Chapter 21: The Skull





I woke up to the smell of fried eggs, meat and cocoa. Last night was a combination of magic and nightmare and it sure kept me up, but I knew that a cup of hot cocoa would somehow improve my emotion. I combed my hair with my fingers and straightened my clothes. I couldn't look like a mess today.



I padded to the kitchen and saw Imara cooking at her stove. I watched her silently as she shove some woods to the fire. The scene looked just like a home. Who would want to leave home?



"How was your sleep?" She asked smiling.



"It was more comfortable than sleeping in the Obsidian," I lied. It was a sleepless-toss-and-turn-kind-of-night but I wouldn't let her know that because I didn't want to disappoint her in any kind of way. She was a great host and I must let her know that everything she did was fine enough for me.



I sat on the chair and she approached me with a cup of cocoa in her hand. The smell of the chocolate lighted up my mood and I grabbed it immediately the moment she set it in front of me.



"There's no cocoa in the middle of the sea," I said blushing.



"Then I'll be packing you more cocoa so you can have it on a rainy morning or on a stormy night," she answered. Her smile didn't reach her eyes this time and I knew at that moment that we're leaving.



"Oh, Imara!"



I got to my feet and threw my arms around her. And I thought that was her cue because I felt her began sobbing into my arms. I couldn't understand why her family would leave her alone again. Why did she even allow it and stay here waiting for them to come back? She didn't deserve this sad morning. She didn't deserve this kind of goodbyes.



"Can't you make them stay for you? Tell them that it's killing you to see them leave," I asked but she shook and raised her head; tears were streaming from her wrinkled eyes.



"The people need them. Poverty is already destroying this island--killing children and the old ones because of sickness that could be cured if only we have medicines. The wives of the pirates need to sacrifice and I understand that, Primrose. I need to understand."



I felt my heart getting heavier for her. Her tears found mine and it started welling in my eyes. I fought back the tears that were threatening to fall and let Imara cry for this moment. Maybe I shouldn't let her feel that I found her sacrifices unreasonable and unfair to her.



"But you are not just a wife, Imara. You are also a mother. I couldn't imagine how you are feeling while sending them away." I remembered Erasmus' cheerful and innocent smile – he was a little green island in the middle of the sea. He would probably shine brighter if he lives with his mother.



"My sons aren't just my sons," she said, wiping her tears. "They are also the sons of the sea and if life demands them to be there, then I'll watch them go with prayers."



She went back to her stove and I knew at that moment that there was nothing I could do to help her lessen the pain. I heard footsteps coming from the living room and saw Captain Drakon entered the kitchen. Unlike yesterday when he was so full of wits, he seemed to be silent this time. He couldn't even look Imara in the eyes and I knew that things weren't easy for the captain, too.



"We're going back to the Pirate City," Captain Drakon announced.



I looked at him with confusion in my eyes; and at the same time, curiosity. I thought the Pirate Life was all sea and I wondered how Pirate City looked like.



"There's a Pirate City? What's this? Is it a busy island filled with pirates?" I asked.



"You'll know when we get there." He sounded not so eager to talk about it. Imara walked to him with a cup of cocoa in her hands and put it in front of him. She went back to the stove after giving him a sad look.



"Is it really necessary to leave so soon? We haven't walked half of this island yet."



"We'll leave in the late afternoon. You still have time to explore this place," he answered in a formal tone, discouraging me from trying to convince him to postpone our departure.



It had been a quiet breakfast; without Erasmus and Owain – without the Skull. They probably refused to be a part of this gloomy morning and thus, I was at the center of the uncomfortable awkwardness. After I finished my food, I decided to take a walk outside Imara's house. I saw the path the Skull and I took last night and I wondered how the lake would be like under the sunlight. It was enchanting under the moonlight and maybe, it would give a different kind of glow during the day. Driven by my curiosity, I walked deeper into the woods and bushes and after few minutes, I was welcomed by an equally marvelous sight. Just like last night, the lake was calm with its water glistening under the sun. The light offered me the wildflowers and plants at the edge of the water which was hidden by the darkness at night. It was a different view but the enchantment it gave me was still the same. If only it wasn't tainted by sad and painful memories.



