Title: Isle of The Skull
Author: That'd be me. Claire Weasley.
Rating: M15+ (Yes, that's Australian ratings. Work it out foreigners ;P)
Pairing: I like to put my story before the pairing, but ye be warned, this is HET. Jack/Elizabeth/Will triangle of sorts. Or it will be eventually. That means no Jack/Will nookie. Sorry. I'm upset about it as you are.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I gacked. I have not a creative thought of my own in my entire body and that's why I write fanfiction! Huzzah. I wish I owned Johnny Depp. Alas, they do not sell him on ebay.
Feedback is good, yo.
ISLE OF THE SKULL
Chapter One - 'Despicable'.
It was nightfall. The last of the suns rays sent scattered light across the seas surface. Two young people stood framed silhouettes on the dock of Port Royale.
"Elizabeth, I…I don't know how to tell you…tomorrow, when we are finally wed…I just want you to know. …That is, I mean-"
The small brunette put a finger to his lips and smiled warmly "I know Will"
He continued nevertheless. Elizabeth noted when he was nervous like this a small dimple twitched in his right cheek. It was completely endearing. She casually wondered how much more wonderful things she would notice about this man when he became her husband.
"I know I'm not the richest man, but as long as I live you'll never want for anything, I swear it"
"Of course, I do know that Will" Elizabeth smiled again, hoping to reassure her fiancé. The strength of their love had not been a concern of either of theirs before, but wedding eve nerves were getting the better of them both. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and embraced him, pulling him close.
"We love each other Will, that's all that matt-"
Before she could finish there was a thunderous crash and Elizabeth started in fright as the dock seemed to shake beneath the couple. Neither of them were able to see the immediate cause of the noise and their eyes darted nervously in every direction. Will put a protective arm around Elizabeth, but overcome with curiosity she quickly pushed herself from his grasp and ran down toward the end of the dock.
What she saw made her yell out in shock, and she staggered back from the edge of the boardwalk slightly
"Will... get help."
Will ran to her side. The crash they had heard was a small wooden dinghy hitting the side of the dock. Inside the boat, water washing over him, lay a bleeding and unconscious man. But not a stranger.
"Joshamee Gibbs" Will muttered, shooting Elizabeth a look she couldn't decipher before running back up the dock to sound the alarm.
Elizabeth however, remained behind, unable to tear her eyes from the source of the bleeding. Brutally carved into Mr Gibbs upper arm was the shape of a skull. And just below; the words "Barbossa".
***
"But, it's not possible!" Elizabeth knew she was yelling, but she couldn't help it. She clasped her trembling hands together. "He's dead! I saw him die. He was shot in the heart! He fell over and died right in front of me for goodness sake!"
Mr Gibbs had been taken to the infirmary to be attended to, but the alarm had been raised and many residents were just as shocked and curioua as Elizabeth by the strange incident. A group of men and Elizabeth were milling about in her father's study, a feeling of tepid unease hung in the room.
"Elizabeth-" her father, Governor Weatherby Swann started, putting a hand on her arm in an effort to comfort her. His face was creased with worry and it hurt her to know she was unsettling him so. She put her hand on her fathers momentarily, but paid little attention to what he was actually saying and swung around to face Will.
"You saw it!"
Will looked just as confused as she, and shook his head listlessly "I did…he was dead"
"It has to be someone else then" Elizabeth said, not entirely convinced herself "Someone is trying to scare us. A friend of Barbossa's perhaps, a relative, an old crewmate-"
"I wouldn't worry yourself Miss Swan" Commodore Norrington cleared his throat and stood from the chair he'd been sitting on in the corner of the room "I'm sure once Mr Gibbs regains consciousness he'll be able to fill us in on all the details. Perhaps you ought to get some rest Elizabeth, before the nuptials tomorrow"
Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to hide her annoyance, shaking her head "I'm not a child Commodore, I-"
Will moved beside her quickly and cut her off, taking her hand "No one thinks you are a child Elizabeth. Commodore Norrington is just looking out for your best interests, and I think perhaps he is right in this case, we are to be married tomorrow, you should get some rest. Your father, Commodore Norrington, and I will talk with Mr Gibbs as soon as he wakes"
Elizabeth felt a flash of anger in her stomach, and the hair began to prickle at the back of her neck. Bloody men. Even after all that had happened with the Black Pearl they insisted on excluding her. Coddling her. And now, even her fiancé was part of it.
