Disclaimer: I don't own enough to buy penny candy and certainly don't own enough stake claim to Pirates of the Caribbean franchise but when I take the pirate spirit into account…grabs burlap sack and sets off to commandeer Jack (the man and the monkey)
Elizabeth Swann shifted her weight and felt as if she could melt into the cloth slippers she wore but thought better of it as Sri Sumbhajee, the heavily bearded pirate lord of the Indian Ocean stood up and said in a high falsetto voice, "And so, we shall go to war". Hissing a sigh of relief, Elizabeth shifted her weight back again knowing all eyes were on the former Hindu priest. All eyes save two. The pair of unseeing onyx eyes looked straight at her underneath harsh slanting eyebrows.
"Mistress Ching." Came the scratchy remark followed by the stench of rotting teeth and of damp monkey.
An uneasy feeling washed over Elizabeth as she turned to look at Barbosa. She was accustomed to standing in front of crowds. Her childhood had allotted her to overcome stage fright. Still, the gaze of the Chinese woman felt harsh and appraising as if all of the deeds and words Elizabeth ever did or spoke were on display for Mistress Ching's sanction. Govenor Swann's daughter met Mistress Ching's gaze and despite knowing that it would go unnoticed by the Chinese pirate, sent back a look that seemed to challenge.
The rum began to flow freely and soon, Elizabeth found herself standing alone in the same spot she had been when the votes were tallied. And oddly enough, Mistress Ching's gaze never wavered. The stench of one Jack had replaced by the other, more talkative Jack, a mix of rum and the sea air before a storm. Elizabeth did not have to turn to know Jack Sparrow had walked up behind her and was rather glad she didn't have to. Her blooming pirate instincts told her not to turn her back on the pirate lord of the Pacific Ocean.
With a flourish, Jack gave a small bow. "Pirate King," he addressed Elizabeth with a hint of a joke only he knew the punch line of in his twitchy eyes. "Don't we go places, darling."
Breaking her gaze with the blind pirate, Elizabeth cast an exasperated look at Jack, the unspoken question of what he was playing at lingering in the air. Her icy gaze did not yeild the answer she wanted however, for Jack's eyebrows shot up, indicating something had crossed his mind. He pointed to Ching and looked at Elizabeth square in the face.
"So, you caught the eyes of Mistress Ching…so to speak." It was unclear whether or not it was a statement or inquiry but doggedly, Jack continued. "Bugger. Better watch your neck, love."
"I always watch my back." Came the flat reply.
"Is that so?" Jack continued, flailing his hands a bit, "I said watch your neck for if you so foolishly decide to mind your back, you might one day come to find you no longer possess the attachment of the head to the shoulders to do the aforementioned watching of the backside."
Elizabeth sighed at the long-windedness of the man Tia Dalma referred to as "Mad Jack". How was he intoxicated so soon after the rum began making rounds? Captian Swann decided it was not worth the effort to analyze and asked him to degarble his response.
"Got a little itch for decapitating." Jack explained bluntly in a soft voice laden with the smell of rum on his breath. "Mistress Ching has an itchy sword hand. If I were you,…which would make you meself, making lover boy some lass in Tortuga, making Gibbs the monkey because that would be entertaining…I would watch yourself around her. Pirate King or not, love."
"What can a blind woman possibly do?" Elizabeth wondered.
"A lot more than ye think. No more or less than what Chevalle, Jocard, Sumbhajee, Villanueva or the Corsair will do. They might not look like they can hold a candle to Jones, but trust me, love, they've had their moments." He flashed her a misplaced smile, "Just because ye be our king doesn't mean all of us will prance to our death with out taking you down…savvy?"
"What do you know about Mistress Ching…about all of them, Jack?" Elizabeth half demanded about the remaining pirate lords. It was curious, half of her longed to hear just to gain a better understanding of the pirates. She had made it a point to hear every story about the famous pirates when she was a child. And old habits died hard. Yet there was a pull to know more for survival's sake. The last thing she wanted to do was misjudge the old lady, the sqeaky voiced monk, the Spaniard, fruity Frenchman, former slave, and the Turkish "heathen". If she did, Elizabeth would awake to a knife in her back and that was the last thing she-and the pirates- needed, the only person able to make the decision to fight to be found dead. No, Bacon always wrote that knowledge is the key.
Sparrow gave her a smile that tugged more to the left side than the right and with another flourish of his hands he leaned in closer, "What do you want to know about them?"
A/N: what do you think? Short but a perfect Prelude. Mistress Ching is first. Oh and perhaps I should mention there are slight spoilers…please review and tell me what you think!