Disclaimer:
Jack Sparrow: Another chapter! I love this story! Drinks all around!
Mimi: *Blushes profusely and melts into a puddle at his boot-clad feet*
Note:
So...we are drawing to a close with this story...but I've decided to prolong the agony for a few more chapters, so bear with me. This means yet another plot twist and another newbie or two, so I hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews, because even though the site won't show them to me...I've received them in spirit. I live for you guys and Johnny's new 'do, now enjoy!
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 25)
"Nobody move!"
The raspy growl, which boomed over the still babbling crowd, nearly went unnoticed as people continued chatting, driven by the marital mishap playing out before their very eyes. That is, until the two pistol shots rang out.
The room fell into a desperate silence as the smell of gun powder rose into the air and the sound of the crack reverberated in the vaulted ceilings of the marble hall. Everyone tried their best to remain perfectly still, their cautiously roving eyes attempting to discern whether or not anyone had been hurt and, more importantly, where in their midst the threat was hiding.
"Natalie, darling, get back," James whispered, pushing her behind him. Going over the facts in his head, it wouldn't be unusual for this to be Jack's crew, returning for their captain's prize, but he wasn't about to take any chances.
"Show yourself!" he said with conviction, withdrawing his sword from its sheath as quickly and quietly as was humanly possible, his eyes constantly moving over the group of strangers in front of him.
"If you insist!"
The Commodore heard the gruff response come from behind his back and whirled about, just in time to see a behemoth of a man scoop Natalie up, as though she was nothing more than a rag doll, and press a dagger to the slender column of her throat.
Simultaneously, a yelp went up from the far left, and Clark Eaton suddenly found himself in the same state that Natalie was in. "Ow, ow!" he cried, "Would you stop? You're pinching me! That hurts!"
Another round of audible gasps and shrieks erupted from the party- goers at the shocking turn the evening had taken, but all James could do was keep focused on the man in front of him grasping Natalie to him. With one smooth motion, he tossed his rapier to the ground at the buccaneer's feet and raised his hands above his head, slowly murmuring, "What is it that you want?"
The animal, who was, at present, clutching her to him, suddenly snorted, sending a wad of spit down to the marble in front of the Commodore, before tightening his hold on her. With a scowl, he called, "We have what we've come for, and if any one of you tries to stop us from leavin' with them, I swear on me mother's soul that they won't live to see daylight. Do you understand?"
Natalie could see the muscles twitching in James' strong jaw, but she knew that he wouldn't do anything to tempt the cad who had a knife pressed into her flesh. He was practical and calm under pressure...the exact antithesis of Jack.
The captain would have already jumped in, guns blazing, with absolutely no thought or reason, and little more than heroic intent. It was hopelessly romantic, but hardly safe for either of them.
Locking eyes with James, she nodded slowly, as if to remind him of what he should do because it was taking longer than expected for him to respond. Natalie watched as he let out a sight and nodded sternly. "Agreed, but, in return, I have but one request."
Conlon couldn't believe his ears. The Captain had said that getting the pair would be difficult, but she hadn't mentioned that the whole lot of them were completely out of their heads! "Commodore," he said, gesturing to the girl he had in his grasp, "I have a blade to the lass' neck! I hardly think this is the time for you to be makin' requests!"
"My good man," the Commodore replied, shaking his head, "I only wish to know the name of the man who has sent you here. After you tell me, you and your comrade are free to go."
A truly gruesome grin crawled across his face at the uniformed gentleman's words. "No man has sent me, sir. An' I swear to the fact on me own life. Now move!"
James furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you certain?" This seemed a bit too organized to be the work of two average pirates; they had to be lying. Of course, he had yet to meet one honest man of the sea...but that was beside the point.
"I take me life very seriously, Commodore. You can count on it," he sneered. Tossing a glance back to his friend, he called, "Come along, Shawn. We'd best be goin'."
James nodded and started calling for the guests to move to the walls and away from the two rogues as they made their escape. Natalie gave James a small smile as she left, trying to reassure him that he had done what was best and that she would be fine. Clark was a very different story, indeed.
Shrieking and carrying on like a little girl, he was practically being carried by his captor out the door. As he passed by the Commodore, he raised wildly terrified eyes and wailed, "I don't want to die! Help meeeeee!"
In front of them, Conlon sighed in agitation. He had since dropped his hold on her throat, following close behind her as she went without a fuss. She was behaving better than the gentleman was! "Jesus, me! Is he always like this?"
