Sorry everyone for the late submission :( I'm in university now and I had a long period of homesickness, so I wasn't able to post any for the past weeks :( I'll try to post the stories more now, don't worry :)
And I will post stories chronologically now, with only Pocahontas I until I end this one, and the next one will be... you'll see ;)
And without further adieu, here's the new chapter :)
"Here we are! Meet, Grandmother Willow," Pocahontas points her finger eagerly at the huge willow tree before her. Behind her stands a very tired Englishman with flushed face. They've been running, with stops by Arthur, for twenty minutes since they left, and not being the active person he is, Arthur is beyond exhausted. Pocahontas sees that he's not looking at her, so she goes closer to him to see if he's alive. Arthur, hands on his knees, huffs and puffs to catch what little breath he has. "You're not very active, are you, Arthur?" She asks with a small smile on her face.
"W-wait... I-I don't think... It's because I'm not active... But... You run too fast..." He says between breaths.
After a few minutes, Arthur finally regained his breath, and look towards Pocahontas, whom became bored of waiting for Arthur, so she started talking to the tree. Arthur couldn't see why she would talk to a random tree, but after pivoting himself to the left, he could see a face coming out of the tree. The trees's face are full of wrinkles, similar that to a very old lady. Seconds later, the tree sees the curious Arthur staring at her, and so she gives him a smile in return
"Oh, it's nice to meet you, my dear. My name is Grandmother Willow, and I heard from Pocahontas here that you understand the language of the wind," she asks Arthur. For a while, Arthur didn't answer her, for he is too mesmerised at her beauty and her age. It's not like he's never seen a talking tree before, but he never knew there would be one in the New World.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just thinking about something," he says after he snaps out of his trance.
"Oh, it's okay my dear~ Not many people have seen a talking tree before," she chuckles in response.
"Huh? Oh, it's not because of that, not at all, it's because I never knew that there are talking trees in the New World," he explains, which shocked both Willow and Pocahontas. Grandmother Willow have scared countless people with her strange appearance, John being one of them, but when she met Pocahontas, she didn't feel scared, but instead, happy with her appearance. Arthur is now one of the few whom feels normal towards the old tree.
"Really? May I know your name, young man?" She asks.
"Arthur Kirkland, it's a pleasure to meet you," he says happily, kissing the tip of one of Willow's branches. The old woman giggles at his gentleman gestures, while Pocahontas crosses her arms at the act.
"You seem to act normal towards her, Sir Arthur," she says with a playful smirk.
"Well, she didn't scare the living lights out of me, and dragged me half way across the woods, which in fact, also almost killed me," he raises his eyebrows. Instead of being offended, Pocahontas giggles at him and gives him a cheeky smile in return.
"My dear, instead of standing there, come up here," she gently pushes Arthur with one of her branches. Arthur then laughs a little, making both the tree and Pocahontas blush at his actions. He's a cute boy... Better than John Smith, I say... Grandmother Willow thought to herself, before turning to Pocahontas with a cheeky grin. The girl pouts at the old woman's reaction, and watches as Arthur struggles his way up. It usually takes her a couple of seconds to get up to the spot, but seeing as Arthur might take minutes to get up, she decides to quickly get up first. She then sits in a comfortable position, and watches the young man. But to her surprise, Arthur seems to have the ability to quickly and firmly climb from the trickiest of branches. Below him is a shallow pool of water, not able to drown someone, but hurt them a little if they fall. As Arthur is only one step away from reaching Pocahontas's position, the woman then notices something.
"Wait, Arthur, don't step there-" but her warnings are futile. As Arthur steps on that one branch filled with moss, he slips and looses his balance just above the pool of water. To his rescue, Pocahontas quickly grabs Arthur's hand, and pulls him to her spot. "Whew... That was close, though you wouldn't get hurt if you fall- Arthur...?" She asks in panic upon seeing Arthur still grasping her hand, though tighter than before. "Arthur, are you okay?" She asks one more time, shaking his shoulder gently.
"...huh..." Arthur wakes up from his small trance and looks up to see Pocahontas's worried face, and next to her, Grandmother Willow's worried face. With a flushed expression, he quickly releases his grip from Pocahontas and stare down at the ground in partial shame.
"Arthur… are you okay?" She asks once more, leaning her face closer to him, who darts his face away from her. After minutes of staring and darting, Arthur decided it was futile to continue.
"Erm… well… I-I'm… I'm afraid of the water, okay? Please don't laugh," he mumbles, shifting his position away from Pocahontas's view. The native girl blinks at him for a while, in order to get all the information in her head.
