Rhiannah rested her elbows on the side of the ship's rail, gazing thoughtfully into the cool blue ocean water. Her discussion with Elizabeth had only temporarily filled an empty void inside of her, again leaving her with a helpless and lost feeling to sort with despite the fact she had finally eliminated what she thought was her biggest problem: Norrington. The man who Elizabeth had rejected just a year or so prior had caused so much hidden, intense pain and deceit within the families that she could not stand to live under the circumstances any longer – much less marry into them. It was widely believed that Norrington had always been a rigid and stuffy man, but the rejection from Elizabeth clearly cracked a fine line in his mental state and he sought only a woman to control completely after the broken relationship ended.
He was immediately introduced to Rhiannah, perhaps by fluke. She had been in a period of vulnerability in her life, a stage she still struggles with at times, when the image of a noble man swept though, winning the hearts of her family at once. After her father secured the wedding arrangements, Norrington slowly advanced his psychological battle of wills with Rhiannah, taking advantage of the situations he had created to obtain full control of her life; the way she spoke, dressed, and acted in front of his gallivanting crowds. After all, he needed to regain dignity after a crushing public defeat a woman had left on him…there was no more effective way then to recreate a better woman.
Rhiannah's face crinkled into a frown as she reminisced into the recent past, until a pair of hands grasped her lightly around the waist. She jumped and spun around, expecting the dark eyes of a drunken Sparrow to be staring back at her, but alas, they were not.
The handsome, youthful face of Will Turner smiled gently back at her. "Apologies, Ms. Johnson…have I interrupted anything terribly important here?"
Rhiannah's tanned face flushed slightly at the twinkle of his eyes. "No, no…" she trailed off, looking away before her gaze met back with his. "And how have you been, Will? It has certainly been awhile…"
"Aye, it has m'lady," he grinned, taking her hand into his and spinning her closely. "It's been a wonderful life, I do hope you enjoy your trip..." he said in her ear, swaying with her to a lively song the crew sang in the background.
"Ye do realize, mate, that this is my ship you're flouncing around so uselessly on, aye?" a slurred voice announced loudly behind them.
Rhiannah froze, cheeks burning as she turned to face Sparrow. "I…"
"Honestly, dear, ye do need to rid yourself of the constant pink in them cheeks, you see…" Sparrow looked around and approached her, whispering in her ear "as I just burn for the flush of a lady…"
Rhiannah's face turned a deeper shade of red and Will pulled her away. "Ah, Jack, could you not at least wait for the lass to settle in before harassing her? Aye, I tell you…" he said, shaking his head mockingly. Gently kissing her hand and nodding, he excused himself back to work. "Elizabeth is downstairs, I believe…perhaps you're better suited in her presence," he added, staring back at Sparrow.
Sparrow scoffed his remark and saluted Rhiannah with a thrust of his bottle in the air before returning to the wheel, himself.
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Rhiannah wandered around the ship in what seemed for endless hours, familiaring herself with the various rooms and passages.
She eventually found herself up by the helm, feeling rather lonely, silently observing Jack sail.
"Ahoy there, lassie," he called back to her without turning around to observe her presence. "Care t' join me up front here, or are ye just fixin' to stare?"
Rhiannah walked up to him silently, continuing to look out in front of the boat. "Where are you heading?"
Jack shrugged carelessly. "Don't know." He quietly slipped his left arm around her back and pulled her coyly in front of him and the wheel, pressing his body closer. "Where are you heading?" he whispered roughly behind her ear, his breath tickling inside it.
Rhiannah freed herself from his grasp again and stood freely next to him, still gazing ahead. "You don't need to touch me every time I come near," she spoke plainly, ignoring his smirking glance.
Jack swayed slightly, taking a careless swig from his bottle. "Of course I don't need to touch you, lassie, I want to touch you," he slurred gently.
"Why?" Rhiannah silently questioned her own question after spoken, but listened despite it.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Why?" He turned to her, leaving one arm on the wheel. "I'll tell you why, m'lady, you see...I'm a pirate," he stated drunkenly, continuing on. "I'm a pirate, you see, and I like things that shine." He tipped his chin up slightly and looked down at her, swiftly grabbing one of her hands into his own and lifting it up in front of them both, twisting it so her palm laid flat against his. "I like things that glow, like your skin," he drunkenly gestured to their hands, still pressed against each other firmly in front of them. Her radiant, bronze skin contrasted dramatically with his worn, tanned hand. "I like things that glow, and I like things that shine," he continued, dropping her hand and gently raising her chin with a finger to look into her eyes. "I like thinks…things that shine, like..."
"My eyes," Rhiannah finished softly, staring back into his intently.
Jack barely waited a split second before kissing her violently, continuing to grasp the side of her face until they parted to breathe. Rhiannah pulled away, realizing what she had just allowed. Although feeling flustered inside, she turned slowly, beginning to leave. "I must be needed elsewhere, by now..." she mumbled quietly, smoothing her hair down and making her way
to the stairs.
Jack watched silently, only breaking his gaze to finish off his bottle of rum. "And I get what I want," he quipped softly, swaying steadily back to the wheel.