Will Turner paced along the deck of the Dauntless. He should have been
happy. He should have been sharing a celebratory drink with the rest of the
crew. He had done what few could, become a pirate and be forgiven for it.
But it was the unforgiven pirate that was preying on his mind.
'While I'm up here Jack is in a cell. Waiting to be hanged.' He slammed his fist down on the railing of the Dauntless, his temper flaring up. Will's fist remained on the railing where he had struck it, and he saw the piece of cloth wrapped around his hand.
The fresh memories of the cave of Isle De Muerto came into his mind. Afterwards he had tied the cloth over the cut on his hand. He turned it over and looked at it, inspecting the cut under the cloth. It was small and healing well, but the bandage was soaked in blood. He'd need a new one.
Will knew that Jack had an identical wound on his same left hand. And that his bandage must need changing too.
"Will?"
The surprised man turned around to see Elizabeth staring at him. She was still dressed in the uniform of the British Royal Navy, and her hair was loose about her face. She looked worried about him, it showed clearly on her face.
"Elizabeth, can I ask a favor of you?" Will leaned against the railing to hold his footing. The Dauntless was trying to make good time returning to Port Royal and the occasional large swells sent the ship rocking.
"Of course Will," she said.
"Get the guards to let me go see Jack."
Elizabeth's eyes focused on the deck. This was obviously not the favor she was hoping for.
"Norrington has ordered that Jack be kept in the brig below deck and that no one can see him...."
"But he'll listen to you." Will took a step forward, his eyes full of desperation. "If you need an excuse, say that I want to change the bandage on Jack's hand." Will held up his left hand in front of her face. Not that Elizabeth needed the reminder, she had her own after all.
"I can try. But Will," she leaned in, trying to draw Will's attention to her. "Why do you want to talk to Jack so bad?"
"I just have to." His response was cold, her hidden pleas falling on deaf ears.
"Fine. Come with me and I'll try my best." Elizabeth turned on her heel, her rippling hair being carried by the ocean breeze that pushed the ship forward.
They went below deck, to where the officers were celebrating and drinking to their own merits. The galley was two decks above the brig, which was the lowest level. Elizabeth had survived being on the Black Pearl with Barbossa's crew and felt no intimidation walking into the middle of a naval drinking party.
"Commodore Norrington. Can I have a word with you?" She said loudly over the noise.
Norrington had drunk far less than his crew and walked towards her, back straight and as proper as ever. His eyes flicked to Will at her side. He still wore the same clothes he had been in when he left Port Royal, and his hair was down and his clothing ragged. He looked the part of a pirate.
"Of course Elizabeth." The three went down the hall, towards the stairs that would lead them down to the brig.
"Commodore, I was hoping you would allow Mr. Turner to see Captain Sparrow in his cell."
"I cannot. Your father and I decided it would be best for everyone's safety," Elizabeth could tell that he meant for her safety, "if Sparrow was kept locked up away from everyone. He isn't even being kept in the cell with the other pirates. We don't want to risk him escaping."
"Please James," Elizabeth batted her eyes up at him, "I'm worried about Captain Sparrow's well being. I wanted to go in and check on him myself, but Will insisted that wouldn't be safe, considering all that's happened."
Her voice was sickeningly sweet, and started to take its toll on Norrington.
"Still." His dark eyes met with Will's and the blacksmith felt the need to stand taller. "Can we trust that this is not some ill-conceived escape plan?"
Will opened his mouth to protest but Elizabeth interrupted him, "I assure you sir. It is not. I was the one who first wished to check on Captain Sparrow, Will was just being a gentleman about it. After all, can we trust that you and your crew have not been mistreating Ja-Captain Sparrow because of his being a pirate?" The only thing that could match Elizabeth's quick tongue was her even quicker wit.
"Fine. Turner will be allowed to see the pirate. But," Norrington stepped in front of them and began to make his way towards the staircase leading down to the lower levels. "You will be locked into the cell with Sparrow, and should he try and use you as a hostage, we will not meet his demands as we did in Elizabeth's case." He did not face Will or see the stinging glares he was receiving as he led them both to the brig.
