It seemed Governor's House was to remain awake for most of the night. The
pirates were on edge, keeping a lookout for Danielson's men, though they
knew you would have to be a fool to attack this house. Elizabeth couldn't
sleep, and so was sat up with Marin in the drawing room, her father nearby.
The whole place was tense.
They heard the familiar sound of hooves and wheels coming closer, exchanging wary glances as they tried to identify who could be visiting the governor at such a late hour. The three pirates were up instantly, once again standing before the door. They were not about to let anyone get to Marin, be they Navy or otherwise.
Elizabeth heard a familiar voice echo through the house, and felt her insides clench in sudden fear.
'Stand aside, man!' Norrington ordered clearly. 'I wish to see the governor, and I refuse to believe that he is abed.'
His footsteps came closer, the pirates tensing, ready to fall on him should they need to. The commodore strode into the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the worthy arrayed against him. His hand went to his sword.
'You draw that, you're a dead man, Norrington,' Jack warned him, all pretence of amicability gone from his face. This was the man who had allowed Marin to be harmed under his protection, and he would get no quarter.
The commodore's eyes narrowed, aware that he had somehow managed to offend the lucky pirate, but unsure quite how, unless he knew the young woman who had been masquerading as a lady. He couldn't see past them to where Marin was sitting, and the wound in his side chose that moment to burn, draining the strength from him. He swayed, refusing to admit his weakness. Elias, however, noticed.
'Sit down, lad, before ye fall down,' he told him, forcing the naval officer into a nearby chair. 'Put up your weapons, lads.'
Will lowered his sabre, looking relieved as he rejoined his wife on the sofa. Jack, on the other hand, didn't move. Elias gestured to his pistol.
'Put it away, Jack.'
The younger pirate either didn't hear him, or ignored him. Elias frowned.
'Jack lad,' he said warningly.
This time there was no doubt of Jack's hearing, for he glanced at his old mentor and then looked deliberately back at Norrington. The pistol never wavered. Elias' face darkened in anger.
There was movement behind Jack, and a small hand touched his arm, the skin bloodied and bruised. Jack looked down into Marin's pale face, and saw the silent request for him to back down. His eyes returned to Norrington's face, seeing the relief there that she seemed well, despite her wounds.
The pressure on his arm increased slightly, and he realised Marin was on the verge of falling down. He slipped his pistol into his belt, turning to wrap an arm around her waist. She leant on him heavily, neither of them noticing the looks exchanged around the room as he drew her down to sit beside him.
Norrington sighed softly. It was just his luck. The one woman he took a fancy to after Elizabeth was Jack Sparrow's woman. Typical, he thought, just bloody typical. The older pirate, the one who had told him to sit down, knelt suddenly before him.
'Marin tells me ye wear a locket about yer neck,' he said in curiosity. 'Might I be seeing it?'
Wary of this request, Norrington stiffened, ignoring the burst of pain that shot through him at the tension in his muscles.
'And if I refuse?' he asked cautiously.
Elias laughed, the merry sound loud and alien in the tense room.
'Ye think I be wanting to steal it and run ye through?' he laughed. 'Nay, lad, nay. I just be wishing to see it.'
'Perhaps I should show mine,' Marin suggested gently. Norrington noted with no little irritation Sparrow's arm still curled about her waist.
Elias considered for a moment and nodded.
'Aye, lass, that ye should,' he said, scooting Dugan from the seat beside Norrington as Jack once again supported Marin across the room to sit closer. 'And 'tis only fair that I should share in this.'
Thoroughly confused, but not about to show it, Norrington watched as Marin reached into her shirt and withdrew a large silver locket. Even from where he sat, he could see the familiar interlocking rings. Frowning, he turned to Elias, to see the old pirate holding another such locket, of similar design.
'Fair's fair, now you,' Elias said softly, seeing the curiosity and confusion on the naval officer's face.
With hands that shook very slightly, Norrington unbuttoned his coat and shirt, lifting out the locket that his father had given him the day the old man died. It was identical to the others in every respect bar one . . . the ring that bore the chain was the only difference between the three pieces.
Elias nodded slowly, an oddly serene expression settling over his grizzled features.
'So there's the fourth,' he murmured.
At this, Marin's head snapped up, her eyes seeking those of her guardian. He smiled gently at her.
'Soon, lass, soon you will know all,' he told her.
He stood, his gaze seeking out Dugan where the boy sat curled up by the window.
'Dugan, lad, I need ye to do something for me,' he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. 'This is the key to my private box. I want ye to run down to the Dragon and bring me back whatever you find in that box.'
Dugan took the key, nodding.
'What'll be me reward fer it, cap'n?' he asked with a cheeky grin, already out of the door before Elias could answer him.
'Would someone please explain to me just what is going on?' Norrington asked suddenly.
Elias nodded.
