Wooo!!!
Anyway, usual disclaimer. By the way I can't remember if I've said this before, but all O.Bloom fans leave now. Especially if you're a Will/Elizabeth person . . .
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Chapter Seven - The Raven
Will had no real concept of time in the brig. All he knew was that the ship hadn't moved. He guessed it might've been in Port Royale a few days now, but he had no idea of the exact amount.
He was still in shock about Jack and Elizabeth. Although he kept trying to block it from his mind, it kept coming back. However, he was convincing himself that it was a lie. How could that woman know about any of it?
Then there was Jack being, well Will didn't know what the cloaked woman had done. Drugs, or something. At first, after seeing Jack and Elizabeth together, Will had wanted Jack to suffer, but now, well he wasn't so sure. He found himself almost hoping Jack didn't die.
There was the sound of light footsteps on the stairs. The cloaked woman appeared, but was then joined by two other cloaked figures. Will pretended to be asleep.
"Sisters, Mr Ragetti has paid me well. How shall we spend our money?"
One of the figures shrugged.
"We could go to Tortuga. The men would remain loyal, if we did. There is much trade in Tortuga as well."
"Well said, sister. Tortuga, then. Sister, go and inform the steersman."
The three figures vanished once again. Will sat up. So, there were three of them. Why did they always meet down here? Did the men even know?
A short while later, Will became aware of the movement of water around him. He pressed his ear to the wood. He could hear the sound of sloshing water. So, they were leaving Port Royale for Tortuga. Will slumped back against the wall. When the crew left the ship, perhaps he could get out of this cell. He recognised the hinges on the cell door.
On the deck of the 'Black Pearl' two people were staring at a mysterious black liquid, seeping into the woodwork.
"Bloody hell . . ."
Elizabeth just kept looking at the strange liquid. It reminded her of something. That black colour, it wasn't the colour of normal black, it was, different.
"Jack, it doesn't look right. It's not the right sort of black."
"I know what you mean, lass. Looks, too black, don't it?"
Elizabeth suddenly remembered where she had seen that sort of black before.
"Jack, it's the colour of that strange ship, the one that raided Port Royale."
"So it is, love, but I don't see how that helps us much."
"Well, do you know whose ship it was? Anything?"
Jack shook his head.
"Anyway, why does any of that matter?"
Elizabeth sat down on a nearby barrel. She gazed out into the ocean. It helped her think, seeing the rising and falling waves.
"Perhaps someone was trying to kill you."
Jack laughed.
"Nearly everyone's tryin' ta' kill me, miss, I'm a pirate. Comes with the job, you might say."
"No, I mean, really trying."
"S'possible. But I don't know who. Your Commodore don't like me much, but he wouldn't try an' poison me, would he?"
Elizabeth shrugged. It was a mystery. And how did they get the poison into a flask in the first place?
"Well, I dunno 'bout you, Lizzie, but I'm calling it a day."
Jack walked off to his cabin. Elizabeth didn't like the idea of staying on deck on her own, so she hurried back to own, her mind still buzzing with possibilities.
Jack was up early the next morning. None of the crew were back yet, but a new ship had arrived in the dock. It was black.
Jack felt a shiver run down his spine. It 'was' the ship from Port Royale, he knew it. He ducked behind the railings of the 'Pearl' and watched as the crew rushed off, and into daytime Tortuga.
No one else left the ship for several more minutes. Then, three tall, cloaked figures stepped lightly off, and headed to the slightly more salubrious area of Tortuga. They were strange. They didn't look right in the harsh light of day, almost as if they'd been cut out of a nighttime painting.
Inside the dark ship's brig, Will had already lined a bench up with the cell door. Pushing the legs through the bars, he pressed down hard onto the other end. With a mighty clang, the door bounced off its hinges, and shot across the lower deck's floor.
Carefully, so as not to tangle his feet up in the metalwork, Will walked out of his prison, and up toward the light of Tortuga.
As he emerged into the almost blinding sunlight, he looked around, shading his eyes with a hand. Tortuga looked a little less seedy by daylight, but only just.
He stepped confidently out onto deck and swaggered down the gangplank, whistling what he hoped was a tune commonly whistled by pirates. Trying to fit in was difficult. He looked all right, but his accent, and the fact he knew very little real pirate jargon was a problem. He was counting on the fact that all the ship's crewmembers would be too drunk to recognise him, and that the three women were elsewhere in Tortuga. He strode jauntily down the street, when suddenly; a set of black sails caught his eye. It was the 'Black Pearl', he was sure of it. Elizabeth was on that ship. With new determination, Will felt that finally things were going right. He'd find Elizabeth, and get Jack to sail them back to Port Royale. Any thought he'd had about Jack or Elizabeth's betrayal had completely left his head. After all, what did a strange, black-cloaked woman know?
