A/N: Wow!! Thanks for the reviews, guys. :) I'm glad you're liking the story so far, and hope you will continue to enjoy it more with each chapter.
Disclaimer: Not mine, Disney's. Don't sue, I'm but a poor student who has naught but Cup-O-Noodles with which to pay lawyer fees.
By Blood Repaid: Chapter 2
Upon the HMS Dauntless, what remained of the crew was cleaning up from the battle against Barbossa's undead pirates. The surprise attack had proven to be a terrible slaughter and great waste of British Navy men.
Commodore Norrington stood at the wheel, gazing out into the gloom of night, eyes searching the cave opening for any sign of his would-be fiancé, Elizabeth Swann, and the blacksmith, Will Turner. Sometime during the battle he had been informed that she had gone missing. He was sick with worry over what he thought may have become of her, and angry at whoever's lack of vigilance had allowed her to escape, or be captured, in the midst of a dangerous attack on the Dauntless.
Reason kicked in, however, and Norrington remembered that the attack had been such a surprise that the man guarding Elizabeth's quarters was likely dead or wounded in an attempt to defend the door, as many of the men on the ship were. And as luck would have it, the ships surgeon had been among the dead, so those who had survived were treating their own injuries, if they were able.
The Commodore's breath caught in his throat as he saw a flicker of white at the entrance to the cave. Though the mist, he could just make out the form of a dinghy making it's way steadily toward the Dauntless. Quickly he abandoned his position at the wheel, and moved to the starboard side of the ship, snatching a telescope from one of the officers to get a better look at the approaching party.
Sure enough, there was a boat coming, and in it were two people, one of which he was overjoyed to see: his Elizabeth.
"What on earth is she doing?" he murmured to himself. Elizabeth's head was bowed, and it appeared as though she were weeping, or staring at something on the bottom of the dinghy.
The small craft was swift approaching now, and he awaited her arrival eagerly.
"Men!" Norrington called to his crew, "lower a ladder down the starboard side! Make haste!"
The small craft was drawing ever nearer to the Dauntless with each passing minute. The man rowing, who appeared to be Mr. Turner, seemed intent on getting them there in great haste.
As Elizabeth and Will pulled up alongside the ship, Norrington peered down into the dinghy. A man lay in the bottom of it, still as stone, his body running the length of the craft. His head rested in Elizabeth's lap as she stroked his dark locks in a soothing manner, and his feet were propped up on the bench that Will sat upon.
Will wasted no time in helping Elizabeth up the rope ladder. A quiet stream of curses, in several languages, drifted up to meet Norrington's ears as the dinghy below was upset when Elizabeth moved to climb.
The commodore recognized that voice. It was that blasted pirate, Jack Sparrow. Of all the people for Elizabeth to drag back with her, she had to bring Jack Sparrow!
Norrington shook his head, his anger momentarily forgotten as he enveloped Elizabeth in a chaste hug, relieved to have her safely aboard a Navy vessel again. He wrapped a thick blanket around her slim shoulders. "Are you all right, Miss Swann?" he asked, "Are you injured? And what on earth is that pirate doing here?"
"No, I'm fine," Elizabeth rushed the words, "It's Jack."
"What about him?" asked Norrington.
"He's badly wounded, a gunshot wound. You have to help him!" She pleaded.
The commodore frowned, and moved over to the railing again to peer into the boat below. The front of Sparrow's formerly white shirt was dark and glistening in the moonlight. It wasn't looking good for the pirate, he thought.
Norrington shook his head, feigning regret, "There may be nothing we can do, Elizabeth." he said gently, placing a hand on the side of her face in a gesture of what he hoped looked like compassion.
"But we have to try!" she insisted.
He couldn't deny her this request. The pirate would likely die from his injuries anyway, and he could see no point in grieving his fiancé by denying to give the injured criminal a burial at sea.
By this time Will was already trying, with little success, to coax Jack into a sitting position. The pirate was still lying in the floor of the dinghy, and Will moved behind him to lift his shoulders, but the man immediately slumped back down with a groan. He glanced up to see Elizabeth and Norrington looking down at him.
"A little help?" He called up to them, "I can't lift him by myself."
Norrington's face disappeared from view, and seconds later two red-coated crew members were making their way down the ladder.
Together the three of them managed to get the wounded man onto the Dauntless. They did it by fashioning a sort of harness that fit around Jack's chest. One man stayed below, in the dinghy, in case Jack slipped out and fell. The other climbed back up the ladder and enlisted two others to aide him in hauling the pirate up. For his part, Will stayed on the ladder, guiding Jack's progress up it and ensuring that he didn't bang into the hull of the ship.