Pirates of the Caribbean: Ruling the Wind and Tides
Author's note and Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Mary Read, Hendrick Lucifer, Calico Jack and Anne Bonny were all real pirates who have lived and ravaged the seas, equal to Blackbeard/Edward Teach. This is a sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Journey to Dimalia (which is a fanficion I wrote, as in turn is a sequel to On Stranger Tides)
I would suggest you to read 'The Journey to Dimalia' before you begin reading this story.
Hope you'll enjoy!
Summery:
The chest that can rule the wind and tides, is on the list of Jack Sparrow. He longs for the treasure and immortal name, determined to find it. An agreement with the old captain Howard, leads him to sail back to the Caribbean and finish the errand. Gibbs and Rogel have been sent to Cádiz to interrupt the wedding ceremony between Angelica and the man she chose instead of Captain Sparrow, and bring Jack's son with them as well. Compared to previous events, Jack is firm to keep her this time. But everything doesn't always turn out the easy way, does it?
Pirates of the Caribbean: Ruling the Wind and Tides
Prologue
London, England
The carriages' wheels rolled in fast pace over London's squares where people bought merchandises. A vessel had recently arrived all the way from New England and the first class which happily had ordered furs and feathers was overjoyed by the magnificent items. The ladies would catch up with the Frenchmen in fashion and dress their husbands correctly. Even the middleclass had dared leave paperwork with a bunch of pages filled with written orders.
A man held his arm protectively over his eight year old daughter while they watched from behind a fence on the harbour how the ship was emptied. For them it was fascinating the human beings could sail that long distances, and survive the whole trip. The man carried a black coat while his daughter wore an ice-blue dress.
"Maybe one day you and I can sail. I've heard it is good working with piracy…although in the Caribbean," the man told his daughter.
She moved her brown eyes from the strong men that carried barrels over to raise her eyebrows at her father. "Father, what's 'the Caribbean'?"
"Edward! You're not speaking with our child about that infernal, horrible place, are you?" a woman's voice with Spanish accent demanded from behind.
The little girl looked curiously between her father who had turned around to face her mother, deep in thought what all the words meant between the lines.
"I just assumed-," Edward began but was immediately cut off by the woman with fiery spirit.
"She is an innocent little child, and is going to stay that way until she will marry," the girl's mother said firmly and folded her arms. She wore white gloves over her hands, a cream-colored dress, a hat in the same shade with a feather on its' side and her hair was neatly brushed to not fall into her face. A few hairpins helped the hair close to her face get stuck in the back of her head. She was an elegant woman, married to a handsome, rich Englishman.
"Dearest Beatrice…," Edward trailed off after not coming up with a reasonable reply. "I just had the urge of telling Angelica about adventures…," the rest wasn't heard by Angelica. She had escaped their little argument to jump down onto the pier where the men walked in lines, carrying heavy barrels. Her eyes got caught at a child her age sitting on a broken pillar further away, watching the scene as well.
"Hello," Angelica greeted and lifted her dress so it wouldn't get dirty while she walked over. The boy tore his gaze from the vessel to eye Angelica.
"Well hi there, wealthy-proper-girl," the child greeted back in a non-interested tone. Angelica scowled and sat down next to the child she firstly had assumed was a boy.
"You look like a boy, but you are a girl, huh?"
The girl looked weirdly at Angelica. "Yeah, so? I wasn't born in a marriage and when my half brother died which was, my mother persuaded me in changing name to his," the girl explained. "I have to pretend being a boy and answer when someone calls me 'Mac', but my real name's actually Mary Read,"
Angelica held her hand forward to Mary Read, the girl with dirty clothes. "I am Angelica Teach," she introduced herself.
"Do you have a story like mine?"
Angelica shook her head. "Not exactly. My mother is from Spain but after she met my father; she moved here," she told her and then was quiet for a while. "And I've never been a boy or had a different name," she added to make that clear.
"You don't sound like being completely from London," Mary stated.
"My mother has given me a sort of an accent, hasn't she?"
