A/N: Ok I know this chapter took quite long but it's obviously out now, lol! Enjoy!
Chapter 19: The Daughter of a Pirate
Lia's POV:
The black distorted masses that were The Mystic and The Pearl began to sail away. I squeezed my eyes closed as salt water began to make them sting.
I was sinking slowly toward the black oblivion of Davy Jones's locker.
I began to feel a burning pain grow my lungs; I knew that I would soon be out of oxygen. I didn't want to die, not like this!
I couldn't!
I began to twist and writhe, hoping the rope biding my wrists would come off. I frantically began to pull my wrists out of the rope.
I moaned in pain as the ropes grinded against my skin, reopening old wounds and making new ones.
The rippling reflection of the sun got further and further away. For a second I just wanted to breathe in and just sink down and forget about everything going on, wanting to disappear into the blue mass.
I saw my father in my head; his words rang in my thoughts.
'I'll be waiting for ye…'Goddamn Mateo to hell! I was not going to let him be rid of me so easily!
I squeezed my eyes tighter and clenched my teeth as I gave one last pull. I heard a snap as the rope tore apart.
Quickly I raised my arms letting the extra rope that was wrapped around my torso float off me.
I swam up toward the surface. Will was a few feet above me. He was too struggling.
As I got past him, I grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him up.
I slowly began to let out air as the surface came closer. It was too far!
Just as my body was about to force me to breathe, my head broke through the surface.
I gasped, taking in the blessed air. I pulled Will up and he gasped for air. I reached down and began to undo his ropes.
We were alive! I closed my eyes and began to slow down my breathing, which was very heavy from the lack of oxygen.
Will pulled off his gag, "Are you okay?"
I nodded, stilling trying to catch my breath, "Yes."
I glanced around; The Mystic and The Black Pearl were pretty far, heading toward the island.
"What do we do?" I asked Will.
He frowned for a minute, not taking his eyes off the island. I knew what he was thinking. I shook my head slightly.
"We could swim to the island." He suggested.
I turned to look at the island again. It didn't seem that far but looks could be deceiving. But if I was going to save everyone, I had to get to that island.
I nodded my head and Will began to swim toward it. I quickly followed.
I barely swam a few feet before I felt my body tiring out. I began to fall behind as Will kept a good steady speed. He stopped when he realized I wasn't next to him and turned around.
"You can do it, Lia." He encouraged.
Could I? I felt my muscles begin to quiver, telling me to stop and rest but I knew there was no time for that. I ignored my body's pleads for rest and pushed myself onward.
We swam for what felt like an eternity. A few times I would fall behind and Will would pull me to him, forcing me to swim or he would tire out and I would have to pull him.
It was comforting in a weird way that I wasn't alone with the weariness.
Finally as the island got closer, I felt sandy seafloor come up under my feet and I sighed in relief.
We waded through the water, still pushing ourselves. The water began to drop around us. As soon as we reached the shore, I dropped to my knees. I laid on my stomach on the sand, panting noisily.
Will collapsed on his back next to me, also panting heavily.
We laid there in silence. I released every tension I had, allowing my body to relax. I closed my eyes; I could feel the waves of the ocean wash over my legs.
The wounds on my wrists throbbed from the seawater but I didn't care. I was just happy to be alive, knowing I was a step closer to helping my father.
Will's POV:
My heart was pounding like mad as I struggled to relax. After a few deep breaths, I sat up. We had to keep moving.
I turned to Lia. She was lying on her stomach, shivering and panting.
I put my hand on her back.
"Lia?"
She didn't move but made a small moan of acknowledgement.
"Lia, we have to go."
I scooted closer to her and pulled her up so she was facing me.
She was trembling. Her breathing was heavy but short.
I put one hand on her shoulder and my other hand on her neck.
"Listen Lia, I know you're very tired but we don't have much time." I said firmly, "We have to get to Jack and the crew or they are going to…"
I didn't want to say they would die. I knew Mateo was going to kill them all but I didn't want to say it out loud. Even the thought of it was just too horrible.
Lia nodded. I stood up and held out my hand to her.
"The ships are on the other side of the island." I said, "If we hurry, we can make it."
Lia looked at my outstretched hand for a second. Contemplating on what to do. She looked away as she pulled a piece of seaweed out of her hair, still thinking.
She then looked up at me. A spark I hadn't seen in a while twinkled in her eyes and she grabbed my hand.
