- Chapter 10 -
Just as both parties drew out their weapons, someone shouted for an immediate halt to the eventually inevitable battle that would happen.
"WAIT!"
Everyone turned to look at Jack, arms spread high to put emphasis to his word. When he noticed both the pirate crew and the Royal Navy had froze on their position and was staring at him, he proceeded to stand up straighter and went on to informing them what he had in mind.
"Hang on a minute. I just...I just need to understand something. Right, so you will fight against them, they will fight against you," he said, addressing both crews, "all on account of him" - he pointed at Barbossa - "wanting to kill him?" - he pointed at Blackbeard. He turned back to the men. "Where is the sense?" he asked. He caught sight of Scrum who shrugged as an answer. "Exactly," he nodded, gesturing a hand to the sailor. "I say, let them fight each other!" He emphasized the last word with a stomp of his boot on the rocky surface where he stood. "While we lay back, watch. Have a drink, place some wager. Eh?"
Silence.
"Right," said Scrum, proceeding to put his cutlass back to its sheath.
More silence.
Blackbeard eyed Barbossa as though waiting for some kind of response.
Barbossa looked over to where Olivia stood, whom met his gaze with one dark brow cocked up. When he looked back up he shouted his order answered by Blackbeard with only two words that meant just the same.
"Kill them all!"
"No quarter!"
The fight eventually ensued, with Jack getting out of the way, Philip successfully escaped but with a wound, and two men right in the middle of it all locked in a duel to the death. Meanwhile Olivia tried her best to stay away from the zombies that Jack had told her about. It wasn't that hard to pick out the two hulking undead from among Blackbeard's crew.
But as she navigated her way through Angelica blocked her path with a sword ready in hand. From the looks on the Latin girl's face, it would appear that Olivia was going to find herself in a fight. Though she intended to make it short.
"Olivia," greeted Angelica.
"Hello, my dear Angelica," the brunette greeted back. "Long time."
"What are you doing with the Royal Navy?" Angelica demanded. To which the brunette's simple reply were two words: "My husband."
Confused, but for a moment, Angelica frowned at the brunette in front of her. It eventually dawned upon her when she caught sight of her father dueling with the privateer.
"The one-legged man?" She almost did not want to say it out loud. Olivia gave a nod. "But why? What could you possibly have in return from having my father killed?"
"Me and Hector are here for one purpose alone," came the answer, Olivia's flashing gray eyes grew even more serious, "Revenge. For a lost ship. A lost leg. But most importantly, a lost child. My child. Our child."
For a moment Angelica was speechless. She stood there almost feeling like a fool, her guard slowly lowered.
"Funny how Fate plays with human life, yes?"
Another short moment of silence from the Spanish girl, then suddenly Olivia found herself dodging a blow from a sword. The two women then parried along, the metal of their blades ringing in the air, joining in the battle noises around them. But Olivia did no intend to fight, she quickly drew away from Angelica and held out a hand, "Wait!"
Just as Angelica froze, a little confused even, Olivia quickly added, "Are you certain you should be wasting your time parrying with me?" Then she nodded her head toward Jack's direction where Angelica saw said misfit trying to steal the chalices from a struggling Scrum.
"The Chalices," Angelica said in a breathy whisper, leaving the brunette alone, finally. She was cursing Jack under her breath along the way, accompanied with chaotic thoughts as to what she would do once Sparrow gets his hands on the items.
Just as soon as the Latin girl left, Olivia brought her eyes back to the duel destined to happen by Fate. She was hoping that eventually it would happen the way "the prophecy" said it would. Or the way it should. Whichever way, she was praying for Hector to come out the victor.
"YOU!"
Olivia looked up to her right only to see the zombiefied Gunner standing before her, ready to strike her with his sword. Thanks to her experience with sword fighting and those few moments of friendly parry with her husband, she successfully block the strike with her own sword. As she turned to run away from the hulking Gunner she realized that the Quartermaster was there too. She was caught in between the two undead, nowhere to run. Wondering how in the World was she brought to such a predicament, she asked them, "What do you want from me?"