Frustrated, Elizabeth pulled her hand abruptly from Will's. "Fine. Goodnight then Mr Turner. Father" She tried to ignore the hurt look on Will's face as she hurried from the room.
Slamming her bedroom door behind her, Elizabeth threw herself down on the bedcovers in a state. She was already beginning to feel badly for being so cold towards Will, she knew that he, and her father, and even Commodore Norrington were trying to protect her, and that she was being unreasonable. But it didn't lessen the anger inside of her at being treated like a child. If she were a man, she'd be in the study still discussing the events of the past hour, but because she wasn't they thought of her as a frail bird needing shielding from the outside world. Swann nothing, she thought bitterly. She was a person in her own right, and a lot more respectable than many men she had met in her time. Albie Bithersworth one of the men in the study had been caught indulging in a rather disturbing act with one of the goats in Paducah, and yet he was given precedence when it came to things of a supposedly important nature.
Elizabeth weaved the lace edge of her bedcovers through her fingers. She ought not to have acted so rashly. Will's desire to look after her was the main prerogative for his actions, she knew, but she couldn't help feeling a little misplaced, as he more than anyone knew her ability to handle herself. Hadn't she already proved she didn't need constant safeguarding? Hadn't she survived being a captive of Barbossa and his gang of rotting corpses? Hadn't she been the one to save herself and Captain Jack Sparrow from that abominable island, the evils of alcohol and his lecherous seduction attempts?
Jack Sparrow. She couldn't help wondering about him. As much as he exasperated and infuriated her she couldn't help but feel a small amount of empathy for the man who had saved her life several times over. Last she had known he had captained the ship that Mr Gibbs had been a part of. The Black Pearl. Did Captain Sparrow have the mark of the skull too? Or, in what she thought was a likely scenario, had he finally run out of ways to talk himself out if a situation? Maybe he wasn't there at all, she thought; perhaps he's drinking rum in with Albie Bithersworth's goat in Tortuga. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. iThat/i was perhaps the most likely scenario of them all.
Elizabeth sighed and rolled onto her back. They were right. She was thinking about it too much. Worrying needlessly about a small incident that was probably nothing. She should just concentrate on marrying her soul mate tomorrow. Her heart lightened at the thought; tomorrow she'd be Mrs Will Turner.
She was reaching for the bell to call for her maid to help her into her nightgown when she caught the sight of the dark sea rumbling ominously from her bedroom window. Its expanse was so great; so much could be hidden in its depths. She sighed and changed her mind again. She would never get to sleep at this rate anyway, and she simply couldn't ignore the thought that Barbossa might still be alive, however ridiculous it might be. Yes, she thought stubbornly, she had made a decision; if her father and his men insisted on leaving her out of everything she would go to the hospital wing and find out everything from Mr Gibbs herself. Pulling a shawl over her head, and wrapping a coat around herself she slipped quickly and soundlessly out the door.
***
Having had a spell for almost five weeks in one after a nasty case of appendicitis when she was eight Elizabeth had never cared for hospitals much, but the casualty wing seemed especially eerie this evening. Her shoes made soft padding noises as she hurried down the hallway and into the darkened room, trying not to think about it too much. As far as she could tell there was only one other person in the room with Mr Gibbs, and he was in no condition to talk. Casting a quick glance behind her, and careful to make as little noise as possible, (knowing how the nurses liked to gossip) she slipped over to Mr Gibbs bedside. She looked down at his sleeping form, repressing a shudder. Even though the carvings were not visible under the bandages her memory served well enough. She also noted that there was a lot of bruising around his face. Had he be beaten? She pulled at her hair nervously; sometimes human beings were beyond her understanding.
"Mr Gibbs" she whispered, realising how foolish she must look trying to wake an unconscious man. She put a light hand on his uninjured arm "Mr Gibbs…please wake up. I must speak with you."
