Nine long, fruitless days passed. During this time, Teague and Rose had gotten to know each other better, although their relationship was still strained. Rose wasn't certain if she was ever going to have the sort of relationship she wanted with her father, so she kept her expectations low. She treated him as nothing but an ally, and most of their conversations revolved around histories of the various Pirate Lords, naval politics, and showing her around both Shipwreck and the crooked, twisted architecture of the fortress. They only visited the town together once, then promptly turned back upon seeing that it had devolved into a cesspool of violence, drinking, and chaos. Resources were almost nonexistent by now, and so overpopulated was the island, that the six Pirate Lords in attendance and the most trusted members of their crew moved into the fortress, which made for very tight quarters below the Brethren's main meeting place.
Rose continued her futile attempts at building a strategy to ward off the Company. But there was truly nothing to be done without Jack, Barbossa and Sao Feng. She wasn't going to stop trying however, and every morning and night at sunrise and sundown, she would climb to the top of the highest peak on Shipwreck Island with Teague's telescope. The action oddly reminded her of when she would seek out the Pearl's black sails every morning and evening on Tortuga when she was but a girl. This time, however, her search was less about finding her future than it was preventing a terrible one from unfolding. She was terrified that she would find either the slimy, green, tattered sails of the Dutchman or the pristine white sails of Company vessels encroaching upon them. Every time, thankfully, there was nothing at all remarkable, with the exception of the first morning, when Rose thought she saw the green flash of the sun on the horizon that her mother used to speak of. She figured that that one instance had been her mind playing tricks on her, however, and she breathed a sigh of relief each time she wouldn't find an enemy sail on the horizon. On the tenth evening, Rose was about to set out to check the horizon with at sundown when she found her father standing at an opening in the wall overlooking the harbor below. She joined him at the crevasse, and followed his gaze. Her expression changed to horror at the sight of ships exiting the harbor.
"Oh no!" she cried. "They can't leave!"
"Oh but they can," he said in monotone. "It is entirely within their power."
"But the Brethren Court—"
"The Pirate Lords are still here. Those are some of the rogue ships who sought refuge here. No, the Pirate Lords are still down below. However resentfully and impatiently, but—"
He was cut off by the sound of gunshots. He rushed to the stairs and descended, and Rose was right on his heels.
They entered into a brawl unlike any Rose had ever seen, and she had seen plenty of tavern brawls in her time. It appeared as though Mistress Ching's men were quarreling with Armand's, and somewhere, Jocard's men joined in the fight.
Rose plugged her ears as she watched her father pull out his flintlock and fire straight into the air. They all froze, staring at the two of them.
"Enough of that," her father said politely. His voice was not raised, nor carried any tone of upset or aggression.
Jocard himself bravely stepped forward. "Captain Teague! We demand to know at once the cause for the delay! We cannot wait much longer!"
A few noises in agreement spread throughout the crowd.
Teague was unwavering, and immediately answered, "Do you see this woman at my side?" Rose felt her stomach drop. Don't put this on me, please. "She is an affiliate of Captain Sparrow's and Barbossa's. She has reported to me that the final three pirate lords will arrive within the day."
What? No I didn't!
A French voice from somewhere in the mob called in response, "They have been away this long, how do we know that they are not leading the enemy to our gates?"
Teague answered immediately. Now Rose saw where Jack got his improvisational skills from. "Are you accusing Captain Sparrow of treachery? Gentlemen, you all are familiar with Jack. Is he really one to get into a bind such as that?"
More murmurs of agreement rang throughout the crowd.
"In the meantime," Mistress Ching's voice rang out, distinct and clear, "We are weary of this place. What if they do not arrive within the day?"
Teague replied firmly, "I assure you they will." How could he assure that? It was impossible! "In the meantime, I welcome you to take your places at the grand table and prepare for the fourth Brethren Court."
