Summary: "And then there was Captain Sparrow. He looked outright awful, limply propped up against his first mate." Jack is the victim of an "accident" caused by Will- an accident that doesn't do exactly what the blacksmith had in mind. One-shot. Post AWE AU. Sparrabeth with hints of Willabeth. Features Will as an antagonist again- why is he still alive?
A/N: The Blacksmith's Bargain has somehow made me enjoy writing cold-hearted Will, so here he is, carrying out a murder plot.
Prompt: A: "Please don't make me choose." B: "You don't have to. I chose for you."
The Craftsman's Conspiracy
She and Will were among those who'd decided to remain on the ship while the captain and several of his men went into Londontown to perform some thievery. While she was indeed a pirate now, stealing was not part of her morals; not yet, at least.
As for Will, she was uncertain as to why he had remained behind; his reasoning for most things had been unclear to her ever since his father had taken over command of the Flying Dutchman. Grief had changed him quite a bit- so much so that one of their disagreements caused her to break off their engagement.
But they and the rest of the crew who hadn't elected to go along with Captain Sparrow and his first mate were in watchful wait for the return of the others. There were men ready to climb up the masts to unfurl the sails and others prepared to pull up the anchor at a moment's notice if the need for a quick getaway should arise. It wouldn't be surprising if their captain had somehow managed to get a few soldiers chasing after them; trouble happened to be what that man was best at.
She spotted Will approaching her from the helm of the ship. She pretended to not have noticed, glancing back out at the port in hopes of seeing the others returning. She wasn't too disappointed to find that there was no sign of them- they had left naught but half an hour ago.
"Elizabeth." Will greeted, pausing at her side. "May I have a moment to speak with you alone?"
"Of course." She reluctantly consented, following him as he headed for the captain's quarters- a place where no one else aboard would be.
The former blacksmith's apprentice didn't hesitate in the least as he swung the cabin door open; it was like he had forgotten about the privacy of one's belongings entirely. She closed the door behind them.
The only light inside came through the windows, as the candles had been blown out in advance of the captain's departure. She wished to get a good look around before her conversation with Will, as she'd only been inside the cabin once before- under the previous captain's command, but he didn't seem interested in taking in the scenery; he'd been all business and no patience since the final battle against Jones some months ago.
"What is your relationship with Jack?" He asked, the question catching her off-guard more than the coldness of his voice.
"What?" She squeaked, blinking in surprise. As she took in his words, she realized what he was asking. She frowned, steeling herself now. "What is my relationship with Jack?"
"That's what I asked."
Elizabeth pondered the question for a moment, never having really considered it before. What was her relationship with Jack Sparrow? They certainly weren't lovers. Not quite friends either. Friendly acquaintances, perhaps? She was the Pirate King, ruling over him and all other pirates on the seas. But, here on the Black Pearl, he was her captain. Surely those would cancel out.
"I'm part of his crew, nothing more." She settled on.
"Are you sure?"
"Of course."
"You don't love him at all?" Will pressed.
"Only about as much as I love you." She retorted coolly, not impressed with their conversation thus far.
His eyes narrowed at her. "You can't love two men, Elizabeth."
"Oh, don't make me choose." She scoffed. And who said I had any love left for you?
"You don't have to." He informed her. "I chose for you."
"W-what?" Elizabeth stammered, a sudden pit of dread forming in her stomach. She disguised it with confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He smiled a little; it was a cruel gesture. "Let's just say that Jack won't be returning to the Pearl tonight. Not alive, anyway."
*X*
The robbery of the London bank had gone smoothly. There hadn't been many guards, making the path in rather easy to traverse without an alarm calling through the building.
And the problem? One of the guards had cleverly feigned unconsciousness and had run for reinforcements whilst the pirates had been inside the vault. Luckily, the pirates had raced up to the second level of the building and had climbed outside, then scaled the outside of the building to the roof, several bags of gold carried amongst them.
In spite of that, everything seemed to be going too well. Or so Jack thought, until one of his crewmen unexpectedly kicked his shoulder as he was about to haul himself up onto the roof.
