Planning Revenge
Title: Planning Revenge
Author: immortal_jedi aka jedipati
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Rating: PG
Prompt: 63) There are glances of hatred that stab, and raise no cry of murder. -- George Eliot (1819-1880), English novelist.
Summary: Tia Dalma manipulates events so that she can get her revenge on the people who imprisoned her.
Author's Notes: This is the second of the two stories that I wrote for the femgenficathon, based off of my prompt.
~~~~~~~~~~
It took twenty years before she remembered even a fraction of what she was. In those twenty years, the woman who was called Tia Dalma knew that she was different, that she did not change as the men and women around her did, and knew that she was more then she appeared to be.
When she woke up, the morning of the twentieth anniversary of the first morning she had remembered- she knew. She was Calypso- and she had been bound, trapped in this human form.
It took her fifty more years to learn who had done this to her. In that time, she regained only a fraction of her power. But a fraction was enough. She began to hunt the pirate lords.
But they always remained out of her reach, and any that she did find were too well protected, by their fellow pirates, by others, even just by the power of the rite that was done to bind her.
And then she realized that the men and women she hunted were not the ones who had bound her, merely their heirs. She didn’t care. If they actually cared enough, they would release her.
She knew what had to be done, but she could not do it. She could not break the spell that bound her. She needed the pirate lords to do it. The heirs of the ones who took her and bound her would have to be the ones to free her.
Tia Dalma bared her teeth in what could have been called a smile. There was no chance that the Brethren Court would do it on their own, so she would have to speed things along. She’d make sure she had champions, men and women who would think of freeing her if they became pirate lords.
She’d always had men and women who loved the sea before, now they would do her biding, if they ever got the chance.
Tia Dalma couldn’t use the powers that had once come to her so easily, so it would take time.
The first men and women she managed to mark as her unknowing servants were unable to help her. Few of them even became pirates, and those that did never became pirate lords.
The next five were more successful- one became a pirate lord, though he was killed before he could free her. He still managed to convince his successor to support a bid for her freedom. That line would always support a motion to free her. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be enough. And she learned quickly that any of her servants who became pirate lords died quickly.
Tia Dalma frowned. Perhaps it was time for a new plan.
So, when the young man swaggered into her hut, Tia Dalma did not make him her servant, though he was perfect, a man of the sea, and already a pirate lord. Jack Sparrow’s quicksilver mind and tongue would be perfect to convince the other pirate lords that she needed to be free.
But… no. He wouldn’t survive to call the Brethren Court together.
So she divined the best way to put him in a position to help her, even if he never knew he was helping her, and bartered away a compass. She knew that compass would lead him to adventures, and eventually bring him back to her, when he did not know what he wanted.
Then he would help free her, all unknowing. It would take time, but she had learned patience during her long imprisonment.
Nearly twelve years later he returned, bringing with him a man even younger then he had been when they first met, a man whose destiny danced around him.
Tia Dalma had to resist the urge to bind the man to her. William Turner was like a drop of water into a still pond- the ripples bounced back and forth and changed everything. If she made him her servant, he might ruin everything. So she did the same to him as she had done to Jack- tell him what he needed to know, and send him on his way, in the manner that would work best for her.
Then, when they were gone, she turned to look at her payment. The monkey looked up at her, as it stood next to the body she had expended a lot of time and effort to find and repair.
She’d just needed a few more things before she could bring the man back to life.
The monkey- a creature that was devoted to the man she intended to resurrect- was the last thing she needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tia Dalma forced herself to remain upright. Bringing someone back to life took a lot of effort and willpower, even for her. But she smiled as Hector Barbossa opened his eyes and blinked at her.
She was the first thing he saw as he woke from death, and that was a powerful part of the spell she was weaving. He’d be indebted to her until the condition she had specified was met.
And of course, that condition was her freedom.
Barbossa focused on her and tried to sit up.
“Ya are still weak, Captain Barbossa,” Tia Dalma said
“What…” he managed to ask.
