Chapter 7: Reunited we stand
The ship in the distance looked like a regular run of the mill passenger ship. There was a high possibility that it was a ship that had taken people from England to Port Royal, and was returning to it's home, but there was something about it that sent chills down Will Turner's spine.
Sure, it had black sails, but there were heaps of ships that had black sails on the water now. And, true, it was fast enough to outstrip a merchant ship without too much effort, but there was just something about it....
The Dauntless, once the pride of the King's Navy, now the pride of the fleet of Caribbean Pirates, was a heavy-set ship. It had the ability to sink a passenger or merchant ship within an hour, and what it lacked in speed it made up with power.
The crew lived up to the name of the ship. They were, well, dauntless. Not one member of the crew had ever shown any sign of outward fear, no matter if they were trembling to death on the inside, and they had no insecurities about ransacking and pillaging other ships, ports, or towns they came across. But the one thing that each of them feared most was the Black Pearl.
The stories of the Pearl had lived on after it's disappearance, and many stories came back that the Pearl had been seen in the midst of storms, and through the fog. To make matters worse, for the crew, their Captain was on a first name basis with the Captain of the Black Pearl. This fact alone could have stopped any chances of mutiny, but Will also had the ability to beat any person, alive or dead, when it came to one-on-one sword fighting.
Will himself climbed to the crow's nest to check the ship, instead of sending up one of his men. He wasn't surprized to see the black and white Jolly Roger flying. Using the hilt and barrel of his pistol as a handhold, he slid back down the rigging, landing near the helm. Will Turner Jnr was at the wheel, and the senior pushed him away. "Raise the Jolly Roger in return, Nine-Cat, an' raise the black flag along wi' it!"
The black flag was something Will's fleet had in common. If one ship raised the Jolly Roger, and it was followed in suit, the black flag was raised to see if it were a member of the fleet of Caribbean Pirates. If the ship did not raise a black flag in return, then it was to be considered that they were strangers, and it was customary to pull alongside one another to sort details.
Several minutes after both flags were flying at topmast, the second ship did a surprising thing. Will knew that all of the other ships in his fleet were safely in the isle canal, but the second ship raised a makeshift black flag, which looked to be someone's shirt.
Before long, the ships were close enough to yell comments between one another, but not close enough to see the other pirate's faces. The fact that there was obviously three women on board didn't help much, as no pirate ship in the fleet was allowed to take a woman on board until it had been cleared by Will.
*****
On board the Black Pearl, it had been Louisa who'd told Jack to raise a black flag. Insulted, he'd said, "Th' Jolly Roger ain't good enough fer Will Turner?" Louisa had laughed, spun him round, and pointed out the pirate flag floating above the black flag. "Oh," was his reply, "Well, what we be needin' t' raise a black flag fer?"
Louisa took several minutes to explain the concept of the black flag, finishing with, "He'll know ye don't mean harm if ye raise the black flag! Ye gotta have some spare sail cloth 'round 'ere somewhere!"
A crew member who happened to be standing a little to close to Jack, wearing a black shirt, didn't have it on for much longer. "Ay! You wi' the black shirt! We need a flag - gi'e it o'er!"
The shirt was tied to the second flag mast and hoisted up, just as the Dauntless set her course towards the Pearl.
When they reached the yelling close point, Anamaria pulled Louisa and Isabelle to the bow, where they could be easily seen by Will's ship. "P'raps he'll know we don't mean no harm when 'e sees a couple o' women on board, eh?" asked Isabelle, almost nervously. She of them all had the most right to be almost afraid - she knew nothing of Will Bootstrap Turner.
Anamaria laughed. "Not a't'all, lass - if we stand up 'ere where Will can get a look a' us, 'e'll see that we have Louisa wi' us, along wi' others, so there is a reason t' stop."
Isabelle nodded, "Aye, I can see now." Louisa waved to her father - the Dauntless was closer, and she could see he was standing at the bow of the ship - McKenzie had to be at the helm. Her father waved back, along with her brother, who was standing beside him.
Within minutes, both ships were side by side, and Will jumped ship to the Pearl. Louisa was glad to see a familiar face, and hugged her father almost before he'd stopped moving. He laughed, "Ye that glad t' see me, are ye?" Louisa nodded against his chest, "Aye, ye have no idea how dull noblemen are!"
Will held his daughter at arm's length and studied her carefully. "Are ye the same person I sent t' Port Royal? That girl didnae want t' live a pirate's life... and now ye stand 'ere an' tell me it's dull? Christ girl, make ye mind up!"
Louisa laughed, and Anamaria stood forwards. "Hello, Will. Haven't seen you for a while." Will took a double take. "Holy mother of god... Anamaria! It's been... twenty years! Where's ye scurvy Captain, then? Hidin'?"
