The very next day, our three heroes were walking back to the Black Pearl as it was being loaded with all the necessities for the trip.
"Captain Sparrow?" a young male voice reached their ears and Artemis narrowed her eye at the familiarity of the voice.
"Come to join me crew, lad? Welcome aboard" Jack said as the three of them stopped and turned slightly to look at the young man.
"I'm here to find the man I love"
"I'm deeply flattered, son, but my first and only love is the sea" he replied but showed some uneasiness as she indicated to Gibbs to get the 'lad' away from them.
In the background, Norrington was throwing up into the bay and Artemis looked at him for a moment with some pity and sadness in her eyes. She never truly was in perfect terms with James, but they had a common past and seeing him being changed so much was a hard pill to swallow.
"Meaning William Turner, Captain Sparrow," the lad said in a very familiar voice and a smile appeared on the redhead's lips as she turned fully and saw the face of the woman, she called sister.
"Elizabeth? /Lizzie" she and Jack exclaimed with complete diff tones. Artemis hugged the woman who hugged back while Jack turned to Gibbs.
"Hide the rum," he told him and gave Gibbs the bottle of rum he was carrying, allowing the first mate to take it with him on the ship. Then he turned his attention to the two women who broke the hug. "You know these clothes do not flatter you at all. It should be a dress or nothing. I happen to have no dress in my cabin"
"Jack. I know Will came to find you, where is he?"
"Darling, I am truly unhappy to have to tell you this, but through an unfortunate and entirely unforeseeable series of circumstances that had nothing whatsoever to do with me, poor Will has been press-ganged into Davy Jones's Crew"
"Davy Jones?" Elizabeth questioned and Artemis bit the inside of her cheek, hating to lie somehow to her.
"Oh, please. The Captain of the Flying Dutchman?" Norrington commented on his small break from constantly emptying his stomach.
"It's true James. He is real. I saw him" Artemis said as she turned her attention to him.
"You look bloody awful, what are you doing here?" Jack asked him.
"You hired me. I can't help it if your standards are lax"
"You smell funny"
"Jack!" Elizabeth called his name and drew his attention.
"Hmm"
"All I want is to find Will"
"Are you certain? Is that what you really want most?"
"Of course,"
"*puts his hand onto her back and leads her to the side* Because I would think, you'd want to find a way to save Will most"
"And you'd have a way of doing that?"
"Well, there is a chest"
"Oh, dear" James commented, and Artemis left out a sigh before walking to him.
She placed her hand on the back of his neck and made him look down again, causing him to puke the remaining of his stomach while also staying quiet. She wanted to listen to Jack's new plan even though she did have some idea what exactly it was and couldn't do that with the comments of the man next to her.
"A chest of unknown size and origin"
"What contains the still-beating heart of Davy Jones" Pintel added as Raggetti imitated a still-beating heart after it has been torn out.
"Don't you have loading to do?" the quartermaster asked rhetorically, and the two men returned to their works, no other words leaving their mouths.
"And whoever possesses that chest, possesses the leverage to command Jones to do whatever it is he or she wants. Including saving brave William from his grim fate"
"You don't actually believe him, do you?" James asked as he wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and tried to keep his balance.
"How do we find it?" the Governor's daughter asked, convinced and believing in Jack's words.
"With this. *holds up his compass* My compass… is unique"
"Unique, here, having the meaning of broken"
"Oh, shut up James," the redhead said and locked eyes with him.
The small contest lasted a few seconds before he decided to walk away from them, feeling the need to puke little more.
"True enough. This compass does not point north"
"Where does it point?"
"It points to the thing you want most in this world"
"Jack. *shakes her head* Are you telling the truth?" she asked and looked at Artemis who nodded with her head.
In a way he does Lizzie. Please do not hate me after you find out the plan, she said in her mind and stayed silent as Jack replied.
"Every word, love. And what you want most in this world… *places the compass in her hands* is to find the chest of Davy Jones, is it not?"
"To save Will"
"By finding the chest of Davy Jones. *opens the compass and briskly steps away; the needle spins before finally stopping resolutely; Jack peers up cautiously to get the coordinates* Mr Gibbs! Lassie!"