He didn't even stir. Elizabeth straightened up, silently scolding herself for being so irrational. She was clearly losing her mind. Of course he wouldn't wake just because she wished it, why it was simply-
"Arghhhhhhh!" She yelled out in fright as a hand grabbed her arm out of nowhere. In her shock she backed into a trolley, spilling its contents and sending bedpans clattering to the floor with noise, in the quiet hospital wing, akin to a pack of stampeding elephants. She cursed under her breath for her clumsiness.
"Mr Gibbs, I'm so sorry, it's just, you frightened me...I'm sorry, It was my fault, trying to wake you...do forgive me for intruding so" Taking a deep breath, she composed herself again and looked down at the superstitious old man she had known for so many years now with a sudden outpouring of fondness. "How are you feeling?"
Before he had a chance to say anything Elizabeth noticed the unmistakable glow of a lamp approaching. Someone must have heard the noise, she thought quickly, not surprised in the least. With barely a moments hesitation she darted across the room and under the bed of the only other patient. Pulling the curtains across so she was obscured from view she tried to keep as silent as possible as the people with lamps entered the small area. She could only see their shoes but realised almost immediately who they belonged to. Will, Her father, Commodore Norrington, and another soldier called Fields had come to question their patient as promised.
"Oh Mr Gibbs, you are awake" He fathers voice "How are you feeling?"
When he spoke it was a low soft growl "Not so wonderful sir, considering the circumstances." There was a pause "Ah yes, I'm afraid I may've accidentally knocked over this 'ere trolley when I woke"
Elizabeth let out a small sigh; grateful he had not betrayed her secret. Though she doubted she'd receive more than a few disapproving looks from her father there was something that kept her from wanting to be discovered flaunting curfew tonight.
There was shuffling of feet and a few metallic clangs and Elizabeth realised Will was on his hands and knees picking up what she had inadvertently spilled. Commodore Norrington was the next person to speak;
"I know you must be tired Master Gibbs, but we were wondering if you could answer a few questions and perhaps assuage a few of our worries"
"I shall do my best sirs" he replied, although from his tone of voice it didn't seem to Elizabeth that he was overly keen to do so. Not that she should blame him, the sight of him lying at the dock was something that chilled her significantly, and the ideas in her head of what had happened to cause it were far worse.
"Who gave you those markings?"
There was a small pause "I don't rightly know sirs"
"You don't know?" Will said incredulously "How could-"
"They was wearing masks sirs, all of them. With the shape, 'twas the shape of the skull painted on"
"How many were there?" Commodore asked.
Elizabeth saw her father's feet shuffle closer to the side of the cot, and his voice softened "Mr Gibbs, perhaps you should tell us what happened from the very beginning"
"A' course Governor Swann" the bed ridden man replied wearily "It happened 'bout three moons ago, or from what I remember anyways. I'm not rightly sure. But it was the night with no moon I remember that much. I told ol' Jack it was bad luck to sail under no moon but he wouldn't have none of it. He reckoned it was as good a night as any to sail. He's awful mad about the sea sir that sometimes it ain't worth tryin' to reason with him"
"Captain Jack Sparrow?" Commodore Norrington asked, his voice unmistakably icy "Of the Black Pearl? You sailed under his command?"
"Yes sir" he replied, his voice seemingly growing stronger as he said it, as if daring Norrington to challenge him "I was his first mate"
"We appreciate your help Mr Gibbs, please continue" Will said quickly, obviously trying to diffuse the situation. Elizabeth thought it might have been too late but finally Mr Gibbs spoke again.
"Well, it was quiet night ya see, hardly any wind, and the waters were so calm that Cap'n Jack told everyone to relax and put their feet up as they pleased. Good bunch o' people on that boat they was. So we drifted for abit, and Jack got into some of the rum he'd picked up at the last port. I'm not ashamed to say I had a bit of a tipple myself…"
Elizabeth was sure she heard Commodore snort, but Mr Gibbs continued on with his story and she craned her neck to hear better.
"I'm not one to be overly superstitious, but it was unnatural ya know, the way they creeped up. The whole dang lot of 'em. No one saw or heard a thing until they were climbing onto the Pearl. -Them men in masks I was telling you about- And they didn't say a word…" He exhaled sharply "They just started too attack…shooting, killing. They took out ol' Cotton and Biggs before they'd had the time to reach for their weapons. Scoundrels. We were unprepared…they got everyone. Shamus…Groffer… When young Annamaria tried to surrender…I… They…I can't bear to say it…they took her head clean off with one foul swing of a blade. Poor lass."
