Part Two:

~*~

It was a few hours into Horatio and Archie's expedition that Horatio came to
the realisation that his navigational skills weren't very good in dense
vegetation, as they were completely lost. Sitting down on a nearby boulder,
Horatio was about to launch into a self-obsessed brooding session over his
apparent lack of good sense of direction, when the two men heard a rustling
sound. This would not have been particularly surprising - as they were in a
densely vegetated area - if it weren't for the fact that the 'something'
making the noise was in fact a 'someone'. A 'someone' who appeared as startled
at seeing Horatio and Archie as they were at seeing him.

After a brief awkward silence and then an introduction, it emerged that the
stranger's name was Adam Pierson and he lived a reclusive life on the island.
He didn't mention how he got there, or how long the island had been his home.
In fact, he appeared to get very vague whenever he was asked a question about
himself or his life. He preferred to ask the two seamen the questions.
Eventually, Pierson invited the two men back to his cave, as it was getting
dark and it was nigh impossible to navigate throughout the forest during the
night, even if you knew the way. The two men accepted, of course, but there
was something about Adam that Horatio couldn't quite put his finger on.
Something strange. Maybe it was the way that he kept on looking at Archie
strangely, or the fact that he carried a sword. Even more worrying was the
realisation that Adam hadn't actually told the two anything about himself. He
had been so adept at evading any questions, that neither Archie nor Horatio
really knew the first thing about the man other than the fact that he liked
tea. Horatio resolved to figure the man out that night.

It was during the dinner that night that a strange thing happened. Adam had
been cutting up a piece of meat to cook for the two men when he had
accidentally slipped and cut right down his arm. Horatio stood up to help him
immediately and was surprised by the way in which Adam refused his help.

"You need to have that bandaged right away!" Hornblower exclaimed, his eyes
gleaming with worry. Adam, however, refused help once again, turning away from
the two men and muttering about going outside to clean up the wound. That was
too much for Horatio. He, Horatio Hornblower wasn't going to let this man end
up with an infected wound. He grabbed at Pierson's other arm to stop him from
going and suddenly noticed the lightning. Blue electricity surged up and down
the open wound, knitting skin together, until the cut was completely healed.

Hornblower looked up at Adam's face.

"I think you owe us an explanation."

~*~

And so it was that Horatio learnt of Immortals: a race that can only truly die
after decapitation. He learnt of the way in which Immortals came back to life
after a 'temporary' death. He learnt of the Game, of the Buzz and of the
Quickening. In fact, Horatio learnt a great deal that night. He was having a
hard time believing it all, but seeing as he had no other way to explain
Adam's ability to heal himself almost immediately, he decided that the
Immortal explanation would have to do for the moment. Seized with a terrible
doubt that maybe he wasn't being logical or rational enough, Horatio asked
Archie for his opinion on the matter while Adam was out of the cave cleaning
up. When Archie didn't answer right away, Horatio became a little worried.

Archie had been particularly quiet that night. He had spent most of it sitting
still and silently gazing into the distance. Horatio sighed. *Archie must be
very tired*, it had been a long day after all. Upon Horatio's insistence,
Archie finally did answer him. Kennedy conceded that it had been a
particularly stressful day and that he was very tired. He also had a sore
neck, which Horatio attributed to the painful-looking bruise he had managed to
collect under his chin. Upon Horatio's bidding, he agreed to turn in for an
early night's sleep.

Not too much later, Adam returned to the cave. Archie had already moved over
to the sleeping area and was slumbering like the dead. Horatio smiled
paternally at the calm form. He looked so vulnerable when he was asleep, when
the barriers he used to keep people at a distance during the day disappeared.
Horatio mused over Archie's mood for that day. He had been a little
melancholic during the morning, but had cheered up to a contented silence
which had remained for the rest of the day.

Adam joined Horatio at the eating area, and followed his gaze to the dormant
Archie. Horatio noticed that Adam still looked at Archie strangely, and he
decided that it was time to gain satisfaction for his piqued curiosity.

