YAY! I HAVE RETURNED!
Okay now that I've gotten that out of the way on to the story. In this chapter we find the gang stuck in the brig awaiting the call from Lord Cutler Beckett. As Xio and Chelsea decide who will stay with Elizabeth and go with Will something strange happens. Under certain circumstances that I cannot explain yet, a marten frees them with its magical ring of keys. Very creepy huh?
Do NoT OwN PiRaTeS Of ThE CaRiBbEaN DeAd MaN's ChEsT!
Meanwhile in the brig Chelsea, Elizabeth, Xio, and Will sat quietly awaiting their fate. Xio and Chelsea were playing their favorite childhood hand game, Slide, as Elizabeth sat with her arms crossed glaring daggers at Will. He cleared his throat nervously.
"So Xio, how come you and Chelsea have returned?" Will asked sounding like he genuinely wanting to know the answer but really digging to see if Alexia had returned as well.
"We probably returned since you were toying with that there DVD remote." Xio responded never looking away from her game. She and Chelsea had made it up to twenty three and were not about to mess up. Elizabeth shot Will another look.
"You mean that stupid thing you've been carrying around with you everywhere we went together!" Elizabeth shouted in outrage then narrowed her eyes at Will.
"You still like her don't you? After all this TIME!?" Elizabeth questioned, luckily a soldier came down the steps just in time to save poor Will.
"You and Miss Sosa are to come with me." The soldier addressed Will but Xio glared at the soldier.
"Busy!" She hissed but with her minor distraction she messed up on the fifteenth hand slap. Chelsea sighed in frustration and pointed a shaking finger at the soldier like the closet monkey from Family Guy. He backed away slightly.
"Damn it!" Xio cursed loudly, allowing Will to help her to her feet.
"Ooo! Get me a drink while you're there. I'm parched." Chelsea winked at Xio as the soldier clapped irons on her wrists. Xio nodded.
"I'll see what they have." Xio promised. She and Will were escorted out of the prison.
Chelsea turned to Elizabeth and looked her straight in the eye.
"Alright." Chelsea sighed preparing herself for bombardment.
"What is it you want to complain about?" Chelsea bunkered down onto the bench inside their cell patting the seat next to her. Elizabeth quickly moved to her side.
"You don't mind?" She asked eager to lay all her misery on someone.
"Have I got a choice? It's what friends do." Chelsea said with a shrug and gestured for Elizabeth to continue.
"From the beginning then."
Xio and Will were led into Beckett's office by their shackled hands. Xio was humming quietly, occasionally kicking the soldier leading them in the back of the knee.
"Camp town lady smoke that bong, do da! Do da! Camp town hits are ten miles long all the do da day!" Xio sang improvising most of the words since she could not remember how the song went. The soldier glared at her.
"Lord Beckett, here are the prisoners you ordered, sir." Beckett turned from his papers that he was so interested in and looked up at his prisoners. Xio rolled her eyes at the condescending idiot.
"He makes it sounds like we're take out or something." She whispered to Will, he gave her a questioning look.
"Take out, what's that?"
"Oooooohhh riiiiiiiggggghhhtttt." She drew out the two words longer than necessary, putting her pointer finger to her nose and then pointing to Will.
"Those won't be necessary." Beckett gestured to the chains and the soldiers whipped out a key to undo the shackles.
"Those hurt like a bitchnezz." She complained rubbing her sore wrists. Beckett moved to his little table of schnapps and poured some into two glasses.
"The East India Trading Company has need of your services." Beckett offered Will a glass of liquor but he gave him a dirty look until Beckett placed the glass back on the table. Xio rummaged through the schnapps supply looking for something suitable for Chelsea to drink.
"We wish for you to act as our agent in a business transaction with our mutual friend- Captain Sparrow."
"More acquaintance than friend. How do you know him?" Will asked suspiciously eyeing Beckett.
"We've had dealings in the past." Beckett walked toward the fireplace and held up a red-hot brand with a P on the end.
"And we've each left our mark on the other." He examined the brand with an interested expression while Will shook his head in confusion.
"What mark did he leave on you?" He questioned but Beckett ignored his inquiry and placed the brand back in the fire. There was a clattering and a crash from the drinking table as Xio knocked over four bottles of very strong smelling liquor. She smiled innocently and grabbed a bottle of rum.
"Was this before or after Jack worked for the East India Trading Company and let free that ship of slaves? Cause I know that is le fact." Xio said in a bit of a French accent whilst taking a sip of rum.
"Excellent, want a sip?" She asked Will, nodding in satisfaction to the drinks taste. Beckett's head snapped up and turned to face her.
"How do you know that?" He shouted before regaining his composure, Xio smirked like a great smirking thing.
"I read about it in Alexia's POTC book. The secret files of the East India Trading Company by… oh god what's his name, Sir Thomas Faye? But anyways, I was never sure it was true, till now that is." Xio half shrugged trying to fit the rum bottle into her pants pocket. She ignored the looks Beckett and Will were giving her.
"He didn't obey a direct order and was marked a pirate. That's all?" Will asked in a disbelieving tone but Beckett shook shoulders and changed the subject.
"By your efforts, Jack Sparrow was set free. I would like you to go to him and recover a certain property in his possession." As Beckett put down his drink Xio pounced on the glass and filled it to the brim with a mixture of whiskey and vodka. Will watched her carefully.