But what if he found what he was looking for? Would he really send me back to the mainland? I had been missing home and I wished I could go back. But I wished I could go back to the mainland with him. I knew home would be different without him. But what if he stayed away like what he had already decided to do? What if he would just let me go alone? I could almost taste the emptiness I would feel if it would happen. And I didn't want to feel that way.



"The princess, without her knights, is fragile and weak," a voice suddenly said from behind me.



I turned around to see the drunken man from yesterday standing just a few feet away from me. He had his bottled alcoholic drink in his hand and was menacingly watching me from where he stood. I stepped back as fear started to paralyze my bones. A few steps from my back was the cold lake, I knew I had nowhere to go.



"Oh! The princess is alone. The princess is scared. The princess is trapped between me and the lake." It sounded more like a drunken chant as he slurred his words. Nevertheless, it was still creeping me out.



"Will you please leave me alone?" I asked calmly and respectfully, thinking that if I showed him kindness, he would be discouraged from harming me.



But he grinned wickedly and said, "Of course, your highness. I will leave you alone and let your dead body rot here."



And with that, he smashed the bottle against a huge rock making a sharp and pointy piece of a broken glass. I stepped backward cowardly and felt the cold and wet water on my feet. If I would run to the lake, there would be a chance of him catching me or if not, I would just get drowned in my escape. I could run to the other side but the bushes were high and the rocks were huge and sharp on that part of the lake. He would surely catch me before I got far from him. So the last thing to do was to fight him. My body looked fragile compared to him but if I would use all my strength to push him to the side, I might get passed him.



"I – I am no princess," I said trying to distract him. Maybe if we had more conversation, he would delay his intention of killing me, giving me more time to think.



"I could smell your royal blood the moment the Obsidian docked. I'll make sure that you'll pay for the greediness and unjustness of your family. You'll never leave this island alive!"



It was the second time that he showed his hatred against the ruling families of the mainland. I wanted to correct him from what he believed, for the families of the East, West, North, and South were working hard to keep the peace throughout the land.



"Yes! I am the daughter of the ruling family of the East. But I like you to know that I can help you. When I go back to the mainland, I'll make sure to send help to the Forsaken Land and save your people," I said and tried to make a deal with him. If he was mad for the sake of the people of the Forsaken Land, I could offer him something that might help them.



But the madness in his eyes was already gone and all I could see now was pure hatred and violence. And with that, he lunged forward with his broken piece of glass and struck me. I immediately stepped to the other side, making him lose his aim, but still, the blade caught my left arm cutting into it. I winced as I saw a thick line of blood streaking down my arm. I fell to the ground and hit a rock, and when I saw him striking again, I kicked his ankle making him stumbled down.



That was the moment I was waiting for. I got to my feet and tried to run past him. But before I could even take a step, he grabbed my ankle and cut my leg. I let out a loud scream as I felt pain struck me. And again, I saw myself falling hard on the ground unable to support myself with both arms.



"Where do you think you're going? You're in the Forsaken Land and this land will be your grave!" He shouted when he got to his feet and as he prepared to finally stab me in my heart, I closed my eyes and prayed that it's still not yet the end.



And as if my prayer was answered, I felt steps from behind me and heard the drunken man whimpered after a few seconds. I opened my eyes to check what just happened but I wished I didn't. Horrified, I saw the drunken man with the broken piece of glass buried deep in his chest and Threy, with blood in his hand and cold grey eyes, was standing in front of him – merciless and soulless.



My hand immediately covered my mouth as the stranger landed on the ground hard and lifeless. The fear inside me intensified and my heart was suddenly engaged in a deep confusion. I couldn't feel my body for a moment and in that state of numbness, I knew that the man standing in front of me was a complete stranger. He was not Threy Weston. He was the Skull. And I was left in the middle of knowing him and not knowing him at all; I felt lost.



