Hello dears! I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I'm glad so many of you liked it!
Just to clarify from the previous chapter: Doctor Watkins and the Osmosechu ladies are real, so are Gibbons and Stefan. It was all the other passengers which were fake. Groves and Gillette were both on deck and captured by Stefan as well … they were just really quiet.
Also, James resents the fact that you all seem to think that he needs to be saved by Sparrow (but I did promise he would make an entrance now didn't I?).

On a somewhat unrelated note, AWE was on television last night, so I watched it in the longue with my Mum. I managed to surprise / annoy her with how much of the movie dialogue I can quote at the right times :D Can anyone else do that?

Stefan circled around Synnove as she stood bound in place on the deck before him, his mind was racing, but his face showed betrayed no emotion. He was overjoyed that he had finally found the one he had been searching for, for such a long time. Stefan smiled to himself and ran his fingers through his long hair, now he just had to figure out what he was going to do next. He had followed his orders more or less precisely as they had been given to him, and he still had a way to go before his mission was complete. He loathed being a glorified delivery boy, it made his blood boil the way his Master treated him, but in the end, he knew it would be worth it. His orders were clear and he would not allow anything to put this mission in jeopardy when it was so close to completion. He could almost taste the sweet flavour of success on his tongue as he thought about what the future had in store for him.

Synnove struggled against her bindings, her oceanic eyes flashing dangerously with rage; she spat and cursed at him, thinking he could not understand her foreign words. He smiled to himself, he understood everything she was saying, and he knew she would live to regret her choice of words once he revealed one of his many secrets to her. But that would have to wait, he was feeling immensely drained from his earlier actions and he could not afford to show any weakness so soon after such an extravagant display of power. No, he would need to take his time to ensure everything went according to plan, and yet he could barely stop himself from revealing everything. He would take great pleasure in revealing his closely guarded secret to her. He closed his eyes momentarily as he pictured the look of utter devastation etched upon her face; it was something he looked forward to, almost more than anything else he was getting out of this deal.

Gibbons returned from escorting his new prisoners below. He turned his nose up at the two bodies on the deck and nudged the Doctor's body with the toe of his boot.

Synnove snarled as he raised his foot to kick Mrs. Osmosechu in the same manner. His foot paused mid air, as he considered his options. Stefan had no issue with how Gibbons treated the corpses, but the little wench he had bound and tied would surely be more vocal than required about the matter. He did so hate listening to women prattle on, so he decided against kicking the Osmosechu woman, if only to save himself the trouble of having to listen to the small woman complaining.

Gibbons turned his attention to Stefan, "what shall I do with them?" he asked flicking his thumb in the direction of the unmoving bodies.

"Throw them overboard. No sense keeping corpses on board now is there?" Stefan asked rhetorically.

Gibbons unceremoniously kicked the Doctor with his boot and frowned at the unmoving body. His frown grew as he realised that he was going to have to lift the bodies over the side of the ship as opposed to simply kicking them along until the slipped easily overboard. He always hated dealing with the bodies, if Stefan was going to kill people why could Stefan not be the one who also dealt with the bodies? The answer was obvious of course, Stefan was the one with the power and Gibbons was his assistant. An assistant with a high commission, which did make up for a lot of the inconveniences, but that did not mean he enjoyed dealing with the bodies.

Gibbons lifted the unmoving body of the Osmosechu mother and carried her to the railing where he swiftly dropped her overboard without uttering even a simple word of goodbye. Mrs. Osmosechu's unseeing eyes gazed up at the stars as her body floated with the ice cold currents of the sea. Another splash of a body making contact with the water later and she was joined in her journey by Doctor Watkins.

Stefan stepped away from circling Synnove and stepped closer to Gibbons. The men stood shoulder to shoulder talking so quietly that Synnove could not hear a word that was being uttered between them. She felt her anger rising as she began to fully realise the helplessness of her situation. James had been heavily injured on Stefan's whim and although he had made it clear Synnove was the one he wanted, that did not mean that he would not treat her in the same brutal manner, or anyone else for that matter. He was a brutal, ruthless man and now that he was holding all of the cards, no one was safe. She did not know whether her body was shaking with anger or with fear, but whatever the emotion was; she did not like the feeling.

Her mind was racing at a mile a minute as she tried to come up with something, anything that would get everyone out of the current situation without losing any more lives than they already had. As she watched Gibbons and Stefan talking amongst themselves she tried to come to a reasonable conclusion. The best she could come up with was bargaining her full co-operation, in every sense of the word, in order to gain freedom for her travelling companions as well as for Yulia and Antanasia. As much as it disgusted her to even think about, there was very little she had to bargain with and she could not live with herself if she did not try everything within her limited power to save those whom she cared about. She shuddered at the memory of Stefan's ice cold fingers running along her face, his touch was nothing like James', but she would endure it if it meant that James and the others could go free. He had risked so much for her, Synnove decided that now she had to risk something for him, as soon as she got the chance.

