Disclaimer: same as Chapter 1
Author's notes:
- The title comes from the 2006 album by Australian act Dan Kelly & the Alpha Males.
- Herodotus (c. 484 BC – c. 425 BC) is the first known historian to collect, test and arrange his materials (from Wikipedia).
- Details about the Fountain of Youth come from Wikipedia.
- Mordicus is a Latin word meaning "tenaciously" in English.
- Jack's quotes are from the plays Hamlet and King Lear, written respectively in 1601 and 1606 by William Shakespeare (1564 – 1616)
- Bucephalus (meaning "ox-head" in Ancient Greek) was the horse of Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC).
Chapter 19: Drowning in the Fountain of Youth
A stunned silence followed Jack's declaration; speechless out of stupefaction, Will, Elizabeth and Bill stared with rounded eyes at the cylindrical container lying on the table. Could Jack be telling the truth? Did this common barrel, sporting a few half-erased inscriptions about rum from the Jamaican isles, actually held in its depths water from the Fountain of Youth? Did Jack found this priceless treasure and had braved all sorts of perils to bring a part of it to the Turner household?
They would have remained statue-like state for a long time if Jack hadn't busted out laughing:
"Oh, guys! You should see your faces, it's priceless! You look as stunned as a gaoler after I've escaped from a prison cell!"
"J-Jack, do you mean… You have found the Fountain of Youth? Is it true, Jack? Do you really mean it?" stuttered Will.
"I did, it is, and I do! This spring has been the major puzzle of the last thousand years, since Herodotus to be precise but no man has been able to locate it no matter how many books have been written on the subject, or how many searching parties doomed to fail have been launched. Some people said it was located in Africa; others spoke of Jerusalem while the next guy would swear mordicus the land called Florida in America is the real place to find it, conquistador Juan Ponce de Léon being at the first one to affirm it. The Caribbean natives named the Bimini Island as the place to find the Fountain of Youth, and to where an Arawak Chief let an expedition and never came back. But guess what, shipmates? All those guys were wrong! The Fountain isn't located in Africa, America or the Caribbean Isles; it is in a much farther place and no one stands a chance to find it without the help of Sao Feng's navigational charts."
"You have them in your possession?"
"Yep! Since the poor Pirate Lord of the China Sea has left us for a (hopefully) better world, his charts obligingly fell into my lap and I have kept them on a tight hold ever since. Oh sure, Barbossa has tried to filch them from me with all the discretion expected from him, a furtiveness equivalent to the love cry of a rutting sea elephant; however, I refused to let that blockhead put his slimy paws one way or another on Sao Feng's charts so I pinched them, leaving only an empty shell behind. Pintel and Ragetti told me about Hector's face when he discovered I had walked away with the prize, but I'd give a thousand gold doubloons for a chance to go back in the past and see this moment with my own eyes!"
Jack grabbed at Will and Elizabeth's drink wares and, with a quick push on the tap, he poured some water inside the glasses before solemnly presenting them to the young couple:
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho! And don't ya worry, this water isn't hazardous to your health; I've drunk some mesself and it has managed to improve the already perfect features of Captain Jack Sparrow, can you imagine that? No? Well, me neither but here I am, the irrefutable living proof that I am actually telling the truth – and it happens more often than what backbiters may say."
Will and Elizabeth exchanged a glance where apprehension, curiosity and sense of adventure were mixed, and then they clank their glasses together in a silent toast before drinking the water bottoms up. Will let the cool liquid descend along his throat and for a brief moment he thought Jack had played a joke on them: the water didn't taste different from the one he drank every day and he couldn't feel anything but the usual pleasantness of rehydration after a good dinner.
