Hooray! I have people who like it! Hehe! That's all the inspiration I need! Thank you so much for reviewing and for the favorites I received!! It's much appreciated! And in response to those reviews, here ya go! And I'm so very sorry for the delay in updating. School has got me pretty busy and then with the whole getting ready for college thing it just makes it harder to get free time!
Charlotte: whoah! No way! That is sooooo awesome! Haha! I hope you like the next chapter!
Isa: OMG! Really? Wow! Yes I would love some help on the Inca history! I want to make sure I get it accurate. That's so awesome that you're a descendent! Your help will be much appreciated! (nod nod)
Disclaimer: Me no own Pirates. Too bad, so sad.
Excellent, now I have his attention. "Oh it's nothing too physically challenging but more of a test of the mind." She motioned for the bartender to place two mugs of rum in front of them. Charlotte watched as Jack raised an eyebrow curiously at her, "Do elaborate my dear." Charlotte smirked yet again as she took one of the mugs in her hand, sliding the other in front of him, "It's really quite simple, Sparrow. I challenge you to a drinking contest and the one who can hold their liquor the longest wins."
Jack couldn't help but laugh as his eyes shone with mischief, "Charlotte, do you really think you can beat me?" Charlotte nodded, "And now for the stakes. If I win, I get that compass of yours without you attached to it. And if you win-" "I get to go with you and be the Captain in charge." Jack finished her sentence as he too picked up the rum. Charlotte cringed at the thought of being ordered around by him but nodded, "Very well, I accept your terms. Let the challenge begin."
"Cheers mate." Jack held his mug up towards her before downing the rum. Charlotte did the same, finishing before him as she slammed the mug on the bar. She looked up at Jack who had put his down too, "Think you can keep up, Sparrow?" Jack grinned, "Give me another."
The two of them went at it for quite some time, their piles of mugs continuing to grow leaving little room on the bar. Charlotte was starting to feel a little dizzy but knew that she could keep going. Jack on the other hand, had begun to drink too quickly, making him more tipsy then her. Charlotte downed yet another one, slamming it down on the table as she watched Jack start to sway on his barstool. It was only a matter of time before she would win this contest.
"Feeling a little dizzy are we?" Jack shook his head, reaching for another mug but finding it hard to grab, "You are not getting that compass, love." He reached down and held up said compass, dangling it in front of her face, "This is as close as you're going to get to it." Charlotte grinned as she leisurely took another drink, waiting for him to do the same. Jack chugged down the rum in a matter of seconds and clumsily placed it back on the bar.
Charlotte leaned her elbows against the bar, pretending to be more drunk then she was, "Well, Sparrow, it looks like you will win this contest after all. I fear that I have misjudged you." Jack grinned as he was barely able to hold onto the next mug, "Don't worry, mate. You're not the first one to underestimate Captain Jack-" His words were cut off as his eyes closed and he fell off of the barstool, hitting the floor with a loud thud.
"Well, it appears that we have a winner, Sparrow." Charlotte reached down to grab the compass from his hand, "I'll be taking this." She gave him a smirk, "And not you. Farewell Jack Sparrow, may our paths not cross again." And with that she quickly walked out of the tavern, making her way back to the inn.
Charlotte's fist banged against the doors as she woke up her crew members, "Get a move on, gents! We have our heading!" She bit back a laugh as she watched her crew stumble out of their rooms, still half asleep. David was the first one to voice his curiosity. "What are you talking about, Cap'n? None of us knows where the Inca treasure is. And you already sent Captain Jack Sparrow away." Charlotte rolled her eyes as she reached into her pocket, feeling the cool case of the compass, "That pirate is hardly a captain and a poor one at that."
David was more awake now as he retorted back, "Now Captain Rackham, that's not right to be saying about Captain Sparrow. Why you hardly know him." Charlotte whipped the compass out, dangling it in front of the men very much the same way Jack had done to her earlier. "If he was the captain he says he is I wouldn't have this would I?" David was speechless as he suddenly grew quiet, the rest of the crew looking at the compass in her hand. "So as I said before, get a move on! The sooner we leave this place the better." The crew mumbled 'Aye Cap'n.' as they scrambled to collect their few belongings and leave the inn.
Veiled by the darkness of night, Charlotte and her crew snuck out to the dock where The Jewel of Atlantis laid waiting. In a matter of minutes, they were sailing away from Tortuga and towards their destination. Charlotte wasn't entirely sure if the compass was indeed pointing her in the right direction, but there was no going back now. However, there was no harm in testing it. Hm, but that is a matter for another day. I've got bigger things to worry about now.
