The next morning a select few of the crew were let out of the brig, officers of Marian's choice whom she knew would not try anything stupid out of bounds. Ulf, Ulrich, Angus, "Hack n' Whack" Perrault and "Snake" O' Donnell were allowed to roam the Dutchman and accompany their captain. They explored the ship cautiously, now and again casting wistful glances at the Creachadair, which was being towed. "Like a bloody worthless dinghy." Marian grumbled.
Bree watched as Marian stood by the rail, the twin Norsemen ever at her side like two silent, giant statues of might. Angus had sallied up to Clanker and Hadras and was staging a colorful conversation on the subject of...kilts.
"O-ho." Hadras said, (as usual he was not using his brain when speaking!), "Lookit, a man-skirt"
Angus's red-haired face turned almost as crimson as his scarf and he clenched his jaw. "This here, ye ninnyhammer, is th' feared tartan o' th' Hieland clan MacGregor. Ye'll nae call it a...a SKIRT or any other heinous title in me presence or I'll carve out yer eyes an' feed 'em to the seagulls! D'ye ken whae I'm sayin'?" he growled, cracking his knuckles.
Hadras protectively pulled the shell that encased his head closer to his body. "Here, now, it ain't fittin' to go all loony over such as this. 'E ain't hurtin' nobody." Clanker butted in.
Angus harrumphed. "Hurtin' me clan's colors an' the pride o' every honest MacGregor who's bloody bauld enough tae wear a kilt"
"I think it looks nice." Hadras said quickly, to redeem himself.
"Nice..." Angus mused, with a dark glare. "Hmph"
Marian left her mates by the rail and absently wandered over to Bree, who cocked an eyebrow at the shorter woman. "Ello, mate. Feelin' better"
"As well as can be expected." Marian sighed. She gave Bree a curious look. "I donae mean to prod in affairs that ain't me own, but, erm...how did ye...well...ye're Davy Jones's wife...why...how"
"That's a tale worth tellin', truth be told." Bree sighed. She looked away and Marian sensed a great deal of emotion. There was a history of pain behind the issue.
"Sorry. Ye don't have to tell me. All that matters is that ye're here an' I ain't dead." Marian said quickly, fiddling with her red sash. "I'm too curious for me own good"
"Bootstrap'll tell ye all." Bree said, jabbing a thumb at a tall and quiet crewman who kept to himself. "Let's talk about ye. From whence came ye? How's Jack? Ye said he trained ye in piratin"
Marian told Bree everything, about her mother and brother's deaths, about the near-rape that changed her life and the murder that followed. She told her about the Sea Wolves and Jack's efforts to mold her from a defiant Scottish girl into a strong, intelligent captain. She also told her about the brief romantic period between herself and the flirtatious captain; Bree found herself agreeing, Jack could be a bugger when drunk. The whole caboodle had ended when Marian slapped Jack, and all was settled between them. As usual when it came to Sparrow!
And there was the curse, too. It got worse on full moon nights and revealed itself when she was angry or upset. She had to constantly control herself or she would lose her reason and become a senseless killing machine. Ulf and Ulrich were her guardians and guides; they protected her from others and from herself. Ulf was the only man who could tame her when she lost herself. "An' that's all there is to know about me." Marian said with a sigh, then reddened. "Oh. Well, there's Alan"
"Alan? Ye didn't mention him before"
"Aye, I didn't. He's the brother o' the bloke who I killed on accident. He came a-roarin' tae kill me an' hoots, if we didn't start oglin' each other like a couple o' idjits. One night he escaped the brig an' came to my cabin to kill me then an' there. I pretended to be asleep an' he stood over me, a dirk in his hand, breathin' hard an' shakin' an' ready to end me life. I wanted to scream for Ulf an' Ulrich but I couldn't. My voice wouldn't come. An' ye know what? He didn't kill me. He couldn't. He left wi'out a sound an' even locked 'imself back up. He told me he couldn't bear to see me dead e'en after he'd been dreamin' o it for so long. Said 'e couldn't live wi' himself if he'd done it"
"What happened to him? I don't see him 'ere." Bree wondered.
