The Price of ƒ я e e d o м
A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION
The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction
Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney
Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin
Scene Eleven:
It Was All For You...
Sitting erectly on one of the elegant chairs decorating the captain's quarters, Ayisha kept her gaze straight ahead of her, eyes hazed over; she was letting her imagination get the best of her as she thought of what Barbossa could be doing to the crew of the Interceptor. She gave up her freedom to save Jack, but the crew didn't even cross her mind once. If she were thinking straight, and not letting her feelings for Jack get the best of her, than she would have added the crew's safety in exchange for her imprisonment as well. The sound of a door unlocking caused Ayisha to sharply look in the direction of the entrance to the captain's quarters. Barbossa was entering, and the pirate Ayisha remembered as Pintel, was close behind him with a silver platter filled with various fruits in his hands.
"I thought that you might be hungry," said Barbossa, sitting across from Ayisha at the dining table.
Ayisha remained silent, eyes unnerving as she stared at Barbossa. Pintel placed the silver platter on the table, in front of her, and poured some red liquid into a golden goblet and then left as soon as he was done. Barbossa grinned, the sight of his yellowing teeth caused Ayisha to divert her gaze to the pile of fruit beautifully arranged in front of her. The low rumble in her stomach wanted her to reach forward and grab one of the delicious looking grapes, but her pride kept her hands neatly folded on her lap.
"I should have listened to you and your warning." Barbossa's heavy footsteps could be heard. "But I doubted that little gift of yours…I shall not make that mistake again," he said, and since Ayisha refused to no longer acknowledge Barbossa, a sudden, soft tug at her hair made her gasp in surprise, her back going rigid, but she didn't stop Barbossa from combing her hair. She could feel his fingers lacing themselves in her thick, dark brown locks, and from her peripheral, saw him breathe the scent of her hair in deeply. Ayisha then regretted taking a bath and using all of the different scented soaps she found in Norrington's bath. "You will be my eyes for the unseen. My compass … Jack never knew what he had in you." Barbossa continued to brush her hair, Ayisha feeling uncomfortable by his close proximity. "All those years ago I watched you from afar. With him. Tell me, Ayisha, has Jack changed since the mutiny?" There was a slight pause. "Ah, he didn't, did he?" Barbossa read through Ayisha's silence,
"What have you done to him?" she murmured, fingers nails digging into her palms.
"Nothing that I haven't done before."
Ayisha felt the air leave her lungs. Jack was already gone? She was about to ask about the crew, but was interrupted by heavy foot steps coming into the room. Ayisha slumped lower in her seat at seeing the large form of Bo'sun. Bo'sun cleared his throat and Barbossa halted in combing Ayisha's hair,
"We are coming up to the island," Bo'sun informed, but not before he passed Ayisha a broad grin, knowing that he had an effect on her.
"Did I give you permission to enter MY quarters?" Barbossa snapped at Bo'sun. Ayisha lifted her chin to see the look of anger that had passed across Barbossa's face. "Get out before I gut ye myself, you blasted fool!"
The corner of Ayisha's lips lifted at Barbossa's threat towards Bo'sun; she found it amusing to see such a man as Barbossa bossing around a large person like Bo'sun. As much as Barbossa looked scary, Bo'sun was twice his size and looked like he could easily over power Barbossa if he wanted to, and Ayisha didn't doubt that the thought may have crossed Bo'sun's mind when she saw the large man clench his jaw, but, nonetheless, left the room.
Barbossa placed a hand on Ayisha's shoulder, taking a strand of her hair with him as he began to walk around her. "Soon, I will be able to actually feel you…smell you …" He brushed the strand of Ayisha's hair underneath his nose, and then traced his finger tips down Ayisha's cheek. "…taste you."
Ayisha shuddered at Barbossa's tone of voice. It was husky – lustful. No man had ever touched her in an intimate way besides Jack, and she didn't find the thought of Barbossa touching her, the way Jack did, pleasant at all. She watched Barbossa as he headed towards a wardrobe, opened it and pulled out a very familiar maroon dress. The dress that Elizabeth was wearing the last time Ayisha saw her. But if the young Elizabeth Swann wasn't wearing it anymore … where was she?
