Elizabeth stood against a pole, she had been washed and given elegant and costly robes to wear, her hair had been placed in a bun and a beaded headdress placed on her head, the two women who had waited on her bowed as Sao Feng walked into the room. He said something to them in Chinese and they left, then she noticed the boy with him, Sao Feng looked at her and nodded in approval, "By this time tomorrow we will arrive at Shipwreck Cove and you will be free, Calypso." He walked over to a small pot of water and picked up a sprig of some plant and stirred it in the water before washing his hands in the water, "Excuse me," Elizabeth said coolly, knowing she couldn't show a bit of confusion at whatever he would say. "Not a name you would fancy, I image, out of the many you have," Sao Feng flicked the water from his fingers and looked at her, "But it is what we call you," "We being who," Elizabeth asked, keeping her voice regal sounding. "You confirm it," Sao Feng walked towards her, "Confirm what," Elizabeth asked, "You've told me nothing," "The Brethren Court, not I," Sao Feng corrected her, "The First Brethren Court, whose decision I would have opposed," he started to circle her, "The bound you to human form so the rule of the seas would belong to man and not to . . . ," "To me," Elizabeth finished what he was about to say with a smirk.
"But one such as you should never be anything less than what you are," Sao Feng leaned in closer to her as he spoke, "Pretty speech from a captor," Elizabeth said glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes, "But words whispered through prison bars lose the charm." "Can I be blamed for my efforts," Sao Feng asked spreading his hands wide as he stepped back, "All men are drawn to the sea, perilous though it may be," "And some men offer desire as justification for their crimes," Elizabeth retorted, stopped just short of glaring at Sao Feng. "I offer simply my desire," Sao Feng now stood right in front of her, "And in return," Elizabeth asked, she was no fool, she knew that Sao Feng was after something, "I would have your gifts," he answered, smiling slightly, "Should you choose to give them." "And if I choose not," Elizabeth asked, well aware of the danger she was courting with this response, "Then I will take," Sao Feng shoved her against the pole and kissed her, "Your fury," Elizabeth glared and bit his lip and shoved him away from her, he fell back and glared at her as he wiped the blood from his lip away.
Sao Feng advanced on her when she barely managed to hear a familiar sound, she reacted without thinking, grabbing the boy and throwing him to the ground, before covering his struggling form with her own, just as a cannonball burst through the side of the side. Elizabeth flattened herself as much as she possibly could over the boy as splinters went everywhere, once it was safe she stood and looked for Sao Feng, "Sao Feng," she called, barely noticing her hair had fallen out of its bun, "Father," the boy cried, confirming he was Sao Feng's son. "Here," they heard Sao Feng answer and they scrambled to find him dying, impaled on a massive splinter, "Jin, serve her," Sao Feng gasped out his final wishes to his son, "Serve her as you would me," the boy nodded with tears in his eyes, "I will father," he promised. "Here, please," Sao Feng gasped, holding out his piece of eight to a stunned Elizabeth, "With all nine piece of eight you will be free," before managing to speak more forcefully, "Take it, you are captain now." "Me," Elizabeth said in disbelief, "Go in my place to Shipwreck Cove," Elizabeth reached out and took the piece of eight, "Captain, the ship is taken," Tai Huang ran in, but stopped in horror at the sight of Elizabeth and Jin leaning over the still form of Sao Feng, Pirate Lord of Singapore.
"Forgive me Calypso," Sao Feng breathed, "Sao listen to me," Elizabeth whispered to him, "Here an oath of my own, your son will be as my own," Sao Feng nodded weakly and his eyes closed for the final time. "What did he tell you," Tai Huang demanded, "He made me captain," Elizabeth said, still in shock, Jin remained crouched over his father's body, "You are not my captain," Tai Huang snapped as soldiers poured into the room, taking them captive and marching them out on deck. Jin struggled against the hold the soldier had on him as they walked out on the deck, the soldier backhanded him hand enough that he tasted blood, Elizabeth saw red, she broke free of the soldier holding her and barreled over to Jin. Within seconds she had ripped Jin from the soldier and somehow managed to break the soldiers neck, killing him, "I claim this boy as I would a child of my body and blood," Elizabeth said loud enough so that everyone on the ship could hear her without difficulty, "And I say this to you all, you will not harm him while I still breathe." Everyone had frozen in shock, be the East India Trading Company soldiers or members of Davy Jones crew, as they watched Elizabeth kill the soldier with her bare hands, there was complete silence as Elizabeth reached out and grabbed Jin's shoulder gently and pulled him close to her. She let her cold gaze run over everyone, the look in her eyes daring them to try and take Jin from her, but none of them were fool enough to get between a lioness and her cub, that was one of the stupidest things a person could do.
