Disclaimer: Io sono povero . . . mi dispiace, ma non ho gli attori
principali o la storia del film Pirates of the Caribbean . . . sono
triste . . . (Just in case you didn't understand my woes in English, there
they are in Italian . . .)
Note: I apologize in advance for this chapter. It jumps back and forth so much it's ridiculous, but there, once again, is a method to my madness. The chapter is all weird coincidental action, so I had to do it. You guys rock socks. Keep it up : )
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 14)
"Now remember what we spoke of, darling," Will said, pausing before their closed door and turning to face his wife, making sure she understood what was to happen. "Lord knows, it won't be easy to act casually, but we must wait for the opportune moment to strike. As it stands, we have no way of proving their guilt so we must maintain the element of surprise."
Elizabeth nodded and offered a comforting half smile to her husband, following him out the cabin door, through the dark, damp corridor, and up the steps to the main deck, never letting go of his hand.
The couple froze at the top step, completely baffled as their eyes met the unusual scene on deck. Why, the entire crew was scurrying about the ship at a feverish pace in the midst of the night. Hoisting sails, tugging on ropes, and loading cannons, the men hardly even noticed the presence of the two dumbfounded passengers.
"Ah, Master Turner," came an unusually merry voice from behind them.
Whirling around, Will and Elizabeth found themselves face to face with the Eatons, clad in their finest attire and blinding white grins to match. He gave a quick smile to both men and nodded politely in response to their greeting, praying silently that his wife could maintain her composure.
"And Madame Turner, you are looking fetching this evening if I may say so," Charles said, making an incredibly intricate bow before landing in an elegant heap at her feet. When he lifted his eyes to hers and shot her a wink, she had to fight the instinct to pummel him into the wood grain with her sharp-heeled shoes.
Squeezing Will's hand, she smiled at the two of them and replied, "Why thank you, Master Eaton. You look delightful as well."
William had to bite down on his tongue to keep from laughing as his wife's thinly veiled attempt to be civil caused the boy to blush eighteen different shades of pink. "Gentlemen, if you'd excuse us, we really must be going. Good evening to you both," he said, leading her away from the rogues and up onto the quarter deck.
Staring out at the waves, Commodore Norrington stood at the far side of the platform by the railing. "James!" Elizabeth called, hurrying over to his side, tugging Will along in her wake. "Do you know what is happening? Wait . . . of course you do this is your ship . . .so, what is going on?" she asked, sweetly.
With a haughty smile, he extended his arm behind her and pointed to a growing shadow sitting upon the horizon. "That, Madame, is the Cara Mia." Sensing her confusion as to its importance, he clarified, "That is the ship of Jack Sparrow. We are making excellent time and should be within firing range in no time at all."
"Are you completely mad!?" she shouted suddenly, alarming both of the men in her presence. "Natalie is on board that ship and you are prepared to sink it!? I refuse to allow it, Commodore."
Narrowing his eyes at her cool formality, he refused to allow her to get the best of him again. "Well, I suppose that is why I command the fleet and you do not, Miss Turner. And as for Miss Swann, it is my duty to see that she is not harmed. You can be sure I will not fail."
Will saw her losing her temper and noticed that the stiff military man was also starting to slip, and he intervened. "Commodore, with all due respect, sir, Elizabeth and I could negotiate with Jack for the safe return of Miss Swann. I am sure he will listen to us."
Raising his chin, he pondered the blacksmith's words for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."
* * * *
"Hey! What are you doing, James?" Elizabeth shouted as two men in uniform dragged her below deck and tossed her, quite roughly, into her cabin. "You can't lock me in here! I am to go with Will!"
Poking his head into the entrance, he replied coolly, "You will stay here, Elizabeth, and you will like it. There is simply too much at stake here to be worrying about you as well. Behave." Slamming the door shut as he left, she could hear the key being turned, locking her in.
"Break a man's heart and this is what you get," she said with a sigh, plopping down on the bed to wait. Suddenly, a huge roar from the men on deck drifted to her ears. Raising her eyes, she noticed the door across the room was opened and remembered that it opened onto the terrace that hugged the stern of the Dauntless.
