Chapter 25
Deaths or Discussions
Windy was roaming from room to room trying to find her fiancé. He wasn't in his room, the throne room, his public or private study, and he wasn't in the guest rooms.
"Have you seen the Prince?" She asked a butler in passing. The man bowed politely, shook his head and wandered off. Windy was scouring the first floor for him when she accidentally bumped into a servant.
"Sorry miss," the man said, bowing.
"That's fine, have you seen the Prince?" She asked, anxious to find him.
"Yes miss, he's in the dungeon," the servant said, then left.
Windy nodded and headed off in the direction of the dungeon. She had never been in the dungeon before, but she knew the whole castle by maps and blueprints Demetrius had given her. She was going to be the Queen one day; she had to know everything about everything.
She found the door leading to the lower rooms and the dungeon rather easily and went down. The stairs were brightly lit, telling her Demetrius was indeed down here. Only half of the torches were ever lit, unless, of course, the King, Queen, or Prince was checking the dungeon.
Windy followed the stairs all the way to the bottom until she came to a fork, she could go left, right, or straight. She stood there for a moment trying to get the layout in her head. It took a while but finally she remembered the way to the dungeon was left. She turned and began to walk down the long hallway. The hallway wasn't lit as brightly as the stairs were, and she pondered why.
Lifting her skirts she began to walk faster, seeing a light at the end and an opening into a room.
"Leave her alone, she has nothing to do with this," Windy stopped walking as she heard a somewhat familiar voice yell.
"Mother I have already told you that Juliana needs to be taught a lesson, she has been spying on me for you for much too long," that voice she knew like the back of her hand, it was Demetrius, and the woman that had yelled was his mother.
A scream of pain rent the air and Windy smelled burnt flesh.
"For God's sake do it to me, just leave her alone. If you ever loved me then leave her alone," Windy heard his mother sobbing.
"Tell me where the Pearl is and she lives," Demetrius said.
"Gods I wish I knew, they told me nothing. I swear to you, I will swear on whatever you want, I don't know where they are," his mother screamed.
"Swear it on father's life."
"I swear on Jacks life I don't know where the Pearl is," the woman sobbed. Windy was becoming sick. He was torturing his mother for information about a ship.
Windy turned to escape the smell of burning flesh, the sounds of screaming, and her fiancé torturing his mother.
"All hands on deck," Davin yelled as he saw the ship behind him flying the red.
"Captain," Alandra yelled, grabbing his attention.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's the Black Pearl," Alan said. The crew took an involuntary step away from the rails and the Pearl.
"The Black Pearl's just a myth girl," one of the men said.
"It can't be real," another whispered.
"But it is real; the Black Pearl is my ship. Just let me talk to them, fly up a flag of truce and they will abide by it, especially if they see me."
"Ye had best be right girl or it's all our heads," Davin grumbled. "Fly up the white and drop anchor."
The crew's jaws dropped, but they did as told. Within seconds the white flag was flying high, declaring a truce with the Pearl who was quickly gaining on them. Alan watched her ship in rapt fascination. The black sails held open in the wind, the ship polished to a glossy shine, she was magnificent.
Alan's heart lightened as suddenly the red flag began to fall, and a black flag with a skull and six sparrows began to fly instead. They would not kill all, but the ship would be taken.
"Thought ye said they'd abide a truce?" Davin said, coming up beside her at the aft.
"They're not flying the red anymore, that's just their way of telling you they won't kill any who don't oppose them."
Davin looked at her for a moment. "And what would opposing them mean?" He asked.
"Keeping me."
"Then they're gonna be opposed," he nodded and looked back at the Pearl the was almost neck and neck with them.
She could make out faces and she looked to see who was at the helm. Her heart stopped as she saw him, standing there as if he didn't have a care in the world, one hand steering while the other held a bottle of rum.
"Alandra, ye alright girl?" Davin asked as he looked at her face.
