A Pirate's Love

Admirer

Elenor's POV:

In the darkness, I longed for home. I sat in the cell with my knees to my chest, slowly starving. How long had it been? Hours? Days? With the lack of light and access to the sky, I could not tell. Memories filled my mind of when I was a girl, afraid of the dark. Before the time when my mother became sick, I would slip out of my bedroom and sneak into my parents' room, carefully squishing myself in between them in bed. They would envelop me sweetly, and she would coo me to sleep. How I longed for her comfort. I became jealous of the girl I once was, who took for granted the opportunity to seek out comfort in the darkness. Here, I was alone, still afraid of the dark, unable to seek refuge. My mind danced with the comfort of Sam's arms but was soon stricken with grief. I brushed away the idea. I did not want to feel any more strong emotions. My mind entertained the idea of Captain Blacksmoke, the warmth, and sheltering of his body. Grief. He was gone as well, lost to the ocean, as Dan Deranged had said. No comfort could be brought to me. 

Who would come for me? It was likely my father thought I was already dead. No doubt they had already had a funeral for me, given the news of the Isles and our home being destroyed. I would have to save myself. My throat started burning as tears tried to break out. I held them back as I tried to think of a plan. The only way I could escape this retched ship would be if the pirates took port somewhere, then I could slip off the ship, hopefully unnoticed. First, I would need to be free of this cell. My way of freedom could only be possible if Dan Deranged trusted me.

As if on cue, footsteps sounded on the stairway of the prison on board. The light glow of a lantern slowly became brighter, revealing two men standing at the bottom of the steps. They walked toward my cell, a heavy pair of boots and the shuffle of bare feet clomping on the floorboards. As they approached directly in front of me, I could see the silhouettes of The Feared Dan Deranged and his quartermaster, Joshua. I stayed silent, trying to observe them in the darkness, waiting for them to address me.

"Take her out and tie her up," Dan Deranged ordered, his voice deep and bellowing. Immediately, the rattling of iron keys fiddled with the lock on the door. The squeaky hinges opened, and Joshua rushed in, seizing me forcefully and tying my hands behind my back. I did not struggle, hopeful I wouldn't be in bondage for long.

"What is the meaning of this?" I asked, my voice hoarse, yet calm. He waited a moment before responding.

"You have killed one of my men," Dan Deranged finally said, "I didn't think you had it in you." Although I could barely see his face, the smirk in his voice was evident. I had killed a man? My mind raced, trying to remember. I had stabbed a man in the shoulder in defense, but I did not try to kill him. "You could have easily killed me when you had the chance," Dan Deranged continued, "yet you didn't. Why?" he sneered.

I quickly tried to think of the best answer, suddenly remembering Dan Deranged's interaction with Jake on The Mountain of the Sun. "I admire you," I said, making both Dan Deranged and Joshua stop in their tracks, silent. "Unlike Captain Blacksmoke, you know where your loyalties lie," I continued, trying my hardest to sound convincing, "I could not waste that pure loyalty, as it is not easily found."

"And what caused this sudden change of loyalty in you?" he asked, clearly skeptical.

"Captain Blacksmoke is dead," I said plainly, "and his crew is dead. There is no loyalty left within me," my words came out more unfeeling than I thought they would, hitting the mark.

"Then why did you retaliate against me?" He spoke, genuinely trying to understand.

"I do not like being told what to do," I answered, getting a short laugh from Dan Deranged in return.

"Clearly," he scoffed. "Take her up to my quarters," he suddenly ordered. Joshua pulled me to my feet and shoved me through the door past Dan Deranged. We stumbled up the steps and through passageways until we reached the Captain's quarters. Blinded by the brightness of the room, I blinked my eyes to try and adjust my vision. "That'll be all," the pirate captain huffed as he closed the door on Joshua, leaving us the only two in the room. I looked around the room, and a table full of food lay before me. My stomach instantly grumbled. "Sit and eat," Dan Deranged ordered. My wrists itched from the scratchy rope constraining my hands behind my back.

"Untie me," I ordered back.

"Ah," Dan Deranged smirked as he crept closer to me, "I think we may have a problem. You see, I also do not like being told what to do." His voice was deep, yet soft; a smooth rumble.

"I think secretly you do," I flirted back. He raised his chin to look down at me, his eyes clouded over and lips parted hungrily. I turned around and motioned my hands toward him to untie me. He fingered through the ropes without a word, only breathing heavily from behind me, confirming my suspicion. His fingertips brushed my wrists delicately, making me briefly forget that these were the hands of a murderer.

"Pity," he said as they were loosened and tossed to the floor, "I do quite like them on." Unsure if he meant on me or himself, I remained silent. As soon as I was released, I walked toward the table, preventing him from touching me any further. Famished and forgetting any form of manners, I sat down and started eating immediately, leaving him standing there to watch. He slowly walked toward the table and sat down across from me, filling his plate in a choice manner with shaky, swollen hands. 

"I admire your realization of Jake's character," he began in conversation, "Most would only paint me as the villain." I looked up at him as he spoke, his eyes wanting to continue.

"You have a history?" I asked, biting into a chicken leg, not knowing where he was going with this.

"Aye, you could say that," he continued, "When the governor was hiring privateers to fight the French, Jake and I were among the first to sign. We thought we were patriotic, fighting many battles on this vessel," he looked up and around, referring to The Funeral of Innocence, "but that was before the governor refused to pay us what he had promised." His eyes looked distant, recalling memories as he monologued. "Naturally, I declared injustice and pulled away from the navy. Mutiny they called it, with Jake being the first. His loyalties lay only with the governor, not to his crew, and certainly not with his best mate." I listened intently to this new information and started to pity him, not knowing of what my father had done. 

"Then how and why did Jake turn to piracy?" I asked, suddenly realizing the story didn't add up.

"Perhaps by force," he responded, "He tried to turn me in, yet he failed. It is possible that this ruined his credibility with the governor and he resorted to piracy as the only option for income. Many privateers did. Sailing is all we know, but after the war, our brutality was not noble enough for the royal navy. We were all abandoned by our governor and our country."

"It seems the governor has always had a history of abandonment," I spoke, recalling how my father was absent after my mother's death.

He took a swig of rum, letting it burn down his throat. "Lies—" he pondered, "It was all lies. Jake was a coward— he still ended up in piracy. He abandoned his crew in vain. My crew. That is why I had to kill all of his men on The Mountain of the Sun," he spoke bitterly, "They were a mockery to the men he left behind." Remembering the graphic scene, I got up and turned to look out the window, hiding my disgust at his immediate turn to violence. Disgusting as he was, I needed him to trust me.

"Mutiny or not, injustice is injustice," I said firmly. I heard him get up from his seat and walk toward me, closing the distance between us.

"Is revenge unjust?" he asked, fishing to see what my values were.

"Revenge is a right," I said while looking into his eyes full of curiosity. He nodded, satisfied with my agreement.

"Who are you, mirror of my mind?" he suddenly asked with a small smile across his lips. I smiled back at him, finally gaining his trust. I turned to face him with my whole body and put my hands against his chest. His arms wrapped around me in response, and I reached up to pull him closer, placing a tender kiss on his soft lips.

"I am yours."