The Queen
Author: immortal_jedi aka jedipati
Characters: Will, Captain Jones, Crew of the Dutchman, OFC bad guy
Rating: PG-13 for suspense and frightening images
Warnings: This is a horror story. It was originally supposed to be out before Halloween. Also, I'm fairly certain it's AU.
Summary: The Queen- who rules an island of monsters- takes an interest in Will, while he's on the Dutchman. Things to do not as planned. Mid-DMC, in between the flogging scene and the Dice Game.
Author's Notes: Blame pktaxwench. Her cosplay of POTC characters as zombies inspired this.
Part 1 of 3
After the events of the previous night, most of the crew- including the only mortal on board the Flying Dutchman, Will Turner- were glad they'd had an uneventful day.
Will was trying to find a comfortable position to get a bit of sleep. His back hurt with every contact with the wood of the ship, but there was no way he would sleep on his stomach.
Bootstrap Bill Turner leaned against the side next to him. "It'd be easier if ye leaned against me, Will."
Will glanced at his father. "I beg your pardon?"
"If ye lean against me, I can make sure ye don't hit your back, and ye can get a bit of sleep."
Will considered, but exhaustion won out over the uneasy feeling he had.
"I think something is going to happen," Will finally said as he leaned against his father. True to his words, Bill arranged them so Will's back wasn't pressed against anything.
"What do you mean?" Bill asked.
"Something's not right… beyond the obvious, that is," Will said. "I just… something's not right. It's not the Dutchman. It's something else."
Bill smiled briefly at Will's first sentence, and then frowned at the rest of his comment. "Why do you say that?" He glanced at Clanker, who was sitting close enough to hear.
Clanker frowned back.
Will didn't notice the byplay. "I don't know, really," he said, sounding slightly confused. "It's probably nothing."
Bill sighed. "It might be nothing, aye," he said. He made a quick decision. If something was to happen, it would be important for Will to be rested. "You'd best get some rest. The work is too hard for a mortal, an' you'll need as much strength as ye can get."
Will frowned at him but apparently agreed. "I hate this ship," he muttered as he closed his eyes.
Bill sighed. "I don't blame you, lad," he said. He stayed silent as Will's breathing evened out and deepened. When he was sure his son was asleep, he looked up at Clanker.
"Do ye think he's right?" Clanker asked quietly.
"It's possible," Bootstrap said. "I know any abilities a man might have normally don't show themselves until they've been crew f'r some time, but Will's always been more aware then most, even as a lad. And we've never had a mortal on board for more then a day."
"An' we're sailing close ta… ta that isle."
"Aye," Bill said, very quietly. "He may just be hearing the calls. It's not a danger ta us, but Will isn't safe if those creatures manage to get on board."
Clanker nodded. "I'll go warn Maccus. He'll decide if we should tell the Captain."
Bill grimaced. "I'd rather not. Captain's already too interested in Will as it is."
Clanker gave him a long look. Finally, he turned and headed out to find the first mate.
Bill sighed quietly and looked down at his son. Will was asleep, and Bill supposed he should get some sleep too. He might not need it, but it was nice.
The fog drifted over the ship. No one remarked on it. The crewmen on deck weren't horribly affected by the fog, though it did affect visibility somewhat. Down below, it was quiet, and the fog didn't really get into the crew quarters. Almost all of the crewmen off duty were asleep. Those that weren't asleep were drinking themselves toward unconsciousness.
Even the Captain was quiet, though Greenbeard, at the wheel, could hear him moving around in his cabin.
Down in the crew quarters, Will stirred briefly as he heard something. When he looked around and saw nothing, he closed his eyes and went back to sleep
A few minutes later, he stirred again. For a moment, he looked around in confusion. He sat up and stretched briefly. His movement woke Bill, who jerked awake quickly. "Will?"
"I think I can hear something," Will whispered. He shifted uneasily.
Bill glanced at his son. "What do you hear?"
Will frowned. "I don't know. It's quiet, almost inaudible. But I can hear my own name being called." He glanced at his father. "You must think me mad."
"No, Will," Bill said, serious and intent. "I don't. We're sailing close to an island that can trap mortal ships. The creatures on the island are worse, even, then the crew of the Dutchman."
Will looked toward the stairs. "It's getting louder. Don't you hear it?"
"No, lad. But I'm not mortal. They wouldn't be interested in me."
Will shuddered. "It's… wrong. But I…"
"Shut it out, Will. Don't let them get ta ye. An' remember that you think it's wrong."
Nearby, Hadras woke up and glanced at the Turners. One look at Will's confused, half yearning expression, and Bill's tense stance told him something was wrong. "What is it, Bootstrap?"
Will jolted. Bill turned to Hadras. "Will's hearing a call. An' we're too close ta that island."
Hadras scowled. "Tha's not good."
Will turned around and took a hesitant step toward the stairs. Bill grabbed him, which seemed to jolt him to awareness. "What…?"
