WILL

Despite the comfort of the luxurious bed, I found myself unable to sleep, haunted by the worry that each breath would be my last. Squirming under the gaze of my constant guard, I couldn’t shake the ominous feeling.

After a night spent imagining the many ways I could die aboard the Marauder, the sound of a knock at the door made me flinch, my heart in my throat. Tucking my head against my arms, I waited, breath held, to hear who had come looking for me.

The sound of a soft, familiar, feminine voice had me sighing with relief. Cordelia wasn’t any less intimidating than the others, but anyone would be better than Captain Valkyrie.

I sat up slowly as Cordelia entered the room, my head spinning slightly from the lack of sleep. My eyes felt heavy as I watched her relieve the guard from his duty. It was an almost identical image to the night before, a tray of food in her hands as she turned to me

She glared at me for a moment before her expression softened and she sighed. “Well,” she shoved the tray of hot rolls into my lap, the silver cutlery clattering against a small tray of butter, “it looks like we’ll be stuck together for a while. I’ve been charged with the task of babysitting you.” Without permission she grabbed one of my rolls, tearing into it with her teeth.

“He’s demoted you to this? Must be because of all the gossiping we did,” I said, my tone dry. “Sorry about that—”

Before I could say anything else about it, she leaned in, taking a whiff of the air around me before recoiling in disgust. “I think for my own wellbeing, the first step we make on the tour will be the showers. You reek.”

My eyes widened slightly, and I gave a soft chuckle. “Flattering. I usually smell like motor oil and sweat, I’m sure you’ll get used to it if you’re watching me work on the engine,” I said, shaking my head before I looked down at the food. The rolls were soft and fluffy, a quality which would have surprised me aboard any other ship.

I rushed through my breakfast, keeping my eyes on her. “I at least get privacy when I’m washing, right? I swear I won’t tear the pipes apart in an attempt to escape.”

She smirked, giving me a playful look. “What, shy are we?” Grinning, she gestured towards the door. “Carter will accompany you. Captain doesn’t want you out of our sights.” Her face fell slightly as she swallowed the last bite of bread. With her eyes downcast, almost afraid to look at me, she uttered, “It would be catastrophic for me… if you escaped. The captain’s trusting me, you’re my responsibility… I hope you get what I’m saying.” Her green eyes flashed up at me with a pleading kind of warning.

The slight smile she’d provoked died in an instant. “How many times do I have to promise to behave?” The words were sharp, though I knew she probably didn’t deserve the acid in my tone. “I’ll get off this ship if I do what’s asked of me. That seems a lot safer than risking the captain’s ire. I have no reason to try to escape.” I had more reasons to stay, especially with one of my possessions in Valkyrie’s grasp. I couldn’t leave without it, so I had no choice but to follow orders.

She nodded, seeming satisfied with the answer. “Alright. Then, let’s get you washed up with a decent change of clothes, and I’ll take you to the engines.” Standing, she brushed the crumbs off her trousers. I was surprised when she outstretched her hand to me, giving me a firm but sweet, genuine smile. “I’m Cordelia. You can call me Cordy, everyone else does. If you ever cross paths with my brother again… I’d make a run for it.”

I hesitated, eyes narrowed slightly as I looked at her. Her brother, she could only be speaking of Tarren. They shared similar features, the darker skin and bright green eyes. The memory of him shouting at the captain filled my mind; he seemed to strongly disagree with my presence on the ship. I didn’t need her advice to know I should stay away from him.

But knowing she was trying to spare me a lashing softened me enough to allow me to take her hand, shaking it gingerly. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I murmured as I stood up, trying to smile back at her. “I’m sure you’ve heard, but I’m Will. I… appreciate your help. It’s good to have one person who doesn’t want to throw me overboard.”

“Don’t tempt me,” she said, throwing her thick braid over her shoulder. She gestured towards the door, grabbing a towel from a set of drawers and chucking it at me.

I huffed as I caught it, only the tips of my fingers keeping it off the floor. Giving her an exasperated look, I tucked it over my arm as I walked across the room to open the door. The guard outside gave me a sour look; I bristled, but Cordy’s stern instruction to lead me to the showers and keep me under watch had Carter looking a bit more amicable.

He didn’t say a word to me, though, as he led me down the hallways. It was uncomfortable, the pressure of heavy, distrustful gazes on me; I tried to keep my head down and ignore them. It was harder to ignore Carter as he opened a door, gesturing me in before stationing himself next to the exit.

I swallowed hard, trying to forget he was there as I examined the room. The shower fixtures were bright, polished metal, high quality and gleaming with the remainder of steam in the air from the last use. Clearly intended for the crew, there were several small showers with light curtains. I picked the closest one, glancing back at the guard with a silent question. When he gave me a curt nod, I pulled the curtain closed, knowing he could still see well enough to know if I was causing trouble.

Undressing quickly, I placed my dirty clothes past the curtain on a small elevated stool, before I turned the hot water faucet on. There was a soft hiss of steam, followed by a rush of warm water. I stepped under it, wincing as it soaked through the layer of grime I had collected in Nighbrook, the water running dark as I reached for one of the bottles of soap lined neatly on a shelf below the showerhead.

My skin felt raw and tender when I shut the water off, having scrubbed every inch of my flesh thoroughly to be rid of the grit and grime; I was cleaner than I had been in weeks. Brushing back the damp tendrils of my hair, I dried myself off and peeked around the curtain to see my filthy outfit had been replaced with a neatly folded pile of clean clothing. The fabric felt soft against my skin as I dressed myself, quietly awed by the quality of the simple black trousers. I rolled the crisp charcoal gray shirt up around my elbows; the black brocade vest I buttoned over my chest swirled with elegant designs in soft silver, matching the buckles of the simple boots I tugged on after walking away from the wet shower floor.

They’d replaced my tool belts with ones of thick, dark leather, still new and stiff as I buckled them in place. The leather gloves I pulled on last were thick enough to protect me from the heat of an engine, but still smooth and flexible enough to allow me to work with my hands. I looked down at them, flexing my fingers, uneasy as I wondered why they had dressed a prisoner so well. The clothing itself was highly impractical for an engineer and slightly too big for my slender frame, but somehow wearing the fine clothes still felt like a luxury.

A sharply cleared throat brought my attention to my waiting guard, his exasperated expression cutting into me as he gestured to the door. I hurried to open it, finding Cordelia waiting for me, looking far more patient than her testy counterpart. I spread my hands out, as if presenting my new, clean appearance. “Better?” I questioned, a faint smile turning up my mouth.

Her thin brows raised in surprise as she nodded in approval, “Wow, you clean up good.” She walked over to me, checking the fit as she circled me. “I never realized what great taste the captain has. Shame you’re just going to be working in the engine room.” She shrugged, giving off a sigh.

My smile faded, the gratifying compliment suddenly unimportant. “What was that about the captain?” I hoped I sounded casual as I pressed her for information. The more I knew about Valkyrie, the less likely I was to put myself at the end of his weapon again.

She gave me a confused look, smirking. “Where did you think the clothes came from?”