Bird Bereft of Flight
By Kourin Lucrece
Disclaimer: I really hope I don't look like a super cheerful mouse on steroids...
Author's Note: Yay! I actually am writing! (lol) Anyway, seeing as I have gotten no reviews, I thank no one for reviews. **pouts** Is it really that bad?? Oh well, I apologize for my continued cruelty to Jack, but hey! We all know how it ends, right? Yeah, um... if anyone is reading this: THANK YOU!!!!
Chapter 2: The Opportune Moment
Jack was shoved roughly into the only cell below deck that remained empty. He stumbled and fell to his knees on the hard floor, too tired and sore to care that he looked clumsy. At least the pirates remaining from Barbossa's crew were too busy arguing amongst themselves to fully notice his presence. Apparently their return to humanity had not made them appreciate it and Jack currently lacked the fortitude to face them with his normal humor.
Jack closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a sitting position with his back pressed against the wall. He winced slightly as salt worked its way into some of his many cuts and scraped from the past few days, but the pirate reasoned that any pain was inevitably better than the horrifying numbness that had accompanied even his brief time under the curse. Just the thought of it caused him to shudder. The absolute nothingness that had come as Barbossa had stabbed him through would haunt him for a long while.
For once the gentle rocking of the ship beneath him did nothing to ease his nerves and the pirate found his mind reeling as it tried to assess his current situation. How had he gotten here? After all this time, why should he end up like this? He was supposed to be on the Pearl. He was supposed to be free.
But the boat was Ana's now. He had owed her a boat and the Interceptor was long gone, lost to Davey Jones locker. A part of him reasoned that at least it was AnaMaria and Gibbs who now sailed his beloved Pearl, but it did little to ease his mind. The pirate was still injured and cold, a prisoner of the blood English Navy who was set to be hung. Jack flexed his still bleeding left had and admitted that the opportune moment wouldn't come. Not for him, not this time.
In the back of his mind, Jack wondered how things would have worked out if he had never come into possession of that bloody compass, leading to Isla de Muerte. It seemed that many of his trouble had sparked from that lovely little discovery. Perhaps, had he never found it, he would still be captain of the Black Pearl, sailing free as the bird for which he was named. That was an unreasonable thought, though, and he knew it. The crew had been unhappy anyway. He had always attempted not to spill more blood than necessary, they had wanted more of it and their crazy captain's antics and plots brought them more danger than their victims.
Bootstrap, though, he had been different. Bill had understood and even agreed with the young captain. Barbossa had once too, but greed had blinded him long before it had old Bill Turner. So, while it had really been painful when Barbossa, once Jack's closest friend, had organized and led the mutiny against him, it had been worse that Bill had followed.
He wondered where Bill was now. Had he escaped from his water prison? Or had Jack killed him as surely as he had Barbossa in aiding Will in breaking the curse? Again, images of his last fight with Barbossa flashed through the pirate's head and the picture of an apple among the piles of gold stayed.
With a sigh, Jack tore his thoughts away from the curse and the events follow its end and focused them on Will and Elizabeth. Will would be cleared of charges, he was sure. After all, the boy was young and his actions could all be rationalized by the fact that they were done to save the governor's daughter from pirates. Besides, there was no way that fiery lass would allow Will to be hung. He was touched that she had tried to help him as well, but had known it wasn't worth the effort. After all, he was the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow - there was no way they could just let him go free.
It was a shame that Elizabeth was set to marry the commodore, bloody navy fool that he was. Eunuch or not, Will obviously didn't know any better ways to woo said strumpet. (Not that Elizabeth would take kindly to be calling a strumpet...) Honestly, seeing the two of them dance circles around each other and the issue of being in love was almost painful. The smile brought a hint of the usual crooked smirk to Jack's face. He figured that Elizabeth would find a way, as Will obviously wasn't going to, to wed her blacksmith 'pirate'. And a damned good pirate he'd be, Jack thought with approval. A little too rash and a nasty streak of British morality, but those things could be fixed...
Following that much lighter train of thought, Jack leaned his head back and tried to drift off to sleep despite the noise of arguing that he had almost tuned out. He'd save thinking about the problems presented to him for tomorrow.
* Well, what do you think? I know that chapter wasn't much longer than the one before it, but if I follow the story map that I made up this will most likely end up being a ten-chapter story. If you review, the next chapter might get up sooner than if you leave me to my own devices!! (and who am I talking to? no one read it yet...) Bye for now, mates! ^.~
By Kourin Lucrece
Disclaimer: I really hope I don't look like a super cheerful mouse on steroids...
