I am so SORRY for being such an ass in keeping myself from typing up this
chapter!
ARRGH!
Okay, now that that's over. . .
I want to tell everyone that PARTOUF IS BACK! WOOT!
Partouf: Yuppers, I is here! And *reads script* crazy. . as. . ever. . ? Hey, MtBR! That's not fair! I'm . . . not . . . crazy. . *loses focus, stares off into space muttering 'Oui, oui, LE FROMAGE!' *for those of you who don't speak French, it means 'Yes, yes, the cheese!'*
*slight pause* Exactly so.
It's also my hedgehog's (Spaaz) birthday today! (May 1st), as well as it being Beltain! Woot!
So, without any further adieu, the latest chapter of. .
The Black Rose!
Partouf: Which contains another prophecy, a very rude mermaid, and-
*cut off by MtBR dangling a sweater in front of him* Oooh, SWEATER! *grabs it, and runs off giggling*
*for those of you who don't know (or who are too ignorant to pay attention), Partouf is from Astralis, and he likes it here because the sweaters are nice*
On with the chapter!
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Recap on last chapter:
With a silent nod and a smile, Jon left the cabin, shutting the door slowly behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
It still hurt like hell.
I lay on my back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking ~Feck you, Norrington, feck you, Norrington, feck you, Norrington. . ~, over and over again. I couldn't get comfortable, because every time I tried to move, my wound would sting, and I would be forced back to my first position.
And so, I contented myself with a song that my mother had taught me.
'There is a young maiden, she lives all alone.
She lives all alone on the shore, oh,
There is nothin' she can find to comfort her mind
But to roam all alone on the shore, shore shore,
But to roam all alone on the shore.'
'Twas of the young captain, who sailed the salt seas,
Let the wind blow high, blow low,
''I will die, I will die!' the young captain did cry,
''If I don't have that maid on the shore, shore shore,
If I don't have that maid on the shore.''
''Well, I have lots of silver; I have lots of gold,
I have lots of costly ware, oh!
I'll divide; I'll divide, with my jolly ship's crew
If they row me that maid on the shore, shore shore,
If they row me that maid on the shore.''***
I slowly stopped singing, and let my head fall back to rest on the headboard, shutting my eyes as I whispered the last lines to the song, drifting *finally!* off to sleep.
*****************
I was, again, on a rock in the middle of the ocean, except there was no storm this time. It was a sunny day, and I could see the clear, blue Caribbean water in all directions.
~Interesting~ I thought.
'Shite.' I said.
I was cut off from saying anything else by a voice saying 'Oh, you're her?' Looking down, I saw a girl about my age in the water, her arms crossed over her bare chest in a look of utter consternation and disappointment.
'I'm me, if that's what you want to know.' I replied, and thought ~I don't like her. . And what's she doing in the water? ~ The girl just snorted, and quickly swam a circle around the rock that I was using as my perch, saying 'Good God/dess, why does Neptune ALWAYS do this to me? He hates me, I swear it.' I crouched down to look her in the eye, saying sternly 'Look, you. I don't know why I'm here, what I'm doing, or why. This is my dream! You're not supposed to be talking, or criticising me, or anything! And, come out of the water! You'll catch your death of cold.'
The girl stared at me for a second, and then laughed, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes and she choked out 'Oh, this is too much! I can't believe it, you think *burst of giggles* that this is a dream? Honey, if this were a dream, you'd know it. It doesn't feel like a dream, eh?' I stood back up, looking around me once more, and then I pinched my forearm. 'Ouch!' I cried, and then gasped, falling down to clutch the rock tightly, asking 'Where's the Pearl? And Jon, and . . . and Jack? What's going on?'
The girl swam over to me, and laid a hand on mine, saying with a grin 'Don't worry. I was just joking with you. This is what I call an 'awake and dreaming' dream. You feel as if you're awake, but you're actually just sending a projection of yourself to another place where you're needed.' She fixed her hair so that some fell over to cover her chest, and then hopped up beside me o the rock, saying 'And furthermore, I'm not mortal. I'm a mermaid.'
