I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean.


II

The labor lasted about three hours. The midwife said that I am a strong woman and my screams had surely awakened the newly formed storm at sea. They were born healthy, Jack. One of them has the same mark as you, below the jaw. By the way, he's the one who gives me the hardest work. It seems he cannot distance himself from me, the constant crying until I take him in the lap and make him go back to the depths of his sleep.

His name is Edwin.

He came first to this world, followed by his brother about one hour later. Henry is calmer than Ed; that's what I can perceive within the last two weeks since they were born.

Incredible, is it not? Four years has passed since we met each other and I would never imagine myself in a situation like this. I've got two sons. We've got two sons, Jack. I wonder what my father would think, how would he react if he was alive and knew that we conceived two children. That his grandsons are the heirs of pirates. Oh, it would be so fun to see him now, a stupid expression upon his face. And it would not be only for his grandsons, nevertheless for his daughter, that became the Pirate King. Would father understand? Would he understand my most sincere desires?

He would obviously not approve the life we take, but I believe he would at least understand. After all, he was my father and he loved me. I remember him telling me, sometimes happy, sometimes in a state of deep thoughts, that I, in fact, couldn't displace myself from what he would call "my destine", that in his words, would be a free life at sea, as much as did my mother, who also loved our practices.

I'd like to… remember her face. My father always told me her stories passionately. It is impossible to not love a woman as fiery as my mother. However, he never got into much details. My mother's identity has become a mystery to me, though I still love her the same way. Maybe not as much as my father did.

Henry reminds me of my father. There's a serenity in his eyes that would calm down even you, Jack. His hair is darker than Ed's. Even so… Edwin reminds me of you. Even with the brighter hair.

I decided to stark writing these notes because I feel lonely, even though the boys have come to fill a void of my existence. I miss you, Jack. I hope you're well. I hope you can meet them, I hope you... find me.

Lizzie. March 2, 1735.

The seizure made the pages leaf through quickly. He jumped some of them and his eyes stopped on a note that caught his eye.

Henry said his first word today, "mama".

Edwin still babbles some syllables, but nothing that completes a whole word. I understand what he asks, when he points his fingers, gesturing. But there is an obvious difference between Ed and Henry. Henry still crawls, while Edwin already runs through the aisles. In three weeks, they will be one-year old.

Our economies yield to this day. I'm able to afford this house, clothes and food for the boys. I'm selling breads and pies to raise more funds. I made a garden, Jack. You'd be laughing at me now, would not you? Elizabeth Swann became a home-staying mother. Who would say?

Deep down I'm still the same. I want to believe it's just a phase. That things will return to normal one day, even if normal is extraordinarily abnormal.

I still miss you, Jack. And always will.

I cannot believe you're dead. The murmurs are many around here. But no. By the way, if you're alive, please...

Come back.

And if you do not come, when we meet again, I'll give you the biggest punch you've ever taken.

Lizzie. January 11, 1736.

Edwin finished reading his first book today! I'm very proud. He learned so fast, Jack! Henry is still learning, though. His process is a bit slower, but soon he will reach his brother. Henry is so skilled with handiwork. Edwin is apt to words and to sword. You'd be as proud as I am.

Where are you, Jack? Where are you?

I should not have left you behind. What if you died? I will not forgive myself. Never. Should have stayed by your side and fought with you. We could do it, Jack, together. We always did.

I love you so much.

And I'm so sorry…

Lizzie. October 23, 1740.

I'm sure if you saw the gleam in Ed's eyes, when I talk about you, you would print that mocking smile on you with your fully inflated ego. Henry does not get so easily impressed, though, but he loves to hear our stories. Sometimes I thank you for not being here to tell them the sordid details, as I believe you would. I hide some of them, and I know how angry you would be about that.

But maybe it's not really my right, is it?

Anyway, if you want your children to know everything about you...

It would be better to appear at once.

Lizzie. September 07, 1741.

Jack…

I'm so sorry.

I'm so sorry for not telling the truth.

It is so stupid to express myself in this diary, knowing that you will never read it. And yet I believe that I must keep my confession to you, to the diary, to whoever is the reader of these pages.

I lied. I lied to our children. I told them his father was Will. It seemed easier to explain William's absence than your own. I was afraid they'd get mad at you. I was afraid they would not forgive me for abandoning you. I was afraid to show them how cruel, cold, and painful life can be. That the battles are not as magnificent as they are portrayed in the books.

And wrapped in my own fear I did not realize the harm I did to Ed and Henry.

