Chapter 10:
Hook hadn't gotten much sleep in the following days. Sleeping below deck so Tala could have her space in his cabin was less than ideal, but he would rather have her lock herself away there than mingle with his unsavory crew. He was just about to doze off when his hammock was suddenly and frantically shaken.
"Cap'n," Smee's gravelly voice struck his ears. "Cap'n, I really think you should come up on deck." He shook Hook's hammock again, which finally roused the exhausted captain. He jerked upright and glared down at Smee.
"Whatever it is, tell the lads to sort it out."
"But Cap'n. It isn't the lads I'm worried about," Smee frowned through the dark cabin. "Your little lady friend was given a little too much to drink, Cap'n. You really ought to come up and have a look."
Hook dropped from his hammock, then let out a low growl of frustration. After snagging his coat from the floor, he slid his arms into it and settled it on his shoulders. What could Tala possibly be doing to cause a disturbance on deck?
He should have expected it. She was still angry at him, still hurt by the lie he crafted to protect her. It was getting harder and harder by the day to maintain his false guilt. Tala wouldn't speak to him, wouldn't even look at him when he went to his cabin to make sure she was alright.
For two entire days, she locked herself away in there. She only allowed Smee to come in to bring her water and bread, though she would accept nothing and no one else. At some point, she was going to rebel against him, and it seemed that she was finally starting to express that pent up anger by causing a ruckus among his crew.
Hook wasn't at all surprised to see his crew gathered round in a small crowd, some cheering, some cursing, all watching the strange savage girl standing on the old, wooden railing of the ship. She was pacing it like a tightrope. Almost the entirety of her weight rested on her toes as she balanced herself on the thin plank of wood.
"Come down, ya wee nutty lass," one of the older men of the crew shouted up at her. "Before the captain has all of us walkin' the plank."
"Tala, dear," Smee called from the back of the crowd. "I brought the captain. Will you at least listen to him, my dear?"
Everyone turned, then the crowd parted immediately upon seeing the captain standing there beside Smee. Tala stood proud and tall on the railing, lowering her arms to her side when she met his gaze. Hook looked at the other pirates on deck.
"Get to bed. All of ye," he shouted angrily, holding Tala's intense stare. The crew muttered to themselves as the bunch dispersed and headed for the sleeping quarters below deck. "You, too, Smee." The elderly man nodded his head, the waddled off to join the rest of them. Hook waited until the deck was empty besides Tala and himself to speak again.
"What's the meaning of this, Tala?"
"It's windy tonight," Tala grumbled, turning to continue her pacing along the railing. "The wind feels good against my skin."
"Smee said you were given rum. Who gave it to you?" Hook asked plainly, trying to keep his tone level for her sake. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, then huffed and paced forwards a little more. "Tala, who gave you the bloody rum?"
"Mr. Walsh," she answered after a few seconds of silence between them. "I heard he knew where the best rum was hidden, so I went to him. Anything was better than being locked away in your stuffy cabin for a second longer."
"Did anyone put their hands on you?"
Her feet stuttered along the rail for a second. Hook tensed all over, fearing that she was going to fall overboard in that split second. Luckily, she was able to regain her balance quickly. She spun around on her heels so she was facing him again.
"What does that matter? Of course not. They would not dare unless they wish to lose that hand," she hissed like a cornered kitten. "They just wanted to watch."
Hook grimaced at that. She was back in her traditional garments, made up of hides that barely covered much more than the areas of her body that must be kept private. Her stomach, thighs, and calves were all on display for the entire crew to gawk at as they pleased. It made Hook want to send them all off the end of the plank.
"Come down, Tala."
"I'm no longer your prisoner, Hook, nor your slave," she growled, spinning on her heels to pace away from him. "I think I would rather sink into the black depths of the sea than stay on this ship for another day."
Hook took a step closer to her, worried that she would do just that, and the ocean would take her before he could even pull her out of it.
"Do you truly hate me so much, Tala? That you would die to escape me?"
"At least I would join my ancestors and finally be with my people again," Tala frowned. He could see the tears beginning to flood into her eyes, though she would not allow them to fall down her sunkissed cheeks. "I am not a pirate, Captain Hook. I do not belong on your rotten ship, or among your rotten crew. I'm not a bird you can cage, or a wolf that came be tamed."
Hook was angry, so angry. He wanted to yank her down from the railing by force and lock her away in his cabin until they reached the Isle. His inhibitions were quickly flying out the window, which is why he let slip something he meant to keep a secret.
"This bloody rotten ship and crew might be the only place you belong, since your chief sold you to Pan for protection," he snapped angrily. "Keep that in mind when you stand face to face with the black depths."
Tala stared down at him, wide-eyed and clearly unnerved by his words. Pan had said something of the sort, but Tala assumed he was lying. She couldn't believe, even for a second, that her own people betrayed her, that her family turned their backs on her for Pan's magic. The idea that Pan was telling the truth never even crossed her mind.
"D-Did Pan tell you that?"
"No," Hook sighed, knowing that there was no taking back his words now. "No, I spoke with your chief, Tala. I tried to negotiate your return. Your mother misses you terribly, but your tribe won't let you return. They will only hand you over to Pan again."
Tala stood there for a moment in stunned silence. The realization struck her in her chest and gut, sending an ache deep into her rapidly beating heart. Finally, the tears began to fall, unable to be held back a moment longer as they swelled and broke through her tough exterior.
She turned to the sea suddenly, leaning forwards on her toes. Tala cried out, howled like a wounded animal, her pain seeping into the core of even Hook himself. It didn't take long to realize that she wasn't planning to come down anytime soon. In fact, she meant to jump.
When she held her arms out and closed her eyes, Hook leapt forwards. He caught her by the waist as she began to fall forwards, toward the ocean. He dragged her back over the railing, causing them both to collapse against the wooden deck.
"Let me go! I have no place in this world anymore!" She wailed, clawing at his arms as she tried to squirm and kick her way free of his hold. "The ocean is the only place left for me. I can't stay here. I won't stay here!"
"Tala, I'm begging you!" Hook yelled desperately, hoping to get her attention and calm her down a little. "Please, do not go over that rail again. If you leap from this ship, I may not be able to find you again. Please, stay on the Jolly Roger."
"They sold me," she wept. "I'm a warrior for my tribe, and they bargained with me like I'm nothing more than a commodity."
"I know," Hook panted heavily, keeping his firm grasp on her despite how she kicked and twisted in his arms. "I know, Tala."
"I gave my life to my chief, and he gave it away," she whined, her body starting to relax finally. "What am I if I am not a warrior for my clan?"
"You're a warrior for yourself," Hook said softly. "You fight for yourself. Forget those that betrayed you. You owe them nothing, not now nor ever. Your life now belongs to you and you alone, so you must choose what to do with it. Make it worth something. Don't just throw it into the ocean to be erased entirely."
She finally gave in. His kind words were enough to calm her raging heart. Tala sank into his arms even deeper, then turned in them to bury her face in his chest. She cried hard, sobbed with her whole body for the first time in a very long time, since she was a child.
Hook just continued to hold her until the sobs began to quiet down. Once she reached the point of mere sniffles, he picked her and himself up from the deck, then took her back to his cabin to rest. This time, he stayed there with her.