When Jack opened his eyes he knew it was morning, he looked up and noticed someone standing in front of him.
"Gov'nor?" It was indeed Governor Swann standing there before him, he wasn't alone, there were guards standing around them, pointing their weapons at him.
"Where's my daughter?" Norringtons voice was hard and filled with anger.
Jack didn't answer, he moved Angela carefully from his lap and put her gently down in the sand, then he stood up, looking Governor Swann straight in the eyes and explained what had happened. Governor Swann didn't interrupt, but when Jack was finished he did something that surprised everybody, especially Jack – he punched him.
Jack fell down in the sand; he didn't get back up on his feet very fast.
This morning started out just fine….
"You where supposed to protect her!" Governor Swan started yelling.
"I thought that was 'er 'usbands job!" Jack stood up, looking nearly as furious as the Governor him self, Governor Swann backed away.
"Ye aint gonna save yer daughter while yelling at me. I couldn't do very much since I was shot at! But we can still save her, and the others." Swann said nothing so Jack walked over to Angela again.
"Angela, wake up." Swann noticed how much he seemed to care about the young woman.
Angela opened her eyes slowly, but shut them again. Jack couldn't stop the grin from appearing on his face.
"Tha's also bound to happen the first time, love." Angela didn't answer.
"Can ye walk?" She nodded, but Jack still had to help her get up on her feet, and she didn't stay up for long. So Jack picked her up and carried her over to the Dauntless, but Angela didn't notice this, she had gone to sleep again. Governor Swann and the others followed the two, in silence.
"Feeling better?" Jack stood in doorway watching as Angela put her hair up in a ponytail. (funny name though Jack thought.)
"Yes, actually. I was just not used to being hung over. But now I'm fit for battle."
She walked over to him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"About last night…" Jack stepped closer and placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Angela don't, we were drunk both of us."
"Yes but still…Hey, can you promise me something?"
"Aye…"
"Don't tell anyone about last night. Please. Don't tell anyone about what I told you, what I did, or…that I cried." She bit her lip. "And not the reason for why I cried." Jack pulled her closer into an embrace. "I promise."
"Thank you." She backed away from Jack's arms and turned away.
"If I hadn't…pulled away last night…would you have stopped?"
"No...I'm afraid I wouldn't 'ave. Blame the rum and yer beauty." He grinned at her, but then his face turned serious again. "So I am glad that ye stopped it."
"Really?" Angela turned back and looked rather surprised.
"Aye…If I'll ever 'ave ye, I don' want it to be 'cause yer drunk, love. I want you to want it as much as me." He pointed at her, and then at himself. Angela smiled; Jack's hand gestures are infamous.
"Well that's good to hear. But what about last year? Would you've gone further with Elizabeth, if you hadn't past out?" Jack looked a bit surprised at first, then irritated.
"Tha's in the past." He didn't look Angela in the eyes.
"I was just wondering."
"Maybe I would 'ave, but as I said, 's in the past, would ne'er touch 'er now."
"Why not?" Angela, who expected him to explain to her that he still was too angry with her for burning the rum to ever touch her again, was caught completely by surprise over what he said.
"She's Wills wife, I would ne'er do that to him. He's like a brother to me…"
Angela stepped forward, placed her arms around Jack's neck and looked him in the eyes.
"I know." Jack smiled and put his arms around Angelas' waist, then he pulled her closer into a warm, friendly hug. Angela closed her eyes and realized how happy she was that he was there with her, Jack felt the same way. He couldn't stop admiring her for her strength. He closed his eyes and looked back several hours earlier, when she had convinced Governor Swann and his crew to go to Port Royal…
They all stared at her as they couldn't believe what she had just said.
Then some started shouting. "We can't go there!"
"We still remember last year!" "You must be crazy!"
Then Angela had gotten furious, but her voice was calm as she spoke.
"I know that you all are scared, and with all right. And yes, going in to that cave is going to be very dangerous, you can almost call it suicide. Some of us will die. So leaving now can seem like a good idea, but it's not, believe me. First of all, they are not cursed yet, or one is, but he is not your problem, and second of all, think about Port Royal, your friends, families, they'll be the next victims! Would you really rather lose them then go into that cave and risk your life for the ones that you love? Some of your friends are already captured. Commodore Norrington is one of them, Mr and Mrs Turner is also in those pirates hands. But we can stop them, trust me. And we are the ones that have to! Because we are the only ones left, the last hope. We are the last resistance! If we won't stop them, no one will!"
