Disclaimer: Sorry 'bout the wait, but I be back in bus'ness editin' me brain-child. An' she be nearly done! Don' wanna keep ye waitin teh see the action windin' teh a close, I'll be keepin' this short. I don' own Pirates of the Caribbean, an' I don' be makin' money off'a this, so don' be suin' me. Now enjoy, an' be reviewin', ye scalliwags!
Chapter 8
Hiding her nervousness as best she could, Morgan ignored the lecherous looks she received from almost every man she passed as she walked down the streets of Tortuga with her head up, her white dress fluttering in the breeze. If she was going to make it through her short stay here, she was not going to let anyone come anywhere near her.
Under her arm was a long white box packed with the few decent dresses and hats she had found in a tailor's shop tucked away in a corner, a good distance away from the bars and taverns.
During the sail over, Jack had introduced her to Will and Elizabeth, two friends he had come across on one of his adventures about a year ago. They were such wonderful people, and an adorable couple. Will was a very charming, if slightly shy, blacksmith who sorely wished to help out the woman that had "bewitched Jack so". Elizabeth was a sight for sore eyes; she had no one else to talk to regarding women's matters —Anna Maria was rather intimidating sometimes and did not seem interested.
Jack had gone ashore with her, obviously not trusting her to be able to navigate Tortuga safely after her last incident there. However, he had quickly revealed that he was not the shopping type, so she had sent him to a nearby tavern, promising him that she'd be all right as long as she had a pistol with her, which he gave reluctantly to her before stepping into the bustling pub.
The issue now was how to get him out. She had heard from Gibbs that once Jack was drunk in a tavern, it was rather difficult to get him to leave. He had also told her that he was rather popular among the local whores—although she had assumed as much by the number that flocked to him, both to flirt with and slap him. She hoped she wouldn't have to deal with that, although she grew steadily more anxious the closer she got to the tavern.
Over the loud shouting of many drunken men trying to outdo the others within the building, there was a crash of a glass cup shattering, and then a loud sound of a struggle. A moment later Jack, being dragged between two larger men, was thrown from the door of the tavern onto the ground at her feet. Not seeming to notice her, Jack stood up quickly, only to stumble to either side slightly and glare at the two men at the door with slightly dazed eyes as they turned and stomped back into the bar.
"A'right! I'm goin'!" He turned around, possibly a little too hastily, and lost his footing, falling to the ground with an undignified thud.
Morgan couldn't help but chuckle. He was rather funny when he was drunk. She knew it wasn't good for his health, but she couldn't help how cute she found him in this state.
Jack forced himself to his feet, grabbing onto her shoulders to steady himself, before he realized he was holding a person and proceeded to drunkenly examine her, as if trying to figure out who she was. Something clicked within his head, and he instantly grinned widely. "Norigan! There ye are!"
"Hello, Jack," she replied with an amused smile.
Jack motioned almost too widely for his own good, avoiding spinning and falling over again by sheer willpower, towards the tavern. "D'ye dant a wrink?"
Morgan's eyebrows went up—he had reached his cute limit and was now bordering on sad. "A wrink? Hmm," she hummed quizzically, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Jack. Let's get you back to the Black Pearl so you can get some rest."
"Rest?" Jack said in an almost whiny tone as she led him towards the docks. "But its anly ofternoon!"
"And you've only consumed twice your weight in alcohol," Morgan retorted sarcastically, being forced to swing Jack's arm over her shoulder to keep him on his feet.
Jack smiled sheepishly at his need for her to steady him. He tried to shift his weight from Morgan to his own two legs, moving to kiss her cheek. Unfortunately, he missed miserably, falling forward to land flat on his face in the dirt in front of her.
Morgan dug her heels in the dirt to avoid falling with him, her grip tightening on the box in her arms. She stared at him on the ground for a moment before she burst into laughter, unable to help herself.
Jack seemed to have given up trying to get back up by then.
•••
"What did you get?" Elizabeth looked curiously at the box Morgan had set down on the table before them.
To the surprise of the entire crew, Morgan had walked onto the Black Pearl with Jack leaning on her for support, obviously severely intoxicated. Apparently the last time they had visited Tortuga, Morgan had suffered a nervous breakdown. Her new confidence was a weight off everyone's shoulders. The captain was now below deck recovering from a spill he had taken in the streets, as he had surrendered his cabin to the noblewoman, no matter how much she had protested.
