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I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean, Disney does. I only own the characters who weren't in the movies. You know, the ones I made up.
"Breakfast."
The gruff voice, and the sound of a cell door opening are sounds I'd grown accustom to waking up to in the morning. Breakfast usually wasn't different, either…unless the captain was in a good mood. This was rare, now that he realized if he inflicted anymore harm on the Admiral, he'd most likely die before we got to the island…which was only a day away.
The punishment the Admiral received only two days ago wasn't so brutal, but was indeed harsh. He was tied to the main mast for an entire day, deprived of food and drink, and had a bit of ocean water splashed on his wounds. Mrs. Norrington and I were kept in the brig, and heard the poor man scream when the salt water was applied. When he was brought back to us, he couldn't speak because he was so parched, and could barely move from the lack of energy he would've received from food.
When the Admiral didn't respond to any of the taunting, or any other punishments after being tied to the mast, Davis had the ship's doctor, who is in fact a pirate, examine him. This is when the doctor told Davis if he wanted the Admiral to live until we got to the island, he wouldn't be able to inflict anymore physical punishment on him. Though the Admiral's health is grave, it was a relief to both me and Mrs. Norrington that the Admiral at least wouldn't be able to be physically hurt anymore, while aboard this ship.
"I said, breakfast!" The man said louder, upon receiving no response.
I continued pretending to be asleep, not wanting to even look at the rubbish they served to us as food. I heard Mrs. Norrington thank the man, who pretty much growled in reply.
"Is the lad alright? He's not moving this morning. Captain doesn't want to kill the Cabin Boy, just yet."
"I believe he's fine, Sir. He stayed up, helping me clean the Admiral's wounds." she mumbled.
"Hmph." he said, walking away.
"Please, Sir." she begged.
At this, I cracked my eyes open just a tad, still not wanting to be seen awake. Mrs. Norrington had crawled over to the cell door, which the man was holding closed.
"Please, can we have a small scrap of clothing, anything, to cover my husband's back? I fear infection will capture him before we reach the island. He…" she broke off here, lowering her voice. "He may die before we get there, if he gets an infection."
The pirate considered her for a moment, before looking over at the sleeping Admiral. A poor sight he was, too. Dry blood covered his face, back and chest, and there were even a few blotches on his limbs. He merited two black eyes, and his bottom lip was split near the center. What was the most concerning, though, was his back, which was covered in open flesh wounds, and welts from being whipped by rope and lashed with an actual whip.
"Alright." The man whispered, taking off his dark brown leathery vest. "This should block out some of the infection, but just this alone isn't going to block it out completely. I'll fetch you a fresh bucket of water, and rags. I'm sure the captain won't mind, if he wants his hostage to live long enough for him to finish him off." he added grimly.
"Thank you, Sir." she said softly, gently taking the vest from the man through the bars.
When the man walked away, she crawled back over to her husband, her belly having grown large and making it difficult for her to walk. I watched in curiosity as she began slipping the vest on him, and he woke while she was in the process. With her help, the Admiral was able to sit up long enough for the vest to be put on, before he leaned back against the cell wall.
"I'm not going to die." he whispered, pulling her sideways between his sprawled legs.
"You were awake the whole time, weren't you? You listened to your wife beg like a street rat." she whispered, her voice cracking.
"The pain wakes me early." he said, also whispering, as he nuzzled her jaw weakly.
I watched the two share a kiss…long, tender, but weak as well. They broke apart for a few moments, seemingly catching their breaths, then went right back at it. He cupped her face gently with his rough, shaking hands, and she rubbed his upper chest, though trying not to touch a bruised area at the same time. When they broke apart again, Mrs. Norrington was crying. The Admiral did his best to calm her, by whispering things I couldn't hear from my position, and rubbing her back in slow, long strokes. When this didn't work, he placed lingering kisses all along her face, jaw, and neck.
