Okay, so as an author i just screwed up MAJORLY! i TOTALLY forgot to give the kudos promised for those who identified the pirates that me and Code Green did NOT come up with!
SO without further ado, a round of applause for Celestialdome (hope i spelled that right) for being the only person so far to identify ANY of them. yay! she got the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, from Veggie Tales!
haha as always your reviews are much appreciated! they keep me (and Code Green) writing!
11
Vorian's eyes opened, and he looked in her direction. Trinity had the feeling he wasn't really seeing her, though. It was dawn now, but no one had slept a wink, because adrenaline was still washing through their veins. The gray light illuminated the ship, giving it an eerie look.
"Yes?" he answered.
She sighed, and leaned against the railing next to him. She felt very small, but was determined. "Vorian, I think… Don't give up on her."
He turned and really looked at her. "Pardon?"
"You know, she's not really all into Tesla, the way it looks like she is. So don't get jealous or anything."
"Jealous?" Vorian snorted. "Why should I be jealous? He's only everything she's dreamed of. He's a sailor, deals with pirates…What indeed is there to be jealous about?" His bitter tone caused Trinity to roll her eyes.
"You don't know her like I do," she told him matter-of-factly. "Trust me on this. This whole world, this life at sea thing. The idea is very…romantic, I guess, to her. Not in that she'll go falling in love with a sailor or anything. But in our world, we have nothing like this, and she's fascinated. It's not Tesla, trust me. It's the life of adventure, of excitement. By the end of our voyage, she'll be so tired of it."
The water prince sighed. They were both silent for a time, but Trinity sensed the conversation was not over yet. She waited patiently for him to speak.
"Trinity," Vorian said finally. "Does she…know how much I really care?"
"Of course!" Trinity said, almost too loudly. Vorian glanced over to Evelyn's sleeping form across the deck nervously, but she was still out.
"Vorian, you've made your feelings plain, trust me," the black-haired girl said, more quietly. "You may as well have shouted them at her. She just isn't quite sure how she feels yet. Give her some time. Evelyn…she's very quiet-spoken. She's a little insecure about herself, and she can't think of how on earth she deserves you."
"I know," the water prince said softly. "And I don't know what to do. I…well…"
"You love her."
He could hear the smile in the small girl's voice as she said it.
"Give her time," Trinity said again, "She'll come around. In the meantime, though, you may want to try to beat Tesla to the punch without Evelyn's knowledge. If you get over-protective, she'll rebel. I personally agree with you about our darling captain, and I don't want him around either. But you cannot pressure her, so you have to just be there for her. Promise me you won't pressure her. Promise me you will continue to be just her friend until she makes the choice."
Her command was so simply said, Vorian thought, but so difficult to put into practice. He knew that no one would know Evelyn better than Trinity, however, and he opened his mouth to promise. However, the small woman interrupted him.
"I'm talking to Vorian right now, Jareth."
The water prince grinned to himself wryly. Some people could be so sure of themselves and their love.
"Giving him advice. Yep." Then, she laughed out loud, and quickly covered her mouth with her hand to smother it. She couldn't suppress the giggles, though.
Vorian raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?" he asked.
"I dunno, do you?"
The water prince rolled his eyes. "What did he say?"
Trinity snorted again, still trying to keep from laughing. "He said that if you're not going to take my advice concerning Evelyn you should just jump off the side of the ship."
Now Vorian laughed.
The king's fiancé yawned, and covered it with her left hand. Her engagement ring managed to sparkle even in the slowly brightening light of the dawn.
"You need to sleep," Vorian told her, and glanced at Evelyn.
"You're gonna have to get her," Trinity said. "I mean, I could try, but…"
The water prince smiled, and walked over to pick Evelyn up gently.
"I won't pressure you," he whispered into her hair. "I promise."
XxXxX
Two weeks later, Trinity had taught Wilburus how to sing every line of "Pirate's Life For Me" and had earned him extra chores from Sanji for singing it all the time. The boy's voice hadn't quite changed yet, and so he had a cute soprano voice that had Trinity and Evelyn giggling every time he sang.
Evelyn had explored every inch of the ship, with and without Tesla's guidance. She loved to stand at the front of the ship and watch as the ship cut through the waves lightly. However, she was often alone here, as the motion of the waves made Trinity seasick all over again. Since she was alone, her thoughts wandered far and wide.