When Angela was finished, Jack had started to applaud, and some followed his example.
Then Governor Swann had told everybody that Jack and Angela was in charge for now, and the one who refused to follow their orders would be hanged when they got back home, for treachery. But Angela had interrupted and explained that no one would be forced to go in to the cave, but she was going in, and it was up to each and everyone if they followed her…
Jack pulled her closer; he didn't want to let her go, not now, not ever. But he realised that he had to, so he eased his grip on her, but she didn't move.
"Just hold me for a while", Angela whispered. Jack smiled and pulled her closer again. Then, Angela started humming, slow and silent; Jack closed his eyes and just listened. After a while he opened his eyes again, and then interrupted Angelas humming with his question.
"Which song is that?" Angela stepped away from him, looking embarrassed, but she smiled.
"It's just a song. You couldn't have heard it before, it hasn't been written yet. It's just an old stupid song. But it's also the one happy memory I have with my mother."
"Would you like to tell me?"
"I guess. I was 5 or six years old. I woke up in the middle of the night, I had a nightmare. My mom came in to my room. She hadn't taken any drugs or alcohol that day, I think it's the only time that I can remember seeing her like that, like a mother. Anyways, she sat down on my bed and told me that there was nothing to afraid of. Then she tucked me in and sang that song. I felt so safe, and happy, so ever since…I sing that song whenever I feel nervous or scared."
"Are you?"
"What?"
"Are ye scared?" Angelas looked both shocked and furious.
"No!" Then she stormed out from the cabin. Jack looked after her, sighed, and then slowly he followed her.
Angela stood in the stem staring at the massive rocks in front of her. The fog was thick, and the air cold, the sun would soon be on its way down and Angela realised that this might be her last night in this world, the last night in her life. I'm not scared…
She sighed and placed her head in her hands.
"I am not scared, I don't fear you. You hear that Barbossa?" Angela was now hanging over the rail, shouting at the island in front of her. "I'm here now, I'm coming for you!"
"And she's not coming alone!" Angela turned around, Jack stood behind her. And once again Angela was hit by how incredible handsome he was. The wind was playing a wild game in his hair; she could hint his muscles under his shirt when he moved a few steppes forward, towards her, and his dark beautiful eyes, that was focused on her right now. A small shiver in her spine and a funny feeling in her stomach, but she ignored the impulse to walk over to him and kiss him, instead she looked away, feeling like a fool.
"Ye don't 'ave to this ye know…"
"Of course I do!"
"Angela…"
"No Jack. It has to be me! It's my destiny. And I know what will happen if I don't stop him. I've seen it, and I've read about it." Angela didn't even need to look at Jack to know that he didn't understand what she meant and wanted her to explain.
"In 1692 the town Port Royal was destroyed in what I've read an earthquake. But I know that that is not true. There were no earthquake, it was Barbossa. And no one lived to tell the tale so I guess that people just figured that it had to have been an earthquake. They said it was a punishment from God. Port Royal was pirates' sanctuary; the governor let them be in the town in exchange for protection from the Spanish. At least that's what the book said. So I guess that the lovely townspeople figured out which people that was on that mysterious ship with the black sails, and a rumour started." She turned back to Jack and looked him straight in the eyes, and Jack was once again stunned both by her beauty and her strength.
"We can't let him win, Barbossa has to be stopped."
"Aye, but not necessary by you. It's too dangerous, ye might get killed."
"I know that. And it's ok. If…it is my destiny to go in to that cave and get killed while fighting for what I believe in, then I accept my fate. I'm not afraid of dying Jack." She started walking back and forth.
"It doesn't mean that I want to die, but I don't fear death, and I definitely don't fear him," she nodded towards the island, "not anymore. And I am ready to die…are you?" Angela had stopped walking around and was now standing, her arms crossed and staring at Jack.
"How do ye know when ye're ready?"
"The day you can say out loud that you don't regret a thing in your life, then you're ready. And I am, I most definitely am."
"Are ye really? 'ave ye done everything ye'd wanted to? And nothing that ye regret?"
"I said that I don't regret a thing! But I wish I could have some more time. Time to travel, see the world. Fall in love…and maybe even have kids one day."
"I can't promise ye any children, but I swear that when all of this is over, I'll take ye with me, and I'll show ye the world." Angela smiled and wondered for a short second if she should kiss Jack and say thank you, but then a young man came over to them and said that the anchor was down and wondered what to do next. Angela told him to go and get all men on the ship, bring them to her and she would tell them what to do. So he hurried off and just a couple of minutes later all men was gathered on deck, all looking very nervous and scared. Angela who didn't feel like holding any speech, and figured that it probably would do more harm than good, went straight to work.