'Aye, when young Dugan returns with the paper,' he told the impatient man. 'But first, let me ask ye a question. How much do ye know about that locket?'
Norrington frowned, somehow compelled to tell all he knew.
'My father gave it to me when he died,' he said softly, one finger tracing the embossed design as if for comfort. 'He told me I must never lose it, and that one day men would come to me, each with one just like it. He said it was one of four that had been in our family for generations.'
Marin drew in a quiet breath.
'Family?' she whispered, her eyes wide as she gazed on the commodore.
He, too, seemed taken aback by the implication of what he had said. Elias nodded to both of them, his eyes kind.
'What do ye be knowing of yer family, lad?' he asked gently, aware that this was perhaps not the best time to spring certain revelations on either of the locket bearers.
Norrington tore his eyes from Marin's to look up at the old captain.
'I know the locket came from the female side of the family,' he said, his voice thoughtful. 'An Irish noblewoman married into an English family. She was cast out from her own for an act of love.'
Elias grinned at the anger in the commodore's voice.
'Because she was respectable,' he confirmed, winking at Marin. 'Tis a terrible thing when an Irish maid can be called respectable, lass. Barbaric, rebellious, yes, for that is what we are. But never should we be called respectable.'
She laughed, and after a moment Norrington joined her, seeing for the first time the illogical reasoning behind the history of his family. Will felt Elizabeth's grip on his arm tighten, reaching down to reassure her that he had seen and heard what she had. The English commodore and Irish girl's laughter was disturbingly similar.
'But they never deserted yer family, did they, lad?' Elias continued. 'They kept a watch over the children of each generation.'
Norrington's gaze grew sharp as he gazed up at the pirate.
'Yes,' he said warily. 'How could you know that?'
Elias' smile was irritatingly smug.
'I am descended of that Irish maid's family, lad,' he informed the suddenly shocked officer. 'I am the however many greats grandson of her brother. Yer cousin.'
Norrington was pale, though from shock or blood loss, it was hard to tell. He stood slowly, holding Elias' stare.
'Cousin?' he asked hoarsely. 'How can I believe what you say is true?'
Elias pushed him back down into the chair, mindful of his injury.
'I wouldn't expect a Navy man to take the word of a pirate, nor an Englishman to take the word of a son of Eire,' he told him. 'But what young Dugan will be bringing to me shortly will have all the proof ye need.'
'Hold on,' Marin said softly, as Norrington sank back in the chair, turning his locket over in his hands. 'If you both have lockets, and are of the same family, then does that mean I am a cousin too?'
'Aye, lass, that it does,' Elias told her, grinning. 'Why d'ye think I fished ye out of the water for, if there were not some profit in it for me?'
She smiled faintly, brushing off the humour.
'Why didn't you tell me?' she asked him.
Elias sighed and knelt before her, taking her hands in his as she gazed into his eyes, searching for answers to questions that had not yet been asked.
'I would have told ye if I could, me lovely, but as I said, I have too many secrets and promises to keep to reveal all,' he said regretfully. 'By any stretch of luck, ye shall know all by the morning.'
She frowned.
'Why the morning?'
'Because as soon as the clock turns midnight, ye will be of age, and I am no longer blood bound to have all four lockets with me when the secret is told.'
'Blood bound?' Jack asked, inwardly delighted when Marin leant back against him, cradled in the curve of his arm.
Elias regarded him for a moment, taking in the sight of the two people he cared for most in all the world wrapped in each other's embrace.
'Have ye not heard the old adage, Jack, that blood is thicker than water?' he asked, nodding as Norrington's head snapped up. 'Our family took that as their motto when the secret was first hidden, and have held true to it . . . well, most of us have.'
He glanced at Norrington. The commodore closed his eyes with a grimace, drawing a shaking hand across his brow.
'The traitor,' he muttered.
'Tis always good to see the English haven't tried to deny the Irish their place in history,' Elias said dryly, rising to his feet. 'Aye, commodore, the traitor. I'm sure yer grandfather had a lot to say about her.'
Norrington nodded into his chest, refusing to look at him. Too much of the old pirate's story coincided with his own family history.
'The traitor, the second sister of the maid who married into my family,' he said quietly, in explanation for those who knew nothing of their exchange. 'She sold out a rebellion, her and her husband, and because of her, many thousands of innocents lost their lives.'
'All for money,' Elias spat, his fists clenching reflexively. 'And now her descendant had shed blood, our blood, in pursuit of profit. A traitor twice over, by blood and by deed.'
'The fourth locket?' Norrington asked.
He looked around, seeing his answer in the eyes of those who sat with him.
'Who?'
Elias' expression was grim.
'Have ye, by any chance, heard of a man, goes by the name of Christian Danielson?' he asked the commodore, watching in satisfaction as Norrington slumped back in his chair, one hand over his eyes.