The conditions of the ship worsened the lower they traveled, although it was still better than on any pirate ship. The brig was small, considering that the Dauntless was a warship and much more inclined to blow up her enemies than take them as captives. It consisted of one hallway, with six doors on each side. The doors had two small slots in them, one at the bottom with which to feed the prisoners, and one small window that the guard used to keep an eye on them.
Guards marched by each of five doors, containing the loud former crew of Barbossa. Two guards stood watch at one of the doors, no doubt the one containing Captain Jack Sparrow. All the guards stood to attention at the sight of their commodore.
"Mr. Turner here is going to be allowed to see the prisoner. You two are not to let the two of them out of your sight. And, you are to lock Mr. Turner in the cell until he wishes to come out."
Elizabeth stood at the back of the group, and Will walked quickly past Norrington towards the door to Jack's cell. He felt the other man grab his sleeve and stopped. Quietly, so as not to let Elizabeth hear, Norrington whispered to Will, "Remember Turner, I have no qualms about leaving you in there and presenting you to the hangman as an extra gift. When I return, if you are not out of the cell you will be brought out, understood?"
Will swallowed his pride and nodded wordlessly to the man. Norrington let him go and turned to Elizabeth, suggesting that they go up on deck until Will was finished with his business. With the exception of his unusual hatred towards Will Turner, Norrington was a good and decent man.
Not that you could convince Will of that.
The heavy metal door was unlocked and the two guards carefully let Will enter. The second his back cleared the doorway they slammed the door back in it's place.
Thunk.
Will cried out and held a hand to his head. The strike had come out of nowhere, and his eyes weren't adjusted to the dim light of the cell enough to see what was going on.
"Will?" A harsh voice came from Will's right. Coincidentally, this was also where the hit had come from.
"Who else would it be?" Will ground out. The only light that came into the cell was through the two slots on the door. After he could see, Will bent down and picked up a metal plate.
"Sorry bout that mate." Will returned the metal plate to a rather solemn looking Jack Sparrow. Though who wouldn't look like he did after a day in this cell. "Thought you were one of those imbecilic guards."
Will looked at the guards through the small slots in the door; they were still standing on the other side. He felt a hand grab his shirt and was pulled down to the floor, sitting next to the pirate.
"Come to rescue me whelp?" Jack half-growled sarcastically to him. He was obviously keeping his voice low to avoid giving the guards any more suspicions.
"Maybe. I don't know if I can." Will crossed his legs and settled down on the grimy floor.
"Well lad, don't stress over it." Jack leaned back, stretching comfortably in his prison. Will could see the shackles on his wrists had no chain between them. Commodore Norrington must not have trusted Jack after seeing him in action.
"I'm sorry Jack." He muttered.
The pirate raised both his hands and scratched at his beard.
"What would you be sorry for?" The blacksmith looked up and could see Jack's light brown eyes in the ray of candlelight streaming though the door slot.
"On the island." Will looked up. Jack just sat there staring at him, his head cocked to the side. Obviously, he had either forgotten or really didn't care about what had happened.
"Jack, I knocked you unconscious with an oar."
"Ah yes, I remember that now." Jack nodded emphatically.
"And you're saying you aren't angry? After all you did for me. You risked your life to help me save Elizabeth." Jack held up his hand and cut off Will's tirade.
"I took you to Elizabeth because I wanted me Pearl back."
"Still," Will bit his lip. He had these thoughts running around in his head of the past few days' adventures. "You could have gotten the Pearl back and killed Barbossa by just letting him kill me. Slit my throat over the gold."
"Look lad, it's over now. It doesn't matter and I forgive you." Jack smiled and Will saw the glint of his golden teeth. When he shook his head like that, the trinkets and beads clinked together. They were the only sound in the cell.
Jack leaned back against the musty wall of his cell and stretched his legs out in front of him. 'For someone who's going to be hanged he is far too relaxed.' Will took a place next to Jack, feeling the slime on the wall through his thin shirt.
"How'd you get Norrington to let you in here anyway."
"With Elizabeth's help." Jack snorted. He knew as much as anyone what the governor's daughter was capable of. "We convinced him that your wound needed treating."
