Jack skidded to a halt as he came upon the docks, waving a little for
balance. Looking wildly about, he spotted to his left many red-coated
soldiers; to his right he saw Scarlet pushing Elizabeth along at a great
speed. Behind them, sneaking quietly but just as quickly was Will, his
sword aimed for Scarlet's neck. Dashing to the right, hoping to stop Will,
he spotted the Pearl sliding up alongside the dock, throwing down ropes for
any land-going crew member to grab hold of. Scarlet pushed Elizabeth up
one, following on a nearby rope. Elizabeth was moving suddenly faster; her
rope was being pulled up by someone on deck.
Will began to climb up a third rope, but just as he began to do so, the soldiers, seemingly coming out of nowhere, appeared at the side of the ship. Scarlet looked down, seeing the men coming. She also saw Jack running up behind them, sword drawn and yelling. One man went down, and then another, before either pirate or soldier had realized what was going on.
With and exasperated sigh, Scarlet let go of the rope she was holding onto, falling to the dock with a thud. Drawing her sword, she yelled, "Watch out, here comes a Turner!" and began to wade into the crowd of men, trying to reach her captain. Killing four men, she finally reached him.
"Took ye long enough!" He grunted, as he ducked the swing of an oncoming bayonet.
"I was a bit busy!" She shouted back.
Both were standing back to back, parrying as many bayonets as possible, and killing the owners when they got too close. Scarlet could hear shouts from the Pearl, and saw pirates climbing down the sides of the ship to come to their captain and new crewmate's aid. This split second pause was quicker than lightning, but it was still slow enough to let the very tip of a bayonet through Scarlet's defenses, slashing her left arm above the elbow. With a hiss she stabbed wildly in that direction, but met only other swords and guns. She heard Jack cry out next to her but keep his ground.
Another moment of this and I'll be dead, Scarlet thought. She very nearly missed getting cut in two by a hefty broadsword, the kind only used by knights of the olden day, and sometimes older officers in the navy. Ducking just in time, she missed being hit by the broad sword. However, she was not so lucky as to miss the small thin sword used by most common soldiers, which went into her left shoulder.
With a cry she fell backwards onto Jack, who stumbled under the sudden impact, dropping his sword. They were both surrounded by swords and guns and soldiers, but Scarlet didn't notice. There was blood oozing from her wound. Jack was also not noticing her, for he was looking down his nose at a very familiar sword.
"Jack Sparrow, so we meet again." Commodore Norrington said with obvious delight. "I gave you a chance once, and you come back? Why?"
Jack put his hands in the air, pointing with both index fingers in the general direction of Norrington. "Just bringing a friend to meet a long lost relative."
"Commodore, what is going on?" Elizabeth strode furiously up to him, followed shortly by Will, who looked like he was ready to kill someone.
Scarlet had taken no notice of this, and was merely leaning on Jack, trying to remember how to properly breathe. She felt like she'd been hit in the chest with a hammer.
"Lass, ye can stop leanin' on me now," Jack turned to look at her, but she nearly fell. He caught her and looked her over, quickly finding the bleeding wound. He had wounds of his own, but none so deep.
Elizabeth put her hand over her mouth and began to tear strips off her skirt to make a bandage, but Will just stood towering over Scarlet, holding his sword to her throat. "You tried to kidnap my wife." He bent over and growled in her face. Norrington moved to size her and Jack, but Elizabeth stepped in front of him, and began to put a makeshift bandage on Scarlet. Seeing Elizabeth seemed to bring her back to her senses, for she leapt up (or at least attempted to, but merely fell back against Jack with a cry) and glared at Will.
"Not kidnapping." She defied. "Just borrowing.without permission, for a little chat, is all. Said 'er name was Turner, askin' me questions 'bout Cap'n Jack and all.." She trailed off.
"What does the name Turner mean to you?" Will asked his brown eyes cold and ferocious.
