Elizabeth's Portrait ((Part 3))

August 15th 2010 8:30pm Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake Flats)

My eyes roamed across the endless sea of salt as the sun began to set, the colours dancing across the top of the salt crystals. Time begins to slip away from you, as days turn into weeks, and weeks into months. It seems the longer you live the faster time goes by, you really begin feeling the effects after a hundred years, after five hundred years if you blink you'll miss out on an entire year. Strange how the mind perceives time, and even stranger how your mind perceives time when you're on an ocean.

January 1st 1661, Somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean

The wonderful sounds of the ocean, can only be covered up by someone tossing everything they've eaten for the past several months over the side of the ship, my poor Mary had no idea that she would be sea sick for the first two weeks of the voyage, and nor did I. I stood there with my hand on her back to keep her from falling over the edge as she emptied the last of whatever was on her stomach.

"I'm sorry Hon, I had no idea you'd be sea-sick, I bet you feel sorry you came with me."

Mary's eyes looked up at me, and they almost glowed as the sun hit them, and a smile crept across her face.

"No, I'm not. I've seen more things in the past year than I had in my entire life. I'm very happy I came with you, and look forward to what I'll see next."

I ran my hand through her soft hair and used my sleeve to wipe her mouth.

"Well Hon, I think you're about done. Don't think it would be possible to toss up your insides." I gave her a smile and brushed her hair out of her face, as I handed her my skin of water. She took a few sips and a deep breath.

"Is that a ship?" she pointed out into the ocean, I could see a ship as it seemed to be coming somewhat towards us.

"I believe so." I patted her on the back.

"Pirates!" a young man called out from the birds nest. We started to run towards the berthing area of the ship when I heard the sounds of several canon's firing. I quickly pushed Mary down into the berthing as I looked back towards the ship which was now coming along side us very quickly. I looked up at the flag that they flew, and immediately knew we were in for a fight.

A man came barrelling out of the stateroom. He was dressed as I would expect of the Captain of a ship. "Woman, get off the deck, can't you see we're being attacked!"

"I can..." I answered as he pushed by me to start helping with the loading of the canons. "May I be of assistance?"

"This isn't a woman's place!" he yelled out at me. "Get back in the cabin you're too weak to help!" the Captain reached down and picked up a canon ball and placed it into the canon.

"Perhaps not, but it looks like you could use some help." I immediately went down to the next canon and loaded it. I set it up and fired at the ship. The canon ball slammed into the side of their ship leaving a large hole, but not enough to stop them. Suddenly several other canons fired from our ship, ploughing into the ship as it got even closer.

"Woman, this is going to turn into a sword fight fast, I suggest you get below!"

A young man walked up to me and grabbed my arm, he didn't have it very long as I withdrew my arm and took his sword. "Then I suggest you arm yourselves."

August 28th 2010 3pm Seattle Washington, Space needle.

"Anything else you need Ma'am?" The waiter finished pouring my wine, as my food was placed before me by his helper.

"No, I think I am fine." I smiled at the man as he bowed politely and walked away.

It struck me as I looked out of the window that nothing in life ever turns out the way you think it will. The meal I ordered was actually much larger than I had expected, and I really hadn't planned on coming to Seattle. Life gives us all choices as we live from day to day. Some of those choices make a difference between whether we live, or die.

January 1st 1661, entry from Mary Wright's Diary

"If she wants to die, then let her!" the captain shouted as I reached the door and opened it, just enough to see out. There I saw her standing with a sword in one hand and her other reaching down to light a canon. The sound of the canon was deafening, everything went silent for a moment as my ears rang. The smoke nearly engulfed her as she stood watching as the ship nearly collided with the one we were on. Suddenly several men swung over to the ship, and dropped on the deck. I watched as all of the men of the ship came barrelling out with swords in their hands, attacking the others with a fierceness I've never seen before. However, Elizabeth when she fought, did so without any anger. She fought as if she was toying with them all, almost as if she wasn't afraid of death. Every movement she made was as graceful as a bird in the sky. Time seemed to go by as more men came aboard our ship. Elizabeth seemed to be the last standing as seven or eight men fought her. She seemed to keep the same expression on her face, even as I watched as a sword cut through her arm, she didn't seem to even have a reaction to it, like she couldn't feel the pain, but I could see the pain in her eyes, she just ignored the pain as she continued to fight.

"Enough!" a voice came bellowing out as a man walked across a plank that had dropped into place, I had to move up a little to see the man. "You dare fight such a beautiful woman?" The man pushed the others out of the way as he walked up to her. "How dare you cut a woman's clothing?"

