Prologue
There was a salty freshness in the air that night, as the young girls ran across the sand. Sand that had been covered in celebration only hours before. Sand that held onto the summer's warmth, telling stories in the cold night. Stories that were being crushed with each step the two girls took: hand in hand with one foot following the last.
Mermaid hair fell from the girls shoulders and sparkled in the moonlight. Pastel shades of sunlight. Reflecting light every time their heads would turn around. Glowing gowns flew behind them as their speed gradually increased, wide eyes flickering constantly, like a candle left in the window on a stormy night.
A new set of footprints made their way through the sand, past the crushed stories and towards the two girls. A white waistcoat engulfed the moonlight, becoming dim from the dark layers surrounding. The man grabs the closest girl by the wrist and pulls her close, the cat pulling in the mouse. And what do mice do? They cower away from danger and abandon those in need.
Two sisters, no longer hand in hand.
Chapter 1: Before Dawn
A strange smell wafted through the window, stirring the sleeping beauty but not waking her. An aroma of spices and sweets, a mixture of all different foods being prepared. Meats, cakes, vegetables, chocolates… A feast. The odour slowly filled the room, swarming into every crevice and every crack, seeping under the door and creeping into the vast emptiness of the house.
Awaking slowly, the young woman slowly sat up. Pearly skin stretched out and lifted the golden circle off the side. A faint glimmer in her eye as she placed it carefully around the base of her finger. Glancing across the room she examined the preparations that had been made before she slept. The milky sheet of lace, embroidered with starry gemstones, rainbows in the light.
A light tapping disturbed her from her trail of thought.
“Harriet? Ma'am? May I enter?” A soft voice rattled.
“Of course, do come in,” she uttered, still half asleep, and still not used to the luxuries considered as normal within this household.
An older woman entered the bedroom. Wrinkles had began to crawl across her face, the marks of life's endless battle, time had woven into her hair, but a smile stretched across her face. She pondered over to the bed and began to get Harriet's clothing ready. A corset laid on the bed, accompanied by the long undergarments that would prepare her for the night ahead.
Rising, Harriet and the older woman headed behind the wooden sheeting and began to dress. The corset was the most difficult to put on as it needed to be tighter than usual today. Tight enough so that the dress looked perfect. Tight enough so that Frederick approved. Tight enough so that he continued to love her.
Like a child making daisy chains, the white sheet was delicately woven around her, forming the basis of a buttoned front dress, fitting tightly over her compressed torso. The result was breathtaking, but not completed yet.
Several other house maids entered the room and began tugging and weaving at her hair. She was not yet accustomed to having her hair done, and so squealed in pain on several occasions, but what needed to be done was in process. A braided updo which weaved its way across the back of my neck and towards the top of my head.
With a touch of powder and a coat of red on her lips she accompanied the house maids down into a room she had not yet been in before. Flowers had been dotted around the room, and rows of chairs placed. Each chair had a person sat in it, some familiar and many unknown. A feeling of warmth and completion began to bubble up inside her as she cast her sights to the man stood at the front. A man she had fallen for the moment she set her sights on him. Her Frederick.
Delicately she approached, gliding forwards slowly, cautiously, cherishing every second of the journey. This would never again occur. This would never again feel this way. This would never again be her perfect day, but for now it was. She couldn't help but stare at Frederick. His every feature gleaming in the sunlight, shaping his bold face into one less familiar, but equally warming. Green eyes caught her own and she blushed, her cheeks already rosy.
“Hey,” she whispered as she reached him.
“So this is it huh?”
“See it as more of a beginning. It's not 'it', its the start of a new day.” He always knew how to calm her, the right words just slip out of his mouth perfectly.
“Is dawn always this beautiful?”
“Only when you're in it.” This was her purpose, she was so sure of it now. Frederick would always care for her and she could see his happiness beaming into hers, becoming one. But there was something else. A slight gleam of darkness. Feeling slightly uneasy, Harriet pushed for the ceremony to continue. After having to kill to protect ones country, there was bound to be a slight darkness growing within him, but that doesn't change who he is or what he chooses to do. And he chose to be with her.
Holding onto his hands as tightly as she could, another man who stood about a meter from them grabbed a piece of chalky silk. Beginning to wrap it round their joined hands he was chanting different verses in a foreign language.
“STOP!” a harsh voice in the crowds shouted out in anger. She didn't recognise his face, but rugged skin and stubble clashed with the suit he was wearing. As she gazed over at him another voice echoed through the room.
“Frederick.” The word chuckled in a way that sent icy shivers down Harriet's soul. “I advise against running.”
