Back on the Pearl, Annabelle's eyes remained glued to the island, hoping Norrington was all right. She wondered why he took the chest to allow everyone time to get back onboard. After he fought with Will and Jack, it didn't make sense they'd forgive each other or even trust each other that quickly. *Even though he said he'd find a way back to Port Royal, how is he going to do that now?*
She heard Elizabeth talking to Will behind her, and slighty turned. At least Will was safe, for her cousin's sake. When Elizabeth told Will what Norrington did, he turned to Annabelle and gave her a sympathetic glance. She lowered her eyes and sighed.
The sea then roared loudly, and everyone scurried to look as the Flying Dutchman came hurling out of the water. Annabelle tightly gripped the rail as she gawked at the ship. It looked like parts of coral had grown on it, the wood silvery with age from the water. She instantly recognized the crew of sea creatures. She saw a large man-or creature-step forward. He had a peg leg, lobster claws for hands, and the face of an octopus with a beard of tentacles. Was that...
Everyone's attention, including the large creature's, went to Jack as he shouted, "Ahoy, fish face! Lose something?"
Jack held up a jar of dirt, taking a few cocky steps before missing one and tripping down the staircase on the upper deck. Gibbs had mentioned Davy Jones could only step on land once every ten years. What was Jack going to do with it? Throw it at him?
"Got it!" He held it up in victory before fully rising. "I've got a jar of di-irt, I've got a jar of di-irt. And guess what's inside it?" Jack sang.
Annabelle and some of the others gave him a funny look. She slowly turned her head to see cannons emerging from the Flying Dutchman. Her eyes widened in fear. The next thing she knew orders were being barked. Elizabeth told her it was a battle, her words jerking Annabelle from her haze.
"Just do as you did on the island, we'll be fine," Elizabeth assured her. They didn't have to wait long, though. The Pearl was shot several times, prompting flinches and yelps from Annabelle as she continued to help. Everyone stood ready as the Black Pearl gained speed, and the Flying Dutchman fell quickly behind.
Annabelle stood dazed. *That was it? Does this count as my first battle?*
She thought too soon. Suddenly the ship lurched, and Jack's jar of dirt fell and broke on the deck.
"What was that? A reef?" one of the crewmen cried.
Will began barking orders as the sea made a strange rumbling sound. He handed Annabelle a sword and pulled her back. "Stand ready, and keep away from the rails!"
"What is it?" she asked.
"It's the Kraken," he whispered.
Everyone stood guard again, weapons and cannons ready. The sea rumbled again, this time more deeply. Her legs began to shake as she heard the sounds of sucking and slurping. Soon the gigantic tentacles came curling into view, Will urging everyone to remain still.
Annabelle gasped as her body tensed. The tentacles stretched higher into the air. *Oh...my...*
Finally Will ordered open fire, and guns were shot and cannons blasted. Within a few moments, the tentacles that weren't blown off or shot slithered back into the sea. *Was it supposed to be that easy?*
The crew shouted in victory, but Annabelle saw Will's unconvinced face.
"It's coming back isn't it?" she tried to keep her voice steady. He could only nod in reply.
The spare boats had been damaged by the creature's flailing tentacles, so there was no way off the ship. New orders were shouted to load the gunpowder, but they were short.
"What about the rum?" Annabelle suggested, which was followed by dead silence and looks of death aimed at her. She didn't know exactly how the rum would help, but what other large objects could they afford to use?
William turned his head to her, but his face showed agreement. "You heard her, load the rum!" Annabelle thought the men were going to burst into tears, but they obeyed.
The few gunpowder barrels and the rum barrels were tied together into a net of rope, ready to be hoisted into the air. She realized these barrels were going to be shot to hopefully drive the Kraken away. She hoped with all her might it worked, for it was their only shot.
The ship shifted again about a minute later, and everyone froze. She tightened her grip on her weapon as the ship grew deadly silent.
Its tentacles appeared and paused in midair for a brief moment, then the monster roared and took aim. It jammed its tentacles wherever it wished, poking gaping holes into the Pearl without mercy, damaging equipment or grabbing crewmembers. Some barely escaped its grasp as they were spared another few moments to dodge it once again.
Annabelle and the others ran to dodge the flailing tentacles, using a weapon she had or whenever she found a new one lying about. Some of the crew succeeded in swiping at it, while she witnessed others being yanked into the air and under the sea.
She let out a yelp as she swung her sword at an intruding tentacle. It screeched as the sword sliced its blubber. Her entire body shook with the rush.
"WATCH OUT!" Gibbs bellowed behind her. She turned just in time to see his sword slice off a tentacle that had crept up behind her. She screamed and shook before running after Gibbs to another part of the deck.
She saw his eyes widen before he shouted, "TAKE COVER!"
Suddenly she heard a blast, and looked up to see the rum that had been hoisted into the air had been shot at. She dove for cover as the barrels detonated in midair. Pieces of wood flew everywhere, several planks headed in her direction. She didn't uncover her head until she heard the slurping of the Kraken's tentacles diminish and the roar of the explosion die down. Shaking, she pushed the planks aside and looked around to see bodies, burnt pieces of the monster, small flames fluttering on deck, and surviving crewmembers emerging from debris or their hiding places.
She stood up and joined Gibbs and Marty at the rail. "Is it gone?" her voice cracked.