All night, Elizabeth had been dreaming. Dreaming of all sorts of things. Life with her father, before, what had happened, happened. Dreams of Will, poor Will, who had been taken by pirates. And dreams of Captain Jack Sparrow, wonderful, kind, handsome Captain Jack Sparrow.
Elizabeth woke, to find light filtering into her room. Sitting up sleepily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Swinging her legs out of bed, she stood up, and padded silently over the door, and stepped out on deck. She saw Jack, who had been kneeling down behind the ships railings, stand up, and turn to face her.
"Look, lass, tis that other ship!"
Elizabeth looked to where Jack was pointing. It was. It was as black as ever, like a place the light forgot to shine on.
"Goodness, it's so odd looking. What's it called?"
Jack looked back the ship.
"The Raven."
Elizabeth nodded.
"It's certainly as dark as one. I wonder what it's doing here?"
"Same thing every other ship is doing here, I suspect. Same reason we're here."
Elizabeth turned away.
"'We' are not here for that, thank you."
"Well, the rest of the crew are. 'Cept Ana, but I'm sure she's probably having an equally good time downing a few pints."
"Oh, you don't include yourself in that then?"
"No. I'm here makin' sure you don't get savaged by everybody else."
"You don't have to, you know."
"Yes I do. I can't have some bloody pirate getting' to you before dear William, no can I?"
Elizabeth sighed, and flopped dejectedly onto a large box, used for storing cannonballs. She rested her chin in her hands.
"I'm not sure dear William feels that strongly about me anymore. I mean, he just doesn't seem to be so worried about me."
"Nah, don't be daft. Pre-Wedding nerves."
Elizabeth shook her head.
"He can't have. He hasn't even proposed yet."
Jack had just filled a mug with rum from one of the casks on deck. He had taken a swig, only to choke on it as Elizabeth let lose the un-expected news.
"Really?"
Ye Gods, he was doing it again. Why should he care if the chit got married or not? He ought to shove her back home, and leave her there. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. He knew that the pirates had stopped terrorising her home, but something was stopping him from gathering up the crew and dropping her off. And what was slightly worse was that he was beginning to realise why.
Anyway, usual disclaimer. By the way I can't remember if I've said this before, but all O.Bloom fans leave now. Especially if you're a Will/Elizabeth person . . .
***********************************************************
Chapter Seven - The Raven
Will had no real concept of time in the brig. All he knew was that the ship hadn't moved. He guessed it might've been in Port Royale a few days now, but he had no idea of the exact amount.
He was still in shock about Jack and Elizabeth. Although he kept trying to block it from his mind, it kept coming back. However, he was convincing himself that it was a lie. How could that woman know about any of it?
Then there was Jack being, well Will didn't know what the cloaked woman had done. Drugs, or something. At first, after seeing Jack and Elizabeth together, Will had wanted Jack to suffer, but now, well he wasn't so sure. He found himself almost hoping Jack didn't die.
There was the sound of light footsteps on the stairs. The cloaked woman appeared, but was then joined by two other cloaked figures. Will pretended to be asleep.
"Sisters, Mr Ragetti has paid me well. How shall we spend our money?"
One of the figures shrugged.
"We could go to Tortuga. The men would remain loyal, if we did. There is much trade in Tortuga as well."
"Well said, sister. Tortuga, then. Sister, go and inform the steersman."
The three figures vanished once again. Will sat up. So, there were three of them. Why did they always meet down here? Did the men even know?
A short while later, Will became aware of the movement of water around him. He pressed his ear to the wood. He could hear the sound of sloshing water. So, they were leaving Port Royale for Tortuga. Will slumped back against the wall. When the crew left the ship, perhaps he could get out of this cell. He recognised the hinges on the cell door.
On the deck of the 'Black Pearl' two people were staring at a mysterious black liquid, seeping into the woodwork.
"Bloody hell . . ."
Elizabeth just kept looking at the strange liquid. It reminded her of something. That black colour, it wasn't the colour of normal black, it was, different.
"Jack, it doesn't look right. It's not the right sort of black."
"I know what you mean, lass. Looks, too black, don't it?"
Elizabeth suddenly remembered where she had seen that sort of black before.
"Jack, it's the colour of that strange ship, the one that raided Port Royale."
"So it is, love, but I don't see how that helps us much."
"Well, do you know whose ship it was? Anything?"
Jack shook his head.
"Anyway, why does any of that matter?"
