Chapter 11
*Isaac's POV*
Hours passed within the captain's cabin. Elizabeth and I did our best to keep our spirits up, which given the condition of our situation was not the easiest thing to do. By the time any members of the crew came to check up on us it was well past dark. By my calculations, we had been on this ship for roughly a day. Pintel and Ragetti were our visitors, in his hands Pintel carried a dress of deep red fabric.
"You two will be dining with the Captain," explained Pintel, held up the dress, "And he requests you wear this."
I was almost temped to joke that the dress was for me but Elizabeth beat me to it, but she did not joke. She stepped forward her head held high and said, "You may tell the Captain that we are disinclined to acquiesce to his request."
"He said one of you would say that," said Pintel with a smile, "He also said, if that be the case, then you'll be dining with the crew…and you'll be naked." Ragetti giggled at the prospect.
I gently pushed Elizabeth behind me, away from the two, "We shall dine with the Captain then," I spat.
"Fine then," said Pintel disappointed.
"Now give me the dress and kindly escort yourselves out of this cabin." I demanded. Pintel shoved the dress into my arms. I handed the dress to Elizabeth, then I indicated towards the door, "Now, get out."
"We do not take orders from you," spat Pintel, "You two could try to escape."
"We are in the middle of the ocean, where is it we would be escaping to? Davy Jones' Locker?" I said, "I am merely suggesting that you let the lady change in peace."
"Why should we?" questioned Pintel eyeing Elizabeth.
"Do it," I commanded, "Or I will find a way to see her over the edge of this ship." Although I did not know why they needed Elizabeth, I knew that it was the necessity that would keep her alive.
That seemed to do it, "Aye," said Pintel defeated. They left the cabin, I followed them to the entrance of the cabin, but remained inside. Turning away, I allowed to have just a bit more privacy as she changed into the dress.
"They sure seem to listen to you," Elizabeth commented.
"Not really," I said shrugging it off, "I just know that you seem to be important to them. The idea of losing you seems to be a good source of leverage in our favor."
"You do not give your enough credit Isaac," insured Elizabeth, "You can be quite intimidating when you want to be."
"I am just doing my job Elizabeth," I said quietly remembering how close I am to losing my job, "But thank you."
"All right, I am done," said Elizabeth.
I turned around, my jaw dropped at the sight of it, I had to blink several times to be sure. No, it was what I thought it was. I should have seen it earlier, the deep red color, the elegant design that I remember looking for many times within a crowded dock when I was little. It was Ma's gown, the one she wore when we made port or on special occasions.
Elizabeth looked at me confused, "What is it?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," I said quickly walking back over to her.
"Odd, that they would have such a fine dress aboard a vessel such at this," Elizabeth commented admiring the dress on her.
"Not really, gowns like that one can fetch a good sum at the market," I explained, "However that one I feel is different."
"Why is that?" asked Elizabeth curiously.
"It was my Ma's." I answered.
"Oh," exclaimed Elizabeth, "I never knew a pirate would wear such a thing, though I must admit I can see your Mother wearing it."
"She did not wear it often, only on special occasions or sometimes when we had to lay low in a port." I said.
There was a rap at the door, moments before the door to the cabin open. After telling them it was alright to come in a stream of a them came in setting the table and bring in plates of food. When they had finished setting the table, they once again left. I escorted Elizabeth to the table and pulled out her chair allowing her to sit down before sitting down myself. We waited only a few minutes before father walked in the door, Jack the monkey sat on his shoulder. As father sat down at the opposite side of the table to Elizabeth and myself, Jack hopped off his shoulders and unto a nearby perch.
I felt ridiculous sitting there at that table, here I was as a nearly grown man almost shaking in my boots. Being in front of my father, the man who might as well left me for dead, was already nerve racking. But adding not knowing what they wanted with Elizabeth, making me have to be ready at a moment's notice to protect her added to the nerves immensely.
The table was laid out with foods that would not be so out of place back at the Governor's Mansion, but I knew better. I was raised by this man for nine years of my life, he was obviously trying to lull us into a false sense of security…he had to be right?
Elizabeth ate like the lady she had been raised to be. A bit out of place, but I had to admire her strength. It had been over a day since we had last eaten. My growling stomach and salivating mouth were evident of that fact. My hunger was winning out, I was about to throw caution out of the window. I had no reason to try to impress this man, I was about to grab anything in front of me and devour it like I was some sort of wild animal. But something caught my eye…a green apple, my personal favorite.
My hand was quick to grab one, I took a bite of the apple its juices running down the sides of my mouth. Soon the apple was gone leaving nothing but a core of seeds. I went for another one, but then an idea came to my mind. Stopping myself from devouring it first thing, I instead I took the sharp knife in front of me, and cut pieces off the apple eating eat piece slowly. Now I had a weapon on me.
From his spot at the table, father stared at us while we ate. There was a ravenous hunger in his eyes, deep inside the depths of my mind I laughed, he deserved this after setting Ma and I adrift like that. But at the same time, a smaller quieter voice however felt sorry the man.
"There is no need to stand on ceremony, nor call to impress anyone," said Father, looking at Elizabeth, "You must be hungry."