And then…
Will's eyes widened as warmth erupted inside his stomach like wildfire. He opened his mouth to ask Jack what was going on, but the warmth suddenly invaded his body from head to toes: heart, guts, lungs, muscles, bones, all his organs and members were engulfed one after another by a tidal wave of heat which left in its wake a marvelous sensation of newness felt at the very core of his being. It was as magnificent as after he and Elizabeth had made love, but with strength replacing the usual joyful exhaustion. The warmth circulated through his body at all speed to spread through his vessels in a journey starting inwards to reach the outside; Will gasped in surprise when he felt his skin warming from the effect of the magical water; he looked down at his hands and the calluses he had gained during his blacksmithing apprenticeship narrowed before fading completely, leaving only perfection behind. An itch awakened in his back and Will realized the crisscrossing scars left by Davy Jones' whip were disappearing too, replaced by fresh skin knitting itself back together. The scar on his left breast was next and he let out a small grunt of pain when the white line shortened to become nearly indiscernible, and then the warmth lost of its intensity to disappear as well.
The young man looked his wife and Elizabeth was still trembling from the warm effects of the Fountain of Youth's water, but she gave him a blinding smile and Will knew she had felt the same things as he did. The magical liquid had burned them both at the beginning but it had cleansed their bodies of the effects of time, past wounds, worries that had plagued them for years. Elizabeth let out a cry and she wrapped her arms around his neck, laughing and kissing him at the same time, unable to believe they had been granted a second chance at youth. Will kissed her passionately and she returned the embrace in full, drowning in the delicious sensation of love being poured inside her. It was intense like their first kiss on Port Royal's cliffs right after Jack had dived into the sea, following his rescue from the hangman's noose thanks to Will's and Elizabeth's interventions. They had been so young at the time, so in love, so innocent… and more than a decade after this event they were young again, still madly in love and a lot wiser. The years stolen by Jones had been returned to Will and Elizabeth, thanks to Jack's gift. Bootstrap, who had risen from his chair to watch wide-eyed at his son and daughter-in-law's renaissance, could hardly believe it: Will and Elizabeth still looked like in their thirties but their faces had the fresh appearance of twenty years old, their eyes were sparkling like stars and their whole frames were glowing from an inner light.
Jack held his rum flagon high as if it were a sword, eructed loudly and proclaimed: ""The wheel is come full circle, I am here". Will-mate, I hereby declare you have been reimbursed from A to Z in love, money and time, all this from the stupendous actions of the awe-inspiring Captain Jack Sparrow, the all-time winner against any kind of foes. My cerebral flower may seem to work a little oddly for the untrained eye but "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" and what's important is my superb plans always come to fruition!"
The elder Turner wasted no time running at his loved ones and gathered them in his arms, his face betraying his joy and incredulity.
"My children! It's a miracle! You are exactly the same as you were before and yet, you look younger!"
"That's exactly how we feel, Papa," answered Will. "The same, but even stronger and scar-free; the water has erased years and hardships, we are at the same state we were on our engagement day."
"Oh, Will, you are now completely freed from the dark years that had burdened you. You will remain young for many years to come and live a long life with your family. Jones is vanquished forever!"
"You're right he is!" said Jack, grinning like a gold-and-silver-toothed wolf. "Did you honestly think I would let him win from the grave? But I am Captain Jack Sparrow and I can do anything, including adding extra years to life spans. That's what I call living forever, mates, without the hassle of ugly coffers and unsanitary deals with the Devil: who needs them, frankly, when a few drops of this incredible liquid can make you young again, chasing away old Father Time with his sickle and hourglass? Now whenever you would feel an itty-bitty tired or achy in your bones, all you'll have to do is drink from this barrel and return to your favorite bright-eyed and bushy-tailed state without asking for a physician's help. This water does wonder in repairing bones, skin, muscles and organs – including the special one; it beats rum any time. I wouldn't have imagined I would ever praise water, not on my life but you can never tell, savvy!"
The Turners laugh out loud at Jack's declaration, and then Will freed himself from his father's embrace to grab his drinking glass again and fill it with Fountain of Youth's water, before presenting it to Bootstrap Bill.
"Oh, no. No, Will," said the former slave, raising his hand in a gesture of refusal.
"Yes, Papa. Please drink some, you need it."
"No, Will! This water belongs exclusively to you and your wife. You deserve every drop of this godsend liquid, heck you ought to possess a whole hogshead-sized barrel of it after the terrible events you went through."
