Ghosts Of The Abyss: Chapter 24
ZeldaQueen: In which Gethesemane rips off more canon. We have a short act here, so out comes Link and onto the stage we go!
THE CURTAINS RISE FOR...
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Chapter 24
Kate: Here we are at Shipwreck Cay! I am on deck, although Jack insists that as a delicate female, I ought to be wrapped in cotton and stored below deck. I stand at his side, which is clearly my place
Jack: Are you sure about this? Clearly you're so weak and delicate, it's probably better if you stay here
Kate: Nay, nay, I am a Pirate Lord, as you are and Elizabeth certainly isn't. I shall go, even though I realize that doing so gives the Brethren the power to potentially release Calypso
Jack: Well, now that the crew has deparated and we're alone, I look at you with "an odd mixture of admiration, love, concern, and fear" in my eyes. Aren't I talented at that sort of thing? Anyway, there is something I must tell you, in the event that we die tonight. "You are the most courageous, beautiful, and passionate woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I've loved you since the moment I first saw you; I've never stopped"
Kate: Oh Jack! You know how it pleases Gethesemane me when you say such things!
Jack : I dip my head and kiss you in a very harlequin and elaborate manner
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ZeldaQueen: And now, we retire temporarily to the Sporking Chamber
Behind the massive facade of stone was a titanic structure of skeletal remains of ships, inside which was the location of the Brethren Court. Pirates from all over the world congregated here in times of war or, in this case, a Conclave.
ZeldaQueen: What about a Convex? *rim shot*
Many of the pirates themselves were not part of the Council; those positions were reserved for the Pirate Lords, such as Jack and myself,
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "I'm totally a Pirate Lord you know. Not Elizabeth, me. I'm hotter and awesome than she could ever be!"
and the Council met in a large room lighted with oil lamps, candles, and lanterns. In the center was a large table around which the Brethren sat, deep in conversation. Despite the fact that the Lords honored the Code set forth by Morgan and Black Bart, the Conclave was the only instance in which they were not at one another's throats. Out on the sea, they were rivals. Here, one would be surprised at how civil pirates could be.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, the fact that one was shot right at the table for suggesting they "hang the code", the fact that they couldn't properly elect a king, and the fact that they couldn't agree on a course of action without screaming at each other just showed how they were the height of civility
Pirates were, in fact, civil, as they had created their own democracies aboard their ships, set up a form of government in the form of the Code, and adhered to those laws set forth by our forefathers.
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane, you can yammer until you're blue in the face, but no one is going to buy that the pirates are a bunch of civil fluff bunnies who are being wrongly persecuted
I looked about the room as Jack, Uncle Hector, and I entered. All of the Council members were absorbed in conversations with their neighbors, hardly noticing our entrance.
ZeldaQueen: I guess that's one way of saying "They were bickering loudly"
Jack had taken my hand in his as we entered the room.
ZeldaQueen: Because he doesn't want his little girl to get lost in the strange place, right? Gah, I feel dirty
He seemed nervous as he scanned the vicinity, though he looked relieved after a moment's search. He smiled reassuringly, yet I knew that something had bothered him.
ZeldaQueen: That's not saying much. Jack's hardly the most subtle person when it comes to hiding his emotions
"What is it?" I asked, gently squeezing his hand.
He flashed me a crooked grin. "There's never been a gathering like this before, love...and I owe them all money."
ZeldaQueen: And, the funny is all gone
I shifted my eyes. His disturbance had nothing to do with monetary reasons, of that I was certain.
ZeldaQueen: (Gethesemane) "YOU SEE HOW SMART KATE IS?"
"It be time now," said my uncle, who had paused to stand next to me.
He walked forth to the head of the table as Jack and I took our places to his left; Jack still grasped my hand tightly in his, and he glanced at me quickly as Uncle Hector called forth the attention of the Brethren by slamming half of a coconut shell on the table.
ZeldaQueen: Where do you get coconuts at this time of year? Are you suggesting that coconuts are migratory?
The Council silenced at once.
"The time has come to defend our freedom!" said Uncle Hector. "For centuries, our kind has made his living by naught but the strength of his back and the sweat of his brow! Now, that living is threatened by the East India Trading Company!"
A murmur raced through the Council, but all returned their attention to him nigh immediately.
"We must fight for what is ours!" continued my uncle. "We must fight for the seas!"
ZeldaQueen: (Barbossa) "And the fandom! Destroy the Sue!"
"Why must we?" demanded one of the Council members. "We have everything needed right here in this, our Shipwreck City!"
