A Tale That Could Not Be

Jack was standing on the balcony and looking up at the moon when Red joined him. He gave her a small smile as she approached but said nothing. She could tell he had a lot on his mind and for several minutes the two stood in silence, their gazes on the night sky and the slumbering city all around them.

“You can’t sleep?” Jack asked her after a while.

Red shrugged. “Not really. There’s a chance we’ll finally be looking for Selvina tomorrow and I’m rather excited.”

“I was thinking about that too.”

Red eyed him with worry. “You don’t look excited, though.”

Jack sighed sadly. “Red, we don’t even know where to go. Pan took her and that is all we know. He could be anywhere in this world. We’ll have a ship to go after him, or at least it looks like it, but we don’t know where to sail it to! I talked to Captain Hook earlier and he knows of a few small islands Pan would sometimes go to so he’s thinking of checking those out but what if she isn’t there? What if we never find her?”

Red struggled to find words of comfort. “We’ll find her, Jack. Hook won’t stop until he does.”

“The captain won’t stop because he wants Pan. I know he wants to save Selvina too but if she ends up dead he can still have his revenge on Peter Pan. I…I don’t get that…”

Red placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder, alarmed at how tense it was. She squeezed it slightly, hoping to loosen some of that tension. “If Pan wanted her dead he wouldn’t have captured her, Jack. He would have killed her on the spot but he didn’t.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better, Red. He could have just taken her somewhere to torture her for a while and then kill her when he’s had all his fun. Pan doesn’t think or reason like we do. He sees the world differently and for all I know he’s already killed Selvina and tossed her overboard.” Jack’s hands reached out and grabbed the railing that surrounded the balcony, clenching tightly. “I can’t live like this. I can’t stand here wondering all the time. I need to know if she’s alive…”

“Jack, I want her back to us alive too, but there’s no way to know.”

“What about magic? Aren’t there crystal balls or fortune tellers or something we can go see? All I want to know is if she’s still alive, Red. That’s all…” Jack turned his head away and reached up with one of his hands, rubbing his face briefly.

Red pursed her lips sadly, her eyes moistening at how much pain Jack was clearly in. She wanted to help him but she did not know how. Talking could only do so much. A walk might help, though. That was usually effective on her thus trying it with Jack might yield the same result. “Do you want to get out of here and maybe go for a walk somewhere?”

Jack gave it some thought, looked up at the moon, his brown eyes glistening, and then sighed. “Yes, I need to move so it feels like I’m doing something…”

Red nodded and followed him through the lavish room, which was more like its own apartment with enough bedrooms for everyone. Bigbad slept in the middle of the area, stretched out to his full length. He opened one eye and tilted an ear toward Red and Jack, listening to them walk across the floor. Red whispered to him to go back to sleep and the wolf obeyed, licking his lips and closing his eye.

“He’s not coming with us?” Jack asked, referring to Bigbad. He reached the door leading out of the inn and held the handle as he waited for Red’s answer.

“No,” she replied, eyeing her massive friend. “He can stay here and guard the others. I have my crossbows if anything happens.”

Jack shrugged and then opened the door and walked outside. Red followed, closing the door quietly behind her. Once on the street they both decided to head to the docks where fresh air coming off the water might ease their minds.

Red rested her hands on her crossbow’s butts and glanced around cautiously. She immediately began to wonder if walking about at night in a city she didn’t know was a good idea at all. Jack had his dagger and he had some skill with it but she didn’t think either of them could stand up to an experienced assassin. There was no reason for them to be pursued by assassins but that didn’t stop Red from seeing imagined ones in every shadow and hiding behind every object around. She should have brought Bigbad with her. She cursed herself for her stupidity. She had only wanted a nice and peaceful walk with her friend but danger could be anywhere and everywhere.

They soon reached the docks, without encountering any assassins, and Jack stood with his arms crossed over his chest, eyeing the forest of masts before him. Sailors and guards patrolled the docks but they paid him no heed, busying themselves with their respective tasks.

Red inhaled deeply, somewhat disappointed with the scent she received. “All I smell is wood, sweat, and piss…”

“That’s the sea’s real aroma, Red,” Jack said, offering her one of his now rarely seen smirks. “When you’re out there, conquering the waves, there isn’t much else to smell, except salty water. I miss this scent. I miss being out there with the Captain and Sinbad and chasing pirates about. I miss the simpler life of pirate hunting.”

Red furrowed her brow, concerned about what it sounded like he was saying. “Do you mean that you regret meeting Selvina and me?”

Jack eyed her directly and shrugged. “No, I don’t mean it like that. It’s just that if you and Selvina had never shown up Captain Hook and Jolly Roger would have left Tortug and gone off in search of more pirates. Life would have been another grand adventure and now it’s nearly a nightmare.”

“You and Selvina would have never formed a bond, though.”

“I know, and that’s why I would never regret meeting her, or you, or even Bigbad and, of course, Cindy and Belle. I am glad I met you all and I would never want anything hurtful to happen to anyone but Selvina took a piece of me with her when she was kidnapped, Red. It hurts so much, as if she literally sliced a piece of my heart off and held on to it. I just want her back…”

A tear rolled down Jack’s face and Red had to look away before she lost the battle against her own tears. Seeing him in such a state was painful and so unlike him. Jack was always so full of energy, positivity, daring, and life and the young man standing before her only looked broken. Red knew then that there could never be anything between her and Jack. She had never wanted anything to happen and still wondered where those stray feelings for him had surfaced but she knew with certainty that Selvina was the only woman in Jack’s life. Being away from her was breaking him apart and Red worried that if he did not reach Selvina soon that he would never recover.