Elizabeth covered her mouth, trying not to yell out in horror.
Mr Gibbs's voice was heavy with emotion by this stage "It was a goddamn massacre out there. I've never seen Cap'n Jack so angry, he was like a madman. After what they did to poor Annamaria he went crazy.... stormed them, I went too…but…but it was no use…It was the two of us and a bottle of rum up against over forty masked and armed men. They beat Jack somthin' awful. An' worse, he kept joking with them too, saying that they could do better…that he'd never had such a weak beating in his life…I begged him to stop..but they beat him till he was bleeding and halfway dead. The only reason I knew he wasn't dead is because they told me the message…the message to give to you all here at Port Royale. It's why they carved it into me, like I was a bloody animal…"
"What was the message?" Will asked, his voice unnaturally soft. Elizabeth wanted to reach out to him, she knew how fond he was of Jack and his crewmates.
"The message was this…" Mr Gibbs started, raising his voice. Elizabeth soon understood why. He wanted her to hear clearly. "They said Barbossa is back, he wants Miss Elizabeth Swann, and if she does not show herself at the Isle of the Skull in before next week, they'll kill Jack Sparrow"
Elizabeth clenched her fists, barely able to breathe.
"That's ridiculous!" Commodore Norrington said scornfully "Noone here is about to risk the life of Miss Swann for a lowly pirate. Am I not right Mr Turner?"
"I would never endanger Elizabeth's life deliberately" Will said after a small pause "But perhaps I could...we could go after Jack... and... and..."
"And what?" Commodore interjected angrily "and risk your life and other men's for Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate who has done nothing for others his entire life? Who has raped and pillaged and-"
"Cap'n Jack ain't done none of that!" Mr Gibbs roared "He is not in the most honourable of professions, and he ain't always adhered to the rules of bein' a gentleman like yourselves! But he is a damn good man if I ever saw one, and when comes to it, he has saved the life of almost every man in this 'ere room! "
"And if I am not mistaken, that debt was repaid when he escaped the gallows not so many months ago" Commodore Norrington replied coldly
There was a tense silence in the room. Elizabeth's heart was thumping hard in her chest and she resisted the urge to pull back the curtains to see what was going on. Finally her father spoke;
"We understand your feelings on the matter Mr Gibbs and you have our sympathies, but you must realise it is impossible" He sighed. "We simply cannot send the best of the British army after one pirate..."
More silence.
"Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington are right" Will said softly. Elizabeth was so shocked by his words that it took a second for her to register it was him speaking. He continued: "Please Joshamee, you must understand. I would like to help Jack again. He is a good man. A good pirate. But to go to an Island we've never heard of where, as you said there are what could be hundreds of merciless killers... is folly. It is suicide. It pains me to say it, but I think we must concentrate on keeping Elizabeth safe now." His words were stuttered. "Captain Jack Sparrow is already lost to us".
"I suppose you'd be right Will..." Gibbs replied "I just hadn't rightly given up hoping...." he trailed off.
"I think it is best we all get some rest, it has been a long night for all of us" Elizabeth's father said soberly "Mr Gibbs I am very sorry for your ordeal. I hope the morning brings better things for you"
"Mr Gibbs" Will said wearily "I was hoping perhaps that you could refrain from mentioning this news to Miss Swann, I know she is curious... but it is our wedding day tomorrow and....and I think it is better left unsaid until a time that I can explain the circumstances fully"
"I'll not mention it after tonight"
"Thankyou. ...Goodnight"
"Goodnight sirs. Sleep well"
Long after the footsteps of the men had left the hallway Elizabeth remained behind the curtain in the hospital ward. Her knees pulled up tightly to her chest, she stayed unmoving and deep in thought. She didn't know how long it had been when she finally rose from her hiding place, hours perhaps. It was only when she made eye contact with Joshamee Gibbs that neither of them were in any doubt of what would happen next.