Gibbs shook his head. "It has yet to do its worst. We just made it angry." He turned to Jack and asked him what to do.
"Abandon ship. Everyone. In the longboat," was his command.
"But it's still so far to shore," Annabelle protested. They could see land, but it was an awful long way to row. Several of the others agreed with her. She wanted to get away from the Kraken as much as anybody, but she feared their vulnerability in the open water.
"It's a chance we must take," Will ordered. Gibbs repeated Jack's order, and everyone gathered at the rail.
Pintel, Ragetti, and Cotton were the first into the boat. Annabelle helped hand over guns and several other light supplies before Marty and she climbed down. She held up her arms for Will to hand things to her, but he paused with his gaze at the deck behind her. She was about to get his attention when Gibbs shouted for everyone else to get in.
Elizabeth eventually climbed in, looking troubled. They waited for Jack, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Jack?" Will asked her.
Elizabeth looked at him. "He told us to go ahead of him so we have a better chance of getting away."
They all looked up towards the deck. Even though she had not been onboard long and was just barely getting to know Jack, that didn't sound like him to Annabelle. She also noticed something strange in Will's eyes as well as Elizabeth's face. There was obviously more going on.
"Go!" Elizabeth barked.
They had rowed almost half the way when they heard the roar of the Kraken. Though Jack was barely an acquaintance, Annabelle still hated the sight of someone dying; yet she couldn't bring herself to turn away as she watched with the others. The Kraken's tentacles stretched high, splintering and crushing the Black Pearl in a slow, large swallow, until finally it disappeared beneath the surface with the sea monster.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Norrington impatiently waited just inside Beckett's office, his arm being held by an officer. Norrington was proud of himself, but exhausted. After he had been cornered by the Flying Dutchman's crew, he was left out at sea to die once they took the chest from him. Luckily a passing ship had found him, and altered their course to return him home. Several times on his way back to Port Royal, he had checked himself to make sure he still had the possessions he'd meant to return with.
He thought his plan a brilliant one: add his name to the pardon papers, give Beckett what he wanted in return, and receive his pardon. He would have his life back in order in no time.
*But still no one to share it with.* Norrington knew he'd have to deal with that, for it would be better for him to understand and sort out his emotions and problems first. He'd wanted to get his life back in order before he did anything else. He had to.
He watched Mr. Mercer, Beckett's man, plop down the letters. "I took the liberty of filling in my name."
Beckett motioned for him to be released and to come forward. Norrington gladly shook off the officer's weak grip, and slowly strode to the desk.
"If you want me to do you this favor, you must have something to trade. Is it the compass?" Beckett asked calmly, trying to hold back his anticipation.
Norrington smiled with pride and shook his head. "Better." He drew out the sopping pouch from his jacket and dropped it onto the desk. Beckett tried not to squirm as he saw it pulsate. "The heart of Davy Jones."
~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Everyone was even more solemn when they reached Tia Dalma's hut. Each claimed their own spot alone. Annabelle sat on a high stool in a corner; Elizabeth on a table; Will sat at a different table, periodically stabbing the wood of it with a small dagger; the rest sat in the corners by the door. No one said a word to each other.
Tia Dalma went around and offered a mug with some sort of concoction to everyone. She leaned towards Annabelle so the others wouldn't hear, despite the probability they were too preoccupied to listen in anyway. She held out the tray. "For de pain...and de heartache."
Annabelle reached out for a mug, seeing a glimmer of understanding in her eyes. Something about her gaze told Annabelle Tia Dalma knew something, but she didn't dare ask.
When everyone had taken one, Gibbs raised a toast to Jack, several of them making comments about him. Annabelle didn't offer one, but saw Will nearly glare at her cousin when she said something about his character.
She drank from the mug and rubbed her head. Her mind was so full! She feared in her gut that Norrington had taken the heart and was trying to find a way back to Port Royal-if Davy Jones had spared him, and she wasn't sure if her childhood crush or possible romantic feelings for him existed anymore. She'd finally gotten the chance by accident to help Elizabeth and Will, and yet she felt she had done nothing of aid. She felt like there was something she had to do, although nothing presented itself. She wanted to return home, but no way of doing that safely yet, let alone the pirates risk exposing themselves. *When will I stop worrying and find answers?*
Will's voice brought her back. He was addressing Elizabeth. "-I'd bring him back if I could."
Tia Dalma's face lit up as she stepped forward. "Would you?" Then she looked at everyone else. "Would any of you? Would you sail off the mahp, into uncharted waters, at the world's ehnd? To bring bahck Captain Jahck Sparrow and de Black Pearl?"
One by one, they all answered affirmatively. Annabelle hesitated at first before answering. Right now there wasn't a way for her to get back home, and she was running out of options. Her insides feeling weighted, she answered affirmatively anyway, Elizabeth being the last.
Tia Dalma grinned in satisfaction. "Well den, since you have all agreed to sail dese uncharted seas, you need a capt'in who kin guide you drew dem."
No sooner had she finished that the sound of boots coming down the stairs were heard. Everyone slowly rose and gathered to view the bottom of the stairs. Annabelle held her breath. Everyone's eyes, including her own, widened upon seeing their new captain. She did not recognize him by face but from Elizabeth's description: the scraggly beard, piercing eyes, downturned mouth, and pet monkey on his shoulder.
Captain Barbossa.
"Who can tell me what's become of my ship?" he asked, and bit harshly into an apple.