Authors Note: This story takes place directly after Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, and switches perspectives between Barbossa and Jack. I do not own of Pirates of the Caribbean and all credit goes to the original creators.

Fate Untamed
Score Four

Captain Hector Barbossa—feared lord of the Caspian Sea; acclaimed swordsman (to the few who've lived to tell the tale); a man that defied even death itself—was completely and utterly at another's mercy.

Some may call this undesirable twist of events fate; others a mere coincidence. But after being shoved into the same corner twice now, Barbossa knew that neither group was correct, and that instead, the bane of his existence had struck again. Jack Sparrow, the vile creature that he was, had effectively pilfered the Captain's last bargaining chip he had set aside in order to rally The Black Pearl's crew in his favor; and in short, doomed the man to an inevitable mutiny.

Confused? Let me clarify things for you.

What exactly happened to this man, you may ask? And why is it so surprising that Lady Luck chose not to smile upon him? Bad things happen to all people, (commendable with a sword or not.) How is this "Hector Barbossa" any different from the rest of the world? Well, if these questions truly need answering it is obvious you have not met the Captain. One brief look into his world would set any man a-quiver with dread and complete understanding as to why Barbossa is often referred to as the greatest Pirate—yes; I did say Pirate—of the 17th century.

From the tender age of thirteen, this man learned how to get what he wanted in the most profitable way possible. Running away from his poor family in the Western English Countries, Hector saw the gain in Piracy, and eventually learned to settle for nothing less. He began to wear luxurious clothes (such as a blue ostrich feathered hat) and was able to charm even the shrewdest of women—yet he never forgot to practice his swordsmanship (sometimes allowing for real casualties.) Scratching his way to the top, Barbossa cared not for the men whom he hurt along the way. Perhaps this is how he gained the tag line: "A man so evil, even hell itself spat him out."

Ah, and how true this simple statement would turn out to be in his later years.

Nearing his middle ages, Hector finally came around to meeting the villainous Jack Sparrow—a Pirate who was not a Pirate. (I mean; the man got branded, not because of cruelty, but kindness. Jack Sparrow set free a ship of African slaves, and was condemned a Pirate for stealing East Indian "Property." While Barbossa on the other hand truly earned his name, and the title of Captain by pilfering jewels, gold, ships, and the like.) Feigning under the title "first mate" Hector got aboard Jack's Ship "The Black Pearl" and through one of his widely acclaimed speeches, rallied his crew into mutinying upon Jack—finally becoming the Captain of the Black Pearl—with charts to a famously 'cursed' treasure to boot.

Score one for Jack Sparrow.

With his crew in hand, Barbossa spared no time in searching for the Isle de Muerte, where a fortune awaited him. Choosing not to believe in the rumors of the curse that would befall whomever touched the gold, The Captain and his crew grabbed whatever they could once finding the Isle, and unfortunately fell victim to the "Ghost Story" they refused to hold stock in.

Though I will not go into detail of the ten years following, I assure you that it was no picnic. Void from any pleasure at all, Barbossa was forced to reclaim every piece of treasure he stole, and return it to their rightful place. A thing he eventually managed, yet, not without a price. Mere moments after doing so, Jack found it prudent to take out his revenge, and shot Barbossa square in the heart.

Score two for Jack Sparrow.

But no, not even death would not halt this great leader, and after a single year of agonizing death, Hector rose from his grave (with the help of the Sea Goddess Calypso) and was once again free to sail the seven seas.

After repaying his debt to the Goddess whom saved him (by helping set Calypso free from her own curse), Barbossa once again fought to reclaim what was rightfully his. Gaining access to the mythical charts that bore the coordinates to 'The Fountain of Youth' Barbossa once again stole the Black Pearl away from Jack, marooned the man on the shores of a city called Tortuga, and finally 'barrowed' Sparrows former crew.

But again the idiot Jack had a plan of his own.

Apparently foreseeing this event, Jack stole Barbossa's charts, and cut out the important bits; a thing The Captain did not notice until he was far out into sea, and miles away from Jack. This is where our story begins:

Oh yeah, score three for Jack Sparrow.

Silently seething at the now tattered remnants of his once magnificent charts, Barbossa slammed his fist against the Pearl's cold hardwood hull; sending pin's and needles up through his arms with the great force he emanated. 'How could I not see it coming?' These words played over and over again through the man's mind, resulting in both embarrassment, and a steadfast conviction to murder Sparrow in the most gruesome way possible.

The truth was, Barbossa had greatly underestimated his foe's intelligence (or in Hector's opinion, lack there of.)

Sure, after working under Jack as his First Mate, Barbossa had noticed that the "Captain" could have his bright moments. But all in all, the strongest shown points of that man's personality tended to be Sparrow's love of the drink, his promiscuous tendencies and the obvious downfall of being far too kind. In fact it was for that very reason Jack allowed himself to be "dismissed" in the first place. If the fool hadn't given Barbossa the coordinates to Isle de Muerte, he would have never been mutinied upon (for even Pirates aren't idiotic enough to abandon the only means to their goal.) Sadly, Jack got the better of him even then, as the cursed treasure doomed both himself and his crew to ten years of sheer torture (a thing Jack managed to dodge, simply by being at the right place at the right time.)

