As I was working on the pirate ship prompt, I couldn’t get this other story out of my head. I started this piece a while ago, so even though there’s way more than 500 words, they didn’t all come out today. I’m pretty pleased with it and if I had any idea what kind of plot was going on, I’d keep at it. Maybe someday

“Have you still got your blindfold on?” His voice came from where he was tied up behind me.

“Yes.”

“Promise me you won’t take it off.”

“Okay?” My voice shook and I hated it. A mental breakdown would definitely not help us now.

“You’ll be safer if they don’t think you’re resisting them.”

The engine rumbled and the tires kicked up bits of gravel that hit the sides of the vehicle with a metallic ping.

The driver took a corner too fast and the momentum pitched me across the bed of the truck. I landed against him and he groaned. Blindfolded and with my wrists and ankles bound, I shuffled awkwardly off of him to lean against the side.

“You’re hurt,” I said.

“Yes. Not bleeding, but they beat the shit out of me.” His voice was laced with pain.

“Why?”

“Because I got between them and you.”

“You shouldn’t have.”

“It’s my job, highness.” A smile crept into his voice.

He was new to my security detail, with more qualifications than the others. I wracked my panicked brains until his name came to me. Jared. Clearly the situation was more dangerous than I’d been lead to believe by my advisors.

“And now my job is to stick to you like glue. I’ve got a GPS chip implanted; they’ll find us.”

The truck stopped and I could hear the ocean. Hands grabbed me and yanked me roughly out of the truck. I could hear someone else pulling Jared out too. I stumbled on the rocky ground as I was pulled along.

“Say hello to the fishes, Princess.”

Suddenly I was falling. Instinctively I curled into a ball, hoping not to hit one of the rocks that dotted the coastline. The water was icy. I struggled upward, straining for air. My head broke the surface and I gulped down the salty air. Still bound, the best I could manage was a back float on the waves. I heard a splash and prayed that he’d survived the fall as well.

“Jared!” My voice shook and squeaked. I forced my body to stay relaxed and floating, but I fear coursed through me, chilling me as much as the water. The blindfold was soaked and pressed heavily against my eyes. Suddenly there was a second splash not far to my right. I screamed. Who was throwing who into the water now?

“Princess?” Jared’s voice carried over the waves.

“Here!” I shouted.

“Coming. Hold on.”

A third splash and soon arms came around me. He slid the blindfold off and I blinked the saltwater out of my eyes. The night was black and the lights of the city were too far away to be seen from here.

Jared held me with one arm and sliced the rope around my wrists with a knife.

“What happened up there?”

“Fought them off.”

“Tied up?”

“Don’t underestimate me, princess.”

I shook my head, teeth chattering, as he reached down to cut the ropes off my ankles.

“Can you swim?” He asked.

“Yes. Let’s go.” Fear of hypothermia had me anxious to get to land. Then I remembered that this stretch of coastline was a rocky cliff. We’d have a long way to swim before we could actually get out of the water. I stopped, treading water, and turned to face Jared. “Which way? I can’t climb a cliff.”

“We’ll just find a place to get out of the water. There’s got to be a shelf or even a cave if we’re lucky. We just have to wait for them to track my signal.”

***

I curled tighter wrapping my arms around myself fighting the shivers coursing through me. Beside me Jared cursed and pulled me closer under the Mylar emergency blanket from one of his cargo pockets, trying to share his body heat despite not having any to spare. Swimming and climbing up the rocky shore had warmed me slightly, but now, huddled in the dark sea cave, the adrenaline had worn off leaving me frozen.

We’d taken stock of our supplies earlier: the blanket, our soaking clothes, and the knife Jared had taken from our captors. No way to build a fire, and even if there was, I’m not sure we’d have been willing to risk drawing attention to ourselves.

“There’s nothing else to do, Princess. We’ll be warmer without these wet clothes.”

I nodded. Anything was better than freezing to death awaiting rescue. Shoving out from under the blanket into the cold night air, I quickly shucked off my sodden jeans, socks, and long sleeve shirt. In the process, I realized I only had one shoe. When I turned back, Jared had stripped off his wet things and was waiting, holding up one edge of the crinkly blanket.

He already felt warmer to my touch, and if I’d had any blood to spare, I’m sure I would’ve blushed at the way I plastered myself against him. Survival instincts leave no room for embarrassment.

After a minute, I heard his voice rumble through my ear against his chest, “Any better, highness?”

“I think so.” My teeth had stopped chattering long enough to reply. “Call me Rose. We’ve been kidnapped, nearly drowned, and now we’re wrapped in the same blanket in our underwear. I think that puts us on a first name basis.”

He chuckled and shifted his arms more comfortably around me.

“As you wish, Rose.”