chapter 7
The island of Tortuga was shining as usual. Jewel was proud to return to this place.
"Jewel, come 'ere." Jack said from the helm. Jewel ran up to her dad.
"I want you to dock the ship." Jack said, giving her the helm.
"Really? Are you sure, I've never steered a ship before." Jewel said, hesitatingly.
"You'll do fine, just like I did when I first steered a ship." he responded.
"You must've been great." Jewel said
"Not exactly. I spun the ship into three other ships and then sailed out to the open ocean before the ship I steered ran aground. They say New Holland still has driftwood coming from the ship." Jack said as he laughed at the memory. Jewel took the helm and easily the ship moved forward towards the docks. She was doing well for a first timer. Will looked up from the deck and was a small bit worried about her parking it.
"You're doing good Jewel. Now, ease her to the left next to the dock gently, gently!" Jack said as Jewel made a quick big turn to the left that made it crash into the dock. They all fell to the ground, except Jewel. Jack jumped off to tie up the ship and see the damage.
"Jewel, you chipped the paint right off the side, and we lost a cannon door." Jack yelled from the dock. Jewel started sinking at the helm when she heard that. Will climbed the stairs to see her sitting in front of the wheel.
"It's alright, you could've done worse. You could've done what Jack did." he said putting his hand on her back. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Thanks for making me feel better Will." she said. He helped her get up when Jack yelled up at them again.
"Oi! Get down 'ere you two!" he yelled. They climbed down and landed on the dock.
"Jewel, go and see your mother. Will come with me." Jack said
"Oh, and if you see Gibbs tell him I said 'Hi'. And I think I still owe him some rum. Stupid bet. Bye." Jewel said before she left in an opposite direction Will and Jack left. Will looked back at her, wondering where she was going. As they walked into the town, he ignored what Jack was saying as he was thinking and looking at all the things happening around him.
"What do ye think?" Jack asked grabbing a walking stick out of some ones hand.
"It'll linger." Will said
"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted." Jack said. A girl with bright red hair walked up to the two.
"Scarlet!" Jack said walking up to her. Sadly, when he reached her, she gave him a nice hard slap.
"Not sure I deserved that." Jack told Will as a blonde approached, "Giselle."
"Who was she?" she asked.
"What?" Jack said. He was then quickly slapped, again.
"I may have deserved that." he said, "Now come, we must leave this place as quick as possible."
"With a crew." Will reminded Jack as they made their way through Tortuga.
"Ah, yes. Fortunately, you know the man, who knows the man who knows the finest sailors throughout all Tortuga." Jack said as he led Will to the back of a tavern called the Faithful Bride. They both grabbed a bucket of water as they approached a man lying in the mud with two pigs, his name was Gibbs. Jack threw the bucket of water over his face and he awoke with a knife in his hand.
"Curse ya for breathin' ya slack-jawed idiot!" he yelled. He regained his composure when he realized who it was.
"Mother's love, Jack." he said, "You know better not to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck."
"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it." Jack said kneeling down, "The man who did the waking buys the man who was sleeping a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Gibbs thought for a moment, and then smiled at the pirate captain.
"Aye. That'll about do it." Gibbs said getting up. Will splashed him with his bucket, drenching him with water again.
"Blast, I'm already awake!" he yelled
"That was for the smell." Will said. Gibbs grabbed a clean towel and dried himself off as he entered the Faithful Bride. Gibbs sat at a table in a corner, Will stood by a post, and Jack got two mugs of rum. When he made it through the turmoil, he looked at Will
"Keep a sharp eye out." Jack told him. He carried the mugs to Gibbs.
"Your drink brought to you, courtesy of Jewel Sparrow." Jack said, giving Gibbs his mug.
"Ah, tell her I said 'thanks'. She still owed me after that bet. So, what be the nature of this venture of yorn?" Gibbs asked taking a swig.
"I'm going after the Black Pearl." Jack said. Gibbs nearly choked on his drink. "I know where it's going to be, and I'm going to take it."
"Jack, it's a fool's errand. Why you know better than me the tales of the Black Pearl."
"That's why I know what Barbossa is up to. All I need is a crew."
"From what I tell of Captain Barbossa, he's not a man to suffer fools, nor strike a bargain with one."
"Well, than it's a very good thing that I'm not a fool than, eh?"
"Prove me wrong. What makes ye think Barbossa will give up his ship to you?"
"Let's just say it's a matter of leverage, eh?" Will just barely heard the last word, 'leverage'. Jack Nodded his head towards Will without him noticing they were talking about him. Gibbs looked at Will before turning to Jack.
"The kid?"
"That is the child of Bootstrap Bill Turner. His only child, savvy?"
"Is he now? Leverage says you, I think I feel a change in the wind says I. I'll find us a crew. There's bound to be some sailors on this rock crazy as you."
"One can only hope." Jack said lifting his mug, "Take what you can." Gibbs lifted his mug.
"Give nothing back." They clanked mugs, took a long swig, and put them back down. Jack went up to Will as Gibbs went somewhere else.
