Upon A Painted Ocean - 15
Author: Daisy Sparrow
Pairing: Jack/Will, Will/Elizabeth
Rating: PG-13 and rising
Summary:
When a mysterious plague hits Port Royal Will and Elizabeth go with Captain Jack Sparrow to find a cure. But when Will is captured by the man who unleashed the plague and infected with a strange new disease that feeds on love things start to get complicated. Slashiness!
Archive:
As long as you ask me first.
Disclaimer:
Pirates of the Caribbean and all its characters are not mine. I am making no money off this. Don't sue the colleage kid who are already broke.
Credit for the title goes to Coleridge's poem and P.Speare who wrote the most wonderful Weiss Kreuz fic. Also special thanks to Darkdancer for the betaing.
Warning:
Same as always, first fic ever and English not my first language. Zeke is saying a lot of Jack's lines in this one. _ Anyway, please R&R!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mermaid really wasn't too bad, Elizabeth thought, rather chatty too. Tisha had vivaciously recited the charismatic personalities traits and heroic deeds of her fiancae with vivid details. She watched the mermaid play out the scene where Will rescued her from the barrel with extravagant melodrama. Despite the mostly, if not all fabricated nature of the story, the performance was rather arresting.
Instead of feeling threatened by her self-proclaimed rival in love, she was intrigued by the creature in front of her. To Elizabeth, Tisha was the embodiment of all the fantasy tales she read as a child and the urban legends of the sailors. The need for adventure inside her blood was boiling, pushing aside all other thoughts, even those of her beloved Will temporally aside.
She rubbed her face vigorously and withdrew her legs closer on top of the rock. The nightgown she had on was almost dried by the crispy air. The salt in the water had crystallized and cemented uncomfortably in her hair, on her skin and other places she cared not to mention.
The sun had set a little while ago and it was getting harder to see. The only illumination was provided as Tisha's aquamarine scales reflected off the moonlight and basked the inside of the cave with a gentle glow.
"Are you even listening to me?!"
Tisha's annoyed voice was starting to steam up. She smiled sheepishly as she was caught daydreaming. At the temperamental gleam in the mermaid's eyes, she hastily rewinded the last couple of minutes and felt her eyebrows furrowed automatically.
"A swimming contest?"
"That's right. I officially challenge you to this race."
"But..... a swimming contest?"
"Hey! Don't you even *think* about insulting this sacred and ancient ritual of my people!"
Mermaids really were fascinating creatures, She analyzed. Although she was beginning to doubt whether she should regard this particular mermaid as a accurate and valid representative of said race.
In a carefully controlled voice, she asked, 'That would be unfair, wouldn't it? You are a fish."
"Half fish! I am only half fish, and I resent you for saying so. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you don't have a tail."
She decided it was not a good idea to steer the conversation towards racial differences. She cleared her throat and said in a soothing tone.
"My apologizes. I did not mean to insult you."
Tisha had turned her face away and refused to meet her eyes. She had the sudden vision of trying to soothe a ten years old whose favorite teddy bear had been taken away. The age difference could not have been too great, even though she knew nothing about mermaid physique. She had been able to pull off that angry pouting look a few years ago, it had always won her whatever her whines desired, especially from Will. She smiled fondly at the memory of a ten year old Will.
"You are all the same. You are just like that...that.... stupid wish..."
She looked up quizzically at the unfinished sentence. Tisha had one hand over her mouth and a horrified _expression on her face.
"Wish? Wish...what?"
"Nothing. A slip of tongue." Tisha squeaked.
A few moment of silence followed. Tisha had a strangely vacant look on her face, like somehow she had retracted back into some kind of shell like a snail.
Elizabeth wanted to investigate further, but reminded herself there were other more pressing matters. Matters such as the whereabouts of her fiancé, but she was certain that with Will in Tortuga and Jack on the loose, they would eventually run into each other. They always did, like the opposite ends of a magnet, forever pulled towards one another and impossibly hard to pry apart once they met.
