"Row faster," Will said, turning to Pintel and Ragetti, who shot him an annoyed look.
"We're goin' as fast as we can," Pintel muttered, as they made a beeline for the Dragon, which was partially obscured behind a few palm trees.
In the distance, the Dutchman was falling behind, and soon, it disappeared into the depths of the sea.
As they neared the ship, a figure stood by the railing, calling out orders. As they climbed up the ship, Elizabeth let out a gasp. "Groves? What are you doing here?" She quickly cast a glance around the ship, making sure Beckett was no where near here.
"I've been with Charlotte since the hurricane fiasco a while back," Groves explained, as he helped the others onto the ship. "Where's Charlotte?" he asked, noting her absence from the small longboat.
The crew of the Black Pearl fell silent, until Will explained. "She's in Davy Jones's Locker. With Jack."
Groves shook his head, "Tia warned us about that. Said we needed to head straight back to her once we'd gathered the rest of the crew." He turned to the helm, where a tall Asian man was standing at attention. "Set Sail!"
The man saluted before yelling out orders at the rest of the crew, who ran to their stations.
Groves surveyed the others, "let's get you down to the quarters. You must be freezing," he said, ushering them along.
"Not so much freezing, as uh, in dire need of a drink," Gibbs said quietly from the back.
Groves nodded, "I figured as much."
She warned you about what would happen?" Will asked, as Groves led them through the ship.
Groves shook his head, "not exactly. She said something bad would happen. And seeing as this is the worst piece of news you could bring us, I figure this is what she meant." He pushed open a large door with gold filigree.
The workman in Will admired the level of detail on the Dragon. Even its mast looked realistic enough that if the ship sprouted wings and flied, he would not be surprised. They were ushered into a large room, filled with various artefacts from across the seas. Elizabeth picked up a small, golden statue of a buddha, recognizing it from the Isla de Muerta. Gently, she put it down, before her eyes landed on a beautiful, jewel-encrusted crown.
"This must be Charlotte's room," she said to Groves, who nodded with a small smile.
"Anything she thought you two would like, she kept. That way, if she ever saw you again, she wouldn't have a shortage of presents. Plus, it would make up for her missing your wedding." He paused, before looking at the pair, "the absence of wedding rings must mean its been delayed, yes?"
Elizabeth and Will sighed. "Yes. After Beckett's arrival in Port Royal-" Will began.
"Wait, Beckett? As in, Cutler Beckett?" Groves said quickly, looking between the two. "Last I heard he was stationed in England. What is he doing here?"
"Looking for Charlotte and arresting us for helping set Jack free" Elizabeth explained. "He wanted Jack's compass, and he wanted Charlotte to come back to Port Royal."
Groves shook his head, "No. If Beckett's involved there's got to be a higher level to all of this. Based on what I know from my time working in Port Royal and talking to Charlotte, there is no way Beckett would leave his post to come and find her. There's another purpose to his visit."
The crew exchanged worried glances. Groves told them to sit and relax before digging into every meeting Will and Elizabeth had ever had with Beckett. "Why the compass?" Groves muttered, after Will told him the deal Beckett had struck with him. "What could he possibly want?"
"Based on what I know of him, he seems like a power-hungry fool," Will said, as he drank from the bottle of rum he was sharing with Elizabeth. They fell silent for several more minutes before Groves shook his head.
"You've all been through the ringer today. I think it's best that you rest up." He looked out the row of windows that lined the side of the room, and watched as the sun began to set further. "We should be at Tia's in a few hours." He nodded to Elizabeth and Will, "feel free to stay in here. The rest of the crew can use the other rooms."
Slowly, the remaining crew of the Pearl followed Groves out, each offering their condolences to Elizabeth and Will, who were clearly still reeling from Charlotte's loss.
Elzabeth floated in and out of consciousness, her dreams plagued by darkness and Charlotte's screams. She awoke, sweat dripping down her forehead, ready to vomit. She turned to look at Will, but it was so dark, she could only make out the outline of his body, sprawled across the bed, fast asleep. Sighing, she stood up and stretched, and for a brief few seconds, she'd forgotten about Charlotte, Jack, and the Black Pearl. She wandered over to Charlotte's dresser, and opened one of the drawers slightly.
Immediately a wave of perfume washed over Elizabeth and she gently picked up one of the garments. It was a long skirt, covered with various embellishments and embroidery, next to it was a top, equally covered in embroidery. She folded it up and placed it back in the drawer, before climbing into the bed and trying to get back to sleep.
Beside her, Will, who'd felt her move and get up from the bed gently reached out and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, and gave it a slight squeeze before going back to sleep as well.
