Fathoms Below: Captain Jack Sparrow

Chapter 58: The pools.

It was early in the morning, much too early for the sun to rise as the camp was still clouded in darkness when a disturbance roused me from sleep, forcing me to open my eyes in alarm.

My heart raced in my chest as I lay frozen for a moment, listening out for any further noise. Sure enough a few seconds later I heard a noise like a footstep, the tell of a heavy boot on disturbed ground inside my tent, pushing me to high alert. I turned my head ever so slightly to focus on a giant shadow at the foot of my bed, seeing them stood stationary observing me.

In a burst of panic, I quickly reached for my sword to my right and scrambled out of bed, preparing to face the intruder. With my heart pounding, I turned like a flash to turn on the oil lamp beside my bed and turned to a dark figure in the room, illuminating their face. The oil container beside the lamp had been disturbed by the force of my grasp and fell with a shatter to the ground against the wooden crate acting as a makeshift nightstand.

The dark figure turned out to be Rafa, standing at the foot of my cot. He was looking over me, his face expressionless as he stared at where I now stood, not wavering with the threat of my sword. His hands were behind his back, not moving as I stared him down, my sword pointed directly at his chest.
"Out with it," I snapped, angered and confused by his intrusion. What were his intentions?

"Señorita, I," Rafa suddenly said, words falling from his mouth and he took a step closer. I was quick with my sword and inched it ever closer to his chest, now pressing the blade slightly to his skin through his shirt.

"What is the meaning of this?" Enrique called out as he pulled back the curtain of my tent with force, clearly having heard the commotion of the spilt oil.
He looked upon the scene before him and sent a questioning look in Rafa's direction, puzzled as to why he would be in my tent so early in the morning.

"Your highness, I, I was simply waking the girl," Rafa stumbled through his words, his hands never leaving his back as he turned to Enrique with pleading eyes. I frowned at his reply, knowing Rafa was not a man who stuttered, even under pressure. His body language was curious, his rigid body was resolute and unfaltering, as if he was in a trance.

"How dare you enter a lady's tent without her permission!" Enrique snapped. I had never seen him so angry and had never once heard him raise his voice, especially not at his old friend.
Rafa looked between Enrique and me, then down to my sword which had not moved even an inch as the blade pressed against the skin of his chest.

His reply was mumbled and in Spanish, much too quick for any sense of translation, especially this time in the morning.

Enrique sighed at Rafa, shooting him a dangerous look before he turned to me, his eyes softening, "señorita, are you harmed?"
"No," I replied quickly, the whole situation painting me as a damsel in distress, which I didn't like.
Enrique simply nodded, then turned back to Rafa and spit out a reply in Spanish, which made the man flee, scuttling away from myself abs my tent without a second glance.

"My apologies señorita," Enrique sighed, running his hands over his face out of sheer exhaustion. "Perhaps as we are now awake, we should prepare ourselves for the day, trek out to the pools before sunrise," he asked, looking to me for approval.

"Yes, that would be wise," I replied, sending him a thankful smile. I sighed internally, grieving my bed and the sleep I was leaving behind, having only rested for a couple of hours after my watch.

"Will 30 minutes be sufficient to ready yourself? I will ask the kitchens to prepare us some food for the journey," Enrique asks. I nod in reply, words escaping me as I adjust to being awake once again.
"I'll be waiting," he smiles, nodding his head at me before he exits the tent, fastening the tent flap down.