She got no answer.
As the two undead rushed toward her, she leapt down from the high rock where she stood and tumbled on the watery ground below. A pirate suddenly came up and rushed at her for a attack but she quickly stabbed him with her sword. After having made her first kill of the day, she looked back to the zombie officers and realized that they were just standing there, unmoving. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she followed their gazes. What she saw caused her to freeze where she stood.
Barbossa was on the ground, Blackbeard was standing over him.
She instinctively made to rush over to her husband's side, but the sound of the cocking of a pistol stopped her. Turning around, she found the Quartermaster aiming his pistol at her. She cursed under her breath as she turned her gaze back to her husband.
Barbossa took up his sword in hand and touched the tip of it's blade on the blade of Blackbeard's own sword. Olivia found herself once again bewildered. There was a smile on Barbossa's face.
"I will not have that smile on your face as I strike you down," said Blackbeard, a little annoyed at the privateer.
Looking up to meet the pirate's gaze, Barbossa replied, "Take a gander, Edward Teach."
The pirate did, so did Olivia.
Out of the mist came out the Spanish, all armed and ready to do what they came for to do. The fighting had stopped because of the new presence among them, also because this new party heavily outnumbered both the English Naval and the pirates. Suddenly, Groves came running over toward a rock, carrying the Union Jack with him, giving but a glance of pity over the dead body of Gillette.
The Naval officer climbed the rock and spread his arms to reveal the Union Jack to the Spanish. He was declaring the Fountain now belonging to his King (King George) when he was cut off by a bullet through his heart.
Everyone turned to see it was the leader of the Spanish that shot the English Naval officer.
"Someone make note of that man's bravery," the Spaniard said to a nearby soldier of his. He then noticed where Jack, Scrum and Angelica were standing. As soon as Jack noticed the Spaniard's gaze on them, he gave the Chalices to Angelica so as to shift the attention away from him. Angelica looked at the misfit as though she couldn't believe how he acted, though she did took the Chalices.
The Spanish leader approached, stretched out a hand, and said to the Latin girl, " Señorita, the Chalices, por favor," but Angelica hesitated in handing over the Chalices. The Spaniard then looked over to one of his men as the soldier grabbed the items from Angelica's hands forcefully.
"Only God can grant eternal life," said the Spaniard as he held up the Chalices, one on each hand, "not this pagan waters." He then proceeded to throw the Chalices to the ground and stomped on them, before throwing it into the deep pools. "Men!" he shouted, "Destroy this profane temple!"
The Spanish army then started destroying the temple around the Fountain, but the zombie officers of Blackbeard was not ready to give up without a fight. But, unfortunately for them, the Spanish used a huge pillar of stones to fall down on them, killing them finally in the process.
Meanwhile, the leader confronted Blackbeard, drawing out his sword from its sheath. "You are a fool. You seek on this place what only faith can provide," he said. In hearing faith being mentioned, the pirate couldn't help but make a reply.
"Faith," Blackbeard started, "In faith there is light enough to see, but darkness enough to blind." Unknown to him that Barbossa had managed to stand up without his crutch, and swooped down his poisoned blade on Blackbeard's open hand.
The most feared pirate, having felt almost instantly the poison from the wound on his right hand, he slowly turned toward the man destined to kill him. "What devilry is this?" was the only thing that came out form his lips. Before he realized it, Barbossa run him through with the same sword.
"For the Pearl," whispered the privateer into the pirate's ear. "And for me son." He pushed Blackbeard away, the sword still in the pirate's gut. Olivia ran toward her husband, who greeted her in an embrace. Tears stung the corners of her eyes but she held it back. She would not cry over this victory they had. This is sweet revenge. Finally.
