Invisimeg was kind enough to take a break and edit a few chapters for me so this version should be much better. A big big thanks to her for looking it over! At least most of you got a chance to bask in my ineptness for a moment or two and experience the alternate universe that is me without a beta reader. :) *I don't own Skins or Skins characters*
Chapter Twenty One: A Whale of a Tale to Tell
The sun was setting and Effy had been asleep for a long time; her head rested on Emily's lap, the redhead still stroking her hair absentmindedly as she watched shadows crawl towards their shelter. The cut on her arm had crusted over and didn't look too severe, though it still throbbed and ached a little bit; her whole body ached after everything that had happened that day. Emily gently cradled the sleeping girl's head as she moved it off of her lap and onto the jacket she had folded up to make a pillow. They would need a fire for the night, not only for warmth; the delirious pirate had rambled about all kinds of terrible creatures she was seeing in her fit. In the light of day, the redhead knew they were figments of the girl's fever addled mind, but as darkness began to fall, she had begun to wonder what real creatures might be lurking on the island. Her legs protested as she unfolded them and forced herself to stand to collect dry wood from around the stone overhanging, piled them up, and fought with her flint and tender to make them catch fire. The brunette stirred as she coaxed the flames to life with slow and extremely cautious breaths.
"Bloody fuck…" Captain Stonem moaned, "…am I dead?"
"I don't think so," Emily whispered.
The girl offered her the cup she had scrubbed with the jacket that was now a pillow and rinsed with some of the alcohol from her flask before propping it against the rock where the bucked had been collecting water before. There wasn't much, but it was clean and enough to cool the captain's throat and take some of the edge from her thirst.
"Thank you…" Effy said, rubbing her temples. "How many days?"
"Excuse me?" the redhead asked.
"How many days was I out?" the captain clarified.
"It's just been a few hours," the girl answered, "I'm not sure how many…but quite a few."
"That's impossible…" the brunette uttered in confusion. "It…whatever that was…it felt like weeks…" She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to shake away the memories of dark and terrifying monsters.
"I don't know what to tell you…it wasn't," she apologized. "How are you feeling now?"
"Hungry…thirsty…in desperate need of a drink and a smoke…" Captain Stonem answered, "but other than that, I feel fairly well myself again."
They stared at the fire for a few moments and listened to the buzz insects and the rustle of foliage out in the jungle.
"Did I hurt you?" Effy finally asked, not taking her eyes off of the fire.
Emily laughed a little despite herself. "…No…you didn't hurt me."
The captain turned to look at the Fitch girl, a wary expression on her face. "What did I do then?"
"You just…called me Katie a lot…and tried to kiss me a few times…between fits…" The redhead shrugged.
"Oh…" The brunette shrugged back. "…did you like it?" she added teasingly as she regained her composure.
"No…" Emily snapped. "…but you seemed to certainly enjoy trying…" she added equally as teasingly.
"I was delirious…" Effy faltered a little. "…and you two look alike if you hadn't noticed…whatever it was that was playing with my mind like a puppet, it's only natural I would latch on to any familiar face."
"So you're saying…trying to kiss me has nothing to do with you…perhaps…being in love with my sister?" she asked, her brown eyes locking with the pirate's.
"Wouldn't know what you're talking about," she insisted, her blue eyes darting back to the fire.
"You know…in your sleep you were quite…detailed about it…" Emily said, her nose wrinkling a little at the memory. "Quite a bit more than I ever wanted to know about Katie actually…"
Captain Stonem could sense that the jig was up; she crawled painfully to the opposite side of the fire and leaned against the rock wall.
"In that case…how does it compare?" the wild girl asked.
"How does what compare?" the girl asked as she shook out the jacked and put it back on.
"Your sister's sexual prowess to yours?" Effy sighed, trying to turn the tables and at least have the other girl feeling awkward as well.
"You would have to ask Naomi," Emily answered stiffly.
"Ah…so you're more worried about how you compare to me…" the brunette crooned, "…you should be…I'm quite good."
The redhead blushed and turned her back to the fire.
"Sorry." Captain Stonem sighed. "Being a bitch is just in my nature I guess…but I shouldn't have said that…I'd probably be dead if it weren't for you."
