The reason behind Ansgar's "Kidnapping" has already been hinted at but not told straight out. Of course, reason's aren't always based on true facts…. There's a hint, so keep it mind.
Secrets of the CaribbeanWritten By: Riley Barton
[Chapter Thirty-Three]
Scarlett ran her index finger along the blade of her drawn sword, staring avidly at the glittering lights of Venetia. Half an hour until they drop anchor, one hour until revenge.
Her eyes were dark, storming like wind-tossed ocean waves in the dead of night. Her stance was solid, unmoving, as her body took the rolls of the ocean as if they were nothing. Her long blonde hair had been pulled back in a low ponytail with a strip of leather to keep it away from her face; only a few stray strands too short to be pulled back hung loose. She licked her dry lips, her mind focused on what she would do to Garrett when she found him.
After telling Jack her small secret she had felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She had been able to help plan their source of attack, and with her knowledge of how Ansgar liked to 'play' they had the upper hand. She no longer argued or taunted Jack, either. To defeat her uncle they had to work together.
Throughout all of their planning periods, however, they had not been able to come up with a suitable reason for why Ansgar was striking against the two of them by taking Carver. The only logical reason was that he wanted payback for the many years ago that they had stolen his gem. Scarlett's logic crossed that idea out. Garrett had always kept his anger close to him and did often take his revenge, but she knew he had other gems twice the value of the ruby they had stolen, so where was the point? Scarlett's past with him could not be the reason, either. She had never done anything against him; she had been the clinging niece that always ran to him whenever he stopped by to visit. Maybe he was taking revenge against her for whatever her father may have done to him? No; that idea had had no backbone to it.
The crescent moon appeared from behind an array of dark clouds. The ocean waves sparkled with a dark intensity from the moonlight, and the deck of the Pearl was cast in an eerie light. Pausing at the sound of the anchor's chain, she returned her sword to its battered scabbard and turned. Jack appeared on deck and shouted out orders to let go the anchor and furl the sails. Crewmen rushed to do as he bid, working as one. She noticed Will passing a long sword to Fredrick, who took it almost hesitantly.
Will had been trying to teach Fredrick how to use a sword during the past few days, but with such a short amount of time, Fredrick had not been able to learn as well as he could have. He would barely be able to keep his own in a fight with a pirate. Scarlett had been hesitant to include him in their plans, but against Fredrick's determination to help and Will's nod of approval, her voice had been too small to take much momentum.
Jack called to Will and Fredrick, motioning for them to get into one of the boats that hung from pulleys on the side of the ship. Anamaria, Gibbs, and two other pirates were already aboard. Scarlett double-checked to be certain she had everything she would need: her sword, pistol, two daggers, and a cutlass. Nodding, she bent down to pick up a burlap sack that rested beside her feet. She swung it over her shoulder and made her way across the deck. The boat with Will and Fredrick was lowered onto the ocean waves before the ropes were released and the boat bobbed freely. The remaining boat was for two other pirates, Jack, and herself. In total, five rowboats were sailing out, and five other trained pirates would remain to protect the Black Pearl should she be attacked.
Jack climbed aboard the boat first and reached over to take the sack from her. He dropped it to the bottom of the boat and held out a hand to help her aboard. She ignored it and swung aboard. The boat was lowered, set free, and the two began rowing to shore.
"That lazy son-of-a-bitch." Scarlett glowered up at the large estate that far outdistanced the Anderton estate in Marcail. She shook her head angrily as she and the rest of the pirates huddled in the underbrush surrounding the vast estate. "His own brother was barely making a living while he lived in this splendour," she spat. "Selfish jackass."
"Every family has a bad seed, lass," Gibbs spoke up from where he knelt on her left.
Scarlett smiled wryly and said, "Yeah, well my family had two." Looking contemptuously at the apparent opulence of wealth the estate presented, she moved back into the brush. The pirates followed her a distance before they all straightened, able to do so without being spotted by anyone. The surrounding areas about the estate were like a forest with overgrown trees and brush –ideal to hide in without being caught.
Scarlett folded her arms across her chest and leaned against a large tree trunk, angrily scuffing at the dirt underfoot. She stifled a hiss as the toes of her boot slammed into a hiding root. "Damn," she mumbled.
Jack appeared at her side and smiled cockily, adjusting the hat he insisted on wearing a top his head. "Lighten up some, love. Ye'll be getting' all the payback ye want in an hour's time."
