Sorry about the wait—writer's block and marching band have taken their toll. Anywho, marching camp ends on Wednesday, and then I have about three week ways free before school starts. Yay. -sigh- That aside, I'm exhausted and sore. Reviews would be appreciated, and thanks to those who do.
Disclaimer: Wow, I've been forgetting this for the past couple of chapters. o.o;
Me: Words. This is a bunch of words.
Tia: Yes.
Me: Will the...bunch of words help?
Tia: If ye don't want it, give it back.
Me: -hugs closer- No.
Tia: Den it helps.
Enjoy.
Chapter Twenty-One: Run Free; One More Adventure
The new day started with a brilliant sunrise in the dense jungles of Port Royal. And a welcome yet familiar breeze. Jack now stood, equine, before Ames and James, who was dressed very casually—no wig, no uniform, just trousers, boots, shirt...that's about it... "All righty then! First thing's first: teach Ellie how to ride."
James sent a nervous glance her way. "Is Jack all right with this?"
"Coke truck! ...Yeah." She led them to a rather large stump and directed them appropriately—James to climb on top of it, and Jack to stand next to it. "All right, James, time to mount." He blanched. "What?"
"Surely nothing but your choice of words and the given circumstances related to Jack."
She pondered a moment, before realization dawned with a light blush and an "Oh." She gave them apologetic looks. "Sorry, forgot how cold and unaccepting this world is in that aspect. No, where I come from, people don't die for falling in love." Her eyes flashed dangerously, as did her tone. "Savvy?"
I can see that you've got some very strong feelings that have been pent up through numerous occasions, happenings, and/or debates which have long been waiting to be manifested for all the world to in some way shape or form understand...eh?
She blinked. ...And blinked again. "Yep. Now come on, let's have some fun!" The two 'men' looked relieved, and shared her grin. "James; on. Jack; no funny business, all right?"
He snorted. Fine. -,-
"Good."
James took a deep breath, and let it out with a whoosh, along with all his worries. "All right," he murmured to himself, placing a hand on Jack's withers. With a grunt, he vaulted high up onto the horse's back.
"Shift a little farther forward. ...Not that far! Geeze, don't wanna -hurt- yourself." He winced and shifted farther back. "Good. Now, we mustn't dilly, or dally." She began to circle them. "Because we have an enormous number of things to do before the day is out. But luckily for us, we have the Great Glass Elevator to speed things alo—" She suddenly fell backwards, as if having walked into something, before slowly standing and continuing halfheartedly, "...speed things along."
It was an odd voice, high and yet not...kind of like an impression of a man's falsetto. The stallion and rider exchanged bewildered expressions. "Eheheh...yes...shall we be moving along then?"
And so, with Amy's careful guidance and Jack's 'helpful' input, James received his second-ever (counting that one time when his ship made port in Brazil when he was still a mere swabbie) horseback riding lesson. "Well?" she asked with an excitedly knowing grin as he dismounted. "What do you think?"
"Aside from how sore I'll be later?" he asked morosely. Her smile started to fade. Contrarily, he broke into a wide grin. "It's definitely something I hope to do again. And I have you to thank for properly introducing me to it. ...And...I guess I should be thanking Jack as well for his...services...and patience..." He patted the stallion tentatively on the shoulder.
Jack bobbed his head. And now it's Amy's turn.
"I can ride later. How about tag?" She sent him some images from 'Spirit,' and he quickly caught on, bobbing his head eagerly, ears pricking forward. And he took off a few strides, the lass following hot on his heels and lunging at him as he turned back. He jumped out of the way and leaped toward her instead. She twisted around to jump out of the way. James sat with a contented sigh to watch them 'play'. Jack circled her at a light canter. She chased him with her eyes before lunging out to tag him. But he nimbly jumped and avoided her hand. He whinnied his laughter, surprised in the back of his mind that he would be enjoying somthing like this the way he was. And while he was preoccupied with his gigglesnorts (xP), she took off running across the clearing. He gave chase. With a somersault, she landed flat on her back, eyes closed, unmoving. Jack quickly caught up and slowed to a stop, ears pricking forward with concern, sniffing at her face. Had her foot been acting up again? Or her arm? Then, without warning, she took a deep breath and blew it in his face. He squealed his surprise and laughed with her before the two made their way back to James.
The Commodore regarded them thoughtfully. "You know...you two look like you belong together when you do that. Like you've known one another for a lifetime."
The girl and horse exchanged glances. "We are so very much alike, he and I... I and him...us." Ellie rolled his eyes. "No. Probably not. But seriously, horses do that. They find that one thing in you that'll click right in with them, and from there it is nothing more than a mutual respect and understanding." The man nodded agreement, features etched in a somewhat proud comprehension.
