ALRIGHTY! Okay, everyone! Another chapter! Sorry it took me so long to update. Writer's block of doom. Anyway, I hope you all like this chapter!!
Chapter 3: Everyone's Old Acquaintances
The next day, Jack started training Violet in sword fighting. She was very uneasy at first because sharp objects are frightening, but Jack was sure he could train her in the ways of sword fighting. Jack decided that they could use his room for a training area since it was very large if he pushed things out of the way.
"Alrigh', now what's better for you do you think? One or two swords?" Jack asked her.
"Er, probably one… I don't have much strength in my left hand." Violet replied.
"Very well, then." Jack picked up a sword off of a table and handed it to her. "Alrigh', well, first stand like this." He took a fighting stance and she attempted to imitate it, but it wasn't quite what he was looking for. "'ere, er… I'm goin' to get behind you, savvy?" She nodded a little awkwardly and he stepped behind her. He had to get her in the correct position. He pressed himself up against her and put her in the right position. She blushed and froze to the correct position. He backed off and went back in front of her and continued with the lesson.
Violet had actually caught on pretty quickly to the sword fighting and didn't do so badly for her first lesson. That afternoon, Jack came to Violet's room and asked her to paint something for him.
"Er, alright, er, what shall I paint?" she asked.
"Well, what would you like to paint?" he replied.
She thought for a moment. "Well… I… have been thinking… Well, I would like to paint you… if you wouldn't mind… You have very nice features for painting… and… I think it would turn out nicely if I were to do that…"
"Well, I'm flattered, darling." he said. "I'd be happy to 'ave you paint me."
"Oh, wonderful!" she replied, very pleased. "I've been painting the most mundane things as of late." She went to her dresser where she had stored her paint supplies and things. "All that has been there was the landscape and things. I never get to paint people." She set up an easel with a board canvas and an area to paint in. "Alright, well, let's see…" she mumbled, staring at him, trying to think of a good pose for him.
"I've seen a lot o' famous paintin's -- is this goin' to be like the ones where the person posin' is wearin' absolutely nothin'?" he asked with a smile.
Her eyes widened as her concentration broke. "No, no, no, no, no! No, er… no… I had envisioned… well… first, would you stand there?" He obeyed. "Alright, now, would you get out your sword and pistol?" He did so. "Alright, let's see… tilt your head down and… put your left leg back a little and to the side and put your right leg forward a little and bent just a bit."
"…That's sort of complicated, sweetheart… Come 'ere an' show me what to do." he told her.
She hesitantly went forward and explained again. "Alright, just tilt your head down a bit. I'm going to be sitting on the floor in front of you, so you'll be looking down." He did so. "Now, put your right leg back a little -- just a little -- and to the side, but straight. …Now, put your right leg forward -- not too much -- and bend it just a little." He was almost the way he was supposed to be, now his arms. "Alright, now your arms…"
"Jus' put them where you want them, love." he said.
She uneasily reached out and grabbed his right arm, putting it in the correct pose, with his sword in front of him. She then took his left arm and set it parallel to his left leg (he was holding the pistol in his left hand). She fixed his hair as she wanted it and sat down in front of him with the easel and paints and started to sketch him with charcoal.
After a little while, Jack's arms began to grow rather tired, but he didn't really care. He decided to break the silence. "So, 'ow's it comin'?"
"Oh, fine." she replied happily. "You are very fun to draw. Your facial features are a challenge to capture, but a challenge is good. I like your face -- drawing it, that is…" she added quickly, blushing. "Your lips are particularly nice -- to draw! Capturing them! With paint! Er… you -- you know what I mean."
He smiled. "Yes, I know what you mean." She continued sketching, blushing profusely.
It took several hours to complete the painting, but when she looked at her work, she was very proud of what she had done.
"Alright, finished." she said happily. He put his sword and pistol away and finally relaxed his arms with relief. He stepped behind her and looked at the painting. His eyes widened.