Stefan turned from Gibbons and allowed his eyes to trail Synnove's body, "I suppose you are right Gibbons. The best place to keep her is the brig," he said giving her a sordid smirk before adding, "at least for now."

He strode quickly forward and wrenched Synnove's arm towards him. Stefan gripped Synnove's arm tightly as he dragged her behind him across the deck and down the various flights of stairs to the brig. Gibbons trailed along behind the pair, tossing the keys to the cells from one hand to the opposite. Synnove watched the keys as best as she could, determined to find out where he kept them, Gibbons smirked at her knowing exactly what she was doing. Tossing the keys higher into the air, he teased the young woman, showing her a way to freedom which she could never hope to catch as he arms were still bound tightly and the fingernails of Stefan's hand dug deep holes into her flesh.

Stefan raised his leg and kicked the door to the brig open, causing a loud clattering thump to resonate through the dimly lit room.

The cell closest to the door was inhabited by the Osmosechu women, who were both huddled in the corner as far away from the door as possible. Yulia pushed her younger sister behind her and stood shakily on her feet, defiant, yet terrified. Antanasia was shaking as well, and sobbing quietly to herself in utter terror. Her small fingers clinging tightly to the back of her older sisters dress as she hid herself as best as she could from the cruel gaze of their captors. The cell next to theirs belonged to Groves and Gillette, both of whom moved closer to the Osmosechu women when they heard the door open. Their hands unconsciously went for their weapons, but they quickly remembered that they were defenceless. Although they had no means of defending themselves, they did not back down, just waiting for the former Captain of Stefan to come close enough to attack through the bars.

Opposite of their cell, against the wall James and Keys shared a cell. James was struggling to stand upright as the pain of his injuries reminded James that there was nothing he could do in the current situation. He had lifted the injured Keys onto the bench which doubled as a bed in order to make the brave beast more comfortable. When Keys laid eyes on Synnove struggling form, his tail twitched in acknowledgement, but he could not force himself to move. As Stefan stepped closer to the empty cell next to James, Keys began to growl, but still he did not move from his position lying on the bench. The dog was exhausted and beaten, but he had not lost his sense of loyalty. James watched silently as Stefan dragged Synnove along behind him.

Stefan's kept his tight grip on Synnove's arm as Gibbons unlocked the cell which would be her home for the night. He spun her forcefully and shoved her into the opened cell right next to the one that James and Keys shared, causing her to trip and land on her front in a crumpled heap onto the damp floor of the ship.

Gibbons let out a dark chuckle as he watched Synnove struggle against her bindings and her own awkwardness to stand and face the pair. She lunged at the pair with all of her might, but the door of the cell was slammed in her face and she was locked away inside.

"I will be back for you in the morning Grevinna Synnove," Stefan said, addressing the young woman with a mocking bow before sweeping elegantly from the room. Gibbons followed closely behind, with the same air of arrogance, but none of the elegance which Stefan commanded. For the briefest of moments Synnove thought she recognised something in Stefan's posture, but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone one again.

Once the pair had left the brig, the tension drained from the room. Antanasia dropped to the floor, her remaining fighting spirit having been drained from her very bones. Yulia followed, sinking to the floor with her back against the bars of Groves and Gillette's cell. Groves sat with his back pressed against the same bars as Yulia, taking what little comfort to be had from one another. Gillette sprawled himself on the floor in a less than gentlemanly manner, staring at the patterns in the wooden ceiling. James moved to sit against the bars he shared with Synnove's cell and she moved closer to him to do the same. She could feel the heat radiating from his body, but she could also feel him shaking slightly. Synnove wanted desperately to turn to him and wrap her arms around James properly, without the bars serving as barriers, but there was no hope of that happening.

A silence descended on the captives as no one really had any idea of what to say, and even if they could think of something to say, that something would not exactly improve the moods of their fellow captives.

Slowly the others fell asleep until James and Synnove were the only two left awake, even Keys was snoring lightly on the bed that he had claimed as his own. Synnove could tell that James had not fallen asleep yet because every so often he would move slightly, trying to get more comfortable, but his injuries not cooperating with him. She could not find the courage to look him in the eyes, it was her fault that he was suffering, and it was always her fault that he underwent such turmoil. Yet James never complained, he was far too honourable to complain, or to blame her for anything that had happened. In fact, if she knew James as well as she thought she did, she knew that he would be blaming himself for everything that had happened. Synnove raised her bruised and cut face to look at James. She let out a gasp as she saw the heavily masked look of pain which was etched onto his face. His eyes were tightly closed, and to the untrained eye, he looked almost at peace, but the tension coming from his body was undeniable. She found herself unable to look away from his pained face, his pain was all her fault, she had no right to look away, no right to sleep when he could not.

James' eyes shot open and he watched Synnove studying his face intently, but she had not realised that he was watching her. He smiled faintly at her worried face, but the smile quickly faded once he noticed her lip was split and bleeding, much like his own, and that her jaw beginning to take on a dark purple colour as a bruise began to develop on her pale face.

