In Chains by C. Noble (fiction book recommendations TXT) 📕

Part II


“Darcey…Darcey. Darcey! Darling, it’s time to wake up. Honey, wake up. Darcey!” Her mother, Thessilia, leaned over the huge king sized bed that had been empty for the past fifteen years. Thessilia was trying to be gentle, but her patience was wearing thin. Ever the difficult riser, Darcey thought that as a princess, she’d be allowed to sleep in once in a while. Evidently she was wrong, as her mother had resorted to ripping open the thin golden sheers and casting aside the glass doors onto her massive white marble patio. She then proceeded to walk back to the bed and rip off all of the sheets, forcing her daughter out of her warm cocoon in to the fresh, salty morning air.
“Mom,” she groaned. “You’re such a…mom. I’ve been a princess for a day. Can I please sleep?” Mumbling something else about jet lag, she sunk back onto the feather mattress and was just about to fall asleep when a loud cry sprinted down her spine and made her jump out of bed and onto the warm marble floor, long curly hair everywhere.
“What on earth was that?” Darcey screeched, her chest pounding. She looked around to see who was being murdered while her mother burst into a fit of laugher. “That lovely racket came from Tsunami, one of our parrots.” At the mention of his name, a bright green and blue parrot flew through the open doors, landing on Thessilia’s shoulder.
“Uh huh. So, Mom…what are we doing today? Opening some new store, christening a cargo ship, attending a garden party?” Half sarcastic, half genuine, Darcey threw on a dress she had found in her baseball-diamond sized closet the night before. “And what is this kind of clothing called? I look like a hula dancer!”
Laughing, her mother grabbed her wrist and handed her a golden headband engraved with her full name across the front, and a necklace with a golden doe carved on it. “These are yours. Everyone has one, in different forms. This will help people know who you are and what you are like. Never lose these. Even when you wear this crown, you will need to keep that headband showing.”
Darcey tucked her long hair behind her ears and slipped on the headband, surprised about how well it fit and how well it kept her wild hair at bay. “This is beautiful! Oh, Mom, is this dress supposed to be like this? I mean, I’m allowed to go out in this right?” The skirt fell to just above her knees, and the bikini top did very little to cover her back or stomach. But then, the girls and women in the city wore this, and her mother had one on just like it.
“Oh, yes. That’s the only way to stay cool around here, honey. You should see your father in his favorite outfit. Little more than board shorts, really. Silly man, he insists on a morning surf before he even enters the throne room. He’s tried to drag me along, but I refuse to unless Dawson is there with us.” Thessilia laughed, her hands on her hips.
“Who is…” Darcey began. “Dawson?”
“Andrew Dawson is one of the best surfers in the world. He came to try out our waves a few years back, and liked them so much that he stayed. He lives in a rather elaborate hut on our private beach. He’s our surf instructor. If you don’t know how to surf, he’ll teach you.” Her mother smiled gently. There was so much she needed to learn. Crest reading, horseback riding, surfing, history, and there was sure to be etiquette lessons. When was she going to have time for her friends?
It was nearly eleven in the morning when the two women had finally meandered down to the quiet breakfast parlor. Much less grand than the formal dining hall, this was just for family and close friends, as was evident by the presence of the Dosciers and the Palmas. Darcey glanced happily at Will, who was beaming back at her. Mary Ann was ecstatic sitting between her parents, both of which were exactly as Hulio described them.
“Count and Countess Doscier, what a pleasure it is to see you again! And of course the Palmas again, but we dine with you every day.” Darcey’s father smiled, grabbing Will’s dad and crushing him in a characteristic bear hug. Darcey grinned, enjoying the scene.
“Now, eat up you three. It is your first day home, and we are going to let you just run free for a while. Just be careful! And don’t forget, you have dance lessons at four,” Darcey’s mother smiled, clearly wanting to stay with her daughter but willing to let her go. “Really? Awesome! Mary Ann, Will, let’s go! I’ve got a perfect idea.” Darcey gulped down her breakfast, not acknowledging the memo about the dance lessons. She grabbed Mary Ann and Will, dragging them out of the small parlor where they met a palace worker.
“Excuse me, can you tell us how to get to the beach where Andrew Dawson lives?” Darcey said, excitedly. “Of course, Princess,” the man bowed. “Just follow the stairs down there and you will reach the rear gardens. Keep on the path until you come to a fork, and then turn right. Stay on that path. You will go down several long stretches of stairs. They end after a while, and you will walk down a slight slope that leads directly to the west side of the beach. Mr. Dawson lives on the east side, tucked against the cliff. He should be there, he doesn’t head out onto the water until noon.” With that, the servant bowed and continued on his way, carrying a tray of fresh fruits. Darcey snagged three oranges for them and ran to the top of the stairs.
