Dark Lady-Chapter Nine
Title: Dark Lady
Chapter Nine: Aboard the Ship of the Dead
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Characters: Jack, The Dark Lady (OFC, sort of, more on this in the note), Will Turner, Palifico and sundry members of the various crews. Stir well and serve warm in front of a fireplace.
Disclaimers: I make no claim on any of this. Disney owns all rights. I just loot and plunder.
Rating: PG-13 to R (this chapter-R)
Notes: The plotbunny comes from
compassrose7577, in a conversation we had over my witching hour fic “Song of the Black Pearl.” It just hit me and the rest as we say is history. Now, there is a lady in this fic, and no, her name is not Elizabeth Swann. For those of you concerned, she is neither an OC nor a Mary-Sue. So read on, gentlepirates and meet the Dark Lady.
This chapter: Jack and Will discuss, among other things, Tia's strange plot.
Back to Chapter Eight.
*------------------------------*
The last time he’d stood on this deck, it had been encrusted with sea-life and he’d just wrapped Will Turner’s hand around the hilt of his broken cutlass and helped the dying man stab the heart of Davy Jones. Jack eyed the jagged scar on Will’s chest with a strange mix of guilt and satisfaction (and though he’d never admit it aloud, a bit of desire for the immortality Turner had gained.)
“Love wot ye’ve done wit’ the place.” He commented dryly. “Did Lizzie help ye pick out new curtains an’ suchlike?”
Will snorted a laugh as he helped one of the drowned sailors from the Lao Fei to his feet. “Very funny. I take it Calypso has been visiting you too?” He eyed the band of braided hair around Jack’s wrist.
Jack scowled and covered the band with his opposite hand. “Aye. An’ suffice t’say, she’s not been shy ‘bout makin’ me jump through hoops fer her amusement. Did she send ye?”
Will nodded as he handed off the confused dead man to Palifico. “Take him below with his shipmates.”
“Aye, cap’n.” His crewman nodded and shoved dark hair back out of his eyes as he addressed the man quietly. “C’mon b’low, then. Yer mate’s are waitin’ on ye.”
Jack regarded the retreating pair with something approaching amazement. “Last time I saw him, he were covered in coral an’ less pleasant things.”
Will grimaced. “Because of Jones. He forgot his duty and he and his crew paid the price for it. He was willing to stay on, rather than go beyond World’s End. A few others did, too, but much of Jones’ crew had served their time before the mast.”
Jack covered a shudder with a snort. “Ye recruitin’?”
Will regarded him with eyes that seemed much older than the last time he’d seen them. “There’s no end of willing men, Jack. There are many who would put off their final judgment forever.” Jack had to fight not to flinch from the knowing in Turner’s gaze.
Jack glanced back at where the Pearl and the Lao Fei tossed in the stormy waters. Anamaria was watching the last of her former crewmen led belowdecks with wide, horrified eyes. “So, did her soggy eminence tell ye wot she’s got planned fer us?”
Will shook his head regretfully. “No. She’s playing her hand close to the chest. All I know was she gave me my heading and has been gathering others to her banner.”
“Eh? Wot others?”
Jack felt his stomach sink as Will turned a level gaze to him. “She’s sought out Barbossa where you stranded him. And she had me find James Norrington where he wandered the twilight realm between here and World’s End.”
Jack choked. “Wot’s she wantin’ with his uptight Navy arse? The man wouldn’t know a sea goddess iffen she tupped him!”
Will burst out laughing. “Well, I doubt that she’s ‘tupping’ him, but she brought him back from death and took him with her in search of a ship for him.”
Jack shut his mouth. He didn’t know what Tia was planning and trusted it not at all. Even if she had given his beautiful Pearl a form and voice. He glanced sideways at Will. He’d have to have lost his disbelief, being transformed into the captain of the Flying Dutchman. “Will, lad, d’ye ever hear the Dutchman singin’ t’ye?”
