Marian sat in a damp corner of her cell, brooding, her eyes flashing blue and yellow at intervals as her temper went up and down. The crew was silent, fearful, cramped in this horrid place. Ulf and Ulrich were at their captain's side, as usual. They were loyal to her even when she was a complete pain.
"We have to get out o' here." Marian said hoarsely. She cleared her throat. "Care tae help me, gents"
"I would, but-" Ulf hesitated. "I do not wish to cross Jones. He said he would let us go after a while"
"Oh, aye, an' pigs just sprouted pink fairy wings an' flew. No! I ain't believin' nae Sea Devil's lies! He's the one what takes the souls o' sailors an' binds 'em to this accursed tub! Lookit the crew! I ain't stayin' to be some half-human waste o' life!" Marian snapped.
"Bree assured us." Ulrich said.
"Bree? That wench? She's probably in on his scheme! Power an' rule o' the seas an' all that." Marian said haughtily.
"She swore on her mother's blade that we would come to no harm." Ulf said.
"I still ain't believin' her." Marian growled, drawing her knees up to her chin. Her pirate clothes were soaked and she was constantly flicking off little crabs and sea worms. "I hate this place"
So she stood angrily and began to fiddle with the brig lock, which did not give way. "Blast!" she hissed.
Then she had an idea. A glorious, wonderful idea.
"Oh," she moaned, putting her hand to her forehead. "Oh-oh"
"Cap'n?" Ulf asked, perturbed.
"I feel...I feel..." she gasped, and fell over in a heap.
Ulrich knelt and with his single arm tried to wake her, gently pushing her. "She's passed out. I can't get her up"
"What's it now?" Koleniko barked, coming down into the brig. He saw the fallen girl and frowned. "She has gone unconscious. She won't wake up!" Ulf said, in his voice a rising urgency.
Bree came down upon hearing the commotion. She saw the passed out girl and grabbed the keys from Koleniko, and unlocked the cell door. She dragged Marian out and tried to revive her, but to no avail. She was barely even breathing.
Then those inhuman yellow eyes popped open, and Bree saw pure mischief in them.
WHUMP! Up came Marian's legs. Back flew Bree. But not for long. As soon as the wily girl had cleared the stairs Bree caught her by the arm and pulled her back. "Oh no ye don't!" she snarled. "Little trickster"
"Lemme go! I ain't stayin' here an' turnin' into no monster! I ain't afeared o' death!" Marian snapped, pulling her arm away. "What use d'ye have for a loudmouth like me anyhow"
"I already told ye," Bree said slowly, for emphasis, "I"
"I ain't believin' a word o' it!" Marian interrupted, seeing Twins and Clanker come to Bree's side. She acted quickly, pulling one of Twins's swords from his belt and angling it at Bree's neck. "I ain't goin' down quietly neither"
"Ye again!" the voice was Davy Jones's. He put himself between Marian and Bree and glared frostily at the arrogant girl. "So ye tricked yer way out o' the brig, did ya? Very good. A typical Sparrow teaching, for sure. Believe me when I say that ye will meet punishment if ye assault any o' my crew. We haven't done naught to ye an' ye know it"
"Ye hold me against my will!" Marian shouted. "And my crew"
"Ye attacked my ship!" Jones growled. "Ye are fortunate ye didn't attack any regular pirates, because ye'd be kissin' th' ocean floor if ye had"
"Go clam yer porthole an' kiss an eel! I won't be caged!" Marian snarled ferally.
Jones felt slightly reminded of Bree's similar feeling from days gone by. He understood her reasons for wanting to leave. But he wanted to teach her a lesson, one she wouldn't forget.
"Very well." Bree said, to the surprise of all. "I give ye a deal. If ye can beat me in fightin' wi' a sword, no pistols or daggers, or cheatin', ye can go, wi' your crew. If I win, ye stay until we decide to release ye. Either way, ye're gettin' off, but I want to make it easier on ye to understand what ye're up against"
Marian scowled. "Ye're immortal! That's a cheat in itself"
"Let me fight the limmer." Jones growled, gently pushing Bree back. He knew she could hold her own against a strumpet so small, but to see her in pain of any sort made him want to commit murder. "Besides, Captain Moray," those words were a taunt, "Ye are no normal mortal either"
Marian froze, and Jones knew he had hit the nail on the head. "I don't know what ye're talkin' about. Fine. I'll duel ye an' turn ye into fish mush"
"Ye have no idea who ye're dealin' with." Bree said, her eyes narrowed. Let Jones put this brash woman in her place if he wanted to.
