Weeeeeeeee. Thanks to my friends, I'm finally posting this story. You know who you are; you get an invisible cookie. (One of them actually typed this for me, which is probably the reason I'm posting this. As soon as I find out her new penname, I'll give her the proper thanks)

Anyway, of course I don't own it. If I did, there'd be a crap-load of torture in the sequel. Maybe even a bloody, horrible death.

Anyway, the rating is for torture and cussing. If you don't like blood, don't read.

Anyway, please read and review. PLEASE! I'll love you forever if you do.

Wow, did anyone else notice just how many times I used anyways to start a sentence there? That's just pathetic.

And so, onto the story.

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Blacksword
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Chapter 1

"Here are the knives you ordered, Admiral. Balanced as you like.

The Admiral ran a hand down the length of the steel blades and hefted them once, experimentally. When he was satisfied he nodded and said, "Good job, Turner. I must say, you are, by far, the best blacksmith I've ever seen."

William Turner bowed slightly, "Thank you, Admiral. That is most kind." One strand of his almost shoulder length brown hair slipped down into his eyes and he quickly pushed it back.

"I'll have your payment tomorrow, Mr. Turner. Goodbye, and thank you for the knives." With that the Admiral turned and left the small blacksmith shop.

Will sighed slightly as he watched the man go. He had already finished everything else he was supposed to do and soon it would be time to leave. He walked over to a small rack of swords and gently picked one up. Like the others, this one was perfectly balanced, the only thing marking it as different was the faint bloodstain on the blade that he had never been able to remove.

He sighed again and idly let his fingers run along the length of the blade as he remembered how the blade had gained the bloodstain. It had been only his second real fight and the first time he had killed someone. Nine years had passed since then but he remembered it clearly. How could he ever forget an adventure like that?

He glanced out the window, towards the docks. He scanned the ships as he had done almost every day since then, hoping to see the familiar hull of the Black Pearl. Of course, the ship wasn't there. They were the same ships from yesterday and the day before.

Finally, he placed the blade back on the rack before preparing to leave. He quickly picked up his coat and hat and, walking out of the shop, carefully locked the door behind, headed towards the docks. Will enjoyed watching the men load and unload their ships and the docks were also a great place to hear the latest stories about the many infamous pirates.

Picking one of the many pilings, he leaned up against it. His brown eyes carefully watched the boats but he listened carefully to the conversations around him. Finally he heard someone mention "pirates" and he quickly blocked out all else to hear better.

"Bloody luck the Navy's been having with those pirates lately," the first man was saying. "I wish they'd all drop off the face of the world. Either that or go bother the bloody French."

"Yes," a second agreed, "we'd all be better off without them, them and their bloody habits: drinking, smoking, stealing from everyone, lust, murder, and that greed. They're all a bunch of demons that deserve to die. The worst sort of people imaginable."

Will bristled slightly as he heard this. While most of the accusations were true, a few were not. He happened to know a few pirates, and they weren't demons. They were good people.

"Speaking of pirates," a third man said, approaching the two Will was listening to, "better be careful. I heard there is a ship drifting around outside the bay. Supposed to be pirates."

"Pirates?" demanded the second man. "Pirates around here? What on earth do they want?"

The first didn't seem surprised, "What do you think? Gold! They're probably planning on plundering the town tonight."

"That was my impression as well. Best stay inside and lock our doors tonight," the third admitted. Slowly their conversation drifted to other things.

Will's mind, though, was still stuck on what they'd just said. 'Pirates, here?' he wondered. 'This is great, maybe they'll be able to give me some news on the Black Pearl.' He smiled and ran out of the docks, heading toward his house and his wife. 'Elizabeth will be excited.'

He burst through the door, "Elizabeth? Elizabeth! Where are you?" He started glancing around as he hung up his coat and hat. "Elizabeth, I have something to tell you!"

He heard her footsteps approaching, "Will, you're home early. What's going on?" Elizabeth walked into the room, blonde hair cascading down her shoulders. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Will returned the kiss, then broke off and said, "There are pirates outside the bay. The people believe they are going to plunder the town tonight. Maybe we'll be able to find out about the Black Pearl." His brown eyes filled with excitement at the thought. He, along with Elizabeth, was probably one of the few people in town who wasn't afraid of pirates.

Elizabeth smiled back at her husband, "Speaking of pirates, you are certainly starting to look like one of them." Indeed, he looked much more like a pirate than when they had first met the captain and crew of the Black Pearl. Then he had looked like a perfect English citizen and had despised anything dealing with pirates. Will had later found out that he was the son of a famous pirate. Now he accepted what he was, and it showed.

It wasn't really that he looked like a pirate; it was his clothes. "I have a feeling Captain Sparrow would be surprised to see how much like a pirate you look like," Elizabeth added. His leather boots and dark pants and shirt, along with the overcoat he had taken off made him look like a pirate. "Do you think it might be the Black Pearl?"

