Chapter 9
If pigs happened to fly
The Black Pearl hurdled over high waves, a storm approaching as midday set in. Jack, through his years of captaining the Black Pearl before, and through all his sailing, never hit the waves so hard. The storm was presumed to be fairly mild, but that would be if you were on land. At sea, the winds were picking up even more, and the waves were crashing higher and higher.
Jack stood at bow with his compass squinting through the drizzle, which the wind was making quite fast, not hard rain, just fast and sharp. It seemed as though as soon as the drops hit your face they'd turned to ice. Jack was embracing it though. He used the hard water to polish off his compass, because there wasn't much use for it at the moment. He snapped it shut and then spun around, turning his back to the wind and heading for the helm.
"Need any help?" He called through the rain to Anamaria, who was at the wheel. The Black Pearl hit a wave on the Portside, and she fought to control the wheel.
"No, a jacket would...be... nice... though." She panted as Jack climbed the steps. He shrugged.
"Want mine?" Anamaria gave him an icy glare, then turned her attention back to the helm. "I'll take that as a no." Jack said. He took the wheel in one hand to help her, which was followed by another sharp 'I don't need your help' glare. He let go, rubbing his hands together.
"If you say so, luv." He sighed. Anamaria grew wide eyed, absolutely enraged.
"You're so lucky I can't take my hands off this wheel, or ye'd be dead before you could scream." She growled, gripping the wheel even tighter. Jack smiled mischievously.
"Luv, luv, luv, luv." He teased. Anamaria started to growl deeply.
"I'll kill ye in the night." She threatened. Jack couldn't decide if she was telling the truth or not, but for the time being...
"Ye need me jacket, luv?" He persisted. "Ye need me help, luv?" With amazing strength Anamaria's hand shot out and she grabbed Jack by the collar. She still held on to the wheel as she glared straight into his face.
"Care t'repeat that?"
"Mutiny is a crime aboard this ship." Jack said playfully. Anamaria shoved him backward lightly and returned her other hand to the wheel, scowling. Jack straightened his collar.
"I'll be sure to change that when ye're gone." Anamaria said, this time she was messing around.
.....
As winds picked up around The Aaralyn, Twigg retired below deck for a while, letting the Bo' sun take the wheel. Always prudent to see what they were up to, he went to eat with the crew members who weren't out working on deck. Among them were Mallet, Simbaka, and Maximo. They sat together at the end of the long dining table, shouting and talking rambunctiously. Twigg twitched a bit and walked past them to the other end of the table, where Estrella sat, eying the men carefully. He dropped down onto the bench across from her and took a piece of bread from the tray that sat between them. He ripped it in half and offered some to Estrella, who looked like she hadn't eaten any of her food.
"No thank you." She mumbled, brushing his hand away. He sighed.
Down at the other side of the table Simbaka started joking about Raggeti, an ever popular joke when he was and wasn't around. "Edward. Ha, what a fine English man! Haha." The group erupted into laughter. Estrella dropped her chin into her hand and turned away from them.
"Fools. Ah well, they'll lighten up after tomorrow." Twigg said vacantly. Estrella looked over at him.
"Why?" She asked, looking curious. Twigg grinned, admiring his own evil idea for Grapple.
"We have a rebel to take care o' tomorrow, miss, that's all." Estrella wondered what he meant, and it showed. "We ain't gonna kill him, miss." Estrella nodded, she knew what happened even on a royal navy ship to rebellious crew members. Disrespect called for a lashing, and this was going to be the case.
"What will happen to the crew of The Raking?" She asked, changing the subject to one that concerned more.
"They're all being held on The Piercin' Pirate, it's out that a way, at the moment." He motioned off behind him towards the starboard side of the ship. That meant it was south of them. "Captain Harth will kill any o' the ones who rebel 'gainst him, and we agreed to split the rest o' em as slaves after they're kept in the brig for a while."
"Are they being fed?" She asked, genuinely concerned about their eating habits.
"The worst o' the worst sea slop ye kin think o', miss Renard. It's amazing stuff though, makes em stronger. We don't want weakling slaves." Twigg forked a piece of meat odd an landed it on his tray.
"I know what you mean. It's something my father told me about when I was younger. He was fisherman. He had to be strong to haul up the nets and all, so he ate some concoction of spinach and all sorts of things that shouldn't be put together for food." Twigg grinned.
"Aye, that's the stuff. Y'know me secret to making it?" He leaned closer to her so no one else would hear them. Estrella shrugged.
"Seaweed." He sat back again. "Don't know how, don't know why, but it does. And the crew will ne'er notice because it looks and tastes like spinach. Which make spinach seem kind o' disgusting when ye think about it. I call seaweed the oceans spinach. It's right tasty stuff when you prepare it right."
"You should be the cook too." Estrella said. Twigg considered this jokingly, then changed the subject back to what Estrella had said.
"Ye aren't married are ye? You and yer brother don't have the same last name." He inquired. Estrella plucked the half of bread Twigg had left on his plate and took a bite of it.
"I'm not. He has a different father... had a different father I mean." Estrella sighed. "Besides, if we did have the same father, Raggeti Renard doesn't sound very good."
