Anna sat up in bed, the curtains of her room in the palace fluttering violently in a night wind from the north. Although she had been there for nearly a week now, she had yet to grow accustomed to her surroundings. Sleep often eluded her, or else she could rest for only a few hours at a time. If it wasn't a commotion or a sudden blast of trumpets as soldiers rode out to put down a riot in the middle of the night, it was a strange feeling in her heart that would not let her close her eyes. Something was wrong, something was about to happen.

The moon was full and bright. Wincing at the touch of the cold stone floor to her bare feet, Anna slid out of the four poster bed and pulled her father's coat from where it had been draped over the back of a chair. The nightdress they had given her was thin, edged with lace-not meant for a late autumn night. Wrapping herself in the coat, which somehow never lost its familiar scent of smoke, Anna slipped out of her tower bedroom and down the long spiral of stone stairs that led out to the courtyard.

Through the small windows cut for archers in the smooth gray stone, she caught flashes of the moonlit town. In a week, she had witnessed its endless crowds dwindle to a few brave souls and the soldiers who still mustered on the Green for their drills. The entire country lay waiting, fearful; many were too afraid to go beyond the shelter of their homes. The threat of the Fever was strong, despite the fact that its presence within Gareth's borders had been detected early. It ruled more through fear than actual disease, for as far as anyone knew, no one had been infected the day the shipwrecked children washed into the harbor.

Anna clutched the coat closer to herself, teeth chattering slightly at the combined chill of stone and wind. A few more steps and then she was pushing the door open at the bottom of the tower, nodding wordlessly to the guard that had been posted there. He was young, and looked so sleepy that Anna felt sorry for him and wished she had some authority to send him to bed.

"Be careful, miss. Don't stray too far. They'll behead me for sure if anything happens to you," the Guard said, as she went by.

"Don't worry about me," Anna replied. "I'm just out for a walk. I couldn't sleep."

"Well I don't know about that, miss. I guess I can't sleep either, though it's not like I have a choice." He winked at her, yawning. She smiled, continued on her way. She wasn't planning on staying out long...she just knew she needed to be out. She had been tossing and turning restlessly for almost two hours now, and she was sick of it. Opting to walk on the grass rather than the gravel because of her shoeless feet, Anna made her way to the castle's west wall. The battlements were always being patrolled by lookouts, but she knew they wouldn't bother her. She came there often, to look out at the sea. It was certainly not the first night she had chosen to take a walk there.

There hadn't been a storm since they reached Asphel, although a few squalls had come and gone. Clutching her locket, Anna looked up at the sky and noted the gathering clouds. There would be a storm soon, perhaps in the next week; she could feel it brewing. She hoped the party sent out to bring the King and Queen back to the palace would return in time. Leaning forward to feel the night wind, she counted the clouds as they passed over the moon. She thought about her father.

And then she realized that something strange was happening: her locket was vibrating, a clockwork whirring suddenly filling the air. Light seemed to be fighting to burst through, and Anna hid it in her hands, alarmed. She waited a bit, but the buzzing did not cease and very soon the lookouts would notice her strange behavior. Anna turned and ran to the farthest end of the battlements, leaning against the wall of a south-facing watchtower. Cupping the pendant in her hands, she wondered if she should open it. An odd compulsion told her yes.

Silently, Anna slid a fingernail between the hinged halves of her locket and flipped it open. It fairly flew out of her grasp as the beam of light sailed out in a perfect arc through the night. It seemed brighter, stronger, than it had been before. Lifting the pendant to get a closer look, Anna saw that the tiny compass needle was spinning insanely. She could hear the guards coming to investigate the light, but she could not bring herself to shut the locket. And then, the needle stopped abruptly, pointing to the southeast. Anna stared, wide-eyed, as a second beam of light rose to meet her own in the southeastern sky.

