I bring the next chapter my peeps! Hope it's good!

Abby POV

Later that evening, Elizabeth lay in her bed with a book in hand. Her maid, Estrella, was preparing a bed warmer while I lounged on my stomach with my own book. When I first arrived in the POTC world, I made it my mission to learn all I could about pirates. I couldn't remember any of the plots from the movies, so I figured reading as much as I could would be the best arm myself, so to speak. Luckily, the governor's home had a large library. I grabbed every book I could find about pirates, but my favorite was the one about Jack Sparrow. It had been a while since I've read it, so I figured I needed a refresher after my encounter with the famous captain.

"There you go, Miss," Estrella said as she slipped the bed warmer under the covers. "It was a difficult day for you both, I'm sure."

"I suspected Commodore Norrington would propose but I must admit, I wasn't prepared for it," Elizabeth said.

"And you, Miss, being threatened by that pirate. Sounds terrifying," Estrella told me.

"I suppose," I said with a shrug. Truth be told, it had been rather exciting and the most fun I've had in the last 5 years. Not that I didn't have fun being the Governor's daughter, but I can only take so many fancy balls and uppity higher class people. It's a bit annoying always being expected to be on my best behavior, only ever being able to relax when I'm alone or with Elizabeth.

"But the Commodore proposed. Fancy that. Now, that's a smart match, Miss, if it's not too bold to say."

"It is a smart match. He's a fine man," Elizabeth said absentmindedly, her gaze far away. She shook her head. "He's what any woman should dream of marrying."

"Well, that Will Turner, he's a fine man, too," Estrella commented.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the maid. "That is too bold."

"Well, begging your pardon, Miss. it was not my place," Estrella apologized.

"Oh, leave her alone, Lizzie," I scolded lightly as the maid left. "You're not exactly subtle in your feelings for Will."

"What feelings?" Elizabeth asked.

I gave her a pointed look. "Really, Lizzie? It's not hard to tell you're completely infatuated."

"I'm not infatuated."

"Mhmm," I hummed, smiling in amusement.

Evelyn POV

The Black Pearl sailed into Port Royal. I stood at the rail, gazing through the dark at the town. Only a few lamps were still lit, most of the town being asleep. I glanced to the side as Barbossa stepped up beside me, the moonlight showing his true nature. I had found out about the curse only a few months into my voyage on the Black Pearl.

Flashback

I woke with a start to the sound of cannon fire. I groaned and shoved my pillow over my head to try and drown out the noise. This was not the first time I have been woken by cannon fire. Barbossa seemed to prefer to do his pillaging and plundering at night, which meant I wasn't allowed to take part in it. I had asked Barbossa about it, but his only reply was it was easier to sneak up on unsuspecting ships at night. The Captain had only ever given me one rule and that was to stay in my cabin at night. I was always curious as to why, but since he was kind enough to give me a place in his crew I didn't ask for his reasoning.

"Why can't they do this during the day when I'm not trying to sleep?" I grumbled. I sighed and got out of bed, knowing I wasn't going to be able to fall asleep with the cannons. I walked over to the small desk in my cabin and grabbed one of the books I had borrowed from the Captain's quarters. I returned to my bed and started to read. A few minutes later, I heard the distinct sound of swords clashing. I threw down my book and rushed to my door, pressing my ear to the wood. I could hear shouting and clashing metal and I realized the ship must have been boarded. This was new, we had never been boarded in the past. Though I knew the crew were capable swordsmen, I felt the need to help. I tried to open my door only to find it locked. I rushed about my cabin, throwing on my boots and grabbing my cutlass. I pulled out a dagger I kept under my pillow and worked the lock until I heard it click. Grinning in triumph, I swung my door open and ran out only to skid to a halt at what I saw. Pirates swarmed the deck, all engaged in fighting one another. What had surprised me was the skeletal pirates running around. "What the heck!" I muttered. One of the normal pirates spotted me and advanced. I quickly drew my cutlass and blocked his blow. He swung again and I blocked. The pirate growled and pressed his weight against his sword, forcing me to one knee. However, before he could do anything else, his body jerked as the point of a sword protruded through his stomach. The sword withdrew and the pirate collapsed to the deck.

"What're ye doin' out here, Evie?" A familiar voice demanded. I looked up at my savior and my jaw nearly dropped.

"Pintel?" I asked the skeletal pirate. "What happened to you?"

"We don't 'ave time fer that! Ye know the Capt'n don't want ye out at night," Pintel told me.

"But I want to help!" I protested.

"We can 'andle this!" Pintel said. I was about to retort when I noticed another pirate approaching Pintel from behind.

"Look out!" I shouted, but it was too late. I let out a startled scream as the pirate shoved his sword through Pintel's skeletal ribcage. Much to my surprise, however, Pintel simply growled, turned around, and impaled the other pirate, before pulling the sword through his ribcage.

