Chapter 3: Negotiations
They hadn't ended as fish food. Instead, they had been locked up in the brig, giving the captain time to decide their fate.
The pirates had taken everything: The bundle and its entire content, Ruby's earrings and even Emma's leather shoes. But worse of all, they'd stolen Ruby's red cloak, the only thing that could repel the wolf inside her during the full moon. After taking the garment, the captain had caressed and buried his nose into the dainty fabric, and Emma had known, he'd only been thinking about the price, the damask velvet's value on the market. At least, he'd seemed to fall for their cover, because he'd asked them from whom they'd stolen all those valuable objects, and hadn't believed they actually owned them.
Ruby squatted on the floor, freezing and clutching her fingers around the bars. Her eyes were wild, a murderous and desperate sparkle in them. Emma was sitting behind her, her head was resting against the wall. As they'd crossed the deck, she had seen the crew men's glances towards her friend, too. And although the captain had defined the rules earlier, one could never be sure there wouldn't be an assault. It could only take a few bottles of rum and a drop of desire to turn a sailor into a monster. Emma, on the other hand, was safe as long as her cover remained intact. For now.
The brig wasn't a pleasant place to stay in. It was claustrophobic, uncomfortable and dark. At least they couldn't see the dirt and the rats, but Emma heard some unmistakable noises, she knew them from the Royal Stables. Sometimes she felt a drop plopping on her face and feared a leak in the ship, followed by a horrible death, but it only seemed to be condensation from the ceiling.
Under different circumstances, Emma would've moaned and cried about sitting in a dirty hole, bewildered that anything like that could've happened to her, the princess of the Enchanted Forest. But at the moment, she felt nothing but overwhelming shame.
It was her fault, all of it! She had brought Ruby into that situation, not only because she had urged her to go to the harbor, but fleeing with her in the first place. If she hadn't been her bodyguard, Ruby could have stayed hidden in the forest and lived amongst the wolves.
Technically, Ruby wasn't even her bodyguard; it was not like she had been employed by the Royal Family. Ruby and Emma's mother had met a number of years prior, when Ruby had found out about her shapeshifting and had to leave everyone she loved behind. Since then, they'd built a deep bond. Snow had offered her a safe home at the castle and Ruby had chosen her friend over the wolves. Although her relationship with the fellow wolves had improved, she'd stayed at the Royal Castle, keeping an eye on the princess. Emma was only a few years younger than her, so it had been easy to get into her good graces.
Now, everything was lost. They were on a pirate ship, with all the men lurking to get their way with the beautiful temptation that Ruby was. Maybe the captain would even change his mind and decide to take Ruby for himself or offer her to his crew. Emma had seen his sudden mood changes, it was entirely possible. Or he would sell them into slavery, when they reached the Rocky Islands - it sounded like a place villainous enough for such. Emma shuddered. Maybe he would even do both! A pirate never could be trusted!
"They set a course for south," Ruby said grimly, turning around. "The Rocky Islands are a well-known outpost for smugglers and pirates. After purchasing merchandise onshore, they're used to bargain with their own kind before setting sail for the open sea."
"So it's the opposite direction we intended to travel," Emma said.
"Exactly," Ruby answered. "And I guess, Hook is going to get rid of us there. He'll surely try to make money out of us and sell us to slave traders."
Emma swallowed. Ruby was a beautiful woman, so the captain would get a high price for her.
"They are going to separate us, Emma," Ruby confirmed gravely, "and they'll probably sell me into some kind of service." She paused.
"I know," Emma answered, her voice breaking. She felt empty, the guilt overpowering every other feeling, paralyzing her.
Ruby, who sensed Emma's struggle, scooted over and put her arms around her.
"Don't worry about me, darling. I'll be fine," Ruby whispered softly. For a moment, she held her tight, not wanting to let go of her, but then she released her friend. During their embrace, Emma had remained stiff.
"Emma, listen carefully," Ruby continued. "If you get the slightest chance to escape, you're going to take it! Don't try to get to me. Do you understand?"
