AUTHOR'S NOTE Here is the long awaited Ragetti chapter! It's a little gory, but hey. They're pirates *wink*
DISCLAIMER Don't own them…Disney does. Damn Disney.
Kingleby It was probably the medallion…after all, it did bring the Black Pearl to Port Royal in the movie. I'm a sap for romance too *wink*
A pirate's life did have its rewards. Countless riches more than made up for long voyages and hard labor on the seas. And no riches were more legendary than the lost gold of Cortez on the dreaded Isla de Muerta.
The excitement was obvious as small rowboats full of pirates neared a darkened cave. Ragetti, a tall, thin pirate with an eagerly goofy grin, rowed hastily alongside his good friend Pintel. The two often shared duties onboard their ship, the Black Pearl, and had formed a remarkable strong friendship for pirates.
"What are ye goin' ta spend yer share on?" Ragetti asked.
"An awful pretty wench in Tortuga!" Pintel replied excitedly. He grinned, revealing a mixture of gold and black teeth.
Ragetti giggled. "Me, I'm gunna bribe some rum-runners. Nothin' like good rum!"
"Will you two shut yer mouths?" grumbled a third pirate in their boat.
Pintel sneered. "An' what are you goin' ta do with yer share o' the treasure, Bootstrap? Send it off ta that pretty little London wench?"
Bootstrap growled and reached for his dagger. "Never speak of her like that again." The knife at Pintel's throat illustrated Bootstrap's point. The three were silent as they followed their Captain through the black caves.
Little thought was given to their former captain, now wasting away on some tiny little island beach. All that filled their heads was treasure. Cortez's chest of 882 cursed gold pieces was the only thing they sought.
Ragetti was a simple man who didn't know much past pirating and treasure. He didn't know anything about Aztec Gods or mystical curses. None of the pirates believed in it anyway. It was just a bunch of lies made up to keep thieves and pirates away. Only the bravest or most foolish dared to enter the rocks of Isla de Muerta and judging from the skeletons that littered the entry waters, not many had succeeded.
Suddenly, the lead boat slowed to a gravely stop. "Land!" Captain Barbossa shouted triumphantly. A cacophony of water splashes rang through the rocky cavern. The pirates didn't bother to beach their rowboats, instead jumping over the side and clamoring to shore. The cavern was empty, lit dimly by a crack in the ceiling.
There, bathed in a beam of late afternoon sunlight, was an ornately carved stone chest. Everyone held their breath in awe. "Cortez's Aztec treasure!" whispered the Captain.
"Gold!" Ragetti muttered excitedly.
The moment was broken. Led by Barbossa, a mad stampede rushed up the rocky hill. It took four men to remove the heavy lid and all eyes glittered at the sight before them. Hundreds of identical gold coins sparkled from within their stone resting place.
Ragetti found himself being crushed as near 40 pirates fought to be first at the chest. Blindly, he pushed through the other men. Once he reached the chest, he eagerly grabbed as many coins as he could hold. The gold was cool to his touch.
Pintel fought his way up to the chest beside Ragetti. Unfortunately, he had shoved in front of Bo'sun. Bo'sun was a large, dark-skinned man covered in strange tattoos. He was vicious and arrogant. His dagger was at Pintel's throat. "This be my spot!" he roared savagely.
Reacting to the dagger, every pirate soon had his own blade drawn. It was a confusing scuffle, a flurry of blades clashing with no specific targets. Ragetti gladly joined in, for he loved a fight as any good pirate should, but suddenly howled in pain.
The pirates scattered at his cry and stared at their shipmate clutching his face with bloodstained hands. Ragetti suddenly stopped and looked with one eye at the other he held bloody in his hand. Even the most hardened pirates couldn't look into his empty glaring eye-socket.
"Hey!" Ragetti said, shocked. "It don't hurt!"
Captain Barbossa glared at the gold pieces Ragetti had dropped when the fight broke out. "The curse," he muttered.
Ragetti continued to stare shocked at his own eye. "We are cursed!" His look turned from shocked to scared, then to excited. "My eye don't hurt! We be cursed but we can't be hurt neither!"
With a second thought, many of the pirates began slicing their arms and marveling at the painlessness. Cheers rang through the cave.
Although he didn't really know what to do about his eye, Ragetti couldn't believe their good luck. Who knew the horrible curse of Isla de Muerta really made them invincible? Eagerly, he returned to the side of the chest and scooped up as many medallions as he could carry. The other pirates abandoned their self-mutilation at the thought of more gold.
Within minutes, the chest stood empty. Captain Barbossa stood atop the hill. "Gents! Isla de Muerta is ours!" A cheer rose from the men. "Here be where we'll keep our swag and anchor the Black Pearl. The treasure of Cortez be ours! To the boats!"
Ragetti scurried back toward the rowboats excitedly. He couldn't wait to taste that rum. As he quickly rinsed the blood off of his hands in the salt water, his forgotten eye floated softly to the bottom.
