A/N: I will try my best to always post at least one chapter a week. Thanks again to those of you who follow me and favorite the story. Please do not be afraid to leave me a review! ^^
MsRose91: Thanks so much for being the first person to review my story! I'm really happy you like it so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter and the rest! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time, except for my own original characters.
A ray of light peeked through a small vent landing itself at the corners of Clarissa's eyes. Hazel orbs began to slowly flutter open as the sun continued to bathe her skin. The brightness rendered her mildly blind for a moment, intensifying her throbbing headache. Once her vision got accustomed to the luminosity, she was able to take a look around. Loads of crates and barrels filled with supplies lay stacked on top of each other. She appeared to be inside a sort of storage room.
"Where am I?" she whispered to herself, sitting up on the wooden bench.
A strange sensation then overtook her. I'm I moving? She felt a rocking motion course through the room. If she listened closely enough, the sounds of waves splashing could be heard through the walls. She gasped becoming aware of her situation. I'm on a ship!
Memories from the night before replenished her mind. She must've been captured by those pirates. Voices were heard from above, signifying that she was below deck. I have to get out of here! However, it wasn't until this moment that she realized her hands were bound by rope. Hopelessness clouded her thoughts for it seemed her chances of escaping were minimal.
Suddenly, light footsteps were heard approaching the door. With a creak, the door swung open, revealing the Captain that was holding her prisoner and behind him stood a shorter, chubbier man in a red cap.
"Ah, so you're finally awake." His voice sounded smooth, just as she recalled from the previous night. "Aren't you lucky to be alive."
Clarissa stayed silent, but held her gaze at him, not wanting to show any fear.
"What's your name 'lass?" he questioned.
She held her tongue as he took a few steps toward her.
"Not speaking, are we?" he raised an eyebrow; "I guess I'll just have to sell that sword of yours then."
"No!" she cried out.
"Ah! There's the voice I remember." he remarked with a smirk; "Now I'll ask you one last time. What is your name?"
She looked down in defeat and murmured, "Clarissa."
"Well Clarissa, there's no need to sulk."
"Why not? I'm a prisoner of pirates, trapped against my will!" She retorted.
Her anger only expanded his good mood. "You're quite feisty. I like that."
She ignored his pervasive comment, "What do you want with me? Why am I here?"
"I seem to recall you saying I could have anything I wanted. Or did you forget?"
"But," she shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. How am I of any use to you?"
"Last night you injured one of my men, making him unable to perform some of his duties on board." He pointed his finger at Clarissa. "That's where you come in love. You are to mop the decks, polish the canons, mend the crew's clothes, and whatever other tasks I assign you with. Think of it as being indebted to us for the incident you caused."
That I caused? The nerve of this man! She kept her thoughts to herself knowing that there was no changing his mind at this point. "For how long?"
"Until your debt has been paid off and only I will be the judge of that." He crossed his arms, "Now stand up. Mr. Smee here will handle the rest."
Clarissa got off the bench, but never being on a ship before unprepared her for the swaying sensation she felt under her feet. She stumbled forward, expecting the floor, but instead was caught by a strong grip. Hook held her steady in his arms, keeping her from falling.
"Not accustomed to being out at sea I take it?" he smiled. "You'll get used to it soon enough."
Being inches away from his face, Clarissa couldn't help but take in his features. Unlike last night, she finally got a better look at him. His hair was indeed black and his face was covered by a light scruff. But what she clearly remembered were his brilliant icy blue eyes. She didn't want to admit it, but he was quite handsome. Then she noticed something strange happening to her. Her heartbeat increased and she could feel her face burning up.
Before her nervousness could become evident, she took a step back and held out her hands. "Untie me, please."
"As long as you promise to behave."
She rolled her eyes, "Yes."
Hook freed her hands, dropping the rope on the floor. He turned around and opened the door, motioning for Clarissa to follow. Seeing as she didn't have a choice, she followed him through the door with Mr. Smee close behind. The long corridor they were in led them to a small staircase which stopped at a large door. When Hook opened the door, Clarissa gasped at what she saw.
"Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger Miss Clarissa." exclaimed Hook.
She was on the main deck of the ship. The sky was a beautiful shade of blue and the ocean was only a few shades darker. The sails blended into the sky, almost as if they were giant white clouds. The deck was both large in length and width giving the crew enough space to roam around as they fulfilled their duties.
"Mr. Smee!" he called to the red hated man, "I'll leave it to you to finish showing her the ship and where she'll be working."
"Aye Captain!" he saluted.
