For some reason, I had a ton of fun writing this chapter xD Even if I did feel like Barbossa's slipping out of character D= Oh well, enjoy anyway xD

P.S. Pretend for the sake of this chapter that fireplaces existed on pirate ships. Kthanks.

...

Chapter 10

Barbossa didn't explain himself until three nights later. By that time, Pocahontas was forced to accept the blankets provided out of what her captor called compassion. She knew she would get sick if she didn't, but she still felt disgusted as she wrapped the wool around her. Accepting the blankets meant that she accepted that she was totally at Barbossas' control – and that Jack wasn't coming for her.

She was left pretty much alone, except when some of the crew would deliver foul food and water from the kitchen, vile smiles on their faces. She hardly touched those, either. Barbossa was clearly making a half-hearted effort to keep her alive, but why?

That night, the fog cleared up. Pocahontas sat in her window seat, welcoming the stars back. Strange white blocks floated by. It was now so cold she had been obliged to light a fire in the cabin, though she still kept a blanket. The flickering warmth made her sleepy.

An icy chill creeping across her cheek woke her at once. She snapped her head up to see two of the crewmembers, Pintell and Ragetti, walk into the room. Ragetti held something concealed behind his back.

"The Captain wishes you dine with him tonight," he said. "And wear this." He revealed a light blue dress, nothing at all like what she was accustomed to.

"Why?" she tore her eyes away from the dress to look at him. "Can't I wear what I'm wearing now?"

"It's either this, or naked with the crew." Pintell leered.

She needed no deliberation. She snatched the dress out of Ragettis' filthy hands. They left, faces fallen. It took a while for her to figure out the yards of fabric and rows of buttons, but eventually she managed to get the dress on more or less the right way. When she was finished, she opened the door and stepped into the dining room – unlike Jacks' cabin on the Pearl, Barbossas' cabin was comprised of two rooms: one for sleeping and one for eating.

The table was laid for two, but with so much food that it might have been meant for four or more. Barbossa sat at the head, opposite the door. The flickering light from the fireplace lent his craggy face an eerier quality than usual. He stood and smiled in clearly what he thought was a gentlemanly manner. He pulled out the chair next to him, "Sit, my dear." She crossed the room and sat, suppressing a shudder. He settled back in his chair as one of the crew materialized beside her and poured her a glass of red wine. Another did the same for Barbossa. They filled the china plates, and left the cabin. Barbossa started eating with relish, but Pocahontas found herself picking at her food. Everything looked – and certainly smelled – delicious, but she was wary of –

"It's not poisoned, m'dear, if that's what you be thinkin'," Barbossa looked up from his chicken, amusement in his cold eyes. "Would I touch a bite if it were?" For some reason, that obscurely comforted her, and she picked up her fork again.

For a while, they ate in silence. The pirate was totally relaxed, and the Native American his antithesis, edgy and coiled up tight. She was thirsty but didn't reach for the wine. Instinctively, she wanted her racing mind all together.

"I s'pose you're wonderin' why we're sittin' down to a meal like this, eh?" Barbossa asked, leaning back in his chair and clasping his hands behind his head. His plate had been cleaned, while hers was still half-full; not out of a lack of hunger, but because her insides were clenched with tension. When she nodded, he answered, "Well, let it not be said that Captain Barbossa runs an uncivilized ship! Also, I thought that dress might go well with that necklace o' yours." Her hand flew to her neck and she clutched the shells instinctively. It had been her mothers' most precious possession, and that made it special to Pocahontas, too.

Barbossa chuckled. "I'm not out fer your necklace, girl, keep it."

"Then what do you want?" Again, the question was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"To be a god." He laughed at the astonished look on her face. He got up and walked to the window, examining the night ocean gliding by with his hands behind his back.

"When Jack shot me after the curse was lifted," he continued, "I died, in a way. The darkness surrounded me, I saw the light at the end o' the tunnel. I stepped towards it but somethin' stood in my way. Turns out the somethin' was a god by the name o' Loki. He told me, 'I can give you life again, immortal life, without the torture of a curse.'"

Pocahontas gasped a little. She had never heard of this Loki, but she knew that gods, whether or not they were hers, weren't to be messed with.

"'How?' says I. This god needed a favor o' sorts. There's this thing called Ragnarok, seems like it's comin' up soon. This ship, Naglfar, needs to be brought back to its' rightful owners, which would be the giants. But there's a deadline, see. I had to find the ship and return it to the giants' Northern homeland, 'by the time Hati devoured the moon and the skies lit blue,' he told me. In exchange for Naglfar, he would grant me the Pearl, which was rightfully mine to begin with, and the powers of the ocean. I would be immortal, like a god, lording over the ocean like the dread pirate I already am. I told him I would, and we shook on it, and, well," Barbossa turned from the window to look at her, "Here I am."

"What," Pocahontas asked slowly, "exactly, is Ragnarok?"

"Somethin' about the end of the world." He smirked at her.

"But what would be the point of having divine power if the world's just going to end? There wouldn't be anything left."

"See, that's where you're wrong, m'dear. As a god, I'll have the power to endure, create my own world. Imagine! All the gold in the universe, for my takin'! And you, as my queen. Ruling the empty world together."

Pocahontas couldn't leap up, per say, due to the heavy dress, but she could stand up rather fast. The chair fell with a clatter behind her. "You're crazy," she breathed, her heart pounding.

"Ar, I thought you'd say somethin' like that," Barbossa sighed. "Perhaps in time you'll learn to accept your fate. Accept me." The only thing Pocahontas could do in reply was shake her head as her eyes filled with tears. She fled into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

...

I'm sorry for the cliche "we shall rule together" thing, but Barbossa has to get lonely sometimes too, doesn't he? =P Thanks for reading! Next chapter's on the way!