The Dying Hour (Open)

[Miss Gates]

A young woman ran through the ship. Her heart ached with worry. She had heard the news. She was running herself ragged, trying to find a solution. She was searching in her brain. If there was anything useful in there she was going to use it! But the woman came up with nothing. The poison was undefeatable. No one had found ever been able to find a cure and the Captain was infected. The Captain was infected with a poison called Darke. The Darke can only be poison in liquid form. As a plant though, it can bring great wisdom. However this was not the case with the Captain. The Captain's enemy had used a dagger. The dagger that had been dipped into Darke. The woman could not figure anything out. She was the nurse on the ship and nothing came to mind. The Captain was dying. Tears filled her eyes for she did not trust his second in command. The nurse ran to the Captain's quarters with this thought in mind. The young woman burst through the door and ran to his bedside. The Captain looked terrible. She knelt by his side and held his hand. She looked at her face. His was sweaty and his skin looked pasty. The nurse cried at the sight of him. He turned to her and said,

"Shh..." He whispered. "I'll be fine."

The nurse shook her head. "My Captain, I'm afraid that you're dying..."

He chuckled. "I know. I'm sorry." The nurse shook her head again. "Please don't leave me here with him, Captain. Do not trust him."

"Oh Annette, do not fret." The Captain said. "It was never one of your best qualities." He coughed immensely and she placed a wet rag on his forehead. "Do what he says and you will be fine."

With those last words, the Captain passed away. He closed his eyes and went off onto a new journey. Annette sobbed and held his hand close. Then his second mate walked into the room. She looked up at him with fear.

((you jump in and be the Captain! Are you a vampire? Why doesn't she trust you? You tell the tale!))

[ithevulture]

Dekar stepped into the room and looked at the scene that beheld him. His Captain was dead. His friend was dead. However on these seas he could not show his grief or the crew would think him weak. He knew what responsibility he had inherited. The one thing Dekar didn't know was who poisoned his Captain and he was going to find out. Turning to the nurse he drew a deep breath, he knew she didn't trust him.

"He's gone." It was more statement than question but Dekar had to know for sure. His voice sounded more tired than he wanted it to be.

[Miss Gates]

His words stabbed at her heart like knives. She loved the Captain. The Captain had returned that love and all was well in the world. They were happy. They were happy until that final attack. Until the attack where his enemies snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back with Darke poison. Annette was grief stricken. With watery eyes and stained cheeks, she turned to him and yelled,

"Do you have to be so heartless?!"

Annette was furious. The love of her life had just died in front of her and now she had to listen to Dekar. Her heart ached. The Captain had left her alone with Dekar. This thought had made her feel sick. Annette turned to the right and vomited. She wiped her mouth and leaned against the bed. She didn't want to leave him but she knew that Dekar was going to throw her out. So Annette stood up and turned to him. She shook her head.

"I'm a magical nurse. I should have been able to find some way to save him." Annette told him.

[ithevulture]

Dekar bristled at Annette's words, The Captain was his best friend he accepted him even though he knew what he was. The Captain hid his condition well from the crew, and his own wife well. Unfortunately the level of secrecy from both of them had led to a lot of the crew to also be suspicious of him, especially his wife. He took a deep breath before addressing her, she didn't know so it would be unfair to react negatively. He was just as heart broken as her, however his hard personality made it difficult for him to show it.

"There was nothing you could do." He said trying to sound gentler, but his voice was so harsh and deep gentle was almost impossible for him, "Darke is a rare poison and it's antidote is even rarer still, if it even works."

He walked over to The Captains body and looked down at his departed friend, great sadness in his eyes. With his death came Dekar's time as Captain. He began to wonder if he could even lead this crew when most did not trust him. What was The Captain thinking when he made Dekar his first mate? Someone like him was not suited to lead.

[Miss Gates]

Annette couldn't stop the tears, regardless of the tone of Dekar's voice. Her heart hurt so bad. She wasn't sure what to do from here. Where was she to go? Who would take her in? It was bad luck to have a woman on board, she knew that, and the Captain knew that. Hell the whole crew knew it, including Dekar. She felt as though her heart were shattering. The Captain loved her with all his heart and now he was gone. He gave her shelter and food when no one else would. Her story was odd and she was very well known for it.

Annette had been born into a magical family. Her ancestors were powerful gypsies and witches. Her father was human and a king. Her mother was a witch. Then her family had lost everything and they had to do whatever it took to survive. Including, selling their bodies. Her father, the previous king of these lands, had made his wife and daughter both sell their bodies for money. The father wasn't evil. He wasn't bad. They were just desperate. Thankfully, Annette had gotten out of the poor because she had trained herself to become a nurse. She had the gift of healing.

Annette had met the Captain one year when the ship was looking for a place to rest. The Captain was the first person to show Annette true kindness. And now she feared that she would be thrown off the ship. She looked at Dekar and swallowed hard.