"Papa! Listen to me; I know the past years have been hard for you too. Do you think I haven't noticed the way you held your back with both hands after you've secured the sails of the Flying Dutchman? Or the bouts of dizziness that seized you at times, making you lean against the mainmast until they've passed? You have worked yourself to the ground helping me during my captaincy, watching over me day and night at your health's expenses and I have wondered many times how I would ever find a way to thank you for your generosity. And now that I finally have a mean to help you feel better, you refuse?"
"I don't need this water, Will. Watching you and Elizabeth happy together is enough for me."
"No, it isn't enough!" answered the frowning young man. "I want you to live long years with us. I love you, Elizabeth looks upon you as a father, Will-Trey enjoys the company of his Grandpa. We need you in our lives, Papa, why can't you understand this? I won't let you die simply because you wrongly think you don't deserve to live under our roof, or that you are a hindrance. What you are is an integral part of our happiness and we won't let you go before you are over a hundred, do you hear me?"
"Exactly," said an equally frowning Elizabeth.
"And to reach this goal, you need to remain in good health and Jack has provided us with a marvelous remedy against time. Besides, it would be a terrible act of selfishness from us to deprive you of this water, letting you suffer from aging consequences while we would enjoy being strong and disease-free. Do you honestly thing Elizabeth and I could do something so greedy?"
"No! Never!"
"I appreciate your altruistic thought, Papa, but I want you to chase it away from your mind. Sacrificing your health or your life would plunge a sword in my heart, much deeper than Jones' blade did. I love you too much and I've waited for your presence in my life for too long to let you go. I'm begging you to drink this water for Elizabeth, Will-Trey and me. Please?"
Bootstrap felt like kicking his own backside. He should have known better than refusing this glass full of prodigious water. It was obvious Will wouldn't move an inch until he obtained satisfaction, even if he had to implore him to accept his gift. Bill cursed his misplaced pride: his son shouldn't have to beg anyone, including his father! He gently took the drinking glass from Will's hand, smiled at his son and drank the liquid in large gulps.
Elizabeth and Will watched in amazement as the Fountain of Youth's water worked its magic on Bootstrap: in less than a minute the older man's spine popped back into place, the wrinkles on his skin receded and the pain that had tormented his knees for months vanished in a snap. Bill smiled in triumph as he felt a new energy invading his body, making him feel the forty-something man he had been when he was a crewmember of the Black Pearl, ready to pillage and plunder all the treasures of the Caribbean. Will let out a whoop of joy and launched himself into his father's arms to hug him, but Bootstrap picked up the young man as if he were a baby and spun him around, making Will laugh his head off.
"My love, I feel better! Oh, so much better, and it is all thanks to you!"
"Papa!" said Will, too overwhelmed by emotion to say something else. He clung to Bill's neck, acting like a giant child and not caring a thing about it: his father was saved and it was all what mattered.
"Hey, what about all thanks to me?" protested Jack. "Have you already forgotten the latest exploits of the celeb…"
"I have forgotten nothing, Jack," interrupted Bill, still holding his son up in his arms and obviously not wanting to put him down. "What you did is extraordinary and I will always be indebted to you. Doubtless you are the most fantastic pirate the world has ever known. No one will ever surpass you in intelligence or in actions and your name will be famous across the globe. But your latest deed is definitively a grand coup; you have managed to give back to Will and Elizabeth the years they have lost and this is an invaluable feat, making you unbeatable."
"You're singing my song, Bootstrap!" said Jack, smiling like a fool from Bill's salvo of compliments. Elizabeth thought the pirate captain could purr exactly like his feline counterpart.
Bill slightly turned his head and he whispered in Will's ear: "Pure-hearted, darling Little One of mine." The young man tightened his hold in response, and said:
"You have so many nice names for me."
"You deserve them, dearest, each and every one of them and I don't give a damn about sounding overly sentimental, I'm so proud of you I want to shout my love from the rooftops. You are the finest son a man could ever dream of and I have been the lucky one to sire you. I will never understand why this miracle has been granted to me, of all people! But Heavens know the depths of my gratitude for having met your wonderful mother."