I smiled as I pulled her up, "That's the spirit!"
Jack's POV:
"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow!"
When I came down from above with that somber silence, Anamaria immediately asked of Lia and Will. She didn't take the news that well. I sat with my head in my hands, trying to block off her yelling as she argued off the situation at hand.
"I'm not daft, ye know! Ye know perfectly well what yer capable of and so do all of us!"
She waved her arm, addressing the crew who all nodded their heads in agreement.
"We can escape! Or is yer daft mind too lazy to think of a plan!"
She began to pace around the little space in the cell, "I'd never thought I'd see the day that the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow can't think of a plan…."
I just couldn't take it anymore. I stood up suddenly, causing her to move back.
"And what precisely would be the point, Anamaria?" I said disdainfully.
She looked stunned by my sudden defense.
"What do you expect me to say?" I demanded, "No, I don't have a plan, all right? Is that what you wanted to hear? I just saw me daughter walk the damn plank to her death. She may be a smart girl and I know what she is capable of as a pirate but seeing her state after what those bastards did to her, I can't seem to stop thinking that she might as well be dead and knowing that can be a possibility is all I can think about right now."
Anamaria's expression softened at my words.
"So," I sat down again, "Does that answer yer question?"
Anamaria's lip quivered a bit as if trying to speak. She was speechless. I knew she was fretting too and that she had every right. Lia was like a sister to her.
She sighed heavily as she hung her head, "I'm sorry, Jack."
I nodded, "It's alright."
"No its not." She replied, " I know yer worried about her. So am I and I guess I wasn't thinkin'. I do hope she is okay too."
"And to live the rest of my life knowing she is dead would not benefit for me" I said firmly, "Death is a far better fate. I am willing to face it."
I raised my eyebrows as she put her hand on my leg. It was meant in a comforting way but it was still surprising.
"Ye know I'm with you on that."
"Aye, so am I." Gibbs spoke up.
Various shouts of agreement ran through the crew. I smiled with pride.
I knew my crew were smart, dedicated and obedient but I never thought their obedience would go this far. It was quite mesmerizing.
Rough footsteps were heard behind me and Anamaria and I jerked our heads in the direction of the brig's doorway.
"Lets go!"
It was Mateo and three other pirates. Mateo held a pair of keys in his hand and a bunch of ropes.
One by one, we were removed from our cells and taken up to the main deck.
I sat on one of the benches with my hands tied in front of me. The island was getting closer and closer.
I shifted to the side suddenly as the ship slowed to a stop.
Mateo looked to Mr. Richards who was looking at him, awaiting his orders.
"Proceda a la isla. Cogeremos para arriba en los barcos." He ordered. Mr. Richards nodded and continued sailing toward the island which was about forty or so feet away (Proceed to the island. We will catch up on the boats.)
Cries in Spanish went out from the crew as they began to lower the boats into the water.
Mateo walked around and selected who would ride in which boat.
Anamaria, Mr. Gibbs and myself were to ride in the last departing boat with Mateo.
The boat was small but we all seemed to fit in perfectly.
Mateo's quartermaster sat in the middle rowing away from the ship.
I sat in the back with Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs while Mateo took his place in the front of the boat. As we rowed, I noticed a sack was on the floor by Mateo's feet.
I saw a few shovels poking out of the sack and I frowned.
Was he going to make us dig our own graves?
We continued to row to the island in silence.
The island looked almost exact to the one I was stranded on three years ago with Elizabeth. The leaves of the palm trees blew slightly in the wind and the water washed over the white sand and back.
It was beautiful. I would have had more time to enjoy it if it was under different circumstances.
As the boat scraped against the sand, Mateo's smile grew bigger. My fists clenched at this, knowing he was feeling his victory.
I then felt a hand on top of mine. It was Anamaria's. She gave it a squeeze as she looked at me and managed a small smile. I was then filled with a calming serenity as I smiled back.
I must not do anything stupid.
Mateo grabbed the sack and jumped out of the boat. We all stood up and followed.
I looked around and saw The Black Pearl. It was about twenty feet away from the shore. Mr. Richards used a dinghy to get to shore. He walked over to Mateo.
Richards took the sack from Mateo and tossed it to a few crewmembers.
They pulled out the shovels and walked toward the shore. They stopped as Mateo barked orders in Spanish and they began to dig a hole near the water. They propped a boat in front so the water wouldn't ruin it.
They dug for a while until the hole was pretty deep, deep enough to fit a few people inside.
