Chapter Three
The moment Elizabeth had been waiting for had finally come. Here she was, having a 'private word' with Commodore Norrington, a man that she felt was worthy of her hand in marriage.
"This promotion has made me more aware of the things I have not yet achieved, such as a marriage to a fine young woman. You, Elizabeth, have become a fine young woman."
Elizabeth frowned, trying to remember when she had given him permission to use her first name. After all, unless given permission, one only called those lower than themselves by their first name. She never called William Mr. Turner for that very reason. These thoughts were driven from her mind as she realized she was gasping for air. Her corset felt painfully tight.
"I can't breath." She stammered, promptly fainting and falling of the edge of the battlement into the warm water far below.
"Elizabeth!" the Commodore called, moving to jump after her.
"The rocks! Sir, it's a miracle she missed them!" one of his sergeants said, restraining him.
Instead the Commodore hurried to the docks below, searching for a sign of his beloved.
~~~
Jack had been watching the argument between the two guards play out for sometime when her saw a dainty lady fall with a splash into the water besides him. When she did not rise he turned to the guards standing speechless besides him.
"So you'll be rescuing the lass then?" he reminded the men.
"Me? I can't swim!" panicked the man.
Jack began to remove his effects, rolling his eyes.
"Pearl of the Royal Navy you are. Don't be losing these." He said, handing his belongings to the guards and diving gracefully in after the girl.
As he sank below the water he felt a vibrating pulse flood through the water. What was that, he wondered? He grabbed the sinking girl and dragged her towards the waters surface. Finding her too heavy to keep afloat he pulled a knife from his black boots, and sliced off her dress, leaving her in her undergarments. Abandoning the soaked dress, he pulled her onto the wharf with the help of the two guards.
"She's not breathing!" The guard decided.
"Obviously." Jack said cynically, and removed his knife once more to slice of the girls corset.
With a cough she came to, dazed and confused.
"Never would have thought of that." Said the guard.
"You've never been to Singapore then. Now where did you get that?" Jack said, noticing the medallion that had sent the pulse he had felt before.
"You! To your feet!" said a commanding voice above Jack's ear.
Slowly he rose, cursing his luck. Why did he have to play the bloody hero?
"Elizabeth, are you alright?" the Governor asked, wrapping a blanket around his daughters shoulders.
"Fine." She said acidly, disgusted at the disheveled state of her rescuer.
"Well then, I believe thanks are in order." Said Commodore Norrington, reaching for Jacks hand.
Jack hesitated, unwilling to put his hand into the Commodore's, aware that this man would not be so easily distracted like his guards. Finally, with a dramatic flourish he placed his hand into the Commodores grasp.
"Aha! Had a run in with the East India Trading Company, did we?" Commodore Norrington exclaimed, pulling back Jack's sopping white sleeve to expose a white P burned into his dark flesh.
Jack let out a simpering smile, wondering how he was to escape this time. A plan was already forming in his mind.
The Commodore pulled back his sleeve further, this time showing a tattoo of a sparrow flying across the ocean in front of a setting sun.
"Jack Sparrow!" he said with a gasp.
"Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack corrected, bobbing onto the toes of his feet and back down. Why were people always forgetting the captain?
"Ah. And were is your ship then Captain?" Norrington asked, his expression cynical.
"I'm in the market, as it were." He replied, creating a steeple with the tips of his fingers.
"That's right Sir! He said he had come to commandeer one of these ships!" The blonde guard remembered. "These are his things!"
Norrington took Jack's effects from the guard, Captain Sparrow looking on nervously as he handled then.
"A hat, a compass that doesn't point north, a revolver with one shot. and I half expected it to be made of wood." The Commodore said, inspecting Jack's sword. "You are by far the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
"Ah, but you have heard of me." Jack replied, somewhat pleased.
"Clap him in irons men."
Jack stood still as they put manacles about his wrists, biding his time. Elizabeth wandered closer as soon as he was chained.
"You scum." She said, slapping him across his cheek.
He winced, but grinned, and with one deft move, her had Elizabeth in a strangle hold with his chains. She gasped, as did the crowd that had gathered.
"Don't shoot!" Norrington demanded, wanting to protect what he hoped would be his future bride.
"My effects please." Jack commanded, making the guards hand over his belongings. "Now Elizabeth."
"Miss. Swann!" She interrupted.
"Miss. Swann," he said mockingly, "If ya would be so kind. Come along, come along, we don't have all day."
Elizabeth applied his effects with obvious contempt.
"Easy on the goods luv." He said with a simpering smile at the Commodore.
He was certainly not interested in this female, but it was interesting to see the outrage and jealously on the Commodore's features.
"You're despicable."
"Sticks and stones luv. I saved your life, ye saved mine, we're square. Gentlemen, milady, you will always remember this as the day ye nearly caught Captain Jack Sparrow." He said with a final flourish, pushing the girl back onto the navy men and using the confusion to swing from a plank and then use his chains as a flying fox to escape into the village.
The Royal Navy hurried after him, rushing through the town bustle, not noticing the dark figure hiding behind the stature outside the Blacksmiths. As soon as the coast was clear, Jack fled into the building, searching for something to remove his irons with. Spotting a drunken man snoring in a chair wondered if he would be caught. He waved a hand in front of the mans face. No reaction.
"Fire!" he shouted.
Still no reaction. Seeing the brandy bottle in the mans hand and sensing the reason for his deep slumber, Jack wandered over to where the anvil and hammer. Now this might be the answer to his problems. After several tries, however, his hands were still firmly chained to one another. Spotting the donkey and cog, he decided an alternative approach. Burning the donkey with a red-hot poker her wrapped his chains around one of the cogs and saw with satisfaction that it broke off easily. Excellent. Hearing a sudden noise, he hid himself near the work bench.