"Sweetheart, that is amazing." he told her incredulously. "It's… perfect… It looks exactly like me -- I've never seen anything like that before."
She blushed, smiling and proud of her work. "Thank you. And thank you for letting me paint you. Painting is very good for me -- it brings my soul to ease. I liked painting you."
"No, love, thank you." he replied. "I've never been painted before -- this is really amazin'."
"I'm glad you like it." she told him. She signed the bottom corner in red paint and looked up at him. "Well, here is me paying my way. That's what I'm here for, right? To paint for you. It's yours."
"Oh, darling, I can't take that from you -- it's wonderful." he declined.
"No, no, it's my pleasure. Please."
"Thank you, sweetheart, this means a lot. I would pay a lot o' gold for this."
"Erm, if you don't mind… might I paint you again at some time?" she asked, standing up. "I really liked painting your face. I would like to do a closer up picture of just your face at some point. Would that be alright?"
"O' course it would." he replied. He stepped closer to her and, putting an arm around her shoulders, kissed her head. He was really just being friendly, but she was still uncomfortable. She didn't move. He took the painting from the easel and started for the door. "Thanks again, darling, this really is amazin'. See you at dinner, savvy?" She nodded, blushing, and he left.
That evening, as they were eating, Violet inquired as to where they were going exactly.
"We're 'eaded to Port Royal." Jack replied. "O' course, we're not dockin' there-- I don' 'ave the best reputation there -- we're goin' to dock nearby and walk there. Actually… Violet… I was meaning to ask you a favor…" She looked at him inquiringly. "Could you and Anamaria go into town when we get there and fetch someone for me? I'd go myself, but… well, truth be told, I'm very wanted there."
"Oh… well… I don't know the town at all…" Violet replied shyly.
"Tha's why Anamaria's goin'." he told her. "I jus' think someone should go with 'er, an' women are less conspicuous, so… Besides, you're so adorable, who would think you belong to Captain Jack Sparrow's crew?"
Violet blushed. "Er, I, er, er, thank -- thank you… I, er…"
Jack remembered what compliments seemed to do to her and decided to change the subject. Although, he didn't intend to stop complimenting her -- she looked way too cute when she got flustered. "Well, what do you say, sweetheart?"
"Er, well, I, er… I don't see why not." Violet said.
"Oh, great, thanks, love." Jack replied sincerely. "We should dock there tomorrow. You'll be gettin' Will Turner for me. 'e'll probably bring 'is girl Elizabeth Swann, an' tha's fine."
"Oh, I've read about them!" Violet exclaimed excitedly. "It'll be an honor to meet them!" Jack smiled at her excitement.
The next day, they docked near Port Royal and Violet and Anamaria ventured into the city and found their way to Will Turner's blacksmith shop by asking around. Jack had given them a letter to give to Will, telling him about the adventure ahead. They entered the blacksmith shop and greeted Will. Anamaria did the talking.
"Anamaria!" Will exclaimed, startled. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"
"Likewise, mate." Anamaria replied. "Anyway, Jack's got a new adventure planned out and wants you to come with us. Here." she handed him the letter and he took it.
He read over it. "Well… this does sound like quite an adventure…"
"Come on, Will, you're the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner!" Anamaria pressed. "You crave an adventure, I know you do." Will thought for a moment. "Elizabeth is welcome to come if she likes."
"Well… I can't say that I don't want to go on an adventure…" Will said. "…Alright. I'm in. I'll have to see if Elizabeth wants to come or not."
"Great." Anamaria replied. "We're docked just down the main road. A mile or so down. You can just come to the ship anytime today."
Will nodded. He noticed Violet and felt very rude for not noticing her before. "Oh, excuse me, miss." he said to her. "How rude of me not to introduce myself. I'm Will Turner." He took her hand and kissed it. She blushed.
"I -- I'm Violet Amourdoux…" Violet replied shyly. "It's nice to meet you -- I've read quite a lot about you."
