And the Winds of Destiny, by Hellborne
Pirates of the Caribbean
Copyright. Characters, not mine. See the Mouse. Story, mine, but I make no money. He does, but not on this.
Typing convention: / is used for thoughts.
Summary: How do you cheer up a depressed Sparrow?
Beta: The great BetaGoddess Pendragginink. She's fantastic! And way too modest for her own good!
N/A: Apparently some fangirls went to Greg Ellis and asked him Groves' first name. I don't know if it was in reference for fanfics or if he even reads them, but hopefully he doesn't take offense if he does. Anyway, it's officially Theodore Groves, so any fics that I had previously done have had the name changed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the sequel to "The Makings of a Pirate". If you don't read the first story, you're missing EVERYTHING, so if you haven't read it, please go do so and come back or you won't understand anything.
NOTE: I live for reviews. No reviews, no more writing. Can't figure out if anyone likes it if they don't review. So REVIEW! PLEEEEEEZE???
- - - - - - -
May the wind always be at your back
And the sun always upon your face
And the winds of destiny to carry you aloft to dance with the stars.
--Old Irish Blessing as quoted by George Jung ("Blow")
- - - - - - -
Chapter 3 - Old Scars and New
Captain Groves was not happy. He was sitting in the brig of a pirate ship in a rooster costume. A ROOSTER costume! He thought of Lord Raymond in his devil costume and hoped that the pirates didn't force him to change his clothing. Who knows what they would do if they saw all the marks on the man. One thing was sure; Lord Raymond's body was not that of an aristocrat.
He sat on the small bench at the back of the cell, watching the ladder leading the upper decks, waiting. He could tell that the ship had weighed anchor and was now sailing with the wind, and unless the wind direction had changed since he arrived at the ball, they were headed west. He wondered what was in store for him if they found out he was a naval captain. Hell, he wondered what was in store for him as a rooster.
When the hatch opened, the first thing he saw were a pair of red shoes, followed by red legs and a silken barbed tail, bobbing and wagging as its owner climbed down the ladder. /At least they didn't change his clothes./ Lord Raymond was followed down the ladder by a man almost twice the governor's size. /Well, the governor is rather slight./
The large man looked at Groves. "Stay over there." He fit the key into the lock, opened the door and shoved the governor into the cell, relocking it and leaving them alone.
Lord Raymond picked himself up, trying to brush the grime off of his costume. The tail wagged wildly from the wire being pulled. Groves tried to stifle a laugh and snorted. The governor looked at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "I'm sorry, Raymond. It's just that you're still wearing the ring that controls the tail, and the way it swished around while you were cleaning yourself off..."
Raymond laughed, taking the ring off and letting it escape into the costume to its resting place. "I can picture it. You're right." He started examining the bars, then sat on the bench, quiet. "I think I pushed him a bit far."
"Oh?"
"Well, we were talking about the ransom and the best way to get it and move this little holiday jaunt behind us as it were, when he brought up the Black Pearl. Then he claimed that I didn't have the backbone to order Jack Sparrow hanged. I told him that I did, and that I'd see him hanged too, and I guess he took that as an insult, so he had me thrown in here. For a moment there I thought he was going to have me flogged."
"But how would you explain your back? Or your arm?"
Raymond smiled. Don't worry, Ted. The most he can find out about me through either of those areas is that I'm rather clumsy."
"What? I've seen your back."
"You saw my back before I became governor. Shortly after I arrived at Port Royal, I had a visit from a couple of friends of mine whom I had sent for. Thanks to them, my back and my arm look nothing like they used to."
"What did they do to you?"
Raymond paled slightly from the memory and cocked his head, listening. He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "I had them pour boiling oil on all of my scars." Groves paled, looking slightly ill. Lord Raymond had a LOT of scars. "Not all at once, you understand. I couldn't afford to burn too much of me at once. But all of the old scars have been replaced completely."
Ted took hold of the governor's right hand and pulled the sleeve up to the elbow. What he found was a horrible looking scar that went from elbow to wrist all around the arm. There was no sign of anything else having been there. "How did you get rid of the tattoo?"
"Nothing that a little skin removal couldn't fix." Groves looked horrified. "Don't worry. Not all the skin. Just down far enough that the ink came off. I took care of that part myself just before I sent word to my friends." He replaced the sleeve over his arm.
"So how are we going to get out of here?"
"Well, that will depend on whether the good Captain O'Sullivan takes my suggestion or not. If he does, you could be out of here by tomorrow, and I might be free by the day after, depending on how long it will take Georges to get the ransom from the plantation."
"Georges, sir?"
"The barman at the Gilded Tankard in Montego Bay."
"Why him?"
"Because he's my business manager while I'm away."
"A barman?"
"Can you imagine someone better to know all the goings on of a town? And he's very good at keeping track of all my holdings, as he used to be an accountant. So I have the best of both worlds."
Ted laughed. "He used to be an accountant? And now he's a barman. Then again, considering who his employer is, it doesn't surprise me."
"Luckily, it WOULD surprise anyone else, which is why he's so valuable to me. Now, if O'Sullivan does not take my advice, we may be here for a week or two...or at least most of us may."
"Most of us?"
"He's thinking of sending my ring with his ransom demand...with the finger still in it, of course." Lord Raymond looked at his hand, examining the ring and the forefinger on his right hand. "I hope he takes my advice. I'd definitely miss that finger." The ship started to list slightly to larboard. He smiled. "Looks like he is taking my advice." He stopped, hearing something. "They're coming."
