Title: Stormy Waters
Author: No Tears
Pairing: Will/Others, Will/Barbossa, Will/Jack, Will/Elizabeth (only in thoughts),
Elizabeth/Norrington, Jack/Anamaria (implied)
For summary, disclaimer, rating, and warnings, see first chapter!
Author's Notes: I updated this a day earlier than I expected to! Yay for me! This chapter is a bit
longer than the other ones, and I'll be trying to keep the chapter length at about the same as this
one is. Anyway, I typed up the entire final draft to this chapter while sitting in front of the
computer with a cat sitting in my lap and insistently head butting my arm. I've checked over it a
few times for any typos and even used spellchecker, but if there's any mistakes, I blame the cat!!
Also, I find that I don't have time to reply to all of your wonderful reviews this time! I'm terribly sorry, but I usually take my time when doing that task and it takes up a great amount of my time. I'll most certainly be replying to all of them again on the next chapter and know that they are appreciated!
Alisha – No, Will won't be falling in love with Barbossa. That is not my intent, and will definitely not happen. The Barbossa/Will relationship is and will stay purely non-consensual on Will's part.
Pointy Eared Archer – Just wanted to address that I was playing the movie in my head after seeing it for the second time, and I was replaying the part where Eizabeth walks the plank and I too, realized that. Earlier in the film he says he can't feel the warmth of a woman's touch, but he can feel the warmth of a woman's dress...? The curse is very complicated...but I think that was just a small mistake on the filmakers part. Or maybe he was just messing with her, like you suggested.
AND A NOTE TO EVERYONE: Pointy Eared Archer reminded me of something else I wanted to say something about. I had a little trouble with the "How much do the cursed pirates really feel?" ...Because in the film the pirates give you mixed indications also on whether or not they feel pain...I mean...when Jack stabs Barbossa clean through, he doesn't even flinch, but later when Jack slashes across his back, he gives out a shout. But it may have just been that he was angry that Jack got a hit on him? And the other pirates clearly felt pain...Pintel (the one with the wooden eye) gets the hot coals (?) Dumped on him by Elizabeth in the beginning and he's screaming "It's hot!" and later he says that the eye "Splinters something terrible." all of which give the indication that he can indeed feel pain. But at times, like when Regetti gets shot by Barbossa when they're wondering if the curse is broken, he freezes, but otherwise makes no noise that would show that he feels pain...
So, I came up with a little theory – for this story, at least, although it will only apply for one part. Taking just one piece of Aztec gold is enough to curse a mortal, but just how many coins you take from the chest determines what level of "feeling" you have left. Barbossa was the Captain when they found the chest, so of course, he'd get first rights to get as many of the coins as he would wish. Second in line would be Bo'sun, the first mate...who I imagine would be pretty impressive in his tolerance for pain as it is. Anyway, I'm guessing that those two would have taken the biggest amount of the Aztec gold out of all of them, thus feel less pain and pleasure than the rest of them. Pirates like Pintel, who are obviously very low in Black Pearl status, would have taken the least amount, and so would still be able to feel things like pain.
Anyway, sorry for that rambling! Just something I wanted to get the message out about that because it's caused much speculation in my mind...
Part 4: Reluctant Submission
Barbossa stood near the edge of his ship, gazing out and over the island that the Black Pearl was currently circling. On his right shoulder sat Jack the monkey, and the small animal was moving rather restlessly as it eyed the island. The monkey's tail wrapped around his neck, the motion seeming to make it feel more secure. Barbossa gave Jack a quizzical look, wondering what it was that was bothering the monkey. The pirate looked away, thinking it was nothing more than agitation at the fact that they were not at Isla de Muertes like planned.
Barbossa had encountered a bit of trouble when telling the crew that they would not be going to Isla de Muertes just yet, but it had only taken him a few minutes to get them to agree to a little more than a day's wait before breaking the curse. When he had added the information that the crew would be having fresh meat to work for them, their grumbling about the delay had all but ended. They seemed a little too eager to Barbossa, and he made a mental note to have a talk with the crew about rules to be made concerning the boy. He did not want his new toy broken.
Captain Barbossa turned to look over his left shoulder, gazing into the dark eyes of Bootstrap's son. The boy was standing near the mast of the ship, his gaze searching intently and maybe a little frantically over the shore of the island. His upper arms were being held tightly in the vice-like grip of Bo'sun, and his wrists were bound tightly before him with thick rope.
