I
The debonair blue sky was clear, which allowed the burning hot sun to cast heat without any disruption. The crystal clear seawater was calm, and if one was to look over the side of the ship, sharks could be seen swimming several feet below the water's surface. The only sound for miles around came from the huffing, puffing, cursing mouths of the crew of the Jolly Roger as it sailed at top speed across the water. But, as much as The Jolly Roger tried to outrun the Cry of the Rose, it was no good.
The ships were both of equal quality, speed, and build, but the Rose's Captain had a larger, more determined crew. Captain Killian Jones stood at the helm and barked orders at his crew who desperately tried to obey him, but everyone knew the inevitable was coming. There was no escape from Blackbeard.
After 30 more minutes of struggle, Killian surrendered to the fact he had lost. The Jolly Roger slowed down as the Rose sailed next to it. Killian braced himself and looked more confident than he felt as ropes with hooks attached caught the edge of his ship.
"Stand down, men," Killian called to his crew, as he feared any attempt to fight would cost their lives. His crew lowered their weapons but did not drop them, merely held them below their hips, just in case. A huge wooden walkway was dropped connecting the two ships. A group of 12 men scurried over the walkway, each holding at least two weapons, followed by a tall man. He was dressed in a blood red jacket, with a thick, leather belt holding it together. There were three small daggers strapped to a diagonal holster across his body, with tight leather trousers tucked into knee high soft leather boots that were scuffed. He held a sword in his right hand, and his long, black, slightly braided hair was underneath a pointed black hat with a gold trim. As he stepped onto the deck of the Jolly Roger, he used his heavily makeuped black eyes to scan the crew before finding his target.
"Killian Jones," the man produced a booming voice, a voice that put fear into every man in Jones' crew. Killian did not allow his shared fear to show on his face. He knew who this man was. It was Blackbeard. The sea had calmed and all the noise to be heard was the sound of his footsteps that echoed across the ship as he walked over to Killian. Blackbeard stopped an inch away from Killian and the fear began to show. There was a moment of silence as the men surveyed each other. Then Blackbeard burst out laughing. He flung an arm around Killian and shook him while they hugged. Killian stood still, confused over what had happened. The, with his arm still around Killian, Blackbeard led him down the steps, through the ship to his cabin. Killian walked in first, followed by Blackbeard, who locked the door, poured two tumblers of rum and sat in the Captain's chair.
"Sit, drink, enjoy!" came the booming voice, and Killian followed his orders. They both took a sip of rum before he spoke again. "I gather you know why I'm here?" Killian didn't take his eyes off Blackbeard. "I'll take your silence as a no. I am here to offer you the chance to surrender. To properly surrender," the man corrected himself.
"You already have my ship," Killian found his voice.
"It is more than just your ship that I seek," Blackbeard wore an evil grin that exposed two gold canine teeth. "I want the map. I know you have it in your possession."
"And which map might this be? As a pirate, I tend to carry the odd map or two," Killian's courage was slowly coming back. Blackbeard scoffed and half smiled.
"The map to Ormsa Falls." The tension was so thick it could be cut with a knife. Killian sat back in his chair.
"And what is it that you seek at Ormsa Falls?" he feigned stupidity; Killian knew exactly what was there.
"You think you can mock me? Do not test my patience, boy. You know as well as I Dreamshade has been hidden there," Blackbeard slammed his tumbler onto the desk and leaned forward in anger.
"So it is true," Killian said. "It does exist." Killian had grown up hearing stories about the many brave men who have attempted to find Ormsa Falls and steal Dreamshade. It was a magical weapon with the ability to absorb all of the kingdom's magic. Killian had spent the last century hunting the rest of the ingredients needed to make the curse, but Dreamshade had eluded him. Killian had the map, and it has cost his brother's life to do so.
"Give me the map, Jones," Blackbeard said again. "Give me the map or I will be forced to take it from your dead body."
Killian sat back in his chair, rested his ankle on his knee and his head onto his finger and thumb. "The map to Ormsa Falls? My apologies, I can't seem to recall owning anything of that description." He waved off the last part of the sentence, which infuriated the man even more.
Blackbeard slammed his fists on the table, a noise that bounced off the walls. "YOU WILL GIVE ME THE MAP," he yelled, his voice ricocheted off Killian's chest.
"Or what?" Killian said, as he leant forward.
Blackbeard produced his sword and held it to Jones' throat. "I will run you through where you sit." Killian looked from the point of the sword to the man's eyes.
"Well, Blackbeard, there is something you should know before you do," Killian said.
