The Map

Honour

Honour

The moonlight was now shining brightly into his cabin, illuminating the room with a silver glow that, at any other time would have made Nell think it was pretty.

But hanging upside down over Jack Sparrow's shoulder wasn't conducive to noticing things like that. He whistled through his teeth as he crossed to his bed and dumped her, unceremoniously, onto it. He turned away and crossed to the lanterns attached to the walls. He drew a tinderbox from the table and set about lighting them.

"You despicable, dirty, lying, thieving, underhanded...."

"Why thank you, Nell. Does fair warm the old heart to hear you speak so kindly of me." He cut her off with a wave of his hand.

Nell struggled to her feet and surged across the room, intent of going out of the still open door.

He moved like lightening and slammed the door shut before she could reach it. He turned to face her, leaning back against the door. Nell skidded to a halt in front of him, just managing to keep her feet with the motion of the anchored ship beneath her feet. Reaching up he removed his hat from his head and threw it to land on the table.

"Right, first things first," he announced and undid his top coat, standing away from the door long enough to take it off. "I have to be telling you that I'm getting a mite tired of your continual lack of integrity." He spoke casually, not even looking at her as he folded his coat, taking care to fold it neatly.

"My integrity?" she gaped at him open -mouthed and then crossed her arms in annoyance. "I'm sorry, but I fail to see how my integrity is in question here."

"To my knowledge, and please do correct me if I'm wrong, which I have no doubt you will do anyway, we have made three accords, all of which you have broken. I take it you are unsure as to the meaning of honour."

Nell felt righteous indignation fill her at his words. How dare he talk to her about honour? The man didn't have an honourable bone in his body.

"How dare you?" she squeaked at him in fury "Honour? My honour? You are a pirate. I doubt you could spell the word if your entire life depended on it, let alone know what it means."

He rolled his eyes at her and leaned back against the door throwing the coat onto his bed with a flick of his hand, oblivious to the care he'd taken in folding it.

He spelt it out for her "Satisfied?"

She glared at him and then stomped away from the table to sit on the seat under the window.

"You miss the point," she said through her teeth.

"No, on the contrary; you miss the point."  He pushed himself away from the door and stalked towards her, one hand stretched outwards, one pointed directly at her.  "You can paint it anyway you wish, but the fact remains that you agreed to stay with me until I find the treasure, and you have just broken your word to me. I gave you a choice, be a guest aboard my ship or remain in your cabin as my prisoner. I'm beginning to think the latter must actually appeal to you." There was no slur to his words and no theatrical gestures; he just looked and sounded irritated.

"I no longer have a cabin," she whispered, refusing to meet his eyes as he stopped just in front of her. "I have a hole beneath the deck so I don't think you can lock me in anymore." 

Nell was beginning to shake in reaction but she vaguely recognised that she was no longer afraid of him. She was talking back at him and she wasn't frightened by what he might do to her. Later she would ponder just what that meant if she had the courage to do so, but for now she was centred on her anger at him.