The good news about having Anamaria on your side was that there was no chance you were going to lose any fight with her support. So Jack barely even put up a fight when Anamaria insisted that Rose accompany them to Tripoli. They manned a longboat and began to descend into the ocean below when suddenly they were all startled by another figure having leapt into their boat from above.
Ben.
"What in the bloody hell?" Jack exclaimed.
"Apologies, sir," Ben breathlessly replied. "But I think I could be of use on this mission."
Jack groaned. "This was supposed to have my trip alone, savvy? I let these two come along, and am not interested in a fourth member. So shoo!"
"Aye," Anamaria chimed in. "What use could you possibly be?"
"I know this land," Ben explained. "I came here many times under Barbossa's command. Tripoli held many fortunes for us. I know it well."
Anamaria and Jack exchanged a glance, and through pursed lips, Jack finally said, "Alright. Come along then, as long as you keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. And you get to row."
The silence was thick between the four of them as Ben started to row the boat towards Tripoli. Rose took an oar from him and helped row out of pity, though Jack would have preferred to give Ben all of the work. Finally, the awkward atmosphere became too much for Ben, and he quietly said to Rose, "Do you reckon…"
At even the slightest utterance, Jack and Anamaria snapped their gazes, and their eyes bored into Ben's skull. Rose couldn't help but feel amused at their active disdain towards Ben based on his rude behavior towards her, but she made an effort to remain fixated on him. His voice trailed off at their hostile and defensive gazes, and he lowered his voice further. "Do you reckon we could try again with the herbs?"
Rose cast her eyes downwards, disappointed that this was the only matter on his mind. He continued, "That's why Gibbs said we skirted that hurricane after all…for medicine for the crew."
Rose saw Jack and Anamaria exchange another glance. Anamaria silently mouthed the word, "Herbs?" and Jack responded with a quick shake of his head to inform her that this was but a ruse to explain their going ashore.
Ben spoke on. "But I know you meant herbs for me. I thought I could be of service."
To this, Anamaria snorted, "Of service to her? That'd be a first."
Ben grimaced. "I helped Rose quite a bit on Port Royal as we searched for Jack, I'll have you know."
"Rumor has it you also helped out the problem of Port Royal's alcohol surplus, so thank goodness you were there," Jack retorted.
Ben sent a swift glare to Rose, who guilty averted her gaze. She knew she shouldn't have told Jack about Ben's inhibitions and cruel behavior at Port Royal. Despite this, however, she still was tickled at Anamaria and Jack leaping to her defense.
Ben leaned towards her and lowered his voice even more. "All I'm saying is, whatever you need, I'm here to help."
This boat was small, however, and the other occupants of the boat also heard Ben's comment. Jack sent a wide-eyed look of alarm at Anamaria, and she, picking up his cue, instantly said, "Ben? Why don't you come with me once we dock? I've got a mission of my own and I could use you. Jack and Rose have it covered."
Ben sat up straighter and tensed his jaw. His rowing got steadily more forceful, and it was clear he knew that the siblings were not letting him in on a secret. Worse yet, it was now apparent that they weren't here for herbs after all, which meant that the fruits of his arduous labor during the hurricane would reap him no personal benefits.
"I see," he finally said after a tense moment of silence. "Very well, Anamaria," he spat. "I shall join you, if our Captain doesn't object."
Without missing a beat, Jack replied, "Not even one bit."
As Anamaria grew more amused and Ben more enraged, Rose couldn't help but feel a profound sense of dread overtake her; This was not over. Ben would soon confront her about all of this, and it had the potential to be their ugliest row yet.
Before long, the small crew arrived at one of a seemingly endless number of docks. Ben and Rose were careful to navigate amongst the copious amounts of towering ships that surrounded them, whose crews were moving many crates of livestock and other goods. Rose had never seen so many colors in all her life, and was instantly enamored by the unfamiliarity of this place. She had never seen clothing or buildings like this before, and her ears danced among the many passing languages she couldn't understand.
They eventually found a place to tie the boat to, and Jack warned her to commit its location to memory in case she had to make a quick run back to the Pearl without him. That thought terrified her, but still she complied as to be better safe than sorry if that time ever came.
"I suppose this is it," Anamaria then announced.
Rose winced, deeply saddened at the thought of perhaps never seeing her friend again. She pulled her in for a quick embrace. "Thank you for everything," she said.
Anamaria gave her an earnest look. "I meant what I said; See the world and all its dangers. There's more for you out there than you know." She then turned to Jack. "Don't think this means you're off the hook, Sparrow," she teased. "You still owe me a ship for my armada."
"Armada?! Bloody hell… Dreaming terribly big, aren't we?"
She grinned. "I know what I want, unlike some."
Rose clearly knew that this was another playful jab between the old friends, but Jack seemed bothered by her comment and did not return her smile. Rose made a mental note to ask him about this at a later time.
"Well," he said, shaking off the awkward exchange, "I suppose I'll see you again the next time I'm in trouble, then?"
"Most assuredly," Anamaria smiled. "Farewell, Jack."
