HOLY MOTHER OF BABY JESUS I'M BAAACCKKKK
I know it's a super pain for y'all to keep up with the story when I'm taking 50 million years to update, but please be patient. I promise I'll try to do better :[
Also, I think I may be able to wrap this up with the next chapter! But we'll have to see :D
Also also, I'm gonna apologize ahead of time for any bad grammar/bad flow. I just wanted to hurry and get this cranked out so I can work on the last chapter. Once it's wrapped up I'll probably do a one last over this whole story and see if any tweaking needs to be done.
But anywhoooo enjoyyyyy! :]
I hated t'is. Never in my life have I ever had t'is strong of an urge to run. Not when my brother and dad were killed, not even when Flint attacked my village or I was threatened to be taken prisoner after the whole Treasure Planet disaster.
But I sure as hell wanted to tuck tail and run right about now.
Calm down. I tried to soothe myself. Yer only gonna be away from her for two weeks at t'e most.
Feelin Ana's hand slip t'rough t'e crook of my elbow helped calm me down even more. Takin' a steadyin' breath I glanced down at her.
"You ready to do t'is?" I whispered.
Poor lass was tremblin' where she stood, but she put on a brave face before noddin'. "Just don't forget how much I love you.," she whispered.
"I never will," I reassured her. Placin' my metal hand a top of hers I stood up straight and faced t'e door. Might as well get t'is over wit'. Once Charleigh took her place behind us, I yanked my stateroom door open and out we walked onto t'e deck.
As soon as we stepped out, we noticed t'e crowd of people t'at had gathered on either side of t'e ship as well as t'e dock. At least they were kind enough to leave us a clear path to t'e gangplank where we were able to clearly see t'e royal carriage.
Takin' one more step I felt Ana hesitate. Oh Gods not now lass. I panicked.
"John," she hissed grippin' my arm, "It's just like my dream." Lookin' up at me her eyes shone in sheer terror. "I-I can't do this."
Scramblin' for a way to calm her down, I glanced around. That was a mistake, it just made her notice the amount of people crowded around us. She visible started to tremble under the pressure of their curious gazes.
"Hey," I whispered in her ear, "This is nothin' like yer dream. Where am I right now?"
She took a shaky breath. "Right here next to me.," She squeezed my arm, her tremors were starting to slow down as she realized t'e point I was tryin' to make.
"Exactly," I gripped her hand harder. "I'm right here. Not across t'e ship wit' t'e rest of t'e crew. I'll be right here to protect ya in case anything happens," catching her eyes I gave her a heated look, "I promise,"
"Ok," she reasoned lettin' my words soothe her. Wit' a deep breath and a nod, she signaled she was ready to continue.
What took a few minutes really felt like a few years. Slowly we trudged on towards t'e gangplank t'ankfully without incident. Once we made it across, we were met by two royal guards.
Giving us a salute, one of them stepped forward to speak. "Captain Silver, let me be the first to express my gratitude for bringing our new queen home."
Only I could feel how Ana flinched at his greeting. "It was my pleasure," I replied, careful to keep t'e aggravation out of my voice.
"Now if we may," t'e guard stepped aside wit' a wave of his hand, "Your carriage awaits your majesty."
At those words my heart seized. T'is was it. T'e moment where I had to hand over t'e most important t'ing to me. Graspin' her hand in my cold metal one, I brought her fingers up to my lips and placed a quick kiss there. Catching her eyes, I tried to convey to her how much I loved her, and how I would be back to save her by t'e end of t'e day.
She smiled knowingly at me and squeezed my hand. "Thank you Captain, for everything."
And wit' that she was headed towards her carriage. I watched as she made her way carefully down t'e pier, t'e entire time her held high wit' a sort of grace and strength I've never seen in anyone. Don't look back lass, for t'e love of god. I knew if she threw me one glance over her shoulder I'd tear down that pier, swoop her up and try to get away. Thankfully she stepped into t'e carriage without a problem and started to pull away.
Makin' my way back onboard my own ship I already felt dead inside. All of my instincts were screamin' at me t'at somethin' wasn't right. As I made my way back to my state room, I passed by t'e crew. Every single one of 'em were silent, some were lookin' away unsure exactly what to do or say. Stoppin' at t'e door I chanced one last glance to Ana's carriage as it pulled away. Takin' a steadyin' breath I tried to calm myself down, my anger was already startin' to boil up inside of me. Jim was t'e only man brave enough to come towards me in that moment.
"Let me know what I can do," he muttered carefully.
Lookin' at him wit' a fire in my eyes I could only mutter a few words. "Give t'e order." I growled pushin' my way into my stateroom, shuttin' t'e door as he sounded t'e command.
