Chapter 1:

Tedros POV:

Tedros sighed, leaning on the mast of the ship. Last day of being a carefree prince. Well, carefree was an overstatement. More like he didn't have to run a country. But, when he returned, he'd be King of Camelot. And by his side, his Queen, Sophie. Who he didn't want to marry, and she didn't want to marry him. They just didn't love each other. They were friends, sure, but childhood friends hardly ever means love. But arranged marriages are his father's word, and his father's word is law. Was law.

King Arthur was stepping down, and handing his son the throne. He had been a noble and great king in his younger years, but his wife and Tedros' mother, Guinevere, had run off with a knight, Sir Lancelot, plunging Arthur into jealousy and heartbreak. He became a tyrant, hoarding gold, tossing people into poverty and executing anyone who tried to stand up to him. It took Tedros threatening to run away to stay his father's hand and to bring the country back into a relative state of peace. Tedros had wondered how different it might have been if his mother had stayed-

"PRINCE TEDROS THERES ANOTHER SHIP AND ITS COMING REALLY FAST I THINK IT'S THE DAMNED LADY-"

"Woah, woah, calm down Tristan." frowned Tedros, standing up straight as one of the sailors, a particular friend of his, bolted across the deck like hell was after him. "What's the damned lady?"

"The Damned Lady is a Pirate ship sire, surely you've heard of it. Her captain, Tempest is as close as a woman gets to a demon, everytime there's a ship of men she kidnaps them all and-"

"Demands a huge ransom to return them. Some men die if they were poor. Well, they're never seen again, assumed dead." Finished Tedros, remembering the tale his tutor, Merlin had told him.

"Yes sire! And-"

"ITS THEMMMMMMMM!" screamed Chaddick, leaping down from the mast. "TEDROS GET OUTTA HERE! THOSE SHE-DEVILS WOULD LOVE YOU AS A HOSTAGE, GOD KNOWS IF YOU'D EVER BE SEEN AGAIN-"

Panic erupted on board as another ship swept from the nearby fog, moving much, much, faster than Tedros had ever seen a ship move before…

"GO, GO, GO!" screamed Nicholas, grabbing the back of Tedros' jacket and wrenching the prince across the deck.

"Stop, I'll fight-"

"You can't fight, sire, there's dozen more of them then there is of us-"

"GET 'EM GIRLS, WE HIT THE JACKPOT TODAY!"

Chaddick cursed.

"WE FIGHT, BOYS!" yelled Tedros, ripping his sword out of his scabbard.

And the Damned Lady drew up beside their ship.

A huge, towering ship of black oak wood loomed above them, rigging looking like twining snakes, bloody flag of a leering skull and crossbones,(seriously, pirates actually used that?), blood-red sails, a figurehead of a screaming man and-

KA-THUNK!

Grappling hooks launched from the ship, and latched onto their mast, causing the piece of wood to sway and teeter- As girls came sliding across the ropes.

The crew of the Damned Lady were armed to the teeth with swords, pistols, daggers, and whips. They swarmed onto the deck, whooping and shrieking with joy, crashing into petrified boys and men, shattering barrels of oil on the deck, lighting the oil…

Tedros ripped the hood of his cloak over his head, hoping not to be recognised, and plunged into the battle.

Around the now raging fires on the deck fought the two separate crews, exchanging hits and shots- shots.

Tedros, you bloody idiot! They've got GUNS!

The crack of a pistol and the spread of pain in his shoulder guaranteed a hit, but Tedros ignored the blood trickling down his back and continued to fight, crossing swords with a girl who seemed to have a demon tattooed on her neck-

Demon-Tattoo kicked him in the stomach, and he staggered backwards-

A gun barrel pressed to the back of his head, and an arm locked around his throat, ripping his hood down.

"STAND DOWN, SAILORS, OR I'LL SHOOT THE PRINCE!" roared a female voice behind him, a voice filled with such authority that Tedros knew it was only one woman it could belong to.

The Captain, Tempest.

Chaddick staggered up, nose dripping blood, eye swollen.

"You want him for ransom, you won't shoot him-"

Crack.

Agony shot up the back of Tedros' knee, and he yelled in pain, his leg giving way beneath him as he dropped to one knee, blood pooling beneath him, vision swimming black…

She'd shot him in the leg.

"It'll be his head next." Snarled the Captain, stalking around him to press the gun to his temple, and Tedros got his first good look at Tempest.

Her long ebony hair tumbled from beneath the trademark three-cornered hat, her brown eyes stood out from her pale skin. She had three knives and another pistol at her belt, and she wore a white shirt, a dark brown leather jacket, breeches, heeled boots and several red scarves tied around her waist with her belt. Maybe it was just Tedros' comatose state, but she was beautiful.

"If there's no objections, I'll take Prince Prettyface. The rest if you can put out the ships fire, and try and get word to his daddy. But I guarantee I'll do it first. Adieu, boys."

Tempest grabbed his arm, and dragged him along the deck like a sack- And, head swimming, Tedros fainted.