Chapter 9: Admittance requested...
A week after the keelhauling incident, two things happened. The first was almost expected - Margaret died. The barnacles on the bottom of the ship had cut her to pieces, and caused infections. The second was unexpected. A storm blew into the river, and damaged four of the eight ships enough so they couldn't sail out. Another of the rules instructed that if one ship was unable to set sail when all were in port, no ship was to sail unless under direct orders from Will himself.
The Black Pearl, and the Dauntless, were undamaged, along with two of the higher ranking fleet ships, and the crews of the two wanted to sail out, in time to catch the passenger ships. Will denied their requests, with the comment that it was far better to catch the merchant ships, as they carried a higher loot. Jack agreed.
Since the keelhauling, Jack had said very little about rules and laws. Will Jr. and Louisa had explained the most important rules to remember when on the isle to Jamie and Isabelle, but had let Elizabeth and Will to explain the entire set of rules to Jack and Anamaria with the instruction to pass them along to their crew. But Jack hadn't pushed any point at all, even the ones he didn't agree with. Everyone who knew him thought this was very... unusual... to say the least.
Finally, Will couldn't take it any longer. "Jack - you have never, in all the years I've known you, and sailed with you, stayed quiet unless you're sleeping. What the hell is wrong? What's in your head that's got you behaving so strangely?"
Jack, being the pirate he is, had been offended. "I happen to be talking quite a it, thank ye very much. I'll have ye know that when a pirate is quiet, it means he's forming a plan of sorts, an' because I been quiet fer so long in *your* company don't mean that I ain't talkin' a'tall, savvy?" Will nodded, and waited for him to continue. "I've been itchin' fer a new adventure, Will. There's not much that makes me think long an' hard 'bout somethin' but I don' want t' end up a cursed man again, even if it were only temporary an' t' kill a good-fer-nothin' ex-firstmate, savvy?"
At this point Jack stood up and walked to the window. It was different to being on a ship, and as before, he couldn't stay still for long. "There's a treasure I heard of, on my travels, an' I can find out the bearing's fer it. But I don't know if there be a curse attached or no'. Ye ever heard o' Cap'n Grey? Captain o' the Spanish Rose? The Rose sailed i' the Caribbean long a'fore I was walkin' round at knee high t' a sailor, an' she were feared by all. Even me father, Cap'n o' the original Pearl ship, the Red Pearl, were scared o' the stories 'bout Grey.... He was a fearsome man, Grey, an' he didn't like to be defied a'tall. He killed off 'alf 'is crew fer sayin' they wanted t' take a break on land.
'Now, you know as well as I that a man cannae stay off land forever - but Grey did. Once 'e got the Rose, 'e didn't go to land 'cept to bury 'is treasure, an' restock 'is ship. He was a true pirate, Will. More pirate than any pirate before, an' ever will be, savvy?" Jack paused, and Will sat back in his chair. The bottles of rum between them were growing less and less, and still neither of them were drunk, or even close.
Will was slightly confused, "What is Grey's treasure then? Ye've told me a little, but ye ain't told me what ye plannin' t' do!" Jack walked away from the window, and sat back down at the table. "Will, Grey found the ultimate treasure! Have ye ever heard th' old myth from the Greeks, about King Midas? How he were so greedy he chose to have the ability to change anything to gold with a single touch? It weren't a myth, Will. It's true, an' I got the proof!"
Pausing in his story, he reached for the small leather pouch attached to his belt. Inside was two things. The first was a spherical, gold object. It was marked with intricate lines, and markings, but it wasn't heavy, and it didn't appear to be worth much. The other was something completely different. It was a statue of a bird about to take off in flight. It, too, was gold, but there was no way it could have been carved by a person, no matter how small their hands.
"That, Will, is a blue-tail bird. It was in the triangle, along wi' a lot of other things, including th' map." Jack indicated to the sphere, and Will picked it up, examining it curiously. "This is a map? A map of what?" Jack grinned, "That is a map of the world, my friend. It shows where Grey's treasure is!"
Will still didn't look very convinced. "Jack, ye can't jus' turn up, out of nowhere, after twenty years of being gone from the face of the earth, and expect me t' drop everythin' to help you find a treasure that is shown on a sphere!" Jack sighed, "Will, ye never change, do ye? When I met ye, you were a block-headed fool who thought 'e knew what 'e was doin'! This is a map, Will, an' I know how t' read it. If ye don't think the bird is proof enough, then come along an' see fer yeself. I have papers that tell what Grey's treasure actually is, an' what King Midas used fer his hand in the Greek myths!"
