AN: Don't own it. Didn't beta it. Again. I really should edit more, but I am working on this fic around my Master's Class work, I do enough editing that by the time I get around to these chapters I just wanna creatively write without the major stress of spelling, grammar, APA formatting and the works. So all mistakes you find are mine…etc.

Regardless, I hope you enjoy this chapter, it gets a little darker near the end. As I warned some of you might not like my characterization of Hook at all, but it will improve (and no my stories don't develop super crazy unbelievably quickly so you will have to stick around to get there) but we will get there, in fact I already have the ending planned for whenever I get there :D

Anyway, Enjoy!

Posted: 8/21/13

Part of His World

By: Morgansgurl

Ariel tried to rest through the night, but she couldn't ease her troubled mind. Every time she felt like she was about to fall asleep, her mind would think up a new torturous scenario where she would be made to suffer. A few times it jolted her upright, her breathing hard and her heart beat erratic. On more than a few occasions she tested the strength of the shackles and chains, but the angle at which her arms were chained up made it hard to get the leverage she would need to actually break them.

The bath was far too small for her, sure it would have been large enough for two or three humans, but for a mermaid with an incredibly long tail – not so much. No matter how much she twisted and turned she couldn't quite get her fins into the water, even now she could feel the scales flaking with the annoying feeling of dried chapped lips.

She also kept worrying about the words the Captain had said. That he needed to speak to her alone. Whatever for she couldn't imagine, and the way he kept referring to her as a new pet, like he planned to keep her around for quite some time. It was unnerving. He was unsettling. It made her wish there was a window in the bathroom so she could at least judge the passing of time. Doc had said he could give her till morning; she couldn't relax not knowing how long until morning she had.

Ariel was on edge and her body ached, she was sure if given long enough she would pass out due to pure exhaustion and part of her welcomed it, if only to get a few moments rest. She was so tired that her vision was starting to blur, and one kerosene lamp had already burned out leaving her with the low eerie glow of one lamp close to flickering out as well. She couldn't even guess at how long she had been awake.

Eric had warned her that Pirates were no good. She should have listened. What would he think if he saw her now, would he think she were foolish for being caught? He would surely think her stubborn.

She tried her binds again, the clanking of the metal filling the silence of the room as water splashed over the brim of the porcelain tub. It was such an out of place lavish thing to have on a pirate's ship, she imagined it was stolen. Letting out a sigh she sank down as far as she could into the salty water, leaning back against the cool edge. Breathing in deep she could feel a heaviness falling over her, the weight pulling down her eyelids, even the image of being skinned alive for her scales not enough of a deterrent this time. A darkness started to lull her to sleep pulling her deeper into its depth.

There was little fight as she finally fell into the sand man's trap.

She was back on land, back in the silks of rich ball gowns, a light golden crown resting on her curled fiery red locks. It was beautiful, comforting. Like she had never left. She walked down the stone corridors; ornately decorated with portraits, gold trinkets, and polished oak furniture…she passed a maid dusting one of the armors with a wide smile.

This hallway led to the banquet room, her steps felt familiar, the green and gold of her gown nostalgic against her skin. She had woken alone in her bed this morning, the maids helping her into the gown laid out for her, a single red rose resting atop the gift. A woman would be so lucky to be as spoiled as her, as loved as her. Nothing could tempt her to trade this moment in time.

Turning through the archway into the banquet room a laugh of joy left her lips. So many people dressed in the finest, music and laughter echoing off the walls, the delicious smells of a feast to rival any filling her senses. It was exquisite, more then she had expected. An urge to dance along with the others rose up, watching the ballroom dancers as women were guided along the floor, like they were floating, their gowns sweeping around them.

She startled when she felt arms around her waist but quickly relaxed into them when she felt the kiss on the nape of her neck. "Do you like it my love?" he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"I have no words." She said through a breathless smile.

"Have I silenced my siren?" he asked playfully, "tell me it isn't so." He laughed when she turned in his arms and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. It was an inside joke for them, that he could never get her to stop talking or singing.

"What is all this?" she asked, letting him guide her with a hand on the small of her back. They made their way over to a long wooden table with a red and white silk table runner. Candles were strewn about, lighting up the room.