Jack stepped down from the helm. "An' why exactly would I be hidin' from the likes of you, may I ask? Jus' cause I ain't seen ye for twenty or so years don' mean I lost me nerve, or the like. I think I can still take ye on, no matter what ye think of yeself!" Will held his gaze for a minute, and Louisa felt as though time had stopped.
Finally, both men grinned at once, and grapsed one another's arms in a man-hug of sorts. Louisa almost sighed with relief. Will laughed, "It's good t' have ye back in the Caribbean, Jack. Ye plannin' t' leave again any time soon?"
Jack shook his head. "Not on the likely, Will. Not on the likely!"
Both Captain's walked back towards the helm, and Anamaria looked at Isabelle. "I don' know what's th' matter wi' ye, Bella, but ye ain't said a word since 'e boarded."
Isabelle seemed to have been startled by her mother's voice. "What? Oh... I just... I just didnae think it right t' speak when Da hasnae seen him fer so long...." Anamaria looked in the direction Isabelle had been staring, and laughed softly - Will Turner Junior was still at the bow of the boat, talking animatedly with his sister, who was still standing on the Pearl. And Isabelle had gone back to staring at him.
Anamaria shook her head, and walked to where Jack and Will had gone. The two were talking, discussing everything from the recent weather (yeah, I know, but that's men for ya!) to how many ships Will had in his fleet (there's 6, by the way - and he gets 25% of each ships plunder. Most of it goes back into upgrading the village though - he's not *that* greedy! [besides, Elizabeth would never let him keep it all!]).
One thing that no one onboard the Pearl had yet mentioned, though, was how they escaped from the Bermuda Triangle, and what it had been like inside. Will knew, from some of the things Jack was saying, that they actually *had* been inside the triangle, but he didn't dare to press the point. Jack was unpredictable at the best of times, and asking something he hadn't mentioned could cause any amount of trouble.
"Ye can't tell me ye got this far without doin' something stupid?" Jack said after hearing how many ships were in the fleet. Will shook his head. "I've done plenty of stupid things, some of 'em worse than threatening to shoot meself in front o' a whole bunch o' pirates!" Jack shook his head; "An ye ain't dead. Amazing!"
A few minutes later, Will reboarded his own ship, giving instructions to set sail for home full flight, "Don't worry 'bout the Pearl, she'll keep up with us!" There wasn't much that could change now Jack Sparrow was back in the Caribbean... or was there?
The ship in the distance looked like a regular run of the mill passenger ship. There was a high possibility that it was a ship that had taken people from England to Port Royal, and was returning to it's home, but there was something about it that sent chills down Will Turner's spine.
Sure, it had black sails, but there were heaps of ships that had black sails on the water now. And, true, it was fast enough to outstrip a merchant ship without too much effort, but there was just something about it....
The Dauntless, once the pride of the King's Navy, now the pride of the fleet of Caribbean Pirates, was a heavy-set ship. It had the ability to sink a passenger or merchant ship within an hour, and what it lacked in speed it made up with power.
The crew lived up to the name of the ship. They were, well, dauntless. Not one member of the crew had ever shown any sign of outward fear, no matter if they were trembling to death on the inside, and they had no insecurities about ransacking and pillaging other ships, ports, or towns they came across. But the one thing that each of them feared most was the Black Pearl.
The stories of the Pearl had lived on after it's disappearance, and many stories came back that the Pearl had been seen in the midst of storms, and through the fog. To make matters worse, for the crew, their Captain was on a first name basis with the Captain of the Black Pearl. This fact alone could have stopped any chances of mutiny, but Will also had the ability to beat any person, alive or dead, when it came to one-on-one sword fighting.
Will himself climbed to the crow's nest to check the ship, instead of sending up one of his men. He wasn't surprized to see the black and white Jolly Roger flying. Using the hilt and barrel of his pistol as a handhold, he slid back down the rigging, landing near the helm. Will Turner Jnr was at the wheel, and the senior pushed him away. "Raise the Jolly Roger in return, Nine-Cat, an' raise the black flag along wi' it!"
The black flag was something Will's fleet had in common. If one ship raised the Jolly Roger, and it was followed in suit, the black flag was raised to see if it were a member of the fleet of Caribbean Pirates. If the ship did not raise a black flag in return, then it was to be considered that they were strangers, and it was customary to pull alongside one another to sort details.
Several minutes after both flags were flying at topmast, the second ship did a surprising thing. Will knew that all of the other ships in his fleet were safely in the isle canal, but the second ship raised a makeshift black flag, which looked to be someone's shirt.
Before long, the ships were close enough to yell comments between one another, but not close enough to see the other pirate's faces. The fact that there was obviously three women on board didn't help much, as no pirate ship in the fleet was allowed to take a woman on board until it had been cleared by Will.
