Disclaimer: I do not own any of the POTC characters. I only own Jackeus and Mr. Smeega, as I have already stated on the previous chapter.
Summary: Will continues on his voyage to France, and meets an old man who calls himself "The Jackal," who is a friend of Jack's and knows the truth about the Gold Medallion. A terrible curse has plagued his life, and now Will is a part of that curse, whether he likes it or not.
Author's Note: I really appreciate everyone who has been reading this story! I love reading your reviews and knowing that my writing is not just a waste of my time! Keep it up!
Chapter 7- The Jackal
"Bootstrap," Jack repeated, unable to say anything else. "I thought you were dead."
"Am I not?" Bootstrap replied drunkenly. He looked around at the townspeople nearby, and at Elizabeth, who was still holding a pistol to Mr. Smeega. "Easy, girl, we don't want to be creating a disturbance." He walked past her and smacked her buttocks.
"Excuse me, sir!" she shouted, turning the pistol on him. "I don't think you want to be messing with me at this moment!"
"You don't want to be doing that," said Jack immediately to Elizabeth. "The end result would be far worse than anything you could ever imagine. Will would never speak to you again."
"What are you babbling on about?" she shot back. "What does this have to do with Will?"
"What?" the man said to them in frustration. "Why do you keep saying my name?"
"I'm not talking about you! I'm talking about Will Turner, the man that just left on a ship not an hour ago!"
"What name did you say?" the man asked quietly.
"Will Turner," Elizabeth repeated. "He's my husband."
The man gasped and covered his mouth with both hands. Then he jumped up in excitement and started to cheer.
"WEEHOO!!!!" he shouted. After cheering restlessly for a few minutes, the man calmed himself down. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked over to Elizabeth, his hands trembling with excitement.
"What did you say your name was?"
"Elizabeth Turner," Elizabeth said.
"Elizabeth," the man repeated. "Well, I'm sorry if I hurt you when I do this." He wrestled the gun out of her hand, which was clenching the gun tightly, and pointed the gun at Mr. Smeega, who had no idea what was going on.
"Damn it, man, if you don't give us a bloody boat, I will blow your head right off!"
"But sir--"
"NOW!!!"
And with that, Mr. Smeega, ran over to the dock, and started untying the ropes to one of the ships.
Will arrived in France no later than noon the next day. He departed the ship, examined his surroundings, and sauntered the streets, looking for a place to stay. His brown boots were muddy and torn up, and his hair was messier than ever before. Heartbreak had found its way into Will's life, and there was no conclusive evidence that it would be leaving any time soon. He decided that, if he were to stay here, he would open his own blacksmith shop, using his own sword as a threat if anyone told him otherwise. He would then lead the same life he did in Port Royal, with the exception of his cheating wife and backstabbing best friend. Being rid of the people he had cared for most was both disheartening an advantageous to his future life.
Continuing down a forlorn path, Will came to a tall building called Jackal's Inn. He entered without hesitation; any place would suit him just fine. An old man behind the registration counter was reading a book, with his feet perched on top of the counter. Will walked up to him and said, "I would like a room please."
The man looked up from his book, surveyed Will from top to bottom, and delivered his succinct answer. "No," he said smoothly.
"Excuse me?" Will said in an angry tone.
"No," the man repeated coolly. Will pulled a pistol from his belt and said, "Would you like to repeat that for me one more time, sir?"
The old man stood up and said, "N-O spells NO! Get out of my Inn!" Will cocked the gun and was ready to shoot, when a tall black man walked into the room, complete with pirate effects.
"YOU!!!" he shouted at Will. It was the pirate from the Black Pearl! Will hadn't even thought of the pirates that were left behind on his previous encounter! Will aimed the pistol at the pirate, cocked the gun, and shot. The bullet went right through the pirate and into the wall behind him. The pirate lunged at Will, knocking him over. "Killing you is the one thing that will make this trip worthwhile!" the pirate snarled into Will's ear.
"You will not!" Will shouted. He punched the pirate in the face, kicked him in the stomach, and pulled out his sword. As he did so, the pirate took out a sword of his own. Then it began. An epic scene of swordfighting had just commenced between the two men, and would not let up until one or the other perished.
