Order and Chaos

Take a "day-off"

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how tired I was of it all. My entire life had been meticulously planned for a long as I could remember, and I wanted no more of it.

The question of marriage could wait. I needed to get out of here. Oh, no doubt there would be a fuss or two when I got back, but it wasn't as if they could realistically punish me. They wouldn't dare to disinherit me; Father had been adamant that Milton would not take the throne from him, and he would not relent if I were gone for a mere day unless I could be proven dead. I might only be his favorite by process of elimination, but that was favor enough for the moment.

Today, I would be my own woman. I would leave aside all worries about my lessons, about the crown I would one day wear, about who to wed. I would go where I wanted, do what I wanted, be who I wanted.

And if I happened to meet someone worth marrying along the way, all the better.

Let's get changed out of this princess clothing and sneak off to like slay a dragon or something

Of course, the first step in that process was wearing sensible clothing. The sort that wouldn't be restrictive in a fight - not that I was specifically planning on getting into one, but you couldn't be Malcolm Vindictus' daughter without taking combat practicality into consideration. But also the sort that I could move around comfortably in. And that wouldn't be ruined in water - I expected to do some swimming very soon, after all, and didn't care to change my clothes more than necessary.

And I had just such an outfit, which would be more surprising were it not for how extensive my wardrobe was. I took off all the excess layers, put it on, and began tying my sheets together. I had so many that I had to wonder if the laundry-maid was actively encouraging me to escape.

Regardless, I climbed down - an activity I found myself almost suspiciously well-trained for, in retrospect - and found myself at the edge of the moat.

swim in the moat! oh baby, marry a mermaid!

So I swam. Not for pleasure, though it was certainly a relaxing experience compared to the sheer length of my day. But I had places to be, even if I hadn't worked out exactly where they were yet.

Then I felt something around my neck. It took me a moment to realize that it was an arm.

"Well, well, well," a voice said. Presumably, it belonged to the same person as the arm. "What have we here? One Mary Vindictus, Crown Princess of Vendet, if my eyes don't deceive me."

I tried to free myself from my captor's grip, but it was no use - my training hadn't gotten as far as aquatic combat yet. I was only able to turn myself around and get a better look at my captor.

And damned if she wasn't beautiful. I found myself at once jealous and intrigued. She smirked at me, as if to say she'd noticed my reaction.

"There's no need for a fight, Princess. You're more valuable to us alive than dead. The only question is, would it be more profitable for us to bargain with your father for your release, or with your brother to keep you out of his way?"

She started dragging me down into the depths. I knew enough about the merfolk to realize that I was safe so long as she wanted me alive, but that didn't mean she had to keep me comfortable. For all practical purposes, I was drowning; it just wouldn't kill me.

Was there anything I could do to escape, or would I just have to let her drag me wherever she pleased?