"Y-You're afraid of the water? How? Did you not come here by a ship? How did you manage?" This surprises Arthur completely. Usually, if he said this, people would laugh at him, but Pocahontas was different. Instead of taunting him, she was curious and worried about him.
"I am fine on a ship, really… It took me a while to get used to it, but because I love to explore, I have to sink that fear in…" he explains, placing his knee closer to his chest. He then continues, "it all started when I was younger, about four years old, and my family decided to have a picnic next to a river. I don't completely remember, but I somehow gotten myself lost while following a butterfly, and the next thing I knew, I fell into the river. Of course as a four year old, I couldn't swim at the time, so I thought that I was going to drown. I yelled for help, but no one came for my help, so everything went black then. When I woke up, I don't know how long I've been asleep for, but I just saw my mum and my siblings yelling at me with worried faces. Of course I cried and hugged my mum, I didn't know how else I should react to my drowning experience. So… from then on, I have a fear of drowning and falling into the water…" Pocahontas stares at him with wide eyes. This is the first time in her life where someone, especially a man, confesses his weakness to her. And although it may embarrass him, she is happy because of that. With a smile, she grabs Arthur's hands and stares at him with beaming eyes.
"When the weather is warmer, I'll teach you how to swim! I'll help you get over your fear of water, do not worry! Water is fun and very free, that is also why I love it," she explains. Arthur stares at her with a confused expression at her kindness. Instead of awkwardly moving away again, he gives her a small smile in return as he stares at their hands.
"…Thank… you…" He mumbles back to her, making the young woman smile again. She then slowly lets go of Arthur's hand, stands up, and lend him a hand to help him stand.
"Ooh, I've never seen this before," Grandmother Willow states. Pocahontas and Arthur stare back at her with confusion. "It is strange to have a girl help a boy up, isn't it usually the other way round?"
"Oh… I've never thought to that before," Arthur comments. He then grimaces upon a thought. "It's probably because of… my family…"
"Your family?" Pocahontas asks with curiosity. Before Arthur could answer, he feels a sharp sting on his feet, causing him to go back to his sitting position. "What's wrong?" Arthur then opens his shoes, which answers Pocahontas's questions completely.
"Ow… my boots can't withstand the cold here at all…" Arthur comments, rubbing his blistering feet. Pocahontas stares at it for a while, staring at the wounds on his feet with a frown. She then opens one of her boots and hands it to Arthur, who responds to this gesture with a raised eyebrows.
"Try my one. I've tried on your people's shoes, and truthfully, it is not very comfortable to manoeuvre in the snow. I believe my people's shoes are better," she states, gesturing her offer. Arthur slowly nods at her before slipping the shoe on. To his amazement, the shoe is indeed much more comfortable and warmer.
"It really is warmer and nicer!" Arthur exclaims, though he finds himself being stared by Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow.
"D-Does it fit you?" Pocahontas asks.
"Well… it's a little small, but I think I'm one size bigger than yours…" he responds in a mumble. Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow both look at each other before looking at Arthur.
"Arthur, my dear, Pocahontas has one of the smallest foot size in her tribe, also one of the smallest bodies too… to have your feet match close to hers, that is… something…" Grandmother Willow exclaims.
"W-Well… I do have the smallest feet in the family…" Arthur exclaims shyly.
"You mentioned your family often now, could you please tell me about them? Also, maybe you could also tell me about how you are not surprised by Grandmother's appearance…" Pocahontas asks with curiosity. Arthur nods at both questions. He then gives the girl her shoe back, and wraps his feet together with a piece of cloth so it wouldn't freeze. After they are sitting in their own comfortable positions, Arthur starts. He knows that Pocahontas will mean no harm to his family, since his family is what he described to be 'abnormal'.
"Since the two topics are adjoined with each other, I'll tell you about my family first. My family consists of my mother and my siblings, I being the youngest of five. My brother Ian is twenty-eight years old, my twin siblings; Cathleen and Seamas, are both twenty-six years old, and my brother Dylan is twenty-four years old. My mother's name is Alicia, and our family name is Kirkland. Unlike the others, I was born in London like my mother. All my siblings were born in the United Kingdom region," Arthur explains his background.
"United Kingdom…? Is that your tribe?" Pocahontas asks for more detail.
