Nothing Else Matters (Jungle Cruise)

Chapter One

"Unfortunately the arrowhead that allowed access to the Tree was lost in the ensuing battle, but we were able to acquire a few precious petals before the moon set once more. Ergo, we have a very limited number of tests we can perform on the petals to better understand them. They will be kept safe until the proper tests are agreed upon." The bell signalling class was over drilled into Dr. Houghton's ears. "Your homework is to study various plants that utilize differing light levels in their growth period, and or that offer healing properties, then compare them to the Tears in an essay!" She called over the chattering students, who rose to file out of the lecture hall. She smiled and waved at her students as they walked past her, hands on her hips, legs in a confident stance that would have just been uncomfortable in a skirt. She never had understood those darn things.

The last student exited the room, closing the door behind her. As suddenly as the bell had rung and a cacophony of voices erupted, the hall was plunged into silence. Lily relaxed her stance and pushed her hair back from her forehead, taking a deep breath. It had been a long day of lecture after lecture, and her students didn't seem nearly as engrossed in the Tears as she had expected. It was as if none of them believed her!

But who would? None but a select few had ever seen the petals, and even less had seen them work their magic. Frank was arguably the most knowledgeable of the Tears, and even he didn't know much about them. She laughed to herself, remembering when she had tried to bring Frank in to tell the students what he knew of the petals.

He had stepped up to the lectern and gripped it with his hands, leaning into it. The lectern creaked under his weight as he sized up the students in the audience. He'd worn a suit, chosen by MacGregor of course, but still wore his skipper's hat in a mismatched way that looked oddly natural on him.

Lily had been surprised when he'd told the story of how the tribe had healed him and his companions in just a few sentences or less. After falling quiet for a moment, as if remembering something, he nodded, stood up straight, and left the lectern. It had taken less than two minutes. He hadn't even read from the cards Lily had carefully written out for him the day before!

It had turned out that Frank was just embarrassed to be telling his strange story to, well, strangers. If they didn't believe that the petals were real, what would make them believe in a four-century year old conquistador?

Lily had adapted his story and told it herself from that point on.

Lily smiled to herself at the memory, then walked to the door. She locked it with her key, then slid the deadbolt at the top of the door closed, and lowered the shutters over the window in the door. The shutters over the outdoor windows were similarly lowered. Lily went to her desk once she was sufficiently alone, and then reached into her shirt to pull out the arrowhead that hung around her neck twenty-four-seven.

Only Frank knew that she still had it. She had dashed back into the cave at the last second before leaving and took the gem and arrowhead from their places. Not even MacGregor had realized what she'd done.

She turned the arrowhead over in her fingers, running her fingertips over the symbols she had long since committed to memory. She told everyone that the arrowhead had been lost or destroyed in the conflict between them, the undead conquistadors, and Prince Joachim and his men. She lied to keep it safe from men like Joachim. If anyone knew that she had the arrowhead, she would spend the rest of her days running from corrupted men who just wanted to take advantage of the Tears, rather than use them for good. Nothing good was sacred in this world. It was for the Tree's safety. One day, she would return and gather more petals to research, and when the time was right, she would share their secrets with hospitals all over the world.

She sighed and put the arrowhead safely back in her shirt, where she could constantly feel it against her skin. Would the time for that ever come?

A knock sounded against the door, startling her. She double checked that neither the arrowhead nor the cord around her neck was visible, then opened the classroom windows before going to the door and opening it.

It was Frank. He wore a casual suit, without the tie or waistcoat. He always looked so uncomfortable in his button-down shirts. She'd had to mend or replace more than a few because they ripped when his muscles did... well, anything, really.

He presented a small bouquet of sunflowers from behind his back and she smelled them eagerly. "Oh, they smell positively delicious, love." She hugged him quickly and let him into the lecture hall, leaving the door ajar.

"I would have sent them to you, but I figured you'd appreciate this more," Frank said, giving her the look until she caught the joke and groaned at him. He smiled broadly when she did, more proud than he had any right to be over a joke.

Lily rummaged through one of her cupboards for an empty jar to put the flowers in. "Frank," she said, ducking into one of the cupboards. "I was recording the story you've told me."

"Why?" Frank asked.

"For the history books of course! Ah!" she found a jar. She backed out of the drawer and blew the dust out of the jar. It flew into her face and she coughed. Frank looked at her as if there had been a dozen other ways to clean the jar, but she just shrugged and grabbed the flowers. "You're arguably the most experienced man on the face of the earth. It makes sense to record a bit of 15th century history straight from the source, wouldn't you say?" She smiled and stepped back once the makeshift vase was placed. The sunflowers did bring a lovely spot of color to the drab lecture hall. She got bored of seeing the same old thing day in and day out.

"People are really interested in that?" Frank looked bewildered at the fact that anyone at all would be interested.

"Yes, Frank!" Lily said, sitting down at her desk and pulling out the notebook that held her notes on Frank's life. "Now, I've likely bored you with all the mundane questions- everyday life in Spain, masters of the arts, technology of the time, et cetera. The only thing I have yet to officially record is actually the story of how you ended up with Aguirre, came with him to the Amazon, and ended up cursed. You've told me, I know. But I want to hear it word for word from you, one more time. For posterity," she added, smiling softly at him. Frank leaned against her desk and folded his arms, then nodded.

"My father was a mercena-"

"Slowly! I have to write this down as you say it, remember."

"Right. My... father... was..."

"Faster than that, Skippy."

Frank smiled and took a seat next to Lily to tell his story.