"Aye," agreed another Council member, one Mistress Ching, who commanded a powerful pirate fleet from China. "Shipwreck City is a fortress - a well-supplied fortress!"
ZeldaQueen: (Mistress Ching) "Just toss the Sue out to them and we'll be fine!"
"There is nothing worth fighting for any longer!" agreed another. "The East India Trading Company has gained control over almost every single free port left in the Caribbean! We have no more freedom! There is nothing left for us out there - we should stay here! We could not defeat such power!"
I stared at them all in angry disbelief. Surrounding me were the most notorious pirates to sail the Spanish Main, all cutthroat and blood-thirsty. Yet they were cowering behind closed doors, thinking they were safe from the harsh realities of the world beyond the great stone facade of Shipwreck Cove! These were not my Brethren! They were no better than cowards! My father would have been ashamed of them all if he would have known that they were not allowing themselves to defend their God-given right to free living!
ZeldaQueen: You're one to be all high and mighty, Miss "I'll Have Sex Instead Of Dealing With The Evil Pagan Goddess"
I told them thus, to which they responded with a glare of anger and general surprise.
ZeldaQueen: (Brethren) "Don't tell us another Mary Sue got in here!" \~/
"So the daughter of Blackbeard has come at last!" laughed Mistress Ching. "You always were the little spitfire!"
ZeldaQueen: Because I'm sure her father took her to those Brethren Christmas parties so she could meet Mistress Ching
I glared icily at her.
ZeldaQueen: Ohhhh Mary Sue Death Glare!
"You're a fool, Lady Sparrow," hissed Capitain Jocard, another Council member. "You know as well as the rest of us that we can't defeat Beckett alone!"
ZeldaQueen: Nonsense, of course you can! The Mary Sue says so, and she only stole Elizabeth's role in the story to ensure it! \~/
"Ah, but we're not alone," said my uncle slyly. "I'm sure you gents, and ladies, remember our dear friend Calypso?"
I nearly gasped aloud upon his mention of that murdering heathen's name,
ZeldaQueen: \~/ \~/ Am I the only one who gets the feeling that the hatred of Calypso is a little personal from Gethesemane?
and I knew that my face had paled upon the realization that he had planned to continue with the ritual of releasing her. Did this mean he wanted me dead?
ZeldaQueen: Oh dear, sweet lord yes! Please, let that be it!
Although I have to ask, what is the plan, pray tell? First Barbossa keeps telling Calypso that he won't let her hurt Kate, and now he's still gung-ho to release her, even though Calypso won't shut up about how she's going to kill Kate. Does he expect this all to work out that Calypso won't kill Kate on the honors system or something?
urely, he didn't want me dead! He had raised me since I was a little girl; he had told me himself that I was like a daughter to him. What man would kill his own daughter?
ZeldaQueen: *rolls eyes* PIRATE!
The suggestion elicited excited murmuring throughout the table, yet none spoke.
Jack must have sensed my anger and fear, for he stepped forth. "Cuttlefish. Eh?"
I glanced at him, puzzled as to where he was taking this conversation.
ZeldaQueen: Somewhere vaguely canon but rotting like a zombie
"Let us not, dear friends, forget our dear friends the cuttlefish, flipper conories little sausages. Pin them up together and they will devour each other without a second thought. Human nature, isn't it? Or fish nature. Yes, we could hold up here well-provisioned and well-armed, and half of us would be dead within the month! Which seems grim to me any way you slice it! Or, as my learned colleague so naively suggests, we can release Calypso, and we can pray that she will be merciful. I rather doubt it. Can we in fact pretend that she is anything other than a woman scorned, like which fury Hell hath no? We cannot. We are left with but one option. I agree with my wife. We must fight."
"Even if we all agreed to fight," piped a fellow Brethren, "we can't go to war without the approval of the King!"
ZeldaQueen: Mother of God, please do not let this go where I thiknk it's going...
Despite the fact that the Council was indeed a democracy, there was a King, who gave orders in time of war and had the final say in such matters. Like every other office, the King was to keep to his duties as Code Keeper and act as a guardian of sorts of his fellow pirates. If, for any reason, his "subjects" were not happy with how he reigned, they could take two approaches to ridding him of the office: the first was to hold a special vote in which a new King was elected, which was much more civil than the second option, full-blooded mutiny. I knew not who the Pirate King was for this Conclave, although Uncle had told me a short time before that a King had been elected. I had been told that Davy Jones had reigned as Pirate King over the last Conclave in which he had bound Calypso.
