Chapter Twelve
Governor Swann stood at his office window. It had been a smile crossing
his face when he saw the carriage pull up outside the house. He knew it
would be Elizabeth and Will, back from their little gallivant after Jack
Sparrow. He was just glad that they were both back safe.
He opened the front door and held his arms out, ready to hug his daughter
in welcoming, but she just stared at him angrily with tears in her eyes,
ran past him and up the stairs. The door slammed from upstairs and
moments later Will got out of the carriage and walked to the front door,
standing beside his future father-in-law.
"Goodness gracious, what ails Elizabeth?" the Governor asked as he heard
her sob.
"They caught Jack," Will replied quietly before he quickly went after
Elizabeth.
--- --- --- ---
The governor sat as his desk, leaned back in his chair with his hands
clasped together. He just had a visit by Commodore Norrington. Norrington
told him that with his signature, Sparrow would be hung the very next day
at noon. Now he sat there, the parchment sitting on his desk in front of
him, ready to be signed.
But somehow, even though he knew that Sparrow WAS a "criminal", he
couldn't seem to let himself sign that paper.
There was a loud crash from upstairs. He bolted forward in his seat when
he heard Elizabeth's angry rantings, knowing how upsetting this was to
her. He knew that she considered Jack to be one of her best friends, she
was eternally grateful to him for saving her life the way he did and for
saving Will's. He knew how happy Will made his daughter and that if it
were not for Jack, they wouldn't be together, and Elizabeth's happiness
would forever be lost for she would be engaged to Commodore Norrington.
"I hate him!" he heard Elizabeth cry loudly. "I hate both of them, this
isn't fair!" she sobbed loudly. He felt horrible inside knowing it was
after all his fault she was so upset. He could barely hear Will's muffled
response. But he didn't need to. He had made his decision.
--- --- --- ---
"Get up, Sparrow," Jack popped an eye open and propped himself up on his
elbows to see a guard, one he had no particular liking towards, standing
at the bars in front of his cell. "I said get up!" Jack rolled his eyes
and exhaled deeply as he slowly rose to his feet.
"The Governor would like a word with you," another guard, standing in
front of his cell, announced.
"It's not like he's bloody royalty," Jack muttered under his breath, and
he had half a mind to bow sarcastically as one of the guard's motioned
for the Governor to come over.
"A moment, please," the governor asked politely as the two guards bowed
(not sarcastically) and walked away.
"Bloody Christ," Jack couldn't hold it in; he shook his head at how
ridiculous he thought they were being. Never in his life would be bow for
anyone, not with meaning anyways; one of the many valuable lessons his
father taught him.
"To what do I owe this honor?" he sarcastically remarked after calming
his humor in the matter.
"I would like to have a word with you."
"So I've heard."
"My daughter is very upset right now," the governor told him, sitting on
a bench across from the cell.
"At least ye still get to see her," Jack muttered as he moved over to the
window, not feeling particularly inclined to have a conversation with
this man. He stared out the window, the blue ocean waters stretching out
for miles. "My daughter probably thinks I'm dead."
"I wasn't aware that you had a daughter," the governor replied, almost as
if he was taking an interest. "What, may I ask, is her name?"
"Anna. Anna Pearl. Though she'd much rather just go by Annie."
"Elizabeth's mother used to call her 'Beth'," the governor said. "But
after her mother died, she asked to be called Elizabeth."
"Can see why," Jack tiredly replied. "Did you actually have something to
tell me, or are you just here to chat, because I'm not in the mood to
talk."
"Oh, yes," he rose to his feet and walked to the bars. "The Commodore has
it set in his mind that you will be hung tomorrow at noon. But I've
decided not to sign the release." Jack's eyebrows rose and he looked at
the Governor suspiciously.
".........why not??"
"Like I said, my daughter is very upset that you're in here. In fact, I
don't recall the last time she was this upset." He put his hands behind
his back and began to pace in front of the cell. "I don't like to see my
daughter upset, Mr. Sparrow. So, I've decided to grant you clemency."
Jack's eyes widened and a smirk spread on his face. "Really?"
"I believe that under these circumstances it's the wisest decision, yes,"
he continued. "And, after learning of your own daughter, it really is for
the best. Besides, I thought you'd be interested to know that I've
decided to retire Mr. Norrington's position as Commodore of Port Royal."
"Really??" Jack's eyes continued to widen, his smirk getting bigger.
Norrington sacked, clemency, and the thought that he would get to see
Annie grow up—it was like Christmas.
"I've come to realize I don't trust some of the choices he has made under
his position as Commodore and I think Lieutenant Gillette would do a
better job."
"Damn straight," Jack said, pretending to agree.
"I thought you'd think so," he nodded. "Mr. Young!" he motioned to one of
the guard's. "Let Mr. Sparrow out of his cell please, and um, do tell
Commodore Norrington I would like to have a word with him at his earliest
convenience."
