New Story: King's Men
Title: King’s Men
Author: Aquaseamage
Pairing: None really, Will/Elizabeth mentioned
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action Adventure
Characters: Elizabeth, Barbossa, Groves, Gillette, Jack, Gibbs, Scrum, etc
Spoiler Warnings: This is post-OST so please watch the movie first!
Disclaimer: the characters are not mine. They belong to Disney.
Synopsis: Post OST. Barbossa just got the Queen Anne’s Revenge and finds himself in service to the King again, except this time it’s the Pirate King on a new dangerous quest.
Elizabeth Turner tied her small single person sailboat up at the pier of the small tropical island, her thin but strong hands expertly tying a secure knot. The boat may not befit the Pirate King that she was but it served her very well whenever she got the urge to visit the somewhat distant island where normal folk lived and worked. The island was the closest one to Shipwreck Cove that held a settlement and that is why she visited it and not another. Here she could walk among normal folk and do some shopping or sit in one of the local bars and enjoy a home cooked meal, a meal that was not made by pirates. Shipwreck City was great, but sometimes she grew tired of it and wanted to get away for a few days. It sort of reminded her of her days at Port Royal, when she would sneak off to see Will at the blacksmith shop and she ate the simple fare of the common man. The streets were the same mix of dirt and cobblestones, the buildings the same simple construction.
Of course, it may have something to do with the fact that Shipwreck City was boring beyond belief! The Pirate Lords had left ages ago and only a handful of pirates had remained behind. They were loyal to her, of course, and very welcoming, but each day was just like the day before. There was constant squabbling over bottles of rum and who had brought in the greatest treasure or who could boast the best, tell the wildest tall tale. The stories had entertained her at first but now she had heard them all about three dozen times. And they were still talking of how they had defeated Lord Beckett, even though only the crew of the Pearl had actually engaged in that battle.
Satisfied her boat was secure; she walked up the sloping path to the town proper. To her delight, the streets were busy with people going about their daily errands. Horse drawn carriages rattled past and scrawny barefooted children scampered around, not bothered in the slightest by the tropical heat. It had been about two months since she had been here last and she looked forward to her visit with anticipation, even if she knew nothing exciting would actually happen. The island’s close proximity to Shipwreck Cove pretty much protected it from trouble of all sorts and the pirates left them alone. It almost seemed to her as if the island’s population didn’t even know that Shipwreck existed or that pirates lived there.
Pausing a moment, she tried to decide where to go first. The last time she had been here she had discovered a small bakery down a winding side street that had sold the most exquisite bakery, including cream puffs. Her father had always loved cream puffs and had bought them on special occasions and eating one now reminded her of him. Deciding to go there first, she headed off in the correct direction. Her father’s death still hurt, even after all of the time that had passed. The treat would be bitter-sweet as it drudged up both good and bad memories, but it was worth it. At least she could feel close to him then, even if it was just in her own mind.
The street she had started down narrowed, the walls of the surrounding buildings closing in on either side. It was like an alley almost with the stone and wood structures rising two stories above her head. The pirate in her noted this and filed it away, but it didn’t concern her. The town was peaceful and nothing ever happened here. Of course, it would be a bad place to be if something did happen… Should she backtrack and use a different street? Shaking her head at her utter foolishness, Elizabeth continued on her way, dreaming of the cream puffs.
Sudden screams broke into her thoughts.
Instantly her hand went to her cutlass, her strong fingers wrapping around the hilt. On alert, she scanned both directions but couldn’t see very far at all due to the crooked and twisting path the street took. All of the doors along it were firmly shut and not a single soul was in sight. The screams repeated and she heard the loud tinkle of breaking glass. Then the sound of rapid footfalls came to her ears, as if someone was running down the street in her direction.
Making up her mind to go see what was going on, she raced in what she hoped was the proper direction. Perhaps someone needed help…
A man clearly out of breath stumbled down the alley towards her, his white shirt soaked in red blood. A cloth bundle was gripped in one hand as he paused to lean on the nearest building for support. He gasped for air and raised his eyes to her. His eyes were the most startling blue she had ever seen and they seemed to stare right into her soul. It was the most odd and unnerving feeling ever and she wasn’t sure why she even felt that way. Even Davy Jones hadn’t made her feel like that. Yet this dying man did.