"About me? Really?" Will asked, rather taken aback.
"Yes, I've read all about your adventures with Jack." Violet told him.
"I didn't know our adventures were written anywhere…" Will said. "Well, anyway, it's very nice to meet you, Violet, and so nice to see you, Anamaria."
So it was set. Will was to join the adventure. Violet and Anamaria went back to the ship but when they got there, they discovered something they didn't expect…
Half the crew was tied to the mast and others were out cold on the ground. Jack was no where to be found. They ran aboard and freed them.
"Where's Jack?!" Violet asked urgently.
"I don't know…" Gibbs replied, rubbing his head.
"And what happened?!" Anamaria asked.
"Walsh robbed us…" Gibbs explained. "Nothing more to tell. He came aboard, ambushed us, and robbed us…"
"I'm going to find Jack." Violet stated. She was starting to get worried -- no one knew where he was. She searched a lot of the ship hurriedly, and finally went down to the cargo hold where she found him. "Jack!" she exclaimed, hurrying to him. He'd been tied to a pole and was slumped on the floor sadly. She untied the rope binding his hands and freed him.
"Thanks, love." he said dispiritedly.
"Are you alright?" she asked urgently.
"Yes, I'm fine." he replied, defeated. "At least they didn't take the Pearl." He hugged the pole he'd been tied to. "I still 'ave you, sweetheart." he said to his ship. "Oh, Violet, they took everythin'… The treasure of Isla de Muerta…"
"Well, at least you're alright." Violet said optimistically.
He sighed. "Not for long… If we don' 'ave any money, we can't stock up on food at the next port…" Violet's heart sunk. He was right. They had no money, and didn't have a lot of food… "Well, at least you and Anamaria were out… they probably would've taken both of you… So, I guess things are alrigh'. You two are safe." Violet smiled. "Did you talk to Will?"
"Er, yes, we did." Violet replied. "He's going to join us later today."
"Good." Jack sighed in relief. "Whatever we steal, we're goin' to need 'im to 'elp us."
"We're going to steal?" Violet asked innocently.
"Darling, we 'ave to -- we'll starve if we don' steal some money somehow." Violet saw his reasoning, but still didn't like the idea of stealing. "If it bothers you, jus' ask yourself this question: 'What the bloody -- er, nevermind -- 'as society ever done for you?'" Violet thought for a moment and honestly couldn't come up with an answer. "The philosophy of a pirate. …Anyway, let's--" Jack froze. "The Emerald… Oh, God, please tell me they didn' take the Emerald! Come on!" He grabbed Violet's hand and ran upstairs to his room to check if they'd stolen the Emerald of the Sea. Violet was very uncomfortable with this hand-holding, but didn't say anything. He let go of her hand and ran to his bed and dived under it. He pulled up one of the floorboards and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is it still there?" Violet asked.
"Yes, thank goodness." Jack told her. He replaced the floorboard, came back from under the bed, and stood up. "We can sell that for some money, though."
"But -- but it's an artifact…" Violet injected. "It belongs to the town… I thought you were just going to get the clue from it and then return it…"
He felt sort of guilty now… "Well, love, we are pirates after all…" he said. "We… pillage and plunder and rifle and loot… you know the song, don' you?"
"…Well, yes, but… But I think you should return it…" she trailed off. "Never mind. I'm sorry I said that -- I'm not trying to tell you what to do. You're probably right anyway."
He furrowed his brow. "No, darling, I'm very, very wrong. But tha's the pirate life." She avoided his eyes guiltily. He started to panic; that look on her face… He couldn't take that look… He thought for a moment. "You know, love, tha's not such a bad idea." She glanced up at him. "Aye. I mean, we could take it back to your town in exchange for food and provisions… Lots o' food an' provisions… You know, that really isn' a bad idea… What would I do without you, Violet?" She blushed and they went up on deck to wait for Will's arrival.