The moment Elizabeth had been waiting for had finally come. Here she was, having a 'private word' with Commodore Norrington, a man that she felt was worthy of her hand in marriage.
"This promotion has made me more aware of the things I have not yet achieved, such as a marriage to a fine young woman. You, Elizabeth, have become a fine young woman."
Elizabeth frowned, trying to remember when she had given him permission to use her first name. After all, unless given permission, one only called those lower than themselves by their first name. She never called William Mr. Turner for that very reason. These thoughts were driven from her mind as she realized she was gasping for air. Her corset felt painfully tight.
"I can't breath." She stammered, promptly fainting and falling of the edge of the battlement into the warm water far below.
"Elizabeth!" the Commodore called, moving to jump after her.
"The rocks! Sir, it's a miracle she missed them!" one of his sergeants said, restraining him.
Instead the Commodore hurried to the docks below, searching for a sign of his beloved.
~~~
Jack had been watching the argument between the two guards play out for sometime when her saw a dainty lady fall with a splash into the water besides him. When she did not rise he turned to the guards standing speechless besides him.
"So you'll be rescuing the lass then?" he reminded the men.
"Me? I can't swim!" panicked the man.
Jack began to remove his effects, rolling his eyes.
"Pearl of the Royal Navy you are. Don't be losing these." He said, handing his belongings to the guards and diving gracefully in after the girl.
As he sank below the water he felt a vibrating pulse flood through the water. What was that, he wondered? He grabbed the sinking girl and dragged her towards the waters surface. Finding her too heavy to keep afloat he pulled a knife from his black boots, and sliced off her dress, leaving her in her undergarments. Abandoning the soaked dress, he pulled her onto the wharf with the help of the two guards.
"She's not breathing!" The guard decided.
"Obviously." Jack said cynically, and removed his knife once more to slice of the girls corset.
With a cough she came to, dazed and confused.
"Never would have thought of that." Said the guard.
"You've never been to Singapore then. Now where did you get that?" Jack said, noticing the medallion that had sent the pulse he had felt before.
"You! To your feet!" said a commanding voice above Jack's ear.
Slowly he rose, cursing his luck. Why did he have to play the bloody hero?
"Elizabeth, are you alright?" the Governor asked, wrapping a blanket around his daughters shoulders.
"Fine." She said acidly, disgusted at the disheveled state of her rescuer.
"Well then, I believe thanks are in order." Said Commodore Norrington, reaching for Jacks hand.
Jack hesitated, unwilling to put his hand into the Commodore's, aware that this man would not be so easily distracted like his guards. Finally, with a dramatic flourish he placed his hand into the Commodores grasp.
"Aha! Had a run in with the East India Trading Company, did we?" Commodore Norrington exclaimed, pulling back Jack's sopping white sleeve to expose a white P burned into his dark flesh.
Jack let out a simpering smile, wondering how he was to escape this time. A plan was already forming in his mind.
The Commodore pulled back his sleeve further, this time showing a tattoo of a sparrow flying across the ocean in front of a setting sun.
"Jack Sparrow!" he said with a gasp.
"Captain. Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack corrected, bobbing onto the toes of his feet and back down. Why were people always forgetting the captain?
"Ah. And were is your ship then Captain?" Norrington asked, his expression cynical.
"I'm in the market, as it were." He replied, creating a steeple with the tips of his fingers.
"That's right Sir! He said he had come to commandeer one of these ships!" The blonde guard remembered. "These are his things!"
Norrington took Jack's effects from the guard, Captain Sparrow looking on nervously as he handled then.
"A hat, a compass that doesn't point north, a revolver with one shot. and I half expected it to be made of wood." The Commodore said, inspecting Jack's sword. "You are by far the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
"Ah, but you have heard of me." Jack replied, somewhat pleased.
"Clap him in irons men."
Jack stood still as they put manacles about his wrists, biding his time. Elizabeth wandered closer as soon as he was chained.
"You scum." She said, slapping him across his cheek.
He winced, but grinned, and with one deft move, her had Elizabeth in a strangle hold with his chains. She gasped, as did the crowd that had gathered.
"Don't shoot!" Norrington demanded, wanting to protect what he hoped would be his future bride.
"My effects please." Jack commanded, making the guards hand over his belongings. "Now Elizabeth."
"Miss. Swann!" She interrupted.
"Miss. Swann," he said mockingly, "If ya would be so kind. Come along, come along, we don't have all day."
Elizabeth applied his effects with obvious contempt.
"Easy on the goods luv." He said with a simpering smile at the Commodore.
He was certainly not interested in this female, but it was interesting to see the outrage and jealously on the Commodore's features.
"You're despicable."
"Sticks and stones luv. I saved your life, ye saved mine, we're square. Gentlemen, milady, you will always remember this as the day ye nearly caught Captain Jack Sparrow." He said with a final flourish, pushing the girl back onto the navy men and using the confusion to swing from a plank and then use his chains as a flying fox to escape into the village.
The Royal Navy hurried after him, rushing through the town bustle, not noticing the dark figure hiding behind the stature outside the Blacksmiths. As soon as the coast was clear, Jack fled into the building, searching for something to remove his irons with. Spotting a drunken man snoring in a chair wondered if he would be caught. He waved a hand in front of the mans face. No reaction.
"Fire!" he shouted.
Still no reaction. Seeing the brandy bottle in the mans hand and sensing the reason for his deep slumber, Jack wandered over to where the anvil and hammer. Now this might be the answer to his problems. After several tries, however, his hands were still firmly chained to one another. Spotting the donkey and cog, he decided an alternative approach. Burning the donkey with a red-hot poker her wrapped his chains around one of the cogs and saw with satisfaction that it broke off easily. Excellent. Hearing a sudden noise, he hid himself near the work bench.