The Caribbean air hangs heavy with moisture under the unforgiving sun. Not a breath of wind can be felt streaming across the deck of the Flying Dutchman. High noon and the ship remains stationary in the middle of nowhere. The occasional albatross wanders overhead, fortunate enough to catch rising air currents from the rapidly heating ocean surface. The Captain looks up under heavy eyelids and curses them for their freedom.
He stands behind a few members of his crew who are busy planning their next possible route of travel. Their low voices seem relaxing to his dulled senses and his eyelids drop into closure. Just a few seconds…not too long, he thinks to himself as he allows his exhausted body to bathe in the comfort of sleep.
Someone's voice raises above the others and his eyes are forced open with a snort. He shakes his head and notices that the tossing of his beard captures cooler air underneath its heavy length. Jones thinks back to when his body used to retain warmth and how agonizing it was to have so much heat laying upon his chest. With his blood cooled, his beard now acts as a barrier against the sun's vicious rays. That is, unless the girl crosses his path and he becomes hot and bothered.
He tries stifling a yawn but it wins out in the end. Thankfully no one notices. His eyelids rasp over his dried out eyes, just close them for a second, he considers and quickly finds relief.
"Sir?"
No response.
"Captain?"
A slight whisper of a snore.
His crew look amongst themselves at the sight of their superior standing with head hanging low and shoulders drooping in a midday nap.
"Is he really sleeping?" Palifico mumbles in disbelief.
"That lass of his must be doing a number on him! And good!" The bosun playfully slaps his hand down on the man's calcified back.
Koleniko chuckles, "I'll wake 'im!" He quietly steps toward Jones to check if he truly is asleep. "Out like a light, 'e is!" He looks back to his mates and laughs quietly. Leaning in towards the Captain, he gives the loudest impression of a squawking seagull he can make. "AWWWWKKKKK!"
Jones' head shoots up with another snort and his eyes quickly scan his surroundings for the source of the disturbing noise.
"Oy, sir! Ye missed it!" Niko slaps a hand onto his captain's shoulder, shaking him slightly to stir him further. "'Twas the biggest seagull ever! Almost nicked ye, he did! Thankfully I saw him before he could get at ye sir!"
Jones notes the sarcasm and shakes the man's hand off his body. He sends him a reprimanding glare and watches as he slinks toward the snickering faces of his crewmates. "Ye are lucky I don't thank ye with the backside of my hand." Jones mutters as he feels the weight of his eyelids once more.
Maccus, the only one not finding amusement in all of this, strides over to his captain's side. "Sir, what madness is this? I have served ye loyally for near of a century and not once have I seen ye take yer duties so lightly."
Davy fights to open his eyes. "Hmm? What?"
Maccus stands there in disbelief, allowing the only thought his mind can fathom to flow over him. This is that wretched harlot's work. She's been riding the man all night and leaving him useless for us during the day. That's how she's getting her way! Maccus clears his throat and leans in. "Sir, 'tis not my place to say but I fear the girl is interfering with yer duties."
Before he has time to blink, the first mate finds his superior's crustacean claw gripped tightly around his throat. With very little effort, Jones drags his body towards him as if he weighed no more than a feather. Maccus is left breathless and in complete shock.
"Come again?" With his head still lowered, his fiery blue eyes that now pierce the wagered soul of his first mate.
"It's just…that…" Maccus finds his words cut off by the increasing pressure around his airway. Jones' fingers dig deeply into the sensitive tissues of his gills. "Not like ye to fall asleep, sir."
Jones rips his arm away, sending his first mate stumbling backwards. He straightens himself. "Not like ye to inquire in to my personal life, first mate. I assume it will not happen again?"
Maccus reaches up to soothe the skin of his now bruising neck. "Nigh, sir." He hisses.
Jones sends a silent warning to the rest who watched this reprimand. His eyes coldly pass over each of their faces. They each nod and take their leave of him, knowing he's had more than enough of their presence.
Standing alone, he presses his thumb and middle finger to the corners of his eyes and massages firmly. I could only wish it was something carnal that kept me awake last night, he reflects to himself. But instead, he found himself perusing countless amounts of books and maps in a desperate attempt to find a way to save the girl from her ultimate fate. He has been doing this every night for weeks now, silently while she sleeps and only rarely being found out. As more days pass, her heart more frequently takes on its erratic pace, leaving her breathless and reaching out to him for support.
Knowing he has let this go too far, he takes a deep sigh and leans against the side rail. Once again he counts off all the reasons why he never should have taken her aboard. But the sound of her laughter floating up from a lower deck catches him off guard and a smile creeps into formation. For some reason unbeknownst to me, she makes me happy. I have got to find a way…
"There you are!"
He looks over toward the stair well to see her smiling face rising from the depths. Like the sun rising…only brighter.
"A little bird tells me you were falling asleep at the wheel!" Knowing there are no eyes upon them as the bell has rung for dinner; she walks directly over to him and places her hands underneath his coat and onto his firm sides. Her skin tingles to find warmth growing there from her touch.
"A little bird? More like a gigantic, marauding seagull." He snorts and gazes down to her awaiting face. Her russet eyes smile up at him with wonder. "What?"
"I love you."
Davy swallows hard with her words.
"I know it still makes you uncomfortable to hear me say that, but I feel you must know the truth on a regular basis. Surely knowing you are loved will make your day much better."
