CHAPTER TWELVE
Lost For Words.
For once in his life Jack felt he had made a mistake. What if going away with Faye was the wrong thing to do? What if she didn't even want to go away with him? After all, he had gone to hell and back to get his ship. Why should he throw it all away for some woman? Of course Faye wasn't just some woman; she was perfect. Suddenly the pirate realised he had only known Faye for about three days give or take a few and already he was doing something completely irrational. Besides, how did he even know if she thought of him the same way he did her. For all Jack knew she could just regard him as a good friend. Since when did the minds of women become so complex?
Giving up on his irritating thoughts, Jack crossed to the window looking down on the streets. Faye was not with him this morning; she thought it best that she go back to work to keep up appearances until she decided to leave. Jack thought this wise too, though he hated to admit it. As much as he tried, the pirate could not picture Faye working for someone else. He could not (and did not want to) imagine Faye getting abused by someone. She was too strong willed a person to let someone just push her around like that. But then again there may be a different side to Faye Jack did not know of. Perhaps deep down she was shy and retiring. Perhaps she did submit easily to those in positions of power.
Jack had no idea what he was going to do with himself today. It was a terrible feeling, Jack decided, to have nothing to do with oneself. Therein lied the one downside of not having the Pearl. On the Pearl, Jack always had something to do, always something to keep him occupied. But now he stood, looking down on the streets of Singapore watching everyone else doing something, whilst he stayed in his dingy hotel room thinking of possible sources of entertainment.
Feeling sorry for himself Jack decided to go back to sleep. It was about nine o'clock (in the morning) and almost everyone in the whole city was awake or just waking. And here he was going back to bed. Jack pulled off his linen shirt and lay back down on the mattress, closing his dark brown eyes.
As Jack lay on his bed in a peaceful slumber Faye was knelt painfully on the floor of the kitchen. In her hand she held a scrubbing brush and to her left a bucket of water. This morning Faye had been assigned by her master to clean the kitchen, tend the stables and make the beds.
The maid winced as she moved to reach the bucked of water. Her knees hurt terribly from kneeling on the unforgiving hardwood floor for over an hour. But, she had to keep going; if she were caught not doing anything she would surely pay the price. Immediately Faye let her weight flow out of her. It was a good feeling but did not last very long at all.
'What do you think you're doing?' a voice bellowed from behind her.
Faye turned around and met eyes with her master. He was a stocky man with a harsh face. He spoke with a British accent.
'Cleaning' Faye said quietly and immediately went back to work. But, before she could re-soak her brush she felt a sharp tug on her hair. She moaned in pain and stood up as the pressure on her scalp heightened.
'You are not cleaning' the man said as he pulled Faye up to his own eyelevel. 'You were resting. I do not remember asking you to rest do you?'
'No, Sir' Faye said, her face contorted in pain. Now she wished she had taken Jack up on his offer as soon as he had asked her.
'And do you know what we do with girls who rest?' the man asked, mercilessly pulling on his maids dark hair.
'Yes, Sir' Faye said breathlessly. There was no point attempting to wretch herself from the man's grasp; she would only be hurt more later.
'And do you want that to happen to you?' Another sharp pull met his poison-laced words.
'No, Sir' Faye said in resignation.
The man let Faye go and she fell in a heap on the hard floor. 'You see,' the man began circling the woman 'It does not really matter what your answer is because the consequences will always be the same.'
And so it had begun, yet another day of humiliation and pain. Faye decided to make this easier for him by standing up. She did not want to be pulled by the hair again. As she rose, her master grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her off toward the cellar.
Faye obliged and let her-self be dragged. They walked down a dark and damp set of stairs. They were below ground now, somewhere where people could not hear Faye's frantic screams for help.
As soon as the man closed the door he turned to face Faye. Without hesitation he struck the woman a painful blow across her face. She daren't say anything. She was screaming inside, but there was no point making noise. The quieter she was the quicker it would all be over. But then she thought…why should she take it? Why should she let him hurt her as he did?
