Chapter 6

Elena let out an almighty yawn, not caring how unladylike she sounded in that moment. Her arms were stretched above her head and her back arched, joints clicking and her body coming alive again. She looked to her left, but Damon had been long gone, and the only indication that he had slept in the same bed as her was the indentation of his pillow on the bed.

She sighed, rolling over and planting her nose on his side of the sheets. His scent was everywhere, surrounding her, comforting her. It was discreet and somehow pleasant, not too striking nor too overwhelming. It wasn't sickly or too difficult to stand and it didn't even give her that horrible feeling of nausea. No, it was a perfect combination of a musk and bourbon, mixed with a little sea water.

This kind of life was another thing that confused Elena. Before all of this, thinking of pirates automatically made her think about drunken criminals, stinking of rum and sex, but these men were not like that all. They drank, they sang and carried themselves as pirates, but to her they were nowhere near like the horrors she had imagined. In fact, for the most part, they'd all been nothing but gentlemen over the last few days, Damon especially. After their night on the ship deck two days before, everything he did was with caution. He wasn't rough or forceful and he just let her do her own thing, something she was grateful for.

Taking one deep breath, Elena jumped up from the bed, making her way over the chest which was full of clothes. Damon had insisted she made use of it, because he had no need for it, but it did make her wonder who it belonged to in the first place. Shaking her head, she pushed the thoughts from her mind, reaching inside and pulling out a red wine coloured dress.

The dress was stunning and seemed as if it had never been worn before. It was made of a silky material with a string corset on the back and embodied flower patterns on the front. It was light weight as well, making it perfect for her to wear on the ship.

Slipping it over her head, Elena was amazed at just how well it melted to her body shape, making her already perfect body shape stand out. With difficultly, she managed to pull and tie the strings before giving a final look in the mirror. With a satisfied nod, Elena made her way to the door, flinging it open and relishing in the cool sea breeze as it swept through her hair.

Having been like a scared mouse for the last few days, Elena rarely ventured out by herself, at least not without Damon by her side, and she hadn't been outside for a while. In fact, she had to shield her eyes for a moment even though the sky wasn't cloudless, because the natural light seemed somehow foreign to her, like everything had changed. It looked as if a storm was soon on the way, but the air was still warm around her.

"Good morning, Miss Gilbert!" Stefan said cheerfully, carrying a large plank of wood on his shoulder, shirtless.

"Good morning," She blushed, trying to avert her eyes from his nakedness. "I'm looking for the Captain?"

Stefan nodded behind her and showed her a short way ahead to where the captain stood on the top deck, his back to them, gazing out over the water through a spyglass. Elena thanked the young man, taking two steps at a time to reach Damon, coming to stand right beside him. She watched him for a long moment as he continued to look through the spyglass, making her wonder what exactly he was looking at. Before she could ask, he collapsed the glass and turned to where she stood.

"Good afternoon, Elena." He spoke cordially, giving her a slight smile. "I trust you slept well?"

"Very well, thank you." She beamed back.

"Well, I hope you are willing to give up my comfortable bed then," Damon winked. "I've had your own sleeping quarters set up just opposite my own. It took a while to clear out, but it's ready for you now."

Elena's mouth opened for a moment before pulling into a grin. He'd promised to get a room sorted out for her, but she hadn't held her breath. The ship was packed with men and there were not many spare rooms, so hearing that she had a room for herself was the best news she'd had. There was a sad look in his eyes as he watched her, but he was quick to mask it, turning back to the ocean and away from her. Elena longed to ask him why he looked saddened, but decided against it, not wanting to make him mad.

On the other hand, Damon kept focusing on the ocean, even though he was thinking about Elena in reality. He didn't want to admit it – why would he, he was a ruthless captain – but he actually felt sad that Elena looked too excited to leave his bedroom. She had slept there for a few days now and he had already become used to her, to having a small and warm body close to his.

For a moment he wanted to kick himself in the ass for promising Elena a new room but then he thought better about it. Elena was obviously not comfortable sharing a bed with him and even though he usually didn't give a damn about these things, for once, he did. He didn't want her to be too uncomfortable and therefore he figured that giving her a new room would be a good idea.