I looked down to where her legs should have been, and I stared in wonder and fascination when I saw instead a long fish like tail, coral pink and with a lovely fanned out fin at the end. Gulping, I fixed myself so that I sat on the rock beside her, hugging my legs close to my chest, and asking 'Okay, since you seem to know an awful lot about what's going on, please tell me: why am I here with you?'
The mermaid sighed, and began 'Well, a long time ago, Neptune decided that he would give one mortal-and ONLY one-the power to wield his trident and reveal the long lost treasure of this sunken land called Atlanti-whatever. But, after he had given the power to one mortal, they accidentally got themselves killed in some war in Greece. It was over a woman, for Neptune's sake! Anyway, so the power kinda floated around until it found itself another person. You.' I just sat there, taking this all in, until I heard the last bit and turned to face her, pointing to myself and whispering incredulously 'Me? But . . . Why me? I'm just an ordinary girl!'
She laughed again, and tapped a finger on my nose, saying 'Well, you're not. You've got to find his Trident, and then find that city thing, all before the Blue Moon.' I raised an eyebrow at her in an imitation of my mother, and asked 'Blue Moon? When's that?' She sighed, and then waved her hands in front of her, saying haltingly 'Well. . .I don't really know how to explain it to you, but . . . it's like the third Full Moon in a month, okay? Now, when that comes around, the whole prophecy thing comes true.'
~Her words are so confusing! ~ I thought, and then asked 'What prophecy? On second thought, why not just tell me everything I need to know, and then I'll get it done even faster, alright?' The mermaid sighed, took a deep breath, and explained 'You know that other dream you had, with the storm and stuff? Well, you heard me singing the Prophecy, you know "The Winds of the East and the Sun of the West, to unite, and to show the Path which is best"? Well, there's another part to it. Here, it's easier if I sing it to you.'
She hopped back into the water, and opened her mouth, singing sweetly:
'The Blade of Kings must find its way
To be struck in the Rock, and there must stay
And so the Path down which shall run
The trail to the Trident and the day is won.'
She stopped, and then I heard a rumbling noise behind me, causing me to turn and see a huge black cloud coming towards my little rock. 'You'd better go!' the mermaid screamed, and then dove into the waters, leaving me all alone. I shrieked and covered my eyes as a bolt of lightning came towards me, and--
********************************
I awoke with a jolt, letting out one piercing shriek until I noticed that I was back in Jack's cabin.
The door burst open, and Jack ran in, rushing over to me and asking 'What's wrong, luv?' I gasped for air, my eyes wide as the last picture played over and over again in my mind, and I managed out 'We have to hurry . . . Blue Moon. .. Trident . . . treasure. . .' Jack held me to his chest, my head on his shoulder, and he whispered 'Calm down, luv . . It was only a dream . . . only a dream. . .'
Silent tears streamed down my face, and I whispered 'I was frightened, so scared . . . so scared. . .' Jack just rubbed my back, rocking me back and forth as if calming a child, and slowly I pulled away. I couldn't look up at him, I don't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to. A hand reached under my chin, and I felt Jack lift my head up so that my eyes met his, and he whispered ''Sawright, luv. I'm here for ye.'
And then he bent down slightly to touch his lips to mine, kissing me delicately and then pulling away, saying 'I'll sit here until you fall asleep again, right?' I could only nod, and then I laid back on to my pillows, staring at the opposite wall as Jack covered me with an old quilt, shutting my eyes once more to fall back into a dreamless slumber.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
*** This is a song that I heard on a Stan Rogers CD. It's really pretty, actually, but I'm not sure whether it's a folk song, or one that he wrote . . . Anyway, kudos to Stan Rogers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*sniffle* IT'S SO SWEET!
*crycrycrycrycry*
*Partouf comes to comfort MtBR*
Partouf: It's okay, MtBR, don't worry. . . . Marie is happyful now!
MtBR: *sniffle* Thanks Partouf. . .I LOVE YOU!
*hugs Partouf, crying, and Partouf is squeaking 'Help me . . . I can't breathe!'*
MtBR: Oops, heh heh . . . sorry, Partouf.
Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed! YOU GUYS ROCK!
WOOT!
~8@ Marie the Black Rose @8~
ARRGH!