Will regarded him with surprised eyes. “What?”
Jack waved it off. “Never ye mind. So wot do we do next, then?”
He knew Will recognized the desperate attempt to change the subject for what it was, but thankfully, Will did not pry. Instead he shook his head. “We’re on the edges of the storm. We have to head into it, but not until the others arrive. That’s as much as I know.”
Jack eyed the battered Lao Fei. “Wot about her? She’s only out here at the behest of yer lovin’ lady-wife, pirate king and general pain in me arse.”
Will turned to face him. “Elizabeth sent her?”
Jack grinned. “Aye. Have ye any rum? The birth of yer son deserves a toast. Or three.”
*-------------------------*
Half a bottle of rum later, Will Turner was still grinning like a fool. He’d laughed when Jack told him what Elizabeth had named their child. “In memory of Norrington, no doubt. Wonder what she’d think if she knew Tia had brought him back from the dead?”
Jack snorted as he swallowed the rest of his glass and refilled it. “Knowin’ her, she’d be spittin’ fire and language that ain’t fit fer me delicate ears!”
Will laughed again. “Too true.”
Jack sobered and stared out at the rapidly darkening sky. Night was still several hours away, but the storm that lashed rain down on them was getting worse. “I don’t like this.”
“What?”
“None of it. Tia’s never been anything but wot she is, fey an’ dangerous. I mislike anythin’ that’s got her in such a pother.” Jack scowled out the window. “She’s set us to sailin’ into a brewin’ hurricane an’ she’s fetched up ol’ Hector and Norrington. Things is about t’go t’hell fast-like.”
Will nodded soberly. “You won’t hear me arguing, friend.”
Jack scowled as he downed another shot of the rum. Whatever could be said about the Dutchman’s new captain, Will had a good supply of very good rum. “So are we to sit on our arses an’ hope we don’t founder til the rest of Tia’s recruits are showin’ up? The Lao Fei’s in sad shape fer all the patchin’ we did.”
Will frowned thoughtfully at the rain-streaked window. “Bring the Pearl in close to the Dutchman. See if you can convince Anamaria to bring the Lao Fei in close enough for us to get a line on her. Calypso told me I could do this, but I haven’t put it to the test yet.”
“Do wot?”
Will ignored him and concentrated hard on the storm raging outside. Jack discomfited himself by letting out an undignified yelp as the deck pitched sharply and then steadied under his feet. “Wot the hell?”
Will gestured at the window and Jack stared past him. In a perfect circle around the Dutchman, the waves were calm and the wind lessened to a breeze that barely made the sails ripple.
Will laughed at his expression and Jack managed an annoyed scowl. Sometimes he forgot that Will Turner was no longer the naïve blacksmith he’d met in Port Royal.
Will frowned thoughtfully. “Calypso said it was so I could bring on men who died in a storm. Like I said, I wasn’t sure it would work, but it doesn’t extend far. You’ll have to bring the Pearl in almost close enough for the hulls to touch. If I can get a line on the Lao Fei, I can afford her the same protection… after all, I already have some of her crewman aboard.”
Jack managed not to shudder. “So ye’ll leave me the task of gettin’ Anamaria t’willingly tie off t’the infamous Flying Dutchman, then? I’d have better luck convincing Tia’s soggy hide t’take up residence in a desert.”
Will’s smile held much of the innocent he’d been when he’d first met Anamaria. “Think she’ll slap you again?”
Jack snorted. “An’ I’ll deserve it just as much, this time.”
*----------------------*
Jack flopped on his bunk with an exhausted sigh. It had taken every bit of his wit and more than his fair share of charm to convince the superstitious Anamaria to reluctantly let her ship be tied to the Dutchman. It had been child’s play to pull the Pearl alongside after that.
He hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes when a hand smoothed his hair back from his face.
Pearl smiled down at him and deliberately slipped her gown from her shoulders. “It’s safe for me to divide my attention now…” She whispered as she let the heavy green silk fall to the deck.
