The Bloody Sword
Chapter 7: Gunpowder
Don't own.
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"There!" Norrington shouted. Jack turned his attention to where Norrington was pointing. They saw two sets of red sails not too far off.
"We're almost there." Jack said quietly, more to himself than to anyone else. I'm comin' William Turner.
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"He'll be alright." The doctor told the maid. She was standing behind the counter, wringing her hands. She had left the parlor to go take care of something, but when she came back, Governor Swann was passed out on the floor beside the couch. She had immediately sent for the doctor. "He just had too much to drink."
"Thank god. Is there anything I should do?" She asked. The doctor stood and started collecting his things.
"Make sure he has plenty of water, and try to keep the alcohol from him. It would be better if he didn't have any more." The doctor said. The maid thanks him, and the doctor left.
"Oh, sir. Elizabeth will come back all right. Don't you worry." She told him, though she knew he couldn't hear her.
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When Captain Andy finally stopped the staged fight, he returned to his cabin. When he closed the door and locked it, he noticed that Elizabeth was lying on his bed. He raised his eyebrow curiously. "Hello Captain." She said, brushing a lock of hair out of her face.
"Uh…"
"I had some time to think about you while you were trying to stop that fight. I decided that maybe we could have a little fun. After all, my husband is just a blacksmith." She said. A smile spread over Captain Andy's face. Oh Will! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me for this! She was screaming in her head. This was the last thing she wanted to be doing, but Casey insisted that it had to be done.
Captain Andy smiled and moved toward the bed, lying down beside the girl. He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Elizabeth was screaming inside, hating what she was doing. She let him kiss her, though, and she moved her hand to the hidden dagger. Just as she was about to plunge the dagger into the back of his neck, the ship shook, as if they had just been hit with a barrage of cannon balls. The dagger flew out of her hands and clattered to the floor. Captain Andy pulled away, angry at whatever was interrupting him. That's when he noticed the dagger on the floor. He looked angrily at Elizabeth. "So this was your little plan, was it?" he asked. Elizabeth said nothing.
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Will looked up when the ship started to shake. He saw black sails approaching. "Jack!" He shouted. Several pirates turned and looked at him. The ship shook again, and Will nearly fell over. He turned and saw Captain Andy burst out of his room to find out what was happening. Then, he saw Elizabeth slip out of the room. He was about to call her name, when a hand covered his mouth.
"Shh." The hand moved away from his mouth and Will turned. It was Casey.
"Elizabeth and I had a plan, and we were going to try to kill Captain Andy, but that ship interrupted our plan. Here. Not many people will get out of this alive, and this isn't your problem, so make sure you and Elizabeth get away from this accursed ship." He said, handing Will a sword. Will thanked him, but didn't want to just leave Casey there. "Go… go!" He said, pushing Will. Will nodded and ran in the direction that he saw Elizabeth go.
The Black Pearl came up along side the Mexico, and pirates and sailors started swinging onto the larger ship from the Black Pearl. Soon, Jack and Norrington both swung over and landed with a thud on the deck. They grinned and went off to fight off the pirates. However, there was a shout from somewhere on deck. Everyone stopped dead. Casey was standing on the railing on the helm. "Where are the rebels!" he called. Many pirates with white bandanas tied around their head and arms moved away from the group. The rest of the pirates stared dumbfounded at the large group. They knew that something was amiss, but they didn't think it would be their own friends. Feeling betrayed, the pirates loyal to Captain Andy moved towards the rebels. The fighting began. Casey leaped down and went to Jack and Norrington.
"My name is Casey. I'm Captain Andy's first mate, and the leader of the rebels. We're the ones against Captain Andy. Fight those without the white bandanas. However, below this deck is many cells full of people who need to be released. They are innocent people who have made Captain Andy angry, or people who have gone against him before. They are being starved. Many are already dead, but we must save those who are alive." Casey told Jack and Norrington. They nodded, and relayed orders to their sailors and pirates. Norrington and half of his men would go below, while the other half and Jack's men stayed up and helped the rebels.
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"Elizabeth!" Will cried, seeing Elizabeth huddled in a corner. She jumped up and ran to her husband.
"Will!" Will pulled her into his arms and kissed her over and over again. She buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Oh Will." She said softly.
"Did he hurt you?" Will asked. She shook her head. Then, she stepped back and pulled something out of her dress. It was his dagger.
"I'm sorry I took it, but when he said I would be going with him, I took it from you. Please forgive me." She said. Will shook his head.
"Think nothing of it, darling. You needed it. I'm glad you thought to take it." Will said. She smiled. "But we have to get out of here. Things are heating up and the fighting has already started. Casey wants me to take you off this ship." Will said. Elizabeth shook her head.
"Listen Will. I have an idea." She said. She pulled him close and whispered it to him in his ear. When she was finished, he grinned at her.
"This is why I fell in love with you." Will said. She grinned, and they set off to carry out her plan.
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Norrington and his men had made their way down to the level where all the prisoners were being held. They had found a ring of keys on a hook. Luck seemed to be following them for now. When they rounded a corner, they saw that the walls of the ship were lined with cells, crammed full of people. Most of them were men, but there was a few women.
"Alright men. When I unlock the cells, take these people to the next level up and keep them there. We can't have them up on the main deck in case they get hurt." Norrington told his men. They nodded and he went to the first cell. He unlocked it and moved out of the way. Many men and women, wearing tattered clothes, with bones sticking out of their skin because of the lack of food, streamed out of the cell, following the sailors. Norrington nodded in satisfaction. He moved to the next cell and did the same thing.