Several "hoorah's" erupted through the crowd. Rose hadn't noticed that her father had turned to lead them upstairs. She quickly raced to catch up with him. He turned sharply back to her, saying, "We best go into the cabin." She looked over her shoulder. Wise choice, as the room was quickly filling with angry, hungry pirates who were just shooting at each other not minutes earlier.
Once she closed the door behind her, she cried, "What was that?"
"What?" he asked nonchalantly, and seating himself at his chair, he began to strum a nearby guitar.
"You know damn well what!" she said. "Telling them that Jack will be here within the day!" He just kept playing his guitar. Rose walked closer and raised her voice. "You don't know that they will be here! You don't even know if they are ALIVE!"
"I know one thing," he muttered. "If we didn't give them some form of hope, there would have been chaos."
"And chaos still persists! This buys us, what, mere hours? Then what?"
He stopped strumming and looked up at her. "I don't know. We take life as it comes."
Just like Jack! Infuriating! She threw her hands up in exasperation and left the room, dodging the hundreds of waiting pirates at the grand table and descending the fortress she had now come to know so well. She made a beeline straight to the peak, as was her plan before this diversion.
Once there, she extended the telescope. She drew her gaze over the rapidly fleeing dozen or so ships, and sighed in disapproval. She then moved the scope down and took another glance around without use of a visual aid.
Something curious caught her eye this time. A dark speck was heading straight for them. She narrowed her eyes and raised the glass once again. When she saw it magnified through the scope, at first she didn't react, though her heart felt like it had fallen straight into her stomach. She just stayed there, frozen in place until she was absolutely certain that her eyes weren't deceiving her.
Then, she ran as fast as her legs would carry her back to the fortress. She pushed past wanderers in the narrow hallways, climbed winding stairs and ladders until she reached the meeting place. She then pushed through the Pirate Lords and their men and darted into Teague's room.
"Convene the Court!" Rose she said breathlessly.
Teague looked alarmed. "What is it? What's out there?"
"Convene the Court now!" she repeated.
"For the last time, you know I can't do that, Rose!" he protested.
"You can!" she said, a wide smile growing across her face. "The Black Pearl has returned!"
Rose shifted her weight uncomfortably between her feet. "What's taking them so long?" she fretted.
"Calm yourself," Teague gruffly said, his hat tipped down over his eyes as he leaned casually against the doorframe to his quarters. "It takes awhile to maneuver the Cove."
She gave a sharp, frustrated exhale through her nose. "It takes annoyingly long, that's what." Of course she was impatient—it had been months without her brother, and Rose was bursting at the seams to reunite with him. She knew he was back; There was no Pearl without Jack. However, she also knew that this was to be a rigid reunion. She couldn't race to embrace her brother—there were Pirate Lords present. So for right now, she had to struggle to keep her composure.
She knew he had arrived when the room went deathly silent. Her eyes lit up when she saw the men she thought she'd never see again come into the space. Barbossa entered first, inserting his cutlass into the globe, then tipping his hat to the Pirate Lords as he took his place at the head of the table. Surrounding him were Pintel, Ragetti, Gibbs, Cotton, and Marty. Barbossa appeared to have something…or someone hovering behind him. Rose craned her neck to catch a better glimpse. Sure enough, it was Jack, appearing to be hiding from everyone and everything else in the room. Barbossa grew irritated and quickly spun around, revealing her half-brother to the room. With nowhere to hide now, Jack stood upright and gave a sheepish grin at his fellow Pirate Lords. Murmurs rippled through the crowd, and Rose watched as many of the Pirate Lords motioned to several of their crew members, all of which were very tall, domineering men. As if rehearsed, they all immediately made a beeline towards Jack and formed a very threatening-looking line to speak with him.
Rose was alarmed at this. "What's happening?"
Teague gave a slight laugh. "What else? Debts. Jack's famous for them."
She rolled her eyes. "Believe me, I know. What does Jack owe the other Pirate Lords?"
"Well, let's see…" Teague said, eyes wandering from around the table. "A share of Spanish treasure off of Hispaniola, three dozen barrels of rum, an entire fleet of galleons, and…a wife." He gave a sidelong glance at Rose. "And that's just what I know about."
