Chapter 8: I'll never leave you again

Now that the rogues were unarmed and forced to surrender to the natives, they were standing on their feet and made to march down where their ship had been floating while being roped securely. There, all the personal belongings brought on their voyage had been handed over to the warriors so that they would never be able get a hold of any dangerous object once every one of them is to be shipped back to London for a trial of fraud and deceiving royalty. None of them even thought of a way to escape or bothered to try because of the skilled warriors keeping a sharp eye on them for any unusual activity. Their faces definitely meant that there would be serious consequences to pay if one of them were to pull a stunt.

Meanwhile in the village, Nakoma could barely sleep or eat due to the fact that her best friend Pocahontas had been missing for a long time now and there was still no sign of Chief Powhatan or the warriors who went out to search for her and have not yet returned. She stood by the river as her hands were curling with worry. She couldn't bear to think about what would happen if some more of those white strangers approached their land and have already taken care of her best friend along with the warriors from the blast of a fiery weapon.

"Nakoma, please come and sit with us for dinner," a thin native woman approached her a moment ago when she noticed that Nakoma had not moved from the shores since this morning. "I'm sure they'll come back soon. You've been standing long enough; it is time to eat."

"No thanks, I'm not hungry," replied Nakoma, still facing the steady river.

"I know how you feel, but I'm just as worried as well with the way you're allowing all this grief to overcome your heart. All I'm saying is that standing by the river is not going to help with anything. You know Pocahontas more than anyone; she'll be home soon."

"You're right," Nakoma turned around feeling part of her grief slide away from what she just said. "I know I shouldn't…"

"Powhatan is back!" a male villager shouted from somewhere within the village. "And Pocahontas is here with Smith and a few white men!"

The last two words had stunned Nakoma and the woman. "WHAT?!" The two women rushed quickly to the village and were astonished to find Powhatan return with mysterious white men who seemed different than the ones that have first arrived on this land of theirs. In fact, everyone in the village was weary of their presence.

"Do not be alarmed!" Powhatan spoke to the assembled villagers as the warriors lead the prisoners through the crowd. "These visitors shall have no intention on hurting us. I will explain everything once we bring them inside." That was when the council had called a meeting inside of Powhatan's tent for everyone to attend to.

"Pocahontas!" Nakoma blurted out once she saw her best friend walking alongside John Smith and Thomas whom she thought that she would never be capable of ever seeing again. In joy, she rushed over and threw her arms around Pocahontas. Her friend returned the same thing.

"What happened to you?" Nakoma asked almost close to tears.

"It's a long story Nakoma; the meeting is about to begin," Pocahontas replied with her arms still around her friend.

Later that night inside Powhatan's tent

"You strangers had no business amongst stepping foot on this land, but to steal what you believed was rightfully yours," Powhatan spoke to the white men standing before him while still under restraint. "As we have mentioned before, the only reward you'll receive is the one about to be given for kidnapping my daughter in the forest and raising a knife over her." The men winced at the sound of him saying those last few words. "In this village, these attempted acts are punishable by banishment or even death. But then again, that would be dishonest of me to carry that last sentence." Then Powhatan turned to John who was standing in a corner with Thomas and Pocahontas carrying Meeko in her arms. "If it weren't for Smith here putting a stop to it, I might have been holding my daughter lifeless in my arms."

"Chief Powhatan," John stepped forward to make a suggestion. "I believe there is still an empty jail cell in Jamestown that has not yet been filled. So why not leave these men to us until we receive a message from the king. I'm also sure they'll do well with cleaning out the stables."

"Very well," agreed Powhatan. He turned back to the prisoners still standing before him. "You men shall be lead by Smith to Jamestown where my other warriors shall help keep a watchful eye over you. This meeting has now ended."

The next day in the forest

John Smith and Pocahontas sat at the large stump in front of Grandmother Willow a few hours after he and Thomas were able to lead the invaders to Jamestown to spend the next couple weeks or months in a jail cell and were sentenced to clean out the stables every single day to be watched by guards making sure that they don't miss a spot.

