PotC: The Daughter of the Dead Man
I awoke to the feeling of a pair of strong arms cradling my upper torso. I immediately thought of the Gryffin, and my mind went into panic mode- my hands instinctively went to those wrapped around me, trying to brush them away, trying to force them away. I began to flail about, and caught the face of my captor with a scratch.
The arms held on tighter. "Catherine…Catherine! It's Will. Hush now, it's going to be all right."
Hearing his voice made me calm down right away, but all my rage quickly turned into hopelessness, and I began to sob in his arms.
"I'm so sorry, Will. I… don't think I can do this. I'm so sorry, I'm just too… weak…"
"You can't be serious! That was the best display of bravery I've ever seen!" He brought me close to his chest again, and rocked me a little, till my tears abated and I became calm enough to sit on my own. "Catherine, if anyone should be ashamed of themselves, it's me. I should never have brought you here. I should have just tied the rowboat to the rudder of 'The Flying Dutchman' or something… anything but brought you like a bone to a dog to this vile man." The recollection of the words that I had used to describe what Jack had done when he brought me to Davy Jones wasn't lost on me. But Will was apologizing! He was genuinely sorry!
He beat his fist on the floor of the cabin. "We've just got to last till we get to the island where the chest is kept, that's all we've got to do…" He wasn't talking to me, it was clear. He looked around the room, as if for inspiration, till an idea clearly hit him.
"Catherine- take this…" he placed a small, cold item in my hand. I looked down to find a small dagger, its blade about the size of my forefinger. "The Gryffin gave it to me when you were changing. He says that it's the mark of his crew…" I looked more closely at the hilt of the dagger, and found a small Gryffin engraved right before the blade began.
"Somehow, I'll get word to you when we're near enough to the island to jump overboard and swim. When you receive it, use this to get the hell out of here- just try not to kill him, we don't want the entire crew after us… It can't be long, though. The ship is going at full speed, and we know that it's got it's certain destination… I know you can hold on for that long, I know it!" He wrapped his hands around mine, and squeezed them softly.
I slipped the small dagger into the knot of my dress' belt. I hoped that it would be easily accessible when I needed it…
There was a knock on the cabin door, and we abrubtly stood up and took a few steps apart before the door was opened by the Gryffin's first mate. "Excuse me. Mr. Turner? Miss? The Captain requests your presence on deck." He held the door open, making it clear that we were to follow him right then.
I went first, my hands clasped together, white and trembling, and Will passed behind me, as the first mate led us up the steps to the helm, where the Gryffin himself was at the wheel.
"As you know, we've been following 'The Dutchman.' I thought you might find this rather amusing…" he pointed toward the deck of the ship in front of us, where it seemed all the members of the crew were lined up, Davy Jones standing in front of them, clearly giving them a speech. "Probably the after effects of your escape," the Gryffin murmured into my ear. How had he gotten so close, so quickly? The man was like a leech!
We all heard a great shout from "The Flying Dutchman," as one of the sailors were brought forward. "BOOTSTRAP BILL!"
I heard Will take in a quick breath. They had finally found out who had assisted us… I watched more closely, as Davy Jones raised his great claw up into the air, and brought it down upon Bill's back. "No!" I cried softly gripping the edge of the ship, as two members of the crew dragged him back up, and the claw came striking down again. I looked over at Will, whose fists were clenched so tightly, I was surprised he wasn't drawing blood from his palms.
I couldn't look anymore at that horrible ship, at that horrible man that was my father, so I turned my face away and looked over and down into the sea, still hearing Bill's sharp cries as Davy Jones himself gave the unfaithful crewmember a beating.
But the Gryffin came up behind me, and took my face in his hands, pointing it ahead, forcing me to look at the terrible scene on the deck. I watched as Bill fell again and again, till the crewmates left him on the deck, huddled, kicking him as they walked by. There were tears streaming down my cheeks, right into the Gryffin's hands, but he held my head there until all the crewmen had gone back to their places.
When he finally let go, I heard him call out, "Beware of what happens to those who do not obey their Captains!"
The crewmen of "The Seven Deadly Sins" all answered, "Aye, Captain!" and went back to their work.
"You bastard." I whispered, letting the wind take the words from my lips.
The Gryffin half-turned. "What?" His eyes narrowed, but a sly smile played across his lips.
"You. BASTARD!" I shouted the last word, and could no longer contain myself. I flew at the Gryffin, my arms reaching out toward his face, my feet kicking, anywhere...I just wanted to hurt the man as awfully as I could, and hurt him now. I was screaming and crying at the same time, going for his face, his eyes, his nose. I wanted to scratch his eyes out, to leave a deep mark on that deceptively handsome face of his. I finally felt someone grab me around the middle, and I was dragged backwards. Will had caught me, both doing his duty to the Gryffin, and making sure I didn't reveal my dagger ahead of time.
