The Princess and the Pirate- Ch 21- The Long Tunnel

Matthew watched the horde of pirates and traitors, hardly daring to believe his eyes. Sweeney had to have let them in. The pirates began slashing everything in sight and pocketing whatever valuable trinket met their eyes. Sweeney and his men, though Matthew had never seen them amidst the pirates before in his entire career, behaved just like the rest. Though they had tried to be quiet before the door had been rammed open, the boisterous crowd sounded like an angry swarm of bees now. Some of them were even shouting in delight as they found treasure or growling and knocking things over in their anger and not finding the people they sought.

Christopher watched for a moment or two. Then he grabbed Matthew's arm and directed him toward the back of the chamber. "Matthew," he said as quietly as he could, "we are going to go through here to an even safer place. You need to climb in feet first and slide down. I will be right behind you."

Matthew wondered at the two foot by two foot opening. Where would it truly take him? He could only trust Christopher, though he worried about what the young man had done with Fioretta and the other ladies. As the pirates completely filled the large bed chamber and some were exploring the closet, Matthew climbed in the escape hatch and began his descent into the unknown.

He slid down, down, down, much farther than he had anticipated. The slide twisted this way and that, and it seemed that other chutes connected with the one on which Matthew rode. It was very difficult to tell as no light brightened his plummet to safety. His feet hit a swinging door. Then he slowed down and finally stopped. He stood up and listened carefully. He could hear the tiny swish of Christopher following him down the slide, and the sound of rushing water in the distance tickled his ears and his curiosity. He waited.

Thirty seconds later, Christopher hit the swinging doors and landed at the bottom. All business, Christopher walked knowingly passed Matthew and lit a torch setting in a stand Matthew could not see in the blackness.

The room beyond the swinging doors was not very large at all, so Matthew could not guess the size of the big the "sliding zone." The room, though, had a dirt floor and stone walls. A wooden door stood across from the slide. Christopher walked over to the door, pressed two bricks and pulled out a key. He unlocked the door then replaced the key. He motioned for Matthew to follow him through the door. He locked the door behind them. Then he and Matthew began walking through a dirt tunnel lit only by Christopher's torch.

Christopher broke the silence first. "Matthew, I'm trusting your word that Arthur struck first. From what I've seen of you, you are a man to be trusted. Of course, Sweeney letting in the pirates definitely backs up your story."

Matthew nodded. Then he realized it there was no way for Christopher to see him in the dimness and said, "Thank you for your trust."

Christopher said grimly, "We are in for a long walk through this tunnel. It was actually built when the castle was constructed long ago. When the king made his renovations to protect his family, he altered things. The only way to get to this tunnel is through the various family bed chambers in the new section. I took Fioretta, Mirabelle, and Loraine this way through a different room."

"That explains a bit," Matthew replied, trying to reveal little of his own curiosity. "So, how is it you know so very much about this place?"

Christopher did not answer the question. Instead he said, "Before I slid down, I reset the door to the slide. I'm still in shock over Sweeney being a traitor. I've trained under him for four years."

"If it is any consolation, it took me completely by surprise, too. I've never seen Sweeney or any of his men before I sunk your ship. I would have thought I would have seen at least Sweeney talking with some of the other pirates if he were on the side of the pirates. Do you want me to carry the torch for a while?"

"Sure," Christopher answered. He handed the torch to Matthew. Christopher replied thoughtfully, "I've been wondering about how and when Sweeney turned traitor. I was also wondering if you knew anything about it."

The tunnel snaked along, leading them to the left, to the right, up, and down. Matthew was grateful that there were no divergent paths along the way, or they would surely have gotten lost. They walked along in silence, each lost in his own thoughts and weariness, as their footsteps echoed gravelly for a few more minutes.

Finally, Christopher said, "I have something to tell you that will come as a shock."

Matthew chuckled, "I've had quite a few shocking experiences since I met Fioretta. One more probably won't kill me."

Christopher laughed, then became much more serious. "You are not who you have been raised to be," Christopher declared meaningfully. "You, Matthew, are Fioretta's brother who was kidnapped all those years ago."

Matthew did not know what to say to such a statement. He had never felt close the man or woman he had always thought of as his parents, but he had never questioned the fact that he was their child. The thought had never crossed his mind. "How could you possibly even suspect that?" Matthew asked. "I am a pirate—or I was. I've known only the pirate way of life."

Christopher glanced up at Matthew, searching his stoic eyes. "Fioretta and I knew it for certain when we saw the birthmark on your chest. The birthmark is a royal family secret. Children born of the royal line always have the birthmark that looks like a dog." As they walked, Christopher told him the tale of the birthmark.

When Christopher finished the story, Matthew pondered it for several long minutes. It had to be close to the dawn by now, and Matthew's brain simply could not take any more input or surprises. It was processing what Christopher said very, very slowly.

"Do you mean to say," Matthew said with astute deliberation, "that I am the son of the king of Christeland? I am the son who was stolen away all those years ago, who was once first in line for the throne and is now nothing at all to the king and queen?"

In all seriousness, Christopher said, "While it is true that you cannot ever be king, you are still very important to them both. I cannot explain how joyful they both were when we told them we had found you."

"Joyful, you say?" Matthew nodded disbelievingly.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"Let's just say that I don't understand why you are telling me this, one way or the other. If it's true, what difference does it make? I don't know them, and they don't know me. I will be a sore disappointment, because all my life I have been treated as the son of the Pirate King. I have been a pirate. I know no other life. If it is not true, it is a mean trick to play if you are trying to get my hopes up or planning to play me as a fool. I'm really not sure where you are coming from," Matthew declared through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean?" asked Christopher concernedly.

"I mean, who are you, really?" Matthew asked, emphasizing the "you" accusingly. "It's obvious you are very, very close to Fioretta. And if what you are saying now is true, how do you come by this knowledge? Are you her lover? Her friend? Her betrothed? Or have you stolen this information or these ideas for some dark purpose, either toward me or the royal family? How do you fit into this puzzle that surrounds us and seems to be falling apart around our feet?"

As they rounded a curve in the tunnel, they saw a door ahead with a light shining underneath it.

Christopher picked up his pace a little and said, "Matthew, it is not my place right now to tell you that. I think you will find out soon, though. We are almost there, and the king and queen want to see us as soon as we arrive." They reached the door, and Christopher opened it. Matthew prepared himself to meet his uncertain future like a bull readies himself to fight his competition.

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