She chuckled at her own metaphor, but those facts comforted her. She had always suspected that Will had a slight case of hero worshipping, which he would no doubt never admit it. Jack was an old friend of Will's father, and the younger man had always looked up to him. For the majority of their journey, Will had followed Jack around like a puppy dog, hanging around to the flamboyant pirate's every words and had hardly spared any extra attention to her. If Will had not been engaged to her, she would have wondered about the relationship between the two men.
//Well, he does have the blood of a pirate in him, and I guess Jack is the closest that Will can ever get to know his own father.//
Elizabeth glanced at Tisha from the corner of her eyes. The mermaid's information was most well timed and welcoming since she was almost crazed with worry. She was also glad for the distraction that Tisha provided. She had spent over a week on a ship full of pirates. Not to be insulting, but they were not exactly the best conversationalists, even when they managed to remain sober for any duration of time. Furthermore, in her opinion, rum, women and comparison of the size of a certain anatomy part were not the best topics for cultured, or even idle talk.
"What exactly is the race for?" She asked, attempting to draw Tisha back into the conversation.
"You *haven't* been listening to me!" Tisha fumed, "It's for Will's love!"
"Ah... I see."
"No, you don't see. You think I am a kid, don't you! I am *hundreds* of year older than you."
"You are very well preserved."
"Really? Thank you, I mean I did spend a lot of time..... Hey! Don' change the subject!"
Well, that didn't work very well, Elizabeth signed. She knew her confidence in Will sometimes boardlined on arrogant assumption. But Will had never even glanced at another girl and she had always been the only object of his undivided affection. She still found it hard to believe sometimes that the awkward boy she first saw on the floating board grew into such a handsome and noble man. Even more miraculous, that man loved her and would devote the rest of his life to her.
"Does Will love you?" She asked Tisha.
"Err.... I.... don't know, but I am going to find out."
"Then I assumed he didn't know you were challenging his fiancé."
"I....I was getting to that." said Tisha defensively.
"But Will loves me... didn't Zeke tell you?"
She hadn't meant to exhibite her superiority in the matter, but she didn't want the mermaid to have any illusions neither. No matter how confident she was, Tisha was very beautiful and a potential competition. Still she couldn't help but chide herself slightly at the ludicrous idea.
"Zeke? That....that..... despicable liar. His words are not to be trusted."
Elizabeth speculated a unpleasant history behind that accusation, but decided to put the question off for later. Her next statement was used to convince Tisha as well as herself.
"But if you truly love someone, wouldn't you want that person to be happy, even if that happiness is not obtained with you?"
"I....don't know." Tisha hesitated, then said in a determined voice. "And if Will does love someone else....me for example. Would you be so self-sacrificing and let him goes?"
Elizabeth didn't know what to say. She didn't think that scenario would ever happen, but she had grown from that naive and sheltered girl, and the pursuit for the stolen medicine had been giving her a bad vibe from the very start. This discussion was also quickly getting out of her hands.
"I....I would....let him go."
That was a lie. Elizabeth knew it and she thought that the mermaid must know it as well.
"Then we are simply different. Happiness is something you have to fight for, to be loved is a luxury."
Luxury? Elizabeth could not wrap her logic around that concept. Was it a luxury to be loved by Will? People always said that one only realizes something was precious when that something was lost. She did not want to test the truthfulness in that theory and hoped that she never would.
"And don't think I'll let you off the hook, I am still challenging you to a race. We are going to swimming from here to that ugly ship with the black fans, the first one there wins!"
"Wait, ship with the black fans! It's still around here?"
Tisha nodded. Bless good old Mr. Gibbs, she sent a silent thanks to whatever god was listening. She was concerned with the possibility that the Black Pearl might have bailed out, but the crews had proven to be a royal punch.
"Tell me where the ship is."
~~~*~~~
The Dauntless was guarded by a predictably small number of soldiers. His plan was simple and it had worked beautifully. He had send a small group of men to the town and started a brawl. In his experience, it wouldn't be difficult to initiate a fight. The streets of Tortuga were prowled with men and women who were just edging for a good quarrel. And by the black smoke raising from the distant, the brawl had grown to a exceedingly severe magnitude.
He had also ordered one of the men to be disguised as him, which had guaranteed to lure the commodore away. Even more fortunately for him, the commodore had taken most of the soldiers from all three ships with him.
