Come What May
A/N: I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. I hope to update more regularly since I love writing this story. Please enjoy and please review! Reviews keep me going!
"Load with all haste ladies! Watch what ye doing ye parrot-loving swab! I'll plunder yer coffer, ye salty bilge rat Master Ragetti!"
The motley crew of the ruined Black Pearl was graced with Barbossa's harsh and gutted voice. It was on the edge of dawn as the sky was painted with hues of cherry blossom and lavender. The sun had not yet risen in the east and a light mist danced around Tia Dalma's shack. The crew had been up to hours of the night planning their grand expedition to retrieve Jack Sparrow from the depths of Davy Jones Locker.
Will looked up as he shifted their meager supplies into their single dinghy that would take them too sea. It was only a day's row to the infernal island of Tortuga. From Tortuga the crew would secure safe passage to the far side of the world; towards Singapore. Singapore was the dominion of the Pirate Lord Sao Feng who held the Navigational Charts to World's End. The plan had been formulated late last night.
After contemplating the stars Will quietly stepped back into the shack expecting to gain a few hours of sleep. He was surprised to find Barbossa, Tia Dalma, Elizabeth and the rest of the crew of the Black Pearl seated at Tia Dalma's wooden table. A map was spread across the wood and Barbossa's grimy and gnarled fingers were mapping a course across the parchment.
Will raised an eyebrow as he shut the wooden door with an audible creak and the party all turned their weary heads to the former blacksmith.
"Ah, Master Turner," Barbossa drawled nonchalantly, "You've finally joined us. Take a seat and listen well to me instructions for I won't be repeating them."
Will took the offered seat from Tia Dalma and was seated in between Elizabeth and Gibbs.
"Instructions to what?" he asked as he nodded gratefully to Elizabeth as she passed him a mug of rum. He took a gulp of it and ignored the sting of it as it traveled down his hoarse throat.
"To retrieving Sparrow!" Barbossa barked as Will only quirked an eyebrow. He had spent enough time in Barbossa's company to have learned not to fear the once dead pirate.
"How will we be getting the Captain back?" Ragetti asked and flinched as Barbossa glowered at him with a steely glare. Barbossa didn't take kindly to hearing someone else being referred to as 'Captain.' Especially if it was that carrion rogue Jack Sparrow!
"Yeah, we can't just go barging into Davy Jones Locker!" Pintel agreed with his one eyed friend who gave a shy smile; it was not often that Pintel agreed with his thoughts. Most times he just called him stupid.
"Aye," Gibbs interjected as his eyes flashed, "We do that and we'll never return to the land of the living. But be trapped in the Locker for centuries to come with only each other until we're driven mad by the heat and the scorchin' sun. I get goose of bumps just thinkin' 'bout it!"
The whole table, minus Barbossa and Tia Dalma, muttered their agreements and drank their ale in silence as Barbossa huffed and rolled his eyes. Now he remembered why he hadn't liked most of his former crew. Their never-ending chatter! It was like speaking to a wench with a giggling spell.
"Would ye shut up?!" he roared to the party of pirates as most bowed their heads and allowed Barbossa to speak.
"We're not going blindly into Jones' Locker. It would be a waste of time anyway."
"How do you figure?" Will asked from his spot as all focused intently on Barbossa.
"Because there be only one way into the Locker, and that be with the Navigational Charts. And the Navigational Charts be owned by the Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, Sao Feng."
"Pirate Lord?" Elizabeth asked.
"Sao Feng?" Will inquired.
"South China Sea?" Ragetti asked as Pintel rolled his eyes and cuffed the lanky pirate upside his head. Barbossa looked to Gibbs who began telling of the Brethren Court that was composed of the nine Pirate Lords from the different seas. They also learned that Jack himself was a Pirate Lord; the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean.
"Typical." Will muttered under his breath; of course Jack was the Pirate Lord of the Caribbean!
"And being a Pirate Lord myself I'll be able to grant us an audience with Sao Feng to negotiate terms to 'borrowing' the Navigational Charts to use to our own purposes."
"You're a Pirate Lord? Of what sea?" Marty asked as everyone turned their eyes to Barbossa as he scowled and muttered, "I be the Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea."
