Right, you know my characters, that I don't own POTC, etc. etc.
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Argh, this is what I get for leaving the story for a few days!...I'm sorry if it's a little different than the other chapters!
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Chapter 4: Arianne's Escape
On her way back home, Arianne tried to think of how she could make it out of her house without anyone noticing. She came up with nothing. Sighing in exasperation, she finally came back to her home, and entered. Looking furtively about, she discovered that Amos was nowhere in sight. Thanking God for the miracle, she made her way to the parlor to read some before the dreaded meeting. However, just as she was opening her book in her favorite chair, her father entered the room.
"Ah, Arianne," he said, in a highly good mood. "You know you're to meet him this afternoon, then?"
"I'm to meet whom, Father?" she asked innocently.
Irritation settled in her father's features. "I thought Amos had told you. He gave you the dress, I see," Her father said thoughtfully. "Ah well, it doesn't matter," he said, happiness lighting his face again. "I've found someone who has agreed to meet you, and if he likes what he sees--" and her father's sudden expression said that he had BETTER like what he saw, "--he'll marry you! Of course, he knows nothing of your running about the docks and such, consorting with pirates, wearing men's clothing...but what he doesn't know can't hurt him. He'll be here any minute now, Arianne, I suggest you put that wretched book about pirates away...and be on your best behavior!" Excited, he left the room humming to himself.
Arianne rolled her eyes, sighing, and opened the book anyway, intending to read until her "future husband" arrived. She began to read a new chapter in the book about Captian Blackthorn the pirate (completely fictional, of course, but what did that matter? It was exciting!), and was soon totally engrossed in the story.
*********************************
Will, back at the blacksmith's shop, sat staring off into space. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get the image of Arianne out of his mind. Soon enough, he found himself fantasizing about her, what it would be like to be married to her...but then he caught himself. He was already married. And besides, she was likely to be married off shortly anyway, perhaps within the month! Then a thought struck him: she probably thought of him as no more than a sword instructor and the local blacksmith. Hell, she was likely more interested in Jack than she was in him. Jack was the most famous pirate in these waters, Jack had had tons of adventures (regaining the Black Pearl and breaking its curse only one of the most recent), and Will had only had one adventure, really. Suddenly, he felt a dislike for Jack.
He groaned inwardly. He really needed to get his mind off of Arianne. What if a customer came in and found him mooning about the shop like a lovesick puppy? Shaking his head, he wondered what Jack wanted to talk about this evening that he had to meet him at the ship. It was a little odd--sure, Jack was proud of his ship, but he only asked Will to meet him there when he had something important to talk about that he'd prefer the townsfolk not hear. He could come up with nothing, and with a longsuffering sigh, he went to work on a blade, doing his best not to think of Arianne's big eyes, amongst other aspects.
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A loud knocking brought her out of the world of pirates and the sea, and she suddenly felt panicked. Putting the book away, she frantically tried to figure a way to get out of the house this evening before supper. Suddenly, pain jabbed her again from her nearly forgotten bruises and the panic dissipated slightly. Not much, but slightly. Hearing her father speaking to someone in the front hall and approaching the parlor, she composed her features--though inwardly she was still roiling--and sat back down in the chair. The dreaded meeting was finally about to begin.
"Yes, yes, she should be right in here, Sir James. A delightful girl, I tell you..." she heard her father say just as he rounded the corner and entered the room with someone following close behind. Hearing the name "Sir James," she wondered if this were the one she thought it was, desperately hoping it was not.
Her hopes were shattered.
The man that entered the room after her father was not only older than her, but he was OLD! He could have been her great grandfather! It was no wonder he knew nothing about her, he hadn't been out of his house in years that she knew of. Would she be expected to..."perform"...with him? Disgusted at that thought, she carefully kept her devastation hidden behind a pleasant smile on her lips. Standing up, she curtsied low to Sir James, the Sir James she had feared it was, and more pain stabbed through her ribs.
Sir James held out his hand to her, and she took it, dreading feeling those old wrinkled lips on her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Bailey," he said, and bent over her hand and kissed it. Not only were his lips wrinkled, they felt like a dried snakeskin.
Repressing a shudder, Arianne replied, "The honor is mine, Sir James." Even more urgently, she tried to think of a way to get out. Not only before supper, but NOW.
