I know! Another long wait. Thanks for holding in there! I had to catch the evil writer's block little flying monkey and lock him back up, then sit down and force myself to write.
AKAfredandgeorge: hun, we discussed this, you have to wait like everybody else. Though I would like to thank you for being a very supportive sounding board.
R.A.B.: alas, all good things must come to an end, 60 is a rather large number, I do not think any other story I might try will come close to that number.
SarahKOM: your review reminded me of a cheerleader section, I don't know why. But it brightened my day.
Starsplash: thanks for the input:D Read on!
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Daniel Norrington looked dubiously down at the clothing he was wearing. "Kipp, I don't know about these."
"You'd stick out like too much in your naval uniform. Besides I think you look great." Kipp said, studying his friend. "Though I admit, it is missing something."
Daniel gave him a look.
"These. Don't look so concerned." Kipp added tossing Daniel a sword along with a pistol. "There's also a throwing knife in the top of your right boot."
"You seem prepared." Daniel commented while belting on the weapons.
"Only way to be." Kipp responded with a crooked smile. "Let's get going."
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Weatherby Swann sat at the breakfast table, not eating, but anxiously waiting for any news of his niece and watching the little girl across the table from him.
"Where Kitty?" Sera asked for the fifth time in the last hour.
"Out, precious one." Weatherby said kindly, giving her the same answer he had been giving her for the past two hours.
Sera pouted at the repetitive answer but took another bite of her sweet roll.
"Governor Swann?" the butler said from the doorway. "A man from the Hawthorn House is here to see you."
"Show him in." the governor nodded.
"Sir!" a servant dressed in Hawthorn livery rushed into the room and the butler pursed his lips in annoyance. The servant obviously wasn't waiting like he was instructed to do. "We told them to wait for the proper authorities came and could inspect their findings, but they wouldn't listen. And know no one knows where they went!"
"Slow down. Who are you talking about man?"
"Captain Norrington and the Earl, sir. They found some evidence of foul play concerning the lady Katrina and went to find her themselves."
The governor glanced quickly at Sera, seeing she had stopped eating and was staring at the servant, her deep blue eyes gone wide. Throwing the servant an annoyed look he snapped. "Well, can't you just track them?"
"We tried sir." The servant replied. "They left no visible trail, and the one they were following was very faint for the first twenty feet or so, then we could tell no more. It is a wonder they could tell anything beyond the hole borrowed through the shrub wall at the end of the garden."
Weatherby looked thoughtful and nodded. The servant gratefully took his leave of the agitated governor.
"Kitty gone?" a forlorn voice asked the governor and he looked up to see Sera suddenly looking very small in the dining room chair and large eyes full of tears.
The governor's face visibly softened and he held out his hand to Sera. "Come here, precious one." Sera slid off her chair and surprised the governor by not taking his hand, but climbing onto his lap and snuggling against him with a sniffle.
"Kitty come back?" Sera asked, after a while.
"I don't know, precious one." The governor said and for some reason that response made the little girl cry all the harder.
(If you've forgotten, that's practically word for word what Katrina said to her before Rachel died.)
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Kipp and Daniel had lost the trail, it had crossed over some rocky land and seemed to have vanished. They had just decided to go back to the last place that had a visable trail and circle out when they heard a voice.
"Don't you dare call her worthless!"
Kipp exchanged a glance with Daniel.
"Is that-" Daniel started in a low tone.
"Katrina." Kipp confirmed.
They followed a loud laugh and snuck up, Daniel with his back to a tree and Kipp against a boulder as they listened.
"If you want money, just take my jewelry and let me go." They heard Katrina say.
"Already 'ave it. No, it's no' enough. I want more than tha'." A man said.
"So that's your plan? Ransom?" Katrina scorned. She seemed to know him.
"Oh, no, me girl. Jus' them knowin' yer gone is enough for me. I got other plans fer ye." The man paused. "Up in those lil colonies, there be men goin' over th' mountains. Settin' up little towns an' minin' camps all over th' place. Only thing is, th' land is too tough fer women folk. No, I'll not be usin' ye for ransom, me girl, you'll do nicely fer the men of those camps. They'll take real kind like ta a purtty thing like yerself." He said through a mouthful of food.
"Y-you mean to sell me?" Katrina said in a disbelieving voice. "Again?" she squeaked.
"Again an' again an' again." The man cheerfully agreed.
Blood boiling, Daniel looked at Kipp. His hands were balled into fists and if his eyes where duller earlier, they were nothing compared to the stormy gray they appeared now.
"Ye like purtty dresses an' baubles don' ye, Trina?" the man continued, "Ye be good fer papa an' he'll buy ye some."