Acting on impulse the woman kicked her assailant in his unmentionables. Whilst he was doubled over Faye fetched a dagger from her belt. She had never had the courage to use it on him before; she only kept it for the Singapore streets. Faye held the weapon steadily and watched the man rise from his stooped stance. He hadn't noticed Faye's weapon and proceeded to pull her towards his own body and rip off her clothes, but just as he undid the first loop in her corset, Faye, in one swift movement raised the dagger and plunged it deep into the mans heart.
His eyes went wide in shock. Faye pushed the weapon deeper…deeper…deeper until it was as far as it could go. She let go of her victim and watched him fall to the floor. Once his eyes had rolled back Faye knelt down beside the man and pulled the dagger from its place. Faye proceeded to wipe the blood from the knife onto her white skirt. She stayed, kneeling down by the mans stiff body for a few moments, but soon the smell of blood began to fill the room. Faye rose and spat in hatred on the cadaverous body.
Slowly making her way from the cellar, Faye inspected the house for any movement. She quickly stepped out and made a break for the door, running out of the house and down the stately drive. But, as she slowed, a sudden feeling of overwhelming regret engulfed her. What had she done? She would be the prime suspect for his murder, she would surely he hanged. As the regret threatened to take over, tears fell down Fayes face. Where was she supposed to go? Faye answered her own question. Jack.
Making her way to Hoshiko's Inn, Faye went unnoticed. No one cared what she had done, no one cared she had just murdered someone. Simply, no one cared at all. But, there was one person who would care and he was sleeping on his bed at the very moment.
Faye walked into the inn and was greeted by the smell of rum, body odour and various other questionable substances. Ignoring the foul scent the distraught woman ran up the creaking stairs. She found Jacks room and without knocking opened the door. Immediately Jack woke up from his deep sleep and looked at the entrance, a look of shock on his tanned face. Faye ran into the room and to the bed where Jack sat up, rather puzzled by Fayes dramatic entrance.
The pirate suddenly found Faye jumping into his arms. He however was not ready for her and had to steady himself before realising tears were springing from her eyes. Not tears of joy, tears of sadness, regret and remorse.
'What 'appened?' Jack asked as the woman began to sob into his neck. 'Shhh, what 'appened?'
'I-I-I…killed him' Faye said in a muffled voice, her face still buried into Jacks body.
'Killed who?' Jack asked, totally nonplussed. Perhaps Faye was drunk…wait, no she couldn't have been. She was working today. Jack lifted up the woman's face so that her blue eyes met with his chocolate brown ones.
'My master' Faye said, she was half smiling now but soon fresh tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Jack was slightly taken aback. He raised his hand and wiped Fayes tears away. 'So, you just…killed 'im?' Jack queried.
'Yes,' Faye admitted. By now she was half laughing.
Jack remembered back to last year when he had killed Barbossa. Back then he had laughed briefly too. Mixed emotions could be a terrible thing.
'Well, I must say, I am proud of ya' the Pirate said with a small smile. 'Did 'e 'urt you?'
Faye nodded silently and turned to show Jack the nasty bruise on the side of her face. Jack winced in sympathy as he inspected Faye's injury. He once again took the woman in his arms. She buried her face into his naked chest and sobbed once more.
'Don't worry,' Jack cooed 'Everything'll be fine'
Ragetti walked across the deck of the Lady Rose. Their hostage-Elizabeth Swann- had since awoken from her unconscious state and was now being heavily interrogated by Pintel and Jacoby.
Ragetti, bored out of his mind, decided to join them in their cross-examination of the Governors daughter. I may relieve his ennui a bit.
The Pirate walked down to the brig and was greeted by Pintel and Jacoby. Elizabeth sat helpless, her auburn hair in a wild mess. Pintel was leaning forward speaking succinctly to Elizabeth, making sure she wouldn't miss a word.
'I've asked you this once and I'll do it again. Where is Jack?' Pintel demanded gruffly. He began to bite his nails, waiting for an answer.
'And I have told you this once and I will tell you again. I do not know' Elizabeth retorted smartly, flicking some stray hair from her pale face.