The greeting finished, her father and Sir James sat down to discuss the terms of her dowry and such. She saw her chance. Murmuring apologies and the excuse of needing to freshen up in the bathroom, she left the parlor and hurried up to her own rooms. Thankfully, Amos was still nowhere in sight. As she locked herself inside her bedroom, she breathed a sigh of relief. More likely than not, her father and Sir James wouldn't even miss her for at least an hour.
She rummaged through her wardrobe, and at last found the old, tattered pairs of pants and the oversized shirts she saved for roaming the docks. Wanting to remove the dress and the thrice-damned corset, she searched her small suite of rooms--bedroom, bathroom, and small sitting room--, but she couldn't find Katie anywhere, and didn't dare risk calling her. Sighing in frustration, she stuffed the shirts and pants--grabbing a few undergarments just to be safe--into a sewing bag. Another of those irritating things her father wanted her to learn...sewing was such a bore! Rarely did she keep any sewing projects in the bag. Needles and a bit of black or brown thread she did keep though. If her pants or shirt tore, she could repair them. About the only thing sewing was good for, in her opinion.
Now that she had a few supplies with her, she had to figure a way of escape. She couldn't just waltz out the front door, or the back door, for that matter...even the servant's passage was off limits. About the only way she could get out would be through the window...she walked over to it and looked out, cursing being on the second floor. It was going to be hard to get out that way, but she had no other option.
Using a trick she had learned in one of her books, she started knotting sheets together securely.
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As Arianne was tying her sheets in knots, Jack was to wandering around town. Seeing Arianne's brother alone and walking purposefully, a scowl on his face, Jack followed him, wondering where he would take him.
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Finally getting enough tied together for a good and sturdy rope, Arianne tied one end securely to a bed post, and draped the rest out of the window. She grimaced in dismay, knowing how hard this was going to be on her. Not only a dress and a corset, but bruised ribs on top of it. Looking down at the ground to make sure no one was about, she then inched herself out the window and started to make her way down the makeshift rope.
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Alrighty, another chapter finished, and no doubt more to come! Thanks so much to my reviewers, again! I really appreciate it!
***********************************************************************
Argh, this is what I get for leaving the story for a few days!...I'm sorry if it's a little different than the other chapters!
***********************************************************************
Chapter 4: Arianne's Escape
On her way back home, Arianne tried to think of how she could make it out of her house without anyone noticing. She came up with nothing. Sighing in exasperation, she finally came back to her home, and entered. Looking furtively about, she discovered that Amos was nowhere in sight. Thanking God for the miracle, she made her way to the parlor to read some before the dreaded meeting. However, just as she was opening her book in her favorite chair, her father entered the room.
"Ah, Arianne," he said, in a highly good mood. "You know you're to meet him this afternoon, then?"
"I'm to meet whom, Father?" she asked innocently.
Irritation settled in her father's features. "I thought Amos had told you. He gave you the dress, I see," Her father said thoughtfully. "Ah well, it doesn't matter," he said, happiness lighting his face again. "I've found someone who has agreed to meet you, and if he likes what he sees--" and her father's sudden expression said that he had BETTER like what he saw, "--he'll marry you! Of course, he knows nothing of your running about the docks and such, consorting with pirates, wearing men's clothing...but what he doesn't know can't hurt him. He'll be here any minute now, Arianne, I suggest you put that wretched book about pirates away...and be on your best behavior!" Excited, he left the room humming to himself.
Arianne rolled her eyes, sighing, and opened the book anyway, intending to read until her "future husband" arrived. She began to read a new chapter in the book about Captian Blackthorn the pirate (completely fictional, of course, but what did that matter? It was exciting!), and was soon totally engrossed in the story.
*********************************
Will, back at the blacksmith's shop, sat staring off into space. For some reason, he couldn't seem to get the image of Arianne out of his mind. Soon enough, he found himself fantasizing about her, what it would be like to be married to her...but then he caught himself. He was already married. And besides, she was likely to be married off shortly anyway, perhaps within the month! Then a thought struck him: she probably thought of him as no more than a sword instructor and the local blacksmith. Hell, she was likely more interested in Jack than she was in him. Jack was the most famous pirate in these waters, Jack had had tons of adventures (regaining the Black Pearl and breaking its curse only one of the most recent), and Will had only had one adventure, really. Suddenly, he felt a dislike for Jack.
