Only a Fool Defends Her Enemies (Domijeanne Pirate Au)

Chapter 2

Jeanne jolted awake to a banging on her door. She groaned and pushed herself up from the floor, regretting her choice to avoid the unstable looking hammock as pain flared up through her neck and back. The banging stopped and she realised someone was speaking through the door.

“Um,” A male voice stammered from the other side of the door, “Everyone else has had breakfast. You can come out and I’ll take you to the dining hall so you can have some food and drink.” Jeanne didn’t reply and within moments she heard his footsteps retreating. However, the same footsteps returned moments later. “I’ll just leave you something outside your door.”

Jeanne waited for multiple minutes before finally tearing down her makeshift blockade and peering cautiously into the hallway. On the floor was a metal mug of diluted rum and a small plate of food. Jeanne was surprised to find that along with the expected hardtack biscuit she had also been provided some salted fish and even an orange! It was a far greater quantity than she anticipated but the fruit was by far the most curious to her. Jeanne had been under the impression that sailors rarely ate such things. She quietly scooped up the breakfast and shut herself in her room to pick at it. It was becoming quite clear that she would need to leave the room if she wanted to get anything productive done but she needed to psych herself up first. While she was sure that her life was in minimal danger given the pains the pirates had gone to in order to keep her alive, being in the presence of so many enemies was deeply unsettling.

When she no longer had any food or drink to graze at, she, with great reluctance, pulled open her door and set foot outside.
As she ascended to the upper decks Jeanne set her shoulders back and tilted her head up, unwilling to show any of her discomfort plainly. She emerged into the mid-afternoon sunlight and found the energy on the deck remarkably serene. They had anchored in a hidden cove surrounded on all sides by tall cliffs and dangerous looking rocks sometime while she was sleeping and there was very little activity from the crew. Almost immediately spotting the captain because of her distinctive attire Jeanne made a beeline for her. Dominique saw her coming and let a sardonic smile slip onto her face.

“Good morning, my lady, sleep well?”

“If you must address me, please use my name. I’m called Jeanne.”

“Very well, my lady Jeanne.”

“Just Jeanne, none of this lady business. Tell me, what will these next few weeks entail for me?”

“I didn’t expect you to do anything but sulk belowdecks this entire time,” Dominique admitted. “But since you don’t seem afraid of being around everyone, I’ll ask you to eat your breakfast and your tea with the rest of the crew from this point on. Poor Noé had to stay awake to make sure you ate this morning even though his watch had just ended and he needed rest. Miss mealtime again and you can go hungry, someone else will be happy to eat your rations. Other than that, do as you please, no one should be able to find us here, so we’ll remain unmoved until it is time to release you. You can make friends with the crew if you like, entertain yourself however you see fit, but don’t wander alone through my ship. I can’t have you accidentally waking any of my sleeping mob or stealing the treasure from my cabin.”

“You are a pirate, aren’t you? Isn’t it hypocritical to ask someone else not to steal?”

Dominique shrugged, “Maybe. Though asking a rich girl like you not to steal seems fair to me, you have plenty already.”

“And you aren’t rich? All the gold and silver on your fingers and ears tells a different story.”

“A fair point,” Dominique smiled. “You’ve proven me a hypocrite. However, if you even try to steal from me, you’ll lose a hand. Only take from those who can’t catch you or you’re just asking for trouble.”