Chapter Six
Elizabeth Swann's eyes delicately fluttered open, the early morning
sunlight pouring in through her bedroom window. She rolled over in bed
and smiled, glancing down at the small but beautiful engagement ring on
her finger. Since she and Will had been together, they'd moved into the
Governor's mansion with her father (her father, Governor Swann, refused
to let his daughter sleep in a tight little house above the blacksmith's
shop).
Will was gone, already at work presumably. She sat up, ready to get
dressed for the day when she heard the Commodore's voice in her father's
office below her bedroom.
Her curiosity sparked and she jumped out of bed, pulling a dress on,
flying down the stairs and standing outside her father's office,
eavesdropping intently and wondering what it was that the Commodore could
possibly want. Another arranged marriage, perhaps?
"Governor, it is my professional opinion that we take charge immediately.
He's already been out at sea longer than we can afford to have him
missing and I think it best that we send our troops out at once to bring
him back into justice."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. What kind of hoity-toity path of righteousness
could he possibly searching for now? And could he suck-up any further?
"And I think your final say in this matter Governor Swann is the true
ticket to bringing this criminal down."
Question answered.
"Well, James......... it does sound like a very promising idea. You are right,
I don't believe it wise to leave such a man on the loose when under your
colors, the Royal Navy can bring him down easily."
"Thank you, sir. Shall I prepare the troops at once then?"
"I've noticed that your plans need no revision. Therefore I see no reason
why we should have any more delay." Elizabeth's heart quickened a little
bit when she began to realize who they were talking about. It had been
exactly one month, one month to this day that Jack Sparrow had saved not
only her life, but Will's life, and escaped from Norrington's clutches in
a quite heroic, she had to admit, display. Norrington's exact words were
"I think we can afford to give him ONE day's head start." It'd been a
little more than a day, true, but that didn't mean his intentions had
changed.
She had to be sure. She knocked gently on the door before pressing it
open and stepping in.
"Why, Elizabeth, good to see you finally awake," her father chimed, a
grin spread across his face. He sat at his desk, a map spread out in
front of him and the commodore hunched over it, pausing to glance up at
Elizabeth as she entered the room.
"Good morning, father. Commodore," she nodded her head in his direction.
"Gentlemen, I couldn't help but overhear on my way downstairs, but who
might be the criminal you are searching for?"
"Jack Sparrow, Miss Elizabeth," Norrington cleared his throat and rolled
up the map, tucking it under his arm.
"What?!" she gasped, knowing at once her instinct had been correct.
"But—but you can't!"
"Elizabeth, darling, I know you are grateful to Mr. Sparrow for what he's
done for YOU but you must realize that he HAS led a life of piracy and
must once and for all be brought to justice!"
"Who's justice?!" Elizabeth spat. "Yours?? Or the Commodore's?!? And need
I remind you he did save my life on several occasions. If it weren't for
him, I would not be standing here having this conversation with you right
now and Will certainly wouldn't be my fiancé!" she was almost in tears,
for she knew how clever the Commodore was and how it wouldn't take him
long to track down Jack and bring her friend to an untimely death.
"Miss Swann, we are aware of the few good deeds Sparrow has done for us,
but I agreed to give him one day's head start and it has been well over a
day. You must understand that he IS a criminal."
"He is NOT a criminal!" Elizabeth shouted. "He's a pirate; there's a
difference!! And if you are going to hang him because he is a pirate you
might as well hang me and Will too because our children someday will have
pirate blood!" she continued.
Her father was about to say something but she interrupted him. "No. I've
heard enough." She glared at both of them angrily before turning out of
the room and throwing open the front door, running as fast as she could
towards town where she would surely find Will at the Blacksmith's shop,
knowing she had to come up with a plan to warn Jack.
--- --- ---
"Jack, you've had too much to drink," Annamaria drearily said as she
watched Jack continue on his rantings. She and Gibbs sat on the deck of
the Black Pearl in the early morning sunshine, listening to Jack as he
babbled on and on about his encounter the previous night.
"No I 'aven't! She's here, I saw her with me own eyes!" he continued, his
eyes wide with excitement and his hands flying about as he insisted that
his story was true. "Ana, she was tellin' the truth when Barbossa and his
crew of miscreants marooned me. She was pregnant and today we have a
little girl."
"A girl? I always pictured ye havin' a boy," Annamaria grinned. "How are
YOU gonna raise a girl, Jack??"
"Gibbs!" Jack dropped to his knees in front of his first mate, his hands
continuing to make wild gestures as he spoke, as they so often did.
"Aye, captain?" Gibbs reeled back a little bit, a little stunned at
Jack's sudden eagerness to, well, everything.
"Ye remember the little girl we met in the marketplace yesterday mornin'?
The one who I actually have to go meet within the hour to teach her how
to be a pirate??"
"Aye........."
"She's mine! Her name is Anna Pearl Sparrow, and apparently she prefers
to go by Annie."
"Aye Captain, we learned her name yesterday."
"No! I mean, yes we did, but I learnt it again last night when Katie told
me." He rose to his feet again. "O'course she did ask me not to approach
Annie until she had the chance to talk to her......... that means I'll be
breakin' me first promise to me little girl I've ever made!"
"Oh, Jack, I'll go down there and teach her how to be a pirate if it
means that bloody much to ye," Annamaria offered. "Where did ye say ye
were going to meet her?"
"There's a candy stand down in the market run by a plump woman......... right
there," he told her, a happy grin on his face. Annamaria lightly slapped
his cheek, pinching it just to annoy him before pulling her hat onto her
head.
She lowered a small boat into the water, getting ready to go ashore.
"I'll be back before sunset," she promised as the two men watched her row
away towards the shore.