He was slightly touched by Norrington's display of obvious loathing and sturdy resolution. He hadn't known that he was held in such high regard by the most notorious pirate-hater in the Caribbean. It was very flattering.
Using the same trick with the boat that he had taught Will, his men had sneaked on board undetected. One by one, the guards posted on the upper deck were snipped off. That only left the bridge and the lower decks, which he had isolated from the rest of the ship with the help of a few steel bars and sand bags.
He crouched beneath the wind sail of the bridge. There were only a few voices inside. One he recognized, a lieutenant named Gilley?....Gilte?....Gill something. He motioned his men to surround the exits and windows.
He pulled one men close and whispered. "Go find th' lass. Search th' the most posh rooms."
The man nodded and made a couple of gestures to bid a few others to follow him. Jack drew his pistol and held it firmly in his hand. Then he stood up and kicked open the door.
"Gentlemen! Pardon my intrusion."
The rest of his men followed inside. The red coats were gaping at him stupidly and the young lieutenant was blinking owlishly.
He continued. "It's time for my daily massacre. So be so kind to drop yer weapons and throw yerselves overboard."
No one moved. Jack lowered his pistol, shook his head and punched the nearest soldier on the nose. The bridge of the Dauntless erupted into chaos. His men leaped from behind him and joined the fight.
He dodged a sword swing aimed at his head, rolled out of the way of a incoming feet and delivered a sharp kick against the offending leg. He smirked as he heard the sound of bone breaking.
Another man came up from his left, he brought his sword up to deflect the blow. It was the young lieutenant. He flicked his blade in a twisting motion around the other sword and pushed the younger man aggressively towards the wall. Their blades were locked and he pressed the sharp edge of his sword lightly against the other man's throat.
"Surrender." He warned in a plaintive tone.
A spit and a hard shove were his replies. He rolled his eyes and brought his knee up hard against the other man's shin. He grinned in triumph as the other man's eyes watered and almost bugged out. The clamoring rhythm of clashing blades was dying down around him. He surveyed the victory with a quick glance around. The men he sent out to find Elizabeth had also returned. They stepped up and said.
"We couldn't find her, captain. She is not in th' captain's quarter or any of th' other fancy cabins. Shall we check th' lower decks?"
He jerked his head slightly in negative and directed his attention back to the man he still had pined against the wall.
"Now, tell me where ye lots placed the lass."
The navy lieutenant was showing an uncharacteristic amount of backbone and baldness. Jack grimaced at the stubborn set of jaws and the scorching glare. He smacked the man across the face, pulled out his pistol from his belt and pointed it at the other man's crotch.
"Shall we try again? Where is th' lass?"
The young lieutenant winced, his _expression was conflicted. Jack smiled and pressed the steel barrel harder against the front of the man's trouser.
"Stop! Stop! We lost her. She fall in the water and we couldn't find her."
The sentences were blurted out in one breath, and the other man's face had turned into a unhealthy shade of purple. Jack pondered the new information, careful not to jump to any conclusions.
//In the water. Lost..... she better not be dead!//
The whereabouts and wellness of the lass had a direct impact on Will's survival. If anything happened to her...... He did not finish that thought and clamped down firmly on his wayward imagination.
An urgent voice said behind him, "Captain, we've disabled the oars on the other two ships, but there are signs of movement on their decks!"
He sneered and slammed the man in front of him against the wall with frustration. The young lieutenant had adopted a pained and sour look. He decided that he wouldn't be getting anything else from the man. With a heavy strike against the side of face, he sent the younger man into unconscious.
"Bound the rest of lots an' gag them. It's time to go!" He ordered.
The men obeyed instantly and set out to work. After the last sock was stuffed into the mouth of a struggling captive, they slipped quietly out of the room.
Jack paused as he passed the helm of the ship. He stroked the braids in his beard and eyed the steering wheel calculatedly.
//This... would make a wonderful souvenir.//
~~~*~~~
"You are NOT Jack Sparrow!" Norrington's furious voice roared.
//No shit, and thank devil for that.//
"Captain. It's captain Jack Sparrow."