"Yes, Jones, and what is that?" Blackbeard said.
"You should never threaten a Captain in his own cabin," Killian said. Blackbeard tilted his head to the side, confused over Killian's words as Killian stamped his foot on a loose plank on the floor. The loose plank swung up and hit Blackbeard between the legs. Killian stood up, flipped the table, sending Blackbeard flat on his back. Killian drew his own sword and disarmed Blackbeard, and held the sword to his throat.
"Two centuries we've been chasing each other and you finally beat me. Go on, run me through," Blackbeard said, blood trickled out of his mouth. Killian contemplated this before he lowered his sword.
"On your feet," Killian said and held his sword as Blackbeard struggled to stand. "Deck," Killian ordered and Blackbeard led the way through the ship. Jones stopped when he was by the helm and the crews of both ships could clearly see them. "Men, arm yourselves." Killian's men scrambled to collect up their weapons. "The Cry of the Rose is now under my command. All crew members of the Rose will drop their weapons." They did as he instructed.
"Pugnam, et vos!" yelled Blackbeard. His crew gathered their weapons and began to fight Killian's crew. Killian realised what Blackbeard had yelled: arm yourselves and fight. Killian had no time to contemplate his instant regret of not killing Blackbeard, Jones had to duck out of the way as an axe narrowly missed his head. A sword was thrown to Blackbeard and an intense fight began. More crewmembers from The Rose crawled over the walkway to take down Killian's men.
"You should have killed me while you had the chance," Blackbeard teased through the clang of swords. Killian knew he was right, he had the chance before but he had the chance now. Killian managed to catch the hilt of his sword underneath the handle of Blackbeard's, swung it around and sent it over the side of the ship, disarming him. Killian saw the fear in Blackbeard's eyes as Killian's sword swung through the air and up through his chest. Blood spilled out of his body and sprayed Killian, soaking him. Blackbeard choked on his own blood; Killian took this opportunity to stab him again and again and again until he began to sway. Killian then sliced off his head and threw him over the side of the ship and watched as several sharks swarmed around Blackbeard's dead body.
A few of Blackbeard's men witnessed this, and the momentary distraction allowed Killian's men the chance to kill them. Killian was about to celebrate this victory when he heard a cry. "Jones!" came a voice from across the Jolly Roger. Killian turned just as a spear flew through the air past his face. The spear cut only his chin but left no other damage. Killian had a second to let out a sigh of relief as an arrow flew past his face towards the direction the spear had come from. The arrow hit the man who threw the spear right in his eye, killing him instantly. Killian whipped his head around to see who fired the arrow and saw it had come from another ship that had joined the fight. Killian recognised the ship as the Mayflower Dragon, but did not recognise any of the crew. Killian used his telescope to look at the archer; all he saw was a hooded figure and a black mask over the face. The Mayflower began to sail away at a high speed and Killian managed to catch a glimpse of blonde hair as the archer took down their hood. He smiled to himself and hoped he would see his saviour again.
The crew dumped the dead bodies of Blackbeard's crew over the side of the ship, giving the sharks more lunch to eat. Killian ordered for the few men of Blackbeard's crew that were left alive to be tied up, and then he led a search of The Cry of the Rose to gather anything important.
Once the Rose had been completely emptied of supplies, weaponry, and papers, Killian began the second stage of his plan. "Mr Smee!" Killian called. A portly man with a nervous disposition and a bright red hat came wobbling over to him. "I need you to gather all the maps and charters from the Rose and place them in my quarters." Mr Smee nodded and wobbled away. Killian resumed his place at the helm. "Men, prepare for cannon fire and destroy the Rose." The men shouted in agreement and they loaded up the cannons. They waited for Killian's instructions before they lit the cannons, and it took 8 well-aimed shots to sink it. The men cheered, the anchor was hoisted, and Killian sailed The Jolly Roger towards Corsair Cove.
They arrived at the Cove in the early evening and Killian allowed the men one night to enjoy themselves as a reward for dealing with Blackbeard's men. The few men that remained of his crew were carried off the ship and placed in prison cells below the cove's surface. Then his men dispersed, off to find ale, women, food, and poker games.
Killian had never been happier to be back at Corsair Cove for it had been a long journey. After Killian found the map to Ormsa Falls, he and his crew had been on the run for the last two years on the run from Blackbeard and at last Killian had bested him. The majority of ingredients needed to find Ormsa Falls had been found, which was why Blackbeard was so determined to find Killian. Killian had secured a magical flower called Ublole, a potion called Asmane, a rare stone called Zarae, and Oclosie, also known as dragon's blood. It had taken Killian a century to collect the ingredients and he finally had the map. However, his task was not yet over, as he needed someone to create the spell to enter the realm of Ibiron, where Ormsa Falls can be found.