They found a bench to sit on and together sat in silence, watching the men working the docks. Most of the sailors were asleep but some were still up talking and drinking. Laughter echoed across the port and Red glanced at Jack, remembering the times he himself would laugh or make others laugh. A joke seemed always loaded on his lips but he hadn’t cracked one in days. She thought of a memory and tried to lighten the mood.

“Jack?” she asked.

“Hmm?” he grunted.

“I just realized something.”

“What?” He looked at her expectantly.

“Selvina said that she would repay Hook for taking her on his ship by cooking for him but I don’t think she ever did. I can’t remember a time where she did any cooking at all.”

To Red’s great joy, a smile crept on Jack’s face. He even chuckled. “You’re right. She didn’t do any cooking whatsoever.”

“You’re going to have to bring that up when we find her.”

“If we find her…” Just like that, the smile was gone and a dark cloud shadowed Jack once again.

“We will, Jack.”

He said nothing to that. Jack only took a deep breath, blinked his eyes rapidly, and watched the ships. He glanced at Red, forced a grin, and placed his hand on hers. “Thank you, Red. I know you’re trying to make me feel better and I appreciate it. I really do.”

Red clenched his hand and squeezed it lightly. “Don’t lose faith, Jack. You of all people should know that just because something sounds impossible doesn’t mean that it is. Amalthea brought Selvina here for a reason and she gave us the task of helping her fulfill it. I don’t know much about destinies or anything like that but it has to mean something, doesn’t it? The last unicorn of Faeryum wouldn’t give us this task if she didn’t think we could do it.”

Her words seemed to strengthen Jack’s resolve and he sat slightly straighter and lost some of the darkness on his face. He gave Red a small nod. “It does make some sense…”

“Exactly. We will find Selvina again, Jack. There’s no doubt about it.”

Jack nodded again, this time furrowing his brows in determination.

They sat on the bench for many more minutes, mostly in silence, and were about to leave when a certain ship glided into port. Standing at its bow was a woman dressed in colourful silks with tanned skin, brilliant jewelry, and a sparkle in her eye that could be noticed from where Jack and Red sat. The two friends exchanged glances and stood up, certain that this was none other than Marjeneh.

They approached the sleek ship as a gangplank was being drawn up and watched the woman leave the ship with a spring in her step and a grin on her face. She held a piece of paper in her hand and upon noticing Red and Jack she read it. She glanced from the paper to Jack and Red and then beamed.

“You two must be Red and Jack,” she said in a voice as smooth as the silks she wore. She raised the piece of paper she held in her hand and shrugged. “Princess Balaura writes horrible descriptions of people but I’m quite certain that’s who you are, right?”

“Yes,” Red answered. “You are right. I am correct in thinking that you are Marjeneh?”

The woman spread her arms wide, letting the silken robes expand with them, and offered them a small bow of her raven-haired head. “It is I, the former slave girl of Sultan Ali Baba himself, Marjeneh. When I read about you, Jack, I knew that I had to come as quickly as I could. I enjoy a good love story and when I can help make one happen I won’t waste time in doing so.”

“We weren’t expecting you for a few days,” Jack said, his brows furrowed in confusion.

Marjeneh gave him a wink. “I have ways of sailing a little faster than other ships—magical ways, actually. I told you already that I wouldn’t waste time coming here and therefore I did not!”

“Did the princess tell you why we need your help?”

“Of course, she did! She told me that a young man with bushy brown hair named Jack was heartbroken and wanted to be reunited with his beloved but had no way of getting to her. He needed a ship but had no money for one. She asked if I, with my vast wealth, could spare a few coins to help him out and I tell you now that I most certainly can and that I most certainly will. All the talk nowadays is about the war that’s coming and it’s all so dreadfully boring and depressing. A love story will always catch my full attention and support.”

Red and Jack were both smiling wide, their spirits soaring and their joy boundless. Jack took Marjeneh’s hand and kissed the top of it repeatedly. “Thank you so much, Marjeneh. I…I don’t know what to say. I am nobody to you and yet you’re helping me. Why are you being so generous?”

Marjeneh sighed in mock frustration. “I told you! I love a good love story! Princess Balaura also mentioned something about your girlfriend being someone who will save the world so I guess there’s that too. Mostly, though, I just want to be able to help you get back to her. I have enough money to buy myself my own fleet so sparing some for a ship isn’t going to empty my coffers in the slightest. The princess said she would help you herself but of course her father is being a grumpy old man about it all. I’m going to have to give him a most direct talk tomorrow. Long after you guys are gone, of course.”

“Won’t helping us make him mad at you?” Red asked.

Marjeneh shrugged. “Most likely but I saved his family’s life, not to mention his own, so he won’t make too much of a fuss over it. To be honest, he probably does want to help you but he has so many people wanting to take his position, especially that disgusting Gaphir, that he can’t be seen acting weak in front of them.”

“Helping others is seen as weak?”

“Not necessarily, but his mind should be focused on the impending war and not about buying an expensive ship for people no one knows or cares about. This war is going to be a big one, from what I hear, and he needs to remain strong and in charge of it all or he’s going to end up assassinated.”

Red grimaced. “Being a sultan doesn’t sound incredibly marvelous…”

“It’s no different than being a king. There is always someone wanting to take your place…

“But enough about all of that! I need to find myself somewhere to sleep for a few hours and you should all get some rest too. I will be waiting for you at this spot as soon as the sun rises. Be sure that everyone is ready to go at that time.”

Jack and Red nodded and said simultaneously, “We will.”

With that they turned and left the docks, the ships, and the wonderful former slave girl. Red and Jack slept well that night and had no difficulty waking up in the morning, which was only a few hours later. That dawn, the sun seemed brighter than it ever had been and both Red and Jack soaked it all in.