ZeldaQueen: ...Well, I'll admit, Gethesemane's defying my expectations here. I shall rant properly at the end of the chapter
I glanced over at Jack and found that he had blanched at the mention of the King. I found this puzzling, yet said nothing.
It had not escaped my notice that the Council had thus grown suddenly quiet, and were all staring at the entrance.
"Out of my way, boy," came a deep, gruff voice from behind Jack and me.
ZeldaQueen: *face palm*
We started and turned to find an older, weathered man behind us. He was dressed in the traditional captain's garb, save for a blood red coat with intricate golden accents. His hair was dark, stranded with beads in the same manner as Jack's, and his eyes were lined thickly with kohl.
ZeldaQueen: You mean "kohl" like the department store?
His skin was dark, yet weathered from years of sun and rain. His dark eyes wandered from Jack to me, and then back again. There was a tension between the two men.
"So it's true, then," said the captain at last. "You've married."
ZeldaQueen: *HEAD DESK - MASSIVE HEAD DESK*
I glanced at Jack, confused. "What is he talking about?"
Jack sighed heavily. "It's not exactly a secret that we've married, love. It was only a matter of time before he would find out."
ZeldaQueen: BECAUSE CLEARLY, THAT'S ALL ANYONE IN THIS FUCKING FIC CARES ABOUT!!! \~/
I glanced at the other man, and noted a certain familiarity about him that was indistinguishable. I felt as if I'd known him before, but from where?
Jack continued, "May I introduce to you your father-in-law, the Pirate King, Captain Teague."
ZeldaQueen: Right, rant time!
Gethesemane my dear, did you miss the entire scene where they elected their king? That was the point, you know. The pirates don't always have a king, but they do elect one in times of need. You get that? ELECT. That's why they so often don't have one! They always vote for themselves, so there's never any tiebreakers!
Although I must say, I'm quite shocked that Gethesemane didn't play out the scene and have Kate be elected Pirate King instead of Elizabeth. After all, it would have been the perfect way to get people to do what she says and to show off how much Jack wuvs her by having him vote for her. Ah well, I guess saying her father-in-law is the Pirate King is enough for her
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Onward to: Chapter 25
Back to: Chapter 23
Return to: Table of Contents
THE CURTAINS RISE FOR...
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Chapter 24
Kate: Here we are at Shipwreck Cay! I am on deck, although Jack insists that as a delicate female, I ought to be wrapped in cotton and stored below deck. I stand at his side, which is clearly my place
Jack: Are you sure about this? Clearly you're so weak and delicate, it's probably better if you stay here
Kate: Nay, nay, I am a Pirate Lord, as you are and Elizabeth certainly isn't. I shall go, even though I realize that doing so gives the Brethren the power to potentially release Calypso
Jack: Well, now that the crew has deparated and we're alone, I look at you with "an odd mixture of admiration, love, concern, and fear" in my eyes. Aren't I talented at that sort of thing? Anyway, there is something I must tell you, in the event that we die tonight. "You are the most courageous, beautiful, and passionate woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I've loved you since the moment I first saw you; I've never stopped"
Kate: Oh Jack! You know how it pleases Gethesemane me when you say such things!
Jack : I dip my head and kiss you in a very harlequin and elaborate manner
-------------------------------------
ZeldaQueen: And now, we retire temporarily to the Sporking Chamber
Behind the massive facade of stone was a titanic structure of skeletal remains of ships, inside which was the location of the Brethren Court. Pirates from all over the world congregated here in times of war or, in this case, a Conclave.
ZeldaQueen: What about a Convex? *rim shot*
Many of the pirates themselves were not part of the Council; those positions were reserved for the Pirate Lords, such as Jack and myself,
ZeldaQueen: (Kate) "I'm totally a Pirate Lord you know. Not Elizabeth, me. I'm hotter and awesome than she could ever be!"
and the Council met in a large room lighted with oil lamps, candles, and lanterns. In the center was a large table around which the Brethren sat, deep in conversation. Despite the fact that the Lords honored the Code set forth by Morgan and Black Bart, the Conclave was the only instance in which they were not at one another's throats. Out on the sea, they were rivals. Here, one would be surprised at how civil pirates could be.
ZeldaQueen: Yes, the fact that one was shot right at the table for suggesting they "hang the code", the fact that they couldn't properly elect a king, and the fact that they couldn't agree on a course of action without screaming at each other just showed how they were the height of civility
Pirates were, in fact, civil, as they had created their own democracies aboard their ships, set up a form of government in the form of the Code, and adhered to those laws set forth by our forefathers.
