Chapter 20
Laughing Matters
Jack watched in happiness as Dem hugged Alan. Dem had grown into a fine man that, he had to admit, had the best of both Rena and himself. He smiled and walk to his son only to see a pair of cold eyes turned his way.
"I can see you haven't changed much, Father," Dem said.
"Hello Jessie," Dem took her hand and lightly kissed the back of it. He then turned those cold eyes on Logan. "You must be Logan."
Logan nodded and smiled shyly. "I'm yer youngest brother, I've heard all about ye Dem. Alan used to tell me all about you when we were younger, and mother and fa just talk about ye a lot," Logan babbled the way a twelve year old will when they're nervous. Rena smiled, but Jack watched Dem closely. Something wasn't quite right with this man that had once been his son.
"I missed you Dem," Rena said as she walked to her son and gave him a tight hug.
"Of course mother," Dem said, not hugging her back. "But you're all tired and probably reeling from the ship still, so I'll have the butler show you to your rooms, dinner will be in an hour." Dem smiled and left, and a few minutes later a butler came hurrying to the front door.
"Follow me please," the man said and headed up the stairs to the second floor. They were all in the right wing of the palace, and Saihrena was relieved to see she was in her chilhood room, the bed had been changed to acomidate Jack as well, but everything else was the same.
"The children will all be next door lady," the butler said. She nodded and went to look at her room.
Alandra got her own room, and it was entirely too big. The sitting room alone was twice the size of the cabin she shared with Jessie on the Pearl. Her room had a sitting room, a bedroom, a very large bathing room and a small study, which wasn't saying much because it was still bigger than her cabin. Alandra walked to her closet and saw it filled with every pattern and color dress possible, plus many pairs of pants and shirts.
"Alan, Alan," a boy's voice said, running into her room unannounced.
"What Logan?" She asked.
"My room is huge, it's even got its own bathroom and," Logan stopped and looked around. "I guess yours does too," he said sheepishly. She sighed and remembered her promise to forgive her young brother, and smiled.
"Yes they are, and next time you come in you have to knock like you would on the Pearl, it's not polite to burst into a room unanounced," she said. "Now run along back to your room and wash up for dinner." Logan nodded and ran off to his room.
She smiled as he left, he could be very annoying, but she found that if she really thought about it she couldn't imagine life without him. After a moment she went off to follow her own advise and wash up for dinner.
Jessie was overwhelmed as she walked into her room. It was the most elegant and biggest room she had ever seen, let alone lived in, in her life. The bed was the size of her and Alan's cabin.With a smile she laid down on it and sighed in contentment, it was so soft. She could get used to this. Cuddling into the thick, soft, down comforter, she soon fell fast asleep.
"Where are you going Jack?" Rena asked as Jack replaced his jacket and put on his shoes.
"Have te give the crew shore leave," he said, leaning down to give her a kiss.
"Well hurry back, can't you wait till after dinner? It's rude not to show up, and for your own son."
Jack stopped at the door and looked at her, "aye, yer right. Spose I could go after dinner," Jack smiled. "Shall we get the children then? Rena nodded and together they left the room, going to see their children to dinner.
They knocked on Jessie's door first, and after hearing nothing, they walked in. She was sound asleep on top of the bed still dressed in her dress.
"Jessie," Rena said, leaning over her and tapping her arm lightly.
"What?" Jessie asked, opening one eye.
"It's dinner time love, get up and comb yer hair, we'll be back te get ye in a minute," Jack said as he pulled Rena from the room.
They walked next door to Logan's room next and walked in. He was romping around the room, jumping on the bed and making a complete mess. Jack and Rena glared making him stop in his tracks.
"H-hi," he said.
"When we get back from dinner you are cleaning this up young man," Rena said, taking his arm and pulling him from the room. "Now go see if Jessie is ready, and knock before you enter." Logan ran to his sister's room, happy to not be spanked.
When they entered Alan's room they were happy to see she was simply sitting in the study reading a book, nothing was out of place and she was ready to go.
"Come on Alan, time te go te dinner," Jack said, offering her his arm. She took it and they met up with Jessie and Logan in the hall.
"Everyone ready?" Rena asked. They nodded. "Let's go to dinner. Rena held on to her husband tightly as they walked down the hall to the staircase. She had never been here with him and had bad memories of walking this by herself, and even being carried with her children. The last time she remembered walking this by herself it was to get married, and while at the time she had been surrounded by maids and women she didn't know, she hadn't been with her family.
