Chapter 6 – Curses

The Toro Viejo was little different than the multitude of other pubs that Barbossa had visited in his time. A little cleaner than some, less crowded than others, and certainly more peaceful than the Faithful Bride of Tortuga, but it contained an air of frustrated hopes, and desperate dreaming that wafted through the air like candle smoke.

The first mate of the Black Pearl sighed in frustration and leaned back in his chair, wondering what in hell Jack Sparrow was planning. The source of said vexation was currently finishing a meal of the local fare while exchanging meaningful looks with a pretty señorita across the room. This Latin lovely seemed equally interested in Jack, and giggled every time he looked her way.

"Cap'n Sparrow, I would be much obliged if yeh would inform me what we be doin' here?" Barbossa finally asked in a would-be-calm voice.

Jack sobered a bit and focused his attention on his first mate. "Ya want to know why we are taking pleasure in the comforts of this charming little cantina instead of sweltering in the heat on the Pearl? Ya need to learn to have some fun, mate."

"I'll enjoy myself all yeh want when we are quit of this hostile port with the location of the Aztec gold, which ye've promised all of us exists," Barbossa replied smoothly before taking a long pull of his rum that nearly finished off the mug.

"You think we are here to find the location of the treasure?" Jack asked, a blank look on his face.

"Why else?" Barbossa shot back, staring at Sparrow with narrowed eyes.

"You really don't understand the situation at all," the captain of the Pearl replied incredulously.

"We're not here to learn the location of the treasure of Cortés?" the older pirate asked, now looking perplexed. "Then what was the point of comin' here, or of taking the Almiranta?

"Barbossa," Jack continued slowly, "the Isla de Muerta cannot be found 'cept by those who already know where it is, savvy?"

"We cannot find it?"

"No."

"Then how did Cortés discover it?" Barbossa said, his voice now becoming sardonic. "Or did the treasure just suddenly remove itself to said island?"

"Oh no, old Cortés delivered it there hisself," Jack Sparrow reassured him. "But he knew where the island was."

"Are we are here to learn what he knew?" Barbossa asked, beginning to feel a bit desperate.

Jack shook his head yet again. "You're not following me, mate. How can we learn what he knew two hundred years ago when we don't have his means of knowing?"

Barbossa sighed and wondered how he had gotten himself into this conversation. He could now see very clearly that serving under Sparrow's command was going to cause him a lot of headaches. "Señora, rum!" he called to the serving woman, then rubbed the bridge of his nose. Finally he asked another question. "But the letters will lead us to a means of getting the treasure of Cortés, will they not?"

Jack looked again at the girl across the room and smiled slightly. "Oh, they already have, Barbossa." Without further explanation Jack got up and strolled over to the señorita he had been eyeing.

Barbossa watched him, wondering what all of it had meant. "Not easy, is it?" a voice asked. The first mate looked around to see that Ramírez had returned from the Black Pearl with Bootstrap. It was Turner who had spoken. The new quartermaster of the Pearl sat down in the chair that Jack had vacated while the boy went to get the drink that Barbossa had ordered. "Jack's logic takes some getting use to."

"What did he mean about our purpose for being in this here port was not to find the location of the treasure?" the weathered pirate asked.

Bill sighed and ran a hand through his dark brown hair. "It has been a long road to even come this far. Jack began searching for the treasure of Cortés since shortly after he became the captain of the Black Pearl, but it hasn't been easy."

Curious, Barbossa asked, "And when did all that occur?"

"Nearly two years ago."

The first mate took his rum from young Ramírez who had returned from the bar and pushed his unfinished meal to the boy and eagerly set about clearing the plate. The appetite of youth, Barbossa thought amused before continuing his conversation with Turner. "Jack has had the Pearl neigh on two years and has yet to make a reputation for himself?"

With a tired smile Bootstrap said, "We haven't spent much time in the Caribbean yet."

"So what has set ye on the path we be following now?"

"Tia Dalma."