From where they sat, Pocahontas explained to Grandmother Willow how she been playing a game with her animal friends to remove the pain of not ever seeing John Smith again until she was captured by strangers she never met before seeking the same mineral as gold. Then came the part where she was to plan on leading them where the gold had been hidden in a cornfield and how she was almost killed by a knife in hand. The story had the elderly tree thinking about Smith's selfless act in choosing to return to this land despite the gunshot wound in him. John was able to explain that there was never anything waiting for him in London but the pain of lost love. In other words, he could never leave the most important thing he found missing in his life behind.

"All I could ever think about was seeing you again every night while I was recovering from the wound," John confessed his feeling of loss. He placed his arm around Pocahontas who was leaning against his shoulder while listening to him go on. "But then I realized that even if the wound was gone, leaving you behind would have become a wound deeper than the gunshot. In other words, if I chose to stay in London, it might have left me thinking with unanswered questions for the rest of my life. I still would be known as the greatest explorer around, but all that would mean nothing to me without being here with you."

Feeling both happy and sad, Pocahontas gazed up at John with tears welling up in her eyes. Somehow, it felt comforting to hear him confess his true feelings about his love for her. "Is that why you returned?"

"When I was in bed one night, I had another dream about seeing you. Only that you were in terrible danger. But it seemed more like a vision than a dream," John answered her with a saddened expression.

"That almost sounds like the meaningless dream I had before I met you," Pocahontas was astonished. "It was about a spinning arrow going and going until it stopped. I never understood what it meant until the arrow pointed east to the sunrise; the time when you were to be executed. The path was leading to you. Remember the compass?"

"How can I forget?" John said, knowing well what she was talking about.

"I remember what you said about how it helps me find my way if I was ever lost," she described in full detail. "At that time, I felt as if I followed the wrong path because of the war between my people and the settlers. I thought there was nothing else I could do…but to see you one last time." It pained her to think of that past event as the tears in her eyes welled up more. "I don't know what might have happened if…if I never…" unable to finish, Pocahontas put her hands over her eyes to forbid those tears from spilling out.

"I came back for you," John whispered, rubbing her back in comfort. "You've saved me before, now I wanted to save you."

"I thought that I could move on with my life even without seeing you," she sobbed. "But that was before I got captured."

"Well all that is in the past," John spoke softly. "And so is the capture. Your father now trusts me. As long as I'm with you, I don't care what happens to me. From now on, I'll never leave you behind again."

"You mean that?" Pocahontas asked smiling weakly. She wiped a few tears from her eyes that were spilling. John smiled at her.

"There is nothing waiting for me in London now," he replied. "Nothing but old memories floats there. You're all that matters."

With those words, Pocahontas threw her arms around John's neck and kissed him while new tears spilled from her eyes. John returned the same to her. Both of them knew that a life without knowing true love was in fact no life at all. Meeko, Flit, and Percy watched them from behind Grandmother Willow. They were just as glad to see John as well as Pocahontas and were gladder to hear that John was planning to stay and never leave. Nothing more in the world could be more important to John other than being with the woman he truly loved.

"Say it one more time. What you said before," asked Pocahontas as she leaned against his shoulder.

"I'll never leave you again. You're all that matters to me." That was all Pocahontas wanted to hear. They would be together forever; always.

The End

Disclaimer: Pocahontas and all other characters are the property of the Walt Disney Company. Characters not from the film are made by me only. I'm afraid I don't have any ideas for other Pocahontas stories, but hopefully something will come up eventually or come to me in a dream since that is where I usually get my ideas from. I'd like to thank all those that have reviewed and added this story to their favorites list; especially doodlegirl who sent me the private message. This special ending is for all of you who oppose the sequel. Even though this wasn't much of a long story, I hope you all enjoyed it. And to make the ending more dramatic, turn to the last song on the Pocahontas soundtrack. Thank you and good luck.