Chapter 3
Thalia couldn't cry anymore she had let out all her tears last night. "Why did I ever bargain to this?" she thought to herself. She buttoned the shirt up and walked around the cabin. It was covered in oddities, seashells, maps, unloaded guns, silver and gold trinkets and odd bolts of cloth. All of these things obviously from ships that the Black Pearl had looted. She glanced at a few random scraps of paper with writing on them. Her mum had taught her to read and write when she was little, "You'll get a better job if you know how to read and write." She had said. Her mom was hoping that Thalia could make a good governess or nanny for a well-to-do English family once they had reached Port Royal. She pushed the memories away from her. What good had all that school time done her in the end anyway? She was now the private whore of, she was sure, one of the worst pirates in the Caribbean, no, the entire ocean. Thalia picked up one of the pieces of paper she realized that it was a page torn from a book. The words touched her imagination as she read them, "With a host of furious fancy's of which I am commander. With a burning spear and a horse of air, to the wilderness I wander. In a night of ghosts and legends I am summoned eternally, ten leagues beyond the wide worlds end. Me thinks it is no journey." She touched the words with her thumb and thought out loud, "Why on earth does a scurvy pirate like Jack Sparrow have this in his room?" "The Captain is just full of surprises." Said a female voice behind her. Thalia whipped around and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Thalia thought this woman one of the most beautiful she had ever seen, her skin was warm brown, with beautiful black eyes and long black hair. The woman raised her eye brow at Thalia and said, "My name's Anna Maria and I brought your vittles fer ya." She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Captain said that you would rather 'ave a woman bring 'em to ya." She walked over to the little table that Thalia had been standing next to and dropped the plate of bread, fruit and coffee so thick it might have been a solid. "Thank you Anna Maria. I thought that I was the only woman on board." Thalia muttered not looking up at the taller woman standing next to her. "Well ya might be if we ever find a bloody ship fer me ta Captain for meself." Anna Maria noticed the aversion from her eyes. She looked down at the small plain woman next to her and said, "Ya can't 'ave been broken in one night girl. Yer supposed ta be one of The Shark Baits fancy strumpets aren't ya?" Thalia looked up quickly and Anna Maria said, "Jack's good. But 'e ain't that good." Anna Maria folded her arms over her chest and winked at Thalia. Thalia had no idea what to think about this woman, she was a pirate Captain in her own right, and she wasn't the least afraid of Jack Sparrow. Some of Thalia's own confidence came back to her, seeping in slowly. She looked up at Anna Maria and said, "He could be the worst lover in the world but I wouldn't know," she dropped her voice slightly, "He was my first." "Yer what?" Anna Maria said startled. "Are ya deaf? I said he was my first." Thalia snapped back. Anna Maria looked at Thalia for a moment then laughed, Thalia scowled at Anna Maria. "Why does everyone think that this is funny?" Thalia asked Anna looked at Thalia's face and stopped laughing, but she couldn't hide the mirth behind her dark eyes. "I'm sorry girl. I couldn' help meself. You see," Anna grinned, "'e was my first too." Thalia looked up at the woman and said, "And your still here with him? How can ya stand him?" "What's wrong widh him?" Anna Maria jerked her eyebrow up at Thalia. "He's a drunken, cruel, murdering scallywag." Thalia said, "He has no feelin' or morals or." "Now wait a tick 'ere girl." Anna interrupted "Ya can't go around saying that about t'e Captain. 'e's a pirate, what were ya expecting? A gentleman? Get a grip girl. 'e's a whole lot better than most of the other dogs in these waters and that's a fact." "Then why is he keepin' me locked down here then?" Thalia asked indignantly. "I suspect cuz he don't want ta see ya harmed." Anna said back shortly. "Dis boat is full of men with hearts darker then the Captain's." "Then why aren't they captaining the ship?" "Because Jack has a bigger brain ya daft woman." Anna snapped. "I've got to get back ta my duties girl." Anna walked back toward the door and said before closing and locking it behind her, "'e's a black hearted pirate, but at least he still has a heart." After Anna Maria had left Thalia had looked at the bread and fruit and tried to choke down the coffee than was sickly sweet and so full of grounds that she nearly had to chew. She really wasn't hungry. She sat watching the sun roll around the sky. Until around late afternoon her door opened again. Thalia stood and watched Captain Jack Sparrow enter the room holding the scrap of paper that had gotten her into this mess. She watched Jack move through the cabin walking over to the table, which still held her meal. "Not hungry?" Jack asked grinning at her. "No." she said flatly. "Suite yourself." Jack shrugged and pushed the plate aside. He slapped down the map and said, "Come here." Thalia stood fixed to the floor before Jack strutted over to her and gripping her arms said, "For fuck sake woman I'm not going to hurt you! Right now I just really want you to read the bloody map." Thalia flinched as he gripped her. "Ya already hurt me ya bastard. So there's no use in making pointless promises."