She cried harder, but quietly, and stopped his treatments to her so she could do the same for him. She kissed all over his face and neck, and even some of the bruised and tender areas, crying all the while she did this for him.
I think she could feel that he was dying.
It finally got to the point that her breathing became labored, she was crying so hard, and had to stop kissing him so she could try to regain her breath. So, the Admiral just held her close as she tucked her head beneath his chin, and he whispered softly to her, trying to calm her. By the time she had calmed, the pirate that had given her his vest was back with a bucket of water. Mrs. Norrington slowly crawled out of the Admiral's lap, and helped the man flip him over on his stomach so they could clean the wounds on his back, once they'd removed the vest, of course.
"Why are you helping us?" Mrs. Norrington asked the man quietly.
"I'm not. Captain wants me to make sure Norrington stays alive." he growled.
They said nothing after that.
"Land ho!"
I opened my eyes slowly, wincing at the pain in my head, and everywhere else, as I tried to figure out if I'd heard a shout or not.
"Did you hear something?" I whispered to my wife.
"Someone shouted 'land ho'." she mumbled.
Oliver sat up when she'd said these words, his hopes confirmed. "Land!" he exclaimed. "This is our chance!"
"No, it isn't." I snapped, the pain having gotten to me long ago, causing my voice to be sharper than intended. "Do you think we're just going to run, lad? I can hardly move, and my wife can just barely walk. Do you even have a plan?"
He shook his head, and sank back against the floor, his ambition dashed. "I'm afraid I do have some bad news, though." he whispered.
I furrowed my brows.
He slowly dragged his gaze over to us. "That day, when I came running in here with your food, and I told you nothing was wrong…I was lying. I'd overheard some of the crew when I was readying to leave the galley. They'd overheard the captain talking to his first mate. They said, when we reach the island, they're going to finish you off…starting with Mrs. Norrington."
I felt fear, and rage, fill my body. "Why didn't you…"
"I didn't want to tell you! I thought if I told you, you wouldn't eat…and I must stress that a pregnant woman must eat, because she's feeding her baby, not just herself." he paused. "They aren't certain how Davis is going to do it. He said something about a waterfall, or a cliff, of some sort."
I was about to reply, when five men walked up and filed into our little cell. Two grabbed Oliver by the arms, and escorted him roughly out of the cell. One stepped forward and helped Chrissy to her feet, and made off with her as well. Two men had to help me up, allowing me to put my arms about their shoulders for support, and walked me up to the deck as well.
Once there, I found that Chrissy, Oliver, and Davis were already in a long boat. They only lacked me and a few of the crew.
"Is it as you remember, Mrs. Norrington?" Davis asked, mockingly.
She sneered at him, and directed her attention back to the shore of the island, where I'd washed up only a bit over a year ago. She seemed to be scanning the area, looking for anything new, or different. I did the same as well, as I draped a comforting arm about her waist. She leaned into me, but kept her flicking eyes on the island. I could feel her relief, and my own, upon finding that nothing but the damage to the shelter looked different. It seemed as though the brutal, vicious, and rage-filled pirates didn't even want to tamper with the natural beauty of the island.
After what seemed like days, we reached the shore of the island. The several boat-loads of pirates began withdrawing from the longboats, and with a bit of help from some of said pirates, we were standing on the shores, too.
As I stood on the island, my arms supporting my wife and myself leaning against a palm tree to even be able to stand, memories sprung to the front of my mind…and my heart sank thinking of the situation we're in now, and how careless and free we were then. I was a bit saddened by the condition of the shelter, and knew my wife felt the same as me, as well. The once, sturdy structure that sheltered us from the weather, and other such dangers, was gone. The supplies that it held, such as firewood, canvas for bedding and such, had probably been destroyed.
"My home." she whispered. "I lived there for ten years, James. Now it's gone."
"Yes, 'tis a sad sight, isn't it?" Davis asked, again in a mocking tone. "I can only visualize the memories you made in that place." he smirked.