Author's Note: Yay! I actually am writing! (lol) Anyway, seeing as I have gotten no reviews, I thank no one for reviews. **pouts** Is it really that bad?? Oh well, I apologize for my continued cruelty to Jack, but hey! We all know how it ends, right? Yeah, um... if anyone is reading this: THANK YOU!!!!
Chapter 2: The Opportune Moment
Jack was shoved roughly into the only cell below deck that remained empty. He stumbled and fell to his knees on the hard floor, too tired and sore to care that he looked clumsy. At least the pirates remaining from Barbossa's crew were too busy arguing amongst themselves to fully notice his presence. Apparently their return to humanity had not made them appreciate it and Jack currently lacked the fortitude to face them with his normal humor.
Jack closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a sitting position with his back pressed against the wall. He winced slightly as salt worked its way into some of his many cuts and scraped from the past few days, but the pirate reasoned that any pain was inevitably better than the horrifying numbness that had accompanied even his brief time under the curse. Just the thought of it caused him to shudder. The absolute nothingness that had come as Barbossa had stabbed him through would haunt him for a long while.
For once the gentle rocking of the ship beneath him did nothing to ease his nerves and the pirate found his mind reeling as it tried to assess his current situation. How had he gotten here? After all this time, why should he end up like this? He was supposed to be on the Pearl. He was supposed to be free.
But the boat was Ana's now. He had owed her a boat and the Interceptor was long gone, lost to Davey Jones locker. A part of him reasoned that at least it was AnaMaria and Gibbs who now sailed his beloved Pearl, but it did little to ease his mind. The pirate was still injured and cold, a prisoner of the blood English Navy who was set to be hung. Jack flexed his still bleeding left had and admitted that the opportune moment wouldn't come. Not for him, not this time.
In the back of his mind, Jack wondered how things would have worked out if he had never come into possession of that bloody compass, leading to Isla de Muerte. It seemed that many of his trouble had sparked from that lovely little discovery. Perhaps, had he never found it, he would still be captain of the Black Pearl, sailing free as the bird for which he was named. That was an unreasonable thought, though, and he knew it. The crew had been unhappy anyway. He had always attempted not to spill more blood than necessary, they had wanted more of it and their crazy captain's antics and plots brought them more danger than their victims.
Bootstrap, though, he had been different. Bill had understood and even agreed with the young captain. Barbossa had once too, but greed had blinded him long before it had old Bill Turner. So, while it had really been painful when Barbossa, once Jack's closest friend, had organized and led the mutiny against him, it had been worse that Bill had followed.
He wondered where Bill was now. Had he escaped from his water prison? Or had Jack killed him as surely as he had Barbossa in aiding Will in breaking the curse? Again, images of his last fight with Barbossa flashed through the pirate's head and the picture of an apple among the piles of gold stayed.
With a sigh, Jack tore his thoughts away from the curse and the events follow its end and focused them on Will and Elizabeth. Will would be cleared of charges, he was sure. After all, the boy was young and his actions could all be rationalized by the fact that they were done to save the governor's daughter from pirates. Besides, there was no way that fiery lass would allow Will to be hung. He was touched that she had tried to help him as well, but had known it wasn't worth the effort. After all, he was the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow - there was no way they could just let him go free.
It was a shame that Elizabeth was set to marry the commodore, bloody navy fool that he was. Eunuch or not, Will obviously didn't know any better ways to woo said strumpet. (Not that Elizabeth would take kindly to be calling a strumpet...) Honestly, seeing the two of them dance circles around each other and the issue of being in love was almost painful. The smile brought a hint of the usual crooked smirk to Jack's face. He figured that Elizabeth would find a way, as Will obviously wasn't going to, to wed her blacksmith 'pirate'. And a damned good pirate he'd be, Jack thought with approval. A little too rash and a nasty streak of British morality, but those things could be fixed...
Following that much lighter train of thought, Jack leaned his head back and tried to drift off to sleep despite the noise of arguing that he had almost tuned out. He'd save thinking about the problems presented to him for tomorrow.
* Well, what do you think? I know that chapter wasn't much longer than the one before it, but if I follow the story map that I made up this will most likely end up being a ten-chapter story. If you review, the next chapter might get up sooner than if you leave me to my own devices!! (and who am I talking to? no one read it yet...) Bye for now, mates! ^.~