Memories

Robin's Backstory Continued

[Robin's POV]

"I feel like I'm one sip away from death by alcohol," I say holding up the nearly finished bottle of rum.

"That's because," Jake says struggling to get up from his laying position, "you have become soft since your heart brought you to me."

"At least I can get up quicker than you," I say getting up from the boulder I was sitting on. Once I get up, I help Jake stand straight. While the thought of throwing him in the waterfall did occur, he is too drunk to remember to breathe right now let alone swim.

I take another look around the cave. A pirate would be proud of all the stolen goods that fill the plethora of crates. It's a wonder Jake has been able to sneak around so much without getting caught. You would think an area filled with trained soldiers would be able to notice a person carrying supplies in the middle of nowhere.

Jake, still holding onto my forearm, leans close to my ear. "Tell her family I'm sorry for failing to protect her," he says with a quite obvious alcohol breath smell.

"Come on, let's leave the alcohol for tonight. You need all the berries you can get so you can at least walk in the morning," I say dragging him into the waterfall. While scavenging for supplies one day, the crew was able to find some berries that help hangovers. The longer the war dragged on, the more rum was consumed. That only encouraged us to have a stash of the berries on the camp.

Just as we reach the edge of the lake, close to where we left our uniform, Jake mumbles something I can't understand. I unwrap my left arm from his torso, which causes him to lose his balance and fall. He grunts before rolling up into a ball ready to sleep.

I crouch down to grab his uniform. I fully intended to throw it at him but I notice there's something in one of his front jacket pockets. I undo the button to open it and notice a drawing of her.

In the drawing, she seems to be looking out towards something, only allowing me to see part of her face. What that something is, I don't know. For that I'd have to ask the artist. Her hair is down, with two braids meeting behind her visible ear. Hiding behind her ears are white calla lilies. The rest of her light brown waves are cascading down her shoulder. My eyes are drawn to her piercing green eyes. Her fern green gown insinuates her unscarred olive skin.

Jake has always had a talent for drawing. In his eyes, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. This drawing does her justice. We were all hit hard by her death, but none were hit harder than him.

I look back at him, laying on the ground undoubtedly already asleep. I fold the drawing back the way it was and place it back in it's original location. I hurry to get dressed then throw Jake his uniform. When that didn't work to wake him up, I run up to the clear lake, cup my hands, get some water, and run to dump it on him.

He jumps up with water dripping down his wide eyed face. "If you wanted to wake me up all you had to do was tap my shoulder," he says wiping the excess water off his face.

"I tried. You drank too much," I say throwing his uniform at him again. This time, he does get dressed. Still feeling the effects of the rum, we both end up drunkenly getting back to the camp slower than usual. We would have to use the surrounding trees for support with the occasional fall by Jake. Knowing how much Jake tends to drink, I don't know how he made it back without getting caught or assistance before.

Before I let Jake walk onto the camp, I sit him down on a nearby rock to do a quick scan to make sure there's no one around. Only thing out right now are the tents housing the soldiers. There are a few burnt out fires around the tanish tents. Normally we would have a few soldiers patrolling through the night. I guess since our special mission is tomorrow, they were pulled back in case they were part of the mission. Deciding the coast is clear, I walk back to a half asleep Jake, put his arm around my shoulders, and drag him to our tent. Considering his unbearable attitude, all his former roomates have kicked him out. That makes me stuck with him.