" 'Tis the name of me father, and 'tis the name I carry as me own. 'En't that many Turners, not in this part o'the world, t'say the least."
Will stared at her. "Turner? That was the name of my father as well."
Scarlet nodded, and turned as though to leave. "Hold it right there, Miss." Norrington addressed Scarlet.
"'En't no "Miss" in me name. Scarlet, ye can call me. Or pirate, for that's all that I am to you." She winced in pain, and clutched her shoulder.
Elizabeth turned to Norrington. "This girl needs attention for her wound. So do all of those who fought. Can we sort this out later?" She gave him a very lamenting look.
"No, it is their own fault they are wounded, not mine. They are responsible for their actions, and I am responsible for making sure that they get the punishment they deserve."
"But if you let me interrupt for just a second," Jack leaned back a little, still pointing at Norrington. "We were just getting on our way. So if you'll let us to continue to do that, then I'm sure we'll all feel pretty good about this whole thing. Right?" He looked around. Those of his crew that had come ashore nodded. "Right, Scar-" He stopped, looked around, the looked down to see Scarlet lying in a heap on the ground, motionless.
* * *
The sound of whistles and a dog whining was all Scarlet could hear. She opened her eyes, then closed them, not believing what she saw. She was locked in a cell with some of the other pirates from the Pearl. A few were leaning on the bars, waving bones in front of a dog that was holding a key ring in its mouth. It stood just out of reach, and if Scarlet hadn't known better, she would have sworn it was smirking at them all.
"Trust me, that dog is never going to come." She heard a familiar voice say. "I've already tried it. He's as immovable as the fort itself."
Scarlet opened her eyes again. So she hadn't been hallucinating. Jack was leaning against a wall, watching those of his crew that had been caught try to get the keys with a bemused look on his face.
"Meanin' no disrespect, Cap'n, but what else're we ta do?" Gibbs asked, turning away from the dog.
Scarlet sat up, and gasped. Her shoulder felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer, split open with a hatchet, then had salt rubbed in it. "I-"
"Feel worse than you've ever felt before?" Jack asked with a wry grin.
Scarlet nodded, trying not to be sick.
"Well, from the looks o'that wound, ye should."
Scarlet didn't want to attempt looking at her shoulder, she was afraid she would faint again.
"Is there any water? I think I need to wash this a bit." Scarlet said.
Gibbs shook his head. "There en't nothin', save for the dog wiv the keys, and we can't even get them."
Scarlet looked about, and saw on the other side of the bars there were in fact several buckets of water, all looking relatively clean. With an exasperated sigh, Scarlet stood, swaying a bit from the loss of blood, then slipped through the bars and made a beeline for the closest water bucket. The bars were widely spaced, and although a normal sized person wouldn't have been able to fit through, Scarlet was very small and fit though easily. The bucket wouldn't fit through the bars, so she left it just on the other side, close enough to reach through and dunk a cloth into.
Everyone stared at her in shock. "What?" She grumbled, taking off her bandana and dipping it in the bucket. She began to dab the cloth on her shoulder, wincing as the cold water touched the wound. Everyone stared at her in silence for several moments, until Jack finally spoke.
"Well, that solves our problems." Scarlet just gave him a dirty look and continued to dab her shoulder. "Lass, could ye do that again?"
"What get another bucket of water?" She asked, very groggy from the loss of blood.
"No, get the key ring hanging on that peg over there."
Scarlet groaned, rolled her eyes, and stood, swaying a little. "Alright, alright," she grumbled. Squeezing through the bars, she shuffled over to the peg, snatched the key ring, and squeezed back through the bars.
"Here, ya happy?" She asked, shoving the key ring into Jack's hands. She sat back down, putting her head on her knees. Jack jumped up and began to try to slide the key into the lock, which was difficult because he couldn't see. Finally getting it, he swung the creaky door open as silently as he could, motioning his crew out of the door. He turned to close the door again, and say Scarlet still sitting there.