Elizabeth looked down at the food on her plate, contemplating it for a few seconds before she attacked the leg of meat with her teeth. I continued to cut the apple in my hand as my eyes darted back and forth between Elizabeth and my father, curious as to what sort of scene was to take place. Elizabeth grabbed a piece of bread and shoved it in her mouth, it was entertaining to me in away. In all the years I had known Elizabeth, I had rarely seen her lose he proper decorum, even when she complained about it. Yet here she was eating as if she was a wild animal.
Father offered her a goblet of red wine, "Try the wine." She took the goblet from his hand and drank deeply. Father was looking at the food with such longing as he grabbed a green apple from the bowl on the table, "And the apples, one of those next?"
I halted cutting another slice of my own apple. Looking down at it in thought, remember why I had a fondness of apples. How as a little boy, father would pull two apples out of his pocket and give one to me keeping the other for himself. I shoved the thought from my mind and resumed cutting my apple.
Elizabeth stared at the green apple in his hand for a few moments. Her eyes leaving it only leaving for a brief period to look over at little Jack who swung playfully on his swing. Her face twisted accusingly, "It's poisoned."."
I broke out a laugh, "Those would be the last thing on this table he would poison."
"My boy is right," he laughed in agreement. I found myself staring at the table, that small voice in my head spoke up again, 'my boy' where was that eight years ago. "Besides, there be no sense in killing you."
"Then release us," pleaded Elizabeth, "You have your trinket, we have no further value to you."
Father slowly pulled out the medallion from his coat pocket, letting it hand down from his fingers, "You don't know what this is, do you?"
"It is a pirate medallion," Elizabeth explained as though it was simply a matter of fact.
"This is Aztec gold," explain father, "One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Hernan Cortes himself." I shifted uneasily in my chair, remembering how I had heard the story for the first time. After…when…I placed my apple and the knife on the table. The thought itself made me lose my appetite. "Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wrecked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortes was insatiable, so the heathen gods placed upon the gold a terrible curse. Any mortal that removed, but a single piece from that stone chest, shall be punished for eternity."
Elizabeth look at him with a sort of amusement, "I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore Captain Barbossa."
"Aye," he commented as he got us from his chair and walked behind Elizabeth and I, "That is exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale. Buried on an island of the dead what cannot be found, except for those who know where it is…Find it, we did, there be the chest, inside be the gold and we took them all. We spent them all and traded them and fritted them away on food and drink. Some of the crew used it on pleasurable company. But the more we gave away, the more we came to realize, the drink would not satisfy, food turned to ash in our mouths, and all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are curse men, Miss Turner," he began to stride over towards Jack, "Compelled by greed, we were but now we are consumed by it."
Jack jumped up and down on his perch screeching, father petted Jack on his head while passing him the medallion. Jack then jumped off of the perch and scampered out of the cabin. Elizabeth looked at me in disbelief, as if to say do you believe this? I saw her take the knife I had been using to cut my apple off the table and hide it in her napkin on her lap. "I would not do that if I were you," I warned quietly under my breath just loud enough for her to hear. But she ignored me.
"There is one way we can end our curse. All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored and the blood repaid," he continued. Blood repaid that was new? There was nothing about that when he first explained to me the curse…what did he mean? Father turned to Elizabeth a smile on his face, "Thanks to ye, we have the final piece."
"And the blood to be repaid," Elizabeth questioned.
"That's why there is no sense to be killing you…yet," he answered.
Suddenly it clicked, why they needed Elizabeth, they needed blood to fully break the curse…they need a sacrifice! "You can do that!" I declared jumping out of my chair.
"I am afraid so, son," he said picking up an apple from the table and offering it to us, "Apple?"
Elizabeth took this opportunity to pounce from her chair the knife in her hand, knocking the apple out of his hand. I knew there was nothing I could do, so I sat back down in my chair to watch the scene take place. If I got involved that knife would probably end up lodged in my chest.
Elizabeth went to make a break for it out the door (I doubted even if she did get out she would not get very far) only she was grabbed from behind. She quickly turned around and plunged the knife into my father's chest hoping it would kill him. In that moment, she turned to me as if to tell me 'Come on, now is our chance', but I just shook my head.
At first, she was confused by my actions until she turned her attention back to my father. He was unfazed by the knife in his chest, looking at more amused if anything. Wrapping his fingers around it he removed it, although there was bright scarlet blood covering the blade he was unaffected by the blow. Elizabeth's eyes grew wide in horror. "I am curious," state Father looking the bloodied knife, "After killing me what is it you were planning on doing next?"
In her horror, Elizabeth backed out of the cabin out on the main deck. I cringed when seconds later, I heard her scream a blood curdling scream in terror. She must have seen the side effect of the curse on the other members of the crew. Now she would know why I did not want to talk about the reason why I lost my nerve at the mere sight of the ship. As I thought about the horror that Elizabeth must have been feeling, my gut suddenly plunged when I realized what had happened. In the back of my mind since I had arrived on the ship, I had worried that this may happen. I was alone, in the cabin with no one, but the man that had once left me for dead.
A/N: Yay! Longest chapter released in a while (I don't count my Author's notes). This is one of my favorite scenes in the first movie so I tried to it justice. That's really all I got to say here, see you in the next chapter. As always, all questions, comments, concerns and or suggestions are welcome.