"Yeah," Emily muttered, "…being a complete idiot is apparently just in my nature…"
"Pay no mind to the things I say; I never do before saying them," the captain apologized. "It was me."
"What?" the redhead asked, turning her head slightly.
"If you were wondering…she left me because of me…me and my roving ways…" Effy continued. "Too many women in too many ports; of course she was going to run into one of them eventually…unfortunate that she had to run into one that I was on top of at the time…but there you have it. She caught me, we fought, she left…it honestly never occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to smooth it over when I got her alone. If you haven't noticed, I have a bit of an ego, but I never did get her alone…I strolled down to the dock to find my ship gone."
Emily listened, her back still turned on the brunette, and imagined what it must have been like for Naomi; she suddenly understood why there were so many walls up around her captain's heart, why she needed to be in control, and worse—how painful it must have been to suddenly realize that she had been keeping secrets from her, even if it was just a plan that was meant to help. Her heart ached for her lover and tears trickled from her brown eyes as she wondered if the blonde was even still alive.
"I was furious…she just left me there with nothing, over a piece of ass that didn't even mean anything…you never take a captain's ship and you do not deface it by removing the figurehead…especially not from the very person who taught you everything you know…and she had the audacity to be outdoing me in business…so obviously…mortal enemies…" Captain Stonem continued. "I never even took the time to see that it was my fault."
"You deserved worse," The redhead said. "…but I can't say I have done any better."
"Don't tell me you've been chasing the lasses too?" Shock rang in the brunette's voice.
"No! What? Never!" she spun around, her face reddening. "I just…I kept a secret from her…I tried to take control of something I didn't even fully understand and it's led to this. I should have just trusted her…I should have just been satisfied and not tried to make things more perfect than they already were because now I have destroyed it all."
Her anger was fading and tears were taking over as she placed her head on her knees and finally gave in, letting her loud sobs shake her entire body. Effy shifted uncomfortably against the wall as she watched Katie's sister do what she herself had never allowed—take responsibility for her actions. The brunette sighed and crawled over to sit next to her again. The redhead jumped when the captain patted her back clumsily.
"You'll get over it…or learn to live with it…" the pirate attempted to sooth. "…you really will…"
More muffled sobs shook the girl and she tried to shrug off the pirate's arm.
"It's not even over yet," Effy stated. "Why don't you wait until we have actually failed before we do this?"
When that failed to compose the girl, Captain Stonem began shaking her roughly.
"Let me go. Just let go of me," Emily yelled, pushing the other girl back roughly. "Just get away from me, okay!"
The wild girl backed off and crossed her arms. "I need you to compose yourself, because I'm going to need your help to find them."
"If they are alive and if we were able to actually find them, you mean," the redhead spat.
"Exactly," the brunette said confidently. "In case you forgot…I…" She struggled with her words. "I love your sister…and even though she doesn't love me…I have to find her and I have to know she is okay."
Cook groaned and tried to move under the sudden weight on his chest; Freddie jerked and cursed at the sudden movement from the man he had assumed was dead. He cursed more as he pulled himself forward, trying to quickly remove himself from on top of the other boy, and pushed himself up into a sitting position. The sandy haired boy continued to squirm on the ground, his efforts causing more blood to seep from the places where his arms and legs were tied, and Freddie struggled to move his injured leg so that he could retrieve his knife. He cut the boy's legs free and allowed himself to fall on his side so that he could reach to slice at the binds around the boy's wrists that were pinned behind his back.
As soon as his arms were freed he yanked the gag out of his mouth; a flurry of curses poured from his mouth, along with a few trickles of blood and saliva, every word he had wanted to yell at his captives was flooding out. The scraggly blonde collapsed on his back in the grass, his voice nearly gone from all the screaming, and gasped for air as he rubbed his wrists.
"Excuse me…" Freddie groaned as he pushed himself back up. "…don't feel obligated or anything just because I saved your life…but could you simply shut the fuck up and give me a hand here?"
"It's not true," Katie stated coldly.