Ed found out. He's not talking to me, Jack. The pain I felt when I saw him crying, when I heard him cry out that he hated me... I could not describe. He loves you, Jack. He loves what he knows about you. Love what was projected on you. Each part. Each detail.

Henry... did not believe him. He is so used to hear that William is his father that the idea seemed just absurd. They both fought. Edwin is not talking to Henry either. And Henry will definitely not talk to Edwin anytime soon...

I do not know what to do, Jack.

Why did I lie to them?

I lied to two boys about their origin, about their father, and I did not imagine the consequences.

Will I ever be forgiven?

Jack...

I need you so much now...

Lizzie. June 23, 1742.

"Enough", Jack said, closing the diary. His mind was too dazed now, things spiraling because of the headache that shot through his forehead.

Edwin waited for Sparrow to breathe and take his breath again. The man looked completely lost in front of him.

"Do you believe me now?" He asked, leaning his back against the chair. "That was the last page on which my mother set her thoughts. In that night I stole the diary and ran. I suppose there is another to take its place".

"You abandoned you mother because of me?" Jack didn't know how to feel, exactly.

"No", he sighed. "I ran away. I was a child who was feeling betrayed. For many years I imagined the adventures you and my mother had experienced and imagined myself in them. So much more interesting than William. A cursed man sailing across the seven seas looking after the dead", he smiled sadly. "Today I can see the mistake of leaving my mother and Henry behind. Elizabeth continued to lie to my brother and herself for eleven fucking years. Maybe if I had stayed, they would have agreed to join me in this hunt for you", he rose from his chair, taking slow steps to Jack, who stood gaping behind his desk. "But I ran away mostly because I needed to bring you back. I was nine years old and imagined I would be able to drag you to that damn island and make you apologize to me, my brother, and my mother. You abandoned her".

"I…"

"You've left her behind. For twenty years. So I can't see the real difference between you and William Turner", he finally finished, harsh.

Jack set the diary on the desk and breathed in grimly.

"I did not abandon her. And I looked for her for many years. Have you read this diary? Are you sure? Your mother explains much of what happened before you were born, boy", Jack put his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes with his index fingers.

"I know... I know you left her behind so she had a chance to get away. But why didn't your run away with her?"

"Elizabeth needed time", he whispered. "She needed time, Edwin. And she had to be safe. While we were together we were a bigger target. And I would not forgive myself if your mother suffered again because of me". He looked seriously at Edwin, his eyes watering. Sparrow... are you crying? "I was arrested and tortured for years. They wanted me to tell them where Elizabeth was. How could I do that? How?" He paused. "When I was finally taken to the gallows, Mr. Gibbs and a few other mates appeared and saved me. Summarizing the story a lot". He snorted uneasily. "I... I was torn between looking for Elizabeth and letting her live. If I ever found her, we would soon be cornered again, and if I lost her again, it would be my end". The last sentence came out in a murmur. "After a while I... I thought... maybe... Maybe Lizzie was dead. Maybe they had taken her, after all. And that corroded me internally for years and years. When I met your brother... when I met Henry... And I realized that Elizabeth was alive and that... there was still a chance... I had to get the Pearl back. How else would I get to her? Then William was suddenly free from the curse. And your mother in his arms. And nothing else made sense".

"Henry is your son".

"I know that now, you see".

"Did you see my mother?"

"In the distance. I did not dare to approach. She... and William. They were together". He stood up, looking for a bottle of rum. "Twenty years is a long time, boy".

"Do you love her?", the words came out like a razor from Edwin's throat. He was afraid to ask. And afraid of what he could hear.

Jack seemed to digest the question little by little, spilling a half-bottle of rum as he sat down behind his desk again. He watched, sullen, the flames crackling in the candle in front of his eyes. He felt the warmth of the fire warm his face, his fingers playing with the flames.

"Elizabeth was the first and only woman I truly loved", he removed his fingers from the flames and looked at Edwin again. His black irises watched the boy resignedly. "And I still do. Like I said, twenty years is a long time. However, this time only served to reinforce something of which I already had science".

"In the end, you are both cowards". Edwin took the bottle from Jack, then felt the liquid burn his throat. He cleared his throat. "Two cowards who admit nothing to each other. And destiny reserved for us this fateful moment". He took a deep breath, then took the rest of the rum left in the bottle. "I need your help, Sparrow. You said you know where my mother is. I need you to take me to her. I'm sure you will not deny this favor to your eldest son". He smiled.