"Did you like your gift?" he asked, ignoring her question. "Because I think you look stunning." He told her, bringing her hand up to his and kissing her knuckles just above her wedding band as he pulled the chair out for her.

"I adore it, it's very lovely." She replied, her smile couldn't get any wider as she did a quick twirl for him smoothing her hands over the skirts before taking a seat in the offered chair.

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked, when he sat down next to her, leaning over and whispering low. Concern filled her features at his words and she nodded. "It's the most expensive dress in the realm, and still doesn't own a candle to you." He said, like it truly was some grave secret. She let his words sink in for a second and then let out an exasperated laugh as she rolled her eyes.

"Eric, I thought it was something serious!" she admonished, thanking the servant that filled her goblet with a sweet red wine.

"But it is my love, I had my men search far and wide, nothing compares to you." He told her seriously, his wide smile showing off his perfect white teeth. When they were with each other it was hard to remember that they weren't alone. She was about to lean in to kiss him when the ringing sound of a fork against a goblet caught her attention.

A man she recognized as Eric's best friend in the whole realm Robin, practically brothers they were ever since he had saved Ariel years ago. He was standing with a grin ear to ear and a knowing smile. His own lovely Maid Marian smiling up at him. "I would like to propose a toast," he started, waiting for the packed room to fall to silence and the music to fade away momentarily. "Today is a very important day, as you all know," he paused to gaze around the room, making sure he had everyone's apt attention.

As he was speaking an unfamiliar tug started pulling at her, starting in her stomach and spreading throughout, soft at first. "Eric." She whispered, a hand going to press against her abdomen in the hopes of stilling the sickening feeling. He didn't pay her any mind though, like he hadn't heard her, his approving eyes on Robin.

"…for our beautiful and lovely Queen…" She could hear his speech continuing in the background but her focus was on the out of place feeling growing exponentially stronger. The laughter of the crowd when he said he still thought Marian was the most beautiful in the lands and would earn himself a sword fight with the young King later started to fog her mind.

"Eric!" she whispered with more urgency, her body feeling heavy and sluggish. He still acted like he couldn't hear her; she tried placing a hand on top of his to no avail, if she were paying close enough attention she would have realized she couldn't feel his skin under hers anymore. She could feel the world around her darkening. She didn't want to leave, she didn't want to go. She would gladly stay frozen in this moment forever if she could. Ariel fought against the feeling tooth and nail but eventually his name died on her lips again as everything faded away before her eyes.

"That's it, there's my new girl." She heard the words pulling her awake but wasn't quite comprehending them. She felt a hand gently slapping the side of her cheek, the feeling breaking through her sleepy haze. "Come now, time to join the living." That voice, it was so familiar and yet so foreign. She was trying to place it but couldn't quite nail it. She swallowed hard, slowly opening her eyes.

"Eric?" she whispered, feeling confused. At first the dark hair and pale skin blurred together with her sleepy vision and it almost looked like Eric, but as the visage came into focus the features that seemed familiar faded away into clearly different ones. One that finally spurred her mind awake, her heart jumping into her throat.

"Not quite," he chuckled darkly, pushing some of her wet locks behind her ear "Must have been a good dream if you woke up saying his name." he taunted, his voice full of innuendo that made her feel sick to her stomach. At the deceptively gentle touch she sat up, fully awake now, and glared at her captor.

"Don't give me that look lass," he told her, laughing fully now at her reaction. The sound unsettled her, because she was sure he was laughing at her. She pressed her lips into a fine line and looked away from him.

He had pulled her from her dream, from that memory. She hadn't thought about that particular moment in, goodness she couldn't even recall. It was the day after she had told Eric her wonderful news, he was so thrilled that he surprised her the next day; he had wanted to announce it to the whole Kingdom. He would have shouted it to the entire world, if he could have.

She was pregnant with her first child, their child, the heir to the throne. When Robin had let the cat out of the bag and said so the room had erupted in applause and good cheers. If she tried hard enough she could still hear the faint sound of it filling the room around her. It was one of the happier days of her life.

"You can be as sour as you like," He told her casually, breaking through her musings as he pulled up a chair and sat down in it backwards, his arms resting along the top of the back and his leather clad legs spread wide. "I don't really care." He added with a bored look on his face. "You and me though, we're going to have a little chat, whether you like it or not." This caught her attention and she turned to look at him, catching his eye, a bit of defiance flickering in her own and her tail twitching in annoyance. He smirked at her non-verbal response.

