The Captain's Heart

Chapter 2 - The Kraken

//a few months later//

Her Ship, The Poison Rose, was long gone. Sold, not captured, but from what Ngaio had found, where she was going was no place for a good ship like that. It was a shame, really. She'd had to pay for passage on another ship, with only one condition: I was never here. It was a rather small, lonely ship, with a frightened crew. All was quiet, and she sat simply looking out to sea, waiting.

"So, where'd y' learn that song?" Ngaio looked up. It was the man from Tortuga. The one who'd recognised her song and set her on the path she was on now. She felt quite sorry for him, really. Him and all his crew - they really had no idea what was coming. He was the Captain for this unfortunate ship, and he was staring at her expectantly.

"Oh, I just... picked it up from my travels..." she tried to keep a neutral expression, not wanting to give anything away. He had no idea the real reason she'd boarded, nor the real reason she hadn't paid the full price yet. She never would. The ship would be taken down by the Kraken, and the crew would be taken by Davy Jones. The man was gone now - left her to her thoughts. Perhaps it was better that way.

A gentle breeze brushed her face, and the waves lapped gently at the side of the boat. The sun was dipping its toes in the water on the western horizon. The view might have even been pretty, had she not had the knowledge of impending doom weighing her down.

The sun was about halfway down when it begun. The crew had started singing - just a few drunken songs, horribly out of tune - and Ngaio had started to try and enjoy herself. She'd had a bit to drink, and was even about to join in a dance when she noticed something was very wrong. The sea was too calm. The wind had stopped. Gentle waves still lapped at the side of the boat, but they began to grow. No one else noticed. Every part of her was screaming, you have to warn them! You have to help!, but she knew what she must do. She faked retching, and made an excuse to just sit and watch, saying she must have had too much to drink. Her head pounded, but she'd hardly drunk at all. Ngaio took up her usual spot at the edge of the deck, looking out to sea. The water below the boat began to bubble, and a huge shadow loomed below - it had come. She gave one final sad look at the crew, before the Kraken struck.

It all happened so fast she could hardly process it. The tentacles rose from the water and there was immediate panic. Someone screamed as they were grabbed by the beast, yet she stayed put. The ship must go down. And the tentacles just kept coming. Two of them wrapped around the middle of the ship, and began to contract, squeezing until the wood began to split. The was a sudden crack, and the boat snapped in two. People went flying, and the screams intensified. Ngaio slid down the half-ship and landed almost gracefully in the sea.

Minutes passed, though it could have been hours for all she knew, and eventually the creature retreated. Her head still pounded, and she swam slowly to a piece of driftwood. It was already occupied - by the Captain. He looked at her with pain and fear in his eyes.

"You knew." She refused to make eye contact. "You knew it was coming, you could have warned us. But you didn't." She gulped.

"Please. I'm so, so sorry. Please, remember what I told you. I was never here." She looked up, but he looked away. Her heart sank.

"I... I need to get onto his ship. But he can't know. So I beg you, please. Don't tell him about me." She'd hardly finished her sentence when the water nearby began to bubble again. A mast rose majestically from the water, followed by the rest of the ship. The Flying Dutchman.

One by one, the crew was plucked from the surface and brought onboard the Dutchman. All except Ngaio, who submerged herself in the sea and held her breath. The water stilled after a while, but she didn't surface, in the fear of being caught. Her lungs were bursting but she forced herself to stay under for just a bit longer... finally her body gave way to reflex and she took in a big gulp, but a big gulp of water. There was a moment of shock, while she processed it, and breathed out again. Nothing happened. She wasn't drowning. Handy.

Ngaio began to swim towards the huge looming ship. It was slow, painfully slow, but she knew that any movement she made too fast risked her capture. She couldn't see anyone onboard from under the surface, nor could she hear them, and she was grateful for that. She'd rather not know their fates. It was bad enough knowing that not only was it partially her fault, but also that the Captain knew. She didn't want to have to live with the guilt of his fate - whatever that may be - on her mind too. She'd rather forget.

As her hands gripped the side of the huge ship, the Crew of the Dutchman reappeared in the water, searching. They were searching for her. Inch by inch, she heaved herself up the side, knowing that at any moment she could be discovered. After a thorough search of the wreckage, the Crew gave up and returned to the ship. She almost breathed out a sigh of relief, but her joy was cut off rather suddenly, by the Captain's corpse hitting the water next to her. It took her a moment to realise what had just happened. He was dead. With a gulp, Ngaio reached over and gently closed his eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek.