New Beginnings: Chapter 19

Beckett slithered off the ship quietly. He wasn't seen by anyone as he slipped into the shadows of an alley in Brighton. Beckett still had his uniform and was going to use it to full advantage in this city.

He was given a room free of charge and had someone wash his uniform. He shaved off the beard that had grown in the weeks he was on the ship and slept in a comfortable bed for once. That night he would make his way to London.

Beckett stole a horse that night and rode off in the direction of London. His family was there, but was certain that they knew he was a wanted man and wouldn't want him around. Story of his life.

Beckett walked straight up to the gates at Leicester House, the home of King George, and banged on the door. Two fierce looking guards opened the gate.

"I demand to see the king," Beckett said. "I am Lord Beckett of the East India Trading Company and the Royal Navy."

The name registered in the guards minds and smiles spread across their lips. This is what the men lived for. "The king has no business with you anymore. We have instructions to detain you," answered one of the guards.

"Detain me? For what?" Beckett spat, knowing full well why he should be held prisoner.

"For stealing from the king."

"I demand to see him so I can tell him my side of the story."

"Oh, we'll let you inside," one guard said with an evil smile. "The king will actually probably love to know that you are here."

The larger guard picked Beckett up with both hands around his neck while the other clapped him in irons. Beckett would truly be in trouble now.

This was not how Beckett imagined this would be going. That rotten little girl that he had run away with had gotten him into more trouble that he could have ever thought up. The king's daughter was beautiful and Beckett had the best time of his life with her, but she had contracted a deadly disease and was just in the way.

Beckett was once again left in a jail cell. Alone. No one cared about him or whether he lived or died.

The silence was broken by several sets of footsteps coming down the hall. He looked up as they stopped in front of his cell.

"They woke me up for you," one man snarled.

"Do you want me to bow or spit at your feet?"

"Now, now, Beckett. Be nice," the man answered him.

"King George, I am humbled in your presence," Beckett answered sarcastically.

"You ran off with my daughter and lied to me about the circumstances of her death. Why should I listen to you?"

"Because I know that there will be pirates in your court, if they already weren't here."

"Pirates?" The king said, shocked. But something caught Beckett's eye. A smirk that said the king knew something.

"What?" Beckett asked.

"The pirates you speak of are my special guests. They came to my door and feasted with me. You, also, are another special guest. But you will be hanged at dawn."

Beckett shivered involuntarily. He was clueless as to what to do or say next. The king himself just said that he was going to be hanged. There was no way that he was going to get out of this. He went very pale and slumped back against the wall. He resigned himself to his fate.

The king turned and walked down the hall and stopped at the doorway. He was whispering to someone. Someone else was coming back. Someone with lighter footsteps. A woman.

"Lord Cutler Beckett, we meet again," Danielle sneered.

"How did you get in here?"

"Turns out that the king holds special favor for his Godchild."

"Godchild?" Beckett asked in disbelief.

"Elizabeth Swann is his God-daughter."

"So, does that mean you aren't going to be hanged?"

"That's exactly what that means. The king, to his credit, is very liberal-minded. He listened to what we all had to say and granted pardons for all of us. No one, except you, is going to be hanged."

"What about the acts of piracy committed by all of you?"

"Forgiven."

"What!" He shouted, lunging himself at the bars. But instead of crashing through like he had hoped, he slumped unconscious to the floor. He had hit his head harder than he thought.

"Milady, I think it is time for you to go now," one of the guards said to Danielle.

"One last thing I need to say, whether he can hear me or not. Beckett, you are an evil man who deserves no more to be hanged like the dog you are. Deep down, you are a coward, a despicable human being, and I will never, ever feel sorry for what I am going to watch tomorrow at dawn. Good-bye, Cutler Beckett."

Danielle's dress ruffled as she walked swiftly back down the prison hallway. Jack met her at the doorway and smiled. "Did you make your peace?"

"In a matter of speaking."

"Let's go, love. We have to be rested for a hanging in the morning."

"Yes, lets. And I would like to stop and see Elizabeth before we retire to bed."

"Of course," he said and slipped his arm around her waist. Things were going well for them again.

--The End--

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This is the end. An epilogue will follow. I plan a sequel to the sequel as well. Please review!