Master of my fate - The Governors daughter Sequel

Chapter 4

They stared at each other in silence, Nora still refusing to believe what she saw. She studied him intensely, every inch of his face, looking for similarities with that young man she'd met years ago. And they were there. He was older, his shoulder broader and his face more angular, but it was him. He'd grown his beard out to a stubble, which made him look older, but it was him. Jonathan. Yet, Nora knew it couldn't. Jonathan had died five years ago, killed by James. It had to be an illusion, some sort of trick.

"Jonathan?" She said again, her voice low and brittle.

"I've been looking for you", he answered, giving her a small smile.

"But- ", she stammered. "You're dead. Jam-, he killed you." Nora still couldn't bare to say his name, even after so many years. Yet Jonathan knew who she meant.

"Well, he tried." Nora felt like there was more to the story, more that she needed to know. But none of it seemed to matter as she took in his features, seeing those green eyes, seeing her friend. Slowly, she took one step forward, standing close enough that she could see every line in his face.

"It really is you", she whispered, lifting one hand to touch his face, wondering if he would disappear like a mirage.

"It really is you", Jonathan said, catching her hand in his. For a moment, neither of them said anything, holding their breath as if they waited for the other one to disappear. But when neither of them did, Nora threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.

"I can't believe it", she whispered. Jonathan shook his head, hugging her tightly.

"Me neither. You have no idea how long I've been looking for you." He leaned out of her embrace to be able to look at her.

"How?" Nora asked, still taking in every last inch of the face of a friend she thought she'd lost.

"I knew he'd taken you, and I had gotten some intel on where they were heading. I had been out of it for a while, however, seeing as they banged me up pretty bad. But I followed you, or what I thought was you. When I finally reached the right harbor, I found out that Gisela had never docked. I thought that they'd killed you. I-" Jonathan paused, his grip tightening, like he had to make sure she was still there. "I grieved you. For years. But then I heard this rumor, here in London, that a small merchant ship had hired a woman as first mate, and that she apparently was quite the ordeal." He smiled down at her as he spoke. "I didn't know it was you, but something about the way people described her, made me think of you. I traveled back here last year, after hearing some rumors that the Lady in Red was coming. I had to see if it was you. But my travels got delayed and when I finally arrived you were already gone, sailed one a few hours before. And now- ", he took a deep breath, taking in the sight of her face once more.

"You're here", Nora filled in.

"I had to know. Had to see if it was you."

"I'm glad you did." She studied her friend, still waiting for it all to be a dream. Nora had looked for Jonathan herself a few years back, when she'd gone back to the small port that she'd managed to get to after James had set her free. Cap' had been with her, the crew as well, having her back all the way as she searched for answered. Unlike Jonathan, Nora hadn't had any hope left to find her friend alive. But she'd hoped that she'd at least be able to visit his grave. But no one had any answers to give her, and no one seemed to know anything about finding a dead solider. It made sense now, seeing that there had been no dead soldier to find.

"Hey, mate! Get off my captain!" Kasper's voice was heard from behind, together with the brawl of voices from inside the pub. Jonathan frowned, looking over Nora's shoulder, towards her quartermaster.

"It's alright", she said before Kasper had any dumb ideas. "He's a friend." Kasper's posture relaxed a bit, but he still seemed to be on edge, eyeing Jonathan suspiciously, his eyes narrowing as he saw their embrace.

"Captain?" Jonathan raised an eyebrow, a confused expression on his face.

"It's a long story." Nora took a step back, decreasing their proximity. "I'll tell you about it over a pint."

They all walked in together, instantly having the eyes of her whole crew on them. Apparently unknown male company wasn't appreciated since Nora had become captain. Sure, the crew had been protective of her before, always keeping an eye out for men who couldn't behave properly. But now, the hostility was so strong in the room Nora could almost touch it. Jonathan definitely felt it too.

"So", he began as they sat down. "Captain?" Nora gave him a coy smile, not sure where to start. Not sure if she even knew what to say. But then she remembered that it was Jonathan. The one who'd jumped off the Gisela with her, the first person she'd trusted in a long time, her friend. As she looked at him, painful memories resurfacing, she blinked away her tears and began catch him up on the last five years.

The sun had risen, and the city had begun to come alive when they finally stopped talking. Nora's eyes felt like they were filled with gravel, her yawns so frequent it made it hard to talk. Yet she never wanted to stop. It felt like the whole night would disappear if she dared to do as much as blink, like she'd wake up at any second, realizing that it was all just a dream. But no matter how many times she blinked; Jonathan didn't disappear. Instead he sat in front of her, yawning as much as her, but not moving an inch.

"You should sleep", he said, smiling through another yawn.

"I know. I'm afraid that you'll disappear if I don't keep an eye on you."

"I promise I'm not going anywhere. As long as you promise the same."

"Deal." They left the pub, being the last ones since hours back. The only one that had stayed was Kasper, who slept on a bench leaned against the wall. He'd refused to leave Nora alone, keeping an eye on the two until sleep got the better of him. With a gentle nudge, she woke him up, laughing as he flew up from his seat, looking around him in confusion.

"Your back's going to kill you if you sleep there", Nora said as she walked towards the door. Kasper still looked confused, but quickly gathered his things before following. He'd gotten a room at the Flaming Gauntlet as well, whilst Jonathan was accommodated further into town. They'd promised to meet up after some well needed rest, though Nora was unsure if she'd ever be able to fall asleep. Her mind was on fire, going through every second of the night, savoring the memory of Jonathan's face, still not entirely believing she wasn't hallucinating. As her head hit the pillow however, the room still and quiet, sleep caught up to her in no time, lulling her away to a dreamless rest.