The ship gently rocked back and forth, rolling over every wave. Alice’s eyes scanned the ocean from the deck; its surface glimmering in the sunlight. She watched a small wave make its way toward the ship, and sighed as it dissipated into foam once it hit its massive hull.
Normally, Alice would be at the market this early in the morning, bartering for old books despite full well knowing that she could afford to pay full price. She would be walking the streets with her friend Anna, enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and even the curious people that passed through Port Luka. She would be sneaking a sweet pastry before her Latin lesson in the manor, or practicing the piano, waking up the entire household with the turbulent music of Beethoven.
Instead, she was stranded in the middle of the ocean on a ship that was taking her further and further away from home.
As another wave broke into nothingness, Alice wondered what she had done that had gotten her into such an unsavory situation.
She knew full well that it was not her father’s intention to send her so far away, but politics had forced his hand, or so she’d hoped. Normally, it was not possible for the daughter of a businessman to marry into the royal family. One would have to be at least of noble birth, and highly influential, to have any hope of snagging a husband or wife who’s pedigree was even loosely tied to that of the king. To be accepted by the main members of the royal family was practically unheard of, and those who did were rulers of their own respective countries.
That's why, when her father so nonchalantly mentioned at dinner that Alice was engaged and to be married to Prince Philip, Alice had choked on her split pea soup and had to be rescued by her maids.
“I’m engaged to Prince Philip? As of when?” she asked in a bewildered voice once she regained her composure.
“As of last week,” her father calmly replied, “and you are scheduled to be wed within a month.”
“Within a month?!” Alice exclaimed. It slowly dawned on her, “the journey to the Capital takes about a month.”
Her father brushed the statement off. “You are quite right. I’ve arranged for a ship to take you there. It will be docked and ready to load in the morning.”
Her expression paled. “But what of my feelings toward the manner! What if I’m not willing to leave!” she shouted.
Her father smiled a thin smile. “I have no wish to see you unhappy Alice, but this is out of your control. You will either leave willingly or be dragged out kicking and screaming by the servants, it makes no difference to me, but you will be on that ship come morning.”
As he left the dinning hall his smile fell. Smith had no happiness in sending his beloved and only daughter so far away, and it hurt him to see her in such a sad state, but the truth was that it was out of his hands as well. He had expected something like this to happen eventually because of his status, but not this early. Alice, at seventeen, was still practically a child. A clever and mature child, but a child nevertheless. Although he was reluctant to send her away, Smith knew that a marriage request from the heir of the royal family was impossible to reject. He reasoned that in the palace, Alice could enjoy a much more luxurious life, and would eventually find more happiness than she could at home.
That is why, with a heavy heart, Smith requested the Arabella, a fine trading vessel, to be equipped and ready to sail for the Capital by morning. He wished to say farewell to Alice before she left, hoping that she had forgiven him by that time, but could not bear to say goodbye. Alice reminded him of her late mother, and he knew that without her presence the manor would be a gloomy and lonely place.
The night before she left, Alice could not sleep. She had tearfully confided in Anna that afternoon, but her best friend could not understand why Alice was upset. Anna was overjoyed to hear the news, and wished Alice well with all her heart. To be married to the prince and possibly future king of Sarmatia was a great honor she claimed, and reasoned that Alice was not sad but in fact so overwhelmed with positive emotion that she expressed it as such.
Although such a thought comforted Alice, she knew deep in her heart that she did not want to leave Port Luka, especially because of an arranged marriage. She did not care that it was requested by the prince, she wished to lead her own path in life rather than marry into status, as others desired. Reading about faraway places, like Persia where the sand was said to rise and swallow up whole armies of men, or like China where it was said that one-eyed giants once roamed, awakened a sense of adventure in Alice. A marriage, especially one so sudden, would force her to stay at a strange place and tend to her household and eventually her children, a life she did not desire.
