Chapter 4
*Isaac's POV*
Upon arriving back at the Governor's mansion, we received world that Jack Sparrow had been apprehended, caught by the blacksmith Mr. Brown. Once inside Elizabeth and I changed out of our wet clothing. The governor then invited Ma and I to dinner.
The atmosphere in the room throughout dinner was awkward to say the least. At least for my part. Here I was sitting across from a man who as good as had me sacked! I knew that one day, Elizabeth would no longer require my services but I had never put much thought to it. I had no clue what I was to do, I had to support myself after all. Could not have Ma do it all herself.
I glanced at Ma throughout the meal. She still had a hit of anger in her eyes from our earlier encounter with Jack Sparrow. But there was a hint of sadness too, the kind she always got when the subject of my father came up. Put him in his grave, I knew what she meant by it, how could I forget. But when I tried to remember, it was a dull fog. Though the events in question were over ten years ago.
After we all had finished eating the Governor left the mansion, explaining he was going to go to Fort Charles. Probably to start making wedding arrangements…
Ma and I joined Elizabeth up in her bedroom. Ma sat in the chair that stood in front of the vanity. Elizabeth sat up in her bed combing through her hair. Both seemed to be deep in thought. I stood by the open window, staring out over the town and the ocean below. The fog that had rolled in earlier had remained and the full moon had risen. The combination creating an eerie quiet that was almost a bit unsettling.
"A little fog, never hurt anyone," Ma said, coming out of her thoughts glancing over my way, "Come away from the window Isaac."
I pulled up a chair next to Elizabeth's bed just as Estella placed the bed warmer under the sheets at Elizabeth's feet, "There you go miss. It was a difficult day for you, with that pirate and all. I am sure," said Estrella gently.
"I suspected Commodore Norrington would propose," Elizabeth sighed, "but I was still not entirely prepared for it?"
"You mean you did not accept his proposal?" I questioned trying not to sound to happy, ignoring the look I receive from Ma after.
"No…that is, I do not know what to do. He is a fine man," said Elizabeth, "The sort of man that any woman should dream of marrying."
"That Will Turner…he is a fine man too," said Estrella softly.
"Estrella." Ma scolded, as if to remind her it was not our place as servants to comment on such things.
"I am sorry Miss, it is not my place," Estrella apologized.
"That will be all Estrella," I said, "Miss Elizabeth will be fine until morning." Estrella curtsied to Elizabeth before leaving, closing the door behind her.
"Why did you not accept the Commodore's proposal?" Ma questioned. Ma could get away with those questions. Besides her own father, Elizabeth trusted Ma the most as if she was her own mother.
"I do not know if I could marry a man I do not love," explained Elizabeth.
Ma sighed, "Elizabeth, take if from someone who has done it. It may be better to get married to someone you are not in love with and learn to love them…than to love a man only to fall out of love."
"Is that what happened with your husband?" asked Elizabeth.
"You could say that." Ma sighed, a few tears slid down her face. I had never heard Ma explain what had happened between her and my father that way before. Ma got up from the vanity and made her way out of the room, "Excuse me, I need some air." A few moments later we hear the front door of the mansion open then close. She was probably going to go down to the harbor by the ocean, Ma always went to the water to clear her head.
"I am sorry," said Elizabeth, "I did not realize the question would upset her."
I shook my head, "You are confused and you asked a question. I am sure it is just because of what happened earlier today
"Do you think I should accept the proposal?"
How do I answer a question like that? If she accepts the proposal, I lose my job and may be forced to join the Royal Navy but the Commodore would make certain Elizabeth was well taken care of. If she refuses, she could marry for love one day…or become a spinster all because I was selfish.
"I do not know." I answered not wanting to influence he decision with my own problem.