'Oh God,' he groaned. 'Not him.'
*~*~*
And the A/Ns return! I love you guys!
They heard the familiar sound of hooves and wheels coming closer, exchanging wary glances as they tried to identify who could be visiting the governor at such a late hour. The three pirates were up instantly, once again standing before the door. They were not about to let anyone get to Marin, be they Navy or otherwise.
Elizabeth heard a familiar voice echo through the house, and felt her insides clench in sudden fear.
'Stand aside, man!' Norrington ordered clearly. 'I wish to see the governor, and I refuse to believe that he is abed.'
His footsteps came closer, the pirates tensing, ready to fall on him should they need to. The commodore strode into the room, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw the worthy arrayed against him. His hand went to his sword.
'You draw that, you're a dead man, Norrington,' Jack warned him, all pretence of amicability gone from his face. This was the man who had allowed Marin to be harmed under his protection, and he would get no quarter.
The commodore's eyes narrowed, aware that he had somehow managed to offend the lucky pirate, but unsure quite how, unless he knew the young woman who had been masquerading as a lady. He couldn't see past them to where Marin was sitting, and the wound in his side chose that moment to burn, draining the strength from him. He swayed, refusing to admit his weakness. Elias, however, noticed.
'Sit down, lad, before ye fall down,' he told him, forcing the naval officer into a nearby chair. 'Put up your weapons, lads.'
Will lowered his sabre, looking relieved as he rejoined his wife on the sofa. Jack, on the other hand, didn't move. Elias gestured to his pistol.
'Put it away, Jack.'
The younger pirate either didn't hear him, or ignored him. Elias frowned.
'Jack lad,' he said warningly.
This time there was no doubt of Jack's hearing, for he glanced at his old mentor and then looked deliberately back at Norrington. The pistol never wavered. Elias' face darkened in anger.
There was movement behind Jack, and a small hand touched his arm, the skin bloodied and bruised. Jack looked down into Marin's pale face, and saw the silent request for him to back down. His eyes returned to Norrington's face, seeing the relief there that she seemed well, despite her wounds.
The pressure on his arm increased slightly, and he realised Marin was on the verge of falling down. He slipped his pistol into his belt, turning to wrap an arm around her waist. She leant on him heavily, neither of them noticing the looks exchanged around the room as he drew her down to sit beside him.
Norrington sighed softly. It was just his luck. The one woman he took a fancy to after Elizabeth was Jack Sparrow's woman. Typical, he thought, just bloody typical. The older pirate, the one who had told him to sit down, knelt suddenly before him.
'Marin tells me ye wear a locket about yer neck,' he said in curiosity. 'Might I be seeing it?'
Wary of this request, Norrington stiffened, ignoring the burst of pain that shot through him at the tension in his muscles.
'And if I refuse?' he asked cautiously.
Elias laughed, the merry sound loud and alien in the tense room.
'Ye think I be wanting to steal it and run ye through?' he laughed. 'Nay, lad, nay. I just be wishing to see it.'
'Perhaps I should show mine,' Marin suggested gently. Norrington noted with no little irritation Sparrow's arm still curled about her waist.
Elias considered for a moment and nodded.
'Aye, lass, that ye should,' he said, scooting Dugan from the seat beside Norrington as Jack once again supported Marin across the room to sit closer. 'And 'tis only fair that I should share in this.'
Thoroughly confused, but not about to show it, Norrington watched as Marin reached into her shirt and withdrew a large silver locket. Even from where he sat, he could see the familiar interlocking rings. Frowning, he turned to Elias, to see the old pirate holding another such locket, of similar design.
'Fair's fair, now you,' Elias said softly, seeing the curiosity and confusion on the naval officer's face.
With hands that shook very slightly, Norrington unbuttoned his coat and shirt, lifting out the locket that his father had given him the day the old man died. It was identical to the others in every respect bar one . . . the ring that bore the chain was the only difference between the three pieces.
Elias nodded slowly, an oddly serene expression settling over his grizzled features.
'So there's the fourth,' he murmured.
At this, Marin's head snapped up, her eyes seeking those of her guardian. He smiled gently at her.
'Soon, lass, soon you will know all,' he told her.
He stood, his gaze seeking out Dugan where the boy sat curled up by the window.
'Dugan, lad, I need ye to do something for me,' he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. 'This is the key to my private box. I want ye to run down to the Dragon and bring me back whatever you find in that box.'
Dugan took the key, nodding.
'What'll be me reward fer it, cap'n?' he asked with a cheeky grin, already out of the door before Elias could answer him.
'Would someone please explain to me just what is going on?' Norrington asked suddenly.
Elias nodded.
'Aye, when young Dugan returns with the paper,' he told the impatient man. 'But first, let me ask ye a question. How much do ye know about that locket?'
