The Sacrifice of Love

~10~

"What is this?" Enid hissed, swimming closely alongside Asherah. They had left the tall barriers of the coral reef and plunged down into a sinkhole, where no other fish or sea creature was able to go. The ocean had become significantly colder the deeper they swam, and Enid's head began to throb from the pressure. 

The older siren took hold of Enid's hand and guided her lower into the water, and the girl shuddered at the rapidly dimming light. "Sirens trick men into falling in love with them, and banshees must only mourn for the deaths of men that no other woman could love." 

Enid looked up at Asherah with a frown as they swam lower and lower into the darkness. "You must see, my child." Enid's vision then turned blue, and suddenly she was able to see every creature and reef and rock that surrounded the two sirens. Now I can see in the dark, too... 

"Love is not written into the fate of a siren, it is not what we are meant to achieve...and those of us who have dared to find it have fallen," Asherah told her. The older siren slowed to a stop and gripped Enid's hand tightly. She gestured to the sea floor below them, guiding Enid forward. 

"Take a look for yourself..." Enid released Asherah's hand and swam down to the white, sandy floor. There were pointed boulders jutting up from the ground, gnarled and twisted and varying in colour and size. She approached a smaller one slowly and reached her hand out to touch it. 

The boulder felt shockingly smooth under her touch, so smooth that there were no cracks or crevices, making her inspect it closer. Enid instantly felt regret and stumbled away when she stared into the glass eyes of a calcified siren, her arms forever reaching out towards the surface. 

"What is this?!" she cried in terror. Asherah pulled the girl away from the graveyard and curled her tail around her protectively. "This is what happens, little one...a siren in love cannot fulfill her duty, and it is Poseidon himself who punishes us like so. And with yours being an even more delicate position..." she said solemnly, then trailed off. 

Enid felt warm tears trickle down her face the longer she stared at the dead sirens, and she buried herself into Asherah's side. "I've chosen to give up on the love I once felt so that I may spare myself this fate. No man will ever sway me to love him again, and I will save you from the same fate," Asherah whispered. 

She held the young siren in her arms as she wept, and she softly soothed her each time she sobbed. I can love no man...I can love no man...how can I love no man?

~~~~

That night, in the captain's quarters, Davy Jones wept in Enid's lap. It was the first time she had ever seen the proud, cursed captain so vulnerable, so defeated. The heart was not in the chest after all, and Enid believed it likely had been swallowed by the Kraken or stolen off of Jack Sparrow before he was devoured.

Davy Jones had fallen to his knees and let out an enraged scream after opening the empty chest. Enid had quickly whisked him away to his quarters, though, before his outburst could worsen. She was not expecting him to fall into her lap, however, and now there she was, comforting the defeated captain.

"What am I going to do...?" he mumbled out breathlessly, lifting his head slightly to look up at Enid. She pursed her lips at the sight of his glassy eyes and sighed softly, placing her hand on the back of Jones' head. "I...don't quite know, my love," she confessed sadly.

Jones merely shuddered at her words and held onto her tightly. Enid felt her heart clench within her chest at his action, and her hands trembled ever so slightly. She had transformed Jones back into his human appearance once they secured themselves in his quarters.

She thought it would have been easier for the man to grieve, and easier for her to comfort him. But seeing the pain and the fear on his face only made Enid feel shame. "I feel...afraid," he admitted oh so softly. Enid glanced down at the captain, but he did not meet her gaze.

"I am not ready to leave you..." Her chest tightened once more, and her eyes began to water. "Oh, my love..." she whispered, but said nothing more. She bit her lip hard to prevent a sob, and the stinging pain also stopped her from expressing her true thoughts. I can't...

"It will be okay...you'll see. We will find your heart, and I will bury it deep beneath the sea floor so that no man, of the land or the sea, may ever find it again," she promised. She leaned down as much as she could and shakily kissed the back of his head, then squeezed her eyes shut.

"I will not let you die..." Enid felt her heart shatter in her chest at her own words, and she clenched her jaw. If I would have just disposed of Will Turner the same night he stole my beloved's key... Davy Jones then slowly sat up, and Enid quickly wiped at her watering eyes before he could see.

He turned her head so that she could face him, then rested his hand on her cheek. Enid closed her eyes as a single tear managed to force its way out, no matter how strong she tried to be. Jones delicately brushed her tear away with the pad of his thumb, and Enid let out a sigh.

His hand moved to the back of her neck, and suddenly he was leaning in. Enid let out a gasp and tensed up, placing her hand on his chest and stopping him only inches away from her face. "I...I can't..." she whispered, her warm breath blowing over his face.

Jones sighed quietly and pursed his lips, but he leaned his forehead against hers instead of pulling away. The two of them sat in silence in each other's embrace, the sounds of the waves outside and the crew walking about being the only ambiance.

"When this is over...I will find a way to free you from this curse, so that we may be together," he told her. Another tear slipped down her cheek, followed by another, and Enid took a deep, shaky breath. I cannot...I mustn't...I shouldn't... "My love..." she breathed out hopelessly.

A sob threatened to slip out, so she bit her lip again to stop herself. Jones pulled away to place a long kiss on her forehead, then rested his against hers once more. "Ye need not say anything, my dear...I know," he reassured her, his other hand resting against her other cheek.

His death will be on my hands, if I do not find his heart...I wonder if he will still love me then. Enid opened her eyes at that thought and sat up, pulling away from him slightly. She stared into his wide blue eyes as her chest heaved and tightened, and she could no longer fight off her forbidden urge.

She pulled him forward by the back of his neck and shamelessly kissed the cursed captain. Her heart skipped a beat that felt near painful, but she did not care. Jones was startled by her actions, but moved to wrap his arms around her torso, and she was pulled flush against his chest.

Her arms stayed wound around his neck as she kissed him passionately, and more tears spilled down her cheeks. Jones was the first one to pull away and take a deep breath, and he lifted one hand up to rest it on the back of her head.

"My sweet Enid...oh, how I love you, more than anything in this cruel, wretched world," he whispered, his voice trembling as well as the hand on her cheek. Enid smiled sadly and kissed him once more, feeling her heart soar and beat rapidly at the sweet sensation.

"And I, you...I dare anyone to strike me down as we speak, but I will never regret my choice..." she told him. Enid pulled away to look the captain in the eye, and there was a fierce love that was reflected in his blue gaze. "My heart...will always belong to you, Davy Jones."

The captain smiled at her and shut his eyes, making Enid lean her forehead on his. "As does mine, my love...as does mine." The two of them laid back on the cot in silence, curled in each other's arms and warmth, but while the captain felt at peace, Enid could never rest.

She strained her ears to listen and glanced up at the window above the cot. She could hear it, ever so faintly, as though playing in the distance - the sound of rumbling. Enid frowned deeply and nestled closer to Davy Jones, who gladly pulled her even closer and rested his arm across her waist.

"I love you..." he whispered drowsily as sleep began to take hold of him. His breathing then evened out once he finally gave in, and Enid held him tightly. "And I love you..." she murmured. The rumbling grew louder, but Enid closed her eyes anyway - she knew what she had done.

~~~~~

Dun dun dunnnn, what did Enid go and do? 0.0