Reaching into his pocket, Will pulled out a small rag. It was torn already from bandaging his own hand, but there was still enough left to tend to Jack.
"What wound?" Jack began to feel his chest, looking intently for some sort of injury he had missed. Will just grinned and reached out, grabbing a hold of the pirate's left hand.
Will untied the blood stained cloth as best he could. Parts of it had been caught in the metal shackles. The cut was not deep, but being in his palm it opened up every time Jack opened his fist.
"It's just a scratch. Not worth the time." His voice held no force to it, and Jack seemed to have just mumbled it to himself while he watched Will's hands tear the clean cloth into strips.
Will took Jack's hand in his and held it open till he could wrap it with the cloth. He felt a wave of déjà vu. He had done the same thing with Elizabeth, but she had flinched from his touch. Her hands were delicate and smooth. Not like Jack's.
Will tried to be as casual as he could when he felt the pirate's hands as he wrapped the wound. They were calloused and hard, worn down by salty ropes. But at least he didn't move away. Will's hands had blisters and scars from mistakes in the blacksmith's shop, but Jack's were even worse.
The silence was grinding on Jack's nerve as Will stared at his hands, taking his sweet time with the bandaging.
"If you're going to brood why not do it somewhere else whelp." Jack snapped playfully. This seemed to bring Will back to reality and he quickly released the pirate's hands. Hands that were so much like his.
"Sorry."
"Quit apologizing. What were you staring at anyway?" Jack held up his left and right hands, shackled as they were, and examined them in the small amount of light. He inspected them closely but found nothing interesting.
"You didn't pull away."
Again Jack looked at Will closely, expecting the boy to be drunk or something. He was acting very oddly. Not at all like the Will Turner he had come to know.
"What would make you think I'd pull away?" Will winced at the hurt tone in Jack's voice. The pirate had done a lot for him, even if some of it was for his own selfish reasons.
"Nothing against you," Will scooted away from the pirate Captain and leaned against the other wall, "I just thought you might."
Jack's fierce eyes met with the younger boy's and he had to turn away. He got the feeling that looking at him for too long would allow the captain to see what was troubling him.
"And what gave you that idea lad?" Jack got up and shuffled over to the other wall, his ankle shackles clanking together as he walked. He flopped down next to Will and put an elbow on his shoulder.
"Well, Elizabeth did it when I was helping to bandage her hand." He mumbled under his breath.
"Why?" Jack took down his elbow and looked concerned. He had grown quite fond of the pompous blacksmith since their first duel. He didn't want to see him so depressed after everything that they had gone through. And survived.
"My hands." Will held them up as if the answer was obvious.
Jack reached out with his hands and looked intently at Will's. Will could feel the pirate's hands, and they felt as if they had stories to tell. The rings were cold against his skin, but not uncomfortable. Jack eventually let go of Will's hand and gave him a scrutinizing glare.
"Nothing wrong with your hands."
"Blacksmith's hands....that's all." Will wasn't sure if Jack was getting what he was saying. Or maybe the pirate's brain was just too fried to understand.
"Feel like pirate hands to me."
"What do you mean?"
Jack cracked his neck and more or less shuffled around on the floor as best he could. He seemed uncomfortable sitting in one place for too long a time. And he had had to do it on numerous occasions, in numerous different prisons.
"You see, your hands are rough. They're not well bred, you haven't had things in life handed to you like some people."
Will nodded in understanding. "Like Elizabeth?"
"Right lad. Course..." Jack seemed to loose his concentration and his eyes wandered around his cell, as if he was bored with his visitor already.
"Yes Jack." Will shouted at the pirate. He turned back to him, gracefully it would seem, and smiled.
"Course, I can tell you, I prefer our hands to hers. You ain't been raised a pirate, but you got the blood in you boy. Certain things come with the territory of being a pirate, and rough hands are one of them."
"All these years trying to be a respectable citizen and you come along and make it all in vain." Will muttered, shaking his head.
"Aye lad. Would you prefer if I'd never helped you?" Jack raised his shackled hands in front of him and began to examine his fingernails, shooting glances occasionally at Will.
