Things Fall Apart
02 a pirate's life
Disclaimer: Not my toys. Just borrowin' em. Without asking, but with every intention of giving them back. No, really.
Author's Note: This chapter is actually gonna be chapter length, the last one was a prologue, hence the shortness. I'm going to try to keep everything historically accurate but piracy and freedom in general are two things I'm passionate about, so expect me to go off on ranting tangents or soapbox speeches about bastard pirate hunters.
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The light poured through the curtains covering the single window of the Captain's quarters, creeping across the floor, it finally came to rest on Elizabeth's face. She opened her eyes and was slightly disappointed once she realized there was no one else in the bed. Generally that was the kind of thing that caused anger or resentment, but when you love a restless pirate, you get used to it. It had been obvious to her that Jack wasn't sleeping well, tossing and turning, and almost always getting up well before dawn. She kept her silence though, if he had something to say he would, eventually. In the year since Will had granted her freedom, and she'd joined the crew of the Pearl, Elizabeth and Jack had developed quite the relationship.
There were no vows of forever, or anything of that nature, though both were quite sure they'd be lost without the other. Jack played the mischievous playmate, teacher, and one hell of a lover. Still, being the calmer of the pair, Elizabeth was the anchor that bound Jack to earth, because at times it seemed he might float away. She was also an eager pupil, in more ways than one, and the sole confidant of a man who'd rather die than share his feelings. They were childless, dogless, picket fenceless, and neither would have it any other way. The relationship, as the two people involved in it, repelled all things normal, but it worked.
Though it was still clear to every last male member of the crew, that if they so much as at looked at Elizabeth, with the slightest bit of lust, they'd be keelhauled. `Savvy!?`
Tossing the blanket aside, Elizabeth sat up, swung her feet over the side of the bed, and began to search for clothes. She had taken to dressing in men's clothes, though her soft features, low necklines, and other aspects of her anatomy, gave her away. Other than that she didn't look much different from the girl who'd been kidnapped two years prior. She had a few braids in her hair, compliments of Jack, and wore a tan bandana, compliments of Anamaria. The two women had become friends, once Elizabeth got used to life aboard a pirate ship, and felt more at ease, of course.
Adjusting the weathered piece of cloth about her head until she was satisfied, Elizabeth beamed at her own reflection, and headed out on deck. The thing that the majority of her storybooks had left out, was that life aboard a pirate ship wasn't adventure all day, everyday. Things could actually be quiet at times, even boring, but the fact that the only rules were guidelines, and everyone, for the most part, got along without anyone being better or worse, made up for it. There were men playing cards, even though the code had rules against gambling on board, some where playing instruments and dancing, and there was always, always, an abundance of rum, and those willing to drink it.
True, in the beginning she had believed that it was a vile drink, and would have no part of it. But, the fact was, that a lot of times the water wasn't fit to drink, so alcohol was all that was left. So, eventually Elizabeth gave in, though she hadn't developed Jack's swagger. Another thing she'd learned, was that, while Jack may have drank away god only knows how many brain cells, the man was simply made for walking on a ship. He was born with sea legs, and the land seemed to reject his feet. He swayed like the sea, either out of habit, or because it made people think he was so daft that it was easier to give in that to argue with him.
People took notice as the Captain's woman walked across the deck, there was an endless string of `Good mornin', Miss Elizabeth`'s, and she tried to return each one. She wasn't after special treatment, in fact, she made it a point to do whatever chores had to be, with everyone else, even though Jack had told her it wasn't necessary. So perhaps, she thought, they simply liked her, so she'd chalk the attention up to that.
Jack still stood at the helm, hair blowing in the breeze, as Elizabeth approached him. She brushed past, and kissed his cheek in greeting.
"How long have you been awake?" She asked, almost like a worried mother.
He shrugged, "Don't know-- awhile." Then a seductive grin appeared, "Why, d'ya miss me?"
She returned the grin, lacing her arm through his, she leaned into him, "You could say that."
"Ah," Jack nodded gravely, "so sorry, milady, I'll make it up to you later, on pain of death."
"Watch it, Jack Sparrow, I might just hold you to that."
They joked their way around it, but she truly was worried about him. Something was wrong, and she wanted to know what. The two smiled at each other for a moment, Elizabeth thought about ways she could pry the truth from him, and Jack debated giving up the helm to Gibbs and carrying Elizabeth back to their room to do a bit of plundering. The dutiful Captain half of his psyche won, and he stayed in place.
"Got any chores that need to be done?" Elizabeth finally asked after a minute.
Jack shrugged again, rather liking the fact that she was close, he looked around for anyone who might need assistance, "Don't know, you might try askin' Anamaria."