"Yes, and, just think, I was supposed to marry him," she said.
His eyes widened and he shook his head. "Bless you, Miss. You obviously have the patience of a saint or the worst luck in the world!"
* * * *
"Shh!" Will said, pulling Elizabeth behind a cluster of shrubs. The pair watched in silence as Natalie and Clark were taken away by what looked like pirates, waiting until the little parade was outside of the palace gates before deciding on a plan.
Elizabeth's eyes were filled with fear as she whispered, "Will, those weren't Jack's men. I'm sure of it."
"But, who else would..." his voice trailed off as Jack's returned to mind. Lifting his eyes quickly, he hissed, "Jack said that Eaton's other debtors were out for blood. I don't want to frighten you, but--."
She knew where he was headed with this, and she didn't particularly care for it. "Will, follow behind them and get to Jack's ship. Tell him what has happened and try to follow them. I'll go up to the house to let Father know that we are alright. Maybe I can even get James to arrange a rescue mission?"
Will nodded and planted a quick kiss on his wife before calling "I love you" and hurrying after her captive sister. Elizabeth emerged from the bushes and ran up the front walk to the Governor's Palace as quickly as she could. A little winded, she threw open the door to the ball room once she reached the top and was surprised at what she found.
Every little busybody invited was now silent, listening carefully to Commodore James Norrington as he shouted out instructions to, what appeared to be, a rescue plan. "James!" she called out, waving from the door. She had to tell them what was going on.
He squinted to see back behind the masses to who called for him.
"It's me, Elizabeth!"
The people instantly went back to shouting and weeping as they crowded her, making it even more difficult for the Commodore to get through. She would be able to tell him if those were Jack's men or if she had heard anything while on the captain's ship. She could help find Natalie.
"Confounded all, will everyone GET BACK!" he finally shouted.
Amazingly, they parted right down the middle and he hurried through. "Natalie has been taken, Elizabeth, do you know if Jack is involved?" he asked, not wasting any time.
She couldn't help being a little shocked at his direct approach, but she humored him. "Will and I saw them take her away, and I know for a fact that those pirates aren't in Captain Sparrow's crew. Will is following them, trying to gather what information he can, and then he is going to Jack's ship." Elizabeth sighed, and continued, "With any luck, he can get Jack to follow her. He really cares for her, James, he'll go after her. I know it."
"Well, now," James said, admiring the thought that went into her plan, and nodded. "I'll have the Dauntless made ready for a morning departure. We're going to bring her home for good."
* * * *
"Jack?"
Will stood at the top of the gangway, his eyes scanning the Cara Mia's deck for her Captain. Looking around at the busy crew, it wasn't hard to see that Jack wanted to make way, and get out of Port Royale's general vicinity, as quickly as possible. Something must have happened.
"You there," Will called, "Jolie!"
The new kitchen boy, who couldn't have been a day over fifteen, came running over, surprised to see the man they had just let off, back on deck. "Oui, Monsieur?"
"Jolie, where is Jack?"
Wordlessly, the child pointed aft, and sure enough, Jack was standing at the rail, staring off into the distance. Murmuring a quick "thank you", Will hurried up the wooden steps, two at a time, to speak with his friend. "Jack!"
The captain recognized his friend's voice and rolled his eyes, sighing emphatically. He didn't feel like talking anymore. He'd done more musing and contemplating than could be healthy for any one man in the past three weeks.
"Master Turner," Jack said, refusing to turn around, "Must I tell my men to shoot any trespassers, who come waltzing aboard my ship, on sight, or is it possible for you people to demonstrate some self control and stay on land where you belong?"
Well, he was in a fine mood. It was too bad that Will had to make it worse...
"Jack, Natalie has been taken."
* * * *
"There she is," Conlon said with fierce pride, motioning towards the huge ship docked in the harbor, "The Aibrean Maidin. 'Tis April Morn' in Gaelic, did you know that?"
Natalie's eyes fell upon the vessel and she shook her head, "No I didn't. It's beautiful for sure, but too big to be captained by just you and your accomplice, for certain. So, am I correct to assume that you lied to the Commodore?"
He furrowed his brow at her words and barked, "I'll not have you callin' me a liar, Miss." Stopping at the base of the gangway, he gestured for her to continue on. "Now up you go."
She nodded and held onto the rope handrail draped along the sides as she carefully climbed aboard. With any luck, her good behavior and friendly camaraderie would earn her a bit more freedom so she could think of a way off. For once, all of Clark's whining and moaning was doing some good, by making her look like an angel, in comparison.