"You don't look too much like him."
"I don't look like my father either. I look like my mother, Edward looks like his father. As far as I've heard of his father, which wasn't much, he was the opposite of Edward though." She glanced at the crew, then back at the captain.
"I can't imagine anyone being able to match him." Twigg muttered. "No offense, but he's a right daft one."
"I can only agree with you, captain. Though we owe most of that to stupid bloody Pintel. Edward could read and write before. Not well though, he was never very intelligent, and he was always..." She took a deep breath searching for the kindest way of putting it. "wifty. But after he became a pirate he must've forgotten his academic skills, now his poor little heart is set on being a good sailor. No help from them of course." She said, gesturing the crew.
"I think we should all give him a little more credit. Although I don't like to say it, he's done a fine job as lookout so far." Estrella nodded, starting to drift as she thought. "He is a good sailor. And a thick one, but a good one all the same." Twigg continued.
"I've seen that." Estrella mumbled, stabbing at her meal with her knife. Her thoughts were set on getting off of the ship, and hopefully taking Raggeti with her. She didn't want him to ruin anymore of his life with piratical ways. Twigg pretty much knew what she was thinking.
"Y'know, I'll let ye off near a port soon. If ye'd like."
"I'm not leaving unless Edward comes too." She said stiffly, stabbing her tray. The screech caused Twigg to cringe.
"He'll be hung if he goes." Twigg said. Estrella looked up with a questioning face. "He can't leave, he has pirate written on him, literally."
"He's branded?" She asked, absolutely devastated. Twigg nodded.
"All of us are, it was Jack Sparrow's way of getting' us to pledge loyalty. We couldn't be afraid to be a pirate. That and we all have tattoo's from when we was under Barbosa." Twigg said, revealing the pirate brand and tattoo of an anchor on his right arm. Estrella turned away for a moment then looked back curiously at the tattoo. All across it was a line of rope and a ribbon over the two hooks. The ribbon said Black Pearl, and a piece of Aztec gold was dangling off the 'c' in black.
"What was it like being cursed?" She asked, looking at the gold for a while.
"It weren't fun. All though being immortal had it's ups, it isn't nice to have to feel like ye've been killed, but ye don't die. I've counted, and I've died 57 times in ten years. Or at least I would have." Estrella shuddered. Twigg pulled his sleeve back over his arm and continued to eat.
"It's a wonder you all aren't dead now." Estrella said.
"We would have been if I hadn't lead surrender back a month ago." Twigg said, still looking quite ashamed that he did so, even if it was for the lives of his crew. The ship started to rock even more then usual, and a few cracks were heard from above. Twigg jumped from his, bench knowing what it was.
"All men above deck, now!" he cried, leading out the door. Estrella stood up and looked after them as they headed out of the galley.
.....
Raggeti clung for dear life as he climbed back down the main mast. The wind picked up and waves seemed to take over the whole ship. Once he got down he tended to his next job of checking the life lines. All were secure, but he knotted them even more just to make sure, then headed for the bow where Pintel was.
"Her... jib is... cracking off!" Pintel called to him. Raggeti sprinted the rest of the slippery way to the bow. As he got there Twigg ran up beside them, finding his guess was correct. He helped Pintel with a stray rope, pulling it taught and then securing it to the forestay boom. Raggeti helped get another one around the beam as a gust of wind came by. It hit exactly on the foresail causing the whole forestay boom to swivel a bit to the side. Unfortunately the side they were on. Raggeti hit his head against the beam and flew backwards, Pintel landing beside him and hitting the railing. Twigg was hit in the chest and the wind was knocked out of him. He crumbled to the deck for a few minutes, regaining his breath.
"Come on mates, we gotta save her." Twigg said weakly, taking gasps of breath. Raggeti rubbed his bleeding forehead and sat up, Pintel didn't.
"Come on mate, wake up. This is no time for games." Raggeti shook Pintel's shoulder. "Pintel... Pintel... Pintel!" He screamed finally. Twigg dropped by his side, and blocked them from another wave coming over the bow. Raggeti spat water from his mouth and shook Pintel even harder, starting to have a temper.
"Wake him up." He cried. Twigg sighed and took Pintel by the arm, lifting him forward. Another wave crashed over them as he did.
"He sure got his lights knocked out!" Twigg called through the violent rain. Raggeti held Pintel's head up. "Take him below deck." Twigg ordered. Raggeti looked relentless, because he could barely carry Pintel in any case, but with waves, a rocking ship, and rain he could barely see through it was going to be three times the chore.
"Alright." He said, taking Pintel and flipping him over his back. He struggled to stand up then took a few pitiful steps forward and fell over again. Twigg spotted the Bo'sun and yelled for him to come over, which he did.
"Would you please take Pintel below deck"he asked, then added. "Without inflicting purposeful pain on him?" The Bo 'sun grunted and reached down, plucking Pintel off of Raggeti and slinging him over his shoulder carelessly. Raggeti followed a ways behind them as they headed below deck. The Bo 'sun brought Pintel to the free cabin, and plopped him on the bed. With another warning grunt he turned and left them.