"What is it that you want, Elena?" He asked her when he realised that the girl had moved next to him and was looking at the ocean in front of her, too.

"Nothing," Elena said. "I just wanted to thank you for the dress." She knew that it was a lie; that she was there because she actually did enjoy his company at times.

He turned around and stared at her intensely, watching the thin material clinging to her body as if it was sewn to her. "You're welcome. It suits you," He said simply, even though 'suits' wasn't the word he was looking for.

"Thank you," She blushed.

"Have you eaten?" Damon asked her after a while.

"No," Elena admitted.

"Elena," He complained. "You can't keep skipping meals."

"I'm fine," She sighed. "I'd eat if I were hungry."

He wanted to make her eat because he knew that she had lost weight and that it was because of him, however he decided not to push her. Forcing her to eat or even threatening her would not do any of them any good, and it was a beautiful day so far.

"What are you looking at?" She asked softly, her eyes narrowing as she raised a hand over her brow, trying to see what was on the horizon.

Damon chuckled and handed her his spyglass. She raised a brow, giving him a questioning look before placing the object against her eye. She moved the glass back and forth along the sea line, unable to pot anything. She felt Damon's fingers on the bottom of the spyglass, lifting it slightly as Elena's vision became in lined with an island not too far off from the ship.

She beamed, using the small wheel to focus the vision on the scope. He watched her, smirking at her facial expressions. For a lady and the daughter of a respected man, she certainly had spark and charm. It made him wonder why she was so different. She was nothing like a Gilbert.

"You know, I can teach you something new today," Damon smirked after a while, turning to face the young brunette. She looked at him questionably.

"Teach me? What?"

"It's a surprise. Although, you'll have to change your clothes, though," He added quickly, holding out his hand to her. "Come with me."

Elena followed him to his cabin, and he opened his own chest box in which there were a lot of neatly folded clothes. He tapped his chin with his index finger, deep in thought before pulling out a pair of dark green breeches and white shirt. Elena raised her eyebrows and waited for an explanation. She opened her mouth to ask before he vanished, dig through a cupboard at the far end of the cabin. When he emerged, messy hair and crumpled shirt, he dropped a pair of knee high boots at her feet.

"Those are the smallest sized clothes I own and boots, but I think they will be a good fit on you."

"Why?" She questioned, folding her arms. "What are you planning for me?"

"Just put them on and you'll soon find out," He smiled. "I'll be right outside."

"Why?" Elena asked a bit skeptically.

"It's a surprise, Miss Gilbert, enjoy it," He whispered. "Call me when you're ready."

Elena was left alone and she quickly threw the new clothes on. It wasn't something that she was used to wearing, especially since they were a bit oversized and rather man-like. She kept her under top on and pulled a waist coat from her own chest box, lacing it up at the front so that the shirt did not fall open. The breeches proved more difficult with her thin waist, so Elena threaded a strip of silk through the belt loops, using it as a belt. Lastly she slipped the boots on, a perfect fit, kept the necklace that Damon had given her on, and then called him.

He came inside with a smirk on his face and something in his hands. He walked slowly towards her and Elena's gaze locked with the item on his hand, a bit scared when she realised that it was a bandana. What was he planning for her? He would not have her blindfolded with it and then make her walk the plank, would he?

Damon seemed to have read her thoughts because he quickly came up behind her and gathered her hair in his hands without uttering a word. God, he loved her hair. It was too silky and smooth under his cool fingertips. Everything about this girl was perfect. He gently tied her hair up in a neat bun, and put the bandana on, watching as Elena looked at him through the mirror without even breathing out, her lips wobbling slightly. She quickly looked down when she realised that she had been caught.

"Where are you taking me?" She asked him, trying to hide her fear. She looked way too different now-almost pirate-like.

"Relax. It's a nice surprise," He replied, offering her his hand. "You'll be staying with us for a few more days, so it's only fair that I teach you to be a little bit adventurous."