A slow grin spreading across her face, she rose quickly, clapped her hands with the sheer joy of it all, and said, "Stay here? Behave? Not bloody well likely!"
* * * *
Natalie had been in the water for a grand total of five minutes, but as the Cara Mia began to shrink into the distance behind her, her arms began to deaden from the endless paddling, and breathing became more and more of a chore, she could have sworn she'd been at it for hours!
But her mind wasn't pushing her to stay afloat for the obvious, and rather narcissistic, reasons. She needed to get back to the Dauntless alive, otherwise no earthly force would be able to prevent her father, and the commodore, from enacting brutal vengeance on Jack and his men.
* * * *
Elizabeth was careful not to draw attention to herself as she swam past the side of the Dauntless and out to Jack's ship. Pausing briefly at the bow, she listened for the men on deck to be sure they didn't suspect her absence.
"You shoulda seen 'er! Howlin' and carryin' on as we threw 'er intah the cabin! It 'ert not tah laugh!" she heard from above. In response, she narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Animals, the lot of them," before continuing on into the open sea.
Stroke after stroke, breath after breath, she slowly but surely made her way to the great vessel before her. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of her forearm and before she could even scream, the other was across her face. The rather strong individual plucked her effortlessly from the water and dumped her into the bottom of a small rowboat, whispering, "Elizabeth, it's Will."
Halting her kicking and grunting, she audibly sighed with relief and looked back at her husband, who had since gone back to rowing the small dinghy forward, and hissed, "Good God in Heaven! You scared me half to death, Will!"
"Well, what are you doing bobbing like a cork in the middle of the ocean at night, hum? And to think I believed Norrington when he agreed to keep you safe for me, the useless blighter." Teeming with frustration and anger, he dug the oars deeper into the dark blue water, his ferocity propelling them towards the Cara Mia at an incredible pace.
Her eyes widened at his words and she nearly shouted out her accusation. "You did WHAT! William Turner, you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do!"
Dropping the oars into their respective cradles, he flew forward, whispering to her in frightening earnest. "Your welfare became my business when I fell in love with you and vowed to keep you safe in marriage! Now it is your choice to continue being cross with me, or we can work together, get your sister back, and talk about this later. What is it going to be, Elizabeth?"
Dropping her eyes, she replied, "Let's get Natalie, first." In truth, his argument was nothing short of perfection, but there was no way she was going to tell him that. Some things are simply better left unsaid, she mused.
Coming up alongside the Cara Mia, Will secured the small boat to the vessel with some rope and helped his wife up the wooden slats to the main deck. His heart beating wildly in his chest, hoping beyond all hope that the crew wouldn't tear them to pieces before Jack could stop them, he heard her feet hit the planking and shortly after there was a tremendous roar to be heard . . .
* * * *
James Norrington lowered the spyglass from his eye, since he was able to see two arms' lengths in front of him and not much else. He would have to trust William Turner to be true to his word. Why, the mere though of it made him cringe.
With a sigh, he leaned his palms on the rail of the bow. At the moment, there was no one else around, giving him more time than he would have wished to ponder his situation. He had been too hard on Elizabeth. Hell, he had been too hard on himself!
He had cared for Elizabeth ever since he met her on the English crossing, but after her lanky limbs and quirky freckles had blossomed into soft, feminine beauty, he was in love. Everything had been going according to plan until the equally lanky-limbed Will Turner developed facial hair and a limber musculature. There was no hope for him after THAT.
Quirking an eyebrow, he thought aloud to himself, "Surely, I can't be that bad." Giving himself a once over, he nodded, mildly impressed. He had a trim physique, he was clean shaven, and he had a few teeth out of place, but nothing horrendous. He was polite, charming even, and he was commander of the entire British Navy.
How that simply could not compare to a few wiry hairs below one's chin and a dirty shirt that hung open to the navel was beyond him.
"Ah, I suppose I'm just a lost cause then," he answered with a sad smile, looking down at the black water than up at the stars . . . then back down to the water again. Straining his eyes, it took him a few moments to discern what it was that was floating alongside the ship, but he finally made out who it was.
Leaning over the rail for one final peek, he hollered over his shoulder, panic rising into his voice, "Man overboard! It's Miss Swann! We have her!"
