Chapter 3: The Sea
If you read the first chapter where Eliza was given three things, please reread it because I had to make some changes in it. If you don't reread it half of this chapter will make no sense at all.
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It had been six years since Wendy had learned the truth. At first it had made her even wilder, not caring about anything. Then a terrible thing happened, she hit puberty. With terrible mood swings, and extreme crankiness not even Peter could stand her. So she took refuge in her gowns, she learned to sew, and cook. Till the dream of being a pirate was only a faint memory. It was on her fifteenth birthday when she was of prime marriage age, did the memory even cross Wendy's mind.
"A toast now to the young Lady Wendy Dudley, on her sixteenth birthday, so that she may be blessed with a happy marriage and a good life!" Lord Dudley toasted his daughter. It was her birthday and the next day she would set sail for England, for her marriage.
Wendy blushed, "Thank you father, I will miss you!"
The guests cheered. Even the words she had just spoken were a lie, Wendy was a good liar, a cheat and even though no one would ever guess it, least of all her, she was a pirate. As a young girl she would free pirates from the brig in exchange for stories or in some cases artifacts. This is how she got her father's sword, or actually pieces of the sword that her father had made and then she remade, and gave it to her father. Even though she had promised herself that she would have adventures like her father, it seemed obvious to everyone that that was not going to happen. So she played the game, she was accepted into the family, and her mother was so proud. Though she lacked real feminine beauty, she was very sharp, but acted dumb, and many men thought that was a good thing.
As the party continued, a lieutenant ran up to Lord Dudley and whispered something in his ear. Lord Dudley nodded and stood up to leave. "Father, what's going on?" Wendy asked sweetly.
"Good news, my sweet, we have just captured one of the most fierce pirates in the Caribbean!" Lord Dudley said loudly, and proudly.
"Captain Turner?" A man asked hopefully. Wendy bit her lip, and looked curios at the same time. She had heard of her older brother Bill Turner two years ago. Apparently he was a pirate just like his father and his grandfather, and had risen to the rank of Captain quickly. Recently he had laid siege to Port Royal, it was rumored that he something against Lord Dudley, though no one knew why.
Lord Dudley shook his head, "No, I wish we had him but instead, we have captured, Jack Sparrow!"
Many people were very pleased. With that happy note the party quickly broke up. Wendy waited till the sun had set then went down to visit an old friend. She dressed in her plainest dress and crept out of the house.
When she reached the Blacksmith's shop she wasn't surprised to find that Peter was still working. Even though most of the rich people had already retired to bed, most of the working class would still be finishing their work. Without knocking on the door Wendy entered the shop. Peter stood with his back to her working on a sword. "Ahem," Wendy coughed quietly.
Peter turned around to see her standing in the doorway, "Ah, Miss Dudley what an unpleasant surprise." He said sarcastly.
"Please spare me that line of shit, Mr. Brown." Wendy said with the same amount of sarcasm. After a brief moment of silence Wendy continued, "I came to say goodbye, because I'm leaving tomorrow."
"I heard." Peter said simply.
"Well?"
"Well what? I thought we went through this three years ago. I really don't need to listen to you cry for an hour."
"Sorry, and you didn't hear me cry, I cried when I got to the beach and you weren't there! You were never there."
"Well excuse me! I had to work! I'm not rich you see I have to work with my hands, because I'm not rich!"
"I never blamed you for your work! I blamed you for your …." Wendy trailed off she was about to say 'heartlessness' but thought better of it, thinking of her father.
"My what? My not letting you work? My constant care for you and your sanity? Or is it that I would not believe all of your crazy dreams?" Peter yelled.
"Well now you can rub it in! Can't you? Look who was right! I'm now leaving to marry an old oaf, just to please my father, and you became a blacksmith!" Wendy yelled even louder.
"No, I was not right! You were right! All those dreams were crazy but you seem to have forgotten them!"
"Do I have a choice?"
"We all have a choice, Will, you could come back to the Street Rats and live the rest of your life pleasing yourself!"
"Wait!" Wendy whispered, they had been yelling for the past five minutes so her quite was louder than her scream, "did you just call me Will?"
"Yes I did, it's your name is it not?"
"Sorry Peter, my name is Wendy Elizabeth Dudley, not any other name I have ever gone by." Wendy whispered sadly. "and I will never join the Lost Boys."
Peter frowned and looked down, "Yeah, you are sorry….You used to be my hope. Nothing could keep you down. Now you're just like…them. "
Now Wendy was feeling very guilty. She had always made fun of women who acted like their heads were empty, and ten feet off the ground. Though now she was one of them, and Peter had a point. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"What you want to do."