"It's okay Rena, we're together,"Jack whispered as they stopped at the staircase. They descended the stairs carefully and made it to the bottom, there he was, her son. She smiled at him and he stepped forward and took Alan's arm. It was then that she could pinpoint her anxiety, she knew something was off with him, it was as if no one else existed in the world besides Alan. He acted as if they weren't there.
"Somethings wrong," she whispered to Jack. Jack nodded, but said nothing else.
"Just be ready," he whispered back. They let the matter drop as they entered the dinning hall. They entered to a chorus of cheers and clapping, though no doubt it was for the future heir and not his family. He led Alan to a chair then sat down next to her. Raul stood at the chair next to Dem and as he saw them enter a smile came to his lips and he walked to her. He gave Rena a chaste kiss on the cheek and took Jack's hand, shaking it.
"Hello Jack, Saihrena. This must be your son Logan, and who is this enchanting woman?" He asked as he took Jessie's hand and kissed it.
"This is me daughter Jessie," Jack almost growled.
Raul looked from Jessie to Jack to Rena then simply nodded and walked to his chair. They walked to their seats next to Alan and the meal commenced.
There were around fifteen other people at the table with them, making the room quite noisy as they talked and ate. Everyone was dressed in their finest, every color of the rainbow and in between graced the ladies, and quite a few men, festooning the room with a bright display that almost blinded Jack.
He preferred the darker colors such as his daughter and wife were wearing, weren't so hard on the eyes.
"So how have you been Dem?" He heard Alan ask and turned his ears to their conversation.
"I've been quite well, Uncle looks after me very nicely. I've had all the finest teachers and training to become King," Dem said. Was that a look of admiration and affection that crossed his face as he spoke of Uncle? Jack knew it was. "How has life on the Pearl been?"
"It's wonderful, mother and father have taken us all over the world hunting treasure and loot- I mean sailing," Alan amended as she obviously remembered she was in a large room filled with listening ears, and pirates could be hanged. Dem simply laughed at her slip.
"Yes but what sort of an education did you have dear sister? Running around on a ship," Dem scoffed. He could see the storm clouds rolling in as Dem spoke and Jack smirked, he should have remembered his sister's temper.
"I've had a wonderful education, mother and father made sure of it. We have a tutor that sails with us, quite a good tutor at that, and we've been taught fencing, how to shoot, and mother has even been teaching me her katabos. Plus Logan and I are both more than proficient at over fifteen different languages," she raged, obviously having forgotten the room of people in her anger, women were not supposed to know how to fight.
A gasp of horror went up through the room at her declaration, or at having yelled at the prince and heir to the throne, Jack wasn't sure which, but Dem simply looked at his sister for a moment before bursting into laughter. The room quieted, and after seeing him laughing they all began laughing.
Alan glanced around the room then stood and left. Jack followed her quickly having known what her reaction would be. He let her make it to her room before he intercepted her, this conversation should be private.
"Alan, love?" He asked as he entered the room.
"What?" She asked, and he was surprised to hear tears in her voice.
"Don't let them get te ye, yer better en them an ye know it," Jack said as he took her in his arms and held her. "Their simply jealous that yer smarter en them an ye could beat any one o them any day o the week." She smiled at this and looked up at him.
"You think so daddy?" She asked, and the endearment made him catch his breath, she hadn't called him daddy since she was eleven.
"I know so."
"But what's wrong with Dem? He isn't the same, he never would have laughed at me before."
"He isn't the same as before, he's been here for amost thirteen years without even writing us. He isn't the same as he was when ye were five and running around untying all the sails." His rememberance made her laugh.
"Then why are we-" she broke off.
"Here?" Jack finished for her. He shrugged as he thought. "Cause we love him an want him te know that."
"Thanks for cheering me up," she said smiling and wiping her tears away.
"Anytime love, but now if ye'll excuse me I gotta give the crew shore leave, how long shall we give em eh?"
"How about a week, they can flip for who stays on the ship. This way if we need to leave we can have them all back in a week, and if we don't we give them another weeks time," she said thoughtfully. He kissed her on the head.
"How'd ye get te be so smart, don't get it from me," he said as he turned to go.
"Of course not, I get it from mother," she laughed.
"I'll get ye later fer that missy," he said and left.
Yeah, I know it's taken me forever to get this up, just haven't been very inspired I gues… Plus this chapter was pretty boring to write. Anyway hopefully I'll get the next one up quicker, but only one way to make sure of that… REVIEW!
The more reviews I get the quicker I update because the more inspired I get. Anyway, like I said it was kind of boring but the next chapter will be better, should be some action in there.
So what are you waiting for, REVIEW!
Oh and thanks to everyone that reviewed my last chapter! You're all SO AWESOME!
(Throws you all a naked Jack) Have fun, take some pictures:)