A couple of other pirates stood nearby, although they did not seem to wish to come too close to Bo'sun. The huge, muscle-built pirate was not in a very good mood at the moment, and even though they could not die, none of the other pirates wanted their heads backhanded off of their shoulders. By the expression on his first mate's face and the way in which Will looked as though he was trying hard not to wince, Barbossa could tell the pirate's rage had settled little.
Smiling, Captain Barbossa turned back to the island, his blue eyes squinting as he scanned the sandy beaches. So far there was no sign of either the rogue pirate or the lass, but they had only searched less than half of the deserted island. The sun had also set, so they would have to keep a sharp eye out.
Jack suddenly gave out a long screech on his shoulder, and after glancing once at the monkey Barbossa gazed out on the island to see what the creature had spotted.
His eyes widened when he saw that the upcoming palm trees along the shoreline were charred black. Someone had set fire to the trees there, and by the look of it they had only recently stopped burning. When he gazed up at the sky he could see the darker clouds above that blocked out the light of the moon and laid testament to the fires that had raged here. The pirate furrowed his brow as he continued to gaze on, and he caught sight of a pile of barrels near the edge of the trees, which was also charred from fire. Someone had lit the wood aflame, and they had done it for a reason.
Turning around and facing his crew, Barbossa's eyes stopped on Regetti and Pintel. "You two!" he called, and the two addressed pirates immediately stood at attention. "Gather a few of the others and take one of the boats to shore. Search the entire island."
"Yes, Cap'n." Regetti replied.
"Right away, sir." Pintel said with a nod.
The two immediately turned and began to gather a few of the other pirates, and Barbossa watched them for a moment before turning and walking back over to Will and Bo'sun. The boy's shoulder length hair was blowing back gently in the sea breeze as he stood rigid in the restraining hold of the brawny man behind him. Barbossa knew that the reason he was so still was that the lad had discovered that should he do so much as twitch in Bo'sun's grip that the pirate's hands would tighten even more painfully. At the moment, the boy's eyes were wide as he gazed about the island.
"Noticed it, have you?" Barbossa asked as he neared the captive.
The scowl that seemed to be a signature each time he saw Barbossa came onto the face of Bootstrap Bill's son. "Noticed what?" the boy asked.
"That there copse of trees just beyond the edge of the island. Someone's set fire to it, most likely to make a signal." Barbossa moved under one of the low-lying ropes so that Jack could climb onto it and off of his shoulder. "Don't know anyone who would bother savin' Jack," he said with a chuckle, "so's probably the lass, by the looks of things."
Barbossa saw the young man swallow harshly, and knew that the boy was perfectly aware of the chance that the pirate and lass were no longer on the island.
Placing his hand on Will's shoulder, Barbossa leaned over so he could whisper into his ear. "I'll be hopin' that this won't be affectin' our agreement, boy." Will's eyes shot to Barbossa at this, and the pirate captain smiled.
"Shall I put him back down with the others?" the deep voice of Bo'sun asked.
"No, I think not. Take him to my cabin and tell someone to take some food down to the other prisoners."
With a growl Bo'sun harshly turned the prisoner around and began to push him over to the captain's cabin. Letting out a shout of "No!" the boy turned around and tried to run past the pirate herding him back inside. Bo'sun reached out and grabbed Will's arm, yanking him back and twisting the limb painfully. The boy cried out in pain, but did not cease his attempt to get back over to the captain of the Black Pearl.
Letting out a louder growl in annoyance, Bo'sun grabbed a handful of the boy's hair and wrenched his head so he was bent over forward. Placing his other large hand on the back of the boy's neck none too gently, the tall pirate once more began to force the lad away, making his attempts to fight free look pathetic against the first mate's huge bulk. In desperation, Will pounded his fists hard against Bo'sun's leg. Barbossa watched as, realizing his attempt wasn't working, the boy reached out at a passing pirate and pulled the sword from the sheath at the man's belt.
Turning with speed that surprised even Bo'sun, the young man thrust the sword deep through one of the pirate's muscled arms. The unexpectedness of this attack made Bo'sun release him in favor of taking the sword out of his arm. Turning, the boy lunged at Barbossa. His attempt was once again stopped by another pirate, who swung the handle of an oar at his legs, sending him to the hard floor of the ship with a gasp and a grunt.