"Remember when I bought this for you?" Barbossa gently laid out the dress on the table, in front of Ayisha. "Fine looking piece of clothing, is it not?" He ran the tip of his finger across the velvet material. "You refused it. You said that you did not wear things from the outside world. Outside of the home that you abandoned to be with Jack."
The words Barbossa used struck a cord in Ayisha; her heart dropped in her chest and her face went ashen. She didn't abandon her home for Jack … right? Her mother understood that she left for love. Shabako was the oldest, so he was next in line for the throne – not Ayisha. She wasn't needed … She wasn't needed … She wasn't needed...
Barbossa continued to speak. "I can be a very hospitable man, but if you continue your little silent treatment, I will treat ye the way I treat a whore in Tortuga." He practically shoved the dress into Ayisha's arms. "I would very much like to see you wearing this when I lift this blasted curse off of me and my crew. Welcome to the real world," he whispered into Ayisha's ear. Ayisha's eyes burnt with unshed tears, flinching when she heard the door slam shut as Barbossa left.
Half of her body hanged over the edge of one of the long boats of the Wicked Wench, a broad smile spread across her face. Just in view of sight, was her home. The buildings made of perfectly shaped, rectangle or square stones glistened in the sun. Golden statues of the guardians protecting the island gleamed, reflecting a bright light from the rays of the sun. The boat jerked slightly when they reached shore. Ayisha sprinted off of the boat and into the shallow water. Darting forward, her eyes fixated on her parents, and her eldest brother Shabako, who seemed to know of their arrival, Ayisha ran straight into the open arms of her father, Taharka, and he lifted her off of the ground, spinning her in circles in the air.
Parting from her father, Ayisha glanced to her side, before turning her gaze back to him, noting that her mother, Tiyy, was in a motherly embrace with Aniba. "It is good to have you back home, Amenirdis," Shabako smiled at Ayisha, using her real name, and nodded in his own affectionate way.
"It is good to be back," Ayisha responded, nodding back. Taharka, Ayisha's father, then looked over Ayisha's shoulder, and she followed his gaze, seeing Jack, with whatever little crew he had left, standing on the beach, watching the interaction with great interest. Once Ayisha locked eyes with Jack, the smile slid off of her face, replacing with a look of concern. But before she could even speak, Taharka stepped around her and moved towards Jack,
"You have brought my children safely home, I thank you." Taharka nodded, his hand clamped over Jack's shoulder. "And in gratitude I give you a place to rest before your long journey back home." Taharka then faced the large crowd that met Ayisha, Aniba, and the remains of the crew of the Wicked Wench at the beach, and he raised his gold staff in the air. "Tonight – we celebrate the return of our prince and princess!"
Cheers and shouts filled the air, all of the Kermanians' running off to prepare for the ceremony. Tiyy walked up next to Ayisha and began to lead her away from the beach. Ayisha looked over her shoulder the entire time her mother led her away from Jack, her face grim.
Ayisha, after hours of being scrubbed down by servants, only to be painted on, sat at her throne that was beside her elder brother, Shabako, whom's throne was right beside their father. One leg was crossed over the other, the gold and black paint covering Ayisha's entire body causing her great discomfort; but she continued to dwell in her thoughts. The celebration of her and Aniba's return had already begun, a great fire lighting up the whole occasion since the sun had already disappeared. But, yet, there was no sign of Jack or the crew. Scanning the crowd, Ayisha placed her hands on the gold armrests of her throne and drummed her fingertips against them. She understood the reason why she took a long time to prepare (the black symbol-like nets painted on her body had to be completely precise), but there was no reason as to why Jack or the crew to not already be at the celebration.
That's when she glanced up, seeing him with the rest of the crew, all of them sitting down on a thick log, watching the people dancing around the bonfire. Now Ayisha knew why she hadn't noticed them out of the rest of her people: his hair was no longer tied back, but was now falling loosely at the top his shoulders. Gold and black was just noticeable from the soft light the bonfire casted upon him, signaling that the people, too, had painted him, but from where Ayisha was sitting, the marks didn't look like the ones doted on her body. He was dressed in a white, loose, tunic, with the front completely open (most likely because he was too lazy to do the string that tied the front end closed), and had on a necklace with various gold pieces being held together by a black lace.
