in which short conversations are had
Nov. 20th, 2013 01:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smackenzie"Were you and this woman going to marry?" Maggie tried to imagine the priest as a married man, and could not.
"My order would not allow it. But we wished to be together in some fashion. When we were discovered, I was asked to leave." His voice had grown quiet again. "And now you know what happened."
"I am sorry, priest."
"It was my fault. I believed I was right, but I could not swear to serve God with one breath and then break that vow with another."
"Now we have both shared a secret," Maggie said.
"What have you told me that was such a secret?" the priest asked. He lifted his head enough to look at her.
"Have you ever known me to fear anything?"
He seemed to think about this.
"You are the only person who will ever know how frightened I was of dying."
"I do not think that exactly counts as a great secret."
"Sadly I do not have a clandestine affair to tell you about." She grinned. He did not look so amused.
Marise picked that moment to return with a cup and what looked like a whole cooked egg. Close behind her was Abna (who was wearing Maggie's captain's hat), Ellim, Doren, and the cat. The priest slid off the bed and Abna and Ellim both snickered. Maggie was too tired and hurt too much to tell them to be quiet, nothing had happened.
"I have been enjoying wearing your hat," Abna said. "No one has noticed any change." Well, she half-ran the ship even when Maggie was up and about, so that was no surprise.
The cat jumped up on the bed and curled into a ball at the foot of it. Marise made as if to shoo it off, but Maggie told her no, it was fine, leave it. Doren looked pleased.
"Drink," Marise said, holding out the cup. Maggie pushed herself up, two sharp pains making her gasp. She felt a little light-headed, but took the cup, drained it, and handed it back. The rum went down harsh and she coughed, but as it hit her belly she felt just the slightest bit better. Perhaps it was all in her head, but she would take it.
"Thank you," she said, her voice still a little rough, and lay back down.
"You talked in your sleep," Ellim commented. "In your delirium, I suppose it was."
"I did? What did I say?"
"'I said no.'" Ellim smiled the tiniest bit, as if sharing a secret.
"You must have been hallucinating me," the priest murmured.
"You promised someone a navy. I do not believe you will be able to accomplish that. We have been discussing it among the crew."
"I will do it," Maggie said, conviction in her mind if not entirely in her voice. "I will convince the other pirate captains to sail with me, and governments up and down both coasts will fear us. We will be a force to be reckoned with. I swear it."
Ellim did not look convinced, and neither did Abna. But Doren did. Marise did not look as if she had an opinion one way or the other.
"You have seen me," Maggie said, "I am alive, now leave me. I would like to rest."
Marise shooed the other three women out and once again shut the door behind her. None of them had made any comment about the priest staying behind. And the cat of course had not moved, and was still curled in a fuzzy orange ball at the foot of the bed.
"Do you wish me to leave too?" the priest asked.
"I cannot imagine watching me sleep will be very exciting," Maggie told him.
"It will be easier now that I know you will wake from it." He pulled the chair up next to the bed and sat down. Maggie reached for his hand and he let her take it.
"You have found a use for yourself," she said quietly, "although I do not imagine I will need you to look after me for much longer."
"You cannot get rid of me now. They all refer to me as your priest." He nodded at the door, indicating all the crew who thought he was hers. "It does not bother me, before you ask."
"No, I did not think it would." She yawned. Her side hurt, and her stomach, and she was tired, and even though she had things to do and to plan, all she wanted was to sleep. She closed her eyes. "Stay if you wish. I do not mind."
The priest squeezed her hand and she smiled, and she slept.
words: 692
total words: 33,707
"My order would not allow it. But we wished to be together in some fashion. When we were discovered, I was asked to leave." His voice had grown quiet again. "And now you know what happened."
"I am sorry, priest."
"It was my fault. I believed I was right, but I could not swear to serve God with one breath and then break that vow with another."
"Now we have both shared a secret," Maggie said.
"What have you told me that was such a secret?" the priest asked. He lifted his head enough to look at her.
"Have you ever known me to fear anything?"
He seemed to think about this.
"You are the only person who will ever know how frightened I was of dying."
"I do not think that exactly counts as a great secret."
"Sadly I do not have a clandestine affair to tell you about." She grinned. He did not look so amused.
Marise picked that moment to return with a cup and what looked like a whole cooked egg. Close behind her was Abna (who was wearing Maggie's captain's hat), Ellim, Doren, and the cat. The priest slid off the bed and Abna and Ellim both snickered. Maggie was too tired and hurt too much to tell them to be quiet, nothing had happened.
"I have been enjoying wearing your hat," Abna said. "No one has noticed any change." Well, she half-ran the ship even when Maggie was up and about, so that was no surprise.
The cat jumped up on the bed and curled into a ball at the foot of it. Marise made as if to shoo it off, but Maggie told her no, it was fine, leave it. Doren looked pleased.
"Drink," Marise said, holding out the cup. Maggie pushed herself up, two sharp pains making her gasp. She felt a little light-headed, but took the cup, drained it, and handed it back. The rum went down harsh and she coughed, but as it hit her belly she felt just the slightest bit better. Perhaps it was all in her head, but she would take it.
"Thank you," she said, her voice still a little rough, and lay back down.
"You talked in your sleep," Ellim commented. "In your delirium, I suppose it was."
"I did? What did I say?"
"'I said no.'" Ellim smiled the tiniest bit, as if sharing a secret.
"You must have been hallucinating me," the priest murmured.
"You promised someone a navy. I do not believe you will be able to accomplish that. We have been discussing it among the crew."
"I will do it," Maggie said, conviction in her mind if not entirely in her voice. "I will convince the other pirate captains to sail with me, and governments up and down both coasts will fear us. We will be a force to be reckoned with. I swear it."
Ellim did not look convinced, and neither did Abna. But Doren did. Marise did not look as if she had an opinion one way or the other.
"You have seen me," Maggie said, "I am alive, now leave me. I would like to rest."
Marise shooed the other three women out and once again shut the door behind her. None of them had made any comment about the priest staying behind. And the cat of course had not moved, and was still curled in a fuzzy orange ball at the foot of the bed.
"Do you wish me to leave too?" the priest asked.
"I cannot imagine watching me sleep will be very exciting," Maggie told him.
"It will be easier now that I know you will wake from it." He pulled the chair up next to the bed and sat down. Maggie reached for his hand and he let her take it.
"You have found a use for yourself," she said quietly, "although I do not imagine I will need you to look after me for much longer."
"You cannot get rid of me now. They all refer to me as your priest." He nodded at the door, indicating all the crew who thought he was hers. "It does not bother me, before you ask."
"No, I did not think it would." She yawned. Her side hurt, and her stomach, and she was tired, and even though she had things to do and to plan, all she wanted was to sleep. She closed her eyes. "Stay if you wish. I do not mind."
The priest squeezed her hand and she smiled, and she slept.
words: 692
total words: 33,707