- -
TBC
Pirates of the Caribbean
Copyright. Characters, not mine. See the Mouse. Story, mine, but I make no money. He does, but not on this.
Typing convention: / is used for thoughts.
Summary: How do you cheer up a depressed Sparrow?
Beta: The great BetaGoddess Pendragginink. She's fantastic! And way too modest for her own good!
N/A: Apparently some fangirls went to Greg Ellis and asked him Groves' first name. I don't know if it was in reference for fanfics or if he even reads them, but hopefully he doesn't take offense if he does. Anyway, it's officially Theodore Groves, so any fics that I had previously done have had the name changed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This is the sequel to "The Makings of a Pirate". If you don't read the first story, you're missing EVERYTHING, so if you haven't read it, please go do so and come back or you won't understand anything.
NOTE: I live for reviews. No reviews, no more writing. Can't figure out if anyone likes it if they don't review. So REVIEW! PLEEEEEEZE???
- - - - - - -
May the wind always be at your back
And the sun always upon your face
And the winds of destiny to carry you aloft to dance with the stars.
--Old Irish Blessing as quoted by George Jung ("Blow")
- - - - - - -
Chapter 3 - Old Scars and New
Captain Groves was not happy. He was sitting in the brig of a pirate ship in a rooster costume. A ROOSTER costume! He thought of Lord Raymond in his devil costume and hoped that the pirates didn't force him to change his clothing. Who knows what they would do if they saw all the marks on the man. One thing was sure; Lord Raymond's body was not that of an aristocrat.
He sat on the small bench at the back of the cell, watching the ladder leading the upper decks, waiting. He could tell that the ship had weighed anchor and was now sailing with the wind, and unless the wind direction had changed since he arrived at the ball, they were headed west. He wondered what was in store for him if they found out he was a naval captain. Hell, he wondered what was in store for him as a rooster.
When the hatch opened, the first thing he saw were a pair of red shoes, followed by red legs and a silken barbed tail, bobbing and wagging as its owner climbed down the ladder. /At least they didn't change his clothes./ Lord Raymond was followed down the ladder by a man almost twice the governor's size. /Well, the governor is rather slight./
The large man looked at Groves. "Stay over there." He fit the key into the lock, opened the door and shoved the governor into the cell, relocking it and leaving them alone.
Lord Raymond picked himself up, trying to brush the grime off of his costume. The tail wagged wildly from the wire being pulled. Groves tried to stifle a laugh and snorted. The governor looked at him, one eyebrow raised in question. "I'm sorry, Raymond. It's just that you're still wearing the ring that controls the tail, and the way it swished around while you were cleaning yourself off..."
Raymond laughed, taking the ring off and letting it escape into the costume to its resting place. "I can picture it. You're right." He started examining the bars, then sat on the bench, quiet. "I think I pushed him a bit far."
"Oh?"
"Well, we were talking about the ransom and the best way to get it and move this little holiday jaunt behind us as it were, when he brought up the Black Pearl. Then he claimed that I didn't have the backbone to order Jack Sparrow hanged. I told him that I did, and that I'd see him hanged too, and I guess he took that as an insult, so he had me thrown in here. For a moment there I thought he was going to have me flogged."
"But how would you explain your back? Or your arm?"
Raymond smiled. Don't worry, Ted. The most he can find out about me through either of those areas is that I'm rather clumsy."
"What? I've seen your back."
"You saw my back before I became governor. Shortly after I arrived at Port Royal, I had a visit from a couple of friends of mine whom I had sent for. Thanks to them, my back and my arm look nothing like they used to."
"What did they do to you?"
Raymond paled slightly from the memory and cocked his head, listening. He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. "I had them pour boiling oil on all of my scars." Groves paled, looking slightly ill. Lord Raymond had a LOT of scars. "Not all at once, you understand. I couldn't afford to burn too much of me at once. But all of the old scars have been replaced completely."
Ted took hold of the governor's right hand and pulled the sleeve up to the elbow. What he found was a horrible looking scar that went from elbow to wrist all around the arm. There was no sign of anything else having been there. "How did you get rid of the tattoo?"
"Nothing that a little skin removal couldn't fix." Groves looked horrified. "Don't worry. Not all the skin. Just down far enough that the ink came off. I took care of that part myself just before I sent word to my friends." He replaced the sleeve over his arm.
"So how are we going to get out of here?"
"Well, that will depend on whether the good Captain O'Sullivan takes my suggestion or not. If he does, you could be out of here by tomorrow, and I might be free by the day after, depending on how long it will take Georges to get the ransom from the plantation."
"Georges, sir?"
"The barman at the Gilded Tankard in Montego Bay."
"Why him?"
"Because he's my business manager while I'm away."
"A barman?"
"Can you imagine someone better to know all the goings on of a town? And he's very good at keeping track of all my holdings, as he used to be an accountant. So I have the best of both worlds."
Ted laughed. "He used to be an accountant? And now he's a barman. Then again, considering who his employer is, it doesn't surprise me."
"Luckily, it WOULD surprise anyone else, which is why he's so valuable to me. Now, if O'Sullivan does not take my advice, we may be here for a week or two...or at least most of us may."
"Most of us?"
"He's thinking of sending my ring with his ransom demand...with the finger still in it, of course." Lord Raymond looked at his hand, examining the ring and the forefinger on his right hand. "I hope he takes my advice. I'd definitely miss that finger." The ship started to list slightly to larboard. He smiled. "Looks like he is taking my advice." He stopped, hearing something. "They're coming."
- -
TBC