Author's Note - I'm writing this chapter while listening to the cast audio commentary version of the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring. Ever heard of the show? *winks* I just thought I would mention the incredible-ness. And the incredible-ness of Pippin.
"Wot's that?"
"This, my friend, is a pint."
"It comes in pints?! I'm gettin' one."
*cackles*
Chapter Seven
Going from Tortuga to Port Royale was by no means a long or draining voyage, but patience tended to wear thinner as fog grew thicker. The Yellow Dart had been immersed in fog since the first evening she had set off for Port Royale, and now the trip that ordinarily took a handful of days to pass did not seem to be making way at all.
Jack stood alone on the forecastle deck, looking into the fog. The wind was slight, and not enough even to stir the braids that lay about his shoulders. The mist off of the water moved about him, but seemed hesitant to touch his browned skin. The light from the sky was muted and all around was gray, without shadow, and motionless. Jack could barely feel the ship moving under his feet.
As a general rule, he did not mind the fog. But also as a general rule, he was captain on a ship and not a passenger. Cargo, he corrected himself with a wry smile. I'm not even a passenger this time - I'm to be delivered. I wouldn't be surprised if she had Will sign a slip for me. The sounds of the ship rasped all around him. The sails and rigging shuddered overhead but caught no wind. Jack sighed.
"That the mighty and fearsome captain Jack Sparrow has no patience, I simply cannot accept," came Melanie's voice behind him. She ambled onto the forecastle deck and came to stand at his side. "Sailing is not for the impatient."
Jack snorted. "I have known precious few pirates who do not yearn for the clash of sword and the chill of coin. It is something to be felt in a pirate's very bones. Anything that stands in the way of those things is to be impatient about, I think."
Melanie smiled and shook her head. The few beads woven into her hair jingled against one another softly. "Well it is my ship, and I would feel terribly if it were somehow my fault that you were not having a good time. I did pluck you out of Tortuga after all, and no man can be called bored in Tortuga. I feel responsible, and so I have decided to do what I can to help."
"To prevent me from being bored, eh?" Jack mused. He turned to look at her, and let his eyes drop low. "And how might you do that, Captain Cash?"
"In the proper fashion of Tortuga itself," she answered.
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Well I must say that I didn't expect such ... recreational time with you cap'n, but I can't say that I can refuse the offer of such a lady ..."
"Excellent," she said, and unsheathed the sword at her hip. "Then we will duel!"
"Duel?"
"What other activities could possibly hold the attention of a man such as yourself in Tortuga?" she asked with a knowing wink.
"None less honorable than this, I can assure you, madam," Jack replied grandly, and unsheathed his own sword. "Though I believe it only fair to let you know that - "
"Cap'n!" The first mate's cry rang out over the deck and Melanie turned, her sword still in hand.
"What is it, Matthew?"
He appeared at the bottom of the forecastle stairs and was short of breath. "We're being followed, sir."
Melanie's eyes lifted from her first mate to study the line of the horizon beyond him and the dark shape that had barely made itself visible there. She frowned, and turned back to Jack with a gracious bow. "My apologies, Jack. It appears that duty calls." She sheathed her sword. "Although, I suppose it's for the best. There's not a man alive that can match a Cash with a blade."
Jack sheathed his own sword and tipped his hat to her. "That, my dear and courteous captain, remains to be seen."
"Let us hope then that it shall not have to be proven on this day," she replied, looking back and squinting at their apparent pursuers. She and Jack followed Matthew back to the helm while Melanie extracted a telescope looking glass from her skirts en route. The three stood at the deck's rail, and what Melanie saw when the glass was lifted to her eye made her start. Jack saw the jump.
"What do you see?"
"A better question would be whom." Melanie let the looking glass fall to her side and her face was strained.
"Don't tell me that ship carries who I think it does," Matthew said in a quiet voice, and Jack saw the lad was even paler than usual. The pirate, weary of the game, slipped Melanie's telescope from her hand and put it to his own eye. From what he could make out through the fog, they were being pursued by a ship similar in size to their own. It was really nondescript, Jack thought, and its only interesting features were its black sails. He couldn't see what was on them, because the lack of wind made them as lifeless as the sails of the Yellow Dart, but the ship was making good time on them nonetheless.
"Well it's a pirate ship, isn't it?" Jack asked and continued to study it. "What've we to fear from fellow brigands?"
"I didn't say that we had anything to fear!" Melanie snapped and snatched back her telescope. "If we are clever as we go about this then there won't be a reason to be afraid. That, Jack, is the ship of the dread pirate Roberts*. I'm sure a sailor as salty as you has heard something about the fellow."
