Chapter Five: You Are No Elf
Y'lorani was waiting for them when they got home. She had, apparently seen Jack's collapse, and so his room was all ready for him to be laid there. She had also called upon Pur'a'ti--the only elf here that knew something of healing--to be at the ready for the Pearl's arrival.
There was a flurry of activity as Reanna carried Jack down from the ship, where Y'lorani took over for the obviously exhausted girl. Reanna's knees gave in once her important burden had been taken from her and she sat on the ground while the crowd of people surrounding Y'lorani and her father moved into the house. The whole of the crew had even gone once the ship was safely anchored.
Before most of the crew was kicked out of the house to let Pur'a'ti see to Jack, Reanna ran away from the house and to the cliff she had leapt from so carefree only yesterday. It was nearing midnight, she knew, but her mother would not even notice she was gone. No one would until there was nothing better to do than come searching for her, and by then she would probably be in her room anyway.
The stars were halfway through their nightly waltz and she watched them for a while, fancying that she danced with them. When her little fantasy had run through, she stood still on the cliff, feeling as though she could reach up and pull down the moon.
Before she realized what she was doing, she started singing her greeting to the stars. She stopped as soon as she heard her own voice, but then remembered that no one was going to be bothered with her for quite a while yet, and so she raised her voice once more. She had always been very talented with her voice, and now she used that talent to weave a strain of pleading into the greeting.
She didn't realize it, but the island grew quiet as she lifted her voice higher and higher to the sky, some of the notes falling like a blanket over the isle. Eventually, the greeting to the stars ended, but she did not stop singing. She sang a different song, one she did not think she had ever heard, but it was a haunting tune and it seemed to draw her of its own will through the complicated phrasings and notes, keeping her entrapped in its spell.
Only when He spoke to her did she realize that she had closed her eyes and that she was not alone.
"You have much power," He said softly. Her eyes snapped open and before her she saw the most beautiful elf she had ever seen. His skin was smooth and his eyes held all the stars in the sky. His hair was the absolute black of night.
Fear crept through her at the absolute power and extreme age exuding from His very being. "You are no elf," she whispered--all she could manage with the lump in her throat.
"No, I am not. This was simply the form that I felt would best comfort you."
She giggled a little madly, then. "Well, it's not working!"
"So I see. But you have no reason to fear me, Daughter. After all, it was you that called me."
Her hysterical laughter ceased abruptly when He called her "daughter." Daughter? She was Jack Sparrow's child!
"Your father is, indeed, the man by the name of Jack Sparrow, but I also contributed a piece of myself in your making. You have the power of the Aether within you, but I had hoped that you would never see it." He sounded sad, and she felt herself sorrow with him.
"I...I called you?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, Child, you called me. Your song called my Name, and so here I am, for I could not ignore the desperate cry from one whom I helped to father. Child, you cannot use the Aether to such an extent. Your mortal body--though stronger than most--cannot handle such a powerful substance."
"But...if I cannot use it...then how did I call you?" she asked, confused.
"I perhaps erred in the amount of myself I put in you. You hear the Dance, you see the Dance, and the Dance moves you to its rhythm. Child, you are more powerful already than you can handle, more powerful than your mother was even at the peak of her powers before she first came to me. You are not ready to hold so much, nor are you ready to join the Dance of the Stars. I am sorry, but I must do something about this." He truly sounded as though He was sorry, and this surprised her.
When he started to fade, she cried out in alarm. "Wait! Please, wait!" she begged.
"What is it?" He asked gently.
"My father. He's...I think he might be dying."
"I cannot interfere in the lives of mortals, Daughter," He lightly admonished.
"Please," she whispered, so softly that she herself could not even hear it.
"Come, Child," He said, and held out His hand. She took it. "We shall see what can be done," He whispered, his voice ringing with the sound of death. She closed her eyes and nodded.
When she opened them again, they were beside her father's bed. He looked so weak, laying there gasping for breath. When the man beside her put His hand on her father's heart, she nearly pulled Him away in her fear that He would crush him, but stopped herself. It was hard.
"He has been poisoned. Normally this poison slowly works its way through the body, but for some reason it has felled him more quickly than normal. I can make the poison recede enough that he will live for a few more weeks, but he will die, Child."