Author: That'd be me. Claire Weasley.
Rating: M15+ (Yes, that's Australian ratings. Work it out foreigners ;P)
Pairing: I like to put my story before the pairing, but ye be warned, this is HET. Jack/Elizabeth/Will triangle of sorts. Or it will be eventually. That means no Jack/Will nookie. Sorry. I'm upset about it as you are.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. I gacked. I have not a creative thought of my own in my entire body and that's why I write fanfiction! Huzzah. I wish I owned Johnny Depp. Alas, they do not sell him on ebay.
Feedback is good, yo.
ISLE OF THE SKULL
Chapter One - 'Despicable'.
It was nightfall. The last of the suns rays sent scattered light across the seas surface. Two young people stood framed silhouettes on the dock of Port Royale.
"Elizabeth, I…I don't know how to tell you…tomorrow, when we are finally wed…I just want you to know. …That is, I mean-"
The small brunette put a finger to his lips and smiled warmly "I know Will"
He continued nevertheless. Elizabeth noted when he was nervous like this a small dimple twitched in his right cheek. It was completely endearing. She casually wondered how much more wonderful things she would notice about this man when he became her husband.
"I know I'm not the richest man, but as long as I live you'll never want for anything, I swear it"
"Of course, I do know that Will" Elizabeth smiled again, hoping to reassure her fiancé. The strength of their love had not been a concern of either of theirs before, but wedding eve nerves were getting the better of them both. She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and embraced him, pulling him close.
"We love each other Will, that's all that matt-"
Before she could finish there was a thunderous crash and Elizabeth started in fright as the dock seemed to shake beneath the couple. Neither of them were able to see the immediate cause of the noise and their eyes darted nervously in every direction. Will put a protective arm around Elizabeth, but overcome with curiosity she quickly pushed herself from his grasp and ran down toward the end of the dock.
What she saw made her yell out in shock, and she staggered back from the edge of the boardwalk slightly
"Will... get help."
Will ran to her side. The crash they had heard was a small wooden dinghy hitting the side of the dock. Inside the boat, water washing over him, lay a bleeding and unconscious man. But not a stranger.
"Joshamee Gibbs" Will muttered, shooting Elizabeth a look she couldn't decipher before running back up the dock to sound the alarm.
Elizabeth however, remained behind, unable to tear her eyes from the source of the bleeding. Brutally carved into Mr Gibbs upper arm was the shape of a skull. And just below; the words "Barbossa".
***
"But, it's not possible!" Elizabeth knew she was yelling, but she couldn't help it. She clasped her trembling hands together. "He's dead! I saw him die. He was shot in the heart! He fell over and died right in front of me for goodness sake!"
Mr Gibbs had been taken to the infirmary to be attended to, but the alarm had been raised and many residents were just as shocked and curioua as Elizabeth by the strange incident. A group of men and Elizabeth were milling about in her father's study, a feeling of tepid unease hung in the room.
"Elizabeth-" her father, Governor Weatherby Swann started, putting a hand on her arm in an effort to comfort her. His face was creased with worry and it hurt her to know she was unsettling him so. She put her hand on her fathers momentarily, but paid little attention to what he was actually saying and swung around to face Will.
"You saw it!"
Will looked just as confused as she, and shook his head listlessly "I did…he was dead"
"It has to be someone else then" Elizabeth said, not entirely convinced herself "Someone is trying to scare us. A friend of Barbossa's perhaps, a relative, an old crewmate-"
"I wouldn't worry yourself Miss Swan" Commodore Norrington cleared his throat and stood from the chair he'd been sitting on in the corner of the room "I'm sure once Mr Gibbs regains consciousness he'll be able to fill us in on all the details. Perhaps you ought to get some rest Elizabeth, before the nuptials tomorrow"
Elizabeth took a deep breath and tried to hide her annoyance, shaking her head "I'm not a child Commodore, I-"
Will moved beside her quickly and cut her off, taking her hand "No one thinks you are a child Elizabeth. Commodore Norrington is just looking out for your best interests, and I think perhaps he is right in this case, we are to be married tomorrow, you should get some rest. Your father, Commodore Norrington, and I will talk with Mr Gibbs as soon as he wakes"
Elizabeth felt a flash of anger in her stomach, and the hair began to prickle at the back of her neck. Bloody men. Even after all that had happened with the Black Pearl they insisted on excluding her. Coddling her. And now, even her fiancé was part of it.