"Your mother was wrong," Jack said, smiling. "You do not look like me as much as you look like her. Although your taste for rum equals mine", he made a proud expression, placing his feet on the table. "Why do you want to go to your mother?"

"I think the simple fact of wanting to see her is enough".

"And why do you need me?"

"Because I want to take you with me".

Jack sighed uneasily.

"I do not think that's a good idea".

"And why not?"

"I do not think your mother wants to—"

"See you?" Edwin snorted. "Actually, I don't care much about it. I want to prove a point, Sparrow. That I would bring you back. And I'll bring you back. Savvy?"

Savvy. Jack laughed softly when he realized that even the speech tricks had been inherited by the boy. How much can a boy look so much like his parents? Above all, Sparrow was fascinated by Edwin. Our son, Lizzie.

And there was Henry. Suddenly he felt lost, betrayed, tired. Henry was his son too, and the memories of what they went on together almost a year ago surfaced. Jack felt dizzy, closing his eyes and regaining a modicum of sobriety that was still within him.

"I'm not asking you to stay", Edwin continued. "Much less will I stay. However, I believe that taking this action is something necessary. If... if my mother is still in the Canary Islands... it means only one thing", the boy seemed to reflect, suddenly looking guilty. "It means she's waiting for me. And I need to set her free. We need to".

Jack seemed to ponder Edwin's words. He watched as the boy pulled a package of tobacco and silk from his pocket. He rolled up the cigarette calmly, with unquestionable dexterity. Jack could not understand why everything the boy did in front of him seemed so extraordinary. Perhaps the fact that he was the result of his love for Elizabeth. He never imagined himself in a situation like this, ever. His thoughts made him more and more confused, the sensations so new and so unknown coming up in his stomach. He came back to the moment when the boy offered him a cigarette and started making one for himself.

"We never stayed for a long time. Mum did not think it was smart", Edwin said, while licking the silk. "We were fugitives, and we did not even know it, actually. She just told us that it was not safe to stay in one place for long. Henry hated that we constantly move, while I—"

"Loved it?", He looks like us, Lizzie. He expressed fascination again.

"Yes", Edwin smiled. "I've always loved the sea. The freedom it gives us. Mum loved it, too. To think that she abstained from this, from her freedom, even if it was so little, to... wait for me... Wait for me to come back one day... ", he lit his cigarette in the candle flame and swallowed. "Fuck", he paused. "I do not... I..."

"Do not feel guilty. Mothers do everything for their children. I believe she had her own strategies to find you".

"Henry", he said, blankly. "No. She would not do anything that would put him in danger. You see? So she stayed on the island. The safest and most certain way to protect Henry and... me. And then he abandoned her too, for William Turner. I was nine when I ran away, a dumb and stupid child I was… But Henry? No. He was an adult. An adult as fool as a child".

"He's a fine lad", Jack said.

"I don't hate him", he paused. "I just… I don't get him. Will is so boring".

Jack burst out in laugh. Here it is. That's why you said the boy looked like me on those notes, isn't it? He hates William Turner as much as I do myself.

"He's with her now. Are you sure you're prepared to deal with this fact?"

"I intend to free my mother. William Turner is one of her bonds from the beginning. She says so herself in her diary. Why... why surrender to those moorings one more time?" Edwin looked indignant. "Is her hope completely gone?" He looked at Jack, resolute. "We need to save her".

"I believe your mother can save herself. If she chose this path, I cannot tell her otherwise. After all, Elizabeth Swann is a free soul to do as she wishes".

"You've set me free, Jack". Edwin quoted one of his mother's notes. "It's written in the diary. I may not fully understand the issues lying dormant in my mother's heart, but my interpretation of the text is very good, sir", he laughed. "Are you afraid of being rejected?"

"Me?" Jack's voice came out in flaws. Edwin rolled his eyes. "Lad..."

"Just take me to her", Edwin's eyes sparkled and pleaded for Jack.

That's more than I can handle, boy.

"It's all right. I'll take you".

Edwin smiled, convinced. He swallowed his cigarette again thoughtfully. He said at last, "Would you have more rum?"

Actually... you were damn right, Lizzie.


So! This is our brand new chapter! Please, if you have any question or critic (good or bad), leave a review!

P.S: Edwin's theme is "Little Lion Man", by Mumford and Sons. I just thought you'd like to know :D

Ah: here's the link for the illustration I made about Edwin

anerainey .deviantart art/Edwin-Swann-Sparrow-688243435 (just clean the spaces)

XOXO