The Lion and The Lamb ||| Hector Barbossa|||

5 | The Curse

When I finally woke up, I looked around and found Elizabeth, pacing in front of the door. I am still in Captain Barbossa's cabin.

"Lizzy, are you okay?" I asked, concerned about the fact she won't stay still.

"Lily, you're finally awake. Yes, I'm fine. Did Barbossa hurt you earlier?"

"No he didn't hurt me. He removed the dagger from my chest and stitched up the wound."

"Thank god for that." Elizabeth sounds happier now. Pintel and Ragetti enter the cabin carrying dresses. Bloody hell. We walk over to them.

"You'll be dining with the captain, and he requests you wear these." Pintel told us gesturing to the dresses.

"Well, you may tell the captain that we are disenclined to acquiesce to his request." Elizabeth told him bluntly. I elbowed her in the ribs and she groaned.
"Ouch, Lily don't do that!"

"He said you'd say that." Pintel laughed. "He also said if that be the case, you'll be dining with the crew. And you'll be naked." They both laughed. Elizabeth and I grabbed the dresses and raised our eyebrows at the pirates. Their faces showed disappointment.

"Fine." Pintel said, clearly upset. They left us to put the dresses on. Elizabeth's dress was a deep burgandy colour while mine was dark green. They were both lovely.

When we got to the dining area, there was so much food. It looked good but I wasn't hungry. Elizabeth ate some pork while I just had a piece of bread.

"There's no need to stand on ceremony, no call to impress anyone." Barbossa told Elizabeth. "You must be hungry." Elizabeth proceeded to stuff her face with pork. Barbossa looked amazed that a woman could eat that much. Then she reached over to grab a piece of bread, and also stuffed it in her mouth. 'Jesus Christ Lizzy'

"Try the wine." Barbossa handed us a goblet oyf wine each. I thanked him and happily drank the wine. Elizabeth on the other hand, no manners at all.

"And the apples. One of those next." Barbossa offered Elizabeth an apple. She looked scared.

"It's poisoned." She stated. I laughed.

"Good god Lizzy, what is wrong with you?" I laughed. A little bit of laughing turned into a laughing fit. Elizabeth glared at me while Barbossa just looked stunned. After a few minutes I had calmed myself.

"Sorry..." I looked down.

"There would be no sense to be killin' ye, Miss Turner." Barbossa laughed.

"Then release us. You have your trinket. We are of no further value to you." Elizabeth looked scared. Barbossa took the medallion out of his pocket.

"You don't know what this is, do you?" He asked her.

"It's a pirate medallion." She stated.

"This is Aztec gold." He told us. "One of 882 identical pieces they delivered in a stone chest to Cortés himself. Blood money paid to stem the slaughter he wreaked upon them with his armies. But the greed of Cortés was insatiable. So the heathen gods placed upon the gold... a terrible curse. Any mortal that removes but a single piece from that stone chest... shall be punished for eternity."

"I hardly believe in ghost stories anymore, Captain Barbossa." Elizabeth told him, a smirk tugging on her lips.

"Aye." He said. "That's exactly what I thought when we were first told the tale. Buried on an island of the dead what cannot be found, except for those who know where it is. Find it, we did. There be the chest. Inside be the gold. And we took 'em all! We spent 'em and traded 'em, and frittered 'em away on drink and food and pleasurable company. The more we gave 'em away, the more we came to realise... the drink would not satisfy. Food turned to ash in our mouths. And all the pleasurable company in the world could not slake our lust. We are cursed men, Miss Turner and Lily. Compelled by greed we were, but now... we are consumed by it."

Barbossa's monkey, whos name I found to be Jack, started squeeling. Barbossa walked over to pet his monkey while I saw Elizabeth grab a knife and hide it on herself.

"There is one way we can end our curse." Barbossa continued. "All the scattered pieces of the Aztec gold must be restored, and the blood repaid. Thanks to ye, we have the final piece."

"And the blood to be repaid?" Elizabeth asked, curious.

"That's why there's no sense to be killing you. Yet." Barbossa smirked at terrified Elizabeth. I must admit it is quite amusing to see Elizabeth scared.

"Apple?" He asks her, holding out a green apple to her. Elizabeth shoved his hand out of the way and drew the knife. She attempted to stab him, but failed miserably. She ran, screaming while Barbossa chased her. It is so amusing that Elizabeth is really stupid. As Barbossa is chasing her, I burst out laughing, unable to control myself.

Finally, Barbossa catches Elizabeth and she stabs him in the chest with the knife. He doesn't flinch. He pulls the knife out, covered in blood.

"I'm curious. After killing me, what is it you're planning on doing next?" He asks her, still holding the knife. Elizabeth steps back through a door and onto the deck of the ship. I follow her, amused. She turns around to see skeletons manning the ship and she screams. I walk back to Barbossa.

"Captain Barbossa, how long do you think 'till Elizabeth drives herself mad?" I ask him, still amused.

"Not long, I'm bettin'" He replied, smirking. We stood in the doorway watching Elizabeth go crazy. I look up at Captain Barbossa and smile. He really is a kind man, no matter what anyone else says. Also, he is really attractive. No, Lily, you can't think that! He is a pirate. You are one of the Governor's daughters. No. Screw all that 'ladylike' bullshit. I am attracted to Captain Barbossa and no one can change that. No one can know either.

After a while, Elizabeth has given up running around on a pirate ship, so she hides under some stairs. Once more, she sees a skeletal being and screams again. Then she tries to run back into the dining area but Barbossa is blocking her way. He grabs her shoulders and forces her to look at his skeleton crew.

"Look!" He yells at Elizabeth. "The moonlight shows us for what we really are. We are not among the living and so we cannot die. But neither are we dead." The crew form a line in front of us. Barbossa turns Elizabeth around so she is facing him. "For too long I've been parched of thirst and unable to quench it. Too long I've been starving to death and haven't died. I feel nothing. Not the wind on my face, nor the spray of the sea... nor the warmth of a woman's flesh." Barbossa held his hand out to the moonlight, revealing nothing but bones. Then Barbossa walks out into the moonlight completely, showing him in skeleton form.

"You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner." He tells Elizabeth. "You're in one!" He gets a bottle of wine, uncorks it with his teeth, and starts drinking it. As the wine falls into his mouth, it bounces down his ribs and onto the deck. Elizabeth shrieks and runs back to the cabin.

Captain Barbossa throws the glass bottle at the doors, then slams them shut. He proceeds to laugh in a ghostly way, then the entire crew join him.

"What are ye lookin' at? Back to work!" He yells at his crew.

"You heard the Captain. Back to work!" One of them yells.

We then return to the dining area to see Elizabeth huddled in a corner, looking very upset.