"Elizabeth," Matthew Anders shook off his shock and hurried over, "Matthew," Elizabeth smiled at him, it seemed none of the East India Trading soldiers seemed willing to get within five feet of her after her little display. "Your alive, thank god," Matthew said, "When uncle finds out you're alright he'll be overjoyed to hear you're safe, he's been worried sick about your and your father," Elizabeth froze, realizing that Matthew didn't know about his uncle, "Uncle White is dead," she said quietly, but not softening the blow any. "No, that can't be true," Matthew denied, sounding shaken, as if he knew she was telling the truth, but didn't want to believe it, "He returned to England." "Did Lord Beckett tell you that," Elizabeth asked him, her tone of voice turning arctic the moment she said Beckett's name, Matthew was quiet as he realized he had been lied to and betrayed by those he had trusted. Davy Jones appeared on deck and looked at the crew who were under gather together, "Who among ye do ye name as captain," Davy Jones demanded, "Captain, her," Tai Huang said instantly, the soldier still holding a knife to his throat, pointing at Elizabeth, "Her," the crew followed his lead, pointing at Elizabeth.
Matthew looked at Elizabeth in shock, that was not something he had been expecting to hear, apparently the girl he considered a sister had managed to become a pirate captain, Davy Jones looked at Elizabeth, "Captain," he said surprised. Elizabeth looked at him coolly, mentally promising herself she wouldn't let him intimidate her, "Tow the ship," Matthew ordered, "Put the prisoners in the brig, the captain and her . . . . . son shall have my quarters." "Thank you sir," Elizabeth corrected him, "But I prefer to remain with my crew," she and Jin turned and walked over to the crew, "Elizabeth," Matthew hissed, "I swear, I didn't know," "Know what," Elizabeth asked him quietly, "Which side you choose, well now you do." Elizabeth slowly backed over to where the crew were, knowing she couldn't let her sisterly feelings for Matthew to cloud her judgment or answers in her current position, she had a crew and a son to worry about. Matthew watched as Elizabeth and the crew were taken to the brig aboard the Dutchman, stunned at the news his uncle was dead, he knew that Elizabeth wasn't lying about that, not when she had considered his uncle her own uncle.
"Commodore," Elizabeth said looking at the various members of Davy Jones crew as they passed by, "John Norrington," she tried again, her only response was laughter, "Who are you looking for," Jin asked what the rest of the crew were thinking. "For help," Elizabeth explained quietly, "James Norrington, his uncle is among Davy Jones crew, he aided James escaping here once before, perhaps he will help us now, I cannot be sure if he will help us, but I have to try." "John Norrington," Elizabeth tried once more, "You know my name," they heard a voice say, it was coming from the wall, Elizabeth motioned for Jin to stay back with the crew as she carefully walked over to the wall, slowly able to make out the humanoid shape embedded in it. "Yes, I know your nephew," Elizabeth told the man, who laughed and detached himself from the wall, he was covered in bits of coral, which looked like it was growing on him, and who knew, maybe it was growing on him.
"James," John laughed, smiling widely as he clapped his hands together in delight, "He made it, he's alive," Elizabeth nodded and smiled, realizing that this was going to be more difficult than she expected, it was clear that John wasn't in his right mind. "And now he sends you to tell me that he's coming to get me," John smiled at her, "Gods wounds," the phrase burst from him, "He's on his way," "Yes," she nodded, "James is alive and he wants to help you." "He can't help me, he won't come," John said, his mood suddenly doing a complete one eighty, "But you're his uncle," Elizabeth exclaimed, wondering why he would say something like that about James. "I know you, he spoke of you," John looked at her, "He can't save me, he can't come because of you," "Me," Elizabeth said, confused, "You're Elizabeth," John said as if that would explain everything, "Yes, I'm Elizabeth," she nodded, getting more confused by the minute. "If Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place," John rambled, "Captain forever, the Dutchman must always have a captain and if he saves me he looses you," "I see," Elizabeth said, tears gathering in her eyes as she realized exactly what James had meant when he said it was his burden to bear.
"He won't pick me," John said glumly, "I wouldn't pick me, tell him not to come, tell him to stay away, tell him its too late, I'm already part of the ship," he faded back into the wall, once more part of the wood, "And the crew." Elizabeth shook her head, "John," she said, not sure of what to tell him, "You know my name," he said, surprising her, "Yes, I know your nephew," she told him, "James," John smiled and laughed, "He's coming for me, wait and see, you'll see, he promised." Elizabeth silently turned and walked over to the door of the brig, she crouched down and started to study the lock, then started to swear, "Damn it," she finally snapped, "I can't pick it, its too corroded with coral and god knows what else." "You can pick locks," Jin asked her surprised, he still wasn't sure what to make of this strange woman, she wore men's clothing and fought like one, yet had the manners of a lady, while being as cutthroat and tricky as any pirate. "Only the simpler locks," Elizabeth told him, "Willa is a blacksmith and I picked up several tricks from her growing up, though if my father had known she had taught me to pick locks he would have had a fit. "What am I to call you," Jin asked her one last question, Elizabeth frowned thoughtfully as she considered her answer, "Anything you wish," she told him, "So long as it isn't to insulting, I'm not going to take your mother's place if she is alive, I won't take another womans son from her, if your mother is alive I will be an aunt to you."