"No. I'm thankful for all you did for us. You did more than you should have." Again the boy's voice became melancholy and soft. Jack leaned in front of him, his dark outlined eyes prying for more information. "You let yourself be killed Jack. If it weren't for that gold coin-"
"None of this would have happened. Whether you had been there are not I'd have done it. Plus," Jack padded at his chest and opened up his shirt, showing that among the many scars on his body the sword wound was not one of them. "It's not like it really killed me or anything."
"Still makes me feel ungrateful." Jack rolled his eyes.
"You're not ungrateful." It seemed that the pirate was about to give another riveting speech to the blacksmith when they heard footsteps coming down to the brig.
"Norrington." Will stood up and Jack along with him. They stood in the corner of the room, and both had fleeting thoughts of escaping, but neither could see a point to it. Jack grabbed onto Will and pulled him closer, whispering in his ear.
"You'll get your chance to prove yourself grateful to me whelp. But only if you realize that being a pirate isn't a curse." Jack used his left hand and grabbed onto Will's. The bandage rubbed against their hands, but both could feel the hard and weathered skin beside it. "Plus, we both got the same hands."
Jack grinned, but immediately his face became emotionless as his door opened. Norrington stood and commanded a sense of respect from everyone. Will caught a glimpse of Elizabeth standing behind him, held away from the door by the guards.
"Mr. Turner your time is up."
A defiant feeling shot through Will and he stood at Jack's side, feeling the pirate's equal for the first time. Norrington saw the same look in Will's eyes as he had on the day in the Port Royal after the Black Pearl's attack.
That Will Turner, he had quite a temper for a blacksmith.
Norrington deliberately reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol. He leveled it at Will first, before turning just enough so that the barrel was directly at Jack's eyes.
"I suggest you do not try and push me Mr. Turner. You are a citizen of Port Royal and therefore deserve a fair trial." With a quick motion of the gun towards Jack he added, "But he is not. No one minds accidents when they happen to pirates."
Will obliged and walked forward, staring sternly at Norrington as he left the cell. Before the large door slammed shut he glanced back at Jack one more time. The pirate looked neither scared nor upset by anything that had happened.
He merely raised a calloused hand, and waved.
The End. * * * * * * * *
I hope you all enjoyed. Please review. ^_^
But it was the unforgiven pirate that was preying on his mind.
'While I'm up here Jack is in a cell. Waiting to be hanged.' He slammed his fist down on the railing of the Dauntless, his temper flaring up. Will's fist remained on the railing where he had struck it, and he saw the piece of cloth wrapped around his hand.
The fresh memories of the cave of Isle De Muerto came into his mind. Afterwards he had tied the cloth over the cut on his hand. He turned it over and looked at it, inspecting the cut under the cloth. It was small and healing well, but the bandage was soaked in blood. He'd need a new one.
Will knew that Jack had an identical wound on his same left hand. And that his bandage must need changing too.
"Will?"
The surprised man turned around to see Elizabeth staring at him. She was still dressed in the uniform of the British Royal Navy, and her hair was loose about her face. She looked worried about him, it showed clearly on her face.
"Elizabeth, can I ask a favor of you?" Will leaned against the railing to hold his footing. The Dauntless was trying to make good time returning to Port Royal and the occasional large swells sent the ship rocking.
"Of course Will," she said.
"Get the guards to let me go see Jack."
Elizabeth's eyes focused on the deck. This was obviously not the favor she was hoping for.
"Norrington has ordered that Jack be kept in the brig below deck and that no one can see him...."
"But he'll listen to you." Will took a step forward, his eyes full of desperation. "If you need an excuse, say that I want to change the bandage on Jack's hand." Will held up his left hand in front of her face. Not that Elizabeth needed the reminder, she had her own after all.
"I can try. But Will," she leaned in, trying to draw Will's attention to her. "Why do you want to talk to Jack so bad?"
"I just have to." His response was cold, her hidden pleas falling on deaf ears.
"Fine. Come with me and I'll try my best." Elizabeth turned on her heel, her rippling hair being carried by the ocean breeze that pushed the ship forward.
They went below deck, to where the officers were celebrating and drinking to their own merits. The galley was two decks above the brig, which was the lowest level. Elizabeth had survived being on the Black Pearl with Barbossa's crew and felt no intimidation walking into the middle of a naval drinking party.
