Chapter Seven: Isla de Cruces
Pintel and Ragetti rowed, Jack, Elizabeth, James and I, across the saffire blue sea towards a lush island, not to far away. Jack sat in the bow, clutching his jar of dirt. Meanwhile, I sat in the back trying to ignore Pintel and Ragetti arguing.
"You're pullin' too fast!"
"You're pulling to slow. We don't want the Kraken to catch us!"
"I'm savin' me strength for when it comes. And I don't think it's Krak-en, anyways. I always heard it said Kray-kin."
"What, with a long A?"
"Aye."
"No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Krok-en's how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian, and Krak-en's closer to that."
"Well, we ain't Scandinavians, are we? Kray-ken!"
"It's a mythological creature, I can calls it what I wants."
I rolled my eyes. Those two were unbelieveable!
Our longboat arrived at the beachfront and Jack immediately disembarked and began to walk off, carrying a shovel.
"Guard the boat, mind the tide… Don't touch my dirt." Elizabeth held the compass in her hand, stomping through sand dunes in random directions, trying to identify where the chest lay. Eventually, she gave up and sat cross-legged on the sand.
"This doesn't work." She complained, chucking the compass away. "And it certainly doesn't show you what you want most!" Jack, however, took no notice of her but stared intently at the compass.
"Yes it does." He replied. "You're sitting on it!"
"Beg your pardon?" My sister asked, astonished.
"Move." Jack waved her off where she was sitting and silently commanded James to dig there. Since it looked like it was going to take a while, I made myself comfy and watched the hole get bigger and bigger. Jack was sitting cross-legged and eyes closed, in a sort of lotus position. Thud! Suddenly the shovel hit something, which was presumably the chest. Jack's eyes jolted open. We all got up and stared into the hole. There was, indeed, a chest. After we removed the surprisingly heavy chest, we set it down on the sand and lifted it open. It contained a pearl necklace, documents, scrolls, a bunch of wilted flowers, and another smaller chest. Jack pulled out the smaller chest and placed it on the ground, we all bent down and put our ears to it. I heard the powerful, steady thumps of a heart.
"It's real!" I exclaimed.
"You actually were telling the truth." Norrington said, surprised.
"I do that quite a lot. Yet people are always surprised." Jack stated.
"With good reason!" A familiar voice called out. I spun around, standing there on the beachfront, soaked to the bone, was Will.
"Will!" Elizabeth cried, running towards him. "You're alright! Thank God! I came to find you!" She wrapped her arms around him and they kissed. I looked away.
"How did you get here?" Jack asked.
"Sea turtles, mate." Will answered, once they had broken from their kiss. "A pair of them, strapped to my feet."
"Not so easy is it?" I ignored Jack and rushed up to Will, I was so glad he was safe.
"Will, I was so worried about you, please forgive me!" I pleaded. He smiled at me.
"It wasn't your fault, there is no need for you to be forgiven." I smiled back.
"But I do owe you thanks, Jack."
"You do?" Jack replied.
"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt with Jones." Will said.
"What?!" Elizabeth said.
"What?!" Jack repeated. I glared at him.
"I was reunited with my father." Will finished.
"Oh!" Jack said. "Well… you're welcome, then." Elizabeth looked at him horrified.
"Everything you said to me… every word, was a lie!"
"Pretty much. Time and tide, love." I watched as Will stooped down with a key and was about to open the chest.
"Oi! What're you doing?" Jack said, spotting Will.
"I'm gonna kill Jones." He answered, simply. Jack pulled out his sword and pointed it at Will.
"Can't let you do that, William. 'Cause if Jones is dead, who's to call his terrible beastie off the hunt, eh? Now, if you please. The key." Jack held out his hand. Will backed up slowly, then suddenly, making me gasp in surprise, drew out Elizabeth's sword and pointed it at Jack.
"I keep the promises I make, Jack. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it." Norrington, all of a sudden drew out his sword too and pointed it at Will.
"I can't let you do that, either. So sorry."
"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually." Jack grinned. James moved his sword to point at Jack.
"Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest." He explained. "I deliver it, and get my life back."
"Ah. The dark side of ambition." Jack taunted.
"Oh, I prefer to see it as the promise of redemption." They began to duel each other, I ducked out of the way as Jack almost swiped me, missing his target, Norrington.
"Stop it!" I yelled.
"Be careful!" Elizabeth called from next to me. But they continued to fight each other, completely ignoring us.
"Will!" My sister cried, running up to Will who had been knocked to the ground.
"Guard the chest." He told her.
"No!" She yelled after him, but it was to late he was too busy fighting again. "This is Barbaric! This is no way for grown men to settle ―! Oh! Fine! Let's just pull out our swords and start banging away at each other! This will solve everything! I've had it! I've had enough of wobbly-legged, rum-soaked… pirates!" She finished with throwing a rock at them, which went way off course. "Enough!" She panted from exasperation and exhaustion. I ignored her and thought deeply about this whole 'chest' thing. Logically, I actually don't need to be here. Will's marginally safe, Elizabeth's ― well, she's okay. So there is really no need for me to be here at all. If I wanted to, I could just return to Port Royal and my father and live happily ever after. But, then again, Beckett still wants his payment, which I won't have, so I'll be sent to the gallows. Then I had an idea. All I will have to do is take the chest, give it to Beckett and square my debt ― and there I am with my own life back! No more pirates! Now all I need is that key.