Beckett watched as the body of a man tied to a barrel with a bottle tied to it was hoisted onto the deck by the sailors, he took the bottle and broke it, to reveal a piece of paper inside it, a paper that had the logo of the East India Trading Company. "Sir," an officer asked, "A breadcrumb trial," Beckett told him, looking out over the sea, "And we're meant to follow," "A betrayer among them," the officer asked, "Or a trap," this whole mess had all the men uneasy, whispering of bad omens was rife among their sailors and soldiers. "A gambit by a skilled opponent," Beckett corrected the officer, "Adjust course Lieutenant," "Sir," the officer said, confused as to what Beckett meant, "We can only hope to reach out destination before they run out of bodies," Becket explained. The officer nodded and went the helm, not for the first time he shuddered, Beckett was ruthless and it was no joke that if you cut him open he would bleed ice water instead of blood he was so cold, it was unspoken among the men that Beckett was more than a little touched in the head.
Willa stood in the shadows, watching James tie a body to a barrel and he attempting to cut the rope that would send the barrel and its burden into the sea when he found he couldn't cut the rope with his knife, he looked at the knife, it was the only his uncle had given him. "You escaped the brig even quicker than I expected," James whirled around to see Jack perched on the prow, "William do you notice something, or rather do you notice something that is not there to be noticed?" "You haven't raised the alarm," James realized as Jack jumped down off the prow to the deck, "Odd isn't it," Jack agreed, then pointed the the barrel with a dead body tied to it, "But not as odd as this, come up with this all by your lonesome did you?" "I said to myself, 'think like Jack,'" James retorted, "And this is what you've arrived at," Jack snorted, "Lead Beckett to Shipwreck Cove so as to gain his trust, accomplish your own ends, it's like you don't know me at all, and how dose your dearly beloved feel about this plan?" "Ah," Jack sighed when James hesitated to answer, "You've not seen fit to trust her with it," "I'm losing her Jack," James finally admitted, "Every step I make for my uncle is a step away from Elizabeth." "If you choose to lock your heart away you'll lose her for certain," Jack said, being surprisingly insightful on the matter, "If I might lend a machete to your intellectual thicket avoid the choice altogether, change the facts, let someone else dispatch Jones."
"Who," James snorted, "You," "Death has a curious way of reshuffling one's priorities," Jack sighed, leaning on the railing, "I slip aboard the Dutchman, find the heart, stab the beating thing, your uncle's free from his debt, you're free to be with your lady love." "Your willing to cut out your heart and bind yourself to the Dutchman forever," James asked sceptically, "No mate, I'm free forever," Jack said, looking off into the distance, "Free to sail the seas beyond the edges of the map, free from death itself." "You've got to do the job though Jack, you've got to ferry souls to the next world," James reminded him, "Or you'll end up just like Jones," he stroked his chin to mimic tentacles, "I don't have the face for tentacles," Jack grimaced, then grinned, "But immortal has to count for something eh?" Jack pulled out his compass and handed it to James, James took it and looked at the compass, then back at Jack, "What's this for," he asked utterly confused, "Think like me, it'll come to you," Jack exhaled a rum-soaked breath directly in Jame's face, making him back over, causing him to fall overboard.
Jack pulled out a knife and cut the barrel loose, it fell into the water and James grabbed onto it, "My regards to Davy Jones," Jack called out to James as he floated away, "I hate him," James sighed, Jack grinned, he was just close enough to hear that. Willa stepped out of the shadows, from where she had watched everything, "You're playing a dangerous game Jack," she couldn't help telling him, "I know, but this way we have someone in the position to not only deal the East India Company a hard blow, but get us some heavy fire power," Jack shrugged. Willa shook her head, "Its still a big risk," she sighed, Jack grinned at her and threw an arm over her shoulders, "What's life without a little risk," he asked her, making her smile at him, "Boring," she answered and Jack laughed in agreement. "We better turn in," Jack said after a moment, "Its going to be a long couple of days," "Stay and watch the stars just for a little while longer," Willa pleaded softly, "It will be a while before we have anymore peace and quiet," "Alright," Jack chuckled. They looked over at the stairs when they heard footsteps, it was Jaybird and Barbossa, the two couple nodded to each other, Jaybird and Barbossa went to the helm and started to watch the stars together as well, both couples enjoying just being together. They knew it would be a while before they would have a quiet moment together, if at all, so they would enjoy it while it lasted, life was to short not to waste it after all, they could die within a couple days given the situation with the Beckett.