"Commodore Norrington. Can I have a word with you?" She said loudly over the noise.
Norrington had drunk far less than his crew and walked towards her, back straight and as proper as ever. His eyes flicked to Will at her side. He still wore the same clothes he had been in when he left Port Royal, and his hair was down and his clothing ragged. He looked the part of a pirate.
"Of course Elizabeth." The three went down the hall, towards the stairs that would lead them down to the brig.
"Commodore, I was hoping you would allow Mr. Turner to see Captain Sparrow in his cell."
"I cannot. Your father and I decided it would be best for everyone's safety," Elizabeth could tell that he meant for her safety, "if Sparrow was kept locked up away from everyone. He isn't even being kept in the cell with the other pirates. We don't want to risk him escaping."
"Please James," Elizabeth batted her eyes up at him, "I'm worried about Captain Sparrow's well being. I wanted to go in and check on him myself, but Will insisted that wouldn't be safe, considering all that's happened."
Her voice was sickeningly sweet, and started to take its toll on Norrington.
"Still." His dark eyes met with Will's and the blacksmith felt the need to stand taller. "Can we trust that this is not some ill-conceived escape plan?"
Will opened his mouth to protest but Elizabeth interrupted him, "I assure you sir. It is not. I was the one who first wished to check on Captain Sparrow, Will was just being a gentleman about it. After all, can we trust that you and your crew have not been mistreating Ja-Captain Sparrow because of his being a pirate?" The only thing that could match Elizabeth's quick tongue was her even quicker wit.
"Fine. Turner will be allowed to see the pirate. But," Norrington stepped in front of them and began to make his way towards the staircase leading down to the lower levels. "You will be locked into the cell with Sparrow, and should he try and use you as a hostage, we will not meet his demands as we did in Elizabeth's case." He did not face Will or see the stinging glares he was receiving as he led them both to the brig.
The conditions of the ship worsened the lower they traveled, although it was still better than on any pirate ship. The brig was small, considering that the Dauntless was a warship and much more inclined to blow up her enemies than take them as captives. It consisted of one hallway, with six doors on each side. The doors had two small slots in them, one at the bottom with which to feed the prisoners, and one small window that the guard used to keep an eye on them.
Guards marched by each of five doors, containing the loud former crew of Barbossa. Two guards stood watch at one of the doors, no doubt the one containing Captain Jack Sparrow. All the guards stood to attention at the sight of their commodore.
"Mr. Turner here is going to be allowed to see the prisoner. You two are not to let the two of them out of your sight. And, you are to lock Mr. Turner in the cell until he wishes to come out."
Elizabeth stood at the back of the group, and Will walked quickly past Norrington towards the door to Jack's cell. He felt the other man grab his sleeve and stopped. Quietly, so as not to let Elizabeth hear, Norrington whispered to Will, "Remember Turner, I have no qualms about leaving you in there and presenting you to the hangman as an extra gift. When I return, if you are not out of the cell you will be brought out, understood?"
Will swallowed his pride and nodded wordlessly to the man. Norrington let him go and turned to Elizabeth, suggesting that they go up on deck until Will was finished with his business. With the exception of his unusual hatred towards Will Turner, Norrington was a good and decent man.
Not that you could convince Will of that.
The heavy metal door was unlocked and the two guards carefully let Will enter. The second his back cleared the doorway they slammed the door back in it's place.
Thunk.
Will cried out and held a hand to his head. The strike had come out of nowhere, and his eyes weren't adjusted to the dim light of the cell enough to see what was going on.
"Will?" A harsh voice came from Will's right. Coincidentally, this was also where the hit had come from.
"Who else would it be?" Will ground out. The only light that came into the cell was through the two slots on the door. After he could see, Will bent down and picked up a metal plate.
"Sorry bout that mate." Will returned the metal plate to a rather solemn looking Jack Sparrow. Though who wouldn't look like he did after a day in this cell. "Thought you were one of those imbecilic guards."
Will looked at the guards through the small slots in the door; they were still standing on the other side. He felt a hand grab his shirt and was pulled down to the floor, sitting next to the pirate.