She snorted. "Typical. Jack's free from one debt and immediately wanders into several others." She pushed up her sleeves and took a deep breath. "Well, I am owed a debt as well. I suppose I should get in line and wait my turn, shouldn't I?"
Teague smiled. "Send your brother my regards," he said.
Rose furrowed her brow. "Won't you come as well?"
He shook his head. "Not unless I come up. You know as well as anyone how Jackie feels about me."
"But that was then," she protested. "It's been years. We've reconnected. What of you?"
Teague only motioned towards Jack with a slight nod of his head. "Go to him," he insisted. "I'll be here."
Reluctantly, she left him, but as soon as she was off, it took every bit of her will to wait for the many debt collectors representing the Pirate Lords to finish their business with Jack. Finally, the last huge, terrifying brute of a man was appeased by some vague promises from Jack of "unending riches" for the man's captain, and he stomped away, revealing Rose standing there, the last in line. Jack gave a large, toothy grin when he saw her, and Rose couldn't believe her eyes at seeing her brother in the flesh once more, something she never believed was possible.
"I believe I am owed passage aboard your ship, Captain Sparrow," she said with a smile.
Just as she expected, there was to be no embrace or overt expression of familial relation with Jack at that moment. He only walked closer to her and said with faux sternness, "Your absence aboard my vessel has been noted, Hexfury. I will consider taking you back, given that it doesn't happen again."
"Aye aye, Cap'n," she replied, laughing.
Barbossa peered around Jack's shoulder at her. He looked rather impressed to see that she had made it to Shipwreck Cove in one piece. "So ya made it out of Singapore," he growled.
Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, so she 'stayed behind in the bayou,' did she?"
Barbossa must have lied, telling Jack that Rose had elected to stay behind in the bayou. If Jack knew that Rose had been left behind in Singapore, he would have insisted on going back, and Barbossa knew that there was no time for that.
"I did make it out, thank you," she said to him. "And you all made it out of the Locker, I see."
"Barely," Barbossa huffed.
Despite his sass, Rose looked sincerely at him. "Thank you," she said, knowing full well that Jack would have never returned were it not for him. Barbossa gave a small smile back to her in response.
Jack looked between them. "What's this? Do I see old foes getting along?"
"Ask me again once the war is won," Rose replied. She then opened her mouth to remark that the Court could now be convened, as all nine Pirate Lords were present, but suddenly something occurred to her. "Where's Sao Feng?" she asked in alarm.
"We were separated," Barbossa sneered.
Rose's eyes flared in anger. "You were supposed to be together!" she yelled.
"Well, that friendly moment's over, I s'pose," Jack remarked under his breath.
"Things…went awry," explained Barbossa.
"And Will?" Rose asked. "Where's he?"
"I state again: Things went awry."
She sidestepped around Jack and spoke directly to Barbossa as she said sternly, "We don't have the time for things to go awry. I don't think you understand just how dire our situation is!"
Barbossa glared at her. "Oh, I rather be thinkin' I do."
"Aye," Jack interjected, poking Rose on the shoulder. "Nasty run in with the Company, love. Bloke by the name of Beckett. Horrible character who's not fond of me."
"Oh don't I know it. Believe me, in our time apart, I encountered him too," replied Rose.
Jack cocked his head to the side in confusion, though he looked thoroughly impressed with her. From her short hair to her confident, authoritative air, Rose had changed significantly since they had last seen each other. "We've got much catching up to do, sister."
She grinned. "Aye… but once we've won this." She looked back at Barbossa, stating firmly, "You must convene the Court, Sao Feng or no. I care not about whatever the Code says, this happens now."
"Finally, yer speaking sense, girl!" Barbossa said with a yellow grin. "Worry not, that's me plan."
"Rose," Jack said, motioning her to stand with him a bit further off. She walked with him a few paces off towards the globe with the swords. He lowered his voice so that their conversation would be inaudible over the chatter of the other pirates in the room. "It's a bit sudden," he said, "But I think you should head off towards the Pearl right about now."
