A Siren at the Helm

Chapter XIX: Shaken, Silent

Trigger warning: contains sexual assault

Tempest tried pulling her wrists free. When that didn't work, she hammered her shoulder into Marie's chest. But her alcohol induced state left her weak and Marie had a height advantage. Nothing came of her attempts at freedom.

Tempest couldn't breathe. Between Marie's weight pinning her in place and the wall behind her, there was no room for her lungs to expand. The raw terror in her heart did nothing to help either. It was as though she was choking on the air left in her body. She turned her head to the side, momentarily freeing herself from the kiss.

She began to yell. Marie transferred one of Tempest's wrists to the other hand, so that both were now secured by only one limb. This should have made it easier to pull her hands free but even that proved too difficult. Marie then grabbed hold of her chin and turned Tempest's head back to where it had been before.

Her screams were muffled as Marie's lips found their way to her own again.

Tempest thrashed and wriggled like a fish caught in a net, but to no avail. No matter what she tried, there seemed to be no escape. She wished to be somewhere else. Even prison would be an improvement.

The alcohol in her system suggested to give up and let things happen, but her consciousness shouted for her to go on- to keep fighting.

Her limbs were beginning to grow tired. Tempest fealt nauseous and disoriented. She wanted to curl in a bundle and hide. She wanted the sea. But more than anything she wished she was back with Flaganan. Safe on The Bounty where someone was always there when she needed help.

As suddenly as it had came, Marie's weight was gone.

Tempest sank to the floor. She crossed her arms, her hands gripping at the beautiful dress Evita had lent her. The snowy fabric was probably dirty and torn, but Tempest was not thinking of that at the moment.

In front of her Marie also lay on the ground. She was staring up at someone with anger and panic, a sword pointed at her neck.
"If Evita did not love you, I would already have slit your throat," came a familiar, enraged voice.

*

Esteban had been talking to Fish when he saw her slip away. He would have been happy to take her back to the Wayfarer, but when he saw Marie following Tempest he was sure everything would be alright. That was until something started tugging at his insides. Perhaps he should go after them, just to be sure.

It took him a while to find them, he had not expected them to get lost. But when he did find them, what he saw had him boiling with anger.

He had pulled the wretch off Tempest and thrown her to the ground.

Now, he edged the tip of his sword closer to the treacherous snake of a woman's neck. If was difficult keeping it there. One flick and the woman who had almost forced herself on Tempest and betrayed his friend, would be gone. The only thing stopping him was the heartbroken expression he imagined on Evita's face when he told her the news of her lovers death.

"Get out of my sight," he spat vevonously, "before I do something we will both regret."
When she did not move and only lay there gaping at him wide eyed, he firmly nudged her shoulder with his sword.
This seemed to prod some life back into her, as she got up and scampered to the alley's corner. She turned to give both Esteban and Tempest a furious glare. And then she was gone.

Esteban looked back to Tempest who had since managed to hoist herself to her feet. She peered at the ground as though it were the thing she was scared of.