Reanna bowed her head in grief. "Please, do what you can," she whispered, feeling like a traitor for allowing her father to suffer because of her selfishness.
Later, when He had gone and her mother had left at Pur'a'ti's insistence that she get some sleep, Reanna sat alone by her father's bed.
"Y'lorani was right," wheezed a familiar voice, and Reanna raised her head to look at her father.
"Da!" she exclaimed, "You're awake!"
"Yes...and I want you to know that I know exactly what you did--He told me. Don't mourn for me, lovey, I'm not afraid to die anymore. Your mother will be very upset with me for speaking with you before her, but she'll just have to get over it.
"When I die, I want you to sing my body into the depths of the sea. The Pearl will be yours to go wherever you like. Your freedom. You'll make a life for yourself, love, without your mother and me hovering over you. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you're not ready for-- take your time and do what you want with your life.
"And...thank you, Reanna. Without your help, I wouldn't even have been able to say goodbye to anyone--now I've got time to say goodbye to everyone."
She hugged him tightly, unable to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. "I'll miss you, Da," she whispered.
"Shh, shh, it's alright Reanna, darling," he whispered, patting her back. "I have to ask a favor of you though, alright?"
She sat up and wiped at her eyes. "Anything, Da," she said.
"Find out who poisoned me, love, and why they did it," he said, staring soberly into her eyes. "I've not made any enemies in the last seventeen years, and most of the ones I used to have are dead. I would hate for anyone to come after you because I'm not here anymore."
"Alright, Da, I'll find them. I promise. But I'm not going anywhere while you're still here."
The Seer frowned. Jack Sparrow wasn't supposed to weaken so quickly, and just when his soul had been about to flee his mortal body, something had happened to make the poison recede. He frowned deeper, wondering what Powers he might be getting himself into trouble with.
It was time to kill the marksman.
************************************************************************
Alrighty, five chapters in as many days! My muse is treating me very well, I think she's making up for The Fountain of Youth's disappointment. I hope you all enjoyed, and I would much appreciate reviews from all of you on your thoughts!
Y'lorani was waiting for them when they got home. She had, apparently seen Jack's collapse, and so his room was all ready for him to be laid there. She had also called upon Pur'a'ti--the only elf here that knew something of healing--to be at the ready for the Pearl's arrival.
There was a flurry of activity as Reanna carried Jack down from the ship, where Y'lorani took over for the obviously exhausted girl. Reanna's knees gave in once her important burden had been taken from her and she sat on the ground while the crowd of people surrounding Y'lorani and her father moved into the house. The whole of the crew had even gone once the ship was safely anchored.
Before most of the crew was kicked out of the house to let Pur'a'ti see to Jack, Reanna ran away from the house and to the cliff she had leapt from so carefree only yesterday. It was nearing midnight, she knew, but her mother would not even notice she was gone. No one would until there was nothing better to do than come searching for her, and by then she would probably be in her room anyway.
The stars were halfway through their nightly waltz and she watched them for a while, fancying that she danced with them. When her little fantasy had run through, she stood still on the cliff, feeling as though she could reach up and pull down the moon.
Before she realized what she was doing, she started singing her greeting to the stars. She stopped as soon as she heard her own voice, but then remembered that no one was going to be bothered with her for quite a while yet, and so she raised her voice once more. She had always been very talented with her voice, and now she used that talent to weave a strain of pleading into the greeting.
She didn't realize it, but the island grew quiet as she lifted her voice higher and higher to the sky, some of the notes falling like a blanket over the isle. Eventually, the greeting to the stars ended, but she did not stop singing. She sang a different song, one she did not think she had ever heard, but it was a haunting tune and it seemed to draw her of its own will through the complicated phrasings and notes, keeping her entrapped in its spell.
Only when He spoke to her did she realize that she had closed her eyes and that she was not alone.
"You have much power," He said softly. Her eyes snapped open and before her she saw the most beautiful elf she had ever seen. His skin was smooth and his eyes held all the stars in the sky. His hair was the absolute black of night.
Fear crept through her at the absolute power and extreme age exuding from His very being. "You are no elf," she whispered--all she could manage with the lump in her throat.