Her grin widened. “Ya were dead,” she said.
He blinked again and forced himself up. Once he stopped swaying, he eyed her. “How am I alive, if I was dead already?”
“I have a task for ya,” she replied. “So I brought ya back.”
“Then I thank ye,” Barbossa said. “But I have…”
“Ya owe me, Captain Barbossa. And ya will repay me.”
Barbossa smiled. “As soon as I have my ship back and a crew to sail her with, I will repay you out of my first prize.”
Tia Dalma shook her head. “I demand a far more personal payment, Barbossa.”
Barbossa smiled hungrily. “That would be my pleasure.”
Tia Dalma sighed. Too many men cared only for that. “I doubt it,” she said. “I wish for something else, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.”
His eyes widened. “What do you want?”
“War against pirates is coming,” she said. “The Brethren Court will be called. I will have you lead a group to rescue one of the Lords from beyond the ends of the earth, then you will gather the pieces of eight and use them to free me.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “So the stories are true,” he whispered.
She nodded at him. “They are. And I will not be bound longer then necessary, Barbossa! You owe me, and you will free me!”
“An’ if I choose not to?” Barbossa challenged her as he rose to his full height.
She snarled and pushed him down. “I can easily return ya t’ the grave,” she snapped. “And if ya do not do all ya can t’ free me, I will.”
She stood up. “Stay up here, until you know it is time for you to come downstairs,” she ordered. “The crew you will lead is approaching, and I need to get them ready.”
She headed down to the main room of her hut.
Finally- finally- she had what she needed. She had almost all of the people who could free her assembled in her hut, save for one. And that one would be collected soon.
She knew that soon enough, she’d be free- and they’d she’d wipe out the Brethren Court. She took a deep breath and hid her glee.
She had to act sorrowful for now, reel in this small band of survivors.
She could celebrate when she was free, and the Brethren Court was no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~
As always, I have to thank my beta, arquenniel for the checking this out for me. Any remaining mistakes are my own.
Author: immortal_jedi aka jedipati
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Rating: PG
Prompt: 63) There are glances of hatred that stab, and raise no cry of murder. -- George Eliot (1819-1880), English novelist.
Summary: Tia Dalma manipulates events so that she can get her revenge on the people who imprisoned her.
Author's Notes: This is the second of the two stories that I wrote for the femgenficathon, based off of my prompt.
~~~~~~~~~~
It took twenty years before she remembered even a fraction of what she was. In those twenty years, the woman who was called Tia Dalma knew that she was different, that she did not change as the men and women around her did, and knew that she was more then she appeared to be.
When she woke up, the morning of the twentieth anniversary of the first morning she had remembered- she knew. She was Calypso- and she had been bound, trapped in this human form.
It took her fifty more years to learn who had done this to her. In that time, she regained only a fraction of her power. But a fraction was enough. She began to hunt the pirate lords.
But they always remained out of her reach, and any that she did find were too well protected, by their fellow pirates, by others, even just by the power of the rite that was done to bind her.
And then she realized that the men and women she hunted were not the ones who had bound her, merely their heirs. She didn’t care. If they actually cared enough, they would release her.
She knew what had to be done, but she could not do it. She could not break the spell that bound her. She needed the pirate lords to do it. The heirs of the ones who took her and bound her would have to be the ones to free her.
Tia Dalma bared her teeth in what could have been called a smile. There was no chance that the Brethren Court would do it on their own, so she would have to speed things along. She’d make sure she had champions, men and women who would think of freeing her if they became pirate lords.
She’d always had men and women who loved the sea before, now they would do her biding, if they ever got the chance.
Tia Dalma couldn’t use the powers that had once come to her so easily, so it would take time.
The first men and women she managed to mark as her unknowing servants were unable to help her. Few of them even became pirates, and those that did never became pirate lords.
The next five were more successful- one became a pirate lord, though he was killed before he could free her. He still managed to convince his successor to support a bid for her freedom. That line would always support a motion to free her. Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be enough. And she learned quickly that any of her servants who became pirate lords died quickly.
