Prologue

Isabella sat quietly on the ledge, gazing longingly out of her window. The Gardens perfume drifted up to her on a gentle breeze, smelling like roses and jasmine. A soft sigh fell from her lips.
"Isabella please get away from that window!" Pleaded her maid Allianora, her aged voice shaking fearfully as she jumped up from the red velvet chair with the mahogany trim near the doorway.
"Why should I? I mean why don't I have the right to do as I please in my own home due to some silly rumor? If you ask me I think that's it's idiotic. I want to go out and roam trough the garden or ride on the trails. I could take Flint. He could outrun anyone who tried to cause us any trouble." Isabella declared, shaking the pins out of her long black wavy hair so it fell over her slim, rather boyish shoulders.
" I believe that there is no idiocy in taking precautions when it comes to pirates." Allianora placed her hand’s on her wide hips as she stood in front of Isabella.
"Oh please."Isabella rolled her bright green eye's, and rose to her feet. "No pirates have dared to come around here in years. Why would they now? Why I would risk an imaginary pirate any day rather then be stuck in this crap hole." Isabella stood up and pushed the maid aside before beginning to pace.
"How could you speak of such things!" Allianora gasped. "Saying such things about your family’s home! I mean this structure has been part of your family’s legacy for a hundred and ninety one years! You have no right to dishonor it. It's blasphemy." she preached, her thick index thick finger waggling in the air.
"Well since it's my family I can say what I please about it now can't I?" Isabella smiled sweetly, loving the flustered expression that the older women was giving her.
"I can't stop you, and you know that, but I can tell you what I think about the matter." Allianora growled like an old cadger.
"Well that's only if I allow it. In fact I'm board with this discussion. It's time to end it."
Allianora's eyes filled with annoyance, but she sealed her mouth shut.
"I know what I'll do. I'll go talk to my father. If I'm persistent he'll let me go out. I know he will." With that Isabella turned her back to her angry maid and left the room, the soft white folds of her dress fluttering behind her.
Once reaching her fathers quarters Isabella pounded roughly on the old oak door, hard enough to bruise her knuckles.
"I thought I left orders that I was not to be disturbed!" Governor Riley bellowed, loudly enough for Isabella to feel the re verb in her chest.
" Daddy!" she cried back shrilly.
The door flew open, and Riley stared down at his daughter with a disgusted look falling over his face. He ran one of his bony hands trough his thinning gray hair.
"What is it you want?" he leaned heavily against the door, as if he need it to assist him with the burden of a young girl.
"I want freedom. Let me go out to the garden or even the dock. Send an army to look after me if you must. I have been stuck inside for a month due to silliness. Please just let me out!" Isabella pleaded woefully.
"You know that I can't do that. There is to much danger involved. I've sent my best fleets to check things out and only when they return will I decide weather or not is safe for you out there. Now off with you. Find another way to entertain you self. Maybe practice you piano." Riley finished before slamming the door in Isabella's bewildered face.
Frustrated Isabella returned to her room and flopped down onto her queen sized bed, and sank into it’s thick folds. Without a word she reached down for her covers pale pink cover and jerked it up to her chin.
"So do you need anything your highness?" Allianora asked in a sneering drawl, her hands clasped tightly behind her back as she leaned over the princess.
"Why yes. Take yourself up to the roof of this castle that you claim is so wonderful and jump off." Isabella wailed. "Oh whatever! Just leave me alone!"
Allianora jerked back, as though she had been slapped. Furious she marched off, mumbling to herself, snapping the door shut behind her.
"I don't even want a maid." Isabella thought bitterly to herself." I don't want any of this. I want something more."

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Isabella was shaken awake with Allianora's hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Confused and rather frightened Isabella looked up at the maid questioningly.
"Oh miss there are pirates in the house! I have to get you out of here." Allianora babbled, her eyes flickering with terror. She lifted her hand before bringing it to the base of her throat which she began to rub at nervously.
"Hurry then and go warn the others." Isabella ordered as she slipped out of bed and into her shoes. Thankfully her eyes had already began to adjust to the dimness.
"But I was told to come find you!" Allianora sobbed, her tears falling rapidly down off of her chin.
"I'll be fine. There's a secret passageway in the pantry. It's the safest way out but you wouldn't fit. It leads to the stables. I'll meet you there once you get outside. Alright?" Isabella peered sternly into the maids eye’s.
"Alright I guess if that's the safest way then go." Allianora whimpered as she wrapped her full arms around herself.
"Good now go."
Isabella watched Allianora shuffle out, somehow knowing that they would not meet again.
Silently she made her way down the three flights of dark stair cases and trough dim, candle lit hallways that lead to the pantry. On several occasions she had to hide in the shadows to avoid being seen by the loud mouthed men that had invaded the house.
When she finally reached the pantry Isabella breathed a sigh of relief. Quickly she pulled open the passage door and squeezed trough the small space. Once the door was closed behind her, she could no longer smell the aroma of bread a flour. All she could do in the darkness was feel her way along, emerged in the smell of moldy hay.
Occasionally something would scuttle across her feet. Rats. After about a half an hour of darkness, Isabella found the door leading to the moon lit stables. The fresh smell of horses and clean hay filled her lungs.
Knowing that she would be recognized as she was she went into a room filled with clothing worn by the extra hands hired to care for the horses. Isabella pulled off her dress and then pulled on some large dirty brown pants and an ill fitting off white shirt. The pants were far to big for her so she had to tie a piece of rope around her waist to keep them up. She also found an old brown jacket, which she put on due to the cold.
"There that should be all of it I think." She whispered to herself before looking into a water barrel which reminded her painfully about the only truly girlish feature she had. Her beautiful hair.
The long dark waves shone brilliantly in the moons soft glow. Isabella ran her fingers over her beautiful crown of waves.
Sadly She grabbed a pair of grooming shears and clamped the steel blades over the soft tresses cutting until it was cropped close to her ears. She covered up the cut dark strands that littered the ground with hay.
Exhausted Isabella dropped herself down on a pile of hay. Not long after the barn doors flew open.
"Why lookie what we 'ave 'ere." A muscular man with hair that would have been bright red if it wasn't covered in filth. "Now you wouldn' of 'appen to 'ave seen little miss Isabella now 'ould ya boy?" He asked, giving her a large grin. His teeth showed sure signs of scurvy.
"No sir. It's just me out here and the horses." Isabella replied, making her voice sound a little deeper then she naturally would. She quickly scrambled to her feet.
" The cap'an is sure 'oin to be mad." Claimed a scrawny man with a shaved head and a gold loop dangling in his ear. Worry flickered on his onyx eyes.
" We'll I know. We can bring 'im this 'ere lad. A bran' new cabin boy!" The red haired man laughed as he clapped his hands together loudly.
Isabella felt her heart freeze in her chest.
"What be your name?" The red head asked.
"Izzo." Isabella replied, hoping that they would buy it.
"Iner'estin name. Izzo. I’m Louis and this is Amus.” He said before giving an exaggerated bow. Well we can't stand around talkin all day. Let's go. Watch 'im close now Willie. We don't want to loose our new addition, now do we?"
With no other choice, Isabella was led back to the ship, which would be her new home, and her new life.