Vorian seemed to have grown away from her. He was still very friendly, and there was no mistaking that look in his eyes she sometimes caught, but he was different somehow. Like he had backed off. She didn't know whether or not this was a good thing.
Tesla had noticed the same thing, and was taking advantage of Vorian's absence to get himself closer to Evelyn. Whenever he could, he joined at the bow of the ship to engage her in conversation. He would greet her outside her room every morning, despite Vorian's presence. However, this began to wear on Evelyn, and she more and more often wished she could send the captain away. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to send the man away.
Vorian, as well, was growing more and more annoyed with Tesla's moves towards Evelyn. Trinity assured him over and over that Evelyn was annoyed as well, and that the water prince had nothing to worry about. So Vorian held his peace, and tried to be a friend to Evelyn as much as he could without going overboard.
Their fourteenth day on the ship (Wilburus kept careful track for Trinity), Tesla again approached Evelyn as she stood near the bow of the ship alone. He'd noticed her watching Vorian climb to the crow's nest, and watched Vorian pretend like he didn't notice. So he knew he must speak to her now.
"Miss Evelyn," Tesla said cordially, "How goes your day?"
"Fine," Evelyn answered, still not looking at him. She hoped if she gave him monosyllabic answers he would back off, but she didn't want to be rude.
"That's good," the captain said. He appeared to be nervous. "Miss Evelyn," he said at last, "I wish to invite you to dinner tonight, in the ship's dining room."
Evelyn bit her lip. After the first week of dining in the ship's dining room, Vorian, Trinity, and she had just been eating in the kitchen with Sanji. Trinity was never able to eat a full meal anyways with the way her stomach tossed and turned with the ship. So Tesla's invitation was strange.
"Are Trinity and Vorian going to be there?" she asked nervously.
"That is the hope," the captain answered, half-smiling.
Relief washed through Evelyn. She would rather have jumped off the ship than have to dine alone with the captain. He was nice enough, but he still made her nervous.
"Alright," the woman said. "What time?"
"Shall we say…eight o'clock?"
"Alright," she answered, and tried to give him a friendly smile. It was evening now. That didn't leave her much time. Luckily, there was a clock in the captain's cabin she shared with Trinity.
Vorian, who'd watched the whole encounter, couldn't help but almost hiss with displeasure when the captain took Evelyn's hand and kissed it. He couldn't hear any of the conversation, but he felt like the captain was up to no good. There was just something about the man he didn't like; that was somehow more than petty jealousy. Of course, he thought bitterly, it could be just that: petty jealousy. There was nothing he could do about it, though, except wait patiently for the end of the adventure.
The water prince sat in the crow's nest for a few moments longer, then went to join Trinity in the kitchen. Wilburus was quite taken with the king's fiancé, and loved to have her down there to listen to his pirate stories. Trinity had also noticed that the kitchen was the warmest place on the ship, and so she tolerated the stories in exchange for the warmth. Sanji didn't mind her presence at all.
"Hey Vorian," Trinity greeted the water prince, interrupting Wilburus's detailed explanation of loading a cannon. She was sitting near the hearth, a fire crackling merrily behind her. "What's up?"
Wilburus looked confused, but Vorian knew the human idiom and answered. "Not much."
"Wanna hear about…loading a huge gun with a cannonball?"
Vorian half-smiled. "I already know how. Thank you, though, Wilburus."
The boy looked at Vorian with admiring eyes, but opened his mouth to continue lecturing Trinity. She was saved by Sanji speaking.
"I'm afraid, boy, that Trinity has no real use for that information," the cook said, winking at her. "Perhaps you can busy yourself by washing those pots for me, in the bucket."
"But – "
"But nothing," Sanji said swiftly. "Wash those dishes. You've had more than enough of a break."
The boy grimaced, and went in the direction of the wash bucket. When he was out of earshot, Trinity looked at Sanji, gratitude in her eyes.
"This is gonna sound so bad," she said, "But thanks."
"No problem," Sanji said, grinning. "I think he fancies you, miss."
Trinity's face clouded. "I think so too. Poor guy."
"Ah, he'll be alright," the cook said, turning to Vorian. "Hey, Vorian, right?"
The water prince nodded.
