The Sparrow and the Rose
By Latanya
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Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean though I'm almost certain that Captain Jack Sparrow has a strong hold on my poor soul now… he won't let me have a moment's rest. I can finally say that I do own the ship, the Wave Dancer and I hope I remember that she's called the Wave Dancer and not the Wind Dancer.
Chapter Five: The kidnappers.
A friendship had been formed between Anamaria and the three women from the Wave Dancer – Marie especially. They'd stayed the night on the Black Pearl much to Jack's distress. He knew that if Morgance found out where they were, she wouldn't hesitate to march in and drag them back to the Wave Dancer before destroying his ship. That was something he didn't want to happen any time soon… or ever for that matter.
"Hannah, can't ye tell them this is a bad idea?" Jack pleaded with the blond women when he heard Anamaria, Marie and Tara planning to go for a walk up to the cliffs.
She shook her head, grinning at him. "You could always come with us Captain, seeing how you're worried that this is a bad idea."
He made frustrated motions while trying to think of something to say back to her. Growling, he grabbed her arm and pulled her over so he could whisper in her ear, "If yer captain finds ye, do not call Anamaria by her name. Morgan hasn't met her yet and I'd rather not see the three of ye suffer because of a fight between her and me."
"Your wish will be granted but I seriously doubt that Morgan will come looking for us herself. Rather, she'd send Xavier or someone. When she's as angry as she was yesterday, Morgan doesn't like to leave the ship for long." Hannah smiled sadly. "She's actually ashamed of herself when her anger gets the better of her."
"She is?"
"Yes, she is."
Jack hopped from foot to foot happily, "Ye mean she might not decide to kill me and take over me ship?"
"I didn't say that. I said she's ashamed of herself when her anger gets the better of her. Generally, she does mean every word that's said." Her blue eyes searched the dock for something.
Anamaria called to her, "Hannah, we be leaving now. Are ye coming?"
Kissing Jack's cheek lightly, Hannah ran over to her friends and smiled. "Jack said that if Morgan finds us, we're to call Anamaria by another name."
"Is he still worried about Morgan finding out that we stayed the night on the Black Pearl? Figures that he would be." Tara shook her head.
Marie frowned, "No, he's right to worry. Morgan would probably try to kill us if she found out. Her anger because of yesterday in the dress shop was very real and we'd do best to try and not make her any angrier."
"Then is this walk a good idea?" Anamaria looked at the three of them thoughtfully. "We can always sit somewhere close by and make our plans. Ye don't have to get yer selves in trouble."
They were walking along a fairly deserted path heading up to the cliff as the spoke and Tara had a faint feeling that someone was following them. Stopping, she held up a hand for silence and looked around. It was only when Jack came around the bend that they relaxed and laughed at themselves.
"Aye, I thought I'd take yer suggestion Hannah and come with ye." He shrugged, grinning at her.
Anamaria studied his face for a moment before shrugged, "Capt'n, ye should know better then to unsettle a group of women. Ye could have been killed."
"Or worse. He could have been ravished by Hannah." Marie muttered under her breath, causing Tara to laugh.
"You've got it right there Marie." She murmured back.
Marie's face blanched and she went to say something, lifting her arm up to point. "Anamaria! Look out behind you!"
Jack drew his sword and pushed the women to the side, meeting the blow intended for his crewmember with his sword. "Run. Run ye damn women." He shouted at them.
A large burly man armed with a long knife faced him and frowning, Jack was sure that he knew this man from somewhere. Hearing screams from the women behind him, the pirate captain knew that there were others.
"Wait, Francis?" He stared at the man with the knife in horror.
Francis grinned, showing Jack his mouth with many teeth missing. "Well if it ain't Captain Jack Sparrow? Planning to go somewhere with them pretty ladies?"
"Ye let them go Francis, they 'ave nothing to do with our disagreement."
"No, I think I'll keep them. They'd make me a tidy profit and I'd like to see ye suffer." The man nodded to his men who were holding the four women.
Hannah bit the arm of the man holding her and managed to shout to Jack, "You have to tell Morgan! Get away Jack, find Morgan."
The man slapped her, "Ye'll be shutting yer mouth whore."
"Don't mar her pretty face, ye know the Arab men like pretty blond women." Another one of the men hissed.