"Aye," said Jack with a golden smile. His eyes became far-away and dreamy. "The dread pirate Roberts. Never leaves any survivors. A man could admire a pirate like that."
Matthew rang the bell for the assembly of all hands. "People don't go around getting such colorful words as 'dread' put in front of their names without ample reason," he said gravely. "Captain Roberts isn't a man to be trifled with. He has no respect for camaraderie between pirates - a vessel for the taking is a vessel for the taking. It would probably have helped us to pass by," he said pointedly in the direction of Melanie, "if we were not so neatly clothed in the guise of a merchant ship!"
Faster than Jack's eyes could follow, Melanie removed a knife from her boot and brought it close to Matthew's nose. The crew had come together, and watched in silence. "There's a lot of things that I'll tolerate from a young man such as yourself, my lad. You've got a pretty reign as both first mate and doctor. I'll listen when you open your pretty mouth, but don't think for a minute that your words bear any weight with me," she said quietly, "and a word against my ship isn't one of the wisest."
Gibbs had wandered over with the crew, and he caught Jack's gaze. The pirate captain raised his eyebrows and Gibbs did the same. They had not detected this side of the fair captain.
"Now listen, you bloated swine," Melanie shouted to the crew. "The monster that each of you had under your beds as children has come to be. Roberts is real and has caught wind of us." There was a muted gasp amongst the women, but Jack noted with a measure of pride that each of them still stood bravely. Here he had found faithful hands before the mast.
The captain of the Yellow Dart continued. "Far be it from me to tell you that I did not know he lived, for I did. But I will not cultivate fears. Roberts may be a real man, but he is only a man, and though I cannot say that we have survived worse - " her voice was steady and strong, "I will proudly say that after this day. Can we do this?"
The women cheered, and Melanie turned to Jack. "I hate to ask this of a guest on my ship, but if worse should come to worse...?"Jack smiled broadly and Gibbs did the same.
"What had I been saying earlier about the clash of sword, love?"
* Boy, do I ever love roping other classics and dragging them kicking and screaming into my own story. I very much hope that you've read The Princess Bride - which is a fantastic book that is not by me - because it is one of the best fantasy novels in the world. It's also hilarious. And if nothing else, rent the movie. You have not seen sword-fighting until that day.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."
"Wot's that?"
"This, my friend, is a pint."
"It comes in pints?! I'm gettin' one."
*cackles*
Chapter Seven
Going from Tortuga to Port Royale was by no means a long or draining voyage, but patience tended to wear thinner as fog grew thicker. The Yellow Dart had been immersed in fog since the first evening she had set off for Port Royale, and now the trip that ordinarily took a handful of days to pass did not seem to be making way at all.
Jack stood alone on the forecastle deck, looking into the fog. The wind was slight, and not enough even to stir the braids that lay about his shoulders. The mist off of the water moved about him, but seemed hesitant to touch his browned skin. The light from the sky was muted and all around was gray, without shadow, and motionless. Jack could barely feel the ship moving under his feet.
As a general rule, he did not mind the fog. But also as a general rule, he was captain on a ship and not a passenger. Cargo, he corrected himself with a wry smile. I'm not even a passenger this time - I'm to be delivered. I wouldn't be surprised if she had Will sign a slip for me. The sounds of the ship rasped all around him. The sails and rigging shuddered overhead but caught no wind. Jack sighed.
"That the mighty and fearsome captain Jack Sparrow has no patience, I simply cannot accept," came Melanie's voice behind him. She ambled onto the forecastle deck and came to stand at his side. "Sailing is not for the impatient."
Jack snorted. "I have known precious few pirates who do not yearn for the clash of sword and the chill of coin. It is something to be felt in a pirate's very bones. Anything that stands in the way of those things is to be impatient about, I think."
Melanie smiled and shook her head. The few beads woven into her hair jingled against one another softly. "Well it is my ship, and I would feel terribly if it were somehow my fault that you were not having a good time. I did pluck you out of Tortuga after all, and no man can be called bored in Tortuga. I feel responsible, and so I have decided to do what I can to help."
"To prevent me from being bored, eh?" Jack mused. He turned to look at her, and let his eyes drop low. "And how might you do that, Captain Cash?"
"In the proper fashion of Tortuga itself," she answered.
Jack raised his eyebrows. "Well I must say that I didn't expect such ... recreational time with you cap'n, but I can't say that I can refuse the offer of such a lady ..."