Minutes later a cold wind blew in through the window causing the candle on Elizabeth's nightstand to flicker and go out. The only light left in the room came from the moon, which disappeared as a cloud drifted in front of it. Leaving the room in complete darkness
*Heather's POV*
I had to clear my head. There was just too much floating around in my brain. It had been a decade since I had last seen Jack Sparrow. He is who set my life down this course, the one who made me have to start my life back over. A life that I had years ago left behind, the life a lady. Not only that, but he could ruin it all. If he told anyone who I really was I would be hanged right alongside him.
The sound of a cannon fire brought me out of my thoughts. Moments later there was more, followed by the sound of panicked screaming. Port Royal was under attack. Out of instinct I reached for a pistol only to remember that I had no weapon of any kind. I had to get to the Fort, to safety. Lifting the skirt to my dress I broke off into a run.
I halted briefly in my tracks when I saw the invaders coming up the road in the opposite direction. Skirting down a side path, to avoid them, I continued my way to the fort. I was not the only one trying to reach the safety of the fort. As I rushed through the streets of town there were townspeople running from for their lives. Some of the men had grabbed weapons to try to fight off the invaders but were having no luck.
Upon reaching the fort I looked back up to the Governor's mansion, where I could see smoke billowing from some of the windows. I had to keep myself from rushing back to the mansion. No, I was sure that Isaac and Elizabeth were only a few moments behind me. With that thought I was corralled to where civilians were being kept for safety.
*Isaac's POV*
The sound of cannon fire sent me flying from my chair to the window in mere moments, even then the sound of more cannons filled the air. The eerie silence of earlier was quickly replaced with the sound of terror. Elizabeth was close behind me, having jumped out of bed. Looking out over the town, I could see that some of the buildings were already on fire. My thoughts traveled to Ma, she could take care of herself but that did not stop me from worrying.
In the harbor was a black ship, with black sails. My breath got caught in my chest. Although I had not seen it in eight years I would know that ship anywhere…The Black Pearl. I looked down to the main gates of the mansion, where a band of pirates with torches were breaking through…
Elizabeth when she saw this ran out of her room to the walkway above the main parlor, I was close behind. The doorman was going to answer the door. "No, don't!" cried Elizabeth. But it was too late, the doorman opened the door.
"Ello chum," said one of the pirates before he shot the poor doorman in the head. As he dropped dead to the floor, Elizabeth screamed in horror.
Two of the pirates came into the light, they were an odd pair. But I recognized them soon as I laid eyes on them. The older one was short and squat, bald except for the scraggly gray hair that hung down the sides of his head; Pintel. The other was tall and thin with a mop of dirty blonde hair on his head, in one of his eye sockets was a wooden eye; Ragetti.
Ragetti pointed up to Elizabeth and shouted, "Up there." The two went to go up the stairs. I grabbed Elizabeth's hand and quickly brought her back into her room. I barricaded the door with my chair and a candelabra while Elizabeth ran into a frightened Estrella.
"Miss Swann they have come to kidnap you," cried Estrella, "You are the Governor's daughter." But why would they attack Port Royal?
We heard the door thump as the pirates tried to break down the door. My makeshift barricade would not last long, "They haven't seen you yet, hide and the first chance you get run to the fort," explained Elizabeth.
Estrella hid, "Elizabeth hide in the adjoining room," I ordered Elizabeth. She did as I ordered, before I went to join her, I grabbed the bed warmer from under the sheets. I prayed that the coals inside were still hot enough. I hid with Elizabeth just before the door burst open. Estrella ran out the door as fast as she could, while the two pirates came towards the room where Elizabeth and I were hiding.
I swung the bed warmer with all my strength, hitting Pintel square in the face distracting him. Before I could hit Ragetti he grabbed my arm, "Boo." I pulled the trigger that opened the lid of the bed warmer, releasing the hot coals on his face.
With both distracted, I grabbed Elizabeth and ran for dear life out of the room. We were barely half way down the stairs when the duo caught up with us. At least Pintel did, but Ragetti was not far behind us.
Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs I thought we could escape by running straight across the parlor but we were cut off as Ragetti jumped over the railing of the stairs, landing in front of our escape route. Just when all hope of escape seemed lost, a cannon ball came crashing through the front wall of the mansion knocking down a pirate that was smuggling away an armful of gold and jewels, before crashing into a column. The chandelier came crashing down, distracting Pintel and Ragetti. Elizabeth and I took this opportunity to escape into the dining room.
Once inside the room, I barred the door using a candelabrum. I turned to Elizabeth, "That will not hold them for long," I looked to the wall, "Grabbed those swords, we will fight our way out."
Elizabeth nodded and went to pull the crossed swords from the crest on the wall. Only she found that they were only for decoration. "Bloody..." I muttered, who keeps swords for decorations? I quickly looked around the room for a place to hide, we had maybe seconds before the doors would burst open. The linen closet! It might be a tight squeeze but it was the best place to hide in this room.
Once again, I grabbed on to Elizabeth and led her in the closet. We closed the door behind us, with only seconds to spare. The doors burst open, Pintel and Ragetti strode into the room. From the crack in between the closet doors, I observed the two as they searched the room for any sign of us.
"We know you're in here poppets," sang Pintel teasingly.
"Poppets," laughed Ragetti.
"Come out, and we promise we won't hurt you," offered Pintel, "We will find you poppets…you have something of our and it calls to us. The gold calls to us."
The gold? What gold? I did not have any gold. I turned to Elizabeth, she pulled out a gold medallion from around her neck. The medallion had a grinning skeletal face etched into it. The sight of it stirred a long suppressed memory…Could it be what I thought it was?
What little light was streamed into the closet suddenly disappeared. I looked back into the crack of the door and my eyes were met with Pintel's, "Ello poppets."
The doors opened quick as lightning and Pintel cocked his pistol and aimed it ready to shoot at either Elizabeth or myself. I stepped in front of Elizabeth, in case this did not work. I summoned the strongest voice I could muster, and uttered the words that I thought I never would use, "PARLAY!"
Pintel and Ragetti looked at me as though I had two heads. Out of the corner of my eye I could see that even Elizabeth was giving me a strange look. I continued, puffing out my chest, "Parlay. We invoke the right of Parlay. According to the Code of the Brethren, set down by the Pirate Lords Morgan and Bartholomew you must take us to your Captain."
"I know the code," scowled Pintel.
"According to the code, we cannot be harmed until the parlay is complete." I said.
"Blazes with the code!" cried Ragetti taking his own pistol and aiming it straight at my head.
I stood firm, "Master Ragetti, I do believe the Captain would not appreciate ye breaking the code. He never allowed ye to do so when I was young."
The duos eyes narrowed then grew wide in recognition and surprise. Whether that was for the better I do not know. I did not know if it was wise for me to allow my true identity to be returned to me after all the years of hiding it. But I had no choice.
Pintel and Ragetti lowered their weapons, "You wish to be taken to the Captain and you shall go without a fuss. We must honor the code," said Pintel. They allowed Elizabeth and I to come out of the linen closet, before they grabbed our arms to drag us back to the ship.
Elizabeth grabbed my hand, "Don't worry Elizabeth, I promised ye I would always protect thee," I whispered just loud enough for her to hear.
A/N: It is Wednesday so as promised, you get a new chapter! I may upload chapter 5 later today as well, since in the rewriting process I am currently at chapter 10. While this chapter does a little bit more jumping between characters than it originally did, I rather like how it turned out. And we are now officially getting underway with our story, bout time after all we are 4 chapters in. I left a few more hints on Heather's backstory since that as I said will not be fully revealed till later. Do you think Isaac is right by not giving Elizabeth his opinion on the matter? Why do you think Heather got so upset? I would say more but as I said, I am planning on uploading chapter 5 later so I'll save some things till then. To answer the question that was asked about whether this will follow the movie at the end well…wait and see! As always questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions are welcome!