The first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon, casting the sky in a variety of colors that would make any painter jealous. Charlotte inhaled the scent of the sea deeply, the wind blowing back her dark hair. In the light her regal appearance as captain could be easily seen. Knee-high boots adorned her legs, dark brown in color and worn from age. Navy blue pants were tucked into them and tied off with a bright red sash around her waist. Her baggy white shirt was covered by a dark brown corset, almost the same color as her boots. Necklaces of all shapes and sizes adorned her neck, clinking together harmoniously when she walked. To finish her look, a deep maroon colored jacket fell down to her thighs.
The jacket had belonged to her father and the emblem of Quetzalcoatl remained stitched on the back. The winged serpent was one of the ancient Aztec gods, one whom Charlotte had always found fascinating. It had been her family's dream to find the lost treasure of the civilization, but now it was up to her…
"Charlotte, don't wander too far now dear, we don't want you to get lost."All of the male crew had gone ashore to get supplies in the town, leaving Charlotte and her mother to watch the ship. Charlotte pouted up at her mother, her pirate hat almost covering her eyes at the large size of it, "But mom! How can I explore and find treasure if I stay by the ship?" Lilly rolled her eyes at her daughter, kneeling down to lift the hat from Charlotte's eyes, "Now where did you get this hat?" Charlotte grinned, "Daddy let me borrow it while he's in town. He said that someday I was going to be a pirate just like him!"
Charlotte took out her small wooden sword and began swinging it around, hearing her mother's laughter in the background. "Well there is just no stopping you is there?" Lily placed the hat back on Charlotte's head, "Just make sure you can still see the ship, okay?" Charlotte's smile widened as she nodded frantically, "Thanks mom!" Lily watched as the little girl ran off, fighting imaginary enemies as she smiled.
A couple of hours went by as Charlotte continued her adventures, making sure to keep the ship in view. She grew tired, however, and soon made her way back. As Charlotte drew nearer to the ship, she could hear her mother fighting with someone else onboard, "Don't you touch me again you filthy scum!" "Oh, aren't you a feisty one?" "Let me go! When my husband comes back you'll be- ow!" Charlotte gasped as she stumbled up on deck, her eyes wide in horror at the sight before her.
Mysterious men whom she had never seen before were onboard the ship and one of them had her mother in a very tight grip. Charlotte's eyes welled with tears as she ran over to the pirate holding her mother, hitting his legs with her small fists, "Let her go! Let my mommy go!" The man laughed as he motioned for another pirate to pick her up. Charlotte fought against the hand that was now holding her above the ground, still screaming for them to let her mother go.
What followed next was a blur. To silence her, the man holding onto Charlotte reached for a knife ready to slit her throat. Charlotte froze before trying desperately to get out of the grip, finding it too hard. Lily, however, at the sight of seeing her daughter about to be killed forced herself away from the pirate and ran towards Charlotte, kicking the man holding her in the gut, causing him to release Charlotte.
Charlotte ran to her mother, tears falling down her cheeks as she clung tightly to Lily's legs. Lily whispered softly to her as she stood in front of Charlotte, shielding her from the rest of the men. They came after them again and Lily fought against them as best as she could, but was fatally wounded. Charlotte watched as the sword pierced her mother's stomach, her body slowly sinking to the ground as she fought for breath.
Charlotte's world came to a halt as she was unable to move, trying to grasp what had just happened. She didn't even notice that the rest of the crew had come back, fighting and killing off the reminder of the pirates on the ship. By the time her father got to her mother, it was too late. Charlotte could not hold back the tears as she hugged her mother tightly, screaming for her to come back. Her father had to pry her away, but Charlotte fought to go back to her mother. She was gone. And it had been her fault.
Charlotte had never forgiven herself for what happened, and deep down she knew that she never would. She fought back the tears as she regained her composure, finding it odd that the memory would choose now to surface in her mind. Her eyes fell to the compass in her hand yet again, making sure they were still travelling in the right direction. We have a long voyage ahead of us, boys. You best be ready for what's in store for us.
A few days went by and still all that Charlotte could see over the horizon was open sea. Her crew had begun to complain and doubt the abilities of the compass. Charlotte brushed them off as she locked herself in her quarters. She massaged her temples as she groaned, feeling the waves of another headache coming on. Maybe her crew was right, maybe the compass was a fake and it was just leading them to nowhere. Charlotte opened up her sea charts again as she sat down in front of them, leaving no inch unlooked. They had to be close to somewhere.
Her eyes glanced at the compass to find its arrow still pointing in the same direction. Charlotte slammed her fists on the table, angrily knocking off everything on it, "Damn! Jack Sparrow why did you make me believe that your bloody compass works!?" Charlotte felt slightly defeated as her fists remained clenched with rage. Was this really just some wild goose chase? Had she been taken for a fool?