With that the three men decided to give up on their interrogation. The woman was useless as far as they were concerned. Perhaps they should just give her back to Will and the rest of the Black Pearl. No. They were not going to give her up that easily. Definitely not, they would make Will fight for her.
As the pirates left Elizabeth found herself alone. She had thought that after last year she would never see the pirates again. How foolish she had been. Elizabeth had envisioned herself to be married by now but instead her vows were on hold. She would never have guessed in her wildest fantasies she would be gallivanting after Jack Sparrow once more.
Elizabeth rose from her sitting position and looked out the small window onto the blue sea around her. Suddenly a feeling of homesickness filled her. She wondered what was happening back at Port Royale. She seemed to have forgotten all about her home over the past few days, she never gave it a second thought, only thinking about the so far unsuccessful task of finding Jack Sparrow.
Thoughts of Will found their way into her mind. Had he even noticed she was gone? Were they looking for her? Elizabeth only hoped Will was all right. His leg seemed rather serious when she had seen it. She hoped it hadn't become infected which would in turn mean septicaemia, which, in turn, could lead to almost certain death. Stopping these morbid thoughts before they could go any further Elizabeth retreated to the far corner of the cell and hummed a tune she had learnt as a small child.
Will sat up in his hammock. The pain in his leg had since subsided thanks to some quick medical knowledge from Anamaria. The blacksmith was rather surprised at Anamaria's familiarity with herbal medicines. It turned out, the woman had a bountiful stash of dried medicinal herbs in her sleeping quarters. Will had thanked her incessantly and insisted she teach him some of her prowess. But, no matter what he did to take his mind off it, Will could not shake his lingering worry for his dear fiancé.
All he knew was that the Pirates had taken Elizabeth with them. Will was determined to get her back, he didn't know how, he just would. He would not let Elizabeth suffer at the hands of those filthy wastes of space for any longer. Tomorrow, he would converse with Joshamee and come up with a plan to get her back.
Jack and Faye lay on the bed swapping stories as they did almost every afternoon. Jack sat transfixed as she told him of what it was like travelling out to Singapore on a merchant ship. Of course, Jack was not really listening. He was catching every third word or so but was occupied with something else.
Faye had since calmed down and she was more relaxed than ever. She spoke now, her eyes wide as she used her hands in elaborate gestures to explain the story to Jack most effectively.
But he wasn't listening.
He was watching. Just watching. What was he watching? The answer was simple. Her. Faye's hair was shining as the sun from the window hit it. It was messy, true, but it was still beautiful…more than beautiful…gorgeous. It contrasted her flawless skin perfectly. Her azure eyes sparkled as she recounted the events she spoke of.
But, he still wasn't listening.
Suddenly Jack burst into speech, unable to hold it all in any longer.
'What's your answer?' Jack asked, still somewhat in a dreamy abstraction.
'Answer to what?' Faye asked, stopping her flighty hand-gestures to pay attention to what Jack spoke of.
'Me question; the one I asked yer yesterday' Jack prompted.
Faye nodded knowingly. She knew the question Jack spoke of and to tell the truth she had not had much time to think about an answer. Of course, when Jack had first asked her, her primary instinct was to say yes. And now that answer seemed more suitable than ever. If she was a suspect for murder, Jack could keep her safe from harm and she would finally be away from Singapore and the terrible memories it held once and for all.
'My answer to your question, Mr Sparrow?' Faye said. It was a rhetorical question, one not supposed to be answered, 'my answer to your question is… Yes.'
Jack gave a small smile and laughed lightly. He did not know what to say. He had been prepared for her to say Yes but did not know how he would reply. He had a whole speech scripted as to what he would say if she said No, but Yes was unchartered waters.
For a few fleeting moments Jack just stared at her until finally he realised he must look like an absolute idiot.
'What?' Faye asked, noticing him gazing at her.
Jack snapped out of his daydream and shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. He turned back to Faye. 'Oh. Nothin'. I jus' didn't 'ave anythin' ter say' Jack admitted.
