Chapter Ten: All the King's Men
The next week was the happiest of my life. Jack continued to give me secret reading and writing lessons, with were followed by romantic nights together. But not only that, we spent as much time together as possible during the day, especially since there was usually nothing to be done. Jack would take me into his cabin and we would make-out and share stories of our lives with each other. I kept nothing secret from Jack. I trusted him with all of my heart. I fell madly in love with him, and I know he felt the same for me. Only one other person besides Anamaria knew about our relationship, Mr. Cotton. He saw us together below deck one afternoon. Fortunately, he was incapable of telling anyone else about what he saw. "Avast! Keep to the code ye scurvy knave!" I wanted to strangle that parrot! "What? Cap'n and the princess are in love? Yer daft Cotton!" Mr. Gibbs obviously didn't believe the damn bird. ~This is perfect! I am never going to leave Jack.~ It surprises me now how brainless and naïve I was.
~~~~
There was a loud knocking on Jack's cabin door. He got up and placed his hat back on his head and grabbed his coat. I sat in his bed. I wondered what was going on. It seemed as if the person at the door was very nervous and frantic. Jack opened the door. It was Anamaria, and my suspicions were accurate. "Captain, we've reached Port Morgan!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear. ~That's odd. Isn't that usually good news?~ "That's excellent. Why, though, are ye a little vexed?" Jack questioned her. "A ship, the Majestic, has been waiting for us. That Royal Navy ship is approaching rapidly." panted Anamaria. ~Do they know I'm here?~ Jack and I went out and there it was, the Majestic. It was a very large battle ship, with many cannons and spacious enough to hold an army three times the size of Jack's crew. Jack's eyes were ignited with fury. "How did they catch up? Someone must've known where we were headed," he turned to face the rest of the crew, "Well, what are ye standin' around 'ere for? Load the guns, ye mindless, bilge-sucking curs! Get ready for battle!" Will ran over to Jack. "What about Elizabeth? And Emily? What will happen to them?" Jack, thinking quickly, grabbed Elizabeth and me by the arm and hauled us into his cabin. He handed Elizabeth the key. "Whatever you do, do not leave, and do not let anybody in, unless ye are positive it is Will, Gibbs, Anamaria, or meself, savvy?" We nodded in agreement. He closed the door abruptly. Elizabeth and I stared at the closed door. ~I hope Jack will be alright.~ We heard the cannons from Jack's cabin and could feel the ship shake whenever the Pearl was hit. ~It isn't often, thankfully.~ During our anxiety, I began to nervously twiddle my thumbs and eventually tried twisting them off. Elizabeth was frantically pacing around the cabin, her gaze always at the door. The cannons finally stopped. Elizabeth and I heard shouts soon afterward, and to our horror, the soldiers began to board the Pearl. We pressed our ears to the door as we heard the gunshots and the clangs of swords. "I found a peephole!" Elizabeth suddenly shouted. "Let me see what's going on!" "No, I want to se how my Will is doing!" ~Yeah, and I want to see if Jack is alright.~ I pushed her out of the way, and I made sure that she couldn't retaliate. It was a horrific site. Blood was splattered everywhere, and men were scattered across the deck, newly dead. More men continued to drop, here and there. A pirate slashed open his opponents' chest and watched the blood flow freely down. Soldiers knocked pirates to the ground and swung their swords downwards like guillotines, and I watched their head roll away. I let out a sigh of relief as to when I saw Jack, Anamaria, and Will all vigorously fighting. Jack had started a duel with that Commodore Norrington. ~At least I think its Norrington. We met a long time ago. Didn't he use to have a brown wig?~ "Well? Is Will hurt?" Elizabeth snapped. "He just stabbed some guy, he looks fine to me. Jack and Anamaria are alright too. I think I see Mr. Cotton and Gibbs too. Here, look." I scooted over to give Elizabeth a chance to see out of the room. Elizabeth looked very relieved. "I think they stopped fighting. Maybe we won. I see Will, and he is still alive. Wait, is that General, um, what was his name?" I looked at who she was referring to. "That's General Howard. He's got a knife to Anamaria's throat. He's talking, maybe making a proposition. My father probably hired him, he might be asking for me. Howard continued to speak to Jack. ~Damn! I can't hear what they're saying.