One More Taste of Freedom
07 the ethics of piracy
Disclaimer: See the previous chapter.
Author's Note: This chapter is something that I'm sure someone will have something to say about. I do realize that there were cruel demented vicious pirates, and I know that the life was not at all the romanticized one that Elizabeth believes it to be. Or, maybe, she doesn't even believe that anymore. Who knows, really? The point is that I believe, pirates, like all people, were capable of both good and bad. They were not any of them upstanding citizens, by any means, but that doesn't make them hellions and demons. I can name a few examples of both good natured ( but law breaking ) and downright insane pirates. It is unfair to judge them all as one thing, and thus, both Jack and Ana are right in this chapter. Every book I have ever read cites freedom as the driving force behind the pirate lifestyle, and though they stole and sometimes murdered, it was a byproduct of that freedom that allowed them to do so. Piracy was not a choice, I think, it was something that came out of desperation.
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"I couldn't possibly, Jack. I don't know the first thing about sailing."
"Well then its about time you learned, isn't it? Come, come, dear, you cannot be a pirate if ye don't know how to sail."
Standing behind her, Jack placed his hands over hers and guided them to the correct place on the helm. Elizabeth became a bit uncomfortable at the first close contact but didn't say anything. After all, it was just Jack. Backing up he admired his work.
"There, ya see? Its not so hard. Now you stand there and move it where and when I tell you."
"So you don't really mean to give me an in depth lesson on how the navigate a ship so much as stand beside me at close range and 'guide' me in the right direction."
She stood stiff where he'd left her, afraid to move for fear that something catastrophic would happen and it would be all her fault. A smirk had formed on Jack's lips.
"Course not. The less people aboard that know how ta sail like me, the better. Don't want anyone makin' off with me ship again." he took a moment to reflect, no doubt on Barbossa's betrayal, "and you do smell better than anyone I've had contact with in months, myself included, couldn't resist."
She shot him a look that, were her hands not still resting on the helm, would have been slap. Raising his hands in surrender he shrugged apologetically. Her face softened a bit.
"I think you smell like the ocean." it was more said to herself, she hadn't even expected him to hear. But he did.
"Do I now? Good to know." Turning to look at his surroundings he went to guide her hands again, but after that earned him another look he just told her instead, "Hard to starboard, luv, and then ease off a bit. Were coming into Tortuga."
Jumping down all three steps at once, Jack landed on the main deck and started shouting orders. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile yet again at how everyone hopped into action. There was a time when she couldn't imagine anyone taking orders from Jack.
The Captain had of course returned to do the actual docking, he didn't truly trust anyone with his precious ship. She had stood by and watched, in fact, she'd offered to go and help the others, but Jack said she should stay and learn. When all the crew had dispersed and gone in separate directions, she looked around to see who was left. Herself, Anamaria, and Jack. It was just nightfall when the three stepped off the Pearl and onto the beach. After a few steps there was a road, or what was supposed to be a road, and then buildings started to appear. Mainly taverns. Will had told her about Tortuga, and she'd read about it, but nothing could have prepared her for the place itself. It was a bit intimidating. Everywhere fighting raged and men were drinking. There were whores on every corner, and some doing their business right out in plain view. Jack laughed when he noticed her blushing, and whispered something to Anamaria that sounded a lot like the word 'eunuch'.
Since she had just been following, Elizabeth didn't really notice where she was, but then her two companions stopped in front of a tavern. Of course. Jack would want his rum. Entering, she found that it was even more insane on the inside. Perhaps its because the same things were going on as in the streets, but in a tighter space. Doing her best to follow the two pirates she moved past several fights mumbling 's'cuse me's' as she went along. Men were whistling as she walked, in Port Royal she would have used her station and fire to shut them up. But here, the men doing the whistling had probably murdered more than a few times, so she thought it best not to try her luck. Finally Jack stopped at a table and the three of them sat down. He yelled out an order, and she was amazed that any wench would hear, but soon three tankards of rum were sat down in front of them.
