Chapter 3 - Captain O'Donnell
The trip to the port had been long, but mostly uneventful. Kurt had spent the whole trip worrying that someone would somehow be able to see through his disguise and be able to tell that he was really blue and furry, despite Kitty's constantly reassuring him that the illusory magic of his copper bracelet was working perfectly. Kitty could understand his uneasiness, as twice in his life enemies had tried to burn him alive due partly to his unique appearance. This had led Kurt to develop a phobia of fire. Over the last year, Kitty had been helping him to learn how to control this phobia to a certain extent, so that now he could at least be in the same room as a lit fire without going into a blind panic, although he still tried to avoid being anywhere near a fire whenever he could. Kitty smiled as Kurt helped her dismount from the coach, bowing playfully as he took her hand. He could be so romantic sometimes, but she doubted very much that they would ever be able to enjoy a candle-lit dinner together, due to his fear of fire.
As they neared the port, Kurt still looked uncertain, as he anxiously examined the group of people waiting by the docks. There were a couple of families with young children, a few groups of youths who were excitedly discussing their upcoming trip, and a man with unruly brown hair who was idly flicking through a guidebook on the British Isles. None of them seemed to be particularly scary or threatening, although Kitty was only too aware that sometimes appearances could be deceptive. Despite the fact that no-one else seemed to be paying Kurt much attention, Kurt still seemed to be nervous and anxious, "Is my tail showing?" he whispered to Kitty, turning around and examining his lower back critically.
"No, the illusion is still fine," Kitty said in a whisper, "but you will draw attention to yourself if you keep acting so nervously. Honestly, we might be causing a rip in the very fabric of reality that could destroy all worlds, and you're worrying about the effectiveness of your bracelet."
Kurt gave her a small, apologetic smile, "I guess you are right, I guess I am worrying needlessly," he admitted. Then he saw the man who was flicking through his guidebook, and turned his attention back to Kitty in apprehension, "I saw him earlier, when the coachman stopped to feed the horses," he said worriedly, "do you think that he's following me?"
The man reading the guidebook looked up momentarily, before quickly turning his attention back to his book. He did not appear to be that old, but his shaggy brown hair gave him a slightly wild appearance in a manner that was almost reminiscent of a wolf. Still, he did not seem to be a threat to anyone, as he continued flicking idly through the pages of his book.
"I guess that is possible," Kitty admitted in a whisper, "but it seems much more likely that he is just travelling in the same direction that we are."
Kurt gave her an apologetic smile, "I guess I am being overcautious," he admitted.
"It never hurts to be prepared," Kitty replied kindly, "but I don't think you need to worry too much. The other Kitty told me that the British are generally more tolerant of mutants when compared to mainland Europe."
"Yes," said Kurt, "but that is in her world, it might not necessarily be the case in ours."
Kitty was about to reply when she was interrupted by an aged but cheerful voice, "Greetings to you all," said a man with grey hair and a blue uniform, "my name is Captain O'Donnell, and, as I have no doubt you have all guessed, I am to be your captain on this voyage. We will be travelling to Duffryn in Wales, where many of you will disembark. Others will stay on this here vessel until she reaches my native town of Dublin in Ireland. I trust that you all have your tickets for your relevant trips."
Kitty fumbled in her bag to retrieve the tickets, just as a lad of around thirteen handed her a small guidebook to the British Isles. She accepted it, just to be polite. Kurt winked at her when he saw this, "I doubt that we will get much of an opportunity to do any sightseeing," he said playfully.
Kitty smiled back, "That's a shame," she said. "The other Kitty said that there could be some spectacular shows in London." She stroked Kurt's arm lovingly, glad that she could still feel his silky fur even though it was currently disguised. "And you never know, if we manage to save your circus family in the next few days, we may be able to earn a well-deserved rest."
Kurt returned her smile with a sad one of his own, "From what Narran was saying, I doubt very much that it will be as simple as that," he admitted sadly.
Kitty was about to reply when Captain O'Donnell came up to her, smiled, and asked to examine her tickets. She handed them to him, and he examined them briefly before handing them back to her. As Captain O'Donnell examined other tickets, Kitty noticed that Kurt was staring up at where the ship's name was written in white letters on the starboard of the boat. He seemed to be having difficulty in pronouncing this name, and Kitty could understand perfectly why he was having such difficulty.