Will leaned forwards in the chair, and took another swig of rum from the bottle in front of him. "What exactly are ye plannin' t' do, Captain Sparrow?" jack laughed, "Find the treasure, Will. Exactly what every other good pirate would do in my situation! But there's sure t' be a curse... an' I doubt ye'd like t' be mixed up in something like that, what with needin' t' be here t' keelhaul women who hurt Elizabeth...."
Will took a double take. "You saw that?" Jack nodded, "Aye, I did. An' I don't think that killin' off every woman who thinks she be in love wit' ye a good idea." Will shook his head. "It doesn't always kill them, 'sides, it's not just for people who threaten Elizabeth - it's for whoever threatens anyone's wife or girlfriend. What would ye do to someone who tried t' kill Anamaria?" Will had him there, and he knew it. "Aye, I see yer point, Will. Tis a pity that girl died though... she looks to have made a good tavern mistress!"
Will laughed, and their topic of conversation turned back to everyday things, each tactfully avoiding the topic of Grey's treasure.
*****
Louisa and Jamie were becoming fast friends, much to Will Jr.'s disappointment. Will and Jamie hadn't seen eye to eye since they'd properly met, although Louisa and Isabelle didn't seem to notice. The four had taken to hanging around together, with the two girls in the middle. Isabelle had opened up a lot, though she still blushed when she was around Will.
"Ye never did tell me what else ye get called!" complained Louisa to Jamie in jest. He laughed, and nodded, "I only get called one other thing, Cannonfire. I get called Red Jamie, after my grandfather's ship, the Red Pearl. An' also cause Da found me completely drenched in blood one day, an' called me Blood-red fer a while. Red Jamie jus' stuck, so that is th' only other thing I get called!"
The shoreline just beyond the village was rugged, but if need be, there was the possibility to have it cleaned up and made livable. This is where Louisa and Jamie took to hanging around when they wanted to be by themselves. They were kindred spirits, one could say, and they found in each other what they were missing in themselves. Both didn't seem to belong where they were, and both didn't have any way of finding their own paths. Jamie was destined to become a pirate, like his father, and the rest of his ancestors, whereas Louisa could choose between piracy and nobility.
This day, they were sitting on the shore at the point where the river met the sea. Foam from the mouth of the river, where the big waves were, sprayed them whenever a wave swept in, but neither cared. Louisa spoke up suddenly, causing Jamie to jump slightly. "What was it like in the triangle? I mean... how can you live somewhere where so many people have been killed, or lost, or whatever happened? Why did you get out when no one else has?"
Jamie looked at the ground, and Louisa saw him tense slightly. She hurriedly tried to fix her mistake. "I didn't mean it, you don't have to answer that... just ignore me...." He shook his head, and looked up. "No, it's all right. I did wonder when you were going to ask. The triangle is just like here, except it's smaller. There's three or four islands, the smallest being about the size of here. And no one who's been lost to the triangle has died. Some of the people there are over 500 years old... you age to how old you'd be when you would die in the real world, then you stay that age forever. If those people left the triangle now, though, they'd be dead before they could even breathe free air."
He paused, obviously remembering life inside the triangle. "I've spent my whole life in there, Cannonfire. I wasn't old enough to remember life out here, and I was curious. Da wanted to get out, to get back here. He obsessed about it, and ma'ma thought he was going mad, even madder than he is now, if that's possible! He found a way out, and took the Pearl with him. Isabelle wanted to get out too - she was born in there, so she wanted to know where she came from. There was a revolt, and many tried to kill Da, but he made it out, with the crew intact. One or two died when they reached the open air, but they knew the risks. I don't know how we got out, when no one else ever has, but I know that other's are going to be claimed by the triangle."
Louisa hugged her knee's to her chest and sighed, "I've always thought the triangle was a scary place... you know, mist and spooky things..." Jamie cut her off, "It is. There wasn't a day when there wasn't fog covering everything, and when you were on land, there always seemed to be water up to your knees, even when you could see your feet. And the noises... some of them had Da running for the Pearl, and it takes a lot to scare Da, you should know that from the stories I've heard here on the shore. Your father's men are scared of Da... he's almost a myth to them!"
Louisa smiled. "I know. He was always someone I wanted to meet, when I was growing up. But I thought I never get the chance! I'm glad I did, though. And I'm glad I met you...."
Jamie stood up, and helped Louisa to her feet. "C'mon, we'd best be getting' back, afore all the ships are fixed, an' they sail off without us sayin' goodbye!"
Louisa grinned, "Aye! I'd hate fer ye to miss sayin' goodbye t' me goin' with Da!" Jamie chased her back to the village, both of them laughing the whole way. The adventure wasn't too far away, and everyone knew it. There was something in the air that whispered about things still to come, and things to happen. No, the adventure wasn't too far away....