"Recover. At the point of a sword?" Will asked smugly following Beckett to his desk.
"A bargain." Beckett clarified, reaching into his wooden box with the East India Trading Company insignia. He revealed a leather case with sheets of paper clipped inside.
"Letters of Marque."
"QUE?" Xio shouted putting a hand to her ear and leaning toward Beckett.
"Yes well…you will offer what amounts to a full pardon- Jack will be free, a privateer in the employment of England." Beckett was reviewing the Letter of Marque when Xio and Will shared a look.
"I double doubt Jack will consider employment the same as being free. I mean when you're free there's no having to listen to you or obey your orders." Xio snickered as Beckett took a sip of his drink and gagged.
"Freedom." Beckett coughed putting his papers back into their safety box and walked out onto the balcony. Xio nodded for Will to follow him.
"Jack Sparrow is a dying breed. The world is shrinking. The blank edges of the map filled in. Jack must find his place in the New World or perish." Beckett turned to face Will and lean on the balcony railing. Xio rolled her eyes and reached for the wooden box.
"Not unlike you, Mr. Turner. You, Ms. Swann, and the other young ladies face the hangman's noose." Beckett bowed his head.
"Alexia." Will whispered his eyes wide in realization. Xio readjusted her bra and shirt.
"So you just want the compass for the deal to work?" Xio asked just to make sure of the plan.
"Yes, I believe so." Beckett said patting his white wig.
"Alrighty then!" Xio grabbed Will's hand and raced out of Beckett's office. The soldier held up his musket looking to Beckett for an order to go after them.
"Wait I… but you can't just... fine then GO!" Beckett shouted throwing his glass at the wall in anger and accidentally hitting the painter working of his wall mural.
After letting Elizabeth talk about her problems with Will for all of two minutes Chelsea cut her off and began talking about her new boyfriend, Justin.
"But as I was saying Justin is so cute. He's got fabby eyes, kinda the color of sea glass, and has his own truck with big wheels. It's good to go muddin' in and it's so much fun! He might be a redneck but he is soooooo nice." Chelsea blabbered on as Elizabeth sat with her head in her hands, dozing a bit.
"Chelsea would you kindly shut up!" Elizabeth lifted her head and glared at Chelsea. She jumped at Elizabeth's bluntness.
"WHY?" She snarled.
"Because I've lost my love and you can't stop talking about how GREAT it is that you have this GREAT boyfriend and are in a GREAT relationship. It's sickening." Elizabeth sounded completely miserable. Chelsea put up her hands.
"Sooooorrrrrrrrrrrryyyy Debbie downer. I totally forgot. Fine then." Chelsea she said inconsiderately, rubbing her nose.
"But did I mention his eyes?"
Elizabeth's head snapped up as she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Chelsea turned to the see Xio rushing down them and launched herself at the bars, reaching for Xio.
"Did you get me anything? Please say you DID!" Chelsea whined so Xio held out a half empty rum bottle.
"Got thirsty on the way here." She shrugged as Will caught up with her.
"All right?" He nodded to Elizabeth but she crossed her arms and ignored him.
"Are you going to stay with Elizabeth then?" Xio asked and Chelsea gave her a look.
"Does it look like I have much of a choice?" Chelsea asked sarcastically putting the rum bottle to her lips and taking a good swig. Just then something flew across the floor of the cell. Chelsea spat out her rum and jumped onto the bench Elizabeth was sitting on.
"EWWW!! Rat! Kill it, KILL IT! GROSS!" Chelsea screeched jumping from foot to foot on her tiptoes and flapping her hands about. Xio bent down and grabbed the rodent around the middle. She held it up so everyone could see.
"It's just a marten Chelsea. Quit your fussing." Xio noticed a small key hanging on the marten's collar. She cradled the thing in her arms and took the key.
"Why does it have a key?" Will asked as Xio stared at said key. She tilted her head to the side.
"I don't know but I think it goes to the…" Xio leaned forward and tried the key in the lock on the door of the cell. After a small jiggle the door sprung open. Chelsea and Elizabeth gaped at the now open door.
"What the…what the hell was that?" Chelsea yelled inspecting the door.
"Well the dog with the keys is with Ragetti and Pintel so I guess they hired a marten for a replacement." Xio offered. The marten then yanked the key out of Xio's hand and jumped down from her arms. It gave her a small thumbs up before slinking away. Will looked to the marten, then the cell door, then Xio before putting a hand to his head.
"Trying to make sense of this is giving me a headache." Chelsea dragged Elizabeth up and out of the cell.
"We got sucked into a popular pirate movie because of our DVD player. Not even a key bearing marten can be weirder than that." She said dismissively and everyone nodded. Xio handed her the leather case holding the Letters of Marque.
"Here take these and go get Beckett's signature. We'll meet you in Tortuga okay?" Chelsea put her hand up in a salute.
"How did you get those??" Will asked pointing to the leather case. Chelsea and Xio gave him a look.
"Super Ninja skills. DUH!" Xio said in an obvious tone and Chelsea rolled her eyes.
"I'll make it happen, captain!" She saluted before turning to Elizabeth.
"Know were we can find any decent trousers at this time of day?" Chelsea asked.
Ahhhh…the trouser bit again. A classic. I love a good pants joke. Like putting pants into a song titles such as "The hills are alive with the sound of PANTS" or "I am sixteen going on PANTS". Such a laugh. Anyhoo review please.