His first mate shouted out in alarm as the others seized the traitor and the captain fell down towards the busy street. He cried out as his back slammed into the cobblestone road, his bones violently knocking together. He briefly thought he'd been lucky in his fall, until a carriage pulled by four horses raced overtop of him.
Clunk!
Snap!
An even louder yelp escaped him as a hoof collided with his jaw, sending waves of pain vibrating through his head. Blood welled up in his mouth near the source of the relentless agony, pouring over his lips and splattering on the ground. Something was seriously wrong, he noted. His vision spun and was filled with black spots.
He tried to get to his feet, but was plunged into the dark tendrils of unconsciousness when his failed attempt resulted in his face hitting the stones beneath him.
*X*
Elizabeth raced out onto the main deck as the rest of the crew returned. In addition to collecting the gold from the bank, one man had his wrists bound with rope and was being shoved about by a couple over the others.
And then there was Captain Sparrow.
He looked outright awful. Nearly half of his face was bruised blue and black. Blood dribbled from both the jawline of the left side of his face and from his lips. His jawline looked off, like the bone had been snapped in two. He was limply propped up against his first mate, relying on the other man to guide him back to the safety of the ship.
His name slipped from her lips in horrified concern and she hurried to his side to assist the first mate in moving him to his cabin.
"What happened to him, Gibbs?" She managed to ask.
"Everythin' were goin' jus' as planned, then the bloody rotter kicked 'im off o' the buildin'." He explained. "He fell into the road, an' a might bit busy day it were. He got run over by a carriage, an' it seems one o' the horses kicked his jaw apart."
"Why?" Elizabeth breathed, more to herself than to the other man. Swallowing back dread, she forced out the words,"Is he alive?"
The pirate in question moaned in response, head lolling to the side a little.
"Aye, he'll live. Though I doubt his jaw'll heal up proper." Gibbs told her as they entered the vacant captain's quarters. "This was no accident, Miss Elizabeth. Ye best be careful 'round the men 'til we find out who else was in on it."
"It was Will." She blurted out as they laid Jack on his bed.
"Now that be a dangerous accusation to be makin'."
"It's true. He told me himself."
"Jealousy is a mighty powerful motivator." Gibbs muttered darkly.
Elizabeth nodded. "He thought that if he had Jack killed, I would go back to him."
The semi-conscious pirate captain coughed at the words, blood spitting up into the air. It seemed hearing of the betrayal had snapped him from a pain-induced trance. Though slurred, his voice held an accusing tone as he hissed out an order. "Brig. Now."
"Aye, Cap'n. I'll see to it." Gibbs left the cabin with the promise of locking up the jealousy-ridden craftsman turned pirate.
Elizabeth, as much as she wished to look upon the cabin, grabbed a chair from a desk in the middle of the room and sat down at the side of the bed. She rested her arms on the covers, her face on her arms, and gazed at her companion.
She thought upon Will. The former blacksmith's apprentice had been so hostile recently, especially towards her companion. Now that she considered it, she realized how blind she had been to the clues leading up to the event of the "accident". She should have suspected something. She should have tried to talk to him- no, to both of them. She should have tried to get them to work past their differences and get along with one another.
She jumped as she felt a hand clap on one of her arms, squeezing it slightly in hopes of getting her attention. Jack was looking at her with concern, his eyes asking an unspoken question. "Are you alright?"
It was then that Elizabeth felt the hot, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped at them, embarrassed, before taking up her previous position.
"Sorry." She murmured.
"Not your fault." He grunted, his face muscles visibly wincing at the very slight movement of his broken jaw.
"You shouldn't try to talk." She pointed out. She paused and then added,"Not that I don't miss your voice."
There was a small pang of pride in his eyes at the last remark, showing that he was pleased to have made a lasting impression on her in the couple of years of having known one another.
"I can't forgive him for this." Elizabeth told him, taking the hand connected to the arm he'd not yet withdrawn. "He wanted you to die, Jack, just so he could have me. I thought my decision to break the engagement made my feelings clear to him. And now look what's happened."
Jack squeezed her hand, flashing her a stern look. "I told you that it isn't your fault. Stop blaming yourself. This stuff happens all the time."
She smiled a little. "He is right about one thing, though."
A questioning cock of his head.
"I do love you more than I do him."