Ayisha stood from her throne, the golden beads woven in her hair keeping her hair straight, clinking together as she rose. She stepped off of the platform that the thrones were set up on, and onto the soft ground, walking straight towards the man that had somehow bewitched her. The golden loincloth Ayisha was wearing bounced against her thighs, and Jack spat up the liquid he was drinking from a goblet as he spotted her coming, and once Ayisha was standing in front of him, he gawked at her, causing the corner of Ayisha's lip to rise.
"Care to dance?" Ayisha outstretched her hand towards Jack.
Jack wordlessly took Ayisha's hand and Ayisha led him a little ways to the side – away from the dancing crowd surrounding the bonfire. The rhythm of the drums, and various other instruments, took control over Ayisha's limbs, her body slowly moving with the beat. Neither she nor Jack broke eye contact, a small smile forming on Ayisha's lips as she danced closely to Jack. She took in the golden paint that seemed to go well with Jack, the dark kohl around his eyes suiting him perfectly. He looked more rugged than neat and proper that he usually was while they were on-board of the Wicked Wench. Inspecting the different markings on his chest, she recognized them as a cleansing ritual. On the center of his chest, was a circle with the hieroglyph of the Goddess of Forgiveness.
"Riding you of your past sins," Ayisha murmured, tentatively tracing her finger around the marking. "Once you wash this off, so will your sins. It is meant to absorb you of all of your sins, offering it to the Goddess of Forgiveness, to, well, forgive you."
Jack looked down at the drawing on his chest. "Is that what that means? I thought that was just to make me look pretty. Well, more pretty. What do yours mean?" Jack trailed his finger tips down Ayisha's arms, causing her to shudder.
"To catch the sins before they enter my soul," she answered, almost breathlessly. "To keep my soul pure," she added, her voice just above a whisper. She got lost in Jack's dark colored, soulful, brown eyes; reading the emotion pouring out of them. Memories of their time together out at sea, he teaching her about the outside world out of Kerma, filled Ayisha's mind, causing her heart to ache that she would no longer see him after he left.
Her body moved closer to Jack's, their bodies moving in sync, her hips swaying side to side in rhythm of the music currently playing. She pressed her chest to his, her head tilted up, staring at him, just as he was her.
"Stay with me," Ayisha murmured softly, her lips mere centimeters from Jack's.
"You know I can't do that, darlin'," Jack answered, his warm breath blowing gently against Ayisha's face. She could smell the scent of various spices. Jack's fingers brushed some of Ayisha's hair behind her ear, his hand cupping her cheek and sliding down to her chin.
"You will be safe here. He cannot find you if he does not know where here is," Ayisha argued, talking about Cutler Beckett.
"That isn't what I meant." Jack's lips twitched, trying to form a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "My life belongs to the sea."
"But I don't want you to leave," Ayisha stubbornly replied. "You can have anything you want here: Money … power … me."
Jack stared down at Ayisha, and she vice versa. He dipped his head down low, capturing Ayisha's lips, into their first kiss. She felt a wave of warmth spread throughout her body, her hands clutching the sleeves of his tunic, his hands grabbing a fist full of her hair.
– X –
Ayisha awoke, sharply sitting up on her bed, the smooth sheets covering her naked flesh. Turning her head down, to the side, hoping to see Jack still next to her, her heart dropped when she saw the other side of her bed empty. Looking out of the large opening that led to the terrace, Ayisha's eyes widened when she noticed the position of the sun, signaling that it was perhaps between mid-morning or early afternoon.
Rushing out of bed, and onto the terrace, Ayisha's jaw slacked when she saw the vague silhouettes of the crew of the Wicked Wench boarding the long boats. They were leaving …
Ayisha quickly dressed into a loose fitting pair of white trousers and tunic with gold trimming. She pushed past the servants that tried to stop her because she wasn't 'properly' prepared to leave her room. Ayisha didn't care about the stupid paint and drawings that would 'catch' the sins before entering her soul. Without Jack, she would feel nothing – be nothing.
"Ayisha?" the voices of Tiyy and Taharka, her parents, questioned Ayisha, as she darted past them in the long, narrow hallway, but Ayisha ignored them, her mind set on getting to Jack in time to say goodbye. It was the least he could do for her.