Rose shook her head instantly. "Absolutely not, Jack. I have waited for this bloody meeting for too long—I'm going to be there when it happens."
He held up a finger to pause her. "I understand that. But there's a more pressing matter at hand. There's prisoner in the brig you might want to speak with."
Rose raised her eyebrows in interest, wondering who it could possibly be. Then it hit her—who wasn't among them? Who was the reason why the Brethren Court existed in the first place? "Calypso," she whispered.
Jack grimaced. "So you know about her, then."
She pursed her lips. "Aye, and we'll discuss you keeping that gem of a secret from me at a later time. For now, why on Earth is she being kept in the brig?"
Jack motioned with his head towards where Barbossa stood.
"Why?" Rose asked again.
"Why else? His plan is to free her in the hopes that she takes down the Company on her own, saving us the trouble of the fight. Plus, he owes her for bringin' him back."
"So it'll happen, then," Rose reasoned.
"Not necessarily," Jack said. "It'll take the consent of the Pirate Lords, and I'll be fightin' tooth and nail against it."
Rose was surprised at this. "But Jack, she's been bound here against her will for centuries! She deserves her freedom! You of all people should empathize."
"Oi, don't jump all over me!" he said, hands raised in surrender. "I want 'er free just as much as the next bloke…that isn't Barbossa, that is. But who's the one person…" His voice trailed off on that thought, then he began it again. "Who's the one fish that she could side with against us?"
Davy Jones. Rose needn't speak it aloud; She knew Jack spoke true. While she had never spoken to Tia about Jones, she knew how changeable and volatile her personality was. She could easily turn the tides against them. "Fine," she conceded. "But immediately after we best the Company, we're setting her free, deal?"
"Cross my heart, love," Jack swore.
She nodded, then began to walk backwards. "Good luck convincing that lot. They seem none too fond of you, brother!"
He grimaced again and nodded. "I'll figure something out. I always do!"
"I'll be back!" she called over her shoulder, racing through the corridors downwards towards the sea. Funny, Jack had been back in her life for only a few minutes, yet necessity made it so that they had to leap right back into defending themselves from nefarious sources. It was like nothing at all had changed, even though Rose was so glad that it had!
She crossed the last hallway down and out on the ground level of the Cove, then came face to face with a group of newcomers. "Oof" exclaimed Rose as she nearly collided with their leader. Then her jaw dropped. There, in full Singaporean dress, was Elizabeth Swann, leading a group of Singaporean pirates.
"Rose?" she asked, just as alarmed. "Is that really you?" She moved forward as if to embrace her, but stopped upon remembering their strained relationship. Rose was so shocked that she couldn't find the right words to reply with, so they just stood for a moment in awkward silence. Elizabeth continued, "I saw the Pearl in the harbor. Surely you've seen Jack…?"
"I have," Rose said kindly. "Thank you for retrieving him."
"Of course," she said quietly.
Rose regarded her once more. "Are…are you with Sao Feng?"
"He's dead," Elizabeth reported. "He made me the Captain of the Empress in his stead." She looked behind her and motioned to her crew. "These are my men," she said. "But I come bearing news that the East India Trading Company grows ever nearer. We just escaped them."
Rose was floored by the information that Elizabeth was now the Pirate Lord of Singapore, but she remained level-headed regarding talk of the Company's approach. "Aye, I have been reporting the same, but the Lords seem unfazed. Maybe they'll listen to a Pirate Lord. Go, the Court is convening shortly."
"Aye. Come on, men!" she cried, motioning them in and up the fortress.
Rose moved to continue out into the darkness, unsure of how she was going to find her way to the Pearl, when Elizabeth called back to her. "Rose!" When she turned back to her, she continued, "I'm sorry. Once again, for…everything."
Rose smiled. "You're all back now, that's all that matters." Then, a thought occurred to her. "Actually, there's one last thing you can do to make it up to me."
"Name it."
"Can you spare a man to row me to the Black Pearl?"
