"Princess Jewls, come on and Board before the ship leaves!" Marek yelled
to the eleven-year-old girl who happened to be a princess.
"Hold on, Marek, I'm coming," Jewls shouted to the first mate. "I am going
to be in the lower deck until we arrive at the next port, ok? Also I don't
want to be bothered."
"Oh, yes Princess Jewls, that is fine. What ever you want. The next stop is
Port Cayan, Tortall. I will send for you then. Is that all right with Her
Majesty? Oh, yes I forgot we arrive in five days."
"That is fine, Marek. Thank you. You are dismissed."
Jewls was the sister of Kaddar and the sister-in-law of his wife Athena.
They were the rulers of Carthak. Jewls was very beautiful; she got her looks
from both of her parents. She had midnight black hair that is curly from her
father like Kaddar's, too. Jewls' skin is the color of peaches, like her
mother's. The royal nose from both of her parents, and a very stubborn chin
from her mother. The only thing that Jewls didn't get from her parents was
her eyes; they were always changing color but the color were always color or
natural jewels and gems. She could also read people's and animal's minds
when she looked into them. That's what made her so beautiful, even when her
eyes were red she still looked beautiful, since most people with red eyes
would like lie they have rabies.
Jewls hated living on a boat all of the time, it was like this. For five
months she would be on a boat with merchants and important people and the
rest of the crew, sometimes someone needed a ride so the Captain let them
come on. Most of the time there was a Shang a board. Jewls always practiced
with the Shangs; she had been doing so since she was three. Then they had a
one-month rest in Carthak, Carthak. After that Jewls would go aboard with
new merchants and different people while her brother and Athena ruled. Her
brother and his wife never wanted Jewls home for too long. It was the same,
all of her life and she hated it.
One day Jewls decided that she was going to run away. Jewls had to pick a
port to get off at, so she picked Port Cayan. That was the closest port to
Corus. Where Jewls decided to become a Shang, although she was a few years
to old she was going to disguise her age. Jewls went to the kitchen the next
day and took a basket of fruit, two slabs of meat, and a loaf of bread. The
next day she did the same, and this time Jewls took a gallon of milk and a
canteen for water. Jewls packed some breaches and shirts (she took them from
some of the crew). Then Jewls packed a couple of dresses all of them colors
of jewels so that they would always match her eyes and her crown. She fit
everything into a large pack, Athena had taught her how to do this so her
bags wouldn't take up so much room on the boats.
"Um, Princess Jewls, we will be arriving shortly at Port Cayan." Marek told
the princess.
"Marek I will be staying in my room the whole time that we are here and I
don't want to be disturbed. I will have the cook send some food for me. I
will not come out of my room until we reach home. I don't want to be
disrupted. That is all,"
"I'll tell the whole boat so that no one disturbs you."
Perfect, Jewls thought. Now I can escape with out any one finding me until we reach home and then they won't know what port I got off at. Jewls slid on her pack and climbed out of the window, which brought her up on the upper deck. Jewls then crept her way to the bridge that would take her to dry land. Once she was on land she ran as fast as she could. Which was pretty fast considering that she ran around the ship two times every early in the morning, when no one would see her. When she was out of the town Jewls walked at a more leisure pace. Jewls entered a forest just when she heard the lunch bells from town, they were very quiet, but she could still hear them. Well, Jewls thought, I might as well stop here for lunch.
Right when she was putting all of her things back in her bag she heard a
whinny. Out of the trees cam the most underfed, under groomed dirtiest horse
she had ever seen. Its color was impossible to see under the coat of dirt
and filth. "Oh, you poor thing. You don't have a home, do you? Well I
don't have a horse or a friend and you can be both, that is only if you want
to." Jewls cooed to the horse. Neigh.
"I'll take that as a yes. First you should be fed. Here's an apple. Let's
go find a steam or pond where we can wash you up."
They walked until it was almost time for dinner. They had stopped to take a
rest and then they started again. About ten minutes later they reached a
pond. "We can wash you up with my soap. If it's ok for humans it's ok for
horses, I hope." Jewls brought the horse into the water and started to
splash water on it. Then she lathered it up with soap. After that Jewls
splashed more water on it to wash all of the soap out. She then checked the
sex of the horse, satisfied that is was female she sat down to think up a
name. The color of the horse was pure white with a black star it's forehead.
"I think I'll name you Opal. For that is the color of your star. Do you
like it?" Neigh, was the reply she got. Jewls took a large blanket out of
her bag and set some food out. Opal started to graze on the grass.
"May all of the gods bless this meal. Thank you O mighty Mithros for this
meal and for my horse." Jewls prayed.
Now, I hope I remember how to ride bareback. Jewls thought. She cleaned up
her mess and folded the blanket in half. "Opal, come here. There's a good
girl." Jewls threw the blanket over the horses back and asked the horse to
follow her to a tree stump. Then she hopped up onto the tree stump and
hoisted herself up onto the horse's back. I really wish that this horse came
with reigns. Jewls laughed at the little joke she had made. Opal was very
obedient for a horse that never had been trained. They rode until they
reached the end of the forest.
There, Jewls saw Corus, she was positive that it was Corus, since there was a
large castle on a hill. Jewls rode into the city. She rode into the city
and stopped at an inn called The Dancing Dove. Jewls went out to the back
and put her horse in an empty stall hopping no one would mind. She gave Opal
some hay from a loft, again, hopping no one would mind. Then she got a
bucket and pumped some water in it and but in Opal's trough.
Jewls walked back to the inn and went in. It took her a minute to adjust
her eyes, which were now topaz orange. "Hello, aren't you a bit young to be
drinking. Where are yer ma and pa, lil' one?" A big man with hazel eyes and
a crooked nose asked her.
"I am not here to drink. My mother and father are dead my only living
relative is Emperor Kaddar, my brother. Do you know where the innkeeper is?"
Jewls asked with dignity.
"Well, he's on vacation but I can set you up with a nice room. Come here so
I can see you." The man commanded. Jewls walked into the light, her eyes
changing color as she did. "Why look at that, yer eyes are purple just like
me wife's."
"Well, actually they can be any color. That is if the color is a color of a
jewel or gem. My name is Princess Jewls but don't tell anyone I am a
princess, I get to much publicity."
"Me name is George Cooper, Baron of Pirates Swoop. Ye probably heard of me
famous wife, Alanna, Baroness of Pirates Swoop, Daughter of Myles of Oula,
King Jonathan's Champion. Wow, a princess. So yer Kaddar's little sister.
I'll bet The Emperor and Empress are worried sick about you." George told
the girl
"Well, Emperor Kaddar and Empress Athena are not worried sick about me
because no one knows that I am gone. I would like to keep it that way sir.
Wait, did you say your wife is Alanna? Oh, could you please take me to meet
her. She is my idol. I can't become a page so I am going to become a Shang
instead." Jewls voice filled with hope.
"Well you certainly are an anxious one. I can take you to meet my wife
tomorrow morning if you want. She is at the castle right now." George told
the girl. He led her up to the rooms of the inn and gave her one at the end
of the hall. "Thank you kind sir," Jewls told George.
"It was no problem. I will come for you tomorrow at eight. Does that suit
your needs, princess?"
She set all of her belongings up and hung her gowns up. Jewls then took
out her light pink dress because her eyes were the color of rose quartz.
Then Jewls placed her hair up on her head letting a black lock of her hair
fall out of place. She slipped on her rose quartz eardrops and necklace
along with her pick slippers. Then Jewls went down to the tavern part of the
inn.