Frustrated, Elizabeth pulled her hand abruptly from Will's. "Fine. Goodnight then Mr Turner. Father" She tried to ignore the hurt look on Will's face as she hurried from the room.
Slamming her bedroom door behind her, Elizabeth threw herself down on the bedcovers in a state. She was already beginning to feel badly for being so cold towards Will, she knew that he, and her father, and even Commodore Norrington were trying to protect her, and that she was being unreasonable. But it didn't lessen the anger inside of her at being treated like a child. If she were a man, she'd be in the study still discussing the events of the past hour, but because she wasn't they thought of her as a frail bird needing shielding from the outside world. Swann nothing, she thought bitterly. She was a person in her own right, and a lot more respectable than many men she had met in her time. Albie Bithersworth one of the men in the study had been caught indulging in a rather disturbing act with one of the goats in Paducah, and yet he was given precedence when it came to things of a supposedly important nature.
Elizabeth weaved the lace edge of her bedcovers through her fingers. She ought not to have acted so rashly. Will's desire to look after her was the main prerogative for his actions, she knew, but she couldn't help feeling a little misplaced, as he more than anyone knew her ability to handle herself. Hadn't she already proved she didn't need constant safeguarding? Hadn't she survived being a captive of Barbossa and his gang of rotting corpses? Hadn't she been the one to save herself and Captain Jack Sparrow from that abominable island, the evils of alcohol and his lecherous seduction attempts?
Jack Sparrow. She couldn't help wondering about him. As much as he exasperated and infuriated her she couldn't help but feel a small amount of empathy for the man who had saved her life several times over. Last she had known he had captained the ship that Mr Gibbs had been a part of. The Black Pearl. Did Captain Sparrow have the mark of the skull too? Or, in what she thought was a likely scenario, had he finally run out of ways to talk himself out if a situation? Maybe he wasn't there at all, she thought; perhaps he's drinking rum in with Albie Bithersworth's goat in Tortuga. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. iThat/i was perhaps the most likely scenario of them all.
Elizabeth sighed and rolled onto her back. They were right. She was thinking about it too much. Worrying needlessly about a small incident that was probably nothing. She should just concentrate on marrying her soul mate tomorrow. Her heart lightened at the thought; tomorrow she'd be Mrs Will Turner.
She was reaching for the bell to call for her maid to help her into her nightgown when she caught the sight of the dark sea rumbling ominously from her bedroom window. Its expanse was so great; so much could be hidden in its depths. She sighed and changed her mind again. She would never get to sleep at this rate anyway, and she simply couldn't ignore the thought that Barbossa might still be alive, however ridiculous it might be. Yes, she thought stubbornly, she had made a decision; if her father and his men insisted on leaving her out of everything she would go to the hospital wing and find out everything from Mr Gibbs herself. Pulling a shawl over her head, and wrapping a coat around herself she slipped quickly and soundlessly out the door.
***
Having had a spell for almost five weeks in one after a nasty case of appendicitis when she was eight Elizabeth had never cared for hospitals much, but the casualty wing seemed especially eerie this evening. Her shoes made soft padding noises as she hurried down the hallway and into the darkened room, trying not to think about it too much. As far as she could tell there was only one other person in the room with Mr Gibbs, and he was in no condition to talk. Casting a quick glance behind her, and careful to make as little noise as possible, (knowing how the nurses liked to gossip) she slipped over to Mr Gibbs bedside. She looked down at his sleeping form, repressing a shudder. Even though the carvings were not visible under the bandages her memory served well enough. She also noted that there was a lot of bruising around his face. Had he be beaten? She pulled at her hair nervously; sometimes human beings were beyond her understanding.
"Mr Gibbs" she whispered, realising how foolish she must look trying to wake an unconscious man. She put a light hand on his uninjured arm "Mr Gibbs…please wake up. I must speak with you."