Bill cursed heartily. "They're close," he said.
"Aye," Hadras said.
Before anything else could happen, all of them heard a loud caterwaul. Will's startled oath was drowned out by the exclamations from the crew.
Cursing filled the hold as everyone else was rudely awakened. Then the ship's bell began to ring.
"They're onboard!" Bill yelled.
Greenbeard yelled down. "We're under attack! To arms!"
Will's eyes widened as the crew around him woke up or shook off any lingering drunkenness, and headed for the deck.
"Will, it's too dangerous," Bill said quickly. "You're mortal; the creatures out there will come after you. An' they're already calling for you."
Then I'd better be somewhere where I can have someone to keep an eye at me," Will said grimly. "I'm not sure I have much of a choice in the matter, anyway."
Bill nodded. "Then stick close to me."
Will nodded. He was pale and nervous. "These creatures- what are they, Father?" he asked as they headed up into battle.
"We've never named them, Will. We're not even sure how they come into being. The Captain might know, but he's never said anything."
Bill headed onto the deck, Will following close behind. Will's eyes widened as he saw the creatures that were attacking. Most of them were human shaped, but disgusting, rotting things. They were worse then the pirates that had been under the Aztec curse.
The remaining ones, only a handful, were human shaped as well. But they also had wings like a bat, and were using those wings to swoop down on crewmen and attack them.
Will ducked and grabbed a loose board. He swung it has hard as he could and knocked one of the rotting creatures into the water.
He shook off the unease from the unearthly wail it produced and turned around slowly. The creatures weren't paying attention to him yet, but something was calling his name.
He did his best to ignore it, gripping the board hard. "I'm going to need a better weapon," Will said. He didn't expect anyone to hear him or pay attention.
He knew his sword was in the Captain's cabin. He glanced toward it, but there is no way he could make it there. He stayed close to Bill as his father circled around the edges of the fight.
One of the winged creatures landed in front of him, and Will yelled as he attacked.
Bill whirled and between the two of them, they were able to drive it off.
"Pair up!" Captain Jones ordered. "Like the Turners!"
Unfortunately, while that did help the crew, Captain Jones, and Will in holding the creatures back, they couldn't seem to drive them off.
Will eventually found himself back to back with his father, with a sword he'd somehow managed to grab from one of the rotting creatures. It was rusted, but it was sharp enough to do the job.
"Father, it's getting worse!" he yelled.
He heard Bill's curse behind him, but couldn't spare a breath to laugh at the inventiveness of it.
Two of the rotting creatures were trying to grab him and drag him away. He beheaded one, and fended the other off.
"The mortal resists our call." A winged creature landed nearby, just out of reach. Will knew better then to step forward. The winged creature appeared to be male, and he smiled wickedly at Will. "Perhaps we have found a worthy consort for our queen at last."
Will stepped back in revulsion. "I want nothing to do with you, or any queen you might have," he said.
The man- for Will didn't know what else to call him- laughed. "Do you think you have a choice?" The man whistled loudly, and several of the rotting creatures converged on them.
Will moved as quickly as he dared, keeping out of the grasping hands of the rotting things. Bill did his part, turning with Will and taking out one or two. Through it all, the unearthly, eerie wail continued.
Just when Will thought he was going to be overwhelmed and dragged away, he heard the same caterwaul that had woken most of the crew. A small cat-like sea creature jumped onto the nearest winged creature and, just like a cat, began to yowl and screech as it used every single limb to tear into the creature.
Will and the winged creature directing his attackers had the same response: sheer disbelief.
"What the…"
"It's Cap!" Bill shouted.
"What the bloody hell is Cap? He looks like a seahorse-cat mix," Will asked breathlessly, even as he recovered from the shock and fended off another rotting creature.
"Close enough- Cap's the ship's cat"
Will didn't have time to contemplate the idea of the Dutchman with a ship's cat. For the moment, he decided that he'd just be grateful the cat was helping him.
But it still wasn't enough. The creatures were focusing on him. They didn't seem to want to kill or harm him as they did the Dutchman's crew, but they wouldn't stop trying to drag him away.
Will bit his lip as he realized that he'd been separated from Bill.
He didn't have time to worry about it. He heard a yowl from Cap, and he turned just as one of the winged creatures grabbed his sword arm. The compulsion to follow them, to let them carry him off became even stronger, but Will gritted his teeth and began to struggle against the creature.
Several of the rotting creatures grabbed other limbs. "NO!" Will shouted. "HELP!"
He saw his father struggling to reach him. Finally, another winged creature- this one apparently female- grabbed his head. "You are troublesome, boy. Go to sleep," she ordered.
Will fought the command, but his body betrayed him and the last thing he saw was his father fighting his way through the large crowd of creatures that surrounded him.
Part 2 to come on Saturday!
Please let me know what you think of this late Halloween tale!
And, as always, thank you for the beta, arquenniel