Chapter 7: Commotions

The executioner had not been ready when the pirate had dropped at his feet, slipping out of the noose that had been around her neck. This hadn't been the first time that such an event had occurred, many a sailor had tried to trick him with such an act, but this time looked all too real. The stench, for one, was stronger than those of the dead bodies being carried away by the stoic marines and the looks of the pirate clearly indicated that something within her was terribly wrong.

Because this was no ruse, the man had no clear indication what he was supposed to do. Did he prop the woman back on her feet and steady her until the noose was dropped? And if that were the case, how would they tell she was dead if she were already unconscious? Would the Commodore send her away to the doctor? All these questions were not solely on his mind but the majority of the crowd was also interested in their answers, with the exception of those who had wanted to see the lady pirate hang. They were just disappointed.

Lieutenant Gillette was already making the decision from the looks the Commodore was giving him. They had perfected this form of silent communication from their years aboard the Dauntless together. They could read the thoughts on the other's mind simply by noting stance, expression and the way the hands were positioned. In this case, Norrington was shaking his head and waving his hand in a dismissal motion, signaling that this hanging would have to wait. Gillette ordered several marines to gather the heap on the hanging platform and have her taken to the physician. He'd know what to do with her.

The redcoats, now and then an arm or leg slipping from their grasp, tentatively lifted Andraste off the ground and down the platform. The men gingerly picked their way through the throngs of people, all of which were clambering nearer to them to get a good look at what was wrong with the girl they were taking away. Some women gasped and covered their faces with linen handkerchiefs; others covered the eyes of their eager children. Their husbands shook their heads and tisked loudly, giving silent warnings to the younger, more rambunctious crowd members that all pirates ended up that way in the end.

When the small group was out of sight, the gathering of onlookers returned to normal and waited for the next man to be hanged. When they discovered that Captain Rose had been the last of the criminals for sometime, they groaned in protest and sullenly returned back to their daily lives. The children lingered a little longer than the adults, sneaking peaks at some of the dried blood on the platform and staring in awe at the noose but Elizabeth Swann shooed them away.

Miss Elizabeth had been to her fair share of hangings, or attempted hangings as she tried to suppress a smile. She remembered when Jack Sparrow had escaped from certain death not more than a month earlier. It had been the talk of Port Royale for some time and yet had died down as most things did. Like Jack Sparrow, this What's-her-name Rose would hold the people's attention for as long as she stayed in James Norrington's custody. She gave a gentle smile to her fiancé, a man by the name of Will Turner.

He turned dark eyes her direction, his face contorted into a grimace. Will Turner, after his most recent escapade with Sparrow, had started to rethink his outlook on the law. There were far too many shades of gray in his mind, many excuses or reasons for why someone would turn to a life of piracy. It made him guilty and it made him sad. Elizabeth sensed this and led him away from the square back to his small residence near the smithy.

This left Norrington and Governor Swann conversing quietly, with Gillette soon adding himself into their midst. Swann was recovering from the excitement of seeing one of the pirates worm their way out of a hanging. It broke form the traditional normalcy that had come upon the hangings in recent years. He didn't enjoy them, but Weatherby Swann was obligated to attend them as duty called. He also wasn't overly fond of exposing his daughter to such things, it was no place for a lady of her breeding to see the execution of individuals as base as these, but she had often insisted. The Governor could not deny his daughter anything in the world, and it was too late now to change it.

"She is so like her mother," he commented to Norrington and Gillette, watching his beloved child walk away. "So strong, so beautiful. I do love her dearly."

Norrington gave a half smile, somewhat sad and wistful. Gillette noticed the look again and steered the conversation onto something less painful for his commander. "One of the merchant ships is missing from the harbor."

James's gaze became focused, more intense as his mind worked quickly to calculate the situation. "When did it leave?"

"We don't know, sir. Merchant Darlington knew it was there during the hurricane, placed it there himself and checked it before the storm started. He claims it was right next to Merchant Susanson's vessel, yet when he got to it early this morning, it was gone." Gillette gave a sigh. "A copy of the reports are on your desk, sir. I briefly read through them before I went to collect the pirates."

"What do you think it means, Commodore?" asked Governor Swann pleasantly. He knew full well that his chief officer would have everything sorted out by midmorning the next day.

The Commodore clasped his hands behind his back, his face set into a determined mask. "It was not Susanson who took the ship and nobody's foolish enough to ride out into the middle of a hurricane. Either the ship sunk," he paused, if for anything more than dramatic effect, "or we have some daredevil rogues on our hands."

Gillette's eyes glittered with excitement, "could it be Sparrow, sir?"

James was not surprised at the immediate conclusion. Sparrow had been on everyone's mind. Governor Swann looked nervously amused. Norrington knew better than to think that it was Jack Sparrow who had taken the ship from the bay. "I doubt very much that it was Sparrow. He would have come into port and made a few visits, you and I being prime on his list, along with Turner." He paused and looked at Gillette, "has he come to you?" He had to wonder why his Lieutenant was so eager to capture or, dare he think it, see that pirate again.

"No, not at all, sir. I haven't seen one wit of that man since he sailed out of sight."

"Then it was not Sparrow," James concluded.

The group stood in silence for a few minutes, but it was then that a thought popped into Swann's head. "Commodore? What ever became of that pirate Rose's crew? Did she sail alone?" He felt very clever with this break through.

Norrington picked up on his governor's train of thought and brought his head forward so that he was staring into the buckles of his shoes. It did make sense in a way. The crew had abandoned ship, floundered their way to the rocks and hidden along the wreckage of the earthquake. During the storm, they had braved the weather and sailed the ship out of the harbor as best they could, but where they were headed he did not know. Was this crew loyal to Captain Rose or were they heading to fret away some hidden treasure at a pirate cove? That was the trickiest piece of the puzzle.

If they were dishonorable, most likely the pirate crew would never return. But if they were faithful…James knew Royale would have to be on its guard. The pirates might return with more ships and heavier guns, wanting to reek retribution for their captain's sake. The question was, how many friends could this Andraste have?

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A/N: You need to get your eyes checked if you missed the Coupling reference ;)
– And suggestion from August noted. Thank you! The situation hadn't even occurred to me.