He didn't even stir. Elizabeth straightened up, silently scolding herself for being so irrational. She was clearly losing her mind. Of course he wouldn't wake just because she wished it, why it was simply-
"Arghhhhhhh!" She yelled out in fright as a hand grabbed her arm out of nowhere. In her shock she backed into a trolley, spilling its contents and sending bedpans clattering to the floor with noise, in the quiet hospital wing, akin to a pack of stampeding elephants. She cursed under her breath for her clumsiness.
"Mr Gibbs, I'm so sorry, it's just, you frightened me...I'm sorry, It was my fault, trying to wake you...do forgive me for intruding so" Taking a deep breath, she composed herself again and looked down at the superstitious old man she had known for so many years now with a sudden outpouring of fondness. "How are you feeling?"
Before he had a chance to say anything Elizabeth noticed the unmistakable glow of a lamp approaching. Someone must have heard the noise, she thought quickly, not surprised in the least. With barely a moments hesitation she darted across the room and under the bed of the only other patient. Pulling the curtains across so she was obscured from view she tried to keep as silent as possible as the people with lamps entered the small area. She could only see their shoes but realised almost immediately who they belonged to. Will, Her father, Commodore Norrington, and another soldier called Fields had come to question their patient as promised.
"Oh Mr Gibbs, you are awake" He fathers voice "How are you feeling?"
When he spoke it was a low soft growl "Not so wonderful sir, considering the circumstances." There was a pause "Ah yes, I'm afraid I may've accidentally knocked over this 'ere trolley when I woke"
Elizabeth let out a small sigh; grateful he had not betrayed her secret. Though she doubted she'd receive more than a few disapproving looks from her father there was something that kept her from wanting to be discovered flaunting curfew tonight.
There was shuffling of feet and a few metallic clangs and Elizabeth realised Will was on his hands and knees picking up what she had inadvertently spilled. Commodore Norrington was the next person to speak;
"I know you must be tired Master Gibbs, but we were wondering if you could answer a few questions and perhaps assuage a few of our worries"
"I shall do my best sirs" he replied, although from his tone of voice it didn't seem to Elizabeth that he was overly keen to do so. Not that she should blame him, the sight of him lying at the dock was something that chilled her significantly, and the ideas in her head of what had happened to cause it were far worse.
"Who gave you those markings?"
There was a small pause "I don't rightly know sirs"
"You don't know?" Will said incredulously "How could-"
"They was wearing masks sirs, all of them. With the shape, 'twas the shape of the skull painted on"
"How many were there?" Commodore asked.
Elizabeth saw her father's feet shuffle closer to the side of the cot, and his voice softened "Mr Gibbs, perhaps you should tell us what happened from the very beginning"
"A' course Governor Swann" the bed ridden man replied wearily "It happened 'bout three moons ago, or from what I remember anyways. I'm not rightly sure. But it was the night with no moon I remember that much. I told ol' Jack it was bad luck to sail under no moon but he wouldn't have none of it. He reckoned it was as good a night as any to sail. He's awful mad about the sea sir that sometimes it ain't worth tryin' to reason with him"
"Captain Jack Sparrow?" Commodore Norrington asked, his voice unmistakably icy "Of the Black Pearl? You sailed under his command?"
"Yes sir" he replied, his voice seemingly growing stronger as he said it, as if daring Norrington to challenge him "I was his first mate"
"We appreciate your help Mr Gibbs, please continue" Will said quickly, obviously trying to diffuse the situation. Elizabeth thought it might have been too late but finally Mr Gibbs spoke again.
"Well, it was quiet night ya see, hardly any wind, and the waters were so calm that Cap'n Jack told everyone to relax and put their feet up as they pleased. Good bunch o' people on that boat they was. So we drifted for abit, and Jack got into some of the rum he'd picked up at the last port. I'm not ashamed to say I had a bit of a tipple myself…"
Elizabeth was sure she heard Commodore snort, but Mr Gibbs continued on with his story and she craned her neck to hear better.
"I'm not one to be overly superstitious, but it was unnatural ya know, the way they creeped up. The whole dang lot of 'em. No one saw or heard a thing until they were climbing onto the Pearl. -Them men in masks I was telling you about- And they didn't say a word…" He exhaled sharply "They just started too attack…shooting, killing. They took out ol' Cotton and Biggs before they'd had the time to reach for their weapons. Scoundrels. We were unprepared…they got everyone. Shamus…Groffer… When young Annamaria tried to surrender…I… They…I can't bear to say it…they took her head clean off with one foul swing of a blade. Poor lass."