While on deck, Jack explained that Walsh, the man who robbed them, was an old rival of theirs, and probably would be looking for the same treasure as them. They grew up together on the story and now were prepared to kill each other to get the treasure.
Will arrived later that day, and brought Elizabeth with him. They were more formally introduced to Violet and were to set sail at dawn the next morning for Sunset Villa, where Jack had stolen the Emerald.
A few days later, they arrived there and Jack knew exactly what to do. He'd rowed ashore with Gibbs, along with the Emerald, and scanned the docks. Finally, Jack came up behind the prettiest woman he could see and put a gun to her head. She screamed and guards soon gathered.
"Sparrow?!" one yelled. "You again?!"
"Aye." Jack replied casually. "I've grown rather bored with your little Emerald 'ere, an' could honestly get much better use out o' somethin' else."
"What?!" the guard cried.
"We merely want food and provisions." Jack replied. "We have plenty, but we have so much money, that tha's all we can really think of to trade this for." Wow, what a good bluffer.
"Fine! Sure!" the guard agreed. "Now, let that woman go and give us the Emerald--"
"Not so fast." Jack interrupted. "I need insurance. We'll give you the Emerald, an' you'll fill two rowboats with food an' provisions. My associate an' I will row back to the ship an' release this lass… later."
"Later is not acceptable, Sparrow." the guard stated.
"I'll take 'er to my next destination an' ensure 'er safe return 'ome on a nice, expensive ship, savvy?" Jack told him.
"No, not savvy at all." the guard sneered. "We don't trust you."
"An' I don' trust you!" Jack exclaimed. "What a coincidence! You see, I also need insurance that you won' follow me. We get to our next destination, an' I swear on pain of death, I shall release this lass an' she'll be 'ome without a scratch."
"Don't agree to his terms!!!" the woman screamed.
"I assure your safety, darling -- you got the word o' a pirate." Jack said.
"Well, I don't trust pirates!" she cried.
"Too bad, sweetheart." Jack replied. He looked up at the guard. "So?"
The guard spoke with a few other of the guards and came to a decision. "You have a deal, Sparrow, the Emerald -- now."
"What?!" the woman screamed. "No!!!"
"We will pay you quite a bit, miss, but… the Emerald is the town's prized possession -- you must understand." the guard said.
"No!!!!" she screamed, Jack restraining her.
"Off with you, now, guards!" Jack said. "And hurry!"
"First the Emerald." the guard demanded.
Jack looked at Gibbs and nodded. Gibbs tossed the Emerald to the guard who caught it with care.
"Hurry up!" Jack rushed. The guards hurried off.
A little while later, the guards returned with more food and provisions than Jack had anticipated. It would fill the two boats, but they, themselves, would barely fit in them. The boats were filled and Jack and Gibbs rowed off, Jack still holding the woman captive. They got to the Pearl and they heaved the boats up on deck. Violet came over to greet them.
"See, Jack, we didn't have to steal any--" Violet stopped, seeing the captive. "I-I didn't realize we were needing a hostage…"
"It was the only way, sweetheart." Jack replied.
The woman looked up and saw Violet. "Oh… it's you…" she sounded a little disgusted. "You've been taken by this horrible pirate, too?"
"Er, no, not really…" Violet answered awkwardly while the crew started taking the food to the cargo hold. Jack still didn't release the woman.
"What do you mean?" the woman asked.
"Well, I lost my job… and… er… Jack was nice enough… to, er, let me stay on his ship…" Violet explained.
"You stay here by choice?!" the woman cried. "Well, I suppose everything we've heard about you is true."
"So, you know Violet, do you, lass?" Jack asked the woman.
"Yes, I do." she replied bitterly.
"She's Christine Abram…" Violet informed.
"And you're Violet Amourdoux." Christine added. "We all know about you -- the town's favorite thing to walk all over."