'Papa?' Daniel mouthed to Kipp, who only looked murderous, a thing Daniel had never seen, and it was unnerving.
"But why?" Katrina asked.
"Tha' feller that bought ye last, did 'e do anythin' ta ye?" her father continued as if he didn't hear her.
There was no answer from Katrina.
"I knew 'e didn'. Good, good. Men will pay a mighty fine price fer a gal's firs' time."
"Why are you doing this?" Katrina yelled, her voice teary.
They heard him get up and, after a quick glance to confirm he wasn't facing them, Daniel used the opportunity to join Kipp behind the boulder, as Kipp stole a glance around the edge of the rock. Across the small clearing a bear of a man stood threateningly over Katrina with a dirty strip of cloth that he was fashioning for a gag.
"It's a daughter's place ta listen to her pa, an' no' question 'im. Be good fer papa."
Daniel pulled his pistol, prepared to shoot, but Kipp halted his hand and shook his head. Shocked, Daniel looked at him, but then nodded and replaced the gun in his belt. "So, what do we do?" Daniel whispered at Kipp.
"I'm thinking." Kipp whispered back as he passed a frustrated hand through his hair and let out a silent breath. "OK, I'll circle around. You wait a minute or two and then distract him."
"Right."
Kipp started to move away then stopped and turned back to Daniel and told him. "No guns." Daniel nodded and slowly, as silently as possible, drew his sword and waited.
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Weatherby Swann smiled down at the little girl playing with a ball of gray fuzz in front of his desk. She really was a precarious little thing, but so sweet. The combination was strangely endearing. Earlier during tea, he had found out she had a penchant for sugar cubes and now she wouldn't leave his office which he didn't mind. Her soft giggles were something that was definitely missing since his own little girl had married and moved out to start her own life. She looked up at him with those large eyes and smiled, which he returned before turning is attention back to the stack of papers on his desk that needed his attention.
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Sera sat on the floor, teasing her kitten with a spare hair ribbon that she had swiped from the drawer in the upper parlor. The sugar cubes from silver tea service were sitting beside her and she popped one into her mouth. The kitten lunged at the ribbon, its paws out in front of it, claws barred and splayed to capture the ribbon. Sera giggled as it rolled onto its back and batted at the ribbon. Looking up she saw the man and smiled.
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Taking a deep breath, Daniel Norrington stood up and faced the large man. "In the name of the crown, I arrest you for thievery and kidnapping." He announced. "Will you come willingly or shall I have to convince you? I must caution you, sir, that though I am dearly wishing for you to choose the latter, it would be wise to surrender."
"Ye insolent whelp!" the man roared and suddenly lunged towards Daniel, brandishing a knife. He caught Daniel on the arm, leaving a deep gash and Katrina screamed against her gag.
Now that the element of surprise had been used, Daniel was on his guard, though the blood was flowing freely and soon, the grip of the sword would become slick with it. Daniel knew he would have to move fast. He tried to staunch the flow of blood with his left hand while trying to defeat the man before him without mortally wounding him.
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"Hey, Kitten."
Katrina whipped her head around from where she was watching the battle ensue between Daniel and her father. Kipp's familiar half grin was in place as he pulled a knife from his belt and swiftly cut the ropes holding her to the tree as well as the bonds on her ankles and around her wrists and finally the gag around her mouth. She threw herself into his arms with a ragged sob.
"Shh. Hey, now. It's ok. It's alright. You're safe now. Shh." Kipp soothed as she let out her stress and relief from the past hours. He rocked her in his arms and stroked her hair while she sobbed into his chest.
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Katrina's sob had distracted her father long enough for Daniel to bring his hilt forcibly down on the back of her father's skull, effectively knocking him out. He immediately set to work tightly tying him up with the rope he had brought, efficiently using the toughest knots he had learned in the navy.
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Katrina pulled back from Kipp and looked him in the face. She had rope burns on her wrists and, he was sure, her ankles, her hair was mussed, her dress torn and disheveled, the one wing left on it hanging limply off to one side and her face was smudged and tearstained her eyes slightly red from crying. The skin at the corners of her mouth bruised from the gag and a bump was just visible at her temple. But he still thought she looked beautiful and he cupped her cheek.
"You came for me." She whispered hoarsely.
"Always." He answered, softly brushing her dry lips with his own.
They heard a soft thump and their eyes followed the sound. Daniel Norrington was out cold on the ground. His face deathly pale and a large pool of blood was starting to form under his arm.
"Daniel!" Katrina gasped.
"Danny!" Kipp moved over to his friend, feeling for a pulse. "He's alive." He announced, but he's loosing blood, and fast." He turned his head at the sound of ripping fabric. Katrina had ripped of he hem of her dress and was already pressing it over the wound.
