Finally, Liliana has the upper hand. For an entire week, the Captain must obey her command. She is aware that he most likely allowed her to beat him in their game of liar's dice, but that doesn't stop the spirited young girl from rubbing it in every chance she gets.
At first, the Captain took the constant reminders of his loss with good humor, but as the days achingly pass with no relief in sight, he finds himself struggling to not lash out verbally. A man of his word, he promised to mind his manners with the girl for an entire week. No yelling or name calling of any kind. Not an easy task when she is deliberately trying to bring forth his wrath. Instead, the Captain bites his tongue and walks away grumbling profanities under his breath, unwilling to lose what dignity he has remaining.
He catches himself wanting to refer to this annoying little pest with the usual defamatory word devoted to her. The past few days this particular word has entered his mind quite frequently.
"What were you just going to call me?" Liliana caught him off guard as the "B" formed upon his lips. "Because, Captain, I do believe that word is forbidden now."
Jones looked to the heavens and questioned if this was payback for his sins of the past. "Ye know, right about now I'm mighty tempted to take that bobble off your neck and throw ye over board!" He pointed viciously at the azure jewel laying protected between her collar bones and then stormed away for solace. Never before has he been so exasperated, likening her to a cockroach gnawing its way into his brain.
Her jabs at his ego are bad enough in private, but since threatening to throw her off the ship, the incorrigible girl has now taken up the task of informing every crewman who will listen – which is almost all.
"He let ye win!" Koleniko snickers as he waits for dinner to be served.
"Perhaps, but do you honestly think he would allow me to go this far with torturing him? I do not think the Captain would allow me to torment him so if he lost on purpose. Besides, I saw his hand, I had guessed correctly." Liliana sniffles and wipes the tears from her eyes as she slices the wild onions she found on shore. "I have him right where I want him."
"Hmm, by the bullocks it seems…"
Liliana spins around and catches the sailor biting into a piece of bread. "You are so vulgar!"
Koleniko shrugs and speaks through the bread, "'tis true…"
She turns back to her work to hide the smile that forms on her face. It may be vulgar, but it seems accurate at this point, almost enjoyable.
Reaching over for a piece of salted meat, Niko continues. "Why does it matter now? Ye've always had him bend to yer every whim."
Angered by his assumption and stealing of food before it is ready, she reaches over and raps his hand with a wooden spoon. "I did not call for dinner, stop eating! And that is not true; I obey him far more often than he ever listens to me."
"Sure…"
"And what does that mean?"
"Do ye have to ask? 'Tis obvious the Captain is so kind to ye because ye give him what he wants." The coxswain's eyes wander to plate of meat before him and then back to the girl who guards it.
"How dare you!"
"What? Ye sleep in the same room! Don't think we haven't seen the way the two of ye go on! Do ye think me a fool, girl?"
Feeling her cheeks flush, she turns her back to him. "This is not appropriate conversation."
"Yer a sailor now, aren't ye? And what do sailors talk about?"
She spins around again and grabs a piece of meat out of his spiny hand. "Filth! Vulgarities! And anything else that would make a civilized man blush!
Koleniko reaches over and grabs the meat away from her and sticks it in his mouth. "Yer a fast learner." He pauses to chew the rubbery meat, "nothing wrong with it, yer about the only one who can use it to yer advantage."
The galley door swings open to expose the Captain. "Boy, get out on deck NOW."
Shrugging, the coxswain swipes another piece of bread and saunters out the door.
Liliana rubs her face hoping to remove any trace of her embarrassment. "How much of that did you hear?"
"I hear everything." Jones states flatly as he stands staring at her. "Ye and I need to converse. This little wager has gone on long enough."
"Oh no, I still have two days left. You are not backing out of our deal now."
Jones remains motionless, still contemplating her with his eyes.
"What? You can't handle being under the control of a woman?" Liliana folds her arms and smiles.
"No."
"Pity." She turns around and continues her work. A shiver creeps down her spine and a cold whisper of air flows down her neck. She turns around and gasps to see that he is now directly behind her. "I hate when you do that! Can't you just walk so I know you are coming?"
"No."
"What is wrong with you?"
"I need this wager to end."
"Whatever for?"
"My ten years have expired."
"I beg your pardon?" Liliana nonchalantly rubs her hands free of the onions' juices. She looks up to see Jones' eyes narrow.
"Ye are the only person I can rely on in these matters and ye just brush me off? Of all people, ye should know what the significance of this time is for me." His voice becomes harsh and agitated.
She pauses to think back on all the nights they stayed awake talking. "Isla Cruces."
The sun begins to rise over the blackened silhouette of Isla Cruces. Jones stands stoic in the shadows, his gaze never wandering from the horizon. Occasionally, he releases a deep sigh but says nothing more.
Two days prior, Liliana caught a glimpse of the trepidation and sadness that her lover has been feeling for centuries now. She did not question this, only respected his need for silence. Since that moment in the galley, he has not spoken to a soul on board. She walks over to him now, leaning her head on his tense arm.
"All this time, I have thought that these men aboard this ship were the captives and you were their captor. I have thought that you had control over this. But you are just as much a prisoner as they are."
Jones' eyes slowly turn down in her direction and then his heavy head follows. "Aye. Their souls belong to this ship, mine to this island."
