Disclaimer: Look back to Part One. There's the disclaimer. Ta-da!
A/N: This is, like part three, not filled with tons of action. So if that's what you're looking for, sorry! Although a man who, although pivotal to the plot of the movie, was never shown. *wink*
Anything's Possible Part Four: Aboard the Shadow Cat
"Stay with me," Anamaria had told Linda, "and I'll keep you safe." As Linda thought about it, she realized it probably wasn't the smartest route either of them could have taken, but given the choice of being stuck on a ship with some rather lecherous pirates alone or with Anamaria, she was certainly not going for the former.
The Shadow Cat had been aptly named, it seemed. Made of cedar, although Linda had at first thought it was mahogany, the boat had boarded both The Dauntless and The Black Pearl easily without either boat realizing. A large pirate with barely any teeth had grabbed her, pulling her towards the Cat, and before she could yell for Eitan or Sheridan to help her, the pirate put a hand in her mouth. She bit down on it, although he didn't scream, as was the desired affect. Anamaria came over to help, but another pirate grabbed her, and soon both of them were being forced into the brig of the ship.
Linda sighed as she thought it over. Across from her in the only other cell in the ship was a man. Apparently, she mused, they kept the female captives and the male captives in separate cells, possibly for some reasons other than being meticulous. She shuddered at the thought, before she started to look at the man again. His clothing was gray and looked worse for wear. His boots, she noticed, seemed weather-beaten, or at least water-eaten. His face, although lined, looked familiar, with emerald green eyes much like hers in the eye sockets. "What's wrong, lass?" He asked, making Linda jump.
"Nothing." She whispered, turning red. The man nodded, contemplating.
"You've never seen a man in his worst possible condition, have ye?" He asked. His language betrayed him as a pirate, and she quickly looked toward Anamaria, whose eyes were closed and head back, apparently asleep, or faking it well.
"No, I guess I haven't." She answered, when her only other possibility - having Anamaria shoot the man to make him shut up - had withered. He smiled at her, showing that, although he was a pirate, he still had nearly all of his teeth, although he was deathly thin. "Why are you onboard this ship?" She asked him.
"Ah, now we get to it." The man said, instantly pulling himself together, readying himself for the story. "I was swimming toward an island, a city I had never seen before, when the ship came upon me. From my place in the water, I thought it was the ship I used to sail on, and thought that, if found, they'd try to murder me again. Well, you could see why I was trying to swim away, but once I reached shore, that lousy Mariel caught me and asked what I was doing on his island. His island, for the love of God!" Linda nodded when the man looked at her, she felt it was the only thing she could do until she processed this information. "So, he told me I'd have to be killed or taken captive and starved to death. What I figured, I could probably live longer and get myself out of this place if I said I'd go captive, ye know?" Linda nodded again. The man smiled. "You're good, lass. How did ye and your pretty friend get swept aboard the damned Shadow Cat?"
Linda retold everything she could remember, leaving out the way in which they had gotten to be in the water in the first place. "...and just as the Royal Navy boarded us, this boat came up and took Anamaria and myself captive. I don't know if Jack or Will or Eitan even noticed." She said the last name with remorse. She left out Sheridan, knowing the girl was too busy attempting to protect the others by fighting off Norrington. The man in the cage across from her nodded briefly, but soon looked at Linda suspiciously.
"And what be the name of this boat that you were on before ye were boarded?" He asked.
Linda fought with herself, wondering if she really should tell him or not. On the one hand, if he knew the boat, he could have some information about it and its crew, although on the other hand, he could try to kill her, as she had heard of many pirates of the time doing when they found people from a ship they weren't loyal to. On even another hand, though, he could not know anything about the Black Pearl, but could have heard some stories about it, which she could decipher the truth from fiction with. When her indecision cost nearly a half hour, the man looked at her. "Ye haven't forgotten its name, have ye?" He looked at her curiously.
"No, I haven't. But can I trust you?" She asked. The man smiled at her calmly.
"Have you ever trusted a pirate before?" He asked.
"Well, no." She thought about the statement for a moment, before shrugging. "Sheridan, she's a friend of mine, she's got the blood of a pirate. And Jack, well, he's a pirate..."
The man put a hand up, his eyes twinkling. "You said the name Jack."
"Yes, why?"
"Is this Jack a human or a monkey?" It seemed like such an obscure question, but Linda also felt that the man hadn't had that much to eat or drink in a very long time, and thought his question was because of that.
"He's a human. He looks rather odd, but he's definitely human." She nodded at the thought, as if it made the sentence more correct.
"And is this man, this Jack, by any shape of the imagination, flamboyant in a way?" He was getting eager as Linda nodded again. Anamaria snorted in her feigned sleep. "What's his title, lass? And his surname, what's his surname?"