Okay, now that that's over. . .
I want to tell everyone that PARTOUF IS BACK! WOOT!
Partouf: Yuppers, I is here! And *reads script* crazy. . as. . ever. . ? Hey, MtBR! That's not fair! I'm . . . not . . . crazy. . *loses focus, stares off into space muttering 'Oui, oui, LE FROMAGE!' *for those of you who don't speak French, it means 'Yes, yes, the cheese!'*
*slight pause* Exactly so.
It's also my hedgehog's (Spaaz) birthday today! (May 1st), as well as it being Beltain! Woot!
So, without any further adieu, the latest chapter of. .
The Black Rose!
Partouf: Which contains another prophecy, a very rude mermaid, and-
*cut off by MtBR dangling a sweater in front of him* Oooh, SWEATER! *grabs it, and runs off giggling*
*for those of you who don't know (or who are too ignorant to pay attention), Partouf is from Astralis, and he likes it here because the sweaters are nice*
On with the chapter!
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
Recap on last chapter:
With a silent nod and a smile, Jon left the cabin, shutting the door slowly behind him.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
It still hurt like hell.
I lay on my back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking ~Feck you, Norrington, feck you, Norrington, feck you, Norrington. . ~, over and over again. I couldn't get comfortable, because every time I tried to move, my wound would sting, and I would be forced back to my first position.
And so, I contented myself with a song that my mother had taught me.
'There is a young maiden, she lives all alone.
She lives all alone on the shore, oh,
There is nothin' she can find to comfort her mind
But to roam all alone on the shore, shore shore,
But to roam all alone on the shore.'
'Twas of the young captain, who sailed the salt seas,
Let the wind blow high, blow low,
''I will die, I will die!' the young captain did cry,
''If I don't have that maid on the shore, shore shore,
If I don't have that maid on the shore.''
''Well, I have lots of silver; I have lots of gold,
I have lots of costly ware, oh!
I'll divide; I'll divide, with my jolly ship's crew
If they row me that maid on the shore, shore shore,
If they row me that maid on the shore.''***
I slowly stopped singing, and let my head fall back to rest on the headboard, shutting my eyes as I whispered the last lines to the song, drifting *finally!* off to sleep.
*****************
I was, again, on a rock in the middle of the ocean, except there was no storm this time. It was a sunny day, and I could see the clear, blue Caribbean water in all directions.
~Interesting~ I thought.
'Shite.' I said.
I was cut off from saying anything else by a voice saying 'Oh, you're her?' Looking down, I saw a girl about my age in the water, her arms crossed over her bare chest in a look of utter consternation and disappointment.
'I'm me, if that's what you want to know.' I replied, and thought ~I don't like her. . And what's she doing in the water? ~ The girl just snorted, and quickly swam a circle around the rock that I was using as my perch, saying 'Good God/dess, why does Neptune ALWAYS do this to me? He hates me, I swear it.' I crouched down to look her in the eye, saying sternly 'Look, you. I don't know why I'm here, what I'm doing, or why. This is my dream! You're not supposed to be talking, or criticising me, or anything! And, come out of the water! You'll catch your death of cold.'
The girl stared at me for a second, and then laughed, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes and she choked out 'Oh, this is too much! I can't believe it, you think *burst of giggles* that this is a dream? Honey, if this were a dream, you'd know it. It doesn't feel like a dream, eh?' I stood back up, looking around me once more, and then I pinched my forearm. 'Ouch!' I cried, and then gasped, falling down to clutch the rock tightly, asking 'Where's the Pearl? And Jon, and . . . and Jack? What's going on?'
The girl swam over to me, and laid a hand on mine, saying with a grin 'Don't worry. I was just joking with you. This is what I call an 'awake and dreaming' dream. You feel as if you're awake, but you're actually just sending a projection of yourself to another place where you're needed.' She fixed her hair so that some fell over to cover her chest, and then hopped up beside me o the rock, saying 'And furthermore, I'm not mortal. I'm a mermaid.'
