10: Hero
By then, the two had stopped fighting, though Alice was still fuming, not that Rosalie could really blame her. Once again, Alice was unsure what came next: half of her wanted to just run and run until she had left it all behind and the other wanted to stay though this was mostly to see what Rosalie meant by Jack meaning so much to her.
Tristan, Jack, Michael and David waited inside the carriage. Tristan was in no hurry and Jack would have jumped off and followed Rosalie in a second. That kiss had sealed the deal and answered the question that had plagued him so many years: had she stopped loving him? He now had the answer.
IT was still drawing closer, now IT was taking IT’s time, seeing as they were so close IT could literally taste them in the air.
A light rain started though no one was bothered by it. “Alice, please.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know! Yell at me some more or something!”
“So, are you going to stay with Jack? Or come with me?”
<I won’t stand in your way but please hear Tristan’s offer first.>
<What offer?>
<You’ll see.>
“Rose?”
“I think we should talk to Tristan first, weigh our options.”
Silence.
Without any warning, IT came barreling in from the east, snatching Rosalie in a second. Her blood-curdling scream sent Jack flying from the tent. He couldn’t see what had her-as IT was invisible-yet Jack had a good idea where each body part was.
<JACK!>
<Hold on! Just hold on!>
He closed in to IT and Rosalie, though it was taking much of his strength. At last he was close enough to pull out his sword and attempt to stab the beast. He missed the first time, but cut him slightly the second time on the left arm, the third one a single thrust nearly all the way through IT’s back. IT let out a high-pitched scream of pain and threw Rosalie before IT darted off, master swearing like mad in IT’s head.
Jack threw the sword and easily caught her, landing skillfully on the ground safely. “Jack…” He placed a finger to her lips and with his free hand put the sword back in it’s sheath.
“You’re safe. You’re safe.” She smiled weakly and lay limp in his arms as he walked the few hundred yards or so back to the carriage. Jack held her tightly against his body, firmly yet gently and a part of him never wanted to let her go again.
<Rhyme to me.>
Jack smiled faintly at the memory of how she had loved it when he used to recite poetry to her-both his own and from the masters.
<The rose is a rose, and always was a rose. But the theory now goes that the apple’s a rose, and the pear is, and so’s the plum I suppose. The dear only knows What will next prove a rose. You, of course, are a rose-But were always a rose.>
<Rose Family, Robert Frost. More rhyme please>
<Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance or nature’s course, untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.>
<Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Shakespeare. Thank you.>
<You’re welcome.> By then, they had reached the clearing where the three guards stood surrounding Tristan, Michael, David, and Alice. “By the way, you now owe me two lifetimes” he whispered softly, causing her to chuckle at the joke.
“Sounds ok by me.”
He smiled and braced himself for the millions of questions. “Stand down” Tristan said. When the guards didn’t, he said again firmly, “stand down.” They reluctantly moved yet stayed right behind them. “Is she alright?” Tristan asked.
Jack nodded. “Come on. You must be freezing, Tristan.” He smiled at Jack but he could hear his teeth just barley chattering. By then the rain had picked up speed and intensity, hitting the roof of the carriage like bullets. “You can still come with us.”
Alice’s eyes wearily drifted from Jack to the rest of the forest. “Only because I don’t want…Whatever that thing was to find me.” They then boarded the carriage again, the guards taking their positions one on other side the last stood on the back.
Jack sat Rosalie on the bench to the right, sitting down next to her. David sat on the opposite side, Michael opposite them, Alice on the couch, Tristan on the chair in front of the carriage. Jack took her hand and cradled it tightly. The carriage moved on though it did so smoothly that it was hardly noticeable.
<Rhyme to me.>
<O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear! You’re true love’s coming That can sing both high and low; Trip no further, pretty sweeting, Journey’s end in lovers’ meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know. What is love? Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; When’s to come is still unsure; In delay there lies no plenty, Then come kiss me, Sweet and twenty, Youth’s a stuff will not endure.>
<Carpe diem, Shakespeare.>
“Guess whatever that thing was what Jake was talking about” Alice said. Rosalie nodded, absentmindedly though.
“I never saw it” Jack said.
“Me either. But you hurt it. Maybe even killed it.” She turned her face to his. He shrugged and she leaned in closer to his body.
Alice tried to ignore it by looking at her and saying “you said you would come to a choice after you spoke to Tristan.”
She nodded and turned to him. “What offer?” He looked at her then scowled at Jack who growled at him. “What?”
“You made this commitment now you stick to it” he said bitterly glaring at him.
The far older man, though he seemed so much younger in that moment nodded. “I did and I will. As I have done for nearly seventy years and will continue to do so.” Everyone went silent as he looked down, carefully choosing his words. At last he said “what would you say if I could give you back your mortality?”