Was it possible Sparrow was smarter then Barbossa had assumed?

Unlikely.

The man was just lucky, heck he probably got the idea to steal Hectors charts from someone else (maybe that Will Turner fellow.) Jack was nothing more then a villainous cur, and some day he would face due payment for such actions.

Continuing on with his brooding, Barbossa hardly noticed the melee stirring around him: Pintel, Ragetti, Marty, and even Cotton's parrot had begun arguing among themselves; leaving only muted Cotton and the two newest arrivals, Murtogg and Mullroy, staring dumfounded at the large hole carved out of Barbossa's sacred charts.

"You mean to say Jack Sparrow—the same Jack Sparrow I felt guilty about leaving behind, stole the bearings to the 'Fountain of Youth'?" Pintel cursed.

"Yeah, and not to mention Jack has that fancy compass that he always carries around!" Ragetti added on to his friend's outburst.

"You had us following you around blindly, forcing us to act like pampered lap dogs, for this? THIS Barbossa? A piece of wood with a huge hole in the middle? Well, that's just great! I guess you want us to continue on the same way now too, huh? Forget this ever happened and run off like children heeding to daddies every little whim? Well I'd rather not really. I'd rather throw you off this ship and go get back Jack and Gibbs. At least Sparrow didn't curse his crew every chance he got!"

At Marty's unnatural outburst, Barbossa snapped about, piercing blue eyes sending a challenge to the five men before him, daring even one of them to reiterate the suggestion of a revolt.

"I did well by both myself and my crew; (If I can call ye bunch of scoundrels a crew!) It was Jack Sparrow not I, which halted this plan in its tracks. Keep that straight in ye mind when ye suggest mutiny—the greatest sin a sailor could commit." Throwing his ruined map on ship's deck with a furious crash Barbossa kick the remnants over board, an almost physical metaphor of the crew's aspirations.

"Bu...Bu...But didn't you already throw Jack off his ship twice now? Isn't that the same thing as mutiny?" Mullroy stuttered, looking to the group for support (a thing they willingly gave, as each man let forth nod and whispered his agreement.)

"Taking the Black Pearl away from an incompetent man and giving her to a brilliant Pirate is a completely different thing then throwing away a good Captain for an idiotic one!" Barbossa growled while taking a small step closer to his crew, eyes still burning in a heated fury.

Marty immediately matched Hectors stride, bringing the dwarf Pirate a mere foot away from his would be Captain; gaze blazing into Barbossa's own. "Well then, if letting go an inept man is so saintly, I suggest we take action in throwing you over board immediately." Barbossa's lips pulled back in an almost animalistic snarl at these words, his right hand darting to the hilt of his sword, ready for whatever his crew decided to throw the man's way.

"Wait, wait, lets just all stop think for a moment" Ragetti piped up, "If we throw Barbossa overboard we will be down two Captains instead of one. I say we go find Jack then let him decide what's to be done." The arguing crew members stood still for a moment, all shouts halted in their tracks at the one-eyed Pirate's unnatural stroke of brilliance. Pintel even clapped his friend on the back in pride.

Barbossa let out a gruff laugh. "And why do ye think I'll go along willingly with this plan of yours? I hate Jack more then anyone! Even you!" Hector motioned to Marty with his chin, whilst the dwarf simply shrugged.

"Because," Pintel growled "We greatly outnumber you, and even with your skill in sword fighting, or your excellent shot, I doubt you could kill the entire crew before we kill you. This time permanently."

Hector knew Pintel was far from lying, for even he, the great and powerful Captain Barbossa, couldn't kill twenty men in half a second—then, attempt to sail a ship alone, heading in an unknown direction, blindly hoping to find the fountain of youth by himself.

It was impossible.

Letting out a sigh Barbossa straightened up, pacing back to the ship's steering wheel. "So what, ye want me to head back to Tortuga then? You realize that this brig could never hold me, I know the Black Pearl like the back of my hand. Not to mention that I am a far better navigator then the lot of you." The Captain glared unwillingly towards his men as they in turn talked among themselves, deciding what to do next.

"Fine then Barbossa, you can lead us, that is, until Jack gets back. Now let's turn this boat around! I want to find The Fountain of Youth before I'm old and grey!" Pintel ordered, as if he was the Captain instead. "Isn't finding the Fountain when you're old the point? I mean… it makes you young again?" Ragetti added quietly as the crew dispersed, each keeping an unnaturally cold eye on Barbossa while doing so.

"This is what I get for trying to lead my crew to treasure. A revolt and the curse of seeing that damned Sparrow once again. I'm starting to think Piracy's more work then its worth!" And with that, Barbossa spun the wheel around, the Pearls bow pointing back to land, and the only man whom ever beat Barbossa.

Score four for Jack Sparrow.