“Please, help me…” he croaked as he took another uncertain step forward. The screaming and the sounds of a fierce battle continued in the background, possibly from the next street over. There was the retort of pistols and other loud, strange sounds. The ground beneath her feet shook and the scent of smoke carried to her nose.
Elizabeth wasted no time and ran up to him. “Of course! We must get you to a doctor…”
“No, my life isn’t important.” He said as he weakly shoved the cloth bundle into her hands. “Don’t let them get this. They’re evil and will use it for no good. Promise me you’ll protect it.”
“Yes, of course….” Elizabeth replied, shocked as she wrapped her arms around the small bundle and pressed it to her chest. It wasn’t very heavy at all, a purse of coins would weigh more. “But a doctor…”
“No, go now! Before they see you, hurry!” He collapsed to the hard packed dirt, gasping for a final breath. And then he was gone, his eyes staring out lifelessly without seeing.
Turning around, she fled the narrow alley and ran back to her sailboat, untying it in record time. The town was burning now, dark acrid clouds of smoke rising into the brilliant blue sky. The smoke stung her eyes and she was grateful once she was safe back on the open sea. Whoever had attacked the town, it hadn’t been pirates and it certainly wasn’t the Navy, either. Who else was there? The EITC maybe or the Spanish? But as hard as she looked through her spyglass back the way she had come, she saw no tall masts of ships. This troubled her greatly and she turned her attention to the small blood stained bundle. What could possibly be so important that a man would die protecting it to only shove it off onto a total stranger? She sensed this might be an extremely rare item, something akin to the Heart of Davy Jones, an item people would fight and kill over.
And now it was hers.
Just like her husband’s heart was.
Once again she looked behind her sailboat, half expecting to see ships pursuing her. The white sails of her ship would be very noticeable against the dark sea and anyone with half a brain would be able to spot her easily. Whoever was after the mysterious item might figure out where it had gone and that made her uneasy. Her heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the still empty waters behind her and then wasted no time setting the sails to bear away as quickly as the wind could carry her. Her little ship flew over the waves making record time and soon the towering rock walls of Shipwreck Island came into sight.
She carefully set the bundle on her lap and stared at it for a long moment. Curiosity bit at her and she slowly peeled back the layers of folded cloth. Whatever she had been expecting inside, it was not what she found. It was just an old brown glove and two black bracelets. Maybe the bracelets were worth something, as they were smooth and shiny and appeared to be carved from some exotic stone. Strange white symbols circled the matching set of bracelets, the symbols eerily glowing against the inky blackness of the smooth rock. The symbols were strange to her, perhaps some foreign script but appeared graceful and curved perfectly. They at least looked expensive. But the glove, why had it been included?
It was no white gentleman’s glove, which was certain just by glancing at it. It was brown and looked kind of dingy, as if it had been dropped into the dirt. It was large, clearly sized for a man’s hand. Was it leather? Elizabeth was uncertain and reached out to pick it up so she could study it better. Her fingers closed around it and she was amazed at how incredibly light it was! It almost seemed to have no weight to it, but that made no sense. Turning it over, she was startled to see a brilliant green gem sparkling on the glove as part of it. The jewel was sewed into the back of the hand area somehow…
“But why sew a jewel onto this old glove?” She asked the empty sea around her, not expecting an answer.
And then the glove started to dissolve into a pale brown mist!
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open in utter shock and she tried to clutch at it with both hands, as if that could save it somehow. But the mist was insubstantial, like smoke and it was impossible to grab it. The green jewel leaped up into the air by itself somehow and made a direct beeline for the back of her right hand. It struck her hand with enough force to sting painfully and then her skin started to burn. Tears leaked from her eyes at the unexpected pain as the odd green gem started to sink into her skin. The Pirate King clawed at it with her other hand, trying to stop it from sinking in, but it was useless. It sunk in part way and then stopped, the pain slowly starting to fade.
