Disclaimer: Recognizable characters belong to the Mouse or the late C.S. Lewis. Strictly for pleasure, no profit is being made. Not beta'd.
Done for a crossover challenge at Yahoo Group The Black Pearl Sails. The End of the World is the name of an English pub that I have borrowed.
At the End of the World
It was an ancient building, the oak blackened with age, the whitewashed walls in stark contrast under the late sun. It had sagged over the centuries; there was not a true angle to be found in its entire being, giving it a jaunty whimsical mien. The small diamond window panes had also warped over time, as was the habit of glass, flowing downward as gravity pulled at it. Inside the ceilings were low, giving tall men reason to hunch down in reflex. Even the wide fireplace and chimney breast showed the passage of many years. A survivor, the old inn stood proudly, a place outside of time.
The two individuals ensconced in the chimney nook were comfortably passing their time in idle conversation, wetting down their throats with the heavy dark ale the tavern was known for. They were a peculiar pair, by any one's standards. The one was garbed flamboyantly, his long black hair a wild tangle of braids and beaded strands held back by a faded red silk headscarf. Although at rest, he gave off an air of restless motion, accented by extravagant hands and exotic kohl-lined eyes flashing in counterpoint to his speech. One observing him would likely think, "Aha, now that's what a pirate should look like."
The other figure was equally exotic, if unexpected. He was covered in meticulously kept fur, an elegant gold filet and feather placed rakishly over one pink-lined ear lending height to his frame. He took a swig from his tankard and delicately cleaned a bit of foam from his long whiskers, his dandified appearance negated somewhat by the well-used rapier resting against the bench with a long tail wrapped tidily around it.
"...the water was sweet, and that's how I came to find the utter East. I had dreamed all my life of finding it and after all our adventures on the Dawn Treader, I had to part from my comrades and journey on to my destiny," the speaker ended his tale.
"I know what you're saying. Only thing I wanted was my Black Pearl and to get her back from those what betrayed me and stole her. It took years and I had to break a curse from the old Aztec gods to do it, but she is mine again." The other contemplated the interior of his tankard after draining the last mouthful of ale. "How's about another round, eh mate?" he inquired of his drinking companion. "It would be my turn, after all."
"That is most generous of you, sirrah, a noble gesture indeed," the reply came from the elegant mouse. "The day is almost done. The morning tide will come soon enough to take us to whatever waits beyond."
The two sailors toasted each other one last time.
"To the East," said the one.
"To the horizon," said the other.