Guys, I just saw Hamilton for the first time! I'm not typically one for musicals, but Hamilton is amazing! I've watched it several times over the past several days and I keep getting different songs stuck in my head. I think King George has got to be my favorite. XD Anyways, on with the chapter!
Evelyn POV
The entire cavern was silent as the pirates waited for the curse to be lifted. I was glad Barbossa had not killed Elizabeth, although I was a bit worried about what he would do with her now. After a few moments, the pirates glanced around at each other.
"Did it work?" Koehler asked.
"I don't feel no different," Ragetti said.
"How do we tell?" Pintel inquired. Barbossa sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling out his pistol and shooting Pintel in the chest. I let out a startled gasp and Pintel flinched as the bullet hit him. He looked down at his chest, still very much alive.
"You're not dead," Koehler noted.
"No," Pintel laughed nervously. "He shot me!"
"It didn't work!" Ragetti realized.
"The curse is still upon us!" Twigg bellowed.
Barbossa inspected the blood on the knife he used then turned to Elizabeth. "You. Maid. Your father. What was his name?" He shook her roughly when she didn't answer. "Was your father William Turner?!"
"No," Elizabeth replied, smirking. I watched the Captain warily. I could tell he was having a hard time keeping his anger in check, but who could blame him. I would be mad too if I thought I had found a way to break a ten year curse only to find out I had been lied to.
"Where's his child?" Barbossa demanded. "The child that sailed from England eight years ago, the child in whose veins flows the blood of William Turner?! Where?" Elizabeth merely continued to smile in satisfaction. Frustrated by her lack of response, he backhanded her, sending her sprawling by the water's edge, unconscious. He then roughly grabbed my arm. "Did you know?"
"No!" I protested, jerking my arm from his grip. "And if she had, I would have told you. I would have no reason to keep that information from you anyway, especially after all you've done for me!" How dare he accuse me of keeping something like that from him! I know he was angry, but I wanted him to be rid of the curse almost as much as he did.
"You two. You brought us the wrong person!" Bo'sun accused, glaring at Pintel and Ragetti.
"No, she had the medallion!" Pintel said, holding up his hands defensively. "She's the proper age!"
"She said her name was Turner! You heard her!" Ragetti added. "I think she lied to us." I rolled my eyes. He's only just now realizing this?
"You brought us here for nothing?" Twigg shouted, glaring at his Captain.
"I won't take questioning or second guesses, not from the likes of you, Mister Twigg," Barbossa growled.
"Who's to blame him?" Koehler challenged. "Every decision you've made's led us from bad to worse!"
"It was you who sent Bootstrap to the depths!" Mallot added. I heard Jack the monkey screech and turned to look, but was distracted as Bo'sun drew his sword.
"And it's you who brought us here in the first place," he growled, advancing towards Barbossa.
"Any coward here dare challenge me, let him speak!" Barbossa snapped, brandishing his sword. "Hmm?" Bo'sun clenched his jaw, debating whether to challenge his Captain.
I stepped forward, moving slightly in front of Barbossa. "Gentlemen," I began, ignoring the cocked eyebrow I received from my Captain. "What good will blaming Barbossa for your misfortunes?" The crew grumbled amongst themselves. "Elizabeth's blood obviously didn't work, so I suggest that instead of wasting time arguing over whose fault it is, you redirect your efforts into figuring out who Bootstrap's real child is."
"I say we cut her throat and spill all her blood, just in case," Koehler suggested and the rest of the crew agreed. Jack screeched louder, finally drawing his master's attention. He turned to where Elizabeth had landed only to find an empty space. Jack pointed towards the cavern entrance.
"The medallion! She's taken it!" Barbossa roared. "Get after her! You feckless pack of ingrates!"
Abby POV
Jack and I snuck around, doing our best not to get caught by the pirates as they ran back through the cave. We rounded a corner and Jack suddenly came to a halt, causing me to bump into him. I peeked around his arm to find the crew of cursed pirates staring dumbfounded at Jack.
"You!" Ragetti gasped in disbelief.
"You're supposed to be dead!" Pintel said.
"Am I not?" Jack asked, glancing down at himself. "Oh." He grabbed my arm and tried to backtrack only to stop as several pistols were pointed at us. We turned back around to find even more pistols aimed our way. "Parlulay...palu-li-la-la-lulu, parlili." I raised an eyebrow at him. What exactly was he doing? "Parsnip, parsley, par - partner…"
"Parley?" Ragetti suggested.
Jack grinned triumphantly. "Parley! That's the one. Parley! Parley!"
"Parley?" Pintel growled, glaring at Ragetti who hung his head in shame. "Down to the depths whatever muttonhead thought up parley!"
Jack placed a ringed finger on the pistol Pintel had pointed at him, lowering it slightly. "That would be the French."
"Bring him!" Bo'sun ordered. "And the girl."
