Disclaimer: I don't own anything from PotC.
Chapter Fifteen: "Conflicting Viewpoints"
Anamaria's eyebrow arched of it's own volition. Even though she would be found guilty of each and every accusation Mrs. Norrington brought against her, she could not help but feel offended. Elizabeth had just called her a whore, as plainly as if she'd actually said those words. Yes, she had gone to James' bedroom, and, judging by the angelic mural on the ceiling, she'd done things to him that had never been done in that room. But, she was no gutter rat lurking in alleyways ready to ensnare any man unfortunate enough to be lonely. Hell, she never would have dreamed of entering James Norrington's bed chamber if his own wife hadn't let slip that he was in love with Ana. Maybe, in her grief, she had taken advantage of a good man's sympathies, but the last thing in the world she wanted was to bring him this kind of trouble. Ana sighed silently. That wasn't true. She would not have lost one minute of sleep if James left his wife to run away with her. At least, then, he wouldn't go unappreciated, and she wouldn't be so alone.
Pursing her lips, Ana uncrossed her arms. Resting her hand on her hip, she glared at Elizabeth, daring the younger woman to say what was really on her mind. Mrs. Norrington was holding Ana's dagger with the tip of her index finger and her thumb, as though she might catch some vile disease from the weapon. She'd probably already ordered the sheets burned.
"Elizabeth," Norrington's voice was low and calm, as though he were speaking to a fussy youngster. "What makes you think that dagger belongs to Annie?"
Ana could have sighed again. James was a smart man, but he had just asked the worst possible question. The blonde woman shot a hateful glare at her husband. "Because her name is carved into the blade," she answered tersely.
"Your name is carved into the blade?" James floundered, caught completely off guard by this latest piece of information. He cast questioning eyes towards Ana, seeming to momentarily forget that his angry little wife had just accused him of adultery. "What kind of a blacksmith takes the time to do that?"
The part of Ana that couldn't stand Elizabeth's blue-blooded, condescending attitude began to laugh and jump up and down inside of her. That was the right question to ask. "The kind who's just found out his one true love has gone off and married someone else," Ana snarled, fixing her most menacing glare on Norrington's wife. "That sort of blacksmith has all the time in the world."
The dagger fell from Elizabeth's grasp at the same moment that the self-righteous indignation fell from her face. Both hit the stone patio with a resounding crash. The blonde woman's arm plummeted limply to her side, and all the blood that had risen to her cheeks abruptly disappeared. Her mouth dropped open, and she regarded Ana in wide-eyed horror.
Taking in the younger woman's expression, Ana almost felt sorry for her gruff manner. Not sorry enough, however, to offer an apology or any words to soften the blow. Will's eyes had been hollow and empty when he'd given Ana that knife. They had been on three weeks shore leave, and Will had spent time in the local smithy making presents for his friends on the Black Pearl. He had told Ana that the dagger, engraved especially for her, was a thank you gift. As the only woman aboard, she had always been the one nominated to try to speak with Will when he seemed depressed. Ana had said that no thank you was necessary, but that she would never pass up such a magnificent weapon. Six days later, William Turner, Jr. was dead. Word was sent, but Elizabeth could not even be troubled to attend the young blacksmith's funeral.
As if moving in slow motion, Elizabeth kneeled to the ground and picked up the dagger. This time she held the blade in both of her hands, turning it over and over, admiring the craftsmanship. "Will made this?" she said quietly as she rose to her feet.
Ana glanced at James, who had turned his face to the house. His jaw was clenched tight, and his light eyes were fixed on something far, far away from this conversation. Elizabeth spoke her dead lover's name with awe, and reverence. Ana could clearly see on Norrington's face, that his wife never spoke the same way about him. "Aye, he did," the lady answered, shortly. She wanted to say so much more. She wanted to curse Elizabeth's name for the pain she caused the men who loved her. She wanted to explain in lurid detail exactly how she had made love to the blonde woman's husband. She wanted to make her understand that Will had gone to his grave broken and lonely, and that it was all Elizabeth's fault. Most of all, she wanted to scream at James. Ask him why he would stay with such a heartless statue of a woman. But, for some reason, she held her tongue.
Elizabeth's eyes finally met Ana's again. "You think me terrible, don't you, for leaving Will?" she whispered.
The piratess raised her chin. "No," she said, quite honestly. "I don't think you're terrible for breaking things off with him." Any desire to leave hateful words unsaid instantly vanished. Elizabeth was not a naïve girl any longer, and Ana had no intention of letting her wallow in girlish fantasies. She'd broken a man's heart and never looked back, and it was high time some one told her so. Now, was that time, and Ana decided to be that person. "I think you're terrible for making him believe you really would stay with him forever. I think you're terrible for giving him hope that a blacksmith really could find love with a governor's daughter." Ana could remember the time that Elizabeth had spent on the Pearl, with Will. To her credit, she did try to enjoy that life, but she didn't fit in. She could not help but look down her nose at the crew, at her meager accommodations, at Ana, at Jack, and, eventually, even at Will.