Linda thought about it tentively. She had heard Sheridan say it, she really had. She closed her eyes and placed Jack's face with words; she could remember it was the same as Sheridan's last name, but was it her step- father's name or her father's? Finally, she opened her eyes and opened her mouth tentively. "Sparrow. Captain Jack Sparrow." The man looked at her as if the name were that of a dead man's and not that of the rather odd pirate she had met the short time she was onboard the Pearl.
"Captain Jack Sparrow you say?" He leaned his forehead against the bars. "So, the old scallywag's still alive." He opened an eye, looking at the girl across from him again. "Ye weren't done naming off the pirates you trust, were you lass?" He asked by way of apology.
"Well, no. Let's see, my friend," here she coughed, hiding a blush, "Eitan, he's got pirate's blood in him, like Will, Jack's second-mate, and Anamaria's a pirate. I guess I do trust some pirates after all."
The man nodded, smiling to himself. "Jack's gone and found himself two more mates, has he? Who's the first mate?"
"I am." It was the first Anamaria had said, and it startled the man.
"He's let a woman aboard? It's bad luck." He shook his head sadly.
"It's not bad luck. Without my friend Sheridan, most of the people on board the Black Pearl would be fighting off both pirates and the Navy right now." She widened her eyes when she realized she had given away the name of the ship she had been on. The man's smile grew.
"The Black Pearl? That's the ship ye've been sailing under the masts of?" he laughed. "So Jack's got his Pearl after all." He looked at Linda again, this time another question forming in his green eyes. "Ye said there was a man named Will aboard, Jack's second-mate. How old's this man?"
Linda thought. "Will? He can't be any older than twenty-one." She looked at Anamaria, who nodded.
"Will Turner's just barely twenty-two. He's a good lad, although he's not a pirate." There was a look of relief on the man's face. Linda couldn't tell if it was from the fact that Will was no pirate, or that he was young. Anamaria continued as if nothing had happened, retelling what she knew of the fight for Jack to restore the Black Pearl and for Will to get his loved one safely back to her home. It touched Linda somehow, as if it brought back memories. But of course it did, she scolded herself, she was, after all, probably related to someone who was on the ship at that time.
The man listened to this with a contemplative gaze. When Anamaria was done, he reached his hand through the bars towards Anamaria and Linda. "The name's Bill, if you need anything." He said, shaking hands with first Anamaria, then Linda. "I promise if we live through this alive and you bring me back to The Black Pearl, I'll not try to ravage you." He winked, but Linda made a face.
"Why does that not fill me with joy?" She asked.
A/N: This is, like part three, not filled with tons of action. So if that's what you're looking for, sorry! Although a man who, although pivotal to the plot of the movie, was never shown. *wink*
Anything's Possible Part Four: Aboard the Shadow Cat
"Stay with me," Anamaria had told Linda, "and I'll keep you safe." As Linda thought about it, she realized it probably wasn't the smartest route either of them could have taken, but given the choice of being stuck on a ship with some rather lecherous pirates alone or with Anamaria, she was certainly not going for the former.
The Shadow Cat had been aptly named, it seemed. Made of cedar, although Linda had at first thought it was mahogany, the boat had boarded both The Dauntless and The Black Pearl easily without either boat realizing. A large pirate with barely any teeth had grabbed her, pulling her towards the Cat, and before she could yell for Eitan or Sheridan to help her, the pirate put a hand in her mouth. She bit down on it, although he didn't scream, as was the desired affect. Anamaria came over to help, but another pirate grabbed her, and soon both of them were being forced into the brig of the ship.
Linda sighed as she thought it over. Across from her in the only other cell in the ship was a man. Apparently, she mused, they kept the female captives and the male captives in separate cells, possibly for some reasons other than being meticulous. She shuddered at the thought, before she started to look at the man again. His clothing was gray and looked worse for wear. His boots, she noticed, seemed weather-beaten, or at least water-eaten. His face, although lined, looked familiar, with emerald green eyes much like hers in the eye sockets. "What's wrong, lass?" He asked, making Linda jump.
"Nothing." She whispered, turning red. The man nodded, contemplating.
"You've never seen a man in his worst possible condition, have ye?" He asked. His language betrayed him as a pirate, and she quickly looked toward Anamaria, whose eyes were closed and head back, apparently asleep, or faking it well.
"No, I guess I haven't." She answered, when her only other possibility - having Anamaria shoot the man to make him shut up - had withered. He smiled at her, showing that, although he was a pirate, he still had nearly all of his teeth, although he was deathly thin. "Why are you onboard this ship?" She asked him.