By the time Ayisha made it to the beach, she could see the crew, and Jack, climb onboard the Wicked Wench, but that didn't stop her.
"JACK!" She called, wadding as fast as she could into the water. He couldn't leave. Not without her. "JACK!"
"Ayisha!" the voices of Ayisha's family could be heard from the shore; but by then, she was already swimming towards the Wicked Wench. Ayisha ignored the continuous calls coming from the beach, telling her to go back. But she didn't want to,
"Jack!" she called out again.
"Ayisha? Ayisha – what in bloody hell are you doing?" Jack exclaimed, and then Ayisha distinctively heard a splash soon after. He met her half-way. Ayisha wrapped her arms around his neck, and Jack enfolded an arm around her waist as he helped her stay afloat. "Are you mad? You could have drowned!" shouted Jack
"You can't leave – not without me," Ayisha responded, spitting out salt-water from her mouth. Jack just looked at her in shock.
Ayisha smiled softly to herself, her body swaying side to side because of the gentle waves rocking the long boat she was sharing with Barbossa, Bo'sun and Will. Apparently, after Ayisha gave up her freedom for Jack, Will came to the Pearl and exchanged his life for Elizabeth and the crew of the Interceptor. All previous dislike for Will, and what he did to Jack, went away.
The maroon dress that Elizabeth was once wearing felt loose on Ayisha's body, the top of the dress slipping off of her shoulders. She gave up her life on Kerma to be with Jack; and her parents didn't hold it against her that she left, but they were sad to see her leave nonetheless. But after Jack helped Ayisha the rest of the way to the Wicked Wench, she thought that everything was going to be perfect. She was going to be with Jack and sail the seas with him. But, apparently, nothing can be perfect. After Beckett branded Jack as a pirate, for what he did for her, Jack changed. Yes, he was still the same man Ayisha fell in love with all those years ago, but, slowly –much to Ayisha's displeasure– that man was disappearing. And it all started when Jack made that deal with Davy Jones.
In exchange for the resurrection of the Wicked Wench, now known as the Black Pearl, Jack sold his soul. He would be captain of the Black Pearl for 13 years, and once the 13 years passed, he would serve Davy Jones on-board his ship for 100 years.
Ayisha walked past Barbossa, ignoring his offered hand to help her off of the long boat, and hitched up the many layers of her dress, following the other crew members of the Pearl deeper inside of the cave. She stared at all the piles of gold and silver in awe, never in her life seeing so much treasure in one place. Of course, she had treasure back at Kerma, but she wasn't allowed in the vault in which the treasure was kept because everything they needed was up top, where they lived.
A pair of pirates roughly pushed past Ayisha with Will in tow and his wrists bound with rope. She frowned and stayed behind. The crew of the Pearl surrounded a mountain of gold, a chest perched at the very top. She watched helplessly as they forcefully dragged Will up towards the chest, Barbossa standing proudly beside it. The crew of the Pearl cheered and hooted that they were finally going to break their curse.
"Bring forward my prize!" Barbossa hollered, finger pointed in Ayisha's direction, and immediately she, too, was forcefully dragged up the mountain of gold to stand next to Barbossa. Barbossa grinned at her, leaned over, towards the chest, and dropped the last cursed piece of the Aztec gold. The cheers and holler grew louder.
Bo'sun grabbed a hold of the back of Will's neck, and forced Will to bend over so that his head was just over the open chest of gold coins. Ayisha gasped and turned her head to the side and clamped her eyes shut, when Barbossa lifted a knife to in the air and began his stupid speech before he would slice open Will's throat,
"Begun by blood! By blood un-" Barbossa trailed off, Ayisha opening her eyes.
"Jack!" came Will's voice.
Snapping her head up, Ayisha's jaw dropped when the figure of non-other than Jack Sparrow pushed his way in front of the chanting pirates.
"S'not possible," Barbossa muttered in disbelief.
Jack! Ayisha thought in glee, her heart leaping in her chest.
(A/N) Authors Note: A bit more AU from the book, sorry, but, like I said, I had the first few chapters written out before the book came out.
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