Barbossa frowned. "The mystic?" He had heard of her, of course, during his time in Tortuga, but he had never had an opportunity to visit the famous seer.

Bill nodded and continued, "The path to the treasure lead us to her, but Tia Dalma doesn't just give away her insights nor the trinkets she has collected. Something of value must be bartered for the favors she grants. And in this case, she wanted something specific," he shrugged expressively, "and so here we are."

"So it is Tia Dalma that Jack must satisfy in order to find the treasure?" Barbossa reasoned. "Why doesn't she seek the treasure if she has the key to its location."

"Because that isn't what she wants..." Bill began to reply, but a commotion from across the room drew both of the pirates' attention.

Jack was being faced down by a taller, and much broader, man who seemed to have taken offense with the captain's pursuit of the Mexican beauty. Sparrow appeared to be attempting to verbally diffuse the situation, but all of that quickly ended when his opponent took a swing at him.

The captain neatly ducked and the punch struck another patron of the establishment instead. The situation quickly deteriorated after that. Had they been in Tortuga an all out brawl would surely have followed, however, these patrons seemed to blame Jack Sparrow for the problem. He was quickly outnumbered facing a number of armed and angry locals.

"Need a hand, Captain?" Bootstrap asked quickly crossing the room.

Jack replied, "I would rather have your sword, a pistol, and possible one of the Pearl's cannon, but we can't be too choosy, eh? We need to make our departure quickly and cleanly before they call in the army."

Barbossa also moved to back up his captain, and the rest of the customers of the tavern quickly moved out of the way of the fight. "Stay out of this," the older pirate called to Ramírez, who looked both excited and terrified. The boy stayed behind Barbossa and watched wide-eyed as the men who faced his three shipmates attacked.

The first mate stepped smoothly to one side as a man with a cutlass lunged at him. Barbossa sent him sailing into the back wall of the tavern with a sharp blow from his sword grip, but barely managed to avoid another ruffian's dagger thrust. He parried this attack, and grabbed the man's extended hand, spinning him around and into a third man wielding a club. The pair fell near Ramírez and the youth quickly grabbed up the fallen club, bashing one of them over the head. The boy quickly jumped aside as Barbossa knocked the other out with a kick to the face before turning back to his first attacker. This man seemed to think better of continuing the fight, and ran out of the tavern yelling something as he went.

Out of the corner of his eye Barbossa could see Jack and Bootstrap fighting in perfect tandem, each guarding the others back and easily outclassing their opponents. A rush from the two men who had first attacked the captain separated the pair briefly, but Jack jumped smoothly up onto the bar to avoid the onslaught. The young captain nimbly jumped over another slash aimed at his legs, at the same time landing a kick in the face of the man who had taken offense at his interest in the señorita. The man let out a howl, and slashed at Jack again. Sparrow flipped off the bar, landing behind his opponent.

The three pirates easily outclassed the locals in skill even with the numbers stacked against them, but it couldn't last for long. Most of the tavern goers had cleared out when five Spanish soldiers, led by a naval officer, burst in through the doors. The first mate found himself parrying the blows of two of these new opponents, whom he normally could have dispatched easily, but now feeling the effects of the drawn out battle he could merely evade and wound.

Barbossa swung viciously at the soldiers who faced him, keeping them at bay. These two were far more skillful than the locals. The fight moved him farther and farther from Sparrow and Turner, who also appeared to be having troubles. "Barbossa," he finally heard Bootstrap call. "Get out and meet us back at the Pearl!"

"Aye," he yelled in acknowledgment, before sending one of his attackers to the floor with an elbow to the face. "Come on, boy," he yelled and grabbed Ramírez's shirt collar. He threw the boy toward the door, and turned back one more time to the persistent Spaniard. With a series of vicious, strong attacks, Barbossa gained the upper hand in the duel. The soldier momentarily lost his balance as he backed into a table, and the first mate sent over it with a kick to the stomach.

Barbossa ran out of the tavern into the night with his young companion just ahead of him. Neither of the two knew their way around this foreign city, and the pirate did not want to lead their pursuers back to the Pearl. He moved past Ramírez, saying, "This way, boy!"