Norrington frowned, somehow compelled to tell all he knew.
'My father gave it to me when he died,' he said softly, one finger tracing the embossed design as if for comfort. 'He told me I must never lose it, and that one day men would come to me, each with one just like it. He said it was one of four that had been in our family for generations.'
Marin drew in a quiet breath.
'Family?' she whispered, her eyes wide as she gazed on the commodore.
He, too, seemed taken aback by the implication of what he had said. Elias nodded to both of them, his eyes kind.
'What do ye be knowing of yer family, lad?' he asked gently, aware that this was perhaps not the best time to spring certain revelations on either of the locket bearers.
Norrington tore his eyes from Marin's to look up at the old captain.
'I know the locket came from the female side of the family,' he said, his voice thoughtful. 'An Irish noblewoman married into an English family. She was cast out from her own for an act of love.'
Elias grinned at the anger in the commodore's voice.
'Because she was respectable,' he confirmed, winking at Marin. 'Tis a terrible thing when an Irish maid can be called respectable, lass. Barbaric, rebellious, yes, for that is what we are. But never should we be called respectable.'
She laughed, and after a moment Norrington joined her, seeing for the first time the illogical reasoning behind the history of his family. Will felt Elizabeth's grip on his arm tighten, reaching down to reassure her that he had seen and heard what she had. The English commodore and Irish girl's laughter was disturbingly similar.
'But they never deserted yer family, did they, lad?' Elias continued. 'They kept a watch over the children of each generation.'
Norrington's gaze grew sharp as he gazed up at the pirate.
'Yes,' he said warily. 'How could you know that?'
Elias' smile was irritatingly smug.
'I am descended of that Irish maid's family, lad,' he informed the suddenly shocked officer. 'I am the however many greats grandson of her brother. Yer cousin.'
Norrington was pale, though from shock or blood loss, it was hard to tell. He stood slowly, holding Elias' stare.
'Cousin?' he asked hoarsely. 'How can I believe what you say is true?'
Elias pushed him back down into the chair, mindful of his injury.
'I wouldn't expect a Navy man to take the word of a pirate, nor an Englishman to take the word of a son of Eire,' he told him. 'But what young Dugan will be bringing to me shortly will have all the proof ye need.'
'Hold on,' Marin said softly, as Norrington sank back in the chair, turning his locket over in his hands. 'If you both have lockets, and are of the same family, then does that mean I am a cousin too?'
'Aye, lass, that it does,' Elias told her, grinning. 'Why d'ye think I fished ye out of the water for, if there were not some profit in it for me?'
She smiled faintly, brushing off the humour.
'Why didn't you tell me?' she asked him.
Elias sighed and knelt before her, taking her hands in his as she gazed into his eyes, searching for answers to questions that had not yet been asked.
'I would have told ye if I could, me lovely, but as I said, I have too many secrets and promises to keep to reveal all,' he said regretfully. 'By any stretch of luck, ye shall know all by the morning.'
She frowned.
'Why the morning?'
'Because as soon as the clock turns midnight, ye will be of age, and I am no longer blood bound to have all four lockets with me when the secret is told.'
'Blood bound?' Jack asked, inwardly delighted when Marin leant back against him, cradled in the curve of his arm.
Elias regarded him for a moment, taking in the sight of the two people he cared for most in all the world wrapped in each other's embrace.
'Have ye not heard the old adage, Jack, that blood is thicker than water?' he asked, nodding as Norrington's head snapped up. 'Our family took that as their motto when the secret was first hidden, and have held true to it . . . well, most of us have.'
He glanced at Norrington. The commodore closed his eyes with a grimace, drawing a shaking hand across his brow.
'The traitor,' he muttered.
'Tis always good to see the English haven't tried to deny the Irish their place in history,' Elias said dryly, rising to his feet. 'Aye, commodore, the traitor. I'm sure yer grandfather had a lot to say about her.'
Norrington nodded into his chest, refusing to look at him. Too much of the old pirate's story coincided with his own family history.
'The traitor, the second sister of the maid who married into my family,' he said quietly, in explanation for those who knew nothing of their exchange. 'She sold out a rebellion, her and her husband, and because of her, many thousands of innocents lost their lives.'
'All for money,' Elias spat, his fists clenching reflexively. 'And now her descendant had shed blood, our blood, in pursuit of profit. A traitor twice over, by blood and by deed.'
'The fourth locket?' Norrington asked.
He looked around, seeing his answer in the eyes of those who sat with him.
'Who?'
Elias' expression was grim.
'Have ye, by any chance, heard of a man, goes by the name of Christian Danielson?' he asked the commodore, watching in satisfaction as Norrington slumped back in his chair, one hand over his eyes.
'Oh God,' he groaned. 'Not him.'
*~*~*
And the A/Ns return! I love you guys!