ZeldaQueen: Gethesemane, you can yammer until you're blue in the face, but no one is going to buy that the pirates are a bunch of civil fluff bunnies who are being wrongly persecuted
I looked about the room as Jack, Uncle Hector, and I entered. All of the Council members were absorbed in conversations with their neighbors, hardly noticing our entrance.
ZeldaQueen: I guess that's one way of saying "They were bickering loudly"
Jack had taken my hand in his as we entered the room.
ZeldaQueen: Because he doesn't want his little girl to get lost in the strange place, right? Gah, I feel dirty
He seemed nervous as he scanned the vicinity, though he looked relieved after a moment's search. He smiled reassuringly, yet I knew that something had bothered him.
ZeldaQueen: That's not saying much. Jack's hardly the most subtle person when it comes to hiding his emotions
"What is it?" I asked, gently squeezing his hand.
He flashed me a crooked grin. "There's never been a gathering like this before, love...and I owe them all money."
ZeldaQueen: And, the funny is all gone
I shifted my eyes. His disturbance had nothing to do with monetary reasons, of that I was certain.
ZeldaQueen: (Gethesemane) "YOU SEE HOW SMART KATE IS?"
"It be time now," said my uncle, who had paused to stand next to me.
He walked forth to the head of the table as Jack and I took our places to his left; Jack still grasped my hand tightly in his, and he glanced at me quickly as Uncle Hector called forth the attention of the Brethren by slamming half of a coconut shell on the table.
ZeldaQueen: Where do you get coconuts at this time of year? Are you suggesting that coconuts are migratory?
The Council silenced at once.
"The time has come to defend our freedom!" said Uncle Hector. "For centuries, our kind has made his living by naught but the strength of his back and the sweat of his brow! Now, that living is threatened by the East India Trading Company!"
A murmur raced through the Council, but all returned their attention to him nigh immediately.
"We must fight for what is ours!" continued my uncle. "We must fight for the seas!"
ZeldaQueen: (Barbossa) "And the fandom! Destroy the Sue!"
"Why must we?" demanded one of the Council members. "We have everything needed right here in this, our Shipwreck City!"
"Aye," agreed another Council member, one Mistress Ching, who commanded a powerful pirate fleet from China. "Shipwreck City is a fortress - a well-supplied fortress!"
ZeldaQueen: (Mistress Ching) "Just toss the Sue out to them and we'll be fine!"
"There is nothing worth fighting for any longer!" agreed another. "The East India Trading Company has gained control over almost every single free port left in the Caribbean! We have no more freedom! There is nothing left for us out there - we should stay here! We could not defeat such power!"
I stared at them all in angry disbelief. Surrounding me were the most notorious pirates to sail the Spanish Main, all cutthroat and blood-thirsty. Yet they were cowering behind closed doors, thinking they were safe from the harsh realities of the world beyond the great stone facade of Shipwreck Cove! These were not my Brethren! They were no better than cowards! My father would have been ashamed of them all if he would have known that they were not allowing themselves to defend their God-given right to free living!
ZeldaQueen: You're one to be all high and mighty, Miss "I'll Have Sex Instead Of Dealing With The Evil Pagan Goddess"
I told them thus, to which they responded with a glare of anger and general surprise.
ZeldaQueen: (Brethren) "Don't tell us another Mary Sue got in here!" \~/
"So the daughter of Blackbeard has come at last!" laughed Mistress Ching. "You always were the little spitfire!"
ZeldaQueen: Because I'm sure her father took her to those Brethren Christmas parties so she could meet Mistress Ching
I glared icily at her.
ZeldaQueen: Ohhhh Mary Sue Death Glare!
"You're a fool, Lady Sparrow," hissed Capitain Jocard, another Council member. "You know as well as the rest of us that we can't defeat Beckett alone!"
ZeldaQueen: Nonsense, of course you can! The Mary Sue says so, and she only stole Elizabeth's role in the story to ensure it! \~/
"Ah, but we're not alone," said my uncle slyly. "I'm sure you gents, and ladies, remember our dear friend Calypso?"
I nearly gasped aloud upon his mention of that murdering heathen's name,
ZeldaQueen: \~/ \~/ Am I the only one who gets the feeling that the hatred of Calypso is a little personal from Gethesemane?
and I knew that my face had paled upon the realization that he had planned to continue with the ritual of releasing her. Did this mean he wanted me dead?