I was too tired, and in too much pain, to respond or even care what was said about us anymore. Chrissy must've felt the same, for she didn't respond either.
"Well then. Gents…lady." he winked at Chrissy on the last word. "Let's get a fire going! Let's celebrate! We've got a long, and eventful day planned out, tomorrow."
I sneered at him, at the way he'd said that sentence, and the way he'd eyed my wife and I as he'd said it.
"What are you doing, just standing there?!" Davis bellowed at a few men standing off to the side. "I want these prisoners tied separately, each to their own palm tree!"
I sighed as a man gently led Chrissy away from me, and helped her sit on the sand in the shade of one of the palm trees, so another could secure her wrists and then tie them close to the base of the tree. Another two men came my way.
"Pardon me, Sirs." I said weakly. "Can I please be tied to that tree, over there, close to my wife? If I'm going to die tomorrow, I want to spend as much time with her as I can. If you'd please…" It all came out in a weak whisper.
The two men studied me for a moment, the glanced at each other, before nodding and helping me to the tree closest to my dearest. The same as Chrissy, I was helped into a sitting position, and my wrists were secured.
When they got to Oliver, however, he decided he wasn't going to have any part in allowing anyone to tie him up. He held his wrists out, like he was going to let the man secure them. When the man was close enough, and at just the right angle, Oliver drew back, and hit him full force in the nose. He spun around on his heel, and dashed away from the hands trying to grab him, and ducked into the cover of the jungle. Some of the men drew their cutlasses, preparing to go in after him. Others simply drew their pistols, some firing, some preparing to chase after him as well.
"Let him go!" Davis shouted, stopping them all in their tracks. "I doubt there's much food here…and there's most likely some large predators. He won't live long out there." he lowered his gaze to us. "Besides, I've got what I want, right here."
The sun had set hours ago, making the heat more bearable. The pirates had a small fire going, and were all gathered around it. Most of them seemed drunk. I began thinking on this, thinking of a possible escape, when I felt pain shoot between my legs and all around in my large belly. I cringed, gritting my teeth as I closed my eyes tightly.
"Are you alright?" I heard my husband ask me. "What is it?"
"M-my stomach…it…it just…" I held in a cry as another wave of pain washed over the same areas.
"Your stomach?" he sounded urgent…if not a bit panicked. "Is the baby coming?"
I shook my head. "No…but very, and I mean very, soon. Possibly within the next few hours, or tomorrow." I winced again, trying to reach out and stroke my belly, but the ropes about my wrists wouldn't allow it. I began rocking back and forth, trying to soothe the pain.
"R-remember what the midwife told you…a-about…breathing." he stammered.
"What…do you think…I'm doing…now?!" I snapped, taking small, quick breaths as I continued to rock back and forth. A small, sharp cry escaped my lips, capturing the attention of Davis and a few of the crew that weren't drunk.
"What's going on?" Davis asked in a near shout, running over to us.
"She may be going into labor! Let me near her!" I heard my husband yell.
To my surprise, Davis allowed James to be released. I felt his large hands untying my wrists, and soon I was able to rub my swollen belly, and lean back comfortably so I could breath easier. I could feel James stroking my face with one hand, and his other supporting my back.
"James, I think it's alright, now." I whispered, feeling the pain lighten.
"What did she say?" Came the uncertain voice of Davis.
"The pain has gone down." he replied softly. "She could have the baby anytime, now. Don't tie her up again, please." he begged.
I held my breath, waiting for his answer.
"I want two men standing guard, at all times." he bellowed. "I don't want them alone at all."
As Davis turned away, I peered up at my husband, and whispered so that only he could hear, "Oliver made his move, now we need to make ours. We need to plan an escape."
Well, the chapter speaks for itself. So, I don't have much to say, except, ALRIGHT OLVER!! I'll try to have the next chapter out soon! Please review! Thanks!