Hi hi I'm tired, and I'm not in much of a mood to say much, so here are the review responses:
ASilverShadowhunter: Oh no! That's the worse :( Thanks! Glad you liked it. Yeah no cliffies for a change haha. As for Tessa, it'll be answered in this chapter. There may be one more plot twist ahead though. Idk, it's up for readers to decide haha. Thanks for your review though! You'll find out more now :D
The-Finale-Hope: Sorry :( It had to happen sooner or later! Yay you survived! Now survive the rest of this story :)
millisiana: Don't worry at all! Totally get you. Wow you've been counting? Impressive. Enjoy!
Matilovesbooks: You'll see ;) Too many spoilers. Awww thanks girl! That means a lot :)
The elf from Alagesia: It really is. Cassie has a pure gift at describing those. Thanks as always :)
Guest: Sorry! *grins evilly*
BiblophilicLove: Haha sorry! It had to happen sooner or later. Thanks :)
The next couple of days passed by with no interruptions. It was a queer feeling for Tessa, since for the last few weeks they had encountered numerous obstacles along the way. To be sailing with nothing stopping them was quite odd indeed.
Tessa spent most of her time in the quaint library below deck that Will had shown her before the mutiny. And before the night under the stars. That felt like ages ago, almost like a distant dream. But it was real, as Will and the rest of the crew – Jem, Cecily, Sophie, Gideon, Charlotte, Henry, Gabriel, even Jessamine – were all real. Although, at the moment they all seemed preoccupied.
Tessa had been secretly hoping to have some alone time with Will, but that hadn't happened. She only saw him during meals and in passing through the corridors, but he had this aloofness to him that was not there before. Often times he was locked in his quarters with Jem and Henry, doing furtive business of some sorts.
"What is it that he's busy with in there?" Tessa had asked Jem the day before. She had been standing beside him by the rail, overlooking the ocean. The sun was beginning to set, casting an orange hue across the waters.
"He's just trying to navigate the sea, that's all," Jem had shrugged, though by the tone of his voice, he was definitely hiding something.
"Is there something you're not telling me?" Tessa had said, turning to Jem and narrowing her eyes.
"Will's business is his own," Jem had said. "I'm only there to help him out."
"I wonder where we're going next," Tessa had pondered.
"You shall find out soon, Theresa Gray," Jem had said cryptically, then sauntered away from Tessa, leaving her alone.
Tessa still stood at the rail, though the sun was starting to creep out from behind the clouds. They had sailed for a total of three days, and there was still no land in sight. She wondered what they had next in store. With Mortmain defeated and Marbas dead, it seemed like all of their adventures had come to a halt.
"Tessa," said a voice behind her. She whirled around to see Sophie standing there. Sophie. She was the one constant that Tessa had by her side through this whole journey. Even though they were separated here and there, they had still reunited at some point or another.
"You didn't call me 'Miss'," Tessa mused. "What is it?"
Sophie flushed. "Mind if I join you?"
"Of course." Tessa gestured to the space beside her, and Sophie came to stand. Tessa always forgot how the other girl was the same height as her, and for a change Tessa didn't have to look down when addressing someone. The perks of being a tall girl, she supposed.
"Where is Gideon?" Tessa asked out of pure curiosity. Sophie seemed to be spending a lot with the other boy, and two had definitely gotten closer. Though, Tessa thought to herself, it was the same story with Will.
"Oh," Sophie blushed a beet red, "he's busy. Has some duties to finish up."
"Ah I see," Tessa nodded her head. "He seems like a nice boy, don't you think?"
"Please don't tell anyone, Miss Tessa," Sophie said hurriedly.
"Sophie, how many times ought I tell you not to call me that?" Tessa said. "And of course I won't. Who would I tell?"
"Well, if the people at home…" Sophie trailed off.
"Home?" Tessa heard her own voice reverberating in her own head. By the Angel, she hadn't been home in so long. So much had happened since she had last been home that it was impossible to wrap her head around the very thought. It was as if she nearly –
"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Sophie interrupted sternly.
"Of course not," Tessa said, a little too fast. "It's just, after all the adventures that we've been on for the last few weeks, I never dreamt that we'd ever see home again. It is as if it no longer exists, like it is its own island that we will never reach."
