-3- Welcome Guests

Captain Hook stood next to the railing on the bridge of the Jolly Roger. Jirel's nervousness continued to bother him. He had never known her to be edgy without reason. He looked up into the overcast sky and sighed. It was nearing noon and he would be due back at the palace. He had been informed there were visiting dignitaries which he and Jirel were expected to formally receive along with the royals. His mouth twisted into a look of irritated disgust. He loved the life he had and he loved Jirel more than he could have ever thought possible but there were moments he despised the pompous strutting displays so badly he wanted to tell his crew to set sail with the ship before they could force him into another formal uniform.

He once again fought down the urge and turned to walk across the deck, knowing he needed to be on his way back or they would soon be sending an escort to get him. He was walking down the plank when movement up the dock caught his eye. A smile pulled up the corners of his mouth. Jirel had come down to the docks to get him. She saw him, waved and broke into a jog to meet him.

"Are they that worried I was going to be late?" he asked once she was in earshot.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "No, mother is driving me nuts, so I offered to come and get you." She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head. "I barely was able to get out on that excuse and she was insistent that I take the royal carriage."

Hook's face fell. "Oh no…"

She wrapped her arm around his elbow and leaned to kiss his cheek. "You owe me big; I managed to talk the driver out of it."

A conspiratory grin spread across his face. He disentangled his arm from Jirel's hold and slid it around her waist, pulling her close. Jirel was far more tolerant of the pomp and circumstance of their stations, but even she grew tired of it. It was one of the many reasons they insisted on not making a home in Cimmariel. When both of them reached the end of their patience they could simply call an end to their visit and set sail with the tide.

Arms resting around each other's waist they walked the length of the docks in the direction of the palace. Hook watched the changing scenery as they strolled casually down the street together. The area down by the docks was where most of the markets sprang up and merchants called out the virtues of their wares as the couple passed. Past the market was the slightly poorer district. Not that any area of the city of Cimmariel was poor. You had to really search through the city to find the where the slums were tucked away. The king had set up particular task forces and committees to keep the city in good repair, the costs coming from some of the collected taxes. Jirel's father ran the city the way Hook ran the Jolly Roger; tightly. That was one thing Hook admired about his father-in-law.

They were just entering the well-born quarter when a carriage came careening around the corner. There was no driver to control the panicked horses. A woman was screaming from the coach and several men were running to catch the driverless carriage. Without a second of thought or hesitation Jirel and the captain separated. The captain grabbed hold of the harness of one of the horses while Jirel managed to pull herself onto the footman's usual perch. Hook fought to pull the horses under control to no avail. He glanced over his shoulder to see Jirel climbing to the driver's seat. He had a brief instant of panic watching her putting herself in such danger.

Jirel maneuvered herself into the driver's seat and began groping for the reins. The horses pounded down the street with Hook clinging to the harness. Jirel managed to catch the lead reins as they flapped about. She firmly pulled the reins to slow the horses. She nearly had them under control when one of the reins snapped, hitting the captain in the face as it sprung like a rubber band. Jirel stifled a gasp as the captain looked like he was going to fall beneath the horses' hooves. He regained his balance and stretched for the broken rein. Calling back over his shoulder to Jirel he began to put pressure on the rein. "Jirel! Pull the left rein in, I have the right. Easy now! We don't want to turn them!"

It was several tense minutes before they were able to pull the startled animals under control. As the carriage slowed to a stop the men who had been chasing the runaway coach finally caught up. The first to reach the coach ripped open the door and jumped inside to see to the lady within. Hook had managed to extricate himself from the horses and harnesses without tripping himself and was now offering a hand to Jirel to help her down from the coach. She took his hand and hopped down to the cobblestone street. She looked over at the woman as she shakily stepped from the coach. Not wanting to rattle the woman any more than she was, she whispered in a hushed tone to her husband. "We were lucky a wheel didn't break on the cobbles."

The captain nodded as the second man came over to them, the first escorting the lady away. "Many thanks." He said as he offered his arm to the captain. Hook took the man's arm and fervently hoped he wouldn't be recognized.

"Nothing to thank me for. What happened?"

The other man gave a look of disgust. "The former driver has had a difficult time not drinking on his shift. He was more than a little tipsy already this morning when a young thief tried to steal some of the gilded ornaments from the carriage. A scuffle between them startled the horses." A shout from his fellow made him look in the direction his mistress had been led. "I need to be on my way, again, my thanks."