"But sir, she was attacking our men, we had no.." before he could finish his sentence the man raised his hand to him.

"No excuses..." I could only see the back of his head as he spoke to his men, and his words became quite hushed. Elizabeth looked over at me and shook her head. I knew what she wanted me to do, but I couldn't help myself as I watched the events unfold. The men began to look around the ship, as the man stood with his sword in his hand, Elizabeth still holding her own sword. "Give it up, I don't want to harm you."

"What makes you think you can?" Elizabeth's words came out as if she really meant it, I could see the hesitation in the man.

"What makes you think I can't?" He asked as he lowered his sword to the deck of the ship.

"I'd have to say that I've had much more practice with a sword than yourself, for starters. Secondly, you have let your guard down, merely because I am a woman." Elizabeth lowered her sword as well, to match his. "Thirdly..." as she said thirdly, her sword flipped off the deck, slamming into his, causing it to stick into the side of the ship. "You don't have a sword."

Several of his men pulled out their swords and charged at Elizabeth, then stopped suddenly as their captain began to laugh. Through the laughter the captain held up his hand. "Leave her be, if she wanted me dead she would have already killed me." The man pulled his sword out of the side of the ship, and then suddenly the door I had been looking through swung open, and I found myself being lifted up to my feet.

"Leave her alone!" Elizabeth cried out as she pushed the man aside, giving me my first glimpse of his face. "She's young, and I am her guardian."

"And what a wonderful guardian you are, Ms....?"

"Sayer, Elizabeth Sayer. Now put her down." She demanded. The captain moved his hand and my feet hit the deck. I immediately ran to her side.

"Well, Ms Elizabeth Sayer... I hate to inform you that I have every intention of taking the cargo of this ship and sinking it. However, considering your fighting skills and your prowess for the blade, instead of leaving you here to die, I'd like to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime. Come ,be a pirate, it pays much better than, well, whatever you are doing."

August 28th 2010 4:30pm Seattle Washington, Space needle.

"Will there be anything else Ma'am?" The waiter approached me with my bill in his hand.

"No, I think that will be all. Thank you Sir, the food was excellent."

"A pleasure to serve you Ma'am." The waiter laid my ticket on the table, bowed, and walked off. I took a peak at the ticket, took out the cash from my purse, and sat it on the table. I pulled my napkin from my lap, wiped off my mouth and walked over to the gentlemen sitting at the table across the room from me.

"Is there something I may do for you?" I asked the two rather well dressed young men.

"I'm sorry, do we know you?" One of the men asked, looking almost shocked that I would be speaking to them. If I couldn't read people, I might have thought I was wrong.

"I'd hope so, you've been following me ever since I left Chicago. Either, you are Federal agents, or you're stalking me." I smiled at them both, pulled out a seat and sat down. "Now, if you are stalking me, I'd suggest you find a new target. But if you are Federal Agents, then may I ask why it is you are following me?"

"I'm sorry Miss we have no idea..." As he spoke his friends hand went up and silenced the other.

"We have reasons to believe that you are a wanted criminal from England." He spoke as he looked into my eyes.

I couldn't help myself, as I giggled lightly. "Me? A criminal? What makes you think that?"

The man pulled out a folder from a briefcase that had been sitting next to him. "You are Irene Adler, correct?"

"Yes, that's my name. My parents were fans of Sherlock Holmes. What of it?"

"Irene Adler is wanted on several charges in England. We have you for theft of a priceless jewel, as well as many other items."

"I'm sorry Hon, but I think you have the wrong Irene Adler." I smiled and sat back. I knew of the charges he spoke of, and I was guilty of it, but that was around a hundred or so years ago.

"Ma'am, are you denying this is you." The man turned the folder around and then split up several photographs. Some of me from hundreds of years, and others from even longer ago.

"Wow, it does look like me, but you can't be suggesting that I am old enough to be in those pictures."

"We're going to have to take you down to our office. There is a constable there who seems to believe you are, as laughable as that may be to you."

"Well then, I guess we should get going. Thank you for letting me finish my meal." I looked over the two men and stood up. "After you." I motioned towards the door.

"No, no, ladies first." The agent put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a small nudge. "I'd hate to have to arrest you here in public."

"Of course, let's go meet this constable of yours."

The men lead me out to their vehicle and we took off towards a large building in the middle of Seattle, taking me up to the top floor they took me into a small FBI office and took me into an even smaller office. "Wait here, we'll get the constable."