My heart rummaged against my chest as he cleaned his bloodied hand into the lake and walked towards me. I knew I would never remember this beautiful lake the same way again; from spell-casting beauty to a bloody curse – it would be a nightmare that would visit me every night. I cowered as he leaned down on me and checked my wounded arm.



"Don't touch me!" I breathed.



But he didn't listen. He tore pieces of my long clothing and wrapped them around my wounds. I was suffocated by the man's presence. I was drowning in fear of him; of not knowing him. And at the same time, I couldn't move. So when he scooped me up in his strong arms and walked away from the lake, I didn't rebel. We passed Imara's house and I remained silent and shivering as we headed towards the Obsidian, where the pirates are already preparing in their posts for sailing.



"What happened to the Jonah?" I heard a voice asked and I knew it was Owain for he was the only pirate who was calling me 'Jonah'. But the man who was carrying me didn't answer and instead, with the help of the other pirates, brought me up to the deck and then to my cabin. He settled me on my bed gently.



"I'll send Erasmus to clean your wounds. We will leave this island in just a few minutes," he said coldly and left my cabin.



I was confronted by silence the moment he shut the door. It was all confusion and fear and then this silence. It was like being in a fire for hours until someone threw a bucket of cold water on you: it wrecked you. I stayed silent when Erasmus entered my cabin to check my wounds. No matter how many times he asked me about what happened, I didn't answer.



"Because of this blood, I bet you already met the Skull – the real Skull. That's all there is to him. That's what had left of the man you thought you knew all your life," he said.



I didn't want to believe that Threy Weston was completely gone and his body was now a vessel for this evil Skull. I didn't want to give up on him. But I saw his cold grey eyes while watching the stranger die; those were not Threy's, those were soulless. Dizziness started to overcome me and I succumb to it. And before I knew it, I was already sleeping – dreaming about the enchanting lake of the Forsaken Land – a dream that soon turned out to be a nightmare.



I woke up to the familiar humming of an engine and the calm waves of the sea. I was still a little bit dizzy and when I checked my arms and legs, they were both bandaged. Erasmus did a good job fixing my wounds. I looked around my cabin and suddenly, it felt too small for me – I was suffocated. The memories of what happened and my nightmare started to squeeze my chest. I needed some air. So I decided to get out of the room and walked towards the deck where the pirates were busy on their posts. I stayed beside the railing and grabbed it tightly so that I wouldn't fall just in case a huge wave surprise me. From the distance, I could see the shadow of the Forsaken Land. We were moving fast away from it. I could also see the sadness in the eyes of those pirates working on the deck. They probably didn't want to leave too soon.



A pirate started to hum a familiar song – he seemed to be staring at the Forsaken Land, too. He was humming silently until a few pirates' deep voice sang the lines.



"I remember when the dawn woke you up,

And the daybreak came,

I sang you a sad song,

And I hoped it broke your heart,

For that was when I let you go,

That was when we said goodbye.

Oh, God, I hate that day."



The Pirates went on and on until everyone on the deck started to sing, too. Their deep, booming voice sang the song with pure sadness. It was as if all of their goodbyes are said all at the same time.



"The waves were calm as the seabirds flew,

I thought the horizon was near,

But suddenly, it was all so far,

Your eyes were sparkling as you step into the sea,

And I wished I could kiss you one more time,

It was so beautiful that day,

Oh, God, I hate that day."



My heart started to swell and tears started to brim in my eyes. That song was probably going to haunt me in this lifetime. I knew that every farewell was sad. But this was the kind of farewell that could make the Obsidian heavier. This was the kind of goodbye, which if we let it engulf us, would make us sink deeper and deeper until we couldn't swim back up anymore.



"You fell in love with the sea,

And the sea took you away,

Our love was deep –

And no waves could crash it,

But the sea took you away."



"Oh, God! I hate this day," I whispered silently as the pirates continued singing while we were sailing away from their home. Oh, when would be back home?