"Come to rescue me whelp?" Jack half-growled sarcastically to him. He was obviously keeping his voice low to avoid giving the guards any more suspicions.
"Maybe. I don't know if I can." Will crossed his legs and settled down on the grimy floor.
"Well lad, don't stress over it." Jack leaned back, stretching comfortably in his prison. Will could see the shackles on his wrists had no chain between them. Commodore Norrington must not have trusted Jack after seeing him in action.
"I'm sorry Jack." He muttered.
The pirate raised both his hands and scratched at his beard.
"What would you be sorry for?" The blacksmith looked up and could see Jack's light brown eyes in the ray of candlelight streaming though the door slot.
"On the island." Will looked up. Jack just sat there staring at him, his head cocked to the side. Obviously, he had either forgotten or really didn't care about what had happened.
"Jack, I knocked you unconscious with an oar."
"Ah yes, I remember that now." Jack nodded emphatically.
"And you're saying you aren't angry? After all you did for me. You risked your life to help me save Elizabeth." Jack held up his hand and cut off Will's tirade.
"I took you to Elizabeth because I wanted me Pearl back."
"Still," Will bit his lip. He had these thoughts running around in his head of the past few days' adventures. "You could have gotten the Pearl back and killed Barbossa by just letting him kill me. Slit my throat over the gold."
"Look lad, it's over now. It doesn't matter and I forgive you." Jack smiled and Will saw the glint of his golden teeth. When he shook his head like that, the trinkets and beads clinked together. They were the only sound in the cell.
Jack leaned back against the musty wall of his cell and stretched his legs out in front of him. 'For someone who's going to be hanged he is far too relaxed.' Will took a place next to Jack, feeling the slime on the wall through his thin shirt.
"How'd you get Norrington to let you in here anyway."
"With Elizabeth's help." Jack snorted. He knew as much as anyone what the governor's daughter was capable of. "We convinced him that your wound needed treating."
Reaching into his pocket, Will pulled out a small rag. It was torn already from bandaging his own hand, but there was still enough left to tend to Jack.
"What wound?" Jack began to feel his chest, looking intently for some sort of injury he had missed. Will just grinned and reached out, grabbing a hold of the pirate's left hand.
Will untied the blood stained cloth as best he could. Parts of it had been caught in the metal shackles. The cut was not deep, but being in his palm it opened up every time Jack opened his fist.
"It's just a scratch. Not worth the time." His voice held no force to it, and Jack seemed to have just mumbled it to himself while he watched Will's hands tear the clean cloth into strips.
Will took Jack's hand in his and held it open till he could wrap it with the cloth. He felt a wave of déjà vu. He had done the same thing with Elizabeth, but she had flinched from his touch. Her hands were delicate and smooth. Not like Jack's.
Will tried to be as casual as he could when he felt the pirate's hands as he wrapped the wound. They were calloused and hard, worn down by salty ropes. But at least he didn't move away. Will's hands had blisters and scars from mistakes in the blacksmith's shop, but Jack's were even worse.
The silence was grinding on Jack's nerve as Will stared at his hands, taking his sweet time with the bandaging.
"If you're going to brood why not do it somewhere else whelp." Jack snapped playfully. This seemed to bring Will back to reality and he quickly released the pirate's hands. Hands that were so much like his.
"Sorry."
"Quit apologizing. What were you staring at anyway?" Jack held up his left and right hands, shackled as they were, and examined them in the small amount of light. He inspected them closely but found nothing interesting.
"You didn't pull away."
Again Jack looked at Will closely, expecting the boy to be drunk or something. He was acting very oddly. Not at all like the Will Turner he had come to know.
"What would make you think I'd pull away?" Will winced at the hurt tone in Jack's voice. The pirate had done a lot for him, even if some of it was for his own selfish reasons.
"Nothing against you," Will scooted away from the pirate Captain and leaned against the other wall, "I just thought you might."
Jack's fierce eyes met with the younger boy's and he had to turn away. He got the feeling that looking at him for too long would allow the captain to see what was troubling him.
"And what gave you that idea lad?" Jack got up and shuffled over to the other wall, his ankle shackles clanking together as he walked. He flopped down next to Will and put an elbow on his shoulder.