"Cap'n?/Jack?" the two of them asked as one walked closer and the other leaned on the railing of the ship.
"We have our heading"
"Finally! Cast off those lines, weigh anchor, and trough that canvas!" Gibbs ordered as Artemis jogged to the ship to help and supervise.
Jack looked at the ship and with a sweep of his arm invited Elizabeth on board. "Ms Swann," she said and the two walked the plank and on the ship with Norrington swaying and following.
"Welcome to the Crew, former Commodore" Raggetti said and shoved a goat into his arms as Pintel laughed.
"Pintel! Raggetti" Artemis voice boomed, and the two men froze in their spots.
All three men turned their heads towards the helm were Artemis was standing, on top of the stairs.
"Yes?" the two of them asked slightly scared.
"This ship won't sail on its own. All hands-on deck and no delaying!" she said with a raised voice and the two men rushed to help.
After the incident with Davy Jones, Artemis seemed to have better control and even respect over the crew; making things much easier when she gave orders. Mostly with the specific sneaky duo who always seemed to cause her a head ace. She left out a sigh and walked towards James who let the goat down. She placed her hand on his shoulder and looked at him.
"I see you are right into your element," he said.
"Yes, yes I am. Now, despite your... condition, I need you to work as well. No special treatments am afraid"
"Yes, …what are you on this ship anyway? First mate?"
"Quartermaster. The first mate is Gibbs" she informed and patted his back before walking to supervise the crew. "Oh, and welcome aboard the Black Pearl"
The Black Pearl had left Tortuga a while ago and was once again on the open sea. On top of the majestic ship. The Crew was swabbing the deck as well while our heroes were busy with their things.
"Beckett" James read from the papers Elizabeth had given him.
"Yes, they're signed 'Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company.'" The said woman added.
Jack held the Letters of Marque closer to study the signature. "Euhh" he reacted and stoke out his tongue while Artemis shivered at just the mention of the man's name.
"Will was working for Beckett and never said a word"
"Sounds like him" Artemis added right after Gibbs.
"Beckett wants the compass. Only one reason for that"
"He wants the chest"
"Yes. Of course," Jack said, confirming the suspicions of the duo.
"Yes, he did say something about a chest" Elizabeth added.
"If the Company controls the chest, they control the sea"
"And if they control the sea, we are all doomed"
"A truly discomforting thought, love" Jack said.
"Baaad! Bad for every mother's son what calls himself pirate. I think there's a bit more speed to be coaxed from these sails. *walks off to see to the sails* Brace the foreyard!" the first mate ordered as Artemis walked towards the helm to take control.
The winds seemed to favour them whenever she was steering wheel and at that moment, they needed all the luck they could get from the sea.
"Might I inquire as to how you came by these" Jack asked Elizabeth.
"Persuasion"
"Friendly?"
"Decidedly not"
"Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honour, yet you are the one standing here with the prize. "Full pardon commissioned as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company…" *Norrington overhears this; Jack puts the letters away* As if I could be bought for such a low price"
A scoffing sound was heard, and the trio looked towards Artemis who kept her attention forward but was definitely the source of that sound. However, she paid them no attention as she stirred the wheel more to the left.
"Jack, the letters, give them back"
"No. Persuade me"
Elizabeth decided to come up behind him and lean in. "You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword"
Jack turned to face her while Artemis was watching from afar. "As I said… persuade me"
Elizabeth walked away in defeat and Jack smirked, turning his attention towards Artemis who had a disapproving look on her face even though her eye was glued to the horizon. Jack dropped the smirk and walked away, muttering things to himself.
Norrington grabbed the chance and decided to walk up to the lonely Elizabeth who was standing at the ship's rail with a smile on her lips.
"It's a curious thing, there was a time I would give anything for you to look like that while thinking about me"
"I don't know what you mean"
"Oh, I think you do"
"Oh, don't be absurd, I trust him, that's all"
He laughed and started to walk away before turning back for another word. "So, you never wondered how your latest fiancé ended up on the Flying Dutchman in the first place" he then shook his head and continued walking.
Elizabeth took out the compass and opened it; its direction changing to point to Jack. Seeing this, she shook her head and closes the compass, looking a little disturbed.
