Brand new chapter!
"Good morning."
Liliana opens her heavy eyelids to the sound of her lover's hushed voice. His sapphire eyes gaze upon her affectionately as his hand traces across her cheek. She had spent the night enveloped in his arms, cradled in his embrace. Their room remains bathed in last night's darkness, with only a hint of dawn entering through an open window.
She allows a pleasured sigh to escape her lungs. "Good morning."
"Do ye recall what day it is?"
She gently shakes her head. A tentacle breaks from his beard and swirls itself around her wrist. It's presence is welcomed and comforting.
"It was one year ago to this day that I found ye."
Liliana's eyes lose all trace of sleep with this realization. One year prior, her entire life changed. One year since she lost her memories and her freedom. Then something happened that changed her course in life. She is unable to recall this former time; all she knows is Jones and the Dutchman.
Jones' smile disappears. "Try not to look so happy, love."
"I'm sorry. I had not realized how much time has passed. It is a shock, I must say." She leans in to kiss his lips, hoping to hide her true feelings from him. As much as she loves him, living on his ship has been nothing short of a nightmare. Her once elegant form has been reduced to wearing men's garbs. Her feminine, porcelain skin is scarred and deeply tanned. Her small fingers have become rough. Nails that were once long have now broken off, their polished white trim now blackened with dirt. When he found her, she smelled of rose water. Now she smells of the sea and manual labor. Her elaborate tresses have been replaced with a matted, messy bun. Between being harassed and tortured by the hateful crew, having her heart trampled upon by this perplexing man and having no choice but to look after every lost soul on board, she has lost any trace of who she was. Or at least, who she thought she was.
"Ye don't look so well…" Jones eyes her suspiciously.
With his statement, she realizes how incredibly nauseated she is. "I don't feel so well."
Jones smirks, "it makes ye physically ill knowing ye've been here with me all this time?"
She wipes the water from her eyes as she walks out on deck. She tries to swallow the sour taste from her mouth but is unable to do so. Around her, life goes on. The bell has tolled and crew changes duties as they have every day for centuries. The morning air remains cool as the sun is still struggling to break free from the horizon. Liliana places an overcoat around her shoulders to stave off the cold, but she continues to shiver.
"Still green around the gills, I see." Jones walks over to look down at her with curiosity.
Her hand instinctively reaches up to wipe her mouth. "Feeling a bit better now that I've expelled last night's meal."
"Do ye need time to recuperate? I can wait to break my fast."
She looks up at her superior and smiles at his consideration. Normally she would not be granted such kindness. "Thank you, but I think I will be fine."
"Good, I'm famished." He pauses to examine her further. "Are ye sure ye are well? I didn't mean to distress ye this morn, if that is the case. It may not be a joyous occasion for ye, but I think it be remarkable ye have lasted this long."
"Yes, I am amazed myself that I have not gone completely mad. Or maybe I have and this is all a dream. You're not really here, trying to fit your entire foot into your mouth." She laughs at his now frowning face. His verbal blunders have become charming to her, even if they are often in her own expense. "I think what you meant to say is that you enjoy my company and couldn't do without it."
"That's what I said."
"Oh, so I am mad and deaf now?"
"Apparently." His heavy shoulders collapse into a sarcastic shrug. "Perchance ye will accompany me during my meal?"
"I didn't realize you had finished snacking on your foot." She laughs as he tries to playfully swat the back of her head and misses. "I will feed everyone and, yes, I shall join you."
A recent harvest of a cargo ship destined for the Americas had blessed Liliana with many new and wonderful ingredients. For the first time since she became head of the galley, she had something other than the bare necessities. This morning, she proudly serves the Captain a large, steaming bowl of salmagundi, followed by honey cake, aged cheese and a tankard overflowing with bumbo.
"Ye've outdone yourself this time, love." Jones says between spoonfuls of the salty soup and bites off the small block of tart cheese. He is savoring every contrasting flavor with every mouthful.
"I must have, for I believe I fed every soul on board this morn." Liliana states with a beaming smile.
Jones takes a long drink from the tankard and then turns his attention back to the girl. "Ye do not see it yet, do ye?"
"See what?" She looks up from her bowl to see him looking her over.
A casual smile smears across his face. "I see it now. 'Tis the reason for your weak constitution these past few days." He reaches over and places his hand on her stomach. "Ye have the beginnings of life in ye."
Liliana stops a chunk of meat from falling back into her throat. She is forced to spit it back out when she starts coughing.
"Very attractive, love." Jones laughs and continues eating.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Aye? Ye didn't hear me the first time?"
Liliana remains silent, stunned, unable to form the countless thoughts that race through her head.
"Ye are with child."
"How? How do you know this?"
Jones is forced from his honey cake. "Hmm? Ye don't know how?" He sends her a quizzical grin.
"I know how, well maybe not, I thought we were undead. How could we create life?" Her hand reaches down to cover her belly, questioning if this is real or some cruel joke he is playing on her.
"To hell if I know." He laughs tersely. "What's done is done. Mayhap it's that bobble around your neck?"
"How can you…"
"I see it. I see life as light. When a ship is wrecked and there are survivors, I see the light. When I do not see it, I know there are no souls." He pauses to re-examine her abdomen. "Yes, there is light there."
Liliana suddenly finds herself struggling with conflicting emotions. She wants to laugh and yet cry. Her heart is overjoyed and yet she is frightened. She loves this man and the idea of carrying his child feels like a blessing - even though he seems less than enthusiastic. But to bring an innocent child into this world, to forever enslave it aboard the Dutchman seems cruel.
"Now, don't ye become a watering pot." He grumbles when he sees the tears forming on her eyelids.
"I'm not sure if this is a good thing." She sniffles and wipes away the tears.
"No? Well, it has proven to me that I am capable of something else I thought was impossible. The first was the actuality that I could still have relations at all…and now this." He turns back to his meal. "I think it is good for that reason alone."
Stunned even further by his nonchalance, Liliana's jaw hangs loosely. "I…we are talking about a child here! One that you and I created. Together!" She suddenly finds it necessary to support her head in her hand. "What am I going to do?"
"Give birth to it." He is suddenly jolted by the force of her hand slapping his arm, causing him to miss the cheese that was being directed toward his empty mouth. "What?"
"I cannot believe you are being so cold and indifferent to this!"
Jones turn to her now, frustrated at his inability to finish eating in peace. "Would ye expect anything else from me?"
"YES!"
"Forgive me then, when I say that this terrifies the piss out of me! I have no idea how to raise a child! I don't even think I can hold one!" He snaps his crustacean tips together. "Sorry Junior, I'd like to love ye, but I cannot! And don't mind the crew; they're just trying to eat ye!"
"You are not helping…" Liliana mumbles in a distraught tone.
Jones squeezes the bridge between his eyes with his fingers. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to handle this." He reaches over to pull her close, hoping his physical contact is more reassuring than his words. "Do not fret. We'll figure something out."