"It does." He reaches up and tucks a wayward strand of hair behind her ear. "You're in a plucky mood."
"How could I not be? When I have everything I could ever want." She leans in closer to him, allowing her breasts to press up against his body. Her happiness with him always seems to outweigh the seriousness of her situation.
"I am going to make this right."
"I know you will. I believe you will figure this out. You know all the secrets of the sea, all its magic. I trust you will find it. That is if you still want to keep me." She sends him a naughty smile.
He wraps his arms around her and squeezes tightly. "Ye just keep behaving properly and we'll see."
"I make no promises!" She laughs and pulls herself from his arms. "In the meantime, Captain, your meal awaits you in your cabin."
"Very well. I request your presence during my meal so we can discuss what I have found so far."
She smiles brightly as she sends him a polite curtsy. Dining with the Captain, even when you are his romantic interest, is still quite an honor. "I would be delighted. But you must relax and you must sleep tonight or I fear the birds might get you." She laughs as she heads down the stairs.
She fed him a meal of kipper, cheese and ship's biscuits with a large tankard of grog. A cool meal for an excruciatingly hot day. He had been exceptionally hungry and had downed the meal before she had time to sit next to him. After she had finished her meal, he discussed some of his recent findings.
"See, I know of some trinket that can be used for immortality. I know it lies in this area," he points a finger to a tiny spot on an old water-stained map, "but I am yet to find out what the item is or its exact location."
"Goodness, I thought that dot you are pointing to was a crumb." Liliana leans in and squints. "This room is in desperate need of more lighting."
Davy shakes his head and laughs quietly to himself. "I like my dreary world, love."
She looks up from the speck on the map to examine his face. He had brightened while eating but now as he digests his meal, the exhaustion is back upon his face, casting deep shadows under his eyes.
"Tell me love, where does it hurt?" She grasps the broad thickness of his masculine shoulders beneath her small hands. "You are so very tense."
"Everywhere, I hurt everywhere."
She leans in to kiss him softly on the lips, recognizing the familiar salt left there from the early morning ocean breeze. She reaches up and caresses his cheek. "Let me take it away."
Davy manages a slight smile. "Like only ye can."
After placing a gentle kiss on his weathered forehead, she reaches up and removes the barnacle encrusted hat from his head. She carries it off to place it on the organ bench nearby, noting the weight of it in her hands as she travels.
"No wonder you ache, Captain, for this hat is quite heavy. It must be such a burden." She places the hat on the smooth surface and turns to catch the remnants of a deep and sorrow-filled sigh coming from her lover. Her eyes travel the length of his massive beard which now has his head and shoulders slumping over from its weight. His crustacean arm hangs lifelessly at his side, too heavy to carry upright any longer. He catches her empathetic examination and sends her a weak smile.
"Do not fret over me."
"I will fret over you if it feels appropriate to do so." Liliana walks over to support him as he stands. She begins to remove his overcoat next.
She finds herself prying away the kinked tentacles that hold the coat in place over his burdensome arm. Their many years of grasping the garment have left them tense and permanently curled. Through his fatigue, she can see that he is having difficulty standing so she allows him to lean on her slightly as she removes the coat from his other arm. While feeling the weight of this new article in her hands, she examines the worn down cloth now covered in all manners of sea life. This coat no longer offers protection from the wind and rain. It now only serves as a status symbol, identifying him as captain. A lump forms in her throat to know this and to feel the weight he is carrying around on his body every day. It is no wonder to her why he is in pain. Her small arms are barely able to carry the coat high enough to keep it from dragging along the floor as she walks. It may be old and tattered, but she still feels the need to treat the garment with respect, as if it were brand new. Liliana places it over the back of a nearby chair with as much love and kindness she would show a small child in her care. Again, she catches the saddened look upon his face.
"I am far too old for ye. This wretched body doesn't have the capacity to take responsibility of ye like I should. How am I to care for ye when I can barely take care of myself at this point? It's not fair to ye."
She makes her way over to him in a quickened pace. "You hush. No more talk like that. I don't need you to be doing cartwheels all over the place for my satisfaction. What I need now is for you to go lie down on that bed and rest. The crew will not miss you for a bell." She gently places her hands on his back to lead him over to the mattress.
He gives her resistance. "But it is the afternoon watch. The relieving crew must be posted to their stations. I still have to figure out what the hell we are going to do about ye, I still have to write my entry into the log book and…"
She walks out from behind to face him. "First of all, everyone knows where their station is because they've been doing the same job now for centuries. The first mate can handle that. Second, we will figure out what will be done with me and it will go a lot faster if you are freshened and have a clear mind. And last, my love, your log book cannot possibly change that much in a half hour. All you need to write is that we're becalmed, things are quiet except for the occasional bird impression and that we're waiting to set sail. You have no one to report to so it's not like the log is essential at this time. There, now you have no more reasons to stay up." Liliana stubbornly folds her arms in front of her.
He stares at her in disbelief before gently patting her cheek with his hand. "Ye are becoming quite the little sailor. And caretaker."
She helps him turn and lower into the bed. "Well, you did enlist me." She smiles and pulls the wool blanket up over him. "And I guarantee life will be the same after you wake. Nothing will change."
Fighting back his exhaustion for the final time, he looks up at her and smiles. "Everything has changed since you've come along. For the better."