They took several sharp turns in the narrow alley of Vera Cruz, and Barbossa finally pulled his follower behind a large stack of crates. They watched breathlessly as the soldiers who were pursuing them stopped feet away from their place of concealment. Barbossa's hand settled on his sword hilt as he saw one of the men motion down the dark street where the two pirates were hiding. But his superior barked a command and motioned for them to continue on the way they had been going.

The cabin boy sighed with relief and collapsed onto the ground, suddenly feeling exhausted. "That was very close, Señor Barbossa. What should we do now?"

Barbossa crouched unmoving, continuing to watch the place where the soldiers had disappeared, and answered, "We'll wait a bit, and then head back to the ship. If we stay on these back streets we should be able to avoid any soldiers."

The main streets of the city were still filled with people enjoying the cool wind that was coming in from the sea. The sounds of the crowd and the scents from the street vendors selling food drifted over the houses and alleyways. But the two pirates set out in the opposite direction, slowly and carefully making their way back to the docks where the Black Pearl was berthed. Their foreign appearance would only draw unwelcome attention among the townsfolk.

Just as they began to think that the pair began to believe that they would have no further trouble, they heard the sound of angry shouts and running feet. Barbossa turned quickly, drawing his sword in the same smooth motion. A small, cloaked figure in black was running towards them pursued by two rough looking men.

Barbossa watched with wary interest as the figure pulled up short, apparently looking for some other passage of escape. The pursuers also stopped, one brandishing a dagger and the other a short sword. The old pirate was about to step aside and let them all carry on, when one of the men yelled something. "¡Es nuestro, anciago! ¡Déjanos pasar!" (1)

Although the exact meaning of the words was lost on him, Barbossa didn't take kindly to being threatened by street riff-raff. He leveled his sword, his eyes carefully following the movements of the two men. "Leave now, yeh fifthly cockroaches," he growled menacingly, "or let's have done with it!"

Hot with the blood rush of the chase, the two ruffians charged forward with more energy than skill. Barbossa parried the dagger, catching hold of the outstretched arm that held it and twisted it savagely with a sickening crack. The man dropped to the ground, howling in pain while his companion took a step back to assess the new odds. Finding that they were decidedly not in his favor, the other thug lost his nerve and turned tail. His companion followed shouting what sounded like curses at the pirate.

With a grunt of disgust, Barbossa sheathed his sword. Without a glance, he called to Ramírez, "Let's go!" and moved down the alley.

Before he had taken ten steps a soft voice behind him said, "Señor, ayudame por favor." (2) Eyebrows raised in surprised, Barbossa turned back and looked into the lovely face that he had seen that morning on the dock. The young woman looked terrified, but there was also a gleam of desperation in her eyes.

Although the old pirate knew that he shouldn't delay returning to the Pearl, the mystery of the beautiful señorita Marina alone in the moonlight on this treacherous street was too tempting to ignore. With as much polite sincerity as he could muster, Barbossa stepped toward the lady and smoothly said, "My apologies, Miss. How can I be of service to 'e?"

"Por favor, Señor, I need your help," Marina pleaded, her eyes briefly catching his, then lowering with proper deportment. "I must reach the docks before the hour tolls. I cannot express how important this is!"

Barbossa smirked, taking in the sight of the girl. Despite her manners, the fact that she spoke English so well told of another side to the pretty señorita. And as she was going the same way as he… "My lady, it would be an honor to escort yeh to yer rendezvous."

The presence of Señorita Marina proved to be fortuitous for Barbossa and Ramírez as she made their motley appearance more respectable. Before long they were standing on the docks of Vera Cruz not half a mile from where the Black Pearl was berthed.

Marina stopped in front of a ship that appeared to be a far newer and faster model of merchant vessel than the others that were presently docked in the harbor. The young woman seemed to be gathering her courage and she looked anxiously looked at the man and the boy who had accompanied her to this place. "Will you come still farther with me, Señor?" she asked, her fear plain. "I know I have no reason to hope for you to help me, but I shall be most grateful if you do."