Bill pressed a gentle kiss on his son's cheek before putting him down at last, and the two Williams smiled at one another. Elizabeth felt her heart fluttering at the sight of her husband and father-in-law and she wished her own father was still alive, so he could see for himself that love and caring prevailed in the Turner's household. She knew the Port Royal's Governor had reserves about letting his only daughter marry a humble blacksmith with pirate's blood in his veins, fearing a lower social position would destroy her chances of happiness, even if he had never voiced his doubts out loud.
"Jack, you've said the legends were wrong about the Fountain of Youth's location so where is it really located?" asked Elizabeth.
Jack nonchalantly sat in one of the main room's stuffed chairs, flung his leg over an arm, grabbed at his large rum flagon and took a long swing of it before answering:
"That's for me to know and for you to eventually find out, Lizzie!"
The young woman shook her head in desperation: she should have known better than to expect a direct answer from the world-famous Captain Jack Sparrow!
"Anyway, the location of the Fountain is of no importance for you; I'd hardly believe you would set an expedition to find it in the near future, so what's the use? Will and you have better things to do, in the lines of boffing like bunnies to create more tiny pirates, and Boots had quite a discouraging experience about adventuring so I'm ready to bet his personal compass is pointing to a quiet life, away from swords and treasures. Besides, what you don't know can't hurt you!"
"What do you mean, Jack?"
The pirate captain's sarcastic smile faltered a bit: "Will-mate, a pirate's life may have not been for you but nonetheless you got involved in it, either by blood ties or your tendency to constantly rush at the rescue of a strong-minded damsel in distress. Thus, and in spite of a decade of absence you are still in danger of being recognized by a meddlesome would-be authority representative – and your connections with the smartest outlaw of the West are almost as well-known as the outlaw we keep talking about. Oh sure, Shipwreck Island has way more citizens with colorful pasts then honest ones, which is the reason why people prefer not to know about their neighbors' history but a recent incident makes me think this custom is about to change."
"The Governor's wife," said Elizabeth.
"Bull's eye, Lizzie, and speaking of bulls you have quite an enemy here with this ugly incarnation of a female bovine. From the information I have gathered in the remaining taverns of Shipwreck City, she has the upper hand on her husband and she is the real power in town. She also likes to pry about other people's past and feeds on gossips like fishes do on worms, all this in the hopes to practice a little blackmail payable in money or services; some people even mentioned men having to pay "in nature" for her silence since the Governor isn't able to lift anything to content her. I dare not imagine what kind of images they have in mind to keep an apology of enthusiasm during the act; there are some limits to my depravity! Anyway, I also learned she is insanely jealous of Lizzie and I had the time of my life watching the puppy barking at that mustard-covered large barge, a few days ago. But she took it very badly being told off by your kid and I wouldn't be surprised about retaliations in the near future."
"She'd better not," growled Bootstrap Bill. "I've made it clear to her that I would take reprisals if she comes near my family again. And my fighting abilities are back, thanks to you and Will's generosity."
"Aye, but hear me: you Turners have to keep in mind two important facts. Firstly, the Fountain of Youth brings revived strength, but not invincibility. Secondly, its water has to be drunk with parsimony; otherwise, the consequences can be dreadful, like an accelerated rejuvenation leading to age regression, and then death. During my fruitful expedition, I've heard terrible stories of men who had consumed this water in the past; yes, it has been done before but those men took it too quickly or too frequently and they all ended in an early grave. You can see the sepultures next to the path leading to the Fountain of Youth and it's better to take heed of the warning! I trust you, shipmates, to use this water wisely and keep it stashed in a safe cache down your hold. You may use a few drops in case of wounds or diseases but at any costs don't drink a large quantity of water at short intervals of time. Now I know you are reasonable – way too much for my tastes – and you will follow my advice, but a seaman always looks out for squalls and I wouldn't be surprised if Mrs. Bucephalus would try to extort from you the secrets of your good form. Killer whales like her always aim for the weak spot and in your case, it is the little pirate sleeping upstairs, the only one who hasn't learned to wield a sword yet."
TBC…