Two days later, Alaina was woken up before it was even light out. A gnarled old man with a peg leg and a lantern was standing on the other side of her cell, the light casting deep shadows on his scowling face.

"Yes?" Alaina asked, trying to sound more awake than she really was.

"Mullins said you were the one who wanted to add cinnamon to the gruel." he grumbled accusingly.

"I was only offering suggestions." Alaina told him, making sure she was far enough away from the bars that she was out of his reach; she didn't like the man's tone.

"Well, I tried adding a little cinnamon to our breakfast. And honey." the man growled. He raised the hand not holding the lantern up to reveal a bowl with yet more gruel in it.

"Oh..." Alaina wasn't sure what to say to that. Should she apologize? But why would she apologize when she wasn't even wrong? The gruel was lumpy, tasteless, and completely unappealing. She would have been embarrassed to serve that to anyone. And if he was the cook, it was only fair that he know that.

"Here." the man said, shoving the bowl through the bars at her. "Taste."

Hesitantly, Alaina took the bowl. It was still just as lumpy as the stuff she'd had yesterday, but it did smell a little better at least. She tried it and was relieved to see that the taste had dramatically improved.

"I've talked to the captain." the man told her. "You're to report to me in the kitchen."

"I am?" Alaina asked. Well, good. Maybe she really was taking control of her fate after all.

"But if you cause any trouble, I'm authorized to make you walk the plank." He gave a wide, nearly-toothless grin.

"I see." Alaina said solemnly. She wondered how effective that would really be. She didn't think the ship had moved during the night, so she was positive she'd be able to swim to shore. Actually, that might be something worth looking into. Of course, it'd mean going back to that untrustworthy queen and her useless husband, which she wasn't exactly thrilled about. Still, it was an option.

The man unlocked the cell. Alaina followed him up the stairs and into the galley. There were dirty pots and pans stacked everywhere, and a giant cauldron of something bubbling slowly in the corner. Alaina leaned over. It looked like it was the gruel she'd sampled.

"Crew's going to be up soon." the cook told her. "You'll start by spooning breakfast into bowls. If you manage that, then we can discuss the lunch menu."

"Alright." Alaina nodded.

As the sun rose over the horizon, the crew started filing up from below deck, blearily making their way to the galley. Alaina dutifully slopped the gruel into bowls, handing them out to the men. Once the crew was fed, she helped the cook clean up the frankly impressive amount of dishes he'd managed to dirty in his pursuit of one of the simplest meals Alaina knew. It took so long to get the kitchen back into a semi-reasonable state that by the time they were finished, it was nearly time to start prepping for lunch.

"Good news, though." the cook grinned as he sat down at the long table the crew used for meals.

"Yeah?" Alaina asked, taking a seat opposite him.

"Mr. Smee has informed me that the boys managed to steal themselves a couple of pigs from those elves. We'll be having meat tonight."

"Well, that is good news." Alaina agreed. It definitely beat the ration of stale bread she'd had the night before.

She was almost finished with the last of the cleaning when she saw a man dragging two pig carcasses behind him. She recognized him almost instantly – she'd met him on the beach just two days ago: the stout one with the red cap and striped shirt. By the looks of it, he was still wearing that same shirt. With a grunt, he threw the pigs onto the small galley counter. They landed with a thud.

"There you go." the man said. Then rubbing his hands together, he added, "Now let's see what you can do with these."

"Will do, Mr. Smee." the cook said, flashing that disturbing grin of his. The red-capped man walked away, and the cook turned to Alaina. "Suggestions?"

"Well..." Alaina started. It depended on what they had available in the kitchen. She turned to the back of the galley, looking through the cabinets and drawers, trying to figure out what her options could be. "We have rosemary... why not use that?"

"On the meat?"  the chef looked incensed.

"Well, yeah..." Alaina wasn't sure what the big concern was. What else would he do with it? Clearly, she was sorely needed here. "And you have onions here that we can cut up."

"Well, I guess we could try it..." he said doubtfully.

"What would you do instead?"

"Throw it on the fire and wait 'til it's done." he shrugged.

"And how do you know when it's done?" she asked out of morbid curousity.

"It turns black."

"Oh. Well, that is one way to do it... But let's try it this way and see how it is."

The chef didn't look convinced. He turned and started digging through a drawer on his right. He pulled out a large, rusty cleaver. Raising it slightly, he turned back to her.

Alaina took a step back, putting her hands up in front of her. She was about to apologize for her radical new recipe when he turned the cleaver around, holding the handle out to her.

"You'll be needing this." he told her. Then glaring down at the pigs, he said, "You take the one on the left, and I'll take the one on the right."

"Alright." Alaina said, taking a small step towards the cook. Slowly, she took the knife from him.

The two got to work, prepping the pork for lunch. Alaina found some potatoes in a barrel in the corner, and she put some of those on the counter too. She got the impression that the cook thought she was insane, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he helped her prepare a meal that actually looked appetizing.

And it was a hit.

The crew looked shocked when they came to eat, glancing at each other and asking what that smell was. When the pirate with the eyepatch announced that not only was it food but food that they'd be eating, the crew erupted in cheers. After the last crewmember was served, the cook turned to Alaina.

"Well, congratulations." he said. "Looks like you won't be walking the plank today."

Alaina didn't say anything. She wasn't about to thank the man; it wasn't a compliment. He continued on as if he hadn't noticed her expression.

"Keep this up and you'll earn yourself a place on this crew."

"Oh. Good." Alaina said vaguely. She tried to hand her cleaver back to the cook, but the man just held up his hand and shook his head.

"Keep it. Around here, you never know when you might need it."