He loved a challenge and she was sure to give him one, he could tell.

"Now this can be easy, but I bet you like it hard." Again with the sexual innuendo that made her purse her lips again and shift uncomfortably. "I have a few questions you see," he started, as if he were having a normal every day casual conversation, like talking to a mermaid trapped in a bathtub on a pirate ship was just an everyday thing for him. "What I want from you are some answers."

What could she possibly answer for him? Her brows furrowed together. Was this what usually happened to her other sisters when they were captured? Or was this just this particular pirate's personal brand of strange? She had plenty of questions of her own, some of which included what his plans for her were; however she highly doubted he would answer any of them for her even if she asked.

"We'll start out easy," he told her, like he was doing her a favor or something "What's your name?" he asked. Ariel just looked at him and pursed her lips together tighter in defiance. This seemed to annoy Hook, as he waited a few long moments of deafening silence. When he decided she was simply going to refuse to answer he sighed, like he didn't have the time for this, so he threatened her. "You can tell me your name or I'll just throw you below deck and turn the other way as my men have at it with whatever desires they care to partake in…" he trailed off, his tone implying that not only would he really do it, he really wouldn't care either.

"Ariel" she replied. Her voice was tense, but still beautiful.

"See now that wasn't so hard was it." He chided, his lips turning up into a satisfied smirk. She cast her gaze down, agonized now that this fiend knew her name. She should have lied and told him anything different, but what purpose would that have really served in the long run. It's not like he could use her name against her. "How about an even trade hmmm? Maybe that will loosen up those pretty lips?" his questions were rhetorical and she doubted he actually expected a response. "I am Captain Hook, this is my ship and my men."

At his words her vision was drawn towards the hook for a hand again, she almost wanted to ask him about it, but she couldn't converse with this pirate like it was nothing, like he wasn't holding her captive against her will. Regardless of her own curiosity her own self-preservation was priority. If only she had taken that same stance, before she had found herself in this situation.

"Right," he said when she didn't respond "Next question. Are you really from Atlantis the Lost City?" he asked, just out of his own curiosity. She nodded her head in affirmative, it wasn't a huge secret that that was the name of the merfolks kingdom or land or whatever it was humans wanted to call it. "Don't suppose you'll share its location with me?" when she shook her head tersely `no.` he simply laughed again, the sound causing her to flinch as it filled the room. "I didn't suppose so, not that I fancy another run in with your kind, much less a city full of them."

"Wise." She left her one word response as all he would get, but it was true. No ship or human had ever ventured near Atlantis and left to tell the tale, it was a very effective way to keep its location secret. Only a fool with a death wish would choose to try to seek it out.

"We are going to let that last one slide," he said, his eyes darkening up a bit, "Because I didn't really want nor need the answer. However don't think I will tolerate it again." He advised, holding his head a bit higher, almost as if he was doing it purposefully to look down his nose at her, as if trying to make it clear he thought she was beneath him. She would be dammed if she let him make her feel that way. Not only was she a mermaid and above him as a lowly human, but she had also been a human Queen at one point in her life. He could take his superiority and shove it up alongside the stick up his ass for all she cared. However, she wasn't going to fill him in on any of this either, that would require more talking then she felt like participating in.

"Can you actually grant wishes?" he asked bluntly, his eyes narrowing a bit. It was a common rumor at the ports and among those of the sea that mermaids had the power to grant wishes much like a genie. Hook had always suspected that was a fabrication, he'd met many men who claimed a wish had been granted, but never could he fancy it to be true. If they had been granted a wish, why were they still in a tavern pub, swindling wine and women, looking worse for wear. If you could wish for anything, why wouldn't you wish for the whole world. He would have. He would wish his whole world back to him in a heartbeat.

Her soft sarcastic laughter surprised him, the tone clearly stating in itself that she couldn't believe he was serious. She had heard this rumor before and it always amazed her how humans could make up stuff to explain what they didn't understand, or exaggerate their stories for the sake of an audience and attention. If she could grant wishes she would have given herself permanent legs ages ago, she would have grown old with her love, she would have changed time to save her son. Her wishes wouldn't have been wasted on selfish human's petty desires of money and good looks, they would have been used selfishly for herself. If she only had that power. It was one of the few rumors she often desired to be true.