My heart began to pound as they climbed out of the hole. I knew exactly what they were doing.
Mateo shouted an order in Spanish and the two pirates grabbed Mr. Gibbs and Anamaria. They struggled and shouted as the pirates threw them in the hole.
Their hands were tied so they couldn't climb out. They began to refill the hole.
They both looked up at Mateo who was beaming.
"What a way to die for you two." He said with a laugh.
They filled up the hole up to their necks leaving only their heads sticking out of the sand.
Anamaria gasped in horror as Mateo and Richards removed the boat and water began to flow around her. I looked to the sun. It was setting slowly into the horizon. The sky had turned many shades of pink and orange.
It wouldn't be long before the tide would come in that would eventually take their lives entirely.
Mateo pushed me away and his crew pushed my crew toward the trees.
We walked through a bunch of palm trees and ended up in a clearing. There was a lagoon in the middle with a waterfall. Rocks were scattered around the land and palm trees blew in the ocean breeze.
Mateo led me to a rock that stood in the middle of the clearing, right in front of the water. His crew led mine to a small area by the trees and pushed them down on the ground.
The pirates held them at gunpoint as they sat there.
I sighed exasperatingly, "Do ye mind if we skip the all these frivolities. And get to the goddamn point? Cuz really, it gets old!"
Mateo glared at me, "Well since ye asked, I'm planning to kill off all yer crew before killing you. I brought you here cuz I want to make sure that none of ye are found. Thus ending the grand swashbuckling adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow."
He ran his sword across my cheek, breaking the skin. I didn't move or make a sound. I didn't want to grant him that satisfaction.
I glared at him, "And thus liberating me from my boredom."
Lia's POV:
Will and I walked for what felt like forever. His hand was in mine, our fingers entwined.
We couldn't afford to have one or the other fall behind. We walked in a fast pace. We knew Mateo was here with everyone but we didn't know exactly where on the island.
Will suddenly stopped and held his arm in front of me, making me stop too.
"What's wrong, Will?"
"Look." He pointed ahead.
Out in the distance was The Mystic. And about twenty feet ahead was The Black Pearl, hidden in the shadows of the still night air, it's black sails almost invisible with the night sky.
"The Pearl." I gasped.
"Do you think anyone is guarding it?" I asked Will.
"No, there is the rowboat for it. He pointed to a boat that was beached by itself on the sand. A few more boats sat a few feet away from it. All boats were abandoned.
"We could take the boat to The Pearl." I suggested, "If we are going to take out Mateo and his crew, we are going to need a lot of weapons."
I took a few steps forward toward the rowboat; I stopped as I heard sputtering and coughing. It was coming from behind the rowboat.
I slowly made my way around the boat to see the noise. The waves rushed up to my knees as I walked. I gasped in horror and screamed at what I saw.
Two heads were under the water! Drowning helplessly or already dead.
Will ran to my side to see if I was okay. He looked at what caused me such a scare and gasped in utter shock.
As the tide went down I heard gasping. I looked and saw Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs. Both were buried under the sand up to their necks, left to drown in the rising tide.
"Lia, help me!" Will cried urgently. He didn't have to tell me twice.
Together we lifted the boat and moved it in front of the waves, blocking the water from washing over Mr. Gibbs and Anamaria. Water continued to flow but less, they strained their necks toward the sky to breathe.
I rushed over to them and began to frantically paw at the sand.
"There is a shovel in the boat over there." Anamaria said in between gasps. She pointed with her eyes, looking at another boat that was a few feet away.
"Hurry, Lia!" called Mr. Gibbs as I ran to the boat.
I grabbed the rim of the boat as I approached and jumped inside. On the floor was the shovel, I grabbed it and jumped out.
As I ran back, Will had his arms plunged in the sand. Anamaria began to rise as Will pulled her out of the sand. He reached behind her and untied her ropes.
She and Will began to dig with their hands to help Mr. Gibbs. I used the shovel.
Anamaria grabbed Mr. Gibbs by his shirt when the sand was around his waist. She pulled him up. I dropped my shovel to help her.
We pulled him out of the hole and on the sand. Anamaria quickly untied him and we all stood up.
"Welcome back, squirt!" Anamaria suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. I wrapped my arms around her, returning the embrace.
Will smiled as he witnessed our reuniting. I felt Mr. Gibbs pat me on the head.
"Good to know yer both okay." He said looking to Will.
