AN/ Thanks to Flute Damioh for pointing out that error in Jack's dialogue in the last chapter. I'm really sorry about that! I have since fixed it.
The next thing I knew, Jack had launched into a story of how he was marooned on an island and how he survived by befriending the natives that lived there. The two redcoats were listening intently. I however, was not. Instead, my attention was fixed on the fort and the two figures standing on the wall facing the sea. After a relatively short while, one of the figures, Elizabeth, fell, just as Jack was finishing his story.
"And then they made me their chief," the pirate concluded as Elizabeth splashed, unconscious into the sea. Jack and the soldiers turned their heads at the sound, and when they realized what it was, they ran over to the starboard side. Noticing that no one was diving off the fort to save the unfortunate woman, Jack asked Mullory, "Will you be saving her then?"
"I can't swim!" he said. Jack looked to the other man, who shook his head. He couldn't swim either. I gestured wildly to the drowning girl, my eyes wide, telling Jack to hurry up.
"Pride of the King's Navy, you are!" Jack said, thoroughly unimpressed with the two and deciding to take matters into his own hands. He swiped off his hat, sword, coat, compass and pistol and shoved them into the mens' arms. "Do not lose these!" he ordered. He climbed onto the railing with the assistance of a taught rope to help heave him up. I rose into the air to meet his height. Jack made a beautiful swan dive into the Caribbean. I was not too far behind him. Together we swam towards the slowly sinking young woman.
Suddenly, I felt a powerful shockwave pass through me. My eyes went wide and I faltered in my swimming. I think Jack might've felt it too, but he kept going, determined to reach her.
"It's the medallion," I thought as I kicked hard to catch up. "It's calling the cursed pirates." I could feel my heart pounding hard, but I didn't feel the burning need for oxygen. I am a spirit, after all.
We reached Elizabeth just after she hit the sandy bottom. Jack grabbed her and kicked hard against the sand. I helped him heave her to the surface. She felt like she weighed a ton. This was due the weight of her new, waterlogged dress.
Jack gasped as he broke the surface, but he was unable to remain there for very long. The heavy dress dragged him down. Unable to swim Elizabeth to shore, he sunk back underwater and literally ripped the dress off her, revealing the cause of all this, the corset, underneath. Now that we were free of the dress, the swim back to the dock was much easier and we made it in record time.
Murtogg and Mullory met us at the dock beside the Interceptor. They took the woman from Jack's shoulder as he climbed up a ladder to the dock. I rose, dripping out of the water and landed on the wood. Jack climbed up as Elizabeth was gently placed down.
"She's not breathing!" Mullory shouted desperately.
"Move!" Jack ordered as he pushed to other man aside. He fell to his knees beside the girl, produced a knife and sliced her corset off. As soon as it was removed Elizabeth coughed and sputtered up seawater and began to breathe again. I sighed in relief, as we all did. Jack flung the horrid corset into Murtogg's arms.
"I never would've thought of that," Mullory commented.
"Clearly, you've never been to Singapore," Jack said to him, water dripping off his nose. I smiled. Then Jack noticed the medallion around Elizabeth's neck. He picked it up. Elizabeth, still recovering, watched him. "Where did you get that?" Jack asked her. No doubt he recognized the cursed coin. His question however went unanswered because just then Commodore Norrington showed up.
"On your feet," The Commodore commanded Jack, pointing his sword at his chin. Jack obeyed, clearing water out of his nose as he stood up. Governor Swann swooped in and gathered up his daughter.
"Elizabeth, are you all right?" he asked her, wrapping her in his coat.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said. Jack had several muskets pointed at him, not to mention the Commodore's beautifully made sword. The Governor looked at the soldier holding Elizabeth's corset, who lowered it quickly and pointed at Sparrow in a classic "it wasn't me, he did it!" gesture.
"Shoot him!" Elizabeth's father ordered.
"Father!" the woman protested. "Commodore," she said to Norrington. "Do you really intend to kill my rescuer?" The man hesitated, and reluctantly he and the others lowered their weapons. Jack put his palms together in thanks to Elizabeth.
"I believe thanks are in order," Norrington said, holding out his hand for Jack to shake. Jack hesitated before going to shake his hand, thinking the Commodore really meant it. As soon as Norrington had Jack's hand in his, he pulled him forward sharply and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a 'P' branded onto Jack's arm. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company did we," Norrington said, studying the brand. "Pirate?" He looked up at Jack, who cursed himself mentally.
"Hang him!" Governor Swann ordered. Jack looked at him almost in disbelief. I leaned close to my assignment and whispered in his ear.
"Wait for the opportune moment." Jack showed no outward sign he heard me, but I know he did.
"Keep your guns on him, men," the Commodore ordered. "Gillette, fetch some irons." I saw one officer scurry away to do that task. Norrington lifted more of the pirate's sleeve up, exposing Jack's tattoo of a sparrow in flight over the ocean with the sun in the background. "Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"
Jack pulled his arm out of the Commodore's grasp. "Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please sir," he corrected him.
"I don't see your ship, 'Captain'," Norrington used Jack's title as a mockery. I glared at him.
"I'm in the market, as it were," Jack said.
Murtogg took that moment to speak up. "He said he'd come to commandeer one." Jack and I looked at him.