She then turned from them and began to walk the length of the shoreline dock in search of a decent vessel to commandeer. "Come, Ben," she called over her shoulder. Wordlessly, he turned with a glare and a sigh and marched resentfully behind her.
Together, Rose and Jack watched them until they had walked out of sight. "Well," Jack said. "Maybe I should have kept him around for this leg of the journey after all. His attitude makes even this sweltering heat bone-chillingly cold." Rose rolled her eyes and gave a reluctant nod in agreement. "Come along then," he announced, pulling out his compass. "It's time to find Sah Muhsine."
"Now when we enter her stateroom, it is important that you stay silent," Jack was explaining as they walked along the many winding streets of Tripoli. "Just follow my lead. We don't know what Sah Muhsine knows about the key or the chest. And just as in Tortuga, when I say run, you run, savvy?" When Rose stayed silent, he turned his gaze from his compass's arrow to her. "Oi!"
"Sorry!" she apologized, stirring from her daze.
Jack pursed his lips. "You look like a child watching a street performer for the first time."
"This whole place is like that for me! I've never been anywhere like this before!" It was true; Rose was in awe of the sights, smells, and sounds of this place. Although a bit on edge because of its newness, Rose was equally thrilled with taking it all in. She halfway wished that she and Jack weren't on such an important mission with such an incredibly tight time frame, for she would have loved to spend days exploring this vast city.
"It's so amazing," she continued, "I would see so many sorts of people enter and leave the tavern, day in and day out on Tortuga. I thought I had seen it all…but to see where some of these people actually come from! It makes our Caribbean seem so small."
Jack nodded. "Aye, love. There's a large ocean out there, and plenty of pirates to fill 'er. Too many, at times. However, try to reign it in a bit, this is important."
"Aye, sorry," she quickly apologized, now focused on Jack's instructions.
"When we enter, let me do the talking. I'll only toss you into the fray if necessary. These people are not to be trifled with, so—"
"Is that why you trifled with their cousin?"
Jack rolled his eyes and gave a sidelong glance at her. "Darling, I know I may seem perfect most of the time, but even I have my lapses in judgement."
Rose chuckled as they continued on their way. Soon, the marketplace devolved into winding side streets, until ultimately the siblings found themselves in dark, narrow alleyways.
"Jack, are you absolutely certain that this is the way?" she finally asked.
"The compass never lies, my dear sister, and I want that ruddy key."
Finally, one alley opened up to a large courtyard with ornate drapery and tile walls adorning a pristine looking fortress of a building. Outside stood two armed guards, who drew their swords upon seeing Jack and Rose enter.
"Whoa, whoa!" Jack said, throwing up his hands in surrender. Rose quickly followed suit. "I come to meet with Sah Muhsine, eh? Tell her Captain Sparrow wishes to see her."
The guards looked at each other in confusion. "Who?" one replied.
Jack pinched up his face. "Captain Jack Sparrow."
The guards only blinked in response, faces blank.
"Captain of the infamous Black Pearl?"
Still no response.
Jack finally sighed in resignation. In monotone, he said, "Pickles?"
At this, the guards cried, "Oh!" in recognition, then burst into laughter. When they finally got ahold of themselves, one stayed guarding them while the other walked into the building to ask Sah Muhsine, presumably, for her permission for their entry.
"Pickles?" Rose asked through gritted teeth, her hands still frozen in surrender.
"An incident with a barrel of pickles that I'm not proud of. Remind me to tell you later," he muttered in response.
Just then, the other guard returned, and with a wave of his hand and another chuckle under his breath of, "Pickles…" Rose and Jack were escorted into the stateroom of Sah Muhsine. The interior was even more ornate than the exterior, and large embroidered pillows, and finely dyed, hand woven cloth took up the majority of the space.
In the middle of this area sat the woman in question, dressed entirely in purple and seated on an equally ornate chair flanked by two more guards on either side of her. She held the air of royalty and had the expression of a woman who could outwit a thousand men ten times stronger than she. Rose was instantly intimidated by her piercing eyes, and was grateful Jack seemed unfazed by this entire scene.
Jack fell into a gallant bow, and Rose followed suit. He cried, "'Allo, your royal Pasta."
Rose looked over at him in horror. Pasta?!
"Pasha!" Sah Muhsine hissed in response. "And that is not my title. I am mother to our Pasha and am standing in for him until he returns from voyage."
"Apologies, madam," Rose instantly replied. "We're foreigners and know not of your customs."
"Speak for yourself," the woman sneered. "This man," she said, pointing at Jack, "Knows our customs all too well." When Jack only smiled uncomfortably in response, she said simply, "You seduced my cousin."
"…a little bit," Jack deflected.
"She was due to be married to a man who would have brought our family much repute. Then she spends a night with you and none of us have seen her since!"
"…apparently my repute was better."
"Jack!" Rose growled.
"What is your purpose here, Sparrow?" Sah Muhsine demanded.
Jack straightened up, ready to state his case. "Well, I first went to see your brother in Tortuga, but found him well…rather indisposed."
"Dead," the noblewoman corrected him. "Yes, I am aware. What further business had you with him?"