---- --- ----
Elizabeth Swann's eyes delicately fluttered open, the early morning
sunlight pouring in through her bedroom window. She rolled over in bed
and smiled, glancing down at the small but beautiful engagement ring on
her finger. Since she and Will had been together, they'd moved into the
Governor's mansion with her father (her father, Governor Swann, refused
to let his daughter sleep in a tight little house above the blacksmith's
shop).
Will was gone, already at work presumably. She sat up, ready to get
dressed for the day when she heard the Commodore's voice in her father's
office below her bedroom.
Her curiosity sparked and she jumped out of bed, pulling a dress on,
flying down the stairs and standing outside her father's office,
eavesdropping intently and wondering what it was that the Commodore could
possibly want. Another arranged marriage, perhaps?
"Governor, it is my professional opinion that we take charge immediately.
He's already been out at sea longer than we can afford to have him
missing and I think it best that we send our troops out at once to bring
him back into justice."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. What kind of hoity-toity path of righteousness
could he possibly searching for now? And could he suck-up any further?
"And I think your final say in this matter Governor Swann is the true
ticket to bringing this criminal down."
Question answered.
"Well, James......... it does sound like a very promising idea. You are right,
I don't believe it wise to leave such a man on the loose when under your
colors, the Royal Navy can bring him down easily."
"Thank you, sir. Shall I prepare the troops at once then?"
"I've noticed that your plans need no revision. Therefore I see no reason
why we should have any more delay." Elizabeth's heart quickened a little
bit when she began to realize who they were talking about. It had been
exactly one month, one month to this day that Jack Sparrow had saved not
only her life, but Will's life, and escaped from Norrington's clutches in
a quite heroic, she had to admit, display. Norrington's exact words were
"I think we can afford to give him ONE day's head start." It'd been a
little more than a day, true, but that didn't mean his intentions had
changed.
She had to be sure. She knocked gently on the door before pressing it
open and stepping in.
"Why, Elizabeth, good to see you finally awake," her father chimed, a
grin spread across his face. He sat at his desk, a map spread out in
front of him and the commodore hunched over it, pausing to glance up at
Elizabeth as she entered the room.
"Good morning, father. Commodore," she nodded her head in his direction.
"Gentlemen, I couldn't help but overhear on my way downstairs, but who
might be the criminal you are searching for?"
"Jack Sparrow, Miss Elizabeth," Norrington cleared his throat and rolled
up the map, tucking it under his arm.
"What?!" she gasped, knowing at once her instinct had been correct.
"But—but you can't!"
"Elizabeth, darling, I know you are grateful to Mr. Sparrow for what he's
done for YOU but you must realize that he HAS led a life of piracy and
must once and for all be brought to justice!"
"Who's justice?!" Elizabeth spat. "Yours?? Or the Commodore's?!? And need
I remind you he did save my life on several occasions. If it weren't for
him, I would not be standing here having this conversation with you right
now and Will certainly wouldn't be my fiancé!" she was almost in tears,
for she knew how clever the Commodore was and how it wouldn't take him
long to track down Jack and bring her friend to an untimely death.
"Miss Swann, we are aware of the few good deeds Sparrow has done for us,
but I agreed to give him one day's head start and it has been well over a
day. You must understand that he IS a criminal."
"He is NOT a criminal!" Elizabeth shouted. "He's a pirate; there's a
difference!! And if you are going to hang him because he is a pirate you
might as well hang me and Will too because our children someday will have
pirate blood!" she continued.
Her father was about to say something but she interrupted him. "No. I've
heard enough." She glared at both of them angrily before turning out of
the room and throwing open the front door, running as fast as she could
towards town where she would surely find Will at the Blacksmith's shop,
knowing she had to come up with a plan to warn Jack.
--- --- ---
"Jack, you've had too much to drink," Annamaria drearily said as she
watched Jack continue on his rantings. She and Gibbs sat on the deck of
the Black Pearl in the early morning sunshine, listening to Jack as he
babbled on and on about his encounter the previous night.
"No I 'aven't! She's here, I saw her with me own eyes!" he continued, his
eyes wide with excitement and his hands flying about as he insisted that
his story was true. "Ana, she was tellin' the truth when Barbossa and his
crew of miscreants marooned me. She was pregnant and today we have a
little girl."
"A girl? I always pictured ye havin' a boy," Annamaria grinned. "How are
YOU gonna raise a girl, Jack??"
"Gibbs!" Jack dropped to his knees in front of his first mate, his hands
continuing to make wild gestures as he spoke, as they so often did.
"Aye, captain?" Gibbs reeled back a little bit, a little stunned at
Jack's sudden eagerness to, well, everything.
"Ye remember the little girl we met in the marketplace yesterday mornin'?
The one who I actually have to go meet within the hour to teach her how
to be a pirate??"
"Aye........."
"She's mine! Her name is Anna Pearl Sparrow, and apparently she prefers
to go by Annie."
"Aye Captain, we learned her name yesterday."
"No! I mean, yes we did, but I learnt it again last night when Katie told
me." He rose to his feet again. "O'course she did ask me not to approach
Annie until she had the chance to talk to her......... that means I'll be
breakin' me first promise to me little girl I've ever made!"
"Oh, Jack, I'll go down there and teach her how to be a pirate if it
means that bloody much to ye," Annamaria offered. "Where did ye say ye
were going to meet her?"
"There's a candy stand down in the market run by a plump woman......... right
there," he told her, a happy grin on his face. Annamaria lightly slapped
his cheek, pinching it just to annoy him before pulling her hat onto her
head.
She lowered a small boat into the water, getting ready to go ashore.
"I'll be back before sunset," she promised as the two men watched her row
away towards the shore.
---- --- ----