As the carriage pulled away I tried to keep the panic out of my bones. My breathing suddenly became shallow and erratic as it felt like I was having to leave my heart behind in that port. My eyes began to burn as tears threatened to fall. All of a sudden, Charleigh's hand shot out and enveloped my own.
"I know how hard it is for you to be in this carriage," she whispered, choosing her words carefully giving my hands a squeeze.
Squeezing her hand back I tried to give her a smile. There was so much I wanted to say but I knew I couldn't divulge anything without risk of the guards of hearing us, not only that but I wasn't sure I could totally trust her just yet. As we rode through the streets I watched out the window to try and distract myself. The town had a charming feel, and even though the citizens were smiling and cheering, I could tell there was a depressing edge in their faces. The streets though decorated for my impending arrival, looked like they were falling apart at the seams.
As they were pulled deeper into the city she noticed something starting to rise in the distance. In awe I realized that they were coming upon the royal palace, the glittering turrets the shot up in the sky were a stark contrast compared to the dilapidated buildings around me, and it was then I got a sense at just how much power my future husband's family had. Looking away from the approaching fortress, I focused my attention back onto the crowd to keep the grimace from my face. Never once during that carriage ride did I let go of Charleigh's hand.
Once we passed the palace walls, the crowds dwindled away as they were stopped by palace guards. Glancing behind us I watched as they closed the gate, fighting the panic that rose in my throat. It felt like I was being locked in my prison. As the carriage circled around the courtyard to pull in front of the entry doors, I took a steadying breath. Looking up at Charleigh I tried to smile.
"Ready to get this over with?"
She smiled nervously back at me, "About as ready as you are."
Finally we came to a stop. The carriage driver hopped down from his seat and hurriedly opened the door and held his hand out to help me step down. "Thank you," I smiled to him, to which he just respectfully bowed. Great. Now I'm back to being surrounded by hundreds of people, all of who are terrified to look me in the eye. I glanced back and waited for Charleigh to step out of the carriage, once she was ready to continue we looped our arms together and made our way towards the steps.
Lining the way up the staircase was two rows of servants, one on each side of us. As we came closer, a maid and butler broke away from the lines and met us halfway, each bowing deeply as they greeted me and Charleigh.
"Good Morning Your Highness," the maid quipped tightly, eyes trained carefully on my face. "It is an honor to finally meet you. The entire palace has been waiting with great anticipation for your arrival."
"Thank you," I replied warmly, trying to catch her eyes in a friendly way. "I'm excited to finally be here."
"My name is Lady Abigail, I will be your Lady of the Bedchamber," she motioned to herself, "And this is Mr. Barnley, he will be the usher of your chambers."
"Pleased to meet you Mr. Barnley," I smiled.
Without saying a word, he just nodded acknowledging my greeting his eyes never leaving the ground.
"If you would mind following me," Lady Abigail motioned with a sweep of her hand towards the stairs, "We have much to prepare in order for the wedding to commence this evening."
"Ah yes," I replied carefully, "Of course."
As we ascended the staircase to follow Lady Abigail, the servants on either side of us swept in a deep bow or curtsy. Something was off though. All my life people had bowed to me, but this was different. As I walked by I would glance down at a maid or butler, then I noticed that all of them had their eyes trained to their feet, some of them even trembled. It was then I realized these people weren't showing me respect, but cowering in fear.
One glance at Charleigh and I could tell she noticed the same thing. Both of our lips tightened into a straight line as we trudged deeper into the palace.
After a short trek through a maze of passageways and narrow corridors, we finally arrived at a large double wooden door. "This here is the room where you'll get ready your majesty," Lady Abigail explained. "Your additional ladies in waiting will arrive shortly to assist you."
Panic seared through me. "No!" I half shouted, noticing the strange look she gave me I tried to back track, "I mean to say, I won't require any assistance other than Lady Charleigh."
"Yes," Charleigh agreed, "Her majesty is already incredibly nervous about her upcoming nuptials. If she had too many people fussing over her it would just stress her out more."
Lady Abigail looked puzzled, then nodded. "Of course," she dipped into a quick curtsy, "If your majesty needs anything please let one of the servants know."
"Thank you," I smiled tightly. Watching as she walked away I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That was-"
"Yes it was your majesty," Charleigh cut me off, pushing the door open and ushering me inside. Only once the door was fully shut behind her did she fully relax herself. "Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't want anyone to overhear us."