Morgan smiled and opened the box. Unfolding the paper covering what she had bought, she pulled out each item she had purchased. Elizabeth was stunned—she would never had believed the dresses inside had come from Tortuga if she didn't see Morgan return with them under her arm. Elizabeth pulled out the red dress at the top and admired it at its full length. "This one is lovely; try it on!"
With some help, Morgan slipped out of her white dress and pulled the red gown over her head. Elizabeth was gently tightening the laces of the noblewoman's corset, being careful not to hurt her, as she was still healing from being shot in the side, when she said absentmindedly, "You and Jack make a lovely couple."
Morgan grew very quiet suddenly, cheeks flushing slightly.
There was a long pause in which Elizabeth finished helping Morgan into her dress. "Lovely," Elizabeth finally said, hoping to change the subject. "I'd have never thought this could come from Tortuga!"
Morgan laughed, the smile finally returning to her face.
"We have to show this off to the gentlemen!"
•••
Will was busying himself tying off a line when the door to Jack's cabin opened and Elizabeth pulled a reluctant Morgan outside. The noblewoman was dressed in a beautiful rich red dress that made her pale skin glow from underneath the shade of a matching hat. He found himself thanking god for his strong willpower, managing to keep a hold of the line in his hand and tying it down quickly. Some men did not fare as well—he heard several lines slip and an uproar of startled cries as a sail fell right off the mast.
"What in the name o' Davy Jones' Locker is goin' on down there?!" Jack shouted from the bow, where he had been similarly tying off a line. Storming down the stairs, the sail fell away to reveal the woman in red behind it. His foot missed the last step and he tumbled to the deck face-first with an undignified thud.
Morgan rushed over, dropping to her knees as the pirate managed to roll onto his back and into a seated position. "Jack, are you alright?"
Jack smirked, rubbing his nose. "Actually hurt less than yer punch," he chuckled. Once they were both sure he was fine, he looked up at her to properly admire her attire. "Did'ye get that at Tortuga?"
Morgan grinned, as if she were immensely proud of herself for finding such a treasure, and to Will she very much deserved to be proud. "Mm-hmm," she hummed a bright affirmative.
"I hope ye got more," Jack said with a lift of his eyebrows as she helped him to his feet.
"Yes, actually," Morgan smiled as she straightened out her skirt. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen…" Morgan headed back towards Jack's cabin.
Jack, however, seemed to have other ideas. He stepped in front of her, leaning against the door and effectively barring her way. "Leavin' so soon? Ye just got out 'ere—stay a while longer?"
"Jack!" Gibbs shouted from the bow, "stop trying teh imagine what she looks like out o' that dress and start admirin' 'ow she looks in that dress!"
Jack's head snapped up, a glare instantly directed at the first mate, at whom he threw a banana conveniently placed in his pocket. He then returned to giving Morgan a confident, imploring stare.
Morgan patted his cheek, reached up, and suddenly and yanked his tricorn down his face.
Will couldn't stifle a laugh as Jack's charms were thrown back in his face.
"I'm only going to try on the other clothes I bought, Jack," Morgan smirked. "It's not like I'm going anywhere."
Elizabeth followed her into the captain's quarters and closed the door behind her as Jack slid his hat back onto the top of his head and leaned against the door, sighing heavily. Suddenly his glare was back and he stormed back towards the bow. "Gibbs, get yerself up in the crow's nest an' I don' want teh hear a peep outta ye fer the next three hours!"
Gibbs, who was in the middle of eating the banana that had been thrown at him, groaned and made his way to the main mast.
Will found himself chuckling at his friend's antics. Hopeless…
•••
"I beg your pardon?!" Morgan straightened up suddenly, glaring at Elizabeth over her shoulder.
Elizabeth didn't let it bother her, and continued to fasten the back of the powder blue dress to Morgan's slight figure. "I'm just saying that you two seem rather attached to each other, and, knowing Jack, the clear answer to me seems to be that you two must have been… intimate with each other."
