AN (6/28): Okay, okay, I know that it took me forever to finally finish this chapter. I had the torments of writer's block...and no slinky to counter-act it...any who, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though I don't like it...but then again, I don't like anything I write, really. And sorry about the whole only one space between sentences, seeing as Dreamweaver strips them out. So annoying...I have to go through and fix that eventually.
Chapter 2: Frigid"Jack, I 'ave a favor t' ask ye, mate," Bootstrap Bill Turner asked as he calmly walked up to Jack's figure at the helm of the Black Pearl. They couldn't be leaving England on a finer day, for the clouds were vague white shapes often times resembling horses or people; at least to those with some sort of imagination.
Jack, who'd been staring off at a fairly curvy clump of clouds with a grin on his face as if he could see something there no one else could, jumped at being addressed."Ah, there ye be, William. Almos' thought tha' Lauren 'ad convinced ye t' stay." His face developed his trademark grin as he serenely surveyed the taller man. "Wha' is it?" he asked after a moment of gazing through his dark brown eyes into Bootstrap's almost chocolate colored ones.
Bootstrap coughed, a look on his face suggesting that he was a bit flustered with his request-that, or he was a bit flustered with addressing Jack as his captain. "Well, Cap'n Sparrow, I 'appen t' know a young lad tha' insists on comin' wiv us." He pointed down to the docks at a young chap with wavy brown hair.
Jack wanted to gasp as his eyes followed Bootstrap's pointing and he saw the man, but resisted the temptation. "Does 'e know wha' sort of men we really be, mate?" he asked quickly, trying to get a better look at the man. Something about him was very familiar, indeed, and Jack wondered how he'd been able to see the man before if he'd only been in England once.
"Aye, 'e knows wha' we be," Bootstrap said with a sigh. "I le' it slip las' night af'er 'e took me t' the tavern as a goodbye."
Jack frowned, turning his stare from the brown haired man to Bootstrap and giving him a slight look of disappointment. "Ye let it slip? Did anyone else 'ear?"
Bootstrap quickly shook his head. "No, Jack, no one else heard-Matthew jus' wanted t' say goodbye. 'E really isn' tha' bad. Not as "respectable" as Lauren. Please consider takin' 'im on, mate. I know 'e'll work hard."
Jack sighed, inwardly wondering what Lauren had to do with anything. "Alright. Bring Matthew up 'ere, an' I'll give 'im a bi' of an interview. Don' wan' 'im t' think I'll jus' trust your word, William. Might think I'm rather daft."
Bootstrap nodded and scurried off the Pearl towards the docks much like a mouse would flee from a hungry, yet playful, cat. He was lost amidst the bustling crowds for a moment, but Jack saw him returning with a man with wavy brown hair and a look mixed between absolute fear and excitement. Jack chuckled, watching Bootstrap help the lad onto the deck of the Black Pearl. Based on the way the lad was moving, it was very apparent he'd never been on a ship before. It was quite comical to watch him over-compensate for the relatively small swells in the protected harbor of South Hampton, England.
Before Jack really had a chance to think of some rather hard questions to ask Bootstrap's little friend, Jack found himself looking at the man with light brown eyes and wavy hair warily. "So...William 'ere says tha' you wish t' join me crew, eh? Any particular reason?"
The man shook his head, the sunlight glinting off his amber-toned hair much like light goes through honey. "I'm just sick of England, sir," he said with his eyes facing the deck of the Black Pearl, slightly wary at what the man before him would say.
Jack appeared to be deep in thought as he slowly started circling the man. "D' you 'ave a name, mate? Or do I 'ave t' refer t' ye as William's friend?" Something about the man seemed very familiar, but Jack could not place where he'd seen him before.
The man nodded, idly brushing a lock of his hair back behind his ear. "Matthew Porter," he said slowly, apprehensively watching Jack's reaction.
Jack's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't let any more of his surprise show. No wonder Bootstrap had mentioned Lauren while talking of Matthew-Matthew was Lauren's brother. "Ah...good fine name, I suppose. D' you know anythin' about sailing?"
