a woman taken by the wind (jack sparrow)

two: captain to captain

this chapter introduces the other two members of rhi's crew - they're definitely background characters but i love them lots

For a map that William Turner found hard to read, Rhiannon had absolutely no qualms with it. 

So maybe reading the map wasn't the problem so much as navigating it was. For any normal sailor, the route was a fucking nightmare. For a pirate, not so much. When you knew a million shortcuts and had little-to-no fear about crossing perilous waters, it was a doddle. The crew of the Dutchess had tried to put up a fight initially when they'd seen where Rhi planned on taking them, but what use was arguing with a captain? She figured that if they were that bothered, they would start a mutiny. 

So here they were now, sailing through one of the stormy Caribbean seas. Rhi was perched on the bow of the ship, one hand gripping the railing and the other holding her hat in place. Her blonde hair was flapping wildly around her face and it was cold as hell, but it was clear to anyone that she was in her element. The water was rough and billowing, the sky cold and grey, but still, The Duchess pushed ahead. She was built well and Rhi made sure to keep on top of repairs. 

"Haul wind and batten down the hatches, boys!" she glanced over shoulder, blue eyes watching as the crew went about their jobs. To her surprise, Will was stood at the wheel. "Don't sink my ship, Turner!"

She turned around and leapt off the bow, boots hitting the floor with a wet thud. The rain was starting to come down good and proper now, but not harsh enough for the ship to anchor. Besides, the sooner the made it to the island, the better. Isla De Mala Suerte - The Island of Bad Luck. That's what it had been named on Will's map. It was no surprise that Jack Sparrow had ended up there. Even less of a surprise that he'd probably gone out his way to find out. What else could you expect from a man who was always trying his chances off?

"How far off from the island are we, Rhiannon?" Will called.

"That's Captain, to you," she teased, jumping up to the deck. Rhi shoved him aside, taking the wheel in her hands. "And a few hours if the wind persists. I reckon two if the weather calms down."

"And you think you'll be able to find Jack easily once we get there?"

She paused for a moment. "It's not a hard map to follow. Not if you know the island."

"And you do know the island?"

"Every pirate knows Isla Da Mala Suerte," she sniffed. "Not that it's worth much to you, because the beach is as far as I'm going."

"What?!" Will exclaimed. "You said you'd help me find Jack-"

"- nope," Rhi cut him off, eyes still staring into the blankness ahead. "I said I'd help you find the Island. Once I've chucked you into a lifeboat off the coast, that's my job done."

"Rhiannon, please," he begged. There had been a lot of that over the last few hours. "I don't know the Island!"

"You have the map, brother."

"I also have a death wish if I go into that place alone!"

Rhi sighed and rolled her eyes. "LEGS! Come and take the wheel."

Her first mate did as she said, scurrying away from his position by the sails and to the wheel. The rest of the crew continued as they were; Jenkins, her second in command, was knotting the sails, and Rosie, the self-proclaimed powder monkey, was perched up in the crow's nest. That was the bulk of the Duchess' crew, but they always had people coming and going. Rhi, Legs, Jenkins and Rosie were the only ones who were seemingly permanent.