Wendy laughed, she would love to rip all of her dresses into shreds, and steal a ship and go on account (become a pirate). Of course none of these things could happen, she did not know how to sail, she did not have a crew and she would be caught before she even reached the docks. "It's not possible." She said sadly in-between laughs. After she ran out of breath, she left, since Peter and she had nothing else to say to each other.
On her way home she thought about Peter's words then it hit her. She should do just one thing to make the world know that she was still her, birth, father's daughter on the inside. Immediately she turned away from the manor, and headed to the fort. No one noticed her as she entered; it was not unusual for wives to visit their husbands during the night. Eliza made her way down to the dungeon. When she finally made her way down without rising to much suspicion, she made her way past all the hopeless drunkards to the cell that was only inhabited by one person. This person was pretending to sleep on the floor and looked completely at ease, in spite of the fact that the next morning he was supposed to be hanged, beheaded, have his entrails cut out and burned, thought not in that order. "Who are you?" Eliza asked loudly.
The man opened his eyes and sat halfway up, "Who am I? Love, the question is who are you not to know me?" he slurred.
Eliza laughed, "Well who I am is definitely in question, but that does not answer, my question."
The man rolled his eyes, "Love, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"
After a second of silence Eliza said, "Was that supposed to impress me?"
Captain Sparrow shook his head, "Have you not heard the stories? I am the greatest pirate who ever lived."
"Yeah, lived being to key word of that phrase."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Eliza ignored him and said to no one, "Well, I guess I'm not the fairest judge in this case. I mean… really."
"What do you mean girl?" Captain said now getting upset.
"I mean ...yeah." Eliza said again, grinning, the she leaned up and put her face to the bars and whispered, "Want to get out of here?
"Who doesn't love?
"I can get you but it will cost you…. That compass." Eliza pointed to Jack's compass.
"This compass?" Jack grabbed his compass, "You don't want this compass it doesn't work."
"It doesn't point north, but I don't want to find north, do I?"
"How do you know that?"
"I've heard the stories, but I was not impressed."
"How can you not be impressed?"
"I have to say that after living with many high ranking English and they really aren't that smart. Now about the compass, I promise that when you repay me you can have it back."
"Well that depends on how am I supposed repay you?" he winked.
Eliza was disgusted and stepped back, "You could save my life."
"Oh," Captain Jack said disappointed, "Fine."
He handed her the compass. Eliza set it down on the stone floor, and turned to the wall. She grabbed a bench off the wall and stuck the feet in the bars of the door. When she looked at Captain's Sparrow's face she grinned, "It's a matter of leverage, or family tradition, your choice."
"What's your name?"
"Which one?"
"The one you were born with."
"Oh," Eliza laughed "Eliza… William…"
"Why would anyone name a girl William?"
"It was my father's name, and brother's, and grandfather's now that I think about it."
"You're Will Turner's daughter?!"
"Yeah, well some of the time. The rest of the time I play a weak governor's daughter."
"And all you need is my compass? You don't have a certain friend in distress, who is in need of my assistance?"
"No, all I need is the compass."
"Oh,"
With out waiting for anymore questions Eliza pushed down on the bench and the door opened. "Get out now and don't be seen! I'll get my own way back." She whispered as she grabbed the compass then she made her way down the stairs deeper into the fort. Captain Jack waited until Eliza had disappeared then he made his way up the stairs.
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The next morning Wendy woke up early, as was her routine and looked out her window. It was raining not hard but enough to make what should have been a beautiful day gloomy. Wendy had just gotten dressed when Lord Dudley barged into her room. "Wendy! Something terrible has happened!"
Wendy stayed calm, inside but on the outside she panicked, "What? Has some one been murdered?"
"No, the pirate Jack Sparrow escaped last night! And now I'm not sure whether or not I should let you leave today or not!"
Wendy laughed inwardly, but she looked scared, "What shall we do, father?"
"Well I must send you away or there will be … trouble, but if I send you away to soon then you might not even make it out of the bay."
"Oh, father I know you will make the right choice." Wendy consoled her father, while on the inside Eliza was calling the lord a stupid git and laughing even harder.
"Thank you Wendy, I knew you would understand." Lord Dudley stood up to leave.
"Of course, father" Wendy said sweetly, as he left. It was late in the afternoon when she received a message telling her that it was time to go. So with all haste Wendy ordered her maids to finish packing and dress her, but it was Eliza who snuck a pair of boots into her bag.
When the ship finally cast off the sun was setting, and Eliza stood on the deck and watching the sun set even though the rain had not yet ceased. As the sun set the ocean began to rock the boat, and waves began to crash on the deck. Only when one of her maids came up on deck and told her she would catch her death if she stayed on the deck. Though the thought did not frighten Eliza, Wendy agreed and came down to her cabin. Shortly after that they had dinner, the food wasn't that good but one would complain.