In an instant a group of pirates were on the struggling lad, and after only a few short moments they were able to draw him to his feet and hold him immobile. The owner of the sword that he had taken, a pirate named Twigg, was currently sneering in the boy's face as he pointed the blade at his neck. Will's face was drawn in a grimace as his head was yanked back by his hair.
"It's not very nice to steal, boy." Twigg said, lightly tracing the skin on Will's neck with the tip of his sword. "Best leave that to the professionals."
"Mr. Twigg," Barbossa said, feeling it was time that his presence was noted once again, "be a kind sir and bring the boy over here. I believe he was wantin' to speak with me."
Grabbing the boy by the back of the neck as the other pirates released him, Twigg dragged the youth over, making sure to keep his sword pressed to the boy's throat as a constant warning should he try to struggle again. When they were before Barbossa, Twigg pushed the captive forward, letting go and allowing the boy to stand on his own. The point of the sword was kept at the boy's back as a reminder to ensure no further trouble.
"You cannot expect me to continue on with the deal." Will said as he stood before Barbossa, head held high. "You did not deliver your half. I shall not deliver mine."
Barbossa laughed. "The girl's most likely not on the island, true enough, but I would 'ave trusted ye to be true to yer word." His expression and voice turned menacing. "After all, I *did* come all the way out here at my inconvenience, and the inconvenience of me crew." Barbossa nodded at the pirates behind Will, who growled their agreement. "Now, they be not being too happy with ye for makin' us come here for nothin'. Best not be givin' 'em more reason to anger. Unless of course, you'd like to spend the entire journey back to Isla de Muertes in their hands."
The pirates let out cheers at this, and the boy's eyes traveled over to them. Barbossa knew he could see the lust in their eyes. Lust for his pain and torment. The boy's only response to this was to turn back and continue to stare at Barbossa, who felt the prisoner's inner turmoil. When Barbossa looked deep into the dark eyes of the young man before him, he saw that they were beginning to soften with defeat.
Barbossa smirked and looked to Bo'sun, who was staring at Will with such fierce intensity that it made the captain have second thoughts about telling his first mate escort the boy.
"Mr. Twigg, gather a couple of men to secure Mr. Turner in my cabin." he ordered, and Twigg happily complied, placing his hands on Will's shoulders and pulling him away. "Bo'sun." Barbossa called to the pirate, who was watching the boy as he was forced past. "Leave the boy." The first mate turned to Barbossa and gave a nod of affirmation, albeit with no small amount of reluctance. "Ready the ship to sail. As soon as the others come back, we're to be headin' to Isla de Muertes."
"Aye, Captain." Bo'sun said gruffly before walking away to see those orders carried out.
Captain Barbossa turned back to look out over the island once more, his eyes finding the small group of pirates that had been sent to search it just about to reach the shore. He was not really sure what to make of the situation. He was glad the girl was gone, for when in each other's presence they became annoyingly defiant. And he would not have been able to use any threats against them to ensure even the cooperation of one, because one he wanted whole and the other he would have promised to do no harm to. But also, he did not know what further affects this was going to have on his current captive. That, and he now had no idea as to where the girl and Jack could be. Anyone could have caught that signal, from the British navy to a harmless merchant vessel. There was also the possibility that someone had come to search for the girl, but Barbossa stabbed that idea away when he realized that unless she had something extremely valuable, no one was going to look for a maid, even if she was one of the Governor's house.
Grunting, Captain Barbossa tore his eyes away from the island and proceeded to observe his men to see that his orders were being carried out correctly. The crew was becoming impatient, as was he. There had been enough delays.
**********
"Well, Mr. Sparrow, where are they?" Commodore Norrington's voice was schooled as he looked through narrow eyes at the rogue pirate. "And you'd better hope that I find your explanation plausible, or it could mean more trouble for you."
At the constant screaming of Elizabeth, Norrington had finally called back his men. He had found himself rather angry after discovering that the Black Pearl was nowhere present, afraid it would serve as a bad first impression of his authority as commodore. And now he was berating himself for being swayed so easily to do something just to earn Elizabeth as a wife. If he was not careful, the want to be with her was going to run his entire life.