"You guys," she pointed at a small group of men, "you'll stay here and guard the ship. Shoot everything that comes towards the ship that you don't recognise, understood?" They all nodded, looking rather relieved. Then Angela pointed at a new, even smaller group. "You'll go to the Pearl and get her back. There won't be more than one or two pirates guarding the ship since all their prisoners are in the cave right now." They nodded as well, looking almost looked as relieved as the others. Now Angela turned to the men that were left.
"And the rest will come with me." Scared faces looked back at her, but she ignored them.
"Come on now, no time to waste." So they all followed her over to the small boats and they made way to Isla the Muerta, the island of the dead.
"I still think that you should have staid on the Dauntless, Gov'nor."
"No Angela, my daughter is in there, how can you expect me to just sit and do nothing?"
"You won't be able to help her here either, since I'm the only one that's going in."
They were all standing in the water at the entrance to the treasure chamber. Governor Swann had refused to stay on the ship so he had come along, even though Angela feared that he would be more trouble than help.
"What?" Jack stepped forward and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I won't let ye."
"You have to. You can't go in there Jack; Barbossa will shoot you the same second as he sees you, trust me. But I will probably be able to win some time. So, when I go in, you'll sneak over to Will and the others, that way. "She pointed towards a small passage Jack had never seen before. "Get them loose and then send them one at the time through here and you guys," she turned to the soldiers, "will help them over to the Dauntless." Angela saw that Jack was about to protest and argue with her about her plan.
"Just leave Barbossa to me Jack! I'll get him, I won't fail! And listen Jack, this is very important." She placed her right hand on Jacks cheek. "You have to survive, so no matter what happens to me, no matter what they are doing to me you have to promise to not interfere. Promise me!" Jack said nothing. "Good", Angela whispered. Jack suddenly grabbed her and placed a gentle kiss on her lips in front of a shocked group of navvy soldiers and a stunned governor. Then he placed his pistol in her hands.
"'ere, ye take this. Jus' make sure…"
"That I'll use it on Barbossa, I know."
"No, make sure to come out of that place alive." Now it was Angelas turn not to answer, because she had no answer to give him.
"Well, I guess we should…" Angela suddenly gasped and fell to the ground; she had her hands clutched to her right waist, breathing heavily as a sharp pain was pounding in her right hip. Black spots danced in front of her eyes, she closed them and heard voices somewhere far away, and when she opened her eyes again she wasn't with Jack and the others, she was in the treasure chamber…
Barbossa walked over to his prisoners, he said something but Angela couldn't hear what. He turned around and suddenly Elizabeth, who had gotten out of her ropes somehow, leaped forward and jabbed a small dagger in to Barbossas right side, he gasped, grabbed Elizabeth and pushed her with such power that she fell to the ground, then he pulled the dagger out.
Angela stood up, slowly, her legs shaking. She moved away her hands from her side and they could all she a spot of blood growing on her shirt, and then it just disappeared. Angela leaned on the hard stonewall and whispered, with her eyes shut: "Elizabeth…"
She saw how Barbossa pulled Elizabeth back on to her feet.
"I see that we have a volunteer to our ceremony". He took her with him to the stone chest. Angela could hear Will scream.
"Don' worry Mr Turner, ye'll join yer beautiful wife soon enough." Then he bended her over and placed the knife to Elizabeth's throat, and the image faded away…
Angela opened her eyes again.
"Angela, what happened?" She heard Jacks concerned voice, and then Governor Swann's voice as he asked her what was wrong with his daughter.
"The ceremony is about to begin, and your daughter is the first one. We've got no time; we have to act now, before it's too late."
But what can we do?
Angela suddenly stared at her hands.
Barbossa is holding her down with his left hand, and is holding the knife with his right…
"Of course…" She stepped forward, looked at her hand for a second, she bit her lip as she realized what this would cost her, but she had no other choice.
"What? What can we do?" Governor Swann sounded as if he was about to start crying.
"Pray that this works…" Angela took a deep breath and then she jammed her right hand, with all power that she had, into the stone wall…
Authors note
What Angela tells Jack is true, Port Royal was destroyed in an earthquake that year and people said it was a punishment to the governor from God, for letting pirates in to that town. After the disaster the town was rebuild but changed its name.
And by the way, I hope that you guys are not to disappointed with this chapter, please comment, because I'm not sure if it's any good.