"I have to go get help." Kipp stood up.
"Don't leave me. Please, don't go." Katrina pleaded with him, her hands already stained with blood.
Kipp looked at hid friend, worried. He grabbed his sword and started hacking some green branches from the nearby tree. As soon as he had enough he fed them to the fire where the skinny rabbit had already burnt to a crisp. Thin black smoke started to rise from the fire.
"Kipp!" Katrina called. "I can't get the bleeding to stop! His breathing is so shallow!"
"Here." Kipp took off his blue sash and sword belt. "Wrap the wound tightly." He placed the belt higher up the arm from the cut.
"What are you doing?" Katrina asked, wrapping the sash around the wound.
"I'm making a tourniquet." He said, tying it tightly. "It will lessen the blood flow and hopefully will reduce the blood loss. I'm going to build up the fire some more. Can you watch him?"
Katrina shook and nodded numbly.
"Hey, look at me." Kipp softly commanded. "Stay with me here. I need you to do this, ok?"
Katrina blinked and nodded and kept applying extra pressure to the gash.
Soon the fire was billowing black smoke and Kipp rushed back to Katrina and Daniel. "How is he?" Kipp asked.
"He seems weak, but alive for the moment. What can we do?"
"Help should be on the way by now. That smoke will be visible half a mile out to sea, so they should see it at the fort. "
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About fifteen minutes later, half a dozen mounted military men came crashing through the trees and pulled up short. The horses were breathing heavily and had obviously been run the whole way. Commodore Norrington was leading the group.
"Lady Katrina, your uncle has been very worried about you." Lieutenant Gillette told her looking over her disheveled appearance. "I say, are you quite alright?"
"Please, sir." Katrina ignored the lieutenant and addressed the commodore. "He is very hurt and needs medical attention as soon as possible. We did what we could." She looked down at the captain's pale face.
Commodore Norrington slowly, as if in a trance, dismounted his horse and moved forward, going down on his knees next to Katrina, his eyes never leaving his nephew. "What happened?" he asked softly.
"My fa… kidnapper surprised him and slashed his arm, here, just above the elbow." Katrina nodded her head towards the blood soaked sash wrapped around the wound.
"He has lost a lot of blood." Kipp added, noticing Katrina's hesitance. "He is breathing shallow and his pulse is weak."
James Norrington gently lifted his nephew and mounted his horse with him. "I will bring him to see the doctor." He glanced over to where Katrina's father was laying, unconscious. "Put him in the cells." He said before turning back towards the town.
The men looked quite lost at the departure of their commanding officer.
"You there. Gillette?"
"Yes, sir?" Gillette snapped to attention at Kipp's captain voice, actually looking relieved that someone was taking command for him.
"I need a horse."
"A-a horse, sir?"
"You don't really expect a lady to walk back to town?" Kipp raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, his half grin appearing on his face.
"I would never expect for a lady to do so." Gillette looked appalled at the thought. "Johanas! Lend the lady your horse!" he barked.
The youngest member of the group climbed grudgingly off his mount and led it over to Katrina. Kipp intercepted the reigns. "New guy?" Kipp asked.
"Fourth day, sir." The young man confessed with a rueful crooked smile. Kipp griped the young man's shoulder with an understanding and moved to help Katrina onto the horse.
Kipp lifted Katrina up onto the horse, sidesaddle, then surprised her by swinging into the saddle behind her. From the look on Gillette's face, he didn't think it appropriate, but he didn't question Kipp. "I will make sure the lady gets home safely." Kipp gave the men a nod and rode off to bring Katrina back to the governor's house.
The remaining members of the assembled group stared after the two men who took off for a moment before Gillette remembered that he was next in charge. "Well? You heard the commodore! Make sure that man gets put in a cell at the fort!" he commanded, pointing to Katrina's father.
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Katrina had to admit, she was quite comfortable snuggled up against Kipp's chest and nestled between his arms, getting used to the rhythm of the horse's gait. When Kipp stopped the horse, Katrina turned to look at him in question. Kipp wrapped his free arm around her and gave her a powerful kiss.
"I was so worried about you." He told her between kisses. Kipp dropped the reigns and cupped the back of her head with his hand, making Katrina whimper. As his hand brushed the knot on the back if her head where her father had knocked her out. "Sorry." Kipp whispered and gave her one more kiss before collecting the reigns and continuing towards the mansion.
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Well, once again the chapter has taken an overly long tome to develop. But I think the overall effect turned out rather well.
Let me know what you think!
Reviews are as good as circus peanuts!