I pulled out of Anamaria's arms.
"Where is Jack?" I asked urgently.
Mr. Gibbs pointed to the trees behind me, "They took him and everyone else in there."
I whirled around and looked to The Black Pearl then back to the trees. I had to go in there!
"Okay listen, we need to get in there and ambush them but we need weapons. The crew was disarmed but there is plenty on The Pearl for all of us."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Will said expectantly, "Lets get to the Pearl."
I bowed my head sharply in agreement, "Aye!"
"Aye!" echoed Mr. Gibbs and Anamaria.
And with that, we pushed the boat into the water. Anamaria and Mr. Gibbs grabbed an oar and began rowing us to The Black Pearl. Will and I sat together in the front.
As we approached the ship, Will held me by my hips as I stood up to reach for the ladder so I wouldn't fall.
I sucked in a breath as a sharp tingle went up my spine. There was no need for his help but I allowed for it. I fought the smile that played on my lips.
'Wait! What am I doing?'
I mentally kicked myself as reality came back. My father was on the brink of death and all I was doing was savoring a moment between Will and I.
Damn feelings.
I quickly climbed up the ladder. I swung my legs over the railing and hopped on the deck.
Anamaria grabbed the railing after I got off the ladder. I grabbed her arm and helped her up. Will came next then Mr. Gibbs.
I wandered off; my eyes scanned the details of The Pearl's deck that I missed so much. I suddenly felt overwhelmed and deprived as I looked at the black sails blowing smoothly in the wind.
I couldn't figure out why at that moment…
"Lia."
I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around to face Anamaria's concerned eyes.
"Ye alright, squirt?"
I blinked a few times to shake off the feeling. I immediately took charge.
"Lets go into the cabin." I said before turning to Will and Gibbs, "You both check the crew's quarters."
Will nodded his head and opened the grating that led below deck. Mr. Gibbs went down first and Will closed the grating as he descended below.
"C'mon." I tugged on Anamaria's sleeve as I walked toward the cabin. I pushed open the door and walked inside.
It was almost exactly as it looked since the last time I saw it. It may have been only a week and a half but if felt like an eternity.
I rushed over to the cabinet against the wall. Inside was a rack that outlined the whole inside of the cabinet. It was filled with swords and above was a shelf with a few rum bottles that Jack and I hid and some daggers.
The bottles fell out and cracked on the floor as I reached in swiftly and pulled out the daggers. I handed them off to Anamaria and I reached back in for the swords.
"Okay squirt, lets go." Anamaria said.
She turned and started for the door, I followed. My head absently drifted around the room as I went. I stopped suddenly in my tracks as my eyes fixed on my bed.
I drifted over to the bed, ignoring Anamaria's incredulously hisses against my actions as she lingered at the door.
I was under a spell, completely entranced by the familiar piece of steel weaponry that laid on my pillow.
I stood over my bed; I reached out and softly ran my fingers down the sheathed blade.
"How can this be…?" I whispered to myself. Mr. Richards took my sword from me when I was first captured. There was no way Jack could have had it.
I picked up my sword and withdrew it from its scabbard. It glistened under the moonlight that seeped in through the windows.
"Jack found it in Tortuga on a schooner." Anamaria had left her spot at the door and was now standing behind me, following my gaze at my sword.
A force of some kind coursed through my veins at the mention of my father.
I sheathed my sword and uncoiled the belt. I flinched a bit as I pulled it tight around my waist.
"He also found this." Anamaria pulled out a bandana from her pocket.
My bandana…
I took it from her and wrapped it around my wrist like I had done a million times before.
"Can I see one of those daggers?" I asked.
She handed me one as we headed toward the door. Will and Mr. Gibbs were waiting.
Will was wearing a baldric with a sword in the scabbard and a pistol tucked into the front of his pants. Mr. Gibbs was the same except a dagger instead of a pistol.
The bandana Will usually had tied around his neck was gone and was used to tie up his hair. He smiled as he his eyes scanned me up and down.
"You truly are Jack Sparrow's daughter."
I smiled, "Lets go get my father back."
"Aye!" Everyone climbed back down to the rowboat and we rowed back to the shore.
As we rowed back, I reflected back on what Will had said to me.
I was Jack's daughter.
The daughter of a pirate.
A/N: Ugh! I'm so sorry this chapter took forever but I was trapped in a cave, roasting marshmallows, lol! . :winks at TweetyisCool29:
But now it's all good. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.