Elizabeth covered her mouth, trying not to yell out in horror.
Mr Gibbs's voice was heavy with emotion by this stage "It was a goddamn massacre out there. I've never seen Cap'n Jack so angry, he was like a madman. After what they did to poor Annamaria he went crazy.... stormed them, I went too…but…but it was no use…It was the two of us and a bottle of rum up against over forty masked and armed men. They beat Jack somthin' awful. An' worse, he kept joking with them too, saying that they could do better…that he'd never had such a weak beating in his life…I begged him to stop..but they beat him till he was bleeding and halfway dead. The only reason I knew he wasn't dead is because they told me the message…the message to give to you all here at Port Royale. It's why they carved it into me, like I was a bloody animal…"
"What was the message?" Will asked, his voice unnaturally soft. Elizabeth wanted to reach out to him, she knew how fond he was of Jack and his crewmates.
"The message was this…" Mr Gibbs started, raising his voice. Elizabeth soon understood why. He wanted her to hear clearly. "They said Barbossa is back, he wants Miss Elizabeth Swann, and if she does not show herself at the Isle of the Skull in before next week, they'll kill Jack Sparrow"
Elizabeth clenched her fists, barely able to breathe.
"That's ridiculous!" Commodore Norrington said scornfully "Noone here is about to risk the life of Miss Swann for a lowly pirate. Am I not right Mr Turner?"
"I would never endanger Elizabeth's life deliberately" Will said after a small pause "But perhaps I could...we could go after Jack... and... and..."
"And what?" Commodore interjected angrily "and risk your life and other men's for Captain Jack Sparrow, a pirate who has done nothing for others his entire life? Who has raped and pillaged and-"
"Cap'n Jack ain't done none of that!" Mr Gibbs roared "He is not in the most honourable of professions, and he ain't always adhered to the rules of bein' a gentleman like yourselves! But he is a damn good man if I ever saw one, and when comes to it, he has saved the life of almost every man in this 'ere room! "
"And if I am not mistaken, that debt was repaid when he escaped the gallows not so many months ago" Commodore Norrington replied coldly
There was a tense silence in the room. Elizabeth's heart was thumping hard in her chest and she resisted the urge to pull back the curtains to see what was going on. Finally her father spoke;
"We understand your feelings on the matter Mr Gibbs and you have our sympathies, but you must realise it is impossible" He sighed. "We simply cannot send the best of the British army after one pirate..."
More silence.
"Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington are right" Will said softly. Elizabeth was so shocked by his words that it took a second for her to register it was him speaking. He continued: "Please Joshamee, you must understand. I would like to help Jack again. He is a good man. A good pirate. But to go to an Island we've never heard of where, as you said there are what could be hundreds of merciless killers... is folly. It is suicide. It pains me to say it, but I think we must concentrate on keeping Elizabeth safe now." His words were stuttered. "Captain Jack Sparrow is already lost to us".
"I suppose you'd be right Will..." Gibbs replied "I just hadn't rightly given up hoping...." he trailed off.
"I think it is best we all get some rest, it has been a long night for all of us" Elizabeth's father said soberly "Mr Gibbs I am very sorry for your ordeal. I hope the morning brings better things for you"
"Mr Gibbs" Will said wearily "I was hoping perhaps that you could refrain from mentioning this news to Miss Swann, I know she is curious... but it is our wedding day tomorrow and....and I think it is better left unsaid until a time that I can explain the circumstances fully"
"I'll not mention it after tonight"
"Thankyou. ...Goodnight"
"Goodnight sirs. Sleep well"
Long after the footsteps of the men had left the hallway Elizabeth remained behind the curtain in the hospital ward. Her knees pulled up tightly to her chest, she stayed unmoving and deep in thought. She didn't know how long it had been when she finally rose from her hiding place, hours perhaps. It was only when she made eye contact with Joshamee Gibbs that neither of them were in any doubt of what would happen next.