All of the commotion and action on deck immediately stopped as her heels clicked onto the cherry wood slats. Natalie's iron resolve wavered as the eyes of fifty menacing buccaneers stood trained on her.
The clop of her captor's boots as he landed on the deck behind her made her jump out of her skin, but then her nerves quivered even more as he pushed her forward towards the figure at the helm; the captain.
"We've brought who you asked for. Where'll we be putting 'em, Miss?"
Miss? Had she gone mad, or had Natalie heard him correctly: The captain of the Aibrean Maidin was a woman? Sure as she was standing there, the person who turned to face them was, indeed, female.
And a rather lovely one at that, with hair black as pitch that fell in gentle waves to the small of her back, eyes of the palest blue green, and a siren's smile. Her skin held the pale white hue of the lily, with a brilliant spot of color on each cheek, and was so flawless that one would take her for a home dweller, and not a pirate, at first glance.
Even when she spoke, the breathy lilt of her musical Irish brogue lent her the air of an innocent heiress...if you overlooked what the beautiful voice said, of course. "Well now, seeing as they're prisoners, Conlon, intelligence would tell you to put them in the brig, wouldn't it?"
"Of course, Cap'n," the man said, stumbling to make his excuses, "But the girl hasn't given us any trouble, and she's not what we really came for, so I was thinkin'..." His voice trailed off as his eyes connected with those of the woman in front of him.
Her eyes seemed to glitter with anger, but she responded, her cold smile frozen in place. "Well, thankfully, my good man, you aren't here to think. You are here to follow my orders."
Conlon nodded sharply and hollered to the men standing around them. "You heard her, gents, lock 'em up!"
A few men shot forward to do as they were bid, but the woman held up her hand, stopping them in their tracks. "No, Conlon here has alluded to the fact that the lady here is rather personable and I should like to find out for myself."
The captain turned to her crew momentarily to give them her orders, which were carried out swiftly. "Take Master Eaton to the brig. Miss Swann, if you would be so kind as to follow me aft for a few words. As for the rest of you, get back to work!"
* * * *
I HATE this chapter...for the record. -3- Meems
Jack Sparrow: Another chapter! I love this story! Drinks all around!
Mimi: *Blushes profusely and melts into a puddle at his boot-clad feet*
Note:
So...we are drawing to a close with this story...but I've decided to prolong the agony for a few more chapters, so bear with me. This means yet another plot twist and another newbie or two, so I hope you like it! Thanks for the reviews, because even though the site won't show them to me...I've received them in spirit. I live for you guys and Johnny's new 'do, now enjoy!
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 25)
"Nobody move!"
The raspy growl, which boomed over the still babbling crowd, nearly went unnoticed as people continued chatting, driven by the marital mishap playing out before their very eyes. That is, until the two pistol shots rang out.
The room fell into a desperate silence as the smell of gun powder rose into the air and the sound of the crack reverberated in the vaulted ceilings of the marble hall. Everyone tried their best to remain perfectly still, their cautiously roving eyes attempting to discern whether or not anyone had been hurt and, more importantly, where in their midst the threat was hiding.
"Natalie, darling, get back," James whispered, pushing her behind him. Going over the facts in his head, it wouldn't be unusual for this to be Jack's crew, returning for their captain's prize, but he wasn't about to take any chances.
"Show yourself!" he said with conviction, withdrawing his sword from its sheath as quickly and quietly as was humanly possible, his eyes constantly moving over the group of strangers in front of him.
"If you insist!"
The Commodore heard the gruff response come from behind his back and whirled about, just in time to see a behemoth of a man scoop Natalie up, as though she was nothing more than a rag doll, and press a dagger to the slender column of her throat.
Simultaneously, a yelp went up from the far left, and Clark Eaton suddenly found himself in the same state that Natalie was in. "Ow, ow!" he cried, "Would you stop? You're pinching me! That hurts!"
Another round of audible gasps and shrieks erupted from the party- goers at the shocking turn the evening had taken, but all James could do was keep focused on the man in front of him grasping Natalie to him. With one smooth motion, he tossed his rapier to the ground at the buccaneer's feet and raised his hands above his head, slowly murmuring, "What is it that you want?"
The animal, who was, at present, clutching her to him, suddenly snorted, sending a wad of spit down to the marble in front of the Commodore, before tightening his hold on her. With a scowl, he called, "We have what we've come for, and if any one of you tries to stop us from leavin' with them, I swear on me mother's soul that they won't live to see daylight. Do you understand?"