Eventually, the ship descended upon Tia Dalma's island. The crew of the Pearl (and Groves) headed into the longboat, while the other members of Charlotte's ship lowered them and Groves rowed along the familiar, which was all new for Elizabeth, who marvelled at the various flora and fauna that surrounded them. From between the trees, she spotted several children, peaking through the leaves of the Spanish Moss.
As they delved deeper into the island, flames began to illuminate the shore, as hundreds of men, women and children lined the water (some even standing waist deep in it) holding candles. It was an silent, yet eerie vigil for the Captain they had lost.
"Who exactly are we meeting here?" Elizabeth asked the others, who merely turned away from her question.
"Tia Dalma, she's a... well, I don't really know how to explain what she is," Will said. "She's the one who helped - us find the Dutchman."
The others noticed the slight pause Will took between choosing to whether or not to say "Jack."
Gibbs nodded, "some would call her a witch," he clarified.
Elizabeth was clearly taken aback. "But witches don't exist," she said, as though it were common sense.
Gibbs shook his head, "Yeh've come across cursed pirates and an undead man with his heard cut out, and witches be the stretch?"
Elizabeth had a moment to consider this before they finally arrived at their destination. Perched between two large trees was a beautiful little treehouse, illuminated by fireflies in jars. The boat hit the small plank by the stairs, and Groves quickly tethered it to the rail. He helped the others out, leaving the boat to rick softly on the water.
They climbed up the steps slowly, each of them holding their breath. Will based a hand, about to knock on the door, when it was flung open.
"Yeh have returned," Tia said, moving aside to welcome them in. She'd set up several chairs around a small table, which was already filled with several steaming hot mugs of tea. She let them settle down before grabbing a platter of questionable food. However, the others were in no position to refuse food, so they ate to their hearts content.
Tia watched them all carefully, paying much attention to Will, who was watching Elizabeth, who was sitting alone in the corner, still reeling from the loss of the previous day. She noticed Elizabeth hadn't anything to drink and made to pour her a glass. Elizabeth merely shook her head in response to Tia's movements.
Tia smiled sady, "Against the cold. And the sorrow." She pressed the warm glass into Elizabeth's hand, and she silently accepted it, clearly still lost in her thoughts.
Will was watching from the other side of the room. Tia made her way over to him. "It's a shame. i know you be thinking, with the Pearl, you could have caught the Devil and wrestled free your father's soul..."
"It doesn't matter" Will said suddenly. "The Pearl's gone... along with Charlotte and its Captain."
From across the room, Gibbs spoke, his voice hoarse. "Aye. And, already, the world seems a bit less bright without him. Tricked us all, right to the end, but that streak of honest finally won out." He paused before raising his glass, "To Jack Sparrow and Charlotte Vaughan!"
The others followed suit.
"Never another like Captain Sparrow" Ragetti said.
"He was a gentlemen of fortune, he was" Pintel added solemnly.
"Charlotte deserved better than the end she got," Elizabeth said, with a glare at the others, tears welled up in her eyes.
Groves nodded silently, missing his captain and her sense of humour.
"If there was anything could be done to bring them back, Elizabeth..." Will said, unable to tolerate the sadness in her eyes. While they'd both lost their best friend, it was hitting Elizabeth especially hard. The pair had been inseparable since they'd met in Port Royal all those years ago.
"Would you do it?" Tia said quickly, staring at Will. "What would you do, would any of you be willing to do?" she asked, looking at the others in the group. "Would you sail to the ends of the Earth and beyond, to fetch back Charlotte, Jack and 'im precious Pearl?"
The group looked at her, unsure of whether Tia had gone full-crazy, and half-hoping that she'd not gotten their hopes up for nothing.
Gibbs thumped his hand on the table, "Aye!"
"Aye" cried Pintel, hitting the table so hard, his eye flew out.
"Aye!" Groves cried, as Pintel searched for his eye.
Will looked at Elizabeth, who nodded "Yes."
That was enough to force Will to agree. "Aye."
Tia grinned, "Very well. But if you are to brave the weird and haunted shoals at world's end... then you be needing' a captain what knows those waters."
There was a loud creak and a thump, as though someone were walking down a particularly rickety set of wooden steps. The carved door behind Tia opened, and from the corner, Jack the Monkey began to chatter.
A pair of black boots, covered in dust appeared as a man stepped down the stairs. Hanging from the rail was a bushel of green apples, from which the man selected the brightest.
The entire crew stood in shock as Barbossa emerged, his foot landing hard on the floor of Tia's cabin. "Now tell me... what's become of my ship?" he asked, his voice conjuring several horrible memories from the minds of the cabin's occupants.
Jack the Monkey lept onto Barbossa's shoulder, as he took a bite from the apple, letting the juice run down his mouth and into his beard.