Hearing her cry out, Jack spun around in time to see the men binding the arms of the women behind their backs. Taking a chance, he leapt at the one who held Anamaria, who was closest to him. Francis laughed and hit Jack over the back of his head with the hilt of the knife.
"Captain, what do ye want us to do with him?" One of the men pointed to the now unconscious Jack.
"Leave the Sparrow. By the time he wakes up and makes it back to the town, we'll be on our way to Egypt. Looks like this trip wasn't so unprofitable." Francis walked over to Hannah and held her face up to him. "It'll be fun to break yer spirit before we sell ye."
She bared her teeth at him, "Aye, it'll be even more fun to watch Morgan kill you when she finds out."
"Morgan? Is that yer husband?" He grinned.
"No, she's my captain. Morgan Rose, captain of the Wave Dancer." Hannah held her head high, pride flashing in her eyes.
The slavers exchanged looks of worry but Francis dismissed it with a snort. "I've heard of Captain Morgan Rose. She's got a grudge against slavers. Well, if she does come after ye, I'll have fun selling her as well."
He nodded to his men and they dragged the women off towards their ship, leaving Jack unconscious on the ground.
Morgance looked around, wondering where Tara, Marie and Hannah were. They'd been here when they'd returned from the dress shop yesterday but sometime during the night, they'd disappeared. Her anger had dissolved enough to allow for rational thoughts though she still planned to make Jack Sparrow pay for what he did in the dress shop.
"Morgance, 'ave ye seen Tara?" Xavier approached her, his hands held out in front of him in a sign of peace. "She wasn't 'ere last night and I'm beginning to worry about her."
She shook her head, "No idea at all. I 'aven't seen Marie or Hannah either since yesterday so she could be with them. Maybe they stayed the night at a tavern?"
Frowning, Xavier couldn't see the three women doing something like that without telling anyone where they were. Especially considering that they were in Tortuga and any woman who wasn't married was considered to probably be a whore. "No, that doesn't sound like them Morgance and ye know it. Something's is wrong I fear."
"Nothing is wrong and they'll be back soon enough. Could be that they wanted to stay away from the ship while I was in my mood last night." Morgance busied herself in tying back her hair with a ribbon.
"Wise choice if that was it but I'm still sure something's happened to them. Ye don't think they could 'ave been hurt or taken or any thing like that."
Her eyes narrowed, "It's Tortuga Xavier, anything could 'ave happened but don't start worrying about them until tonight if they don't return. Ye know me policy about things of this nature."
"Tortuga is a known place for slavers to come Morgance." Angus joined them.
"If that is the case, they won't be coming 'ere for to much longer once all the repairs to the Wave Dancer are complete. Speaking of, how are they coming?" She asked him.
"We've almost finished. We just 'ave to put a couple more of the sails back where they go and to finish loading the new supplies and then everything will be done. Do ye plan to wipe out the slavers in this area Morgance?"
She nodded, trying not to remember her reasons for hating slavers. "Not just this area Angus, the whole Caribbean if I can. Ye know how much I hate slavers."
Angus nodded, glancing at Xavier thoughtfully. "Then we'll give the girls until tonight to get back to the Dancer before we start to worry about them? Sounds reasonable since ye never know what women could be up to when they go off on their little trips."
"Xavier, can ye manage to stop worrying for a while and wait until tonight to start again?" She asked him.
Nodding, Xavier refused to say any more about his worry that they could be in trouble. If Morgance thought they were all right, then they had to be. "I'll stop worrying for a while Morgance, Angus, but as soon as the sun goes down, I'll start again if they're not back 'ere yet."
"If that be the case Xavier, I'll start worrying with ye. As will the rest of the crew." Morgance shook her head.
The first mate frowned, staring at the commotion over on the Black Pearl, "Something's happening on the Pearl Capt'n."
The whole crew was watching as the Pearl was being readied to sail. Morgance crossed her arms, wondering why Jack Sparrow would be leaving Tortuga so soon.
"I don't like it Angus, he shouldn't be doing that." She turned to her friend and shook her head. "I don't like it at all."
"Morgan Rose!" They heard a man shout and Morgance recognized it to be Jack's voice. "Morgan Rose, get ye self down 'ere now!"
She grit her teeth and went over to the gangplank to stare down at him, "What are ye doing over 'ere when yer ship is preparing to sail?"
