Darkness. It swelled around me as the door slammed, caging me in the ship's brig. The only immediate source of light came from the cracks where the ship's planks didn't quite meet. A torch flickered somewhere across the hold but it was too far to be of any use to me.

A single sliver of light shone on my face as I attempted to regard what I assumed would be my home for the next several weeks.

Water lapped at my ankles as the boat steadily rocked. I kept one hand firmly on the iron bars surrounding me, trying to keep myself upright as the ocean's sway threatened to make me tumble.

We hadn't even set out to sea and already I could feel my stomach turn. What would happen when the boat left the harbor?

But that was a question best saved. For now, the present problem: how to get out of here.

In all that I'd faced in my life and all the sticky situations in which I'd found myself, I can't say I'd ever once been locked in a ship's brig. Believe it or not, this would be the first time.

Getting out of this scrape would be difficult ... but not impossible.

I pulled a pin from my curls, one of them falling into my eyes, as I moved to the cell door. Pushing my hands through the bars, I inserted the pin into the lock and began to maneuver the wafers contained within.

If my life on the run had taught me anything, it was how to pick a lock.

Just before I heard the familiar click, the door at the top of the stairs- down which I'd just been unceremoniously escorted -creaked open. I quickly pulled the pin from the lock and yanked my hands back through the bars. I pushed the pin back into my curls all the while listening to the creak of each stair as he descended.

Hastily, I leaned back against the black bars, trying my best to look innocent, as his silhouette finally reached the bottom step.

He paused for a moment and I waited with bated breath until, finally, with another creak of weathered wood, a quick stride closed the space between us. He stopped just beyond my cell door, his face still hidden in the shadows.

"Princess." I could almost feel his sneer, rather than see it, as he addressed me.

Though I knew he couldn't see it, I glared at him through the darkness before, eventually, answering in a tone just as menacing. "Captain."

Without warning, a loud and vile laugh sounded and, just as quickly as he had come, he turned to go again. But not in the direction of the stairs. No, he was, instead, striding away from my cell and through the hold. He crossed the narrow space, maneuvering the cargo as though he'd made this same journey a thousand times before.

And, probably, he had.

I knew he had reached the dim torch when I saw the light disappear for but an instant. He pulled it from the wall and, in the fire's illumination, I watched him use it to light a lantern. For a moment, I heard the lantern rather than saw it as he blocked the way. The handle creaked and I heard him begin to whistle as he worked.

Then, finally, the job was done and he returned the torch to its place on the wall. With another groan of the rusted hinge, he lifted the iron handle, turning back toward his prisoner. I saw the gleam of the firelight hitting his hook as he crossed back to my cell.

With the aid of the light, I could now make out his features. He kept his dark hair short, his face unshaven. His eyes were the lightest of his features but even they were menacing in the low light. His lips twisted into a sneer as he grasped one of the bars of my prison in his hook.

"Do you know me, Princess?" his left brow rose as he posed the question.

I simply stared at the man before me. In all honesty, I had to admit him handsome. I had no doubt it was a weapon he wouldn't hesitate to wield. Though, this time, it wouldn't win him the war. He'd soon find me a lot stronger than his usual prey.

I gestured to the silver instrument still resting before me. He met the action with a smile.

"Ah good," he mused. "Then you have heard of me."

His laugh came through the darkness as his hook suddenly scraped across the bars. I cried out, my hands fastening over my ears. When he'd finished, I pulled my hands back tentatively, disgust filling my face.

"Do you know why you're here?" I watched his lips form these words in the shallow light though I only just grasped their meaning.

It was a loaded question; one that could have any number of answers. Why had I been snatched from the forest and dragged aboard a pirate ship?

Let's see. There was the obvious reason. Princess. Or that I'd spent the last years on the run, taking what I needed when no one seemed to be looking. But why now? Why snatch me from the forest only now? Why not before?

In answer to his question, I could've offered any number of reasons. Instead, I just shook my head.

He whistled, long and low as though surprised by my answer. "You really don't remember, love? Smee must've hit you harder than I thought. No matter. I wager it'll all come flooding back soon enough."

Suddenly, the lantern swung up to rest against the bars and he leaned in, his whole face now fully illuminated. For the first time, I could see the long scar running the full length of its right side. Absently, I wondered how he'd obtained it. Maybe the same way he'd lost his hand.

"There's a price on your head, love, and it's a treasure I intend to have. But first, an agreement must be reached. Until that's settled, I need to make sure you don't wander off."

He grinned then as his eyes scanned my every inch. Involuntarily, I shuddered, feeling violated for reasons I could not explain.

"I suggest you make yourself comfortable. You're going to be in that cage for a long while."

With one last smirk, he turned and began to stride back toward the stairs. I watched the lantern's fire grow dim as, with each step's creak, he left the brig.

I was slowly plunged into almost darkness once more. With another involuntary shiver, I suddenly felt more alone than ever before.

And then, the creak of the stairs suddenly stilled.

"Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger, Princess," I heard him call.

And with that, the door to the brig fell shut and he was gone.