Do you know what's the hardest part when you get kidnapped?
It's the chase.
It was a sliver of luck that one of her captors was a fool when it came to tying up knots. With just one tug, the rope loosened and slipped free from her wrists. Taking that opportunity, she wasted no time in kicking one of her captors behind his knees, making him stumble in his stance.
A rush of laughter erupted from her lips at that small triumph, which proved to be a mistake that instantly alerted her other captors.
As quick as a thief's hand, Hiraya ran to the other direction, mindless of the direction she was going but only with a determination to survive and outwit her kidnappers.
This proved to be not a simple feat.
As a young girl raised on a ship, she was pretty confident with her sense of direction. Yet, this confidence quickly disappeared when she found herself getting dizzy from the maze inside this tower.
Her luck with directions proved to be useful only when she fared at the sea, as she found herself running into dead-end after dead-end or barely escaping the hands of her captors when she was spotted.
Desperation clawed at her throat every time her abductors caught sight of her auburn hair. She even grew sick at the stone walls that kept greeting her in every direction, so sick that she could hear voices in her head.
"My lady, you should learn to keep your mouth shut, or it will be the death of you."
That voice was from her governess, she was sure of it. That old hag tends to be harsh towards her due to her initial dislike of Hiraya's unruly appearance and unlady-like behavior.
"Why do we need to settle on land when the seas are treating us fine?"
"Didn't ye hear? The captain claimed a good piece o' land and wants to stay there."
"But why? Is it to search for the young lady's mother?"
"Quiet now, or the captain'll cut yer tongue. That wench is no mother. The captain wants the young lady to grow up a proper lady."
It was the day after her father announced to his subordinates his plan to set the anchor down for good and settle on land. Everyone was disappointed about his decision, especially Hiraya.
She loves the ocean, more than anything else. Out there, she does not have to be prim and proper in her presence. The sea lets her be whoever she wants to be.
So when she learned that the woman who had abandoned her at birth was the real reason why her father gave up the sea, anger burned deep down in Hiraya's heart.
Rebellion whispered strongly to her ears as she defied her father, her words unyielding against her father's sharp ones. No punishment could bend her back to obey her father's wishes or her governness' pleas. Each scolding only hardened her resolve. Each lecture only deepened the fire in her chest.
Her father only had his peace after he threatened to send her to a convent for four years if she did not obey. The thought of isolation, of being torn away from the sea and her freedom, frightened her more than any punishment ever could. For the first time. Hiraya fell silent.
"Ah, there you are," a voice purred from behind her, low and sinister enough to make her skin crawl.
Even through her fear, Hiraya chose to turn around and face one of her abductors. She was not one to cower. And although they shared opposite ideals and opinions, her father had taught her to never sow to anyone.
"You came into this world with the sea roaring around you, in the heart of the fiercest storm. You were never meant to bow down to fear. You are meant to command it. Remember that, Hiraya."
"What do you need from me?" she asked her captor, authority and strength laced around her words.
She wrapped herself with courage, trying to conceal the tremble of fear racking her whole body. A gust of wind managed to slip inside the abandoned castle and it blew her auburn hair wildly. And with her red, raging eyes, the wind made her look like a deranged sorceress.
To Hiraya's disappointment, it was not fear that painted her abductor's face.
No.
It was awe.
He was mesmerized by her appearance, which Hiraya was so confused about.
Before she could even demand an explanation, the man whispered to the wind, "You looked just like her."
There are only three women in Hiraya's life. The first one is her governess, strict and sharp-tongued, a woman who believed that discipline and obedience are the greatest virtues of a woman.
The comparison greatly displeased Hiraya. The woman's features had long surrendered to age, her gray hair pinned into a tight bun just above her neck, her face lined by years of the permanent frown. There was nothing in her appearance that mirrored Hiraya's.
The second notable woman in her life was none other than the saltwife that her father employed for a year. Saltwife is a term used by seafarers for women who offered pleasure to the men who worked at sea. Hiraya does not look down on such women. She had met a few during their island stops and treated them with the same courtesy and respect she gave to other travelers.
This one, however, tested her patience. Hiraya does not mind the woman's fondness for revealing clothes and even her nightly noises of pleasure that echoed through the cabin walls. What she could not tolerate was the woman's arrogance. The way she strutted about as though she was the mistress of the ship, barking orders, insulting the other members of the ship and mocking Hiraya's competence in front of the crew.
She had no objection to her father seeking pleasure and comfort where he wished. But when the woman began to assert her dominance and question Hiraya's place in the ship, Hiraya struck back without hesitation.
There was no way that her abductor could have known that saltwoman's face, not when Hiraya made sure she would vanish from this world without a trace.
With the first and second women in her life out of the question, there is only one woman in her life who will always be forever linked to her.
The woman who had easily cast her aside upon her birth without hesitation. No matter how many times Hiraya tried to disregard her connection towards that woman, Hiraya could never sever the bond between them because she owed her life to that woman.
At the mention of that woman, Hiraya's temper went haywire.
"I have no mother!" she bellowed back, temper rising fast at the mere thought of her connection to that woman.
At her sudden outburst, the awe on her abductor's face faltered with shock before twisting into a smirk that curdled the air between them. His eyes were gleaming with amusement, or perhaps cruelty too practiced to tell apart.
"I didn't say she was your mother," the man murmured, voice low and daunting. "You share nothing with her but a face, a feat that is remarkable indeed."
Hiraya's jaw tightened. "Then, why abduct me?"
The man threw his head back and laughed, its sound rough and aggravating to her ears. It echoed through the hallways, bouncing against the stone walls. There was no warmth in it, only mockery, as if her cluelessness itself was a spectacle to him.
Wiping the stray tear that escaped from the corner of his eyes, laughter still bubbling from his mouth, he told the story. "There was once a vast empire," he began, "right at the heart of the map. An impregnable place said to hold all the gold in the world. Everyone dreamed of living there, but entry was near impossible after the new Empress rose to power and sealed its borders."
As she spoke, he stepped closer to Hiraya, closing the distance between them with each word.
"But then came the whispers," he continued, voice lowering to a secret hush. "Rumors of the Empress's hidden children, said to be scattered across the globe like lost heirs of the new dynasty, began to spread."
Hiraya stiffened at her place. Each word carried weight that made her unable to move.
"The nobles were desperate to uncover them, to claim one as their own pawns in the game. They offered us gold, wealth beyond measure, even the promise of citizenship within the empire itself."
Her abductor's stare was piercing and focused, as if he was aiming to hit a dart at the center of the board.
Silence reigned between them, suffocating them with its tightening grip.
It was Hiraya who broke free from the silence.
"T-that could not be," she stuttered, mind reeling and processing the words the man had just said. "That woman was nothing but a pleasure woman who turned into a womb-bearer."
"The nobles were uncertain of the little heirs' faces," the man said, ignoring her mulling, tone almost reverent as if retelling a legend. "But there was one clue that tied them to the Empress. Her blood that unmistakenly left a mark on her children that no disguise could hide."
He paused, eyes glinting as he recited the words.
"Eyes like embers of fire, unyielding even at its last breath."
Before Hiraya could respond, there was a dull ache spread through her skull, her vision tilting at the impact of it. Pain blossomed at her temple before it pulled her swiftly into darkness.