Secrets of a Pirate's Heart

Chapter Three

Startling Scarlett from her examination, the Captain boisterously entered the cabin. "Ah, you are up!" he said. "I've been checking on you every now and then; you slept in quite late."

"What time is it?" she asked, dismissing the disturbing thought of him watching her sleep.

"It's about 8 o'clock." He paused for a moment. "By the way, what happened last night?"

Scarlett was afraid he would ask, but feared his infamous temper even more, so she decided to answer truthfully. "Well, you were drunk, like the rest of your crew. You and I came back in here when everyone went to their sleeping quarters, I managed to help you into bed, and then I slept on the floor." After pushing out her quick summary of the previous evening in one breath, she gave him a sarcastic smile.

"That explains it," he let out with a sigh, apparently noticing the irritation in her demeanor. "Well I'm sorry you had to sleep on the hard floor, love. It's surely no place for a lady." He stretched his mouth into a grin, displaying his true nature, not the gentlemanly one he faked.

"Oh no, it was quite alright. I preferred it." She quickly stepped away from the mirror as she changed the conversation. "Where do you wash up?"

"Down under deck, near the kitchen," he said, as he fetched a towel from a cabinet. "Here - use this."

"Thank you." Scarlett swiftly left the room and stepped outside onto the main deck. It felt like she had been in that dreadful cabin forever!

Instantly, the cool ocean breeze blew against her face and flowed into her lungs. She loved the smell of the ocean and how free she felt when she was around it - if only she wasn't a captive on a pirate ship.

Scarlett carefully stepped down the stairs, struggling to adapt her legs to the rocking of the ocean. While most of the crew was busy at work on the main deck, several pirates passed her while they were going up and down the stairs. Finally reaching safe ground under deck, she searched for the kitchen when the deep, Irish accented voice of an angry man echoed throughout the room.

"What did I tell you? You can never get anything right around here!" The man that was yelling came into Scarlett's line of sight, and she knew he had to be the cook. Then she saw who he was yelling at - a boy who couldn't have been older than sixteen! "Hurry up! Go on! And do it right this time!" He pushed the boy out of the kitchen, who immediately blushed as he saw Scarlett in the room. He continued past her with his head held down by shame and embarrassment, which she wanted only to comfort. But she didn't.

Once she found the sink, she washed her face and gave her hair a rinse, completely ignored by the cook who was dwelling in his anger. Though the water was lukewarm, Scarlett felt refreshed. After she dried off, she left the used cloth where the cook instructed and exited the kitchen.

Scarlett looked about the ship on the main deck as the sun glared down on her. The ocean surrounded them for miles and miles, stretching out until it met the sky. She could only imagine how far away from home she was.

Scarlett's eye caught Leslie, who had dragged her into the cabin the day before, on the stern deck steering the ship. Then, she glanced around until she spotted the Captain animatedly talking to some pirates with a wide grin on his face as well as his listeners'. She had been whisked unwillingly away from her home with no explanation, and he carried on as if she belonged on his ship. Scarlett felt her blood begin to boil. What did she have to do to make him realize she wanted to return home? Furious, Scarlett swung open the cabin door and slammed it behind her, heedless that anyone might notice. She despised just looking at the Captain and his crew, even though it meant being shut up inside the cabin.

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The sky was painted orange as the sun began to dwindle down the side of the world, but Scarlett hadn't strayed from her seat for the whole day. She was curled up halfway through a book she found on a shelf, when the Captain entered his room. After observing Scarlett, who glared in return over the book, he said, "We'll be in port in an hour or two." He paused, searching for something to say. "Well how rude of me! Where have my manners gone being in the presence of a lady?" He shot her a mocking grin as he clapped his hands together. "We should have had your clothes changed a long time ago!"

"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked, with a bit of fear in her voice. The Captain immediately opened the wardrobe near his bed, which contained a few but beautiful dresses. "Where did you get those?"

"Oh...I've had my fair share of women," he replied nonchalantly. Scarlett quietly let out her breath of disgust. "Now let's see which one will work for you." He pulled Scarlett up and walked her over to the wardrobe, holding the dresses up to her one by one and scrutinizing them. "This should fit you perfectly, size and color," he said as he held his final choice - a deep red dress. Scarlett looked apprehensively from the dress to him, without a word. "Well, aren't you going to take it?" he asked confused.

"I'd rather not," she said, and took a step away.

The glimmer of friendliness on the Captain's face diminished into irritation, and his voice lowered as he spoke. "I am not giving you a choice. Put it on."

"I don't want to," she replied.

"Do as I say!" the Captain said.

Scarlett's easiness suddenly turned to fear. The hatred in his eyes was the same hatred when they first met. Afraid of what he could do, she was quick to amend their disagreement. "I'm sorry, I'll put it on," she said, taking the dress. Relief swept over his face, as he composed himself from his angry burst. A smirk spread across his mouth in victory.

Scarlett meekly walked behind the room divider to change. Now out of his sight, she allowed an expression of frustration slip onto her face. She looked at her new attire and imagined the type of woman who had owned this. Now she was to wear it, but she had no choice. What could it hurt anyway?

But maybe she was wrong - it could hurt, physically at least. The dress was difficult to squeeze into, but she managed. All the while, the Captain waited patiently, leaning against his desk with his arms and legs crossed.

After what felt like ten minutes of fitting the dress over her stays, she tied the laces and walked out. "Well, I admit I've never worn anything like this before," she said, as she felt the soft material. It was a simple white dress, with an embroidered bodice and long skirts. This was covered with a maroon coat that extended to the floor, edged with white lace that traveled up the front ends of the skirt and past the neck. The sleeves were tied at quarter-length and frilled out around her wrists. As a finishing touch, a jeweled brooch was placed in the middle of the bodice.

The Captain took in Scarlett's appearance. "Well, you will be the attraction of the evening tonight, won't you?"

Scarlett furrowed her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"We'll be in port tonight, of course. Didn't you hear me? That means we celebrate with the townspeople!"

We'll be in port tonight. Those words stuck in Scarlett's mind, and she was unable to hear anything else. How those words didn't strike her before, she didn't know, but it took all she could manage to hide the wheels turning in her head. This could be her chance. The temptation of escaping pounded at her until she gave in. She was going to find a way to flee from her captor, whatever the cost would be. It's worth a try, she thought.

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She's finally taking action!

Thank you to everyone who has been reading my story so far! Please vote, comment, let me know if you like where it is going, and enjoy! :)

11/5/22 - One minor edit.