A few minutes later, we were brought before Captain Barbossa. Jack casually leaned against the oar Will had hit him with, seemingly unfazed that we were surrounded by the crew that had mutinied against him ten years ago.
"How the blazes did you get off that island?" Barbossa demanded, clearly not happy at seeing his former captain alive.
"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one thing mate," Jack said, smirking. Barbossa raised his brows questioningly. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
"Ah, well, I won't be making that same mistake again," Barbossa replied. His cold blue gaze shifted to me. "What a coincidence seeing ya here."
"Coincidence? Hardly," I scoffed. I kept my expression impassive, hiding the fact that I was unnerved being surrounded by soulless pirates. "I'm the reason Jack is here."
Barbossa raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do tell."
"I sprung him from jail and enlisted his help to rescue my sister," I replied.
"Yer sister, ya say? So ye both lied about yer identities."
"Actually, I was completely truthful about my identity apart from being a maid," I corrected. "I'm adopted."
"Ah, well then, that makes this easy," Barbossa replied with a smirk. "Gents, you all remember Captain Jack Sparrow and Miss Brooks...Kill 'em." Jack shifted in front of me slightly as the pirates cocked their pistols.
"Abby?" I heard a small voice ask. I turned to see Evie making her way through the pirates. She stopped in her tracks when she saw me.
I smiled. "Hi, Evie. Long time, no see." A quiet whimper was the only warning I got before she launched herself at me. I grunted as she wrapped her arms around me in a bone crushing hug.
"I was so worried I would never see you again!" She cried, burying her face in my hair.
"Evie, can't breath!" I gasped.
"Oh, sorry!" She apologized and quickly let go. She looked me over, wiping tears from her eyes. "Where have you been? What have you been doing? Are you okay? You look great!" I chuckled fondly at her rapid fire questions. I didn't even bother to interrupt her, knowing she'd tire herself out at some point. Oh how I had missed her. Unfortunately, our reunion was interrupted as Barbossa cleared his throat. Evie cringed slightly and looked back at the unamused captain.
"I hate to interrupt yer heartfelt reunion, but my crew has a job to do," he snapped. Evie opened her mouth to reply, but I placed a hand on her shoulder, silently telling her I would take care of it.
"Ah yes, but if I may be so bold to ask one question before we're killed?" I inquired. "Elizabeth's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack shot me a questioning glance. "Bootstrap," was all I whispered.
Barbossa frowned. "Hold yer fire!" His crew begrudgingly obeyed. He stalked forward, gazing at me with calculating blue eyes. "You know whose blood we need."
Jack smirked. "We know whose blood you need."
Barbossa clenched his jaw, weighing his options. "Bring them!"
Evelyn POV
Barbossa had Jack and Abby brought to his cabin to negotiate. Barbossa sat in his chair on one side of the table while Jack paced on the other side as he voiced his demands. Abby leaned her arms on the back of the chair on her and Jack's side. I had been standing next to Barbossa till he slid an arm around my waist, pulling me down onto the arm of his chair after Jack had flashed me his signature smile. I did my best to hide the blush that rose to my cheeks at my Captain's sudden possessiveness. Abby glanced at the hand Barbossa had around my waist then raised a questioning brow at me. I gave a small shrug. I had no idea why Barbossa suddenly felt the need to have me so close. I briefly wondered if it had something to do with Jack's presence. I knew Jack was a ladies' man, but that didn't really explain Barbossa's actions. Maybe he was afraid Jack would somehow convince me to join his side?
"So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with nothing but a name and your word it's the one I need and watch you sail away in my ship?" Barbossa asked Jack, giving a short laugh at the absurdity of Jack's demands.
"No," Jack replied. "I expect to leave you standing on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on my ship, and then I'll have Abby shout the name back to you. Savvy?" Abby smiled at being included in the plan.
"But that still leaves us with the problem of me standing on some beach with naught but a name and your word it's the one I need."
"Not to mention, how do we know you're telling the truth?" I spoke up. "How do we know that you won't just sail away and conveniently forget to give us the name?
"Your little friend here knows the name and you trust her, don't you?" Jack pointed out, gesturing to Abby.
I crossed my arms with a frown. "Whether or not I trust Abby has no bearing on whether I trust you. No offence, Abby," I added.
"None taken," Abby replied with a wave of her hand.
"Besides, it's not me you have to convince." I leaned my back against Barbossa's chair. "Give us one good reason why we should trust you."
Jack shrugged and began picking through the bowl of apples on the table. "Of the four of us, Abby and I are the only ones who haven't committed mutiny."
I crossed my arms, shooting a glare at the dreadlocked pirate. "Excuse me, but I haven't committed mutiny."