By then, the two had stopped fighting, though Alice was still fuming, not that Rosalie could really blame her. Once again, Alice was unsure what came next: half of her wanted to just run and run until she had left it all behind and the other wanted to stay though this was mostly to see what Rosalie meant by Jack meaning so much to her.
Tristan, Jack, Michael and David waited inside the carriage. Tristan was in no hurry and Jack would have jumped off and followed Rosalie in a second. That kiss had sealed the deal and answered the question that had plagued him so many years: had she stopped loving him? He now had the answer.
IT was still drawing closer, now IT was taking IT’s time, seeing as they were so close IT could literally taste them in the air.
A light rain started though no one was bothered by it. “Alice, please.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know! Yell at me some more or something!”
“So, are you going to stay with Jack? Or come with me?”
<I won’t stand in your way but please hear Tristan’s offer first.>
<What offer?>
<You’ll see.>
“Rose?”
“I think we should talk to Tristan first, weigh our options.”
Silence.
Without any warning, IT came barreling in from the east, snatching Rosalie in a second. Her blood-curdling scream sent Jack flying from the tent. He couldn’t see what had her-as IT was invisible-yet Jack had a good idea where each body part was.
<JACK!>
<Hold on! Just hold on!>
He closed in to IT and Rosalie, though it was taking much of his strength. At last he was close enough to pull out his sword and attempt to stab the beast. He missed the first time, but cut him slightly the second time on the left arm, the third one a single thrust nearly all the way through IT’s back. IT let out a high-pitched scream of pain and threw Rosalie before IT darted off, master swearing like mad in IT’s head.
Jack threw the sword and easily caught her, landing skillfully on the ground safely. “Jack…” He placed a finger to her lips and with his free hand put the sword back in it’s sheath.
“You’re safe. You’re safe.” She smiled weakly and lay limp in his arms as he walked the few hundred yards or so back to the carriage. Jack held her tightly against his body, firmly yet gently and a part of him never wanted to let her go again.
<Rhyme to me.>
Jack smiled faintly at the memory of how she had loved it when he used to recite poetry to her-both his own and from the masters.
<The rose is a rose, and always was a rose. But the theory now goes that the apple’s a rose, and the pear is, and so’s the plum I suppose. The dear only knows What will next prove a rose. You, of course, are a rose-But were always a rose.>
<Rose Family, Robert Frost. More rhyme please>
<Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometimes declines, By chance or nature’s course, untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade, nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall death brag thou wand’rest in his shade, When in eternal lines to Time thou grow’st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.>
<Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Shakespeare. Thank you.>
<You’re welcome.> By then, they had reached the clearing where the three guards stood surrounding Tristan, Michael, David, and Alice. “By the way, you now owe me two lifetimes” he whispered softly, causing her to chuckle at the joke.
“Sounds ok by me.”
He smiled and braced himself for the millions of questions. “Stand down” Tristan said. When the guards didn’t, he said again firmly, “stand down.” They reluctantly moved yet stayed right behind them. “Is she alright?” Tristan asked.
Jack nodded. “Come on. You must be freezing, Tristan.” He smiled at Jack but he could hear his teeth just barley chattering. By then the rain had picked up speed and intensity, hitting the roof of the carriage like bullets. “You can still come with us.”
Alice’s eyes wearily drifted from Jack to the rest of the forest. “Only because I don’t want…Whatever that thing was to find me.” They then boarded the carriage again, the guards taking their positions one on other side the last stood on the back.
Jack sat Rosalie on the bench to the right, sitting down next to her. David sat on the opposite side, Michael opposite them, Alice on the couch, Tristan on the chair in front of the carriage. Jack took her hand and cradled it tightly. The carriage moved on though it did so smoothly that it was hardly noticeable.
<Rhyme to me.>
<O mistress mine, where are you roaming? O stay and hear! You’re true love’s coming That can sing both high and low; Trip no further, pretty sweeting, Journey’s end in lovers’ meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know. What is love? Tis not hereafter; Present mirth hath present laughter; When’s to come is still unsure; In delay there lies no plenty, Then come kiss me, Sweet and twenty, Youth’s a stuff will not endure.>
<Carpe diem, Shakespeare.>
“Guess whatever that thing was what Jake was talking about” Alice said. Rosalie nodded, absentmindedly though.
“I never saw it” Jack said.
“Me either. But you hurt it. Maybe even killed it.” She turned her face to his. He shrugged and she leaned in closer to his body.
Alice tried to ignore it by looking at her and saying “you said you would come to a choice after you spoke to Tristan.”
She nodded and turned to him. “What offer?” He looked at her then scowled at Jack who growled at him. “What?”
“You made this commitment now you stick to it” he said bitterly glaring at him.
The far older man, though he seemed so much younger in that moment nodded. “I did and I will. As I have done for nearly seventy years and will continue to do so.” Everyone went silent as he looked down, carefully choosing his words. At last he said “what would you say if I could give you back your mortality?”