"But it is real, Tessa," Sophie said firmly. "It's where you and I both belong."
"Do you ever think we'll see it again?" Tessa asked. She realized with a pang that she missed her parents, the palace at Idris, the streets of the city, and though she would never admit, but a little life of royalty. Though Tessa much preferred this new life of thrill and adventure, there was still an innate part of her that longed for what she once had.
But change was good. And she liked this new change, and the new friends that she had made.
"I think we will," Sophie said, though her voice quavered ever so slightly.
Tessa returned to her attention back to the sea before them to see a thicket of fog had formed. As Ithuriel trudged her way through the fog, it began to peel back, revealing what lay before them. Land.
Not any land. It was a land with a city. As they approached, Tessa could see a port and small structures dotting the water. And beyond that was a palace, one she hadn't seen in forever.
"Sophie," Tessa said breathlessly. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Yes," said a voice, but not Sophie. Will reappeared at her side, though he was not looking at her, but rather at the scene unfolding before them. "Welcome home, Tess," he whispered in her ear.
Home. It felt a million miles away, and yet she was here. As Tessa walked the gangway along with the rest of the crew, she felt a buzzing sensation run through her body, followed by a nervous set of flutters in her stomach. What were her parents going to do when they saw her? They probably thought she was missing or worse off, dead.
As she walked the streets, she saw a sign on the side that caught her eyes. She quickly skimmed it and gasped when she was done, turning to walk forward.
Apparently her parents were offering a handsome sum for her return. As Tessa suspected, they thought she, along with her "brother", were missing and were giving more money than Tessa thought they had to whoever returned them. Or more like her at this point in time. She glimpsed over at Will to see if he had read the signs – they were all over now – but his expression was guarded.
Was Will going to turn her over? Was that why he was keeping a distance from her? No, it couldn't have been… he had said that he loved her and had treated her with utmost kindness and respect. He couldn't have. Unless…
"Will," she began to say, but they were stopped abruptly.
"We're here," he said without glancing at her.
Indeed they were. They were standing in front of a grandiose stone structure, made entirely of pearlescent white stone. It appeared as pristine as it ever had before. Tessa couldn't believe they were there, yet they truly were.
There were guards lined up in front of the gates, as there always were. She recognized one of them, as they came close. Cyril Tanner.
"Miss Tessa?" he sputtered, disbelief crossing his face.
"Hello, Cyril," Tessa smiled.
"You're back," he said, shaking his head.
"So I am," Tessa said.
"Well, I – do come along," Cyril said, as the gates drew back, fully revealing the palace. "Your companions can come as well."
They followed Cyril through the great gates and into the entrance of the palace. It was as if Tessa never left, as she stepped through and walked along the long corridor. She new exactly where Cyril was leading them to: the throne room.
The doors opened, revealing the grand room before them. At the far end were two thrones, nearly identical in size. In them sat a man with dark brown hair and a trim beard, and to his right was a woman with fair hair and light blue eyes. King Richard and Queen Elizabeth. Tessa's parents.
"Theresa?" her mother was the first to speak.
"Hello mother," Tessa smiled weakly. "Father." She nodded at her father.
Relief passed through both of their eyes, and Tessa felt a huge weight drop off of her. They grinned at her, and Tessa returned it.
"It's been far too long, my daughter," her father spoke at last.
"What are you wearing, Theresa?" her mother said, narrowing her eyes at Tessa. A princess was never supposed to wear such revealing clothes. They were fitted for only proper dresses and the sorts.
"Oh this?" Tessa indicated to her clothes by tugging on the sleeves.
"Who are these companions?" her father asked before she could say anything more.
"Oh them," Tessa gestured to all of them. "They're who brought me back. This is – "
"Heron the Great," King Richard said, his voice trembling and eyes widening. "Guards!" boomed Richard. "Sound the alarm. And arrest all of them."
Oops? Guess you'll find out what happens next soon. Next update: this weekend! Hopefully.
Which is good timing because things are starting to get hectic at school. And I'm now running out of steam on this story. And on top of that, I've been passing time watching Teen Wolf hehe. Instead of doing work. But hey, that's life.
So continue being amazing! Because we're almost done!
~The Pale Red Queen