Not many people understood how she felt, but here was one man that did without her having to explain the situation. That afternoon, Alice bid Anna goodbye after promising to write to her, and weaved her way through the streets of Port Luka, basket in hand. The smell of the ocean grew stronger as Alice emerged unto a wide pier where shopkeepers were peddling their wares. Breathing in deeply and listening contently, she committed this place to her memory. Then, with a determined look on her face, she strutted to the end of the pier and faced an old shopkeeper.
He recognized her immediately and his face broke into a wide smile.
“Hello Miss Alice, have I got a treat for you. A new shipment of books just came in yesterday, and I’ve looked them over and saved the best for you,” he said, placing a few heavy books on the counter.
Alice’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the books. “How much?” she asked, an innocent expression playing on her face.
“These are pretty rare books,” said the shopkeeper, “normally they would be going for five gold pieces each, but I’ll sell them to you for four.”
Alice’s face broke into a grin. The game had begun. “Oh, how I would love to buy these, but as you see, two of them are not leather bound, and this ocean air will spoil the pages,” she said, exaggerated concern painted across her face, “the most I could possibly pay for those books is two gold pieces each.”
The shopkeeper smiled and began to laugh. “You sure drive a hard bargain Miss Alice. I guess such a scholarly lady needs her books. Your argument has me convinced, I am willing to drop the price to three gold pieces per book.”
Doing a low curtsy and barely suppressing laughter, Alice pulled out her purse and began counting coins. Both of them knew that she could afford the books even if they were ten gold pieces each, but that would be no fun. The old shopkeeper gingerly wrapped the books in cloth and gently placed them in the basket.
Alice grinned at him, displaying her pearly white teeth that miraculously managed to stay intact despite a diet mostly consisting of sweets. He smiled right back.
As she reached for her basket, the old man said, “There will be another shipment of books tomorrow, a few of them from Persia.”
She tried to smile, but tears started pouring down her face. “I don't think I can come tomorrow,” she said, sobbing, “I think I’m going to have to forget about Persia all together.”
Warm tears poured down her cheeks. She felt embarrassed to be crying in the middle of the market, but people paid her no mind anyway, so she continued sobbing. The shopkeeper smiled gently. News traveled quickly through the market, and although he did not know the details, he understood that Miss Alice was going away for a long time, possibly forever. He rummaged through the back of his stand and pulled out a book with a beautiful cover depicting faraway places. He gently placed it in Alice’s hands and said; “Although you may not be able to come to my humble little stand anymore, don’t give up on Persia quite yet.”
Alice rubbed her eyes. Then she gave the old man a kiss on the cheek and ran off.
Back at the manor, Alice calmed down a bit. She looked around her bedroom. It felt vacant as the house staff already packed most of her things and transported them to the docks. Observing the high ceiling, she said, first to herself and then out loud, “I am going to marry Prince Philip.” She let the words roll on her tongue and tasted each letter. The more she repeated that phrase, the more real her situation felt.
Alice’s family was one of much wealth and high status, but she had common blood running through her veins. At first, upward mobility for the peasant class was impossible, but with the discovery of a new continent, called Aria, money rather than noble blood began determining who would hold power. Those who were able to take land for themselves and develop it rose in prominence, and those who were able to control the trade of what that land produced formed a whole new class of wealthy commoners.
In the beginning there were countless companies that financed expeditions for trade or provided ships to transport goods, but slowly they were all absorbed or bought out by the Luka Venture Company, led by James Smith, Alice’s grandfather.
James started the company as an ambitious sailor who could barely afford bread yet dreamt big dreams. With a bit of luck and a slick tongue, he soon built an empire. Although he was wealthy beyond his means, as soon as his son was old enough to inherit his fortune, James returned to his first love: the sea. Alice was always excited to see her grandfather and hear all the interesting things he taught her about sailing and listen to all his stories. Unfortunately, her grandfather had passed away a little over seven years ago.
Thinking this over, Alice understood why a prince would want her as his bride. This union would consolidate the power of the crown and return their financial control. It would be the first time a royal had officially wed a commoner, but there was sure to be no fuss as the times had changed.
“I am going to marry Prince Philip.” Alice rolled the words around on her tongue one last time, and decided that they tasted bitter.
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