Chapter Nine: Aboard the Ship of the Dead
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Characters: Jack, The Dark Lady (OFC, sort of, more on this in the note), Will Turner, Palifico and sundry members of the various crews. Stir well and serve warm in front of a fireplace.
Disclaimers: I make no claim on any of this. Disney owns all rights. I just loot and plunder.
Rating: PG-13 to R (this chapter-R)
Notes: The plotbunny comes from
compassrose7577, in a conversation we had over my witching hour fic “Song of the Black Pearl.” It just hit me and the rest as we say is history. Now, there is a lady in this fic, and no, her name is not Elizabeth Swann. For those of you concerned, she is neither an OC nor a Mary-Sue. So read on, gentlepirates and meet the Dark Lady.
This chapter: Jack and Will discuss, among other things, Tia's strange plot.
Back to Chapter Eight.
*------------------------------*
The last time he’d stood on this deck, it had been encrusted with sea-life and he’d just wrapped Will Turner’s hand around the hilt of his broken cutlass and helped the dying man stab the heart of Davy Jones. Jack eyed the jagged scar on Will’s chest with a strange mix of guilt and satisfaction (and though he’d never admit it aloud, a bit of desire for the immortality Turner had gained.)
“Love wot ye’ve done wit’ the place.” He commented dryly. “Did Lizzie help ye pick out new curtains an’ suchlike?”
Will snorted a laugh as he helped one of the drowned sailors from the Lao Fei to his feet. “Very funny. I take it Calypso has been visiting you too?” He eyed the band of braided hair around Jack’s wrist.
Jack scowled and covered the band with his opposite hand. “Aye. An’ suffice t’say, she’s not been shy ‘bout makin’ me jump through hoops fer her amusement. Did she send ye?”
Will nodded as he handed off the confused dead man to Palifico. “Take him below with his shipmates.”
“Aye, cap’n.” His crewman nodded and shoved dark hair back out of his eyes as he addressed the man quietly. “C’mon b’low, then. Yer mate’s are waitin’ on ye.”
Jack regarded the retreating pair with something approaching amazement. “Last time I saw him, he were covered in coral an’ less pleasant things.”
Will grimaced. “Because of Jones. He forgot his duty and he and his crew paid the price for it. He was willing to stay on, rather than go beyond World’s End. A few others did, too, but much of Jones’ crew had served their time before the mast.”
Jack covered a shudder with a snort. “Ye recruitin’?”
Will regarded him with eyes that seemed much older than the last time he’d seen them. “There’s no end of willing men, Jack. There are many who would put off their final judgment forever.” Jack had to fight not to flinch from the knowing in Turner’s gaze.
Jack glanced back at where the Pearl and the Lao Fei tossed in the stormy waters. Anamaria was watching the last of her former crewmen led belowdecks with wide, horrified eyes. “So, did her soggy eminence tell ye wot she’s got planned fer us?”
Will shook his head regretfully. “No. She’s playing her hand close to the chest. All I know was she gave me my heading and has been gathering others to her banner.”
“Eh? Wot others?”
Jack felt his stomach sink as Will turned a level gaze to him. “She’s sought out Barbossa where you stranded him. And she had me find James Norrington where he wandered the twilight realm between here and World’s End.”
Jack choked. “Wot’s she wantin’ with his uptight Navy arse? The man wouldn’t know a sea goddess iffen she tupped him!”
Will burst out laughing. “Well, I doubt that she’s ‘tupping’ him, but she brought him back from death and took him with her in search of a ship for him.”
Jack shut his mouth. He didn’t know what Tia was planning and trusted it not at all. Even if she had given his beautiful Pearl a form and voice. He glanced sideways at Will. He’d have to have lost his disbelief, being transformed into the captain of the Flying Dutchman. “Will, lad, d’ye ever hear the Dutchman singin’ t’ye?”
Will regarded him with surprised eyes. “What?”