"I see." Jack said. "So you're used to Violet being your complete inferior, eh?" Violet thought that Jack was going to judge her from this -- he wouldn't want to be around an inferior like her. He'd want someone like Christine. "Well, I'll break you of that. This time, Violet has the bed to sleep in and is free to walk about the ship and you are the one who gets locked in the brig. What goes around comes around, lass."
"This is an outrage!!" Christine cried. "She's not even worth the dirt I walk on!"
"You're wrong there -- you see, Violet 'appens to be a friend o' mine." Jack explained. "So, 'ere, you are the dirt and she is the one who gets to walk on you. On my ship, you take orders from 'er or answer to me." Violet was shocked. She did not expect this at all…
"You can't do anything to me! You'll be breaking your word! It's against the pirate's code!" Christine warned.
"Eh, they're more like guidelines, anyway." Jack dismissed.
"You can't get away with this!" Christine cried. "And you, Violet, you've sunk lower than before! Completely worthless like you've always been! You can't even muster the guts to talk back to anyone, you weak little nothing!"
"That's enough, you trashy wench." Jack growled. "Now, hush before I cut your silver tongue out."
"You filthy pig! You'll pay for this!!" Christine screamed. "And you too, Violet, you'll never be worth anything especially now that you're associating with scum like this, you coward!!"
Violet got up her courage to say something. "Funny how the 'scum' seems to be the only person who's ever treated me like I am worth something!"
Christine glared at her, but didn't say anything more. She, as well as Jack, were rather shocked that Violet would say something like this.
"You tell 'er, love." Jack egged with a smile. "Gibbs!" Jack called, and Gibbs came a few moments later. "Take this garbage to brig, savvy?"
"Aye, Cap'n!" Gibbs replied, restraining a struggling Christine, and hauled her downstairs.
"I-I said something…" Violet mumbled, rather in awe of her own actions. "I can't believe I said something… I talked back…"
"The start of a new beginnin', sweetheart." Jack told her. "Leave the past behind. You're on the Black Pearl now -- you're whoever you want to be." Violet smiled. "You know, the name Violet sounds so long and formal, beautiful as it is. I think I'm goin' to shorten it, savvy?" She nodded. "I'll call you Let from now on. Like it or no?"
"I-I, er, I do… I do like it." she replied shyly.
"Good." Jack said. "Now, shall we do a little more research on our next destination? I've set the course for England. I'll 'ave Anamaria steer an' we can look for things about this clue we 'ave. Will an' Elizabeth can 'elp us -- they're smart. What say you?" Violet smiled and nodded.
After Jack arranged things, he called Will and Elizabeth down to his quarters (Violet had already followed him there), and they started some research. Jack explained that they were looking for the Sword of King Arthur.
After a long time of researching, Violet thought of something. She'd reached the end of the book in which the Charlemagne Treasure story was told and was staring at the inside of the back cover. It had a sword imprinted on it.
"Erm, Jack?" Violet said, breaking the silence. They all looked up at her. "May I please, er, borrow your knife?"
"Er, sure, Let…" he replied, wondering what she wanted it for. He got it out and handed it to her. She slipped it under the paper of the inside back cover and sliced the paper off, revealing a folded up piece of paper under it. They all watched her interestedly. She looked up and saw them staring at her and blushed profusely and started to fumble with the paper. Jack gestured to Will and Elizabeth not to stare and they obeyed.
"All I can find is things about Camelot…" Elizabeth said. "We all know that King Arthur's Court was in Camelot… but no one knows where that is…"
"This entire adventure is based on a story, Jack." Will told him wearily. "We don't know any of this exists."
"I know it exists." Jack stated. "I 'ave faith that it does."
"Er, this is something interesting." Violet finally said. "It seems to be a map…"
"A map?" Jack asked. "To where?"
Violet stared intently at the map. "I think… I think it's a map to Camelot…"
ALL DONE FOR NOW! So, did you all like that chapter? I certainly hope so! Yay for Violet! Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!!!! Luv you all! Shall update as soon as I can!
> Cara >