I looked down to where her legs should have been, and I stared in wonder and fascination when I saw instead a long fish like tail, coral pink and with a lovely fanned out fin at the end. Gulping, I fixed myself so that I sat on the rock beside her, hugging my legs close to my chest, and asking 'Okay, since you seem to know an awful lot about what's going on, please tell me: why am I here with you?'
The mermaid sighed, and began 'Well, a long time ago, Neptune decided that he would give one mortal-and ONLY one-the power to wield his trident and reveal the long lost treasure of this sunken land called Atlanti-whatever. But, after he had given the power to one mortal, they accidentally got themselves killed in some war in Greece. It was over a woman, for Neptune's sake! Anyway, so the power kinda floated around until it found itself another person. You.' I just sat there, taking this all in, until I heard the last bit and turned to face her, pointing to myself and whispering incredulously 'Me? But . . . Why me? I'm just an ordinary girl!'
She laughed again, and tapped a finger on my nose, saying 'Well, you're not. You've got to find his Trident, and then find that city thing, all before the Blue Moon.' I raised an eyebrow at her in an imitation of my mother, and asked 'Blue Moon? When's that?' She sighed, and then waved her hands in front of her, saying haltingly 'Well. . .I don't really know how to explain it to you, but . . . it's like the third Full Moon in a month, okay? Now, when that comes around, the whole prophecy thing comes true.'
~Her words are so confusing! ~ I thought, and then asked 'What prophecy? On second thought, why not just tell me everything I need to know, and then I'll get it done even faster, alright?' The mermaid sighed, took a deep breath, and explained 'You know that other dream you had, with the storm and stuff? Well, you heard me singing the Prophecy, you know "The Winds of the East and the Sun of the West, to unite, and to show the Path which is best"? Well, there's another part to it. Here, it's easier if I sing it to you.'
She hopped back into the water, and opened her mouth, singing sweetly:
'The Blade of Kings must find its way
To be struck in the Rock, and there must stay
And so the Path down which shall run
The trail to the Trident and the day is won.'
She stopped, and then I heard a rumbling noise behind me, causing me to turn and see a huge black cloud coming towards my little rock. 'You'd better go!' the mermaid screamed, and then dove into the waters, leaving me all alone. I shrieked and covered my eyes as a bolt of lightning came towards me, and--
********************************
I awoke with a jolt, letting out one piercing shriek until I noticed that I was back in Jack's cabin.
The door burst open, and Jack ran in, rushing over to me and asking 'What's wrong, luv?' I gasped for air, my eyes wide as the last picture played over and over again in my mind, and I managed out 'We have to hurry . . . Blue Moon. .. Trident . . . treasure. . .' Jack held me to his chest, my head on his shoulder, and he whispered 'Calm down, luv . . It was only a dream . . . only a dream. . .'
Silent tears streamed down my face, and I whispered 'I was frightened, so scared . . . so scared. . .' Jack just rubbed my back, rocking me back and forth as if calming a child, and slowly I pulled away. I couldn't look up at him, I don't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to. A hand reached under my chin, and I felt Jack lift my head up so that my eyes met his, and he whispered ''Sawright, luv. I'm here for ye.'
And then he bent down slightly to touch his lips to mine, kissing me delicately and then pulling away, saying 'I'll sit here until you fall asleep again, right?' I could only nod, and then I laid back on to my pillows, staring at the opposite wall as Jack covered me with an old quilt, shutting my eyes once more to fall back into a dreamless slumber.
~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~
*** This is a song that I heard on a Stan Rogers CD. It's really pretty, actually, but I'm not sure whether it's a folk song, or one that he wrote . . . Anyway, kudos to Stan Rogers!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*sniffle* IT'S SO SWEET!
*crycrycrycrycry*
*Partouf comes to comfort MtBR*
Partouf: It's okay, MtBR, don't worry. . . . Marie is happyful now!
MtBR: *sniffle* Thanks Partouf. . .I LOVE YOU!
*hugs Partouf, crying, and Partouf is squeaking 'Help me . . . I can't breathe!'*
MtBR: Oops, heh heh . . . sorry, Partouf.
Anywho, thanks to everyone who reviewed! YOU GUYS ROCK!
WOOT!
~8@ Marie the Black Rose @8~