* * * *
Note: I apologize in advance for this chapter. It jumps back and forth so much it's ridiculous, but there, once again, is a method to my madness. The chapter is all weird coincidental action, so I had to do it. You guys rock socks. Keep it up : )
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 14)
"Now remember what we spoke of, darling," Will said, pausing before their closed door and turning to face his wife, making sure she understood what was to happen. "Lord knows, it won't be easy to act casually, but we must wait for the opportune moment to strike. As it stands, we have no way of proving their guilt so we must maintain the element of surprise."
Elizabeth nodded and offered a comforting half smile to her husband, following him out the cabin door, through the dark, damp corridor, and up the steps to the main deck, never letting go of his hand.
The couple froze at the top step, completely baffled as their eyes met the unusual scene on deck. Why, the entire crew was scurrying about the ship at a feverish pace in the midst of the night. Hoisting sails, tugging on ropes, and loading cannons, the men hardly even noticed the presence of the two dumbfounded passengers.
"Ah, Master Turner," came an unusually merry voice from behind them.
Whirling around, Will and Elizabeth found themselves face to face with the Eatons, clad in their finest attire and blinding white grins to match. He gave a quick smile to both men and nodded politely in response to their greeting, praying silently that his wife could maintain her composure.
"And Madame Turner, you are looking fetching this evening if I may say so," Charles said, making an incredibly intricate bow before landing in an elegant heap at her feet. When he lifted his eyes to hers and shot her a wink, she had to fight the instinct to pummel him into the wood grain with her sharp-heeled shoes.
Squeezing Will's hand, she smiled at the two of them and replied, "Why thank you, Master Eaton. You look delightful as well."
William had to bite down on his tongue to keep from laughing as his wife's thinly veiled attempt to be civil caused the boy to blush eighteen different shades of pink. "Gentlemen, if you'd excuse us, we really must be going. Good evening to you both," he said, leading her away from the rogues and up onto the quarter deck.
Staring out at the waves, Commodore Norrington stood at the far side of the platform by the railing. "James!" Elizabeth called, hurrying over to his side, tugging Will along in her wake. "Do you know what is happening? Wait . . . of course you do this is your ship . . .so, what is going on?" she asked, sweetly.
With a haughty smile, he extended his arm behind her and pointed to a growing shadow sitting upon the horizon. "That, Madame, is the Cara Mia." Sensing her confusion as to its importance, he clarified, "That is the ship of Jack Sparrow. We are making excellent time and should be within firing range in no time at all."
"Are you completely mad!?" she shouted suddenly, alarming both of the men in her presence. "Natalie is on board that ship and you are prepared to sink it!? I refuse to allow it, Commodore."
Narrowing his eyes at her cool formality, he refused to allow her to get the best of him again. "Well, I suppose that is why I command the fleet and you do not, Miss Turner. And as for Miss Swann, it is my duty to see that she is not harmed. You can be sure I will not fail."
Will saw her losing her temper and noticed that the stiff military man was also starting to slip, and he intervened. "Commodore, with all due respect, sir, Elizabeth and I could negotiate with Jack for the safe return of Miss Swann. I am sure he will listen to us."
Raising his chin, he pondered the blacksmith's words for a moment before nodding. "Agreed."
* * * *
"Hey! What are you doing, James?" Elizabeth shouted as two men in uniform dragged her below deck and tossed her, quite roughly, into her cabin. "You can't lock me in here! I am to go with Will!"
Poking his head into the entrance, he replied coolly, "You will stay here, Elizabeth, and you will like it. There is simply too much at stake here to be worrying about you as well. Behave." Slamming the door shut as he left, she could hear the key being turned, locking her in.
"Break a man's heart and this is what you get," she said with a sigh, plopping down on the bed to wait. Suddenly, a huge roar from the men on deck drifted to her ears. Raising her eyes, she noticed the door across the room was opened and remembered that it opened onto the terrace that hugged the stern of the Dauntless.
A slow grin spreading across her face, she rose quickly, clapped her hands with the sheer joy of it all, and said, "Stay here? Behave? Not bloody well likely!"
