A/N - Coming close to the last chapter. But other than that here's is the next one!
Chapter 25
Noah entered the inn, softly closing the door behind him. The few sober men who were still there, turned their heads and looked at who had entered. No voices shouted welcome to him. There was none of the lively merriment that usually happened at this time of night. Everyone was just sitting around the tables, drinking their lives away, as if a black plaque had come and taken out half the town, and the only thing left to do was drink yourself to death. Noah walked through the tables, feeling odd from not being slapped on the back every second as he tried to push through the crowd that usually surrounded him, there was no one stopping him now from going where he wanted.
He noticed that neither his father, nor Dodson were sitting at the table, and figured that they were probably drinking privately tonight. When he reached the table, he sat three seats down from where his father sat, as the first two were now for his brothers, since they had decided to come back. Another thing that had spoiled his life. Not only was Rovin gone, his eldest brother had come back just in time to claim his right as the next king of thieves, instead of him.
"What are you doing little brother." John asked walking up to the table with three mugs of ale and handing him one, as Ryan took the other.
"Excuse me?" Noah asked not getting what his brother asked
"Why are you sitting in Christians seat? You're to be at father's right, since you are to be the next king, right?" John replied smiling
Noah smiled back and stood from his seat, he walked to his fathers side and sat at the seat on his right. John sat beside him.
"Why am I sitting here by the way?" Noah inquired
"Because you are the only son of our father who hasn't gone and screwed up his life." John replied clinking mugs with Ryan as they downed their ales.
"Christian hasn't," Noah muttered taking a sip of his ale.
" 'course he has," Ryan told him a bit tipsy "He left, and had a kid."
"Yes, but he's coming back. Just because he has a kid, doesn't mean he can't be king. I mean how do you think we got here?" Noah replied indicating John and himself. "And besides John, you're here now, so you can be king next."
"You think I'm going to live here for the rest of my life!?" John replied looking around the inn. "I mean no offense, but I always hated it here! My life was horrible!"
"You're leaving!" Noah whined "You just got back!"
"Who said I was leaving now? I won't be leaving for a week or so, at the very least." John replied downing another ale
"Think about it kid, we're pirates. We live in the water, it's our home. So we have to return to it." Ryan told Noah.
"Where is you're ship by the way?" Noah asked
"Back in Pearlmouth," Ryan commented
"But I thought you guys had sailed here!" Noah questioned
"We did" Ryan replied taking over for John who had temporarily passed out for the moment "Then our crew sailed back to Pearlmouth with instructions to wait for us there. We said we wouldn't be more than a few weeks."
"You trust those men?"
"Believe me, none of them want to betray John or I. They've all seen what we can do to men."
Noah made a face, knowing he knew exactly what someone like Ryan could do to a person. Ryan laughed and lifted his mug to Noah. They clinked their mugs together, which woke John. He sat up with a jolt and ordered another ale. Noah and Ryan laughed, and told the girl that he'd have a water instead.
"What I miss?" John asked rubbing his eyes
"Nothing, go back to sleep." Ryan muttered
"Alright," John muttered his head falling onto the table as he slept.
"So I still don't know why I should be sitting here," Noah commented thinking of how pathetic his brother was. "Christian is still coming back."
"Think about it." Ryan replied setting his mug down "Christian has a kid now. There's no way he's going to go out everyday and steal, a chance of being put in prison. He's not going to be making the same risks he would of taken if he didn't have a kid. You're father is getting old, and will retire in the next year or so. Christian's kid is still young, and he won't be able to handle both responsibilities, especially since there is not mother. So therefore you are the next king. Your highness." Ryan joked
"I guess you're right." Noah replied leaning back in his chair and placing his feet on the table. Being king wouldn't be so bad, even if she wasn't there.
*~*~*~*~*
Rovin stood on the balcony, with her hands leaning against the railing. The sun was just setting and Rovin had been at the palace for a week, but something didn't feel right. A tear slid down her face, which was soon joined by another. Loose strands of hair fell from her braid, and landed around her face as a soft breeze lifted them back. She heard Daniel approaching her from behind and silently wiped her face, hoping she didn't look like she had been crying.
"Hey," he whispered coming up next to her and placing his hand on her back.
