Monsieur Guillaume Pernot is mine (and what a cheeky fellow he is xD) and Maribelle
Don't shoot me for anything that happens in this chapter.
Maribelle now found herself in a fairly unexpected, and semi-compromising position. She was aboard a French galleon, meeting with the captain, Guillaume Pernot. Pernot was a staunch advocate of pirate execution, and now, as he sat across the table from Maribelle, he believed that he had found a very useful ally.
"So, you think you can give us Jack Sparrow," he said, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
"Depends on two things," Maribelle said, crossing her legs and sitting up straight. It was a wonder that she still remembered everything she had been taught in those etiquette lessons. "First, what you plan to give me in exchange for the information, and second, what you plan on doing if I do, in fact, tell you where you could find him."
"I'd give you a reasonably large amount, of course," Pernot said, looking at Maribelle appraisingly. "And...What does it matter what I do with him? Pirates are pirates, aren't they?"
"Yes, and class is class," Maribelle said strongly, not allowing herself to let anything slip. "Should you do anything to impune your own honor, then the blame would automatically be directed towards the informant, namely me."
"All right," Pernot nodded, "I won't lay hand or pistol on the man,"
Maribelle stared at him for a moment. "I believe we ought to put your word to the test before I seek you out the real prize. I'll find you another man...someone who was on Sparrow's crew. If the results of your little rendezvous are favorable, then I'll seek you out. But, if I don't like what I hear- -word does travel fast around the island, after all- -then the deal's off before anyone loses anything."
"All right," Pernot said with a smirk. "We have a deal. I'll expect the pirate tonight, on this ship, right at sundown."
"Yes, sir," Maribelle nodded, bowing her head slightly. She walked towards the door and stepped out, a new expression on her face- -one of determination, ambition...and one of pain.
"This is being a pirate," she said to herself. "Hang loyalty. It's my life."
And with that, she set off to find Gibbs, and make her trade.
He wasn't a hard man to find. Nowadays, he was always in one pub or another. Maribelle went through two or three before actually finding him.
"Gibbs," she barked loudly, not giving away a hint of what she had planned for the man. "What say ye to helping a fellow pirate?"
"I say no," Gibbs growled. "Ye just killed a man, lass. What can you do to prove ye won't just drag me out into an alley and shoot me for bein' a witness?"
"I swear on pain of death that I won't ever put a pistol to you," she said honestly. After all, Pernot was planning to question Gibbs, knock him around a bit, then send him home crying. Maribelle was proving herself as a pirate, and keeping her honor intact at the same time. This was quite surely the winning move.
"Still doesn't change that ye killed a man," Gibbs said suspiciously.
"Proves that I'm not so fragile as you think," Maribelle said. "Now, Gibbs, come with me, please!" She looked out the window. "Besides, It's nothing dangerous! Well, not really,"
Gibbs somehow couldn't refuse the woman. She had made a point that she was cut out to be a pirate, honor and all, meaning that she was bound to her word.
"What'll ye have me do?" he asked resignedly.
"Nothing at all!" Maribelle said simperingly, "I just need for you to run onboard a certain ship for me and check if they've...hidden anything."
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Lass, ye don't go barging onto another man's ship for no reason. They consider it an invasion."
"Oh, but..." Maribelle paused. Gibbs was harder to crack than she would have guessed. "It looks exactly the same as the ship...the one that attacked my father's...it's..." It was really no problem for Maribelle to fake tears. Gibbs looked at her, half in disgust and half in pity.
"All right, I'll go," he said, standing up grudgingly. "Honestly, ye can never hope to be a pirate if you break into tears at the sight of a ship."
"Oh, I know," Maribelle said, wiping at her eyes exaggeratedly. Then, she led him out of the pub.
"Which ship is it, lass?" Gibbs asked impatiently. "Ye'd best point it out. It's almost dark."
"Yes, that it is," she nodded. She looked out towards the docks, and saw the ship with the French colors. Pernot's ship was easily the biggest in the harbor, but also one of the oldest looking- -it would easily pass for a pirate ship. "That one," she said quietly. "I don't know if anyone's there, but I'd doubt they were. I saw nearly the whole crew file out, and they're most likely drunk on the floor of some hostel."
"Ye owe me for this, lass," Gibbs grunted. Then, he started walking over to the ship, not once looking back to see that Maribelle had scurried off and hidden herself in an alleyway to watch.
She didn't know what type of interrogation Pernot was going to hold, so she peered around a corner intently, staying in the shadows so as not to be seen.
She was certainly not expecting it when two men with muskets burst out of the cabin and grabbed Gibbs, knocking him to the ground. Maribelle clapped a hand over her mouth. Suddenly, Pernot himself stepped out, holding a cocked pistol. Maribelle strained her ears to her what he was saying.
"No pirate ever crosses me who doesn't get what he deserves," Pernot said calmly. "You'll be the first, but certainly not the last." He pointed the pistol straight at Gibbs, and Maribelle turned away before she heard the shot. She started running down the alley, being as quiet as she could, and back to the room where she had dropped some of her things, not caring who she knocked over along the way. She closed the door behind her and threw herself on the bed.
"Bloody hell, what have I done?" she said in anguish. "I.. I don't mean for this to happen. I was trying to be a good pirate." She looked upwards at the ceiling. "Father, I...I just wanted to be what you wanted me to. What am I doing wrong? I thought- -"
Suddenly, the door opened, and Jack strode into the room. Jack Sparrow, the man that Maribelle was meant to hand over to Pernot, no doubt to suffer the same piteous fate as Gibbs.
"Ye seem to be doin' an awful lot of cryin', luv," he said.
"Get out of here," Maribelle said hastily. "I can NEVER see you again, do you understand?"