"Well, to be entirely truthful," Sparrow began, "I have no idea where they are."
"Just as I suspected." the commodore said, beginning to turn around.
"Now hold on just a moment, Commodore." Jack said, catching the man's attention once more. "They may not be here, but I'd bet me own hat that they will come here eventually."
Norrington stared at the pirate, who was currently surrounded by soldiers who all had their guns trained on him. Elizabeth was standing off to the side, and though she had ceased shouting at him, Commodore Norrington could tell that she was bristling with fury. Part of him was upset at having made her angry, but the other part knew that his actions, though not to her liking, were for the best. He was only happy that Governor Weatherby was not awake to witness this.
"And just how are you certain of this information, Captain?" Norrington asked. "Even if they had been here, they've gone now and as far as I am concerned we are only further wasting our time remaining here."
"They have not been here, I assure you." Jack said. "But if I know Barbossa, they will be here."
"And how soon will that be, Mr. Sparrow?"
Jack raised a hand and opened his mouth to speak, but closed it and let a smile come over his face. "Well, y'see, at the moment, I'm not entirely sure on that."
"Are you, now?" Norrington asked with his eyebrows raised. "Surprise, surprise." The man looked over his soldiers. "Gentlemen, we are to sail back to Port Royale. I want Mr. Sparrow in irons and under guard."
The smile disappeared from Jack's face as his arms were grabbed roughly and he was pulled away, and Norrington could not help the smirk that came over his face, knowing that the thieving pirate was finally going to get what he deserved.
"Commodore, you mustn't do this!" Elizabeth said suddenly.
Norrington turned to her and stared into her eyes, and then found himself wanting desperately to find some way to make what he was about to do unjustified. He realized, however, that now came a point where he would once again have to make the decisions, without the "aid" of Elizabeth or Mr. Sparrow. The pirate did not know where the crew of the Black Pearl was currently sailing, and Norrington was not going to let himself allow the scoundrel to lead them on another wild goose chase.
As for Elizabeth, her mind was probably addled from the experiences she'd had the past few days, and she was looking rather pale to his eyes. She'd eaten little food since coming aboard, claiming to not be hungry. And as much as he wanted only to make her happy, he cared for her safety more. Will Turner's life was nothing in comparison to her's, and he would have thought this even if he was not in love with the woman.
"I'm sorry, Elizabeth." he said softly, then walked past her without another word.
**********
Will arched his back as he fought to pull free of the ropes holding him bound to the chair. He had been left alone in the cabin, but his wrists were tied tightly to the back of the chair and his ankles to the front legs of it. He just could not believe his luck which, although hadn't seemed particularly enjoyable lately, just kept on getting worse and worse.
He gritted his teeth as the edges of the chair dug into his arms, but forced himself to ignore the annoying pain as he focused on searching for a knot in the cord. He had spotted a knife about a yard away on the table, but without the use of his hands the utensil was useless. The blacksmith was not even sure what he would do if he somehow managed to free himself. Desperation could sometimes be a great aid to his thinking process. Unfortunately, now was not one of those times.
His frustration flared when he found that the knots had been tied well out of his reach, and he yanked restlessly at the bonds. Finally he stilled himself, panting in exertion and gazed around the cabin as he had done many times before in a futile search for something that would aid him. The chair was too strong to break and with his ankles bound securely he couldn't gain enough leverage to effectively try.
A scratching sound suddenly reached his ears, and he whipped his head around. It was coming from his left on the other side of the table. He searched for the cause of the sound, although he already had a good idea of what was making it.
His suspicions were confirmed when Barbossa's little monkey jumped up onto the table. The small creature looked at him for a moment, head tilted and eyes curious. Will simply watched it through narrowed eyes. It continued to stare at him, but seemed to lose interest after a moment and began to move over to where the silver bowl of apples stood, gently sliding back and forth as the ship did.
A small hand began to finger the fruit, and a couple of the apples were pushed out of the bowl to roll along the table. Finally it drew one out, rather small, but Will supposed it was the only size that the monkey would be able to carry without an effort. It sat back on the table, tail curled around itself as it gazed at the fruit in its hand. The monkey looked for all the world like it wanted nothing more than to take a bite out of the apple, but it didn't. It took Will a moment to realize that the monkey must have somehow been cursed as well, thus unable to satisfy itself with food.
