Story [POTC] "The Devil's Hand" Chapter 14 up 26 Feb 2013! COMPLETED

Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Devil's Hand
Author: DantanaSkywalker
Rating: PG
Genre: action, romance, angst, suspense, horror
Author's Notes: This was originally written in 2003 and then temporarily abandoned, and I've recently, in the wake of the sequels, reritten it. I apologise if some parts come off a little uneven. I have this set in the early 1690s because Tortuga was abandoned around 1688, ad the original Port Royal, Jamaica, sank in an earthquake in 1692 and was rebuilt atop the cliff where Fort Charles is/was.
Disclaimer: I only own Nicola Holyfield and Giacomo Roccelli. I don't own Will, Elizabeth, Norrington, or any of the POTC characters.

[image=[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/dantanaskywalker/tdh.jpg][/url]

PM List:
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---

[B]--Prologue--[/B]

[I]Port Royal, Jamaica[/I]
[I]1690[/I]

Pirates loved pillaging and plundering. And raping. This lot wasn't as focused on the latter. Destruction was more their objective, and they were good at it.

Screaming people ran to and fro, chasing by cackling pirates. Buildings were rocked by explosions, both from a pirate armed with explosives, and the cannon balls fired from the menacing ship wreathed in fog in the harbour.

An old woman sat in her small home, above the jewelry shop that she and her son ran. She was huddled at a table at which a single candle burned, seemingly oblivious to the disorder outside. In her withered, spotted hands, the skin dry and papery, she held something gold and glittery.

As her gnarled fingers turned it over, holding it above the tiny flame of the candle, her lips moved soundlessly. Her dark eyes were alert in her lined face, fixed on the pendant. Shaped like a bird, wings outstretched, head to one side, it clutched in its feet a large, perfect black pearl, the size of the woman's thumbnail. The firelight made it glow red, though it was, in fact, more of a blue-green hue. A ruby glittered in the eye of the bird, insignificant next to the pearl.

Outside, flames shot into the sky from a nearby explosion, lighting the room in a blood-hued glow. The old woman smiled, and sat back, her stiff, bony fingers closing around the necklace.

She rose from the table, her joints protesting, and slowly shuffled down the stairs and opened the door onto the street. She inhaled deeply, stepped outside, and screamed at a passing pirate.

The startled pirate turned on her, spotted the necklace in her hand, and reached for it. The old woman threw the necklace at him and rushed inside, slamming the door shut and locking it.

Then she smiled.

[hr]

[B]--Chapter One--[/B]

[I]Port Royal, Jamaica[/I]
[I]1691[/I]

The Honourable William Turner--blacksmith and future son-in-law of the governor of Jamaica--was not having a good day. And it was only fifteen past ten in the morning.

One of his best customers had reneged on an outstanding bill, leaving Will with a now-useless ornamental sword; the [I]Black Pearl[/I] was in port, with white sails and an assumed name; and his dear, sweet, fiancée of four months and seven days had just informed him that she had been thinking, and didn't know if she quite wanted to wait until their wedding night.

He wasn't sure how he would have reacted to this announcement under normal circumstances . . . meaning if she hadn't burst into his workship and loudly announced the fact . . . in the presence of one Captain Jack Sparrow, dread pirate. Or maybe just pirate.

Will paused mid-sentence, blinked, and then flushed a deep, bright red, gaping awkwardly at Elizabeth. He glanced at Jack, who was grinning.

"Not a eunuch, then," was all the pirate said.

Elizabeth stopped, her face slowly turning crimson. "Um. Hello, Jack. How are you?"

"As well as can be expected with the British trying to capture me." Jack bowed, doffing his leather tricorn. "Felicitations on your betrothal, Miss Swann. And Mr. Turner, of course," he added,

 

Ooooh.

I'm hooked.

Nicola's a handful, isn't she?

If you have a PM list, Dana, I would love to be on it.

 

She's a bit headstrong and opinionated, yes.

Okay, I'll start one!

 

I love it! You got Jack down perfectly.

I'd loved to be PMed as well!

 

Thank you! He's a hard one to pin down. It helps that I'm, um . . . just a wee bit obsessed.

I'll add you now!

 

Nice job! It was easy to picture what Jack was saying, you write him very well.

