A/N: Here's another chapter for you! Sorry about the delay, I've been busy which is kind of surprising since I'm out of school. Anyways, enjoy!
The White Masque: Nice new screen name, I like it! Hope your finals weren't too horrible. Thanks for understanding about my updating issues and reviewing!
Mystisch: Yeah, military ranks aren't easy to remember. I think there's a couple in between lieutenant and captain, or else it'd be too easy to become an admiral. It's highly unlikely that someone could go from lieutenant to captain in one year. If you listen carefully in POTC, you know that it took Norrington 8 years to go from lieutenant to commodore, lol. Sorry about my crazy obsession that leads me to random facts, please forgive me. Thanks for the two reviews!
Robinisawesome: Where did Elizabeth go? Eh, she didn't go anywhere special, at least I don't think so, unless I give her some evil plan that will be revealed later but right now in my head…oh, I said too much didn't I? Oops. Well, um, let's just say that didn't happen, lol. Thanks for the review!
somegrl28: I'll keep updating, don't worry. Thanks for reviewing!
Parasite Eve: Wow, glad you loved my stories. Now I really can't slack off or I'll have some angry readers. Sorry if I made you wait too long for this update. Thanks for the review!
obliviongates: I don't think Will will ever be a good liar. Some people just don't understand the art that is lying. Elizabeth? Evil? No! lol. Thanks for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Pirates of the Caribbean. I only own Anna Wilson and anyone else you don't recognize from the movie.
Chapter Four: The Dream
Elizabeth stood at her bedroom window looking out to the sea. The sun was rising slowly over the horizon. She never got to sleep that night. She couldn't stop thinking about what had happened several hours earlier. Two consciences were fighting a battle over what she wanted and what was right. But now, she was only feeling regret.
'Why did I leave him?' she asked herself.
You don't love him. You wanted an excuse to get rid of him.
'No,' Elizabeth pleaded with the voice in the back of her head.
You let him go. You lied to him. You betrayed him.
'What was I thinking?' she asked.
You weren't.
'Does he suspect something?'
Of course, but he loves you more than anything else. He trusts you.
Elizabeth drew in a sharp breath at the pain of the truth. She betrayed Will's trust. She lied to Will and ran away. She was a coward.
A tear ran from her eye and down her cheek. She wiped it away, but didn't stop the others from falling as she fell back onto her bed and buried her face in the pillows. She was miserable and she knew she deserved it.
…………………………
That morning in Port Royal was like every other morning, busy and cheerful. No one knew of the events that had taken place the night before, though many were suspicious that something happened. The navy was busily preparing itself to leave. Even the simplest of people in the port would realize that something was up if the navy took leave the day before the governor's daughter's wedding.
"Captain, should we prepare the Fortune in pursuit of Mr. Sparrow?"
Captain Anderson looked up from his paperwork at the lieutenant standing in the doorway of his office.
"No," he replied simply.
"Which ship should we prepare then?" the lieutenant asked nervously, surprised by his captain's response.
"The Silent Blade," Captain Anderson said smiling strangely.
"But sir, we have not used that ship since…since…we have never used that ship except to bring it to Port Royal after…" the lieutenant trailed off. "It's not even a naval ship!"
"I know it's not a naval ship. Who said anything about this being a naval pursuit?" Captain Anderson said.
"Sir, I don't understand. The commodore gave orders…"
"I don't care what the commodore said!" Captain Anderson barked cutting the lieutenant off.
"Sir, I still don't understand why this pursuit of pirates is different from any other. Why must we use a…a pirate ship, sir?" the lieutenant asked.
"The Black Pearl can outrun all of our ships except the Silent Blade," Captain Anderson said sternly.
"I still don't understand, sir. It isn't our ship…"
"It's my ship. We are going to use my ship to go after these pirates and get what I deserve!" Captain Anderson said on the edge of insanity.
"Your ship, sir?"
"Yes, my ship! Prepare it immediately! Don't stop for anyone! We leave at noon!" Captain Anderson barked.
"Yes, sir," the lieutenant said leaving the office.
Captain Anderson looked back down at his paperwork, but instead of it being naval paperwork, it was a log of Captain Cornelius Anderson of the Silent Blade just days before it was attacked by Captain Robert Searles.
…………………………
Anna breathed a sigh of relief as Port Royal slowly disappeared from view just as the sun made it over the eastern horizon. It had been a mad rush of confusion as Will helped Jack to his cabin to sleep off his drunkenness and as Anamaria and Gibbs took over the position as captain to get the Black Pearl safely away from the island of Jamaica. Anna had changed out of the nightgown she borrowed from Elizabeth and back into her normal pirate garb.
The crew was finally beginning to relax as all the chores needed to get the Pearl underway were finished. The air had grown still and peaceful. All that could be heard was the gentle lapping of waves against the side of the ship and the creaking of wood as they sailed away from the island.
