Ships came from many miles around, some even from as far as the mainland, to mourn the passing of Port Royale and all who had made their homes within her walls. Even the Caribbean itself seemed to fall silent when they gathered together, smuggler sloop and merchant brigantine, pirate galleon and navy ship, floating listlessly on the tide as prayers were said and hymns were sung. It was a terrible day, remembered by all who were witness to it for the great tragedy that had befallen the island.
But still, life moved on, as life should, remembering the dead and honouring their memory by living as they would have wished. In time, both Laura and Marin gave birth to strong healthy girls, Heather and Lucy, and with the celebration that ensued much of the sorrow was cleansed, leaving them with lighter hearts. It was, of course, only inevitable that such things should happen, and Nature, in her loving wisdom, blessed them with many years of fortitude and happiness.
The children grew and matured, their number growing with each passing year, as those who advanced into the twilight of their lives slowly let go of the life they had loved so much. For every child, there was a story, a tale of love, hate, joy and sorrow, and told with such vibrant enthusiasm for their lives it was truly a wonder to behold.
Matthew Turner grew strong, working the forge with his father to fill the orders that still swept in from across the Caribbean, a credit to the parents who had borne him. Vanessa and Heather were the true daughters of their parents, devoting themselves to domestic skills even in infancy, proving that they would make fine wives someday, if James could ever be convinced to part with them.
Elizabeth Sparrow swiftly out-paced her peers to become a slender beauty, far more at home with Laura's lifestyle than that of her mother, though there was no doubting the close bond between Marin and her eldest. According to Ioade, Johnny was the spitting image of his father at the same age, all gangly limbs and shaggy hair, and his twin was no better, as much a tomboy as her mother before her. Lucy had been graced with a sister no more than a year her junior, and so alike was she to young Emma that it was often remarked that they should have been born twins. Only a few years later, Jack and Marin were blessed with yet another daughter, whom they named Ardell, a cheeky child, full of her father's wit and her mother's guile. And finally, they were borne of a second son, named for the man who had meant so much to them both during their lives - Elias Patrick Sparrow, who even as a babe proved to be as much of a handful as his siblings before him.
Where there are births and deaths, there are also weddings, and here was no exception. The long awaited partnership of one Dugan Fitzroy to one Esperanza Arroyo Callas was finally made public, and a few months later, legal, celebrated universally by the entire island. The two, under the guidance of both Esteban and Devante, built themselves a home near to the copse of trees that no doubt held many fond memories for them both, and, sure enough, were blessed with a son entirely too soon for Amata's peace of mind. Devante, too, caught himself a bride, a young Portuguese girl with a volatile temper. Still, they seemed perfectly suited to one another.
Business on the island flourished under the firm but fair guidance of one James Norrington, who had pulled a shrewdness from beneath his belt that no one had guessed was lurking there. He had dragged the merchants to Jamaica's new capital of Kingston, insisting upon meeting the new Governor, a Captain Henry Morgan, whose name alone was enough to convince the less lawful of the pirates to polish up their ways. When he had first visited the island, he had caused quite a stir, not least among the crew of the Seawitch Queen, who had needed no encouragement to stand by and watch as he greeted his youngest grandchild fondly, despite having never met her before. Ioade had sworn everyone to silence after that day, chafing under the knowledge that her own flesh and blood was now the long arm of the law in the Caribbean.
Jack and Marin were finally allowed to take a back-seat in the affairs of the little island, quickly named Great Cayman by Captain Morgan, for reasons known only to himself, and settled into a somewhat quieter life than they were used to, raising their children and learning once again that a life on land is taxing to a soul in tune with the ocean. It soon became clear that they were both sickening for the freedom of the sea, for the salt wind to touch their skin and the unique feeling of being a part of a whole, at one with themselves.
Even the children felt it, and eventually it turned to their oldest friends to take action. James and Will made arrangements for everything to be taken care of, and together approached the couple with a suggestion. Perhaps if the Sparrows were to take a crew of volunteers and explore regions of the world they had never before seen, when they returned they would be content to be islanders, with the sea just within reach. Marin and Jack jumped at the chance, all but packing immediately for a voyage they had longed for in their hearts. The date for their departure was set, and the whole island turned out to wish them well.
Marin reached up to hug her cousin close, despite the child balanced expertly on one hip.