“Great, just great…” She remarked dryly as she stared at the new decoration embedded in her flesh. “Now I know why it had been wrapped up, but what is it and what’s it for?”
She still had no idea.
Maybe Captain Teague would know. He had just recently come back from a trip to London, where he had said he had seen his son, Captain Jack Sparrow. Apparently Jack had been signing up a crew to go look for the Fountain of Youth. Elizabeth smiled at the idea, which to her seemed a bit of a fairytale. Did Jack really believe it even existed? But it was clear the glove was magic just like the fabled fountain, except the glove was real.
Well, there was nothing else to do but get inside the safety of Shipwreck Cove and she tacked to do just that. She passed into the secret entrance and waved to the pirates that guarded it, serious expressions on their rough faces. She wasted no time and made right for the main city that was cobbled together out of various old ships. She allowed a breath of relief escape her lips, as finally she felt safe. Shipwreck was a fortress and impossible to invade. It was located in the center of an old volcano and to the casual eye it was just a mountain rising from the sea. Little did unsuspecting people think the steep walls of the ancient volcano hid the secret pirate headquarters.
As she was tying her boat at the dock she always used, a strange red light streaked by overhead, as if a falling star had passed by in the daylight. She paused in her work and gaped upward at it, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. In all of her years she had never seen anything like it and she now felt it was an ill omen. Wasting no time, she ran to go find Captain Teague.
“No, never seen anything like it…” Captain Teague replied as he reclined in the large throne-like chair at the back of the meeting room, which was his preferred place to drink rum. “It’s magic all right though. Jackie is more experienced chasing after such items than I am, but I’ll see if I can find any reference to it in our records. Pirates love legends about odd stuff like that.”
At his words, her hope sunk. She hadn’t realized on how much she had been hoping that Captain Teague would know the item’s identity. And how to get the jewel out of her skin. Just knowing it was there made her feel weird and vulnerable. And walking around among pirates with a shiny bauble in one’s skin wasn’t the brightest idea. Sooner or later, one might get tempted to take it and if they couldn’t get it out, well, they just might take her entire hand. The only thing stopping them now was the fact that she was their King.
“Cheer up.” Teague advised her. “It’s not the end of the world. Something very rare and valuable just fell into your hands. Maybe that jewel there is a key to something, a greater prize…”
“A key?”
“A key doesn’t have to look like a key. It could look like anything, a rock even. The really old tombs used to do that. Just thought of that now for some reason…” Teague shrugged and took another swallow of rum. “But I’m betting them black bracelets go with that shiny green stone, a set if you will. And those squiggly lines on them look like some old writing maybe or sigils. You know, old runes. Maybe you should put them on and see if they do anything.”
Elizabeth was uncertain what a sigil or a rune was, as her studies as the Governor’s daughter had not taught her such things. She wetted her dry lips and was about to ask when a loud explosion shook the room they were in. Her eyes widened in utter shock. How in the blazes had someone gotten inside Shipwreck Cove? It was supposed to be impossible!
“Ye best escape now.” Teague advised as he quickly rose to his feet, pulling out his sword and pistol. “These unknown people are very determined to get them items and that’s not good. Take the secret exit I showed you and you should be safe. A ship is waiting there.”
“Thank you, Captain Teague. Be safe!” She touched his hand briefly and then hurried out of the room into a smoke filled hallway. A quick side trip and she had Will’s heart in its special chest. Then she used the secret exit Teague had told her about. The pirates were strong and had a huge stockpile of nasty weapons to use on anyone stupid enough to attack them. It would make the perfect diversion for her escape. Sitting in Shipwreck Cove would not get her the answers to the new riddles that had dropped into her lap. No, she needed to go out into the world for that. And she would start by searching for Captain Jack Sparrow. How she would get to Tortuga she did not know, as she didn’t really know how to navigate or plot a proper course, but try she would. Fate willing, she would get there in one piece.