Captain Campbell was lighting the fire with their torch; they had lost the guiding rod several times, but they had finally made it to safety on the stone shelf. The redhead had argued with every detail of the story about her ancestor and the blonde didn't see much point in arguing anymore.
"Then don't worry about it," she said.
"Emily didn't believe all these lies did she?" Katherine huffed.
"Well she is a little more open to suggestion…and reason…and facts…" The captain laughed.
Katie huffed again as she took the torch back from the captain. "Where to from here?"
"I don't know…" Captain Campbell sighed.
With the large cavern now lit, she could see several places where the cave branched out in tunnels. Two of the tunnels had figures etched around their entrances; the blonde squinted as she tried to make out what was chiseled into the stone. One seemed to be weasels carrying skulls in their mouths; the other simply had a swan etched over the opening.
"Emily was right…we needed that journal…" She flinched as she said her lover's name, a twinge of pain throbbing in her chest.
"Just pick one." Katie yawned.
Naomi rolled her eyes at the redhead's suggestion. "Let's just rest while I figure out what to do…perhaps something that won't get us killed."
"You're the Stoat expert…I thought you knew everything about him." The other girl laughed.
The captain scratched her head and gave out a little gasp; the cut on her hand was still bleeding and she grumbled as she crawled to the edge rinse the blood out of her hair. She wiped her hand against her shirt and began unbuttoning the last few buttons, making ready to give up more clothing in order to bandage the wound.
"Stop…" Katie sighed. "…use one of my sleeves…I suppose." The redhead turned her back and began unbuttoning her shirt. "Don't look."
"Ugh," Naomi exclaimed, "You don't have to worry about that."
"Well, I don't know what might set you off and have you grabbing all over me. It's not like my body is any different than hers," The other girl pointed out, watching the blonde over her shoulder as she tore off both sleeves and quickly slipped the shirt back on. "Here."
"Please, there's a world of difference between the two of you," the captain said as she took them from her. "It'd be like ogling my sister."
Katie stretched out on the cold stone and tried to get comfortable, with little luck; she tossed and turned trying to find some way to lay without every inch of her aching.
"I'm never going to get any sleep down here," she whined.
"Then help me figure out what the etches mean." Naomi shrugged, sitting not too far from where her head rested.
"How would I know anything about that?" Katie inquired.
"I don't know…think…do you remember any of the stories your father used to tell you?" the captain asked.
"She told you about that?" The redhead pouted, slightly hurt; those stories were special—something only shared in their family.
"Without the journal…it's the only information that might be useful." The blonde shrugged again.
"Well sorry to disappoint you, but I don't even remember much from them," Katie confessed. "I know one pretty well, but I can't think of how it would be useful."
"Well, let's hear it…we have plenty of time…" Naomi encouraged.
"I don't think it will help…but fine." The brown eyed girl sighed. "The Pirate Stoat had but one weakness—his heart—for in it was a powerful love for only one woman, in all the women, on all the continents he sailed to…don't laugh at me this is how it's told…" she snapped.
"Ok…" Captain Campbell said as she put on a serious face. "…continue."
"His heart belonged to only one, and she would have nothing to do with him; her eyes never cast his way, her lips never spoke his name. For she was a beauty and fair and her family was powerful and rich and she had no need nor time for one lowly and depraved as he," Katherine continued, adding edge to the words. "But long for her his heart always would, and wherever he, sailed his heart would ache and pine. His deeds grew blacker and his treasures grew from them, but the glitter of gold would pale in comparison to the memory of her. All he did and every which way he went was in vain hope of someday returning a man with the power and substance to woo her. When the seas would roll, and storms would crash about the ship, when all would seem utterly lost, his men would hear him sing of her, for he did not know they could hear about the ruckus and thunder. He would bellow out hymns of his love, of the woman he called his white bird, his lovely…ugh." She grunted. "I can't remember anymore; all I can think are seagulls, but that's not right…his pigeon…his dove…it has to be dove…"
"His swan…" Naomi shouted, jumping up.
"That's it…his lovely swan, and the men would weep for the beauty and longing in his voice…what?" the redhead asked, sitting up. "Oh…right…"
Hope it was enjoyable, should be much more readable now at least :) Reviews are always welcome.