Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! They're really keeping me going! I haven't gotten many for this story, but just when I start to think no one likes it I get an amazing one! Thank you all. (Replies to reviews at end of chapter!)
Disclaimer: I don't own it. Disney does. No disrespect is intended. I am making no money from this and write it only for my own amusement.
A Pirate's Life and Death part 4 by Ecri
Elizabeth stared out at the open water as the ship sliced through the silent night. She could see little except what the moon and the light from the ship illuminated. Anamaria came up behind her then. "It's best not to brood, miss."
Elizabeth smiled at her. "Please call me Elizabeth."
Anamaria nodded, wondering if the woman remembered her name. "I'm Anamaria." She glanced to the right out to sea. "We'll be putting into port by midday tomorrow. We'll pick up some supplies and head back within an hour. Don't worry. We know how to work fast."
Elizabeth nodded, then asked the question foremost in her mind. "Piracy is an odd occupation for a woman, isn't it?"
"Odder than some, not as odd as others." Anamaria looked carefully at the other woman. "What's the story with you and Jack?"
"What story?" Elizabeth looked confused.
"The story. The history. Why did he immediately decide to buy you when he saw you in the auction block, and when that failed, why did he decide to steal you?" Anamaria knew Jack Sparrow didn't like to put himself out for anyone.
"I had assumed he'd managed to free Will, and Will made him come after me. When I saw that wasn't soI'm sorry, I really don't know why he did it." She looked carefully at the other woman. "I am grateful to him that he did.
"So this Will Turnerhe your husband?"
Elizabeth blushed.
"Ahh! I guess not!" Anamaria laughed. "Gibbs tells me he's being held by Killian on the Marauder."
Elizabeth nodded.
"No wonder Jack wants us to get there first."
"What?" Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat.
"Nothing at all, Anamaria was just leaving, weren't you?" Jack Sparrow stood behind Elizabeth urging Anamaria to go.
The woman nodded. "Aye."
Elizabeth whirled on Jack. "What did she mean? What aren't you telling me?"
"Oh, there's a lot that I'm not tellin' you. Not the least of which is the kind of man Commodore Killian is." Jack's eyes lingered on hers, and his voice grew lower, deeper, more resonant, and Elizabeth had to strain to hear it. "Will's only hope is for us to beat him there. A better hope would be if we" He waved his hands vaguely in the air before him in a random pattern. "bumped into him on the way, but the Marauder, and her sister ships are too much for just the Pearl by herself.
Jack Sparrow sighed. "If Will survives the trip to the island, which is likely, since Killian needs him alive there, we might be able to break him free when we get to Scratch."
"Might?" Elizabeth grabbed for Jack's arm as he tried to walk away.
Sparrow shook off her hand. "That's right! Look, this is no picnic, and this isn't any sort of a fun ride! Killian plays for keeps."
"You talk as if you know him."
All anger left Jack's face. He tilted his head to one side. "Yes, I do talk that way, don't I?
**
Will Turner felt an odd motion as the chains at his wrist seemed to pull suddenly upwards. He knew he'd swallowed more water than he should have and the salty, warm seawater was in his mouth, his nose, his ears. He spit and sputtered astounded to be rising from the water's depths. He was hauled up and up, even with the deck and no further. Hanging from the chains, dripping, and exhausted, he wanted to kick and swing, anything to bring himself onto the deck, but he was unable. The heavy chains and his aching muscles allowed him no movement.
Swinging in the predawn air, bare chest, and what pants he had left sliced to tatters by the speed of the ship and the tugging of sea creatures, Will began to shiver. He could hear shouting on the deck, but could not discern what it might be. In moments, unconsciousness claimed him.
**
Trilby glared at the First Mate. "I say bring him in! We've had him down there for too long! Bring him aboard!"
The Mate glared at the man. "We bring him aboard when the Commodore says and not before!" He leaned closer to the older man. "Unless you want to second guess the Commodore!"
Trilby froze in his tracks. "No" He glanced forlornly at the young man, trembling from muscle strain and chill, and Lord knew how many hidden injuries from all that time immersed in these waters. "NoI don't want to do that."
The First Mate nodded. "I didn't think so!" He chortled as Trilby moved below decks.
**
Captain Jack Sparrow rowed to shore with a few of his men. He'd made Anamaria stay on board the Pearl to keep Elizabeth there. He didn't need her along on this trip, and he was sure she'd end up getting them in trouble.