Ruby softly shook her shoulder until Emma nodded.
"The pirates didn't find your earrings. You're going to sell them and purchase a passage back to the mainland. Don't let anyone trick you, these earrings are valuable, so don't trade them for less than 50 gold coins. That's enough money for the journey and a month of food. Hide it well and never show it to anyone. When you're back at the harbor, you have to figure out how to get to Arendelle. Try to find some other refugees, who also want to travel there and join them. Search for someone who looks trustworthy, maybe a family. And, the most important thing, don't blow your cover."
Ruby gave her a reassuring smile, but Emma knew it was all in vain. Even if she did manage to escape, which she highly doubted, she couldn't imagine herself on such a journey. She had never traveled that far before, let alone all by herself.
And what would happen to Ruby? Her dear friend and protector, who would sacrifice herself for her within a heartbeat. Should she leave her to her fate and run away like a coward?
That was what Emma had been all her life. A coward.
At some point during the night, Ruby dozed off. She looked frazzled, leaning against the wall next to Emma. Her hair hung in messy wisps into her pale face, dark circles lay around her eyes. Her thin white shirt looked worn out; during the journey she had darned it several times. In this moment, her usually strong friend appeared fragile like never before.
Emma watched Ruby's chest rising and falling. She also was also spent, but she couldn't rest. Again and again thoughts of Ruby's fate swirled in her mind. This young woman had already suffered so much in her life. Emma remembered her own behavior during their escape and again, shame descended upon her like a heavy chain. Ruby had managed everything, had kept her alive, and had endured her lamenting, crying and cursing. Even now, in a hopeless situation, she only had Emma's well-being in mind and put herself behind. Ruby didn't deserve any of this.
She also must have fallen asleep, because she awoke to a beam of light falling directly in her eyes. Squinting, she tried to make out the shape that was coming down the ladder. The man was tall, taller than the other sailors and well built.
Instinctively, Emma pressed herself further against the wall. She looked at Ruby, but her friend was too exhausted to even wake up. The man stepped towards the bars and lowered the lantern. Emma watched him warily until she discovered the two bowls in his hands.
Tentatively, she made her way to the bars. The light was falling on his features and she discerned bushy eyebrows and a brown beard. It seemed like his face was roughly carved out of a piece of wood.
Carefully, he handed the bowls through the bars. It was an undefinable puree with chunks of meat, but to Emma, the warm meal smelled like heaven. Emma put the bowls on the floor to take the two spoons the man was offering her.
"You're okay, lad?" he asked and then looked at Ruby who still wasn't moving. Emma remained silent. What did this pirate expect her to say? Was this a trick, did he want to feast on their misery? But his voice was serious, his expression sincere. She stood there, not knowing what to do.
"Look," the man said quietly, "you didn't hear this from me. But don't worry too much."
Emma frowned.
"The Captain's speech back on deck," the man continued, "that was an act to amuse the crew and maintain his reputation. He likes to scare people off. He won't sell ya into slavery or something. Probably just goin' to chase you off the ship when we reach the dock."
"Why should I believe a pirate?" Emma said grimly.
"Oh," the man smirked, "I wouldn't call meself that. Name is Bernard Smith, the ship's cook. I've known the Captain for quite some time. He's not a slave trader or an abuser of women."
He gave her a friendly look and surprisingly, his face didn't frighten her anymore. Now he seemed more like a well-tempered person.
"And what does await us on those Rocky Islands?" Emma dared to ask.
The cook sighed. "It's not quite the place for a Lady. My advice is t'get your sister out of there smartly. If you have to, steal some doubloons and get a ticket back to the mainland. But don't get caught. You don't want to know what they do to thieves."
He lifted his cap and took the lantern to leave them alone with the darkness.
Emma watched him climbing the latter.
"Who was that?" Ruby asked weakly.
"The cook," Emma answered, hurrying over to her friend. "Look, he brought some food."
