The Most Beautiful Sight
"You're sure you must do this?" Elizabeth asked gently. Esther turned her head towards her old friend and pursed her lips. "Sorry, foolish question. Be careful, Essie. Jack Sparrow may be a good man, but he's still a pirate. Don't forget that."
"I won't. You may have no fear of that." Esther smiled. "Don't worry, Tess. I'll be all right." She then turned to Commodore Norrington and nodded. He graciously took her hand and they proudly boarded the Gallant. And so began Esther Jacobs' quest to reclaim her wayward husband.
It took Esther three days to reclaim her sea-legs. During this time, she constantly clung to whatever was handy—the railing, the rigging, and any passing crew members. She was pleased to discover that the young men manning the Gallant took only a day or so to become accustomed to her. Apparently the men of the navy were made of sterner stuff than the men who had crewed the ship that had brought her to Port Royal.
But how could she know that the Commodore had forbidden his men to make any remarks about her lack of sight?
It had been two weeks since Peter had joined the crew of the Black Pearl. In that time, he had been in four raids—it being a busy time for the pirates—and had earned the nickname "Fancy Pete" for his well-bred way of talking, as well as his swordfighting style. During his time in the Navy, he had been required to learn to fence with both his right and left hands, and now he put those lessons to good use. He found that he had fewer and fewer qualms about those he killed, but still he would not murder a man who surrendered. He had become close friends with Jack, Gibbs, and Anamaria, and though a few of the other crew members might mutter behind his back, he had long since proven his worth in battle.
Life was going well for Peter Jacobs, all things considering.
"Hey, Pete," said Anamaria companionably, slinging an arm around his shoulder as they were on their way to the evening meal. Peter grinned to conceal the flush that was probably growing on his face.
"Evening, Ana," he returned the greeting. Suddenly he was at a loss for words. Before thoughts of Esther could fill his mind and conscience with guilt, Anamaria tweaked his ear and ruffled his hair. Peter laughed and caught her hand, pulling her around into a headlock. "You don't ever mess up my lovely locks, Maria darling," he said with a chuckle as she tried to get free. "Now apologize, or I'll have to send you to bed without supper."
"You—curse it! Let go!" she swung a fist at him, and he ducked, but had to let go of her. She danced triumphantly away. Without quite knowing why, Peter followed her, and she led him teasingly away from the galley and below decks. Their meal completely forgotten, Peter and Anamaria found another way to pass the time.
***
Hehehe. Bye, bye, happy marriage. Next chapter will be dedicated to all you Norrie fans out there. You know who you are.
Expect pretzels if you review. Yummy. Pretzels. They're all… salty… and crunchy… and yummy. Man, I bet you REALLY want to review now, huh?