Harriet glanced up at Frederick just as she felt a searing pain flash across her face and darkness. The sole word floating around her head. So familiar yet angry. A flash of darkness echoed through her mind as she remembered the glimmer in his eyes. Was the voice aware of this? Who was the voice? She had so many questions for him, but all she could think of right now was the one word she had heard echo through the unknown room.
“Frederick.”
***
Pain was all she could think of when she awoke. It felt as though there was a creature gnawing at her brain as she adjusted to the daylight and tried to look around. Cushioned warmth lay beneath her and she glanced to her left and saw the stained wood of her bedside table and realised she was in safety. In the corner sat one of her house maids, watching over her with a concerned frown.
“How are you feeling ma'am?” she started, cautiously finding the right words. “Chaos hit yesterday and you've… slept since then.”
“What… What happened?” Harriet didn't want loopholes. She had been anticipating yesterday for so long, whoever ruined it would have to face some justice, and she wanted to know about it.
“Pirates ma'am. Snuck in for the celebrations and just caused trouble. Seemed to have it out for the sir.” she seemed to be avoiding something, explaining as little as possible where it could be helped.
“Is he in the drawing room? I must speak with him.” She had never demanded something before, but she felt as though this was the right moment to do so.
“I'm sorry, he's currently unavailable.” Harriet couldn't believe her ears. Her first demand and it was being refused.
“I need to speak with him. I won't ask again.” Frowning sternly to ensure the maid took her every word as seriously as she meant it.
“Excuse me ma'am. I will inform the others that you are feeling well and the cook will send you some breakfast up. But I mustn't discuss Frederick's whereabouts. I'm terribly sorry.” With that she hurried out, dropping a small piece of parchment as she left.
Harriet rushed up to grab it, beginning to shout after her before realising it was too late. Wandering back to the bed with it she started to fold it into a box. Her mother had once shown her how useful parchment boxes could be, and she figured it would add a nice touch to her room here. A little piece of her past. As she started folding and creasing the stained paper, she noticed a mark stretched across it. Faint but intentional. Curiously she completely unfolded it until she revealed a note etched across it.
MEET ON OUR BEACH
1800 HOURS
BEWARE OF PIRATES
-F
F? Frederick maybe? What has happened to the place? And why would the maid just drop it? Thoughts whirled around her head as she ran to the hallway to find a timepiece. 1710 hours. Not long until she was intended to meet her Frederick and find out what all the chaos was about. And what was with the maids weird attitude.
By 1730 hours she had managed to dress herself in a relatively nice dress, light blue in colour with a plain top and fragile flowers growing towards the bottom of the skirt. Her hair took mere seconds to de-tangle and quickly tie up so that she could rush to meet her Frederick.
Upon leaving her room she began to tiptoe. If Frederick had to send such a cryptic message across then it couldn't be too safe around the household. Every sound made her flinch and she almost gasped in relief upon reaching the back door. She managed to run through the garden with ease, as it was lined with shadowy trees and bushes, keeping her hidden from sight. The beach was only a few minutes walk from the house and so she managed to get there without trouble and without much fright, but there was no one there when she arrived. Looking around she chose to sit in a slightly more shaded place on the open beach. He would know where to find her as it was where they hid from the world on the day they first kissed. The day that was filled with the same happiness she was hoping to feel yesterday. Before the interruptions. And hopefully the same happiness she will feel in a few short days once everything is resolved and the piracy threat is gone.
Hours passed and she concern and fear was all that she could feel. What would have kept him for so long… Why would he not have kept to his word. And if it wasn't from him, how would they know which beach to go to and why would they be so late? Her thoughts trailed away and she began to feel very drowsy. Sea air often had this effect, due to the calming sounds surrounding her and the salty freshness that enveloped her soul. Without wanting to leave, in case Frederick did show up, she slowly drifted away.
“Frederick,” it was that voice again, chuckling his name in a tone so familiarised it almost reminded Harriet of herself. “Frederick, you haven't changed a bit have you now? The darkest of souls resides within you and you just can't help but claim a young beautiful bride?” What was the voice on about? What could it know? His face was all she could see, but not the same. A hardness had wrapped itself around him as he just looked at her and whispered two blood-curdling words.
“Have her.”
Abruptly she awoke from the nightmare. Why was she seeing Frederick in this light? Was she angry that he had stood her up? It might not even have been him… As she sat up she realised the ground was moving beneath her, rocking back and forth, she was on a boat. A man was sat beside her, iron bars separating the two of them, protecting her? Turning his head, he noticed she had woken and he began to speak.
“You're lucky y'know miss. We found you before she could, so for now you are safe. But say g'bye to home, y'ain't seeing that for a long long time t'come.” His voice was rusty, but there was a softness to it, sympathy maybe? “Oh, th'name's Nutmeg, and I'm gonna be yer familiar face around here.”
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