The Duchess out of Time

XXVIII

As the adrenaline left her body, Liz felt her body sag against the cell wall. The men around her were exhausted, weary and full of grief. There were only seven men remaining from the crew of the Golden Empress. Liz recognised five of them that she knew on a more personal level. Higgs, Pierre, Pablo, Thomas and Aleixo. The other two men she recognised having danced with on a previous nights but she felt guilty that she couldn't remember their names.

"Where are the others?" She asked uneasily as Pablo looked up at her with a shake of his head.

"No....no....but they surrendered" It couldn't sink in through her brain that all those men were dead.

"Jennings killed them for sport" Pierre spat out as Liz placed her hand over her mouth. She felt sick as she struggled to regain control of her breath. The men had been slaughtered in cold blood. Her friends, her brother, her family had all been eradicated like animals. Roy. Young Roy. Oh my God, she thought, as she didn't see the young man within the group of survivors. He was so young, he had his whole life ahead of him and in an instant because a man thought it would be fun, he had him killed. And then there was Cookie. She had been right there when Cookie had died in his attempt to save Henry's life and it had all been for nothing.

Liz could almost taste the bitterness of blood as she slowly lowered her hand from her mouth. Liz had never been squeamish. The sight of blood had never bothered her until this precise moment. The blood on her hands was real. She had taken a man's life and what was worse was that she would have done it again without a doubt. She did her best to pass it off as survival instinct. If she hadn't killed those men she would be dead in their place. Reality was beginning to sink in as every moment she closed her eyes she saw she could see their faces. No movie could even comprehend how gruesome a battle truly was as Liz slowly began to remember the blood bubbling out of the man's throat she had slit.

"Duchess? Are you all right?" Higgs asked as he could see the young woman's breathing was starting to become faster and more irregular. The men watched her as she struggled to keep her composure together. The bloodstains across her hands had dried and were beginning to itch. Even though the iron rust across her hands was minimal she felt as though they were soaking in blood. Rubbing her hands Liz hoped she could attempt to wipe away the crime she had committed. The tears in her eyes began to run down her cheeks as her shoulders began to shake in shock of the recent events.

"Duchess?"

"I killed.....I.....killed.....I'm a.....murderer" The words struggling to escape her lips.

"She's going into shock!"

"My brother.....Henry...they're gone.....they're gone!" She cried out as her legs suddenly gave way from underneath her. A pair of arms caught her and held her tightly to their chest as she sobbed. Pierre politely held the Duchess while rocking her gently back and forth as he whispered words of encouragement in her ear. Any words he whispered to her fell on deaf ears. Pierre had grown to respect the young Duchess. He didn't know much about comforting a grieving woman; he normally would run in the opposite direction at the sight of a woman crying. But he did his best in this very moment to offer her silent comfort as she grieved over her lost family.

Liz hated herself for breaking down in public. She had always been able to maintain composure, as it was what she was taught to do since birth. However in this very moment she didn't care, she was broken and she wanted a moment to allow herself to be broken. The men didn't think any less of Liz as she allowed herself to crumble. If they were being honest with themselves, they were surprised she hadn't broken sooner. They respectfully had turned their backs to give her privacy in her grief, considering their confined quarters they were all stuck in. When she had vanished above deck, no matter how worried they were for her safety, the men had all grieved silently. They were all heartbroken and it was only fair that she was feeling pain as well.

No one said a word as the day slowly dragged on. It was hard to keep track of time when they were all locked up in a prison cell. After all tears had left her, Liz found herself sitting on the cell bench staring into space. She felt numb all over as she rested her head in her hands. Counting slowly ten long breathes Liz sat up, her back straight, all sign of tears wiped from her face as she leant against the wooden wall. The light of the sun that seeped through the cracks of the side of the ship began to dimmer and was replaced with darkness. The warmth of the sun vanished as a shiver of cold ran down Liz's spine.

The dreaded jingle of keys captured everyone's attention. Three men came into view as Liz eyed them up and down. The first man, who held the keys, was the same large brute who had thrown Henry overboard. Hawkins if Liz remembered his name correctly. She glared at him darkly as he twirled the keys on his fingers, taunting them. The other two looked uncomfortable and frightened as they kept glancing at Hawkins with unease.

"Dinner for the prisoners." He ordered as he unlocked the door. One of the men was a short fat man with a limp, he had a dirty apron around his waist, as he gave Aleixo his stack of bowls to hand out. One by one they distributed the bowls until they realised they were one short. As they glanced at each other in confusion the cook was quick to pour the lumpy stew and distribute chunks of bread before he scattered from sight.

"The Captain has ordered for the woman to dine with him and wear this" His fingers snapped to the man behind him who was holding a gown in his arms as he stepped closer.

"You will address her as Your Grace" Pierre defended as the two men sized each other up. Hawkins just snarled before he retched the dress from the sailor's arms and threw it towards Liz.

"I'll be back in an hour. Your Grace" He hissed before locking the door behind him and storming out. The dress was thick and heavy in Liz's arms as she glanced down at the rich yellow fabric. Liz winced at the vibrant colour, trying hard not to think of how she was going to look like a stuff lemon. The dress was surprisingly in perfect condition as she did her best not to think of who previously owned this gown or what became of them. The men all gazed at the unique colour choice and did their best not to comment as they quickly ate their food whilst it was still warm.

"I will say it so you don't have too. It's ghastly" She chuckled as the men let out a laughter. She let her hands shift through the many layers of thick fabric as she wondered how on earth she was going to be able to lace up the back. The men respectfully all turned their backs to Liz, forming a semi circle to prevent any peeping Tom from looking at her. The dress was off the shoulders and had a scandalously deep v for the time, but that didn't bother Liz. The only thing that did make her uncomfortable was being in the presence of Captain Jennings while wearing it.

Unfastening the strings of her stay she folded it gently before placing it on the bench along with her shirt. Quickly she pulled the dress over her head and eased the heavy dress onto her body. There was luckily a semi built in corset to the dress, as Liz knew she would at least have some upper body support. Trying her hardest to reach the ties at the back she let out a string of unladylike curses.

"Pablo?"

"Yes Duchess" He answered still looking forward.

"You're a doctor, can you help me with my laces" She asked thinking he would be the best candidate. She could see the poor man stiffen before he slowly turned and kept his eyes respectfully upwards. Holding the dress in place against her chest, Pablo was quick to thread the laces. No one said a word as he did his best to not tighten the dress too tight.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but a little tighter Pablo" She encouraged as he paused before pulling at the strings harder. The gown was slightly too big and heavy. Liz needed it to fit securely as best as it could so she didn't risk exposing herself. It wasn't long before Liz began to feel restricted in the gown as Pablo finished the last string and tucked it into her dress.

"Well how do I look men? Try to withhold your laughter" Liz encouraged as they all turned slowly, peeking through fingers to make sure she was decent. Liz knew the dress was horrible, in colour and style, but the reaction on the men's faces brightened her day. They desperately tried to give her compliments and not laugh but they all eventually failed. Not even a beautiful young woman could pull off a crime against fashion.