Will shrugged, "I doubt it. There are so many pirate ships it is unlikely. We could probably find out about it." He glanced longingly over out the window. More than he could admit, he wanted to find out about the Black Pearl and its captain. He had become friends with the captain and was interested in what had become of him.

"How are you going to find out what they know?" Elizabeth asked, suddenly worried. Pirates could be trouble and she was afraid Will would get hurt if he just went and asked about the Black Pearl.

"I'll ask," he answered. When he noticed her concern, he added, "Don't worry, I'll take my sword and be careful."

"I want to come with you," Elizabeth said. Before Will could protest she was shaking her head, "Don't tell me I can't come, I've already made up my mind." Will sighed; he could tell she meant it and that nothing he said would make a difference.

"Okay, fine, you can come. Let's go back to my shop, we'll pick up a few swords-just in case-that way if they attack tonight, we'll be ready."

Elizabeth shifted as she watched the pirate ship dock at one of the piers. "Will," she said softly, "they're here."

Will came up beside her, watching the ship as well, "I doubt that's the Black Pearl. The hull looks like it but… the sails aren't black." He shrugged as he said this. "Well, come on Elizabeth. Let's get going."

The two slipped out into the night. They heard screams as the pirate quickly killed or knocked out anyone in their way. They both knew they needed to find one or two pirates; an amount they could handle or there would be trouble. Elizabeth spotted two lone pirates racing down an alley and she tapped her husband, "There," she whispered, pointing in the direction the two pirates had fled.

Will and Elizabeth ran after the two. As they caught sight of the retreating backs, Will shouted, "You, stop!" To Elizabeth's mild surprise, the two skidded to a halt and turned to face them.

"What do you want?" one of the pirates asked. His voice had a slight twang and one side of his lip was pulled upward in a permanent grimace due to a scar that curled under one eye and down to his mouth. "If it's death ye be seeking, you at the right place."

Will shook his head, "No, all we want is information. But I am ready to fight for it, if the need arises."

The second pirate looked curious and he glanced at his partner before asking, "What kind of information are you seeking?" This pirate seemed of Spanish descent but had near flawless English with hardly any accent.

"I want news. News about the Black Pearl and its Captain, Jack Sparrow," Will answered. He still held a sword in each hand, but had relaxed slightly. The two pirates didn't seem to be bloodthirsty men.

At the name Jack Sparrow, the two tensed and suddenly seemed suspicious of the two. Will tensed also and shifted, making sure Elizabeth was safely behind him. "What do you want with the Cap'n?" the first asked, scowling. The scar made him a fierce sight to behold.

"The Captain?" Elizabeth repeated, speaking for the first time. "You mean that's the Black Pearl? That's Jack's ship?" Her blue eyes widened and excitement swept through her.

Will had noticed the way the two pirates continued to steadily become more and more uneasy and suspicious of them, but for what reason, he didn't know. Suddenly the Spanish pirate drew a pistol, cocked it, and pointed it at Will. "We can't have you asking about the Captain. It tends to be dangerous. So, we'll kill you and the Captain will remain safe." With that, he whistled sharply and as he did, six more pirates appeared, each holding a pistol towards them.

"Drop the swords," the scarred pirate ordered. He alone had a sword pointed at them. Slowly Will and Elizabeth obeyed. "Time to die."

Will's eyes widened slightly and he slowly held his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender. "Parlay," he said softly.

The Spanish man looked surprised, "What did you say?"

"Parlay."

"Parlay," Elizabeth said, repeating her husband.

The scar-faced man stepped forward, "How do you know parlay?" Quickly, he grabbed Will's right arm and pushed up the sleeve and stared in shock.

"What?" the man behind him asked, being the first of the six new arrivals to talk.

"He… has a brand of a pirate, but… not the brand. It almost looks… as if he did it to himself." He stared at the mark tattooed on Will's arm above the wrist; the there was no mistaking the "P" for anything else.

The Spaniards eyes narrowed. "It doesn't matter. It's not the brand, therefore, he's not a pirate and therefore, he can't call parlay." As soon as he said this, the sound of the rest of the pistols being cocked echoed through the now quiet night.

Will's body tensed up and he reached behind him, grabbing his wife's hand and giving it a soft squeeze. Suddenly Elizabeth spoke up, "You can't kill us. If Captain Sparrow finds out what you're doing, you'll all be in trouble. Plus, we called parlay."

There was a sigh, and then one of the pirates spoke up and said, "Parlay only has to be granted if the one who calls it is a pirate. Besides, we know you're lying. The Captain don't have no friends, so why should he care about you?"

"Well, if you think that, why don't you take us to your captain now and see what he says about us?" Will reasoned. He knew if they could only see Jack or vice-versa, or even if Jack learned their names, he would help them.

The Spaniard laughed, "You actually want to see the Captain? Okay, your funeral." He turned to the man beside him, "Bind them." AS the small man quickly obeyed, tying Will and Elizabeth's hands behind them, the Spanish man whispered something to the scarred one.