~ I watched as Jack shook his head at everything Howard had said. The general then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Jack's head. Jack stood very still and eyed the gun cautiously. I couldn't take it any longer. ~I won't let him kill Jack.~ "Elizabeth, give me the key!" I order. "What are you going to do?" she inquired. I decided that she probably wasn't going to hand it over, so I wrenched it free from her grasp. I inserted the key in the keyhole and turned the knob. Elizabeth grabbed me around the shoulders and yanked me backwards. "No! You heard Jack! Don't leave the cabin." "I'm leaving to save his ass! Let me go!" I squirmed free from her hold and stumbled out of the cabin. Once I regained my balance and stood up, I noticed that all eyes were on me. I ran towards Jack. After I had taken a few steps, I felt arms wrap around my stomach and appendages. I struggled ferociously while screaming Jack's name. "Don't you worry, Princess Emily. We have the villain, Captain Jack Sparrow. He has agreed to come quietly if we leave his crew." General Howard assured me. ~He doesn't understand!~ "No! Wait! Listen to me-" "No, Miss Harrington, you've had a rough time I imagine. We're going to take you onto the Majestic and bring you to your father." He calmly spoke to me as if I were a child. I am twenty-five! I do not need to be treated like this! I continued to scream and kick as three soldiers pulled me onto the Majestic. "Miss Harrington is completely addled! What have you done to her?" I screamed in fury as he punched Jack in the stomach. "We shall take you to the King and he shall decide your punishment." I stayed locked up in my room for the next two weeks. I tried to tell General Howard that he misconstrued everything, but nobody listened, not even to the Turners. ~Fine, if nobody will listen to me, then I will not speak to or interact with anybody!~ The soldiers could hear my muffled sobs from outside the cabin; they thought it was because I was still traumatized about being kidnapped by pirates. ~Idiots!~
~~~~~
We arrived in Port Royale after what seemed like months. My days were so long without Jack. I hadn't seen him in fifteen days. I was escorted to the familiar mansion in which I had previously stayed. I kept my head down as my father joyfully let us through the doors. He embraced me tightly.
"Emily, dear, you must have been frightened. I have been so worried. It's alright, that pirate will be punished for this. Bring him forth!" About five men dragged Jack in. This was the first time I had seen him in two weeks. He looked very pale, but his eyes lit up when he saw me and he smiled. I smiled weakly back.
"This crime deserves a horrible punishment. I say we have him flogged!" My father suggested.
"No!" I screamed.
"Hm, perhaps you're right, Emily. That's not enough." My father stated.
"How about we starve him to near death, then flog him." Proposed General Howard. ~No!~
"No! Don't punish him, in fact, don't do anything to him," I ran over to Jack and kissed him deeply, "I love him." I informed the stupefied soldiers and my father as well.
"What? You must be confused, ill, or something-"
"No! I asked him to kidnap me! All I wanted was to leave and-"
"I don't understand, Emily. Why would you ask to be kidnapped?" My befuddled father questioned.
"I wanted to-"
"Princess Harrington is not in her right mind. We should give her a week after Mr. Sparrow is dealt with." General Howard interrupted rudely. ~Excuse me! I was answering my father's question!~
"I prefer Captain Sparrow." Jack corrected fiercely.
"Well, since he is a pirate, we should just hang him like the others." General Howard and the other ranking officers nodded in agreement. ~Apparently, our kiss softened their rage a bit. I'll try it again.~ I kissed Jack another time. I closed my eyes and didn't want to let him go.
"Take him away." My father ordered. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I felt Jack being pulled away. My father grabbed my hand. I extended my neck to continue our lip-lock as we were separating. I could tell that Jack was also struggling. We were finally ripped apart, and I fell to the ground in despair. ~My Jack...~
"Now, Emily, are you hungry? Did you get hurt?" My father asked sympathetically.
"Yes!" I shrieked as I ran into my room. ~You hurt me, father. How could you do this to me?~ My father turned to one of the maids.
"Which one? Is she hungry or hurt?"
