Chapter 3
We had been standing out in that blasted heat for almost an hour now, the ceremony was so boring, all that had happened was the commodore had received Will's sword. All around me, women were flapping their fans furiously, but none compared to Elizabeth, she was like a machine. She didn't look like she could breathe.
"Are you alright , Liz?" I whispered to her.
"I'll be fine" She replied flapping away.
Finally the ceremony was over. Happily, I followed Elizabeth out of the sun and into the shade on the battlements of the fort.
Unfortunately, Norrington found us there.
"May I have a moment, Elizabeth?" He asked, Elizabeth nodded and he lead her over to the edge of the battlement.
I took off my hat and walked over to where My father was standing and handed my hat to him. He gave me an annoyed look but I just smiled and walked away.
Suddenly I heard a splash and saw Norrington looking around for something, but Elizabeth was nowhere in sight. She had fallen off the battlement. I gasped and took off as fast as I could to the docks. I was just in time to see a tanned man with long shaggy black hair, full of beads and held together with a stained red bandanna, climbing up the ladder onto the docks with Elizabeth swung over his shoulder, in only her under garments. Two guards helped him up.
"Elizabeth! She's not breathing!" I cried.
"Move!" Shouted the tanned man shoving one of the guards aside, knelt down beside Elizabeth and cut open her corset. Immediately she started to cough up water and gasp for breath.
"I never would have thought of that" Said one of the guards.
"Clearly you have never been to Singapore" Replied the man.
I looked down at Elizabeth and noticed she was wearing the pirate medallion Will had been wearing when he was rescued. Why had she taken it? I wondered. The tanned man must have noticed it too, because he picked it up.
"Where did you get that?" He asked her.
She didn't have time to answer because Norrington, jumped in with his sword thrust at the tanned man.
"On your feet" He said.
My father arrived a few seconds later and helped Elizabeth up. "Elizabeth, are you alright?" He asked her, putting his jacket around her.
"Yes, I'm fine" She replied.
My father looked over to see one of the guards holding Elizabeth's corset. Off my father's look the guard dropped the corset and pointed to the tanned man. "Shoot him!"
I stood up and walked over so I was standing beside Elizabeth.
"Father, Commodore, this man saved Elizabeth's life. Do you really intend to kill her rescuer?" I asked.
Norrington thought about it for a second and lowered his sword and held out his hand. The tanned man gave me a look of thanks and turned back to the Commodore.
"I believe thanks are in order" Said Norrington.
The tanned man flinched before taking the offered hand. Instead of shaking, Norrington grabbed his hand in a tight grip and ripped open his shirt sleeve. I looked over to see a burn mark in the shape of a "P".
"Had a brush with the East India trading company, did we, pirate?" Norrington asked.
I studied the tanned man, he did look very much like a pirate. The man caught my gaze and I looked away.
"Hang him" Said my father.
"Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons" Norrington ripped open the man's sleeve further to reveal the tattoo of a sparrow in flight over water.
"Well, Well, Jack Sparrow, isn't it?" Norrington asked.
"CAPTIN Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir" The man replied.
"Well, I don't see your ship anywhere, Captain" Norrington Said.
"I'm in the market as it were" Jack told him.
"He said he'd come to commandeer one" Said one of the guards.
"Told ya he was telling the truth. These are his, sir" Said the other guard, handing Norrington Jack's effects.
"No additional shots nor powder. A compass that doesn't point north" Norrington said examining Jack's gun and compass. "And I half expected it to be made of wood" He said unsheathing Jack's sword." You are with-out doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of".
Jack only smirked. "But you have heard of me" He said.
Still smirking Jack was pulled away to be put in the irons.
"Pirate or not, Commodore, this man just saved Elizabeth's life! She may have drowned if it wasn't for him" I said following Norrington With Elizabeth and my father at my heels.
"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness" Replied Norrington.
"Though it seems enough to condemn him" Jack chipped in.
"Indeed" Said Norrington as Lieutenant Gillette moved away from the now cuffed Jack.
"Finally" Jack cried and threw his chains around my neck, holding my back flat against his chest. I was terrified and started to struggle, but Jack held me tighter.
"Don't struggle, Love, I won't hurt you" He whispered in my ear.
"Annabelle, No! Don't shoot!" Cried my father.
"I knew you'd warm up to me. Commodore Norrington, my effects please and my hat. Commodore!" He said to Norrington, and Norrington retrieved his effects. "Annabelle. It is Annabelle isn't it?" Jack asked me.
"It's Miss Swann!" I snapped.
"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind". Jack said and Norrington handed his effects to me. "Come, come, dear. Now if you'd be very kind". He spun me around to face him and indicated for me to put his hat and effects on him. I did what he told me, intentionally pulling his belt tightly. "Easy on the goods, darling" He said.
"Your despicable!" I hissed.
"Sticks and stones, love" He replied and spun me around so I was facing the Commodore, My father and Elizabeth again.
"Gentlemen, Ladies, you will always remember the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" He cried and pushed me into Elizabeth, then escaped by swinging around on a pole and landing on a beam above our heads.
"Now will you shoot him?" Asked my father.
"Open fire!" Yelled Norrington. The soldiers shot at Jack but didn't hit him and Jack threw his chains over a rope and slid down to the ground, then ran off.
"Gillette, Mr Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows, I would hate for him to miss it" Norrington told the Lieutenant, as the soldiers ran off to find Jack.
Without a word I ran off in the direction of the blacksmith to find Will.
