The Sacrifice of Love

~1~

It was silent below the deck of the Flying Dutchman, where Will sat in his temporary room with his back against the gnarled wall. He glanced up at the man who was embedded into the wall in the far corner, his loud wheezing irritating him greatly.

Will remained as silent as the air, however, and instead listened to the sounds of the crashing waves. His body would instinctively flinch at the sound of the familiar peg leg stabbing into the ground as the captain wandered his cursed ship.

The sounds of the crew's deep and scratchy voices kept Will from any sort of slumber, and the boy let out an annoyed sigh as he laid back on the ground. His thoughts slowly drifted back to the man he met on the Flying Dutchman - his own father.

His face was burned into Will's memory, and he reeled at how identical he looked to his father. He shuddered now when he pictured his father's face in his mind, and he couldn't help but curl up on the soaked wooden floor. I have to get off this ship, he thought to himself.

A new sound reached the boy's ears, however, in the midst of the ambient noise and rowdy crew. It was a sound that made him shoot up from the ground in an instant out of awe and curiosity. It was a voice, to his surprise, but not the guttural voice of Davy Jones or of his animalistic crewmen.

No, the new voice that Will heard was much softer, much more gentle and pleasant to the ear. He stood up as the innocent voice began to grow louder, and he wandered out of his room. He ignored the glares and growls from the lingering crew as he made his way up on deck.

A fire was lit near the helm, and he saw a small cluster of Jones' crewmen surrounding the fire. To Will's surprise, he spotted Bootstrap near the back of the group, and he silently made his way to his father's side. The cursed man spared his son a small side glance before he continued to gaze ahead.

"What's going on?" Will hissed out quietly, but his question went unanswered. Will glanced around at the towering crew of the Flying Dutchman and sighed in frustration. Slowly he pushed his way forward, ignoring his father's quiet warning, and Will was careful to not move too quickly.

The voice was easily recognized as a woman's voice, and she was singing ever so softly. What is a woman doing, being aboard a vessel such as this? he thought to himself. Once Will made it to the front of the gathered crew, he furrowed his brows in confusion when he saw no woman.

The singing did not stop, however, and Will glanced at his father when Bootstrap rejoined his side. "Who is that?" Will asked again, keeping his voice low. He glanced at the crewmen, seeing their scarred and deformed faces all now held the same entranced look.

They stood close together, as well, as they listened to the mysterious woman sing, and not a hint of a sneer was on any of their faces. They barely even noticed Will's presence, and one or two of them began to hum along to the shanty ever so quietly.

Bootstrap then took his son's arm and guided him to the side of the ship, away from the lulled crew. "Davy Jones..." he began, facing his son. "Before he became the heartless captain of the Flying Dutchman...he recruited a woman."

Will's eyes widened in surprise, and Bootstrap nodded as though to confirm his statement. "A woman...who had been wronged by the man she loved. Some say she begged the captain to take her into his arms. Others say she fought her way aboard the Dutchman against the crew."

Bootstrap turned back to the gathered crowd, and Will copied his father's actions. "I, however...I believe that Davy Jones found love in this woman. That love carried on well after his heart was ripped from his chest...and in turn, she has never strayed from his side."

Together, the father and son approached the crew once more, standing close to the window, the curtain pulled aside enough to give the ship a view into the captain's quarters. Will couldn't help but frown and shake off a sudden and uncomfortable shudder that ran through him.

It felt wrong to be watching the ruthless captain in his most vulnerable moment, but curiosity is what drove the boy to watch. Davy Jones was lying on the ground unmoving; one would think he had been slain if not for the woman's lap that his head rested in.

His hat was removed and set on the ground, and his arms hung loosely around the woman's waist. Her hand was resting delicately atop of Jones' head and his eyes were closed, a look of bliss across his face. Will's curiosity was not quenched, though, as he watched the scene in front of him.

The one question he so desperately wanted to ask was on the tip of his tongue, but he decided to not speak at that moment.

"Soon may the Wellerman come, to bring us sugar and tea and rum..."

"One day, when the tonguing is done, we'll take our leave and go..."

Why this song, out of all the shanties there are?  Will asked himself. He pursed his lips as he watched the woman gently caress the back of Jones' head, a smile playing on her dark lips. Jones himself curled up closer to the woman and briefly held her tighter, the ghost of his own smile on his face.

"She is untouchable...but does she soothe the souls of these damned men so," Bootstrap whispered, a glazed look to his hooded eyes. Will eyed his father with a critical gaze before turning back to the window to continue watching.

The woman had now stopped singing, instead choosing to hum the ballad she had used to lull the cruel captain to sleep. The smile on her face did not waver nor did it disappear, and though her eyes were shielded from Will's view, one could recognize the expression on the woman's face as one of admiration.

Will let out a soft scoff at that, but just when he turned away to leave, his eyes widened in shock at what he saw next. The captain was enveloped in a faint, glowing hue with a simple wave of the woman's hand, and he was slowly lifted from her lap.

Will turned to his father to see the man's reaction, but Bootstrap's expression remained stoic, as did the rest of the crew's. He met Will's ever-wide eyes and couldn't help but faintly smirk at his son's awe-struck look. "She may seem mortal, boy...but there is more to her that meets the eye."

Davy Jones was gently placed in his bed with the utmost care, and the woman stood from her chair. The flowing dress she wore was stark white, and her steps were light and silent as the night air as she approached the bed.

She took hold of the blanket and pulled it over Jones' sleeping form before turning back to retrieve his forgotten hat. She set the hat down on a small side table before sitting at the edge of the bed, her hand replaced on the captain's head.

Will couldn't help but grimace as he watched the woman lean down and place a feather-light kiss on the sleeping captain's forehead. She stood straight once more and turned to look out the window. Will felt his body stiffen when her icy blue stare locked with his gaze, and he swallowed nervously.

She studied Will for a few moments, her expression never changing as she held his stare evenly. She then sent him a small smirk before turning away and exiting the room. Once she left, the other crewmen seemed to have immediately snapped out of their trance, and they once again began to wander the infested ship.

Will faced his father, the confusion and curiosity clear on his face. "Who is this woman? How could she possess such abilities? Is she not human, father?" he asked quickly. Bootstrap merely sighed at his son's questioning, then placed a soaking hand on his shoulder.

"Best not to ask those questions, son."

~~~~~~

Hello everyone! It's been a minute since I posted a story on Wattpad, and I've had this one in my drafts for a little while now. So, after some reviewing and major editing, I've decided to post it! 

Now, I decided to use the song 'The Wellerman' because I like the beat of it, it's very rhythmic, and I feel like - if sung as lullaby-type song - it would be very soothing. I know it's probably not a legit shanty, i did some research that said something along those lines, but this isn't a legit world sooo that's just a little insight on my thought process! XD

So here you have it, a story about the infamous captain of the Flying Dutchman! I hope you enjoy! ^.^