“Darcey, where are we going?” Mary Ann asked cautiously. “Nowhere dangerous, I hope? Mom and Dad would kill you if I came home without a limb.” Darcey laughed. “It’s a surprise! Trust me, you’ll like it.”
The trio made their way through the wildlife park that was essentially the palace’s backyard and down a mountain of stone steps. After what seemed like an eternity of walking down, the stairs ended into a gentle slope which, as promised, led to a private white sand beach walled in on three sides by high blue cliffs. They were on the west side. The path had ceased being marble after the steps ended, and they were now walking on a slope carved out of the cliff face itself. Darcey could see several hundred yards away what looked like an elaborate three story tent with colorful surf boards stacked neatly outside the tied back entrance.
“Are we going…surfing?” Will asked incredulously. His eyes widened on the surf, which crashed onto the beach in waves topping twenty feet.
“Yeah! Mom said that Dad surfs here every morning. Apparently we will be able to take lessons from this guy, Andrew Dawson. He’s one of the best surfers in the world.” Darcey ran across the beach, her skirt blowing back in the cool ocean breeze. She stopped only a few feet from the open tent flap, her hair flipping forward over her shoulders and around her tiara. Taking a tentative step forward, Darcey called into the tent, “Mr. Dawson? Andrew Dawson, are you in there? I, I mean we, would like to talk to you.”
The beach was silent for a few moments as the waves crashed against the cliffs. It was only until Darcey felt like turning back did Dawson answer. “Yeah, yeah, I’m over here. You are you, and what do you want –” Dawson cut off, staring at Darcey’s tiara. He suddenly threw himself on the ground in front of her feet, muttering things only he could hear. He risked a glance up and saw Will and Mary Ann coming up behind Darcey, and his eyes went wide. “My Princess, I did not mean…Master William, Mistress Mary Ann, I had no idea you were home…”
“Dawson, we just wanted to see if you would teach us to surf. My father insists that you are the best surfer on the island,” Darcey laughed. Will looked terror struck, Mary Ann was almost panicking. Darcey, on the other hand, was almost bouncing out of her skin, she was so excited.
“Princess, of…of course! I would be honored to teach you to surf the waves that your island is so blessed with. I will lend you boards for now, and will make you three your own boards.” Dawson straightened, clearly happier to be back in his element.
“Excellent. But before we start, I must tell you that I prefer being called Darcey. Please only use ‘Princess’ when I am in the palace.”
“Yes, my prin – Darcey. Here, these three are superior to the rest. We will first begin by teaching you how to stay afloat in the water. Come, come,” Dawson handed the teens three colorful surf boards and led them into the shallow water away from the monster waves. Darcey tore off her skirt, under which she was wearing a brightly colored bikini bottom to match the top. A tip her mother had given her.
The afternoon passed by peacefully as the three friends learnt how to stand on their boards and about how to properly care for their boards. By three in the afternoon, they could sail in to shore on little four foot waves, immensely proud of themselves.
“Well, that was good for a first try. I’ll have your custom boards just about ready in a few weeks or so,” Dawson said, yawning. “Now, if you will please excuse me, I need to get in my own session before the waves leave.” Without a parting glance, he turned on his heel and paddled himself way out where the big waves grew. Darcey, Will, and Mary Ann stared at him for half an hour until he stopped in mid-paddle, turned his head, and glared at them. The signal was clear: get off my beach.
As they made their tired way back up the mountain of stairs, Darcey couldn’t help but thinking how awesome her new life was turning out to be. She was learning to surf, she would be learning to ride horses, and she was a princess! How much more could she want out of life? They took almost an hour to get back to the palace. Tired and aching, they sat down in the same cozy breakfast parlor to have their dinner. The Dosciers and the Palmas left soon after, leaving Darcey to go to bed, which she did quickly.

One month later, the trio had learnt to conquer the big waves, pulling stunts almost as advanced as Dawson’s. He had stopped complaining about their staying past three, and actually invited them to surf with him during his private sessions.
They usually stayed, the only exceptions being when Will and Mary Ann’s parents had arranged the family meetings for which they were so famous. It was during one of these shrunken sessions that Dawson gave Darcey her new board. It was reminiscent of the green patterned bikini that she so frequently wore while surfing. At the top was a tribal symbol which he explained to her to be a doe. On the bottom was a large carving that spelled out her name in cursive. The whole of it was painted shades of green in a tropical pattern with bright swirls of purple, orange, red, yellow and blue. A fresh coat of wax made it shimmer in the afternoon light.
“Can I…try it out?” Darcey asked tentatively.
“No, better get it home. It’s getting late, and the waves