Once Hook left the two alone, Mr. Smee directed Clarissa to follow him as he gave her a tour of the grand ship. On the main deck, they walked around from the bow to the rear. When they went below deck, Mr. Smee pointed out the gun deck which was where most of the canons were held. He also revealed where the crew slept, ate, and some of the other important storage compartments. The final stop they made was by the stern of the ship. Two gorgeously carved doors stood before them. The wood used for the doors were much nicer than the other parts of the ship.
"This is the Captain's private quarters." Mr. Smee affirmed. "You are only allowed inside if the Captain summons you. Do you understand?"
She nodded, "Yes."
"Good. Well that's it. Now follow me miss and I'll show you where you can start your labor."
Back on the main deck, Mr. Smee found a bucket filled with soapy water and a rectangular-shaped brush. He led her to an empty spot by the front of the ship.
"You shouldn't be in anyone's way here. You can start by scrubbing the railings until you've managed to get most of the gunk off." Mr. Smee explained, but he looked at the blonde girl's saddened expression and couldn't help but feel a little sympathy toward her. "If you need anything miss, do not be afraid to ask me for help."
"Thank you." She smiled at him. It was the first small speck of kindness that she had received since being aboard the ship.
Clarissa looked down at the wooden railings covered in filth and with a heavy sigh she began her work. Why did this happen to me? Why am I cursed with such bad luck? I wanted to go on a grand adventure and instead ended up as a prisoner. As she scrubbed, she tried her hardest not to let the tears that were clouding her vision slip through. She didn't want to cry in front of these men. She didn't want to make herself look weaker than she already was. Thinking back to her village, she wondered what her best friend Aurora would do in this situation.
With strong restrain Clarissa continued her job without a tear. She made her way from the top of the railings and worked herself down. She sat on the ground scrubbing firmly, ridding the dirt from between the railings and the floor.
"Well look who we have here…"
Clarissa sucked in her breath. She recognized that voice from the night before. Turning her head, she saw a familiar yellow grin with missing teeth. Her stomach twisted as fear started to consume her.
"I bet you remember me, don't ya?"
She stared down the man that harassed her in Port Rosewell. His hand was bandaged up, but three fingers could be clearly seen missing. She looked away from him, not wanting to get involved and cause another incident. Maybe if I ignore him, he'll go away. she prayed.
"No longer can you think of yourself all high and mighty for you are a prisoner of pirates now, merely a slave to us. It's a fitting post for a low-life whore as yourself." He kicked the bucket down, spilling the water all over Clarissa. She quickly stood up, but it was too late. She was drenched in water, especially her dress, making it even heavier on her. The man laughed loudly to himself seeing the damage he'd done.
"Pig."
The word left her mouth before she could think and it only took a few seconds for a hand to wrap itself around her throat.
"What did you call me wench?! You may have gotten the best of me last night, but I can still kill you on this bloody ship."
His grip around her throat tightened and Clarissa found herself struggling to breathe. Her hands helplessly clawed at the one enclosed around her neck.
"Let her go mate." A sturdy voice commanded. "That's an order."
The man's finger's loosened and Clarissa fell to the ground, gasping for air. With a hand on her chest, she looked up and saw her savior. It was the Captain himself.
"Captain, this wench deserves a far worse punishment. She –"
Hook didn't let him finish as he grabbed him roughly by the collar. "Let me tell you again how it works on my ship. I make the demands and you follow them or you can walk the plank!" His words were coated in a dark tone, even making Clarissa shiver.
The commotion on deck got the attention of the rest of the crew members on board and so he turned to the rest of the men. "That goes for all of you as well! This woman will now be travelling with us until I say so. If I find out that any of you have given her any trouble, I will send you to Davy Jones' Locker! Do I make myself clear?"
"Aye Captain!" shouted the crew.
Clarissa gazed at Hook in amazement. His very presence demanded respect and the power he held caused his crew to not only admire him, but fear him as well.
"Are you alright?" he asked while offering his hand.
She took his aid and slowly stood back up. "Yes, thank you."
"You can now rest assured that no member of my crew will harm you."
Although Clarissa didn't trust the crew, somehow his words still managed to relax her. Hook went back below deck, but Mr. Smee approached her.
"Here you go miss," He handed her a clean rag in order to dry herself.
"Thanks,"
Minutes turned into hours as Clarissa carried on with her cleaning. No one bothered her as she circled around the deck. The once blue sky was now replaced by a dark blanket of stars. Her hands ached and the darkness barely allowed her to see the railings. How much longer do I have to stay out here?
"Miss!"
Clarissa saw a red cap coming her way. "Yes Mr. Smee?"