"Ah, but you work for this scallywag….therefore my word is the one we'll be trusting." Jack plopped himself down in the other chair and propped his feet on the table. I felt Barbossa tighten his grip on my waist slightly and I had to fight down another blush. "Although, I suppose I should be thanking you because in fact, if you hadn't betrayed me and left me to die, I would have an equal share in that curse, same as you." Barbossa narrowed his eyes slightly as Jack took a bite of a green apple. "Funny ol' world, innit?" Barbossa nodded stiffly. Jack offered some of his apple to him, but Barbossa simply glared at him. Jack then offered the apple to Abby, who took a rather large bite. I glanced at Barbossa a bit nervously. He looked ready to run them both through for having the audacity of eating his favorite fruit in front of him. Thankfully, I was spared the potential bloodbath as Bo'sun entered.
"Captain, we're coming up on the Interceptor," he announced. Jack the monkey screeched and jumped from his perch, startling the human Jack as he darted past. Barbossa got to his feet and headed for the helm, bringing me with him. In the distance, I could just make out the Interceptor. Barbossa pulled out his spyglass to get a better view. Jack came running up to the helm and stepped in front of the spyglass.
"I'm having a thought here, Barbossa," Jack said. "What say we run up a flag of truce? Abby and I scurry over to the Interceptor and negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?"
"I think it's a fair plan," Abby added. "There's no need for anyone to get hurt over a simple piece of gold."
"Considering my crew is cursed, getting hurt isn't exactly a problem for us," Barbossa replied.
"What about your lady friend?" Jack asked, gesturing to me. "I know she's not cursed. Do you really want to risk her?" I raised an eyebrow, regarding the pirate closely. So, Jack had noticed Barbossa's strange behavior.
Barbossa narrowed his eyes at Jack. "Evie is perfectly capable of taking care of herself," he countered. To an untrained ear, his tone was even, but I knew him well enough to recognize the warning. Jack was treading on very thin ice. "Besides, yer crew won't be able to cause any harm when they're dead." He snapped his spyglass shut. "Lock them in the brig." Bo'sun clamped a hand on Jack's and Abby's shoulders. As they were led away, Barbossa grabbed the apple Abby still held, considered it for a moment, then threw it with a fury.
"Good arm," I complimented as I watched the apple sail through one of the many holes in the canvas.
"I believe I owe ye an apology," he said after a quiet moment. "My reaction towards you was uncalled for."
I cocked my head with a light shrug. "Perhaps, but you were angry about being lied to and I don't blame you."
"But that does not excuse me accusing ye of withholding information from me," he countered. "I've known ye for five years, and I know you wouldn't have withheld something like that from me."
"That's true," I agreed. "But I also know you can have a bit of a temper and tend to not think when you get angry."
"Aye, that may be true, but it still does not excuse my actions, and I intend to make it up to ye."
I smiled softly. "That's not necessary."
"What if I let ye join the raid on the Interceptor?" Barbossa asked.
I snapped my head to stare at him. "Really?" He was actually going to let me join in a raid again?
The Captain nodded. "I think ye've been cooped up on this ship long enough." A grin crept onto my face, my green eyes dancing with excitement. One corner of Barbossa' lips twitched upward in amusement at my reaction. "So, am I forgiven?"
"Well, I would have forgiven you anyway," I replied. "The mere fact that I actually got an apology from you was enough."
"I can keep you on the ship then, if you prefer," Barbossa said, smirking.
I shot him a halfhearted glare, causing the pirate lord to chuckle. "Um, no thank you. I need to see some action." We both turned back to gaze at the Interceptor as she grew steadily closer.
Abby POV
"Apparently there's a leak," Jack commented as Bo'sun shoved us into a cell. Jack immediately went over to peek through a hole in the hull.
"Well that went well," I muttered sarcastically.
"Don't worry, luv, we'll get out of this," Jack assured me.
I crossed my arms and cocked a brow. "And what makes you so sure?"
Jack flashed me his signature smile. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."
I huffed through my nose. "Well, at least one of us is confident." I pressed my back against the bars of the cell and slid to the floor, making a small splash in the accumulated water.
"So, how do you know little miss redhead?" Jack inquired, leaning against the hull.
"Evie? I've known her for almost my whole life," I answered. "She's my sister in all but blood."
Jack frowned curiously. "How does that work? You're the Governor's daughter and she's a pirate."
"I wasn't born a governor's daughter. Governor Swann adopted me after I washed ashore in Port Royal five years ago."
"What happened?" Jack asked.
I shrugged, going along with the story I had perfected over the years. "I don't know. Shipwreck near as the doctors can figure. I think Evie and I were sailing to who knows where and we must have been attacked or something. Memories are still fuzzy, even after five years."
"Does it bother you?"
"Not really," I replied. "You learn to live with it." Jack watched me curiously and I played with a strand of my hair self consciously. "Anyway, enough about me. Any brilliant ideas on how to get out of here?"