"What will you do with me now?" Annette asked him and paused. She bowed her head. "Captain?"

[ithevulture]

The question caught Dekar by surprise. He never thought that Annette would leave. What would The Captain think? Dekar had promised The Captain that he would take care of his wife if anything were to happen to him. He looked at her, meeting her fierce eyes with his dark ones.

"I still need a nurse on bored Annette," Dekar said, "and you can still call me Dekar. You may still have your place in the captains chambers, however if you like I can find other more comfortable accommodations for you." He addressed her informally but returned her bow, "As far as I'm concerned you are a vital part of this crew."

[Miss Gates]

Annette was surprised at his words. He was allowing her to stay? That filled her with joy. Her talent spoke for her and made sure that she was taken care of. In this time that was all one could really do if one didn't have any money. She looked at the Captain once more and sadness filled her soul again. She cringed and turned to Dekar. She took a deep breath and said,

"What do we tell the crew?" Annette paused. "I don't think I should tell them what happened by myself. They may not like it."

Even though the Captain had trusted her, the Crew was a different story. Only half of the Crew had trusted her. The half that had not trusted her believed that she was a whore and a witch. That part of the Crew would crucify her if she had, alone, made the announcement. And if Dekar really had valued her then she would help her. Annette then had realized that more than half the Crew hadn't trusted Dekar. Her eyes widened.

"Captain, we need to make a plan. The Crew doesn't trust either of us and we're his people. You're his second right hand man and I'm his wife." Annette paused. "And neither of us have a good background story. How are we going to announce the Captain's death without getting killed ourselves?"

[ithevulture]

Dekar had foreseen this, she was a woman, and a woman with a unsatisfactory past with that. He bowed his head in thought, this would take some intimidation and the right words. They could not afford mess this up. Dekar was a large man, and even though a lot of the crew didn't like or trust him, he could make them fear him enough for them to be civil. However, he wasn't a fan of running a ship under those circumstances.

"We tell the truth," Dekar said, "Leave this matter to me. You just worry about his funeral arrangements, you are is wife after all. I am the captain of this ship now, this is my responsibility."

Dekar was set on this, he was going to be straight with this crew. Not all of them had a great back story either. It's just he and Annette were the newsy additions to the crew. Another thing he new for certain is that he would protect Annette as The Captain had told him too.

"I am going to also lie," He said, "I going to tell them that you are my woman now. So they won't touch you. You are obviously free to do as you wish, this is just so the crew don't think...you're something they can play with. I will not have that on my ship."

[Miss Gates]

She was startled by his words, but had accepted them immediately. There was no time for pleasantries. Annette looked over her former lover and held his hand. She leaned down and gently touched his knuckles with her lips. She looked at his face and at the soul she had lost. Annette's heart quenched with pain. He was gone. Their love was gone. However was she supposed to go on without him? Annette hoped that she could defeat her grief. She had needed to stay strong. And she had needed to remember that she was now Dekar's new wife.

Meanwhile, the Crew was at the Diner Cabin. The Diner Cabin was the part of the ship that everyone ate at. There was a large table and a lot of the chairs. the room was beautifully decorated. The Crew was normally bustling and loud. There was normally drinking and merry making, but now it was silent. Their heads hung low and they were silent. They were patiently waiting. One of the Crew was a man named Killian.

((that's right!))

[ithevulture]

Dekar nodded and sighed, "Just remember that you are your own woman too. If any of the crew trouble you tell me and I will take care of it."

He looked at his friend one mor time and lowered his head. Emotions were getting the best of him, his chest was tight with sadness. Dekar turned so not to show his sadness to Annette.

"I'll leave you two alone," Dekar said, "But first..."

There was an old box on the table. Dekar strode over and took it from it's place, he opened the box and looked at the content. Inside was a black pearl about the size of a Ping-pong ball. The black pearl was a gift to The Captain from Dekar when they met. He took the pearl from the box and walked back over to Annette, putting it in her hand.

"This was a gift I gave to your husband," Dekar said, "I'll tell you what I told him. Keep it with you. My people give such gifts as a sign of loyalty. Know as long as you have this I have your back. I made a promise to The Captain to protect you. This will make sure I can keep this promise."

With those words he turned and walked towards the door headed to the Dinning Hall.

[Miss Gates]

Annette stared at her husband while in the background, Dekar was searching for something. She lifted her head up and watched him open up a box. What he took out of the box was a beautiful black pearl. She listened to Dekar's words and began to wonder what type of people he was from. She stared at the black pearl in her palm and was about to say thank you when he had left already. She was speechless at the moment.

The ship moved slowly. She could barely tell the that ship was moving. The day had gone and the night had come on. Darkness had filled the skies much like this room. The Captain was gone and now she had belonged to someone else.

The magical nurse wasn't sure how to take this news, but she knew in her heart that she hadn't belonged to Dekar. She just had to fake it so that the Crew hadn't taken advantage of her. She was glad that Dekar had given her this gift. She stared at the black pearl in the palm of her hand. This reassured her that nothing would happen to her while Dekar was alive.