"The Captain invites you to dine with him tonight."
She was taken aback by the sudden request. Clarissa took a moment to rack through her brain to figure out her best option. She didn't particularly want to dine with the man that held her prisoner; she didn't want to give him the satisfaction. However, denying him could make her experience on the ship even worse. He did come to her rescue today, after all. What do I do? Her stomach grumbled, answering the question for her. She was starving and if she was going to live her days running errands around the ship, she would need all the strength she could get.
She nodded, "Alright."
Remembering the tour Mr. Smee gave her this morning, she carefully made her way toward the stern where the large crafted doors stood. She quickly knocked on the door, denying any chance to talk herself out of going to dinner.
"Come in."
Listening to the voice inside, she opened the door which revealed to her a very extravagant room. The room had everything she pictured a Captain's quarters to have. A desk covered in an assortment of scrolls and maps was positioned to the left of the room. Next to it was a large bookshelf packed with novels and across the room was a large comfortable looking bed. A beautiful golden chandelier hung in the center of the room, providing most of the light.
Hook sat in a chair by the dinning table which was situated by a large window. "It's so nice of you to join me Clarissa, please have a seat. You must be starving."
Clarissa nearly drooled from looking at the all the food placed on the long dinning table. There was a large portion of pork and chicken, cheeses, bread, fruits, and vegetables. She hadn't seen this much food in a while. Before her stomach had the chance to growl again, she swiftly sat down and served herself a little of everything. Using her fork and knife, she dug into her plate without saying a word.
"Someone was hungry…" Hook commented mainly to himself.
In a silver goblet, Hook served her a cup of rum. He watched in surprise as she took it from his hands, mumbled a 'thank you', and gulped it down along with the rest of her food. He'd never seen someone eat so fast before and still maintain their manners.
As Clarissa continued filling her stomach, she thought about how nice it would be to lie down and sleep after this meal. She had a grueling first day and all she wanted to do was go to bed. But then she suddenly realized she had no idea where that would be.
She took another sip from the goblet before asking. "Excuse me, but where will I be sleeping?"
"Let's see…since I don't think you'd enjoy sleeping with the crew, you can sleep in the storage room." Hook's body language suddenly turned mischievous as he gave her a wink. "Unless you'd prefer to sleep in my private quarters?"
"The storage room is fine." Clarissa answered rapidly while getting back to eating. She didn't look at him, hiding her slight blush, hoping he couldn't tell that his comments were having an effect on her.
Hook used her silence to serve himself some more rum. He eyed her intriguingly. She was a strange women and Hook would be lying if he didn't admit he was somewhat curious to learn more about her.
"Were you running away from home?"
This made her stop. "I beg your pardon?"
"Your bag gives the impression that you were trying to escape." He stated. After bringing the girl onto his ship, he searched through the bag she had been carrying with her. He found money, food, and extra clothes; all inclining toward that she was running away from something.
"You looked through my personal belongings?!" shouted Clarissa.
Hook laughed, "What else would you expect from a pirate, love?"
"Why do you even care?"
He shrugged, "I'm just curious to know why a young girl would be by herself at that hour."
"Woman." She corrected. She didn't want to be treated like some lost little girl.
"Woman." Hook repeated with a smirk.
This isn't just a dinner. It's an interrogation. Clarissa knew there had to be another for this kind gesture. "Well it's not any of your business."
"Considering that you will be traveling on my ship for awhile, I think it's plenty my business."
Seeing no way of avoiding the question, she sighed. "I wasn't running away."
"Then what were you doing?"
"I left my home because there was nothing left for me there… I wanted to start fresh and go on an adventure." Clarissa looked down at her semi-empty plate, suddenly loosing the appetite to finish the rest of her meal. A few seconds of silence passed until she decided to stand up. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to excuse myself; I've had a very exhausting day. Thank you for dinner Captain."
Hook saw the way her expression fell and for a moment he felt sorry for her. But as she headed toward the door to leave, a thought struck his mind.
"Wait,"
He walked over to his desk and picked up an item on the floor. Clarissa looked at him inquisitively until she could see what he was bringing toward her. A smile beamed on her face as she took the sword in its sheath from Hook's hand.
"This belongs to you."
She held the sword to her chest, hugging it tightly. "Thank you." She gave Hook another smile, "Thank you so much."
With one final look at Hook, Clarissa turned back around and exited the room. She tried her best to find her way back to the storage room through the dimly lit corridors. Eventually she arrived and opened the door. She managed to find a blanket and pillow in one of the supply crates. Positioning herself as best as she could on the bench, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the sword, letting herself get the rest she deserved.
