cat next to her.

Sib quickly stood up and hid the princess behind him.

"First mate i can explain plea-"

Sib tried to speak but was quickly cut off by a slap in the face.

"Nobody gave you permission to speak, lowrat."

The woman glared at him.

"Hey! who gives you the right to slap him like that!?"

The princess stood up and began to walk towards the woman.

"Princess? Oh , you're getting your head cut off tonight Sib."

The woman grabbed the princess and Sib by the collars of their clothing and walked them out of the storage.

She threw them on the deck, right infront of the captain's feet.

"Well well, what do have here, First Mate Alexandra?"

The captain asked

"An intruder on the ship, captain, and Sib over here has been hiding her in the storage"

The captain looked down at the Sophia.

"Princess?! My my, what are you doing on the Mermaid's heart? Are the king and queen aware that you are here?"

Sophia looked up towards the captain and looked her in the eyes.

"No and you wont tell them either"

The princess glared at the captain.

The captain grind and got closer to Sofia's face. She grabbed her chin lifted her head up and said

"Watch your tongue, princess. Youre on my ship now. Far away from your land where you can order me around."

She then pushed Sophia back to the floor of the deck.

"*sigh* Come on boys, back to England. We have a princess to return.

"NO!"

Sophia grabbed the captain by her hand.

"Please, i cant go back! Do whatever you want with me just dont return me to my parents!"

"Im sorry princess but returning you to the palace would mean a great reward for me and my crew and i cant miss out on an opportunity like that."

The princess kept begging until a voice spoke up from the crowd of crew members.

"Captain. May i speak to you for a second?"

Christina, the Quartermaster, finally stepped in and grabbed Captain Eleonora by the hand, dragging her away from everyone.

"What is it?"

Eleonora asked

"Listen, how about we dont return the princess?"

"What? What are you talking about??"

"You're not thinking this through. If the princess went missing and nobody heard any news from her for a while, the price reward would double, even triple! We just have to keep her around for a few months."

"Hmm, You have a point. Well, I cant argue with your logic, Quartermaster."

The captain turned around with a huge grin on her face.

"Princess! Today is your lucky day! Welcome on board to The Mermaid's Heart!"

The princess smiled and felt relieved. She, then, looked at Sib.  He smiled back but his smile quickly faded as the First Mate spoke.

"Captain how about this scum? He hid the princess from us."

"Let him go"

"But captain he-"

"Alexandra, you know i hate repeating myself."

The First Mate sighed and let go of Sib but she continued to glare at him and her cat hissed.

"Now now, dont get so grumpy"

The captain put a hand on her shoulder.

"You'll kill him someday. One more mistake and ill let you cut his head off."

Alexandra smiled slightly at the thought of killing Sib.

"That would be wonderful."

She said as she walked away and went inside her room.

"Now everyone back to work! Lets begin our adventure!"