Child of A Heartless Man Chapter III:
The next morning's sun rose hidden behind heavy luminous clouds which cast cold blustery shadows on the harbor of Whaling Port. The small and isolated community looked unwelcoming and depressed in the dreary light of this day's dawn.
Elizabeth looked on the port with disgust and weary sleep deprived eyes. Will stood behind her and wrapped her in his warmth, but she still shook slightly.
Barbossa was no where to be seen, but Gibbs stood at the port side railing gesturing to the dock hand, to catch the rope and secure their line. As the meager crew stepped off the White Clam Gibbs handed them each a small piece of paper, and an even smaller sachet of silver.
"if ye don't come back with what's on that list you'll not leave this port til' we get back." Under his breath, only loud enough for Will to hear, " Gods knows when that'll be."
The crew made faces of annoyance and some in confusion, but dutifully went their assigned ways to procure whatever was depicted on their papers.
Will and Elizabeth went with Gibbs, to the Trader's Alley, a convergence market for all types of tradesmen to barter their wares to the public. Will looked down at his list,
"Fur coats, ice picks, thick hide boots, salt? Gibbs where are we going to if we need all of this stuff?" Will whispered fiercely to his friend, tying not arose Elizabeth's suspicions.
"I can't tell you Will, but if we want to get out of this intact, we will definitely be needing everything on that list." He answered firmly.
"And you really think that the others will be as responsible in their tasks?"
"Not really, but that's the point, everything we can't do without, we are procuring, everything else, well that's just fluff."
Will smirked at him, and reached behind him to take Elizabeth's hand.
Hours drifted by, and the inquisitive sailors returned to their small vessel with an apprehensive stride.
The items the others had procured were already stowed away when Gibbs and the two gentry returned. Gibbs put down his sizable pack next to the Captain, and started to hand out thick winter coats to the lot of them.
"What we need these for?" Pintel asked Barbossa.
"Well if you don't want it, give it back." Barbossa answered with a click of his tongue.
"That's okay I'll just keep it with me then." The stout man had enough sense not to push the matter.
Elizabeth took a seal pelt coat from the top of the pile and slung its arms around her slick little waist. There was no point in sweating now and giving the others an opportunity to take the better coat from her grasp.
Will had climbed up to the top of the main sail and was now perched like a crow gazing down at the others. The others were taking the supplies down into the holding area, while Gibbs and Ragetti maneuvered there way out of the harbor and again onto the open sea.
The wind was warm and brisk, and there were no clouds to be seen. Ahh it was a fine day for sailing into unknown waters. Will shook his head, and rubbed his parched skin free of the dust and grime. When he looked downward again he caught a wry smile of Barbossa smirking up at him.
Where is he leading us?
What could he possibly need that he doesn't already have?
And how in all of gully weather did he survive? That shot from Jack's pistol had hit him squarely enough.
Barbossa's smile grew wider as he watched Will's questions form over the younger man's face. No doubt he was wondering how he had survived, yet Barbossa himself had been wondering that same question.
He remembered the pain of Jack's bullet, and the cold overtake him as if his heart had been plunged into ice water. The black had clouded over his eyes and he had sunk into the mire of death with a feeling of abandonment.
But he had awoken, healed, and same as he had always been, except now the curse was lifted and he could taste his beloved apples again. What had saved him? There was only one possibility, but he was a daft man for believing it.
Still he had to know…the truth, from her lips.
And so he had agreed to this mad journey, if only he could face her again and know if the impossible was true.
He hung his head and sighed, he was tired after all these years at sea, tired of the bleakness, and uncertainty. Even the occasional slaughter hadn't been enough to revive him from that brief walk he had had with Death.
Elizabeth watched Barbossa, trying to figure out what his game was, but Gibbs interrupted her thoughts,
"You'll never figure him out Lizzy, he's a harder nut to crack than ol' Jack could ever hope to be."
"You know where we're going." It wasn't a question.
"Aye, I know."
Before she could interrogate him further he walked past her and took the helm once more.
That night while the others were a bed, the warm air of the southern sea vanished, leaving a thick coating of salty ice covering the deck of the small vessel. Gibbs had been up all night and when Will arrived at dawn to relieve him, he was surprised that his hands hadn't frozen to the wheel.
Gibbs hauled himself off to broth, rum and bed, instructing Will to keep heading south/
"Will we get where we're going today?" Will inquired casually.
"Depends" Gibbs chattered in the stiff morning air.
"What am I looking for, if we do?" Will asked urgently.
"If we get there, they'll be no mistaking the sight of it." Gibbs muttered before taking his leave of the youngin'.
Barbossa was waiting for Gibbs just below the stairs, but he didn't speak until Gibbs had passed him.
"That one is just as nosy as Bootstrap was, mm, sorry, is."
"He's a good man, they both are."
"Maybe, but also foolish." Barbossa added.
"Aren't we all?" Gibbs was dead on his feet and in no shape for a further discussion.
A/N: Sorry for the incredibly long delay, this story is now an Alternative Universe ending alternative to At World's End. Thanks to my beautiful betas, and my faithful readers. Please review!