"Well, we have not, thank you very much!" Morgan snapped her head forward again, not wanting Elizabeth to see the flush in her cheeks at the mere idea of her and Jack… She couldn't even bear to think about it. It was too promiscuous—unacceptable! She would never admit to anyone, not even herself, that it made her heart flutter and her imagination run wild at the brush of his hand against hers, the mere smell of him, which saturated the cabin.
"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said quickly, not wanting to start an argument. "You know how Jack is. I'm proud of you fending him off—that's no easy task."
A loud, high-pitched whistle rang clearly over the splashing of the waves against the hull of the ship.
The two women looked at each other, the reality that they were in dangerous waters with a hostile crew of Dutch pirates coming back to them with a frightening intensity. Outside they could hear Gibbs and Jack bickering.
"I thought I told ye I didn' wanna hear a peep outta ye, Mr. Gibbs!"
"But cap'n!"
"Mr. Gibbs!"
"There's a—"
"Mr. Gibbs!"
"Ship, cap'n! There's a ship off the port bow!"
The two women rushed out of the cabin, running to join the rest of the crew at the port rail, standing next to Jack as they noticed something on the horizon.
An uncomfortable pause stretched across a few long seconds before Jack's face turned grim. "She's 'ere…"
And with those two simple words, Morgan felt her pulse quicken both in fear and anger. So Flint had decided to show himself after all.
"Rackham," the blind pirate stood at attention the moment the captain spoke his name, "signal flags, quick."
Morgan looked out to the ship again. She could just barely make out a line of colorful flags on the mast of the Sylph. "What is she saying?"
Walter squinted. "…Surrender."
Rackham returned to the deck with the box of signal flags.
"Walter, be a dear and run up a message fer me," Jack said, never taking his eyes away from the enemy vessel. As Walter began rifling through the box of flags, Jack dictated his message. "Go to hell," Jack stated.
Walter chuckled. "There's no flag for 'hell', sir."
"Improvise."
With a smirk the butler selected the proper flags and ran them up the mast.
Then they waited. The silence seemed to stretch on forever until Morgan couldn't take it anymore and borrowed Jack's telescope to get a better look at the Sylph.
Suddenly the silence was broken by the loud thunder of a single cannon shot, and the Sylph turned and shot towards them.
"Will," Jack shouted to the blacksmith as he turned and strode quickly towards the helm, "hide Eliz'beth. Make sure she'll be safe." Morgan followed behind him to return his eyeglass when he turned and, taking the telescope from he, patted her hands and smiled grimly. "Ye'd better be goin' too, luv."
Morgan frowned. "Haven't you learned yet?" she said stubbornly. "I'm perfectly capable of defending myself—you taught me. I have a right to fight that womanizing bastard who—no!" she snapped in mid-sentence, seeing Jack step forward to pick her up and throw her wherever he thought she'd be safe. She stepped back quickly and thrust a threatening finger at the captain, watching him warily. "Don't you think you can pull that trick on me again! I will not let you push me around and keep me from—" Jack moved forward again, "—no!" She took another quick step back, followed by another when Jack came at her again. "I said no! Back off! I said I'm going to fight and I'm going to—no!" Before she could struggle her way out, Jack grabbed both her wrists and threw her over his shoulder, carrying her kicking and screaming to the hold, where he threw her in with Elizabeth, who looked just as happy to be there, closing and barring the door shut behind him.
Getting up from the floor with a growl, Morgan banged at the door with all her might, but was unable to get it open. She could hear Jack shouting orders with a sternness she had never heard him use before.
"Men," he yelled, "let's show 'em that the Black Pearl's still the fastest ship in the Caribbean!"
Suddenly the ship lurched forward, causing the two women to stumble and forcing them to grab a hold of something to keep them from falling.
Morgan's hand on the door handle clenched so tightly her knuckles were white as she glared at the wall keeping her from fighting alongside the rest of the crew. With a snarl she punched the door, recoiling in pain as she clutched her now raw hand. Leaning her back against the wall, she slowly slid down as she held her wounded hand to her chest, somewhere between screaming and crying. Damn it!
•••
Jack stood tense at the helm of the ship. He hated the last few moments where the ships finally pulled alongside each other, waiting until they came into firing range. There was no going back now.