No one commented further as Will absentmindedly scratched his bearded chin as he thought over their plan.
"Do you really believe that this Sao Feng will willingly hand over his charts to free Jack from uncertain doom?"
The question brought a hideous smirk to Barbossa's scared and weathered face.
"Of course he won't. That's why we'll be setting someone ahead to sneak in and steal them all without being notice. But we'll decide on who gets the honors later. Is everyone in agreement on what we must do."
Nods went around the table as Barbossa nodded in a pleased manner.
"Good, we leave at first light for Tortuga."
Will was jogged from his thoughts as Gibbs handed him a sack of provisions. He turned away as he settled the pouch down in the swaying dinghy. Elizabeth looked on and took in Will's sagged posture. He had been unusually silent through last night and this morning and Elizabeth knew that his thoughts were with Helen.
Elizabeth sighed as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her thoughts, too, traveled to her friend locked away in a cell under the blazing eyes of Cutler Beckett. It had only been a week since Elizabeth had last seen her friend, but she worried greatly for Helen's well being. She had been pale and thinning when Elizabeth had escaped and she could only imagine that her condition had worsened as the days had carried on. The image of her dearest friend deteriorating away was too much for Elizabeth to bear as she shook her head and looked to Barbossa who was overseeing the stocking of their dinghy.
Against her better judgment Elizabeth made her way to the pirate.
"Miss Swann," Barbossa acknowledged as Elizabeth sighed and stuck her hands in her vest pockets as she turned fully to Barbossa.
"I need to ask a favor of you."
Barbossa raised an eyebrow and sneered down at the pretty young woman, "And why would I be obligated to oblige? Isn't it favor enough that I'm risking my life and limb for Sparrow?"
"Cut it Barbossa! You and I both know that you're only going after Jack because you want the Pearl. Or else you would just leave Jack in the Locker."
Barbossa regarded the feisty girl for a moment before nodding, "Touché. Go on then."
Elizabeth glanced towards Will who was looking wearily at the pair as she turned her back to the blacksmith and lowered her voice.
"I want you to learn of the well being of Helen."
"Mrs. Turner?" he asked as she quickly nodded her head before Will could come over, "Hmmm. I had been wondering why she wasn't tagging along at the heels of Master Turner. Where is the little Mrs., anyway?"
"She's being held prisoner by Cutler Beckett at Fort Charles in Port Royal. Is there anyway that you could learn if she's alright. Please." Elizabeth added as she saw the doubtful look cross Barbossa's aged face. He reached up and scratched his cheek with his black nails as Jack the Monkey squealed from his perch on his master's shoulder.
"I'll see what I can do." he consented as relief washed over Elizabeth and she thanked him before going to Will's side as he helped her into the dinghy. As the crew began rowing away he leaned into her and whispered, "What was that all about?"
"Oh, nothing." Elizabeth assured him as he looked at her for a moment and continued rowing. Elizabeth was glad that he let the subject drop.
--
"My Lord, Admiral Norrington wishes an audience with you." Mr. Mercer announced as Beckett looked up from his plans and lazily nodded as James Norrington stepped into his office.
"Admiral Norrington, please be seated." Beckett gestured to the leather seat sitting before his desk as Norrington sat himself down opposite Beckett.
"What can I do for you?" Beckett asked as James watched Mercer go before fully turning to Beckett.
"I wish for the release of Helen Turner."
Beckett blinked a moment before the name finally registered in his mind.
"Ah, yes, Mrs. Turner. I had nearly forgotten her in all the excitement your arrival granted."
James nodded stiffly as he looked Beckett dead in the eye. "Yes, now that you have the heart of Davy Jones there is no reason to keep her locked up. You must know that William Turner will never return with Jack Sparrow's compass and even if he did you now have no use for it."
"Yes," Beckett agreed as he leaned back into his chair.
"So there is no reason to keep Mrs. Turner here. She poses no threat to us or to the East India Trading Company."
Beckett chuckled mirthlessly. "I would beg to differ. For all the innocence and helplessness that Helen Turner exhibits I believe that with the right manipulating and training she could become a force to be reckoned with. So if you think I will release Mrs. Turner only to have her run off with Sparrow and Company then you are very much mistaken Admiral."
