A/N- Wow! A big thanks to everyone reading my story so far- can't believe so many of you guys have read it! Also thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed my story. I hope everyone enjoys this chapter as things should start getting more interesting soon!

Chapter 7

After the meal, Constance was quite sure that the Captain would have made her stay in her own quarters for the rest of the day, but she was quite surprised that he asked her to join him. She didn't quite know where he wanted to take her, but as they got to the top deck, Constance realised how dark it had got, and silently wondered how long had they been in each other's company.

"How long till we reach land Cap-…Armando?" She asked as he walked with her. She kept her voice low as there were still men about but they were hardly as rushed as before. In fact, quite a few were sitting down and she tried not to smile when they stood up asthe Captain passed them. She was impressed with how much loyalty and respect he had earned from the crew and she wondered how he had managed to become so respected. Her thoughts were broken by his voice.

"We should reach land in less than a week now". He replied and tugged her towards the steps of the stern deck to the wheel. She noticed that Lesaro was no longer holding the wheel and another officer had replaced him. She didn't get enough time to try and look for him as the Captain was pulling her hand gently to the side. For a minute, she had a funny idea that he was going to let her have a go with the wheel and she suddenly panicked as images of her doing something stupid entered her mind and the ship overturning or something destructive.

"What is wrong?". The Captain asked, as he gave her an odd look. Constance gave nervous laugh and tried to come up with an excuse but gave up when he looked even more perplexed.

With a small sigh, which she thought was of exasperation, he finally let go of her hand, and placed his hand insider the coat that he was wearing which caused the medals to make a small noise as he moved his hand. Then he pulled out a long telescope and Constance recognised it from before. He pulled it out to its full length and began to observe the water before looking up at the sky. She watched as his tongue had made its way slightly out between his lips and she had to cover her mouth and pretend to cough in an attempt not to laugh at his odd behaviour. She supposed he did this when he was concentrating.

"Come here". He commanded and Constance joined his side feeling like one of his devoted officers. He gently passed her the telescope and Constance took it carefully, knowing that he would most likely be very annoyed if she was to drop it. He then moved behind her and she felt his hands suddenly on her waist, moving her slightly. She smiled at how a warm his hands were and was glad he had kept his gloves off. He then moved his hands and to her arms, positioning her to mimic his previous position. He indicated for her to look through the telescope and she looked around a bit at the water, until she felt his hands again pointing the telescope upwards at the sky. She realised quickly why he was looking upwards as her eyes widened at the beauty of the stars. She opened her mouth slightly and gave a small gasp as she took in the beautiful sight of the heavens.

"It's beautiful!" She exclaimed, as she moved the telescope to see more of the sky.

"Indeed". He whispered softly. She looked over at him to see his expression and was taken back at his intense stare. Feeling a blush begin to creep onto her cheeks, she looked back at the skies and kept her eyes fixed on the many sparkling jewels of the sky. She didn't know how long she spent staring into the sky but she managed to control herself flinching when the Captain placed his hand on her arm again. He gently directed her to another position and began to tell her the names of certain stars. As she listened she couldn't help be in awe of him. For a man who appeared to have so much contempt towards pirates, in this moment he seemed like a completely different man. She revelled in his soothing voice, captivated by every word. His hands on her skin made her to shiver despite not being cold.

"Captain, may I have a word".

Constance looked away from the skies and saw Lesaro nearby and watched as the Captain begrudgingly walked away to talk quietly. She couldn't make out what they were talking about but the Captain was looking rather happy with whatever the news was. Seconds later he was back and began to speak.

"It's getting late and you should rest. I will have someone escort you to your room.". His voice was back to its usual commanding tone and she gave him back the telescope wishing that she could have stayed out a bit longer, but at the mention of sleep she found herself trying to stifle a yawn. Santos appeared beside her soon enough and before she had a chance of moving away she heard the Captain speak once more.

"And no wandering about". She gave the Captain an innocent look and nodded before making her back towards her quarters to go to sleep. Santos had been relatively quiet and she got the distinct feeling that he was nervous around her.

"How are you?" She asked to break the silence and the officer stuttered a quiet reply. She nodded back and decided that she would just take the silence. It allowed her to think of the day and how much she had enjoyed being in Captain Salazar's company. She smiled as she recalled the feeling of his hand on her arm and accidently bumped into Santos who had now stopped outside her door.

"Sorry!" She laughed nervously. He smiled back and opened the door for her. Bidding him a goodnight, she watched him walk away and shut the door with a soft thud. Stretching, she took her shoes off and jumped into the rather bumpy bed. Yet after her time in the cage she wouldn't complain about anything. The memory of her in that cage made her skin crawl and she gasped as she recalled being thrown onto a ship and men shouting around her. Pulling the covers over her body, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to calm herself down. Despite wanting to remember how on earth she came to be in the situation she was in now, the memories scared her. She remembered feeling terrified and how the men had stared at her hungrily. Images of her upon a naval ship suddenly flashed behind her eyes and men in English uniforms nodded and smiled at her. More memories merged and she recalled her cousin in his elegant English naval uniform.

Sitting up, it all started to come back. She had been travelling with her cousin who was the Lieutenant of the Royal English Navy. He had allowed her on board after she spent weeks begging him. She had always wanted to see the sea and the far-off lands that her cousin would come back with stories of. He had finally allowed her to join him and they had been having a wonderful time until…until the ship with the black sails appeared. She tried to remember what happened but however hard she tried she couldn't reach her lost memories. She gave a frustrated growl, wishing that she could find the missing piece. Her frustration turned to worry rather quickly as she realised that the ship had obviously been attacked and if she was taken she had no idea what had happened to her cousin. She hoped that when she reached land that she would be able to find out what exactly happened. She prayed silently that she had been the only one taken for the idea that her dear cousin had perished was painful and her eyes watered at the thought. Knowing that there was not much she could do while aboard the Silent Mary, she pulled the rather scratchy covers over her head and tried to sleep. She would try not to think too much in the meantime and instead tried to recall how the stars had looked in the night sky and with that image, she fell asleep.

And then it began. The canon fire.