The blacksmith's stomach let out a low growl, and he glanced down at it briefly. It had been over a day since he'd last eaten, and there was a burning sensation in his empty stomach. He'd been given water earlier in the day, but his body needed more of that, too. But at the moment he had about as much chance of sating his hunger and thirst as the monkey did.
The creature was now staring again, its dark eyes wide as it eyed him. Cautiously, it began to move over to the edge of the table in the direction of where he sat. Will raised his chin as it approached and shifted in his seat. He knew it was only a monkey, but the little thing had already proved that it was smart enough when it had taunted him and he was stuck below deck on the Interceptor. And, though the thought was a serious blow to his pride, if it decided to attack him now, he knew he would be helpless to fend it off.
The blacksmith continued to stare into the creature's eyes, keeping his head raised and hoping to intimidate it enough so that it would leave. He wasn't about to call for the help of the other pirates to save him from a little monkey. The monkey just continued to scrutinize him, and he realized the bothersome animal must have known he was helpless.
He watched as the monkey raised the apple in one hand, and cursed his stomach when it let out another aching protest. The monkey started at this, but soon calmed and continued to gaze at him in belying curiosity. It brought the hand with the apple forward, holding it over the edge of the table as it looked at Will. The blacksmith arched an eyebrow, wondering what it was doing.
Will was given his answer when the apple that the monkey was holding was unexpectedly tossed into his lap. He gazed down at the fruit for a moment, before looking back up at the monkey, who was giving him a full grin of exposed pointy teeth. He couldn't reach the apple even though it was right in front of him. Will gave a small sigh and glared at the creature. It was taunting him again.
"You're just as bad as your master." Will said contemptuously.
The monkey may not have understood his words, but it understood his tone well enough and Will winced as it let out an ear-piercing screech. Its eyes were malevolent now as it looked at him, teeth bared and still shrieking. The blacksmith gazed at it warily, eyes a bit wide as he watched the unstable creature continue to scream. He turned and looked behind himself for anything that might help, but with a small flare of panic remembered he was still bound to the chair.
The door to the cabin was swung open then, and the monkey abruptly quieted as it gazed at the newcomer. Will breathed a small sigh of relief before gazing at the doorway, although he already before looking who had entered.
"It looks like you've met Jack, then."
Will's expression of confusion at this elicited a laugh from the pirate. The monkey made a soft chattering sound and then ran over to its master, leaping onto the pirate's shoulder as he stepped up to the table.
"Y'see, we thought it'd be fittin', seein' as Jack was the one who found him. Gave him to me, he did." Barbossa turned to look at the monkey. "Turned out to be more useful than any of us was expectin'."
Barbossa reached into his pocket and pulled out the medallion necklace. Will's eyes locked onto the trinket, watching it sway from its chain in Barbossa's fingers, glinting in the candlelight of the cabin. The gold's very presence seemed to demand attention, and Will stared into the grinning face of the skull on its surface, taking in the illusion that the figure's mouth was smiling wider each lingering second he looked.
"He likes gold, too." Barbossa said, staring at the piece in something that might have been akin to wonder. The monkey gave a short squeak and the pirate handed the Aztec medallion to the little creature, who jumped onto the table as it began to look over the piece.
"So," the pirate captain began as he approached Will, "ye be hungry, eh?" Barbossa's eyes moved pointedly down to the apple that was currently settled on Will's crotch.
Will was silent as he stared back up at the captain, furiously refusing the intense urge to move and dislodge the fruit. However, he could not help but jerk back against his seat when Barbossa's hand reached down to grasp the apple. The captain chuckled at his reaction and set the apple back among the others on the platter.
"Don't worry, lad." Barbossa said. The pirate began to scan through the apples. "I won't be going near there just yet." He glanced over his shoulder at Will. "Unless ye be wantin' me to."
Will did not even try to disguise his loathing at this remark.
"Now, which kind do ye prefer?" Barbossa said as he turned back to the apples and drew out one of light green color and another one of ruby red. "The sweet," He held up the red, then indicated to the green. "or the sour?" Tossing up the green one, Barbossa gave a small smile. "I like the green ones, meself."