--- --- --- ---
Governor Swann stood at his office window. It had been a smile crossing
his face when he saw the carriage pull up outside the house. He knew it
would be Elizabeth and Will, back from their little gallivant after Jack
Sparrow. He was just glad that they were both back safe.
He opened the front door and held his arms out, ready to hug his daughter
in welcoming, but she just stared at him angrily with tears in her eyes,
ran past him and up the stairs. The door slammed from upstairs and
moments later Will got out of the carriage and walked to the front door,
standing beside his future father-in-law.
"Goodness gracious, what ails Elizabeth?" the Governor asked as he heard
her sob.
"They caught Jack," Will replied quietly before he quickly went after
Elizabeth.
--- --- --- ---
The governor sat as his desk, leaned back in his chair with his hands
clasped together. He just had a visit by Commodore Norrington. Norrington
told him that with his signature, Sparrow would be hung the very next day
at noon. Now he sat there, the parchment sitting on his desk in front of
him, ready to be signed.
But somehow, even though he knew that Sparrow WAS a "criminal", he
couldn't seem to let himself sign that paper.
There was a loud crash from upstairs. He bolted forward in his seat when
he heard Elizabeth's angry rantings, knowing how upsetting this was to
her. He knew that she considered Jack to be one of her best friends, she
was eternally grateful to him for saving her life the way he did and for
saving Will's. He knew how happy Will made his daughter and that if it
were not for Jack, they wouldn't be together, and Elizabeth's happiness
would forever be lost for she would be engaged to Commodore Norrington.
"I hate him!" he heard Elizabeth cry loudly. "I hate both of them, this
isn't fair!" she sobbed loudly. He felt horrible inside knowing it was
after all his fault she was so upset. He could barely hear Will's muffled
response. But he didn't need to. He had made his decision.
--- --- --- ---
"Get up, Sparrow," Jack popped an eye open and propped himself up on his
elbows to see a guard, one he had no particular liking towards, standing
at the bars in front of his cell. "I said get up!" Jack rolled his eyes
and exhaled deeply as he slowly rose to his feet.
"The Governor would like a word with you," another guard, standing in
front of his cell, announced.
"It's not like he's bloody royalty," Jack muttered under his breath, and
he had half a mind to bow sarcastically as one of the guard's motioned
for the Governor to come over.
"A moment, please," the governor asked politely as the two guards bowed
(not sarcastically) and walked away.
"Bloody Christ," Jack couldn't hold it in; he shook his head at how
ridiculous he thought they were being. Never in his life would be bow for
anyone, not with meaning anyways; one of the many valuable lessons his
father taught him.
"To what do I owe this honor?" he sarcastically remarked after calming
his humor in the matter.
"I would like to have a word with you."
"So I've heard."
"My daughter is very upset right now," the governor told him, sitting on
a bench across from the cell.
"At least ye still get to see her," Jack muttered as he moved over to the
window, not feeling particularly inclined to have a conversation with
this man. He stared out the window, the blue ocean waters stretching out
for miles. "My daughter probably thinks I'm dead."
"I wasn't aware that you had a daughter," the governor replied, almost as
if he was taking an interest. "What, may I ask, is her name?"
"Anna. Anna Pearl. Though she'd much rather just go by Annie."
"Elizabeth's mother used to call her 'Beth'," the governor said. "But
after her mother died, she asked to be called Elizabeth."
"Can see why," Jack tiredly replied. "Did you actually have something to
tell me, or are you just here to chat, because I'm not in the mood to
talk."
"Oh, yes," he rose to his feet and walked to the bars. "The Commodore has
it set in his mind that you will be hung tomorrow at noon. But I've
decided not to sign the release." Jack's eyebrows rose and he looked at
the Governor suspiciously.
".........why not??"
"Like I said, my daughter is very upset that you're in here. In fact, I
don't recall the last time she was this upset." He put his hands behind
his back and began to pace in front of the cell. "I don't like to see my
daughter upset, Mr. Sparrow. So, I've decided to grant you clemency."
Jack's eyes widened and a smirk spread on his face. "Really?"
"I believe that under these circumstances it's the wisest decision, yes,"
he continued. "And, after learning of your own daughter, it really is for
the best. Besides, I thought you'd be interested to know that I've
decided to retire Mr. Norrington's position as Commodore of Port Royal."
"Really??" Jack's eyes continued to widen, his smirk getting bigger.
Norrington sacked, clemency, and the thought that he would get to see
Annie grow up—it was like Christmas.
"I've come to realize I don't trust some of the choices he has made under
his position as Commodore and I think Lieutenant Gillette would do a
better job."
"Damn straight," Jack said, pretending to agree.
"I thought you'd think so," he nodded. "Mr. Young!" he motioned to one of
the guard's. "Let Mr. Sparrow out of his cell please, and um, do tell
Commodore Norrington I would like to have a word with him at his earliest
convenience."
--- --- --- ---