Zeke corrected in his best-drunk voice and bowed with a flourish wave of hand, imitating said captain. His posture infuriated the commodore further and earned him a vertical hack. He jumped backward, flipped in middle air with a flawless somersault and landed smoothly on top of the counter.
Norrington's advances did not pause. He leapt up and narrowly avoided being slashed on the feet. Glasses were crushed noisily beneath his boots. His movements sent more bottles to the ground, rums and other alcohols splashed the floor.
He hurled his body sideways and off the counter. A flare of downward air tricked the hair on the back of his neck. He swirled around and lifted his arm up just in time to block another hack.
The commodore had excellent swordsmanship and Zeke was finding it more and more laborious to parry the tenacious attacks, much less counter them. He was lamenting over the lost opportunities to learn fighting techniques when he was young. It just didn't pay to snooze in class when all the other good little demons were paying attention.
//Damn, you never know you need it until you need it.//
A heaving gasp escaped his throat as he was forcefully shoved against the wall. The point of a blade was thrusting straight towards his face. His eyes narrowed and he slashed the hand that was gripping his neck with the hidden dagger inside his sleeve.
Blood stained the neatly pressed white fabric into a light shade of maroon. Norrington flinched back, held his injured wrist in the other hand and sneered.
"You cheated!"
"Pirate." Said Zeke.
Before the commodore could completely recover, Zeke moved. With inhuman reflexes, he took a held of one arm and hailed Norrington over his shoulder. The commodore hit the floor with a loud impact and laid there dizzily.
He kicked the other man's sword away and placed both knees firmly on top of out stretching arms. He bent down over the prone form, pressed the edge of his dagger against exposed throat and taunted into the snarling face.
"Giving up?"
"You... you....."
Norrington was gritting his teeth so hard that his gums were turning white.
"I, I...."
Zeke laughed and cocked his head to the side. Deja Vu. This scene was getting strangely familiar.
"Your name. What is your name?" Norrington bitted out, "I won't forget it."
"Ezekiel Black, at your service."
Zeke was having fun. Anger was rolling off the commodore in waves, he pressed his nose down against the vulnerable skin under the chin and inhaled. It was sweet and intoxicating. He wanted to slice open that marble flesh and feel the essence of life poured out onto his hands. He wanted to find out whether the man's blood was as hot and fierce as his spirit.
//Here is another repressed one. I am beginning to think there might be something wrong with the British.//
His hand slipped and a thin red line appeared, the droplets of crimson blood contrasted sharply against the silver metal. Dusky eyes blinked and stared into equally widen blue eyes.
He pulled the dagger back slightly and mused darkly about this situation. Norrington had not been the most likeable person, but deep down he was a decent and honorable man. The commodore also had a keen sense of justice, which annoyingly reminded him of another stubborn bastard. Killing him would only serve to aid the competition.
//No way am I shipping the fluffy white wings any more help.//
He loosed his grip on the dagger and put his hands on either side of the commodore as if to push himself up.
"This isn't over. I swear that I'll avenge this humiliation. This won't be the last time we crossed blades."
Zeke blinked again, momentarily thrown off by the conviction in that voice.
".....you are the first person to ever say that."
//Most people would be screaming and running in the opposite direction to get away from me.//
"And you are certainly welcome to try."
//Rest assured, I will see you again. Those wounds are not going to heal otherwise.//
He smiled happily. From the corner of his eyes, he can see Anamarie begin retreating towards the door. Everyone inside the bar, pirates or British soldiers alike, were either still engaging in combats or lying motionlessly against some solid surface.
It was time to go, he decided.
He pushed hard with his hands and his body span a perfect half circle in the air. In less than a second, his toes touched down soundlessly on the floor a safe distance from Norrington. The commodore was slowly getting up, glaring hatefully at him and gingerly running his fingers across the wound on his neck, smearing blood everywhere.
He stood up and casually hit the oil lamp on the table beside him. The lamp fell and broke. The flame caught the alcohol on the ground and spread like wild fire.
He gave Norrington a mock salute and bounced out of the door.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please Review!!!! Any kind of feedbacks are welcome, they will make the next chapter come out faster.