"Aha! There, you see?" The Gryffin called out loudly. "And she is broken!" He came up to me, lowering himself to my level, as I was still struggling to get out of Will's grasp and attack. "The Ice Queen has been dethroned." He looked straight into my eyes and held my gaze for at least ten seconds, my rage seemed to encourage him even more. "What spirit… what passion, just like a wild horse. Just think of what you could become once you are reined in." He smiled again, then turned straight round and headed off to the main part of the deck, leaving me struggling in Will's strong grip.
"Just! Calm! Down!" Will panted. I suddenly stopped struggling, and let the feeling of exhaustion wash over me, still sniffling occasionally. "Look over to the port side, Catherine, and tell me what you see…"
I reluctantly turned around and stared off to the left side of the boat. There, I could see the tops of green palm leaves waving in the breeze.
"An hour," Will said. "Maybe less. I have to take you back to the rooms now. Do you think you can hold off till then? I will pound on the door five times when I am ready for you."
"An hour," I repeated after him, looking out at the island that was becoming clearer and clearer in the distance. "I will try."
I sat primly on a divan in the Gryffin's outer room, looking up at the great golden clock that he had above his doors. "Just a twenty minutes to go, just twenty minutes…" I whispered to myself, fingering my belt where the hidden dagger lay.
"Twenty minutes till what?" The Gryffin had emerged from his inner chambers, wearing a loose tunic and trousers. He had discarded his outer jacket on his way in, it seemed, as I saw it resting on one of the larger pillows near me. He went over to one of the full wall windows and stared out, placing his hands on his hips, then turned toward me again. "The ocean is beautiful at midday, Catherine, will you not come see?"
I sent him a look of pure hatred, then, knowing it would happen whether I wanted it to or not, walked slowly over to the window, though on the other side of it than the Gryffin was. "It is lovely, sir." I spat out each syllable.
"Yes, yes." He seemed distracted, then spoke again. "There is a reason why it's you, you know. A legend… a myth… a rumor… a whisper…" He strode over to me and gripped me by the arms. "You have the spirit of the sea in you, Catherine. How could you not, your father being who he is? They say the daughter of Davy Jones would hold as much power in her as the one she came from, possibly even more, with a mother who was strong enough to run away from him. Who would not desire such a woman at his side?"
At this, he kissed me softly on the lips, then stronger and stronger. He lifted his tunic over his head, to reveal a chest covered with battle scars. The he brought each of my fingertips to his mouth, and kissed them lightly.
"Who can blame me… for wanting the sea herself?"
He had just reached out to bring me into his arms again, when I mercifully heard five knocks at the door.
Pushing the Gryffin away, I slid the dagger out of my belt. "Hold up your hands."
The Gryffin looked surprised, but saw the shiny point of the dagger, and did as I asked. "I can never be contained," I said, moving closer, pointing the dagger at his throat. "Only by those who love me, will I chose to give myself away to. Hear this, and remember it well." I brought the dagger up to his face- that face which had taunted me, teased me, forced unwanted kisses upon me. Those hands which had made me watch as my benefactor was beaten, nearly unto death, which had been caressing my skin moments earlier. I cut him on the cheek, horizontal slice just about a quarter inch in length at his cheek bone. "The sea can be stormy and rough as well," I said. "She leaves her mark on those she despises."
I began to walk toward the door, still pointing the dagger in his direction, until I found a large, ornately decorated vase close to the door on a table. He had begun to follow me, his hands still in the air, so I threw the vase as hard as I could at his head, hoping to knock him out. My aim was true, and soon the Gryffin was lying on the floor in a heap.
I ran to the door and opened it quickly, letting Will in. He stared at the shirtless Gryffin on the floor, then looked up at me. "What did he do to you?"
"Nothing. You were just in time, I think. Please, let's get out of here."
Will made his way through the room and opened the window where the Gryffin and I had just been standing. "C'mon, if we jump off the back we're less likely to be seen." I took the dagger and plunged it into the wood on the window sill, and, wanting to rid myself of all reminders of this boat, I unclasped the sapphire necklace, and hung around the hilt of the dagger.
Will watched me carefully, gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before we climbed up onto the windowsill and prepared to jump.
"What was that for?" I asked, quickly.
Will stared at me. "For my stupid mistake."
And we jumped into the warm waters of the Carribbean, swimming straight for the island with the chest of Davy Jones buried somewhere upon it.