The next week was the happiest of my life. Jack continued to give me secret reading and writing lessons, with were followed by romantic nights together. But not only that, we spent as much time together as possible during the day, especially since there was usually nothing to be done. Jack would take me into his cabin and we would make-out and share stories of our lives with each other. I kept nothing secret from Jack. I trusted him with all of my heart. I fell madly in love with him, and I know he felt the same for me. Only one other person besides Anamaria knew about our relationship, Mr. Cotton. He saw us together below deck one afternoon. Fortunately, he was incapable of telling anyone else about what he saw. "Avast! Keep to the code ye scurvy knave!" I wanted to strangle that parrot! "What? Cap'n and the princess are in love? Yer daft Cotton!" Mr. Gibbs obviously didn't believe the damn bird. ~This is perfect! I am never going to leave Jack.~ It surprises me now how brainless and naïve I was.
~~~~
There was a loud knocking on Jack's cabin door. He got up and placed his hat back on his head and grabbed his coat. I sat in his bed. I wondered what was going on. It seemed as if the person at the door was very nervous and frantic. Jack opened the door. It was Anamaria, and my suspicions were accurate. "Captain, we've reached Port Morgan!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with fear. ~That's odd. Isn't that usually good news?~ "That's excellent. Why, though, are ye a little vexed?" Jack questioned her. "A ship, the Majestic, has been waiting for us. That Royal Navy ship is approaching rapidly." panted Anamaria. ~Do they know I'm here?~ Jack and I went out and there it was, the Majestic. It was a very large battle ship, with many cannons and spacious enough to hold an army three times the size of Jack's crew. Jack's eyes were ignited with fury. "How did they catch up? Someone must've known where we were headed," he turned to face the rest of the crew, "Well, what are ye standin' around 'ere for? Load the guns, ye mindless, bilge-sucking curs! Get ready for battle!" Will ran over to Jack. "What about Elizabeth? And Emily? What will happen to them?" Jack, thinking quickly, grabbed Elizabeth and me by the arm and hauled us into his cabin. He handed Elizabeth the key. "Whatever you do, do not leave, and do not let anybody in, unless ye are positive it is Will, Gibbs, Anamaria, or meself, savvy?" We nodded in agreement. He closed the door abruptly. Elizabeth and I stared at the closed door. ~I hope Jack will be alright.~ We heard the cannons from Jack's cabin and could feel the ship shake whenever the Pearl was hit. ~It isn't often, thankfully.~ During our anxiety, I began to nervously twiddle my thumbs and eventually tried twisting them off. Elizabeth was frantically pacing around the cabin, her gaze always at the door. The cannons finally stopped. Elizabeth and I heard shouts soon afterward, and to our horror, the soldiers began to board the Pearl. We pressed our ears to the door as we heard the gunshots and the clangs of swords. "I found a peephole!" Elizabeth suddenly shouted. "Let me see what's going on!" "No, I want to se how my Will is doing!" ~Yeah, and I want to see if Jack is alright.~ I pushed her out of the way, and I made sure that she couldn't retaliate. It was a horrific site. Blood was splattered everywhere, and men were scattered across the deck, newly dead. More men continued to drop, here and there. A pirate slashed open his opponents' chest and watched the blood flow freely down. Soldiers knocked pirates to the ground and swung their swords downwards like guillotines, and I watched their head roll away. I let out a sigh of relief as to when I saw Jack, Anamaria, and Will all vigorously fighting. Jack had started a duel with that Commodore Norrington. ~At least I think its Norrington. We met a long time ago. Didn't he use to have a brown wig?~ "Well? Is Will hurt?" Elizabeth snapped. "He just stabbed some guy, he looks fine to me. Jack and Anamaria are alright too. I think I see Mr. Cotton and Gibbs too. Here, look." I scooted over to give Elizabeth a chance to see out of the room. Elizabeth looked very relieved. "I think they stopped fighting. Maybe we won. I see Will, and he is still alive. Wait, is that General, um, what was his name?" I looked at who she was referring to. "That's General Howard. He's got a knife to Anamaria's throat. He's talking, maybe making a proposition. My father probably hired him, he might be asking for me. Howard continued to speak to Jack. ~Damn! I can't hear what they're saying.