TBC
Author: Aquaseamage
Pairing: None really, Will/Elizabeth mentioned
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action Adventure
Characters: Elizabeth, Barbossa, Groves, Gillette, Jack, Gibbs, Scrum, etc
Spoiler Warnings: This is post-OST so please watch the movie first!
Disclaimer: the characters are not mine. They belong to Disney.
Synopsis: Post OST. Barbossa just got the Queen Anne’s Revenge and finds himself in service to the King again, except this time it’s the Pirate King on a new dangerous quest.
Elizabeth Turner tied her small single person sailboat up at the pier of the small tropical island, her thin but strong hands expertly tying a secure knot. The boat may not befit the Pirate King that she was but it served her very well whenever she got the urge to visit the somewhat distant island where normal folk lived and worked. The island was the closest one to Shipwreck Cove that held a settlement and that is why she visited it and not another. Here she could walk among normal folk and do some shopping or sit in one of the local bars and enjoy a home cooked meal, a meal that was not made by pirates. Shipwreck City was great, but sometimes she grew tired of it and wanted to get away for a few days. It sort of reminded her of her days at Port Royal, when she would sneak off to see Will at the blacksmith shop and she ate the simple fare of the common man. The streets were the same mix of dirt and cobblestones, the buildings the same simple construction.
Of course, it may have something to do with the fact that Shipwreck City was boring beyond belief! The Pirate Lords had left ages ago and only a handful of pirates had remained behind. They were loyal to her, of course, and very welcoming, but each day was just like the day before. There was constant squabbling over bottles of rum and who had brought in the greatest treasure or who could boast the best, tell the wildest tall tale. The stories had entertained her at first but now she had heard them all about three dozen times. And they were still talking of how they had defeated Lord Beckett, even though only the crew of the Pearl had actually engaged in that battle.
Satisfied her boat was secure; she walked up the sloping path to the town proper. To her delight, the streets were busy with people going about their daily errands. Horse drawn carriages rattled past and scrawny barefooted children scampered around, not bothered in the slightest by the tropical heat. It had been about two months since she had been here last and she looked forward to her visit with anticipation, even if she knew nothing exciting would actually happen. The island’s close proximity to Shipwreck Cove pretty much protected it from trouble of all sorts and the pirates left them alone. It almost seemed to her as if the island’s population didn’t even know that Shipwreck existed or that pirates lived there.
Pausing a moment, she tried to decide where to go first. The last time she had been here she had discovered a small bakery down a winding side street that had sold the most exquisite bakery, including cream puffs. Her father had always loved cream puffs and had bought them on special occasions and eating one now reminded her of him. Deciding to go there first, she headed off in the correct direction. Her father’s death still hurt, even after all of the time that had passed. The treat would be bitter-sweet as it drudged up both good and bad memories, but it was worth it. At least she could feel close to him then, even if it was just in her own mind.
The street she had started down narrowed, the walls of the surrounding buildings closing in on either side. It was like an alley almost with the stone and wood structures rising two stories above her head. The pirate in her noted this and filed it away, but it didn’t concern her. The town was peaceful and nothing ever happened here. Of course, it would be a bad place to be if something did happen… Should she backtrack and use a different street? Shaking her head at her utter foolishness, Elizabeth continued on her way, dreaming of the cream puffs.
Sudden screams broke into her thoughts.
Instantly her hand went to her cutlass, her strong fingers wrapping around the hilt. On alert, she scanned both directions but couldn’t see very far at all due to the crooked and twisting path the street took. All of the doors along it were firmly shut and not a single soul was in sight. The screams repeated and she heard the loud tinkle of breaking glass. Then the sound of rapid footfalls came to her ears, as if someone was running down the street in her direction.
Making up her mind to go see what was going on, she raced in what she hoped was the proper direction. Perhaps someone needed help…
A man clearly out of breath stumbled down the alley towards her, his white shirt soaked in red blood. A cloth bundle was gripped in one hand as he paused to lean on the nearest building for support. He gasped for air and raised his eyes to her. His eyes were the most startling blue she had ever seen and they seemed to stare right into her soul. It was the most odd and unnerving feeling ever and she wasn’t sure why she even felt that way. Even Davy Jones hadn’t made her feel like that. Yet this dying man did.