"Get back to yer cabin!" Pintel ordered. I didn't need to be told twice. I nodded and ran back into my cabin, slamming the door behind me. I sat on my bed, going over what I had seen. The entire crew looked like skeletons. How long had they been like that and why wasn't I told about it? A little while later, after the fighting and cannon fire had died down, there was a knock on my cabin door.

"Come in," I said in a quiet voice. The door opened and Pintel walked in.

"The Captain wants t' see ya," he said. I nodded and followed him to the Captain's Quarter's. Pintel knocked on the Captain's door and entered when he got confirmation. "Evie to see ya, Cap'n." Barbossa waved Pintel away and the pirate quickly hurried out. I stood just inside the door, looking anywhere but at the Captain. Barbossa didn't say anything right away and I started dreading what he was going to do to me for disobeying him. My heart was hammering in my chest so loudly I was sure he could hear it from where he stood a few feet away.

"Evie…" He finally began.

"I'm so sorry!" I blurted out, cutting him off. "I know I disobeyed you. I didn't mean to, but I heard the fighting and I felt like I just had to help! I'm so so sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Evelyn!" Barbossa said sharply, raising his voice to be heard over my desperate rambling. I clamped my mouth shut and met his gaze, fear shining in my eyes. He walked towards me and I stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. "Yer trembling," he noticed, placing his hands on my upper arms. "Calm yerself, lass." I had been so focused on my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that I was indeed shaking. "Take deep breaths." I did as instructed and took several deep, shuddering breaths. Barbossa waited patiently as I attempted to calm down. A few minutes later, I had stopped trembling and was breathing normally. "Ye alright, Evie?" He asked surprisingly gently. I nodded shakily. He sighed. "What were ye thinking? I told ye to stay in yer cabin at night."

I closed my eyes and lowered my head in shame. "I know, but I heard fighting on deck and I couldn't just wait patiently in my cabin knowing you could be in danger."

"Ye could've been hurt," Barbossa scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry," I said quietly.

Barbossa sighed and went to sit at his desk. "I suppose it was only a matter of time till yer curiosity won out." I raised my head and blinked. I had been fully expecting him to yell at me for disobeying him.

"Aren't you mad at me?" I asked hesitantly.

Barbossa shook his head. "Nay. I knew ye would find out sooner or later."

I furrowed my brows in confusion. "Find out what?"

"Best sit down, lass," Barbossa said.

"So...you and your whole crew are cursed?" I asked, going over the story Barbossa had just finished telling me. "And you turn into those skeletal things in the moonlight?"

"Aye," Barbossa confirmed.

"And you've been like this for five years?" I asked in surprise.

"Five years of hell," Barbossa added with a scowl.

I nodded. The tale sounded familiar. I vaguely remembered something about cursed Aztec gold from the movies in my world. My memory of events from the movies had faded, leaving only knowledge of people and places, but no details as to how they fit into the story. "Guess I can understand why you didn't want me on deck at night," I mumbled. "So, all those raids have been to find all the pieces of Aztec gold?"

"Mostly," Barbossa said.

I frowned curiously. "Mostly?"

"The curse drives us to hoard treasure. So, in our search for the pieces of Aztec gold, we loot what we can and dump it on the island."

I thought for a moment. "What it...what if I helped?"

Barbossa's gaze snapped to mine, looking rather surprised at the question. "What?"

"What if I helped you find the rest of the Aztec gold?" I repeated. "It's not fair that you've been cursed simply for taking some dead guy's gold, it's not like it was any use to him anyway."

"Ye want to help a bunch of pirates?" Barbossa asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

"Well, you did give me a place on your crew despite the fact that I'm a woman, and taught me how to sail and fight," I pointed out. "The least I can do is help you break your curse."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Barbossa's lips. "It seems there is more to ya than meets the eye, Evelyn." I blushed at the use of my full name, but smiled at the compliment all the same.

Present

"I want ya to stay on the ship when the crew goes ashore," Barbossa told me. I huffed in annoyance. I figured he would keep me on board, he hadn't let me off ship since my last plundering expedition.

"You can't keep me on the ship forever, you know," I argued, crossing my arms.

"I'm the captain, I can do what I please and ye can't argue," Barbossa retorted.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," I grumbled, glowering at nothing in particular.

"I'm not asking ye to like it."

"Is it really so much to ask to go on one plundering trip?" I pleaded in exasperation.

Barbossa raised an eyebrow at me. "Evie, the last time I let you go plundering, ye got yerself shot."

"The bullet barely grazed me," I scoffed, though I absentmindedly raised my hand to brush against the faint scar on my upper left arm. "Besides, that was nearly six months ago. I was perfectly fine on all the trips before that."

"This is a military port with trained soldiers, not a scum hole full of drunken pirates."

"But-"

"The answer is still no," Barbossa told me. I crossed my arms and let out a huff. Barbossa simply rolled his eyes at me. "If ya really want to help, you can go below deck and fire the guns." That significantly lightened my mood. I grinned excitedly and rushed below deck as he told the rest of the crew to ready the guns. I loaded my chosen cannon, assisted by another crew member and awaited orders. "Fire!" I held the torch to the cannon and covered my ears.