"Excellent," she said, and unsheathed the sword at her hip. "Then we will duel!"
"Duel?"
"What other activities could possibly hold the attention of a man such as yourself in Tortuga?" she asked with a knowing wink.
"None less honorable than this, I can assure you, madam," Jack replied grandly, and unsheathed his own sword. "Though I believe it only fair to let you know that - "
"Cap'n!" The first mate's cry rang out over the deck and Melanie turned, her sword still in hand.
"What is it, Matthew?"
He appeared at the bottom of the forecastle stairs and was short of breath. "We're being followed, sir."
Melanie's eyes lifted from her first mate to study the line of the horizon beyond him and the dark shape that had barely made itself visible there. She frowned, and turned back to Jack with a gracious bow. "My apologies, Jack. It appears that duty calls." She sheathed her sword. "Although, I suppose it's for the best. There's not a man alive that can match a Cash with a blade."
Jack sheathed his own sword and tipped his hat to her. "That, my dear and courteous captain, remains to be seen."
"Let us hope then that it shall not have to be proven on this day," she replied, looking back and squinting at their apparent pursuers. She and Jack followed Matthew back to the helm while Melanie extracted a telescope looking glass from her skirts en route. The three stood at the deck's rail, and what Melanie saw when the glass was lifted to her eye made her start. Jack saw the jump.
"What do you see?"
"A better question would be whom." Melanie let the looking glass fall to her side and her face was strained.
"Don't tell me that ship carries who I think it does," Matthew said in a quiet voice, and Jack saw the lad was even paler than usual. The pirate, weary of the game, slipped Melanie's telescope from her hand and put it to his own eye. From what he could make out through the fog, they were being pursued by a ship similar in size to their own. It was really nondescript, Jack thought, and its only interesting features were its black sails. He couldn't see what was on them, because the lack of wind made them as lifeless as the sails of the Yellow Dart, but the ship was making good time on them nonetheless.
"Well it's a pirate ship, isn't it?" Jack asked and continued to study it. "What've we to fear from fellow brigands?"
"I didn't say that we had anything to fear!" Melanie snapped and snatched back her telescope. "If we are clever as we go about this then there won't be a reason to be afraid. That, Jack, is the ship of the dread pirate Roberts*. I'm sure a sailor as salty as you has heard something about the fellow."
"Aye," said Jack with a golden smile. His eyes became far-away and dreamy. "The dread pirate Roberts. Never leaves any survivors. A man could admire a pirate like that."
Matthew rang the bell for the assembly of all hands. "People don't go around getting such colorful words as 'dread' put in front of their names without ample reason," he said gravely. "Captain Roberts isn't a man to be trifled with. He has no respect for camaraderie between pirates - a vessel for the taking is a vessel for the taking. It would probably have helped us to pass by," he said pointedly in the direction of Melanie, "if we were not so neatly clothed in the guise of a merchant ship!"
Faster than Jack's eyes could follow, Melanie removed a knife from her boot and brought it close to Matthew's nose. The crew had come together, and watched in silence. "There's a lot of things that I'll tolerate from a young man such as yourself, my lad. You've got a pretty reign as both first mate and doctor. I'll listen when you open your pretty mouth, but don't think for a minute that your words bear any weight with me," she said quietly, "and a word against my ship isn't one of the wisest."
Gibbs had wandered over with the crew, and he caught Jack's gaze. The pirate captain raised his eyebrows and Gibbs did the same. They had not detected this side of the fair captain.
"Now listen, you bloated swine," Melanie shouted to the crew. "The monster that each of you had under your beds as children has come to be. Roberts is real and has caught wind of us." There was a muted gasp amongst the women, but Jack noted with a measure of pride that each of them still stood bravely. Here he had found faithful hands before the mast.
The captain of the Yellow Dart continued. "Far be it from me to tell you that I did not know he lived, for I did. But I will not cultivate fears. Roberts may be a real man, but he is only a man, and though I cannot say that we have survived worse - " her voice was steady and strong, "I will proudly say that after this day. Can we do this?"
The women cheered, and Melanie turned to Jack. "I hate to ask this of a guest on my ship, but if worse should come to worse...?"Jack smiled broadly and Gibbs did the same.
"What had I been saying earlier about the clash of sword, love?"
* Boy, do I ever love roping other classics and dragging them kicking and screaming into my own story. I very much hope that you've read The Princess Bride - which is a fantastic book that is not by me - because it is one of the best fantasy novels in the world. It's also hilarious. And if nothing else, rent the movie. You have not seen sword-fighting until that day.
"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."