𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟎 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐭é𝐬

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The cell you were roughly shoved into by one of the pirates wasn't exactly what you would call comfortable. It was more like a cage with rusting iron bars and a massive lock, and the ankle-high water you waded through didn't exactly create a pleasant atmosphere as well: You could feel the cold water slowly but surely seeping through your boots and softening your socks.

Behind you, Jack was pushed into the cell, and with an unfriendly grunt the door was locked behind you.

"Apparently, there is a leak", Jack commented on the water situation, stating the obvious.

A few hours earlier you would have been amused about his comment, but you no longer felt like laughing at all.

You had to face the facts: your situation had gone from bad to worse.

You were no longer just in the hands of Barbossa and his creepy crew, no, now they had kidnapped you onto their water-leaking ship and locked you up with the non-trustworthy Captain Jack Sparrow in a cell that you thought was pretty small for two people.

Overflowing with thousands of emotions, anger, disappointment, fear, exhaustion, you sat down on a narrow wooden bench that was attached to the side of the cell opposite the door and leaned back in annoyance.

You closed your eyes and let out a sigh.

Silence filled the cell for some time. All you could hear was the sound of the leaking water washing through the ship's belly with each wave of the sea, the pirates' footsteps padding hastily across the deck, and Barbossa's booming voice loudly issuing orders.

After a short while you felt Jack's penetrating gaze on you.

You slowly opened your eyes, first one, then the other, and squinted at Jack, who was leaning against the cell door.

"What?" you hissed.

Your patience with Jack Sparrow was limited since he had put you in this precarious situation.

"Woho, easy. Why so displeased, young missy?" he asked with a playful smile.

You opened your mouth in anger.

"I beg your pardon! Why am I displeased? Oh. Let me think, maybe because I was kidnapped by some sleazy pirates and then taken as prisoner on their ship? That was definitely not what I signed up for. I signed up for adventure, not ghost stories. First, Gibbs told us we're taking the Pearl, your oh-so-beloved ship, back from Barbossa and his crew. Then Will reveals to me that we're also saving his girlfriend or whatsoever, who was also kidnapped by Barbossa.And now all of a sudden, we're on some creepy ghost island full of pirates who belong to a cult and believe in some fairy tale about a cursed treasure and blood that needs to be repaid and collect some kind of gold. So yeah, yeah, I'm displeased, Jack!", you hissed at him, fighting the urge to just go back to calling him Mr. Sparrow again out of protest.

Deep down you knew that, after listening to all of Gibbs's fairytales in the pub some days ago, you had indeed signed up for ghost stories. You just hadn't expected to become a part of it.

By the end of your lecture, you were out of breath and had to fill your lungs with air before you could give Jack a reproachful look.

But the pirate just looked at you thoughtfully.

"The curse of Cortés is no ghost story, lassie. It's real. I've seen it."

You raised an eyebrow and tried to stay cool, but the serious tone of Jack's voice sent a shiver down your spine.

"See, lassie, the treasure of Cortés belonged to Hérnan Cortés, a man long dead, and consists of 882 identical pieces of Aztec gold. It was buried on the Isla de Muerta, an island that can't be found except for those who already know where it is, a long time ago.
When Barbossa and his crew of miscreants found the treasure after they marooned me, they took every single piece of gold in their relentless greed, each his share, and spent it everywhere across the seven seas.
But the treasure was cursed. The heathen gods had placed a curse upon the gold, so that any mortal who removed a single coin from the chest would be punished for eternity."

Not a Treasure of Silver and Gold - Jack Sparrow x readerWhere stories live. Discover now