I cursed myself for being so careless. "You're right." Taking another deep breath I looked around the room. The entire space was lit with natural light, floor to ceiling arched French doors took up two out of the four walls which led out to a wrap around balcony, looking next to me I noticed my wedding trunk had already been brought up and sat next to the gilded vanity. The room practically glowed with gold accents everywhere, the cream walls made the room look even bigger. Trying not to get overwhelmed, I walked over to one of the doors and look out into the Etherium where I just so happened to watch John's ship as it pulled out of port. Right away my breath caught in my throat.
Sensing my impending panic, Charleigh attempted to try and distract me. "Let's get you out of that heavy gown," she soothed. Putting her hands on my shoulders she guided over towards the vanity. Opening the trunk she carefully lifted out a dressing robe, then she came behind me and started to carefully loosen the strings of my dress.
Eventually the dress fell off me in an unceremonious pile, stepping out of it I slid into the silk robe Charleigh held. As I tied my sash, she picked the dress up with a huff and hung it on a hook on the wall.
"Dresses that heavy should be outlawed," she muttered giving the offending garment an angry glare.
"Trust me I know," I laughed. "Those are the kinds of dresses that leave bruises if you wear them too long."
"Pfft, I believe it." As I sat down on the vanity bench she leaned down a bit to catch my gaze in the mirror. "Now, let's get you ready for your big day." She smiled, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
As Charleigh expertly started to arrange my hair, she started asking questions about me and John in what I guessed was an attempt to distract me. At first I was a bit hesitant to divulge in any details, but eventually I warmed up to her and started answering more openly. John wouldn't pair me up with someone who would betray me. As time went on the questions became simpler.
"So, I know that you're from Atlantica. Where does the mighty John Silver hail from?" she asked.
"An island planet called Pacifica." I answered.
Her eyes lit up in recognition at the name. "Really?" she smiled, "That's where I'm from as well."
"What, really?" I grinned at her, "What a crazy coincidence. Tell me, what's it like there? I've asked John but he didn't really tell me any details."
She sighed wistfully and look at the ceiling in thought. "If you could turn a paradise into a planet, Pacifica would be it." Focusing back on my hair she continued, "It seems like everyday there's a celebration or a festival. The days are a perfect temperature, not sweltering hot, just perfect for when you want to take a dip at the beach. And the nights are nice and cool, with just enough of a chill where all you would need to keep warm is a sweater."
"I can't wait to see it," I mumbled dreamily.
"I can't wait for you to either," she smiled, "The weather, the people, the culture are all amazing. Everyone is your friend, it literally feels like you're with a big family."
At the mention of family, my mind immediately went to my own. For the first time since I left, I actually started to miss them. Tears welled up in my eyes at the thought of never seeing them again, and even if I had the chance what a hassle and potential danger it would be. Charleigh saw how my eyes began to water and handed me a tissue. "You know today will go off without a hitch right?"
"Yeah," I reassured her, "I was just thinking of my family back home."
After putting the last few curls in place, she pulled up a chair next to me and sat down carefully. "You'll see them again one day, and I have a feeling it'll be sooner than you think." she smiled, "Tell me about them."
Taking a deep breath I began to picture them in my mind. I began telling her all about my sisters, my mother, my Aunt Ariel and my cousin Melody. Stories of my childhood rolled off my tongue as we both laughed and cried. Before I knew it the setting sun began to shine through one of the french doors setting the whole room in an ethereal glow. Suddenly realizing the time, Charleigh stood and made her way towards my trunk.
"Well, it looks like it's time to get the show on the road," Sifting through the contents she made her way down to the bottom and pulled out a light cotton top and a pair of dark brown trousers. Handing them to me, she then pulled out my wedding gown. Once I put my disguise on and cinched up my corset, Charleigh slipped the white satin gown carefully over my head. Once my arms slipped in and the skirts fell in place, I walked over to the mirror to make sure no signs of my first outfit showed. Once everything was tucked away, Charleigh began to tighten the satin laces that ran up the back.
Looking down at my gown a strange sense of calm fell over me. My hands touched my lower stomach carefully imagining the baby that could possibly be growing there. Looking in the mirror I couldn't help but admire the dress. The white satin glowed a golden hue from the setting sun, the diamonds and jewels glittered in specks of crimson as the light shone. The bodice was fitted, with long satin sleeves that hugged my arms down to my wrists. The skirts pleated at the waist flared out and tapered back into a magnificent train.
The entire get up despite being gorgeous, wasn't my personal style at all. "I didn't think when I looked in the mirror on my wedding day I would feel like I was looking at a stranger," I whispered to Charleigh.
Clasping her shoulders she gazed to smile at me through the mirror. "If it accounts for anything you're a gorgeous stranger."