———————
As the hours eased into the afternoon, the day found the three lying on the beach in a triangular fashion, heads together, watching the clouds go by. "All right, Ellie," Jack spoke. "Your turn; What do you most want to do in your lifetime?"
He answered immediately: "To be the best man I can be. And from the looks of three days'...of our mishaps, rather, I would say I have a very long way to go." Jack smirked. There was a meditative silence before James leaned up on his arms in the sand and looked at the girl. "And you, Amy?"
Jack sat up, also, following suit. "What do you want to do most, luv?" he asked softly, thinking he already knew the answer.
There was a silence as her mind wandered to past dreams and hopes. "Fly." She blinked her eyes up and saw James' bemused expression, and that surprised of Jack. Perhaps I can find a way to Neverland one day, she thought wistfully. And with that, she smiled to herself. "Did I ever mention you two are the absolute best?"
"Really," Jack smirked. "Do go on, darling."
"Halt!" The three looked up to see Gillette and his company. On horseback, nonetheless.
"Jack Sparrow is still in Port Royal. As I told you, sir."
The Captain nodded. "And his thieving girl, too. Men: Take them."
"But what of the third?"
He turned back to the pirates. "What third?"
By now, James had scrambled out of sight, and was hidden safely in a coconut palm. Jack turned to Ames. "Run."
"What?"
"It's the bloody Navy! Go on!" And with that, he shoved her toward the jungle, and she took off. Moments later, the Navy was battling the sand blown in their eyes by a sudden gust of wind, and barely looked up in time to see a horse racing after her.
"The stallion is Sparrow. The girl is no witch, we all know that. He must have set some curse upon himself again. After them!" They gave chase, and were quickly gaining ground.
Quick! Get on! She jumped and grabbed hold of his neck, trying desperately to climb onto his back, but she couldn't. As Jack passed by the stump they'd used earlier as a mounting block, she vaulted off of it, high onto his back, and they raced on.
They swerved through the trees, a couple of the cavalry drawing nearer, til they were hot on Jack's heels. He swerved sharply to the right, through the denser trees, off the beaten path. She ducked. There was a thud moments later; A low-hanging branch had dismounted one unsuspecting soldier, and his horse spooked and took off in a completely different direction. Jack whinnied his laughter and continued on as the other began to catch up. Closer and closer the sable stallion lured the soldier, until the girl reached up and pulled at a branch as they rushed by. She let it go, and with a snap! it whipped back, catching the soldier and throwing him from his horse.
As they swerved to the left to avoid a boulder, yet another mounted soldier jumped out from the trees to pursue them. Jack raced the other horse, only to suddenly skid to a stop and veer sharply to the right, Amy's momentum nearly toppling her over his shoulder. They had come to the edge of a deep ravine, with only a narrow path along its lip, the trees beyond too dense to go through. So there was only one path they could take. Just wide enough for two galloping horses. The soldier puller up beside them, the closer one to the trees, putting Jack and Amy on the edge of the ravine. She stared at the soldier. The soldier glared at her. Inevitably their gazes met. And, like that, she knew what he was about to do, and ducked just in time as a hand came out to push her off the stallion. She flattened herself against Jack's withers as the soldier, carried by his momentum, fell off his horse, over Jack, and over the edge. With a glance over her shoulder, she saw that he had caught the edge and was heaving himself back up. Good, he wasn't hurt, thought she as they raced on.
She urged him faster, and faster he went, until he skidded suddenly to a halt at the top of an upraised outcropping. With the ravine on one side, and a sharp rock formation on the other, there was nowhere to run. Moments later, they both heard the nearing pounding of hoofbeats as Gillette and the remaining two of his company caught up to them.
———————
Captain Gillette was caught off-guard by a sudden cliff in the path past the ravine, forcing his company to slide to a halt. They looked all around, but could see nowhere that the pirate and rider could have gone. "There they are! Up there!" cried one soldier, pointing to the top of a large rock formation. Sure enough, the dark stallion was running along a path he'd found leading to the top.
———————
Jack stopped at the top, looking left and right. It led to ground level via a gently sloping hill. However, at its other end was a sheer cliff, the ravine gaping beyond. Perhaps they should turn back now. ...If they could just get to the bottom of the hill before the marines did, they might have a chance. But no, they could hear the far off thunder of hoofbeats, and knew the company had already reached the base of the hill. They didn't have much time.