~ I watched as Jack shook his head at everything Howard had said. The general then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Jack's head. Jack stood very still and eyed the gun cautiously. I couldn't take it any longer. ~I won't let him kill Jack.~ "Elizabeth, give me the key!" I order. "What are you going to do?" she inquired. I decided that she probably wasn't going to hand it over, so I wrenched it free from her grasp. I inserted the key in the keyhole and turned the knob. Elizabeth grabbed me around the shoulders and yanked me backwards. "No! You heard Jack! Don't leave the cabin." "I'm leaving to save his ass! Let me go!" I squirmed free from her hold and stumbled out of the cabin. Once I regained my balance and stood up, I noticed that all eyes were on me. I ran towards Jack. After I had taken a few steps, I felt arms wrap around my stomach and appendages. I struggled ferociously while screaming Jack's name. "Don't you worry, Princess Emily. We have the villain, Captain Jack Sparrow. He has agreed to come quietly if we leave his crew." General Howard assured me. ~He doesn't understand!~ "No! Wait! Listen to me-" "No, Miss Harrington, you've had a rough time I imagine. We're going to take you onto the Majestic and bring you to your father." He calmly spoke to me as if I were a child. I am twenty-five! I do not need to be treated like this! I continued to scream and kick as three soldiers pulled me onto the Majestic. "Miss Harrington is completely addled! What have you done to her?" I screamed in fury as he punched Jack in the stomach. "We shall take you to the King and he shall decide your punishment." I stayed locked up in my room for the next two weeks. I tried to tell General Howard that he misconstrued everything, but nobody listened, not even to the Turners. ~Fine, if nobody will listen to me, then I will not speak to or interact with anybody!~ The soldiers could hear my muffled sobs from outside the cabin; they thought it was because I was still traumatized about being kidnapped by pirates. ~Idiots!~
~~~~~
We arrived in Port Royale after what seemed like months. My days were so long without Jack. I hadn't seen him in fifteen days. I was escorted to the familiar mansion in which I had previously stayed. I kept my head down as my father joyfully let us through the doors. He embraced me tightly.
"Emily, dear, you must have been frightened. I have been so worried. It's alright, that pirate will be punished for this. Bring him forth!" About five men dragged Jack in. This was the first time I had seen him in two weeks. He looked very pale, but his eyes lit up when he saw me and he smiled. I smiled weakly back.
"This crime deserves a horrible punishment. I say we have him flogged!" My father suggested.
"No!" I screamed.
"Hm, perhaps you're right, Emily. That's not enough." My father stated.
"How about we starve him to near death, then flog him." Proposed General Howard. ~No!~
"No! Don't punish him, in fact, don't do anything to him," I ran over to Jack and kissed him deeply, "I love him." I informed the stupefied soldiers and my father as well.
"What? You must be confused, ill, or something-"
"No! I asked him to kidnap me! All I wanted was to leave and-"
"I don't understand, Emily. Why would you ask to be kidnapped?" My befuddled father questioned.
"I wanted to-"
"Princess Harrington is not in her right mind. We should give her a week after Mr. Sparrow is dealt with." General Howard interrupted rudely. ~Excuse me! I was answering my father's question!~
"I prefer Captain Sparrow." Jack corrected fiercely.
"Well, since he is a pirate, we should just hang him like the others." General Howard and the other ranking officers nodded in agreement. ~Apparently, our kiss softened their rage a bit. I'll try it again.~ I kissed Jack another time. I closed my eyes and didn't want to let him go.
"Take him away." My father ordered. Tears began to roll down my cheeks as I felt Jack being pulled away. My father grabbed my hand. I extended my neck to continue our lip-lock as we were separating. I could tell that Jack was also struggling. We were finally ripped apart, and I fell to the ground in despair. ~My Jack...~
"Now, Emily, are you hungry? Did you get hurt?" My father asked sympathetically.
"Yes!" I shrieked as I ran into my room. ~You hurt me, father. How could you do this to me?~ My father turned to one of the maids.
"Which one? Is she hungry or hurt?"