"Secrets don't make friends," Will commented dryly, knowing what they had been talking about- them.

Scar-face approached him, sword still in hand. "You're going to be trouble. Well… I can fix that." With that, he placed the edge of his sword on Will's side and drew it back sharply.

"Will!" Elizabeth screamed as he gasped, eyes widening, and dropped to his knees holding his side.

"Will, is it? Huh, what's your name, missy? Have to be able to properly introduce you to the Captain."

"E… Elizabeth," she stammered softly, unable to keep her eyes off Will. Will remained on his knees, holding his side in an attempt to slow the blood loss, pain clearly written on his face.

"Well, come on. You wanted to see the Captain, so that's where we're going." One of the pirates jerked Will to his feet and another began to lead Elizabeth to the Black Pearl. The rest followed quickly behind.

"Captain… uh, I need to talk to you Captain," Paul said softly. Paul- or Scarface as he was more commonly called- stood uneasily outside the door to the Captain's room. They had placed the two "prisoners" in one of the cells on board, but now he actually had to confront the Captain.

"Come in," the Captain called from inside. Paul took a deep breath, trying not to think about the rumors that the captain was mentally… unstable. The rumors had sprouted from his actions and risk-taking tendencies.

Paul entered and noticed, once again, the impressiveness of his captain. Jack Sparrow had dark, imposing eyes that seemed both serious and merry at the same time and long, dark brown hair wrapped in bight colors and beaded. Around the top of his head was a red bandanna and over that was his favorite, tri-pointed hat, and beads in his braided beard gleamed.

Jack smile at Paul, revealing his many gold-capped teeth. "Hello, Paul. Have a good time plundering?"

"Uh, yes, but there is something I need to ask you."

"Ask away, dear Scarface… uh, it doesn't involve my ship, does it? I've already told you, you can't throw a party on board unless you invite me." Jack seemed dead serious as he said this, but his eyes danced.

"Well, we have two prisoners with us. They called parlay, but they're not pirates. Also, they claim they know ye."

"Of course they know me, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Everyone knows me."

"I meant they know you, personally, not of you. They seem to think you're a friend, or at least you'll keep us from killing them."

Jack looked surprised, "Friends? Of me? Captain Jack Sparrow doesn't have any friends."

"Exactly what we told them, Captain, but they insisted. Can we kill them? The man's already injured. After we bound them, I half gutted him."

"Best tell me their names first. You know, on the off chance I know them." A look of pure seriousness crossed Jack's face then, "You do realize, though, that if they are my friends- don't worry, I doubt they are- I'll have to do to you what you did to them."

Paul nodded, "I'm not worried. Friends of Captain Sparrow? I highly doubt it. Anyways, their names are Elizabeth and Will."

Jack Sparrow froze. 'Elizabeth and Will?' he thought, 'It can't be!' Suddenly he stepped forward, drew his sword, and slashed hard down Paul's side. "Sorry, but I have a feeling these are friends." That done, he re-sheathed his sword and started out his room to the cells. As he reached them, he slowed. The two inside he hadn't seen in nine years, but there was no mistaking either of them.

"Will?" he asked softly in disbelief. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth's head snapped up, "Jack?" she asked. "Is that really you?"

Jack grinned, "Who else do you know this good looking?" He quickly unlocked the door and joined them inside. "Are you okay, Will?"

Will looked for the first time and smiled around his pain, "About time, Jack. Did you stop for a drink on the way here?" Will was still holding his side as he sat on his knees. By now, his hands were covered in his own blood.

Jack smiled and laughed. "No, stopped and had some dinner though," he joked. He crouched down in front of Will and carefully looked them over. "Are you okay, Will?" he asked again.

Will nodded slightly and turned his attention to Jack, away from his injury, "How have you been? It's been nine years."

"I've been fine. I'm still alive, so… I can't complain too much. But nine years certainly has changed you. What happened to the blacksmith I met who hated anything dealing with pirates?" Jack asked, shaking his head slightly. "I only thought you looked like your father before; now it's as if ol' Bootstrap's back from the grave."

Will smiled, but the grin was laced with pain, and Jack saw it. He reached into his coat and pulled out some bandages then handed them to Elizabeth, "Here, use these to patch him back up. I'll go talk to the crew, because you're going to be stuck on board until we reach the next city."

Jack got up and started to leave, but stopped and turned back. "Good to see you two again." He grinned and winked at them. "I'm glad the two of you are here." He continued out, making sure to leave the cell open so they could leave when they wanted.

Will watched him go then glanced back to Elizabeth who had opened his shirt and was carefully binding up his side. "He hasn't changed much," Will commented. He winced as she tightened one of the bandages and thought, 'I'm glad he hasn't. His… unique character is part of what makes him such a god person.'

Elizabeth nodded as she finished on him, "It's a good thing. You know, I don't mind staying on the ship for a while. There finished." She smiled and kissed him, "Just take it easy and you'll be fine."

Will grinned, "If this is anything like last time, that'll be hard to do.

TBC