He turned back to his papers in a form of dismissing James as the new Admiral stood and began walking towards the door.
"But now that you've reminded me of Mrs. Turner," Beckett's voice rang out from his desk as James turned towards him, "She can thank you for her execution which will take place tomorrow at dawn. Like you implied, she is worthless to me."
James blood boiled as he shoved through the doors and stormed down the hall. He paid no attention as he mercilessly barged into a bewildered Governor Swann. The two men jumped apart and eyed the other warily. It had been months since the two had spoken as Governor Swann gazed sadly at the man he had once hoped to call son.
"Governor Swann," James briskly nodded as he still fumed on the inside. His insides were churning at the mere thought of Beckett and what he planned to do to Mrs. Turner.
"Admiral Norrington, is something the matter?" Governor Swann asked politely; he really was stalling so that he wouldn't have to go and sign more documents for Beckett. But he seemed to have asked the wrong question for Admiral Norrington blew up.
"Yes! Everything is the matter! That rat of a man Beckett is ordering the death of Mrs. Turner tomorrow!"
Governor Swann blinked and shuffled his feet, "That is tragic."
His words fell flat as James gawked at the man he had so long ago respected. "How can you say such things? She is the closest friend to your daughter! She risked her life only months ago to save Elizabeth from pirates!"
"As far as I'm concerned Helen Turner is a pirate along with her husband. And under the law pirates are to hang." Governor Swann stepped closer to James and lowered his face, "There is nothing I can do for her."
He stepped around James and continued on down the hall towards Beckett's office as James stared determinedly ahead; a plan already presenting itself in his mind.
"No, but I can."
--
Lieutenant Andrews sat idly at his post for the evening watch of the prisoners. It was a slow and easy night seeing as there was only one prisoner to watch over and one feeble woman was no match for a strapping lad such as himself. So he was enjoying himself with a bottle of ale that he had been nursing all night.
He was just gulping down the last of it when nearly silent footsteps snuck up behind the lieutenant. Lieutenant Andrews was given no time to react as something hard and rough whacked him over the head and he fell into the world of dreaming. His bottle slipped from his fingers and shattered into a hundred shards of glass on the rock floor.
Helen was awakened from her dozing as she heard glass smash not too far from her cell. She groaned as the world spun around her. Her head was aching as she placed a hand on her forehead to relieve herself of some of the pressure. Her stomach grumbled pitifully as she placed a hand over it to calm it as well. It had been too long that she had gone without adequate amounts of food and water.
She closed her eyes as footsteps started towards her cell. She turned her head away and closed her eyes to feign sleep. It was better to act asleep than endure the comments of her tormentors. The footsteps stopped right at her cell door as her posture tense as she felt eyes on her frame. Her eyes popped open when she heard the clinking of keys as the lock to her cell came undone.
"Commodore Norrington!" she cried a loud as he pushed open her cell door and raised a finger to his lips. He looked sheepish as he told her, "It's Admiral, but do call me James."
"What are you doing here?" she hissed; ignoring his name suggestion.
"Being the knight in armor come to rescue the fair maiden of course." he sarcastically quipped as Helen allowed a smile to slip across her face, "Come, we must go quickly." he stepped into the cell and gently hoisted Helen to her feet as he took hold of her arm and led her out of the cell.
"I knew I had been wrong about you." she murmured quietly as James grinned down at her swaying form. She held onto him as the two hurried up the stairs and into the heart of Fort Charles. It was late at night and the moon was high in the sky as the two stalked through the shadows.
They had not gone far when they saw a uniformed man coming towards them. James unceremoniously shoved Helen behind a stone pillar as she stumbled and leaned against it for support. She pressed herself against it and stayed out of sight as the young lieutenant came upon James.
"Admiral Norrington!" the lieutenant hurriedly saluted, "What brings you to the fort so late at night?"
"I was just…I need to…I was only…" James Norrington had never been bred to lie and it was obvious even to Helen and she couldn't even see his face. The young lieutenant quirked an eyebrow as Admiral Norrington's expression became rather sheepish. Helen rolled her eyes from behind the pillar and decided enough was enough.
