"Treasure Can Be Misleading"
"By Blood Undone"
Chapter 2
"What did you say?" Will asked the woman he'd known as Turner.
She heaved a sigh, "I said… I knew your father," she repeated.
Will kept his silence.
"I traveled with him on The Black Pearl. He had already ordained you off to your Mother with the medallion… I still don't know why he kept me around, being a girl, and sent you away… But then when he was sent down to the depths, and I was all alone. So I escaped right after and stowed away aboard a ship bound for England. Coincidentally it was the same one you were on," she said, her brow furrowing with resentment, "But then The Pearl came upon us and attacked. But luckily I was spared and left with my life. You obviously escaped with yours as well," she averted her eyes away from Will's gaze.
There was a pause.
"Tell me your name. Your real name," Will demanded of her.
Before Arcelia could give an answer, Jack chose that moment to swagger on in through the doorway.
"You two best come up now," he said, while eyeing the pair suspiciously.
Will nodded then headed past Jack and up the steps to the deck. Arcelia took her time, following Jack.
"You can't have him you know," he said with his ever-present casual smirk.
"That is way beyond disgusting," she said with an utterly sickened expression.
As the two appeared on deck, the black sails of The Pearl were upon them and it was becoming pandemonium. The Pearl's pirates swung across the gap and attacked, The Interceptor's crew trying their best to hold them off. Jack and Arcelia quickly joined the fight.
"Why didn't you say anything, you mangy dog?" Arcelia yelled to Jack, as she was engaging in a sword bout.
"You didn't ask, dove!" Jack yelled back.
Out of the corner of her eye, Arcelia saw Will run down below deck.
The medallion… she thought frantically.
She made to join him, but was knocked back by one of the offending pirates. A prompt and swift blow to the head brought Arcelia down. The last thing she heard was the sound of the evil laughter from the pirates' Captain Barbossa.
*~*~*~*~*
The next thing Arcelia knew was that she was aboard The Black Pearl, tied to a post along with the crew of The Interceptor. She looked about frantically for any sign of Will, but found none. She spotted Barbossa holding the twinkling gold medallion in between his sinuous fingers.
Will, you idiot, where are you? Arcelia reprimanded the boy mentally.
Elizabeth then took the moment to slip under her binds, Arcelia doing so as well, only to stop dead in their tracks as they saw the badly wounded Interceptor be blown to ruin. Elizabeth foolishly charged Barbossa, but was immediately subdued and thrown back into the waiting crowd of pirates.
"It's all fare now that you return the favor of hospitality, seeing as you took advantage of us the last time." Barbossa sneered.
Knowing her duty, Arcelia too made to attack Barbossa. Though she was then yanked backwards and held by Pintel and Ragetti, whom obviously did not recognize her due to the fact that her looks had greatly changed since their last meeting. Elizabeth's screams were cut short upon the appearance of the young blacksmith climbing up onto the ship's railing and tightly grasping the rigging.
"Barbossa!" Will yelled.
All turned in shock to see that the boy had survived. Arcelia felt her emotions shift greatly, now hoping he'd fall back into the sea.
"What's in your head, boy?" Barbossa said, suspecting that Will was as mad as a hatter.
"She goes free!" He demanded, obviously meaning Elizabeth.
Will held the gun steady, aimed right for Barbossa's heart.
"You've only got one shot. And we can't die," Barbossa smirked, thinking he'd found a flaw in Will's so-called plan.
"Don't do anything stupid," Jack whispered to Will, obviously knowing something that Barbossa and the pirates did not.
"You can't, " Will said, disregarding Jack's plea, then jumping up onto the railing of the ship and pressed the gun into his jaw line, "But I can!"
"Who are you?" Barbossa asked, not at all understanding why this boy thought his suicide threat would make them obey his request.
"He's nobody!" Jack and Arcelia chimed in together in unison.
Arcelia broke the binding grip against her and rushed to Will's side.
"The boy is no one," she said calmly.
"He's just a distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed! Eunuch." Jack added, motioning to Will with a shifty wink.
"And now just who might you be, Miss?" Barbossa looked at her, ignoring Jack.
Arcelia paused, hesitating to go through with her act. But with the thought of Will, she knew what she had to do.
"My name is Arcelia William Turner," she said, all eyes now completely on her. "My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner… his only child," she said, glancing up at Will at the word 'only'. "So if I die, you'll all remain as you are: cursed!" Arcelia glared at the lot of pirates, snatching the gun from Will and aiming it at her temple.
