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.
Chapter Six: The fastest ships in the Caribbean.
The Wave Dancer easily beat the Black Pearl out of the bay and Morgance was quick to steer her into the wind. Her crew was busy making sure that the sails were fine because this first trip out after the storm would show them if there was any damage done that they had missed when doing the repairs.
Glancing about, she saw the Black Pearl not far back from the Dancer; well with-in shouting distance for communication. That was good because they would need to be able to commune with each other in order to go after Francis. Angus came over to her, his dark eyes troubled.
"How long a head start has he got on us Morgance? Do ye know?" He asked her, glancing back at the Pearl.
"I 'ave no idea but I'd say only a few hours. Sparrow said it was this morning that it happened and ye should well be able to tell that it's just gone noontime." Her response was what Angus had been expecting.
"Ye know that Xavier is really rather angry that we didn't look for them last night. Tara must mean a lot to him since I've never seen the boy act like this."
She shook her head, "He'll grow up and learn that love isn't something that a pirate should give out easily. Ye 'ave the louder voice, shout over to the Pearl and ask how long ago Francis took the girls from Jack."
Walking over to the rail, Angus cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted over to the Black Pearl, "How long ago did Francis take the girls?"
The question was conveyed to Jack who told the crewman that it was around two hours ago that it happened. This was shouted back to Angus and Morgance who exchanged looks before discussing the fact.
"Francis hasn't had to long a head start Morgance. We should be able to catch up with him easily."
Morgance was troubled, "If he knows that three of the girls are from me crew, he'll be holing himself up somewhere for a few days. He knows how fast the Wave Dancer is and if he knows Jack Sparrow, he'll also know how fast the Black Pearl is."
He frowned, "They couldn't still be at Tortuga could they? The island is large enough for them to 'ave hidden themselves away."
"That's why we're sailing around Tortuga before making any more decisions. We 'ave the two fastest ships in the Caribbean so if they 'ave set sail, it will be easy for us to catch up unless something unforeseen occurs. Which, I damn well hope, doesn't occur."
"Yer a brave captain Morgance but are ye sure we're doing the right thing? Wouldn't it be better to set for the closest port where a slaver like Francis might stop? That way, we can be there when he comes into port and take the girls back off him." Angus tried to introduce a different idea to Morgance but it did not work.
"I wish to catch them at sea so that we can destroy Francis and his crew once and for all. For five years he has been hiding from me and now he's made a move that will be his last." Her voice was filled with hate and the first mate stepped back.
Shrugging, he said to her. "I'll convey yer plan to the Black Pearl if ye don't mind. Captain Sparrow should be told."
Morgance nodded, her eyes trained on the horizon, "Ye do that Angus and make sure he knows to follow the Dancer. Don't want to loose him now as well because we'll need the extra man power that his crew brings."
"Do ye honestly think so?"
"Aye, I do."
The Black Pearl came up beside the Wave Dancer and Morgance could see Jack talking to Gibbs while remaining in control. She nodded to Angus and he called over to the Pearl.
"Captain Rose has a plan for ye Sparrow."
Gibbs walked to the rail and waved at Angus, "Good to see ye Angus, and Morgan. What be the plan yer proposing?"
"Francis knows how fast the Dancer can go and we assume he also knows about the Pearl. Morgance thinks he might have holed up some where on the island or moved on to the next closest one. She wants to check the island first before perusing any other ideas."
Jack glanced at Gibbs, "She's right ye know. Francis knows the fact that the Black Pearl is the fastest ship in the Caribbean… or was." He had noticed how easily the Dancer was maintaining a slight lead on the Pearl.
"Aye, the two ships are equal in speed but the Dancer is better armed and has a brilliant captain to sail her." Gibbs replied, turning back to call to Angus, "Capt'n Sparrow 'ere agrees with that idea. The slaver has only had a couple of hour's head start and that's not sufficient to get anywhere really. The nearest island he could drop anchor at is around six hour's for the Pearl and his ship's bound to be slower."
She turned to Angus, "Is there anywhere within two hours that he could get to?"
"Is there anywhere that he could get to in two hours?" Angus asked them.
Exchanging looks, Jack and Gibbs wondered why they would ask that question. Replying, Gibbs told them, "Aye. There's a little island with nothing but sand, rocks and palm trees. It's surrounded by rock cliffs on most sides and a reef on the one side where a ship might be able to set anchor if they could get past the reefs."
