Last for the virgin prompt. :) Starring Bachina.
Honesty
They stand on the hill in the starlight, hand in sweaty hand. Her heart surges forward and pulls back. Each surge is stronger than the last and fills her head with water and soft silly foam. He takes a deep breath, thin nostrils flaring and touches her cheek that with a hard callused hand that smells like salt and sun.
"Are you a virgin?" he asks, voice soft. They had told her to say no. That pirates will always take what belongs to others. She's never been able to lie, not even when it might hurt. So she smiles and ducks her head and says:
"Yes."
***
The baby is sick and squalling. The new doctor, whip-thin and nervous—a refugee from an island flattened by cruel men. She rocks the child in her arms and looks at him with tired eyes.
"You're not the pirate's woman, are you?" he asks from the open doorway. "I won't do anything for pirates."
She bites the inside of her lip and slowly nods, then winces as the door slams. She's never been able to lie, even when she should.
Her head is pounding, her tongue is swollen and her body feels like cast iron, creaking with fever. Outside she can hear the irritated noises of the villagers, doors slam and people shout. It's beautiful.
They told her to tell him to stop. They told her it isn't good for anyone.
He comes in, smiling at her with glassy eyes. Her own eyes smart and sting. She reaches up and touches his cheek, brown and smooth. She will miss him most.
"The pirates are coming," he says. "They really are! You believe me, right?"
She's never been able to lie. Even when it does hurt. She smiles and says:
"Of course."