Jack's grip tightened and he said very low, "If you knew me better you would know that I never make pointless promises." Thalia glared defiantly into Jacks gold brown eyes and he continued, "I won't say I'm sorry. Cuz I'm not but if you had told me I might have made it easier on you. I prefer it when the lass is screaming my name rather than crying."
After he said those last few words the defiance drained out of her face, replaced by a cold numbness she had found in herself. She pulled herself out of his hands and walked over to the map lying flat on the table she looked down at it and then looking back at Jack said, "I'll read your map but I want ta be let out of this bloody cabin! It's not fair that ya keep me locked in here!" "Look luv, none of this has anything to do with being fair. I keep you locked in here because I didn't think that ya fancied the possibility of gettin' gang rapped by the crew!" "Anna Maria walks around by herself and she's far prettier than me." Thalia said. "Aye but Anna Maria has chalked up quite a body count in her time. Most men would be out of their minds to try to gang up on her." "Because she'd kill them?" Thalia asked hotly. "Aye but also because I would." Jack answered very coldly. "And you couldn't do that for me? Forbid yer crew ta touch me on pain of death?" Thalia said furiously. "You can only hold fear over a crew so far before men start to grumble and then mutiny." Jack stepped toward the table, "Believe me luv I know, and if I let you prance about in your undergarments and no man allowed to touch you there will be trouble." He paused to look into her eyes. "So I keep you in here. Out of sight out of mind sort of like." Thalia was silent as she absorbed the truth behind his words. But she said firmly, "I still want ta go out on deck sometime." "Well, we'll see how well your reading skills are and I'll see what I can do." He half smiled at her. Thalia nodded and sat down looking at the map, Jack leaning over her. Thalia could feel Jack's hand slid over the chair and begin playing with one of her short brown locks but she ignored it and turning to the map turned in upside down. She ignored the surprised sound Jack made also as she turned the map around and she began to sound out the words in Greek, trying to remember all those words her mother had taught her when she was still a child and nothing happening to her now would have been dreamed possible.
Thalia couldn't cry anymore she had let out all her tears last night. "Why did I ever bargain to this?" she thought to herself. She buttoned the shirt up and walked around the cabin. It was covered in oddities, seashells, maps, unloaded guns, silver and gold trinkets and odd bolts of cloth. All of these things obviously from ships that the Black Pearl had looted. She glanced at a few random scraps of paper with writing on them. Her mum had taught her to read and write when she was little, "You'll get a better job if you know how to read and write." She had said. Her mom was hoping that Thalia could make a good governess or nanny for a well-to-do English family once they had reached Port Royal. She pushed the memories away from her. What good had all that school time done her in the end anyway? She was now the private whore of, she was sure, one of the worst pirates in the Caribbean, no, the entire ocean. Thalia picked up one of the pieces of paper she realized that it was a page torn from a book. The words touched her imagination as she read them, "With a host of furious fancy's of which I am commander. With a burning spear and a horse of air, to the wilderness I wander. In a night of ghosts and legends I am summoned eternally, ten leagues beyond the wide worlds end. Me thinks it is no journey." She touched the words with her thumb and thought out loud, "Why on earth does a scurvy pirate like Jack Sparrow have this in his room?" "The Captain is just full of surprises." Said a female voice behind her. Thalia whipped around and saw a woman standing in the doorway. Thalia thought this woman one of the most beautiful she had ever seen, her skin was warm brown, with beautiful black eyes and long black hair. The woman raised her eye brow at Thalia and said, "My name's Anna Maria and I brought your vittles fer ya." She walked in and closed the door behind her. "Captain said that you would rather 'ave a woman bring 'em to ya." She walked over to the little table that Thalia had been standing next to and dropped the plate of bread, fruit and coffee so thick it might have been a solid. "Thank you Anna Maria. I thought that I was the only woman on board." Thalia muttered not looking up at the taller woman standing next to her. "Well ya might be if we ever find a bloody ship fer me ta Captain for meself." Anna Maria noticed the aversion from her eyes. She looked down at the small plain woman next to her and said, "Ya can't 'ave been broken in one night girl. Yer supposed ta be one of The Shark Baits fancy strumpets aren't ya?" Thalia looked up quickly and Anna Maria said, "Jack's good. But 'e ain't that good." Anna Maria folded her arms over her chest and winked at Thalia. Thalia had no idea what to think about this woman, she was