"That's where he's gone then." Morgance smiled, "He's playing a game with us."
"How do ye mean Morgance?"
"Francis knew that I would sail as soon as I found out. He would 'ave known that I would assume that he's hiding on Tortuga still in fear of being caught."
Nodding, Angus saw what she meant, "So ye think he's on this sand island that Gibbs just mentioned?"
"Indeed I do Angus, indeed I do."
Studying her face, he was worried that she wanted revenge more than anything. Looking at the distance between the two ships, Angus grabbed a rope and managed to swing over to the Black Pearl so he could talk with Gibbs easier.
"Welcome aboard the Black Pearl Angus." Gibbs shook his old friend's hand happily. "Took ye long enough to come over."
"Her ladyship believes that Francis is on this island ye just spoke of before. She said that Francis would 'ave known that she'd assume he was still on Tortuga." Angus looked at Jack while speaking.
Jack frowned thoughtfully, "It makes sense, I'll give her that. The island was one used by the rumrunners for stashing rum on and only small ships can make it through the reef into the safe bay of the island. No way either of these ships would make it in one piece."
"Slave ships are normally fairly small in order to be inconspicuous." The first mate from the Wave Dancer murmured. "Do ye know if Francis knew that the girls came from the Wave Dancer?"
"He didn't while I was still conscious but Hannah was putting up a damn good fight. She was the one who kept telling me to go to Morgan, to tell Morgan what had happened."
Gibbs glanced over at Morgance whose attention was directed towards sailing her ship. "She's got something against slaver's hasn't she? I've heard that any slaver that crosses her path is soon destroyed."
"I don't know if I should tell ye 'bout this but figuring how yer helping us get Marie, Tara and Hannah back from Francis, I guess I should."
"Mustn't forget Anamaria. She was taken as well and she's from me crew." Jack shook his head. "I knew I shouldn't 'ave let them go for that walk."
"Five years ago, Morgance was kidnapped by a slaver from a tavern in Jamaica. We went after her but by the time we got her back from the man the slaver had sold her to, she was a broken woman. Since then, Morgance has directed most of her passion into destroying slavers and hunting down the man who kidnapped her."
"He was Francis wasn't he?" The captain of the Black Pearl asked in shock.
Angus nodded, "Aye, that's why she's determined to find Francis this time and to destroy him once and for all. I just hope that she won't get herself hurt again by doing this."
Staring across at Morgance, Jack realized why she was as hard as she was towards men. "One can't help but feel sorry for her. Ye said she was a broken woman when ye found her. But look at her now."
"She's still a broken woman and her trust goes as far as me, Xavier, Tara, Hannah, Marie and Jacqueline and to the crew as well but no further. Morgance doesn't want to be hurt by a man ever again and so she's formed an unbreakable wall around her soul. That's why the Wave Dancer and revenge on slavers are her life."
Morgance looked over at them and waved to Angus, "Ye coming back with the direction for this island?"
Grabbing another rope to swing back over, Angus nodded to Jack and Gibbs after they'd given him the coordinates for the island that they had told him about. "Ye don't know about what happened and I never told ye anything. She would be shattered if she knew I'd told ye and I don't want to see her like that, ever."
When Angus landed on the deck and let the rope swing back over to the Pearl, he turned to Morgance to give her the coordinates and found her studying him intensely. "Anything the matter Morgance? Ye seem distracted."
"Ye'd better not 'ave told them Angus. If ye 'ave, yer life won't be worth living once I'm finished with ye. I don't want anyone to know about it." She growled. "Now give me those damn coordinates so we can find the girls."
He gave her the coordinates, "I'd never tell anyone Morgance, and ye know it. We were talking about the island and I explained to them what ye thought. Sparrow told me that only small ships could make it through the reef that closes off the small bay on the island. He said that neither the Wave Dancer nor the Black Pearl could make it through in one piece safely."
She nodded, "I knew that already. It makes sense now, why he'd choose that island since his ship, in the true fashion of slavers, is rather small."
"What are ye going to do about it though Morgance? If ye can't take the Dancer to the slave ship then ye can't blow her to pieces with the cannons and kill Francis." Angus pointedly told her.