“Please, help me…” he croaked as he took another uncertain step forward. The screaming and the sounds of a fierce battle continued in the background, possibly from the next street over. There was the retort of pistols and other loud, strange sounds. The ground beneath her feet shook and the scent of smoke carried to her nose.
Elizabeth wasted no time and ran up to him. “Of course! We must get you to a doctor…”
“No, my life isn’t important.” He said as he weakly shoved the cloth bundle into her hands. “Don’t let them get this. They’re evil and will use it for no good. Promise me you’ll protect it.”
“Yes, of course….” Elizabeth replied, shocked as she wrapped her arms around the small bundle and pressed it to her chest. It wasn’t very heavy at all, a purse of coins would weigh more. “But a doctor…”
“No, go now! Before they see you, hurry!” He collapsed to the hard packed dirt, gasping for a final breath. And then he was gone, his eyes staring out lifelessly without seeing.
Turning around, she fled the narrow alley and ran back to her sailboat, untying it in record time. The town was burning now, dark acrid clouds of smoke rising into the brilliant blue sky. The smoke stung her eyes and she was grateful once she was safe back on the open sea. Whoever had attacked the town, it hadn’t been pirates and it certainly wasn’t the Navy, either. Who else was there? The EITC maybe or the Spanish? But as hard as she looked through her spyglass back the way she had come, she saw no tall masts of ships. This troubled her greatly and she turned her attention to the small blood stained bundle. What could possibly be so important that a man would die protecting it to only shove it off onto a total stranger? She sensed this might be an extremely rare item, something akin to the Heart of Davy Jones, an item people would fight and kill over.
And now it was hers.
Just like her husband’s heart was.
Once again she looked behind her sailboat, half expecting to see ships pursuing her. The white sails of her ship would be very noticeable against the dark sea and anyone with half a brain would be able to spot her easily. Whoever was after the mysterious item might figure out where it had gone and that made her uneasy. Her heart pounded in her chest as she scanned the still empty waters behind her and then wasted no time setting the sails to bear away as quickly as the wind could carry her. Her little ship flew over the waves making record time and soon the towering rock walls of Shipwreck Island came into sight.
She carefully set the bundle on her lap and stared at it for a long moment. Curiosity bit at her and she slowly peeled back the layers of folded cloth. Whatever she had been expecting inside, it was not what she found. It was just an old brown glove and two black bracelets. Maybe the bracelets were worth something, as they were smooth and shiny and appeared to be carved from some exotic stone. Strange white symbols circled the matching set of bracelets, the symbols eerily glowing against the inky blackness of the smooth rock. The symbols were strange to her, perhaps some foreign script but appeared graceful and curved perfectly. They at least looked expensive. But the glove, why had it been included?
It was no white gentleman’s glove, which was certain just by glancing at it. It was brown and looked kind of dingy, as if it had been dropped into the dirt. It was large, clearly sized for a man’s hand. Was it leather? Elizabeth was uncertain and reached out to pick it up so she could study it better. Her fingers closed around it and she was amazed at how incredibly light it was! It almost seemed to have no weight to it, but that made no sense. Turning it over, she was startled to see a brilliant green gem sparkling on the glove as part of it. The jewel was sewed into the back of the hand area somehow…
“But why sew a jewel onto this old glove?” She asked the empty sea around her, not expecting an answer.
And then the glove started to dissolve into a pale brown mist!
Elizabeth’s mouth dropped open in utter shock and she tried to clutch at it with both hands, as if that could save it somehow. But the mist was insubstantial, like smoke and it was impossible to grab it. The green jewel leaped up into the air by itself somehow and made a direct beeline for the back of her right hand. It struck her hand with enough force to sting painfully and then her skin started to burn. Tears leaked from her eyes at the unexpected pain as the odd green gem started to sink into her skin. The Pirate King clawed at it with her other hand, trying to stop it from sinking in, but it was useless. It sunk in part way and then stopped, the pain slowly starting to fade.