Feeling secure now that the Pearl was so close and there was no sign of Spanish soldiers, Barbossa replied, "We'll follow yeh, Señorita."

The girl nodded and gave them a nervous smile. Then she walked toward the gangplank of the ship, her escorts following closely behind her. Barbossa watched the ship and its crew carefully, looking for signs as to what business the ship was in and why Marina was involved with it. As they stepped onto the deck they were met by a stiff looking crewman who appraised the girl and the two pirates with a disdainful eye.

"I am here to see Señor Warick," Marina said, managing to look confident and sound authoritative.

Barbossa was impressed by the way she held herself together in spite of her fear. But he was also taken aback by her continuing use of English. Who was it she was meeting with?

"Watch for stormy seas, Ramírez," the old pirate said to his young companion. The boy nodded and hung back near the rail of the ship, keeping watch.

The crewman led them to the forward cabin and knocked on the door. They were shown into a sumptuously appointed room filled with charts of the sea on the table and the scent of spices in the air. These clues along with the emblem on the wall told Barbossa with whom Marina was dealing with, and he began to understand her desperation.

Warick was a nondescript little man with a round face who was neither young nor old, but whose eyes were mean and filled with amusement as he looked at the woman who stood before him. "Señorita Marina, this is an unexpected pleasure," he said trying to sound respectful. "I was expecting your father."

"He is very ill, Señor Warick, and so I came in his stead."

"Yes, that is tragic although too much drink sometimes has that effect," their host replied scornfully. Marina flushed. "But I will gladly deal with you, my dear." He moved closer to her, but had to look up to meet her eyes. "Simple stated your father owes the company a great deal of money for the spices and tea he purchased from us, and I am here to collect."

The old pirate looked at the young woman with new eyes. It was highly illegal for merchants under the jurisdiction of the Spanish crown to do business with any non-Spanish traders.

"Please Señor Warick," Marina pleaded, "this year has been very bad for the business of my father. Two of our ships were taken by pirates." Barbossa wondered idly if the Sovereign had anything to do with the girl's trouble, but couldn't say for certain. One Spanish ship was just like another. "And two others have not returned to port yet. If you will only wait another month until the end of the sailing season, I am sure they will arrive and my father will be able to pay his debt to the East India Company."

Warick looked bored and irritated. "And what would become of the company if we gave indefinite extensions on payment to all of our business partners? Really, Señorita, you are leaving me with no choice. Your father's relationship with us will have to be revealed to the Spanish authorities."

Now Marina looked desperate. "No por favor, no Señor Warick! My father will be imprisoned and my family will lose everything! Our good name will be reviled and…"

"That is not our problem, Señorita," the East India representative responded indifferently. "To be perfectly frank, your family will serve as a valuable warning and incentive to others. A warning to those who do not pay their debts, and an incentive for those who wish to achieve the wealth that your family has enjoyed until recent misfortunes."

"Please, please, I have money for you if you will only wait a little longer," Marina cried pulling a bag from her dress that clinked with the sound of coins.

Barbossa and Warick both looked at the bag with interest, and it did indeed prove to be filled with gold when the company man opened it. As he poured the bag into his hand, Warick looked Marina up and down with desire, commenting, "I do hope you did not sell something irretrievable."

At this point, Barbossa decided to step in. After all, he rarely had the opportunity to play the protective gentleman. In addition, he liked the East India Company as well as any pirate and welcomed the chance to intimidate one of their representatives. "That be enough of that, Mister Warick," he said striding forward to tower over the East India agent. "Miss Marina has made a fair offer and I suggest yeh take it. For while it is certain that yeh could destroy her reputation, yeh also be illegally in this port, within call of the Spanish Royal Navy."