"I know, but I don't know if it will be enough. And where are those damned scouts we sent out half an hour ago?"
"Dan and Lennie? Aw, don't get yer panties in a twist ov'r th' likes of 'em, lass," a buff pirate said. "They be the best spying lads ye can asks for. Never get caught, they don't."
"They need to hurry up, besides," she added, looking into the darkness. "We're runnin' outta time."
Suddenly two shapes appeared on her right, startling Scarlett into a jump; Jack grabbed her arms to steady her before she tripped over a root. She glared at the two men shrouded in shadows, who were trying to hide their grins. The smallest one couldn't stop his smile, but quickly spoke up to cover it. "We studied their patterns. Two men are hidin' in the bushes either side of the front step, one man on each side of th' house, and another two in the area ye said was where the secret entrance be. All's of 'em looks weary to us."
The second man added, "Aye, be easy t' distract 'em an' git in."
"Good," Scarlett replied. She turned to the gathered pirates and made eye contact with the selected few that were going to dispose of Ansgar's 'protectors'. They all nodded, understanding the order she was giving, grabbed the bags of accessories they would need, and disappeared into the darkness after Dan and Lennie. Now only Jack, Scarlett, Anamaria, Will, Gibbs, Cotton, and Fredrick remained. They all looked around at one another quietly, no one saying anything. All there was left to do now was wait.
Anamaria shifted her weight to her right leg and looked about her. Twenty minutes had passed since the others had scampered off, and not a sound other than she and the others breathing and the occasional scuffle of an animal remained. Scarlett and Jack were on the ground leaning against the same tree, Will was crouched on the ground sharpening his blade with a flat rock he had found, and Cotton was petting his parrot while Gibbs watched Will absently with a distant look in his eyes. Fredrick, who had been sitting on a large root, stood and brushed the dirt from his pants before joining her. She noticed his hands constantly went to the sword at his waist anxiously, almost nervously. He shouldn't have come.
The sound of distant thrashing came to Anamaria's ears and she straightened, alert, as her hand went to the pistol hidden in the waistline of her pants hidden beneath her billowing black blouse. Sitting below her, Scarlett tensed while Jack placed a hand warningly on her upper arm, keeping her down. Will had stopped sharpening his blade, his eyes flickering to find the direction the noise was coming from. A figure stumbled into their small resting area, blustering about like a crazed wild man. Gibbs leapt to his feet and ran the sword through the man's lower back, the very sharpest point of the deadly blade sticking out through the man 's stomach on the other side. The sword was withdrawn quickly and the man fell to his knees, dead. As one Jack and Scarlett came to their feet and moved to kneel by the fallen man.
Gibbs stared at his blade, shaking his head as Jack stared at him. "He wasn't one o' ours," he whispered. "I know 'e ain't."
Scarlett pushed on the dead man's arm and rolled him onto his back. Her lips twitched at the stench of blood, but she neither shivered in disgust nor blinked an eye; she had seen enough death for this one to not faze her. She looked up at Gibbs and Jack. "He's one of Garrett's men," she concluded, confirming Gibbs statement. She almost smiled. "You've got a quick eye, Gibbs, especially in darkness. This man was hooked onto your sword before I fully comprehended what had happened."
Gibbs eyes smiled at her compliment, while his face remained impassive.
Jack raised his eyebrows comically and looked down at the body, leaning forward slightly with a disturbed look on his face. He forced a cheery smile. "Well then, Fredrick, lad, and young mister Turner, would you care to, um, dispose of the body?" He didn't wait for a reply before distancing himself and leaning back against a tree. Scarlett gave him an inquisitive look, but he ignored it. When Fredrick and Will hesitated, she motioned for them to go ahead.
"You all right, Jack?" she asked, walking up to him.
He looked at her blankly. "Of course, love, what would be wrong?"
Scarlett shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "I don't know. You just seemed a little… perturbed."
Jack waved a dismissive hand in the air, accidentally flapping an overhanging tree branch. He nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected contact. Scarlett wanted to laugh at how amusing this was. "It's just a tree branch, Jack," she told him, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice.
Jack cleared his throat. "I knew that." He looked over his shoulder at the branch, glaring at it in an offended manner, when yet another figure, this one moving at a slower pace and stumbling somewhat, appeared before them.
Scarlett's eyes widened and she went to the man's side, holding him up by placing one of his arms around her neck. "Lennie, what happened?" she asked, noticing the bloodied gash in his side; the shirt he wore clung to it.