"Oh!... Oh! The heat!" Elizabeth pretended to faint, I rolled my eyes.
"See ya!" I murmured to her before drawing out my sword and chasing the men up the hill. I had become a fast runner, so by the time I had slashed my way through the bush, I had almost caught up to them. Soon, I reached a churchyard with a lonely stone church that had half its roof broken down. It must of been old. I raced inside the church and up the wooden stairs. Jack had just pushed James against the stone wall. "Rosabelle?" He said in surprise, noticing me.
"Former Commodore." I responded, bowing my head in greeting, before chasing after Jack. James, however past me and tripped Jack up and as he stood up again they began to fight. Jack must have the key. And sure enough I saw him holding a silver key. I banged my sword against theirs, joining in on the fight. For a moment, they looked shocked and I smirked, but then we all started to fight again. Suddenly the bell began to ring and Will came shooting upwards and Jack, who was clutching the rope, shot down. Norrington snatched the key off him and gazed at it longingly. Will grabbed the key from his hand, landing on a higher platform in the church.
"By your leave, Mr. Norrington." He returned. As Norrington turned to follow him so did I. We ran up onto the roof, where there was a big gap in the ledge where we were standing. It was hard to keep my balance as I fought to get the key, but I managed.
"Rosabelle, are you sure want to do this?" Will asked me, while fighting James.
"Of course I do!" I replied, angrily. "Just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't fight… and win!" I elbowed James in the face, making him stumble and fought Will. Soon, James joined the fight again, glaring at me.
"Why are you doing this?!" Will yelled.
"I need my life back. And I can't do it without that chest!" I hissed at him and fought harder. Somehow, I could sense Jack creeping up behind us. Norrington snatched the key from Will, and at the right moment I plucked it from him. I spun around, about to leave only to meet Jack.
"Bugger." I muttered.
"That's my catch phrase, love." He said as we clashed our swords together. Shortly, James and Will had gathered around us too. Everyone was just swinging our swords blindly at each other. Suddenly, Jack's sword was flung out of his hand, Will and James pointed their swords at his front, while I pointed mine at his back.
"Do excuse me while I kill the man who ruined my life." Norrington said to us.
"Be my guest." Will replied while I just shrugged. Obviously, I knew Jack wouldn't die. I just knew it. He'd worm his way out one way or another.
"Let us just examine that claim for a moment, former Commodore, shall we?" Jack said. "Who was it, who at the very moment you had a notorious pirate safely behind bars, saw it fit to free said pirate, and take your dearly beloved all to himself, hey? So who's fault is it, really, that you've ended up a rum-pot deckhand what takes orders from pirates?" I laughed, making Norrington glare at me and Jack smile.
"Enough!" Norrington yelled, swinging his sword at Jack. But he dodged the swing and somersaulted off the roof. "Unfortunately, Mr. Turner… He's right!" Will and James continued to fight, but I backed off from the fight and slowly made my way down the roof. When I had nearly reached the ground, I slipped on the stones and landed heavily on back.
"Owww." I groaned, rubbing my sore back. Then I saw Jack fall into a hole, and followed him, eager to get the key. I reached the hole, just as Jack was climbing out. But before I could do anything a wooden wheel crashed through Jack and mine's head, picking us up in the air. Luckily, my arms, unlike Jack's were free, so as the key started to fall off Jack's head, I was able to grab it and put it around my head. Jack glared at me and I smiled innocently back at him. Suddenly, the wheel rolled so I could jog, rather comfortably on my two feet. just as I was feeling quite happy but this all, a metal bar came out of no-where, knocking Jack out first, then me. Then all was black.
My eyes fluttered open, and I quickly remembered everything. I felt for the key around my neck but it wasn't there, it must of got hooked on a nail on the wheel before I fell out. I dizzily stood up and saw the wheel of which James and Will were fighting on roll further into the jungle. Regaining my balance, I sprinted after them, trying catch up. But soon enough, Jack had caught up to me. Finally, I reached the wheel and glimpsed the silver key dangling on a nail. I jogged beside it, waiting for the perfect moment to jump inside. However, Jack was doing the same thing but on the opposite side.
"Three… two… one!" I yelled and leaped inside. Quickly, I stood up and began to run in the inside of the wheel. I was about to grab the key when Will, swung inside and snatched the key. Jack and I glowered at him. Norrington, soon entered the inside of the wheel too and we all began to duel again. Jack was able to take the key from Will and climbed onto the top of the wheel and I followed. He caught hold of a palm tree leaf. Smart move. I thought to myself and jumped into the air, grasping another trees leaf, but, since the leaf I held onto was unfortunately a small one, I toppled to the ground.
"That's the second time, I've landed on my back today." I muttered to myself. I glanced at Jack, who dropped to the ground easily and smirked at me, I glared back. Standing up, I noticed one of Davy Jones's men rush through the palms, carrying the chest. I picked up a fallen coconut and chuck it at the crewman. His head was knocked off by the coconut and he dropped the chest.
"Good throw." Jack observed. Wait, did he just give me a compliment. I felt my cheeks go scarlet.
"Thanks." I ran to the chest and knelt beside it.
"Are you forgetting something?" Jack called to me and tossed the key in the air and caught it.