He'd taken only four men with him, and planned on getting just enough to get them to Scratch. If they made it out of there, he could resupply on the way back. He eyed the local pub. "Gibbs!"
Gibbs appeared at his side. "Aye, sir!"
"I'm scouting for information, savvy?"
Gibbs eyes the pub, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Aye, sir."
Sparrow turned to face the man. "No, I mean it."
Gibbs nodded, the smile still in place. "Aye!"
"I don't think you think I mean it."
Gibbs took a moment to work that one out. "Oh, I do!"
"Gibbs! Come with me to scout for information!" Jack set off towards the pub, his peculiar gait more pronounced than usual.
Inside the pub, Jack surveyed the crowd. The usual assortment of cutthroats and villains were scattered across the room. Jack sauntered towards the bar. After several minutes of inquiries about the Marauder, he realized he wasn't getting anywhere.
"Gibbs!" Gibbs again appeared by his side. "I'm not getting anywhere."
"You've only had two pints, Captain! Give it time!"
"No, no, no!" He sighed in exasperation. "I'm trying to get information about the Marauder!" He hit his head against the bar, mumbling.
"Pardon, sir, I didn't get that last bit." Gibbs leaned closer.
Jack sat up. Holding his head up with his right hand, his elbow propped against the table. "I knew you didn't think I meant it!"
"If you pardon my sayin' sir, what information are you looking for?"
Jack stared at Gibbs as though the man were crackers. "If I knew that, I'd have the information, wouldn't I?"
Gibbs took another minute to work that out. "Yes, I suppose you would."
Jack sat scowling into his drink when he heard a word. He leaned towards Gibbs. "That man said 'Marauder', didn't he?"
"I wasn't listenin' sir."
"What use are ya Gibbs? Go on back to the dock. Check that we have all our supplies. I'll be there in ten minutes and we'll shove off!"
"Aye, sir!" Gibbs ran off to do as he was told.
Jack listened from the bar, his face momentarily shifting from slightly drunk confusion to perfectly sober clarity and back again. Rising from his seat, he took up his glass and sauntered as only he could towards the man he'd heard say the word 'Marauder.'
He listened for a moment to the man's story, then came up next to him, mumbling. "You say you're with the Marauder, mate? I didn't see it in port."
"It departed a few hours ago. What business is it of yours?"
Jack smiled his slyest smile. "You don't seem happy with the Commodore by the sound of it."
The man tried to ignore Jack, but Jack knew all he needed. Whoever this man was, whatever position he'd held on the Marauder, he'd had himself put ashore, relinquishing any right to any treasure he hadn't yet spent.
"Does the name Will Turner mean anything to you?" Jack spoke clearly and loud enough to be heard above the din of the pub.
The man froze and spun to face Jack. His face was pale as snow. "What"
"Don't try an' hide it, mate. I can see it in your face. You're paler than the whitest beach in the Caribbean! What's Killian done to Will Turner?" Jack's eyes glinted dangerously, and he looked just crazy enough to scare the man.
"Who's Turner to you?"
"I owe 'im a life debt, mate. 'E saved my life in Port Royal some time ago, and I aim to repay it. Besides, I know Killian. Me and a fella named Bootstrap Bill met him a good ten years ago. I owe him, too, but he won't like my payin' it back."
The man stood still, somehow going paler.
"What's yer name?" Jack asked.
"Trilby."
"Trilby, you've gotta ask yourself, 'is it worth my life not to tell this gentleman what 'e wants to know?' The answer to that should be no, but I'll wait for you to catch up with my sheer brilliance."
In a moment Trilby nodded. "Okay. What do you want to know?"
"Is Turner still alive? Is he aboard the Maruader or one of her sister ships? How fast it the Marauder going? Is Killian planning to use the kid in that ritual thing, and how much time has the kid got before there's nothing left for me to rescue?"
Trilby sighed. "You'd better sit down, friend." Jack did. "I left the Marauder because I couldn't stand what Killian did to Turner. It wasn't right! Even if his days are numbered."
"Don't be so sure! I'm renumbering them! Go on then."
Trilby recounted the tale of what Killian had done to Will Turner, and before long, the entire clientele of the pub stood in rapt attention, horrified that one of their own could be quite that malicious.
Jack listened showing little of the rage he felt inside. Will Turner deserved this no more than Jack had deserved being marooned on a deserted island in the Caribbean by his crew. No more than Bootstrap Bill had deserved to die strapped to a cannon and half mad from the living beneath the sea for all those years.