"Hi," she managed to croak, before taking a deep breath. She was on the verge of exploding with tears.
"What's the matter?" he asked
The tears spilled out of her eyes as she turned and looked at Daniel. "I don't belong here." she whispered hugging herself. "I miss my father, and friends, and my home. I can't live a life like this." she looked behind her to where the palace loomed above them.
"I know." Daniel replied taking his hand off of her back and leaning on the railing. "You've changed since we came here, and today I realized you were just fitting in with the people around you. Rovin, your not the same girl I fell in love with."
"Who exactly did you fall in love with?" she asked letting the tears fall freely
"I fell in love with a girl, who was comfortable amongst a group of thieves, who didn't flinch when she attacked a noble, and who followed me into a forest when I had no idea where I was going!" Daniel replied trying to make himself laugh. "The entire time I was falling in love with this girl, in my heart I knew I could never take her away from the place she loved, and the people she loved. But my mind wouldn't listen, and before I knew it, I had taken this wonderful girl and placed her somewhere that didn't fit who she was. A place governed by laws, and rules, where one mistake and you could be ignored for life. I knew I had made a mistake."
"Daniel," Rovin whispered taking his hand and stroking it. "I fell in love with you, and I thought I could be happy here in the palace, where I didn't have someone following me around all the time, making sure I did things correctly. Only now I realize the palace is all the things I tried to escape from and more, and I can't live like this."
"You may have fallen in love with me, but long before that, you fell in love with someone else." Daniel replied turning towards her and holding both her hands in his. "The right thing for you to do, is to go back to him."
"That's the easy part." Rovin whispered starting to cry harder "The hard p-part is letting you go,"
Daniel wrapped Rovin in a hug as she cried on his shoulder. Rovin couldn't bear to be in his arms, when she knew she wouldn't be able to stay there. Daniel let go of her as she backed up an inch, looking into his face. Even when she was crying, Daniel thought she was beautiful. Rovin reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. She bent his head down and embraced him in one last kiss. When their lips parted she whispered a goodbye and left.
Daniel stood on the balcony watching her go. Finally the tears spilled out of his eyes as well.
Chapter 25
Noah entered the inn, softly closing the door behind him. The few sober men who were still there, turned their heads and looked at who had entered. No voices shouted welcome to him. There was none of the lively merriment that usually happened at this time of night. Everyone was just sitting around the tables, drinking their lives away, as if a black plaque had come and taken out half the town, and the only thing left to do was drink yourself to death. Noah walked through the tables, feeling odd from not being slapped on the back every second as he tried to push through the crowd that usually surrounded him, there was no one stopping him now from going where he wanted.
He noticed that neither his father, nor Dodson were sitting at the table, and figured that they were probably drinking privately tonight. When he reached the table, he sat three seats down from where his father sat, as the first two were now for his brothers, since they had decided to come back. Another thing that had spoiled his life. Not only was Rovin gone, his eldest brother had come back just in time to claim his right as the next king of thieves, instead of him.
"What are you doing little brother." John asked walking up to the table with three mugs of ale and handing him one, as Ryan took the other.
"Excuse me?" Noah asked not getting what his brother asked
"Why are you sitting in Christians seat? You're to be at father's right, since you are to be the next king, right?" John replied smiling
Noah smiled back and stood from his seat, he walked to his fathers side and sat at the seat on his right. John sat beside him.
"Why am I sitting here by the way?" Noah inquired
"Because you are the only son of our father who hasn't gone and screwed up his life." John replied clinking mugs with Ryan as they downed their ales.
"Christian hasn't," Noah muttered taking a sip of his ale.
" 'course he has," Ryan told him a bit tipsy "He left, and had a kid."
"Yes, but he's coming back. Just because he has a kid, doesn't mean he can't be king. I mean how do you think we got here?" Noah replied indicating John and himself. "And besides John, you're here now, so you can be king next."
"You think I'm going to live here for the rest of my life!?" John replied looking around the inn. "I mean no offense, but I always hated it here! My life was horrible!"
"You're leaving!" Noah whined "You just got back!"
"Who said I was leaving now? I won't be leaving for a week or so, at the very least." John replied downing another ale
"Think about it kid, we're pirates. We live in the water, it's our home. So we have to return to it." Ryan told Noah.