Natalie could see the muscles twitching in James' strong jaw, but she knew that he wouldn't do anything to tempt the cad who had a knife pressed into her flesh. He was practical and calm under pressure...the exact antithesis of Jack.
The captain would have already jumped in, guns blazing, with absolutely no thought or reason, and little more than heroic intent. It was hopelessly romantic, but hardly safe for either of them.
Locking eyes with James, she nodded slowly, as if to remind him of what he should do because it was taking longer than expected for him to respond. Natalie watched as he let out a sight and nodded sternly. "Agreed, but, in return, I have but one request."
Conlon couldn't believe his ears. The Captain had said that getting the pair would be difficult, but she hadn't mentioned that the whole lot of them were completely out of their heads! "Commodore," he said, gesturing to the girl he had in his grasp, "I have a blade to the lass' neck! I hardly think this is the time for you to be makin' requests!"
"My good man," the Commodore replied, shaking his head, "I only wish to know the name of the man who has sent you here. After you tell me, you and your comrade are free to go."
A truly gruesome grin crawled across his face at the uniformed gentleman's words. "No man has sent me, sir. An' I swear to the fact on me own life. Now move!"
James furrowed his brow in confusion. "Are you certain?" This seemed a bit too organized to be the work of two average pirates; they had to be lying. Of course, he had yet to meet one honest man of the sea...but that was beside the point.
"I take me life very seriously, Commodore. You can count on it," he sneered. Tossing a glance back to his friend, he called, "Come along, Shawn. We'd best be goin'."
James nodded and started calling for the guests to move to the walls and away from the two rogues as they made their escape. Natalie gave James a small smile as she left, trying to reassure him that he had done what was best and that she would be fine. Clark was a very different story, indeed.
Shrieking and carrying on like a little girl, he was practically being carried by his captor out the door. As he passed by the Commodore, he raised wildly terrified eyes and wailed, "I don't want to die! Help meeeeee!"
In front of them, Conlon sighed in agitation. He had since dropped his hold on her throat, following close behind her as she went without a fuss. She was behaving better than the gentleman was! "Jesus, me! Is he always like this?"
"Yes, and, just think, I was supposed to marry him," she said.
His eyes widened and he shook his head. "Bless you, Miss. You obviously have the patience of a saint or the worst luck in the world!"
* * * *
"Shh!" Will said, pulling Elizabeth behind a cluster of shrubs. The pair watched in silence as Natalie and Clark were taken away by what looked like pirates, waiting until the little parade was outside of the palace gates before deciding on a plan.
Elizabeth's eyes were filled with fear as she whispered, "Will, those weren't Jack's men. I'm sure of it."
"But, who else would..." his voice trailed off as Jack's returned to mind. Lifting his eyes quickly, he hissed, "Jack said that Eaton's other debtors were out for blood. I don't want to frighten you, but--."
She knew where he was headed with this, and she didn't particularly care for it. "Will, follow behind them and get to Jack's ship. Tell him what has happened and try to follow them. I'll go up to the house to let Father know that we are alright. Maybe I can even get James to arrange a rescue mission?"
Will nodded and planted a quick kiss on his wife before calling "I love you" and hurrying after her captive sister. Elizabeth emerged from the bushes and ran up the front walk to the Governor's Palace as quickly as she could. A little winded, she threw open the door to the ball room once she reached the top and was surprised at what she found.
Every little busybody invited was now silent, listening carefully to Commodore James Norrington as he shouted out instructions to, what appeared to be, a rescue plan. "James!" she called out, waving from the door. She had to tell them what was going on.
He squinted to see back behind the masses to who called for him.
"It's me, Elizabeth!"
The people instantly went back to shouting and weeping as they crowded her, making it even more difficult for the Commodore to get through. She would be able to tell him if those were Jack's men or if she had heard anything while on the captain's ship. She could help find Natalie.
"Confounded all, will everyone GET BACK!" he finally shouted.
Amazingly, they parted right down the middle and he hurried through. "Natalie has been taken, Elizabeth, do you know if Jack is involved?" he asked, not wasting any time.
She couldn't help being a little shocked at his direct approach, but she humored him. "Will and I saw them take her away, and I know for a fact that those pirates aren't in Captain Sparrow's crew. Will is following them, trying to gather what information he can, and then he is going to Jack's ship." Elizabeth sighed, and continued, "With any luck, he can get Jack to follow her. He really cares for her, James, he'll go after her. I know it."