'How can I ever repay you for this, James?' she murmured, too grateful for words as she smiled up into his eyes.
He gave her a wry grin.
'Just bring yourself and your family back in one piece, Mar, that's all I ask,' he sighed, bending to kiss the crop of dark curls that was little Elias' crowning glory.
'Wise words,' Laura put in, muscling under her husband's arm to embrace her friend warmly. 'You have to come back, if only to tell me everything you've seen and done.'
Laughing, the two women held each other close as their friends moved to surround them, all with wishes of good will and safe journey on their lips. James glanced at Jack, watching as the pirate's mouth worked silently.
'I don't believe I have ever said this, Jim, so make the most of it,' he managed finally, ignoring the now traditional groan and rolling of eyes that accompanied his shortening of the former commodore's name. 'Thank you. With all my heart, thank you.'
James stared at him, his mind reeling backwards to find that Jack was right. Never in their years of friendship had any words of thanks passed between them. Will whistled appreciatively.
'Quick, someone write that down,' he called, interrupted by Jack's hearty slap landing square between his shoulderblades.
'You know, for a eunuch, you're very chatty,' Jack said cheerfully, giving his oldest friend a mocking bow as Will scowled at him.
James glanced down as a small hand tugged on his trousers, into the upturned face of his cousin's youngest daughter. Ardell grinned up at him, proudly showing off her missing front teeth.
'Aren't you coming too, Uncle James?' she lisped, brushing carefree strands of red hair from her face with a filthy hand.
James smiled, kneeling to hug her gently.
'No, Ardell, not this time,' he told her. 'I have to stay here to make sure all your mother's hard work doesn't go to rack and ruin without her.'
She made a face at him, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips as he endeavoured not to laugh.
A cry of disgust made them look up, to find Kit and Johnny grimacing in Beth's general direction. A quick look at the oldest of the Sparrow tribe soon cleared up the reason. The teenage beauty had her arms around Harry's neck and was obviously not the only one enjoying the stolen kiss. Jack raised an eyebrow, marching over to separate his daughter from her prospective beau. Harry flushed guiltily.
'Sorry, cap'n,' he mumbled, managing to both glance at Beth and keep his eyes on the ground at the same time.
Jack looked between his former cabin boy and his daughter.
'I think it's just as well you're not coming with us, Harry lad,' he murmured, softening as their faces fell. 'If you still want each other when we get back, you can have each other. Until then, hands off.'
Harry grinned at him, showing off the devilish good looks that must have captivated the captain's daughter.
'Thank you, sir.'
Beth stuck her tongue out at Kit as she passed her sister, with good reason, since the girl was still making a truly ugly face at her sister's antics. Matthew gave the dark-haired pirate lass a dirty look.
'I dunno why you have a problem with it, everyone does it,' he told her, in an annoyingly superior voice. 'Mind you, with a face like that, I don't think anyone would want to do it with you.'
Kit froze, a look of pure hatred slipping into place on her features.
'What do you mean by that?' she demanded, ignoring her brother as Johnny tried to hurry her along to the longboat.
Uncowed, Matthew looked her up and down slowly.
'I'm surprised anyone even knows you're a girl, dressed like that,' he sneered, with all the arrogance he could muster. 'And there's no way anyone could mistake you for a lady.'
'Matthew,' Will murmured warningly, inwardly amused by this by-play.
The two had never got on, Kit not conforming to Matthew's impression of what a good girl should be like, namely Beth. Likewise, Kit considered Matthew stuck up and boring, and their arguments had echoed around the little village for years.
'Well, she's always looking down her nose at people who love each other,' his son protested. 'It's about time she was taken down a peg or two.'
Kit's eyes had gone wide with angry incredulity.
'Who's she, the cat's mother?' she spat.
Matthew sighed, turning back to face her.
'Evidently,' he said simply.
Kit was nothing if not her mother's daughter, and Matthew went reeling backwards under the force of her slap. He glared up at her from the sand, one hand clamped firmly over his stinging cheek.
'We'll see who's a lady when we get back, Matthew Turner,' she hissed, finally succumbing to Johnny's grasp on her arm.
