Strawberry Princess

A princess kneels out in her family’s garden picking strawberries in her pink dress. The gardener had left for her lunch break, so the princess decided to quell her boredom by delving into her daydreams and picking the fresh strawberries in the garden. Her father sits inside the castle, stuck in an emergency meeting with the surrounding kingdoms about pirates wreaking havoc in their villages, her mother helps the royal bakers bake pastries in the kitchen despite their panicked pleas to let them bake for her, and her brother yells in triumph at his morning fencing lesson, leaving the princess all alone as usual. She hums her favorite tune as she picks the bright red strawberries damp from the morning dew and places them in a small, beige, woven basket. There is a bit of a breeze that flitters through her hair and makes the trees’ leaves sing, but despite the chill of the air, the bright sun and slowly warming temperature keep her body content.

As she places the last strawberry on top of her large pile in the basket, she hears rustling from the Hydrangea bushes in front of the large forest at the end of the garden. Curious as to what it might be, she gets up, dusts herself off, and slowly walks over, peaking between the branches as she approaches. Noticing nothing out of the ordinary when she stops right in front of the bushes, she shrugs lightly and turns around. Before she can walk away, however, an arm wraps itself around her waist and pulls her back into the forest until the branches and leaves block her view of the castle. She yelps in surprise but is quickly cut off by a hand placed over her mouth. Her body freezes and her eyes widen just as a low voice laughs lowly in her ear.

“Hello, darling,” the voice drawls, smooth as silk. “I’m going to let you go now, but don’t think about doing anything rash, yeah?” She nods, unable to do anything else and she lets her go.

The princess whips around wanting to know who dragged her into the forest and is met with a strikingly beautiful woman donning brown hair that rests just below her shoulders. Half of it is tied up into a bun with a worn rope, the bun resting just below her pirate hat, and a few loose hairs outline her sunkissed face. She wears a tunic that’s unbuttoned just enough to show off a bit of chest with a jacket that ends just at her knees. A red sash, which looks oddly similar to the scarf the princess lost in the village the other day, is wrapped around her waist. Her pants are tight, hugging her thighs perfectly, and tucked messily into her tall, leather boots that sit just below her knees. Belts hang all over her body holding countless types of weapons, knives, potions, pistols, and a sword on her right hip. A dirty flask dangles from a belt loop just below the scarf with a rope that looks to be the same material as her hair tie. She’s a pirate but not just a pirate. All the clutter hanging from her body solidifies her ranking as a pirate captain. The pirate captain. The only female pirate captain and one of the most feared.

The princess balks, unable to form words at the captain who stands smirking before her. However, despite fear crawling its way through her bones, she’s also a bit intrigued by the woman’s presence.

Her father strongly dislikes pirates. They steal, destroy, and overall cause problems wherever they go. Their presence is a headache to the king. But the princess found their freedom and adventure exhilarating for someone who was stuck in a castle nearly all the time and accompanied by guards.

“You’re-” she begins before she cuts her off.

“Come,” the mysterious pirate beckons as she holds her hand out. “Why don’t we go on a little trip? I’ve seen you in the village.” Her face drops in a mock pout and it accentuates her deep, rouge lipstick. “ You always look so sad when you have to leave.”

The princess crosses her arms and cocks an eyebrow. “So you’ve decided to sneak into the royal family’s grounds and try to coerce me, their princess, to come with you on some journey, some mysterious journey, might I add? You do know that the king would consider this kidnapping even if I willingly go?”

The captain’s laugh is deep and rich, and the princess feels her cheeks heat up. “What’s life without a little thrill?” There’s a glint in her eyes that the princess finds herself unable to refuse. She looks at the castle for a moment then turns her head back and looks into the pirate’s steel-gray eyes.

“Well, I suppose I do enjoy adventures,” she finally says, tilting her chin up. The pirate’s eyes never leave hers as her smirk turns into a wide, surprisingly white, smile.

“That’s what I like to hear, sweetheart.”