Chapter 6: Memories Denied
Disclaimer: Do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or Jack Sparrow, much as I would love to. Jiss is © me.
Author's Note: I dedicate this chapter to KrissXed, who's comment convinced me to get off my butt and work again after 'someone' decided to destructively criticize me. You have my thanks in the most deepest respects.
~*~
Jiss realized she still had Jack's dagger, and quickly ran it across one of the spear holder's throat and plunged it into the side of the other's neck. Both fell to the floor, gurgling and bleeding heavily, which pooled and slid down the path.
"My boots! Jiss, love, blood is very hard to get out of clothes." Jack cried.
"Stop whining Jack, get your sword and give me your gun." Jiss ordered, and Jack obeyed quickly. Kreen, who had been watching the blood in shock, suddenly cried out and jumped at the two with his own dagger. He slashed the arm Jiss held the dagger in, not too deep but enough to put it out of order for the moment.
Jiss swore and fired at Kreen with Jack's gun, while Jack himself jumped out of Kreen's way, as the Doni had just lunged at him after slicing his first mate. He swung his sword at Kreen, but Kreen hit the ground and rolled swiftly out of the way, displaying his agility mockingly. The bullet Jiss shot missed also, and crunched into a rock jutting out of the ground. She let off a few more, only one hitting Kreen, and merely in the leg, causing more blood to spurt.
The battle waged for a short time longer before Kreen's reinforcements came, grabbing Jiss but having trouble with her captain.
"Jack! Go to the ship!" Jiss yelled, letting off the last bullet in the pistol into a Doni trying to retrain Jack.
"But Jiss-" Jack slashed away at those running at him.
"Please, go, don't look back. They won't follow you." The two Doni holding her started gaining control and pulling her away. She called out one more demand to Jack. "Forget about me and go!"
Jack watched as the Doni pulled his first mate out of sight, then ran up the tunnel, carving a path in those who restrained him and breaking into freedom. He entered into twilight with dawn just breaking, using Jiss's rowboat to get to his ship.
But he had not forgotten Jiss. Instead, a plan of rescue was forming.
~
Kreen laughed at Jiss's pain, the shackles cutting into her skin but not yet drawing blood. Her ankles and wrists were chained to the wall, and there was even a steel collar around her neck, also chained.
"Jihba, you honestly thought you could escape? Even your lover left you." Kreen mocked.
"He is my captain, not my lover." Jiss said, looking to the ground. "My name is Jiss, not Jihba."
"You cannot escape what you are. You know that."
"But I can leave it behind." She raised her head stared fiercely at Kreen, her eyes burning with hate and pain. Kreen raised his hand and struck her across the face, causing her head to snap sideways. Jiss did not bother to turn back, not even watching as her former leader stormed out of her cell.
A bruise formed on her cheek, but Jiss focused on her chains. They were too tight, but would neither loosen nor release the wall they gripped. She pulled for hours on end, until the metal cut her and the blood dripped onto the ground, mingling with the already fallen tears.
Jiss stopped trying after the fourth hour, sitting back against the wall, exhausted and crying freely. "I would rather be dead then be forced to return to this life." She whispered to the walls.
"You will be, soon enough. We've moved the sacrifice to this evening, to lessen the chance of your escape. By the time the sun sets, you'll have gotten your wish." Kreen had returned to torment her again, and Jiss turned away from him.
He entered her cell and stood before her. "Will you allow me to propose a deal?"
"No choice, I suppose." She murmured, loud enough for him to hear.
"I will let you go, free among Burla. But you cannot leave the island, nor talk to outsiders ever again."
"And what must I do?"
"Be mine once more. Swear yourself to me as you did before, so long ago." Jiss looked to Kreen, his eyes pleading with her.
"What about the sacrifice?"
"There are many who would take your place willingly."
Jiss looked back to the floor. "No, I could not do that and still be sane."
Kreen growled, and uttered the cliché phrase: "So be it."
~
The guard unbound Jiss led her from the cell, and up through a series of tunnels, finally coming to a room where the sunlight streamed through a pipe-like hole that led to the surface and cast it's glow onto the stone altar.
The altar was small an low, meant only as something for the sacrifice to rest against. It was on a risen platform, and before them was the entire Burla clan, waiting for the blood to pour and calm their false dragon. Kreen stood next to the altar, and the sunlight glinted forebodingly on the special blade he held. The guard shoved Jiss to her knees and pushed her head down.
As Kreen gave the ritual speech, Jiss scanned the crowed for faces she once knew. She found her childhood best friend, her father and mother and others she had known, all of them casting the sight to the floor. She looked to the back, and recognized Jack immediately. He winked at her, and she smiled ever so slightly.
"Kreen!" She yelled. The leader stopped speaking in their language and answered Jiss in English.
"What?"