"Well, now," James said, admiring the thought that went into her plan, and nodded. "I'll have the Dauntless made ready for a morning departure. We're going to bring her home for good."
* * * *
"Jack?"
Will stood at the top of the gangway, his eyes scanning the Cara Mia's deck for her Captain. Looking around at the busy crew, it wasn't hard to see that Jack wanted to make way, and get out of Port Royale's general vicinity, as quickly as possible. Something must have happened.
"You there," Will called, "Jolie!"
The new kitchen boy, who couldn't have been a day over fifteen, came running over, surprised to see the man they had just let off, back on deck. "Oui, Monsieur?"
"Jolie, where is Jack?"
Wordlessly, the child pointed aft, and sure enough, Jack was standing at the rail, staring off into the distance. Murmuring a quick "thank you", Will hurried up the wooden steps, two at a time, to speak with his friend. "Jack!"
The captain recognized his friend's voice and rolled his eyes, sighing emphatically. He didn't feel like talking anymore. He'd done more musing and contemplating than could be healthy for any one man in the past three weeks.
"Master Turner," Jack said, refusing to turn around, "Must I tell my men to shoot any trespassers, who come waltzing aboard my ship, on sight, or is it possible for you people to demonstrate some self control and stay on land where you belong?"
Well, he was in a fine mood. It was too bad that Will had to make it worse...
"Jack, Natalie has been taken."
* * * *
"There she is," Conlon said with fierce pride, motioning towards the huge ship docked in the harbor, "The Aibrean Maidin. 'Tis April Morn' in Gaelic, did you know that?"
Natalie's eyes fell upon the vessel and she shook her head, "No I didn't. It's beautiful for sure, but too big to be captained by just you and your accomplice, for certain. So, am I correct to assume that you lied to the Commodore?"
He furrowed his brow at her words and barked, "I'll not have you callin' me a liar, Miss." Stopping at the base of the gangway, he gestured for her to continue on. "Now up you go."
She nodded and held onto the rope handrail draped along the sides as she carefully climbed aboard. With any luck, her good behavior and friendly camaraderie would earn her a bit more freedom so she could think of a way off. For once, all of Clark's whining and moaning was doing some good, by making her look like an angel, in comparison.
All of the commotion and action on deck immediately stopped as her heels clicked onto the cherry wood slats. Natalie's iron resolve wavered as the eyes of fifty menacing buccaneers stood trained on her.
The clop of her captor's boots as he landed on the deck behind her made her jump out of her skin, but then her nerves quivered even more as he pushed her forward towards the figure at the helm; the captain.
"We've brought who you asked for. Where'll we be putting 'em, Miss?"
Miss? Had she gone mad, or had Natalie heard him correctly: The captain of the Aibrean Maidin was a woman? Sure as she was standing there, the person who turned to face them was, indeed, female.
And a rather lovely one at that, with hair black as pitch that fell in gentle waves to the small of her back, eyes of the palest blue green, and a siren's smile. Her skin held the pale white hue of the lily, with a brilliant spot of color on each cheek, and was so flawless that one would take her for a home dweller, and not a pirate, at first glance.
Even when she spoke, the breathy lilt of her musical Irish brogue lent her the air of an innocent heiress...if you overlooked what the beautiful voice said, of course. "Well now, seeing as they're prisoners, Conlon, intelligence would tell you to put them in the brig, wouldn't it?"
"Of course, Cap'n," the man said, stumbling to make his excuses, "But the girl hasn't given us any trouble, and she's not what we really came for, so I was thinkin'..." His voice trailed off as his eyes connected with those of the woman in front of him.
Her eyes seemed to glitter with anger, but she responded, her cold smile frozen in place. "Well, thankfully, my good man, you aren't here to think. You are here to follow my orders."
Conlon nodded sharply and hollered to the men standing around them. "You heard her, gents, lock 'em up!"
A few men shot forward to do as they were bid, but the woman held up her hand, stopping them in their tracks. "No, Conlon here has alluded to the fact that the lady here is rather personable and I should like to find out for myself."
The captain turned to her crew momentarily to give them her orders, which were carried out swiftly. "Take Master Eaton to the brig. Miss Swann, if you would be so kind as to follow me aft for a few words. As for the rest of you, get back to work!"
* * * *
I HATE this chapter...for the record. -3- Meems