"He went back to Scotland to join the Navy. I miss him. Sometimes I wish he'd come back an' then I could lock 'im up an' keep him there forever." She sighed. "Not really, o' course. 'E was handsome, too; long dark hair, brown eyes...an' he was a pansy when it came to fightin', bless 'is heart. An' 'e was one o' the few men who wouldn't run when I lost meself an' turned all...all ravenin' an' mad"
Bree found herself smiling. "Ye're in love wi' him"
"Aye, an' don't it stink? 'E's a lily-livered Lowlander what can't even handle a bloody claymore right an' I'm sick for 'im! Aye, an' 'e's the most wonderful man I ever met!" Marian wailed, hitting the deck rail. A hermit crab fell and splashed into the sea.
Bree shook her head. "Sounds like ye're in deep. I wish ye luck wi' that"
"Luck, shmuck. I ain't had luck since the day I passed frae th' womb!" Marian grumbled.
Bree laughed, so hard that Marian was bewildered. When she stopped she smiled and shook her head again. "Before I was Broadsword Bree, I was...Bad Luck Bree. For a reason"
"Bad luck? Here, take some o' mine- there's plenty spillin' around!" Marian said, brushing herself off as if to get rid of cooties.
Bree laughed and noticed that Davy was looking at her from the forecastle, a slight grin on his face.
She excused herself and went to his side, resting her head on his shoulder. "She ain't as bad as she makes herself out to be. Just a bit inexperienced an' flighty. An' in love, too"
"She ain't the only one." Jones said in a low voice, as a tentacle reached up and stroked Bree's face.
"Aye, an' I think it's contagious." Bree said, smiling.
Maccus came up to Ulf and the two men stood silent for a moment.
"That your hammer?" Maccus asked, studying Son of Thor.
"Aye. An' it works mighty well." Ulf rumbled.
He looked over at Maccus's axe. "That your axe"
"Aye. She's a beaut in battle"
More silence.
"My hammer is named Son of Thor." Ulf said.
Maccus seemed perplexed. "I ain't never named me axe"
"You should." Ulf said thoughtfully. "A man knows his weapon once he's named it"
Maccus pondered this is Ulf stalked away.
"Hm." he said. He would have to think hard on this. A name for an axe??
Marian sat spellbound as Bootstrap Bill told her the tale of how Bree had come to the Dutchman, had endured torture and pain, had nearly driven herself and the captain mad over love. She found herself feeling small in the shadow of this great warrior woman who had tamed the Sea himself. She cried when she heard certain parts and felt her heart swell as he finished with the triumph and return. She was amazed. Jack had married Jones and Bree? It was incredible! He had never told her. Then again, Jack didn't tell people a lot of things.
Bootstrap fell silent and studied the face of the girl before him. She was pretty, but in a wild, rugged way; her nose was not graceful, nor were her brows thick or slender, nor was she strikingly beautiful. A very average girl. But yet not. Beneath her visage flickered the flames of a spirit not used to being tied down. Bootstrap knew plenty about those sorts of spirits...Bree herself was one. For some reason he felt a grave sense of need over Marian, as if she needed protecting. From herself.
Marian cocked an eyebrow at the crewman. "What"
"It ain't often a new female face shows up on this ship." Bootstrap said. "O' course, there's Caylie an' her lot"
"Who's Caylie"
"Jones's niece"
Marian sighed. "Ain't ever met her, mate. I haven't met lots o' people that share these seven seas wi' me. I ain't captain o' the Sea Wolves by choice. I was ready to give up the title but after I put on this here trinket, I was stuck. Only the captain can wear an' use it. Me dad was able to use it without goin' crazy; I guess I must be too weak an' inexperienced for its power. That's what I hear from a lot o' blokes what look at me"
"A curse can bear a terrible price. I know." Bootstrap said in a low voice. "Is there any way o' liftin' it, I wonder"
"Oh, that's the rich part." Marian laughed haughtily, bitterly. "Y'see, I'm immortal an' wild as long as I'm a virgin under this curse. If I give meself to any man, or am forced, I become vulnerable to any passin' bullet. That's why me dad was killed. He an' me mum had me an' me brother John, rest his soul"
"Is that why ye keep those two near ye? For protection"
Marian mumbled something cross about the "protection" bit (she hated it when men climbled onto their "small and weak female" platforms) but did not snap at him. "Aye. An' they keep me in check when I'm...not meself"
Bootstrap watched as she got up and stalked up on deck, her curls flopping against her back as she strode. He felt his mouth quirk slightly into a smile. Females. Always full of surprises.
Still, though, he couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen. And it would involve Marian.