The Redhead of the Sea (Jack Sparrow x OC)

Chapter 38: The Prophecy & the Plan

6 years of servitude above Blackbeard's ship felt like a much longer time for Artemis. There was this weight on top of the ship and it followed it everywhere it went...darkness. The crew there was either zombified or forced to work, never truly enjoying life or the trophies.

This was not a true pirate life; it was much worse.

With no freedom at all and the constant reminder of sudden doom by the sadistic Captain, simply made everything much darker than it was.

Yet, Artemis would not lie if she said she did not benefit from her presence on the ship. Blackbeard was an experienced man, having spent many and many years travelling and studying.

He studied the ways of the old, the dark magic of Voodoo and Hoodoo. He was almost an expert to them by now. He seemed to know more about Artemis's true gifts, but he still kept her in the dark. Telling her bits of information; ensuring she stayed loyal just because of her need for answers. He focused his time on teaching and training her in different arts.

Surprisingly, she was very natural to them. The more she studied and understood them, the clearer certain things were to her.

However, she was not on top of the ship just for that. She was officially the navigator of Queen Anne's Revenge. She had travelled many seas with both Jack and Barbossa. She remembered every route, every port, island, and loot.

The stars and the winds guided her like how Jack's compass did.

This was the key for Blackbeard and something he used to its fullest. Navigating across the waters, trapping ships for his private collections, and enslaving crew or killing them without a drop of remorse.

Yet, all changed one day.

One day when Blackbeard messed around too much with the gifts of his latest protégé. For Artemis blacked out during one of her 'lessons', and chanted something that scared the merciless Pirate.

'The one-legged man is coming...it is your destiny to die by his blade. He will end your reign, with his touch...of destiny.

Artemis was shocked, remembering fully what she had seen and unfortunately, it was not a lot. What she had chanted was what she had seen in this little vision and she knew that justice would come and take revenge for her and all those lives that Blackbeard had destroyed.

When she was not sure but she knew that vision was not a mistake. Although, it had terrified and surprised her that she had managed to dig deep enough to unlock what has yet to come. She had only, mostly accidently, seen glimpses of things that happened and almost all those times she had Tia Dalma's help.

After her passing and Artemis' near-death experience at the hands of Davy Jones, things were different and complicated for the redhead. Some things just made sense to her and the connection she had with the ocean seemed to have intensified.

Yet, no longer did she have those visions but she did often have strange dreams that simply did not make sense to her. She never truly paid them any mind, not wishing to fill her head with questions she might never get answers to them.

During the travels, she did try to ask or look around for anything that could offer some enlightenment to that messy life of hers; but she had only ended up with very few things and most of them did not even seem to relate to her unique case.

That of course changed upon making a deal with Blackbeard, for he found ways to unlock and use her gifts to their fullest. But after that last vision, he did not seem to chase that path again; for once worried about his life.

He knew his life would eventually end but until that were to happen, the mighty Captain would make sure to delay it as possible. He stopped the lessons with hers and instead made her turn her focus elsewhere.