Elizabeth sat down on a nearby barrel. She gazed out into the ocean. It helped her think, seeing the rising and falling waves.
"Perhaps someone was trying to kill you."
Jack laughed.
"Nearly everyone's tryin' ta' kill me, miss, I'm a pirate. Comes with the job, you might say."
"No, I mean, really trying."
"S'possible. But I don't know who. Your Commodore don't like me much, but he wouldn't try an' poison me, would he?"
Elizabeth shrugged. It was a mystery. And how did they get the poison into a flask in the first place?
"Well, I dunno 'bout you, Lizzie, but I'm calling it a day."
Jack walked off to his cabin. Elizabeth didn't like the idea of staying on deck on her own, so she hurried back to own, her mind still buzzing with possibilities.
Jack was up early the next morning. None of the crew were back yet, but a new ship had arrived in the dock. It was black.
Jack felt a shiver run down his spine. It 'was' the ship from Port Royale, he knew it. He ducked behind the railings of the 'Pearl' and watched as the crew rushed off, and into daytime Tortuga.
No one else left the ship for several more minutes. Then, three tall, cloaked figures stepped lightly off, and headed to the slightly more salubrious area of Tortuga. They were strange. They didn't look right in the harsh light of day, almost as if they'd been cut out of a nighttime painting.
Inside the dark ship's brig, Will had already lined a bench up with the cell door. Pushing the legs through the bars, he pressed down hard onto the other end. With a mighty clang, the door bounced off its hinges, and shot across the lower deck's floor.
Carefully, so as not to tangle his feet up in the metalwork, Will walked out of his prison, and up toward the light of Tortuga.
As he emerged into the almost blinding sunlight, he looked around, shading his eyes with a hand. Tortuga looked a little less seedy by daylight, but only just.
He stepped confidently out onto deck and swaggered down the gangplank, whistling what he hoped was a tune commonly whistled by pirates. Trying to fit in was difficult. He looked all right, but his accent, and the fact he knew very little real pirate jargon was a problem. He was counting on the fact that all the ship's crewmembers would be too drunk to recognise him, and that the three women were elsewhere in Tortuga. He strode jauntily down the street, when suddenly; a set of black sails caught his eye. It was the 'Black Pearl', he was sure of it. Elizabeth was on that ship. With new determination, Will felt that finally things were going right. He'd find Elizabeth, and get Jack to sail them back to Port Royale. Any thought he'd had about Jack or Elizabeth's betrayal had completely left his head. After all, what did a strange, black-cloaked woman know?
All night, Elizabeth had been dreaming. Dreaming of all sorts of things. Life with her father, before, what had happened, happened. Dreams of Will, poor Will, who had been taken by pirates. And dreams of Captain Jack Sparrow, wonderful, kind, handsome Captain Jack Sparrow.
Elizabeth woke, to find light filtering into her room. Sitting up sleepily, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Swinging her legs out of bed, she stood up, and padded silently over the door, and stepped out on deck. She saw Jack, who had been kneeling down behind the ships railings, stand up, and turn to face her.
"Look, lass, tis that other ship!"
Elizabeth looked to where Jack was pointing. It was. It was as black as ever, like a place the light forgot to shine on.
"Goodness, it's so odd looking. What's it called?"
Jack looked back the ship.
"The Raven."
Elizabeth nodded.
"It's certainly as dark as one. I wonder what it's doing here?"
"Same thing every other ship is doing here, I suspect. Same reason we're here."
Elizabeth turned away.
"'We' are not here for that, thank you."
"Well, the rest of the crew are. 'Cept Ana, but I'm sure she's probably having an equally good time downing a few pints."
"Oh, you don't include yourself in that then?"
"No. I'm here makin' sure you don't get savaged by everybody else."
"You don't have to, you know."
"Yes I do. I can't have some bloody pirate getting' to you before dear William, no can I?"
Elizabeth sighed, and flopped dejectedly onto a large box, used for storing cannonballs. She rested her chin in her hands.
"I'm not sure dear William feels that strongly about me anymore. I mean, he just doesn't seem to be so worried about me."
"Nah, don't be daft. Pre-Wedding nerves."
Elizabeth shook her head.
"He can't have. He hasn't even proposed yet."
Jack had just filled a mug with rum from one of the casks on deck. He had taken a swig, only to choke on it as Elizabeth let lose the un-expected news.
"Really?"
Ye Gods, he was doing it again. Why should he care if the chit got married or not? He ought to shove her back home, and leave her there. But he couldn't. He just couldn't. He knew that the pirates had stopped terrorising her home, but something was stopping him from gathering up the crew and dropping her off. And what was slightly worse was that he was beginning to realise why.