"Llanrhaeadr-yng-nghinmeirch," said Captain O'Donnell, coming up behind them, and smiling at them in a friendly manner.
"Um, why?" asked Kurt curiously.
"Simple" replied Captain O'Donnell, "the idea is that pirates come over and they want to cause some mischief. Their mates then ask where they want to cause this mischief, and by the time they've figured out how to pronounce the name of this vessel, it's half-way across the channel."
"That's brilliant," Kurt laughed.
Captain O'Donnell shrugged. "A good idea, I'll grant you," he said, "the only trouble is that pirates generally don't worry too much about what a ship is called, and just tell their mates to cause trouble on the nearest available vessel."
Kurt nodded, "Do you get many pirates in these waters?" he asked, suddenly sounding excited.
Kitty grinned, as she knew that Kurt had grown up reading the adventure stories of Captain Carlos Mendoza and his crew, heroic Spanish pirates who sailed the seven seas and had swashbuckling adventures on land and sea. Judging by Captain O'Donnell's expression, it was not the first time that people with such romantic images of pirates had come on board his ship. "In real life, pirates are rarely heroic or fun to be around," he told Kurt gently, "especially when you're trying to run an honest business. There's been some serious trouble caused by pirates along the East Coast of Africa in the last few months, and my mates are still trying to figure out what should be done to sort this trouble out. But don't worry. We've not seen any pirates in these waters for the last three or four years, ever since a mutant with the power of creating illusions made some seriously impressive illusory sea monsters out there in these here waters," he laughed. "Scared the living daylights out of those pirate scum, so it did. They went crawling back to their mothers with their tails between their legs like scared dogs."
Kurt gave him a slightly worried look when he mentioned tails, but relaxed a moment later when he realised that he was speaking metaphorically. "Um, how do you feel about mutants?" he asked, trying desperately to keep his voice conversational, as Captain O'Donnell ushered him onto his vessel.
Captain O'Donnell shrugged, "Mostly they're just people," he said, "trying to live their lives, just like everyone else. They don't cause me any trouble, leave me alone, and I do the same to them. Take people as you find them, that's my motto. Why?"
"Oh, nothing," said Kurt conversationally, "I was just curious, that's all, since you brought the subject up."
Captain O'Donnell merely smiled at him, and Kitty got the distinct impression that the Captain was well aware that there was more to Kurt's question than simple curiosity. It also seemed like the Captain had far more sense than to continue with the topic, as he led Kurt and Kitty to their cabin.
The cabin was small, but clean and comfortable. Kitty decided that it might be a good idea for them to get some sleep, since there was no telling when they would next be able to get a good night's rest in a comfortable bed once they reached Britain. Kurt had agreed, and after a brief, friendly fight about who should get the top bunk bed, followed by an equally friendly if rather enthusiastic pillow fight, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Kitty was awakened by the gentle rocking of the ship upon the water, and was rather disappointed to find that she was not snuggling up next to Kurt. Kitty suddenly felt worried, but quickly realised that Kurt was probably fine. Still, after a brief inspection of the cabin, including the ceiling, for she knew how much Kurt loved to read while hanging upside-down, it was clear that Kurt was nowhere within the cabin. Kitty put on her coat and grabbed her bag, and then made her way out onto the deck. She was relieved to find Kurt standing on the deck, staring out at the water. He turned around when he saw her, "Hello, sleep-head," he said.
"I've been asleep a long time, have I?" she asked him playfully.
Kurt nodded, "A very long time," he said, "it won't be long until we arrive at the docks in Wales."
"So, no pirates have been seen then?" Kitty asked him playfully.
Kurt winked at her, "Oh, there were plenty of pirates," he said, getting up upon the railings and bowing towards her in a dramatic manner, "but I, Captain Blue Tail, vanquished our foes," he waved his arms around in an enthusiastic arc, as though wielding some kind of sword, "I fought them all to defend the lady's honour, and, as Captain O'Donnell rightly predicted, they went scurrying back to their mothers, their tails between their legs. Even though they lacked tails," he said.