The instant the two ships came alongside each other, Jack caught sight of Flint. The two captains exchanged glares, and suddenly the battle began. Both boats trembled as the other smashed its side with cannonballs, the space between them quickly filling with a blinding smoke, hiding the enemy from view.
Jack faintly heard a familiar raspy voice over the cannon fire, and then the Sylph suddenly stopped firing.
"Hold!" he shouted so that the entire crew could hear him.
The Black Pearl ceased firing.
As a silence stretched across a few horrible seconds that dragged by like centuries, Jack thought he could see something stirring the black smoke between ships. Squinting to get a better look, he watched as a swarm of grappling hooks flew towards his ship. But they flew much too high to be of any use, and caught themselves on the yards. Jack's eyes narrowed. What were they up to?
Suddenly four large ladders pierced the smoke, hoisted up to a vertical position and then tipping over towards the Black Pearl, with combat-ready crewmembers already gripping to the rungs.
…That's new…
It made sense now—the ladders were heaved up by the ropes that had been cast around the yards by the grappling hooks. The crew then pulled at the ropes, bringing the ladders up towards the ship.
…You clever devil…
The ladders came toppling down, the top of the legs bending at the hinge just above the top rung to grasp at the rail of the ship with claw-like notches. The moment the ladders sunk their teeth into the Black Pearl, Flint's men were upon them.
Jack barely had time to draw his cutlass before the ship was swarming with hostile pirates. Immediately he was defending himself from a particularly bold pirate who was smart enough to go for the captain. In a few mere seconds, the entire crew was busy defending the ship. He delivered a fatal slash to the man's stomach just as another moved to attack.
Sneaky bastards just keep comin'!
The smoke had cleared by then, and Jack could see the ladders built right into the floor of the Sylph. And from the looks of it, Flint was readying more. Two of his men tossed a grappling hook for each of them and caught one of the yards, tossing the ends of the ropes to the crew behind them. As the men began to heave on the two ropes, a few drew their weapons and hopped onto the ladder, which was quickly rising into the air and towards his ship.
"Stop 'em!" He shouted to whoever happened to be listening. "Fire cannons at will!"
Flint, in response, ordered his men to renew fire as well.
Jack could just catch Corsair up on the yards out of the corner of his eye as the captain was forced to defend himself from another overzealous member of Flint's crew. The renegade pirate had two curved swords drawn and, twirling them in his hands once, sliced both ropes on either side of him.
Flint's crewmembers at the ropes lurched backwards as their ropes went slack. The ladder slowed in its ascent and then came toppling back down onto the Sylph with a loud crash.
Fighting off the men trying to corner him, Jack glanced over to the ladders, noticing something interesting about the creative boarding planks. He finally managed to fight off enough men to buy himself some time, and leapt onto the port rail. As he had suspected, the hinges were well over the water—if they were taken out, the ladder wouldn't be able to support itself so far from the Sylph. He fired two well-aimed shots, startling the men who were attempting to climb over to his ship, and then, giving them a threatening grin, gave the top rung a sharp downward kick. The ladder, without its strong grip on the ship, plunged stiffly into the ocean between the two ships, the men on it screaming as they toppled down with their bridge and right into the cannon fire the two ships were exchanging.
Jumping back onto the deck, Jack rejoined the fight to defend his ship, a new sense of vigor filling him. "They're not invincible! Take 'em down, boys!"
Fancy tricks won't save you this time, Flint.
•••
Will thanked god he practiced swordplay three hours a day, blocking a blow aimed at his neck. Flint's men just kept coming, even though they had taken out two of their ladder-bridges. Running one of the men through with his sword, he glanced up to find Walter take out another ladder by ripping its claws from the Black Pearl's port rail before being forced to defend himself. But with the cannons pummeling the port side of the ship, he worried for the women in the hold.
He hoped they were alright…
•••
From the sounds coming through the door, the battle was getting intense. Even within the hold the two women were getting nervous. Having nothing to defend herself with, Morgan rifled through the crates until she finally pulled out a frying pan.
Elizabeth gave her a quizzical look. "…A frying pan?"
"It's iron!" Morgan protested. "It'd hurt!"
Elizabeth was about to retort when suddenly a cannonball crashed through the hull, splintering the crates to their right, causing them to scream in alarm as they were flung backwards.