ZeldaQueen: Oh dear, sweet lord yes! Please, let that be it!
Although I have to ask, what is the plan, pray tell? First Barbossa keeps telling Calypso that he won't let her hurt Kate, and now he's still gung-ho to release her, even though Calypso won't shut up about how she's going to kill Kate. Does he expect this all to work out that Calypso won't kill Kate on the honors system or something?
urely, he didn't want me dead! He had raised me since I was a little girl; he had told me himself that I was like a daughter to him. What man would kill his own daughter?
ZeldaQueen: *rolls eyes* PIRATE!
The suggestion elicited excited murmuring throughout the table, yet none spoke.
Jack must have sensed my anger and fear, for he stepped forth. "Cuttlefish. Eh?"
I glanced at him, puzzled as to where he was taking this conversation.
ZeldaQueen: Somewhere vaguely canon but rotting like a zombie
"Let us not, dear friends, forget our dear friends the cuttlefish, flipper conories little sausages. Pin them up together and they will devour each other without a second thought. Human nature, isn't it? Or fish nature. Yes, we could hold up here well-provisioned and well-armed, and half of us would be dead within the month! Which seems grim to me any way you slice it! Or, as my learned colleague so naively suggests, we can release Calypso, and we can pray that she will be merciful. I rather doubt it. Can we in fact pretend that she is anything other than a woman scorned, like which fury Hell hath no? We cannot. We are left with but one option. I agree with my wife. We must fight."
"Even if we all agreed to fight," piped a fellow Brethren, "we can't go to war without the approval of the King!"
ZeldaQueen: Mother of God, please do not let this go where I thiknk it's going...
Despite the fact that the Council was indeed a democracy, there was a King, who gave orders in time of war and had the final say in such matters. Like every other office, the King was to keep to his duties as Code Keeper and act as a guardian of sorts of his fellow pirates. If, for any reason, his "subjects" were not happy with how he reigned, they could take two approaches to ridding him of the office: the first was to hold a special vote in which a new King was elected, which was much more civil than the second option, full-blooded mutiny. I knew not who the Pirate King was for this Conclave, although Uncle had told me a short time before that a King had been elected. I had been told that Davy Jones had reigned as Pirate King over the last Conclave in which he had bound Calypso.
ZeldaQueen: ...Well, I'll admit, Gethesemane's defying my expectations here. I shall rant properly at the end of the chapter
I glanced over at Jack and found that he had blanched at the mention of the King. I found this puzzling, yet said nothing.
It had not escaped my notice that the Council had thus grown suddenly quiet, and were all staring at the entrance.
"Out of my way, boy," came a deep, gruff voice from behind Jack and me.
ZeldaQueen: *face palm*
We started and turned to find an older, weathered man behind us. He was dressed in the traditional captain's garb, save for a blood red coat with intricate golden accents. His hair was dark, stranded with beads in the same manner as Jack's, and his eyes were lined thickly with kohl.
ZeldaQueen: You mean "kohl" like the department store?
His skin was dark, yet weathered from years of sun and rain. His dark eyes wandered from Jack to me, and then back again. There was a tension between the two men.
"So it's true, then," said the captain at last. "You've married."
ZeldaQueen: *HEAD DESK - MASSIVE HEAD DESK*
I glanced at Jack, confused. "What is he talking about?"
Jack sighed heavily. "It's not exactly a secret that we've married, love. It was only a matter of time before he would find out."
ZeldaQueen: BECAUSE CLEARLY, THAT'S ALL ANYONE IN THIS FUCKING FIC CARES ABOUT!!! \~/
I glanced at the other man, and noted a certain familiarity about him that was indistinguishable. I felt as if I'd known him before, but from where?
Jack continued, "May I introduce to you your father-in-law, the Pirate King, Captain Teague."
ZeldaQueen: Right, rant time!
Gethesemane my dear, did you miss the entire scene where they elected their king? That was the point, you know. The pirates don't always have a king, but they do elect one in times of need. You get that? ELECT. That's why they so often don't have one! They always vote for themselves, so there's never any tiebreakers!
Although I must say, I'm quite shocked that Gethesemane didn't play out the scene and have Kate be elected Pirate King instead of Elizabeth. After all, it would have been the perfect way to get people to do what she says and to show off how much Jack wuvs her by having him vote for her. Ah well, I guess saying her father-in-law is the Pirate King is enough for her
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Onward to: Chapter 25
Back to: Chapter 23
Return to: Table of Contents