Ruby opened her eyes. "Don't eat it, it might be poisoned."
Emma, who'd already taken her first bite, shook her head. "I don't think so. Why make the effort? They could have thrown us overboard much easier."
"Mmh…"
"Ruby, are you alright?" Emma lowered the spoon. When Ruby didn't answer, Emma touched her forehead. Ruby was burning! Shocked, Emma pulled her hand back.
"You have a fever! Ruby, why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm just a little tired, let me sleep and tomorrow I'll be fine again."
"No," Emma's voice trembled, "you're temperature is too high. We need medication!"
Ruby sighed. "The pirates won't help us, Emma. To them, we are only baggage. Stowaways are worth less than rats. They'll probably throw me overboard when they find out."
Emma tried to feed Ruby a few bites, but her friend rejected most of it. So, the only thing she could do, was sit back and check Ruby's temperature from time to time.
The fever didn't subside, it got worse. Emma was pacing back and forth in the cell, struggling to make a decision. Ruby was right, they couldn't trust the pirates, but doing nothing wasn't an option either. She was not used taking the lead and whatever she would choose, it would be wrong.
It had to be morning by the time the hatch opened again. This time it wasn't the cook who was descending the ladder, but a sailor Emma hadn't seen before. This man looked more like a pirate, his clothes were dirty, his hair messy and when he approached with a nasty grin she could see some decayed teeth in his mouth. Subtly, Emma stepped in front of Ruby and blocked the pirate's view of her friend.
Though the pirate didn't stop at the bars, but unlocked the cell. She had to summon all her courage to not back away.
Emma watched the man entering the cell, expecting the worst. As he came closer, her hands clenched, but she tried to suppress her trembling.
"Why so scared, sweet boy?" the man purred with a scratchy voice. His musty breath hit her face and as he ran a long finger over her face, Emma almost had to gag. But then the man discovered Ruby's shaking body behind her. "Well, well, what do you say about that? The fiery beauty." He kicked her lightly with his boot and Emma almost lost it. She would have lunged at him if she hadn't been so scared.
Ruby let out a whimper but she was too weak to defend herself.
"Not that tough right now, your sister," the monster of a man remarked. Emma clenched her teeth, shaking with disgust, but she remained silent.
Finally, the pirate turned around again, "The Captain wants to see you."
He grabbed her arm and roughly dragged her out of the cell. As he pulled her up the ladder, she turned her head. Ruby was moving on the floor, desperately trying to sit up, but failing. Even in her delirium, she wanted to protect her; it broke Emma's heart to see her suffering like that.
Then they were through the hatch and Ruby faded from view.
Climbing up the ladder, Emma realized she had been wrong. It was still dark, there was no light shining through the planks. She had lost her sense of time down in the dark. After hours without sleep she felt dizzy and had to be careful not to miss one of the steps. It was difficult to focus, images of Ruby in her mind.
The man guided her up two ladders and through a short corridor, before stopping in front of a heavy door. He knocked and waited.
Emma cringed when she heard the command to come in. She was not ready to face the captain again. She was barely able to think, what with the exhaustion and the lack of sleep.
With shaking legs, she entered the cabin. It was a cozy room, furnished with ancient furniture. The captain's bunk was a bit bigger than the ones in the crew's quarters. He was a tidy man; nothing was lying around. The maps not in use were sorted on a shelf. The shelf also held lots of books. The limited space was used completely; there was storage even under the bunk.
The captain was lounging in an armchair at the opposite side of the room. On a small coffee table Emma recognized a carafe filled with wine. Suddenly her throat felt dry, craving water. Emma shifted from one foot to the other, watching the pirate whispering something to the captain's ear. Straight-faced he nodded and without further discussion, the crewman left the room.
The captain was turning a goblet of wine in his hand, occasionally taking a sip, while he was watching Emma. His hook rested on the coffee table; obviously he wasn't in a hurry.
