Before The Dawn

Chapter III: Of Captivity and Plans

By FalconWing

Jack sat, elbows on his knees, in the corner of the gloomy brig, humming softly to himself and trying desperately to think of a plan of escape. He was Captain Jack Sparrow and he could and would devise a plan for any situation. His brain just wasn't functioning at this point in time. The incessant sound of clicking knuckles coming from outside, where a guard was stationed wasn't helping matters either.

He glanced at Will who was seated on the floor opposite him, knees drawn up to his chest and head bowed. He was probably worried about Elizabeth who they hadn't seen hide nor hair of since setting foot on this ship. He felt an unusual pang of sympathy for the lad – it was his wedding night and not only was he spending it sitting in ankle-high dirty water, but his new wife was in the hands of a crew who most likely had no qualms about committing murder or rape. The boy was, in all probability, beating himself up over it at this very moment.

The ship rocked from side to side in a circular motion, almost in time with his humming, as it crested the waves. The beams creaked and groaned as the sway increased.

Jack shook his head in frustration. These people had obviously not spent long at sea, as they had absolutely no idea of how to handle a ship such as this. The way they were sailing he would expect there to be some sort of a tempest and yet when he looked between the gaps in the planks, all he could see was the sparkling stars in the night sky and a calm, dark ocean. One, lone bean of moonlight lit up the cell. At this rate, the ship would go down from plain bad sailing before he got anywhere near to preparing an escape.

And of course he would have to take Will and Elizabeth with him and they in turn would expect him to rescue all the guests as well. He sighed in exasperation.  He didn't know exactly how many of the wedding guests had been taken too, but he knew it was about fifteen or so.

The small group he had been talking to had been left behind, which was a shame really, as he had been halfway through spinning an exceptionally dazzling yarn about being attacked by the Black Pearl. He had supposedly been captaining the merchantman when they had been pursued and defeated by the Pearl. As he told it, the crew of the Pearl was the most fearsome crew one could ever hope to meet and their captain – one Jack Sparrow – a most formidable, yet striking, foe.

But it was then that everything had gone wrong.

He had started to turn, hearing someone call his name and that was when the men had arrived, wielding swords and guns, threatening the lives of the visitors, their families and of course that of the bride, Elizabeth.

Most of the guests had been locked in one of the rooms and those who looked the more prosperous of them were herded stealthily back to the boat at gunpoint and thrown in the brig. One of the visitors had been shot and the body dumped for attempting to call out and that had been enough to stop anyone else from attempting the same. Elizabeth had been taken off with the captain and god knows what they were doing with her.

Jack and Will were stuck in the same cell but the rest of the captives had been placed farther down the row.

Jack looked down at himself. If he had looked one of the wealthier inhabitants of the modest Port Royal before, he certainly didn't now. His clothes were scrunched and ruffled and his trousers and coat tails were wet from sitting in the water-logged cell, but then he supposed everyone else was in much the same state.

The ship rocked alarmingly again and he glanced up to see Will staring at him with a mixture of anxiety and desperation in his eyes. It had been Will's voice that had called out upon recognizing him, but he was the only person who knew John Smith's true identity.

Jack quirked an eyebrow in inquiry, but Will only shook his head slightly in dismissal and looked down again so Jack went back to his thoughts.

Only he didn't have any thoughts to go back to. His mind was a blank canvas and he didn't know what to write. No intricately detailed design for a getaway sprung to mind and he had been sitting here for what must have been a few hours by now. No magic inscription appeared on the canvas telling him what to do.

He raised his head to the ceiling for inspiration. He needed a plan. Even a temporary one.

His crew would find out what happened and come for him, but until then he needed to be in a position to make sure that the ship stayed afloat long enough and he couldn't do that from the brig.

And that's when the brain-wave struck.

 –          –       –       –          –

Will sat surrounded by a cloud of despair and desolation. He couldn't think, could barely breathe.

All he could do was replay in his mind that horrible moment when he had looked up to see Elizabeth with a gun aimed at her head. It was their wedding night. He shouldn't be stuck down here and she certainly shouldn't be in the hands of those drunken murderers and thieves. Even the thought of them touching her threatened to send him spinning into a whirlpool of anguish and dejection.

Click, click, click. The guard outside kept clicking his knuckles and it annoyed Will no end.

Jack's infernal humming wasn't helping either but Will refrained from commenting – or snapping as was much more likely to be the case. After all, Jack was well known for his miraculous escapes and if he could get them out of this fix, well, a little humming never killed anybody.

The man in question certainly seemed to be in a state of deep concentration. His eyebrows were knitted together in an absorbed frown and every now and then he would shake his head slightly as though discarding an idea. At least Will certainly hoped that was what he was doing, for if he wasn't then they were pretty much doomed. What would happen to them then? What would happen to Elizabeth?

They had only just married and he wouldn't have her pulled from him when he had only just gotten her. Jack looked down at himself, one hand absently fingering his soaked coat.

The ship rocked suddenly and Jack looked up, meeting Will's gaze with his own. One eyebrow rose questioningly but Will could only shake his head and look down again. What could he say? All his hopes, all his dreams – his life – depended on his friend's ability to get them out of here. If he couldn't then chances were they would die. Will sure as hell had no notion whatsoever of how to get out of this situation.

The humming stopped suddenly and out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack abruptly sit bolt upright. Will didn't bother to move. It was highly improbable that Jack would miraculously obtain an outstanding scheme just like that.

But apparently he had, for next there was a very meaningful cough aimed in his direction – ever the subtle one, was Jack Sparrow. Will looked up, and Jack leaned forward dramatically, mouthing something completely unfathomable at him. He cocked his head to indicate that he didn't understand and Jack repeated it, this time with hand movements first gesturing to Will and then to himself.

Will's eyes widened with understanding and he nodded. Jack didn't want people knowing that Will knew who he was. Jack grinned briefly before jumping agilely to his feet and striding over to the bars, Will watching curiously. What was he doing?

"Hey, you. Guard" Jack's deep voice rang out through the silence. There was a pause, then the sound of movement and the guard shuffled into view.

"Wha' d'ye want?"

Will had to stop from flinching. The man's voice was cold and demanding, harsh with impatience and annoyance. Jack, however, stood as calm and relaxed as ever, even smirking slightly, as he leaned casually against the bars. His weight shifted in synchrony with the movement of the ship with the sort of ease that only long practice could bring.

"I wish to be taken to your captain. I need to speak with him."

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Thanks for reading. Reviews are great, as any writer will know and anyone who reviews will be incessantly acclaimed. For those who didn't know, all that fancy language and ostentatious phrasing is just another way for me to beg on my knees without sounding pathetic.

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter: Savvyness, Oneiriad, dshael, Beregond's Girl, Lyn, A Sly Fan, MiRoRmInX, Eliza and JadeStar13 (and yes, I'm afraid he did cut it off – I like it to but I couldn't stand him having a long beard without braids shudder - but don't worry, he likes it too so I', sure he'll grow it back).

Oodles of love to you all…

FalconWing.