“Great, just great…” She remarked dryly as she stared at the new decoration embedded in her flesh. “Now I know why it had been wrapped up, but what is it and what’s it for?”
She still had no idea.
Maybe Captain Teague would know. He had just recently come back from a trip to London, where he had said he had seen his son, Captain Jack Sparrow. Apparently Jack had been signing up a crew to go look for the Fountain of Youth. Elizabeth smiled at the idea, which to her seemed a bit of a fairytale. Did Jack really believe it even existed? But it was clear the glove was magic just like the fabled fountain, except the glove was real.
Well, there was nothing else to do but get inside the safety of Shipwreck Cove and she tacked to do just that. She passed into the secret entrance and waved to the pirates that guarded it, serious expressions on their rough faces. She wasted no time and made right for the main city that was cobbled together out of various old ships. She allowed a breath of relief escape her lips, as finally she felt safe. Shipwreck was a fortress and impossible to invade. It was located in the center of an old volcano and to the casual eye it was just a mountain rising from the sea. Little did unsuspecting people think the steep walls of the ancient volcano hid the secret pirate headquarters.
As she was tying her boat at the dock she always used, a strange red light streaked by overhead, as if a falling star had passed by in the daylight. She paused in her work and gaped upward at it, an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of her stomach. In all of her years she had never seen anything like it and she now felt it was an ill omen. Wasting no time, she ran to go find Captain Teague.
“No, never seen anything like it…” Captain Teague replied as he reclined in the large throne-like chair at the back of the meeting room, which was his preferred place to drink rum. “It’s magic all right though. Jackie is more experienced chasing after such items than I am, but I’ll see if I can find any reference to it in our records. Pirates love legends about odd stuff like that.”
At his words, her hope sunk. She hadn’t realized on how much she had been hoping that Captain Teague would know the item’s identity. And how to get the jewel out of her skin. Just knowing it was there made her feel weird and vulnerable. And walking around among pirates with a shiny bauble in one’s skin wasn’t the brightest idea. Sooner or later, one might get tempted to take it and if they couldn’t get it out, well, they just might take her entire hand. The only thing stopping them now was the fact that she was their King.
“Cheer up.” Teague advised her. “It’s not the end of the world. Something very rare and valuable just fell into your hands. Maybe that jewel there is a key to something, a greater prize…”
“A key?”
“A key doesn’t have to look like a key. It could look like anything, a rock even. The really old tombs used to do that. Just thought of that now for some reason…” Teague shrugged and took another swallow of rum. “But I’m betting them black bracelets go with that shiny green stone, a set if you will. And those squiggly lines on them look like some old writing maybe or sigils. You know, old runes. Maybe you should put them on and see if they do anything.”
Elizabeth was uncertain what a sigil or a rune was, as her studies as the Governor’s daughter had not taught her such things. She wetted her dry lips and was about to ask when a loud explosion shook the room they were in. Her eyes widened in utter shock. How in the blazes had someone gotten inside Shipwreck Cove? It was supposed to be impossible!
“Ye best escape now.” Teague advised as he quickly rose to his feet, pulling out his sword and pistol. “These unknown people are very determined to get them items and that’s not good. Take the secret exit I showed you and you should be safe. A ship is waiting there.”
“Thank you, Captain Teague. Be safe!” She touched his hand briefly and then hurried out of the room into a smoke filled hallway. A quick side trip and she had Will’s heart in its special chest. Then she used the secret exit Teague had told her about. The pirates were strong and had a huge stockpile of nasty weapons to use on anyone stupid enough to attack them. It would make the perfect diversion for her escape. Sitting in Shipwreck Cove would not get her the answers to the new riddles that had dropped into her lap. No, she needed to go out into the world for that. And she would start by searching for Captain Jack Sparrow. How she would get to Tortuga she did not know, as she didn’t really know how to navigate or plot a proper course, but try she would. Fate willing, she would get there in one piece.
TBC