Her brother winked at Matthew, grinning, and dragged his sister to where their parents were waiting, Lucy and Emma falling into step beside them as they thumped into the longboat just as it was pushed away from the shore. Their friends and family crowded onto the shoreline, waving and cheering as the Black Pearl, sails set and shining in the Caribbean sunlight, set off once more on the trail of adventure.
But still, life moved on, as life should, remembering the dead and honouring their memory by living as they would have wished. In time, both Laura and Marin gave birth to strong healthy girls, Heather and Lucy, and with the celebration that ensued much of the sorrow was cleansed, leaving them with lighter hearts. It was, of course, only inevitable that such things should happen, and Nature, in her loving wisdom, blessed them with many years of fortitude and happiness.
The children grew and matured, their number growing with each passing year, as those who advanced into the twilight of their lives slowly let go of the life they had loved so much. For every child, there was a story, a tale of love, hate, joy and sorrow, and told with such vibrant enthusiasm for their lives it was truly a wonder to behold.
Matthew Turner grew strong, working the forge with his father to fill the orders that still swept in from across the Caribbean, a credit to the parents who had borne him. Vanessa and Heather were the true daughters of their parents, devoting themselves to domestic skills even in infancy, proving that they would make fine wives someday, if James could ever be convinced to part with them.
Elizabeth Sparrow swiftly out-paced her peers to become a slender beauty, far more at home with Laura's lifestyle than that of her mother, though there was no doubting the close bond between Marin and her eldest. According to Ioade, Johnny was the spitting image of his father at the same age, all gangly limbs and shaggy hair, and his twin was no better, as much a tomboy as her mother before her. Lucy had been graced with a sister no more than a year her junior, and so alike was she to young Emma that it was often remarked that they should have been born twins. Only a few years later, Jack and Marin were blessed with yet another daughter, whom they named Ardell, a cheeky child, full of her father's wit and her mother's guile. And finally, they were borne of a second son, named for the man who had meant so much to them both during their lives - Elias Patrick Sparrow, who even as a babe proved to be as much of a handful as his siblings before him.
Where there are births and deaths, there are also weddings, and here was no exception. The long awaited partnership of one Dugan Fitzroy to one Esperanza Arroyo Callas was finally made public, and a few months later, legal, celebrated universally by the entire island. The two, under the guidance of both Esteban and Devante, built themselves a home near to the copse of trees that no doubt held many fond memories for them both, and, sure enough, were blessed with a son entirely too soon for Amata's peace of mind. Devante, too, caught himself a bride, a young Portuguese girl with a volatile temper. Still, they seemed perfectly suited to one another.
Business on the island flourished under the firm but fair guidance of one James Norrington, who had pulled a shrewdness from beneath his belt that no one had guessed was lurking there. He had dragged the merchants to Jamaica's new capital of Kingston, insisting upon meeting the new Governor, a Captain Henry Morgan, whose name alone was enough to convince the less lawful of the pirates to polish up their ways. When he had first visited the island, he had caused quite a stir, not least among the crew of the Seawitch Queen, who had needed no encouragement to stand by and watch as he greeted his youngest grandchild fondly, despite having never met her before. Ioade had sworn everyone to silence after that day, chafing under the knowledge that her own flesh and blood was now the long arm of the law in the Caribbean.
Jack and Marin were finally allowed to take a back-seat in the affairs of the little island, quickly named Great Cayman by Captain Morgan, for reasons known only to himself, and settled into a somewhat quieter life than they were used to, raising their children and learning once again that a life on land is taxing to a soul in tune with the ocean. It soon became clear that they were both sickening for the freedom of the sea, for the salt wind to touch their skin and the unique feeling of being a part of a whole, at one with themselves.
Even the children felt it, and eventually it turned to their oldest friends to take action. James and Will made arrangements for everything to be taken care of, and together approached the couple with a suggestion. Perhaps if the Sparrows were to take a crew of volunteers and explore regions of the world they had never before seen, when they returned they would be content to be islanders, with the sea just within reach. Marin and Jack jumped at the chance, all but packing immediately for a voyage they had longed for in their hearts. The date for their departure was set, and the whole island turned out to wish them well.
Marin reached up to hug her cousin close, despite the child balanced expertly on one hip.
'How can I ever repay you for this, James?' she murmured, too grateful for words as she smiled up into his eyes.
He gave her a wry grin.
