-Chapter Ten-

The Battle

"Batten down the hatches! Stick your guns! Sight the flash!" Gibbs yelled over the howling wind, and crashing waves. My hair was drenched and stuck to my windswept face, and my coat and pants were soaked, making my whole body cold. I ran below deck, with Gibbs giving orders. "Hold it! Wait till we're more to Port!" The men waited and watched The Dutchman out of the cannon holes, ready to fire.

"Steady men!" I warned.

"Fire!" I heard Barbossa yell from above.

"Fire!" I called, and heard the cannons smash into the oncoming ship.

"Fire!" Will and Elizabeth shouted.

"Fire!" Gibbs repeated, loudly. As I hurried back above deck a cannon landed in front of me, causing wood splinters to fly, one cutting my cheek. I lifted my hand to my wound, feeling lots of blood drip down the side of my face. Biting my lip, to try handle the pain, I stumbled up to the helm.

"It's too late to alter course now, maties!" Barbossa laughed, even though they were in battle of life and death. I ripped the end of my sleeve off and used it to dab my wounded cheek, it didn't really work, but at least most of the blood was gone.

The enemies crew boarded The Pearl, but I tried to shoot most of them before they reached the deck, but had no such luck. There was too much wind and rain to see much further than a few feet. A fish man with an anemone covered face charged at me with an axe, I blocked his swing, and ducked as he threw another one at me, and kicked him in the stomach, and stabbed him in the chest. Just as I was recovering from my first attack, three soldiers ran up to me, I grabbed the dead fishman's axe and fought with my sword in my left hand and the axe in my right. After a few minutes I'd got rid of them all, and noticed Will and Elizabeth holding hands in the midst of the fight.

"Elizabeth, will you marry me?" Will asked, hope shining bright in his eyes. This question took me by surprise, but I always knew my sister and Will loved each other, and had no doubt what my sisters answer would be, and was proud beyond compare, and couldn't wish for Elizabeth to have a better husband. Another shark-headed fishman hurried up to me, and shoved me against the mast.

"You're a pretty one, aren't ya?" He smirked, and I swung my sword at him in pure anger, and punch his deformed face. Suddenly, I felt a strong hand grab my arm, and try tug my arm away, but when I turned to look at my holder, I instantly stopped. Jack. He escaped, I smiled in relief. Without warning he pulled me in close, his deep dark eyes gazing into mine. My body might of been cold, but in that moment my heart was warm, as the man I loved held me against him.

"Oi, you!" A fish man rushed over to me, and I turned to fight him, but didn't let go of Jack. Luckily, the man wasn't as quick as me, so I easily stabbed him, and turned to face Jack again, loose strands of hair falling around my face. Suddenly, I knew I could do it. I could tell him, and I would.

"Jack, I, I, have something to tell you!"

"Yes?" He replied, staring intently at me.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'll get another chance…" Jack quickly turned and expertly fought off some military men, before looking back at me. "I've received some advice and I'm going to take it!"

"Yes?" Jack urged again, hope dancing in his eyes. And I felt that if anything happened to me today, I needed him to know the one thing I had wanted to tell him since the moment he fell off the battlement. So, as my eyes gazed into his, for the first time in my life I knew what I had to say.

"I love you!" I whispered, and Jack pulled me close, his body pressed against mine, smiling, like I had never seen him before.

"And whose advice was that from?"

"I don't know. I write these things down in my diary I've started...An anonymous person has written replies to my entries… They told me I should let you know before…"

"Before it was too late, before I got taken again because I don't like Elizabeth?" Jack asked to my utter surprise.

"It was you?!" I said, in shock. He knew that I loved him for… goodness knows how long!

"Sticks and stones, love."

"So, you knew all this time, but yet you carried on giving ELizabeth attention?" I asked, trying to hide the hurt from my voice.

"No, Rosabelle." He responded. Oh, even when he says my name I get butterflies in my stomach. "I've always loved you, from our very first venture, right up till now. I've always favoured you over your sister. Really." He smiled, reassuringly at me. "Rosabelle, I love you." Tears came to my eyes at this, all my life this is what I wanted to hear from the man I loved. "But I must go back to The Dutchman and stab the heart. It's what I want to do with my life, I want to live for eternity and be able to sail the seas, forever. I hope you understand." I gazed into his longing eyes and smiled.

