When Frost meets Ice (Jelsa)

Who is Cap'n Keyes

Elsa woke up to find Keyes scooting off the bed. The light peeking through the curtain over the window made it obvious that it was morning. Keyes yawned but Elsa was too scared to move once again, she waited in constant fear of him. Would he look at her with the eyes of killer, or the eyes of a dozen emotions?

Keyes' agile footsteps sang against the hard wood floor with barely a whispering lyric. She heard the door open and instead of sunlight filling the room there was a strange white light and an unfamiliar music. It was gone as soon as the door was closed and Elsa turned to see that the room vacant of any man. Only the light of the window, the wind whistling against the ship bow, and the gentle breaths of the feverish Bonnie remained.

There was a knock at the door that practically sent Elsa flying off the bed.

"Cap'n?" Called the weathered old man from the other side.

"Um, Master Keyes recently left." Elsa croaked against her unused morning voice.

The door knob twisted, and the old man let himself in. He looked around as if searching for the Captains body.

"Ah, Mor'in' Miss, bring you a spot a' breakfast?" His smile was genuine as he spoke with as much propriety as his upbringing would allow.

"If, you don't mind."

"Certainly!" The old man beamed.

"Um before you go!" Elsa caught him before he slipped completely away.

"M'yes?"

"I am under no illusions about my condition as prisoner, but some tea would be very generous of you."

The crooked smile of the older gentleman was incomplete between all his missing teeth, but that did nothing to lessen the charm of his sincere demeanor.

"I see what I can dig up Miss."

With those words he was gone.

Elsa arose from the bed and approached the Red haired girl. Bonnie's breath was shallow and her face was a sickening waxy shade of pale. Elsa took her ripped skirt rag from the girl's forehead, and dipped it in the shallow basin of water before replacing it on his head.

The old man returned a short while later with a platter of simple food but no tea. "I coon't fine no tea Miss, I'm not sure I'd be knowin' wat it be lookin like anymo'. But tis spring wata' is mighty fresh."

"Thank you."

"You is awful lucky Miss, if it 'ad been Blackbeard, you'd be dining on stale bread and rats if ya could catch 'um. Cap'n Keyes is a Gentleman through and through."

"Can you tell me a little more about the good Captain, I'm afraid our exchanges have been a bit short due to the excitement of the past few days?"

"I knew the Cap'n back when he was a lad, before 'is name 'as Keyes. He 'ad a mad spirit of freedom in 'is soul and a gentle wind in 'is Heart that 'ould turn as tunderus as the devil's own breath if angered. Enough to rival e'en Blackbeard. But mor' 'n that, Keyes was as Fiendishly lucky as 'e was clever. Never were a spot o' trouble e' coon't wiggle out of. 'e was Blackbeard's good luck charm, ever Keyes was 'round dee impossible was always possible. Lately though, dare is a ghost haunting Keyes, some devil of a memory possessing 'im. Other day 'e'd killed men like no demon I seen afor. Den e'd treated Bonnie more gentle dan I'd e'er seen. Cap'n Keyes is a dangerous man, one day maybe e'en more dangerous dan Blackbeard, but e's a gentleman, a lady like ya gots nothin' to fear from the boy." The old man smiled before taking his leave.

Elsa ate her food in silence. After thinking about it, she really did consider herself lucky, as soon as their ship was boarded she had no way of knowing if she'd even survive the encounter. She'd known from the first moment she'd seen him who Blackbeard was. It was at that moment she'd resigned herself to death and worse. When all her hope was lost, the voice of the very same specter that had sealed her fate had saved her.