It was the strangest feeling. She felt that she had to run, run and run, to meet that light as well. She flew past the guards, whose confused faces were illuminated faintly in the moonlight, and ran down the stone steps to the gravel walk that led to the nearest gate. Footsteps sounded behind her, heavy boots crunching on the path. Their voices called out, but she couldn't stop. She had to keep going. Something was waiting there, wherever the other beam of light was coming from. Someone else must have a locket just like hers. Breathlessly, Anna pushed past the dozing watch at the Traveller's Gate, the necklace swinging as she turned the corner and ran past the emptied marketplace.

At the harbor, she was greeted by the slap of water against wood, coils of rope and barrels stacked along the piers. Anna ran on, and the beams of light still met in the sky in a perfect semi-circle. The thud of boots came closer now, and she could hear the men shouting orders to one another. Nevertheless, the girl ran on until the hand gripping her elbow prevented her from going any farther. She tried to struggle, but they soon had her by both arms and were pulling her away from the pier.

"No! Let me go! Leave me alone!"

"Afraid we can't do that, miss. The city is under quarantine and curfew, and you aren't an exception. We'll have to take this too, whatever it is," said the Guard Captain, reaching for her locket. Anna wrenched herself away desperately and ran as fast as she could down the nearest pier, to the very edge. If she had to jump in and swim elsewhere, then she would. Ignoring the soldiers, she made a running leap and…

Landed not with a splash, but with a thud, in the bottom of a boat.

Before she could make sense of what was happening, least of all collect herself from the bottom of the boat, the soldiers had come to a halt. Anna lifted her head dizzily and came face to face with the steel toes of their boots. Murmurs filled the air, suspicious and a bit baffled. Anna sat there, feeling a bit bruised—she had, after all, been expecting to fall into water, not the bottom of a boat…what was it doing there anyway? With a sinking feeling, she realized that she wasn't alone in the boat; there was a slight tilt to one side, as if the weight wasn't evenly distributed. About two people, she silently guessed to herself.

Anna, about to turn her head and find out who else she would have to run from, was distracted by the fact that the soldiers seemed to be retreating. There was a rocking motion and then the unmistakable sound of a weapon being drawn. Anna tried not to breathe as she snapped the locket shut. Whatever mystery was waiting to be solved would have to wait a bit longer. At eye level, she could see the boots moving slowly backward, but she had no idea if they were fleeing from her protector…or her enemy.

And then...

"These fellows bothering you, Annie?"

Anna gasped, unwilling to believe what she was hearing. How was it possible? And yet…that voice…

"Luke….?!"

-------------------------------------------

"Listen to me. Go back with them. We'll come for you in the morning."
"But why not now?"
"We have some things to take care of. And I have to speak to whoever is running this place."
"The Princess...? Why...?"
"You always did ask too many questions. Now, go."
"Fine...but..."
"GO!"
"OKAY!"

-------------------------------------------

The morning came, cold and clear. Anna woke to find herself back in the tower room, a pain in her neck from the strange position she had fallen asleep in. Had it been a dream? Was Luke really here? Had she really met him? She sat up, memory slowly crawling back. Walking to the window, she looked out at the harbor…

There, a distant shape in the horizon, was Matanza.

So it hadn't been a dream, after all! Ecstatic, Anna fairly flew to get dressed and down to the harbor. He had said they would be there, waiting for her…descending down the spiraling steps, Anna could barely contain her happiness. Her brothers were here! She pushed away the faint worries in the back of her mind, and ran full tilt across the gravel walkways. She barely noticed the strange absence of guards—even the sleepy tower guard was missing. Ahead of her, the Harbor Gate was wide open, but instead of clear passage to the piers, she was greeted by a horrible sight: the entire force of palace guards, already assembled there.

Anna tried to push her way through the group of soldiers, but it was useless. She would have to find some other way around them. What were they doing there, anyway? Unless…

A sinking feeling crept through her.