"I'll take that as another no," he said thoughtfully "I basically figured as much ." there was a note of disappointment in his facial features but nothing further to indicate what exactly he was thinking. She supposed it might have been the same disappointment she felt when she realized Ursula's wish granting was insincere and had so much fine print attached. Magic always had a price. She was thankful she didn't have it when she thought about the consequences that could come with.

"If I were to cut your fin from you and string you up, would it bring our ship good luck?" he asked, eyeing the shimmering iridescent green of her tail, reaching out with his hooked hand and running the smooth metal over the scales despite her efforts to pull away, an instinctive fear entering her eyes.

"Why would I tell you." She spat. Rattling her chains testing the strength with more fervor.

"Because," he said darkly, leaning over the chair closer, turning the hooked end down against her skin, the pressure not enough to break the skin but to drive home his point so to speak "If you don't, I'll have to find out the old fashioned way, and it would be a shame because we are having so much fun." His threat even if not clearly spelled out was loud and clear. She could tell him, or he would do it and find out. There was a chance he would do it anyway regardless of what she said, but there was also the flip side that he wouldn't string her up just yet. The lesser of two evils.

"It would." She said, her voice catching in her throat. A fear at the possibility of her fate gripping her tightly around the chest.

"How much?" he pressed, increasing the pressure of his hook, a bit of her blood welling under the surface of the smooth metal. It wasn't as painful as he probably imagined it to be, but it was certainly unpleasant.

"Not as much as you think." She answered, clearly agitated, trying to squirm away but having nowhere to go. "A day or two at most." He stared into her eyes for a few seconds, trying to ascertain her honesty, but the fear clouding her slit pupils made him doubt she was lying.

"I see." He hummed to himself, pulling his hooked hand away, much to her relief, and resting it atop the back of the chair again. "Bit of a shame." He added as an afterthought, even if his plans hadn't included stringing up her tail, when he finished with her it didn't seem like a very beneficial way to dispose of her. The highest bidder, if they could find one, was looking more like a solid end game here. His purse could always use a few more gold coin.

"How about the tears?" he asked, moving on. She narrowed her eyes; his line of questioning was bothering her. Why did he want to know so much about her and her kind, it was unsettling and odd, even Eric hadn't breeched that topic, avoided it actually, and like it was the plague.

"Only the ignorance of man believes tears from any creature have true power." She told him, narrowing her eyes, trying to convey her anger. Humans could be violent, vile, desolate creatures. Pain and sadness wasn't true power, love and kindness were, but dark magic, it could utilize her tears but the tears themselves weren't special. She had heard they were required in some spells or could improve others, but never had she seen that proven, so in honesty, she didn't think they held any magical beneficial property worth harvesting. Besides that which people misplaced on them.

"But they do have power?" he pressed harder, catching the use of the true power and reading between the lines of her words.

"I. Don't. Know." she said the words clearly, as if she were speaking to a child, her irritation shining clearly through. He narrowed his eyes at her tone but let it go, for now. They were still making some progress. Who was he to hinder that progress too soon, regardless of how small the steps were. He actually imagined this to go a lot less smooth then it already was.

"You don't know if your own tears are magical? I find that hard to believe love." He scoffed.

"I hear your kind uses them. Only a human would know if they were actually useful I guess. They provide no benefit to us." She finally answered, keeping her explanation as short as possible.

"Fair enough," he finally conceded, making a mental note to harvest some of her tears later to sell, even if they had no magic, and were of no use, they could still sell for a pretty penny. They were also something that was replenishing as long as she was kept alive, as opposed to skinning her or stringing her up which were all one use options. Ever the opportunist looking for a quick dime.

"What about a kiss?" he leered in a low seductive voice, the tone catching her off guard. She might be a mermaid, but her human-ish half was still stunningly attractive in an exotic kind of way. Her looks would make even a celibate monk swoon with raw desire.

"It keeps a man from drowning." She half answered, unsure if he knew about the healing properties or not. It wasn't a lie; it just wasn't the whole truth. A willful omission. Besides he probably did know about the healing properties and most likely would press her about that next. What she didn't anticipate was his sudden anger that tensed his muscles and flashed dangerously in his eyes.

