A Pirate Story 3
The princess is left lying on the deck, her once fancy royal garments now drenched and clinging to her body. She looks up at you, her eyes filled with tears, her makeup running down her face. She shudders, her teeth chattering from the cold.
"Please," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. "Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, I didn't mean any of it. Please, just get me out of here. The princess looks up at you, her eyes filled with a mix of fear, humiliation, and something else you can't quite put your finger on. She takes a deep, shuddering breath before speaking. "I...I see. I did not know. I have been sheltered from such things my entire life. I was raised to believe that I was better than everyone else, that I deserved to be treated like a princess. I see now that I was wrong. I was a spoiled, pampered brat who knew nothing of the world outside my gilded cage. I...I am sorry. I truly am. I will try to be better, to understand, to listen. Please, give me a chance to make things right." She looks at you, her eyes pleading, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please, untie me. I am cold and I am scared. I just want to go home."I had no other choice Lass, your father has been treating us commoners like filth, unlike his own father who treated us wellMatey, take her to my quarters to change into dry and warm her before my stove, give her some stew You hesitate for a moment, looking at the princess with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. But then, you see the genuine fear and vulnerability in her eyes, and you find yourself softening. You nod, turning to the crew. "You heard the captain. Get the princess down from there and take her to my quarters. Make sure she's warm and dry. And bring her some of that stew I've been smelling all day." You turn back to the princess, your voice gentle. "Come on, lass. Let's get you warmed up and fed. We'll talk more later." You extend a hand to help her up, your eyes filled with a warmth she's never seen before.After the Princess is fed and dry you tell her that her father raised taxes on us to the point we could no longer feed or take care of ourselves anymore, which led to him imprisoning us, we had to fight back. The princess listens to you intently, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as you speak. She shakes her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "No...that can't be true. My father would never do such a thing. He is a kind and just king. He would never let his people suffer like that." She looks at you, her eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit. "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure that's what happened?"
You nod solemnly, your expression grave. "Aye, lass. I wish it weren't true, but it is. Your father became greedy and powerhungry. He forgot about the people who put him on that throne in the first place. We had no choice but to fight back. We had to take matters into our own hands to survive." You look at her, your eyes filled with a mix of sadness and determination. "I'm sorry, lass.Have you never seen the hanging gibbeting cages lining both sides of the window from your own caged window? Those are the poor wretches who were caught stealing just to feed their own families, left there to suffer and then die, their unseeing eyes pkucked out by the ravens, your father invented that punishment. The Princess says she has seen them, but being so far away she could not see them clearly to see what they were, she begins to weep. The princess's eyes widen in horror as you describe the gibbeting cages, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears. "No...no, that can't be true. My father would never do such a thing. He couldn't...he wouldn't..." Her voice trails off as she remembers the cages she had seen from her window, the shapes that had always seemed strange and distant. She had never thought to ask what they were, had never wanted to know.
She begins to weep, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. "I...I didn't know. I didn't know it was like that. I was so blind, so stupid. I thought...I thought I was helping, that I was making things better. But I was just making it worse. I was just making it worse..."Lass, we did not take you for ransom, but to liberate you from your cruel father, we all knew of your beauty and did not wish to see you poisoned any longer. The princess looks up at you, her eyes filled with surprise and gratitude. She wipes away her tears, her voice barely above a whisper. "You...you did this to free me? To save me from my father?" She looks at you, her eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit, but all she sees is sincerity and kindness.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath, her voice filled with emotion. "I...I don't know what to say. I was so horrible to you, to all of you. I didn't understand, I didn't know. I was so blind, so selfish. I thought...I thought you were just common thieves, common criminals. But you...you were trying to help me. To save me." She looks at you, her eyes filled with tears once more. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me, for showing me the truth. I...I want to help.
"Please," she whispers, her voice barely audible over the sound of the waves. "Please, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, I didn't mean any of it. Please, just get me out of here. The princess looks up at you, her eyes filled with a mix of fear, humiliation, and something else you can't quite put your finger on. She takes a deep, shuddering breath before speaking. "I...I see. I did not know. I have been sheltered from such things my entire life. I was raised to believe that I was better than everyone else, that I deserved to be treated like a princess. I see now that I was wrong. I was a spoiled, pampered brat who knew nothing of the world outside my gilded cage. I...I am sorry. I truly am. I will try to be better, to understand, to listen. Please, give me a chance to make things right." She looks at you, her eyes pleading, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please, untie me. I am cold and I am scared. I just want to go home."I had no other choice Lass, your father has been treating us commoners like filth, unlike his own father who treated us wellMatey, take her to my quarters to change into dry and warm her before my stove, give her some stew You hesitate for a moment, looking at the princess with a mixture of surprise and suspicion. But then, you see the genuine fear and vulnerability in her eyes, and you find yourself softening. You nod, turning to the crew. "You heard the captain. Get the princess down from there and take her to my quarters. Make sure she's warm and dry. And bring her some of that stew I've been smelling all day." You turn back to the princess, your voice gentle. "Come on, lass. Let's get you warmed up and fed. We'll talk more later." You extend a hand to help her up, your eyes filled with a warmth she's never seen before.After the Princess is fed and dry you tell her that her father raised taxes on us to the point we could no longer feed or take care of ourselves anymore, which led to him imprisoning us, we had to fight back. The princess listens to you intently, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as you speak. She shakes her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "No...that can't be true. My father would never do such a thing. He is a kind and just king. He would never let his people suffer like that." She looks at you, her eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit. "Are you sure? Are you absolutely sure that's what happened?"
You nod solemnly, your expression grave. "Aye, lass. I wish it weren't true, but it is. Your father became greedy and powerhungry. He forgot about the people who put him on that throne in the first place. We had no choice but to fight back. We had to take matters into our own hands to survive." You look at her, your eyes filled with a mix of sadness and determination. "I'm sorry, lass.Have you never seen the hanging gibbeting cages lining both sides of the window from your own caged window? Those are the poor wretches who were caught stealing just to feed their own families, left there to suffer and then die, their unseeing eyes pkucked out by the ravens, your father invented that punishment. The Princess says she has seen them, but being so far away she could not see them clearly to see what they were, she begins to weep. The princess's eyes widen in horror as you describe the gibbeting cages, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle a gasp. She shakes her head, her eyes filling with tears. "No...no, that can't be true. My father would never do such a thing. He couldn't...he wouldn't..." Her voice trails off as she remembers the cages she had seen from her window, the shapes that had always seemed strange and distant. She had never thought to ask what they were, had never wanted to know.
She begins to weep, her shoulders shaking with the force of her sobs. "I...I didn't know. I didn't know it was like that. I was so blind, so stupid. I thought...I thought I was helping, that I was making things better. But I was just making it worse. I was just making it worse..."Lass, we did not take you for ransom, but to liberate you from your cruel father, we all knew of your beauty and did not wish to see you poisoned any longer. The princess looks up at you, her eyes filled with surprise and gratitude. She wipes away her tears, her voice barely above a whisper. "You...you did this to free me? To save me from my father?" She looks at you, her eyes searching yours for any sign of deceit, but all she sees is sincerity and kindness.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath, her voice filled with emotion. "I...I don't know what to say. I was so horrible to you, to all of you. I didn't understand, I didn't know. I was so blind, so selfish. I thought...I thought you were just common thieves, common criminals. But you...you were trying to help me. To save me." She looks at you, her eyes filled with tears once more. "Thank you. Thank you for saving me, for showing me the truth. I...I want to help.