•••
Jack had just finished off another ladder when he heard the crash of a cannonball piercing the hull, and then a sound that made his blood run cold.
Morgan's scream.
•••
Coughing at the dust stirred up at the impact, Morgan slowly pulled herself into a sitting position, carefully checking for any injuries. Luckily she didn't seem to be seriously hurt, and neither did Elizabeth, who was similarly checking herself for blood and the like. The two women slowly pulled each other to their feet, brushing the dust and splinters of wood from their dresses, when there came the sound of someone fighting to open the door. Exchanging concerned looks, they split up, ducking behind the still intact crates.
Readying her frying pan, Morgan listened carefully to any clues as to who it was. Judging by the stride and the low grumbling, it was one of the hundreds of men from above them. It wasn't Will, though—he didn't have such a low voice. Raising the pan over her shoulder, she waited until the man walked into view before she brought it against the back of his head—hard. There was a loud clang, and then a loud thud as the pirate fell heavily to the floor. Peering out of her hiding place to see whom she had hit, Morgan felt her face flush in frustrated humiliation.
Jack was lying face-flat in a heap on the floor.
"Jack!" Elizabeth stared at the fallen pirate, and then at the frying pan in her hands, quickly setting it out of sight. "Jack, are you all right?"
A groan.
Morgan lifted an eyebrow. Well, that's what he got for thinking she couldn't defend herself.
The door creaked as another pirate slowly entered the hold.
Heart pounding in her chest, Morgan managed to flip the captain over and dragged him between the crates where she was hiding. And just in time too—the man was getting closer every moment. And then his face came into view.
Flint.
The red-haired captain began searching the spaces between the crates, growing nearer every moment.
She couldn't move Jack any farther without attracting Flint's attention, so she pressed her back against the crates behind her and slid to her right into the gap between the crates, her heart pounding in her ears.
Don't look… Don't look…
Shutting her eyes tight, not daring to peer around the crate for fear of being seen, she opened them suddenly when she heard a raspy chuckle. She grabbed Jack's hand, but knew that she wouldn't be able to fight Flint with a frying pan. There was nothing she could do. Jack slowly slid away from her, a ring sliding off his finger as his hand was pulled from hers.
No…
•••
Jack woke up to a pounding headache and the feeling that he was being dragged. Opening his eyes, he found that he was indeed being dragged, lying on his stomach as someone pulled him by the ankle. And then suddenly he was flung to his left, flipping onto his back to find himself looking up at Flint. With one hand clutching his sore left temple, he reached down and drew his pistol, aiming it at the red-haired captain whose own pistol was aimed at him.
Flint smirked. "Ye wanna risk it?"
Jack did his best to return the grin with the throbbing pain in the back of his head. "Depends on 'ow reason'ble ye're bein'."
"Then when'ver ye're ready."
A long pause stretched for what seemed to last for years, both captains not moving an inch, guns trained on each other.
The instant Jack saw Flint's finger tighten on the trigger, he kicked upward hard, knocking the pistol away as Flint fired, the shot dramatically missing him. His own pistol fired, the bullet zinging just past Flint's face, blood exploding outwards as the bullet nicked his right cheek.
Flint suddenly lunged forward and grasped the scruffy pirate by the throat, using his weight to bear down on Jack.
Letting out a strangled growl, Jack struggled against the other man's grip, but found his fingers to be locked onto his throat like iron clasps. Grabbing the red-haired pirate's jacket collar, he gave a sharp kick upward, sending Flint flying over his head and onto his back almost a meter away.
Both pirates quickly got back onto their feet. Jack vaulted towards Flint, swinging a hard punch to his jaw. The red-haired captain stumbled backwards slightly. Jack pressed Flint back, not giving him the chance to recover from the blows. This man didn't deserve any mercy for what he did to Morgan and her family, as from the looks of what he had left at her home he had shown none. And Jack was going to make sure he didn't receive any.
Flint reeled backwards as Jack's uppercut connected, stumbling backwards into the wall behind him.
Jack lunged forward, aiming a hard punch to the center of his face. It was time to finish this.
Suddenly, with an unexpected speed for his situation, Flint leapt to the side, causing Jack's fist to come in contact with nothing but the wood planks behind him. Grabbing Jack's wrist, the red-haired pirate threw Jack into the wall and pinned him there with a conveniently stashed dagger to his throat, smirking triumphantly.