Jirel and the captain watched him go for a moment before continuing on their own way.

The pair rushed through the palace to their rooms, the rescue effort making them hopelessly late for the meeting with the dignitaries. Hook swiftly changed his shirt while Jirel stripped out of her breeches and began taking a wash cloth to her skin. He cast a hungry look at his wife as she stood in nothing but her undergarments wiping down her body. There was a wave of pride that washed over him as he noticed the slight swell beginning to show below her stomach. He shook himself from the thoughts and moved to find the rest of his formal attire.

He was just buttoning the last of the buttons on the overcoat when Jirel stepped from the adjoining room. Without a word, she came to stand with her back turned to him. With a grin he reached out to pull the lacings of the dress tight, but not before he gave in to his impulses. He brushed his lips across the exposed flesh of her shoulder, his mustache tickling her. Jirel had to stifle a startled gasp. His ministrations didn't continue so she didn't scold him but merely cast an amused glance back at him from over her shoulder.

He slyly grinned back at her, both of them knowing what the other was thinking – that they would rather forget this meeting and stay to continue their play. With heavy sighs, they resigned themselves to their fate and left the apartment to attend to their duties. They both jogged down the hallways till they reached the throne room. The page fought to hide a grin as the couple stopped and composed themselves. Satisfied that they didn't look too tussled for the run, Jirel nodded for him to announce them. The doors swung open and the captain took Jirel's hand in his own to escort her in. The sight that met them nearly caused the both of them to skid to a stop.

Broad smiles spread across their faces as they dropped all pretense of formality in the presence of the visiting dignitaries. Jirel was a half step ahead of her husband and offered her hand to Bright Eagle. The elder Indian clasped her arm and smiled back at them both.

The Captain smiled at the older man. "Ha-ho, Bright Eagle." The elder responded in kind before Hook turned his gaze to Princess Tigerlily, who stood next to him. Bowing from the waist, he greeted the Indian princess in the same manner. Jirel looked up to see her parents descending the steps towards the group.

Her mother was first to speak. "We received word about two weeks ago that they were on the way and when they were due to arrive."

Jirel smiled, turning her attention back to the guests. Bright Eagle, a serious look on his face, removed a pouch from his belt and handed it to Jirel. "This is for your son. The spirits are saying he will need it."

Without a word, she opened the pouch and let the contents tumble out onto her palm. Her smile faded as she recognized the protection talisman the captain, Peter and her had all traveled to Earth to retrieve years ago, before Gabriel had been born.

Peter sat a little closer to the fire he and Gabe had built in the center of the empty square. A shiver that had nothing to do with the chilled air ran down his spine. Gabe was standing just outside the firelight looking out into the darkness; a shuffling sound came from across the square. Both boys turned in the direction of the noise. Peter jumped to his feet and was floating in the air. Tinkerbell was asleep in his pocket and was oblivious to the goings on. They strained to see into the darkness as the shuffling multiplied. The noise was growing stronger and closer. Gabe walked around the fire to stand next to the floating Peter.

The boys looked at one another. A low moan came from the darkness as the shuffling now seemed to be surrounding them. Peter turned in the air and let out a yell. He flew backwards into Gabriel, knocking him over almost into the fire. As it was Gabe's sleeve caught and he had to quickly beat the flame out. He looked up from his place on the ground to see what had frightened Peter.

What he saw made his eyes go wide. The human forms looked like walking corpses, grey skin stretched tight over bone. Empty eye sockets looked at them and decomposing hands reached out for them, the claw-like fingers flexing slowly. Feet dragged across the flagstones, never being picked up enough to actually step. Gabe looked around, realizing they were in the center of a ring of these creatures. He jumped to his feet only to be grabbed by one of them. Their grip was like a vise and he twisted, trying to get away. Peter's swords flashed out, striking the creature and causing it to release its hold. Peter grabbed the boy's arm lifting them both into the air. They flew straight up till their fire looked like no more than a pinprick of light below them.

Peter looked at Gabe. "We are not doing that again! We need to get to your aunt's." With a silent nod and a parting look at the dead island below them, Gabe followed Peter off into the stars to start his vacation with his aunt. Gabe had to admit, maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to try to find the treasures left on Marakesha. Apparently the stories about the cursed island were a bit more than stories.