Heart of the Sea

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Mr. Sinclair unsheathed his sword and turned to look at her. “I don’t believe that I’ll be able to ask you to stand aside,”

“Mr. Sinclair, I mean every offense: I do not think even you can protect all these people from all these bandits,” and with that answer, Thalassa quietly ran towards the two armor display that held a sword each. She took it both and they ran towards the crowd.

“Aeras!” she called.

Her sister turned to look at her direction and Thalassa threw the sword towards her. Aeras perfectly caught the weapon as her sister and Mr. Sinclair managed to join the crowd before the bandits could close their ranks.

The three of them stood in front to separate the crowd from the enemies; the prince standing directly behind them with their parents to provide them with more protection.

“Well, well, well, Mr. Sinclair. I see you have found yourself such breath-taking helpers,”

“Have I had the displeasure of meeting you?” he asked.

The bandit laughed as he spun his dagger on his hand. “No. But I have heard all about you. Sole protector of the prince, defender of the city, and more titles than I could imagine. It’s an honor to face such a man like you,”

Suddenly, a child came running from behind the bandits. All eyes wandered towards the poor little child who knew nothing about the dangers she was going to enter. The leader of the bandits took the child and pointed his dagger at her neck.

The mother of the child cried a thousand pleas for them to let her child go. But the bandits only laughed at her. “Surrender the prince or this child dies,”

Thalassa lowered her weapon to the ground and took a cautious step towards the men. The leader of the bandits stopped her. She stopped mid-step and gave the bandit calculating stare. “Why don’t we do this properly, Mr. Bandit?” Thalassa inquired. “Shouldn’t you be lessening the enemies first?”

“And what do you suggest?” the bandit growled at her.

Aeras pulled at her sister but Thalassa gently pushed her away as she stood straight, staring at the bandit’s eyes. “Take me as a hostage in exchange for the child. One less enemy cannot hurt you,”

The bandit seemed to play the idea in his mind. He gave Thalassa a look from head to feet and Mr. Sinclair could swear he had seen a glint of lust in those unmerciful eyes. “You shall do,”

The bandit called her forward and she approached slowly. She could hear her family’s protest but she hadn’t looked back at them. As soon as she was within reach, she stopped; signaling for the bandit to let go of the child.

The man pushed the child to the ground and pulled Thalassa against him. He rested his dagger at her neck tightly so that any small move she takes could injure her. The child ran towards her mother, crying continuously.

“The prince or this lovely little lady shall suffer something unimaginable,” the bandit announced as he ran a tongue over Thalassa’s left ear.

Her family cried for her safety as Aeras clutched her sword in hand, ready to move in sync with the man beside her. Mr. Sinclair made a move to attack but the bandit pressed the dagger to Thalassa’s neck to the point that it started to bleed. Mrs. Haskell cried at the sight as her husband held her close to his side.

“Do not anger me, Mr. Sinclair, for one of my men heard your little talk with this young lady. I am sure you want no pain reach her,”

Mr. Sinclair was forced to retreat and clenched his teeth in anger. Aeras turned to him, whispering her question of what they should do. She could see in his eyes that she was thinking of things how to save her sister without sacrificing the prince.

“Please, let her go! I shall come with you!” the prince exclaimed, stepping between his cousin and Ms. Aeras.

“Cousin!” Pierce scolded as he held his cousin back.

“I appreciate the thought, my dear prince. But- I would not be to the one to suffer tonight,”

The bandit, shocked by her answer, hadn’t noticed how her hands had already wandered to his hand that was holding the dagger. Pressing his hand tightly in place, Thalassa started to bow down, which caused more bleeding. But as fast as her upper body lowered, her right foot raised and kicked the man where the sun does not shine.

He knelt down in pain and Thalassa was able to take his dagger away from him. In one swift movement, she switched their positions. She pressed the dagger to the bandit’s neck who was still knelt in pain. Her neck, bleeding from the contact with the blade, was forgotten by the lady who bore it.

Men and women from the crowd gasped at her action. But- Pierce could not help but be relieved at what she did. For seeing that bandit looked at her like that invoked suck anger in him that he never knew he could possess.

“Lower your weapons down or your leader shall cease to exist to rule over you,”

The bandits hadn’t listened to her demand and she removed the dagger from his neck and unceremoniously stabbed him in the shoulder blades. The man cried out in pain and ordered his men to do as she had ordered.