The younger woman's cheeks colored. "I did love him," she insisted. "I tried to stay with him, but – "
"But what?" Ana snapped. "The sound of James' money was more appealing than the clanging of Will's hammer?"
"How dare you insinuate that I married James for his station," Elizabeth shrieked.
Only regretting the pain she was causing Norrington, Ana plowed ahead. "I believe you care about him, Elizabeth, I really do," she said. "But is it asking too much for you to show him the same affection that you once showed Mr. Turner? How many other men of quality would have had you after you ran off with a pirate for two years?"
"Annie," Norrington spoke up for the first time since the lady pirate had let in on his wife. The interruption, however, was half-hearted at best. She was embarrassing the Admiral by saying that he warranted more than he got from Elizabeth, but she wasn't saying anything that he probably hadn't said to himself a thousand times.
For his sake, and his alone, Ana shut her mouth.
Elizabeth exchanged glances with her husband. His warning, though silent to his wife, had been meant for both women. "Just one thing, I would like to know, Anamaria," the younger woman said, after pausing to compose herself, somewhat. "What should I have done? In my position, what would you have done?"
The pirate saw the same shade of red she'd seen when Elizabeth had been bold enough to compare her relationship with Will to that of Ana and Jack. She wished lightning could come forth from her eyes and knock Mrs. Norrington on her pompous little ass. "What I did do, Elizabeth, was choose love over comfort, money, society … all of it. Since your so busy trying to stay on top of your high horse all the time, you seem to keep forgetting that I was Captain Christopher Laffley's widow, and Captain Prescott Tarret's sister. I had more money that almost everyone on this damned, narrow-minded island. I could have bought myself as much prestige as I wanted. But, I left it all to spend my life with the man I loved."
Glaring at the pirate, Elizabeth spoke lowly. "And where did it get you."
Without thought or pause, Anamaria seized the dagger from Elizabeth's lily white hands. Grabbing the younger woman by her shoulders, Ana spun her around so that she stood with her back touching the pirate's chest. Ana pressed the engraved blade against Elizabeth's neck. "Jack taught me that little move," she hissed in the blonde woman's ear. "So, I've got that, at least."
"Annie," James spoke in earnest this time. Hands raised in front of him, he slowly inched towards the volatile pirate. "Annie, let her go."
"Let her go?" Ana's voice was light, playful. She was taunting the woman who's life was in her hands. "Why? So, she can go on using you, taking advantage of you."
Elizabeth, foolishly, dared to speak. "I use him?" she spat. "Then, what would you call the evening you apparently spent in his arms?"
Ana pulled back slightly on the blade, coming extremely close to piercing Elizabeth's skin. "Consider a moment, Mrs. Norrington, who it is you are pushing. The man I love is dead. My home is sitting on the sand beneath the Caribbean sea. I have nothing left to lose."
"Admiral Norrington?" a cry came from the house.
Ana brusquely pushed Elizabeth away, and concealed the dagger behind her back. "Lucky girl," she sneered.
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"On the terrace." James sighed. He didn't particularly care for Captain Gillette. Most days, he rather detested the man, but today he was relieved by Gillette's appearance. Very relieved. Annie was a pirate, and a woman in mourning. She didn't have a whole lot left to lose, and she had very clearly been angry with Elizabeth. She might have dared to cross the line and injure, or possibly even kill, his wife. But, she was not desperate enough to do it in front of two high ranking officers of the Royal Navy.
"Sir," the Captain greeted, bringing his hand to touch the brim of his hat. "A French frigate's in the bay, Sir."
Norrington's brow's came together. "And do you mind telling me, why you let a Frenchman into my harbor?"
"Hit by pirates," Gillette explained. "They ask for a cessation of hostilities so they can refit." Norrington's brow rose again, sensing a trick. "They are willing to pay twice what supplies would be worth."
"Are they, indeed?" James mused. "Did they happen to mention which pirate caused the trouble?"
"Lefty Scott."
Casting a surreptitious glance at Annie, who only smiled innocently, Norrington rolled his eyes. "Lefty Scott preying on the frogs," he said. "Well, that sounds about right. I may almost be sad when the day comes that he's killed or captured."
"Sir!" Gillette was more than scandalized.
"Keep in mind, Captain, that an enemy of an enemy can be very useful," James smirked. He was beginning to understand the fascination that Prescott always held for saying things for the sole purpose of getting a rise out of someone. "And any enemy of France can be much more than that," he finished.
