Chapter 9
Jim walked off the balcony and back into the castle, his nerves rattled. He had Morph change into a telescope and he saw Ariel and Eric way out on that ship. Then he saw Eric and the crew leave below-deck, and a couple minutes later, a man emerged from the ocean on a wave. But not just any man. This man had a head full of silver hair, and he grasped a long, golden pitch fork.
That was King Triton himself, King of the Ocean. Jim ached to know what Ariel was talking about with her father. If he would have gone with them, he would be his sneaky self and eavesdrop. He guessed the conversation wasn't a happy one since the merman's face was scrunched up and the trident he was holding was glowing. And Ariel looked scared and desperate. She was probably begging her father to allow her to stay on land. But why? She didn't want to marry Eric...
No, she wanted to be with Jim. Her almost kissing him was plenty evidence of that, as well as her saying that she wanted to reject Eric's proposal because of him.
"Don't think about it," he said to himself as he walked down the hallway that led to his room, and as Morph floated next to him as he went. "I need to finish packing."
He entered his quarters and saw his suitcase open, but with nothing in it. Okay, so maybe he never started packing. He doesn't have much, anyway—just his uniform, civvies, undergarments, and a few souvenirs he wants to take with him—those will go in another suitcase. He could pack an hour before he leaves and be done before the portal opens. Lieutenant McHillen stopped him earlier this morning and explained that the portal will be opened in his office at 5pm sharp, no exceptions, and Jim will return directly to his home residence where his mother and most likely Delbert and his cat and dog family will be waiting.
"I can't believe this is happening Morph," he said as he sat on his bed, next to his open suitcase. "I'm really leaving." Morph jutted out his bottom lip. "It's sad, I know. I'm going to miss this place... the castle, the ocean, Eric, Ariel..." He met his pink blob friend's eyes. "Morph, just between you and me, I think I'm going to miss Ariel most of all. I've never liked a girl like this before, and it kinda hurts that I'm going to leave her, knowing that she feels the same way about me. And I'm never going to see her again..." Morph changed into a miniature Eric, standing with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out in exaggeration. Jim chuckled. "Yes, I'm going to miss Eric, too. He comes in at a close second, if not tied."
Jim thought about Eric for a moment. Has Ariel told him that she doesn't want to marry him? What would he think when he finds out that she doesn't want to marry him because she fell for his best friend?
"Stop thinking about, Jim!" he chided himself again.
But he couldn't help it. Jim may leave this planet with his best friend hating him for falling for the girl he loves.
As Jim expected, when he saw Eric come in from that little voyage on the ship, he gave Jim not a mean look, but look of jealousy and disappointment. Jim stood over near the entrance to the stairs, ready to head to the throne room doors after he packed. He decided to just get the packing done and over with so he didn't have to worry about it later. He wanted to worry about getting his last duties done here and saying goodbye to his fellow guards since they didn't know about his change of assignment yet.
After Eric walked in through the large doors that led to the outside, Ariel came in behind him. She immediately saw Jim standing there, and stared at him. Eric noticed this and walked on, away from Ariel and Jim. Jim looked between the two for a moment. He knew talking to Ariel now wouldn't be such a good idea, so he turned and followed after Eric, who as ascending the stairs. In the hallway leading to the one where Eric's room is on, Jim caught up to him near a suit of armor.
"Hey, Eric, wait a second." Eric stopped, but didn't say anything. "So, um... I kinda used a telescope to watch what was going on on your ship out there. I saw Ariel talk to her father, and it didn't look like a happy conversation. At least the first part of it."
"No, I suppose it wasn't." He turned to face Jim, his look weary. "He wasn't happy with the idea that Ariel has been with humans this whole time, but he agreed to let her be here for at least a little while longer. I don't know how long that is, though."
Jim nodded, and noticed Eric's sad eyes. "What's the matter? Something else happened, huh? Your face says it all."
Eric took a large breath before revealing, "She rejected my proposal."
Jim should feign surprise, but he just couldn't do it, knowing the reason why Ariel rejected Eric. "I'm sorry, Eric. I got your hopes up."
"No, you didn't know." He gave him a pointed look. "Unless you did."