"Yes she has,"
A man dropped a barrel and let it slip to break on the wooden boards. Angry voices were heard while the two girls watched an Englishmen roar in anger as he pulled a whip in the direction of the black man.
"They are slaves," Mary explained in case Angelica, her newfound friend didn't know.
"Slaves? I've heard they are horrible treated!"
They stood up and hurried to climb up to the harbour, not wanting to see the punishment.
"It seems exciting to sail all the way to New England, doesn't it?" Angelica asked Mary who shrugged.
"I guess so. I will be one crewman one day so then I'm going to find out,"
"Really?"
"Yes, I promised myself the day Mac died this name has to be used properly," Mary Read replied and had a pleased facial expression, a bit proud of herself and the valuation she had for life. It took about a minute with her endless talking to figure out Angelica wasn't paying attention anymore. Mary silenced and followed Angelica's view to see a boy a couple of years older then them sitting on a railing with girls surrounding him, also older then them and giggling at whatever he said. "Jack, you are so funny!" "How about we go into Ms Larrington's tavern? We can sneak in from the backdoor!" "No, why don't we steal a ship?" "Steal a ship! Are you out of your mind?" "Oh, you are so adventurous!"
Angelica tilted her head to the side and examined the boy until he chuckled at something one of the girls had said and he caught Angelica stare at him.
The chocolate brown eyes of hers switched direction in an instant and of all sudden her father's voice was heard. "Angelica!"
"I have to go," Angelica excused herself and was about to hurry back to her father when she stooped actions. "Maybe we will meet again, Mary?"
Mary nodded eagerly. "Yes, certainly! I actually start to like you,"
A smile appeared on Ms Teach's face before she turned around and run to back to her father. She hugged her mother who embraced her tighter.
"Angelica, cariña. Don't run away like that," her mother bent down to crouch so she could be in the same level as her daughter.
"The two of you just fight," Angelica almost spat, upset by their arguments.
"It's alright, Angelica," her father said and her mother stood up again. He scooped up Angelia as if she would be three years old, causing her to giggle hysterically, while pulling Beatrice in the same embrace – just the three of them together. "My two favorite girls," he smiled in Beatrice's hair.
Dearest Angelica!
I wish to tell you how grateful I am you are reading this letter. Ever since your mother died and your father decided to take you to that convent; we have almost never met. While we've got a glimpse during battles between Calico Jack and Blackbeard, standing on different sides, I admit it has been hard to steal a word with you. I longed for spending time with a woman as we used to in the young ages until I found out a secret. Aboard the ship with Calico Jack, I wasn't the only disguised girl. There was a man who had been eyeing me differently and he gave me a fright about being discovered to not truly be Mac. Although my fear, I decided to tell him and it turned out the both of us were disguised women.
Calico Jack is about to get hanged while I have been taken to jail because of my condition. My friend and I are both pregnant. I know it is a lot to ask for a friend I haven't seen for so many years, but I still believe it is worth a try to beg you. Please come and save me. There is no one who cares bringing me out, nor is there anyone for my friend, Anne Bonny.
I send you this letter in hope we will meet again,
Lots of Love,
Mary Read your beloved friend from London.
Anne Bonny let out a moan in pain as she placed her hand over her stomach carefully in the dark corner of the cell while Mary Read folded the letter weakly and put it into the envelope with shaky, bony hands.
"Ms Read?" a lancer asked her through the grinds. She looked up with a pale face to hand him the paperwork carefully.
"Please make sure this letter arrives, sir," she spoke to the man with uniform on the other side the cell. He nodded gently and took it before blowing out her candlelight.
Chapter I - Where do I begin?
Tinoru, Senegal
The nightfall had swept the town and the life of alcohol began. People, mostly single men, wobbled through the streets towards nothing in particular. Once in a while, they went into a woman and grinned overly but usually got slapped. Especially those married men who were unfortunate to crash into their wives, walking by the side of a town-police in search for them. Otherwise it was a quite peaceful spot and during the days everyone was friends, even if they'd turn into the worst, loathing enemies in the evening.