A week after the keelhauling incident, two things happened. The first was almost expected - Margaret died. The barnacles on the bottom of the ship had cut her to pieces, and caused infections. The second was unexpected. A storm blew into the river, and damaged four of the eight ships enough so they couldn't sail out. Another of the rules instructed that if one ship was unable to set sail when all were in port, no ship was to sail unless under direct orders from Will himself.
The Black Pearl, and the Dauntless, were undamaged, along with two of the higher ranking fleet ships, and the crews of the two wanted to sail out, in time to catch the passenger ships. Will denied their requests, with the comment that it was far better to catch the merchant ships, as they carried a higher loot. Jack agreed.
Since the keelhauling, Jack had said very little about rules and laws. Will Jr. and Louisa had explained the most important rules to remember when on the isle to Jamie and Isabelle, but had let Elizabeth and Will to explain the entire set of rules to Jack and Anamaria with the instruction to pass them along to their crew. But Jack hadn't pushed any point at all, even the ones he didn't agree with. Everyone who knew him thought this was very... unusual... to say the least.
Finally, Will couldn't take it any longer. "Jack - you have never, in all the years I've known you, and sailed with you, stayed quiet unless you're sleeping. What the hell is wrong? What's in your head that's got you behaving so strangely?"
Jack, being the pirate he is, had been offended. "I happen to be talking quite a it, thank ye very much. I'll have ye know that when a pirate is quiet, it means he's forming a plan of sorts, an' because I been quiet fer so long in *your* company don't mean that I ain't talkin' a'tall, savvy?" Will nodded, and waited for him to continue. "I've been itchin' fer a new adventure, Will. There's not much that makes me think long an' hard 'bout somethin' but I don' want t' end up a cursed man again, even if it were only temporary an' t' kill a good-fer-nothin' ex-firstmate, savvy?"
At this point Jack stood up and walked to the window. It was different to being on a ship, and as before, he couldn't stay still for long. "There's a treasure I heard of, on my travels, an' I can find out the bearing's fer it. But I don't know if there be a curse attached or no'. Ye ever heard o' Cap'n Grey? Captain o' the Spanish Rose? The Rose sailed i' the Caribbean long a'fore I was walkin' round at knee high t' a sailor, an' she were feared by all. Even me father, Cap'n o' the original Pearl ship, the Red Pearl, were scared o' the stories 'bout Grey.... He was a fearsome man, Grey, an' he didn't like to be defied a'tall. He killed off 'alf 'is crew fer sayin' they wanted t' take a break on land.
'Now, you know as well as I that a man cannae stay off land forever - but Grey did. Once 'e got the Rose, 'e didn't go to land 'cept to bury 'is treasure, an' restock 'is ship. He was a true pirate, Will. More pirate than any pirate before, an' ever will be, savvy?" Jack paused, and Will sat back in his chair. The bottles of rum between them were growing less and less, and still neither of them were drunk, or even close.
Will was slightly confused, "What is Grey's treasure then? Ye've told me a little, but ye ain't told me what ye plannin' t' do!" Jack walked away from the window, and sat back down at the table. "Will, Grey found the ultimate treasure! Have ye ever heard th' old myth from the Greeks, about King Midas? How he were so greedy he chose to have the ability to change anything to gold with a single touch? It weren't a myth, Will. It's true, an' I got the proof!"
Pausing in his story, he reached for the small leather pouch attached to his belt. Inside was two things. The first was a spherical, gold object. It was marked with intricate lines, and markings, but it wasn't heavy, and it didn't appear to be worth much. The other was something completely different. It was a statue of a bird about to take off in flight. It, too, was gold, but there was no way it could have been carved by a person, no matter how small their hands.
"That, Will, is a blue-tail bird. It was in the triangle, along wi' a lot of other things, including th' map." Jack indicated to the sphere, and Will picked it up, examining it curiously. "This is a map? A map of what?" Jack grinned, "That is a map of the world, my friend. It shows where Grey's treasure is!"
Will still didn't look very convinced. "Jack, ye can't jus' turn up, out of nowhere, after twenty years of being gone from the face of the earth, and expect me t' drop everythin' to help you find a treasure that is shown on a sphere!" Jack sighed, "Will, ye never change, do ye? When I met ye, you were a block-headed fool who thought 'e knew what 'e was doin'! This is a map, Will, an' I know how t' read it. If ye don't think the bird is proof enough, then come along an' see fer yeself. I have papers that tell what Grey's treasure actually is, an' what King Midas used fer his hand in the Greek myths!"