 

I'll third or fourth the kudos on your portrayal of Jack . . . he's loltastic. And that has to be the best introduction of a Jack/OC romance ever (assuming that's where this is headed). Not the knife thing, but the, "Will, I'm in love with your cousin." It makes no sense and should never, never happen, which is, of course, perfect. And of course Jack's choice of women still has to aggravate Will. It just wouldn't be the same if it didn't.

There were some other little classic bits:

The woman's muffled voice came from behind the pirate. "Drop the sword and I'll let him go."

"Let him go and I'll drop the sword," Will countered.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "How about this? You both let go on the count of three?"

They're lucky that didn't go on for hours.

As a history nerd, I appreciate your rewinding to the 17th century, which was when the Caribbean was more "fun." Technically, piracy shouldn't be a big deal in the area after ~1720, but of course there shouldn't be carnivorous monster squid, either, so I won't complain if people set the stories later.

Still, it is always nice to see glimpses of the (sort of) real thing.

May as well put me on the PM list, too.

 

I really like this! If you're doing a PM list, I"d love to be on it!

 

Thanks!

Yeah, that's where it's headed. Heh. I knew going in that I wanted it to be a really skewed dynamic, and something that would make Will's left eyelid twitch every time he thought about it.

Hee!

The insistance from fans that POTC takes place in the 18th century has always driven me nuts. The governor's and Will's outfits (esp the D'Artagnan getup at the end of COTBP) are late 17th-century, as is the dress the pirates force Elizabeth to wear. And that corset that she's introduced to at the beginning was just coming into style around 1690. The only costumes that are completely out of place are the British soldiers; those are mid-late 18th-century and are incorrect. (My major in college was costume/theatrical design, can you tell? )

Did you notice the flag? The movies definitely take place before 1714, when the missing red cross was filled in.

I'll add you to the list!

Thank you! There is, indeed, a list, and I'll add you to it right now.


Dana

 

-Chapter Two--

Will found her fairly quickly, sitting on a barrel, eating a chunk of cheese and chatting with Gibbs.

"You've really never heard of Jack Sparrow?" Gibbs asked incredulously as Will walked up.

"I honestly haven't," Nicola said. She smiled at her cousin. "Hello, Will."

"Nicola. It isn't safe for you to wander around the-"

She cut him off, gesturing at Gibbs. "He's safe enough."

"He's also a crewmember."

"Yes, I know that, cuz," Nicola said. "Why else would he be on the ship?"

Will sighed. "Gibbs, this is my cousin, Miss Nicola Holyfield."

Elizabeth joined them then. Will really hadn't expected her to stay put. She was followed by Jack. The pirate captain had a bulky bag over one shoulder, presumably Nicola's, and the young woman's weapon.

Nicola gave him a cheeky grin. "We've already met. But the gesture is appreciated."

Elizabeth's brown eyes swept over the dishevelled figure before her. "Come back to the manor with me, Nicola, and we'll get you properly-"

"Clothed? Styled? Trained?" Nicola straightened, suddenly seemed undeniably lady-like in spite of her ragtag appearance. "I assure you, Elizabeth, that there is, in fact, nothing wrong with my manners, if I have proper motivation for maintaining social standards. I have, after all, been to the King's Court in Paris, and met Louis himself."

Then she grinned, her blue gaze flicking to the pirate captain. "Of course, I usually find I've less than adequate motivation . . . which is probably one of the reasons I was sentenced to death."

"What did you do?" Will demanded.

She just smiled, a small, enigmatic smile that would soon, he was certain, drive him crazy.

Jack was studying the dagger. It was a design he'd seen before, but he couldn't quite place it. Witchcraft, he mused silently. It was certainly no ordinary dagger. Jack Sparrow was rarely wrong, and he knew it had ceremonial purpose. That was not in question. What was in question was how Nicola Holyfield had come by it, and how she had been captured and tried for witchcraft.

He looked up to find Nicola staring at him. Wordlessly, he handed it back to her, point towards the floor. One corner of her mouth curled up in acknowledgement of his distrust. "Don't worry, Captain Sparrow. I'm not going to stab you."

His smile match her own, in response to her unspoken "Yet". He handed the bag to Will. "Found this under the table. I am assuming this belongs to the . . . lady."

Will nodded and slung it over his shoulder, then took his cousin by the arm. "Regardless of whether you wish to or not," he told her, "you are coming back to the manor."