'Well, that's a expression I never thought I'd hear come out of your mouth, Jack' Faye said with a small smirk.
This was true; Jack had always had something to say all his existence. Yet, faced with a simple phrase-Yes- he could not utter a single word. The pirate lay back down on his stomach and looked out the window on the opposite wall.
'What d'ye think'll happen?' Jack asked out-of-the-blue.
'What do you mean?' Faye asked, slightly confused.
Her confusion was soon put to an end as Jack began to speak. 'What d'ye think'll happen to you? Yer did, after-all, kill a man…' Jack trailed off not sure how to complete his sentence.
Faye sat, deep in contemplation. 'I'm not sure, Jack.' She said 'I mean, if they find me they would probably put a noose around my neck. But, I'm coming with you, we don't have to worry about that'
That was right, they didn't have to worry about it. In a few days they would sail off in a stolen…commandeered… ship and find the Pearl. He would be re-united with his crew and Faye could meet the people he had been telling her stories about for all this time. It would be perfect.
Just perfect.
Jack closed his eyes for a moment, thinking. He did not know what he was thinking of. In fact, for once his mind was completely empty. No thoughts filled it, just emptiness. It was a good feeling, Jack decided.
Faye began speaking again, something about 'an adventure on the high seas'. This gave Jack another opportunity to think. He replayed the event of the day. It had indeed been an eventful day; a murder in the morning and a swapping of stories in the afternoon. The day had begun unlike any other but had ended akin to every other day Jack had shared with the amazing woman before his eyes.
Not caring if Jack was listening or not Faye continued to speak. Now Jack was listening. She seemed to be excited about the idea of setting sail with Jack. The Pirate was glad, it meant it would be enjoyable to have her with him. He could teach her how to steer the ship, hoist the sails and various other aspects of manning a ship. Jack was almost as excited as she was.
Jack sat back up and rested his head on the palms of his hands.
'So, I guess you've made the right decision then?' Jack inquired with a small smile. He moved a little closer to her and sat cross-legged on a pillow.
'Yes, I believe I have' Faye replied. She ran a hand through her raven hair and looked back at Jack.
As if acting on impulse Jack placed a hand on the side of Faye's face and smiled. Slowly, he leant in a kissed her deeply. It felt so right…so true. The feeling of kissing Elizabeth was nothing compared to this. This was so right…so…Perfect.
As he drew back, Jack smiled at Faye, who returned the gesture and ran and hand through his black braids. Unable to resist, Faye went for more.
The two dozing figures slept entangled in the off-white bed sheets early the next morning. The sun began to filter in through the curtain-framed window. Faye stirred and opened her eyes. She turned over and saw Jack, sheets covering his lower extremities. The woman smiled and closed her eyes once more.
Last night was so right. Everything about it, from the beginning to the end was faultless. Faye stood up and took a sheet with her and wrapped it around her bodice, creating a makeshift sarong. She walked over to the window and opened it, pushing the lace curtains out of the way. The city had just woken up and families were either setting up market stalls or fishing at the nearby wharf.
Faye stopped watching the villagers when she heard someone move behind her. It was Jack. He had just placed on his pants and was in the process of pulling on his loose linen shirt. He crossed to the window where Faye stood, looking out at the goings on down below.
'Good Mornin'.' Jack said, wrapping his arms around Faye's waist.
'A very good morning indeed' Faye replied. She seemed to instantly relax in his arms. She smiled and turned around to face him, playing with the beads in his black hair. 'A very good morning to be sure'
'I've been thinking'…' Jack began 'How 'bout we leave tomorrow?'
Faye knew exactly what he was talking about. 'Tomorrow it is.' She couldn't wait to set off, the sooner the better in her opinion, the sooner the better.
The Pirate smiled a wide smile. He was content beyond belief. He couldn't wait to get back to the Pearl and see his old crew once more.
Jack was so sure he hadn't made a mistake. Everything was how it should be.
Everything.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Now, please review. I must thank you all for sticking with this story for so long. Sorry I took ages to update. Thanks again
