A/N I don't own Pocahontas.

Book of the update: The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis

Chapter 9

I walk up the path to Grandmother Willow's house, my bag slung over my shoulder, filled with one or two dresses and the rest trousers and shirts that once belonged to Jacques. As I am about to knock on the door, it opens to reveal Grandmother Willow smiling at me.

"Well hello, child! Come in, come in and put your bags down; don't be just standin' about." She shuffles back as I step inside and walk to my room to dump my bag unceremoniously on the floor. I shut the door to my room and throw open the bag, changing into a comfortable pair of trousers and a shirt, tossing the dress on the floor next to my bag.

"Hello again, Grandmother Willow!"

She smiles at me. "Hello, Arielle. It's nice to see you again; your Aunt keeps you stuck up in that city for far too long. You need to be out here in nature."

I smile again, asking with my eyes if I can go outdoors.

She nods towards the door. "Them trees aren't going to wait forever."

I bound out into the forest and climb up my favorite tree as fast as a squirrel (A/N that may seem exaggerated, but I did that on purpose. She's bragging.) I poke my head over the leafy top, trying to see all the way to the city. I'm looking for the Susan Constant, trying to see if it's left yet or not.

No. I can see the tip of the mast poking above the foggy clouds. I breathe a sigh of relief; they haven't left yet. I climb down the tree and walk back inside.

"Grandmother Willow, if I wanted to, say-"

"Go."

I look at her, startled. "Pardon?"

"Go. If your heart tells you something," she leaned in as if she was about to tell me a huge secret. "Follow it."

My eyes widen. "Do you mean that I should-"

"Yes. If you never come back, I will make up some story about a wild bear to tell your family."

I stare at her for a moment before my face breaks out in a grin. "Thank you."

She smiles before replying, "You remind me so much of another girl I know. She is just like you, in a way."

Back in my room, I'm looking into the mirror, holding a pair of shears up to my hair. If I do this, there's no turning back. This is final. I snap them shut and watch as my hair fall to the floor in long blonde waves, severed from my head. I trim the front a bit more before dumping the stuff out of my bag and fill it up with my (Jacques') clothes. I put a hat on my head, pulling it low over my face to try and hide my identity a bit. I slip on the leather boots, tucking my trousers into them, and rub muddy water onto my face, letting it dry onto my skin, staining it darker. I look in the mirror once more. I'm ready.

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"Go back to Grandmother Willow, Spirit. Go on." I whisper into her ear. She whinnies before turning and running off into the woods, leaving me alone on the edge of the street. Taking a deep breath, I walk over to the Susan Constant. The men aren't leaving yet, but they're there, loading up supplies and such. I walk over to the man who is obviously the captain; or at least, the leader.

"I uh….want to go to the New World with you."

He looks down at me over his nose. "And who are you, man?"

"Um…Ari. My name is Ari Williams."(A/N Ari is a real name, it's Hebrew. Just saying.)

He sticks his nose higher into the air, if that's possible. "Well, I suppose that another one of you stinking peasants aboard this journey will do no harm."

I stash my bag behind some trees and go to help the men load up the supplies. An armored blonde man sees me standing, unsure what to do, and walks over. "Here take these barrels up onto deck and then down the stairs into the lower deck; we're using that as the cellar. I'm John Smith, by the way. You new here? What's your name?"

I smile gratefully and pick up a barrel (A/N she's strong from…something she does regularly….um…something…) and we walk and talk. "I'm Ari Williams, and yeah, I'm new here." I try to make my voice deeper as I speak, and apparently it works, because John nods and asks how well I can shoot a gun. We talk for a few more barrel-loads into the ship before he says he has to go and walks off, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~LOADING THE SHIP NOW! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grabbing my bag, I walk up onto the ship with the rest of the men, going down into our quarters. The men start calling which bunks they want. I quickly go to the hammock farthest away from the rest, and put my bag down. "This one's mine." The men barely even hear me as they argue about who gets the one next to the porthole and so on. Rolling my eyes, I walk up the stairs onto the deck.

I smile when I see a read, hat-covered head leaning over the rail, seemingly searching the crowd gathered in the streets. Walking over, I lean my arms onto the railing next to him. "Looking for someone?"

Startled, he looks up, blushing. "N-no. Why?"

I raise my eyebrow at him. Not only did he just blush when I asked him if he was looking for anyone, he also didn't realize who I am. Men can be so dense. I roll my eyes again. "No reason. I'm Ari." I say, holding out a hand for him to shake.

He takes it. "Thomas." I smile slightly, thinking about the first time I made his acquaintance.

The ship moves slightly, and the crowd starts roaring as we leave the docks. I wave to them, not knowing anyone, but still….

The sea spray hits my face and I laugh. This is going to be a great adventure.