Chapter 55: Bittersweet Victory
The word came through the lines the next day. The British force had surrendered, Cornwallis giving in. It was one of the most bittersweet moments of Jack Sparrow's entire life. A cause that he'd labored to help for almost five years was finally triumphant the day that Will Turner died.
It was on the deck of his ship, the Elizabeth, that final services for him were carried out. He lay in state in the center of the deck. Gathered around were friends and crewmates of the past several years. Memories of fond moments were shared. Reminiscence of the countless times he had gone out of his way to tease James Norrington in his friendly manner; how he'd always fought fair and honestly, a rarity among pirates; how he'd captured ships, dueled captains of the Royal Navy, fought a Kraken, and learned to love the sea.
He was not to be committed to the sea, however, as most sailors would have been. Some time ago, Elizabeth and Will had been walking along the banks of the Potomac, admiring the countryside. There was one piece of land that he'd found so appealing, so lovely, and just a small bit away from the land of the Lees. The land he'd planned to purchase and live out the rest of his days on would be his burial site, a place that, 85 years later, would become Arlington Cemetery, the burial ground for the countless soldiers lost in wars long past.
On the Elizabeth, rechristened the Turner, Jack stood in simple black that was modest and simple, hands clasped behind his back, next to Elizabeth, who kept a handkerchief resolutely in hand. Nearby, Mera supported Amy, who with her bad leg had lost not only a friend and treasured ally, nut the ability to ever fight with her sister ever again. John Depp stood silently in his usual, dark attire, his face devoid of its usual jocularity. AnaMaria stood with James Norrington, who, as a former nemesis and friend, had done the rechristening of the Turner. Gibbs was standing by Bootstrap, who was broken like no man Jack had ever seen. No man should have to bury his son, he thought sadly. Several other people, not of the crew but the Army, which had valued his instruction in fencing and chivalry, were there, among them Nathanael Greene and Daniel Morgan, the tired war hero who had retired from the pain of his almost countless wounds.
It was to these two men that both Sparrow and Norrington offered the Turner as a gift, a ship for the new American Navy. It was assigned to be liaison between the United States, and the pirate entities they worked with. Whenever the ship appeared on the horizon, marked by a distinctive American flag bearing a sparrow in the corner reserved for the thirteen stars of the United States, it was called to Captain Sparrow that 'The Eunuch', as he affectionately termed the ship, was on the way. And with its approach, Sparrow would don not the bizarre, wide-eyed look that used to cross his face, but instead a quiet smile that he'd learned from General Washington, call for another person, and with whom he would watch the return of his dear friend's ship one more time.
A/N: This and the next chapter are the end! Review, please!