James was saved from attempting to lie as a fist came flashing from behind the pillar and bobbed the lieutenant right at the back of his head. His eyes rolled into his head as he fell to his knees and landed on his side in a large mass of blue as Helen revealed herself from behind the pillar; she was clutching a sore hand as she cursed under her breath.
"Mrs. Turner! Wherever did you learn to do that?" James questioned as Helen smirked.
"My husband and you may call me Helen." the two shared chuckles before realizing that they were still in possible danger. James took a hold of Helen's arm and once more was guiding the young woman out of the fort. Both breathed in sighs of relief when they were out of Fort Charles. But danger was still lurking everywhere. Helen would not be safe till she was out of Port Royal.
They came across an alleyway as James paused and pulled out a bundle of male clothing and shoved it into Helen's arms.
"Change into these." she nodded and disappeared into the shadows of the alley as James turned his back like any respectable gentleman.
"So what's the plan?" Helen asked as James heard the swaying of clothing as she stripped put of her ruined blouse and torn skirt and into the clothing James had provided her.
James cleared his throat as he stared ahead. "I have an acquaintance who is captain of the merchant ship The Eagle which is currently docked here in Port Royal. He has agreed to take you on as a crewmember, being under the impression that you are a man. The ship leaves tonight."
"Well then," she said as she came up from behind him, "We better not make them wait."
The clothing was a little large on her but it suited her well. It was so comforting to her to be back in sailor's clothing. She wore loose breeches with boots pulled up just below her knees and a beige tunic that was promptly tucked into her breeches with a faded blue vest thrown over it. Her threadbare brown jacket went down to her thighs and her thick black hair was pulled up into her black tricorn hat giving her the impression of being a male.
"How do I look?" she asked with a spin as she couldn't keep the happiness out of her voice. She was leaving everything behind to meet up with her friends and go on the adventure of a lifetime. The prospect of seeing Will again sent butterflies fluttering through her stomach.
"Perfect, except for…"
"For what?" Helen asked as she looked herself over. In her opinion she looked every inch of a seafaring pirate.
"Except for this," James spoke as he unbuttoned his naval jacket to reveal a thick brown leather baldric strapped over his shoulder and at his waist a sword rested in the leather's grip. He undid the belt and handed the device to her as Helen grinned and fastened the baldric to rest over her right shoulder.
"It's brilliant!" she whispered in delight as her fingers danced over the hilt of her cutlass. It had been too long since she had had held a sword in her grasp. Her fingers were itching with excitement to start a duel. All in due time. The two hurried down to the docks where they saw The Eagle waiting.
"Well this is it." James murmured as Helen turned to her unlikely ally.
"James, I cannot thank you enough…"
He interrupted her with a shake of my head. "It is the least I can do. You were right. I have changed and not for the better. But I feel that in helping in your escape that perhaps I am on the path to becoming the man that is worthy of Elizabeth's love."
A grin split across Helen's face. "You are James, you are. More than you can ever know." she glanced to the ship and bit down on her lip, "Come with me." she spat out as James raised both eyebrows.
"What?!"
"You heard me! Come with me! We can find Jack, Will and Elizabeth together! And we can take on Beckett and the whole EITC!"
"I cannot." James said before continuing, "A pirate's life is not meant for me. Not in the way that it is meant for you or your husband…or even Elizabeth. I tried it already and it is not meant for me. Besides, I need to stay behind to keep an eye on Beckett to make sure he and his plans do not succeed."
Helen paled at the mention of Beckett. "Oh no! What do you reckon he'll do when he realizes I'm gone?" she asked with worry as James chuckled.
"Don't worry, I have it all figured out."
Helen grinned and unexpectedly embraced James. He tensed awkwardly before slowly hugging her back as he patted her back soothingly as he noticed with dismay how thin she had become. He leaned in as he heard her rambling into his shoulder.
"I shall sing your praises to Elizabeth the moment I see her and I will not stop speaking of your quality until she is madly besotted with you!"
He laughingly pulled away from her as he placed his hands on her shoulders as the two looked into each other's eyes. "I shall hold you to that promise." he looked behind him to The Eagle before urging her forward.
"Go! And never look back!"
Helen smiled at him one last time before turning on her heel and hurrying before. James watched her as she hurried up the incline and vanished onto the deck and out of sight. James watched as the ship set sail and left Port Royal behind till it was only a speck on the dark horizon. He turned away from the sea and headed back into town.