"One last kiss? For old times sake."
Kreen smiled, slipped the knife into his belt and ordered the guard to let her up. She stood as Kreen walked over and embraced her, pressing his lips to hers. She kissed back, then like lightning pulled the knife from Kreen's belt and planted it in his side. He stumbled back, the blood staining his white tunic.
"Sorry, love, but I knew you couldn't resist." She whispered, then shoved him to the ground. The Doni crowd gasped, then silenced as pirates stormed up to the platform.
"Shall we go then, first mate? The Black Pearl awaits." Jack held out his hand to Jiss.
Jiss shook her head.
"The gods law demands that the killer of the leader replace them. I have to stay or Burla will be thrown into chaos. I couldn't let that happen."
"But what about escaping, love?"
She looked to Kreen's body. "He was right. I can't escape."
Jack nodded, then leaned down and kissed her hand. "You will be missed."
Jiss's face fell. "As will you. But I doubt you will miss what you have forgotten. I can't let you leave knowing we are here."
"How's that?" Jack asked.
"I'm sorry Jack. I regret not mentioning this before, but pretty much everyone who has ever found us has left without knowing they were ever here. And you will too. I would make an exception, but it has been the law since the Doni began to die out. The only to escape the law was Elizabeth, as only I discovered her, and not the rest of Burla. It wont hurt, you'll just fall asleep and we will transport you to your ship, so you can awaken refreshed but we will be forgotten. Please don't make it difficult."
"If you must, love. I could not refuse the last request of my first mate." Jack turned to his crew, who nodded. Jiss spoke a few words in her language to the guards positioned around the altar, who walked up to the pirates, mumbling quietly. The last thing Jack saw as a Doni approached him was Jiss's solemn face, before his eyes closed.
~
Jack woke in his bed on board the Black Pearl. He stretched and stood, then walked out of the captain's quarters onto the deck. Anamarie was at the helm, and the crew was running about as usual.
"Where are we, Anna?" He asked.
"A distance from the Caribbean, captain. But neither I nor the crew seem to know how we got here." Anamarie answered.
"Well then, back to Caribbean. I wish to visit Will, as I recall he mentioned a gift from him and Elizabeth."
"Aye, sir." Anamarie stepped from the helm, allowing Jack to take over.
"Let's head home, mates!" Jack yelled, and the crew obeyed, setting course for the Caribbean.
~*~
There is an epilogue. One moment, if you please.
Disclaimer: Do not own Pirates of the Caribbean or Jack Sparrow, much as I would love to. Jiss is © me.
Author's Note: I dedicate this chapter to KrissXed, who's comment convinced me to get off my butt and work again after 'someone' decided to destructively criticize me. You have my thanks in the most deepest respects.
~*~
Jiss realized she still had Jack's dagger, and quickly ran it across one of the spear holder's throat and plunged it into the side of the other's neck. Both fell to the floor, gurgling and bleeding heavily, which pooled and slid down the path.
"My boots! Jiss, love, blood is very hard to get out of clothes." Jack cried.
"Stop whining Jack, get your sword and give me your gun." Jiss ordered, and Jack obeyed quickly. Kreen, who had been watching the blood in shock, suddenly cried out and jumped at the two with his own dagger. He slashed the arm Jiss held the dagger in, not too deep but enough to put it out of order for the moment.
Jiss swore and fired at Kreen with Jack's gun, while Jack himself jumped out of Kreen's way, as the Doni had just lunged at him after slicing his first mate. He swung his sword at Kreen, but Kreen hit the ground and rolled swiftly out of the way, displaying his agility mockingly. The bullet Jiss shot missed also, and crunched into a rock jutting out of the ground. She let off a few more, only one hitting Kreen, and merely in the leg, causing more blood to spurt.
The battle waged for a short time longer before Kreen's reinforcements came, grabbing Jiss but having trouble with her captain.
"Jack! Go to the ship!" Jiss yelled, letting off the last bullet in the pistol into a Doni trying to retrain Jack.
"But Jiss-" Jack slashed away at those running at him.
"Please, go, don't look back. They won't follow you." The two Doni holding her started gaining control and pulling her away. She called out one more demand to Jack. "Forget about me and go!"
Jack watched as the Doni pulled his first mate out of sight, then ran up the tunnel, carving a path in those who restrained him and breaking into freedom. He entered into twilight with dawn just breaking, using Jiss's rowboat to get to his ship.
But he had not forgotten Jiss. Instead, a plan of rescue was forming.
~
Kreen laughed at Jiss's pain, the shackles cutting into her skin but not yet drawing blood. Her ankles and wrists were chained to the wall, and there was even a steel collar around her neck, also chained.
"Jihba, you honestly thought you could escape? Even your lover left you." Kreen mocked.
