Fight For The Right

5~ Aboard the Black Pearl

After being forced and locked in the room I assume is the Captain's cabin, thankfully Barbossa didn't follow us in, I sat down by the window at the back, watching the lights of Port Royal slowly growing more distant while Elizabeth paced restlessly. After a while I turned to her.

"Why did you do it?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you give Will's name as our own? Do you even know what we've gotten ourselves into?"

She sighed and sat down beside me. "It was the first thing that came to mind. Estrella said they were coming to kidnap us because we're the Governor's daughters. I thought it would protect us."

"But instead we're now in probably the deepest s-"

"Don't!" Elizabeth covered my mouth with her hand. "Don't start using that kind of language. Besides, I thought you wanted to sail the seas and meet a pirate."

I sighed and lowered my eyes once she removed her hand. "Once.. and that was before I realized all that I would have to leave behind. Not just you and Father, but Will and... others as well."

"You're talking about Jeffrey."

"Yes, I am. Lizzie, when we were growing up and we weren't together, Jeffrey was the one that kept me company."

"You know Father wouldn't allow you two to be together."

"It's not as if he could stop me anyway. MOther told me that love is a gift, and Jeffrey returns my affections."

She didn't reply for a moment, but when she did she was smirking. "Barbossa said I wasn't a pirate so the code didn't apply to me. It's funny... I would've considered you a pirate."

I snorted. "By the firm grip that Grapple had on me, I would've thought otherwise."

We shared a bit of laughter and continued to talk long into the night. Then Pintel and Ragetti walked in, carrying what looked to be a rather fancy dress. I backed away from them in horror. They were not getting me to wear that. Pintel smirked when he saw my look of horror. "Don't worry, this isn't for you."

Grapple walked in and took my wrist, escorting me out of the room just as I heard Pintel's conversation with Elizabeth. "You'll be dining with the Captain, and he requests you wear this..."

That was all I heard because I was paying more attention to the scene before me: Moonlight flooded the decks, and the crew went about scrubbing, swinging or climbing the rigging. But they weren't human... they were skeletons covered by pieces of cloth. I turned to Grapple and frowned. He wasn't a skeleton... and then we stepped onto the deck. I forced myself not to scream and instead bit my tongue and allowed him to guide me through the skeleton crew to a set of stairs. To be honest I wasn't at all surprised when he locked me in the brig, but I was surprised when he locked he handed me a goblet of some clear liquid and a plate of some food.

"Thank you?" I said quietly as I took the offered things.

In the shadows he was no longer a skeleton, and across his scarred features I saw the ghost of a smile as he locked the cell and sat on an upturned bucket to watch me. "I never caught your name, Miss," he said suddenly.

I hesitated for a moment. "Maddie. And you're... Grapple?"

He nodded. "You obviously heard Pin' talking to me."

I nodded. "Why are you so... attentive?" I asked after taking a sip of the liquid. Fresh water.

Again, the ghost of a smile. "Cap'n made me in charge of ye, since I was the one that caught yer. Pintel and Ragetti are in charge of yer sister."