'Just bring yourself and your family back in one piece, Mar, that's all I ask,' he sighed, bending to kiss the crop of dark curls that was little Elias' crowning glory.
'Wise words,' Laura put in, muscling under her husband's arm to embrace her friend warmly. 'You have to come back, if only to tell me everything you've seen and done.'
Laughing, the two women held each other close as their friends moved to surround them, all with wishes of good will and safe journey on their lips. James glanced at Jack, watching as the pirate's mouth worked silently.
'I don't believe I have ever said this, Jim, so make the most of it,' he managed finally, ignoring the now traditional groan and rolling of eyes that accompanied his shortening of the former commodore's name. 'Thank you. With all my heart, thank you.'
James stared at him, his mind reeling backwards to find that Jack was right. Never in their years of friendship had any words of thanks passed between them. Will whistled appreciatively.
'Quick, someone write that down,' he called, interrupted by Jack's hearty slap landing square between his shoulderblades.
'You know, for a eunuch, you're very chatty,' Jack said cheerfully, giving his oldest friend a mocking bow as Will scowled at him.
James glanced down as a small hand tugged on his trousers, into the upturned face of his cousin's youngest daughter. Ardell grinned up at him, proudly showing off her missing front teeth.
'Aren't you coming too, Uncle James?' she lisped, brushing carefree strands of red hair from her face with a filthy hand.
James smiled, kneeling to hug her gently.
'No, Ardell, not this time,' he told her. 'I have to stay here to make sure all your mother's hard work doesn't go to rack and ruin without her.'
She made a face at him, planting a sloppy kiss on his lips as he endeavoured not to laugh.
A cry of disgust made them look up, to find Kit and Johnny grimacing in Beth's general direction. A quick look at the oldest of the Sparrow tribe soon cleared up the reason. The teenage beauty had her arms around Harry's neck and was obviously not the only one enjoying the stolen kiss. Jack raised an eyebrow, marching over to separate his daughter from her prospective beau. Harry flushed guiltily.
'Sorry, cap'n,' he mumbled, managing to both glance at Beth and keep his eyes on the ground at the same time.
Jack looked between his former cabin boy and his daughter.
'I think it's just as well you're not coming with us, Harry lad,' he murmured, softening as their faces fell. 'If you still want each other when we get back, you can have each other. Until then, hands off.'
Harry grinned at him, showing off the devilish good looks that must have captivated the captain's daughter.
'Thank you, sir.'
Beth stuck her tongue out at Kit as she passed her sister, with good reason, since the girl was still making a truly ugly face at her sister's antics. Matthew gave the dark-haired pirate lass a dirty look.
'I dunno why you have a problem with it, everyone does it,' he told her, in an annoyingly superior voice. 'Mind you, with a face like that, I don't think anyone would want to do it with you.'
Kit froze, a look of pure hatred slipping into place on her features.
'What do you mean by that?' she demanded, ignoring her brother as Johnny tried to hurry her along to the longboat.
Uncowed, Matthew looked her up and down slowly.
'I'm surprised anyone even knows you're a girl, dressed like that,' he sneered, with all the arrogance he could muster. 'And there's no way anyone could mistake you for a lady.'
'Matthew,' Will murmured warningly, inwardly amused by this by-play.
The two had never got on, Kit not conforming to Matthew's impression of what a good girl should be like, namely Beth. Likewise, Kit considered Matthew stuck up and boring, and their arguments had echoed around the little village for years.
'Well, she's always looking down her nose at people who love each other,' his son protested. 'It's about time she was taken down a peg or two.'
Kit's eyes had gone wide with angry incredulity.
'Who's she, the cat's mother?' she spat.
Matthew sighed, turning back to face her.
'Evidently,' he said simply.
Kit was nothing if not her mother's daughter, and Matthew went reeling backwards under the force of her slap. He glared up at her from the sand, one hand clamped firmly over his stinging cheek.
'We'll see who's a lady when we get back, Matthew Turner,' she hissed, finally succumbing to Johnny's grasp on her arm.
Her brother winked at Matthew, grinning, and dragged his sister to where their parents were waiting, Lucy and Emma falling into step beside them as they thumped into the longboat just as it was pushed away from the shore. Their friends and family crowded onto the shoreline, waving and cheering as the Black Pearl, sails set and shining in the Caribbean sunlight, set off once more on the trail of adventure.