Warick looked livid. "You dare to dictate to me, you filthy cur! I will have you…"

The pirate drew his sword with amazing swiftness, and both Warick and Marina stepped back in horror at the gesture. "Yeh'll be having nothing tonight, but what Miss Marina has offered. Yeh can either agree to this accord or I'll have no choice but to be killin' yeh at this moment."

The other man stared at him with a look of fear. Finally he acquiesced. "Very well. I will take your payment, Señorita, as a sign of good faith, but the Company will not wait for long. You had better pray that your ships arrive before two weeks have passed or I promise you that your family will be ruined."

Barbossa was glad to be quit of the East India ship, and walking in the direction of the Black Pearl. He was mildly surprised to find that Marina continued to walk with him and Ramírez. She remained quiet until they were out of earshot of the ship, then turned to look at the pirate with gratitude.

"I cannot thank you enough for accompanying me, Señor. I came only with the thought of gaining more time for my father. I could see no other way of gaining what I sought," the young woman said with a hint of admiration in her voice.

"Yeh should only hold to one idea while it be favorable," the pirate told her. "When it is no longer to yer advantage, then yeh must find a way of turning the tide."

She appeared to be mulling over his words. "But is that not dishonest? Surely it is better to keep your word…"

Barbossa laughed harshly. "Do yeh think that the Company or any of their ilk care for honesty? Yeh should always bargain in such a way that it will come out in yer favor in the end, even if yeh have to change the rules to do it. Besides," he glanced at Marina, "yeh were willing to offer a bribe to Warick. Most don't consider that to be honest."

"True," the Mexican lady said with a strange smile, "but fortunately for me and my family, your mind was working ahead of mine."

"And yeh best be turning yer mind to the future as well," he advised her. "Yeh canna hope that yer father's ships will arrive in time, if they reach port at all. I suggest yeh use this postponement to find another solution to yer problem."

Marina looked introspective. "There is a way, but I am afraid to take it."

"Then yeh must decide which be more distasteful to 'e."

"Sí," the woman said with a deep sigh. "You speak the truth, Señor…" She stopped abruptly. "I had not thought of this before, but I do not even know the name of my champion and teacher."

"Barbossssa!"

The pirate turned abruptly at the sound of his name. Among the many crates, boxes, and paraphernalia on the docks there was an ancient man seated on a bale of cotton with a basket at his feet. Barbossa carefully walked toward the old man and demanded, "How do 'e know who I am?"

The old beggar's eyes met the pirate's and then drifted away, colorless and blind with age. He continued to make strange noises, low and indistinct, which Barbossa couldn't understand. Not sure what was going on, he looked into the basket at the ancient's feet and saw in the moonlight more than a dozen delicious looking red and yellow apples.

With a smirk, the pirate reached down into the basket to take a piece of the fruit. An earsplitting shriek and a sharp set of teeth forced him to snap his hand back. A small monkey with dark fur had dropped from out of nowhere to stand over the basket as if guarding it.

"Vile creature!" Barbossa exclaimed with a snarl.

"He protects the old beggar, I think," Marina said with another smile. Then she turned to look at the man behind the monkey. A strange look of concentration crossed her face and she whispered, "He speaks the language of the ancient people."

"What is he saying?" Barbossa asked with renewed interest. "How does he know my name?"

The woman continued to focus on the old man, squinting her eyes in concentration. "What he says does not make any sense. He speaks of a great chest and bones of gold." She listened for another moment then went on, "He warns you not to continue on your path or you will be cursed by the ancient gods, doomed to death…" Marina glanced at him with confusion, "and life."

Barbossa had had enough of that talk. Now he was angry and more than a bit rattled by how the old man seemed to know who he was. He was seriously considering running the crazy fool threw when the sound of a shout brought him up short.

"Oye! Parate!" (3)

Barbossa turned to see two Spanish navy officers running towards him. He cursed his delays and the lovely lady who had been the cause of them as he turned to face this new threat. Although he felt sure that he could take care of these nuisances, it was also sure to attract more trouble. And sure enough, behind him he heard a gasp from Ramírez and the sound of more feet pounding the pavement. A glance over his shoulder revealed two burly men also hurrying towards the scene.

