Lily awoke the next morning to hunger pains. She hadn't eaten since yesterday's breakfast and she was starving. She didn't know if she was even going to be fed on this journey. Obviously they would want to keep her alive, otherwise why would they have bargained for her? Still, they were pirates and might not have understood what a normal person's necessities were.
Lily walked to the door and knocked on it. Was there a guard out there? She started knocking again. There was no answer. She slumped down and tears started to trickle down her face. She was all alone on a strange ship in the middle of the ocean.
Captain James "Prongs" Potter was walking on the deck of his ship, the Marauder, looking out at the ocean. He was a pirate and damn proud of it, too. His Uncle Jack had raised him that way.
James' mother, Marie Chevalier Potter, was a daughter of a noble, who had been thrown out when she fell in love with the stable hand and gotten pregnant by him. They ended up moving into the slums of London, where James was born after they had married.
James' father, Harold Potter, worked hard to support his small family as a blacksmith. He was an honest man who loved his family dearly.
However, they were extremely poor and not doing well, until dear Uncle Jack came along.
Yes, Jacques Chevalier was an angel sent from heaven. Jacques was Marie's father's brother who lived in France and was well known as a privateer for the French. Jacques and his brother, Philippe, disagreed on much, so Jacques was only happy to help out his favorite distressed niece.
Uncle Jack gladly gave money and spent time with James, helping out whenever he could. However, the summer after James' 5th birthday turned out to be a disastrous one.
Plague was fairly common in London due to the close vicinity and inadequate water supplies and soon after, Harold got the disease as well. Fearing for his son's life, he contacted Jacques to take him away. James never saw his father again.
James shifted his thoughts to when his uncle took him on his first boat trip. James remembered it clearly. They were traveling down to the Caribbean, where he and his uncle were going to start a new life. James was only six and a half. While in the Caribbean Jacques privateer jobs turned to pirating, and Uncle Jack became captain of his own ship.
James sailed with his uncle and learned everything there was about a ship. He knew every job from cabin boy to captain of the ship. He'd been through storms and famine, and his Uncle Jack was there with him since the beginning and every step of the way.
Uncle Jack had retired now and lived in Jamaica on his own plantation. He had given James The Marauder once he was seventeen. God, had it only been two years?
He reflected on his best mates for life and his first and second mates on the ship, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. They had been sailing together since the days of cabin boys. James knew that they would follow him into Davy Jones' locker and back. He would do the same for them.
His thoughts then turned to the person locked in a cabin below. Miss Lillian Evans, daughter of the soon to be governor of Port John. There was no denying the attractive qualities of Miss Evans and he knew that his thoughts before would have made even a wench blush, but why did she have that medallion? How did she get it? The one thing he'd been looking for and then Miss Evans' ship comes floating by and he finds it! Who gave it to her? And what the hell was he going to do with her now that she was on his ship?
Captain Potter sighed. He was going to have to talk to the girl.
Lily lifted her head as she heard footsteps coming closer to the door. Scrambling up, she took a post next to the table and waited. She looked down at her dress to make sure she looked respectable, and then reprimanded herself, Lily, you're with pirates, why would they care or why should you?
The door swung open and Captain Potter stepped in. Lily lifted he chin in defiance. He slowly strode into the room. Lily almost snorted in amusement. Captain Potter must have thought she was frightened. As he swaggered in, he shut the door and walked in front of her. There was a silent battle going on to see who would talk first. Potter gave in.
"Miss Evans, I hope you find your accommodations suitable."
"Oh, yes, they are quite fine for what you will find on a –pirate ship," sniffed Lily. Potter scowled.
"Remus will be bringing food by soon, so I advise you to eat it and be happy with it. You're not going to find anything else," with that, the man walked out of the room banging the door shut.
Food. Lily was hungry, but was their food trustworthy? What if was poisoned, or, or drugged! That's it! Why else would they want a woman on board other than to drug her and then have their wicked way with her? She gulped. Dear God. What was she going to do? She was stuck on a pirate ship against her will and was going to be drugged and raped.
Remus Lupin knocked and walked in with a wooden bowl, Lily could smell the "food" and almost gagged.
"What is that?" She asked. Remus grinned sheepishly –definitely suspicious, Lily thought.
"It's called gruel," he said and set it down on the table. Lily walked over to the table and peered into the bowl. The gruel was a mushy grey…blob of food, if it could be called that.
"Well, you can tell the chef that I admire his –attempt –but I am simply not hungry and must decline the food so graciously offered," Lily said, pushing the food away. Remus looked mildly amused and simply took up the food.
"Miss Evans, it may not look appetizing now, but after a few days your taste buds may be saying differently," and with that he walked out of the room. Lily sighed a breath of relief. That was one disaster avoided. Now, how to get off the ship…
Remus Lupin entered the Captain's quarters still carrying the bowl of gruel. James looked up from his maps and gave him a questioning glance.
"Miss Evans decided to ah –how did she say it –'decline the food so graciously offered'," Remus said, snorting his amusement.
"Damn that girl. What is she thinking? Oh well, she'll be crying for food later," James said, smirking.
"James, you need to understand that Miss Evans is not accustomed to us or our customs. You should show patience and kindness to the poor girl. She has been taken from both of her parents and now probably fears for her life –or at least her innocence," Remus explained. Good old reasonable Remus, James thought, always the voice of reason.
"Remus, you know we can't hurt her or do anything of that type. Evans would kill us," James responded.
"Just thought to remind you and explain her thoughts," he said. "Well, I should probably be getting back to my duties. Need to make sure Sirius isn't getting into any trouble," Remus said, walking towards the door. James nodded and let him leave. Leaning back into the chair, James reflected on the girl in the cabin down the hall. Did she just not eat to frustrate him? Damn it, that girl will be the death of me, he resolved.
Lily Evans was starving. She hadn't eaten in a week. She had been gargling water in order to not drink anything but remain hydrated. Remus walked in and brought the usual bowl of gruel. Lily stood and declined the gruel with a shake of the head.
"Miss Evans, I must beg you to eat," Remus started, "I cannot be held accountable if you die on my watch."
"I have told you Mr. Lupin, I am simply not hungry."
"Miss Evans, I am going to leave this here so you can think about your hunger," Remus said, leaving the bowl on the table and walking out of the door.
Remus kept walking until he reached James' cabin. Sighing, he knocked and stepped in.
"James, she refused to eat again," Remus said, looking at the captain. James looked up.
"What, how is she not giving in?" He asked, sounding angry.
"James, I left the food, and she looks hungry, but I don't think she's going to eat. I don't know what's keeping her, but she's refused everything!"
"Damnation! That girl will eat, even if I have to force it down her throat!" and with that James stormed out of the cabin, slamming the door shut. Remus sighed; whatever was to go down would not be pretty. Both Miss Evans and the Captain were the most stubborn people he knew. He sighed again. This was going to be a long voyage.