Lennie took a steadying breath. "Was jumped. Dunno if th' others were treated likewise. Small man swung at me before I even moved out of the cover of the trees b'fore takin' off. He was headin' in yer direction, so I followed."
Scarlett helped him to a spot on the ground and let him down gently with the help of Anamaria. Fredrick and Will returned just then, startled at finding another man in their midst, bleeding from a wound. Fredrick went forward and persuaded the man onto his back. "Apply pressure and someone try to find something to staunch the flow with," he instructed.
Scarlett watched as Cotton moved to tear a strip of his shirt, and leaned forward to the man's face. "Is it not safe to go in?" she asked fervently.
The man could only shake his head. "I don't know. Patrick an' Calvin went t' that underground entrance ye spoke of, but I dunno what 'appened to 'em."
Scarlett nodded and pulled back, going over to Jack. "Do you think we should proceed?" she asked quietly. "There's no way of knowing what is going on out there, and we don't have enough people with us to send out more scouts. Even if we did we could be wasting precious time that I would rather not use up." Jack stared at Lennie with a frown on his face. "Jack, I think we should act before we regret it. Fredrick can stay with Lennie. I never wanted him on this venture anyway; he isn't skilled enough with a sword, no matter how many hours he spent with Will." She spoke with earnest. "Please, we need to act now."
Jack finally looked at her and nodded. "Ye always knew the best move, love. I trust you enough t' let you lead."
Scarlett suddenly smiled at his spontaneous words. "Thank you." She squeezed his hand and turned to the others. She looked to Fredrick and placed a hand on his shoulder, catching his attention. "You'll be staying with Lennie. If anyone bothers you, kill them. Don't even think about it. The rest of us are going forward. I will not stand around and let time be wasted."
Fredrick looked as if he was about to protest, but when he looked back to Lennie, he knew he would not leave; he never left a patient when he was within helping distance. He nodded. "I'll be here when you get back," he replied.
Scarlett nodded at him, and Jack motioned for everyone to follow as the remaining five disappeared.
Fredrick rubbed the back of his neck with his hand, briefly pausing. The crick in his neck was not going away any time soon, and he forced himself to forget about it. He carefully finished bandaging Lennie's stomach where the sword had cut into him and sat back on the balls of his feet. Lennie smiled faintly before falling to sleep. It was better if he slept, Fredrick decided. At least the pain would be forgotten temporarily.
With lack of anything else to do, he leaned back against a tree and rested, keeping his eyes open. As much as he wanted to fall asleep, he knew it could be his death wish so close to danger. Hadn't an enemy already stumbled upon them?
He had only been sitting there for ten minutes, a full twenty minutes after Scarlett and the rest had left, when he heard approaching footsteps. His heart picked up its pace, pounding in his ears. He went for his sword and moved so he was kneeling on the ground, ready to spring up if the need arose. He watched as the figure moved into the area, looking around. A muffled curse escaped the man's lips just as Fredrick jumped up and aimed the sword at the man's neck. "Who are you?"
The man seemed surprised, but overcame it and held his hands up in the air. "Calvin, one'a Jack Sparrow's men," was the reply. "Please tell me they haven't left?" The defeat in the man's voice was apparent and Fredrick felt dread wash over him. He dropped the sword from the man's throat.
"What's happened?" he asked fearfully.
"They've been waitin', all of them," Calvin said in a rush. "Most o' Ansgar's crew was hidin', and only a couple of 'em were in the open, servin' as guards. They knew we was coming. Someone must have been waitin' at the wharf and ran here when we arrived. I know Jack tried t' make our arrival quiet-like, but them other crew boys are slick. Patrick was killed at the hidden entranceway. That place be th' most protected."
Fredrick shook his head. "That's where they went," he replied heavily. "They didn't want to waste time by waiting."
Calvin shivered. "How long ago?"
"Over fifteen minutes."
"Dear Mother of God."
---
Scarlett swung her sword up, blocking a blow from a charging man, grinding her metal against his, and then shoved him back before defending herself again from another onslaught. The moment she and the others had reached the area, she had felt apprehensive. Patrick and Calvin had been nowhere in sight, and no else was either. She had found speckles of blood on the grass, but nothing else remained. Without any other choice they had proceeded into the hidden entrance, only to be set upon by a score of men –they had been waiting, and dried blood already graced their swords. She and the rest had been fighting them off as best they could and had been holding their own, but all five were wearing down.