After dinner the ladies sat down to sew. Then as Wendy and the maids sewed and exchanged some gossip. "You know about the pirate escaping last night?" one of the maids asked, her name was Ann.
"Who doesn't? It is because of his escape that we could not leave port till so late." Marry answered.
"Well I heard that it was a young girl who got him out."
"Impossible…" It was then that the conversation was cut off because the ship lurched so hard that everyone fell off their seats. After that the ship kept on jumping and lurching, and some water came into the cabin. Everyone climbed into their bunks and started to pray, except Eliza in her bunk she held her leather necklace in her hand, she decided that if she was to meet her father tonight she would be calm.
The ship survived the night, much to Eliza's disappointment. When she woke up there was how ever a slight eeriness in the morning gloom. When she climbed up the stairs to the deck, the remaining sailors where lining up the dead for a burial. Eliza went over to each of the bodies and wished them luck. All the sailors where so surprised at her actions, that they did not see the cannon ball flying toward the ship until it hit. Eliza ran down to her cabin and saw her maids holding the body of Marry, the canon ball came through there cabin and had hit Marry. The scene was quite disgusting but Eliza moved quickly, "Marry! I need you to do one more thing for me." She whispered.
"What is that milady?" Marry whispered weakly.
"When you see my father, tell him Eliza says hi."
"Your father? Oh!" Marry realized, then died.
Everyone was scared, but when the cry rang out from the deck, "It's the Starlight!"
That is when every one, except Eliza, really started to pray. For the captain of the Starlight was none other than Captain Bill Turner the third. It was in this moment that if she played her cards right she could be free. Eliza thought that she could escape the brig but she did not know if she could escape the care of an older sibling. After a half an hour of fighting a pirate ran down the stairs and herded the women up to the deck. Wendy walked with her head up and acted like she was going up to the deck because she wanted to, not because she was being told to. It was not hard to pick out her brother. He was the one with the big hat, a wooden leg and was shouting orders at the crew. When the women were brought up the entire deck seemed to freeze. "Uh oh, I'm in deep trouble now." Wendy whispered
"What does that mean, wench?" A sailor, threatened her. Wendy flinched.
"Wendy, be quite!" Ann said sternly. Eliza gave her a dirty look.
"Wendy? The Wendy Elizabeth Dudley!" Bill said evilly. "I should be honored!"
Eliza was silent, Wendy was scared. The peg-legged man standing across from her may be her brother, but that did not mean that he wouldn't hesitate to kill her, unless he knew her birth name. Even though, that was not her so now she had a moral dilemma.
"What the daughter of the most powerful, living, man in the Caribbean has no answer? I am shocked."
"Well, I suppose that the son of the most powerful, undead man in the Caribbean has an answer for everything!" Eliza snapped, surprising Wendy.
The only thing more surprising than her retort was Bill's answer to it. He walked up to her and slapped her across the face, "Don't speak about my father like that?"
Wendy stood her ground though all of her senses were to run away and be shot, then have a family reunion. Eliza asked "Why? He's not here, and it's another three years and four months till he returns, unless we stick around till he shows to collect on your losses." Now Wendy had no idea what Eliza was doing, she should be running and dying right about now.
"How does a lord's daughter know these things?" Bill asked, after doing the math and realizing she was right. Finally Eliza took Wendy's advice and shut up. Bill grabbed her arms and pulled her so he was staring her in the face. "How?" When she refused to answer he slapped her again, then he turned to the crew, "Take her aboard, if she knows so much about pirates than we should educate her about them some more. As for the rest, take anything worth a price. Leave any else."
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That night Wendy was woken up from her nap in the brig by a drunken pirate, "Get up!" the man slurred, "the captain wants ta see yeh."
"huh?" Wendy asked sleepily.
"GET UP!" the man yelled waking her up. He led her up the stair to the captains cabin. "Captain, sir the lady." The man said as he led her inside the cabin.
Wendy walked inside, trying to remember how to act the lady she was trying to be. "Ah, Ms. Dudley, I was just about to eat, why don't you join me?" Bill said, as he dismissed the pirate.
Wendy sat down in the chair opposite her brother. In between them there was a huge amount of food. "I'm not hungry." Wendy lied, only to be given away by her stomach growling.
Bill laughed, "I'm not going to poison you. There is no point in that."
"I would prefer poison to what ever you want to do with me. I stopped fearing being killed when I was nine." Wendy snapped, "I don't want to give you the satisfaction of seeing me follow your orders."
"So you don't fear death?" Bill asked.
"Depends who asks the question, if you ask it than no but yes to your father." Eliza spoke up.
Bill was shocked, "So you want to serve on the Dutchman? I would think you would want to die safely on land."