Matthew, who hadn't expected to be assaulted by so many questions this fast, shook his head somberly. "No, sir, I 'ahvn' been on a boat before." Noticing the slightly wounded look in Jack's dark brown eyes, he quickly added, "Ship...I've never been on a ship before. Especially not one this nice."
Jack nodded his agreement, glancing about his beloved Black Pearl with a satisfied grin on his face. "There's none finer in the Caribbean, mate." He looked towards Matthew, carefully sizing him up. He was a bit scrawny to be a pirate, but then again, Jack was sure he'd looked rather scrawny to Bootstrap. Life on a ship tended to help even the most delicately built men fill out with bulky muscle. Though, Jack himself had a lithe body still. "So, mate, wha' made ye decide tha' there's a place on the Pearl for ye?"
Matthew nodded, somewhat half-heartedly as he calmly surveyed Jack surveying him. He seemed to be thinking for a moment, like any good interviewee does during a job interview. After a few moments, he calmly said, "Because if ye don' let me join yer crew, I'll tell me sister, Lauren, tha' you're the man who "married" her t' William."
Jack could not keep his mouth from dropping slightly. He certainly hadn't expected Matthew to blackmail him. Keeping his face relatively unreadable, Jack appeared to be in thought. "Well, mate, I wouldn' really mind tha'. However, I 'ave the feelin' tha' William would beat me up if she found out." He glanced over at his long-time friend, who was nodding so vigorously his light brown hair was bouncing into his light brown eyes. It was very comical looking, and Jack was having a rather hard time keeping his face straight. After a moment's pause, he concluded with, "So, I really 'ave no chance bu' to let you come aboard the Pearl, mate." He grinned wanly, extending his left hand to the young man.
Matthew looked relieved enough that it almost seemed he could melt away into the deck of the Black Pearl. He stood there for a moment, glancing at Jack as though to make sure he wasn't pulling his leg. After several rather awkward moments, Matthew broke into a large grin. "Aye aye, Cap'n Sparrow!" he said as he reached forward and shook Jack's hand. "You won't regret this decision, sir."
"I hope not," Jack said after prying his hand away from Matthew's own sweaty palm. "William!" he said loudly, looking towards his sometimes clumsy friend. As Bootstrap obediently made his way over, he said, "I want ye t' show Mister Porter 'ere 'ow things are run on a ship like the Pearl. An' you'll be in charge of 'im...if I find 'im slackin' off on his duties, he'll get thirty-nine an' a half stripes across the back, savvy?"
Bootstrap nodded, putting his hand on Matthew's shoulder. "Aye, Cap'n Jack, I'll make sure tha' the whelp takes 'is share of the work. Ye won't regret yer decision."
"I'd better not," Jack said somewhat sarcastically as Bootstrap began leading Matthew away. He wasn't too sure if he'd made the right decision anymore. At least there was always the opportunity to merely leave the man behind on some sort of beach somewhere...
"Tha's cold," Bootstrap managed to spit out of his dripping wet mouth while he tried to calmly hold onto the railing of the Black Pearl. Though there had been fine weather leaving England, the Atlantic Ocean was never one to let ships sailing on it go without some sort of fight. The Black Pearl was currently trying to capsize itself, not liking the intense pounding of the waves that crept up on deck of the highly-manuverable ship. The crew didn't like that much either, all of them walking about on deck like Jack normally did, struggling to keep from being washed off the deck like insects. As the wave that had hit Bootstrap slowly ebbed its way to the edge of the Black Pearl, a fine white substance started to sprinkle into his disheveled hair once more, giving him the impression of getting gray hair instantly.
Jack merely nodded, tightening his grasp on the Black Pearl's helm. His knuckles turned an even whiter shade than they'd been before, even though they'd already looked about the color of a shark's sharp serrated teeth. Now they resembled the intense white of the bones of a whale that had been bleached by the sun for nigh unto a year. "Of course tis cold, mate," he said with a grin to mask his own discomfort. Watching his breath slowly disappear in the frigid air, Jack's grin slowly faded. He hadn't ever felt this cold before, having grown up in the Caribbean and spending most of his days sailing on the warm waters surrounding the numerous islands.