"What?"
Eric folded his arms and gave Jim an accusatory look. "Why, Jim? Why couldn't you just tell me that you were interested in Ariel?"
Oh, shoot... "Eric, listen..."
He took a step up to Jim, and he could see the anger in his eyes. "She rejected me because of you, and I was totally surprised at that. I mean, I noticed that you two were close because you could understand her when I couldn't, but..." He shook his head. "Jim, is there anything going on between the two of you? For real?"
Jim figured it would be better to just tell the truth. "To be honest, no. She came on to me, but I never did anything towards her, even though at times, I was very tempted to. But it doesn't matter if there's something going on or not since I'm leaving."
"It does matter, Jim. She wanted to go out on my ship not because she wanted to ask her father if it was alright that she marry me, she asked him if it's possible to go to where you're from."
Jim's mouth opened, honestly surprised at this. "Are you serious? That's what she talked to her father about?"
Eric creased his brows. "You had no idea?"
"No. I mean, I told her about how I leave through a portal, but we never planned anything. I wouldn't plan anything with her to begin with."
Eric nodded and rubbed his chin. "Alright, I believe you. So... how do you get to where you're from? This portal... how is it created?"
Jim automatically thought back to when he was first introduced to this test at the Interstellar Academy. They told him never to divulge any information about the technology on Montressor, and that includes that transmitter and the globe that allows that portal to open. The people will not understand since that kind of technology didn't exist on Earth. "Sorry, Eric. I can't tell you that. It's confidential."
Eric stepped up to him, desperation in his eyes. "Please, just give me a hint."
"I can't. It's just one of the rules I have to adhere to."
"But I'm your best friend."
"I know you are, but..." He needed an ultimatum. "Look, Eric, are you sure you want me to say something, risking Ariel following after me? She had feelings for you, strong ones that brought her to leave her home and family, go to the sea witch, lose her voice and became human. She did all that she did for you. I don't think those feelings would just disappear. Once I'm gone, Ariel will soon forget about me will remember those feelings that she had for you."
Eric stared at him, and Jim hoped that this worked. It was true, though, as much as it pained Jim to say it. Eric finally said, "I suppose you have a point, but what if she doesn't? What if she can't forget you?"
"Then there are other girls, Eric. You have a whole kingdom full of them, as well as other kingdoms."
Eric nodded, not seeming excited about the prospect of going after other girls. Jim knew that Eric has turned away a few of them. Ariel was the first girl Jim has seen Eric go after. Or knew that he went after, actually. "I don't know, Jim... Ariel, she's..."
"Amazing? Hilarious? Mysterious? The most beautiful girl any guy would ever see?"
Eric smirked. "You're really crazy about her, huh? Now really... how come you never said anything about your feelings for her?"
"Well, one, since you're crazy about her and I didn't want you hating me for being crazy about her also; and two, because chasing after the girl that the prince is after is just a recipe for being fired and failing my test. And that in turn could cause a whole lot of problems."
Eric gave Jim a disbelieving look. "I wouldn't hate you, Jim. I may be a little upset and jealous, but I could never hate you."
"So... you forgive me for not saying anything, then?" Jim asked hopefully.
Eric nodded. "Yes, I do. I mean, you can't help who you fall in love with, can you?"
Fall in love? Jim just liked Ariel, right?
"Are you sure I can't visit you? Or you can come back and visit us?"
Jim noticed the sad look in Eric's eyes. "I don't know if it's possible for me to, Eric. I mean, maybe, but..."
Jim knew that the portal could definitely send him back if he so desires to, after sending the request to McHillen via the transmitter, but he had already made the decision not to return. He would love to see Eric again, but if there was a possibility that Ariel would be around and would be married to Eric, he would rather not.
"Do whatever you can, Jim. If I can't go there, you can come here. Please. Maybe when your test is over."
Jim nodded, not wanting to oppose that. "Alright, Eric."
Eric beamed. "That's great, Jim. I think I may go crazy if you never showed your face here again." He slapped Jim on the shoulder. "Well, how would you like to go take The Sea Pearl on the water for a while? Just you and me. Before you leave. I'll have a word with Lieutenant McHillen, saying that I need you as my guard out there for a while. He won't object."