*****
On board the Black Pearl, it had been Louisa who'd told Jack to raise a black flag. Insulted, he'd said, "Th' Jolly Roger ain't good enough fer Will Turner?" Louisa had laughed, spun him round, and pointed out the pirate flag floating above the black flag. "Oh," was his reply, "Well, what we be needin' t' raise a black flag fer?"
Louisa took several minutes to explain the concept of the black flag, finishing with, "He'll know ye don't mean harm if ye raise the black flag! Ye gotta have some spare sail cloth 'round 'ere somewhere!"
A crew member who happened to be standing a little to close to Jack, wearing a black shirt, didn't have it on for much longer. "Ay! You wi' the black shirt! We need a flag - gi'e it o'er!"
The shirt was tied to the second flag mast and hoisted up, just as the Dauntless set her course towards the Pearl.
When they reached the yelling close point, Anamaria pulled Louisa and Isabelle to the bow, where they could be easily seen by Will's ship. "P'raps he'll know we don't mean no harm when 'e sees a couple o' women on board, eh?" asked Isabelle, almost nervously. She of them all had the most right to be almost afraid - she knew nothing of Will Bootstrap Turner.
Anamaria laughed. "Not a't'all, lass - if we stand up 'ere where Will can get a look a' us, 'e'll see that we have Louisa wi' us, along wi' others, so there is a reason t' stop."
Isabelle nodded, "Aye, I can see now." Louisa waved to her father - the Dauntless was closer, and she could see he was standing at the bow of the ship - McKenzie had to be at the helm. Her father waved back, along with her brother, who was standing beside him.
Within minutes, both ships were side by side, and Will jumped ship to the Pearl. Louisa was glad to see a familiar face, and hugged her father almost before he'd stopped moving. He laughed, "Ye that glad t' see me, are ye?" Louisa nodded against his chest, "Aye, ye have no idea how dull noblemen are!"
Will held his daughter at arm's length and studied her carefully. "Are ye the same person I sent t' Port Royal? That girl didnae want t' live a pirate's life... and now ye stand 'ere an' tell me it's dull? Christ girl, make ye mind up!"
Louisa laughed, and Anamaria stood forwards. "Hello, Will. Haven't seen you for a while." Will took a double take. "Holy mother of god... Anamaria! It's been... twenty years! Where's ye scurvy Captain, then? Hidin'?"
Jack stepped down from the helm. "An' why exactly would I be hidin' from the likes of you, may I ask? Jus' cause I ain't seen ye for twenty or so years don' mean I lost me nerve, or the like. I think I can still take ye on, no matter what ye think of yeself!" Will held his gaze for a minute, and Louisa felt as though time had stopped.
Finally, both men grinned at once, and grapsed one another's arms in a man-hug of sorts. Louisa almost sighed with relief. Will laughed, "It's good t' have ye back in the Caribbean, Jack. Ye plannin' t' leave again any time soon?"
Jack shook his head. "Not on the likely, Will. Not on the likely!"
Both Captain's walked back towards the helm, and Anamaria looked at Isabelle. "I don' know what's th' matter wi' ye, Bella, but ye ain't said a word since 'e boarded."
Isabelle seemed to have been startled by her mother's voice. "What? Oh... I just... I just didnae think it right t' speak when Da hasnae seen him fer so long...." Anamaria looked in the direction Isabelle had been staring, and laughed softly - Will Turner Junior was still at the bow of the boat, talking animatedly with his sister, who was still standing on the Pearl. And Isabelle had gone back to staring at him.
Anamaria shook her head, and walked to where Jack and Will had gone. The two were talking, discussing everything from the recent weather (yeah, I know, but that's men for ya!) to how many ships Will had in his fleet (there's 6, by the way - and he gets 25% of each ships plunder. Most of it goes back into upgrading the village though - he's not *that* greedy! [besides, Elizabeth would never let him keep it all!]).
One thing that no one onboard the Pearl had yet mentioned, though, was how they escaped from the Bermuda Triangle, and what it had been like inside. Will knew, from some of the things Jack was saying, that they actually *had* been inside the triangle, but he didn't dare to press the point. Jack was unpredictable at the best of times, and asking something he hadn't mentioned could cause any amount of trouble.
"Ye can't tell me ye got this far without doin' something stupid?" Jack said after hearing how many ships were in the fleet. Will shook his head. "I've done plenty of stupid things, some of 'em worse than threatening to shoot meself in front o' a whole bunch o' pirates!" Jack shook his head; "An ye ain't dead. Amazing!"
A few minutes later, Will reboarded his own ship, giving instructions to set sail for home full flight, "Don't worry 'bout the Pearl, she'll keep up with us!" There wasn't much that could change now Jack Sparrow was back in the Caribbean... or was there?