"No, I am not. This was simply the form that I felt would best comfort you."
She giggled a little madly, then. "Well, it's not working!"
"So I see. But you have no reason to fear me, Daughter. After all, it was you that called me."
Her hysterical laughter ceased abruptly when He called her "daughter." Daughter? She was Jack Sparrow's child!
"Your father is, indeed, the man by the name of Jack Sparrow, but I also contributed a piece of myself in your making. You have the power of the Aether within you, but I had hoped that you would never see it." He sounded sad, and she felt herself sorrow with him.
"I...I called you?" she asked timidly.
"Yes, Child, you called me. Your song called my Name, and so here I am, for I could not ignore the desperate cry from one whom I helped to father. Child, you cannot use the Aether to such an extent. Your mortal body--though stronger than most--cannot handle such a powerful substance."
"But...if I cannot use it...then how did I call you?" she asked, confused.
"I perhaps erred in the amount of myself I put in you. You hear the Dance, you see the Dance, and the Dance moves you to its rhythm. Child, you are more powerful already than you can handle, more powerful than your mother was even at the peak of her powers before she first came to me. You are not ready to hold so much, nor are you ready to join the Dance of the Stars. I am sorry, but I must do something about this." He truly sounded as though He was sorry, and this surprised her.
When he started to fade, she cried out in alarm. "Wait! Please, wait!" she begged.
"What is it?" He asked gently.
"My father. He's...I think he might be dying."
"I cannot interfere in the lives of mortals, Daughter," He lightly admonished.
"Please," she whispered, so softly that she herself could not even hear it.
"Come, Child," He said, and held out His hand. She took it. "We shall see what can be done," He whispered, his voice ringing with the sound of death. She closed her eyes and nodded.
When she opened them again, they were beside her father's bed. He looked so weak, laying there gasping for breath. When the man beside her put His hand on her father's heart, she nearly pulled Him away in her fear that He would crush him, but stopped herself. It was hard.
"He has been poisoned. Normally this poison slowly works its way through the body, but for some reason it has felled him more quickly than normal. I can make the poison recede enough that he will live for a few more weeks, but he will die, Child."
Reanna bowed her head in grief. "Please, do what you can," she whispered, feeling like a traitor for allowing her father to suffer because of her selfishness.
Later, when He had gone and her mother had left at Pur'a'ti's insistence that she get some sleep, Reanna sat alone by her father's bed.
"Y'lorani was right," wheezed a familiar voice, and Reanna raised her head to look at her father.
"Da!" she exclaimed, "You're awake!"
"Yes...and I want you to know that I know exactly what you did--He told me. Don't mourn for me, lovey, I'm not afraid to die anymore. Your mother will be very upset with me for speaking with you before her, but she'll just have to get over it.
"When I die, I want you to sing my body into the depths of the sea. The Pearl will be yours to go wherever you like. Your freedom. You'll make a life for yourself, love, without your mother and me hovering over you. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing something you're not ready for-- take your time and do what you want with your life.
"And...thank you, Reanna. Without your help, I wouldn't even have been able to say goodbye to anyone--now I've got time to say goodbye to everyone."
She hugged him tightly, unable to stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. "I'll miss you, Da," she whispered.
"Shh, shh, it's alright Reanna, darling," he whispered, patting her back. "I have to ask a favor of you though, alright?"
She sat up and wiped at her eyes. "Anything, Da," she said.
"Find out who poisoned me, love, and why they did it," he said, staring soberly into her eyes. "I've not made any enemies in the last seventeen years, and most of the ones I used to have are dead. I would hate for anyone to come after you because I'm not here anymore."
"Alright, Da, I'll find them. I promise. But I'm not going anywhere while you're still here."
The Seer frowned. Jack Sparrow wasn't supposed to weaken so quickly, and just when his soul had been about to flee his mortal body, something had happened to make the poison recede. He frowned deeper, wondering what Powers he might be getting himself into trouble with.
It was time to kill the marksman.
************************************************************************
Alrighty, five chapters in as many days! My muse is treating me very well, I think she's making up for The Fountain of Youth's disappointment. I hope you all enjoyed, and I would much appreciate reviews from all of you on your thoughts!