"Well… no, it's a kingdom. A kingdom is a formation of more than one country, state, or territory ruled by a king or a queen. In my case, the United Kingdom is a bunch of countries in one territory ruled by King James. This is called a monarchy- though I think we're getting side tracked," he says in dismay, which Pocahontas nods at him with agreement. He then continues, "one thing you would need to know about my family; we're not normal. None of us are normal for various reasons. One of those reasons is my mother. She is the one who raised us after our father… disappeared or died, I don't know the reason, for I was too young at the time. But anyways, my mother raised us as a single parent, which meant that she needed to get a job, and in my country, for a woman, finding a job is much harder than you may think. But my mother was a strong woman, so she decided to work in… the military," Arthur says in part dismay, which Pocahontas gasps in part shock.
"Women… are allowed to work in the military…?" She asks in confusion. In her tribe, only the men go out for war and fight the battles, while the woman stayed behind in the farm or the houses. This information is shocking to Pocahontas.
"No… women are not allowed to work or be in the military…but because my mother had so much skill, that the army had no choice but appoint her. From then on, the British military became more organised and stronger due to her efforts, which made the royal family thought of her highly. After my mum, Ian decided to take up the job as one of the chair members of the royal family, and he proved to be beyond successful at it at the age of twenty. Cathleen took my mother's blood and also joined the army, making her the head of the ground troops in the East and West of the kingdom. Seamas, the younger twin, took care of the exploration and other campaigns around the globe, so he's more diplomatic than our sister. Both became successful at the age of twenty-one. Dylan, meanwhile, became part of the law and order section of the empire at age twenty as well. I, on the other hand, acquired two jobs; a representative of the country, and the commander of the British navy, but this was when I was eighteen, making me one of the gifted child in the family. I… hope this makes sense…" Arthur asks questionably at Pocahontas's blank expression. He knows that she might not understand these sort of information, but she nods at him anyways.
"I… somewhat understand… but your family seems to be very famous. For me, it's just my father and I… my mother passed away when I was young," she sighs.
"Oh… then… we're similar, because I don't know what happened to my father…" Arthur says in dismay. "And about my knowledge of spirits, my country is very famous for its mythology and tales of the spirit realm. In England, we have spirits, elves, fairies, gnomes, and other mythical beings of all sorts. Actually, my family have been the keepsake of the gate between the spiritual and the human worlds, so it's important for us to understand and know about the mythical beings." With his last and quick explanation, Pocahontas stares at him with amazement.
"So, that is the reason why you are able to understand the wind spirits of our land," Grandmother Willow nods at him. "And to answer you previous question, my dear, we do have many spirits in this area, many of them coincides all around us; the trees, the rivers, and the mountains," she explains, as Pocahontas nods in approval.
"Oh... So they are nature spirits..." Arthur mumbles to himself, feeling happier than before.
"I would love to talk to you about them, if you want. My mother's side of the family have been with Grandmother Willow since the beginning, and I too understand the importance of spirits in the land," she explains gently.
"It would be nice if we talked about them in the meantime," Arthur suggests to the maiden. She then fumbles with her hair a little with a bit of a frown in her face.
"I was thinking... If you don't mind, that is, if we could first talk about your country, about the place you have visited?" Pocahontas asks, shifting her legs for a minute. Arthur blinks at her for a minute, and then smiles at her abundance of interests. He begins with the formation of his country, and then builds up to his people. He explains her about continents, about the cultures he has visited, about the food, the buildings, the people in not only his country, but the other countries he has visited. Towards the end, as Pocahontas marvels at the amount of knowledge Arthur posses, he begins to talk about his novels and his passion, slowly diverting the topic to some of his hobbies. Between his talks, Pocahontas asked questions, and to her happiness, Arthur answers them in full detail, not missing a single point in his description. She was happy that all they could talk about is adventure and exploration, instead of the taboo topic of racism and prejudice. Throughout all of this, Grandmother Willow felt a sensation between the two that she has never felt before. She believed that their understanding of one another through their uniqueness brings them together. She also believed that this aura is much stronger than when Pocahontas met John.
Unfortunately, the sun soon begins to set, and Arthur finds himself stopping abruptly between his explanation. "Oh my… did we talk the whole time…?" Arthur asks her, whom also looks at him with a surprised expression. They have been talking since morning, and right now, the sun is slowly setting in the horizon. Pocahontas then begins to laugh.
"I have never talked this long about something… so interesting!" She cheers.
"Really? Not many have ever thought my talks are interesting… especially a certain neighbouring country…" Arthur scoffs at the thought of Francis, the representative of France.
"It's France, is it not? Or are you talking about Belgium and Netherlands?" She asks with curiosity, which surprises Arthur a little. Even though he briefly talked about those three countries, she remembers them quite well. I think… it wouldn't be long for her to understand to write in English…he thought to himself with a smile.