Jack waved it off. “Never ye mind. So wot do we do next, then?”
He knew Will recognized the desperate attempt to change the subject for what it was, but thankfully, Will did not pry. Instead he shook his head. “We’re on the edges of the storm. We have to head into it, but not until the others arrive. That’s as much as I know.”
Jack eyed the battered Lao Fei. “Wot about her? She’s only out here at the behest of yer lovin’ lady-wife, pirate king and general pain in me arse.”
Will turned to face him. “Elizabeth sent her?”
Jack grinned. “Aye. Have ye any rum? The birth of yer son deserves a toast. Or three.”
*-------------------------*
Half a bottle of rum later, Will Turner was still grinning like a fool. He’d laughed when Jack told him what Elizabeth had named their child. “In memory of Norrington, no doubt. Wonder what she’d think if she knew Tia had brought him back from the dead?”
Jack snorted as he swallowed the rest of his glass and refilled it. “Knowin’ her, she’d be spittin’ fire and language that ain’t fit fer me delicate ears!”
Will laughed again. “Too true.”
Jack sobered and stared out at the rapidly darkening sky. Night was still several hours away, but the storm that lashed rain down on them was getting worse. “I don’t like this.”
“What?”
“None of it. Tia’s never been anything but wot she is, fey an’ dangerous. I mislike anythin’ that’s got her in such a pother.” Jack scowled out the window. “She’s set us to sailin’ into a brewin’ hurricane an’ she’s fetched up ol’ Hector and Norrington. Things is about t’go t’hell fast-like.”
Will nodded soberly. “You won’t hear me arguing, friend.”
Jack scowled as he downed another shot of the rum. Whatever could be said about the Dutchman’s new captain, Will had a good supply of very good rum. “So are we to sit on our arses an’ hope we don’t founder til the rest of Tia’s recruits are showin’ up? The Lao Fei’s in sad shape fer all the patchin’ we did.”
Will frowned thoughtfully at the rain-streaked window. “Bring the Pearl in close to the Dutchman. See if you can convince Anamaria to bring the Lao Fei in close enough for us to get a line on her. Calypso told me I could do this, but I haven’t put it to the test yet.”
“Do wot?”
Will ignored him and concentrated hard on the storm raging outside. Jack discomfited himself by letting out an undignified yelp as the deck pitched sharply and then steadied under his feet. “Wot the hell?”
Will gestured at the window and Jack stared past him. In a perfect circle around the Dutchman, the waves were calm and the wind lessened to a breeze that barely made the sails ripple.
Will laughed at his expression and Jack managed an annoyed scowl. Sometimes he forgot that Will Turner was no longer the naïve blacksmith he’d met in Port Royal.
Will frowned thoughtfully. “Calypso said it was so I could bring on men who died in a storm. Like I said, I wasn’t sure it would work, but it doesn’t extend far. You’ll have to bring the Pearl in almost close enough for the hulls to touch. If I can get a line on the Lao Fei, I can afford her the same protection… after all, I already have some of her crewman aboard.”
Jack managed not to shudder. “So ye’ll leave me the task of gettin’ Anamaria t’willingly tie off t’the infamous Flying Dutchman, then? I’d have better luck convincing Tia’s soggy hide t’take up residence in a desert.”
Will’s smile held much of the innocent he’d been when he’d first met Anamaria. “Think she’ll slap you again?”
Jack snorted. “An’ I’ll deserve it just as much, this time.”
*----------------------*
Jack flopped on his bunk with an exhausted sigh. It had taken every bit of his wit and more than his fair share of charm to convince the superstitious Anamaria to reluctantly let her ship be tied to the Dutchman. It had been child’s play to pull the Pearl alongside after that.
He hadn’t even realized he’d closed his eyes when a hand smoothed his hair back from his face.
Pearl smiled down at him and deliberately slipped her gown from her shoulders. “It’s safe for me to divide my attention now…” She whispered as she let the heavy green silk fall to the deck.