^_~
Author: Daisy Sparrow
Pairing: Jack/Will, Will/Elizabeth
Rating: PG-13 and rising
Summary:
When a mysterious plague hits Port Royal Will and Elizabeth go with Captain Jack Sparrow to find a cure. But when Will is captured by the man who unleashed the plague and infected with a strange new disease that feeds on love things start to get complicated. Slashiness!
Archive:
As long as you ask me first.
Disclaimer:
Pirates of the Caribbean and all its characters are not mine. I am making no money off this. Don't sue the colleage kid who are already broke.
Credit for the title goes to Coleridge's poem and P.Speare who wrote the most wonderful Weiss Kreuz fic. Also special thanks to Darkdancer for the betaing.
Warning:
Same as always, first fic ever and English not my first language. Zeke is saying a lot of Jack's lines in this one. _ Anyway, please R&R!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mermaid really wasn't too bad, Elizabeth thought, rather chatty too. Tisha had vivaciously recited the charismatic personalities traits and heroic deeds of her fiancae with vivid details. She watched the mermaid play out the scene where Will rescued her from the barrel with extravagant melodrama. Despite the mostly, if not all fabricated nature of the story, the performance was rather arresting.
Instead of feeling threatened by her self-proclaimed rival in love, she was intrigued by the creature in front of her. To Elizabeth, Tisha was the embodiment of all the fantasy tales she read as a child and the urban legends of the sailors. The need for adventure inside her blood was boiling, pushing aside all other thoughts, even those of her beloved Will temporally aside.
She rubbed her face vigorously and withdrew her legs closer on top of the rock. The nightgown she had on was almost dried by the crispy air. The salt in the water had crystallized and cemented uncomfortably in her hair, on her skin and other places she cared not to mention.
The sun had set a little while ago and it was getting harder to see. The only illumination was provided as Tisha's aquamarine scales reflected off the moonlight and basked the inside of the cave with a gentle glow.
"Are you even listening to me?!"
Tisha's annoyed voice was starting to steam up. She smiled sheepishly as she was caught daydreaming. At the temperamental gleam in the mermaid's eyes, she hastily rewinded the last couple of minutes and felt her eyebrows furrowed automatically.
"A swimming contest?"
"That's right. I officially challenge you to this race."
"But..... a swimming contest?"
"Hey! Don't you even *think* about insulting this sacred and ancient ritual of my people!"
Mermaids really were fascinating creatures, She analyzed. Although she was beginning to doubt whether she should regard this particular mermaid as a accurate and valid representative of said race.
In a carefully controlled voice, she asked, 'That would be unfair, wouldn't it? You are a fish."
"Half fish! I am only half fish, and I resent you for saying so. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you don't have a tail."
She decided it was not a good idea to steer the conversation towards racial differences. She cleared her throat and said in a soothing tone.
"My apologizes. I did not mean to insult you."
Tisha had turned her face away and refused to meet her eyes. She had the sudden vision of trying to soothe a ten years old whose favorite teddy bear had been taken away. The age difference could not have been too great, even though she knew nothing about mermaid physique. She had been able to pull off that angry pouting look a few years ago, it had always won her whatever her whines desired, especially from Will. She smiled fondly at the memory of a ten year old Will.
"You are all the same. You are just like that...that.... stupid wish..."
She looked up quizzically at the unfinished sentence. Tisha had one hand over her mouth and a horrified _expression on her face.
"Wish? Wish...what?"
"Nothing. A slip of tongue." Tisha squeaked.
A few moment of silence followed. Tisha had a strangely vacant look on her face, like somehow she had retracted back into some kind of shell like a snail.
Elizabeth wanted to investigate further, but reminded herself there were other more pressing matters. Matters such as the whereabouts of her fiancé, but she was certain that with Will in Tortuga and Jack on the loose, they would eventually run into each other. They always did, like the opposite ends of a magnet, forever pulled towards one another and impossibly hard to pry apart once they met.