Jim couldn't help but grin at the idea. "That would be awesome. Alright. Let's go."
Both guys turned, and after Eric spoke to McHillen, they went out on the ship and Jim felt relief and... joy. He never thought he would feel joy right before he would leave. Honestly, he was a bit shocked, because of being oddly happy and because of the way Eric was reacting. He thought that Eric would hate him because Ariel rejected him because of him, but... Eric was grinning as he took command of the helm. He actually was excited at the thought of Jim coming back again. Jim smirked as he stood near his friend as the sea air whipped his brown hair. Eric was really a special person to Jim, and he is, admittedly, one of the best things that has happened to him for a while. Having a friend who cares about you enough that he forgives you for having feelings for the girl he loves is rare. Jim was thankful that he had such a friend. He wasn't looking forward to actually saying goodbye to him.
"It has been an honor to work with you."
Jim shook Johanson's hand, as well as the hands of the other guards he has worked with for the past two months. It was bittersweet, but they knew that he was moving on to better things. A lot of them were just jealous that he would be returning home. Honestly, Jim was shaking with excitement at seeing his mother and his friends again.
"It has been an honor as well," Jim said. The more large and pudgier of the group, Harrington, gave Jim a rather large bear hug. He patted the young man's back. "Alright, I'm going to miss you, too, big guy," Jim said as he struggled to breathe from the hold. Harrington released him and Jim took a look at his pocket watch. It was four already. He wanted to say goodbye to Eric one last time, and... should he say goodbye to Ariel?
He should. He has been avoiding her all day, thinking he was just going to leave without seeing her so it would make the separation easier, but... it only seemed right to say goodbye.
Jim left his guard friends and walked across the large entry corridor and made it to the throne room since he was summoned by the king and queen only a few minutes before. The guards there let him in, with saying their own final goodbyes as well, and Jim entered the spacious throne room with a red carpet leading up to the thrones. The king and queen sat on the luxurious chairs there, and Eric stood near his father, who looked exactly like him, only twenty-five years older. The man saw Jim.
"Cadet Hawkins," he said with a friendly smile as soon as Jim was standing in front of them. "You are leaving soon, am I correct?"
Jim bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty. It has been such an honor to work here in the castle and to be acquainted with such lovely people such as yourselves."
"The honor has been ours," the queen said, a woman with blonde hair and bright blue eyes. "You have been one of our most beloved guards here, and a favorite. Do not tell the other guards that." She winked, and Jim couldn't help but let a smile of gratitude cross his lips.
Jim stood straight again. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"We wish you well in your test, as well as luck to achieve your goals," the king said. "Eric has told us about your desire to sometime become a general in the military, and I believe that a very noble aspiration. We are sure that you will become such if you perform as you have here."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"You are very welcome." He turned to his wife. "Now my dear, we must go meet with The Duke of LaMere, who is to arrive here shortly. Eric, you will join us, but only after you say goodbye to your dear friend. Come, My Queen."
The king and queen rose from their seats and eventually left the throne room, leaving Eric and Jim alone in the massive room that made them seem as small as ants. Eric took in a large, shaky breath and let it out. Jim noticed the guy's eyes redden. "So... I guess this is it, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. I can hardly believe it. I'm actually going home."
"I'm going to miss you, Jim. You've been a very good friend."
"Aside from falling for the girl you love, right?"
"That's all in the past. And speaking of which, have you said goodbye to her yet?"
"No, I was going to do that before I grab my things and head to Lieutenant McHillen's office." He's going to be jumping through the portal there, but Eric doesn't need to know that. "I have to speak with him before I leave, and he'll take me to that portal I told you about."
Eric nodded, and he sniffed, then wiped his eyes. Jim felt his own eyes start to sting. He knew this wasn't going to be an easy goodbye. "Are you sure you're not going to tell me about this portal?" Eric asked.
"I can't. I want to, but... I just can't."
Eric nodded again, and again, wiped his eyes, but missed a tear which fell down to his chin. "That's too bad. Just... make sure you visit, okay? You're like a brother to me. I don't want this to be our last goodbye." His voice broke on the last word.
