Chapter 12: Gains and Losses
Once they docked inside, he helped her out, and they marched inward. He drew the apple from his pocket again and grinned at Alice, tossing and catching it in playful excitement as they walked toward the large cavern. She couldn't help but grow excited as well.
"No reason t' fret; just a prick of the finger, a few drops of blood—" she heard Pintel telling Will.
"No mistakes this time," she heard Twigg interject. "'e's only 'alf Turner. We spill it all!"
"Guess there is reason to fret," Pintel said with a chuckle and Ragetti snorted out a quiet laugh. Alice wondered whether or not that would be true.
"I've changed me mind," Barbossa said to Alice as they reached the mound in the center. She looked at him quizzically as he grinned broadly. "The first thing I'm going to do after this curse is lifted is steal a kiss from ye." Alice smiled and blushed and he barked out a laugh.
They wasted little time in getting the ritual underway this time. Alice watched from the same spot below as Koehler and Twigg held Will over the chest, his hands bound behind him and his throat exposed; she assumed then that they were, in fact, planning on squeezing every drop from him. She didn't know Will enough to feel any sort of remorse over this fact, and just focused on Barbossa being mortal once more. She realized how much she was now anticipating this: Her entire future now rested on the curse being lifted.
The pirates chanted loudly with excitement as Barbossa grabbed the dagger from the chest and gazed at the sky through the opening above.
"Begun by blood; by blood un—" he stopped suddenly as he looked out at the crowd of pirates. They quickly fell silent.
"Jack!" Will said, looking out as well. Alice's eyes went wide and she looked around. Sure enough, there was Jack Sparrow, making his way toward the center.
"It's not possible," Barbossa loudly whispered in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"Not probable," Jack corrected. Alice just stared at him in bewilderment, wondering where the hell he came from, and what would happen now.
"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked, and Alice glanced at him before looking back at Jack.
"She's safe, just like I promised," Jack said as the bo'sun grabbed him by the shoulder, and Alice found herself sighing in relief. She had been worried about the girl, even if she didn't let herself think about it. "She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised," he continued and Alice couldn't help the small knot that formed in her stomach at hearing that. "And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word, really… Except Elizabeth, who is, in fact, a woman," he finished.
"Shut up," Barbossa hissed and Alice watched him. "You're next," he fumed at Jack, waving the dagger. He turned back to Will, whose head was shoved down again, and he put the dagger to his throat.
"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Jack said, and Alice found him testing even her patience now. Barbossa paused and slowly lifted his head to glare at Jack.
"No, I really think I do," he said quietly with a fiery glare, and then turned back just as slowly.
"Your funeral," Jack said simply. Barbossa hesitated again, his rage barely contained, and he faced Jack again.
"Why don't I want to be doin' it?" he asked.
"Well, because—" Jack stopped and slapped the bo'sun's hand, and the large man released him. He stepped forward and spoke as he climbed the mound. "The H.M.S. Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just off shore, waiting for you." The pirates all began chattering uneasily, and Alice was also nervous. Would they storm the cave? What would happen to her if they were caught and taken prisoner? She looked at Barbossa and he caught her gaze, but his uncertainty only added to her worry. Jack began to spell out a plan to Barbossa, but he didn't look amused. Alice almost growled when Jack said 'Commodore Barbossa'.
"I suppose, in exchange, you want me not to kill the whelp?" Barbossa asked, snapping his glare to Will, who just eyed him in return.
"No, no, no, no, by all means, kill the whelp," Jack replied, and Alice cocked her head. "Just… not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment," he finished to Will. Will's face changed in a sort of understanding, but Barbossa eyed them both, as did Alice. What were they playing at? "For instance," he said, turning back to Barbossa and picking up a handful of the Aztec coins. Alice was uncomfortable with Jack touching them. "After you've killed Norrington's men. Every… last… one of them," he said, punctuating each word with a drop of a coin. Someone behind her laughed, but she paid no mind. Will looked Jack up and down before sneering at him.
"You've been planning this from the beginning," he growled. "Every since you learned my name."
"Yeah," Jack said flippantly, and Alice wondered further about the man. He seemed so light-hearted and casual, yet he was so easily willing to let Will die. She couldn't quite understand him. Barbossa interjected and they negotiated the split of plunder. They agreed on a number, and a hat, and Jack once again called Barbossa 'Commodore', which Alice found more annoying the second time hearing it. Barbossa smiled.
"We have an accord," he said, offering his hand, and they shook on it. Alice groaned. Was she now going to have to deal with Jack Sparrow being around more?