"Scarlet, lass, c'mon. We 'ave to go now!" He hissed. She sat motionless. With an exasperated sigh, Jack shook his head and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes for easier carrying. Muttering about sailors who get themselves wounded, he took off after the rest of his crew.
Will began to climb up a third rope, but just as he began to do so, the soldiers, seemingly coming out of nowhere, appeared at the side of the ship. Scarlet looked down, seeing the men coming. She also saw Jack running up behind them, sword drawn and yelling. One man went down, and then another, before either pirate or soldier had realized what was going on.
With and exasperated sigh, Scarlet let go of the rope she was holding onto, falling to the dock with a thud. Drawing her sword, she yelled, "Watch out, here comes a Turner!" and began to wade into the crowd of men, trying to reach her captain. Killing four men, she finally reached him.
"Took ye long enough!" He grunted, as he ducked the swing of an oncoming bayonet.
"I was a bit busy!" She shouted back.
Both were standing back to back, parrying as many bayonets as possible, and killing the owners when they got too close. Scarlet could hear shouts from the Pearl, and saw pirates climbing down the sides of the ship to come to their captain and new crewmate's aid. This split second pause was quicker than lightning, but it was still slow enough to let the very tip of a bayonet through Scarlet's defenses, slashing her left arm above the elbow. With a hiss she stabbed wildly in that direction, but met only other swords and guns. She heard Jack cry out next to her but keep his ground.
Another moment of this and I'll be dead, Scarlet thought. She very nearly missed getting cut in two by a hefty broadsword, the kind only used by knights of the olden day, and sometimes older officers in the navy. Ducking just in time, she missed being hit by the broad sword. However, she was not so lucky as to miss the small thin sword used by most common soldiers, which went into her left shoulder.
With a cry she fell backwards onto Jack, who stumbled under the sudden impact, dropping his sword. They were both surrounded by swords and guns and soldiers, but Scarlet didn't notice. There was blood oozing from her wound. Jack was also not noticing her, for he was looking down his nose at a very familiar sword.
"Jack Sparrow, so we meet again." Commodore Norrington said with obvious delight. "I gave you a chance once, and you come back? Why?"
Jack put his hands in the air, pointing with both index fingers in the general direction of Norrington. "Just bringing a friend to meet a long lost relative."
"Commodore, what is going on?" Elizabeth strode furiously up to him, followed shortly by Will, who looked like he was ready to kill someone.
Scarlet had taken no notice of this, and was merely leaning on Jack, trying to remember how to properly breathe. She felt like she'd been hit in the chest with a hammer.
"Lass, ye can stop leanin' on me now," Jack turned to look at her, but she nearly fell. He caught her and looked her over, quickly finding the bleeding wound. He had wounds of his own, but none so deep.
Elizabeth put her hand over her mouth and began to tear strips off her skirt to make a bandage, but Will just stood towering over Scarlet, holding his sword to her throat. "You tried to kidnap my wife." He bent over and growled in her face. Norrington moved to size her and Jack, but Elizabeth stepped in front of him, and began to put a makeshift bandage on Scarlet. Seeing Elizabeth seemed to bring her back to her senses, for she leapt up (or at least attempted to, but merely fell back against Jack with a cry) and glared at Will.
"Not kidnapping." She defied. "Just borrowing.without permission, for a little chat, is all. Said 'er name was Turner, askin' me questions 'bout Cap'n Jack and all.." She trailed off.
"What does the name Turner mean to you?" Will asked his brown eyes cold and ferocious.
" 'Tis the name of me father, and 'tis the name I carry as me own. 'En't that many Turners, not in this part o'the world, t'say the least."
Will stared at her. "Turner? That was the name of my father as well."
Scarlet nodded, and turned as though to leave. "Hold it right there, Miss." Norrington addressed Scarlet.