Tia Dalma frowned. Perhaps it was time for a new plan.
So, when the young man swaggered into her hut, Tia Dalma did not make him her servant, though he was perfect, a man of the sea, and already a pirate lord. Jack Sparrow’s quicksilver mind and tongue would be perfect to convince the other pirate lords that she needed to be free.
But… no. He wouldn’t survive to call the Brethren Court together.
So she divined the best way to put him in a position to help her, even if he never knew he was helping her, and bartered away a compass. She knew that compass would lead him to adventures, and eventually bring him back to her, when he did not know what he wanted.
Then he would help free her, all unknowing. It would take time, but she had learned patience during her long imprisonment.
Nearly twelve years later he returned, bringing with him a man even younger then he had been when they first met, a man whose destiny danced around him.
Tia Dalma had to resist the urge to bind the man to her. William Turner was like a drop of water into a still pond- the ripples bounced back and forth and changed everything. If she made him her servant, he might ruin everything. So she did the same to him as she had done to Jack- tell him what he needed to know, and send him on his way, in the manner that would work best for her.
Then, when they were gone, she turned to look at her payment. The monkey looked up at her, as it stood next to the body she had expended a lot of time and effort to find and repair.
She’d just needed a few more things before she could bring the man back to life.
The monkey- a creature that was devoted to the man she intended to resurrect- was the last thing she needed.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Tia Dalma forced herself to remain upright. Bringing someone back to life took a lot of effort and willpower, even for her. But she smiled as Hector Barbossa opened his eyes and blinked at her.
She was the first thing he saw as he woke from death, and that was a powerful part of the spell she was weaving. He’d be indebted to her until the condition she had specified was met.
And of course, that condition was her freedom.
Barbossa focused on her and tried to sit up.
“Ya are still weak, Captain Barbossa,” Tia Dalma said
“What…” he managed to ask.
Her grin widened. “Ya were dead,” she said.
He blinked again and forced himself up. Once he stopped swaying, he eyed her. “How am I alive, if I was dead already?”
“I have a task for ya,” she replied. “So I brought ya back.”
“Then I thank ye,” Barbossa said. “But I have…”
“Ya owe me, Captain Barbossa. And ya will repay me.”
Barbossa smiled. “As soon as I have my ship back and a crew to sail her with, I will repay you out of my first prize.”
Tia Dalma shook her head. “I demand a far more personal payment, Barbossa.”
Barbossa smiled hungrily. “That would be my pleasure.”
Tia Dalma sighed. Too many men cared only for that. “I doubt it,” she said. “I wish for something else, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea.”
His eyes widened. “What do you want?”
“War against pirates is coming,” she said. “The Brethren Court will be called. I will have you lead a group to rescue one of the Lords from beyond the ends of the earth, then you will gather the pieces of eight and use them to free me.”
He eyed her for a long moment. “So the stories are true,” he whispered.
She nodded at him. “They are. And I will not be bound longer then necessary, Barbossa! You owe me, and you will free me!”
“An’ if I choose not to?” Barbossa challenged her as he rose to his full height.
She snarled and pushed him down. “I can easily return ya t’ the grave,” she snapped. “And if ya do not do all ya can t’ free me, I will.”
She stood up. “Stay up here, until you know it is time for you to come downstairs,” she ordered. “The crew you will lead is approaching, and I need to get them ready.”
She headed down to the main room of her hut.
Finally- finally- she had what she needed. She had almost all of the people who could free her assembled in her hut, save for one. And that one would be collected soon.
She knew that soon enough, she’d be free- and they’d she’d wipe out the Brethren Court. She took a deep breath and hid her glee.
She had to act sorrowful for now, reel in this small band of survivors.
She could celebrate when she was free, and the Brethren Court was no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~
As always, I have to thank my beta, arquenniel for the checking this out for me. Any remaining mistakes are my own.