'All hands to the boats!" Jack said with a grand waving of his arms, and Barbossa glared at him. He put his hands together and bowed like a puppy, apologizing to Barbossa.
"Gents," Barbossa said, looking out at his men, "take a walk." He smiled mischievously, and Jack was confused now. He made a comment to that effect, but Barbossa just looked at him as the men grunted and left the cavern slowly. One of the crewmen took command of Will as Koehler and Twigg left with the others, and he walked Will down to a flat dry rock below, where they stood and waited. Jack wandered down from the mound, and began digging through treasure. Alice climbed it slowly, Barbossa once again offering his hand to help her up.
"What's going to happen, Hector?" she whispered and he stroked her hair.
"Our men are out there dispatching of the Royal Navy as we speak," he reassured her, smiling softly.
"What about him?" she asked, nodding to Jack.
"We'll figure that one out later," was all he said. He stepped away from her for a moment and picked up a small wooden box that had been stained a deep red. He opened it and poked around for a moment, metal clinking softly inside. He pulled out several small items that Alice couldn't see before closing the box and setting it down again. He walked back over to her and picked up her left hand. Alice realized he was holding several rings as he slid a couple on her finger, removing and tossing aside each one that didn't fit. Finally, he found one that did. Alice just looked at him and he smiled, stroking her face. "An honest promise," he said, still smiling and Alice couldn't help but smile back. She looked down at the ring – it was a delicate gold band with what appeared to be a ruby in the center.
"Hector," she said breathily and he pulled her close, hugging him to her for a moment. The pair sat down on the mound and looked around, watching Jack as he rifled through the piles of booty.
"I must admit, Jack, I thought I had ye figured. But, it turns out, yer a hard man to predict," Barbossa said.
"Me? I'm dishonest," Jack said, walking toward them while holding a golden fertility idol. "And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest," he continued, tossing the idol. "Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly… stupid," he finished, standing behind a crewman who was also going through the loot, and he eyed Will for a moment. Suddenly, he grabbed the man's sword and kicked him down, tossing the sword to Will who grabbed it with deft accuracy and ease. Alice jumped, and Will backed into the man watching over him, knocking him into the shallow water.
Jack ran toward Alice and Barbossa, and she scrambled backward as the captain drew his blade, lunging at Jack. Will managed to angle himself just right as another pirate attacked him, and his bonds were cut, freeing his hands. A small melee broke out, but Alice climbed to the top of the mound, staying away from it. Will seemed to be an expert swordsman, and Jack almost as good; she knew she would stand no chance against either of them. She also wanted to stay out of range of their grasps, not wanting to be put in a hostage situation. She knew Barbossa could not die, but it still made her nervous to watch him fight.
Barbossa and Jack made their way around the cavern, swinging at each other. Barbossa finally threw down his sword, telling Jack he couldn't harm him. Jack tested that by running a sword through the captain, causing Alice to inadvertently gasp. Barbossa huffed comically, pulled the sword out and ran it through Jack. Alice watched wide-eyed as the man choked and gasped before stumbling backward into a stream of moonlight… where he turned skeletal. She growled up in disbelief. Of course – the chest! He must have taken a coin earlier when he was playing with them, she realized, and she cursed under her breath. Jack pulled out the coin and flipped it across his knuckles, saying something to Barbossa, who threw a handful of treasure at him and resumed chasing him around the cavern. They ended up back near the center, Barbossa leaning against a rock and glaring at Jack while Will fought with the other pirates.
"So what now, Jack Sparrow?" he asked in annoyance. "Are we to be two immortals locked in an epic battle until judgment day and trumpets sound? Hm?"
"Or you could just surrender," Jack quipped and Barbossa lunged at him. The pair hopped around like a pair of birds, in and out of the streaming moonlight, until Barbossa punched Jack square in the face and he ran, Barbossa following him with barking laughter. One of the other pirates fighting Will threw a grenade and it exploded, sending treasure flying. Alice watched as he threatened Will about the meaning of pain and was even more shocked when Elizabeth appeared, quipping about pain and corsets, and knocked the pirate down with a golden gaffe. She and Will smiled at each other before Elizabeth noticed Jack and made a comment about that situation. They fought several pirates, eventually running the spiked end of the gaffe through three of them like a spit. Will grabbed one of the lit grenades, stuffing it in the stomach of the man who had been threatening him with them, and shoving the trio into the shadows. As the pirate's flesh reformed, the grenade was trapped inside of him, and the three pirates exploded.