"'En't no "Miss" in me name. Scarlet, ye can call me. Or pirate, for that's all that I am to you." She winced in pain, and clutched her shoulder.
Elizabeth turned to Norrington. "This girl needs attention for her wound. So do all of those who fought. Can we sort this out later?" She gave him a very lamenting look.
"No, it is their own fault they are wounded, not mine. They are responsible for their actions, and I am responsible for making sure that they get the punishment they deserve."
"But if you let me interrupt for just a second," Jack leaned back a little, still pointing at Norrington. "We were just getting on our way. So if you'll let us to continue to do that, then I'm sure we'll all feel pretty good about this whole thing. Right?" He looked around. Those of his crew that had come ashore nodded. "Right, Scar-" He stopped, looked around, the looked down to see Scarlet lying in a heap on the ground, motionless.
* * *
The sound of whistles and a dog whining was all Scarlet could hear. She opened her eyes, then closed them, not believing what she saw. She was locked in a cell with some of the other pirates from the Pearl. A few were leaning on the bars, waving bones in front of a dog that was holding a key ring in its mouth. It stood just out of reach, and if Scarlet hadn't known better, she would have sworn it was smirking at them all.
"Trust me, that dog is never going to come." She heard a familiar voice say. "I've already tried it. He's as immovable as the fort itself."
Scarlet opened her eyes again. So she hadn't been hallucinating. Jack was leaning against a wall, watching those of his crew that had been caught try to get the keys with a bemused look on his face.
"Meanin' no disrespect, Cap'n, but what else're we ta do?" Gibbs asked, turning away from the dog.
Scarlet sat up, and gasped. Her shoulder felt like it had been hit with a sledgehammer, split open with a hatchet, then had salt rubbed in it. "I-"
"Feel worse than you've ever felt before?" Jack asked with a wry grin.
Scarlet nodded, trying not to be sick.
"Well, from the looks o'that wound, ye should."
Scarlet didn't want to attempt looking at her shoulder, she was afraid she would faint again.
"Is there any water? I think I need to wash this a bit." Scarlet said.
Gibbs shook his head. "There en't nothin', save for the dog wiv the keys, and we can't even get them."
Scarlet looked about, and saw on the other side of the bars there were in fact several buckets of water, all looking relatively clean. With an exasperated sigh, Scarlet stood, swaying a bit from the loss of blood, then slipped through the bars and made a beeline for the closest water bucket. The bars were widely spaced, and although a normal sized person wouldn't have been able to fit through, Scarlet was very small and fit though easily. The bucket wouldn't fit through the bars, so she left it just on the other side, close enough to reach through and dunk a cloth into.
Everyone stared at her in shock. "What?" She grumbled, taking off her bandana and dipping it in the bucket. She began to dab the cloth on her shoulder, wincing as the cold water touched the wound. Everyone stared at her in silence for several moments, until Jack finally spoke.
"Well, that solves our problems." Scarlet just gave him a dirty look and continued to dab her shoulder. "Lass, could ye do that again?"
"What get another bucket of water?" She asked, very groggy from the loss of blood.
"No, get the key ring hanging on that peg over there."
Scarlet groaned, rolled her eyes, and stood, swaying a little. "Alright, alright," she grumbled. Squeezing through the bars, she shuffled over to the peg, snatched the key ring, and squeezed back through the bars.
"Here, ya happy?" She asked, shoving the key ring into Jack's hands. She sat back down, putting her head on her knees. Jack jumped up and began to try to slide the key into the lock, which was difficult because he couldn't see. Finally getting it, he swung the creaky door open as silently as he could, motioning his crew out of the door. He turned to close the door again, and say Scarlet still sitting there.
"Scarlet, lass, c'mon. We 'ave to go now!" He hissed. She sat motionless. With an exasperated sigh, Jack shook his head and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes for easier carrying. Muttering about sailors who get themselves wounded, he took off after the rest of his crew.