He whipped his head around, desperate to find an escape. Then he spotted it, ears pricking forward. It was a long shot...No. His decision was made; it was the only way. I think your dream of flying might be about to come true, luv...
He backed up to the end of the most level part of the rock formation, until his hind hooves were very near sliding off the edge. And he stopped. Just completely stopped, breathing heavily. "Jack?" she leaned over to look at him. It was then that she noticed his distinctly fixed gaze and followed it. And quickly figured out what he was scheming. It was impossible. Well...improbable, to say the very least. Her expression turned to 'severe concern', and she groaned: "Oh no."
Oh yes, Jack thought in return, before falling silent and shutting his eyes tight. Thus they stood, several long moments passing, silent, the ever-nearing drumming growing closer and closer.
Then it happened. Jack's eyes flew open with a fire of determination burning wildly in their fathomless depths, and with a small sound launched himself as fast as he could go. Grunting with each stride, he sped faster and faster toward the edge of the cliff. If she estimated the twenty lengths to the other side of the ravine, Amy said nothing, only matching his determination and holding on for dear life as she rode along with him. The distance between them and the cliff rapidly shrank. Five strides...Three. Two. One. And with a powerful kick, Captain Jack Sparrow, a sable stallion, launched himself off the cliff with all his might.
And they were soaring through the air. The wind whipped past them, around them. And it was amazing. And it was freedom. Amy momentarily let go of his mane and outstretched her arms above her, whooping for joy at such the experience of flight. Encouraged by her enthusiasm, he extended himself as far as he could go, as the other side of the ravine drew closer. However, he had misjudged the difference in elevation between the cliff and the edge, and instead of landing properly, stumbled and skidded to a halt safe in the grass, sending Amy flying and rolling to a stop beside him. They both struggled to their knees, the girl's hand going to the horse's neck for support as they panted for breath. Their gazes slowly met, and they smiled momentarily at their feat before they heard a distant "Halt!" and looked to see Gillette and what remained of his company (only two) standing at the top of the cliff. The two turned to look, and even at such a distance, they could see the shocked expressions of the three troops.
Jack quickly changed back, and he and the girl exchanged expressions of hardly-concealed grins. He stood up and cupped his hands to his mouth. "Another one day's head start, then?" he called.
"So be it then," Gillette waved his hat in response, then turned and led his men away.
This time, the pirate and Amy really did grin, and they jumped up, whooping and cheering for joy, sharing hugs, et cetera. A third whoop joined their voices, and her joy grew as James joined them. The cheers finally ended, and they sat in a triangular circle-type thing in the grass. "No way," Amy giggled. "No way, no way, no way. Yay for achieving the impossible! It's like you had wings, Jack."
"They don't call him 'Sparrow' for nothing," James replied with a chuckle.
"Aye," agreed Jack with a smirk. They three fell silent. "So...what now, eh?"
"I dunno, how about a swim?" Jack and James exchanged glances and shrugged, nodding their agreement. And so, they headed to the beach for an afternoon of salty goodness and fun.
It seemed only too soon that the sea and sky were turning a beautiful shade of gold, birds singing their last melodies before they would quiet for the night as the sun set. James sighed as the were moseying back toward the Turner mansion. "I don't know where the time goes..."
"Time flies when you're having fun."
"Kind of like we did, eh, luv?"
She grinned. "Yeah. Hey...guys?"
"Yes?" they both replied, turning back to face her.
"There's one last thing I'd like to do before we turn in for the night and see me off to another world in the morning."
"And what might that be?" asked Jack in a low, soft voice—one he had not used much before, but had become an almost constant when around the girl.
She gestured at the still-golden sky. "To sleep under the stars on the beach one more time with the two greatest guys in all the Carribean." She smiled with that sly look of hers, eyebrow raised slightly. "Savvy?"
They grinned in turn and agreed eagerly. And thus, the evening found them observing the moonrise out over the sea from the beach, sitting about a brightly burning 'campfire' of sorts. And as the night progressed and the stars grew bright, THE Commodore James Norrington was finally made to submit to the call of a certain very familiar song as Jack and Amy sang it, dancing around the fire:
Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!
We pillage, plunder, we rifle and loot,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
Maraud and embezzle and even hijack,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!
We kindle and char and inflame and ignite,
Drink up me hearties, yo ho!
We burn up the city, we're really a fright,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!
We're rascals and scoundrels, villains and knaves,
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs!
Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me!
"I love this song! REALLY...BAD EGGS!" Jack and Amy cried in unison. He gave her an incredulous look. Did she really know him that well already? ...Or was he just that predictable? ...Or both? He shrugged to himself and vowed to leave such contemplation for another time. For now, the night was passing all too quickly, and before he knew it, the night would have left, and with it, his young friend.