Kitty laughed, "Really?" she asked.
Kurt sighed, "No, not really," he admitted, "this voyage has been remarkably calm, you missed very little sleeping through most of it. I could not sleep, and I did not really want to spend time with the other passengers, so I came out here to get a bit of peace and quiet. I know you think I'm being silly, but I still can't stop thinking that I'm being watched."
"Well, if you have been prancing around fighting pirates and calling yourself Captain Blue Tail, it's hardly surprising that you have managed to get yourself an audience," Kitty said, laughing.
Kurt shook his head, "No, I'm seriously worried," he admitted quietly, "I keep thinking that someone on board this vessel can see through my disguise. And if they do, there's nowhere I can teleport to in order to get to safety.
Kitty gave him a sympathetic smile, "I understand your need to be cautious," she said, "but I really think that Captain O'Donnell will be able to ensure that disaster does not happen, even if there is an enemy on board this ship."
"I guess so," Kurt said uncertainly.
"I know so," said Kitty, trying to sound more confident than she felt, "and anyway, there's not much we can actually do until someone actually does something threatening. There's no point in worrying about that which might never happen."
"I know," Kurt sighed.
"Here," said Kitty, handing him her guidebook, "have a look at all of the interesting things in Britain, it might help to take your mind off of your concerns."
Kurt sighed again, but accepted the guidebook. He gave Kitty a sceptical look, but flicked through the book, until he came to a section on Nottingham and Sherwood Forest. "Oh, Robin Hood country!" he said excitedly, "with outlaws stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, merry men battling against their cruel foes, and winning the support of the oppressed people."
Kitty grinned. She felt glad that he seemed to have at least momentarily forgotten about the possibility that he was being watched.
"What?" Kurt asked, "Outlaws are just like pirates. Except on land. Land pirates."
Kitty grinned at him again, "It's a shame that we won't be travelling that far north," she said, "I can just picture you jumping from tree to tree in Sherwood Forest, a wood spirit and an outlaw."
Kurt looked like he was about to reply, when Captain O'Donnell came towards them, "We will be arriving at the port shortly," he said, "you had better go back to your cabin to get the rest of your belongings."
Kitty nodded, and Kurt followed her back to their cabin, still enthusiastically discussing the merry band of outlaws in Sherwood Forest.
Kurt was still reading the guidebook when they left the ship, bidding Captain O'Donnell a fond farewell. Kitty looked down at her map briefly, then up at the green and pleasant land before her. Then she blinked, sure that she could not really be seeing what she thought she was seeing. There, directly in their path, was a very large fire-breathing dragon. It looked a lot like the big Lockheed that dwelt within Excalibur's train, except at least twice the size, and maybe a shade darker. It also seemed to be a lot more vicious and a lot less friendly.
"Um, Kurt, the dragon…" Kitty whispered uncertainly.
"Yes, the Welsh have a very interesting flag," Kurt replied, still staring at the guidebook.
"No," said Kitty, taking the guidebook from him, and pointing to the Welsh flag within it, "not that dragon," she pointed up at where the gigantic beast was breathing fire in their direction, "that dragon."
Kurt merely stared up at the creature, suddenly frozen in fear. He did not even notice when his copper bracelet fell off of his wrist and onto the earth, revealing his blue and fuzzy form. Kitty knew that it was the uncontrolled fire, rather than the dragon, which was causing him to panic. She grabbed his hand quickly, and phased him through the dragon's fire just in time.
Kitty stared up at the dragon uncertainly, trying to decide what should be done for the best, when all of a sudden a shaggy grey wolf leapt out from behind her, and landed upon the neck of the dragon. The wolf clawed at the dragon, snarled and bit at its skin. Suddenly, the dragon vanished, as quickly as it had appeared. With a yelp, the wolf fell to the ground, twisted its body so that it landed safely, and then changed into the form of the man with shaggy brown hair who had accompanied Kurt and Kitty upon their voyage. Kurt and Kitty uncertainly inched towards him. He grinned up at them in a manner that was both excited and ever so slightly manic, "I just fought a dragon," he said breathlessly, "that was brilliant."