He had one more mission to accomplish.
--
James grunted as he supported the weight of Lieutenant Andrews as he dragged the poor sap out of the prisons. The man's large head lulled to the side as James pulled him away from the impending doom and to safety. Once Lieutenant Andrews was taken care of he wandered back into the prisons as he made his way towards Helen's former cell.
In her place on the floor was a corpse of a recently deceased citizen of Port Royal. James had a friend who worked in the Morgue of Port Royal. James had gone to him earlier asking if there was any body that was not claimed. His friend had been all too happy to give him this drunkard who had been found dead on the streets nigh two days ago.
So James had brought him here to take Helen's place in the events that were to transpire. James knew that Helen couldn't just simply disappear. No, Beckett would never let her get away like that. Helen had to be taken off the grid completely. And the only way was death. So tonight Helen Turner was going to die in a tragic fire that would consume the prisons, leaving no survivors.
James looked once more at the corpse as he held a torch over the body. He lowered the torch to the ground as it engulfed the hay that rest daintily over the stone floor. The fire erupted and James back out of the cell and set fire to several other spots as he moved to a safe spot and watched as the fire consumed the corpse.
--
Will sighed as he sat at the foot of his and Elizabeth's bed. After a tedious day of nearly nonstop rowing the crew had finally arrived in Tortuga. They had won themselves safe passage on The Terrific Lady which would take them as far as the harbor of Singapore. Now all they had to do was to not kill each other on the three month voyage since they would be taking the long way to Singapore.
Will rolled his shoulders in an attempt to ease the pain of his aching and overworked muscles. He had worked harder than what should have been endured by his muscles. Elizabeth looked up and gave him a sympathetic look. She and Tia Dalma had been spared the rowing since they were women.
The two friends were sharing a room because Will did not trust Elizabeth to be sharing with anyone else, not even Tia Dalma who was the only other female on this crusade. Will would rather keep Elizabeth in his sight. He was very protective of her. It must come from his years of infatuation with her.
Elizabeth was glad for the company though. She could always count on Will to be there for her. And with him there visions of her betrayal of Jack may not haunt her dreams this night. She watched as Will stood and slowly made his way to the window that overlooked the anchorage of Tortuga. Far away in the distance he could barley make out the form of a ship as it sailed northwest of Tortuga.
"Do you think she is safe?" he asked, breaking the tranquil silence that had descended upon their room. Outside though was another story. Tortuga was as boisterous and as noisy as ever as Will watched drunkards and whores fill the streets with their laughter and shrieks.
"I can hope that she is." Elizabeth whispered as Will turned to look at her with a melancholy gleam in his brown eyes.
"I miss her." he admitted as his shoulders sagged and he looked so very tired.
"You will see her again Will, I promise you that. Helen's too brave to give in to someone like Cutlet Beckett!"
A thin smile graced Will's handsome face as he nodded.
"You're right, but I can't help but wonder…" he painfully trailed off as both wished to not think of what could have happened to their beloved Helen.
"Well you can't help her without rest William Turner." Elizabeth scolded as she went along the bed and pushed Will towards it. He didn't resist her as she pushed him down onto the bed and pulled off his boots for him.
"You need to be strong for Helen and for your father." she gently told him as he allowed her to undo baldric and to unhook his pistols from his sides. He wiggled out of his jacket and yawned as Elizabeth pulled a homely quilt over his lithe body. She stepped back with her hands on her hips to admire her handy work. Will was already asleep with his mouth hanging slightly open as he softly snored.
The sound brought a smile to Elizabeth's face as she brushed some hair off his forehead and leaned into kiss his forehead. "Goodnight Will," she whispered against his head as she straightened and went to the window. She stared out into the night.
"Helen, if you can hear me, do all that you can to return to Will and me. We need you horribly."
--
Helen felt alive. In the quiet of the night the only sounds that could be heard was the breaking of waves as The Eagle sailed smoothly through the onyx sea. She breathed in the familiar salty air as it rested quaintly on her shoulders.