"I told you he was telling the truth," his companion said to him. "These are his, sir," he said to Norrington, stooping down to pick up the possessions Jack had given them before his dive to save Elizabeth. As Norrington examined Jack's pistol, the pirate moved to stop him. I grabbed his arm, shaking my head.
"No additional shots nor powder." Norrington picked up the compass and opened it. "A compass that doesn't point north." He smiled unhumorsly at Jack, who barely returned it. As far as Norrington was concerned, all the danger from Jack was gone. He half pulled Jack's sword out and briefly examined it. "And I half expected it to be made of wood," he joked. Now that he decided Jack wasn't a threat, he was having a bit of fun. Jack's mouth twitched at the joke. I frowned at the pompous and over-confident man in front of me.
"He's greatly underestimating you, Jack," I said. The pirate seemed to agree.
"You are without a doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of!" the Commodore concluded.
"But you have heard of me," Jack said. I smiled again.
"Always look on the bright side of life," I sang in my head.
Norrington, still quite unimpressed, grabbed Jack and lead him over to Gillette who had the irons ready. I hurried along behind them, passing through several soldiers along the way. Elizabeth broke free of her father's grasp and ran after us as well.
"Commodore, I really must protest!" she said, sounding a bit desperate to be heard. Norrington ignored her.
"Carefully, Lieutenant," he told Gillette as he put Jack's wrists in the irons. I was watching Jack. Although he showed no outward signs of it, I could tell he was coiled, ready to spring like a cat or a fox on his prey.
Elizabeth stood between Jack and Norrington, forcing him to look at her. "Pirate or not, this man saved my life!" Jack was eyeing her, waiting for the opportune moment, as was I.
"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man for a lifetime of wickedness!" the Commodore said to Elizabeth.
"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack remarked over the young woman's shoulder.
"Indeed," Norrington said, his tone warning Jack to keep his mouth shut. Gillette stepped away from the newly handcuffed pirate. It was the opportune moment.
"Finally," Jack said, and he sprung. In an eye blink Jack had the chain that connected shackles on his wrists around Elizabeth's neck, trapping her. She gasped in surprise and all the men started.
"No, don't shoot!" Governor Swann shouted at the men as some of them aimed their muskets.
"I knew you'd warm up to me," Jack whispered dangerously. Commodore Norrington, my effects please. And my hat," he requested in a demanding voice. The men in front of us didn't move. "Commodore," Jack said, his voice laced with threat and warning. Captain Jack was the one in charge now. One of the redcoats stepped forward and handed Norrington Jack's things. "Elizabeth...it is Elizabeth isn't it?" the pirate asked his captive.
"It's Miss Swann," she corrected.
"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind," Jack said. As his hands were busy, he needed her to put his belongings back on him. "Come, come dear, we don't have all day."
Norrington gave Jack's effects to Elizabeth. Jack grabbed his pistol and pointed it at her head as he spun her around to face him. "Now, if you'll be very kind," he said to her. With a scowl on her face, Elizabeth fastened Jack's compass to his side, placed his hat on his head and swung the strap that held his sword around his shoulder. This meant that she had to get very close to the pirate, and Jack shot Norrington and the governor a look over her shoulder that told them he was enjoying this and there was nothing they could do about it. The men looked lees then thrilled. Jack grinned, showing at least three gold teeth. "Easy on the goods, darling," he grunted as Elizabeth did up the shoulder strap. She was not at all happy.
"You're despicable," she insulated him. Jack easily brushed it off.
"Sticks and stones, love. I saved your life you saved mine. We're square." He turned her around again, his pistol still on her. He flashed a brief glance in my direction. I nodded, knowing what we were about to do.
"Gentlemen," Jack addressed the soldiers. "My lady," he said in Elizabeth's ear. He began to back her away. I kept pace and the men took a few steps forward. "You will always remember this as the day you almost caught..." he paused for effect. I got ready to jump into the air. "Captain Jack Sparrow!" The pirate shoved Elizabeth into Norrington and the governor as a distraction. Jack whipped around, grabbed a rope, kicked its anchor away and shot up into the air as a cannon dropped onto and through the dock. I flew up into the air alongside the pirate, and remained with him as he swung around and around.
"Now will you shoot him?" I heard Elizabeth's father yell.
"Open fire!" Norrington shouted. The men did, although in my opinion they were terrible shots. Jack managed to land on the top of another pulley system. He swung his chain over a rope that angled down towards the ground and glided down it as one would fly down a flying fox run. I swooped down after him. We both landed on the far end of the dock running for our lives. The soldiers were continuing to fire at us, but not a single bullet found its mark. Jack and I sprinted across a bridge, pedestrians ducking and dodging both the bullets and us. They were lucky none of them were hit accidentally.
"Into the town!" I shouted to Jack. We ran into the streets. Jack ducked behind a statue of a blacksmith and stuck his sword through the statue's hand, making it look as if it were part of the statue. "When the coast is clear, we'll go into the blacksmith's shop so we can do something about your chains," I said. Jack made eye contact with me and nodded in agreement. As soon as there was a break, Jack darted out of his hiding place and we scampered into J. Brown's blacksmith shop.