He groaned inwardly. He really needed to get his mind off of Arianne. What if a customer came in and found him mooning about the shop like a lovesick puppy? Shaking his head, he wondered what Jack wanted to talk about this evening that he had to meet him at the ship. It was a little odd--sure, Jack was proud of his ship, but he only asked Will to meet him there when he had something important to talk about that he'd prefer the townsfolk not hear. He could come up with nothing, and with a longsuffering sigh, he went to work on a blade, doing his best not to think of Arianne's big eyes, amongst other aspects.
*********************************
A loud knocking brought her out of the world of pirates and the sea, and she suddenly felt panicked. Putting the book away, she frantically tried to figure a way to get out of the house this evening before supper. Suddenly, pain jabbed her again from her nearly forgotten bruises and the panic dissipated slightly. Not much, but slightly. Hearing her father speaking to someone in the front hall and approaching the parlor, she composed her features--though inwardly she was still roiling--and sat back down in the chair. The dreaded meeting was finally about to begin.
"Yes, yes, she should be right in here, Sir James. A delightful girl, I tell you..." she heard her father say just as he rounded the corner and entered the room with someone following close behind. Hearing the name "Sir James," she wondered if this were the one she thought it was, desperately hoping it was not.
Her hopes were shattered.
The man that entered the room after her father was not only older than her, but he was OLD! He could have been her great grandfather! It was no wonder he knew nothing about her, he hadn't been out of his house in years that she knew of. Would she be expected to..."perform"...with him? Disgusted at that thought, she carefully kept her devastation hidden behind a pleasant smile on her lips. Standing up, she curtsied low to Sir James, the Sir James she had feared it was, and more pain stabbed through her ribs.
Sir James held out his hand to her, and she took it, dreading feeling those old wrinkled lips on her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Bailey," he said, and bent over her hand and kissed it. Not only were his lips wrinkled, they felt like a dried snakeskin.
Repressing a shudder, Arianne replied, "The honor is mine, Sir James." Even more urgently, she tried to think of a way to get out. Not only before supper, but NOW.
The greeting finished, her father and Sir James sat down to discuss the terms of her dowry and such. She saw her chance. Murmuring apologies and the excuse of needing to freshen up in the bathroom, she left the parlor and hurried up to her own rooms. Thankfully, Amos was still nowhere in sight. As she locked herself inside her bedroom, she breathed a sigh of relief. More likely than not, her father and Sir James wouldn't even miss her for at least an hour.
She rummaged through her wardrobe, and at last found the old, tattered pairs of pants and the oversized shirts she saved for roaming the docks. Wanting to remove the dress and the thrice-damned corset, she searched her small suite of rooms--bedroom, bathroom, and small sitting room--, but she couldn't find Katie anywhere, and didn't dare risk calling her. Sighing in frustration, she stuffed the shirts and pants--grabbing a few undergarments just to be safe--into a sewing bag. Another of those irritating things her father wanted her to learn...sewing was such a bore! Rarely did she keep any sewing projects in the bag. Needles and a bit of black or brown thread she did keep though. If her pants or shirt tore, she could repair them. About the only thing sewing was good for, in her opinion.
Now that she had a few supplies with her, she had to figure a way of escape. She couldn't just waltz out the front door, or the back door, for that matter...even the servant's passage was off limits. About the only way she could get out would be through the window...she walked over to it and looked out, cursing being on the second floor. It was going to be hard to get out that way, but she had no other option.
Using a trick she had learned in one of her books, she started knotting sheets together securely.
**************************************
As Arianne was tying her sheets in knots, Jack was to wandering around town. Seeing Arianne's brother alone and walking purposefully, a scowl on his face, Jack followed him, wondering where he would take him.
**************************************
Finally getting enough tied together for a good and sturdy rope, Arianne tied one end securely to a bed post, and draped the rest out of the window. She grimaced in dismay, knowing how hard this was going to be on her. Not only a dress and a corset, but bruised ribs on top of it. Looking down at the ground to make sure no one was about, she then inched herself out the window and started to make her way down the makeshift rope.
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Alrighty, another chapter finished, and no doubt more to come! Thanks so much to my reviewers, again! I really appreciate it!