She was interrupted from her thoughts when Lucas began to bang on the door, "Captain! We're coming up on a ship!" Charlotte growled low in her throat as she opened the door, glaring daggers at Lucas, "And why the bloody hell would I care?" Lucas backed up slightly at her tone as he swallowed hard and answered, "Because…it's the Bloodthirsty Phoenix, Captain." Charlotte froze as the name of the ship sunk in.
No, it couldn't be him. Why would he be out this far in open water anyway? Charlotte became lost in her thoughts as she felt her legs become weak, almost finding it hard to stay standing up. "Cap'n?" Lucas's words snapped her out of it as Charlotte looked back at him, masking her emotions as she spoke soft and harsh, "Tell the crew to make ready the guns and prepare themselves to fight. No mercy shall be shown." Lucas nodded and rushed to tell the rest of the crew the orders.
Charlotte grabbed her sword and placed her hat back on her head, sliding her fingers along the rim as a smirk graced her lips. "Let's see how you like the taste of cold metal, Alexander. It would go well with your cold heart." She swiftly walked out, looking over the side of the ship to see the Bloodthirsty Phoenix growing closer and closer.
Meanwhile, Lucas and Roberto were busy readying the cannons. David and Richard were up with Charlotte, swords drawn. Charlotte bit her bottom lip nervously at the size of her crew. She knew that Alexander had more crewmen onboard his ship, enough to triple hers. She could only hope luck was on her side today. As they drew nearer to the ship, Charlotte could tell Alexander had seen them coming and were preparing as well.
Charlotte shouted down to Lucas and Roberto, "Wait for my signal!" Everyone seemed to be holding their breath as the Bloodthirsty Phoenix was almost in position. Charlotte's breath caught in her throat as she saw the figure of Alexander staring right back at her, a smirk on his face. Her mouth went dry for a moment before she shouted, "Fire!"
The air was filled with the deafening sound of cannon fire from both ships. Charlotte cursed under her breath when she saw how many cannons they had compared to her two. This was not going to end well. While she did manage to do some damage to Alexander's ship, Charlotte could already feel the brutal beating hers was taking. Every cannonball fired made her ship rock and shake from the impact, causing her to almost lose balance.
Charlotte held onto the railing of her ship tightly, her knuckles turning white as she narrowed her eyes. The crew of the Bloodthirsty Phoenix was preparing to come aboard. "Lucas, Roberto, get up here now! We have some uninvited guests to take care of!" In a matter of seconds, both of them had their swords drawn and were standing next to Charlotte. She felt a sense of pride as she looked at her small but loyal crew, knowing they would stay with her till the end.
As the crew landed on her ship, Charlotte charged forward locking swords with one of them. The clash of metal against metal filled the decks as her small crew fought desperately against Alexander's. Charlotte's eyes scanned for said captain, but could not find him anywhere. The coward is probably hiding on his ship!
She blocked yet another attack, slicing her attacker in the gut. He let out a cry of pain before falling overboard. Charlotte's breathing was becoming labored as she watched more of Alexander's crew come aboard. She could tell that her crew was growing tired at having to fight three men at once at the very least. Richard was the first to lose, caught off guard by his attackers. The rest of the crew followed suite, all being tied and held down except Charlotte.
Charlotte began making her way towards her captured crew members, struggling to fight through her sore muscles screaming for relief. What she was not expecting, however, was to feel the hilt of a sword on the back of her head. She winced at the pain before slowly falling to her knees, her hands immediately tied behind her back. Charlotte fought weakly against the bonds, trying to stand up but finding it made the world spin around her.
Almost collapsing down at the wave of nausea, Charlotte was held up by the two men that she had been fighting, her head being forced back as she watched the very person she had been thinking about approach. A sly grin formed on his lips as he looked down at her, "Well well, isn't this a coincidence? My dear Charlotte, whatever are you doing all the way out here?"
Charlotte growled low in her throat as she replied back harshly, "Stay out of my personal affairs, Alexander! I could be asking you the very same question!" Alexander sighed, "Stubborn as usual. You never change do you?" Charlotte spat on him as she gave him a look that would kill, "Go to hell, Alexander!"
Shivers ran down her spine as Alexander threw his head back and laughed. "Really Charlotte, is that the best you can do? Your threat leaves much to be desired, my dear. But if you really must know why I'm out here, I'll tell you." Charlotte watched him closely as Alexander walked over to the railing, looking out at his ship. "A little birdie told me that someone had possession of a compass. A compass that points to what you want most in this world."