To assure them she was all the more serious, she cocked the gun in ready and had a Jack-like smirk gracing her face to serve in showing she was not afraid of death in the least.
"I remember you!" Ragetti spoke up, "You were that scrawny little tyke! The one Bootstrap never let out of sight!"
Barbossa seemed to ponder all the information he'd received. In the end, he looked to Arcelia and put on a wicked smile.
"Then be naming your terms, Miss Turner," Barbossa said.
"Elizabeth goes free," Arcelia said, feeling it right to respect Will's wishes.
"We know about that. Anything else?"
She paused, glancing over at Jack who was motioning to himself. But still ignored him.
"The boy and the crew are not to be harmed," she added.
Barbossa looked back at his crew then returned to meet Arcelia's stare.
"Agreed."
*~*~*~*~*
Elizabeth stood at the end of the plank, the pirate crew behind her jeering and extending their weapons by giving her only one exit. The Interceptor's crew remained tied to the post, with Will now joining them. Arcelia was guarded by Ragetti and Pintel, rope tied around her waist and wrists to keep her in place. She dared not to move, having to other reason to. Will and the crew were to be safe and Elizabeth was being sent to walk the plank, regretfully along with Jack.
"You filthy bastard! You swore she'd go free!" Will argued, yelling to Barbossa.
"Don't challenge me honor, boy. I agreed to let her free. But it was your friend, Miss Turner, who failed to define the when or the where."
Will was then gagged with a strip of cloth, in hopes of keeping his future outbursts from happening.
Barbossa held out his hand for Elizabeth to return the dress she was wearing, to which she did. Arcelia watched as Elizabeth walked to the end of the plank and was jolted off by an impatient pirate. Jack was sent off next, making a dive to retrieve his effects that had been thrown overboard by Barbossa.
"Take them below deck! And make sure Miss Turner is kept to herself." Barbossa ordered.
*~*~*~*~*
Arcelia watched Pintel and Ragetti mop up the floor of the lower deck in between the cells. Mr. Cotton's parrot then squawked: 'Shiver me timbers!'
"Cotton here says you missed a bit," Mr. Gibbs translated.
Pintel slapped the mop against the bars of the opposite cell, not taking kindly to the observation.
"It's been some time, lads," Arcelia smiled at the two pirates, acknowledging her former-babysitters from her youth.
"We'd been wondering where you'd gone off to afterwards," Pintel chuckled.
"How's yer eye now, Rags?" Arcelia asked, nodding to Ragetti.
"All right," he mumbled.
"Come on, you," Pintel tugged at Ragetti's arm, motioning for him to follow suit up on deck.
"Bye, lads," Arcelia said, getting a nod back in return from the two pirates as they trooped up the steps.
Will immediately pushed his way to the front of the cell, glaring at Arcelia.
"It's your fault Elizabeth is gone! Why did you lie for me?" he demanded.
"She will live, you needn't worry about that. She's a tough lass," Arcelia said calmly, turning her back and leaning against the bars, "And I didn't lie."
Will stared hard at Arcelia.
"But… I'm an only child! My mother had said so," he tried to reason, stumbling slightly with his words.
"You're half right on that, lad. But you're not the only child that was fathered by Bootstrap Bill," Arcelia sank down to the floor, pulling her knees close to her chest, and going off into a daze. "You're mother was the one he really loved. I was merely an unexpected surprise with his mistress, my mother," Arcelia took in a breath, "So now I shall take the consequences to save what's left of me blood— like my father would've done," she sighed, "So you best keep your mouth shut if you want to keep your life!" Arcelia threatened, slamming her fist hard against the bars.
Will remained silent, staring at Arcelia in disbelief. To Arcelia, it was best he know now. If he were to be kept alive, then maybe there would be a chance for victory against The Pearl's pirates. It wouldn't change much if she died. There would still be a Turner to carry on the family name. So what did it matter?
"Ye be a good soul, just like yer father," Mr. Gibbs said to Arcelia, in order to break the awkward cloud of silence that had descended.
"I know, Gibbs… I know…" Arcelia muttered, turning onto her side so the others would not see the faint tears now welling in the corners of her eyes.
She would be strong.
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Author's Note :: One chapter down. And how many more to go? Nobody knows! AHAHAHAHA! …….. o.O Ok, you know the drill. Read/Review, or flame (optional, mind you). Savvy? ;)
