God Help the Outcasts: A Disney Crossover Fanfic

Chapter One: Goodbye

Nakoma sighed as she braided Pocahontas's long, jet-black hair.

"What's the matter?" Pocahontas gazed at her in the wide oval mirror, her large brown eyes narrowed with concern.

Nakoma sighed again.

"Do you really think this is the right path?" she asked. She focused her eyes on her best friend's braid, not wanting to meet her gaze.

Pocahontas remained silent for a moment. Nakoma focused on overlapping the three sections of her hair.

"Yes." She said. A small grin tugged at her full brown lips. "John Rolfe is the man I choose." She paused, frowning, and a nostalgic light brightened her eyes. "John Smith has been gone from my life for far too long. Although he will always be a dear friend, things will never be the same between us."

"But you had such a strong bond in Jamestown." Nakoma's eyes lit up with a memory of her own. "I remember all the times I used to have to lie to Kocoum and your father about where you'd run off to."

The countenances of both women fell at the mention of Kocoum. The strong, silent favorite of the chief (and Pocahontas's original intended) had been killed in what had boiled down to a fatal misunderstanding.

Nakoma continued to braid, both women now in a tense silence.

She helped Pocahontas into her coat, biting back tears. Just outside of the heavy, ornate wooden door waited her best friend's new love, impatient to sail away with her to new worlds.

Pocahontas turned and smiled excitedly at her friend, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes welled with moisture, and the life-long friends hugged each other for the last time in a long time, letting their tears flow freely.

"I will miss you, my dearest friend." Pocahontas sobbed.

Nakoma sniffed into her friend's shoulder.

"You never did listen to me," she said. The women pulled away from each other and clasped hands. "But that's why I love you so much."

Pocahontas chuckled, her lips drawn up in a watery smile.

"Pocahontas!" she jerked her head toward the door, where John Rolfe was no doubt waiting with the carriage.

Pocahontas touched the new golden cross Nakoma now wore around her neck.

"May God bless you," Nakoma said.

Pocahontas smiled.

"And may you find your heart's true path in your new-found faith."

The women kissed each other lightly on the cheek. Then Pocahontas was gone, bounding out the door with such enthusiasm Nakoma thought her own heart would burst from the excitement.

Nakoma watched the wood and metal carriage rattle away across the cobblestone streets of London and wondered if she'd ever see her friend again.

"She was a dear, that one." Mrs. Jenkins' sweet voice startled her. Nakoma turned, and the little old lady took her hand and patted it gently. "I'm sure she's off to some new adventure. John Rolfe is a fine young lad. He'll take good care of her."

Nakoma nodded, blinking another tear onto her cheek. Mrs. Jenkins suddenly smiled. "Speaking of adventures, I found someone who can take you to France."

"Really?" Nakoma's heart leapt into her throat. She'd been dreaming of the day she could go to France and visit the Notre Dame cathedral since she'd gained her new faith. The cathedral, she'd heard, was the most beautiful and largest in all of Europe. And its many bells could be heard ringing all over Paris, like an angelic choir in the clouds.

Mrs. Jenkins led the way into the sitting room, Nakoma following eagerly, all thoughts of Pocahontas lost in the excitement.

"He says he can take you all the way to Paris." Nakoma sat hard on a cushioned chair, wiping her eyes with a hanky. Mrs. Jenkins hobbled over to her chair with a piece of parchment. "And the best part of all...it's all free!"

Nakoma had been blowing her nose, but she stopped mid breath and stared over the hanky.

"Free?" she said. The cloth muffled her voice, but her disbelief was evident.

"Yes!" Mrs. Jenkins said, walking in excited circles as she talked. "I paid for the whole trip myself, meals and all!"

Nakoma suddenly felt like crying again.

"Mrs. Jenkins, you shouldn't have!" she wailed. "I would have found a way!"

But Nakoma's tears and protests were cut short with a meaningful glance from the sweet old lady. She peered down her nose and through the tiny glasses perched atop her nose, and that was that.

"I don't want to hear it, young lady." She said rather sternly. Her eyes softened at Nakoma's bewildered expression. "Pocahontas is off on her next adventure. What kind of caretaker would I be if I didn't help you off on yours?"

Nakoma gazed at her for a long moment, her eyes welling. But she was smiling, and soon the two women were laughing with glee.

"Thank you, Mrs. Jenkins!" Nakoma cried, pulling the little old lady into a rather tight embrace.

"That's quite alright, dear." She said, patting her back. "Quite alright."

The piece of parchment Mrs. Jenkins had picked up earlier, Nakoma soon discovered, was a ship pass, with the setting-off date and time handwritten in blue ink. She would be aboard the Sunset two weeks from now, headed to France and ultimately Paris, where the Notre Dame cathedral awaited her.

The man who had generously agreed to take her on was an old friend of John Rolfe's, a fisherman and trader who sailed up and down the European coast in his small ship. He'd been headed to France, and luckily enough to the capital to deliver letters from London.

Nakoma would be sleeping in a nicely-sized cabin under the deck, and her only chores were to mend clothing or bags that might become damaged on the journey.

"Of course." Nakoma had snorted. "Men are always too busy to learn how to sew."

The journey would take a little under a month, providing for changes in the wind and weather. She would arrive just in time for the renowned 'Festival of Fools', an annual celebration of all things wacky, held in the city square in front of the cathedral.

"You should go, dear." Mrs. Jenkins told her, a dreamy kind of look glazing her eyes over. "I've always wanted to go...you could write me and tell me all about it."

Nakoma grinned. "It sounds like fun."

Mrs. Jenkins winked.

***

A/N: Thanks for checking out Chapter 1! Just a note on my schedule: I'll be posting new chapters twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays, for this fic. Please leave feedback, favorites, etc. if you enjoy this story. :)