Chapter 16
"Jack Sparrow, be it known that you-"
"Captain," I mumbled under my breath. An elderly lady in a feathery hat glanced at me sharply. I didn't care. The man I loved was to be hanged before my eyes in minutes. What did the opinion of some rumbled old hag matter to me? What did anything matter?
".for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most grievous of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling."
Jack stood silently, his eyes darker than ever in despair. Oh, how I wanted to hold him close just once more. Or more than that.
A single tear slid down my face. Damn. I swore not to cry, and here I was, weeping. I shook my head, lowering my eyes to the floor.
"Meg."
I looked up quickly at the familiarity of the voice. Will. Standing before me in a cloak and fancy clothes and a hat with a feather big enough to make the elderly woman green with envy. She stomped away angrily to watch the hanging in a more quiet place. Will brushed the tear away with a fingertip.
"It's not fair," I whispered sheepishly. He opened his arms and held me close, a true brother-sister moment. I smelled sweet sweat and leather - Will's smell. Oh, my Will. He held me an arm's length.
"He won't die," he said firmly.
"What?"
".impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
"He won't die," he repeated. "I have a plan."
"Will, no offense, but your plans always go wrong somewhere."
"Not this time."
".sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation and general lawlessness."
"Certainly was a trouble-maker, wasn't he?" I said sorrowfully.
"He certainly is." Will cleared his throat. "Meg.I came to say good-bye."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I'm going nowhere. But you are."
"What?"
"You know what you plan to do." He kissed the top of my head and hugged me tightly one last time. "Be brave, Meg. If you ever need to, get him to come back here. I'll be here. And so will Elizabeth." And with that, he turned to go.
I didn't understand. "Will!" He turned, and then I understood. And also had nothing to say. "Um.nice hat." He laughed and vanished with a twirl of his cloak.
"May God have mercy on your soul," the man finished.
May He ever.
I ran. I ran as fast I ever could. And understood clearer than ever. Will had understood. He understood that the Black Pearl had claimed me, heart and soul. The sea had claimed me. I couldn't stay and be miserable. I needed to satisfy the pirate within. I ran to the docks.
And there she was. Just outside the harbor. Beautiful. The only word to describe her. I smelled the sharpness of the sea, and felt every grievance fly away. This is where I belong.
"Meg! Meg!"
Annamaria waved at me from a rowboat, with Mr. Gibbs sweating over the oars. I didn't hesitate, and dove into the clear, aquamarine water. I swam to the rowboat, and they hoisted me in. Annamaria smiled, his pearly white teeth glinting. I hugged her, and she embraced me back. I heard screams from the shore, from where I had been running from. I glanced up quickly.
"Don't worry, Meg," Mr. Gibbs grumbled. "That's just William savin' the captain."
So that's what he meant.I nodded. We rowed back to the Black Pearl, all of us listening intently to the sounds from shore. I barely even noticed we reached the ship until Annamaria tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the monkey ladder. I climbed up quickly, my wet skirts clinging to my legs. I tumbled to the deck, and an unnamed man helped me to my feet, smiling. I nodded mutely.
"Alright, lads, to the harbor!" Gibbs bellowed, and he ushered me to the wheel as the sailors scurried about hoisting the anchor and hauling in the rowboat. He grinned. "Care to do the honors?" he asked, motioning at the wheel.
"Oh, no," I said quickly. "I want to watch the water." He nodded in understanding and took the wheel in his firm grip. "Mr. Gibbs." He turned to me. "How.how did you know.?"
He smiled. "A feeling. A feeling a pirate just can't ignore. Now shut up and watch the water." I grinned and turned to the wall just as a figure plummeted into the shallows. I screamed, unable to stop myself. Gibbs started bellowing as a dark head popped back up in the water, thrashing until he obviously saw the Pearl. He started swimming towards it. I looked up at the battlement where he had fallen, and spotted Will and Elizabeth in each other's arms. I sighed happily. My brother had finally found happiness.
A roped was lowered into the water, and half a dozen men rushed the other direction. Jack was lifted into the air, sprinkling salt water like rain. He tumbled onto the deck, glancing up at the fellow pirates. Gibbs ran down to meet him, and simply grinned, his puffy cheeks pink.
"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code," Jack mumbled, getting to his feet and rubbing his backside.
"We figured they were more like guidelines, you know." Gibbs trailed off. Jack nodded to himself.
"Captain Sparrow," Annamaria came up behind me, leaning against the wheel. His eyes lingered on me, and I smiled.
"The Pearl is yours," I said softly. He walked up to the wheel, and I placed his heavy coat on his shoulders. He placed his hand son my waist, and leaned down. We kissed, long and hard, and I knew: this is where I belong. On the Pearl, in his arms. We pulled aprt, aware that the entire crew was watching us.
"On deck you scabrous dogs!" he bellowed. "Man the braces!" Everyone exploded into action, and we were left alone on the deck. He looked down at me fondly. "Now bring me that horizon," he said fondly, and I placed my hands on the wheel. His hands covered mine, rough and smooth and strong. He started humming the song. "And really bad eggs." he murmured in my ear. I smiled.
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!"
A/N: END END END! And there's another story I'm starting, where Meg.well, you'll have to read it to find out! See ya!
