CH 2 – FLYING PIGS
The skeletal remains of four pirates, still clad in buccaneer rags, were hanging from gallows erected on a rocky promontory.
Pirates – Ye Be Warned.
Screamed a sign hanging from a fifth noose a grim sight to anyone…except the man who was at that moment, viewing them.
Captain Jack Sparrow, the infamous and sexy, swashbuckling drunken, pirate lord passed the gallows display regally, touching his favourite hat it mock salute and taking a shaky sip from his bottle of rum.
Standing at the top of a mast he looked down and saw with surprise and as if for the first time that his ship (correction: tiny wooden dory with a makeshift sail) was sinking.
Jack swayed slightly and then in true pirate fashion, jumped down from his vantage point and began to bail the water from his vessel.
"She is sinking, crew! Savvy? Sinking!" Jack yelled, "Step lively you maggots. Bail!"
"And the rums nearly gone, sir!" Jack said to himself, taking another swig.
"Well then stop drinking it all, Mr Sparrow!" He told himself crossly, "I have no time for your whinging! Bail!"
"Ay Sir." Was the miserable reply
After several minutes of bailing, Jack spotted the huge British dreadnought, H.M.S. Dauntless dominating the bay. But Jack's attention was caught by a different ship: the H.M.S. Interceptor, a small sleek vessel with rail guns and a mortar in the middle of the main deck. It was tied up at the Navy landing, at the base of the cliffs below Fort Charles.
"Now that, lads, is a very pretty boat!" Jack remarked to himself again, "Not as sexy, or appealing as the Pearl, but she'll jus' av' to do."
Jack realised his dory was about to sink completely and so he quickly, put a stopper in his rum bottle, shoved it down his shirt and shimmied up the mast. His dory reached the port, and was sinking lower and lower until it bumped into the dock and Jack was able to simply walk off the boat's mast onto the peer.
Without missing a beat, Jack swaggered off down the dock. He swerved to avoid the harbourmaster, but to no avail. The man turned to face the rugged pirate
"What – hey. Hold up, there, you. It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock." Jack raised a questioning eyebrow and looked disbelievingly at the practically submerged boat. The harbourmaster continued with his reprimand.
"And I shall need to know your name."
Jack grinned, showing off his numerous gold and silver teeth. He reached deep into the pocket of his loose fitting pants and laid three dirty shillings out on the harbourmaster's lodger.
"What d'ye say to three shillings… and we forget the name?" he drawled, winking slyly and swaying slightly. The harbourmaster thought for a moment and the nodded. Sweeping the two extra shillings into his own pocket and closing the lodger.
"Welcome to Port Royal , Mr. Smith ." Jack put his hand together in mock thanks and pivoted quickly to continue on his way. On a table Jack saw the harbourmaster's money pouch. He picked it up conspicuously, shook it and then pocketed it. Not caring who saw and who didn't.
He was Captain Jack Sparrow. Need more be said?
Jack sauntered innocently down the sealed dock toward the Interceptor, the two sailors on sentry duty were lounging about talking, but as Jack tried to pass they snapped to attention and moved into Jack's way.
"This dock is off limits to civilians." Said the thinner of the two men. Jack stopped and pretended to look surprised.
"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know. If I see one, I shall inform you immediately." He said and tried to continue on his way, but the two men once again blocked his path. Jack sighed and thought quickly.
"Apparently there's some sort of high toned and fancy to do up at the fort, eh? How could it be that two upstanding gentlemen such as yourselves did not merit an invitation?" he asked looking genuinely concerned.
"Someone has to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians." The thin one said again, the fat one just nodded.
"It's a fine goal to be sure but it seems to me that a…a ship like that," said Jack reverently. Pointing to the magnificent form of the Dauntless. "Makes this one here a bit superfluous, really."
"Oh, the Dauntless is the power in these waters, true enough, but there's no ship as can match the Interceptor for speed." Said the thin one proudly, raising his chin.
"I've heard of one," said Jack touching one plait of his double braided beard and looking thoughtful, "Supposed to be very fast – nigh un-catchable…the Black Pearl."
The fat one sniggered and finally spoke in a mocking, spit-flinging voice. "Well…there's no real ship as can match the Interceptor."
His colleague looked at him in surprise.
"The Black Pearl is a real ship." He said.
"No, no it's not."
"Yes, it is, I've seen it."
"You've seen it?"
"Yes."
"You haven't seen it."
"Yes, I have."
"You've seen a ship with black sails, that's crewed by the damned and captained by a man so evil that Hell itself spat him back out?"
"No."
"No."
"But I have seen a ship with black sails." He said passionately. They were both so engrossed in their argument, that neither of them noticed Jack slipping past them and up the gangplank.