"Come down 'ere, we 'ave to talk about something very, very serious. Now, please don't kill me either otherwise ye don't 'ave a chance at getting Marie, Hannah and Tara back." Jack watched her stalk down to him.
Crossing her arms, Morgance nodded, "Speak away Sparrow, I want to know everything that ye do about this. How'd ye know that Marie, Tara and Hannah weren't aboard the Dancer?"
"Because they befriended Anamaria and spent the night on the Pearl." He replied, watching her face for any sign that she was going to hurt him.
"They spent the night on the Pearl! Why would they be doing that may I ask ye?"
"Had something to do with yer temper I believe. But more to the point, do ye know a slaver by the name of Francis?" Her face visibly paled and Jack had to catch hold of her arm in fear that she would collapse. "I take it then that ye 'ave heard of him."
"What has Francis got to do with the missing members of me crew?" Her voice was barely a whisper and Angus was bounding down the gangplank to help her.
"Well, ye see, we all went for a merry little walk towards the cliffs this morning and some how we stumbled on Francis and his gang. I received a very nice little lump on the back of me head and he received… rather, he took, four lovely ladies to sell on the slave market." Jack leapt backwards when he saw the pure fury in her eyes.
Her newly re-kindled anger was not directed towards Jack though; rather it was aimed towards the slaver Francis for daring to take members of her crew. "Ye said four women were taken? Who was the fourth?"
"Anamaria, the woman member of my crew."
Nodding, Angus spoke to Morgance in quiet tones, "Ye had best put aside ye dislike of Jack Sparrow because it'll take the two of ye to get them back from Francis."
Morgance's eyes were staring up at her ship, "How far off are we from finishing Angus?"
"Not far like I said before." He frowned, "What are ye thinking Morgance?"
"Finish getting the supplies loaded and then prepare to set off. The sails can be done as we go. I want to get Tara, Hannah and Marie back from that bastard before he hurts them." She turned to Jack. "I don't blame ye for loosing them Sparrow but I hope ye plan to be helping me get them back. Knowing Francis like I unfortunately do, we'll need both crews to get the girls back off him."
Jack held out his hand to her and grinned, "I was planning to say the exact same thing to ye Morgan Rose. Do ye 'ave any idea where he'd be taking them?"
Her eyes were trouble and Morgance nodded, shaking his hand. "Aye, he'd be taking them to Africa… most likely to Egypt because they don't ask questions there when European women are sold."
"Egypt!" He cried. "Poor Hannah wouldn't stand a chance there. At least the other women are all dark haired but she'd blond."
"I know that Sparrow and it'll take the two fastest ships in the Caribbean to get them back if we can manage to work together without killing each other. But I want Francis because he's going to pay for what he has done." Morgance smiled coldly and it chilled Jack to the bone to see her eyes so blank of emotion.
He nodded, "We 'ave an accord then. We get the girls back from the slaver and ye get to kill Francis."
Angus went back up on deck and shouted orders for as many hands that could be spared to finish loading the last few items of cargo – which were mainly drums of water. Any others were to make sure the sails were ready to be hoisted back up into place. "I hope the Capt'n knows what she's doing."
"Ye had best be going back to yer ship Captain Sparrow." She nodded to him and turned to go back up.
"Gibbs, can ye and the men there come and give us a hand?" Jack turned around and shouted.
Eight men came walking along the dock and much to Morgance's surprise, they and Jack started helping her crew to finish loading cargo. When that was done, Jack bowed to Morgance and departed with his men to go back to the Black Pearl. Shaking her head in amusement, Morgance helped her crew to hoist the sails up.
Xavier stared up at the captain, hanging upside down while she secured a sail in place, "I can never work out how she does that Angus."
"Neither can I but it doesn't matter. We're almost ready to go and rescue the women from Francis the slaver." The first mate replied.
"I told ye that there was something wrong, that they were in danger." He replied.
Morgance shouted from her perch, "Hoist the sails! Draw the anchors up!" Before swinging down on a rope to take her place at the helm.
Smiling at her first mate, she shrugged and pointed towards the Black Pearl, "Keep an eye on her Angus, I don't want Jack Sparrow doing anything unexpected."
"Aye, Capt'n!" He saluted her.
"Now, find me that slaver's ship and those of me crew who Francis has dared to take." She murmured to her ship.