She protectively wraps her hands around his arm while burying her face into the rough fabric of his sleeve. "Why must you come back here if it tortures you so?"
"I have to confirm its presence."
"But if someone had your heart, wouldn't they control you? It could have been taken years ago, and you wouldn't know it?"
Her question agitates him; the thought of his heart being taken is one that disturbs him deeply. "They would have to present the exposed heart to me. As longs as it remains in the chest, I am free."
She looks up at him longingly. "But you are not free."
The sun creeps higher into the sky, bringing forth the scorching heat of the day. Upon reaching shore, Liliana wades into the shallow water to make her way onto land. The pearl white sand is already hot under her feet and she enjoys the sight and feel of the small grains sticking to her skin. She looks back to see Jones rising from the depths, every step taken proudly, as he travels through the waves.
He stops before leaving his element fully, contemplating the foreign matter known as land. His eyes dart toward her, seeing her questioning gaze. He sighs heavily and prepares himself for what he knows he cannot avoid.
He takes a step forward and his boot plants firmly in place. His crab leg leaves the protection of the water and plummets deep into the sand upon impact. He takes another step, and then sinks again.
Liliana clasps her hand over her mouth at the sight of this dignified man now hobbling along in the sand.
"Shut it, woman!" He growls defensively at her giggling.
"You look ridiculous, I'm afraid, like one leg is much shorter than the other…"
He stops and takes a deep breath, trying to hold his temper. "Woman, damn your eyes, it cannot be helped!" As he continues to step and sink, his head remains high despite his obvious embarrassment.
"Captain, if you had blood in your body, I'm sure you'd be blushing." The girl giggles at this new found vulnerability she sees in him.
"Get over here and help me!"
"Get off the sand! Get on the grass." Liliana runs over to a patch of dried beach grass to show him that it is firmer there.
"Bloody hell, that doesn't help me!"
"Watch your tone, or I'll leave you there to figure it out yourself." She turns around and sees a large stick hidden in the grass, and then mumbles to herself, "You've been doing this for centuries, and now you struggle?" She walks over to him and presents the stick to him.
"Here, put your weight on this, and I'll support you as you walk."
"Oh yes, you'll support me? More like you'll slow my falling down on top of ye."
Liliana allowed him to walk ahead of her as they travelled towards the burial site. His normal gait returned, he confidently strolls along, forcing the short statured girl to walk quickly to keep up.
Jones had sent a few of his most trusted crewman ahead to dig up the chest before his arrival. One man announces aloud that the Captain has arrived. Seeing that more sand lay in front of him, Jones calls to have the chest brought to him where he stands safely amongst the grass. He specifically requested that the large trunk be left where it was buried, unwilling to allow his mistress to see all the love letters and dried flowers that were once devoted to another woman.
"Now, leave me be." Davy orders the crew. He waits to watch as each man disappears from sight. "There be another reason why I send them ahead, Mistress."
Liliana's intense examination of the detailed carvings on the chest is interrupted by his voice. "Sorry?"
"Ye think I want them witnessing me wobble around like a headless chicken?"
"Hmm, yes, you wouldn't appear very frightening, that's for sure. Knowing Niko and Clanker, they'd push you down and run." She looks up at him and is relieved to see him chuckle slightly at the obvious truth in her statement. "So this is it?"
Slowly, his aged body bends and kneels in front of the chest. From under his serpentine beard, the key appears. "Aye, this is it." He unlocks the chest and looks over at the curious girl. "There's no way I can prepare ye for this one."
He opens the chest and reveals its contents. Liliana stifles a gasp at the sight of the pulsing heart. A deep, burdening sadness overwhelms her when she sees the relief on his face. His entire world is captured in this one moment, relying on his heart being there. She thinks about all the times she has rested her head on his chest, never hearing a heartbeat. The massive scar told a story of his agony, but seeing his heart outside his body while he still lives and breathes makes it real for her now.
His cold hand reaches over and cups her cheek. She kisses his fingers as they trace her lips. "How could you do this to yourself?"
He responds with a heavy sigh, his eyes never leaving the throbbing organ. "I wanted to remove the pain and any feelings I had left. I've told ye that."
"But don't you see? Removing your heart didn't do that at all. You still feel pain and other emotions. You still have feelings even if they are dulled slightly."
No response. He only continues to stare.
She reaches forward and closes the lid. His trance is broken and looks at her, confused.
"I never realized the pain you must have gone through to do this. But I cannot help feeling slighted. This woman chose to leave you, chose not to love you, and despite your efforts, your actions have eternally devoted yourself to her."
"How's that?" Jones looks down to examine her saddened face for an explanation.
"You removed your heart to remove any trace of her, but in that you've removed any chances of me taking her place. Therefore, she will always be first in your life. You will always come here. And I will always be second to that. No matter what I do, or how much I love you, I will never get what she had…and what she chose to leave behind."
"If I had known ye were to come along, if I had any indication of what could have been, I would not have done it." Jones tries to reassure her.
Liliana rises to her feet. "You don't understand. Who she loved is not who I love now. I couldn't possibly love the old you because that is not who you are now." She turns and walks away.
"And where are ye going?"
"Back to the ship, Captain, where I belong."
"Dammit, Lil! I cannot change the past!" His aching body struggles to rise.
"I'm not asking you to, Captain. I only wish you could see me the way you saw her."