"Much good it did for Patch's" he spat, his demeanor changing with his temper at the memory of his lost deckhand, keeping him from pressing the matter of a kiss further. The sudden attack put her on the defensive and made her own anger at the situation flare up. Was he blind, how did he think she was pulled up so injured, what idiot would or could think just fisherman's netting and being caught had done all that damage.

"I didn't attack your bloody ship!" she hissed at him, her tail swishing back and forth with her emotions, and her body tense with frustration, her knuckles turning a lighter shade of white with the pressure of her grip on the chain. Her movements causing some of the water in the tub to start splashing over the sides and onto his boots.

"The hell you didn't!" he yelled back, his voice booming through the room as he stood up and kicked the chair away, not caring as it landed on its side. He loomed over her, his six foot frame made taller with her position; she had to crane her neck if she wanted to look up at him.

"Fuck you." She spat, she wasn't one to use curse words. She was the sweet soft spoken one, the kind curious one, the sun shining high and happy laughter one. There were a handful of times the human words had slipped past her lips. This seemed like a rather appropriate time, and it certainly expressed her mood and feelings about this pirate adequately.

"I would watch your tone and how you choose to speak to a Captain on his own ship" he warned, his eyes darkening progressively with his sour mood. He crouched down on his heels so that he could lean in, she bared her fangs in warning keeping his face a safe unreachable distance from hers. "I don't fuck fish." He stated matter of fact "but if I did, you wouldn't be able to get enough." he maliciously teased. His smirk nowhere near mirthful or amused.

Her only reaction at his derogatory words were to spit in his face, after all he had basically told her to mind her words.

At first he seemed surprised, and then his mood turned violent as he slapped her across the face for the second time with a resounding smack, not caring that his palm had caught one of her fangs and sliced open like butter, this made everything else looking like a calm before the storm. He wiped the spit away from his face with the back of his leather jacket slowly, deliberately, ignoring the blood that spread along his hand. He stood up, towering over her again for a moment before stepping out of her view.

"You dare disrespect me," his tone was terrifying, it was one of those emotionless empty tones that could put anyone on edge, with promises of revenge in the most creative ways. His anger would have been more appealing now. She could hear and feel him messing with the chains connecting her arms. "On my own ship." He added when she felt the chains go lax for a moment.

Next thing she felt was her body being viciously yanked out of the tub, a few ribs cracking as her torso slid over the lips of the porcelain bath. Without legs she couldn't push herself up to mitigate the damage, all she could do was be pulled along, and struggle literally like a fish out of water. He strained against her efforts, but still managed to haul her body across the wooden floors, the splinters of the frayed aged boards hitting deep. He ignored every hiss, every growl, every whimper as he dragged her up a flight of stairs.

When they finally reached the top deck, his breathing was labored and sweat beaded on his brow. She was sure she had pushed him to his limit and that it would cost her her life. She was so tired of this teetering game of accepting her fate and then fearing it at the same time. It was like a horrible never ending bi-polar roller coaster. She wanted to survive, and then she wanted a quick end to her current misery.

"Take this sea trash TO THE BRIG!" he bellowed, striking fear into most of the deckhands who knew his temper well ever since he had lost Milah. It was like her death has sucked all the compassion and light out of their Captain, left a hallow shell of revenge and violence.

Three men complied quickly, picking up the chain and moving to drag her deep into the hulls of the Jolly Roger. Where the sun never shined and the mold was strong. Most of them shuddered at the thought of being locked in the brig below decks. It wasn't a pretty or pleasant place.

"Maybe that will teach her some manners." He spat, glaring at her retreating form before making his way to his quarters. The force in which the door slammed shut nearly rattled the entire ship.

AN: I know, I am such a horrible person, but I have always leaned towards the darker undertones of stories. I might sound like a broken record, but it will get better. Besides, I have a great idea for the next chapter and character I plan to introduce. Oh and yes, if you were wondering, eventually she will be getting her legs back.

Remember to Review, they make my day and I love the motivation they give me!

Fun note, I was listening to OneRepublic – Count Stars on repeat while I wrote this chapter.

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