A few moments of silence passed between the two as Bootstrap watched the crew scurry about on the very slippery deck below. The snow seemed incredibly odd aboard the Black Pearl, and the ship itself didn't like it. The wood underneath their feet was groaning much more than it usually did, as though the Pearl was protesting the treatment it was getting the only way it could. Another wave washed over the deck, high enough to reach the bridge again. This one was even higher than the last, however, and both Bootstrap and Jack thought that the men down below on the main deck were sure to have been swept off. Once the cold waters abated again, both men were surprised to see that no one had been swept off, though the men were now running towards the cabins to get some sort of cover. And who could blame them?
Jack glanced at Bootstrap, very much aware of the fact that they were the only ones above-deck now. His hands seemed frozen to the Pearl, though that really was impossible. "Why din' you tell me snow was so cold, William?" Jack asked with a weak chuckle, trying to keep his teeth from chattering.
"I figured tha' we wouldn' hit any, Jack," Bootstrap said in response, grasping the railing even tighter as the Pearl nearly turned over. "It is only November, af'er all. Usually don' get snow like this tha' early." His hair seemed completely white, as did his shoulders. The snow was quickly turning to thick slush as it hit the sea water still aboard the deck.
"Oh, I see," Jack said a bit sardonically, wishing he were still in the Caribbean. He really hadn't planned to go get Bootstrap so soon after receiving the Pearl. The last time Jack had said goodbye to Bootstrap, he'd seemed very reluctant to return, despite his assurances he would. Jack frowned as the wind changed direction, blowing his hair into his face and making some of his trinkets whip into his very cold cheek. Not that he could feel the impact, seeing as his cheek was numb, but he was fairly sure it would leave a bruise and possibly even a cut.
Bootstrap started chuckling as he glanced at Jack's very cold face. "Ye 'ave ice on yer beard, boy." He looked as if he might move his hand to point at Jack, but his hands seemed frozen in place around the railing. The Pearl rocked violently to the starboard side, a wave coming up from the ocean and sweeping all the slushy snow off the deck.
Jack frowned, wondering if that were true or not. He hadn't felt his chin in nearly an hour. But, Bootstrap was right. His curiously braided beard (which Jack wore in two braids) happened to have translucent ice coming off the bottom. "Aye, well, ye 'ave ice on yer nose," Jack retorted. Which was true-the melting snow on his nose had frozen at the tip, giving Bootstrap the appearance of his nose melting. A sudden tap on the shoulder made Jack nearly jump and rip his arms off the helm as he turned and faced whomever had frightened him so much.
"Cap'n Jack," a voice said with a cold ring to it, chilling the air several degrees. "The storm is gettin' worse. I sugges' ye go inside before ye freeze t' death." Hector Barbossa, his cool grayish-blue eyes full of what appeared to be worry, was standing regally in the storm, ignoring the snow as it fell into his nearly blonde hair. Barbossa had a curious hair color-in some lights, it appeared blonde, in others, brown, but the first few hints of gray were sneaking their way into whatever color his hair was.
Jack nodded, knowing that Barbossa was right. It wasn't like standing at the helm was really doing anything. The sails were down, and currently inside the hold in an attempt to keep them from freezing. Frozen sails did no one any good, as the ice crystals damaged the fibers and made the sails much weaker. And a ship couldn't really get anywhere without its sails. "I know," he said simply. Jack still didn't know what to call his first mate. Hector seemed too informal, and Barbossa seemed too formal, so Jack merely avoided saying his name at all.
"The Pearl isn' goin' to go anywhere, Cap'n," Barbossa added sagely. "So, why don' ye come down t' the galley? Robert an' Daniel 'ave started a game o' cards, an' at least it's warm in there." Barbossa's face seemed like he was disgusted with the whole idea of playing cards, but there was still concern in his voice.