"Ah, now we get to it." The man said, instantly pulling himself together, readying himself for the story. "I was swimming toward an island, a city I had never seen before, when the ship came upon me. From my place in the water, I thought it was the ship I used to sail on, and thought that, if found, they'd try to murder me again. Well, you could see why I was trying to swim away, but once I reached shore, that lousy Mariel caught me and asked what I was doing on his island. His island, for the love of God!" Linda nodded when the man looked at her, she felt it was the only thing she could do until she processed this information. "So, he told me I'd have to be killed or taken captive and starved to death. What I figured, I could probably live longer and get myself out of this place if I said I'd go captive, ye know?" Linda nodded again. The man smiled. "You're good, lass. How did ye and your pretty friend get swept aboard the damned Shadow Cat?"
Linda retold everything she could remember, leaving out the way in which they had gotten to be in the water in the first place. "...and just as the Royal Navy boarded us, this boat came up and took Anamaria and myself captive. I don't know if Jack or Will or Eitan even noticed." She said the last name with remorse. She left out Sheridan, knowing the girl was too busy attempting to protect the others by fighting off Norrington. The man in the cage across from her nodded briefly, but soon looked at Linda suspiciously.
"And what be the name of this boat that you were on before ye were boarded?" He asked.
Linda fought with herself, wondering if she really should tell him or not. On the one hand, if he knew the boat, he could have some information about it and its crew, although on the other hand, he could try to kill her, as she had heard of many pirates of the time doing when they found people from a ship they weren't loyal to. On even another hand, though, he could not know anything about the Black Pearl, but could have heard some stories about it, which she could decipher the truth from fiction with. When her indecision cost nearly a half hour, the man looked at her. "Ye haven't forgotten its name, have ye?" He looked at her curiously.
"No, I haven't. But can I trust you?" She asked. The man smiled at her calmly.
"Have you ever trusted a pirate before?" He asked.
"Well, no." She thought about the statement for a moment, before shrugging. "Sheridan, she's a friend of mine, she's got the blood of a pirate. And Jack, well, he's a pirate..."
The man put a hand up, his eyes twinkling. "You said the name Jack."
"Yes, why?"
"Is this Jack a human or a monkey?" It seemed like such an obscure question, but Linda also felt that the man hadn't had that much to eat or drink in a very long time, and thought his question was because of that.
"He's a human. He looks rather odd, but he's definitely human." She nodded at the thought, as if it made the sentence more correct.
"And is this man, this Jack, by any shape of the imagination, flamboyant in a way?" He was getting eager as Linda nodded again. Anamaria snorted in her feigned sleep. "What's his title, lass? And his surname, what's his surname?"
Linda thought about it tentively. She had heard Sheridan say it, she really had. She closed her eyes and placed Jack's face with words; she could remember it was the same as Sheridan's last name, but was it her step- father's name or her father's? Finally, she opened her eyes and opened her mouth tentively. "Sparrow. Captain Jack Sparrow." The man looked at her as if the name were that of a dead man's and not that of the rather odd pirate she had met the short time she was onboard the Pearl.
"Captain Jack Sparrow you say?" He leaned his forehead against the bars. "So, the old scallywag's still alive." He opened an eye, looking at the girl across from him again. "Ye weren't done naming off the pirates you trust, were you lass?" He asked by way of apology.
"Well, no. Let's see, my friend," here she coughed, hiding a blush, "Eitan, he's got pirate's blood in him, like Will, Jack's second-mate, and Anamaria's a pirate. I guess I do trust some pirates after all."
The man nodded, smiling to himself. "Jack's gone and found himself two more mates, has he? Who's the first mate?"
"I am." It was the first Anamaria had said, and it startled the man.
"He's let a woman aboard? It's bad luck." He shook his head sadly.
"It's not bad luck. Without my friend Sheridan, most of the people on board the Black Pearl would be fighting off both pirates and the Navy right now." She widened her eyes when she realized she had given away the name of the ship she had been on. The man's smile grew.
"The Black Pearl? That's the ship ye've been sailing under the masts of?" he laughed. "So Jack's got his Pearl after all." He looked at Linda again, this time another question forming in his green eyes. "Ye said there was a man named Will aboard, Jack's second-mate. How old's this man?"
Linda thought. "Will? He can't be any older than twenty-one." She looked at Anamaria, who nodded.
"Will Turner's just barely twenty-two. He's a good lad, although he's not a pirate." There was a look of relief on the man's face. Linda couldn't tell if it was from the fact that Will was no pirate, or that he was young. Anamaria continued as if nothing had happened, retelling what she knew of the fight for Jack to restore the Black Pearl and for Will to get his loved one safely back to her home. It touched Linda somehow, as if it brought back memories. But of course it did, she scolded herself, she was, after all, probably related to someone who was on the ship at that time.
The man listened to this with a contemplative gaze. When Anamaria was done, he reached his hand through the bars towards Anamaria and Linda. "The name's Bill, if you need anything." He said, shaking hands with first Anamaria, then Linda. "I promise if we live through this alive and you bring me back to The Black Pearl, I'll not try to ravage you." He winked, but Linda made a face.
"Why does that not fill me with joy?" She asked.