Annette was grateful for this man. At the moment she hadn't cared what Dekar's secret had been. If the Captain had trusted him then she had trusted him. Annette had to trust him. There was no other way that she was going to survive without trusting him.

Her heart had told her that she had to trust Dekar and she had decided on this. Regardless of her feelings she had to put on a good face and trust his intentions were pure. Annette turned to the Captain and her eyes watered again. She had missed him. She had missed him terribly. There were no words now that came from her mouth and there was a dead pan expression on her face. Annette's love was gone and it had died with him.

However, the Crew was getting impatient. The Crew had wanted some answers, including Killian. He sat at the table with the rest of the Crew and sighed heavily. These were dark times. He knew it. He felt it in his heart that these were dark times and something terrible had happened. Killian's stomach felt twisted and sick. He had needed to know now. He had needed to know what was happening now. He couldn't deal with this.

This was too much. He knew about the poison that the Captain was attacked with. That poison had no solutions. The magical nurse, Annette, couldn't do anything. He knew that unlike the rest of the Crew. The Captain was dead. Killian knew it. The Captain was dead. There was no other reason for the news to be taking this long other than the fact that the Captain had passed. He had just needed the second in command to confirm it. Then he would know for sure.

[ithevulture]

Dekar made his way to the Dinning hall. He paused before walking through the door. Thinking about the words he had chosen to say. The crew was not going to like the news. He would let them have an outburst after he delivered it. Then he would make his speech. Hopefully they would fallow him, if not out of respect than fear.

"The Captain is dead." Dekar said, straight to the point.

[Miss Gates]

((by the way I am picturing this time period set in the 15th century and it may seem like in my post that I am God moding but I swear that I'm not! Promise! lol))

When Dekar had entered the room, the Crew turned their eyes on him. There was silence. It was so quiet that it was as if the Crew was dead. Then Dekar spoke. He spoke those words that shocked the Crew into making noise. Some of them gasped and some of the whispered. Some of them even spoke in anger. Meanwhile, all that Killian could do was stare at the table. His head dead, his green eyes locked on the wood. 

Killian's green eyes widened. His fears had been confirmed. The Captain was dead and now Dekar was in charge. He knew it, his Crew knew it, and the woman knew it. Oh God...The Captain's wife...Killian felt sorrow for the girl. She had just lost her husband. Thoughts were running through his mind like people were excited that there was a huge sale at the market. He had no idea how to think or what to think, even.  

The chatter had died down and once again silent. No one spoke for a moment. The Captain had been like family to this Crew for many years. The Crew knew that the Captain had done some terrible things in his past. The Captain hadn't over shared what he had done, but his stories were well known.

The Captain had made many enemies but once he had met Annette, his story had changed. The Crew even began to love him as family. So the Crew hearing this news was the hardest news they had ever heard. But Killian knew he had to say something. He had needed answers and so had the rest of the Crew. He felt as though he had deserved them, as his fellow mates. Killian stood up and looked at Dekar.

"Forgive me for asking, but what is going to happen now? Are you the Captain? What of Annette?" He paused and the Crew became quiet once more, curious about the answers. Killian swallowed hard and said, "I know these questions may seem stupid, but Dekar...We have to know. We need to know." Killian sighed. "What is going to happen now? What are we to do?"

[ithevulture]

Dekar cleared his throat and turned to Killian. The crew deserved answers and he was really the only one that could give it to them. Before he began to answer he ran his hand threw his thick black hair, his fingers getting caught on one of his many dead locks that intertwined themselves in his normal hair.

"The Captain has named me his successor, so yes I am now your Captain." Dekar swept his eyes over the crew, quickly taking in each of their faces, their reactions, and lack there of. With this small glance he could tell who accepted this news and who did not. He returned his gaze to Killian before continuing, "As for Annette," He paused, unsure at first how to put this, "She is under my care, if anyone lays a unwanted finger on her will answer to me. I will not put up with that sort of behavior on this ship." Once again he scanned the room, judging the crew's reaction.

"As for what we will do now that is up for a discussion, we can either continue to our current destination in the west or we can talk about a different destination. I want to continue the fairness and communication of The Captain."

[Miss Gates]

Some of the crew had not liked Dekar's implications, but Killian had understood why he had said them. It was needed because Annette was the only woman on board. She was beautiful in every way, but she had deserved respect as had every woman in Killian's mind. He looked at Dekar and said,

"I only meant that..." He sighed. "How is she taking this? Is she alright? And if you ask me, I think we should go after The Captain's killers."

The crew mumbled and chatted and eventually they all agreed with Killian. "Yeah, yeah." a few said. Another few held up their glasses.

Killian raised up his hands. "I do not mean to start anything," he paused and chose his words carefully. "Captain, I am just saying that I would like some justice."