"No, you see, I have always been fascinated by the sea. I think sailing it for a hundred years would be fun." Wendy chose her words carefully.
"You know, you surprise me. You make me think your keeping something from me."
"What makes you believe that? I was a very curios girl when I grew up."
"Well maybe it's because, you know the entire Davy Jones legend by heart, and you look like my father. Tell me were you adopted?"
Wendy hesitated, tell him, he won't hurt you, all he wants to know is the truth, said Eliza but her brain was saying, if you tell him you'll never be free, you'll be confined in his world, the only way to get your freedom is to keep your true identity to yourself. Then Eliza said, true identity? The only true identity you have is what you make for yourself not something you are born with, so tell him, he won't hurt you. After thinking it over Wendy had no idea what to say so she changed the subject, "Sir, if it would not be too much trouble I would like to have a cot placed in my cell. I can't sleep on the floor."
Bill laughed, "Why should I give you a cot? On ships everyone sleeps in hammocks, and you are my prisoner, so why should I attend to your needs?"
Wendy thought about it for a moment, she had never been good at negotiations, unless they were aggressive but even then she didn't test her luck. So she finally said "Well, if you really don't want to give me the cot that's fine. I just thought maybe you were, um, well let's just say that you are more and more like your father than you thought."
Bill stood up, and grabbed her, "What does that mean?"
"Whatever you think it does, sir." She whispered frightened.
He let her go than waved to the man who standing outside to bring her back to the brig.
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The next day Eliza worked, she did not get her cot, so she worked on freeing one of the loose boards in her cell. The Starlight had a double hull, so she was just taking the first layer off. It took her all day. No food came, and the guard did not notice what she was doing on the account of him being drunk.
That night Eliza heard the call that they were making port and it sounded as if it was a pirate port, because no shots were fired. After waiting for awhile Eliza used the board she had finally carved out of the hull to open her cell. At the noise her guard came running but she hid behind him then jump on hi and started to choke him. When the sailor passed out she let go, and stole his clothes. Though the act was disgusting she could not get off the ship dressed as herself. She locked the sailor in one of the cells and made her way up to the deck.
When she reached the deck the sailor called her over, "Hey boy! I thought yeh were gaurdin …uh oh!"
The man recognized her and grabbed his pistol but Eliza forgetting that she had one of her own, and a sword, just grabbed him and gagged him. Even though the man was bigger than her she had the element of surprise on her side, so the man had just started to fight back as she pushed him toward the mast. He tried to punch her but she dodged, the remembering her sword she drew and said, "My father was an expert swordsman, he taught me how to make and use one. If you make any attempt to fight me I swear on his heart that I will kill you." After that she had no problem hand cuffing the unarmed man to the mast, just like her mother had done, except she did not kiss the guy as her mother had done. Before she left she told the pirate, "the captain was looking for his sister in me earlier. Tell him that when he asked she was not there, but she did this and she will be getting her own freedom her own way, and tell him that I made the sword that the captain of the Flying Dutchman carries with him."
After that she walked off the deck and into the port. When she walked down the dock toward the town two very, very drunk women tried to force themselves on her, thinking that she was a boy.
After that rather embarrassing episode Eliza finally made her way into town. She stopped in the first pub and walked inside. In the pub she walked through the fight, and to the bar. When the bar man turned to her she found some coins in her pocket and said, "Rum," she tried to sound her best like a man but failed. As the bar man severed her, her drink the small man sitting beside her poked her in the shoulder, "Wha a young lad ike yeh doing here?"
She took a swig of rum and coughed, "Getting drunk." She took another swig, this was the only thing that made that made sense to her. She had finally realized that she had no way of getting off this island without getting caught.
The man continued, "You lookin for trouble. My friend here…" he pointed to the big man behind him, "say he knew yeh, and he don't like yeh."
"Well you can tell your friend that I don't know him, so he can't not like me." Eliza slurred, she was pretty sure she was drunk. She could never hold her liquor.
"Well whats yeh name?" the little man pressed on.
"Will." Eliza said without thinking.
"liar …" he turned to his friend, and whispered something. The man stood up and grabbed Eliza by her coat. The man was gigantic Eliza figured he was at least six feet tall plus about eight inches, and there she was at her five foot zero inches. The man held her so that her face was eye to eye with his the man said, "Will Turner eh? You may not be Bill Turner, but you are his son so you'll do." With that he threw her against the wall.
"Wait, Wait I am not Bill Turner's dau-son!" Eliza gasped trying to catch her breath. But when the man did not listen to her, she figured she was screwed.
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AN; Will she survive the fight? If she does how will she get off the island? Tune in next week to find out! But before you turn over to the next fic you are reading, or writing please take a moment to tell me in as many words as possible exactly what you think of my fic, thank you!