Beneath the Deck, Queen Ann's Revenge - Sometime Later - Middle of the Day
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After the sudden double revelation, Jack made a plan or better say; made a promise. He would find all the answers he needed about that damned ship and Artemis. He was thinking of approaching her first but he held himself back, feeling that perhaps he shouldn't; not yet at least.
So, he chose to try and get the information from the other person that could provide them and with whom Jack would like to have an extra talk, after the latest fiasco that led him to be a prisoner of Blackbeard's ship.
He hid in the shadows and waited until Angelica slid down the gangway and was all alone. Pulling her behind a column, he pressed her back against the wooden frame and held a sharp cargo hook to her throat.
"You are a ruthless, soulless crossgrained cur." He said, his dark brown eyes glaring faintly.
His former lover did not seem to be affected by the threat or his words. "I told you I had a ship."
"No. Blackbeard has a ship. Upon which I am now imprisoned."
"We can pull this off, Jack. The Fountain of Youth. Like you always wanted"
"Blackbeard. Edward Teach. The pirate all pirates fear. Resurrector of the dead in his spare time." Jack reminded him.
Davy Jones was one ruthless and dangerous individual but even he, could not truly stand against Blackbeard. It was one thing to be simply undead and a fully different being able to bring back the dead and who knew what else he was capable of.
Rumours were always circling him across the years and no survivor ever remained to confirm if those tales were right or wrong.
"He will listen to me," Angelica said, snapping him from his thoughts.
Jack, pressed the hook closer to her neck. If she was trying to trick him again, he was not going to let her. Captain Jack Sparrow might be a fool but he was a fool who learnt from his mistakes; especially when it came to women he once had a thing but were no longer as close as they used to be.
"He listens to no one." He reminded her.
It was, however, what Angelica said next that he would have never seen coming. "Perhaps his own daughter?"
He could not help but stare at her, trying to see if she was indeed telling the truth. With a grumble of annoyance, he pulled away the hook but still held it in his hands. "Daughter, as in, beget by?"
She nodded her head. "Long-lost. Recently found. Who loves her dear papa with all her heart and soul."
"He bought that?"
"I sold that." She confessed and now Jack knew, that it could not be true.
That little vixen had simply used her charms and lies to influence Blackbeard for her own gain. That felt, ironically, very very familiar to him and if Blackbeard was not as ruthless and dangerous as he was supposed to be; perhaps Jack would feel sorry for him.
"Then it's the Fountain of Youth for him, or him and you, not you and I." He said, realizing that she was simply cancelling her own words.
Or so he thought until Angelica dropped another bomb. "No, Jack. That's the best part. He will be dead."
Now one could consider him intrigued. "You'll be handling that part yourself?" he asked.
"There is a prophecy. Perhaps you don't believe in the supernatural..."
Jack did not have to be told more, feeling the need to roll his eyes. That supernatural again, always getting in the way of his life and of his plans..and his love life...his chance to be happy.
At the thought of it, Jack could not help but remember all that transpired 20 years ago; from Davy Jones and the Kraken to the locker and the end of the world...and her. How she bled out in his arms, destined to die and yet returned to him as if she had never been stabbed. How she stood with him on the deck, kissed him without care while an open sword wound was visible through her cut and wet clothes that were sticking to her skin.
How she had given him her most precious secret the very same night, her wound not once preventing her from giving it all...and then to simply disappear the following morning as if the feelings between the two of them meant nothing. Of course, she had taken the ring and that was perhaps; why Jack was not only confused but also had this little amount of hope held closely in his heart.
"I've seen a thing or two." He said, realizing he had been quiet for a little longer and choosing not to go into any more detail.
However, mentally he wondered if Angelica or Blackbeard knew about Artemis and how much they truly knew about her. Of course, he did not truly know that much about her; although he had tried to think about what he had picked up while the 20 years passed by.
His answer came right after by the woman in front of him. "The Navigator...the woman with the hair of fire...she foretold his death" she explained, now making Jack confused.
Since when could Artemis see the future? Let alone see the death of someone.
"She...a woman, saw his death?" he questioned, trying to make the most out of the situation.
"Aye...she is special, just like my father. He used her gifts and she glimpsed at his future. Blackbeard will meet his death, within a fortnight ... at the hands of a one-legged man." She explained.
Jack thought for a moment, his mind working tirelessly to connect all the dots and somehow, he made a connection that if it came true; then perhaps his biggest troubles would be taken care of quite easily.
There was, one more thing; however, that he needed to know. "So he believes in that. Do you?"
Angelica was quiet for a moment. "I have seen things, Jack but I do not fully trust her. Father...he is the one that brought her aboard because she is different" she explained, not hiding how she did not like that.
Ever since Artemis had been on board the ship, Blackbeard was always around her. It drove Angelica mad sometimes, for she could not truly understand what was so special about the redhead.