Trying to keep from giggling we were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. "You're Majesty," a male voice called, "It's time."
"That must be them," she whispered then made her way to the door. "What's the password?" she called through the door.
They hesitated for a moment. "What password are you talking about?"
She had only been off the ship for an hour and it already felt like an eternity. We waited until t'ee crowds cleared before leavin' port which took longer than expected. Once they were mostly cleared we took off. Standing at t'e controls I looked behind me and glared at t'e glittering palace standin' tall. Turnin' back to t'e controls I focused on t'e task at hand. When we were out of tracking distance, I turned t'e ship back towards Montressor to keep watch.
Walkin' up to stand beside me, Jim stared out into t'e Etherium.
"Just got off the communicator with Prince Eric," he said quietly, "His armies are all in position. Only thing we're waiting for is the final word from the guards."
"Good," I mumbled, placing my hands on t'e railing I heaved a sigh, "Now we wait."
T'e rest of the crew milled around t'e ship finishin' up any random tasks t'at needed to be done. T'e first hour drug by, then t'e second and t'e third. Once t'e fourth hour rolled by, my patience and nerves had worn down to nothin'.
"What in blue blazes is takin' so long?" I ground out, grippin' onto t'e wood of t'e railing even tighter.
"Be patient," Jim mumbled, his eyes were still trained on t'e etherium in front of us, "She's probably still getting ready.
I crossed my arms and tried to calm my nerves. Hours drug by until right at nightfall a feeling of doom suddenly settled into my bones.
"Somethin' ain't right," I whispered. My bionic eye zoomed in to t'e port to try and get a better look.
"What did you say?" Jim asked.
"I said somethin' isn't right," I repeated, this time with more determination. Pushin' past him I made my way down t'e stairs and towards my stateroom. "Too much time has passed, we should've heard or seen something by now."
"What are you talking about?" Jim questioned, "If anything was wrong we would've heard-"
By t'e time we made it to my stateroom door we both stopped. You could hear a pin drop in t'at moment, everyone on t'at ship was dead quiet and stock still. T'e only sound t'at could be heard was the communicator ringing from an incoming transmission.
Throwin' t'e door open I marched to my desk and pulled up t'e screen. I knew before I accepted t'e transmission who would be on the other side. Within seconds a hologram image of Prince Eric flickered into focus. Judgin' by his expression, it wasn't good news.
"We have a problem," he stated without any preamble. "The fake guards we had placed to sneak Ana out had been captured."
My heart stopped. I didn't know what to say or t'ink, my whole brain completely shut down.
"My troops are trying to locate her now," Eric stated confidently, but I knew he was just as nervous as I was.
"Well head back and help with t'e search, Ana told me exactly where-"
"We can't do that Silver," Jim cut me off, "all you would do is cause even more of an uproar."
I took a breath to begin to argue until Eric agreed wit' him.
"He's right Silver. This has turned into a reconnaissance mission. The less men we use to sneak her out the better."
Slamming my fist on the desk Eric's visage flickered in and out of focus. Pacing back and forth I tried to slow my mind down so I could think straight.
"Fine," I spat, "Well do it yer way."
"Thank you," Eric sighed, "I promise we'll get her out. My men are coming up with a game plan now, we'll launch in an hour."
"Thank you Eric," Jim replied before turning off the communicator. I was too wrapped up in my pacin' to interact wit' anyone.
Jim sat down at my desk wit' a sigh. "Look silver, I know-"
Ignorin' him I shot out the door. Throwin' my stateroom door open I was met with the questioning eyes of my crew waiting for their next order.
"You all stay here," I growled marching across t'e deck. It didn't take long before Jim was behind me.
"Silver, Silver!" He shouted as he followed me below deck. "Where in the hell are you going?!"
"I'm going to get her myself." I stated matter of factly. Makin' my way down to t'e long boats I started to prepare t'e fastest one for launch.
"What?! Didn't you hear Eric-"
I wheeled around on him eye blazin' red. "I promised her!" I bellowed, "I promised t'at if anyti'ng went awry t'at I would be t'e one to get her. No one else. It's my fault t'at she's stuck in there anyway,"
"Silver you can't blame yourself for this," Jim tried to reason, "We had no way of knowing this would even happen."
"She did," I leveled my gaze to the ground, "She told me before she left t'at she had a gut feeling something was going to happen, she begged me to take her away then and there and I didn't listen,"
Jim stood t'ere for a minute deep in thought as I continued my pre-launch checks. "What if," he began before trailing off.
Pausing in my preparations I glared at him. "'What if' what?" I growled impatiently.
"What if she thought it'd be too dangerous of a mission to sneak her out?" Jim thought out loud, "What if there were more guards than we originally thought."