That did it. Jim embraced his friend and he let the tears escape. "I'll try to visit, pal. I promise."
Eric embraced him tightly and patted his back. "You better James Pleades Hawkins."
"I regret telling you my middle name."
Eric chuckled and let Jim go. Both guys had to wipe their wet eyes. "Well, you should probably go find Ariel. She's been spending her day on the beach."
"Right. Well... goodbye, Eric."
"Goodbye, Jim. Safe travels. And say hello to your mother for me. And thank her for having such an awesome son."
Jim was happy that Eric finally used the word awesome, after thinking it such a ridiculous word before since it sounded odd and lazy. "I will."
Jim turned and walked down the red carpet to the double-doors. Once at the doors, he turned and waved at his friend, who waved back. He gave Eric one last smile and left out the door. As he was walking to the door that led to the outside, he wiped his eye. Morph came out of his pocket and gave him a sad look. "Geez, Morph, why do I have to be such a crybaby?" Morph licked Jim's cheek and nuzzled it. "Thanks, buddy. I needed that."
Jim made it to the doors, walked out onto the terrace, then down some steps to a gate that opened to a path that led to the beach. The warm wind blowing his hair every which-way, he stopped at the end of the path, his boots sinking a little in the dry sand. He stopped, and Morph went back into his pocket. There Ariel was... sitting on a rock near the tide pool. Jim started walking up to her and the closer he got, he noticed that a yellow fish was poking its head out of the water. The little red crab was sitting next to Ariel on the rock as well. When she caught sight of Jim, she gasped and stood up. She wore an emerald green dress that was much like the blue one that she wore before. It contrasted drastically with her red hair.
"Cadet Hawkins!"
"Hello, Ariel. And... I think it's about time you call me Jim. Given I'm leaving in less than an hour, but still. It would be nice to have you call me by my actual name before I leave."
She stepped off the rock and onto the wet sand, into which Jim's boots were sinking farther than in the dry sand. Ariel's blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight, and her red hair shined brilliantly. Jim almost forgot how to breathe, so much was her beauty. "Alright. Jim."
He tried with difficulty to not let his name in her sweet and melodic voice affect him.
"Are you really leaving in an hour?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm afraid I am. I just wanted to say how much of an honor it was to know you, and be your friend and interpreter for a time."
Sadness filled her eyes. "So... you're saying goodbye. For good."
Her bottom lip began to tremble, and her pretty eyes started to glisten. Jim's gut twisted. "Yes. I will be leaving and I am not likely to return. I hope to visit at some point in the future, but it may be a while, given that I will by busy with finishing my test and hopefully entering the Navy."
"The Interstellar Navy," she corrected, and she took a step to him, her eyes pleading with him. "Please, can you tell me about this portal? How is it done? Where? I wanted to..."
She trailed off, and looked away from him at the tide pool where her fish and crab friend were. Jim knew what she was going to say, though, remembering what she asked of her father. "I'm sorry, Ariel. That is one thing that I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to. I was told by my Lieutenant at the academy not to even speak of it. I broke that rule by telling you and Eric the truth about me, and that the portal exists."
She pursed her lips, but then the frown there turned into a sad smile. She met his eyes and rose her arm, and the gentle touch of her fingers on his cheek made his heart pulse. "I'll miss you, Jim."
She stood on her tip-toes and pressed her lips against his cheek in a sweet kiss. His limbs started to weaken at the feeling of her soft mouth against his skin, and he wanted to do nothing but turn his head slightly so his mouth would meet hers, and he could kiss her like he desperately wanted to. But that wasn't an option. Not now, not ever.
She brought herself back in front of him and took a step back. "Well, I suppose you should be on your way, then. It was a pleasure to know you as well and... also, it was really fun to have you interpret what I was saying when I couldn't speak."
Jim was still trying to get over that little kiss she gave him. "Yes, well... it was a lot of fun for me, too. It really tested my skills."
"You did well."
"Thank you."
They stood there as the sun shined, the waves roared, and the salty wind blew. Ariel had a sweet, flowery scent about her, and it was blown his way by the wind. If he stayed another moment in her intoxicating presence, he would lose it.