a pirate Captain in her own right, and she wasn't the least afraid of Jack Sparrow. Some of Thalia's own confidence came back to her, seeping in slowly. She looked up at Anna Maria and said, "He could be the worst lover in the world but I wouldn't know," she dropped her voice slightly, "He was my first." "Yer what?" Anna Maria said startled. "Are ya deaf? I said he was my first." Thalia snapped back. Anna Maria looked at Thalia for a moment then laughed, Thalia scowled at Anna Maria. "Why does everyone think that this is funny?" Thalia asked Anna looked at Thalia's face and stopped laughing, but she couldn't hide the mirth behind her dark eyes. "I'm sorry girl. I couldn' help meself. You see," Anna grinned, "'e was my first too." Thalia looked up at the woman and said, "And your still here with him? How can ya stand him?" "What's wrong widh him?" Anna Maria jerked her eyebrow up at Thalia. "He's a drunken, cruel, murdering scallywag." Thalia said, "He has no feelin' or morals or." "Now wait a tick 'ere girl." Anna interrupted "Ya can't go around saying that about t'e Captain. 'e's a pirate, what were ya expecting? A gentleman? Get a grip girl. 'e's a whole lot better than most of the other dogs in these waters and that's a fact." "Then why is he keepin' me locked down here then?" Thalia asked indignantly. "I suspect cuz he don't want ta see ya harmed." Anna said back shortly. "Dis boat is full of men with hearts darker then the Captain's." "Then why aren't they captaining the ship?" "Because Jack has a bigger brain ya daft woman." Anna snapped. "I've got to get back ta my duties girl." Anna walked back toward the door and said before closing and locking it behind her, "'e's a black hearted pirate, but at least he still has a heart." After Anna Maria had left Thalia had looked at the bread and fruit and tried to choke down the coffee than was sickly sweet and so full of grounds that she nearly had to chew. She really wasn't hungry. She sat watching the sun roll around the sky. Until around late afternoon her door opened again. Thalia stood and watched Captain Jack Sparrow enter the room holding the scrap of paper that had gotten her into this mess. She watched Jack move through the cabin walking over to the table, which still held her meal. "Not hungry?" Jack asked grinning at her. "No." she said flatly. "Suite yourself." Jack shrugged and pushed the plate aside. He slapped down the map and said, "Come here." Thalia stood fixed to the floor before Jack strutted over to her and gripping her arms said, "For fuck sake woman I'm not going to hurt you! Right now I just really want you to read the bloody map." Thalia flinched as he gripped her. "Ya already hurt me ya bastard. So there's no use in making pointless promises."
Jack's grip tightened and he said very low, "If you knew me better you would know that I never make pointless promises." Thalia glared defiantly into Jacks gold brown eyes and he continued, "I won't say I'm sorry. Cuz I'm not but if you had told me I might have made it easier on you. I prefer it when the lass is screaming my name rather than crying."
After he said those last few words the defiance drained out of her face, replaced by a cold numbness she had found in herself. She pulled herself out of his hands and walked over to the map lying flat on the table she looked down at it and then looking back at Jack said, "I'll read your map but I want ta be let out of this bloody cabin! It's not fair that ya keep me locked in here!" "Look luv, none of this has anything to do with being fair. I keep you locked in here because I didn't think that ya fancied the possibility of gettin' gang rapped by the crew!" "Anna Maria walks around by herself and she's far prettier than me." Thalia said. "Aye but Anna Maria has chalked up quite a body count in her time. Most men would be out of their minds to try to gang up on her." "Because she'd kill them?" Thalia asked hotly. "Aye but also because I would." Jack answered very coldly. "And you couldn't do that for me? Forbid yer crew ta touch me on pain of death?" Thalia said furiously. "You can only hold fear over a crew so far before men start to grumble and then mutiny." Jack stepped toward the table, "Believe me luv I know, and if I let you prance about in your undergarments and no man allowed to touch you there will be trouble." He paused to look into her eyes. "So I keep you in here. Out of sight out of mind sort of like." Thalia was silent as she absorbed the truth behind his words. But she said firmly, "I still want ta go out on deck sometime." "Well, we'll see how well your reading skills are and I'll see what I can do." He half smiled at her. Thalia nodded and sat down looking at the map, Jack leaning over her. Thalia could feel Jack's hand slid over the chair and begin playing with one of her short brown locks but she ignored it and turning to the map turned in upside down. She ignored the surprised sound Jack made also as she turned the map around and she began to sound out the words in Greek, trying to remember all those words her mother had taught her when she was still a child and nothing happening to her now would have been dreamed possible.