"He's alive," she whispered. Without saying anything else she ran to the starboard side of the Paradise where the Black Pearl, carrying her father, was dropping anchor. Alan grabbed a rope, not even waiting for the Pearl to completely stop, and swung across. Her feet touched the rail of the Pearl and she leaned forward, dropping to the deck with a thud.
She looked up into Jon's smiling face. "We was worried 'bout ya," he said as he took her into a bear hug. She hugged him back, but her eyes searched the ship for her father. She saw him, swaggering towards her with a smirk on her face. She felt tears begin to fall down her cheeks and ignored them. "Well go say hello," Jon whispered, releasing her from the hug.
Alan needed no further encouragement; she ran to her father and grabbed him, holding him tight. She felt his arms tighten around her waist, and then suddenly he staggered and fell against her, she was holding him up.
"He's hurt Alan, be careful," Jon whispered.
"Alandra," a voice called behind her. Her father pulled himself to his feet and she turned to see Davin and Richard surrounded by swords, they had followed her across.
"Put down your swords," Alan ordered. The crew looked from her to her father in confusion.
"Jus do it ye mangy cads," Jack yelled. The crews swords dropped and Davin walked forward, Richard at his heels. "Yer the man that kidnapped me daughter, eh? Tell me why I shouldn't kill ye," Jack growled as Davin reached them.
"Cause I love her." The men privy to the conversation, Richard, Jon, and Jack, dropped their jaws in astonishment. Alan smiled sweetly and took Davin's hand.
"And I love him too," she said simply.
"Ye do?" Davin murmured. Alan burst out laughing.
"That's a conversation best saved for later love," she whispered.
"What'd ye do te me baby? I'll kill ye," Jack yelled as he lunged forward with his sword. The movement was shaky and awkward because of his wound.
"Jack yer in no condition," Jon yelled as he grabbed his friend.
"Then ye kill him," Jack yelled.
"Fa, stop it," Alan scolded.
"Maybe it's best if ye stayed out of this Alan, yer not helping," Jon grumbled as he strained to hold Jack back from killing Davin.
Davin looked at her as he heard Jon call her Alan, then back at Jon. She saw recognition come over his face and he began to laugh.
"What're ye laughin at? No one laughs at Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack growled, doubling his efforts.
"My apologies Captain, I wasn't laughin at ye, I was laughin at Alan," Davin said, barely able to contain his mirth. Alan smiled sheepishly at him.
"You know then," she murmured, a smile lighting her face.
"Know what?" Jon asked.
"We met before the kidnapping, I beat him up the night we were looking for Jack," she smirked. Jon began to laugh as she spoke.
"Ye were playin poker at the table?" Jon asked.
Jack stopped trying to push past Jon, "ye were lookin fer me?"
"Course I was, a lot needs to be told, are you through acting like an overprotective father?" She asked. Jack glared at her for a moment before deflating a bit.
"Aye, we'll speak in me cabin, I need more rum," Jack grumbled as he turned and led the way to his cabin. Alan pulled Davin along by his hand, Richard and Jon followed after them. Jon closed the door behind him and leaned against it.
"Siddown Jack, I'll get ye some rum," Jon ordered. Jack stood just long enough to disobey the order, but sit he did after Jon glared at him. Alan sat down on the bed and pulled Davin next to her, Richard stayed standing.
"Alright, so where's me rum?" Jon nodded and walked to Jack's mahogany chest and pulled out four bottles of rum. He handed one to Jack, Davin, and Richard and kept the last for himself. "I never said they could have any," Jack yelled.
"That's why I got it," Jon shrugged, pulling out the cork with his teeth and taking a hearty swallow of rum.
"Ye start the story, then I'll tell ye mine," Jack said and then followed Jon's example.
Alan began by sneaking out and seeing mother, then about finding Donnie and the crew. Jack laughed as she told him about her first meeting with Davin. Everyone stopped smiling as she told them about Demetrius and what he had told her. She finished with her time aboard the Paradise, excluding the night before.