Her father refused to tell her, always going on that she would not understand or that she did not have to be bothered by it.
She looked at Jack but he did not say anything else, clearly deep in thought. He pushed himself further away from her and started to walk away, clearly having a lot to think about.
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Early Nightfall
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The very same night, Artemis was asleep in the crow's nest. Usually, she shared a cabin with Angelica and even had her own, a little smaller than the others. However, she often found herself just sitting at her favourite place and staring at the night sky until sleep would get her.
From time to time, she would play the little music box and let the song carry her back to her past; when things were brighter and she was truly free. During that night, she could not truly go to sleep; not after Jack had joined them on the ship.
So many thoughts were in her mind, plans on how to approach him and try to explain. Feelings that she thought she had buried under her imprisonment on the ship but were quickly resurfacing every time her eyes landed on his form.
Her mental fight was interrupted by the sound of fighting. Curious, she glanced down from her position and saw that the crew had started an uprising, attacking the Zombie Officers. They shouldn't be armed but she didn't have to think a lot to realize, who was behind the whole plan.
She could not help but smile in amusement, knowing very well that Jack was behind all of this. She wondered where he was until she heard a woman shouting in Spanish. Glancing at the cabins, she saw Jack closing the door behind him and locking Angelica in her own room.
Of course, the fearsome woman kept cursing at him and went as far as to pass her sword through the door; missing his face by inches. She was amused and for a moment, she wished she could join but then a shiver went down her spine.
They were making too much noise and they were about to win...if that were to happen, then he would make an appearance. Worrying for Jack and for what would come next, she realised she had to join once again the opposing side; for his sake.
Sliding down the rope, she used her silent momentum to kick a man in the chest and stop him from hitting the Quartermaster. Grabbing her sword, she blocked an attack from another pirate, easily deflecting his blade and delivering a kick that sent him on his back.
"Stop this madness, now" she hissed, glancing for a moment behind her at the Captain's Cabin.
"Lassie? I remember a time when you would go against a full crew with just your fist for your freedom" a familiar voice said, making her hair stand on end.
Turning sharp, her blade blocked blade and her eyes connected with Jack. No longer wearing the eyepatch, orders of Blackbeard, she tried her best to hide her blind eye with her hair but now, during that battle; the wind had pushed it back.
"This is not a game, Jack. You do not know what you will unleash upon those men" she said, trying to disarm him but he blocked her.
He tried to do the same but she remained on the defensive, not willing to attack him with any aggression and harm him. She could never do that, not when it came to him even though 20 years had passed.
As their blades met again and again, they were moving slightly further away from the others. Their 'fighting' hid well how they looked at one another and what they wished to truly do. It was just the perfect camouflage to hide what they once had and longed to revive after all this time.
"Then, tell me, lassie," he said, her little nickname rolling off his tongue like honey, making her take a deep breath in order to control herself. "Why are you on this ship? And why are you working with her?"
"You mean your ex? The woman you slept with before we met?" she asked, faintly getting tired and the constant worry of Blackbeard coming was not helping. "I had no choice, Jack. The lives of the crew were at stake" she hissed, using now more force and starting to push him away.
One of the sailors had noticed and tried to help but Artemis was accustomed to facing multiple enemies. She had fought undead fish creatures, Davy Jones, cursed pirates and many British Soldiers.
Those men were like target practice for her and even Jack knew that. He watched as she easily grabbed the wrist of the sailor, holding his blade up in the air and stopping him from attacking her.
The young man looked at her, suddenly cowering with fear upon realizing that he had messed up. To his surprise, she merely twisted his arm and forced him to drop the sword before pushing him away, letting him crawl and run to the others while she kicked the stolen blade to the side.
"Even upon this ship, you still have the same heart" Jack commented, making her look at him.
Under the light of the lanterns and the moon, he finally got a good look at her face. 20 years had passed and yet, she still looked as young and beautiful as he remembered her. Her blue eye still glowed bright, as if a part of the sea itself had been sealed in there.
Yet, her gaze had turned darker and colder. Her lips often formed a scowl or a thin line, no longer bearing that signature smirk she would give him. Her shoulders were tensed and if one looked deep into her eyes, they would be able to see just how mentally tired she was.
"Call off your men, Jack or it is their blood that will stain your hands" she said with a terrifying calmness that was not like her.
He wanted to question, get the answers or even persuade her to join him. They could take over that ship, they could get rid of Angelica and be free to sail the seas...but he didn't.
Because that look in her eyes told him everything he needed. She was not going to take the risk and she was not going to join him, not now. Her eyes kept darting to the cabins like a frightened child, whose drunk parent would bust into their room any moment to deliver their 'tutoring' but it was clear and plain punishment. Jack took notice of her stature but also the defeated look in her eyes, that she had given up, no longer fighting to change or survive.