"Where is you're ship by the way?" Noah asked
"Back in Pearlmouth," Ryan commented
"But I thought you guys had sailed here!" Noah questioned
"We did" Ryan replied taking over for John who had temporarily passed out for the moment "Then our crew sailed back to Pearlmouth with instructions to wait for us there. We said we wouldn't be more than a few weeks."
"You trust those men?"
"Believe me, none of them want to betray John or I. They've all seen what we can do to men."
Noah made a face, knowing he knew exactly what someone like Ryan could do to a person. Ryan laughed and lifted his mug to Noah. They clinked their mugs together, which woke John. He sat up with a jolt and ordered another ale. Noah and Ryan laughed, and told the girl that he'd have a water instead.
"What I miss?" John asked rubbing his eyes
"Nothing, go back to sleep." Ryan muttered
"Alright," John muttered his head falling onto the table as he slept.
"So I still don't know why I should be sitting here," Noah commented thinking of how pathetic his brother was. "Christian is still coming back."
"Think about it." Ryan replied setting his mug down "Christian has a kid now. There's no way he's going to go out everyday and steal, a chance of being put in prison. He's not going to be making the same risks he would of taken if he didn't have a kid. You're father is getting old, and will retire in the next year or so. Christian's kid is still young, and he won't be able to handle both responsibilities, especially since there is not mother. So therefore you are the next king. Your highness." Ryan joked
"I guess you're right." Noah replied leaning back in his chair and placing his feet on the table. Being king wouldn't be so bad, even if she wasn't there.
*~*~*~*~*
Rovin stood on the balcony, with her hands leaning against the railing. The sun was just setting and Rovin had been at the palace for a week, but something didn't feel right. A tear slid down her face, which was soon joined by another. Loose strands of hair fell from her braid, and landed around her face as a soft breeze lifted them back. She heard Daniel approaching her from behind and silently wiped her face, hoping she didn't look like she had been crying.
"Hey," he whispered coming up next to her and placing his hand on her back.
"Hi," she managed to croak, before taking a deep breath. She was on the verge of exploding with tears.
"What's the matter?" he asked
The tears spilled out of her eyes as she turned and looked at Daniel. "I don't belong here." she whispered hugging herself. "I miss my father, and friends, and my home. I can't live a life like this." she looked behind her to where the palace loomed above them.
"I know." Daniel replied taking his hand off of her back and leaning on the railing. "You've changed since we came here, and today I realized you were just fitting in with the people around you. Rovin, your not the same girl I fell in love with."
"Who exactly did you fall in love with?" she asked letting the tears fall freely
"I fell in love with a girl, who was comfortable amongst a group of thieves, who didn't flinch when she attacked a noble, and who followed me into a forest when I had no idea where I was going!" Daniel replied trying to make himself laugh. "The entire time I was falling in love with this girl, in my heart I knew I could never take her away from the place she loved, and the people she loved. But my mind wouldn't listen, and before I knew it, I had taken this wonderful girl and placed her somewhere that didn't fit who she was. A place governed by laws, and rules, where one mistake and you could be ignored for life. I knew I had made a mistake."
"Daniel," Rovin whispered taking his hand and stroking it. "I fell in love with you, and I thought I could be happy here in the palace, where I didn't have someone following me around all the time, making sure I did things correctly. Only now I realize the palace is all the things I tried to escape from and more, and I can't live like this."
"You may have fallen in love with me, but long before that, you fell in love with someone else." Daniel replied turning towards her and holding both her hands in his. "The right thing for you to do, is to go back to him."
"That's the easy part." Rovin whispered starting to cry harder "The hard p-part is letting you go,"
Daniel wrapped Rovin in a hug as she cried on his shoulder. Rovin couldn't bear to be in his arms, when she knew she wouldn't be able to stay there. Daniel let go of her as she backed up an inch, looking into his face. Even when she was crying, Daniel thought she was beautiful. Rovin reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. She bent his head down and embraced him in one last kiss. When their lips parted she whispered a goodbye and left.
Daniel stood on the balcony watching her go. Finally the tears spilled out of his eyes as well.