"Alright, if all else fails they may need help below," Mopping, repairing, things of that sort. Wasn't the most fun in the world, but Elizabeth liked to be busy.
She released her hold on his arm and turned on her heel, starting off in the opposite direction. Jack called after her, telling her not to stay gone too long, and she offered a smile before disappearing below decks in search of Anamaria. It had taken awhile to learn the twists and turns of the bowels of the Pearl, but finally she'd gotten the hang on it. She'd gotten the hang of most everything. Her search ended in the galley, which wasn't so much a `kitchen` as a storage and preparation room for all the food on board. Anamaria sat next to a rather large pile of potatoes, knife in hand, peeling them. Since there weren't many successful means of keeping things fresh, most of the food that was eaten didn't spoil easily. A lot of things were stored in barrels, in this particular room, though meat was nearly impossible to keep.
"Need a hand?"
Anamaria looked up from her chore and smiled at her friend. An upturned bucket lay next to her and she kicked it in Elizabeth's direction, motioning for her to take a seat.
"There's another knife `round `ere somewhere."
Elizabeth nodded after a few minutes of searching, finally located the knife. Taking a potato in her hand she began to peel, careful not to cut herself. It had happened before. Casting a glance around the room she noted that there wasn't as food as there needed to be, and they weren't very near a port. Anamaria seemed to notice her distress and laughed a bit.
"Don` worry, Beth, we're bound ta come across a ship soon. Merchant or otherwise."
By that she meant, a ship to raid. Elizabeth had gotten used to that aspect of a pirate's life too. It was, after all, the main part of the job description. Though, she'd never really gained the courage to call herself a pirate. She sailed with a pirate crew, shared a bed with a pirate captain, and had committed acts of piracy, still, the label was something that she didn't take. Part of her was afraid she'd be laughed at by the others, like perhaps they didn't think of her as a pirate. Part of it was the tiny bit of her that held onto the hope that she'd seen her father again someday. He was, after all, her only family. Not that was she wasn't content with her life, of course, it'd just be nice to pay a visit.
Elizabeth had actually been quite shocked that the Commodore hadn't sent out ships to look for her. Upon her departure from Port Royal she had left no note, only disappeared into the night. The only explanation was that Will had explained the situation when he'd returned home. Still, it didn't make sense that her father would simply comply with her wishes. She was certain he'd send a search party out to bring her home, kicking and screaming, if need be.
But no ships came.
The only other explanation she could think of was that they were simply impossible to find. The Caribbean was a large body of water, with countless islands, ports, and places to hide. Finding one ship would be like finding a needle in a haystack, if you didn't know where to look. When Jack had returned to Port Royal the previous year, Norrington had made no move to arrest him. But, if it was known that Jack had Elizabeth with him, it seemed very unlikely that anyone would just sit back and do nothing. Elizabeth didn't worry much though, it was only rarely that she thought about it. It didn't seem to bother Jack, so she wouldn't let it bother her either.
Topside there was a frenzy, everyone had jumped into action when a ship had been sighted: one flying a British flag. There was no cause for alarm, this sort of thing happened all the time. But, everyone had their own job to do. Gibbs awaited his orders, but none came, finally he addressed Jack.
"What say you, Cap'n?"
Jack thought for a moment, squinting against the sun, trying to determine which vessel he was about to encounter.
"Hoist the Roger, Gibbs, we'll give em a fair chance."
"Aye, sir."
Gibbs barked the order and several of the crewmen jumped into action. Jack's standard, the skull and crossed scimitars, was soon flying in the breeze.
Contrary to popular belief, and what our society has led us to believe, the Jolly Roger was not a sign of death. Once the black flag was raised, the ship that was to be raided knew that they had a period of time in which they were given a choice: surrender and be granted clemency, or fight to the death. In most cases, the merchant vessels surrendered, and no one was harmed. If the pirate was an honorable man, that is, and Jack was, by pirate standards or otherwise, a good man. If the vessel didn't surrender, then the red flag was raised, which meant bloodshed would ensue. Jack, personally, hated this option Make no mistake, though, gentle readers, he is a ruffian, a pirate, and a really bad egg. He is a thief and occasional drunkard, but not a murderer, so he made it policy not to kill anyone unless it was in defense of himself or his crew, or beloved ship, after all other options had been exhausted.
That was all well and good, but the ship they were coming up on, was a navy one. Generally the navy ships didn't want to surrender, it would make the entire fleet appear weak, and, most military men held a personal dislike for pirates. So it was to the suprise of everyone, when this particular vessel raised a white flag.
"Well then," Jack smiled, pleased with himself, as if he'd done something, "let's see what fine provisions `is majesty `as for us today."