#bonecrossed

The Pearlcatcher stood silently for a moment, rolling the skull that served as his pearl in his claws. So it was all true. He’d heard the rumors of what this pirate queen had done, what she was capable of. He had to do everything in his power to control his excitement as he thought of all the possibilities. Of what she could do for him. 

Time seemed to drag on as Velina watched him stand there, stroking the old skull in his claws. Finally, just as she was about to demand an answer, he spoke. 

“They’re all dead, your majesty. All of them are dead and I’d rather not discuss what happened to them. Suffice to say it wasn’t pretty. Only myself and Maggot here”, he said gesturing briefly to the Fae, “Made it out alive.”

Though she was taken aback a little by his blunt answer, her expression slowly began to soften. It appeared these two were merely looking for refuge. Perhaps their arrival wasn’t so sinister after all. “You have my sympathy.-”, Velina paused, “I don’t believe you mentioned your name?” The Pearlcatcher let out a raspy chuckle, “How rude of me! My apologies, your majesty. It’s Mortimur.” Velina smiled, “Ah, then you have my sympathy, Mortimur. I assume you are here then because you wish for me to take you in? Or do you seek my help in some other way?” 

Mortimur and Maggot both took a knee and bowed their heads before her. “If your majesty would have us then we would be honored to join your clan”, Mortimur lifted his head to meet her gaze, “I promise that you won’t regret it.”

Velina tilted her head to the side as she considered their request. She needed more subjects if she hoped to build her new empire and these two, though strange, seemed honorable enough. After what had happened between her and Othello, she was more determined than ever to prove that this was the only way. What better way to do it than to grow her clan and show him that like this, they would finally flourish. The only issue now would be whether they were willing to give up their lives to be reborn as a true Bonecrossed dragon.

“I see no reason why I shouldn’t take you in... Though there is one very important thing I must ask you..” 

Both dragons looked up at her, their eyes gleaming. “Yes, your majesty?”

“Are you willing to give up your lives to be reborn as true members of my kingdom?” Velina sat back in her throne, awaiting their answer. This was not an easy thing to ask, but it was the only way. She would not risk the life of any Bonecrossed dragon to Dagna’s prophecy. 

Mortimur felt his heart leap for joy in his chest. Yes! This is exactly what he had hoped for. “Aye, I am.” It was hard to keep the excitement out of his voice, but he managed. Velina nodded her head in approval and turned her attention to the Fae once more, “And you? Would you do the same?” The Fae merely nodded his head once, eyes obscured by his crimson hood. 

Velina clapped her hands together once and stood, her wings fanning out behind her dramatically. “Then it is settled. I will perform the ritual tonight right here in my throne room. Until then you are to remain under the watch of my Guardian,” she said motioning to the behemoth of Guardian beside her, “Narcissus until then.”

Mortimur and Maggot turned to face the Guardian, both bowing to him in an almost exaggerated fashion. “It’s a pleasure, Narcissus.” The Guardian grunted in response, his dull eyes never leaving the floor. 

Nodding in approval Velina turned to leave, but stopped short suddenly. “Oh”, she said turning back to face them again, “What is it that you two did in your previous clan? I’d like to know what skills you posses.” Mortimur smiled as he rose to face her, his eyes never leaving hers. 

At first he said nothing. He simply stood there, the gears in his head turning as he searched for the right words to say. “I had a proposition, my lady. One I think you’d be most interested to hear.” Velina quirked a brow at him, this should be good. “Go on.. I’m listening.” 

“I think it’s safe to assume that you’re aware of how many... Enemies you’ve created among your subjects”, his eyes shifted to Narcissus who stared back, eyes hard and full of anger, “You’re going to need help. Help from someone who you can trust.”

Velina stared straight ahead, her eyes betraying nothing of her feelings. “And are you suggesting that you are the man for this job?” Ramsay bowed his head and shrugged, “I suppose that I am. After all..”, he said, locking eyes with his queen, “I am one of the few among us who thinks what you did was for the greater good of the clan.” Velina sat silently as she considered all that he was saying. It was true that she wasn’t very popular, but surely that would change over time. They’d come to see that she’d done this for them. 

Besides, how could she be sure that she could trust Ramsay? Up until now Ramsay had had very little to do with her and he certainly never seemed like the trustworthy type to her. Velina was no fool, he clearly had an angle. However, as with most things, her curiosity got the better of her. “What is it that you would do for me exactly?” 

Ramsay tilted his head and smiled humbly; a smiled that looked completely out of place on his face. “I would act as your right hand. I would help you take care of business and deal with those not worth your time so that you wouldn’t have to”, he shrugged, “A win win for you if I do say so myself.” Velina nodded her head slowly as she considered his proposal, but her mind was already made up.