"I know," Jack said again, feeling as though that's pretty much all he ever said to Barbossa's advice. Of course Barbossa was correct-there really was no point in staying at the helm of the Black Pearl at all. He wouldn't be able to actually do anything to move the Pearl back on course until the snow stopped falling. Plus, he couldn't even move the rudder. Jack had a sneaking suspicion that the rudder was pretty much frozen in place. His desire to stay on the deck really made no sense at all, and he knew he was just endangering Bootstrap's life by his odd refusal to go inside. After a moment, he said, "Well, then, I suppose I will go inside. An' we'll open one o' the barrels of rum, t' 'elp keep the crew warm."
"Good decision," Barbossa said with a slight bow, turning and walking to the galley after a moment of looking at Bootstrap through oddly shadowed blue eyes. His footsteps disappeared in a moment as the snow started falling at a more rapid pace.
As Bootstrap began prying his hands off the railing, he looked at Jack curiously. "Since when 'as Barbossa been actin' tha' civil?" He started rubbing his hands vigorously together after breaking the thin coating of ice that had been holding them to the railing. The waves seemed to have abated somewhat-none were high enough to make it to the bridge anymore. The wind had also died down.
"Since 'e learned tha' I was t' be captain," Jack replied nonchalantly, taking his hands off the very wet and cold wood of the helm. Jack wasn't entirely sure if he trusted Barbossa, but he had promised Calico Jack he'd make the man his first mate. And Barbossa certainly hadn't been doing anything suspicious, only being a voice of reason when it came to matters of life aboard a pirate ship.
"I see," Bootstrap said as he tried to keep his teeth from chattering together like frightened mice. "Well, I suppose tha' makes a bi' of sense. Got t' stay on yer good side, since ye finally beat 'im to wha' 'e wanted."
"Aye, I suppose," Jack said as he began walking towards the galley, gently matching the swaying of the Pearl beneath his feet. Even during storms where the Black Pearl was being tossed about like some child's toy in a muddy river, Jack had a very peculiar walk. It was one of the things that made him so recognizable in a crowd, that walk. The hand motions he made didn't help either. Jack wasn't one for just blending into a mass of people. He enjoyed being noticed, and had enough wits about him to not get caught, either, when soldiers realized who he was. The two fell into silence, though Bootstrap started shivering and his teeth made a peculiar noise as they ran into each other, and soon reached the galley, with its relative warmth and bawdy pirates who had started drinking the rum Jack had ordered open.
meggumscat-I was wondering why I hadn't gotten a review...made me sad, it did. Glad you noticed before I finally got around to updating...have a few cookies.
Kirby-Thanks for leaving your sentiments! Glad you liked it, though I thought twas rather boring...well, at least the last chapter. The beginning was very creepy...and you'd better have your story ready soon! I'm waiting...
DragonHunter200- I'm terribly sorry for the incredibly long delay. Summer seems to have melted my brain or something...makes it hard to type when I'm not in the mood to. Plus I don't have English class anymore to force me to write...
starwarsfreakford13-I'm glad you trust me. I don't rightly trust myself...seeing as tying in the prologue will take a long, long while...but thanks for the review, and I apologize for taking so long to update.
Alteng- Aye, well, I didn't think that anyone else knew that legend about peacock feathers...and perhaps you are right. Though, the way I heard it, the feathers would just give you a cursed life. My whole time line is a bit wonky at the moment...I think I said something wrong in the last chapter, so the five year thing might be off...thanks for your support, mate. Really helps me, it does, to have such a good writer take the time to look at my work.
Daisy- Yay! A hat like the tinman's! I've always wanted one of those! You can have some flip flops in exchange. Nice yellow ones, with a pretty flower print.
sunkist3208-I wonder why as well...I wouldn't like Will based off what he did in the last chapter. I think. I don't really know, seeing as it has been so long since I last looked at the chapter...