"There's something I need to tell you about Archie Kennedy, Horatio," Pierson
answered quietly. "It's to do with why I actually told you about Immortals. We
don't tell everyone about us, or there would be constant trouble. But I
thought you'd need to know about us, for Archie's sake, and for your one."

~*~

The glistening rays of the fresh morning sun trickled through the canopy of
island trees to bathe Horatio in soft dappled light. He smiled in appreciation
of the simple beauty that nature could provide. Leaning back, he looked over
to Archie, who had been practising with a sword that morning and was now also
sprawled out on the soft ground, propped up against a boulder. It had been
about a week, from Horatio's calculations, he mused lazily, since they had
left the crew's camp. Maybe they should go back. But Archie seemed so much
happier here. Quieter, but happier. They had become much closer also, now that
they had been forced to interact with each other on such an intimate basis.
Horatio didn't know if he wanted to sacrifice all of this newfound
companionship so quickly.

Since finding out about Archie's impending immortality, through Adam Pierson,
Horatio had felt as though a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
He couldn't quite explain it, but he almost felt that now, he wouldn't need to
protect Archie as much. After all, he wasn't likely to be decapitated during
battle. Furrowing his brow, Horatio noticed that the bruise was still present
on Archie's neck.

"That's a nasty bruise you have there, Archie. Maybe I should have another
look at it?"

Archie didn't answer. Horatio sighed. Archie had been lapsing into these
trances more and more often over the last week. Maybe it had something to do
with the discovery of his immortality.

"Come on Archie! Show me some more of your swordwork! You told me how stiff
your muscles were getting after practise," Horatio implored. Silence was his
only answer. "Well then, maybe later." Horatio moved over to where Kennedy was
sitting and put his arm around Archie's shoulders. "Cheer up Archie. I'm sure
you'll be able to work everything out. After all, you've got forever!" Horatio
then stretched his legs and settled down to enjoy the clear morning light in
quite companionship with his friend.

~*~

Matthews, Oldroyd and the others stumbled across Horatio later that day. To
Horatio's astonishment, they didn't appear to be so thrilled with the meeting
as he was. Horatio couldn't understand it. Why were they whispering among
themselves?

"Sir, yer've obviously been under a lot o' stress. Why don't yer come over
'ere and tell me what happened?" Matthews asked kindly.

"What do you mean, 'under a lot of stress', Matthews?" Horatio enquired
incensed. He wasn't that bad at survival skills that a week in the forest was
a very stressful situation. "We had nuts, berries and fruits. I must admit
that I do have a little craving for some roast meat, but I dare say I'll be
able to hold out for a while." At this point, Oldroyd, for some unknown
reason, fled from the scene dry retching. "Is everything alright with Oldroyd,
Matthews?"

Matthews sighed, quietly. "I think that's wha' we should be askin' you, Sir. I
can understand 'ow it would 'ave got to yer, but this...well, it's sort of
unnatural inn't?"

Horatio frowned again. What where the crew talking about? He was perfectly
fine!

"I'm perfectly swimming, Matthews. Why do you keep asking me?"

Matthews bit his lip before replying, "Mr 'Ornblower, Sir, Archie's not fine."

"Oh don't be silly, Matthews. He's perfectly fine! It's because he's an
Immortal. He can't die. Ever."

Matthews forced himself to survey the scene for the second time. Horatio was
propped against a heavy boulder, his left arm slung over the slightly greenish
shoulder of the slowly decomposing stiff corpse of Archie Kennedy. He had
obviously been dead for at least one week, his neck snapped by the heavy noose
he had hung himself with, causing a florid purple bruise to flourish. His
ghostly dead eyes stared blankly into the distance and his limbs were in a
late stage of rigor mortis. Horatio sat humming nonchalantly to himself,
seemingly oblivious to the rotting body of his best friend.

Matthews shook his head sadly. Grief could do strange things to people. But
why did Horatio have to be the one to crack?

The End...