"You're way to amateur to be fighting with a pirate!" the man grumbled, fiercely swinging his sword down on Will, who blocked it with ease.
"Go to hell, you swashbackling bastard!" Will shouted back. The man was enraged. He punched Will, kicked him onto the floor, and pressed his foot down on Will's throat. "Time to die!" the pirate shouted. He raised his sword, ready to drive it downward....
"You were brilliant, Bootstrap," Jack commented once aboard the Savage Link. "Truly amazing, just like you always were." Jack looked over at Elizabeth, whose mood hadn't changed in the slightest since their encounter with Mr. Smeega."Something wrong, Lizzie?" he asked optimistically.
"My name is not Lizzie," Elizabeth snapped back. "And I'd appreciate it if you could just leave me alone! I have a lot to think about, and I don't need you getting in the way."
"Boy, she's a tough one," Bootstrap commented.
Elizabeth shot him a look of death. "And you," she snarled, "are just as irresponsible and aerumnous as him!" She pointed a trembling finger at Jack.
"No need to cry, darling," he commented, looking at her finger in fascination.
Elizabeth reached across and smacked Jack as hard as she could. "And you did deserve that you bloody bastard!"
The remainder of the ride was spent in silence; in Elizabeth's mind, Jack was shielded from sight, veiled by of his ignorance. She sat below deck, her hands bitter and motionless as they rested on an aguish table. Her thoughts had drifted back to the topic of whether Will would accept her after her words and behavior. It was quite unfortunate that Will hadn't heard, nor ascertained, the truth of Elizabeth's pregnancy. It was possible that the truth would greatly influence his decision of returning.
After a few hours, Elizabeth decided to walk back up to the upper deck. When she arrived, she approached Jack, not exactly knowing what to say. "I--I'm sorry, Jack. My emotions got the best of me, and I wasn't thinking clearly. It's just so easy to smack you when I get angry." She paused and forced a smile. "I am just distraught over this whole thing! Why wouldn't Will listen to us?"
"Would you listen?" Jack asked sedatively. "Would you listen to Will if he cheated on you and said that you weren't the woman he got pregnant?"
Elizabeth looked at Jack, her expression showing worry and sadness. "Of course not," she admitted, several tears running down her cheeks. "I have to get him back, Jack. I love him."
"I know," said Jack calmly. He sat her down, wrapping his arms around her in comfort.
"What's going on over 'ere?" asked Bootstrap.
"Nothing," Elizabeth replied quickly, reluctantly pulling away from Jack. "Do you need something?"
"I just wanted to ask you a question," Bootstrap replied. "How is Will doing?"
"Not too well," Elizabeth answered, shame once again splashing over her. "We just got into a big--" She stopped, a puzzled look on her face. "Why do you care about my husband?"
"I have every right to care. He's my son."
"How?" the pirate mumbled, taking his last breath before falling to the floor, elapsed.
Will got to his feet at once, confusedly staring at the man who saved his life in such a ferly manner.
The innkeeper who had exercised extensive rudeness to Will stood behind the fallen pirate, his hands clutching a sword. Blood trickled down the end of the sword onto the floor, disappearing in the cracks the floor offered.
"Thank--thank you," Will said, regaining his ability to speak. "That was very kind of you."
"I just saved your life, boy," the man said stubbornly. "I think I deserve something in return."
His once-suspicious eyes now widened slightly, turning into eyes of greed.
"I have nothing to offer," Will admitted. "Except my services to this Inn."
"So be it," the innkeeper said. "Your first job is to do away with this man, and wipe up the remaining blood."
Will began to walk over to the pirate, but then stopped. He looked over at the innkeeper suspiciously.
"Have you ever heard of the ship the Black Pearl?" he asked.
"Aye," the man replied.
"Do you know of the curse upon the pirates who sailed aboard the ship?"
"I know the whole cabootin' story, lad, so get on with yer question!" he snapped.
"How is it that this man was killed if the pirates are still cursed?"