"And I know it's what you want. I do, I really do understand! I want you to do what you love, forever. I'm not holding you back!" It pained me to say it, but I had too, I suppose this was what you do for the people you love. He gave me a last, sad look before letting my arm go, and heading over to The Dutchman.

I stared down at the dangerous depths, clutching a rope in my hand, then at Gibbs who nodded at me.

"Go!" He shouted, and I summoned up my courage, and swung over the maelstrom and onto the deck of The Flying Dutchman.

"Oh, how I hate doing that." I muttered and looked up to see Elizabeth and Will lying on the floor, and Jack holding the heart of Davy Jones.

"You're a cruel man, Jack Sparrow!" Jones spat.

"Cruel is a matter of perspective." Jack replied.

"Is it, now?" Suddenly, Jones spun around and stabbed Will directly in the heart. Jack, ELizabeth and I gasped, tears slowly leaking from my eyes. No, no, no this can't be happening. Will groaned as Davy Jones twisted the steel blade deeper into his chest.

"No, no…" I whispered, my body becoming numb. Will was one of my most close and beloved friends he couldn't just… die! I watched stunned, as Elizabeth ran over to her dying husband, tears flowing down her worried face. All of a sudden, A fish man, I recognised as Will's father charged at Davy Jones with a dagger. Jack took this moment to kneel beside Will, me behind him, and give him his snapped sword and the heart.

"You will not forestall my judgement!" Jones cried and made to stab Bootstrap, when Will, with the help of Jack, brought down the sword into the heart. The octopus man's tentacles began to twitch, and he looked to see his stabbed heart.

"Calypso." He muttered before tumbling off the edge of the ship.

"Part of the crew, part of the ship. part of the crew, part of the ship.." Davy Jones' crewmen chanted, walking towards Will.

"No, no, no, no!" Elizabeth cried. "Don't leave me! I won't leave you!" Jack dragged Elizabeth and I away from our dying friend, and jumped off the drowning ship, holding a parachute made out of one of the sails. The monkey 'Jack' caught onto the end of the rope, with Elizabeth above him, and Jack and I above her. I leaned my head against Jack's chest, and looked up at him.

"Jack," I started. Tears began to appear under my eyes, and slid down my cheeks. Jack gave me a half-hearted smile. His dreadlocks were dripping wet, and his tan handsome face was covered with concern. I wrapped my arms around him, and closed my eyes.

The parachute fell into the now calm water, and we swam to the Pearl which was awaiting us. The crew helped us aboard, where Elizabeth then left for her cabin and Jack escorted me to mine. We had a few minutes before the next attack, so I took a moment in private to change into a taupe-coloured dress with copper coloured stitchings embroidered into the soft fabric where there was a beautiful copper coloured sash which made into a bow at the back.

"Come in." I called to Jack who was waiting outside my door. I walked to my bedside table, and take out the Diary, and sat back on my bed, just as Jack slowly opened the door. This was it, my hands were shaking anxiously, as I patted beside me, gesturing him to sit next to me. He walked over and stared at me in wonder. I smiled, it wasn't often I wore my long dark hair out, but today I did. As he sat down on the bed, I took his strong hand in mine. Our eyes locked. My eyes suddenly fell to the diary on my lap. I picked it up and handed it to him.

"I want you to…" I started, but tears began to well beneath my eyes, and I felt my lips shake in nervousness. He opened it up, and I saw him gaze down at the sketch I drew of his expression when Davy Jones is spreading his tentacles around in his face.

"Rosabelle," He took my hands in his, and looked at me. "Ever since I first met you, ever since the moment I rescued you from drowning, the moment when I threatened to…" I watched as he paused, it seemed a certain word had gotten stuck in his throat. "Assault you… Since the moment our first adventure became an unforgettable one, ever since the moment where I jumped off the battlefront in order to finally retrieve The Pearl and saluted you good bye, I've always fancied you. From the moment you started to struggle in my arms when I held you captive, my mind was wiped clean of any other gal I had ever laid my eyes on… Because I love you. I love you and I want you to know that…" I placed my finger on his lips, and smiled, sadly. I knew that I should have been feeling radiant, but I didn't. I felt sad, just sad. Maybe because I knew if we survived this I wouldn't see him again. He needed to make his way in the world, and I needed to make mine. Slowly, I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. I blushed, before walking out of the cabin, leaving my Diary in Jack's hands.