"Well I spose it's my turn," Jon said. He took a swig of rum and began. "After ye ran off we looked fer ye for a while until I realized ye had taken my advise and gone back to the palace. We were returnin to the Pearl to wait fer word from you when we came upon Jack in an alleyway. He was covered in trash and bloodied to hell, thought he was dead at first until he opened his eyes and began to bark orders," Jon smiled at this, so did Alan, they knew Jack well.
"Then what?" She prompted.
"Then I took him to a Doctor that sewed him up. When we got back to the Pearl Donnie said he swore he saw ye being dragged onto a ship in the cove, the one we used before, and that we needed to get ye back. We needed some supplies so we loaded them up and left after ye," he finished with a shrug.
Alan turned to her father. "What happened?"
"Yer damn brother's what happened. I was returnin from givin the crew shore leave, I got back te the gates and Dem walked out. He didn't even say anythin, he just pulled out his sword and plunged it in me chest, boy must have a bad aim. The guards beat me and dumped me in the alley and Jon found me."
"You didn't get mother? Or Jessie or Logan?" Alan whispered.
"Couldn't go back te the palace, pixie," Jack murmured.
"We have to get back, and now. He's done something with them, we have to save them."
"Yer right, and we need te leave now. It was nice te meet ye boys but ye had best be gettin back te yer ship, we need te leave," Jack said, motioning towards his door.
"We can help ye," Davin protested.
"Yer ship's too slow, ye could never keep up," Jack said, shaking his head.
"But-" Davin started.
"But nothin," Jack cut him off with a growl. "Yer lucky I don't run ye through with me sword as it is, get back te yer ship before I change me mind."
"Father stop it, you're not going to kill him because if you do you won't see me ever again," Alan yelled.
"Ye'd leave the Pearl fer him?" Jack asked in astonishment.
"Yes."
Jack looked skyward and shook his head. "Fine, ye can come along, whenever ye get there we'll put ye te work, but Alan's stayin on the Pearl."
Davin looked at her, and then nodded. "Alright," he said.
"I'll get my dress and stuff," she said standing. "Then we can get on our way." She walked from Jack's room, Davin close on her heels, and over to the rails. She grabbed a rope and swung across to the Paradise. Davin and she made their way down to her closet of a room and she closed the door after him.
Davin grabbed her and kissed her. She held on to him as if for life and kissed him back deeply, their fingers intertwine as their kiss continued on, she didn't want to go back to the Pearl, she wanted to stay with him.
They pulled apart to breath and she leaned her head against his chest. "I want to stay with you," she whispered.
"Your father would never let you," he murmured.
She looked up at him and he leaned down to kiss her softly. "This is it for a while then," she whispered. He nodded and held her tighter.
"Just for a while though," he said. She nodded and pulled out of his grasp and began to gather her dress and shoes, all that she really owned on this ship.
She turned to leave and Davin grabbed her and pulled her to him one last time, kissing her again. Alan held him, and then left. A plank had been put across by the time she got back and she crossed it sullenly, waving goodbye to the friends she had made.
"Lift anchor, let's go," he father yelled. The men scurried to do his bidding and the anchor was soon up. She looked back at the Paradise as they began to pull away.
"We'll be right behind you," Davin yelled. She smiled and waved to him as the Pearl began to pick up speed and move quickly away from him.
"Man the sweeps," Jack yelled. She vaguely heard Davin yelling orders aboard his ship, but her father was right, they weren't fast enough. At full speed it would take the Paradise about two weeks to make it back, it would take the Pearl less than a week. She watched as the Paradise began to fall far behind them.
Alan sighed and walked off to her cabin, trying to reassure herself that all would turn out well in the end.
Another happy ending to a happy story… er… okay not exactly happy… umm, but at least they're not all dead?
And Jack's alive; bet you're all ecstatic about that. I didn't want the death threats for killing him is all…
Anyway, review and let me know how happy you are that he's alive, I can always erase this chapter and kill him off if you're not happy :)
Just kidding, seriously though review everyone!