"He is my captain, not my lover." Jiss said, looking to the ground. "My name is Jiss, not Jihba."
"You cannot escape what you are. You know that."
"But I can leave it behind." She raised her head stared fiercely at Kreen, her eyes burning with hate and pain. Kreen raised his hand and struck her across the face, causing her head to snap sideways. Jiss did not bother to turn back, not even watching as her former leader stormed out of her cell.
A bruise formed on her cheek, but Jiss focused on her chains. They were too tight, but would neither loosen nor release the wall they gripped. She pulled for hours on end, until the metal cut her and the blood dripped onto the ground, mingling with the already fallen tears.
Jiss stopped trying after the fourth hour, sitting back against the wall, exhausted and crying freely. "I would rather be dead then be forced to return to this life." She whispered to the walls.
"You will be, soon enough. We've moved the sacrifice to this evening, to lessen the chance of your escape. By the time the sun sets, you'll have gotten your wish." Kreen had returned to torment her again, and Jiss turned away from him.
He entered her cell and stood before her. "Will you allow me to propose a deal?"
"No choice, I suppose." She murmured, loud enough for him to hear.
"I will let you go, free among Burla. But you cannot leave the island, nor talk to outsiders ever again."
"And what must I do?"
"Be mine once more. Swear yourself to me as you did before, so long ago." Jiss looked to Kreen, his eyes pleading with her.
"What about the sacrifice?"
"There are many who would take your place willingly."
Jiss looked back to the floor. "No, I could not do that and still be sane."
Kreen growled, and uttered the cliché phrase: "So be it."
~
The guard unbound Jiss led her from the cell, and up through a series of tunnels, finally coming to a room where the sunlight streamed through a pipe-like hole that led to the surface and cast it's glow onto the stone altar.
The altar was small an low, meant only as something for the sacrifice to rest against. It was on a risen platform, and before them was the entire Burla clan, waiting for the blood to pour and calm their false dragon. Kreen stood next to the altar, and the sunlight glinted forebodingly on the special blade he held. The guard shoved Jiss to her knees and pushed her head down.
As Kreen gave the ritual speech, Jiss scanned the crowed for faces she once knew. She found her childhood best friend, her father and mother and others she had known, all of them casting the sight to the floor. She looked to the back, and recognized Jack immediately. He winked at her, and she smiled ever so slightly.
"Kreen!" She yelled. The leader stopped speaking in their language and answered Jiss in English.
"What?"
"One last kiss? For old times sake."
Kreen smiled, slipped the knife into his belt and ordered the guard to let her up. She stood as Kreen walked over and embraced her, pressing his lips to hers. She kissed back, then like lightning pulled the knife from Kreen's belt and planted it in his side. He stumbled back, the blood staining his white tunic.
"Sorry, love, but I knew you couldn't resist." She whispered, then shoved him to the ground. The Doni crowd gasped, then silenced as pirates stormed up to the platform.
"Shall we go then, first mate? The Black Pearl awaits." Jack held out his hand to Jiss.
Jiss shook her head.
"The gods law demands that the killer of the leader replace them. I have to stay or Burla will be thrown into chaos. I couldn't let that happen."
"But what about escaping, love?"
She looked to Kreen's body. "He was right. I can't escape."
Jack nodded, then leaned down and kissed her hand. "You will be missed."
Jiss's face fell. "As will you. But I doubt you will miss what you have forgotten. I can't let you leave knowing we are here."
"How's that?" Jack asked.
"I'm sorry Jack. I regret not mentioning this before, but pretty much everyone who has ever found us has left without knowing they were ever here. And you will too. I would make an exception, but it has been the law since the Doni began to die out. The only to escape the law was Elizabeth, as only I discovered her, and not the rest of Burla. It wont hurt, you'll just fall asleep and we will transport you to your ship, so you can awaken refreshed but we will be forgotten. Please don't make it difficult."
"If you must, love. I could not refuse the last request of my first mate." Jack turned to his crew, who nodded. Jiss spoke a few words in her language to the guards positioned around the altar, who walked up to the pirates, mumbling quietly. The last thing Jack saw as a Doni approached him was Jiss's solemn face, before his eyes closed.
~
Jack woke in his bed on board the Black Pearl. He stretched and stood, then walked out of the captain's quarters onto the deck. Anamarie was at the helm, and the crew was running about as usual.
"Where are we, Anna?" He asked.
"A distance from the Caribbean, captain. But neither I nor the crew seem to know how we got here." Anamarie answered.
"Well then, back to Caribbean. I wish to visit Will, as I recall he mentioned a gift from him and Elizabeth."
"Aye, sir." Anamarie stepped from the helm, allowing Jack to take over.
"Let's head home, mates!" Jack yelled, and the crew obeyed, setting course for the Caribbean.
~*~
There is an epilogue. One moment, if you please.