The Princess and The Captain by Anne-Laure Bondoux

Title: The Princess and The Captain
Author: Anne-Laure Bondoux
Published Date: 5 June 2006
Genre: Adventure, teen, romance
Personal Rating: 5/5
Money's Worth: Worth it. Very hard to put down.

Princess Malva of Galnicia is about to be married of. She rebels against her frigid parents and escapes with her handmaid. They board a ship aided by the Archont, Malva's tutor. Unknown to them that the Archont has plotted to murder her so he can sieze power from her parents the Coronador and Coronada. Malva believes that her disappearance will have no effect on her parents as they have only been detached towards her. However as soon as their daughter is missing the Coronador and his wife are disraught and the Archont seizes power. That is until one day that a letter reaches the monarch telling him of the Archont's treachery. The Archont's flees the Citadel.

Meanwhile, Malva and her handmaid were on the ship, but the captain who was in league with the Archont wrecked the ship saving himself. They wash up on the shores of Elgolia and from the sea, Malva has susatined a terrible bite to her calf. A medicine woman there heals her as best as she can and Philomena and Malva set off again. They are then confronted by the inhabitants of the Steppes. Then once again, Malva is abducted by Amoyeds and sold to the Emperor of Cispazia while her handmaid was saved that fate. Taken into his harem, Malva befriends Lei, a girl who has an amazing way with medicating herbs. She completely heals Malva's leg. But her trials are not over as the Archont has found her again.

Then there is Orpheus McBott. A full grown man, he still hid in his father's shadow. Thouh the McBott line were proud seafaring men, Orpheus had never been to sea. On his deathbed, Hannibal, Orpheus' father reveals his own treachery. Then the Princess goes missing. Along the way, Orpheus befriended a young messenger boy named Hob. Oppressed by the gloomy environment because of his father's death, Orpheus wishes to leave the Citadel. But because of the edicts issued by the Archont, all ships were grounded. Then the Archont fled and the Coronador summoned for a brave crew to retrieve his daughter from the Emperor's harem. By credit of his name, Orpheus is taken on as the Quartermaster of the Estafador.

The crew does retrieve the princess from a fate worse than death. But then they are thrown into a gale and most of the crew perishes except for Orpheus; who assumes the post of Captain, Malva, Lei, Finopico; the cook, Balilas; a giant of a man, Zeph; Orpheus' St. Bernard and the twins Hob and Peppe. They find that they have been pushed beyond the border of the known world and to escape they have to face their worst fears and their deepest desires and conquer them. The catch is that they must do it within 16 days or suffer a dark fate as most other sailors. Danger doesn't stop there as the Archont is there as well. Following an encounter with him, Orpheys takes a sword to the stomach and nearly perishes. Along the way, Malva and Orpheus develop feelings for each other.

When they emerge from the accursed place, three companions are lost and Malva and Orpheus are hesitant to do anything about their feelings. They return to Galnicia to find that while only 5 months have passed for them, 10 years have flew by for the rest of the world. Malva's mother died and her father realized his mistakes and became much softer towards his daughter. Many Galnicians return after hearing their beloved Princess has returned.

Finally when we think that all will be well for Malva and her beloved, the Archont reappears. Orpheus is not around to protect Malva who runs through the palace trying to hide. When he does go to help, he has his musket trained on the traitor but because of sneezing fits, the bullet deflects and the Archont takes this oppotunity to drive his sword through Orpheus' heart- irreversible damage. Malva kills him, but Orpheus dies in her arms. In the end, Mlava is reunited with her friends and tells them what has happened.

The story ends with Malva- who has always loved to write stories, who decides to write the story of 'The Princess and Captain'.