Will stood a couple feet away from the port side of the ship where Anna stood looking out towards the sunrise. He was hesitant to walk near her, though he couldn't walk away. He crept quietly towards her and was soon standing next to her, trying to figure out what he should say.
"Hello, Will," Anna said not looking at the man standing beside her.
"Hi," Will said in a barely audible voice.
They stood in silence for a good amount of time before Will decided to speak up.
"I can't believe I'm doing this," he said smiling to himself as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
"Why?" Anna asked looking up at him.
Will didn't know what to say. He expected Anna to laugh with him and maybe break the tension. He didn't have a reason to not believe he was doing this.
"Uh…well, I…" Will stammered trying to think up an answer.
"You've done something crazy like this before. I half expected you to do it again," Anna said staring back out towards the sunrise.
"But not the day before my own wedding," Will countered.
"Then why'd you do it?" Anna asked.
Will paused and leaned on the railing, taking a deep breath. "I don't know," he finally said quietly. He stood like that for a minute or two and went on to speak again. "You know I didn't recognize you right away yesterday."
Anna smiled amusedly. "Oh really?"
"You seem so different," Will said turning towards her.
Anna looked up at him and raised an eyebrow in question.
"How so?" she asked.
"You don't seem as…" Will stopped, trying to choose his words carefully so he wouldn't offend her.
"Delicate?" Anna suggested for him.
Will nodded. "Yeah."
"You forget that I'm a pirate now, Will. I can't be delicate."
Will looked down at Anna's hand that sat lightly on the railing. He reached out and touched it lightly. Anna tensed but then relaxed as Will picked up her hand and held it palm up in his hand. His thumb brushed over the calluses and dirt acquired over the last year. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, but he suddenly realized what he was doing and dropped Anna's hand.
"I-I-I'm sorry," he said looking down.
Anna smiled and crossed her arms in front of her. "It's fine. But I am wondering why you are so amazed by a callused hand."
Will looked down at his own callused hands from the hard labor of a blacksmith.
"So, um, do you plan on going back?" Anna asked.
Will shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't know if I can be so lucky as to escape a hanging this time."
"I wouldn't," Anna said quietly, sitting down on a pile of ropes and boxes.
"Why?" It was Will's turn to ask that question.
"I would be scared. You don't know what could have changed or what could have happened while you were gone."
Will sat down next to Anna and examined his hands. "Elizabeth will still be there for me," he said with less confidence than he'd hoped.
Anna winced at the thought of what Will didn't know. She knew then how hurt he'd be if he went back and found Elizabeth happily married to Norrington. She knew that she had to tell Will what she saw sooner or later. But she was afraid to hurt him herself.
"Will, I have to tell you something," Anna said quietly as she nervously cracked her knuckles.
He turned and looked straight at her. "What is it?"
"Last night…I…I saw…something," Anna began and hesitated.
"What did you see?" Will asked, concerned that something bad happened to Anna.
"I…heard someone…walking upstairs…" Anna started, her voice shaking madly. "I thought…it was you…at first, saying goodbye to Elizabeth."
Anna stopped and closed her eyes. She couldn't say more. Her throat closed up and her mouth went dry. Will got up and sat in front of her trying to look into her eyes for answers her mouth dare not speak.
"What happened?" Will asked, his voice low and serious.
Anna shook her head. "Never mind," she said standing up to walk away.
Will grabbed her arm stopping her. "Anna, please tell me," he said softly.
"I can't," she managed to squeak out.
"Did someone hurt you?" Will asked keeping eye contact with Anna.
She shook her head. "No."
"Then tell me who was walking up the stairs," Will pleaded sitting Anna back down.
"Commodore Norrington," Anna said quietly.
Will raised an eyebrow. "Yes I know he came and arrested you and Jack. Isn't that all he did?"
Anna shook her head no so slightly that Will could barely see that she moved.
"Anna!" a shout came from a voice standing near the wheel of the Pearl.
Anna and Will looked up and saw Anamaria calling. Anna stood up and walked over without looking at Will.
"Yeah?" Anna asked once at the wheel.
"Take the wheel this watch. Just keep her steady going straight," Anamaria said walking away.
"Where're we headed to?" Anna called to Anamaria.
"Where else? Tortuga," she said rolling her eyes.
…………………………
Jack awoke later that afternoon in a happier mood than anyone expected him to be in. His hangover was barely noticeable as he shouted orders as usual and made witty remarks every other sentence.
"You're in a good mood," Anna said as Jack sauntered past her while she mopped part of the deck.
"Why yes I am, luv. Thanks fer noticin'," he said smiling.
Anna raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" she asked worriedly.
"Oh, I found meself a bit of information while in Port Royal, savvy?" he said happily.
"What kind of information?" Anna asked skeptically.