“It’s clear that you’re very well aware of my current... Predicament”, she said finally, “If you weren’t you wouldn’t have come in here expecting me to jump at the first opportunity to have someone on my side, correct?” Ramsay’s expression remained neutral, “Not at all, your highness. In fact-” Velina held up her paw to silence him. This made his blood boil, but he quickly squashed it down. Patience was key in this situation. 

“While I appreciate your offer I think it would be best for me to decline. Perhaps something will change in the future, but for now..” 

“Ah”, Ramsay said suddenly, “Say no more. I understand that you need time to think about it”, he smiled broadly at her, “ After all you have so much on your plate with building a kingdom and working towards gaining the loyalty and respect of the clan back”, Velina flinched and Narcissus shifted uncomfortably a her side, “Just know that the offer remains on the table if you happen to change your mind, your highness.”

They took them completely by surprise. The last thing either of the guards heard was the primal roar of the Captain’s Guardian before he slaughtered them, their skulls crushed beneath his feet in an explosion of blood and bone. The Captain chuckled lightly as he ran past their pulverized corpses. The poor fools never stood a chance. His crew made quick work of those who’d had the misfortune of being in the center of the village that night. They cut them down without mercy, quickly taking what few possessions they’d had on them before moving on to the next poor soul. Some chose to run and others chose to hide; either choice ended badly. 

The assault lasted far longer than they’d expected it to and when it was finally over the Captain looked around at the carnage they’d caused, a twinkle in his red eyes. “Now, let’s see what treasures we can find. It would be a shame if all of this,” he gestured around dramatically at the bodies in the streets, “was for nothing!” Laughter erupted from the crew as they began to search the village and the dead for anything they thought valuable. 

“Captain!”

The Captain turned to face Hemlock, brows knit in annoyance. “What is it?!” The Wildclaw stepped forward with a smug grin, dragging with her a struggling, and very familiar,  Skydancer. Though her face was obscured and covered in cuts and bruises, he recognized her instantly. Velina. Lithe of body and eyes that were both intelligent and serious, she was still just as beautiful as he remembered her. “Well, what do we have here?”, he said as he snatched her wrist from Hemlock, not bothering to hide his grin. Velina twisted angrily in his grasp, “Let me go, you filth!” The Ridgeback stifled a laugh, he loved her spirit. 

“Now, now... Is that anyway to talk to an old friend?” In an instant he grabbed his sword from its sheath and pressed the blade against her neck. Enough to make her bleed, but not enough to truly hurt her. She swallowed, a bead of sweat trickling from her forehead to the tip of her sharp beak. “That’s better”, he said satisfied for the moment by her silence. “What an odd place to bump into an old friend.... and traitor,” he spat the last word at her like venom, “I wonder...What brought you here?”

Six months ago she’d not only been his First Mate, but his lover. It was true, she was a traitor, but she didn’t regret a thing. Not stabbing him in the back that night, not stealing from her former crew, and certainly not leaving him. Velina didn’t care about any of it. All she cared about was her end goal and they would have just held her back. Funny that she’d run into him now when she was so close.

“And I would do it all over again, just the same,” she spat back. As she turned her head away from him in disgust, something caught his eye. Tight around her neck was a very expensive and very old looking amulet. “My, my... What a pretty little necklace you have there. Where ever did you find it?”, he cooed, reaching out to touch it. She met his eyes suddenly, her stare unwavering. “Either let me go or kill me, but I promise you I will not let you take this, Barbossa”. Her words were laced with a threat, her teeth bared at him in snarl. The Ridgeback said nothing at first and his eyes held fast to her’s. He hated how his heart hurt to hear her say his name again. 

His grip on her loosened slightly and the corners of his mouth fell into a frown. “As you wish.” His hand shot up to grip her throat tightly and the air was cut off from her lungs. She struggled, kicking and clawing at him violently, but to no avail. He tilted his head ever so slightly, “Sorry about this, love. In the end it’s just business, isn’t it?” With that he thrust his sword into her belly and she gasped. She tried to speak, but the words were caught in her throat as he pulled the blade from her body only to shove it back deep into her chest this time.

The sticky metallic taste of blood coated her tongue as she fought to spit out the blood that was filling her esophagus. It’s almost poetic, she thought as the world around her grew darker and darker, that he’d be the one to end her when she was so close...

He released her throat and watched as she slid from his blade to the ground with a loud thud. He steadied himself, actively fighting to choke back the pang of sadness he was feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Pity.... I probably would have let her go”, he said finally as he reached down and ripped the necklace from her neck. “Let’s get out of here so the flies and vultures can clean up this mess”. As his crew left one by one, their sacks heavy with whatever treasures they had found, Barbossa sneaked a glance behind him.