Will leaned forwards in the chair, and took another swig of rum from the bottle in front of him. "What exactly are ye plannin' t' do, Captain Sparrow?" jack laughed, "Find the treasure, Will. Exactly what every other good pirate would do in my situation! But there's sure t' be a curse... an' I doubt ye'd like t' be mixed up in something like that, what with needin' t' be here t' keelhaul women who hurt Elizabeth...."
Will took a double take. "You saw that?" Jack nodded, "Aye, I did. An' I don't think that killin' off every woman who thinks she be in love wit' ye a good idea." Will shook his head. "It doesn't always kill them, 'sides, it's not just for people who threaten Elizabeth - it's for whoever threatens anyone's wife or girlfriend. What would ye do to someone who tried t' kill Anamaria?" Will had him there, and he knew it. "Aye, I see yer point, Will. Tis a pity that girl died though... she looks to have made a good tavern mistress!"
Will laughed, and their topic of conversation turned back to everyday things, each tactfully avoiding the topic of Grey's treasure.
*****
Louisa and Jamie were becoming fast friends, much to Will Jr.'s disappointment. Will and Jamie hadn't seen eye to eye since they'd properly met, although Louisa and Isabelle didn't seem to notice. The four had taken to hanging around together, with the two girls in the middle. Isabelle had opened up a lot, though she still blushed when she was around Will.
"Ye never did tell me what else ye get called!" complained Louisa to Jamie in jest. He laughed, and nodded, "I only get called one other thing, Cannonfire. I get called Red Jamie, after my grandfather's ship, the Red Pearl. An' also cause Da found me completely drenched in blood one day, an' called me Blood-red fer a while. Red Jamie jus' stuck, so that is th' only other thing I get called!"
The shoreline just beyond the village was rugged, but if need be, there was the possibility to have it cleaned up and made livable. This is where Louisa and Jamie took to hanging around when they wanted to be by themselves. They were kindred spirits, one could say, and they found in each other what they were missing in themselves. Both didn't seem to belong where they were, and both didn't have any way of finding their own paths. Jamie was destined to become a pirate, like his father, and the rest of his ancestors, whereas Louisa could choose between piracy and nobility.
This day, they were sitting on the shore at the point where the river met the sea. Foam from the mouth of the river, where the big waves were, sprayed them whenever a wave swept in, but neither cared. Louisa spoke up suddenly, causing Jamie to jump slightly. "What was it like in the triangle? I mean... how can you live somewhere where so many people have been killed, or lost, or whatever happened? Why did you get out when no one else has?"
Jamie looked at the ground, and Louisa saw him tense slightly. She hurriedly tried to fix her mistake. "I didn't mean it, you don't have to answer that... just ignore me...." He shook his head, and looked up. "No, it's all right. I did wonder when you were going to ask. The triangle is just like here, except it's smaller. There's three or four islands, the smallest being about the size of here. And no one who's been lost to the triangle has died. Some of the people there are over 500 years old... you age to how old you'd be when you would die in the real world, then you stay that age forever. If those people left the triangle now, though, they'd be dead before they could even breathe free air."
He paused, obviously remembering life inside the triangle. "I've spent my whole life in there, Cannonfire. I wasn't old enough to remember life out here, and I was curious. Da wanted to get out, to get back here. He obsessed about it, and ma'ma thought he was going mad, even madder than he is now, if that's possible! He found a way out, and took the Pearl with him. Isabelle wanted to get out too - she was born in there, so she wanted to know where she came from. There was a revolt, and many tried to kill Da, but he made it out, with the crew intact. One or two died when they reached the open air, but they knew the risks. I don't know how we got out, when no one else ever has, but I know that other's are going to be claimed by the triangle."
Louisa hugged her knee's to her chest and sighed, "I've always thought the triangle was a scary place... you know, mist and spooky things..." Jamie cut her off, "It is. There wasn't a day when there wasn't fog covering everything, and when you were on land, there always seemed to be water up to your knees, even when you could see your feet. And the noises... some of them had Da running for the Pearl, and it takes a lot to scare Da, you should know that from the stories I've heard here on the shore. Your father's men are scared of Da... he's almost a myth to them!"
Louisa smiled. "I know. He was always someone I wanted to meet, when I was growing up. But I thought I never get the chance! I'm glad I did, though. And I'm glad I met you...."
Jamie stood up, and helped Louisa to her feet. "C'mon, we'd best be getting' back, afore all the ships are fixed, an' they sail off without us sayin' goodbye!"
Louisa grinned, "Aye! I'd hate fer ye to miss sayin' goodbye t' me goin' with Da!" Jamie chased her back to the village, both of them laughing the whole way. The adventure wasn't too far away, and everyone knew it. There was something in the air that whispered about things still to come, and things to happen. No, the adventure wasn't too far away....