A cold chill rushed through me, not at his words or what he was insinuatin', but the fact he was probably right. "She'd sacrifice herself," I whispered.
We both stood there unsure what to do. Finally a strong determination settled in my chest. "No," I said firmly, "She wouldn't do t'at. I won't believe it until I see it,"
Jim just sighed. "So there's no way I can convince you to let Eric do his work?"
"Nope," I stated, "Keep watch over t'e crew. Keep an eye out for my signal and be ready to run, once I come back I'll likely be bringin' hell with me."
"Aye cap'n" he sighed, and off I went towards Montressor.
I knew it. I knew this plan was going to fail. Why didn't anyone just listen to me?
Charleigh and I stood there staring at each other wide eyed unsure of what to even do. Did we even hear them correctly? A firm knock at the door brought us to our senses.
"Your highness?" A guard called, "We must be on our way to the Chapel."
A lead weight settled in to my stomach as I realized the predicament we were in. "Of course," I croaked back, "We're coming."
Finally Charleigh snapped out of it and put on a brave face. In her eyes there was a mixture of determination as well as fear. Holding the door open for me I stepped into the dark fire lit hallway to greet my security escorts.
Everyone fell into a deep curtsy as Charleigh closed the door and took her place at my side. One of the guards looked up and tried to stop her.
"Excuse me my lady," he spat, "But you have no right to stand next to our future queen. Your place is behind her."
Charleigh's eyes flared in anger, putting a hand on her arm I stopped her. "My lady's place is wherever I deem fit," I snapped at the soldier, "Unless you mean to say that my judgement is flawed?" I looked down my nose haughtily at the man, secretly glad to see him bow again with his eyes to the floor.
Charleigh took her place beside me and held her head high. As we started our march to the Chapel I ever so slightly leaned against her shoulder for comfort. The deeper we traveled in to the palace the more people joined us until we had a small crowd around us. The entire way towards the Chapel I felt like I was walking on eggshells, like any second John was going to jump out from any corner and steal me away just like he promised. But my sparks of hope started to fade to dread. Only when I had the humongous Chapel doors in sight did I finally realize that this was really going to happen.
Outside of the intricately carved double wooden doors stood a small entourage of finely dressed people, their gowns and jewels sparkled in the setting sun that shone through the windows that lined the hall. On my approach they seemed friendly enough, but I could tell the majority was not happy with my being there. Out of the crowd stepped a gorgeous older woman who I instantly recognized as my future mother-in-law.
She was taller than I thought she'd be, but her face held the same gentle laugh lines that showed on the communicator when I last spoke to her. As she came over to greet me I had to unlatch myself from Charleigh's hand to greet Elizabeth.
"Anastasia my darling girl," she cooed and she pulled me in to a double cheek kiss, "My look how gorgeous you are. Your photos surely didn't do your beauty justice,"
My cheeks flushed at her praise. I couldn't tell if she was being genuinely kind to me or if it was some kind of front to get me to let my guard down. Dipping down into a quick curtsy I greeted her in return, "Thank you for the compliments your majesty. You're too kind," I replied carefully.
"Oh please my dear we are practically family now," she comforted me, "Please feel free to just call me mother now,"
I bristled at this comment but tried my best to hide it. It just made me want to tuck tail and run back home to my own mother. Instead I forced my mouth into a genuine smile and nodded to her simply.
Before the conversation could go any further and sudden musical fanfare flared up from behind the doors. I knew this was our que to start our procession down the aisle. As we all took our places I openly searched up and down the hallway, waiting for either John or Jim to come to the rescue. Elizabeth who was standing in front of me mistook this for me looking for Damon.
"Oh don't worry dear," she whispered, "Your new husband is already waiting for you at the altar."
Hiding the dread in my eyes I quickly replied to her, "Ah yes. Sorry, I'm just a bit nervous."
Smiling at me one last time the overly giant double wooden doors swung open and she made her way down the aisle through the church. As soon as the doors shut I turned to Charleigh, thankfully she was still next to me.
"He's not going to come," I whispered harshly, my eyes started to burn as tears threatened to fall.
"Yes he will," she whispered back. I suddenly felt the back of my dress shift, both of us whipped our heads around only to find my other ladies in waiting taking their place around my train. The jewels on my train glittered but I couldn't even admire their beauty. I felt like shackles were being locked around my ankles. A quick squeeze of my hand from Charleigh brought me back to the present.
"Everything is goin' to be alright," she reassured, "I'll be here every step of the way."
As we smiled nervously at each other the wooden doors creaked open one final time to let us into the chapel.