"Pintel..." Raggeti started shaking Pintel by the shoulders again, which wasn't helping too much. Estrella came in the doorway.
"Edward stop." She entered, kneeling by the bunk. "What happened?"
"The forestay boom hit us, and he hit his head on the rail." Raggeti said. Estrella didn't know what the forestay boom was, but she knew that being hit by it wasn't a good thing. She flipped Pintel over on his stomach and checked the back of his head.
"Give me something to wrap his thick head with." Estrella said. Raggeti pulled the pillow case off and handed it to his sister. She took it, and ripped it down the middle to make it longer. She tied it tightly around his head, she knew pressure had to be applied, but really she just wanted to hurt him. Pintel groaned and shifted a bit as she knotted the cloth. She flipped him over and he woke up.
"Hey Raggeti... there's three of you." Pintel said dizzily. Raggeti looked around him, checking for the other two.
"Really?" Raggeti asked. Pintel regained himself enough to smack Raggeti. Raggeti looked surprised because he had no idea what he did wrong then smiled.
"Well least yer alive." He sighed.
"It's a shame." Estrella muttered under her breath. Pintel heard her a scowled.
"I know you was joking, lovely." He winked at her. Raggeti looked horrified, along with Estrella. She glared at him
"That must have been one hard rail to breach your skull." She murmured. Pintel didn't hear her that time, and laid his head down on the caseless pillow.
"Raggeti, wot happened to yer head?" He asked, finally realizing Raggeti's wound. Estrella spun Raggeti to face her and looked at him. She took her sleeve over her hand and rubbed the blood from his forehead, bringing a large splinter into view. She plucked it out before Raggeti could plead for her not to.
"Ow, yer gonna make me blood to death!" Raggeti cried. Estrella rolled her eyes and showed him the nail sized splinter.
"You'll be fine, and it's bleed to death, not blood to death." She corrected his grammar. Pintel snickered.
"Yew should go back ta school, mate." Estrella gave him a nasty snarl and stood up.
"I suppose you have any better language skills?" She asked.
"I do, I just can't use them aloud or I'll be laughed right off the ship, and then Raggeti would drown trying to save me again." He said.
"Oh he won't be making that mistake again." Estrella growled.
"Oh he would." Pintel said simply. Estrella pulled the second pillow from beneath his head. He hit his wound against the knotted cloth around his head and cringed.
"Damnit, woman!" He growled. He stopped, realizing what he had just said, and winced. Raggeti gave him the first nasty scowl Pintel'd ever gotten from him.
"Leave her alone!" He yelled at him. Pintel looked utterly shocked. Estrella looked utterly shocked. If any one else had seen it, they'd look utterly shocked. Raggeti looked away from Pintel with a scowl. Estrella took a few seconds of looking at Pintel, then turned back to Raggeti and wrapped his head. Pintel lowered his eyes, ashamed to be to have made Raggeti angry, which was very rare and had to be something very terrible for him to be angry at it.
"I'm certain he didn't mean it." Estrella broke the silence. Raggeti didn't say word.
"Thank ye, poppit."
"Don't call 'er that." Raggeti growled. As soon as Estrella was finished he turned and stomped out the door. Estrella took a step after him.
"He's never... never been angry at you before, huh?" Estrella asked. Pintel nodded.
"He's never been angry at anyone before, or at least don't show it like that." He sat up a bit weakly and threw his legs over the bed. His timing was terrible, and the ship lurched forward as he did so, causing him to fly onto the floor. Estrella looked down at him for a while.
"Are ye going to help me up yet?" Pintel asked, rubbed the back of his head.
"You're wounded, not crippled." She snapped. Pintel shrugged. It took only a couple seconds for Estrella to give in and help him up.
"I'll go apologize, since I ain't gonna be allowed above deck like this." Pintel stepped out the door without any further regard from Estrella and went to the galley, where he knew Raggeti had gone. Sure enough Raggeti was sitting at the table, jabbing a fork into the wood. What Pintel couldn't see from the doorway was the little picture of him that Raggeti had carved into the wood to stab at. He strolled over behind Raggeti and saw the rough carving of him in the wood.
"That supposed to be me?" he asked. Raggeti brought the fork down on the head of the carving.
"Aye." He said. Pintel sat beside him on the bench.
"Do you really think my head's that big..." He realized he was off the point. "I mean, look, I'm sorry. I know yer sister is the most important thing in the world to you. You have e'eryright hate me."
"Just leave her alone. I'll forgive ye then." Raggeti said, looking up at Pintel.
"Leave her alone as in, don't be mean to her, or leave her alone as in, don't be flirtin' with her? Cause I kin only do so much."
"Both." Raggeti said.
"If you had to choose one or the other..." Pintel pressed.
"If I had to, don't be flirtin' with her." Pintel cursed under his breath. "Both." Raggeti repeated. Pintel gave a sweet pleading look.
"How about I just don't be mean?" He asked. Raggeti wasn't amused, still a bit angry at Pintel. Pintel gave a sigh of remorse then nodded in agreement.
"But if she happened to flirt with me..."
"If pigs 'appened to fly...."
.....