"Well, Elizabeth did it when I was helping to bandage her hand." He mumbled under his breath.
"Why?" Jack took down his elbow and looked concerned. He had grown quite fond of the pompous blacksmith since their first duel. He didn't want to see him so depressed after everything that they had gone through. And survived.
"My hands." Will held them up as if the answer was obvious.
Jack reached out with his hands and looked intently at Will's. Will could feel the pirate's hands, and they felt as if they had stories to tell. The rings were cold against his skin, but not uncomfortable. Jack eventually let go of Will's hand and gave him a scrutinizing glare.
"Nothing wrong with your hands."
"Blacksmith's hands....that's all." Will wasn't sure if Jack was getting what he was saying. Or maybe the pirate's brain was just too fried to understand.
"Feel like pirate hands to me."
"What do you mean?"
Jack cracked his neck and more or less shuffled around on the floor as best he could. He seemed uncomfortable sitting in one place for too long a time. And he had had to do it on numerous occasions, in numerous different prisons.
"You see, your hands are rough. They're not well bred, you haven't had things in life handed to you like some people."
Will nodded in understanding. "Like Elizabeth?"
"Right lad. Course..." Jack seemed to loose his concentration and his eyes wandered around his cell, as if he was bored with his visitor already.
"Yes Jack." Will shouted at the pirate. He turned back to him, gracefully it would seem, and smiled.
"Course, I can tell you, I prefer our hands to hers. You ain't been raised a pirate, but you got the blood in you boy. Certain things come with the territory of being a pirate, and rough hands are one of them."
"All these years trying to be a respectable citizen and you come along and make it all in vain." Will muttered, shaking his head.
"Aye lad. Would you prefer if I'd never helped you?" Jack raised his shackled hands in front of him and began to examine his fingernails, shooting glances occasionally at Will.
"No. I'm thankful for all you did for us. You did more than you should have." Again the boy's voice became melancholy and soft. Jack leaned in front of him, his dark outlined eyes prying for more information. "You let yourself be killed Jack. If it weren't for that gold coin-"
"None of this would have happened. Whether you had been there are not I'd have done it. Plus," Jack padded at his chest and opened up his shirt, showing that among the many scars on his body the sword wound was not one of them. "It's not like it really killed me or anything."
"Still makes me feel ungrateful." Jack rolled his eyes.
"You're not ungrateful." It seemed that the pirate was about to give another riveting speech to the blacksmith when they heard footsteps coming down to the brig.
"Norrington." Will stood up and Jack along with him. They stood in the corner of the room, and both had fleeting thoughts of escaping, but neither could see a point to it. Jack grabbed onto Will and pulled him closer, whispering in his ear.
"You'll get your chance to prove yourself grateful to me whelp. But only if you realize that being a pirate isn't a curse." Jack used his left hand and grabbed onto Will's. The bandage rubbed against their hands, but both could feel the hard and weathered skin beside it. "Plus, we both got the same hands."
Jack grinned, but immediately his face became emotionless as his door opened. Norrington stood and commanded a sense of respect from everyone. Will caught a glimpse of Elizabeth standing behind him, held away from the door by the guards.
"Mr. Turner your time is up."
A defiant feeling shot through Will and he stood at Jack's side, feeling the pirate's equal for the first time. Norrington saw the same look in Will's eyes as he had on the day in the Port Royal after the Black Pearl's attack.
That Will Turner, he had quite a temper for a blacksmith.
Norrington deliberately reached into his coat and pulled out a pistol. He leveled it at Will first, before turning just enough so that the barrel was directly at Jack's eyes.
"I suggest you do not try and push me Mr. Turner. You are a citizen of Port Royal and therefore deserve a fair trial." With a quick motion of the gun towards Jack he added, "But he is not. No one minds accidents when they happen to pirates."
Will obliged and walked forward, staring sternly at Norrington as he left the cell. Before the large door slammed shut he glanced back at Jack one more time. The pirate looked neither scared nor upset by anything that had happened.
He merely raised a calloused hand, and waved.
The End. * * * * * * * *
I hope you all enjoyed. Please review. ^_^