Across the room Jack slashed at a man's side, faintly satisfied at the howl the man emitted from his lips. Though strong, he was beginning to tire, and they hadn't even left the tunnel-like room yet. This was not good; they had been ready for them, waiting, and there were a lot more of them than there should have been. He blocked a blow and spun around, taking in where all of his companions were. They were still holding up their strength, but the onslaught against them was tireless. Only four of the twenty men were dead with one injured but still fighting. Will and Cotton were fighting together, back to back, and Anamaria fought solo, her grace and speed blinding her attackers. Scarlett was the one person, though, he knew needed to go on. She was the main person Ansgar was after. Somehow Jack had been dragged into it as well, but he and Scarlett both knew it was she he wanted. He ground his teeth together. She was not facing him alone.
Jack fought his way to her until they were side by side. He attacked a man from behind, slicing him along the neck; the man gargled blood and fell at Scarlett's feet. She jumped over him without hesitation and blocked a sword that had been coming down on Jack's back. They fought together like this, both protecting the other, until they got a small break. "The others can cover for us while we go above," Jack told her, breathing heavily.
She looked at him incredulously. "They can't manage all of these guys alone!" she exclaimed, jumping as a sword came at her. Her sword met the other man's, and she kicked him in the gut, sending him head over heels into the wall where he slumped over, limp.
"They can manage," Jack said, disposing of another man. He grabbed her hand. "Come on." They moved to the door, both fighting off men that came after them. Scarlett caught Will's eye from across the room. He gave a brisk nod, showing he understood, and went after a man that was trying to hinder Jack and Scarlett's escape. He ran the man through and kicked him aside. Smiling wryly at Scarlett, he jutted his chin in the direction of the door. "Good luck," he whispered before defending their escape. Jack and Scarlett ran out of the underground room and into a narrow tunnel that led up into the house. The sound of fighting echoed up to them, and Scarlett couldn't help feeling as if she was betraying them by leaving. The idea wasn't thought on long as she and Jack stumbled into a corridor lined with lavish carpet and tapestries. Bastard, she thought angrily.
Jack closed the hidden door behind them and they both paused to examine it. Both were shocked at how well it blended with the wall. There wasn't even the outline of a doorframe. The wallpaper had been done so intricately that the lines were hidden in the design.
Scarlett looked around, feeling apprehensive again. "I really don't like this," Scarlett whispered. "He knows we're here, and I know him enough to realize he wouldn't leave the inside of his home unprotected."
Jack nodded. "Let's go this way, and keep your eyes open."
Scarlett followed him, faintly noticing her bloodied sword was leaving specks of blood on the cream-coloured carpet. They came to the entrance hall and paused to gaze around. It was rich in all aspects, from the glittering gold chandelier lined with diamonds, to the inlaid marble floor in both cream and black. The staircase was set in the center with smooth wooden banisters in an old, intricate design one didn't find very often. A large room opened off the entrance hall, and she would see a large family portrait hanging above the fireplace. Intrigued, she made her way toward it as if drawn by an unseen force. Jack followed apprehensively, looking about suspiciously.
The portrait was dated quite a few years back, just about the time that she was around the age of three. There was one woman in the picture, sitting on a cushioned chair with a small child in her lap. Standing behind them were two older men, both alike in physical features. The taller of the two men was smiling broadly with his left hand on the woman's shoulder. The other man stood somewhat bereft from the other couple and their child. His hands were clasped before him, clutching a thin book, and his face was solemn. Scarlett's eyes went to the child sitting on the woman's lap and could only stare. That dress the child wore, she knew that dress. She herself had worn it as a child, and the woman whose lap the child rested, that face had been carved into Scarlett's mind since she had first seen it: a heart-shaped face framed with blonde locks, rich honey-brown eyes, and small, pink lips that had always been wearing a smile. Her mother.
Jack came up behind her, studying the picture. He could easily recognize the younger men standing there; one was Ansgar, younger and clean-cut, while the other was his older brother, Marshall, the perfect image of the ideal husband. And all of it lies.
She knew they were wasting time staring at the portrait, but something kept her there as she searched the faces of the people painted on the canvas. There was something there she couldn't see, something she needed to find –she could feel it. Her eyes stopped on the man on the left, her uncle, Garret Bane-Ansgar. He held the secret, she knew, but what was it? She stopped as it hit her.
The book and his eyes.