"I never said I wasn't. I implied that I will not act like a trained lapdog."

She was still protesting as he dragged her down the gangplank, Elizabeth trailing behind.

Gibbs stood. "Interesting girl."

"Very interesting," Jack murmured.

His first mate studied the captain's reddened cheek. "She slap you?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Good point."

Gibbs moved off, leaving Jack standing on the deck by himself. It was a moment before the pirate stirred.

"Her father's name is Leslie?"

----------

The instant they walked in the door of the governor's mansion, Nicola was swamped by maids who absconded with her person, stripped her, and dumped her in a large copper tub full of hot water. At least, it seemed that way. How they'd prepared so quickly was completely beyond her comprehension. She'd never been able to get the maids to work that fast back home.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed, as Flora, Elizabeth's newest maid, pulled a little too hard on her gold locks. Her hair had been washed, dried, and was now being brushed.

"I'm dreadfully sorry, miss," the maid murmured.

"No," Nicola said to Elizabeth. "I'm not going to wear one. I refuse."

"I'm afraid your garments are being laundered, and you have no choice," Elizabeth sighed. "I detest them just as much as you. However . . ."

Nicola groaned. "I know. Everything I could possibly borrow is in your wardrobe, and every dress yo

 

"What did you do?" Will demanded.

Good question.

Gibbs stood. "Interesting girl."

"Very interesting," Jack murmured.

His first mate studied the captain's reddened cheek. "She slap you?"

"Who hasn't?"

"Good point."

Gibbs moved off, leaving Jack standing on the deck by himself. It was a moment before the pirate stirred.

"Her father's name is Leslie?"

*snort*



"I can't breathe," Nicola wheezed.

Corsets have a nasty habit of doing that.

Nicola pulled out her dagger and placed it on the map in front of him. "Giacomo Pantaleone Ulisse Damiano Roccelli, or, as he's known in the French court, the Devil's Hand. He's also my former intended."

Hmm, I sense intrigue!

Nice update, Dana.

 

Ah, the plot thickens with the disastrous ex-fiancé. Loved the gold moire, too.

Is it wrong that I'm getting a history buzz off the commentary?

I'd honestly never looked at the British flag in the films . . . that would be one way to date them precisely--if they could be dated precisely, which they can't.

Once upon a time, I was in a cross-disciplinary Master's program, studying Early Modern Literature and History, but I'm dreadfully rusty. Fashion was never more than kind of a interesting sideline, and I ought to shut up and defer to you--but I'm just geeked that anyone else would care. Elizabeth's corset does indeed look early-period, but I swear, both Jack's coat and Elizabeth's yellow dress in CotBP were mid-18th century. I think I actually mentally dated the entire series at approximately 1755 based solely on Elizabeth's dress. This does not explain Will's "nice hat," but then, what does?

I'm sorry. Carry on.

 

Hehe, goodness she's a handful.

And AWWWW! Not-Dead-Norry! Sulking away.

I can tell she's getting on Elizabeth's nerves, though I find it amusing that she's essentially what Elizabeth becomes in DMC.

Great job!

 

That may or may not come into play again later.

Heh, yes. The styles getting into the 18th century were a lot skinnier in the waist than in the 17th century, so Nicola isn't used to this type of corset. Hence the wheezing.

Thank you! . . . I think I might have gotten carried away with his name there, but he's Italian nobility.

They were engaged for all of, like, a week. Heh. But we'll learn more about that in chapter three.

I can't find the article I was reading that stated that the flag was definitely before 1714 for whatever reason, which makes me sad. Ah, well.

There's a huge mix of periods in the costuming, like putting 1720s wigs with 1770s uniforms, or whatever. I've heard that they mostly just picked what looked cool and left the rest purposely ambiguous. Jack's boots are, well . . . that huge cuff looks cool, but I don't know of any period where that was the style.

The governor's outfit at the beginning of the first movie was pure 1680s.

I <3 Norrington!

She is and she isn't. She doesn't dress like a boy, but she's perfectly comfortable on a ship since she's been on them since she was a baby. The pirate thing doesn't faze her, either, like it does Elizabeth, probably because she's used to sailors. Heh.