She chuckled at her own metaphor, but those facts comforted her. She had always suspected that Will had a slight case of hero worshipping, which he would no doubt never admit it. Jack was an old friend of Will's father, and the younger man had always looked up to him. For the majority of their journey, Will had followed Jack around like a puppy dog, hanging around to the flamboyant pirate's every words and had hardly spared any extra attention to her. If Will had not been engaged to her, she would have wondered about the relationship between the two men.
//Well, he does have the blood of a pirate in him, and I guess Jack is the closest that Will can ever get to know his own father.//
Elizabeth glanced at Tisha from the corner of her eyes. The mermaid's information was most well timed and welcoming since she was almost crazed with worry. She was also glad for the distraction that Tisha provided. She had spent over a week on a ship full of pirates. Not to be insulting, but they were not exactly the best conversationalists, even when they managed to remain sober for any duration of time. Furthermore, in her opinion, rum, women and comparison of the size of a certain anatomy part were not the best topics for cultured, or even idle talk.
"What exactly is the race for?" She asked, attempting to draw Tisha back into the conversation.
"You *haven't* been listening to me!" Tisha fumed, "It's for Will's love!"
"Ah... I see."
"No, you don't see. You think I am a kid, don't you! I am *hundreds* of year older than you."
"You are very well preserved."
"Really? Thank you, I mean I did spend a lot of time..... Hey! Don' change the subject!"
Well, that didn't work very well, Elizabeth signed. She knew her confidence in Will sometimes boardlined on arrogant assumption. But Will had never even glanced at another girl and she had always been the only object of his undivided affection. She still found it hard to believe sometimes that the awkward boy she first saw on the floating board grew into such a handsome and noble man. Even more miraculous, that man loved her and would devote the rest of his life to her.
"Does Will love you?" She asked Tisha.
"Err.... I.... don't know, but I am going to find out."
"Then I assumed he didn't know you were challenging his fiancé."
"I....I was getting to that." said Tisha defensively.
"But Will loves me... didn't Zeke tell you?"
She hadn't meant to exhibite her superiority in the matter, but she didn't want the mermaid to have any illusions neither. No matter how confident she was, Tisha was very beautiful and a potential competition. Still she couldn't help but chide herself slightly at the ludicrous idea.
"Zeke? That....that..... despicable liar. His words are not to be trusted."
Elizabeth speculated a unpleasant history behind that accusation, but decided to put the question off for later. Her next statement was used to convince Tisha as well as herself.
"But if you truly love someone, wouldn't you want that person to be happy, even if that happiness is not obtained with you?"
"I....don't know." Tisha hesitated, then said in a determined voice. "And if Will does love someone else....me for example. Would you be so self-sacrificing and let him goes?"
Elizabeth didn't know what to say. She didn't think that scenario would ever happen, but she had grown from that naive and sheltered girl, and the pursuit for the stolen medicine had been giving her a bad vibe from the very start. This discussion was also quickly getting out of her hands.
"I....I would....let him go."
That was a lie. Elizabeth knew it and she thought that the mermaid must know it as well.
"Then we are simply different. Happiness is something you have to fight for, to be loved is a luxury."
Luxury? Elizabeth could not wrap her logic around that concept. Was it a luxury to be loved by Will? People always said that one only realizes something was precious when that something was lost. She did not want to test the truthfulness in that theory and hoped that she never would.
"And don't think I'll let you off the hook, I am still challenging you to a race. We are going to swimming from here to that ugly ship with the black fans, the first one there wins!"
"Wait, ship with the black fans! It's still around here?"
Tisha nodded. Bless good old Mr. Gibbs, she sent a silent thanks to whatever god was listening. She was concerned with the possibility that the Black Pearl might have bailed out, but the crews had proven to be a royal punch.
"Tell me where the ship is."
~~~*~~~
The Dauntless was guarded by a predictably small number of soldiers. His plan was simple and it had worked beautifully. He had send a small group of men to the town and started a brawl. In his experience, it wouldn't be difficult to initiate a fight. The streets of Tortuga were prowled with men and women who were just edging for a good quarrel. And by the black smoke raising from the distant, the brawl had grown to a exceedingly severe magnitude.
