Alanna awoke slowly to a handsome face staring worriedly down at her, the outline of his face illuminated by what seemed to be Heaven's light. Her heart gave an agonizing jolt. She was dead. She had to be. The sufferings from before were now gone, and the face looming above her had to be that of an angel. The pleasure of the moment was stifled, however, when she felt a stiff, hard surface beneath her. This couldn't be Heaven if such discomforts existed. She inhaled, only to be met with the same familiar tang she associated with salt water. As her other senses gained strength, she realized she was on a ship and, if they had succeeded, she was safe.
Will stroked her cheek, relief spreading across his face. "Alanna…you had me worried there for a minute. Are you all right?"
With an effort, she slowly sat up. Around her, the men she had recently fought alongside were bustling about, making sure the Dutchman hadn't been damaged at the hands of her captors. It was late afternoon, judging by the position of the sun, and, if Alanna wasn't mistaken, it had been midday when they attacked the Raven.
"What happened?" she asked.
With a sigh, Will drew himself closer to her, his eyes sad.
"Towards the end of the battle," he explained. "We all heard a loud scream. I figured it had been you, but the sound was too…well gruesome to be human. While our opponents were distracted, we decided now was the best time to leave, since we knew the battle had been lost. In the commotion, Jack fell behind. It wasn't until we were back on the Dutchman that I realized he wasn't among us. He…he was probably captured."
Another heavy sigh escaped him. Here came the hart part. It would be terrible, for they all had suffered a great loss, but she had to hear it.
"As we made our way to the back of the ship, I found something, or rather…someone. He was lying by the mast, not too far from where you had fallen. The body was so mangled I couldn't tell who it was. Only when I saw the red hair did I realize…it was Arthur."
He stopped, gauging her reaction. Her face remained blank until, with a wave of emotion, her memory returned. The battle was raging all around her, swords clashing menacingly. She had just finished fending off someone when she saw him. Erebus, in all his glory, was staring at her with that same glitter in his eyes. She must have frozen on the spot, completely unaware of what was occurring around her. Arthur, seeing her distress, must have tried to defend her, and was slaughtered right in front of her eyes. Whether from the emotional strain or the present grief over losing her friend, she must have fainted.
As the memory became clearer, her face contorted into a mask of anguish and disbelief, much to Will's dismay.
In an effort to comfort her, he rushed on. "There was nothing I could do, love. He was too far-gone. Everything was happening so fast. I was so worried about saving your life I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm so sorry."
Alanna sat there, stunned. So it wasn't just some horrid nightmare. Everything she saw was real, and painfully so. When she finally turned to him, her face was hard. "Nothing you could do?" she repeated bitterly. "Nothing you could do?! There were a million things you could've done! Why save me when you could have saved him! He deserved to live do you hear me? He deserved to live!"
Will made a move to embrace her, be she shrank back.
"Please, Alanna," he pleaded. "You're in shock. You need to rest."
Enraged and grief-stricken, she stood and faced him. "I'm fine," she muttered. "I just need to be alone for a while."
Avoiding his gaze, she made her way to the railing, grasping the rope and hoisting herself up. Will, along with other members of the crew attempted to follow her, but she was quick to stop them.
"No, William," she said, her voice dangerously low. "You've done quite enough. I'm not some child that needs to be watched over all the time. I can take care of myself. Now, for once in your life, LEAVE ME BE!"
Stunned, Will was left standing by the railing, looking after Alanna as she climbed to the crow's nest. Myles, having witnessed the commotion, placed a comforting hand on Will's shoulder.
"She'll come around," he said gently. "When she's ready. All she needs is some time to get over the shock."
Will looked at his friend, his eyes hopeless. "I feel so lost," he murmured. "At this point, I don't know which way's up."
Myles half-smiled and patted his captain on the back. "Have faith, my boy," he replied. "And all will be well."
As Myles turned away, Will looked once again to the heavens, praying that Myles was right.
High above his head in the crow's nest, Alanna curled up into a ball within the basket and sobbed. What was once a place of romance and grand adventure had turned into a living nightmare. She had lost two people she was dear to, and now faced an uncertain future. What would the next day bring? And what's more, would she be ready for it?
It wasn't until the sun had sunk below the waves that Alanna finally began to descend, feeling as though she was walking through a dream. While in the crow's nest, her mind had eventually cleared and she was once again filled with the grim purpose she had acquired after Erebus had attacked her. She stalked purposefully into the cabin, the crew looking on curiously. As expected, Will was leaning over his desk, with Myles looking over his shoulder. Upon her entry, Will looked up from the map, his face wary. Taking the hint, Myles walked quietly out of the room, closing the door behind him.
For a moment, no one spoke. Will gazed at her, uncertain. As promised, she had come to him, but why? Perhaps she realized the cruelty of her words and came to beg forgiveness. If so, there was a chance everything would be alright again. He did not press her, but rather waited patiently for her to collect her thoughts. Finally, he was rewarded.
"We have to go back," she said hoarsely. "We have to save Jack."
Will blinked, taken aback. Of all the things she would say, that was the last thing he expected.
"Jack's fate is regrettable," he began. "But he knew what he was getting into when he joined us. If it's anyone's fault, it's his own. I cannot be held responsible for what happened."
Alanna gaped. "But he's your friend!" she said incredulously. "He risked his life to save yours and you're just going to abandon him?!"
Will was at a loss for words. He never thought her to defend his estranged friend, let alone having the desire to go back to that horrifying place.
Impatient by his silence, she went on. "If you don't treasure his friendship, at least consider this. The crew and myself would have died if he hadn't rescued us. You have him to thank for the woman who stands in front of you. He saved our lives, now we must at least save his. We owe him that much."
Confused by her sudden fervor, he moved away from the desk and walked towards her. When he got too close, he noticed she moved back a few paces, keeping them an arm's length apart.
"Alanna," he started. "Even if we were going to rescue him, we wouldn't know where to start."
But Alanna was prepared for that. "We'll find them," she said stubbornly. "We have to.
I swear by everything that is good in this world that Arthur will not die in vain. His soul will not have peace while that man lives."
Will sighed, moving toward her again, and was once more confused when she shied away. Determined to find out what she was keeping from him, he locked eyes with her.
"What is this really about?" he asked. "Would you really face Erebus just to avenge Arthur's death?"
He had struck a nerve and he knew it. She stiffened at the mention of Erebus's name, her eyes gazing at the floor. Confident, he pressed on. "You've been avoiding me since the day we were captured. Why? You won't let me come near you and you won't even look at me. What has he done to you that has made you this way?"
When she refused to answer, he strode forward, not giving her enough time to act. Ignoring her protests, he took her in his arms. She thrashed against him wildly, trying anything she could think of to get him off of her. Still, Will's embrace held. After a bit of a struggle, her wild anger gave way to broken, heart-wrenching sobs. Supporting her, Will knelt to the floor, holding her tightly against him. He rocked her back and forth, cradling her like a child.
"He raped me," she sobbed over and over.
" I know, sweetheart," he breathed into her hair. "I know…"
They stayed like that throughout the night, healing each other where they could. Ever so slowly, their relationship began to rebuild, growing on a much deeper level than before. As the sun rose, they proceeded to follow the path the Raven had taken, a path that would eventually lead them to their destiny.