* * * *
Natalie had been in the water for a grand total of five minutes, but as the Cara Mia began to shrink into the distance behind her, her arms began to deaden from the endless paddling, and breathing became more and more of a chore, she could have sworn she'd been at it for hours!
But her mind wasn't pushing her to stay afloat for the obvious, and rather narcissistic, reasons. She needed to get back to the Dauntless alive, otherwise no earthly force would be able to prevent her father, and the commodore, from enacting brutal vengeance on Jack and his men.
* * * *
Elizabeth was careful not to draw attention to herself as she swam past the side of the Dauntless and out to Jack's ship. Pausing briefly at the bow, she listened for the men on deck to be sure they didn't suspect her absence.
"You shoulda seen 'er! Howlin' and carryin' on as we threw 'er intah the cabin! It 'ert not tah laugh!" she heard from above. In response, she narrowed her eyes and muttered, "Animals, the lot of them," before continuing on into the open sea.
Stroke after stroke, breath after breath, she slowly but surely made her way to the great vessel before her. Suddenly, a hand grabbed hold of her forearm and before she could even scream, the other was across her face. The rather strong individual plucked her effortlessly from the water and dumped her into the bottom of a small rowboat, whispering, "Elizabeth, it's Will."
Halting her kicking and grunting, she audibly sighed with relief and looked back at her husband, who had since gone back to rowing the small dinghy forward, and hissed, "Good God in Heaven! You scared me half to death, Will!"
"Well, what are you doing bobbing like a cork in the middle of the ocean at night, hum? And to think I believed Norrington when he agreed to keep you safe for me, the useless blighter." Teeming with frustration and anger, he dug the oars deeper into the dark blue water, his ferocity propelling them towards the Cara Mia at an incredible pace.
Her eyes widened at his words and she nearly shouted out her accusation. "You did WHAT! William Turner, you have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do!"
Dropping the oars into their respective cradles, he flew forward, whispering to her in frightening earnest. "Your welfare became my business when I fell in love with you and vowed to keep you safe in marriage! Now it is your choice to continue being cross with me, or we can work together, get your sister back, and talk about this later. What is it going to be, Elizabeth?"
Dropping her eyes, she replied, "Let's get Natalie, first." In truth, his argument was nothing short of perfection, but there was no way she was going to tell him that. Some things are simply better left unsaid, she mused.
Coming up alongside the Cara Mia, Will secured the small boat to the vessel with some rope and helped his wife up the wooden slats to the main deck. His heart beating wildly in his chest, hoping beyond all hope that the crew wouldn't tear them to pieces before Jack could stop them, he heard her feet hit the planking and shortly after there was a tremendous roar to be heard . . .
* * * *
James Norrington lowered the spyglass from his eye, since he was able to see two arms' lengths in front of him and not much else. He would have to trust William Turner to be true to his word. Why, the mere though of it made him cringe.
With a sigh, he leaned his palms on the rail of the bow. At the moment, there was no one else around, giving him more time than he would have wished to ponder his situation. He had been too hard on Elizabeth. Hell, he had been too hard on himself!
He had cared for Elizabeth ever since he met her on the English crossing, but after her lanky limbs and quirky freckles had blossomed into soft, feminine beauty, he was in love. Everything had been going according to plan until the equally lanky-limbed Will Turner developed facial hair and a limber musculature. There was no hope for him after THAT.
Quirking an eyebrow, he thought aloud to himself, "Surely, I can't be that bad." Giving himself a once over, he nodded, mildly impressed. He had a trim physique, he was clean shaven, and he had a few teeth out of place, but nothing horrendous. He was polite, charming even, and he was commander of the entire British Navy.
How that simply could not compare to a few wiry hairs below one's chin and a dirty shirt that hung open to the navel was beyond him.
"Ah, I suppose I'm just a lost cause then," he answered with a sad smile, looking down at the black water than up at the stars . . . then back down to the water again. Straining his eyes, it took him a few moments to discern what it was that was floating alongside the ship, but he finally made out who it was.
Leaning over the rail for one final peek, he hollered over his shoulder, panic rising into his voice, "Man overboard! It's Miss Swann! We have her!"
* * * *