Will stared at Barbossa, still not saying a word. The pirate seemed unsurprised by this, and gave a light shrug as he deposited the red one back among the others. Picking up the knife that Will had spotted earlier, the captain drew up a chair and leisurely took a seat next to the blacksmith. Barbossa began to neatly cut through the apple, all the while humming softly to himself. The nectarous scent of the juice from the fruit lifted to Will's nose, and much to his chagrin he felt his hunger rise and heard his stomach let out another growl for food.
Thankfully, Barbossa didn't take this as an opportunity to further incite him, but just continued to hum as he cut the apple up into eight equal parts. He'd already removed the seeds, and now he set the pieces onto the table, not bothering to gather a plate to place them upon.
Holding up a piece in front of Will's face, he smiled gruesomely. "Open up, boy."
Will's eyes widened and he stared at the pirate incredulously. "You're not serious." he said, leaning his head back and away from the hand with the apple piece hovering by his face. He was not about to willingly submit himself to be fed by hand, especially by this man, no matter how hungry he was.
"Oh, I be quite serious." Barbossa answered sincerely. "And you'll be listenin' to me, or I'll be callin' some o' me crew in and you'll discover what it's like havin' apple pieces shoved down yer gullet."
Will froze at this, knowing that should he continue to resist, the murderous pirate would very well happily carry out his threat. Sending Barbossa a glare of absolute hatred that looked as though it could steam the seven seas, Will slowly opened his mouth.
"There's a good boy." Barbossa said with one of his more chilling smiles as he plopped the apple into the fuming blacksmith's mouth. "Call it a bit of revenge for that scum comment ye made yesterday."
Will chewed the apple piece slowly, his eyes on the wall opposite of him as he tried to imagine himself to be anywhere but here. Unfortunately, this didn't last long because no sooner did he swallow the last bit of apple in his mouth than did another piece appear expectantly before his face. His first instinct again was to draw back from it, but with much reluctance managed to force his mouth to open once more. He closed his eyes this time, and fought the urge to cringe when Barbossa's raspy chuckling sounded through the cabin.
"Ye're goin' to have to ask for it this time, boy."
Will's eyes shot open and he stared at the pirate captain, unbelieving. "No." he said firmly, turning his head away. "I won't do it."
"My threat of bringin' the crew in here still stands." Barbossa said maliciously, holding the apple piece up. "An' don't ye be makin' any doubts about how rough they'd be willin' to get. They know that they can't kill ye, boy, but keepin' both of your ears ain't somethin' necessary to break the curse."
Gritting his teeth and wondering if it was physically possible to feel as much anger and hatred towards a man as he did at that moment, Will forced out his reply. "May I?" he spat.
"May you what?" Barbossa asked with a smirk.
"May I have another apple piece?" The question was a barely controlled snarl.
His smile unfading, Barbossa raised the fruit to the blacksmith's mouth, and just as Will was about to open it to accept the food, the pirate captain drew it back.
Choking down his scream of frustration, Will glared fiercely at Barbossa. "I did what you said!" he growled.
"Aye, that you did." Barbossa's look was thoughtful as he rested a finger to his chin. "But I be havin' another idea. Seein' as you're to be the new cabin boy, I think it best if ye call me Captain or sir."
Will shut his eyes tightly and clenched his jaw against the rage that wanted to make its way out through his voice. Just do it, William. he told himself. You won't do any good fighting against him unless you're strong enough when an opportunity arises. Submit for now, wait until the curse is broken, and then make your move. Don't do anything stupid. He was dimly aware that the voice that spoke the last thought sounded oddly like Jack.
The blacksmith opened his eyes and tried his best to keep the fury from his voice. "May I have another apple piece, Captain?"
"Of course, lad." Barbossa said in a sweet tone, placing the fruit in Will's waiting mouth.
As he chewed on the apple, Barbossa's hand reached up and began to stroke down the back of his head. Immediately he tried to jerk away to avoid the touch. Barbossa simply grabbed a handful of his hair to keep his head still, watching in amusement while Will began to struggle in his seat.
"You're goin' to have to accept me touch sooner or later, boy." the pirate captain said. "Better sooner than later, I always say." Keeping his hand fisted in Will's hair, Barbossa reached over and picked up another apple slice from the table. "Now, how's about another piece of apple?"
TBC...
Next Chapter: The Black Pearl once again nears Isla de Muertes, and Jack and Elizabeth start coming up with plans of their own.