Barbossa's Daughter

Chapter 8

(A/N: Another chapter, because I'm bored. Hope you enjoy. XxD)

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Cora was weaving pearls into her hair as she stood in the cavern filled with treasure once more as Will was pushed through by the men. And since he was only half Turner, they would spill all his blood rather than just a few drops.

"Miss Cora," Bo'sun said as they pulled Will in front of her. "It's time."

And Will's eyes widened as Cora reached beneath her tunic that was covered by a vest this time, to pull the golden medallion free and lift the chain over her next. "It is yers after all," she said as she neared him and placed the chain over his neck, pausing to

And the pirates began to chant, "Blood!" as Cora had perched herself on the edge of the stone chest as she finished up her braid and Will was forced to bend over the chest as her father hefted his knife and conducted the chanting.

"Began by blood," Barbossa repeated once more. "By blood-"

And Cora's eyes widened as she spied the reason why he stopped and then the chanting stopped.

"Jack!" Will gasped in relief and Cora grinned at the fact that she was right.

"It's not possible," her father exhaled.

"Not probable," Jack spoke as the girl beamed and Jack made his way through the crowd as he shot Cora a wink. She remembered him saying that line a thousand times when she was younger because nothing was truly impossible unless you thought it so.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will asked and Cora rolled her eyes as the men allowed Will to stand straight.

"She's safe, just like I promised," Jack answered. "She's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised, and you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we're all men of our word, really. Expect for Elizabeth, who is, in fact, a woman."

Cora cleared her throat.

"And little Delia, of course," Jack amended as she gave him a salute and a wink.

"Shut up!" her father snapped. "You're next!"

And Will was forced back over the chest.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Jack interrupted.

"No, I really think I do," her father said as he held the blade to Will's throat.

"Your funeral," Jack remarked and naturally, her father's curiosity was piqued.

"Why don't I want to be doing it?" he asked, sullenly.

"Oh because the HMS Dauntless, pride of the Royal Navy -"

"Oh, just like the Interceptor was?" Cora cut in. "Because if memory serves, we sank that ship to the depths."

And the crew gave a small cheer before she held up a hand to silence them and Jack continued speaking.

"That may be, my darling Delia, but unlike the Interceptor, the Dauntless, floats just offshore, waiting for you."

She angled her head at him curiously as murmurs broke out between the crew.

"Just hear me out, mate," Jack said as he made his way up to them, standing on one side of the chest as the Barbossas stood on the other side and Will in the middle. "You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best," he suggested as the crew laughed. "Robert's your Uncle, Fannie's your aunt. There you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet."

Cora bit her lips, unsure of this or of Jack's motives. "Uncle Jack, where are you going with this?" she wondered and he waved her off as he continued speaking to Barbossa who was the one he needed to convince.

"You'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain. I'll sail under your colours. I'll give ye ten percent of me plunder, and you get to introduce yerself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

"And why not just do as you say and make me Cora capt'n of the Pearl?" Barbossa offered.

"Because you'll need her to straighten out the blighters you bring onto ye crew as you add more ships to yer fleet. You'll need your first mate at your side."

"I would make a better captain than any bastard man on this earth," Cora spat.

"Aye, you would, me Cora. But there'd be great benefit to still havin' ye at me side. A first mate I can trust," her father reasoned and though she was unhappy as she rolled her eyes, she made no further protest.

"And I suppose in exchange you wanted me not to kill the whelp," Barbossa said as he nodded towards Will.

"No, no, no. Not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment," Jack said as he glanced at Will and an understanding passed between them as the Barbossas stared at each other. "For instance," Jack continued as he scooped up some of the Aztec gold. "After you've killed Norrington's men. Every. Last. One," he said, punctuating each word with the dropping of a medallion back into the chest. Save for one that only Will saw him make disappear up his sleeve.

"You've been planning this from the beginning," Will accused. "Ever since you learned my name."

"Yeah," Jack said as if it should have been obvious.

"I want 50% of your plunder," her father negotiated.

"15."

"40."

"20."

"35."

"Oh, enough!" Cora exclaimed as she got in the middle. "25% end of story," she declared and both men nodded at the number.

"I'll even throw in a hat for darling Delia," Jack offered and Barbossa stretched out his arm.

"We have an accord," he said as they shook hands.

"Why couldn't you two wrinkly old bastards have agreed on this earlier?" Cora remarked rhetorically as she sat back down on the chest and Jack threw his arms into the air.

"All hands to the boats!" And it was dead silence as Barbossa stared at him and Jack realised where he went wrong. "Apologies, Commodore. You give the orders."

"Gents, take a walk," he ordered and the crew laughed and jeered as they headed out.

"Not to the boats?" Jack asked and Cora just shook her head at them.

She was surrounded by idiots.