The hand that held the blade felt sore, his knuckles white from the force he held the weapon all this time. Whatever transpired after the Pearl was lost, had changed...had tortured her to a point that he did not believe it would be possible.
He felt anger rising within him, wanting to seek revenge on those who chained her down to earth. Artemis was always so strong-spirited, fighting even when the odds were heavily against her. She fought with tooth and nail, blade and guns until she no longer could. No matter the crazy plans, she always believed they would succeed one way or another... but not anymore.
He glanced around him, seeing that Angelica had escaped but his men had the upper hand in fighting. He then looked at her, seeing her lowering her blade and simply watching, choosing not to interfere.
It didn't matter. He would put an end to this, free her from whatever slavery she was forced into and remind her what freedom truly felt like. He vowed that to her and he was willing to make it true, one way or another.
Without another word, Jack moved to help his men as she stayed there and watched. Occasionally, she would disarm any sailor coming her way but never truly harm them, unlike Angelica and the Zombie Officers.
It was not long before Jack and his men actually got the taste of victory in their mouths, now with their enemy cornered and almost fully disarmed. He smirked and looked around, seeing Artemis not that far away, watching him.
He could see the faintest glimpse of hope in her beautiful blue eye, a small part of her that was still there and truly wished for the freedom Jack promised.
Jack, stood on the upper deck, close to the cabins. He grabbed his sword and lifted it high in the air for celebration. "The ship is ours!"
He expected the pirates to join him but they didn't. Instead, they stared with horror at him or better say, behind him. Confused, Jack turned to look at Artemis; only to see her taking a step back with her head slightly lowered.
Behind Jack, silhouetted against the moonlight, a nightmare of a man was now visible to all. He was wrapped in bandoliers, draped in pistols, and surrounded by smoke from fuses twined into his black beard. A hand hung to his side, grasping a bottle of whisky.
The presence alone made Jack feel uneasy and he slowly turned to face the legendary man, as the captain raised the whisky bottle and drained it in one long swallow.
Then, he tossed the bottle away. "Excuse me, gentlemen. I be placed in bewilderment. There I were, resting, and upon a sudden, I hear an ungodly row. Open my eyes, and what do I see?" he asked but no pirate dared to answer. "The Captain's quarters. Next, I ken, I be Edward Teach. Blackbeard. And I be in the Captain's quarters. Aye?" there was another pause, the tension so thick one could cut it with a sword. "And that makes me ... it naturally follows ... the Captain."
He remained silent, watching everyone but his eyes were often going towards Jack; who had even taken a step to the side. At the same time, his hand went to the jewelled hilt of his sword, both sword and scabbard being oversized.
He gripped his sword and Artemis knew what was coming next, for she had seen it; for while everyone was looking at Blackbeard, the ropes of the ship had started to uncoil on their own accord.
"Hence, my bewilderment. What of this row on deck? Sailors abandoned their posts, without orders, without leave!" he said, his voice booming across the silent night as he pulled forth his sword. The end was broken, yet half the length of this sword is the full length of some other. In response, in the rigging, ropes twisted and uncurled, moving on their own, unnoticed by all but Artemis. "Men before the mast, taking the ship for their own selves, what be that? First Mate?"
Angelica took a few steps closer to the steps, not once fearing the powerful and deadly man; unlike the majority of the living crew. "Mutiny," she said, her voice loud and clear with her faint again.
Blackbeard turned to look where Artemis was standing, his sharp gaze feeling heavy on her form. She lifted her head ever so faintly, just to keep him in her line of vision while her sword hung limp in her hand.
"Again, Navigator?" he asked, sounding like a question but it was a clear daring order.
"Mutiny, Captain." She said without missing a beat, for she knew that the men had already doomed themselves with or without her answering.
"Aye. Mutiny. And what be the fate of mutineers? Now we know the answer to that do we not?" he asked and sneered. "Mutineers hang!"
He lifted his sort, causing the sails on the ship to catch such a strong wind that the ship lurched forward. Many Pirates and Officers were knocked off balance, Artemis being no exception.
The force sent her forward and she caught herself at the base of the stairs, saving herself from getting a nasty fall against them. She turned her head to look above her shoulder as the pirates started to scream; ropes moving like snakes around them.
They grabbed and trapped them, dragged them across the deck, or slammed them into the bulkheads. The very same ropes untangled around the officers, setting them free and moving to punish the mutineers.
The screams of the pirates were heard across the night as they were caught up in the unearthly lines; their struggles in vain as the ropes tightened around them.
Blackbeard controlled the ship itself without needing to voice any command, showing his control and his power without any mercy. Booms swung as cannons cut off fleeing pirates who tried to escape or even jump into the sea.
It did not take long for everyone to be taken prisoners by the ropes, creating a massive spider-web of rope and rigging, crossing this way and that; all of the pirates were caught in the web, bound and trapped like flies.
That was...the true wrath of Blackbeard.
EDITED: 13/3/2024