Alex gazed out the cracked window pane of the Black Friday, the jagged slivers of the cobweb-patterned glass obscuring her view of the smoky blue-grey ocean. She didn't start or even turn her head as the door to the room slams shut, announcing Vice Admiral Stone's presence. Or rather, Captain Orion Peril's presence.
"It's manners to acknowledge and welcome a guest." He chided, crossing the room and settling himself cross-legged in a leather-padded chair, his entire manner conceited and haughty. He observed her over interlocked finger-tips, his face pensive and eyes hooded and unreadable. There was an undercurrent of danger surging behind his small smirk and challenging gaze. Alex chose to ignore it and told him in no uncertain terms what he could do with his manners. Peril chuckled in amusement.
"Very original; I'll grant that." Alex rolled her eyes and turned back to staring listlessly the bleak ocean behind her. Her disregard and total insolence towards the cursed Captain of the Black Friday seemed to make something in his demeanour snap. Leaping out of his chair, he manhandled it with ease, flinging it across the room at Alex. It missed by inches and completely obliterated the already shattered window, showering Alex with glass, but she gazed at him blankly, unflinchingly. Underneath her calm exterior, Alex's mind was racing. What did the Vice Admiral think he was doing? Had he been drinking? Was he always like this? Is it an act; a joke?
"I don't know what I've done to you, but know this. Whatever you do to me, you'll be answering not only to your Naval boss, but to a very powerful landowner in Africa and the throne of England." Alex threatened, trying to get the mad-man in front of her to see reason.
"Piffle," He spat, "Your pathetic acts of bravado won't work with me." He whispered in rage, his voice tight and barely more than a low hiss, his handsome features transforming into a mask of spite and malice, "No-one cares for your fate. You know as well as I that you turned your back on your family and the power it provided years ago, your rich fiancé – Lafew – isn't going to marry you now, and Sparrow surely as Hell can't be bothered giving you the time of day." He sneered. Alex shrugged apathetically.
"The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." She replied indifferently, ambiguously. Again Peril's attitude took a sudden turn. He began laughing feverishly, clutching the sides of a small writing desk for support as he doubled over in jest.
"Indeed it is," he chuckled, "But let's just say: your Jack's been on the reservation list for some time now." Captain Orion pulled a small, curved jewelled dagger from his sleeve and begun inspecting it, unconcerned. "But after today, patient old Captain Jack's wait is finally over." Alex couldn't quite reign in her thoughts and emotions before Peril saw them.
"Regretful?" He noted. "Slightly guilt ridden? What made you think you could ever hope to become a pirate anyway?" Alex just gazed at him steadily with unreadable eyes. "Damn you!" He bellowed, overturning the table in annoyance, his mood taking another turn for the worse. Papers, oil-skinned maps and glass shards sprinkled over the polished floor. He'd never been treated like this in his life, certainly not by some women dressed in breeches. In two strides he'd crossed the room to where Alex sat by the window, his dagger still in his hand. She watched with unattached interest as he advanced towards her, white-hot fury in his eyes and cold steel clasped tightly in his white-knuckled fingers. Pinning her to the wall with one powerful hand, he waved the crooked dagger - with its glinting deadly point - under her nose. His hot breath, as dry as the flames of Hell, fanned over her cool face as he hissed,
"It would give me great pleasure just to kill you now." Alex hoped he couldn't hear her heart hammering in her chest as she struggled not to squirm and recoil from his grasp. "But that would take all the fun out of it." He tried to stare her down, but Alex averted her eyes. Captain Peril placed the pointed tip of the dagger underneath her chin, and pushed it upward. A small trickle of Alex's blood seeped down the blade when she refused to lift her eyes to meet his. Unseen by Peril, Alex's hand strained behind her as she struggled to grasp any remaining shards of glass still left on the window-sill from when Peril had slammed a chair through it. She sucked in a gasp as she felt a serrated edge bite into her finger-tip. Resolutely looking at neither Peril or the window-sill, she gently wrapped her fingers around the glass shard and slowly brought her hand back to her side.
"Did you hear what I said, wench, or are you deaf as well as foolishly imprudent?"
"I'm all ears." Alex replied sarcastically. Orion withdrew the dagger from underneath her chin and observed the droplets of blood clinging to the dagger. He licked them off the hilt, grinning wolfishly, the diamond tooth gleaming in glee. When he dropped his gaze towards the dagger once more, Alex struck. With all the force she could muster she threw the deadly-sharp glass shard – like a crystalline dagger – straight for the Captain's black heart. Captain Orion's body jerked back as the glass buried itself deep into his flesh. Startled, he glanced down at the bloody stain blossoming over his shirt, his fingers clawing at the open flesh. In shock his black eyes sought out Alex's blue ones, searching, beseeching. He took a final, shuddering gasp of air. Then, inexplicably, he began laughing. His booming bellow echoed off the mahogany walls and rattled the chandelier above them. Alex drew back towards the wall, alarmed.
"You missed." He finally offered merrily after his bout of laughter was finished. He closed the gap between them once more, raising the dagger. "And by the way," he whispered, the dagger waving hypnotically in front of Alex's nose, "you throw like a girl."
So by now you're probably all wondering, 'when is this saga going to end?' I apologise for drawing out this FF. I would never have foreseen it to carry on for over 50 chapters. I will get it concluded before 100, I promise (joking; it'll be done long before then. I hope) I just don't know how to end it. Endings are always the worse bits of stories; they're so… final. I was thinking perhaps I'd do a follow-up. I don't know; I suppose I'll have to finish this one first and see where they all end up before I even consider a sequel. And maybe I'd find somewhere to put the finished product, the whole thing, not segmented into bits of chapters…I don't know. The future is a scary place.