Truth be told, Jack did feel he owed the kid something for his help in escaping the executioner's noose, and Killian deserved retribution, but he had not thought even Killian could have done this.
One muscle twitched in Jack's right cheek. His eyes, harder than steel and colder than the deepest depths of Davy Jones' Locker, Jack felt real outrage for the first time in yearsor rather for the first time in years he felt outrage at how someone not himself had been treated. Puzzled, he wondered where such thoughts had come from. Realization hit.
"Bloody hell!" He slammed a fist into the table causing everyone to jump. Most assumed he had bee angered by the story as they all had, and they were right, but it was more than that. "Stupid kid found the moral streak I thought I lost!" he smiled then in recollection. "Course, his old man had been trying to do that, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
"Trilby! Would you care to come aboard the Black Pearl and join us in freeing Will Turner and wreaking havoc on the Marauder and her Commodore?" Jack tried to speak clearly so Trilby would hear every word.
Trilby swallowed. "One ship against three?"
Jack nodded.
"No, then, I'm fine where I am."
Jack stood, swaying a bit, and making odd, seemingly random gestures. "You left your ship and turned your back on treasure only to forget the only chance you have at exacting any real revenge?"
Trilby nodded.
"All right then," Jack said. "Long as we're clear where you stand."
Jack left the pub, late, but pleased to know they were right. Once back to the launch, he turned to Gibbs. "All provisions aboard?"
"Aye."
"Shove off! Get to the Pearl and fast!"
Gibbs and the others rowed for all they were worth, and made it back to the Pearl in record time.
Facing an angry Elizabeth, Jack could only smile.
"You're late! You said an hour! It's been three!"
"I was gathering information about your love, my dear." He turned to Gibbs. "Full ahead, don't spare the sails!"
Hours later, Jack again climbed the rigging and sat in the crow's nest. Looking out to sea towards scratch, he knew he wouldn't beat Killian to the island, but he knew they were right behind him and gaining fast. He was never sure how he knew such things, but he was invariably right.
A slow smile spread across his face. "We'll catch up to Killian soon enough. Don't worry Bootstrap. I won't let 'im 'arm your son anymore than I let 'im 'arm you! ButI will do to him what I should have done years ago."
**
Killian watched as Will Turner hung limply from the masts. He hadn't allowed his men to take him down, even when they'd approached port for supplies. He had stayed aboard ship, allowing his First Mate to row ashore for what they needed and he had stared at the young man, hanging limp and almost lifeless.
Killian knew he still lived, but some of the men feared they'd gone too far. He'd quieted that nonsense at once, and now was sure Turner couldn't have any fight left in him. Returning to his quarters, Killian locked the door and settled at his desk. Opening it slowly, he pulled forth a small wooden box. Gingerly, he lifted the top and peered inside. A soft glow was emitted by something within.
"I will be there soon! The bargain will be honored for yet another year!"
The glow in the box brightened and pulsed, and Killian stared into it, basking in the false warmth and the feeling of victory. Death was meaninglessas long as it was someone else's.
**
Will Turner awoke still hanging from the masts. The pain in his arms, wrists, and shoulders from the harsh treatment and tight ropes and the two days of hanging was indescribable. Lack of food and water left him weak and unable to raise his head. His lips were cracked and parched from the sun and his body felt raw and dry. He imagined that if someone touched him he would crumble into dust. His eyes felt crusted closed, and on one leg, he felt the throbbing sting of a jellyfish.
He heard people below on the deck talking but couldn't make out what was said. A word here or there pierced the fog of his thoughts, but he could learn nothing from it.
He wanted to call out to Elizabeth, but his throat was too dry. He felt the impulse to cry, but his body would not allow the release of the precious fluid it could not spare.
How long, he wondered, would they keep him here? How long before cut loose his dead body and allowed it to plunge into the depths? He wondered then if his final resting place would be near his father's. If it were, he would spend eternity within arms reach of the man he'd longed to find, and the man he'd killed. These thoughts haunted him as consciousness again slipped from his grasp.
**
Killiam stared up at the boy hanging from his masts. He would need to walk under his own power once they reached the island. He called to the First Mate. "Get him down." He ordered, standing by the wheel to watch.
The First Mate followed the orders immediately, not willing to risk the Commodore's wrath in the face of what he'd done to Turner.
Killian watched as Turner was lowered from the winch upon which he'd been hung,, but, except for crying out in pain as muscles cramped from being three days in the same position, he remained senseless.