"Goodbye, Ariel. I hope you have a wonderful life as a human."
"Thank you. And I will. Goodbye, Jim."
He made one last nod to her and turned in the wet sand and strode up the beach. He didn't look back. He knew that if he did... he's not going to think about it. He needs to go and get his two suitcases, one filled with clothing and the other with souvenirs, and bring them and himself to Lieutenant McHillen's office.
He went back inside the castle and retrieved his suitcases, and was soon at Lieutenant McHillan's office doors. He knocked and the Lieutenant said to come in. Jim did so and found the man at his desk, writing something with a feather pen. He looked up when Jim entered the room and Jim sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. "Ah, Cadet Hawkins."
"Yes, Sir."
"Are you ready to go home?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, Sir."
"I hope you had enough time to say your final goodbyes to everyone."
"Yes, more than enough time, and... I honestly have to say that they were not the easiest goodbyes to make."
"I'm sure they weren't. But... you are moving on."
He stood up and went over to a locked cabinet. He pulled out a key on his belt and opened the cabinet doors to reveal an average-looking globe that looked as if it was browning with age, but only looked like that so others wouldn't know its true identity—it was the means to opening the portal. Lieutenant McHillen took it out and placed it on his desk in front of Jim. Jim stared at it, his pulse rising in anticipation.
"Now, it is almost five o'clock. When that hand hits the five," he pointed to the clock on the wall, "I will open the portal to Montressor and you will step through and immediately, you will be standing in front of Benbow Inn."
Jim nodded. "Understood, Sir."
The older man in uniform put his hands behind his back. "Now, a few words before you leave, Cadet Hawkins. I want to say what a fine job you have done in this part of your test. You have performed excellently and followed the orders given to you, no matter how menial. And that is what I believe this test was all about. While it tested your emotions because of that red-headed young woman, it also taught you that as part of your occupation, you will have to perform menial work. Sometimes you just have to do menial things in the army."
Jim gathered as much. A lot of the time in the past two months, he was rather bored. "Yes, Sir."
"And," the Lieutenant continued, "I wish to tell you that I have contacted the Interstellar Academy and told them about your performance. When you return, you will spend two days at home with your family and friends, and then you will return to the academy where you will be briefed further regarding the rest of your test."
"Locating Captain Silver," Jim finished.
"Yes."
Jim had always itched with curiosity regarding Lieutenant McHillien's past. "Lieutenant, I would like to ask something more before the clock strikes five in a couple of minutes."
"Very well."
"How were you first introduced to my home planet, Montressor? How did you know about Captain Silver?"
The man stared at Jim for a moment, his gaze hard. "I am afraid there is not enough time for that story, Cadet Hawkins. But I will say that I have been to your planet before. That is all I am going to say."
This was news to him! "You have been to Montressor before?"
"Yes. But we will not go into it, like I said." He tuned toward the globe and pressed the top of it, where the spinner was attached to the top of the globe. The globe started to glow blue light, and the pictures of land on the globe turned to little transparent orbs. The globe looked like a miniature version of the space map on Treasure Planet. When this one was discovered on a planet that Jim was never told about, the interstellar government took hold of it just for the purpose of letting the military use it for these tests given to the cadets, as well as other purposes.
Jim recognized an orb in the globe. It was Montressor. Lieutenant McHillen pressed it and stood back. Both he and Jim stood away from the desk as a door opened, only large enough for one person to go through. Jim gasped. He could see Benbow in right there! And there was his mother, and Delbert with his wife and family! Tears came to his eyes.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lieutenant McHillen prodded him.
The group apparently saw the door and started cheering. Jim took a step to it, but turned to his Lieutenant and saluted. "Thank you for everything, Sir. It has been an honor."
The man saluted back. "Yes, it has, Cadet Hawkins. Good luck."
Jim nodded and stepped to the door. Once through it, the door closed behind him and he immediately felt the cool Montressor air, as well as his breath being knocked out of him because his mother bombarded him in a hug.
He's home. For good. No more Earth. No more Eric...
No more Ariel.