He walked across the sand towards The Dwarfish Elephant, the local tavern, where he intended to drink a lot of rum. The beach was filled with tents where men were gaming, drinking, and chatting. Killian breathed in the familiar smell of rum, pork and salt. The evening sky had a pinkish purple hue, and the chirping of crickets could be heard. It was still hot outside, but it was a pleasant hot, rather than the usual sticky hot that Corsair Cove often suffered. The Tavern was a 10 minute walk from the water's edge, and Killian nodded at the few men he recognised from his last visit there.
The Dwarfish Elephant was a quaint tavern, filled with wooden tables and stools, candles in lanterns that hung from the ceilings and the walls. There were roughly 15 men in the tavern, more than usual, which meant that Killian could drink in peace. A few of his men had already situated themselves with a tankard of mead and a woman on their knee. Killian smiled to himself as he walked to the bar. The barmaid was bent over, which gave Killian the view of her backside.
"Quite an exquisite view you're displaying, m'lady," Killian teased. The barmaid stood up, twirled around and winked at him. She had a mass of bright red hair that was curled at the ends. She wore a tight black corset that gave her distracting cleavage and a tiny waist, with a long black skirt buttoned down the front.
"Always the charmer, Killian. Usual?" she asked leant over the bar to allow Killian full view of her bust.
"Of course, Red," Killian replied, his eyes flicked from her eyes to her cleavage, a satisfied smile on his face. She winked again before a bottle of rum and a tankard was placed in front of Killian. He used his mouth to open the bottle, spat the lid across the way, and took a long sip. He looked around the bar and saw the familiar view of Will Scarlet with his hand up his usual woman's skirt, who moaned loudly in pleasure. "Will, mate, take your live sex performance elsewhere," Killian called across the bar.
"No worries, mate, Captain, sorry," he corrected himself when he saw Killian's face. Will stood up, took his woman by the hand and allowed her to lead him outside. Killian caught a glimpse of the woman and recognised her as Belle, one of the pleasure girls that worked for Regina. Regina ran the local brothel, but she preferred to call the women who worked for her 'pleasure girls'. Ruby worked part time as a pleasure girl, and had often tried to get Killian to spend the night with her, but he wasn't interested in her that way; he would rather have her for free.
"Busy tonight, Killian?" came a voice from behind him, a voice he knew so well that he needn't bother turn around.
"Maybe," Killian said as he took another sip of rum. "Depends what you're proposing we do." The voice took a seat next to him; he glanced over and saw it was Milah. Milah's long dark brown hair was swept over one shoulder, exposing her neck. She tilted her head playfully and looked up at Killian through her eyelashes.
"Maybe? That's not much of an answer," Milah said flirtatiously, and moved closer to him.
"The little girl act won't work on me, especially when you're 30 years older than how you're acting," Killian said and took a long swig of rum. Milah had been obsessed with Killian since they had a drunken night together 9 years ago. Killian had used her whilst he was in Corsair Cove, and made it clear he wasn't interested in her before he left.
"Oh Killian, don't be a spoilsport," she traced his arm with her finger and moved closer again. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy it last time." Milah made Killian look at her and she put her arms around his neck. Killian looked her up and down and saw how provocatively she was dressed. Her shirt was unbuttoned below her breasts, and her skirt had a slit that ran from the bottom of her skirt all the way to the thin waistband. Milah leant forward and kissed his neck, jaw, and earlobe. Killian's heart quickened; he had not endured pleasure from a woman for a long time. She played with his earlobe using her tongue as well as gently biting it. Then she stopped and began to walk backwards, her eyes locked onto Killian's. He downed the rest of his rum; dismissing the voice in the back of his mind telling him not to, he stood up as Milah turned around and he followed her outside.
They walked to the side of the bar and Killian could wait no longer. Milah half bent over, her hands pressed against the wall and lifted her skirt so Killian could enter her easily. One hand leant on the wall and the other fondled Milah's breasts while he thrusted quickly. Milah's moans of pleasure grew louder, and she called his name over and over again. Killian wasn't thinking of her, he thoughts trailed to the mysterious blonde archer. He remembered seeing the silhouette of a female's form, and he wanted so badly to meet her. There was something captivating about her, and Killian longed to know more.