As soon as the bandits lowered their weapons, Thalassa elbowed the man in his nape and he fell unconscious to the floor. She then pulled the nearest one and snaked her legs around his arm and twisted it. The man succumbed to the pain and fell to the floor.

Her sister and Mr. Sinclair started to attack as well. Even though they were greatly outnumbered, they put on a great fight as they surely out-powered the bandits.

But- one bandit had a musket. He pointed it to the prince and Aeras, who was near him, ran towards him. Just as the man pressed the trigger, Aeras pushed the prince and they both landed on the floor, she atop of him.

“Are you alright, my prince?” she asked; breathless from her fight.

The prince nodded and she stood up to help her sister again in the fight. With just the three of them, they were able to subdue the attackers with no more than scratches, save for Thalassa who had a cut on her neck.

As soon as the danger passed, the crowd started murmuring things about the Haskell ladies who fought. How the rumors of the youngest daughter might be true for she really knew the deadly arts. Their thoughts wandered as to why Mr. Haskell would allow his daughters to learn to fight when ladies should not even hold a sword. They whispered amongst themselves that it was a disgrace to the reputable name of the Haskell for men were the only being allowed to hold a weapon.

“What nonsense am I hearing about the people who just saved us?” the prince asked the crowd and they turned quiet at his powerful voice. “Ms. Thalassa had risked her life in exchange for a child’s. My cousin fought not just to protect me but all of us. And Ms. Aeras,” as he mentioned her name, he gave her a lingering stare that hadn’t escaped Thalassa’s sharp eyes. “Ms. Aeras had fought besides them to protect each and every one of us who clearly cowered in fear. Then, why am I hearing such disrespectful words from you when you should be breathing your gratitude for them?”

“My prince,” Thalassa interjected and every eyes turned to her. “You cannot have everyone accept who we are. We do not ask for their word of thanks. We had not run even though we can and fought because we wanted to,”

Her blood dripped to the floor and it finally dawned on her that she was wounded. With a curtsey to the prince, she turned and started to leave.

“Ms. Haskell, I ask for your forgiveness,” the child’s mother called, “for that wound would surely bear a scar. And I thank you, for saving my child,”

With a soft smile that shocked every judgmental person in the room, she turned to the mother. “Rest assure, madam, for this small wound can be hidden under an innocent-looking choker,”

She went out on her own and closed her eyes as she waited for her family to join her. Aeras, without a doubt, was still talking to the prince. And her parents would probably surrounded by the curious crowds. Attention was something she personally did not enjoy.

Her blood continued to drip and she had no means of stopping it. In anger, she let of a sigh. Suddenly, a hand reached towards her and offered her a piece of white handkerchief. She looked up and saw Mr. Sinclair. Reluctantly, she accepted the cloth and pressed it to her wound.

Neither of them had said a word to each other and they were joined by the rest of the Haskells and the prince. Without a second glance, Thalassa entered the carriage first and waited for her family to finish their goodbyes to the men.

With her eyes closed, the carriage started to move but Mr. Pierce never left her mind.

As soon as they were home, Thalassa ran towards her room with Aeras following her. She went directly to her mirror and removed the piece of clothing that hid her wound. She examined the wound as Aeras fixed her a bath.

“This surely will leave a scar,” she announced with a sigh. “I cannot believe I really need to wear a choker! A choker, Aeras!”

“Yes, Thalassa. A choker is the end of the world,” her sister answered sardonically. “The water is ready, dear sister,”

Thalassa quickly ran towards her bathroom and stripped off her gown. She slowly settled herself in the tub her sister had prepared. The water slowly hugged her body and climbed to her neck, surrounding her wound as the liquid cleaned it.

“Do not mistake me for a fool, dear sister. The choker is not the thing you currently fear,” her sister said from the other side of the door.

“I do not know what you are talking about, Aeras,”

“I saw you leave the hall with Mr. Sinclair after the fight and judging by the atmosphere between the two of you before we left, it was not good. And there’s that statement from the bandit. What talk has gone between the two of you?”

Thalassa closed her eyes and slowly stood up from the tub. She put a robe on before she exited the bathroom. Her sister was sitting by the bed and came towards her. Aeras ran a hand down her sister’s neck, which was cleaned and unwounded.

Not a drop of blood or a scar was seen. “Your healing is truly uncanny!” Aeras exclaimed.