Waiting like this, the captain's piercing blue eyes on her, made Emma feel more and more awkward. Could the captain see through her, did he not buy her cover any longer? She knew it had been a bad idea. She was too old to pose as a young man. Binding her breasts and cutting her hair could probably fool someone briefly but not over a long period of time and surely not this pirate captain.
Finally, the captain put the goblet down and beckoned her over.
Slowly, she stepped closer. There was another armchair facing the captain, but he made no gesture for her to sit down. Emma's legs felt so weak, at least she would have liked to support herself against the backrest, but of course she didn't.
"Enjoying your stay, so far?" Hook joked, but Emma couldn't laugh. She'd already recognized the captain's cruel sense of humor. "You may not know it yet, but I'm quite perceptive." He looked up slyly, "You know the punishment for keeping secrets?"
Emma's blood froze.
"Really boy, you should have told me," he said, shaking his head sadly.
Emma looked up. Wasn't he talking about her disguise?
"Please," the captain sneered, "don't look like you have no idea what I'm talking about."
Again, Emma remained silent.
Groaning, the captain rose from his armchair, roamed through the room and opened a closet next to the shelf. Emma got a glimpse of Ruby's red cloak but then the captain pulled out Ruby's chains.
"This beautiful cloak your sister wore seemed kind of familiar. I wondered all night why. And after having a few drinks and asking myself why on earth two refugees would carry chains with them, I remembered a conversation I had with a merchant, years ago."
Emma's face blenched, her hands started to shake. She couldn't hold it back.
"Among other things, he was trading some of those cloaks, praising them as magical fabric. That time, there had been a wolf plague in his town and instead of killing the beasts, the citizens endowed them with those garments. I guess, they only did that because the mayor's cute little daughter had been bitten by a wolf."
He chuckled.
"I'd almost forgotten about it. But tell me, boy. I would've believed that you'd stolen the cloak, not knowing what it is, if there hadn't been these chains. Why are you carrying around those suspicious things? As reinsurance in case the cloak isn't working? What a stupid thing to do, because that gave you away."
Emma swallowed. Him knowing that Ruby was a wolf, was worse than anything she could've imagined.
"Now tell me one simple reason I shouldn't throw a stowaway overboard, who appears to be a liar, let alone a dangerous creature who is waiting for the full moon, to slice open my entire crew! And tell me why I shouldn't throw you overboard with the beast."
"My sister is not a beast," Emma burst out, "We didn't ask for any of this. We don't even want to be here!"
"That's not a reason," the captain said gruffly. "It seems, the wolf is going to die from infection anyway in the next few days. But YOU boy, you really disappointed me!"
"Please," Emma begged, "please Sir, don't let her die. I,…I would do anything to save her life."
The captain let out a sardonic laughter.
"You? What are you able to offer?"
"My services," Emma whispered. "I'll work for free, for as long as you'd like. I don't know anything about sailing but I can do all the other things, cleaning and the like. "
The captain knitted his brows.
"I don't need a cabin boy for dusting. The only reason worth the trouble would be the price they pay in the arena."
Emma froze, panicking. She had heard horrible stories from Ruby's friends about those tournaments in distant countries, where they let two wolves fight against each other until one of them was dead. The owner of the surviving wolf then got the yield.
"Please no," was all she was still able to say. She felt like she was on the verge of fainting.
"All that begging won't help you," Hook said without mercy, "You tricked me and I don't forgive that."
"Please," Emma gave it a last try. "You are not that kind of man. I was told you're a man of honor!"
She had said the wrong thing. Suddenly the captain was at her side, grabbing her short locks and yanked her head back, the tip of his hook at her throat.
"Who told you that?" he growled, his voice cold as ice and his breath brushing her face.
Emma whimpered from the pain, tears filling her eyes.
"Who told you that?" he repeated, pulling harder. She expected to be pierced by the hook, convinced he was going to kill her. Though she didn't gave away the cook's name. He'd been the only person on this ship, who had been nice to her. She wouldn't let him be punished for that.