As they settled for the night, the fire having been safely extinguished, (thank you, Smokey) the three huddled together, the girl in between the two who had come to mean so much to her. The two who had saved her life on more than one occasion. "So...y'know, we really are kind of a little family, right? I mean, James you're more like my nephew, but if I ever come back, I'll be your niece, just like you said...and Jack," her tone softened. "...You're kind of like my dad away from dad, aren't you. Love your parental instincts, or I woulda been thrown overboard a loong time ago...eh?"
"...Aye, I s'pose so."
"I promise: If I ever find a way to come and visit, I will. I just better not find out you've gone and tried to kill one another, all right?"
"Fine, yes," replied James.
"Aye."
"Wunderbar." She hugged them before making herself comfortable. "G'night, James."
"Good night."
"G'night, Jack."
"Good night, darling."
"Sleep tight. Don't let the sand fleas bite."
And moments later, all were still, and there was only a calm silence, a peace which was broken only by the soft singing of night insects and the gentle lapping of the waves against the shore. Jack was the last to fall asleep, as he lay there, next to this strange girl from another world who had somehow managed to come to mean so much to him. It would be such a shame to lose her, now... Thus were his final thoughts as sleep closed in around him...
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Oki, perhaps this chapter isn't so short after all! Wow! Seventeen reviews! Perhaps two hundred by story's end is not such a feat after all! Keep them coming! Praise:
ArmoredSoul: RAVE!
Authoressinhiding: Uhh...dotdotdot? Sure...le's go with that...
Kei-Ookami.kara.mori: Thanks for the review! That was so sweet.
pirateobsessed: Like I said, my powers are limited. Anywho, at least you got that. Mazeltav. --
Noyesgirl: You're welcome. And now I must thank you in turn for such the lovely review. Hmm...headbanger James, eh? Eheheh...
obbits14: Of course! ...But only at the opportune moment. Savvy?
Destinysway114: Don't worry, there'll be a plenty of sequels, fo' shizzle, ya dig? -facepalm- Nuu! No more urban! ;–; Anywho, yes: all good things must end, aye? Aye. RAVE!
marauder4ever: Ah, I take it you've got the new soundtrack! Good good good! Isn't it the absolute best! I have...like, half of it by memory...so if I'm bored and don't have my CD player, I can just play it in my head. Lol.
passionatepirate: You're welcome. But yes. That's why Jack is always rooting for James instead of Will. Their roots. Anywho, thanks for the review.
Molly: Yes, I forwarded an e-mail about this chapter to you. Ha. See you on Sunday, btw. Oh, and if you happen to read this on Saturday (me hopes!), then what do you want for your b-day? o.o See ya!
Estel Ashlee Snape: As you wish, faithful reviewer. -has conjured an update-
TheDreamChild: (cool name!) Wow...I didn't know other people had pet Norries...wait...what? ...Oh well, anywho, thanks for the review! Keep trying, they'll reach peace eventually. Just like with Jack, savvy?
Stormwake: Aye, I can see humor in a scene like that... xD Thanks for teh sweet review.
SamanthaSparrow: Yes, unfortunately. Now who'll want to stay aboard besides you with no big plot drop to keep them asking for more? What? No root beer! Why's the root gone! ...Oh well, how 'bout some -more- rum instead? CHEESE! SPLEEE! -glomphs-
RespectTheSporks: Yes, the fizzy kind that you drink. YAY COLA! Lol, thanks fer the review.
Psalm136: Yes, I'm writing a sequel. ...Eventually. Actually, I've got several in mind. Aye. And I agree: One, James is not heartless. Two, he's too darn good-looking to be a warthog, so just no. xD Lol. Welcome aboard, mate and new reviewer! Thanks for teh spiffeh review!
Jess is a Pirate: Hi! -waves frantically- Long time no type, eh? Lol, you'd better update soon, or I'll take the rum away! Believe me, mate, I can and will do it. Regardless of whatever Jimmy is scheming. Savvy? Anywho, what's all this then: "oh and i tared at asylum one i told you about." huh? Whatever, great to finally hear from you again. Oh wait...I just replied to your Fin review. -sweatdrop- oops. Well, now for this one: Rave! Yes, I'm now teh spiffeh Captain! PUDDING AHAHAHA! Oki, I'll stop now...
Thanks for all the reviews! Keep them coming, mates! One chapter left, though I do have planned a prologue. ...or two... ...Possibly three, but that's not probable...
Review!