"Since you're down here, help me with this food, alright?" Sanji raised an eyebrow meaningfully.
"I'll help you," Vorian said. He followed Sanji to an enormous pantry, leaving Trinity by the fire. She was staring into it with no expression, and didn't notice that her companions had dispersed.
"You wished to speak to me?" Vorian said quietly to the cook.
"Yeah, about the king's doll. The kid's really taken to her, and I was just wondering…is it really okay for her to be out here without her man?"
Sanji's eyes held real concern, which surprised Vorian. Her glanced back at Trinity, still by the hearth. She hadn't moved.
"She insisted," Vorian said, shrugging.
Sanji sighed. "I just don't know how this is going to affect the kid. He's been working for me for years, and I'd hate for him to be hurt. Not that I don't want her hanging around him," he said quickly, in response to Vorian's raised eyebrow. "She's great to have around here, and a big help when she can be. I'm just…I guess I'm just a little protective of Will. He's like my own kid, right?"
"I understand," Vorian said, "And she does too. But it's good for her to have a friend right now, when so much is wearing on her. Evelyn tells me…" he lowered his voice, "Evelyn says that she is not doing well inside. She may look like she's doing okay, but really, she's not even there. Her thoughts are constantly on Jareth. It's good for her for Wilburus to be around, to help distract her, at least a little."
Sanji said nothing.
XxXxX
Evelyn was surprised that Trinity was not in the cabin when she got there. She was going to dinner with Evelyn and the captain, right?
The woman freshened up a little, just changing her outfit and washing her face. Perhaps Trinity was in the kitchen with her cook and boy companions, and had lost track of the time. Oh well. She'd be there. Trinity was never one for impoliteness.
Finally, a knock came at the cabin door. Evelyn opened it, expecting to see Trinity. Instead, Tesla was the one who was behind the door.
"My lady," he said, bowing, "May I have the pleasure of escorting you to dinner?"
Evelyn glanced around, trying not to panic. No one was anywhere to be found. Where was Vorian to rescue her?
"Um…yes." Shakily, she took Tesla's offered arm. They walked to the dining room together, seeing no one. When Tesla opened the door for her, however, Evelyn noticed something very wrong.
The table was only set for two. Wilburus, the regular server, was nowhere to be found.
"Where are Trinity and Vorian?" Evelyn stammered, slipping her arm out of Tesla's. "Why aren't they here?"
"I thought," he said smoothly, "That since you are so fascinated by ships and the sea, you would like to chat with a captain one on one, so that he could help you to understand the life that he lives. Especially putting himself in danger to rescue fair ladies."
Evelyn had wanted to refuse right then and there, but his last words stopped her. She did owe him her life. And he really had been nothing short of gentlemanly to her ever since Vorian had took them on the ship to show it to them two weeks ago. Perhaps he was really making an effort to have her trust him. She was torn.
Tesla saw the play of emotions on her face, and tried to even up his playing field. Gently, he pushed her towards the chair opposite his.
Evelyn jumped at his touch. She was on-edge, having noticed that the two of them were totally alone. There were no servers, no sailors, no water princes…
"Wait," she said, her voice shaky. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I appreciate what you're doing, sir, but…"
"I know I am not worthy of your presence here," he said, looking at the floor. "But, I had hoped that…" He trailed off hopefully.
Evelyn felt a guilty pang, and then was annoyed at herself. He was putting her on a guilt trip, she knew it, and she was being sucked right into it. Not to mention that he was making her out to be this awful person if she refused him. Did he even know he was trying to force her against everything she had ever been taught?
"Tesla…"
"Please, I beg of you," he said, taking her arm more forcefully this time. "Sit and eat with me. Let us but enjoy each other's company."
"No!" Evelyn finally snapped. The guilt trip was over. She saw how he was looking at her, how he was treating her. "I will not! You know perfectly well that the two of us being alone would not be honorable on either of our parts, so if you'll excuse me…" And with that, she jerked away from him, and turned and walked swiftly out the door.
XxXxX
Vorian had come on deck looking for Evelyn when she hadn't come to the kitchen for dinner. Sanji had enlisted Trinity's help in the kitchen, to get her mind off things while Wilburus washed dishes. The water prince went to the rail when he couldn't find Evelyn in the rosy light of twilight. He stayed there, gazing out into the sea, watching a herd of Talistide that had come to the ship, attracted by his presence.