"Nor d'ye." Marian shot back vehemently.
Jones drew his huge broadsword. Marian noted its weight and size, and how she might use that to her advantage. Bree tossed her Atropos, which she had been toting around since finding it on the Creachadair's deck.
Marian took a deep breath and clasped the pommel with both hands, feeling a thrill as she watched the sunlight gleam on her steel blade. Now to show them what they were asking for.
She didn't wait for Jones to make the first move. He was ready for her. Before she knew it he had used her forward momentum and had sent her off to one side, vulnerable to the back. She whirled and snarled a Gael oath. She thrust and parried and slashed wildly, only to have her moves mirrored and used against her. His strength was overwhelming. Even Ulf and Ulrich would have trouble with this one!
Marian grimaced as his blade nearly grazed her arm and blocked, then stepped lightly and swept low, cutting a scrap of barnacled cloth from his coat-tails.
Jones saw this and did not react. He was going easy on her. Like dueling a child.
Now to find out what she was really capable of.
He attacked harder, faster, fiercer. Marian dodged his blade and swore aloud as she tripped over her own feet, nearly barreling head on into the path of the broadsword. Her claymore's steel met the corroded blade again and again, chips of sea muck flaking off. Jones stepped back. He was giving her a breather. She needed one; she was sweating buckets and her heart was pounding.
Bree watched Davy as he gave her a sideways glance as if to say, Now watch this!
He attacked swiftly, so fast that Marian only parried in the nick of time. Suddenly her sword went sailing from her hands and clattered to the deck ten yards away. Too far! And Jones was smirking.
She felt her blood run hot and bared her teeth at him. She saw red and her fangs touched her lower lip, and she could feel her body adjust to the dark magic that was Fenrir's Darkness.
Jones was not spooked. He had seen curses come and go, and this one was a Nordic one. But still, here he would find out what the bratty Scotsgirl was capable of in the realm of supernatural abilities.
Bree watched, transfixed, as Marian's auburn hair slowly turned a silver hue, and her yellow eyes turned ruby red. Blood red.
The rubies in the medallion were blazing the same color.
Her ears were pointed and her face was sharper, more pointed. She emitted a low growl that seemed to come from the depths of Hell itself.
"Try it." Jones taunted, wielding his blade. "I have all day, She-Wolf"
"Ye underestimate me." Marian said, her voice a growl- and jumped.
Jones slapped her aside with the flat of his blade, and she landed on her feet, eyes full of rage. An animal rage. Like a rabid dog.
Which was why she then attacked Twins, and sank her teeth into his shoulder.
Bree fought to pull the wild girl off her crewmate, and was greeted by an unearthly snarl and a frenzy of slashing claws and sharp teeth. It was like fighting an actual wolf, a demonic one! One that knew no bounds. A rabid wolf!
Bree cried out as those teeth sank into her arm, raking her glove. She clawed the girl, but there seemed to be no pain registered. All she wanted to do was destroy!
Then Marian was pulled back and thrown like a meat sack ten feet. She landed with a thud and a growl by the mast and blinked as if in a stupor. Davy stood over Bree, glaring, protective of his wife.
Slowly the effects of the cursed necklace wore off and Marian fell into a sobbing heap. "I'm sorry...I warned ye...cursed...knew this would happen...can't control it once it's got full hold on me"
Bree watched with a tight expression as the bloody gashes on her arms slowly healed up. She rose and wiped the saliva and blood off. "I'm all right." she told Davy, who was glaring daggers at the other girl.
Bree walked over to the hysterical girl and simply touched her shaking shoulder.
"It's all right." she said. "Ye aren't alone. Maybe we can help ye. Just give us a chance, aye? Ye aren't horrible an' beastly an' cursed. Ye aren't unfit to be helped. Aye? Savvy"
"I'm captain o' the Creachadair 'cause me dad was. He had the same curse 'cause o' this accursed piece o' tinder-flint!" Marian hissed, yanking on the medallion. "An' it won't come off o' me! Ever since I found it it's stuck on me an' I can't pull it off"
Then she wilted and looked mournful. "Sorry I bit ye." she whispered.
"All's forgiven." Bree said warmly. "I would have done the same to ye if it'd been me in yer place"
"Thanks." Marian said, wiping her face. "I think"
Bree stood up and glanced at Davy, who had stalked over to make sure that his wife wasn't attacked AGAIN. Marian slowly met the captain's sea blue eyes and looked down, her face reddening. "I lost the fight. Deal closed. Now what"
"Maybe," Bree said gently, "T'is time someone showed ye that curses can be turned around for good, too."