"Baxter!"
Baxter approached Killian. "Aye, Commodore!"
Killian glared at Turner, but the anticipation in his eyes was hard to miss. Baxter wasn't a bright man, but the way Killian stared at Will Turner made his blood run cold.
"Bring him around, but just barely. We reach Scratch in 12 hours. He's got to be able to walk by then. Walk, crawl, whatever! But don't bring him fully to his senses, or you might stand in for him!" Killian glared at the man until he shook in his boots.
**
Elizabeth Swann stared out at the sea willing this scrap of an island with the unlikely name of Scratch to appear somewhere before her. It was maddening! They'd traveled so far and for so long! She hadn't seen Will in months.
She turned away from the sea abruptly. Staring instead at Captain Jack Sparrow who stood in the crow's nest staring towards Scratch. She knew he was keeping something from her. She could sense it. Was it something about Will or something about Scratchor both? Determined to find out, she turned towards the crows nest, never taking her eye off it, and began to climb. Up, up, up she climbed until she popped over the side of the thing. "Jack Sparrow, you tell me everything right now!"
Jack barely flinched. His eyes still on the horizon, he allowed himself a small smile. "and really bad eggs"
Elizabeth pulled herself the rest of the way into the crow's nest and moved to stand in front of him blocking his view of the sea.
Jack reluctantly met her eyes. "I'd appreciate it if you'd remember that it's Captain Jack Sparrow. A small distinction, I know, but it's important to me."
"Captain Jack Sparrow, tell me everything! Now!"
"I'm flattered that you'd think I know everything, but I don't, so I can't tell you, can I?" He smiled then, flashing his teeth and tossing his head.
"You know what I mean!"
"And how would I know that without you tellin' me?"
"You're impossible!"
"AhhI wondered when you'd call me that!" He sighed. "Miss Swann, ElizabethI have told you all I intend. When we reach Scratch, you will stay aboard the Pearl. I'm taking Killian on myself."
"Oh, no! I waited aboard the Pearl when you took on supplies! I will not wait here when Will needs me."
Jack had turned his back on her, but twirled around now, both hands out, palms towards the sky, elbows at his sides. "Do you want to be used against him?"
"What?"
"Youused against him? Killian grabs you, gets Will to do whatever he wants by threatening you. Is that what you want?"
Elizabeth looked unsure then. "No, of course not."
"Of course not! Then you stay here!"
"What is it you aren't telling me?"
"A lot, my dear. A whole hell of a lot." He turned his eyes back to the horizon, ignoring Elizabeth until she was forced to climb back down to the deck.
To her surprise, Anamaria was waiting for her. "You got nothing from him, did you?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Nothing." She looked at the woman pirate beseechingly. "What do you know about it?"
Anamaria took a step backwards. "He never said a word about Will to me. If he found out anything at port, I don't know anything about it."
"Then about the Island? It's an odd name for an island."
"How so?" Anamaria wasn't sure what she meant.
"Scratch? I mean Isle de Muerta I understood. I've heard of Cutthroat Island, Devil's Island"
Anamaria laughed. "And you think Scratch is odd? Honey, it's not Scratch like a cut or scratch like you would an itch, it's Scratch as in Old Scratch. As in Beelzebub. The Island is called 'Devil'.
Elizabeth swallowed. "Oh."
"I can tell you it's a bad place to go. I can tell you strange things go on there, but I can't tell you what since I've never been there." She looked Elizabeth in the eye. "Though I know someone who has."
"Who?"
Anamaria looked up at the crow's nest. "The Captain."
Elizabeth's gaze followed the pirate's to find Jack still staring at the horizon and talking to himself.
To Be Continued
Padfoot4ever: Do you wait for these updates, because you're usually one of the first to review each new post! Thanks so much! It means so much to me!
Jackfan2: I'm glad you liked the dialogue! There's a lot yet left unsaid for Jackbut I'm trying to work it all in! There may be more of Anamaria, too!
Swashbuckler: I'm flattered! Really! I wish Disney would hurry up with the sequel myself, but I don't think they're going to be filming that for awhile. Johnny Depp is being considered for the remake of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and I think Orlando Bloom is still filming Troy! (Or have they finished that?)
Kandra: I intrigue you? I'm thrilled! Don't worry! I'll continue. I'm enjoying this too much!
Andi Horton: Yeah, I don't understand why there aren't more reviews, either! LOL! I hope you like this chapter!