"Yes, Sir." Gillette agreed, but he was not, by any means, convinced.
Norrington sighed again. "I'll be to the docks presently, Captain," he said, dismissing his subordinate. "Ladies," he turned to Annie and Elizabeth, who were both wearing foul, uninviting expressions. "We have all committed sins. Please, let this conversation be finished."
"I believe it was more than finished, James," Annie answered, fingering the dagger's blade. She shot a dark glance at Elizabeth before strutting confidently back to the house. Elizabeth, arms crossed, huffed and turned her back to her husband.
James exhaled, and shook his head as he made for the study. Perhaps a few Frenchmen would be preferable to dealing with Annie and his wife. He was almost thankful for the arrival of England's enemy. In the study, James found his hat, decked out with feathers, brocade, and all the useless adornments worn by an Admiral. His equally ornate sword lay across his desk. Grasping for the weapon, he was hopelessly shocked when a hand closed around his wrist.
"Off to do battle with the wicked Frenchmen?" a familiar voice asked.
James turned to stare into a pair of blue eyes that he hadn't seen in well over five years. Eyes he had believed to be closed in death. "Prescott?"
"Hello, James."
TBC
Well, well, fireworks ... as promised. So, everyone who bet on Miss Ana (and who wouldn't) go right ahead and collect!
Alicia: Happy Birthday! Feel absolutely free to regard my updates as a birthday gift. I hope it brought you enjoyment. You're so right about Lizzie. She knows she will never feel for James, what she felt for Will. But, James is still her husband and he's supposed to be faithful, even though, she's been unfaithful (in a way) their whole marriage. She's being completely unfair, and I think that was the point Ana tried to make with this confrontation (she may have gone a bit to far to get the message across). And, about John, I didn't really explain where he was during all of this (bad author) but let's just say he's gone out and, thankfully, didn't have to see Ana hand his mother her ass on a plate!
Cal: I'm glad my description of Pres' cabin kinda tugged at the old heartstrings. I think that, while Jack never felt truly at peace anywhere but on his Pearl, Prescott's ship was a close second, and seeing that things haven't really changed too much probably gave Jack a twinkling of hope that he may still have a home left even after the Pearl has gone. Now, as for Ana wasting her life, well, remember you're reading Jack's memories. He's just dwelling on all the things he didn't do for his first mate. Granted, he should have done most, if not all, of those things, but he isn't really thinking on everything he did do for her. It does seem like Jack didn't deserve her, because that's what he truly believes. He doesn't feel worth loving. Ana, however, does believe he's worth it. She's no idiot. As you've noticed, she's left behind a trail of broken hearts. She could have almost any man she wants, but she stays with Jack because he's the perfect fit. I'm sure she's angry when he does stupid things, like stepping out, but I also think that after the immediate anger fades, she understands why he does those stupid things. So, I hope that novel length explanation made some sense, oh, and I hope you liked Ana vs. Lizzie.
Yuna-Flowering: Sorry there's confusion about the ages. I went back through and scanned this story, and I didn't find the descrepancies. But, to set the record straight, this story takes place 20 years after the movie. It has been almost 30 years since Jack and Ana first met. Prescott and James are late fifties. Jack and Ana are early fifties. And Liz is late thirties. If there's a place where I say something different, please let me know, and I'll fix it.
DyingStar: You understand Jack's feelings exactly. He promised to tell Ana everything back when he thought she was dead, and he wouldn't get the chance. Now that he has to make good on that promise, he's scared to death. I'm still working on their reunion, but it will certainly prove interesting!
SylviaD: Well, I'm sure there had to be some peace and tranquility in there somewhere, but it's the crisis points that are so much more interesting to write about. I know I seem to put characters we all love through hell, but we love these characters because of their determination and integrity. They've been kicked to the ground hundreds of times, and never stayed down. And yes, Prescott to the rescue. He's here, how can things possibly go wrong? Well, as you can already tell, nothing in this story is wine and roses, but don't be downhearted. Stick with it, and I'll try to do it right!
Nykky: I'm glad you liked the chappy between Jack and Prescott. Ol' Scotty's a bit volotile, but he can't stay mad at Jack forever. I almost see these two as being like war buddies. They've been through battle after battle, fighting side by side, ready to face death for each other. So, they may not like each other all the time, but the love of brothers runs deep enough to weather the storms.
Well, as always thanks for the feedback. And, I hate to end on a sad note, but I could use some warm and fuzzies in the next set of reviews. My husband and I got two kittens last Saturday, and one of them was killed last night, so I'm feeling pretty rotten and could use a bit of cheering up. Thanks.