Evelyn found him there, and without thinking rushed to his side, surprising him. He took one look at her fearful, moist eyes, and wrapped his arms around her, holding her.
"It's so awful!" she exclaimed, bursting into tears on his shirt. "I just…I can't believe I would do something so…so stupid like that!" she buried her face in his chest.
Vorian was bewildered. Here was the woman he loved, running right into his arms, and he had no idea what on Underground she was talking about. "Shh," he told her, stroking her hair, "You've done nothing wrong."
"Yes, I have," Evelyn disagreed. "I…I'm such a horrible person."
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Vorian asked, shocked.
She was silent, embarrassed.
The water prince immediately felt bad for having asked, and tripped over himself trying to recover. "I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I just was curious, because you really are a wonderful person and I…" he trailed off as she shook her head into his chest.
"You don't understand," she said softly. "I just…I just let myself be put into a situation that could have turned nasty."
Vorian's arms tightened around her. "What happened?"
There was an edge to his voice now that made Evelyn feel even worse. But she didn't want him to push her away, even if he was angry with her. So she put her arms around him and held on to him tight.
"Well," she began shakily, "Tesla invited me to dinner in the dining room, and he led me to believe that you and Trinity would be there, too, but I couldn't find either of you to ask, and then he took me to the dining room and the table was only set for two and we were all alone and he took my arm and tried to make me sit down…" her breath accelerated as she related the story, and Vorian was worried that she would go into hysterics.
He shushed her again, and began rubbing her back, rocking her back and forth. "What did you do?" he finally asked quietly.
Evelyn felt herself turn red, and pressed her face more into his chest and shoulder. "I ran away," she whispered.
Vorian heard her, however, and smiled. "You did the right thing," he told her. "Good job."
"I still shouldn't have let myself be put into that situation though. It's my fault."
"No it's not, dear heart," the water prince said. She could hear the smile in his voice. "It's that blasted Tesla's. He is the liar here, who led you to believe you would be safe. Trinity and I didn't know anything about this, and we weren't there for you to come to about it. It's not your fault at all."
Evelyn had calmed down, but refused to pull back. She didn't want Vorian to see her face, which was very red from crying and embarrassment. Instead, she tried to relax in his arms. It was a new experience for her, and she was surprised to find that she really did feel safe here.
"The Talistide are out and about," the water prince whispered after a time. "Would you like to see one?"
Now Evelyn pulled back to see Vorian's very close to her own. His tousled hair was in his eyes, and she smiled nervously at him. He smiled back, and turned her around so she could see over the railing of the ship. As if on cue, seemingly the whole herd of the watery horses leaped out of the ocean, coming quite close to the ship. Evelyn gasped with pleasure, and trembled excitedly. She had kept her arm around his waist, and he put his carefully around her shoulder, afraid that at any moment she might pull away.
At that moment, Trinity came up on deck, looking for her friends. When she saw them (backs to her, arms around each other) she stopped dead, and grinned broadly. She turned silently to go back to the kitchen, but nearly ran into Wilburus. He opened his mouth to say something, but the black-haired woman clapped a hand over his mouth, shaking her head. When he furrowed his eyebrows, she motioned behind her to Vorian and Evelyn. The boy nodded, and they stole silently back down to the galley.
The Talistide were quite close to the ship, romping around and playing for the water prince. His presence attracted them to the ship, and the herd was ecstatic. They leaped and bounded for him and Evelyn, making splashes in the water that nearly came up on deck. One tiny foal leaped so high that Evelyn could have reached out and touched him.
"Would you like to ride one?" Vorian's soft voice said into her ear.
She gasped. "Of course!"
He smiled at her, looking straight into her eyes.
"But, well…" Evelyn grew nervous under his gaze. "Is it safe? I don't know, they look so fragile…you've ridden them a lot?"
"Of course," Vorian said, "Do you wish me to ride one with you?"
Evelyn bit her lip, considering. She turned back to look at the herd of water horses. They looked evanescent, as if they would disappear at any moment, and melt into the tide. If she were to ride one…
"Uh, yeah…" she said nervously. "Could you?"
Vorian slipped away from her briefly, and bowed. "Of course, my lady," he said, grinning. Then he whistled to the herd, and an enormous Talistide leaped onto the deck of the ship, startling the three pirates who sat in easy chairs and did nothing. However, they didn't make a big deal about the water horse. The first mate, however, was also on deck, and his eyes widened.