He had also ordered one of the men to be disguised as him, which had guaranteed to lure the commodore away. Even more fortunately for him, the commodore had taken most of the soldiers from all three ships with him.
He was slightly touched by Norrington's display of obvious loathing and sturdy resolution. He hadn't known that he was held in such high regard by the most notorious pirate-hater in the Caribbean. It was very flattering.
Using the same trick with the boat that he had taught Will, his men had sneaked on board undetected. One by one, the guards posted on the upper deck were snipped off. That only left the bridge and the lower decks, which he had isolated from the rest of the ship with the help of a few steel bars and sand bags.
He crouched beneath the wind sail of the bridge. There were only a few voices inside. One he recognized, a lieutenant named Gilley?....Gilte?....Gill something. He motioned his men to surround the exits and windows.
He pulled one men close and whispered. "Go find th' lass. Search th' the most posh rooms."
The man nodded and made a couple of gestures to bid a few others to follow him. Jack drew his pistol and held it firmly in his hand. Then he stood up and kicked open the door.
"Gentlemen! Pardon my intrusion."
The rest of his men followed inside. The red coats were gaping at him stupidly and the young lieutenant was blinking owlishly.
He continued. "It's time for my daily massacre. So be so kind to drop yer weapons and throw yerselves overboard."
No one moved. Jack lowered his pistol, shook his head and punched the nearest soldier on the nose. The bridge of the Dauntless erupted into chaos. His men leaped from behind him and joined the fight.
He dodged a sword swing aimed at his head, rolled out of the way of a incoming feet and delivered a sharp kick against the offending leg. He smirked as he heard the sound of bone breaking.
Another man came up from his left, he brought his sword up to deflect the blow. It was the young lieutenant. He flicked his blade in a twisting motion around the other sword and pushed the younger man aggressively towards the wall. Their blades were locked and he pressed the sharp edge of his sword lightly against the other man's throat.
"Surrender." He warned in a plaintive tone.
A spit and a hard shove were his replies. He rolled his eyes and brought his knee up hard against the other man's shin. He grinned in triumph as the other man's eyes watered and almost bugged out. The clamoring rhythm of clashing blades was dying down around him. He surveyed the victory with a quick glance around. The men he sent out to find Elizabeth had also returned. They stepped up and said.
"We couldn't find her, captain. She is not in th' captain's quarter or any of th' other fancy cabins. Shall we check th' lower decks?"
He jerked his head slightly in negative and directed his attention back to the man he still had pined against the wall.
"Now, tell me where ye lots placed the lass."
The navy lieutenant was showing an uncharacteristic amount of backbone and baldness. Jack grimaced at the stubborn set of jaws and the scorching glare. He smacked the man across the face, pulled out his pistol from his belt and pointed it at the other man's crotch.
"Shall we try again? Where is th' lass?"
The young lieutenant winced, his _expression was conflicted. Jack smiled and pressed the steel barrel harder against the front of the man's trouser.
"Stop! Stop! We lost her. She fall in the water and we couldn't find her."
The sentences were blurted out in one breath, and the other man's face had turned into a unhealthy shade of purple. Jack pondered the new information, careful not to jump to any conclusions.
//In the water. Lost..... she better not be dead!//
The whereabouts and wellness of the lass had a direct impact on Will's survival. If anything happened to her...... He did not finish that thought and clamped down firmly on his wayward imagination.
An urgent voice said behind him, "Captain, we've disabled the oars on the other two ships, but there are signs of movement on their decks!"
He sneered and slammed the man in front of him against the wall with frustration. The young lieutenant had adopted a pained and sour look. He decided that he wouldn't be getting anything else from the man. With a heavy strike against the side of face, he sent the younger man into unconscious.
"Bound the rest of lots an' gag them. It's time to go!" He ordered.
The men obeyed instantly and set out to work. After the last sock was stuffed into the mouth of a struggling captive, they slipped quietly out of the room.
Jack paused as he passed the helm of the ship. He stroked the braids in his beard and eyed the steering wheel calculatedly.
//This... would make a wonderful souvenir.//
~~~*~~~
"You are NOT Jack Sparrow!" Norrington's furious voice roared.