"Well… Tomorrow we'll start the lesson in writing English," Arthur exclaims, slowly getting up from his sitting position. He then slips his shoe on and gently walks down the roots and onto the ground again. Pocahontas stares at him with disappointment.
"Why are you leaving so soon?" She asks.
"Oh, I promised the Mayor that I will be back at sunset, and if I don't, I think they will come and search for me…" he replies doubtfully.
"And there will be a skirmish between my people and yours, am I right?" She replies with a smile. Again, Arthur was surprised by Pocahontas's intelligence, knowing the current situation before her faster than normal people.
"Then… I will see you tomorrow morning…?" He questions. Pocahontas gives him a nod.
"Yes, if Grandmother Willow minds us being here, that is," she looks up at the old tree, who nods at her eagerly.
"I don't get many visitors, so you are welcome anytime, Sir Kirkland. The wind spirits will guide you to me tomorrow morning," the old woman smiles her wrinkly smile at Arthur, whom bows at her as thanks. Pocahontas soon jumps down the branches in incredible speed, and stands near Arthur.
"Thank you, for helping me with this. I appreciate it," she smiles. Arthur blushes at her kindness.
"Well, it's fine, really… We might not be able to finish everything in one day… but I'll try to do it for you," Arthur responds, questioning Pocahontas at his unusual tsundere attitude.
"Okay… then this is good bye. Ana, Arthur," Pocahontas gestures him with a hand wave. It took the young man a while to understand what she's doing, but he then smiles in return.
"Ana, Pocahontas," he smiles at her, making her blush once more. She doesn't know what this sensation means, but when Arthur begins to leave with his horse, the sensation became stronger and stronger.
It's as if, she wants to be with him… more…
Powhatan Tribe
After a couple of minutes walking and daydreaming of her day with Arthur Kirkland, the young native woman finally reached the comforts of her home. The sun in the background slowly sinks itself down to the Earth, illuminating the sky with its beautiful shades of crimson. Upon greeting her people hello, she spots Nakoma amidst the crowd and runs towards her, giving the friend a big, warm hug.
"Wow, you seemed you had a great time, Ms player~" Nakoma slyly winks at Pocahontas.
"What, no! I'm just happy that Arthur is willing to help me with John's situation," Pocahontas explains with blushing cheeks, which did not help with her argument.
"But your heart says everything," she place her hands on her hips. The girl blush once more, before letting go of Nakoma from the embrace.
"B-but... My heart belongs to John... It's probably because of my excitement, that is all... I hope," Pocahontas mumbles the last part, as she places her hand on her chest to shush her beating heart.
"I don't get it," Nakoma comments.
"Get what?" Pocahontas questions.
"I don't get why you like him. I mean, he's shorter than others, smaller than others, and nothing like John Smith," she pouts. "Though, I'll give him points for his looks," she winks at Pocahontas.
"It is true, he isn't strong, nor fast. But... There's something that attracts me to him, but I am not sure what-"
"Oh, I hope it's not because he's white, Pocahontas," the said girl turns her back around to meet the angry face of none other than her father, Chief Powhatan.
"F-Father!" Pocahontas gasps at the sight before her. She immediately turns around to Nakoma, whom shrugs at her in return. She then mouths 'I did not do it' to Pocahontas, which made her question the source of her father's knowledge of her time with Arthur.
"How many times have I told you; don't go to where the White people are!" Her father sternly states, gaining the attention of the whole tribe.
"I needed to go to him to gain information of John Smith, Father, nothing else," she explains.
"But what if he took you to that wretched town and hurt you? I can't loose you, my dear," Chief Powhatan clenches his staff tightly.
"He won't do that, I promise you. He's different, he will never do that," Pocahontas defended, puffing her chest out.
"How do you know? Are you going to meet him again?"
"I know, father, because he is accepting and understanding towards others, and also, he can understand the voices of the wind," the whole tribe gasps at this phenomenon. Not even the Chief himself is able to understand, only Pocahontas and her mother has this ability, thus questions the identity of this young man even more. "And," Pocahontas adds, "I will meet with him again, for I will need his help for John Smith's situation," she explains.
"John Smith, what about that man?" Chief Powhatan asks. Pocahontas then explains the full detail of John Smith's conviction against the British crown, and that unless she sends a letter containing the whole story, he may wound up with a death penalty. The Chief nods at his daughter's explanation, but after she finishes, he sighs deeply. "My daughter, I'm sure you know that you are in the age of marriage, you must find a suitable husband soon."
"I understand, father, which is why I'm waiting for John himself to come-"
"Not him, my dear, not him," this statement shocks Pocahontas greatly.