He stopped at an empty space and handed Elena a sword. Her eyes widened. It was smaller than his own, but still sharp. Golden vines wrapped themselves around the handles with small incrusted rubies designed to look like roses. It was stunning and flawless in its design and overall look.

"A sword is no toy," Damon said, caressing the sharp blade. "Elena, what do you think? Do you want to learn how to fight?"

Elena liked to be adventurous, and even though back in her town women were taught to sit and eat properly and not to actually defend themselves, she had always thought of the way women were treated as unfair. She deserved to learn how to protect herself. She smiled and reached out, gently pressing her finger to the cool metal.

"I don't know, Captain, do you really trust me with a sword?" She asked innocently. "Maybe I'm naturally talented at this and wound you."

"In that case, give me all you got." Damon teased her. "Now, hold the blade like this."

He took out his own weapon, standing in front of her with his back towards her, instructing to copy with him a mirror image. Slowly, and carefully, they went through step by step the different stances and positions to hold the weapon. Making sure her feet were in the right place to hold her balance and her weight was equally proportioned.

One, two, three, four…one, two, three, four…

Elena continued to move in the easy steps he'd shown her as Damon circled her, making sure that every step was right. After a while, her movements were flawless and effortless, not one toe out of line or one step missed as she picked up the pace of her movements.

"You're a fast learner!" Damon beamed. "How'd you pick this all up so quickly?"

"I took dance lessons as a child. It's like the same thing, learning the right steps and making sure each is perfect."

He chuckled. "Are you ready to clash swords?"

Elena gulped. "Are you sure I am ready?"

"We'll start slowly and build up as you become more confident."

Elena smirked and soon, the swords started to collide, with Damon being very careful not to hurt Elena. They started off with simple moves, like the correct angle to hit the opponent as well as how to block without losing one's balance.

"That's it... Sword down, up, down!" He continued, and every time the sword collided.

Her heart was pumping and sweat covered her brow, but Elena had never felt so alive. She grinned, lightly stepping back and forth, bouncing on her toes as she improved her blocks and defence. Although Damon was better and quicker, Elena found that she was able to keep up with his pace, even though she knew he was going easier on her. But that didn't matter to her. Having the freedom to actually do this felt so amazing to her.

"I think…I'm getting the hang of this!" She breathed out.

"Sideways...think of it as a dance routine, Elena. Sword fighting doesn't always have to be about death." He told her. "Now lunge!"

Elena charged forward, not thinking about the dangerous weapon in her hand, but there was no time to stop! She felt herself falling forwards, her blade right at Damon's chest. But the captain was faster, gripping her wrist and pushing the blade away so it didn't hit him, but Elena was not so fortunate. Instead of recovering she continued to fall right on top of Damon, crashing into him so they both ended up on a heap on the floor, her on top of him.

"Oh! I am so sorry!" Elena cried out, sitting up on his lap and checking for any injury.

Damon laughed. "It's fine."

"I could have hurt you!"

"Elena," Damon said firmly, cupping her face with his hands. "I am fine, I promise."

Elena let out a deep breath, calming herself and offering a small smile. It was then she realized what position she was in, straddling the Captain. Her mouth opened in a silent gasp, but was unable to make herself move. Damon sensed this and moved closer to her, one hand brushing away the stray hair falling around her face. He felt her cool breath on his cheek and he shuddered at the feeling.

Just a little closer…her lips…

"Captain!"

Both Elena and Damon jumped as Alaric busted into the room without knocking. He made no comment on their position, but his eyes were full of worry.

"What is it?" Damon growled.

"Enemy ship, Captain!" Alaric panicked, shaking his head. "And it's coming right for us."

Hey guys! Sorry for the delay for this chapter. I sorta ran out of inspiration to write, but with the amazing help from Amy, I managed to get it out! She helped so much so massive thanks to her. Make sure to check out her page and her new stories! This chapter was shorter than what I normally write, but I think it was a nice little chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews and support from you all! Let me know what you think and any ideas you have that you think would be cool for this story! Until next time guys :D

Next chapter: The enemy ship is approaching and Damon is ready to take action. But can he risk putting Elena in harms way? Stay tuned ;)