Chapter 4
Jailbreak
Inside a tavern known as the Pig Whistle Pub, several people were gambling and drinking with each other, even as there were some complaints about the beer they were drinking.
"You say it's not true? But I just heard meself from a guard what was there. The king's gonna have her head. That bloody savage. Aye! I bet you John Rolfe wishes he never laid eyes on the likes of Pocahontas," a patron said to his friends.
Unknown to him at the time, a man in a dark cloak and hood had been listening in, and he left after getting on a horse and galloped away after hearing that name he seemed to know so well. In his estate, John Rolfe paced back and forth in a somber mood, even with his friends and housekeeper watching in sad silence. However, Sora still wanted to find a way to save her.
"Would you mind leaving us alone for a bit, Mrs. Jenkins? Some of us are gonna talk with John about what we plan to do next," he suggested.
"Ohh, then I'll hold off on putting on some tea," she sighed, and walked off.
Percy, Meeko, and Flit all stood back, even as they watched their friends come up to him.
"What am I to do?" John Rolfe asked sadly.
"We'll find a way, John. Sometimes, help might come to you when you least expect it," answered Sora.
"He's right. I've come to help you get Pocahontas out of the Tower," a voice said, and the hooded man landed in the yard.
"I know that voice, but who are you?" asked Kirito.
As if to answer his question, the man lowered his hood to reveal the face of John Smith, the man that Pocahontas had fallen in love with, as well as helped him be respectful of mother nature.
"An old friend, Kirito," he replied.
"No way! John Smith? But how!? We saw you off after you saved Pocahontas' father from certain death," gasped Asuna.
"True, Asuna. But I'm alright now, thanks to Grandmother Willow's bark. But I don't know the rest of your new friends," he smiled.
The other members of Team SSKYYYYYLAARRCCC introduced themselves to the other John, who welcomed them all with open arms.
"I'm John Smith. It's a pleasure to meet all of you. But enough of the small talk. We have to save Pocahontas, but only if we agree to a truce," the former captain said quickly.
"And we will. We just need to come up with a plan to enter the tower without any trouble. Also, Captain Smith, it's good to see you again," replied Leafa.
This gave Yui an idea.
"What if John Rolfe takes John Smith with him, along with Meeko, Percy, and Flit?" she asked.
"Yeah. And the rest of us can find a way inside the tower so that we'll reach Pocahontas and Uti and get them out of there, but Asuka, Yumi, Yuffie, and Yuzuriha's way. Once we've found them, we'll find a safe haven away from London, then figure out a way to convince King James that Ratcliffe deceived him into launching an attack on the Powhatan tribe, and leave no trace of them. And I don't want to see Pocahontas' heart be broken by all this death and destruction, like I don't," added Sora.
John Rolfe sighed, but agreed with the plan anyway.
"Alright, but be careful. And don't try to take any more risks that could compromise our rescue mission," he warned them.
"We'll try, but we might not have any other choice if things get too hairy for us," replied Shea, who had Drucken held at the ready.
After putting John Smith in shackles, John Rolfe rowed to the tower with Meeko, Percy, and Flit hiding under a cloth on the boat. Some guards saw them, even while Sora and his friends infiltrated the tower on the other side. Fortunately, with some careful training on how to be charming, Shea asked the guards to let them in so that they could explore it at their own leisure.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one of them asked their friend from the otherside of the tower.
"John Rolfe. I have a prisoner," he replied, and moved his finger across his neck, signifying death.
"Open the gate!" the lieutenant said to the gatekeeper.
John Rolfe rowed through after the gate was opened, and after reaching the other side, he made John Smith walk up, until he grabbed the gatekeeper's hands and put him through the manacles, then knocked him into the water with a quick little shove. He ran off through the corridors, his cloak billowing behind him.
"He's escaping! Catch him!" cried John Rolfe.
The guard nodded and ran off. Once he was gone, the other man grabbed the keys and raced off in another direction.
"Now find her, Flit," he whispered.
The hummingbird nodded and led the way. Clever Meeko, on the other hand, had an idea. He placed a helmet onto Percy, but although it fell, it would give them the advantage needed to make their daring escape from the tower. John Rolfe and Flit had to hide from some of the patrols, even though they knew this plan was risky. On the other side, Sora and his friends did manage to knock out some of the guards and hide them in a broom closet.
"Sorry, boys. I just hope you don't take this too personally," Kirito said, and closed the door on them.
They raced off, until they all gathered in a room filled with cell doors that were locked, until they found the one that Uti and Pocahontas were in. Both were relieved, even though the warrior kept his face composed.
"We're here, Pocahontas," said Sora.
"Everyone! I knew you'd come," she gasped and hugged them all.
"Uh, escape now, hug later," hissed Yuffie.
"Yuffie's right, we must go," agreed John Rolfe.
"But before that, we had some help from an old friend," said Asuna.
John Smith stepped in and removed his cloak.
"John Smith?" she asked.
"That's right. Thanks to you, he survived, and he's all better," replied Cody.
"Also, we all formed an agreement to rescue you from captivity," added the former captain of the Virginia Company.
But then the guards found out who knocked them out, and began to search for them.
"Let's go!" he said, and led them out of the cell.
"We're gonna need a distraction. Meeko, try making a rope from the bedsheets," added Leafa.
They hid quickly, and the guards found Meeko, who waved and darted off. Then they locked them inside.
"Enjoy the accommodations," smirked Smith.
They ran, but were stopped by more guards.
"I'll take care of it," Rolfe said to his charges.
"Not alone you won't. We want in on this," remarked Asuna, readying Oathkeeper.
She held it towards her face.
"En garde!" she said, and they fought them off as best they could, until Smith picked up a beam from the door he was leaning against.
"Pardon me," he said.
He pushed them all down into a wagon filled with hay.
"Oh, very stylish," Rolfe commented.
"Yeah, but at least it took them down," grinned Yang.
Uti dropped down and knocked out two more guards by slamming their helmets together.
"You guys ride, the rest of us will run!" Sora said to three of his friends.
More of the guards spotted them, and tried to stop them from escaping, but Percy, still in his helmet fell down some steps, crashed onto the other guard's head, stopping the drawbridge from being raised. It fell with a crash and broke, but everyone managed to escape in the nick of time, and went into hiding.
"So long, suckers!" jeered Shea.
But Sephiroth had seen everything, even as he allowed them to go.
"Savor this moment while you can. For in time, Ratcliffe's vengeance will be fulfilled," he said, and teleported into the dark corridors.