"By god Angus, I didn't realize that." Morgance shook her head at him, her voice dripping with sarcasm when she replied.
Angus rolled his eyes and glanced back over at the Black Pearl thoughtfully, "Yer best hope Capt'n, is to keep enough men to arm the cannons while sending everyone else in to flush the slavers out."
"Actually, I thought I would fire a few warning shots at the reef that the could hear and then send in some brave but foolish man in to serve Francis and his slavers with an ultimatum." Brown eyes squinted in the sunlight but Morgance didn't want to seem distracted at that moment.
She was getting a headache and the very thought of having to face Francis again was making her stomach turn over in summersaults. Around her, the crew was busy with the ship and Jacqueline was keeping a close eye on Xavier in case he decided to do something stupid. Waiting for her to speak again, Angus studied the tired and wary face of the woman pirate captain. Her face was pale and her eyes lacked some of the luster that always commanded the attention of people who met her. It was not at all strange really, that the fear of facing the man who had broken her both physically and mentally was causing Morgance to be quiet unlike herself. Angus had seen her hunt down men before in anger and in wrath, he had seen her hunt them with smiles and laughter, with tears and sorrow, with scowls and dark moods but he had never seen her hunt them with vengeance and with fear.
"Morgance, ye should tell Sparrow about yer history with Francis. He'll want to know why ye 'ave such a grudge against the slaver." Angus murmured to her, hoping that she would not strike out at him for daring to suggest such a thing.
"I can't Angus and ye know it. My life is hard enough to live with knowing that he might find me again without having to tell Jack Sparrow that I have one serious weakness that would bring me down. Imagine what he would think if he knew that I feared one man because he did me some harm?" Her voice wavered as she spoke and a flash of fear crossed her face.
Placing a hand on her arm, the first mate smiled faintly, "Ye'll be alright girly and ye know it. Francis, why, he be a weak man if he derives enjoyment out of hurting women but ye are stronger and smarter then him. That scum won't know what hit him when ye get yer revenge and yer crewwomen back. He'll suffer in hell for the rest of eternity for what he has done to countless numbers of women… and men, I suppose he's made a profit out of them as well."
"I just hope he hasn't hurt any of them. He may have started already and I don't know what I'll do if I get the girls back and he's hurt them. Marie wouldn't cope with it though Tara might. Hannah however, she's a sensitive woman and she probably tried to protect the others. Francis would start with her, she has the most will out of the lot." Morgan shook her head, strands of her black hair escaping from the braid that hung down her back.
He wondered what her mind would be like if she discovered that they had been hurt. Angus could well remember the nightmares she had suffered every single night for a year after they rescued her and even now, she still suffered them on occasion… especially when she was really tired. "Don't ye worry Morgance, we're 'ere for ye and for the girls as well. Francis will be dead soon enough and ye can rest easy after that. I just caution ye that telling Sparrow would be a good idea. He might think some mighty strange things if ye broke down at some point during this because the memories became too much for ye."
Morgance smiled sadly at him, "Aye, I see what you mean Angus but I do not want to tell anyone, ever. Father always taught me that fear is ones worst enemy and that to give someone knowledge of your fear, is to give them power over you."
"Yer a stubborn lass Morgan Rose but ye know yer heart and yer soul better than anyone else in the world. Now, we should drop anchor just outside the reef where it's safe and hold council with Sparrow and Gibbs. Plans are useful things." He grinned and waved over at Gibbs who was watching them thoughtfully.
"Plans. Right." She sighed, rubbing her head warily in hope that she could will the headache away.
*****
Grr, I didn't like the idea of saying that Morgance had been kidnapped by slavers but I needed a reason to say why she hated them so much. Now, I hope you people who read this story will be nice and REVIEW! I like responding to reviews on occasion and here are the responses for those nice people who have reviewed.
Clumseysweetpea: Thanks and as for the said bit. I hate it when I read something and the writer has put 'said this' 'she said/he said' and anything like that. You can say something in ways that are different from said.
Brizy: Good stuff eh? I'm glad you think so. Your writing's not so bad either.
Magoo1: Well, there's been a lot more since you reviewed and I assure you, there will continue to be more.
Now, I also want to say that I love you all and that I hope everyone has had a good Easter.