Jack loved the feel of the deck under his feet and the smoothness of the wooden wheel. He just stood there holding the wheel for a few moment enjoying the feelings this all stirred up.
"Hey! You! Get away from there." Came the shout. Apparently the two men had finished their banter and realised that Jack had gone. He sighed, but pretended to be innocently surprised at their outrage.
"You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate." Said the fat one, cocking his bayonet.
"I'm sorry, it's just it's such a pretty boat. Ship," said Jack, running his hands over the wood again.
"What's your name?" Fatty asked.
"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like." Said Jack carelessly, offering his hand. Neither accepted his shake.
"What's your purpose in Port Royal , Mr. Smith ?"
"Yeah. and no lies."
Jack smiled inwardly at their obvious incompetence. He sighed very loudly, as if in defeat and admitted.
"Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasly black guts out!"
"I said no lies!" said the skinny man indignantly.
"I think he's telling the truth," said fatty, suspiciously eyeing Jack, who stood, smiling sweetly at the helm.
"If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us," reasoned skinny.
"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you," said Jack, confusing them still more and enjoying the little game, he continued. Seeing as he had nothing else to do at the moment.
Lizzie saw the new commodore begin to approach her and groaned in apprehension. She hated it when men grovelled at her feet or expressed the purest love for her, when really all they wanted was a good ol' fuck. Besides, her corset was killing her. She could hardly breathe and the day was heating up quickly. Her fan was hardly helpful at all.
"May I have a moment?" Norrington asked nervously. Lizzie nodded, pretending to be all innocent and sweet. When really beneath the surface she was plotting and scheming for a way to escape Norrington, the boring ass party and her entire stupid life.
Lizzie walked over to the edge of the fort and looked down the 200 ft. drop into the rock churned water below. She was losing feeling in her legs and her breaths were becoming shallower and shallower. She steadied herself against the archway and put on a brave face, as Norrington came and stood next to her.
"Uh, you look lovely, Elizabeth." Norrington said quickly and then continued in a nervous tone. "I, uh, apologize if I seem forward, but I… must speak my mind. This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet achieved. Uh… a marriage to a fine woman. You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth."
Part of Lizzie wanted to laugh and say boldly, "you don't know me, son!" and part of her wanted to sit down…
"I can't breathe." She said suddenly, realising too late that she was slipping over the edge.
As she fell, Lizzie tried to scream but she couldn't take a breath. She lost consciousness mid-flight and came to again when she hit the cold water. Then because she could not breathe, she passed out again and drifted into cold blackness.
Jack stopped the tall tale he was weaving in mid-sentence, as he saw the woman fall. He watched with interest as she fell and when she hit the water he looked at the two guards who were sitting next to him, both looking stunned.
"Will you be saving her then?" Jack asked pointing at the place where she had disappeared.
"I can't swim." Said fatty and the thin one just looked terrified.
"Pride of the King's Navy you are." He said roughly as he removed his effects and gave them to the two men. "Do not lose these."
Then Jack made a practised dive and plummeted into the freezing water, shooting through the bubbles and seaweed like an arrow.
When Jack reached the woman, she had almost reached the bottom and Jack's ears popped painfully as he grasped her under the arms and hauled her up with all his might. But he couldn't keep her afloat with all that cloth weighing her down so he dived again and roughly ripped off the top layer of the dress before dragging the woman laboriously back to the dock,.
The two guards helped Jack pull her onto the wooden planks and the fat one knelt beside her, blocking her from Jack's view as he shook the water off himself.
"She's not breathing!" fatty called desperately and Jack rolled his eyes before swiftly drawing his knife and turn to the woman on the floor.
"Move!" he shouted to the fat one and he quickly ran the razor sharp knife down the laces of her corset, cutting them and then ripping the entire corset off her and handing it to the stunned thin guard. Elizabeth came rushing back to consciousness and had to spit out a mouthful of seawater before taking a breath.
"Never would've thought of that." Said fatty in awe of Jack and embarrassment at Lizzie's exposed petticoats, her nipples and a dark triangle between her legs visible underneath the thin, wet fabric.
"Clearly you've never been to Singapore…" Jack began and then he realised that he hadn't really looked at the woman he had just saved. He turned back to her and his heart missed a beat. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Her face although pale and wane from her recent trauma was smooth and tanned, just like every other inch of her he could see, which was quite a lot. Her eyes were deep blue, like the sea after a storm, the sea he loved so much. Her lips were full and red and even though she was spread out, drenched and half unconscious, she met his gaze with pride and dignity.
Jack dared not look at the rest of her body, for fear of losing what was left of his mind. He had not even talked to her and he could have sworn he was in love. The mighty Captain Jack Sparrow…in love? What now? Flying pigs?