Before long, he had unlocked every single cell and released all the people. When he reached last one, he unlocked it, and people ran out, murmuring thanks. Norrington's eyes swept the cell, then noticed that there was a person still curled up on the floor in the corner of the cell. He moved inside and tapped her on the shoulder. She lifted her head, the lowered it again. "Leave me." She whispered.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but it is my duty to serve the people." He said. She shook her head.
"I cannot walk. I am weak. Leave me." She said. Norrington tucked the keys into his pocket, then reached down and lifted the thin woman from the ground. He noticed her face. She had big, green eyes. Her blond hair was thin, but with time, she could be beautiful, as she once had been. He could see it in her. Smiling to the woman, he carried her out of the cell and up to the next level.
When they reached the next level up, he laid her down. She looked up at him. "What's your name?" She asked quietly.
"Commodore James Norrington." He said. She smiled.
"My name is Caroline." She said. Norrington nodded and took her hand in his.
"Do not worry, Caroline. Once the fighting stops, you and the rest of these people will be returned to your homes." Norrington said. She smiled and nodded. Norrington stood, and called a few of his sailors to come and help with the fighting on the main deck.
Caroline stared after the commodore. She smiled like she hadn't in a long time.
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Will and Elizabeth snuck onto The Bloody Sword and wandered around it until they found a room full of barrels. Will pried them open with his dagger. "Gunpowder." He said with a grin. Elizabeth smiled and together, they made a small bomb out of the gunpowder. Will thought that Elizabeth read into things too much, but this time, it had come in handy.
Once the bomb was made, Elizabeth took it and left Will with the barrels of gunpowder. The blacksmith took them and started to place them all along the ship. His wife was truly intelligent. When the barrels were all over the ship, he went back to find the wick. He found some, and started to lay it on the ground, creating a link to each and every barrel. Soon, a long network of wick was traveling through the rooms and halls of the ship. He hoped that the show would be spectacular.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, was running to the cells where she had been locked with Will and Kendra. She found the little girl huddled in a corner. "Kendra." She called. The girl picked up her head and saw Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth! What are you doing back here?" She asked.
"No time. Listen. Get as far away from this corner as you can." Elizabeth said, pointing to one. Kendra went to the opposite corner and curled into a small ball. Elizabeth planted the bomb and lit it with a match. The wick flared and Elizabeth ran. She ducked down just as it exploded, and pieces of the cell flew everywhere. Elizabeth stood and doubled back to the cell. "You alright Kendra?" She asked. The girl stood and nodded. "Good. Come." She said. Elizabeth grabbed Kendra's hand and pulled her up the steps and onto the main deck, which was empty. Kendra's eyes widened when she saw the sky, the sea, the boat… everything that she had never seen before. "I'm sorry Kendra, but this ship will be blowing up soon. Come on. We have to get to the Mexico." Elizabeth said. Kendra pulled herself out of her daze and they ran to the ramps leading up to the Mexico.
Once up on the other ship, they ducked down and ran as fast as they could to the helm, then found some rope. "This is the interesting part." Elizabeth said. Kendra looked at her funny. "We're swinging across to The Black Pearl." She said, pointing to the ship with the black sails. "Just grab the rope, hold on, and swing." Elizabeth said. Kendra nodded, but was scared. She had been locked in that cell all her life, and she had never done anything like this ever. She watched as Elizabeth put a knot at the bottom of the rope, then turned to Kendra's and did the same. "Keep your feet there." She said. Elizabeth grabbed her rope, and jumped up, and she swung across the gap between the two ships.
Kendra timidly took a hold of her rope. Elizabeth was calling to her to hurry. Kendra climbed up on the edge of the ship, and jumped up, holding onto her rope, putting her feet on the knot. She swung across, and without meaning to, she screamed. Elizabeth reached up, and caught the bottom of the rope, and Kendra slipped off and landed with a thud on the deck. Elizabeth held out a hand and helped the girl up. "Are you alright?" She asked. Kendra didn't answer, but rather, she threw herself into the arms of the woman and let out all the tears she had been holding back for the last few years. Elizabeth smiled and stocked her hair.
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Will figured that Elizabeth and Kendra should be off this ship now. He lit the match, and held it to the wick. For good measure, he put gunpowder along the wick to help it along. Once it was lit, Will ran. He went as fast as he could up from the lower part of the ship.
When he reached the deck, he saw that Elizabeth and Kendra were on the other ship. He was about to go to the ramp onto the other ship, but the first barrel exploded. He doubled back, avoiding falling pieces of wood. He saw the edge of the ship, and decided what he had to do.
Elizabeth and Kendra watched the ship. Everyone on the Mexico had stopped fighting, and watched as well. They all saw Will running across the ship… and jump…
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Wow. This was a fun chapter to write. A lot longer than normal. Haha. I hope you found this as exciting as I found it! Haha. Yeah. Read on! It's not over!
Reviewers:
fRoZeN tIgEr TeArS: Well, you didn't have to wait long did you? I'm glad you like it so much. And yeah, it's weird… but I guess I was lost for a bit about what should happen, so I thought, HEY, why not have Mexico be a ship? I was actually planning on reading some of your things when I finish with this story, or before. Haha. I will though. Thanks so much!
Later all-
Banana Nut Muffin