"Well, I heard that about 16 years ago, two pirate ships, who of course were enemies, were after this great buried treasure. Well, it was never found because one ship's captain killed the other ship's captain and left the crew and the ship stranded in the middle of the ocean. Well, the navy found the other ship and the other captain was killed and his ship sunk. I thought it was all just a pirate story to tell little kids until I saw the infamous Silent Blade floating in the harbor at Port Royal," Jack explained excitedly.
Anna thought for a moment. 'The Silent Blade? I know that from somewhere…' she thought to herself.
"What's the Silent Blade?" she asked Jack.
"It's the ship that was stranded in the ocean by Robert Searles, the captain of the Adriana," Jack said.
"Okay, so the Adriana is the Silent Blade's enemy," Anna said trying to put together the story that Jack attempted to tell.
"That's correct!" Jack said.
Anna thought to herself some more as the name Robert Searles sounded familiar along with the Adriana.
"Do you know where the name 'Adriana' came from?" she asked, remember someone using "Adriana" as someone's name along with the ship's name.
"No one knows where it came from because when the navy sunk the Adriana, there were no recorded survivors," Jack said, excited to tell someone something he knew lots about.
"Oh, okay. Um, well, why are we going to Tortuga then and why does this make you so happy?" Anna asked.
Jack smiled his famous smile that told he had a plan. "'cause if the Silent Blade is real, that means the treasure is real."
"How do you know that? The captain could have just been stupid."
"I just do. Ye should trust me with buried treasure, especially after Isle de Muerta," Jack said slyly. "I also know someone in Tortuga who can help us on our quest."
Anna shook her head. "Jack you're going to get yourself in so much trouble one day that it's going to kill every one of us along with you."
"Thank you, luv."
…………………………
It was the first night in days that Anna got to sleep. She lay in her hammock in the far corner of the forecastle next to Anamaria's hammock. She fell asleep almost immediately.
The sun shone brightly over the clear blue sea. The Adriana floated quietly through the calm waters as the captain walked around the deck, inspecting his crew. A small girl of about two years ran from below decks to the captain and hugged him tightly around the legs.
"Daddy!" she screamed and giggled as the captain picked up the girl and swung her around.
"Hey my little princess!" he said smiling at the girl. "How was your nap?"
"Good," the girl said happily and leaning her head on her father's shoulder.
"For you maybe!" a voice came from behind.
"Why?" the captain said turning around and seeing a girl of twelve years standing with her hands on her hips and glaring at the toddler.
"She was up the whole time singing those awful pirate songs you taught her!" the twelve year old yelled with fury burning in her bright green eyes.
"Katy, come on, those pirate songs are great," the captain insisted.
"Not when you're trying to sleep after an all-night watch!" the girl Katy said as the anger burned inside her.
The captain smiled down at her, watching as the girl's dark brown hair blew in her face. Katy tried her best to keep it held back so she could glare at her father but gave up and stomped away in frustration. The captain smiled and looked back down to the girl in his arms.
"Hey, you," he said to the girl in his arms that had fallen asleep.
The girl opened her dark blue eyes and looked up at her father trying not to look tired. "Yeah, daddy?" she said tiredly.
"I think you need a little more time for your nap," he said softly brushing the blonde hair out of his daughter's face.
"Okay…" the girl said and fell back asleep.
The captain sighed and walked the girl back to her bed. He tucked her in with the thin blanket and kissed her on the forehead.
"God, you look like your mother, just like Adriana," he said sadly. "Good night, Anna."
…………………………
Anna's eyes fluttered open and her heart beat crazily in her chest. The dream was so vivid, as vivid as a memory. It actually felt like a memory. She had never felt so happy in her entire life. She hopped out of the hammock and went outside the forecastle to see that it was about noon. She saw Will standing at the bow and walked over to him.
"You slept late," he said smiling slightly and turning towards her.
"Well nobody woke me up so the fault isn't mine," Anna shot back with a smile.
Will let out a laugh and went back to work. Anna walked to Jack to see what needed to be done.
"Eh, just check the sails, make sure they're still in their place and that none of them are torn. That'll be about it fer now," he said lazily.
"Okay," Anna said, "Oh wait, when are we going to get to Tortuga?"
Jack smiled, the excitement of another adventure shining in his eyes. "As long as the weather's this good, we'll be there no later than dusk!"
"Really?" Anna asked, still not believing the speed of this monstrous ship.
"Of course! Don't ye trust ol' Jack?" he asked.
Anna nodded. "I shouldn't but I have to."
"That's right."
A/N: This chapter is just a transition kind of chapter so not much really happened. The next chapter will have more in it and more of the point to the story will be revealed…hopefully. Well, I hope you enjoyed. Please review!
Oh yeah, and those captains, Cornelius Anderson and Robert Searles are based on actual pirates, but they're not very well known. I was looking for pirate names and found a list of all recorded actual pirates and took those names. Just another random thing you probably didn't need to know, lol. Bye!