"Father... Wait, why not him? You surely understand my love for him, do you not?" Pocahontas asks in panic.
"My daughter, you must know that he lives in a completely different world from you, and that no one will tolerate him marrying someone of different origin and skin colour-"
"Father... What are you trying to say? That you don't... Don't want me to love John?" Pocahontas cuts in, gripping her hand tighter than before.
"No, loving John is fine, but marrying him is another. You are here for your tribe, Pocahontas, and after you get married, you're going to have a son of your own that you will raise to become the next Cheif... And I do not think the other tribes will approve of a marriage between a white person and of our kind. It's impossible for that to happen, and you must understand that with the position of the daughter of the Chief, and the position of the natives who owns this land," Chief Powhatan explains to his daughter with a serious face. Pocahontas only tighten her grip, digging her nails into her glimmering chocolate skin. She did not want to run away, for she knows that it's the sign of giving up. Instead of running, she wanted answers.
"Father... Who will I marry then? Do I have a choice, or do I have to comply with your forceful attitude?" She asks with seriousness of her own. Her old self would never ask her father in such a manner, she would often hide it, let alone leave it alone until she could rant it to Nakoma or any of her animal friends. She herself was surprised at this new surge of power she's experiencing... Probably after the excitement from Arthur's stories and his strong family. The Chief, although astonished by his daughter's sentence, clears his throat.
"In two days, I will introduce you to him. He is from a neighbouring tribe who also complains about the White people in the coast. I believe that your marriage with him will bring peace with the two tribes, so we can declare what is ours and what is theirs, meaning the whites people, once and for all. Do not worry, he is roughly the same height and body mass of Sir John Smith, so I am sure it won't be a problem for you," he states, crossing his arms. Pocahontas shifted her feet a little with a frown upon her face. "But, marriage is not an option, but choosing your husband is. If you would like, find another person that you chose yourself, and they will compete in a series of three different events to show off their skills and talents to you. It's for both me and you to see who would be fitted as your husband. This test will commence three days from now, so get him prepared," he sighs one last time.
With that statement, Pocahontas's eyes shines with glee. "Then, if I add another candidate in this 'game', and if he wins, he will win me? Who will be the judges of this?"
"Yes, that is true. And the judges will be me, yourself of course, and-"
"Nakoma!" Pocahontas interrupts, as she grasps her friend's hand with happiness.
"M-Me?" Nakoma stutters at the sudden gesture before her.
"Very well then," Chief Powhatan nods. "Are you happy with this choice, my dear? I understand your love for John Smith is real, but I cannot wait any longer, for I do not have that much time to live... Pocahontas, you must understand the importance of marriage? I've delayed it for far too long, now is the time..." Pocahontas looks at her father and slowly nods at him. He gives her a small smile and place his hand on her shoulder. "Your mother will be proud of you wherever she is," he adds, before walking off into the distance. At this time, the huge crowd dispersed before the spot of the event, leaving Pocahontas, her animal friends, and Nakoma alone in the area.
"Wait, don't tell me that your candidate is the handsome-but-weak White man you spoke to today?" Nakoma asks with disbelief, but when she sees Pocahontas's nodding head, she knows that this is good to be true. "He's going to die! I've seen the man your dad spoke about, and he is nothing but strength and skill! That white man is not going to make it!"
"He will, Nakoma... I don't understand how, but he will," Pocahontas assures her friend.
"You're not going to say because the 'wind spirits' told you, right? Because I'm pretty sure that neighbouring tribe's man can even break wind," she replies with hands on hips.
"He has skills of his own... Plus, I believe that he will do well..." She sighs with part relief, and part worry for the next two days.
"It's three different trials, which means... Each judge will pick one, right?" Nakoma asks.
"I believe so... But Nakoma, could you please pick something that would both satisfy him and my father? I need him to win, but I cannot give you events that benefits only him..." Pocahontas pleads to her friend, grasping her hands tightly.
"Fine, I will... But you owe me so much," she smiles in return. "But... How are you going to tell him about this situation? And what are you choosing for him?" Pocahontas lets go of her hands, and place them on her sides.
"I have an idea for the event, but convincing him... Is another problem..."
It is true that Native American shoes are more comfortable, agile, and warm compared to European shoes at the time.
Pocahontas finds one of Arthur's weakness, I wonder what other weakness will he show her later on? Or weakness will she show him later on? Hmmmm... :)
The next chapter will come either next week or later this week if I have the time. Thanks for reading everyone, and remember to review and follow this story to find out more about the disney characters and their hetalia partners ;)