On the other hand, Angelica could do nothing but scream out to his father, as she run to his side. When she started pulling out the sword, Jack screamed out a warning, "Angelica, NO! It's POISON!" But he was too late, Angelica had cut herself in the process.
Barbossa turned away from his wife for a while to make his first and last words to the Latin girl, certain of himself that they would not meet again. "I'm not so much of a fool to take on Blackbeard without a venomous advantage." To this Angelica could turn to the only person she knew she could turn to, "Jack..."
As Jack tried to search for the Chalices in the pools, the Spaniard turned to leave, making the sign of the cross as he surveyed the work done. Barbossa and Olivia then turned to the remaining members of Blackbeard's crew. As the privateer picked up the Sword of Triton, he claimed the crew and Blackbeard's ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge.
As they left, with the crew following close by, Olivia made one last look toward the Fountain, or at least what's left of it. Then to the father and daughter both battling for their lives.
When Angelica's gaze met her's, she found she couldn't voice out her reply. My greatest apologies, she said in her thoughts, then turned to catch up with the others, not daring to look back for a second time.
Out in the beach, Barbossa took in the beautiful sight. A galleon floating afar, just waiting there to be taken over by her new captain.
"The Revenge is mine."
Ah yes, the feared ship, Queen Anne's Revenge. Blackbeard's ship, is now his to command.
He ordered for some of the crew to tell the rest aboard the ship about some changes in command and that they return with a longboat to take him and his wife aboard.
"And don't so much as think ye could leave us here," he warned them. "I have the ship at me will."
As the crew left, he turned to his wife, who apparently wasn't joining him on his glorious victory over the blackguard who took his ship and the reason why their son died. He frowned at this, watching her back and how she had her arms around her, as though she was cold or either seeking comfort from herself.
"What is it you be doin' here?" he approached her, only to be taken off guard by the tears in her eyes. He immediately took her into his arms, crushed her into his chest, felt her hands clawed at the front of his clothes as she sobbed out her answer.
"I...I'm sorry...I-I just realized...n-none of this c-changes the fact that...that...we still lost Victor."
"Damn ye, woman," he replied in a hoarse whisper, fighting off his own feelings. "Why do this t'me?"
Unable to make any response from her sobbing, she said nothing in return.
"Love."
The couple turned almost in unison toward the sound of an eerie, familiar female voice.
"Is a wonderful thing, yes?"
Both of them couldn't believe what they saw.
"Calypso." As the name left his lips, Barbossa was questioning the sea goddess through his gaze why she was there in their presence. Eventually, it was his wife who voiced out the question in his mind.
"What are you doing here? Why are you here?"
"A gift," was the goddess' reply. Calypso then took a step toward her left to reveal a young boy standing behind her.
The boy had brunette hair, familiar blue eyes, and was looking awkward. There was nothing out of the ordinary from his clothes and he seem to look like by the age of twelve or thirteen.
"What is this?" questioned the brunette, stepping away from his husband to have a better look of the lad. "Who is this boy? And what do you mean by 'gift'?"
"Mum?"
If the boy's first words to them at that moment were anything but that, both Barbossa and Olivia wouldn't have been that entirely shocked from what they heard.
"Papa. Mum. It's me."
The boy was now teary eyed, and from how he kept swallowing, he seemed to be trying his best to hold back his emotions.
Olivia found herself kneeling on both knees, gazing at the boy in a new perspective.
The face did seem familiar, rather too familiar. Then she focused on the eyes. Those blue, steely eyes that looked just like that of Barbossa. Could it be?
"Victor?" she said, uncertainty in her voice. "My son? Is...Is that you? H-How-?"
But before she could manage to finish her next question, the lad ran toward her and wrapped his arms around her. He was now crying, tears running down on his cheeks while repeatedly saying "I'm back. I'm back. I came back."
Olivia, though still confused, hugged the lad closer to her. Calypso was a goddess after all. It is possible. Or else all this could only be a dream. But if that so she would never want to wake up. Again the tears came.