Vorian laid a hand immediately on the big horse. "This way he won't melt into a puddle," he said, "Do you need a hand up?"
Evelyn, who was gazing open-mouthed at the Talistide, nodded. Suddenly, a strong arm came around her waist and swung her onto the big horse's back. Vorian came up behind her, and put his arms around her so he could hold on to the Talistide's mane. Evelyn quickly did the same, as Vorian gave her a "Hold on!" and the horse leaped back into the water.
The seawater was cold, but here she was, in the middle of a herd of Talistide! Evelyn couldn't believe it.
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, as the horse ran swiftly through the water among his herd.
Vorian felt her excitement as he held her, and grinned. They rode with the herd, and stayed near the ship. The water prince kept their mount from submerging completely, but the Fae and the human both got soaked.
The ride ended all too soon when the watery horses began to move away from the ship. Vorian sensed that the herd wanted to return to its home territory, so he steered the horse he and Evelyn rode back towards the Morning Star. Once again, the large horse leaped back on the ship, stayed long enough for the woman to tumble off and the man to slide off gracefully, and then leaped back over the rail, eager to rejoin his family.
The two stayed there on the deck for a few minutes, lying in the pink light of evening. Evelyn was laughing with Vorian as both of them dripped puddles onto the deck.
"Vorian," she gasped finally, "That was amazing!"
He appeared above her and offered her a hand up. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he said, and pulled her to her feet.
She surprised him by wrapping both arms around him and hugging him hard. "Thank you so much!"
He hugged her back. "You're very welcome. But you are also very wet. You should probably return to your cabin with Trinity and get warm."
Evelyn pulled back to face him, her eyes dancing. "You get warm too," she told him, and then went in the direction of the captain's cabin.
Vorian watched her retreat, suppressing the urge to leap into the air and whoop with delight. He felt light, feathery. He hoped fervently that he had convinced her, at least a little, of his true devotion.
When she entered the cabin, he turned and went to the kitchen to get warm, and to talk with Wilburus and Sanji. When he was all the way dry, however, he went back onto the deck in the starry night, and took his place dutifully at the door of the captain's cabin.
XxXxX
Trinity (who had snuck into the cabin while Evelyn and Vorian rode the Talistide) was waiting anxiously for Evelyn's return, and jumped when her friend entered.
"Evelyn!" she cried happily, "How was it? Did you have fun? You rode a freaking Talistide!"
The woman in question laughed, but then her eyes narrowed. "You saw that, didn't you?" she accused. "I thought you were in the kitchen with Sanji and Wilburus!"
Trinity ducked her head, not ashamed at all. "I was. But then I went to look for you and you two were watching the Talistide…" she sighed. "I'm so jealous. I want to ride one."
Evelyn rolled her eyes. "You're awful," she teased.
"I know," the younger woman said, grinning, "But you love me anyways."
"Of course I do," Evelyn smiled, opening her arms wide. "Care for a hug?"
Trinity laughed and shook her head.
"Nope. You're soaking wet. Let's get you warm."
XxXxX
Trinity was all smiles when she and Evelyn crawled into their immense bed a few minutes later.
"What are you grinning about?" Evelyn asked, cuddling up with her pillow.
"Things just seem to be getting a little better," Trinity said easily. "I was able to talk to Jareth tonight. He is doing well and assured me that he is quite safe. And you and Vorian…" she added carefully. "Seem to be coming to terms."
"The Talistide were wonderful," Evelyn said quietly, changing the subject. "They were so strange to ride! It was like…like riding a wave."
"Good thing you had someone to hold you on, huh?"
Evelyn blushed, and Trinity laughed.
"Let's get to sleep," the younger girl yawned, turning away from her friend and settling into her blankets. "It's been quite a day."
Evelyn nodded and then closed her eyes. She wanted to tell Trinity about what had happened with Tesla, but she didn't want to ruin her friend's joy. Trinity had enough on her mind to worry about without Evelyn adding more trouble to it.
Evelyn let out a light sigh and then let herself drift into sleep. She smiled with contentment as her subconscious made her feel as though two strong arms were wrapped solidly around her, holding her safely, lovingly.