His eyes flashed at Charlotte, looking for a reaction but she gave none. "So, naturally I set forth to find said compass. But, when I arrived at the island of Tortuga I overheard a conversation at the bar that night. Two fellow tavern goers were having a drinking contest and well I just couldn't help but overhear their conversation." He motioned for one of the pirates to search Charlotte's pockets, one of them retrieving the compass.
Charlotte fought against their hold as she tried to get it back. Alexander laughed as he took the compass, "So that pirate was you. Fancy that, Charlotte. I couldn't let you get away with it now." Charlotte fought harder, ignoring the nausea she was feeling, "How did you know where to go without the compass?" Alexander sighed again, shaking his head, "You foolish, naïve girl, I knew in what direction the island was located at, it was getting to the actual treasure I needed help with."
Charlotte froze at his words, her muscles tensing as she spoke softly, "You knew? You knew all this time and you never once told me! Why!?" Fighting back tears, Charlotte lunged for Alexander, but was still held back firmly. Alexander chuckled as he eyed the compass, "Why else? I wanted it for myself, Charlotte. Why is that so hard to understand?" Charlotte looked away from him, masking her emotions yet again as she clenched her fists.
"Did you really believe I would take you with me to the end? You are sorely mistaken my dear Charlotte." Charlotte tried to block his words out as she continued to struggle against the men who were holding her. Alexander knelt down next to her, his face mere inches from hers as he whispered softly, "I'm sure you mother and father would be proud to know that their only daughter failed to find the treasure."
All of her suppressed rage came forth as Charlotte reached out to bite him, missing by an inch as Alexander pulled away. "Don't you ever talk about my parents again! Ever! Do you hear me traitor!?" Alexander chuckled as he stepped away, ordering his crew to tie Charlotte and the rest of her crew to the mast.
"A traitor am I? You have sealed you and your crew's fates, my dear." Charlotte's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, "You coward. The only way you can win against us is if we're tied up?" Alexander chuckled, "Hardly, for that's not how you're going to die." Charlotte watched as Alexander and the rest of his crew made their way back to his ship, the compass in tow.
Not one to give up easily, Charlotte fought against the ropes as well, hot tears stinging her eyes. David's soft tone brought her back to reality, "Captain, give it a rest. You're going to hurt yourself." Charlotte turned her head towards him, "No David! As long as I still draw breath I'm going to-" Her words were cut off by the loud sound of cannon fire. Charlotte's head whipped back up to look at the Bloodthirsty Phoenix. Alexander was going to take down her beloved Jewel of Atlantis and her along with it.
No, no! I'm not going down like this! Charlotte continued to struggle but to no avail. She could hear the cruel laugh of Alexander as her ship began to sink. The crew looked down to see the water rushing underneath their feet, steadily growing higher and higher. Charlotte watched as the Bloodthirsty Phoenix sailed into the distance, the water now up to her neck.
He had gotten away again. She was about to admit defeat when she heard something crack. Charlotte's head perked up when she felt the mast begin to move. The rest of the crew seemed to feel it as well as they looked around at each other. Charlotte, with newfound confidence, spoke, "Alright men, it seems that that mast has been severed from the ship! Now this is what we must do. Once we're under, everyone swim down to free the rope!"
The rest of the crew nodded and with a deep breath they all sunk underneath the waves. They did as Charlotte had instructed them, swimming down and causing the rope to loosen. It proved to be more difficult than anticipated however, as they were pulled down with the ship. Charlotte took out a hidden knife from her boot, one of her hands now free as she cut through the ropes, freeing the rest of her crew as well.
One by one Charlotte, Lucas, Richard, David, and Roberto came to the surface, gasping for breath. Charlotte coughed up a bit of water before clinging onto a broken piece of her ship floating in the water. Exhausted, she laid her head down on the damp wood, banging her fist against it as a single tear slid down her cheek. Alexander had won. Not only had he won, but he'd sunken her father's ship, taken her only means of finding the Inca treasure, and left her and her crew to die in the middle of the ocean.
Things could not get any worse. However, what happened next made Charlotte regret what she had just thought. Another pirate ship came close to their wreck, weighing anchor right in front of her as she heard a voice call to her that she was all too familiar with, "Seems that you've had a bit of trouble, mate. Guess stealing my compass didn't help you after all, did it?"
Phew! Finally done with it! Whoo! Haha! Personally love this chapter! You get a bit of insight on Charlotte's background and you get to meet the mysterious Alexander! What kind of relationship does he have with Charlotte? Who is the mysterious man who has come to Charlotte's rescue? Haha, I think some of you already know that answer. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading it!