"Where'd ye stash the orb, Jack?" he said in a menacing tone.
"Don' 'ave it," Jack said calmly. "Rock fell on it."
Eyes burning, Flint pressed the blade harder against his neck. "That orb was the key to my success; it enables its holder to command the waves, will the currents, dom'nate that endless horizon around him… and ye're tellin' me it was shattered by a rock?!"
Jack didn't move, meeting the red-haired pirate's fiery glare.
Flint growled, thinking for quite some time before a small smile found its way onto his face. "There's still one treasure I can steal from ye," he grinned threateningly. However, instead of slashing the blade across his throat and stealing his life, as Jack had thought, he glanced over his shoulder. "I know yer're 'ere, lovely," he said in a low, raspy tone, raising his voice so it carried throughout the entire hold.
Forcing himself not to squirm away from the blade at his neck, Jack came to a sudden stunning realization.
He was drawing Morgan out.
"Now, come on out an' I won't 'ave teh resort teh slittin' yer cap'n's throat," Flint tapped the knife against Jack's neck threateningly. "Come with me an' no more blood'll be shed."
There was a long stretch of silence.
Jack could've sworn that he'd heard the slightest breathing of a woman down the hold, and it seemed that Flint had heard it too. The red-haired captain, with one hand still pinning Jack to the wall, backed up slightly, looking about the deck. His dagger slowly backed away from Jack's throat, allowing him to breathe freely without having to worry about cutting himself. Flint glanced about one last time, before finally looking back to Jack with a sinister grin on his face. He altered his grip on the knife in his hands and, after a slight pause, swung it in a stabbing motion towards his face.
"No!"
The blade embedded itself into the wall just to the right of Jack's face. Both pirates looked towards the hatch, where a woman dressed in a delicate powder blue dress, wavy chestnut hair loose and fluttering in the breeze from the open door, stood. Her hands trembled slightly, but there was a defiant fire in her two-tone eyes.
"Morgan!" Jack shouted, his chest tightening at the fact that he was pinned against a wall and unable to help her.
Flint grinned victoriously, turning and striding towards her, seeming to forget that he had released a now very dangerous pirate.
Jack lunged forward and grabbed the other pirate's ankles, dragging him down with him. "Run!"
Morgan, giving him a nod of determination, whirled around and took off onto the deck.
Struggling with all his might, Flint suddenly whipped around and jabbed his dagger into Jack's right arm.
Jack let out a stifled cry and released the red-haired pirate's legs, clutching his wound in pain. He looked up just in time to see Flint take off through the hatch.
God, if she makes it out alive, I'll never let her go…
•••
The first thing she did coming out of the hold was to take a sword and pistol from a nearby body. Climbing up the rope ladder tied to the main mast at a startling speed, Morgan glanced behind her at the pain-filled scream to see Flint running out of the hatch towards her. Please let Jack be all right… With that she continued up the mast.
Flint was an incredible runner and climber. In a few moments he had tightened the gap between them.
Trying to think of something to use as an advantage, Morgan prayed that he didn't have as good of balance as he did speed and strength, climbing towards the main topgallant yard. As soon as she had reached it, she swung onto the large wooden rod and ran out a few good meters before she turned to face Flint, who was swinging himself onto the yard after her.
The red-haired man grinned. "Lovely, ye know it's useless teh run."
Morgan glanced around her, finding her plan backfiring on her. There was nowhere to go now, and Flint seemed pretty sure-footed. He further proved his balance as a strong wind caused the yard to shake, not budging as his feet remained firmly planted on the yard. However, Morgan's balance was not nearly as good. She teetered, swinging her arms in an attempt to balance herself, but was unable to regain her bearings, watching as the ocean filled more and more of her field of vision. With a cry her feet slipped from the yard and she fell.
•••
Jack climbed out of the hatch, his shoulder hastily bandaged, and searched the ship desperately for Morgan. He looked up just in time to see her and the red-haired captain up on the main topgallant. Just as he had found her, a gust of wind rattled the yard, and Morgan wobbled and fell.
He felt his insides tangle as she fell, his body tensing up on itself as he watched, helpless.