"Ah, so now ole Jack's done somethin' horrible, eh?" he laughed. "What's got your feathers all ruffled now?"
"It's nothing!" Maribelle said desperately. 'I've just...I've just done something unbelievably wrong, and you'd better get away before you find what it is,"
"I saw it," Jack said simply. Maribelle's jaw dropped. "Yeah, I saw what happened on that French ship."
"Then you know that I just as well could have the same done to you," Maribelle snapped, "You know you can't trust me."
"First off, you couldn't pull one on me, because I am the better pirate now," he smirked, "Second, if you were planning on doing the same to, then I'd be able to tell."
"I don't CARE, all right?" Maribelle snapped. "It doesn't matter! You need to get the hell away before- -" Maribelle froze as she heard footsteps clunking up the stairs which no doubt came from heavy boots.
Pernot, she realized, never had any intention of giving her an option. They were coming for her, and they were going to force her to give up Jack...
"Hide," Maribelle hissed simply, shoving Jack towards a closet. He looked at her in indignation for a moment- -He, Jack Sparrow, was being told to hide in a closet- -but did as she said. He closed the closet door just in time to hear someone walk into the room.
"Mademoiselle Winthrop," Pernot said icily. "I believe that we had a deal."
"I told you if I liked the outcome, I'd keep going with you plan," Maribelle said resolutely. "Truth is, I didn't like the outcome at all."
"Pity," Pernot said. "You see, I'm changing the grounds of our agreement a bit. I'm giving you three options."
"None of which, I assume, are very desirable." Maribelle muttered.
"Number one, you can tell us where Sparrow is, we'll take care of him, and you may go on your merry way," he said. "And second...We shoot you for not giving us the information, and find a new informant. There are plenty of rats on this island."
"You said there were three." Maribelle said, trying not to shake as she spoke. She wouldn't look frail in front of these people. It was a matter of life and death.
"Right you are," Pernot said in a softer tone. "And I'm so glad you asked. By the way, why did you? Not willing to die for one of your fellow pirates, eh?"
Maribelle gasped slightly. "How did you- -"
"Maribelle Winthrop," Pernot laughed, "Daughter of Barnabus Winthrop- -I wanted to kill that man so badly, it was almost a shame that another scallywag got to him first. But no matter, now that you're standing in front of me. You see, your third option...is to come back to France and marry me." He said the last part very bluntly, but it confused Maribelle to no end.
"If you know that I'm a pirate, and you hate my kind so much, why do you want to bring me all the way back to France?" she asked.
"Because, you're a very beautiful girl," Pernot said simply, "And a very rich one."
"The Callums are rich," Maribelle corrected. "None of it is mine."
"Ah, you see, a little misfiring on a ship in near Port Royal took care of that." Pernot said, gesturing airily with his hand. Maribelle felt herself tense up at what he was implying. "Unfortunately, the governor and Mr. and Mrs. Callum weren't lucky enough to survive. So now, you've lost the man that you were promised to, and the two people keeping the fortune back from you."
"And?" Maribelle said. "Are you planning to marry me, then kill me afterwards so you can have it all?"
"Oh, no," Pernot said with a sly grin. "I plan to keep you in France."
Maribelle averted her gaze. She was now standing at the choice of a lifetime.
She could give up Jack, let him die and walk away with the life she had always wanted- -the life her father had wanted for her.
She could choose to be noble and tell Pernot to drop dead...which would ultimately just get her a bullet in the head.
Then there was her final option. She would get Pernot away from Tortuga and keep him distracted at least long enough for Jack to make an exit. She'd stay alive. It was the only choice.
"I do believe I have some packing to do," she said hopelessly. "France is quite a long way away."
"Ah," Pernot said, his mouth curving into a grin. "Perfect. I'll be on my ship." He stepped out the door, but then turned around. "On second thought, you ought to come with me. You don't need any of this," he gestured around the room. "You'll be much better provided for in France. I daresay we'll be wed the day we arrive."
Maribelle nodded silently then walked out of the room, knowing full well that she would never see Tortuga, or Jack, ever again.
As soon as he was sure that everyone had left, Jack stepped out of the closet, then ran off towards the docks.
"Stupid girl," he muttered as he jumped aboard a small boat. "What the bloody hell did she do that for?"
As great as he thought himself to be, Jack knew he stood no chance against the whole French navy, which would be after his head. And there was only one place where he could get any help.
Port Royal.
A/N's
Well, Maribelle caused something pretty terrible, but she tried to make up for it with something noble. First, betrothed to the governor, now to a smarmy French pirate hater? Gosh, this lass has got a thing for getting herself engaged to the oddest people.
Obsetress: You hit the nail right on the head with your last review. Yes, Maribelle's just frustrated, because her life's gone totally off track. Well, now it's even worse. I'm still trying to decide how exactly she's going to deal with some things i have planned for her.
Jack'sSparrow: Well, Jack and Maribelel just may be friends now, and no longer enemies. Too bad she got shipped to France. I'm trying to think up the exact details of what happens next, but expect some drama, some action, and some...yummy pirate-y goodness.
Dawnie-7: Hey! I just noticed! You've been reviewing my SW fic too! haha, I'm kinda slow like that! FORGIVE ME! :) ... Well, yeah, Maribelle's cutting right to the chase here...and it's not turning out pretty, is it? Just hope my twisted little mind doesn't come up with something horrible to put her through in the next chapters.
blackcharityflint: Haha, have I made you speechless? Is that a bad thing?
I like to imagine i have Jack Sparrow trapped in my closet. He's my most prized...erm...possession. Well, I'll give him away...or...rent him out...to the person who can make the best gess as to what happens in the next chapter! Haha. Don't worry, it's all written, so I don't just pick who wins. I kinda dropped hints throughout the chapter. Happy hunting!