Barbossa and Jack ran toward the center mound and Alice slid down, running opposite from them as Will ran up the back of the small hill, stopping beside the chest. Jack immediately sliced his hand and tossed the bloody coin to Will.
"Elizabeth!" Alice called out at the same time, and Elizabeth saw her. Alice gestured to her, and Elizabeth turned to run her way.
Seeing Jack throw the coin, Barbossa whipped out his pistol and pointed it at Elizabeth, cocking the gun. She stopped cold and gasped loudly as a shot rang out. Both girls stood in shock, but Alice, knowing she herself had not been shot, looked Elizabeth over, wondering where she had been hit. They both looked at Jack and Barbossa, and saw that Jack's pistol was out and aimed at the captain. It was also smoking.
"Ten years ye carry that pistol, and now ye waste yer shot?" Barbossa asked, annoyed.
"He didn't waste it," Will said and Alice looked at him at the same time as Barbossa did. He dropped the medallion from his bloody hand into the chest. Immediately Barbossa ripped open his coat and looked down. His shirt quickly stained with dark blood over his heart.
"No!" Alice shouted in horror. Barbossa looked up at her, his face contorting and scrunching into a pained smile.
"I feel," he started to say, and then his smile dropped. "Cold," he finished and collapsed onto his back. A green apple rolled out of his hand. Alice felt like everything had stopped around her, even time itself.
"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!" she screamed as she ran toward him, tears already beginning to stream down her face, and she fell to the ground beside him, taking his head into her hands and staring into his empty face. "Hector…" she leaned down and kissed his cold lips. No response. She continued to kiss him as her breath caught in her throat and sobs began shaking her body. She finally sat back and looked at him. "Hector… HECTOR!" she wailed, dropping his lifeless head and collapsing onto his chest sobbing. She lifted her head. "FFFFFUUUUCCCCCKKKK!" she screamed at the ceiling and completely fell apart. It was all over – her hopes, her dreams, her plans… everything. "You asshole… You fucking ASSHOLE!" she screamed at Jack, and he stared at her wide-eyed, unsure of what to do, exactly. Her rage was intense, but she could not act on it; her pain and sorrow were great enough that they immobilized her. She cried loudly, the sobs wracking her chest painfully, but she barely noticed. Her breath came in short gasps. She quieted down after a time, her energy completely sapped, and she lay there on his unmoving chest, silently weeping until she began coughing.
Will and Elizabeth were talking quietly off to the side while Jack went back to rifling through the piles of accumulated wealth. Alice's ears were ringing and her mind was racing, though she could hardly register any thoughts. She sat up slowly and stared at Barbossa. Looking down his body she saw the apple resting inches from his hand, and she reached over and grabbed it. She sat back on the ground and held the fruit in both of her hands, turning it over slowly as she examined it. She closed her eyes and carefully stood up before placing it in her coat pocket. The others eyed her for a moment, Jack bedecked in many necklaces and a crown, and he commented about them returning him to his ship. Elizabeth gave him a look before walking over to Alice.
"Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked her softly. Alice shrugged, but shook her head at the same time; she didn't think she would ever be okay again. "Come on, let's get back to the ship," she said, and put her arm around Alice. She didn't want to leave his body, and it took some effort from Elizabeth to pry her away. The girl shuffled her feet numbly, her head down as they walked to the longboat.
"My ship?" Jack asked Elizabeth again as they were climbing into the longboat. Alice sat down and hugged herself tightly.
"I'm sorry, Jack, but the ship is gone," Elizabeth answered him.
"Gone? What do you mean 'gone'?!" he asked bewildered, pausing halfway into the small boat.
"I snuck aboard and freed your crew so that they could help me save Will," she started.
"Is that so?" Will asked, his face both hopeful and confused. Elizabeth looked at him with pained sadness for a moment before turning back to Jack.
"They said you owed them a ship, and acknowledged the code… I'm sorry, Jack…" she whispered sadly, and Alice sat there angrily wondering how anyone could feel compassion for this man. Jack climbed in and sat down wearily beside Alice, who scooted slightly away from him, but he didn't seem to notice.
"They done what's right by them," he said quietly. "Can't expect more than that." Alice flashed him a glance, as did Will, but Jack just stared at the bottom of the boat. Good, Alice thought cruelly, at least you lost something, too. She closed her eyes tightly and sighed in frustration as they rowed out of the cave. But that meant that the Pearl was gone, too, she realized, and her heart ached. That was her new home, the place where she fell in love with Barbossa. Her stomach jumped sickly as she knew then that she really did love him.
