Chapter Two. One Night

Goodbye Palace, Hello Pirates in Paris

We ran up and down the streets of Versailles, seeing all that there is to see. We danced, we sang, we laughed and carried on like fools only because this was our first taste of freedom. I was on top of the world and I felt as though nothing could make this night any better.

Aureliana stopped when she saw a few carriages pass us by, “I have an idea!”

I twirled in my peasant dress, “Whatever it is, the answer is yes!”

Aureliana smirked and ran out into the cobblestone street, “Excuse me, excuse me”, she forced the carriage to stop, “Could you give my friend and I a lift to Paris?”

The carriage driver was dumfounded, “Sweetheart, Paris is nearly 30 kilometres from Versailles, my poor horse may not be able to handle another kilometre tonight”

Aureliana began to dig into the pockets of her pale blue frock, “Will 50 francs enable your lovely chariot to travel a few more kilometres?”

The driver could not suppress his elation, “My lady, I could not thank you enough. Because of your pure act of generosity, I can feed my hungry family of eight. May I ask who are you?”

Aureliana motioned for me to get in the carriage, “Let us not worry ourselves about formality”

 

As the hooves of the horse clicked and clacked I whispered to Aureliana, “Why are we going to Paris?”

She smiled back at me and whispered, “Pirates.”

 

We arrived in Paris approximately an hour later; more like an hour and a half for the carriage driver would not stop thanking Aureliana. Finally after uncountable hugs, handshakes, thanks you’s and kisses, we were on our way in search of these alleged pirates.

After walking around Paris for sixty minutes, I asked Aureliana, “How do you know that the pirates that you saw at the docks are here in Paris?”

Aureliana began to fidget a bit, “Well I am actually not too certain on their exact whereabouts”

I laughed, I kept laughing for it was the only thing keeping me from murdering Aurie, “What do you mean you are not too certain?” I began to speak louder, “We have travelled all the way to Paris, 30 kilometres from the Palace in search of what?”

Aureliana did not say anything, so I continued my necessary rant, “In search of pirates! Pirates of all creatures! You have no idea how I would thoroughly find pleasure in spewing profane words…”

I was rudely cut off by a quick, audible, “shhh!”

Absolutely livid, I crossed my arms with a “hmph!”, turned around to walk in the direction from which we came from.

 

Halfway down the street, Aureliana called to me, “Cedelle! Where are you going?”

Not looking back, “I am going home!”

Aureliana laughed, “With what money? As I recall, I was the one who paid the carriage”

“Then I’ll walk!” I shouted

Aureliana ran to me, “That is half a day’s walk you know!”

I glared at her, trying to pretend I was still mad “Then it will be half a day until I arrive at the palace gates”

Aureliana laughed, “You have got to be the most stubborn princess on this side of the world!”

I smiled, “And what does it matter if I am?”

Aureliana took my hand, “Come on, thy stubborn highness. We must find these elusive pirates if it’s the last thing we do!”

Hand in Hand, I ran down the street with Aureliana and asked, “How did you know that the pirates were in Paris?”

Aureliana smiled, “I have means of knowing”

I laughed, “Enlighten me of these ‘means’”

“I cannot do that, for if I do, I would have to kill you”, Aureliana teased

I continued to laugh, “Oh Aurie, just tell me”

She agreed, “I simply heard some of your servants talking about the pirates before we left”

I gasped, “I thought they were all asleep for the night?

Aureliana smiled again, “No not at all, I believe it was Dorothy, Hanna and Jake whom were still awake when we left the palace”

I felt my skin go cold and clammy, “What if they saw us? They would definitely tell Daddy that we escaped the palace and then we could never leave ever again”

Aurie grabbed my shoulders and began to shake me as she spoke, “Get it together! We’re only doing this once, so who cares if we get caught?”

Still in shock, I stammered, “B-b-b-b-but…”

Aurie lightly slapped my face, “Come on! We’re so close! If we get caught, what will your father do? Lock you away in your room? He’s already done that!”

The warmth started coming back to my skin again as I was beginning to come out of my minor panic attack, “Did you just slap me?”

Aureliana laughed, “You’re finally coming back to your senses!”

I smiled, “You’re right! I’ll get you back for slapping me later but we are two princesses in Paris”

“But we do not look like princesses”, Aurie interrupted

I continued, “We are two princesses in disguise in Paris, the city of love”, I added with a twirl, “In search of pirates”

Aurie danced with me down the street, “Cedelle I believe that you will be the one to fall head over heels smitten with a pirate”

I laughed, “A pirate! Goodness me! I could never hold a conversation with a pirate, let alone fall in love with one! It will be you. You will be the one to fall in love with a pirate this very night”

“Well we shall see about that” Aurie winked and ran down the cobblestoned street

I ran after her and called to her, “How on earth are we going to find the…”

Aureliana turned around and put her hand over my mouth, “shh! You cannot just go announcing to all of Paris that we are looking for pirates!”

I giggled and pulled Aurie’s hand away from my mouth, “Forgive me! But you never answered my question”

Aurie pondered for a moment, “We shall simply stroll down the streets until we find a boisterous pub”

I laughed, for I thought that she was kidding, “We shall only stop for the most boisterous pub there is!”

Aurie agreed as I continued to joke around, “The pub that the two most beautiful peasants in all of France will enter is the pub where you can hear the laughing and the rowdy behavior from over a block away, the pub where you can smell the odor of fresh rum long before we enter the space!”

Aurie lifted her head to the sky, “Do you smell that?”

I finally floated back down to earth from my exaggerated anecdote, “Smell what?”

“Rum.”

 

“Rum?” I asked

“Rum!” Aureliana confirmed

I was even more confused, “How do you even know what rum smells like?”

Aureliana looked at me and pointed to herself, “Do you realize who you are talking to?”

I laughed, “Oh how could I have ever forgotten!”

She smiled as she looked in all possible directions at the intersection, “Where do you think the scent of rum is coming from?”

I grew nervous, “You know I was just pulling your leg with all those things I was saying back there?”

She purposefully ignored me and listened to the sounds of Paris at 30 minutes past 2 o’ clock in the morning; she pulled me along and whispered, “this way” as she turned to the right. We walked about halfway down the block when the sound of people talking, laughing and drinking rum; boisterous people. She began to run with a tight grasp on my poor wrist, I was forced against my will to follow in suit. As I ran right beside my princess companion, my nervousness turned into excitement as my adrenaline and heart began to race for we were standing outside of Ancient Ale’s.

Aureliana took a deep breath and dramatically exhaled, “We. Are. Here.”

I took in the smell of rum as it filled the night air, “What if these are not pirates?”

Aureliana laughed, “Well we won’t know until we ask them right?”

I smiled nervously and asked, “Are you ready?”

Aureliana looked at me, “You know that I’m ready, the real question is are you ready?”

“Am I ready for what?”

Aureliana grinned, “Are you ready to start living your life?”

I smiled back at my best friend, “Yes I am.”

We grabbed each other’s hand and strutted our way into Ancient Ale’s.