All at once, Hook let go off her and stepped back. Emma lost her balance, falling to the floor. She was lying there, motionless, feeling fuzzy from a sharp pain where she had hit her head. Then she noticed the captain's boots in front of her.
"Come on boy, don't be a pansy. Stand like a man."
Emma didn't know where she got the strength from, but somehow she managed to struggle to her feet. Hook shoved her into the armchair behind her. He circled the coffee table and sat down on the other chair.
He seemed calm again; the anger had vanished from his face. Emma watched him wide-eyed, bewildered of this man and his mood swings.
The captain put his hook back on the table and leaned forward.
"Negotiation is an art that is not easy to be learned. First, you never start crying. Crying is something for women and you're a man. Even though you look a little feminine. But that happens; you will grow out of that. No reason to act like a girl."
Emma tensed but regained a little bit of hope as well. So did that mean he wouldn't kill her?
"Crying," the captain continued, "will make you look weak in front of your trading partner. Once that happens, you're lost. He will stigmatize you and hornswoggle you mercilessly. You'll lose your reputation and that is the worst thing that can happen to a man."
Emma listened open mouthed, not knowing what to think. Was Captain Hook giving her a lecture now?
"Let's consider your situation: all your money is taken, your shoes are taken, you're about to lose your sister, so what can you do? And nothing is not an option!"
Emma pressed her lips together. She had no clue.
"The idea to trade yourself is a start. But you should've done it differently. Always raise the value, boy. You could have said you are a natural. That you're small and agile, able to do things the others can't do. Pretending is half the skill. Some time and support from the crew would have made you a true sailor."
Emma swallowed. This man was clearly playing with her.
"Sir, you told me moments ago, lying is punished. And pretending, obviously counts as lying for you."
She saw a faint smile appear on his lips and his eyes brightened.
"Boy, you're cleverer than I thought. You're right, I probably would've found out. Well, …"
He scratched behind his ear, looking at her thoughtfully. "I will do something I have never done before. I will give you a second chance, a way to back out of this situation. But like all negotiations, you'll need to take a risk."
Slowly he reached into his pockets and pulled out a small item. When he put it on the table, Emma recognized a black dice with silver pips. Baffled, she looked at the object, then back to the captain.
What was going on?
"Playing these kind of games are forbidden to my men, excluding me. It's simple. We both throw the dice and the one with the highest number wins. If you win, I'll accept your offer and take your services as a cabin boy. To work off your debts, you'll be hired on this ship for five months without salary. Additionally, your sister will get the medicine she needs and the opportunity to leave the ship when we reach the Rocky Islands. Don't try to negotiate this. No women allowed onboard."
"And if you win?" Emma asked doubtfully. That all seemed too good to be true.
The captain chuckled darkly and caught her gaze.
"If I win, I'll make my threat true and throw you both overboard. You have violated more than one rule on this ship and this punishment is half as painful as the crew would've received for those crimes. There's even an chance of survival. There are a lot of ships travelling on this route; it is possible you'll be fished out of the water."
Emma's lip trembled. This wasn't fair at all! Letting chance decide and playing with their fate like this was not an act of mercy, it was a new level of cruelty. But what could she expect from Captain Hook? He was nothing but a pirate. The worst of them all!
Hook didn't need to say more because Emma knew this would be her only chance. If she refused to play he would let Ruby die down there in the brig. She had no choice.
Giving Hook an icy glare, she took the dice. The metal lay heavy in her hands. Then she let it fall.
It was a four. A solid number. But Emma's heart pounded like mad when Hook closed his hands around the dice. Emma closed her eyes, breathing out as she heard the sound of the metal hit the table.
Her fate had been decided. Slowly she opened her eyes again, preparing for the worst.
Three.
She had won! They would be alive, separated but alive! Emma looked up at Hook and their eyes locked. He put the dice back into his pocket and stood up.
"That's it. Welcome to your new home, boy."
Author's note: Hey guys, thanks for reading as always and comments are highly appreciated!