James' hands pushed through the gaps in the bars and reached up to cup Synnove's face, instinctively she pulled away, but once her eyes met with James' she relaxed back into his grip.

"Oh James!" Synnove cried out in a whimper, reaching her own hands through the bars in an attempt to wind them around his waist and pull them closer together.

"I am fine Miss Synnove, just like I told you that I would be," a weak smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Tears escaped the corners of her eyes, regardless of how hard she fought to keep them inside, "I am so sorry for putting you through all of this," she whispered to him.

"None of this is your fault Miss Synnove," James whispered back to her.

"You heard Stefan, I am the one he has been looking for, so in a way this is my fault. If you had not been with me, you would have been safe James," Synnove said, staring straight into his green eyes, "I am responsible for that much at least."

"Did he hurt you after we were taken away?" James asked, his voice was low and full of barely hidden anger. He tried his best to steer the conversation away from the subject of guilt, a subject he knew far too well. He silently promised himself that as soon as he got the opportunity, he would make Stefan pay for touching Miss Synnove the way that he had. In James' opinion Stefan was worse than a pirate, and he certainly had no business touching any part of her. Stefan was far beneath Miss Synnove, and apparently so was he, but that was something he would have to deal with later.

"No," she replied, "he only touched me to drag me down the stairs, he spent the rest of his time speaking with Gibbons. They were too far away to hear what they were saying though, so I cannot provide any information there," Synnove said letting out a heavy sigh.

"Do you know why Stefan has been looking for you?" James asked.

"I have no idea James, I do not think that I have ever seen him before him in my life, but he seems to know me. I would surely remember such a man if I had ever encountered him before."

"Perhaps you knew him when you were younger? He seemed to know your Mother and her lineage well enough to seem genuine."

"That is a possibility, but surely I would remember him. I have always been able to remember faces and names," she replied.

"What about your necklace," James asked lowering one of his hands and pulling the chain which held the sapphire closer to his face so that he could see it better. It lay in the palm of his hand as he studied it, the tear shaped stone was brilliant, but it did not seem to be anything so important that it was worth killing over.

Synnove's hand made it way to rest on top of James' open palm, "I do not know about that either. Shortly before my Mother died, she gave me Tår av Havet and told me that it would keep me safe and I suppose that in a way it did," she said trailing off.

"What do you mean?"

"I am not really sure myself, to be honest. You see, my Mother did not die peacfully in her sleep like some are fortunate to do, she was murdered. One night, when Father was away on business our home was attacked. My older brother and I locked our younger siblings in the attic and went to help Mother fight the intruders off. I do not remember much about that night, where my memory should be, there is nothing but darkness. I remember holding a sword in my hands, and I remember seeing blood, there was also a blue light of some kind, but apart from that, I do not know what happened. When I woke up the next morning Mother was lying in a crumpled heap on the floor with a bullet wound between her eyes and her blood splattered around the walls and staining the wallpaper. My older brother, Sigurd, he never spoke again after that night. So I have no idea if he remembers anything more than what I do," Synnove said, finally revealing her most closely guarded secret.

"I am so sorry Miss Synnove," James said, wiping away a falling tear from her bruised cheek.

"Thank you James," she said giving him a small smile.

"Is is at all possible that Stefan and perhaps Gibbons as well, were amongst the intruders that night?" he asked as delicately as he could.

"I suppose it could be possible, but then why did he not simply take the Tår av Havet when he had the first chance?" Synnove replied.

"That is a good point, but if all he wants is your necklace, then why has he not killed us like he killed the others and be done with it already. Why is he dragging things out?" James asked.

"He has the eyes of a very cruel man James, perhaps he is enjoying every minute of it. The longer he leaves us here to wonder, the longer he can draw out our suffering," Synnove said morbidly.

James grunted in response, "well then, we shall just have to show him that we are stronger," he said. "But for now, I think we should try to get some sleep. Stefan said he would be coming for you in the morning and although I cannot stop him, I do not intend to let him take you so easily."
"Please James, do not do anything to get yourself more injured then you already are!" Synnove pleaded.

"I promised to take care of you Miss Synnove, and that is exactly what I will do to the best of my ability. You can trust that I am a man of my word if nothing else."
"I do trust you James, I just do not want to see you hurt for my sake," she said, more stray tears making tracks down her face.

"Shhhh," James said placing a finger to her lips, "we will get through this, we all will. We just have to stay strong."

"Alright," Synnove whispered back to James.

"Now sleep!" he commanded, his voice a little louder than it had been before.

"Yes Admiral Norrington!" Synnove replied, smiling widely at James and letting out a small giggle.

James smiled back at her and removed his hands from her face. As best as he could he reached his arms through the bars and pulled her closer to him. Synnove repeated his movements and wrapped her small arms around his waist. James' head rested against the bars and Synnove's did the same.

"Goodnight James," Synnove whispered.

"Goodnight Miss Synnove."