Still speechless, Barbossa could only look from the lad then back to the goddess. When his gaze finally rested on the Calypso, the only reply he had was, "A gift. Fo'h you'h services."
He turned toward the boy, this time Olivia was on her feet.
"Our son, Hector," she told him, this time it was as if she was all the doubts in her heart vanished. "Our son. He's alive. Come, my love, greet him."
Father and son hesitantly moved toward each other. When they came within two feet from one another, they stopped. Not one of them moved for several heartbeats until Barbossa reached out with a hand. When was the last time he felt this way before? The uncertainty, then a small hint of hope, then happiness.
By the time his fingers almost brushed the lad's dark brown hair (the same color as that of his mother) he surrendered completely to his instincts and not to the questions in his mind. He took the lad to him, one hand behind the lad's head while the other wrapped around the back.
His boy. His boy is alive.
Olivia joined her boys, wrapped her arms around them both. They were a family again.
As they moved away from each other to once again face the goddess, it was Barbossa who spoke. "Thankee."
The goddess only beamed her signature smile in turn. "You canna' lead you'h crew with dos clothes, Ba'hbossa."
Within a flash Barbossa's naval clothing turned into his old pirate clothes. The only missing piece was his plumed hat.
"Captain!"
Three heads turned toward Ezekiel, the oldest among Blackbeard's remaining crew.
"The longboat is ready." The old sailor stopped for a moment as he noticed Victor. "Who's the lad, sir?"
The small family of three turned to where Calypso was but found no one was no longer there.
Barbossa turned to the sailor as he wrapped an arm around the lad's shoulders. "Me son," he said. "No questions."
Moments later aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge.
The young Cabin boy came running toward the quarterdeck, a dark, wide brimmed, plumed hat in his hands. He immediately gave it to his new captain and said, "Sir, I found this below deck."
Barbossa knew the hat with one glance. He took it from the boy rather delicately with his fingers, his expressions almost emotional for a hardened pirate like him. He flipped it over then placed it atop his head covering his green bandanna, where it belonged. It was positioned at jaunty angle, just like the usual. Just as how he liked it.
For his first show of command as captain of the Revenge, he drew out the Sword of Triton from its sheath, sliced it through the air toward the direction of the bow and the entire ship jerked forward. The sails unfurled by itself and as soon as they were at a steady pace already, he sheathed back the sword. Olivia and Victor watched all this at one corner, leaving enough space for the patriarch of their small family to have his moment.
"Get crackin' you bloomin' cockroaches!" he cackled heartily. "The Crown served me well!" He brought out his letters of marque then proceeded to tear it into small pieces. "But now by the gods of sea and sky, make way for Tortuga!"
The entire crew cheered, not quite against the idea.
"Tortuga?" Olivia approached, one brow cocked up at her husband. "You intend to go to that place while your son is here with us?"
"He be a boy, woman," the husband replied, pulling the boy toward him, his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Besides, I'll not be gettin' him into trouble there. Tortuga be just a reward for the crew."
"I hope so." She smiled, arms crossed over her chest.
While Barbossa decided to have his son take over the wheel, with him watching over, Olivia realized that once you're a pirate, you'll always be one.
Just as how the song goes: Yo ho, Yo ho, a pirate's life for me.
Calypso' Island.
"So, what is it that happened to Blackbeard?"
Davy Jones and Calypso sat by the beach, the sun had just started setting on the horizon.
"Him died. Him drank from de Fountain."
"But would it not have given him life?"
"Him been trick."
Jones nodded, his lips mouthing an 'ah'. "Sparrow. I do not doubt he's trying to re-claim his beloved Black Pearl again. One way or another. And the girl?"
"She be alive, de years o' life she now have be taken from her fatha'."
Jones only nodded once more, turning toward the horizon.
Silence.
"And this mermaid...What of her?"
Though smiling, the goddess wasn't expecting the question from her lover.
"She be happy now," she replied. "As how I be with you."
~ The End ~