I sat there, and looked out the window over the city. As my eyes wandered I began to wonder if I had made the right choices in my life. I had enjoyed my brief time as a thief in England, but only because of Sherlock Holmes always right there on my tail. It excited me to think of him catching up with me. A genius in his own rights, but I did have nearly 400 years on him. But it was what I needed to make it enjoyable, someone who actually had a chance at catching me. I haven't found it since, and probably never will.

The man's British voice came bellowing in as he opened the door, "Miss Sayer?" I didn't even catch myself as I answered.

"Yes?" Then it hit me, he didn't call me Miss Adler. "I..." I felt myself about to stumble and corrected myself. "What is it I may do for you constable?"

"You can come back to England with me." The constable took a seat in front of me. "Turns out, we need you. We need you more now than we did 200 years ago."

"Are you saying I look over 200 years old?" I asked him as I watched his eyes.

"I'm saying you're over 500 years old, however, you came to our aid once and I'm hoping you will come back again."

"What do you know of me?" I had to ask him, for he knew more than most. He picked up a large briefcase placed it on the table, opened it up and pulled out several huge files, sitting them on the desk.

"I know that every single piece of paper, picture, and artefact in these folders is about you, and what you've done over the past 500 years."

"And where did you get such documents?" I asked as I stood up and started to flip through some of the writings.

"I got them from the London secret library, where they have been since the death of the man known as Sherlock Holmes."

"Looks like someone's been adding to it since then." I only got a nod from him. "So, you know who I am. Who are you?"

"I am merely a messenger sent by the Secret Society of the League. They need you, once again."

"Who is responsible for the League these days?"

"Honestly Ma'am, I don't know. I am merely doing as I was told. They asked me to remind you that they have something you may want back."

"And what is that?"

The man shrugged his shoulders. "I have no idea, they said you would know..." The man looked over me and then shut his files and stuck them back into the bag. "So, are you willing to come with me?"

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, I just have to know what they have that I may want." I smiled at him and he handed me a ticket.

"This is your first class ticket to London England. The FBI will take you back to your car, get your things and meet me on board."

August 29th 2010 6am. Seattle Washington, Airport

There are some things in life to get up for, but I've got to say 6am isn't one of them, especially after you spend all night creating a new passport. I may not need much sleep, but it is still too early. I had gotten to the airport just in time to get through security and into the plane before the doors closed up. I walked into the plane and saw the constable sitting next to the seat I was assigned too.

"My apologies for the twelve hour flight. It's the best we could do on short notice."

I smiled at him. "It's a lot better than the several months it used to take." I put on my seatbelt and looked out the window as the plane took off, blasting me back in the seat, as I begun to let my mind wander on the past.

January 1st 1663, Tortuga

Mary's voice spoke up almost as rude as any other pirate I had ever heard. "Give me another barkeep."

"Mary!" I scorned at her. "Remember your manners."

"Why?!" Mary slurred as she downed another glass. "It's a pirates life for me!"

I merely shook my head. "Only a year at sea, and you're ready to give up everything else for it?"

"Well Miss Sayer, I have to say, you have killed my buzz. I think I'll go find someone else to party with."

"Mary?" I motioned her over and she sat down.

"What?"

"I'm going to have to leave, I can't stay here with you." Mary's eyes rolled and then straightened up looking straight into mine.

"You're going to leave me?"

"You can come with me, but you have to give up the pirates life." I pulled her close to me. "This isn't for you, sweetie."

"What would you know?" She asked as she pulled away. "I think it fits me rather well. You've taught me everything I'd ever need to know to take care of myself."

"I have, but only because I wanted to make sure you would survive through the ordeal I got us into. You can leave this, and join me. Or you can stay here, and live the pirates life, which is short."

"Well, can I give you my answer in the morning?" Mary looked deep into my eyes. "You already have your answer, don't you?"

I smiled at her, and patted her on the head. "I'll be gone by morning." I hugged her close. "I'll drop by some time and see how you are doing, until then, I think you'll have a wonderful life."

"Elizabeth?"

"Yes?" I asked as she grabbed a hold of me. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, sweetie. But if I'm right, you'll be married and have children soon." I nudged her and pointed out one of the men to her. "He's always had his eyes on you, you should take him up on his offer of marriage, he'll take good care of you."

"Thank you Elizabeth, for everything."

"You're welcome Mary, and I'll see you again. I promise."