Barbossa's Daughter

Chapter 48

(A/N: Thanks for 10,000 reads. Enjoy a double update. XxD) 

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The sea had grown still.

All of the carnage that Salazar had wrought while the weapon was briefly in his hands reversed as he and his crew began to convulse and they burst forth from the water, unable to breathe.

And as Salazar groaned in pain before he hunched over, Henry immediately dropped his sword and cried out, "Mother!" And he ran for where she lay unconscious in Carina's arms. As the Trident shattered, her ears had popped as the world around her visibly shifted before she collapsed, and Carina just managed to catch her. "Mother! Mother? Mummy?" Henry called, and Carina watched as his big bad pirate persona faded away. And Henry became nothing more than a boy, a child wanting his mother to stay.

Perhaps it was a fatal flaw, but one that plagued the Barbossas was their rather strong attachment to their parents. And yes, Henry was fighting to free his father, but he had only met the man twice. Cora had been there his whole life, from even before the beginning and up until now. She had grown him, birthed him, taught him to speak, read, write and fight. She'd taught him everything he knew. He couldn't lose her. He wasn't ready to lose her yet. He wasn't ready for his mother to leave him yet. It wasn't her time.

"Quick! Check her stomach!" Henry cried, tears trailing shamelessly down his face as Carina lifted the edge of Cora's torn tunic and vest to inspect the site where the sword had pierced her.

"Henry..." Carina began and his heart stopped.

"What is it? How bad is it?"

"Henry, there's nothing there."

"What?" Henry asked confused as he glanced over to see nothing but smooth skin covered in moisture droplets, not a wound or trace of blood in sight. And Henry squeezed her hand tighter as he stared intently at her face. "Mother, please. Please," he begged, and her chest fell as she inhaled, and her eyes shot open.

And just like that Henry's head dropped onto her shoulder as he sobbed into it, completely and utterly terrified because for a single second, he thought he'd lost her there.

"I'm ok. I be ok, Henry," she said tiredly as if she'd just woken up from a nap and she held his head to her.

"Are ye sure?" he asked as he pulled away and she just reached up to wipe the tears from his face.

"I told ye I'd be fine," she said, and he just hugged himself to her shoulder again.

"But," came Jack's voice. "The question be, did it work?"

And they all watched with rapt attention as Cora reached for the knife in her boot and brought it up to her hand. Across the same palm she'd cut for Tia Dalma years ago, Cora slid her knife through her skin as she hissed, and blood pooled in her hand.

And for a few seconds, they waited as nothing happened.

"It's not healing," Henry gaped, his eyes still red with tears as Cora looked up to her uncle, a hopeful expression on her face.

"I'm mortal again. My curse is broken. It worked."

"Don't get too excited yet," Carina said as Henry helped his mother to his feet, and they saw how she was pointing to the walls of water that was beginning to close in on them as the Spanish cheered in victory as they too were returned to humans.

But that victory was cut short as the ground began to shake a little as the trench grew skinnier.

"ARRR!" rasped a voice through the air as their attention was turned to something else. Someone else. "Poseidon nay be taking me daughter and grandson today!"

Cora and Henry shared matching grins at the sight of Hector Barbossa, standing atop the anchor of the Black Pearl as it sailed along the edge of the closing gap.

He'd come to save them.