She stood at the railing of The Eagle and just enjoyed the sensation of being at sea. It was times like theses where she knew in her heart that her place in life was to be on the high seas. Yes, it had been hard for her to leave Port Royal behind. She had left behind her treasured family who she knew in her heart she may never see again. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.
But she already felt stronger and lighter than she had in weeks. She was still weak and famished, but her strength was growing within her. She could feel it. Her acute senesces were coming back to her and soon she would be a swashbuckler like Will had taught her to be.
She looked forward and off in the distance could see a brightly lit town that was brimming with the scum of the pirate world.
Tortuga.
Helen was half tempted to just jump ship now and go and see what she could find out of Jack Sparrow and the Black Pearl. But she held back. At least on The Eagle she could stumble across the Pearl, but if she went to Tortuga all she would be able to do was wait around till it would return. This would mean missing the whole fun of taking down the EITC and Beckett. She wasn't about to do that.
She looked up as Captain Highgate came up to her side.
"A rotten sight isn't it?" he asked as he nodded to the pirate haven across the waters. Helen bobbed her head as she deepened her voice to resemble a male's, "Quite despicable it is." she nodded her agreement as Captain Highgate looked at her for a moment.
"What did you say your name was again?"
"Turner. Um…Hector Turner." she said with a moment's hesitation as Captain Highgate nodded and smiled down at Helen.
"Well Master Turner, welcome aboard The Eagle." he clapped Helen on the back and nearly sent her overboard due to her staggering under the weight. He howled loudly as Helen flushed crimson and watched Captain Highgate retire to his quarters.
Helen sighed tiredly and watched as Tortuga disappeared.
--
Cutlet Beckett wore an expression of cold disdain as he took in the damage of the ruined prisons of Fort Charles. Mercer stood behind his right shoulder as Beckett turned to Admiral Norrington.
"How again did this happen?" he questioned the man as James told him the story that he had thought of the night before.
I was coming back from my office when I smelt fire and saw smoke rising from the stairwell leading down to the prisons. I hurried down the stairs to find a heavily intoxicated Lieutenant Andrews knocked out at his desk. A shattered bottle of rum was all over the floor. It is my belief that he must have fallen unconscious and dropped his ale. The candle near the edge of his desk must have fallen and landed upon the rum making the whole prison go up in flames. I went immediately to his aid and dragged him too safety."
"And what of our only prisoner, Mrs. Turner? What happened to her?"
At this James looked down mournfully as he swallowed. "When I came back into the prisons to release Mrs. Turner from her cell the flames had grown and I couldn't get through them to go to her aid. I…I was forced to leave her behind to burn alive."
"Hmm." Beckett murmured as he set his cold eyes on James, "It was very convenient of you to be here right when the fire began and to be able to rescue Lieutenant Andrews isn't it Mr. Mercer?"
"Very convenient," Beckett's henchman agreed as James didn't falter in his stature.
"It was only luck, My Lord."
"You are dismissed Admiral."
James nodded and began going up the stairs when Beckett's voice called him back. "Is the body of Mrs. Turner still present?"
"In the cell, My Lord."
James disappeared out of sight as Beckett and Mercer ventured into Helen Turner's cell to indeed find a skeleton sprawled across the cell floor. Beckett kneeled down and examined the body thoroughly before finally standing.
"It seems that this person really did die in the fire last night." he announced to Mercer as Mercer glanced down at the heap of bones laid out before them.
"You really think it is the girl?"
Beckett chuckled and turned to face Mercer. "What do you take me for? The bones of this person show that they were nearly five inches taller than Mrs. Turner and by the width of the bones quite a bit bigger as well. Someone died here last night, but it was not Mrs. Turner. That much I am certain of."
He turned on his heel and walked out of the cell and out of the prisons with Mercer following loyally behind his master.
"What do we do about the Admiral?" Mercer asked as Beckett looked ahead.
"We let him have this little victory and let him believe that he pulled a fast one over us."
"What do we do about the girl? Send out search warrants for her?"
"No, we will use this to our advantage. Her husband William Turner and friend Elizabeth Swann want to hope for the best that she is alive. We will crush that hope. I want you to send notices across the seas of the death of Helen Turner. Everyone shall know that she died, particularly those that love her the most."
"It is brilliant, My Lord."
Beckett smirked, yes it was.
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