"Jack Sparrow, be it known that you-"
"Captain," I mumbled under my breath. An elderly lady in a feathery hat glanced at me sharply. I didn't care. The man I loved was to be hanged before my eyes in minutes. What did the opinion of some rumbled old hag matter to me? What did anything matter?
".for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most grievous of these to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling."
Jack stood silently, his eyes darker than ever in despair. Oh, how I wanted to hold him close just once more. Or more than that.
A single tear slid down my face. Damn. I swore not to cry, and here I was, weeping. I shook my head, lowering my eyes to the floor.
"Meg."
I looked up quickly at the familiarity of the voice. Will. Standing before me in a cloak and fancy clothes and a hat with a feather big enough to make the elderly woman green with envy. She stomped away angrily to watch the hanging in a more quiet place. Will brushed the tear away with a fingertip.
"It's not fair," I whispered sheepishly. He opened his arms and held me close, a true brother-sister moment. I smelled sweet sweat and leather - Will's smell. Oh, my Will. He held me an arm's length.
"He won't die," he said firmly.
"What?"
".impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England."
"He won't die," he repeated. "I have a plan."
"Will, no offense, but your plans always go wrong somewhere."
"Not this time."
".sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation and general lawlessness."
"Certainly was a trouble-maker, wasn't he?" I said sorrowfully.
"He certainly is." Will cleared his throat. "Meg.I came to say good-bye."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"I'm going nowhere. But you are."
"What?"
"You know what you plan to do." He kissed the top of my head and hugged me tightly one last time. "Be brave, Meg. If you ever need to, get him to come back here. I'll be here. And so will Elizabeth." And with that, he turned to go.
I didn't understand. "Will!" He turned, and then I understood. And also had nothing to say. "Um.nice hat." He laughed and vanished with a twirl of his cloak.
"May God have mercy on your soul," the man finished.
May He ever.
I ran. I ran as fast I ever could. And understood clearer than ever. Will had understood. He understood that the Black Pearl had claimed me, heart and soul. The sea had claimed me. I couldn't stay and be miserable. I needed to satisfy the pirate within. I ran to the docks.
And there she was. Just outside the harbor. Beautiful. The only word to describe her. I smelled the sharpness of the sea, and felt every grievance fly away. This is where I belong.
"Meg! Meg!"
Annamaria waved at me from a rowboat, with Mr. Gibbs sweating over the oars. I didn't hesitate, and dove into the clear, aquamarine water. I swam to the rowboat, and they hoisted me in. Annamaria smiled, his pearly white teeth glinting. I hugged her, and she embraced me back. I heard screams from the shore, from where I had been running from. I glanced up quickly.
"Don't worry, Meg," Mr. Gibbs grumbled. "That's just William savin' the captain."
So that's what he meant.I nodded. We rowed back to the Black Pearl, all of us listening intently to the sounds from shore. I barely even noticed we reached the ship until Annamaria tapped me on the shoulder and handed me the monkey ladder. I climbed up quickly, my wet skirts clinging to my legs. I tumbled to the deck, and an unnamed man helped me to my feet, smiling. I nodded mutely.
"Alright, lads, to the harbor!" Gibbs bellowed, and he ushered me to the wheel as the sailors scurried about hoisting the anchor and hauling in the rowboat. He grinned. "Care to do the honors?" he asked, motioning at the wheel.
"Oh, no," I said quickly. "I want to watch the water." He nodded in understanding and took the wheel in his firm grip. "Mr. Gibbs." He turned to me. "How.how did you know.?"
He smiled. "A feeling. A feeling a pirate just can't ignore. Now shut up and watch the water." I grinned and turned to the wall just as a figure plummeted into the shallows. I screamed, unable to stop myself. Gibbs started bellowing as a dark head popped back up in the water, thrashing until he obviously saw the Pearl. He started swimming towards it. I looked up at the battlement where he had fallen, and spotted Will and Elizabeth in each other's arms. I sighed happily. My brother had finally found happiness.
A roped was lowered into the water, and half a dozen men rushed the other direction. Jack was lifted into the air, sprinkling salt water like rain. He tumbled onto the deck, glancing up at the fellow pirates. Gibbs ran down to meet him, and simply grinned, his puffy cheeks pink.
"I thought you were supposed to keep to the code," Jack mumbled, getting to his feet and rubbing his backside.
"We figured they were more like guidelines, you know." Gibbs trailed off. Jack nodded to himself.
"Captain Sparrow," Annamaria came up behind me, leaning against the wheel. His eyes lingered on me, and I smiled.
"The Pearl is yours," I said softly. He walked up to the wheel, and I placed his heavy coat on his shoulders. He placed his hand son my waist, and leaned down. We kissed, long and hard, and I knew: this is where I belong. On the Pearl, in his arms. We pulled aprt, aware that the entire crew was watching us.
"On deck you scabrous dogs!" he bellowed. "Man the braces!" Everyone exploded into action, and we were left alone on the deck. He looked down at me fondly. "Now bring me that horizon," he said fondly, and I placed my hands on the wheel. His hands covered mine, rough and smooth and strong. He started humming the song. "And really bad eggs." he murmured in my ear. I smiled.
"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!"
A/N: END END END! And there's another story I'm starting, where Meg.well, you'll have to read it to find out! See ya!