Unlike her father, mother, and younger self, Garrett was not looking directly at them to where, at the time the picture was painted, the artist would be standing. On the contrary, he was looking at the woman and child in the chair. It was just a small image in the picture that wasn't to be easily noted, but she had caught it. The book, also, was something of interest. Her mother had loved books. She could remember sitting with her mother while a book was read to her. It had always been her mother's favourite pastime and escape. She could only shake her head at the conclusion she was coming to. How could it have gone unnoticed for so many years?
It hadn't gone unnoticed, she realized. The argument her parents and uncle had had all those many years ago…
"I'm going on alone, Jack," she said sternly. She looked at him and he was vaguely surprised at the determination he found on her face.
Jack shook his head. "Not alone, you aren't. Ye can't handle him all by yourself, Scarlett."
"I need to. This is my fight, Jack, not yours. I still don't know why he took Carver, but I know other secrets that have been buried and they need to be found out, told to me by his own mouth, without anyone else listening. Will and the others need you more than I do right now. Please, Jack. I have to go on alone."
He stood quiet, staring at her. "This is my chance to help, unlike I did all those years ago when I left you behind."
Scarlett smiled sadly, shaking her head. "Forget about that. You've already done enough to make up for it. But now, you can't help me in this. All you can give me is your word you won't follow and that you and the others will be safely waiting for me outside when Carver and I come out."
Jack slowly nodded, the pain in his eyes all too clear to her. "I'll come looking for you if ye don't come."
She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek, smiled, and ran for the door. He watched her go, feeling as if she had been taken out of his life again. He tried to ignore the feeling that told him he wasn't seeing her again, and forced his feet forward to where he knew the hidden door to be.
Scarlett ran down the corridor opposite the first she and Jack had come in to, and drew her sword and cutlass. Anger surged through her, and with an angry shout she swung both weapons out and dragged them along the walls, cutting into the wallpaper and paintings and tapestries hanging there. A long gash cutting through the hall was left in her wake, a blur of angry red fire. She knew what room she needed to find, but where was it? Something was caught in her mind, though: she had been here before, as a child, around the time that picture had been painted. And if her uncle and been in love with her mother around that time, then there was only one room in the entire household she could imagine him being in, waiting for her to come like he knew she would.
She came to three steps leading down into a round room with large double doors across the hall and another door, simpler in design, on her left. Remembering there to be a large circular tower on this end of the house, she went for that door. She moved the cutlass to her left hand and turned the knob with her right. She strode into the library decked out in shelves upon shelves of books, both weapons back in her hands. She spun full-circle on a rich, Persian rug, glaring about her. "Where are you, Garrett?" she exclaimed. "I know you're in here!"
She heard a shuffling from above and looked up to a balcony that lined the wall quite a few feet up where more books could be found. She waited until she saw him come to the railing, rest his arms on them, and smile down at her. "I knew you would find your way," he said in a smooth, silky voice lined with patience. "Your mother always did, too."
Scarlett's fingers itched to run the blade of her cutlass through his heart, but she needed answers first. "You're the reason my father became the way he did, aren't you? You and your sick love towards my mother ruined everything!"
Garrett shook his head, clucking his tongue like one would at a naughty child. "No, no, Scarlett, you've got it all wrong. You were the reason he became the way he did."
Scarlett frowned at him. "He loved me, treated me like a princess. How can you even say I was the reason?"
Garrett slowly began to walk the length of the upper balcony, trailing his calloused hands on the black railing. "Not everything is as it seems, dear girl. Some secrets come wrapped in paper bags, but you," he said, coming to a pause as he looked directly into her eyes, "came wrapped in tattered gold."
Author's Note: Another long delay in which I can only apologize profusely. Thank you so much for all the reviews, I love em to death. So, has anyone figured out all the little secrets I have in here? I have left hints and thoughts all over the place, so I can only wonder if someone has…
To Black Pearls and Ivory Lace: (I love your name, by the way) Thank you so much! I don't believe I had ever felt so honoured or happy to get your review. I couldn't believe someone liked my story so much that they wanted to post it on their website. However, as much as I love the idea and am so thankful for your offer, I'm afraid I'll have to decline it. I know story ideas can be stolen off of as easily as they could on a smaller website, but I would rather this story not be posted in so many places. It makes it easier for someone to steal it, and I would like to change this story into my own, eventually. Do you see what I'm getting at here? I am so extremely thankful for your offer and want to give you a thousand hugs over, but I would rather you not post the story on your website. Sorry! I only hope you continue to read this story until the end. Thank you so much!!