There was a crowded tavern in town, where women had awfully low cleavages and the men so affected by the liquid called rum; they didn't even remember what they had done two seconds ago. Two doors swung open from the kitchen as Rogel burst out of the room, running in panic through the crowd of people he had to penetrate on his way to Gibbs. A maniac woman screamed and ran after him with a very sharp defensive weapon in her hand.
Gibbs saw the younger pirate escaping the crazy woman and stood up with a quirked eyebrow. When Rogel approached him, he pulled Gibbs with him in the pace, both very alerted to hurry out of there.
"Who is the lady?" Gibbs asked as they passed the front door.
"Why don't you make a try on that woman? The blood-dripping knife she's holding obviously means she cooks!" Rogel repeated sarcastically Gibbs' words which had convinced him moments ago. Firstly when they had jumped out of the door, he took a deep breath and filled the lungs with oxygen.
A man grunted annoyed of almost walking into the hysterical Rogel. Gibbs chuckled at Rogel and then tapped him on the shoulder. "Should not listen to my advice when it comes to women,"
Rogel raised his eyebrows and nodded. "Aye, I kind of have figured that out!"
Gibbs shoved him lightly forward in the direction along the street. "We need to find Jack,"
.:~:.
Boots starched on the wooden floor, already destroyed by all of the glasses with alcohol that had been dropped and shattered into millions of pieces. The leather shoes walked with confident steps towards a table where men had gathered around to make bets. They held up a tiny bag filled with coins and cheered, bringing the audience with them.
The man with a long open coat, dark dreadlocks and a hat pointing forward climbed up to stand on the table, immediately imbibing the pirates' and ordinary men's attention.
"Who is this?" a man sitting on a wooden bench against the table asked with raised eyebrows.
"A loser?" someone suggested and they all burst out laughing. All except for the man pulling out his sword to point to the man who had predicted his name. As the move was done, everybody shut to look not very impressive to the man.
"Tell me, bugger. Have you seen Howard 'round here, or have you not?"
"Who do you think you are, sir? Coming here and talk to me like that!" the sitting man exclaimed angrily up to the man with a sword inches from his throat. "I'd gladly tell an employee fire off in the direction of your head,"
"I believe I am Captain Jack Sparrow, on a mission – searching for Howard. I might need to add; killing men who stand my way," Jack replied in a determined tone while pushing the sword a bit further until it chafed him on the skin. "Or perhaps you want to experience that yourself?"
The men who had been tough and filled with dignity stepped back with shared bewildered looks, all wondering how that threat was going to end.
Suddenly Jack was pulled down from the table and shoved towards doors. "Finally, some effort," Jack stated as two doors opened for Jack to enter. The room was big with two couches turned to each other, a coffee table with a bowl of bananas and a big hand-woven red carpet lying in front of the fireplace made of tiny boulders.
The walls were decorated with embellishments of mahogany and he could picture Angelica living in that kind of place. That kind of a life style the person must be going through who owned the pub. Jack walked over to the window to take a peek outside where still the darkness took place.
Someone clearing its' throat caused Jack to jump around and eye the old hubby. He looked like being from the Navy by the red coat, sewn gold buttons and simply just wore something clean.
"Old Captain Howard," Jack smiled and lifted his hat as a greeting-gesture.
"Jackie," Captain Howard greeted back with a smile, revealing the many missing teeth. "Take a seat, son," he gestured to the couch and the men sat down on each.
"I must admit I am surprised," Howard confessed. "You really killed that old flame of yours,"
Jack grinned mischievously. "Not exactly. Hector Barbossa seemed to be willing doing my job and then of all sudden go and die,"
Howard chuckled and snapped with his fingers. A butler ran through the doors with a glass-bottle and two glasses.
"I believe I have underestimated you," Howard said while his butler served them each a glass of rum. "So if you now have the Black Pearl, the woman in your grasp and your mutineer dead. What purpose brings you here?"
Jack took a deep breath, finding it hard to acknowledge there was a tiny, pity, idiotic, terrible, giving-him-rage error in Howard's phrase.
"The chest to rule the wind and tides," Jack spoke up and leaned backwards into the backrest, waiting for the elder captain to spill.