Another gust of wind suddenly picked up, which blew the topsail yard right underneath her. Morgan somehow managed to catch a hold of it, and slowly pulled herself upright as the wind ceased and the yard moved away from where she had fallen.
Jack felt his jaw drop.
How in the world did she manage that?!
•••
How in the world did I manage that?! Morgan finally managed to catch her breath, staring up at the topgallant, which was now much farther away from her. The luck of her being able to land on the topsail yard just as the wind moved it under her was unbelievable.
Unfortunately, the surprise provoked by her sudden good fortune was short-lived. Flint slid down to the topsail yard using a mast line, and they were back to where they had started, only on a thicker yard.
Morgan backed up a few feet, readying the sword she had somehow managed to keep a hold of as she fell.
Flint looked at the sword now drawn against him and chuckled. "Come now, darlin'. It's dang'rous teh point that at someone. 'Could take out an eye." He took a few steps closer.
Morgan swung the sword at the approaching man threateningly, giving him a look that showed that she was completely serious about using the blade against him.
The pirate stopped, his smile fading into a disappointed frown. "Ye don' wanna do that, dear. I don' wanna hurt ye."
Morgan didn't budge, her eyes steely.
Flint sighed. "Is that the way it's gonna be?" The pirate waited a few seconds, only to be answered by silence. "A'right then…" he drew his sword, "I warned ye."
Flint quickly took the offensive, driving her back towards the end of the yard, but Morgan somehow managed to defend herself. Not only that, she managed to find a gap in his attacks and in turn drove him back. Morgan actually managed to catch the obviously more experienced pirate off balance and was about to deal the final blow when Flint drew his pistol on her. Morgan stumbled backwards a few feet, her right foot slipping, causing her to fall over with a startled yelp. Luckily, she managed to land on her back on the yard, which had suddenly gotten a lot thinner. Her sword slipped from her hands and fell down to the waters below.
Flint smirked victoriously. "An' so it ends."
Morgan could feel her pistol tucked safely within her boot, within the reach of her right hand. Her fingers tightened on the hilt.
"Sorry it 'ad teh be like this," Flint cocked his gun threateningly, "…but ye give me no other option."
The loud crash of gunfire echoed between the two ships.
•••
Jack dealt the fatal blow to the man he was fighting, glancing about him to find that most of Flint's men had been killed, or were under the custody of his own crew. The cannon fire had stopped, and the smoke had cleared almost completely. He felt relief begin to course through him, though he knew it was never good to let himself relax until the battle was completely over. Something bad could still happen.
The loud bang that sounded clear over the near silence caused all scenery around him to virtually freeze before his eyes. Jack almost dropped his cutlass as he whirled around, his eyes traveling up to the topsail yard, where two familiar forms hung. Flint had a smoking pistol pointed at the woman below him, who was practically lying down on the yard.
Oh my god…
•••
Morgan's pistol remained aimed at the crimson-haired pirate before her, rattling slightly in her trembling hands. There was a large splintered crater in the yard just to the left of her face.
She had pulled out her pistol the moment Flint's finger began to squeeze the trigger. The instant Flint had fired, she had seen the light reflect off her white-gold ring around her neck, and then his bullet zinged past her face, the wood to the left of her face exploding in a shower of splinters. Then she had fired. There was a slight haze of smoke between them, so she didn't see if her own bullet had hit or not.
Flint's smirk remained, his hand steady, his pistol motionless as smoke rose from the end of the barrel. He chuckled slightly, a strange look in his eyes. Suddenly she noticed the slight tinge of red slipping from the corners of his mouth. "…Nice shot…"
Looking down, Morgan was shocked to discover that her shot had hit the man directly in the left shoulder, blood now soaking his elegant jade green jacket.
A second of silence passed, and then Flint's hand began to shake slightly. His numb fingers stiffly dropped the pistol to the ship below, where it hit the port railing and then plunged into the sea. He attempted to stumble forward, only to have his knees give underneath him and his boots slip from the yard. The red-haired pirate fell forward, slamming almost clumsily against the wooden beam, and then, looking at her one final time with his now blank, glazed over hazel eyes, rolled from the yard. He fell gracefully into the ocean below them almost without a splash, into the same dark blue depths he had wished to control so dearly, never to be parted from her again.