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.
After waiting all day to be taken advantage of by the captain and crew, she'd been left alone as if she'd been forgotten about. Then instead of claiming Elsa for his own, Keyes had spent the night tending to another woman. Even after that the most he had done was sleep with his arm around Elsa. She'd been fed half decent rations and had never even been bound. Not that she could do much in this state either.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a bright white light coming from the cabin's door. A different melody of strange music poured from the mysterious opening and Captain Keyes came in with a strange assortment of items. He had what looked like a spoon in his mouth and the air of lazy ease coated his shoulders.
Keyes closed the door and the light and music was gone. He looked over at Elsa and Bonnie, he met Elsa's eyes and pulled the spoon out of his mouth.
"I see the Quartermaster has been by as instructed, how is Bonnie?" He asked.
"There has been no change, she hasn't woken up and her fever hasn't broken yet."
"That's troublesome." Keyes took his assortment of strange objects to his desk and sorted them out.
"Where did you go?" Elsa bravely inquired.
"Lady Elsa how have you been fairing? I know these accommodations are not quite ideal." He asked without looking up from his work as he began fiddling with all manner of boxes and bags.
"I am gratefully content Captain."
"I see."
Elsa caught the sight of Keyes' cheek twitch in a way that might have been a smile.
"This girl," Elsa braved again. "What is your relation to her, for you to care for her so?"
"She is my crewmate, but I suppose that wouldn't be explanation enough for you." Keyes took one of the bags and crushed his on the corner of the desk, he massaged it and then wrapped it in a clean rag. "You could say she is one of my oldest and truest friends. Through I all my travels she has always been there watching out for me." The smile in Keyes' eyes did not reach his face as he replaced the wet cloth on Bonnie's forehead with the mysterious device. Then the smile in his eyes was haunted with a deep lingering pain.
"She is my best friend and a haunting reminder of what happens when I let my heart stray." Keyes used a fresh rag to wipe away some of the sweat. Then returned to his desk for a few more things. He stuck his spoon in a small tub and scooped out a bite of a familiar brown substance. He then brought a rag and bandages whose fashion defied everything she'd known.
Keyes gently, maneuvered Bonnie and cleaned her wound with a mysterious liquid from a bottle she'd never seen before. He then began to wrap her in fresh bandages.
"Here, help me for a second." Keyes instructed.
Elsa obliged. "Do you love her?"
Keyes eyes darkened for a second, it was the only tell he ever gave, she wondered if he had ever smile a sincere smile before.
"After a fashion, although I am not in love with her if that is your question. Bonnie and I share a bond closer to siblings over lovers. My heart has been stolen by another."
They were silent for a long moment.
"Have you ever been in love Lady Elsa?" Keyes broke the silence when he finally finished with Bonnie.
"I can't say whether or not I have encountered my true love yet Captain Keyes."
"I see. Shall I tell you of my experience?" Keyes returned to his desk, he scooped scraps of loose boxes and papers into a single drawer before sitting in his chair. He proceeded to pick at his tub of something that had had a thin layer of frost coating its sides.
"If only to understand my captor a little better, I will listen." Elsa had no more appetite, she sat on the captains bed and faced him.
"Love, my sweet innocent. Is the most beautiful destructive force I have even known. It tangles its victims with sweet promises all the while choking the life out of them. Your heart thunders at every thought and sight of them, and yet it breaks at every parting. As sweet tasting poison it can't do anything but cause pain and loneliness when left to fester. With the antidote in the taste and the toxin in the lingering time, you drink from each other's cup until each one is too caught up in the flavor they do not know they are killing each other." Keyes took another bite from his tub.
Elsa felt the cold loneliness of his words. His eyes revealed the sad truth of his belief in his words.
"It's an addiction, like alcoholism. I have tasted every flavor of the finest wine, and I am left wanting. I can never be satisfied. I have grown tired of chasing an illusion, my heart has been broken and fixed so many times I do not ever recognize it anymore. I have been left as a phantom chasing a specter and as my many sins hang over me I find myself selfishly wanting peace with whatever punishment may come."
Keyes took another bite and gave Elsa a sideways glance while his spoon lingering in his mouth.
Elsa felt the finality of his gaze, her chest felt tight as the many emotions in his eyes went out like a smothered candle. They left a world shattering commitment in its wake. Keyes had resolved to single course of action and his intention to follow that action was all too real as it came for the very pits of his fathomless being.
His next words felt like they would haunt her as much as they would haunt him. It was as if the universe died and the world became stale around her. It was as if the very purpose of existence was stolen by a villain too young to be as tired as his eyes revealed.
"Elsa I am putting down my wine glass for the last time, I am quitting the poison that is love."