Dana

 

Well, Nicola is going to take some getting used to, but she's entertaining around the canon characters and those are written well. Especially Jack. I'll keep an eye on this.

 

Thanks!

 

I could barely stop laughing long enough to read this. You captured it all so perfectly, I could see it playing in my mind! Please let me know when you update!


--later--
6669

 

Thank you! I'll add you to the PM list.


Dana

 

I like this a lot!! Nice blend of drama and humor. Nicola s fun and I'm really excited about this new threat.

Please add me to the PM list

 

Intersting, may I be put on the pm list?

 

Thank you! I'll add you right now.

Sure!


Dana

 

--Chapter Three--

Both men gaped at her. Will made a few abortive attempts at speaking before he managed, "What?"

Nicola sighed and perched on one of the chairs nearby. "I told you I've been to the French court. The fact of the matter is . . . I rejected all of my suitors in England and Father . . . is rather desperate to get me off his hands, as Mum insists that my younger sisters cannot wed until I am. She still resents your mother marrying before she did, and four years younger, to boot."

She tapped her fingers on the arm of the chair, which was an elaborate and heavy thing. "My sister Catherine has a serious suitor, a young Lord by the name of Alexander. Since Father wants us both off his hands, he took me to France to see if he could get me a French husband.

"While I was there . . . I met Giacomo."

Jack picked up the blade and examined it. That was why it looked familiar, in a way. It was very expensive Italian steel. "And this bugger . . . what? I mean, besides decided to come into my territory?"

She stood and went over to the windows, hands behind her back. "At first, I was very flattered. He's a strikingly handsome man, with good manners and with quite a bit of money. But . . . the more time I spent with him, the more uneasy I became. There were whispers about him in the salons. I'd like to think I'm an intelligent woman, I know that men tend to stray. But the stories I overheard from women were . . . increasingly disconcerting."

Nicola glanced at Will. "They call him the Devil's Hand. At first, I thought it was merely because he had a reputation as a rakehell that I did not learn until after he'd begun courting me. But it didn't come from that."

Jack's dark eyes followed her as she paced the cabin. "Cabbalistic magick, then?" he asked.

Her eyes, blue with an edge of green, darted his way. "To start with. At first, I thought it was nonsense. Until I stumbled into something one night, and he . . . I saw him sacrifice a young woman on an altar. She bore something of a resemblance to me. I told Father immediately, and he sent me on the next ship back to England. Roccelli followed me, because he knew I'd seen. The next thing I knew, I was being arrested for witchcraft."

Will frowned. "But why?"

"I'm not entirely certain. I know he was angry that Father had broken the betrothal. I still cannot believe I agreed to his proposal. He came to see me, demanded that I return with him. I refused. The next morning, I was arrested. I . . . managed to escape after promising to wed the garrison commander, who is on the older side and was in need of a wife. He said he could make the charges go away if I agreed to marry him. Since they were going to execute me in a week, I was rather desperate, as you can imagine."

She looked between the men, from Will's angry, concerned face, to Jack's shuttered, non-committal expression. "I knocked him unconcious, snuck home and packed a bag, and used the letter Father gave me for passage from France to convince Captain Marchant he was to bring me to the Caribbean. This was the only place I could think to come. No one knows me here, except you, Will. I could start over, however I needed to do that."

Nicola clasped her hands and sank back into the chair she'd vacated. She gazed at Jack steadily. "And then I hid here, snuck aboard after I saw the other woman, the dark one-"

"Annamaria?" Jack asked.

"I have no idea. I saw her aboard and thought perhaps I could hide here. I didn't want Captain Marchant to realise there wasn't anyone waiting for me. I hid in here, since I figured the crew wouldn't come barging into the captain's cabin. Then you came in, and you started discussing Roccelli . . ."

Will crouched by her chair. "You need not worry, Nicola. You're safe here."

"Am I?" she asked. Her face was a little bleak. "There's no hiding from Roccelli."

Jack pushed a bottle of rum across the desk towards her. "Drink that, you'll feel better."

"Thank you, but no." She gave Will a weak smile. "I'm hoping he doesn't learn that I'm her

 

Very cool!! I'm really excited about this 200-year-old French pirate.

~Nat

 

Actually, Roccelli is Italian, but he has French connections, which we will explore.



Dana

 

Hehehehe, oh Jack.

Great job! Can't wait for more.