"Will, go find Jewel." he said. Will gladly left the horrid place. He walked and walked until he reached a place that was different from the town, it was quiet. Except for a voice he heard, a young girl's voice, Jewels voice.
"Hello mom. How are you doing? I'm doing great. You'll never believe who dad and I found in Port Royal, Bootstraps son! His name is Will, and he is strong, brave, kind," Will finally said something.
"Jewel?" he said. As quick as lightning, Jewel took her knife and threw it at Will, but it missed by a lot and hit and oak tree behind him.
"Will? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.
"Your father sent me to look for you." Will responded, looking around for a body,
"Where is your mother?"
"Oh, Will, this is my mom." she said stepping aside. Will looked down to a sad sight. A tombstone with the name Rose Sparrow etched on it. Under it was...
Sweet wife.
Wonderful pirate.
Loving mother.
"Oh. Jewel." he said to the young girl.
"It's alright. She died two years ago because of a terrible and fatal disease. She raised me by herself, too. When she died, I stayed here waiting for my father." she said looking down at her deceased mother, "Huh, who'd have thought we'd have something in common Will?"
"What was she like?" Will asked.
"Well, have you ever heard of the 'Black Rose of the Caribbean'?" she asked
"I have. She's one of the greatest female pirates to sail on the Spanish Main. She was also called uncatchable if I remember what I heard correctly." Will said
"Well, you're looking at her. Rose Sparrow, my mother, was that very same pirate. This makes me one hundred percent pirate! But, she didn't want me to be a pirate, unlike my dad. He would've been glad for me to join his crew! I wanted to join, too!"
"Why did you want to be a pirate?"
"Three reasons. Skirt, shoes, and corsets. My mom kept trying to turn me into a little lady, but I couldn't stand the breeze that skirts gave, I couldn't feel my toes in those pinchy shoes, and don't get me started about corsets. When she gave up on turning me into a lady, she taught me how to sword fight. She always let me win, even if she said she didn't. She lied like a pirate would." Will could almost hear Jewel's voice cracking when she said this.
"You miss her, don't you?" There was a dead silence before Jewel fell to her knees in front of the grave, small tears in her eyes.
"Of course I do. She was fighting so hard to stay alive, but couldn't win. She raised me for the first three years of my life and the last two years of hers. I miss her with all my heart!" Jewel sobbed. Will knelt down and gently stroked the teens head. When she saw him looking at her with compassion and understanding in his eyes, she smiled and gave him a hug. She felt better when Will helped her up to her feet. She looked over the hill and saw the sun coming up.
"Will, this way to the docks." Jewel said, grabbing his hand and leading him down a path that went to the docks.
"But what about your father and Gibbs?" Will asked
"Gibbs is the best when he has to round up crew members and supplies. He'll probably have a crew lined up and at the ready when we reach him." Jewel led Will through what seemed like an old path, like she had been this way before. It led to the town, but only a few feet away from the docks. When they reached the dock, they went to Jack who was looking down the line of people with Gibbs talking to him.
"Feast your eyes, captain," he said, "All of them faithful hands before the mast. Every man worth his salt, and crazy to boot."
"So this is your able bodied crew?" Will asked Jack
"I guess." Jewel said. They kept walking down the line, until they reached a man with a blue and yellow parrot on his shoulder.
"You sailor!" Jack said
"Cotton sir." Gibbs interrupted.
"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack said in one breath, "Mr. Cotton. Answer man."
"He's a mute sir. Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No ones yet figured how." Gibbs said. Cotton opened his mouth to reveal a stub where his tongue once was.
"Eeeww!" Jewel said
"Mr. Cotton's parrot, same question." Jack said
"Wind in your sail, wind in you sail." the bird squawked. The three looked at the bird awkwardly.
"Mostly we just figured that means yes." Gibbs said
"Of course it does." Jack said turning to Will, "Satisfied?"
"Well you've proved they're mad." Will said
"And what's the benefit for us?" said a voice in the back of the line, a hat covered their face. Jack lifted it up to reveal a young woman.
"Anamaria." Jack and Jewel said simultaneously. Anamaria slapped both Jack and Jewel in a hard swish of her hand.
"I suppose you didn't deserve that either?" Will asked
"No that one we both deserved." Jewel said
"You both stole my boat." she said
"Actually," Jack said before earning another slap, but Jewel ducked in time, "Borrowed! Borrowed without permission, but with every intention of bringing it back to you."
"But you DIDN'T!"
"You'll get another one."
"I will."
"A better one." Will stepped in.
"A better one." Jack repeated
"That one."
"What one?" Will pointed to the Interceptor, "That one?!? Aye that one. What say you?" Anamaria yelled Aye and so did the rest of the crew as they loaded supplies on the ship.
"No no no no no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard captain." Gibbs said
"It'll be far worse not to." Jack said
"Besides, you'd have one whether she came aboard anyway!" Jewel said
"Aye, but you're more pirate than lady." Gibbs said before walking off.
"I'll take that as a compliment!" Jewel replied happily. She followed him and helped to load the supplies onto the ship along with the rest of them. When the anchor was raised she looked back at Tortuga and realized one thing: At that point, there was no turning back from whatever may happen.
