Man Down

Chp 12: Jason Grace

Daily Routine

Jason, Leo and Frank sat in the cell bellow deck for days, just waiting for something to happen. The rocking of the ship was almost calming as it swelled on the gentle waves rolling over the ocean. There were no windows in this level of the ship, and the only light came from the stairs and two lamps with candles inside that burned down after three hours, so someone had to come down every night to replace them.

The only way the three prisoners could keep track of time was when the light from the stairs dimmed - indicating that the sun had set - and when they got their meals. Only once a day, but it was more than they had expected as captives of the most notorious pirate on the seven seas.

The first night, a blonde boy with freckles and sun-kissed skin came down the steps with a larger plate with an assortment of food and three smaller plates. He had wordlessly given each man a shallow plate, and then placed the large one on the floor inside the cell.

"Not the best, but it'll give you what you need" he had said, inclining his head at the plate. He had left soon after, leaving the three ex-palace residents to hesitantly select items from the metal dish before forcing it down.

The food they were given wasn't the best quality - and the captives were sure they were being given the worst of the supplies - but it kept them alive. Sometimes they were given pickled eggs and vegetables, sometimes a few blocks of hard cheese; once they were even lucky enough to get a few pieces of dried meat.

And so was the routine of the following week. The blonde would come down with a new platter, and take the empty one back up the stairs with him. They weren't given new plates to eat off, but at least scrubbing the crumbs off of them have the three something to do. Few words were exchanged between the two parties. It was just how it seemed to be.

For the first few nights, Jason refused to eat. He'd rather die than live as a captive before being held for ransom. But by the fourth night, it wasn't the usual pirate who brought the prisoners their food.

On the fourth night of captivity, a younger looking girl, with dark skin and golden eyes, with hair that was bouncy and voluminous, was the one to bring Jason, Frank and also their food. She came alone, and smiled at the three before passing over a bowl of porridge-like substance and three spoons. Her head bobbed ever so slightly, as though she were performing a small curtsey, but it was too slight a movement to be sure.

"Your sister tells me you were never a fussy eater" the dark skinned girl said when the old platter had been taken and the two servant boys began to eat. Unlike the blond boy before her, this pirate sat outside the cell while she watched them eat, perched on a crate.

"She even said you once tried to eat your father's belt buckle," The girl chuckled in amusement. "She said you scratched yourself, and that you still have the scar on your lip" So far, Jason had not moved from his position in the shadows of the cell, and he hadn't made a move for any of the food. He never gave any reaction when the pirates came down, and he didn't eat until they had left. Even then, he didn't eat much.

The golden eyes of the girl shone with youth as she smiled. "We went swimming the other day," she continued. "Do you like swimming, Prince Jason?" She asked, and the two men paused in their eating; where they had been pretending to ignore her. Frank and Leo looked back to Jason, who hesitated before leaning forward, his face emerging from the shadows.

He didn't look anything like he had a week ago. He looked tired, in more ways than one. His eyelids were drooping with fatigue, and bags were evident under his blue eyes. Even his usually crackling blue eyes seemed dull, like clouds were obscuring a clear blue sky. His blonde hair seemed more like straw than the silk it had appeared to be before his imprisonment.

"What's your name?" The prince asked of the girl outside the cell. She smiled broadly, seemingly proud that she had managed to elicit a reaction.

"I'm Hazel" the little pirate replied enthusiastically, and Jason nodded.

"Are you here because you want to be, Hazel?" He asked, his hands clasped in his lap.

"Here, exactly?" She asked, and he shrugged. "I'm here right now because Captain wants to know how you're holding up, and go make sure you don't starve. But I'm," she stressed the word. "Here because your sister though it might do you sime good to see that not all pirates are as bad as you make them out to be" Hazel explained with a soft smile. Jason paused before nodding.

"What about this ship. Are you just as captive as we are?"

The dark-skinned girl smiled. "I'll tell you if you eat" the prince narrowed his eyes. "It's not doing to kill you!" Hazel chuckled, her laugh soft and sweet. "I made it myself. I'm this ship's excuse for a chef, since everyone else here could burn water"

Despite himself, Jason have a little snort of laughter at that, quickly pretended he hadn't. But a little smile lingered, and after a moment, he server himself some of the gruel. He hesitated for a second before lifting a spoonful to his lips and eating a mouthful of the substance. "Bleh!" Hazel laughed.

"I said I was the best they had, not that I was the best" she laughed. He shook his head and surpressed a smile before he looked at her, as if wanting her to follow through with her promise. She nodded and smiled, and then began to speak.

"My father is someone I think you might know..."