"Pirates!" A woman screamed, snatching her child in her arms and dropping the basket of market shopping she had been carrying. Suddenly, the entire market was enveloped in an uproar. Some of the soldiers had to leave the group and calm the crowd. Anna, heart pounding, could think of nothing else to do. They would stop her, whatever she attempted. But her brothers were there, she couldn't just stand by and watch them get arrested!

"Miss, you'd better head on back to the castle. We'll take care of these. Just a small band of pirates, that's all." It was the tower guard, eyes still somewhat sleepy. The soldier standing next to him turned around and saw her.

"You…! You're that girl from last night! Captain! Captain, it's her!" And Anna was seized, brought forward. She brushed bayonets and muskets, the heavy gold braid of the guard's uniforms. She was pushed in front of the Guard Captain, who peered at her face closely. Then his eyes caught the glint of her necklace, and he knew. But before he could open his mouth, he was jostled aside.

"SIS!!!!"

Jesse barreled past the bewildered Guard Captain. Anna ran to him, tears in her eyes. “Jesse! Jesse, I can’t believe it’s you! But why are you here? I saw Luke last night, he saved me from the guards…but how? Why did you come?”

The rough voice of the Guard Captain cut in. “A very good question. Pirates are forbidden in the kingdom’s waters, least of all the Royal Port. I thought you filthy murderers had been taken care of.” His eyes were hard and unforgiving in the strengthening sunlight. He raised his lance. “Never mind then, I can take care of you right here. Men, board their ship. We do battle, and with luck we will finally clear the last traces of these parasites from our kingdom.”

Anna screamed in terror as the lance came hurtling down. Jesse, however, had his cutlass ready. “If it’s a fight you want, old timer, a fight is what you’ll get.” Nudging Anna backwards with his elbow, Jesse murmured for her to go. “Get out of here, Sis. We’ll find you again later.” Anna opened her mouth to protest, but she caught sight of the Guard Captain’s face. It was stiff, cornered. And then she realized why: someone had a loaded pistol to his head.

“Put that away, Jesse. And you, drop the weapon unless you want a head full of holes. We aren’t here to play games with you and your little soldiers. There’s hardly any time for that.”

“Oh, I see. And what did you come here for, filth? Are you here on orders from your Pirate King? Ah, but wait…the Pirate King is DEAD! Well, now this all makes sense. You’re here to avenge him, aren’t you?” The Guard Captain laughed harshly, never loosening his grip on the lance. It was still raised, although Jesse had warily sheathed his blade upon being told to do so.

There was a click as Luke cocked the pistol. “The Pirate King lives.”

Silence flooded the pier. Beyond the last line of soldiers, the people were still rushing to get away and into their homes, fearful faces glancing back once in a while. But the sound of their running feet seemed to drown in the silence, as the soldiers turned from one to the other and the Guard Captain dropped his lance. It fell with a clatter on the pier’s wood planks.

“It can’t be,” said the Captain. Jesse kicked the lance away, and it fell into the water with a faint splash. Luke laughed, and the merry sound was somehow overshadowed by something darker…something inherited from a history that wasn’t his. Even Anna took a half step back, at the sound of that laugh.

“Old fool. Didn’t you know? The Pirate King can never die.”

Some of the dumbstruck soldiers regained their senses and rushed to attack. But a gruff order from their leader stopped them in their tracks. “What do you want? Will you attack the Royal City? If so, then let me go, and give me a weapon. I will fight you to the death, whether you can be killed or not. It is our duty to protect this kingdom.” The Guard Captain stood up straighter. Hand to the hilt of his cutlass, Jesse once again barred Anna’s way with an elbow. But Luke merely laughed again.

“I am not interested in this city. Weren’t you paying attention? We’re here to reclaim what is ours.” Luke looked over the Captain’s shoulder at Anna, standing wide-eyed behind Jesse.

“We’ve come for our sister,” he said, bringing the pistol down hard on the Guard Captain’s skull.