//No shit, and thank devil for that.//
"Captain. It's captain Jack Sparrow."
Zeke corrected in his best-drunk voice and bowed with a flourish wave of hand, imitating said captain. His posture infuriated the commodore further and earned him a vertical hack. He jumped backward, flipped in middle air with a flawless somersault and landed smoothly on top of the counter.
Norrington's advances did not pause. He leapt up and narrowly avoided being slashed on the feet. Glasses were crushed noisily beneath his boots. His movements sent more bottles to the ground, rums and other alcohols splashed the floor.
He hurled his body sideways and off the counter. A flare of downward air tricked the hair on the back of his neck. He swirled around and lifted his arm up just in time to block another hack.
The commodore had excellent swordsmanship and Zeke was finding it more and more laborious to parry the tenacious attacks, much less counter them. He was lamenting over the lost opportunities to learn fighting techniques when he was young. It just didn't pay to snooze in class when all the other good little demons were paying attention.
//Damn, you never know you need it until you need it.//
A heaving gasp escaped his throat as he was forcefully shoved against the wall. The point of a blade was thrusting straight towards his face. His eyes narrowed and he slashed the hand that was gripping his neck with the hidden dagger inside his sleeve.
Blood stained the neatly pressed white fabric into a light shade of maroon. Norrington flinched back, held his injured wrist in the other hand and sneered.
"You cheated!"
"Pirate." Said Zeke.
Before the commodore could completely recover, Zeke moved. With inhuman reflexes, he took a held of one arm and hailed Norrington over his shoulder. The commodore hit the floor with a loud impact and laid there dizzily.
He kicked the other man's sword away and placed both knees firmly on top of out stretching arms. He bent down over the prone form, pressed the edge of his dagger against exposed throat and taunted into the snarling face.
"Giving up?"
"You... you....."
Norrington was gritting his teeth so hard that his gums were turning white.
"I, I...."
Zeke laughed and cocked his head to the side. Deja Vu. This scene was getting strangely familiar.
"Your name. What is your name?" Norrington bitted out, "I won't forget it."
"Ezekiel Black, at your service."
Zeke was having fun. Anger was rolling off the commodore in waves, he pressed his nose down against the vulnerable skin under the chin and inhaled. It was sweet and intoxicating. He wanted to slice open that marble flesh and feel the essence of life poured out onto his hands. He wanted to find out whether the man's blood was as hot and fierce as his spirit.
//Here is another repressed one. I am beginning to think there might be something wrong with the British.//
His hand slipped and a thin red line appeared, the droplets of crimson blood contrasted sharply against the silver metal. Dusky eyes blinked and stared into equally widen blue eyes.
He pulled the dagger back slightly and mused darkly about this situation. Norrington had not been the most likeable person, but deep down he was a decent and honorable man. The commodore also had a keen sense of justice, which annoyingly reminded him of another stubborn bastard. Killing him would only serve to aid the competition.
//No way am I shipping the fluffy white wings any more help.//
He loosed his grip on the dagger and put his hands on either side of the commodore as if to push himself up.
"This isn't over. I swear that I'll avenge this humiliation. This won't be the last time we crossed blades."
Zeke blinked again, momentarily thrown off by the conviction in that voice.
".....you are the first person to ever say that."
//Most people would be screaming and running in the opposite direction to get away from me.//
"And you are certainly welcome to try."
//Rest assured, I will see you again. Those wounds are not going to heal otherwise.//
He smiled happily. From the corner of his eyes, he can see Anamarie begin retreating towards the door. Everyone inside the bar, pirates or British soldiers alike, were either still engaging in combats or lying motionlessly against some solid surface.
It was time to go, he decided.
He pushed hard with his hands and his body span a perfect half circle in the air. In less than a second, his toes touched down soundlessly on the floor a safe distance from Norrington. The commodore was slowly getting up, glaring hatefully at him and gingerly running his fingers across the wound on his neck, smearing blood everywhere.
He stood up and casually hit the oil lamp on the table beside him. The lamp fell and broke. The flame caught the alcohol on the ground and spread like wild fire.
He gave Norrington a mock salute and bounced out of the door.
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