Howard chuckled again and shook his head. "Ye just like your father. We were always out on adventures even though we already had everything,"
Jack nodded, still waiting for him to talk about the chest he longed for. He had no intention of talking about that he didn't exactly have everything Howard assumed.
"Well then…," Howard began. "If I tell you the rituals, give you the map, there is one condition,"
Jack leaned forward and clasped his hands together as to give Howard the sign he was interested.
"My sister, Rose-Mary Sinclair-,"
"The lass who married the French lad?" Jack inquired.
"Aye, the French governor that died in the battle where Hendrick Lucifer fell in love with Rose-Mary and took my family's life. I was the last one to kill and she saved me," Howard told Jack, who slowly realized where his compromise where going.
"No one has seen Hendrick Lucifer for years. It won't be a problem bringing ye your Madame Sinclair," Jack said pleased.
"That is the problem, Jackie - and I will go with you," Howard said which made Jack quirk an eyebrow. "Some of my old crewmen have told me about his return. He is back on the seas,"
Jack's eyes widened. "Hendrick Lucifer? The Lucifer… Lucifer," Jack asked not knowing what to ask. "Lucifer, the one who probably is searching for you?"
"Aye. But it all happened quite recently," Howard said and drunk the rest of what was left in his glass.
.:~:.
Gibbs stood down the boarding plank over to The Queen Anne's Revenge. The hat Jack had placed on his head was all it took for everybody to know they would be divided into two groups. One crew to sail with Gibbs and another one to sail with Jack. On each side of the pier were two different infamous vessels.
Gibbs rubbed his hands together and studied his ship. He was going to be the captain. "Oi! Rogel!" He called out for the lad that carried a barrel aboard. He had just jumped down on the pier to grab another one when his current captain called for him. "Get over here!"
Rogel hurried up to Gibbs, waiting to be given an order. "In any case something happens to me, you'll be in charge of fulfilling the journey," he explained. The dumbfounded look Rogel had made Gibbs speak. "Therefore you will listen to what Jack tells us," he instructed and motioned him to follow to the spot where Jack stood.
"We are ready to set sail, Jack," Gibbs spoke and waited for his captain to turn around. His captain held his compass and tore his gaze from it. Before he said anything; he looked over his shoulder, eying Howard to see he wouldn't stand too close to hear him speak.
"Either I find you, or the other way around somewhere in the Caribbean. The important thing is, and the only purpose is to bring my damsel and Antonio, savvy?"
Gibbs and Rogel nodded. "Aye," Gibbs said and grinned.
"Why won't you just…'sweep her off her feet' yourself, captain?" Rogel asked and emphasized the lovesick puppy- words in a high pitching voice.
"I have some errands and the time is parsimonious," Jack muttered really annoyed by how Rogel taunted him. The young lad laughed at Jack's response.
"Lad, one day you won't be laughing at this at all. I bet you haven't even been… committed to a woman yet, have you?" Jack asked the younger him, trying to make him shut from the childish behaviour of making fun of him. Someone making fun of Jack and a woman was deeply something Jack didn't want to be associated with. 'Fearful Captain Pirate,' Yes, there was the properly sentence! Not some sensitive, cheesy hubby!
Jack waited for Rogel to answer and Gibbs chuckled by their mocking.
"No, and after meeting yours – not gonna' happen," Rogel replied with a grin. Jack inhaled and gave him rum.
"Ye right mate," he admitted and took a sip. "Don't even bother to. They will only cause problems. I mean - look at what has gotten into me; sending my loyal first mate out to find a maniac. Makes no sense at all," he informed Rogel and clapped his shoulder before he turned around to board his Pearl.
The monkey ran down a rope and took a landing on Jack who growled at the creature, which later hurried over to another mast, climbing upwards highly while staring down at Jack who eyed it back with irritated eyes. How he longed for drowning that piece of crap.
A/N: This was the introduction of this new story! :) So... what did you think? Any idea you'd like to share? More romance, jealousy, action - and I can put it into the story! I can tell... at least I think... I am pretty sure; there will be more romance between Jack + Angelica in this one,
please review and tell me your opinion :) like/dislike