The man walked over to Will, shaking his head. "You are in for it, lad," he said in a completely different tone. "You best be seated." He motioned over towards one of two chairs behind the registration desk. Will sat down, sitting in silence until the innkeeper was finished taking a sip of rum from a dirty bottle.
"So it begins," the man said. "The first thing that you have to know is that my name is Jackeus, but I am referred to as The Jackal. I was once a pirate on board the Black Pearl, but my interests took me to France after Jack Sparrow was marooned on an island. Jack was my best friend on board." He paused to look at the glowering look on Will's face. "I reckon that you know him," he said.
"Yes," Will muttered, pounding his fist on the table in disgust. "Go on," he said.
"Well, I never did like Captain Barbossa, so I stole a piece of Aztec gold and allowed the pirates to 'kill' me for their own pleasures. Once I reached France, I decided to open up my own inn, but remained inconspicuous. I did not want to draw attention to myself, which should come as no surprise. After finding out about the fate of the pirates on the Black Pearl, from my friend Jack Sparrow, I felt very relieved, and--"
"--but you had a gold piece!" Will interrupted. "How could the pirates be killed if you had a gold piece?!"
"Patience is a virtue," said Jackeus. "I was wondering the same thing, after hearing the whole story from Jack, but after taking a closer look at my gold piece, I understood why. My piece had the name Miracus Spectacturus engraved in the side, something that I didn't remember seeing on any of the other pieces. I soon learned the power that I had because of this gold piece, after seeing the pirates from the Black Pearl shortly after Jack did. I learned that this was not an average Aztec gold piece, which is why its absence went unnoticed when the pirates counted the coins. However, it has a curse far worse than anything you could ever imagine."
The hairs on the back of Will's neck prickled. He nodded to the man, beckoning him to continue.
"One evening, I took the coin out of its hiding place (a box in a drawer in one of my cabinets), and brought it outside on the balcony outside of my bedroom. The moon was full and as large as I have ever seen it. I examined the gold in the moonlight, and that's when I knew I had made a terrible mistake. I felt a cool breeze against my skin, and looked out towards the sea. The waves were splashing against each other violently, a sign that danger was approaching. I closed the window and went to bed. After getting little sleep, I didn't want to go about my everyday chores. But when I looked out the window the next morning, I saw a man and his mistress swimming down in the lagoon, and I also saw Jack Sparrow, my very good friend. He came to my inn later that afternoon, and explained to me the whole story. I was nervous and scared about what had happened the previous night, so I didn't tell him about it. Later that night, I looked out the window, and saw Barbossa's crew back from the dead!"
He looked down at the ground and shivered. "I was terrified. The pirates approached me, and after seeing who I was, slit my throat, but being the owner of the coin allowed me to live. I hid in my bedroom in a trapdoor behind a large tapestry, just in case anything else happened. I retrieved food every now and then for my hiding place, but was too terrified to leave."
"That surprises me," said Will, "because you seemed like a fearless swashbuckler ever since I met you."
The man shook his head. "Not everyone has a heart of gold," he said. "I am not always as brave as I should be." He looked around, making sure that no one was in the room, listening to his confession.
"Anyway, let me continue with the story." He cracked his knuckles, and continued. "One night, on the night of the next full moon, I brought the coin out, in hope of reversing the curse I had set upon this town. Luckily, it worked. The pirates didn't realize it, but I sure did. I watched them aboard their ship. There were two drunken pirates on the upper deck, the others were down below, partying. One pirate shot the other, and went below deck. He didn't even realize that the other man never followed. I knew that the curse had been reversed, and that is why I have been secretly killing each and every pirate on the ship, with the help of several comrades."
"So, where is the gold coin now?" asked Will curiously.
"No idea," the man replied honestly. "While on board the ship, killing off the remaining pirates with my pistol, I was attacked from behind. By him." He pointed to the dead black man on the floor. "He knocked me over, and the coin went down the stairs below deck. He picked me up and threw me off the ship. I never found out if he found the coin."
Will immediately made a motion, as if ready to get up from his chair, but Jackeus pushed him back. "I'm not finished." Will sat back, thinking that patience was definitely not one of his virtues.
That's the end of Chapter 7! I hope you enjoyed it! Constructive critcism is wanted here!