Jack shrugged, walking closer towards her. As though the guards were not a problem at all, he made his way toward the guard on her left side and casually leaned his full weight on the guard's shoulder. "No business, really. Just wanted to catch up with old friends."
Sah Muhsine raised a skeptical eyebrow. "I know you, Sparrow. It's always business, and rare is it that you have friends. Certainly not Hadim."
Jack feigned hurt. "Not Hadim? After all we went through?"
Sah Muhsine now rose to her feet in rage. "You nearly singlehandedly destroyed the Barbary pirates' accord with the Ottoman Empire, which Hadim and I had to repair singlehandedly. I'm still working to undo the damage you have done! So I state again, what is your purpose here? Or should I just send you to the Turkish prisons now?"
Rose's eyes grew wide as she saw Jack quickly recoil off the left guard's shoulder and put his hands up in a calm surrender once more. "I merely seek the key Hadim knew so much about."
At this, Sah Muhsine raised her eyebrow again. "Ah, another treasure hunt. Of course that is your purpose here." She turned away, waving a dismissive hand up at him. Her guards then began to move towards Rose and Jack to escort them out.
"Wait!" Rose cried out instinctively. "This is far more important than just a treasure hunt! Lives are at stake!"
Sah Muhsine then looked at her, her eyes pouring into Rose's. Rose then caught Jack's expression, which read as, What did I say about saying nothing, you fool?
"Lives? Explain." Sah Muhsine said with interest.
"Certainly," Jack began. In but a moment of reflection, Jack quickly wove a tapestry of lies that even Rose was astonished that he was able to formulate in such haste. "This is my dear cousin…Roselyn."
"Cousin?"
"Aye, and much like your cousin who I so egregiously robbed of her dignity and reputation," Jack elocuted, putting an arm around her shoulders, "My cousin has too been robbed by a horrible man."
Sah Muhsine looked at Rose "Is that so?"
"Aye," Rose replied, putting on a saddened demeanor.
"Truth is," Jack said, once again approaching the throne and taking a seat on one of its arms by Sah Muhsine's side, "Once I found out about her woes, I drew parallels to the wrongs I did to you and Hadim and good ole…whasshername."
"Dilara." Sah Muhsine growled.
"That's it! Dilara! I got to thinking, 'How can I help my dear, sweet cousin Roselyn?' And in drawing comparisons betwixt you lot, it occurred to me to inquire about the treasures of that chest Hadim knew so well. I merely want the treasures from this chest to free Roselyn."
Sah Muhsine was now enraptured with Jack's story. "Free her from what?"
"A brutish man," Jack replied, looking down at her. "This man is a cold-hearted and vain. She had no choice but to marry him."
"Was she promised to him?"
"Not even that! She was…" Jack leaned close to her ear and said in a loud whisper, "Sold in a Bride Auction!"
Sah Muhsine gasped, and Rose only sighed and rolled her eyes. It was clear that Jack was never going to let her live this down.
"It's true," Jack lamented, standing and walking to Rose's side once more. "She was destitute, but still wanted to make an honest woman of herself. But no man could afford her price, and she wasn't willing to settle for anything less than quality. However, this meant that the only bloke who could afford her was a rotten beast from the depths of hell itself who wears the worst wigs you've ever laid eyes on."
Rose tried to continue with the sad act, but couldn't mask her annoyance at Jack's story. "And what's worse, Sah, is that this bloke despises our kind. He'd end us all if it were up to him, and he vowed to start with his wife. The inhumanity!"
Sah Muhsine laid a hand over her mouth. Jack's story was actually working!
"So," he finished, "I come here to implore you, your royalness, to forgive me for my prior sins against you and your kin, and let me help mine. Whatever treasures this chest may hold, let me use at least some of it to free my sister."
Sah Mushine furrowed her brow. "Sister?"
"Uh-cousin. Slip of the tongue."
The woman thankfully waved off this slip up and sat straighter. "Hadim spoke of this chest often, though I knew not of what treasures it holds. It was intended for Pirate Lord Captain Ammand's use, and Hadim planted information about the key with a criminal named Eddad not far from here in the Turkish prisons. I am not certain if Ammand ever arrived to claim this information, or if Eddad has survived this long. I personally hold no interest in this chest, nor its contents."
Rose and Jack exchanged a silent, hopeful look. This was actually working!
"However," Sah Muhsine said with a glower. "You still remain the pickled scourge of my city, Jack Sparrow, and for that I hereby arrest you and am sending you to the Turkish Prisons. Guards!"
"No!" Rose cried, but to no avail. The armed guards drew their weapons and grabbed hold of both of Jack's arms.
"And!" Sah Muhsine cried out over the commotion, "It would be a shame if you were to meet Eddad while there and then make your escape with the information you seek." She then winked and gave a small smile to Rose. "Take him away," she then ordered.
As Jack was dragged past her with a gleeful smile on his face, he squeaked out, "Save me."
Rose nodded in corroboration, then curtseyed to Sah Muhsine. "I cannot thank you enough, your highness!"
"Go," she replied simply, still retaining her warm smile amidst her powerful aura.
Rose obeyed, and raced back to the docks. It was time to sail to Turkey.