Perhaps playing innocent would help in this situation. With determined calm he took his hand away from his sword and faced the Spaniards with feigned surprise.

"Good evening, good sirs," Barbossa said with perfect civility. He could not see the faces of the officers that faced him, but he could feel them scrutinizing the situation.

"¿Qué haces aquí? ¿No tienes otras cosas que hacer?" (4)

Barbossa didn't understand a word, but he gave his most sincere smile and looked around for help. To his amazement the beggar and the monkey had disappeared, but the two other men had closed with them and were now talking very quickly to Marina. By the sound of her calming tone, she not only knew them, but was explaining the situation to them. With that done, she turned to the navy men.

"Gracias por el ayuda, pero aquí no hace falta. Este hombre me ha atendido, y os ruego que no le hagáis daño." (5)

One of the soldiers looked at her and Barbossa in what appeared to be amazement, but he responded politely, "Como quieras, Señorita." (6)

With that, Marina turned to face the old pirate. "Señor, I cannot hope to repay you for the kindness that you have done me this night, but I pray that in the future I can help you as you have me." With that she gave her hand to Barbossa, who took it though he was still wary about the whole situation. He did not kiss her hand as Jack had, but held it a moment admiring the smooth warmth before letting it drop.

"Don't be afraid of changing the rules, Miss Marina," he said with true sincerity. "Good night to 'e."

He watched a moment as she nodded gratefully and turned away, but quickly moved toward the Pearl himself. He didn't want to be alone with the soldiers after she was gone. But he hissed softly in annoyance as the men followed him.

Just as he was about to turn and cut one of them down, he heard a sardonic whisper. "Barbossa, what have you been up to?"

Barbossa let out a curse, and turned to stare into the impish face of Jack Sparrow, dressed from head to foot as a Royal Spanish marine. "Cap'n," the older man exclaimed with sincerity, "Yeh don't want to know!"

"I disagree mostly heartily with that statement, but will overlook it for now," he said with exaggerated nonchalance. Jack's face changed to reflect a darker excitement, however, as he looked Barbossa in the eye and said, "Let's go take what we can."

Author's Notes

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will remember that I welcome comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism. My grateful thanks to R for his help these translations, especially when I get myself in over my head and beyond my Spanish abilites.

1) ¡Es nuestro, anciago! ¡Déjanos pasar! – He is ours! Get out of our way!

2) Señor, ayudame por favor. – Sir, please help me.

3) Oye! Parate! – Listen! Stop!

4) ¿Qué haces aquí? ¿No tienes otras cosas que hacer? – What are you doing here? You have no business here.

5) Gracias por el ayuda, pero aquí no hace falta. Este hombre me ha atendido, y os ruego que no le hagáis daño. – Thank you for the help, but there is nothing wrong here. This man has assisted me, and I ask you to do no harm to him.

6) Como quieras, Señorita. – As you wish, Miss.

In way of explanation for the long delay in writing, quite frankly I was stuck. This story was originally written to fit into the canon of CotBP. DMC messed me up a bit, although in listening to the writers' commentaries I was correct about my initial assumptions. But I loved the characters that DMC introduced, including Tia Dalma, Davy Jones, Beckett and the Company, that I was reluctant to adjust my ideas until I knew how the story was going to end. Add to that the delight that was having Barbossa back, which allowed me to be able to study his character even more, kept me from working on this story for a while.

I was ready to start writing again in the Fall, but between being a first year teacher, losing my writing journals, and just starting a new phase in my life, it took me until now to really get back into it. It also helped that my other major fandom, the obscure Mysterious Cities of Gold, is enjoying a revival, which prompted me to do some more writing for that genre and gave me the bug again. So if you enjoy Guidelines, give a nod to Ancient Legacy because I wouldn't be doing this except for it. That and my awesome reviewers! I really appreciate the feedback that I have received and would love to get more. Keep giving me a guilt trip if I don't keep updating! I need it!