Falling.
Falling.
Falling.
What may have been a split second, spanned an emotional eternity. I was going to die. And my last thought was of regret; regret towards never having told the orphans the truth, for almost killing the King, for dying mad at Raven, for Jasper. That boy was my best friend for the last year, my most trustworthy companion, and my first love.
My hand caught a crossbeam a couple meters below the crow's nest and several meters above the ground. I gasped, physical tears pouring down my face and imaginary tears clogging my thoughts, all thoughts but one.
I liked Jasper.
I like Jasper.
My silent declaration seemed to pulse from my body, my soul, my heart. The message was received.
Jasper teleported through the throng of still, gaping people to the base of the rope ladder where he flew up the web. He zoomed past me like a superhero on a mission, invisible cape flapping in the wind. Then he was above me with an outreached hand, all hate forgotten.
"What are you waiting for! Bring these thieves to justice!" One gruffy voice puffed up at the man.
Jasper spun to take a defensive stance against the king, obviously shaken by the idea of fighting a royal but not cowering. The king instead spun around angrily to stare down at his people.
"As King, I command all of you men to sheath your weapons! These people are not your, our enemies! This young boy averted from killing me when he had the chance. I will not strike down one who has shown me mercy, just as none of these men have striked to kill we should not either!" His voice covered every inch of the deck, but not in the intrusively loud way Gryphon's did but more like a large gust of wind, heavily persuasive to listen to it. I heard the metal friction as swords met sheathes as well as some grumbles and some gasps. The King then turned and gave Jasper a kind, acknowledging nod. Jasper gave a small sigh of relief before jumping back to look down at me. The blood quickly draining from his face as he registers something I haven't.
"Nobody look!" He growled past me.
With a glance down, I grew dizzy, not just from the height but the realization I'd been exposed. The entire deck was silent as the wind blew my auburn locks unleashed and the back of my shirt open, my bandage floated down to the deck unleashing my female assets as two obvious lumps. With my untucked loose shirt flapping in the upward breeze, I wouldn't be surprised if I was flashing those directly below with my under cleavage. Raven began to rush to up the ladder in help- but what could he do? My entire being screamed girl, I could never return to my life before.
A collective gasp pumped my cheeks rosy and my hands sweaty. My fingers suddenly needed to work twice as hard to clench the weathered wood. Worry paralyzed me. Now the entire crew knew I lied to them on top of my other guilts already.
For a moment, I considered it may be better to simply let go and forever swim in the impossible reality of what could have been if things had gone differently only an hour before. Then a single voice rang strengthening my grip on the beam.
"Cal!" Jasper yelled down in a new desperation. He must have recognized my subtle lack in motivation. He knew me too well.
To my surprise, Raven appeared next to him, a hand of his own offered to me but I couldn't let go of the beam and even if I could, neither hand was within my reach. I bit my lip and began to pity my pathetic lying self that lacked the courage to pull up and seize a hand. I could see the look of worry on Raven's face, he knew I couldn't hold on much longer. The pirates knew, the soldiers knew, even the King knew as they watched in solemn silence. I felt a cold shiver of agony ripple through me as I spotted a man, hands folded in prayer, for me.
My fingers grew numb. Blood no longer making the effort to reach my tips. I wouldn't last another minute.
"HANG ON!" I looked up to see my saviour climbing over the edge of the basket, sliding down, his life hanging by a literal rope. He was purposely allowing his vitality to teeter on the edge of oblivion for the possibility of rescuing mine from the same cruel fate.
"I can't," I squeaked the pinky on my left hand losing grip, followed by my ring finger, then both my middle and pointer at the same time.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I wailed. "I'm sorry for hiding my gender from all of you! I swear I never intended to hurt anyone." My vision grew cloudy. A slow blink tipped the water over the dam walls.
"And I'm so grateful! For all of you! You were always so kind to me without knowing I was lying to you all this entire time! I love you all so much!" A small leak grew to a waterfall of warm salty tears in less than a heartbeat. My confessions broke off as my sobbing became uncontrollable. I couldn't push out another vowel without it turning into a sharp inhale. I'm sure a small pocket of snot was starting to drip from my stuffy nose. My eyes hurt from being closed so hard. My entire body felt either painfully stretched or frighteningly numb. My right hand was beginning to shake with the weight of my future.
"Don't give up!" the familiar voice of Fay pierced the silence. Even with my lakes for eyes I could make out his desperate expression in the crowd.
"Keep holding on!" little Shiloh wailed back from one pirate's shoulders.
"Just a little longer!" Cliff yelled, a small catch in his voice betraying his worry.
Their cries and cheers echoed through the crowd as both pirates and soldiers alike were cheering for me to hold on. A warm rush of companionship occupying a space in my emotions, motivating me to hold on just a little longer.
"You're at the last of the rope!" Raven yells down to Jasper.
My short-lived hope was just that: short lived.
I squinted up at the boy still an unbreachable yard away. It was impossible.
Jasper looked up to the basket then turned and locked eyes with me. His fire was still blazing; he hadn't given up yet. With a great heave backward, his plan became apparent, apparently insane.
For the split second in which his momentum allowed his arms to be lower than his feet we both saw the spark of possibility. We also both heard the ugly friction slicing at the rope heavily while he reached.
I shook my head at him. I didn't need to say anything, he knew what I was thinking.
"It will work." He pleaded without question.
"Maybe but the risk isn't worth it." I looked back down toward the many worried faces, each holding his breath.
"Quit pitying yourself and realize we can't afford to lose you!" My attention snapped up to the young pirate with moon in his hair and galaxies in his words. He stared down at me with certain reality I hadn't realized existed. His message was a new idea to me. I felt stupid and selfish for not having considered such.
"We're family."
*Author's Note*
*sigh* everything is falling into place... Do savour the next chapter for it is the last. Dread tomorrow (I mean in the best way possible).