"Thank you!" she called after the woman, Anamaria and Jack just stared at her.
"What?" she answered their stares, "Just because I'm on a pirate island doesn't mean I don't have to have to be polite."
"That's exactly what it means, Liz." Anamaria looked to Jack for agreement, but he had already started in on his rum. The piratess elbowed him which caused him to choke, shooting her an annoyed glare he simply nodded and started drinking again. The woman smiled and began to speak again.
"I've never heard of a polite pirate in my life. If there were one, he has probably already been killed, for the good of pirates everywhere."
For some reason she felt the need to set Lizzy straight on the ethics of piracy. Nothing annoyed her more than aristocracy assuming pirates were no more than fairy tale figures in books - especially when the books misrepresented them.
"Think what your little books tell you about our motives, Miss, but make no mistake, were nothing but thieves. And if you've got it into your pretty little well groomed head that yer gonna be one of us, then you better start breaking some of those rules you've been taught ta prize so much."
Jack looked offended. It was probably only faux hurt though.
"Now, Ana. We are thieves, but its not all we are."
"Then what we, Cap'n? Freedom fighters?" her tone was almost mocking. But Jack looked at Elizabeth and smiled.
".. And really bad eggs." he corrected. And Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at their little 'inside joke'.
"Jack, I'm serious. You go fillin' her head with ideas about fairy tale pirates who rescue damsels in distress and love naught but the sea and you're going to get her killed when she meets one who isn't so much inclined to rescue the damsel, but to take advantage over her. Or one who loves gold a bit more than the ocean."
"I've already met one like that. Remember? The one you wouldn't go back and fight." Elizabeth sat down her rum and folded her arms across her chest. "And I don't appreciate being talked about like I'm a child. I'm quite aware of the fact that pirates don't rescue the damsel. But I know one who did and its he that I'm indebted to and not any other filthy scoundrel on this rock."
Jack held one finger aloft, pointing to himself, grinning.
As far as Ana's statement about freedom, she had nothing to say at the moment. She would have quoted Jack, and his ideas about it. But since he had quite a lot of rum in him when he'd told her about his feelings for the Pearl, she guessed it was something too sentimental to be talked about in casual conversation. The last thing she wished to do was make him look like less of a 'pirate' in front of one of his crew.
"Yes, yes Jack, we all know she was talkin' bout you. Bleedin' idiot." Anamaria sounded irritated now. "And I left because there was no profit in it for me. What could I have done against unkillable pirates? Fight in vain and die? That's something just stupid enough for someone like you to do. Why are people so hung up on dying with honor? You don't get to enjoy it. Know why? Cos yer dead."
"Some people don't fight to win. That's not the point." Elizabeth whispered.
"Then what is the point, Miss Swann? Please enlighten the two uneducated pirates in your school of heroism."
Jack, who up until this point had been nursing his rum, eyes darting from woman to woman, finally spoke up.
"That's enough Anamaria, leave her be."
"But Jack don't you hear her? She thinks she's better than--" Jack shot her a look, to restate what he'd already said. This time silently using his position to put more power behind it. Her tone softened and she lowered her head, "Aye, Cap'n."
Elizabeth, who had already had just about enough of this. Rose to her feet and eyed the two cautiously. She was very far from home and without William, things were more than overwhelming already and she was trying very hard to adjust. The unwanted stress from Anamaria wasn't helping matters.
"If you two will excuse me I think I'll be retiring. Perhaps I'll stay up later tomorrow, but at present I'm just not used to it."
Before either could argue she had turned to leave.
"Good." Anamaria picked up her rum and began to drink.
"Bad." Jack, corrected. "Bad, because she's gonna get lost, and you're right, half the men here aren't gonna be the least bit interested in helping her. `Least not in the way she'd like."
Downing the last of his drink he rose to follow her, but she was already lost to the crowd.
"Gonna be a bloody long night."