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Chapter 18: The Right Course

(In the naval fort of Port Royal during the day, Alastor stands on the gallows with his hands tied looking. Despite smiling as always, he feels depressed. A noose hangs above him and a hangman stands nearby. Some soldiers with drums play a beat repeatedly as an official stands before a large crowd with a list of Alastor's crimes.)

Official: (reading) Alastor Sparrow… be it known that you have been charged, tried and convicted...

Alastor: (mutters) Captain... Captain Alastor Sparrow...

(Charlie, Lucifer and Seviathan stand at a big door frame on some steps behind the crowd wearing formal clothing.)

Official: ...for your willful commission of crimes against the royalty of Hell. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature. The most aggrieves of which to be cited herewith: piracy, smuggling...

(Vaggie, wearing a dark-red cape and a dark-gray hat with a feather, stands in the crowd looking around as if she's waiting for something. Charlie looks at Alastor with shame.)

Charlie: This is wrong.

(Seviathan doesn't speak so Lucifer does.)

Lucifer: (assuringly) Commodore von Eldritch is bound by the law. As are we all.

Official: ...impersonating an officer of the Royal Navy, impersonating a judge of the court of Pentagram City...

Alastor: (whispers) Ah, yes.

Official: (continuing) ...sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, pilfering, depravity, degradation, and general lawlessness...

(He looks at the hangman amusingly. The hangman looks back at him and he stops. Off to the side of the crowd, a bird flies up and lands on a flagpole held by Razzle and Dazzle. The bird defecates on Dazzle's shoulder who gets annoyed and shakes the flagpole to make it fly off. Razzle just watches amusingly. Vaggie sees the bird and recognizes it to be Sergio. She knows Alastor's crew is near like she suspected they were. She knows what she has to do.)

Official: ...and for these crimes, you have been sentenced on this day to be hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul.

(Vaggie goes up to Lucifer, Seviathan and Charlie. He acknowledges them respectfully.)

Vaggie: Governor Magne. Commodore von Eldritch.

(They glance back at her. She looks Charlie in the eye.)

Vaggie: (sincerely) Charlie... I should have told you every day from the moment I met you...

(Charlie looks at her confused. Then she said it.)

Vaggie: I love you.

(Charlie's confusion turns to surprise. Same with Lucifer and Seviathan. Before someone can say something, Vaggie turns away and goes back into the crowd. The drumming gets faster and the hangman puts the noose around Alastor's neck. Charlie then notices Sergio as he flies off the flagpole and realizes what is happening and Vaggie's about to do. Vaggie forcefully pushes through the crowd to the gallows. Seviathan sees her and is about to call for his men. Charlie suddenly becomes weary.)

Charlie: (weakly) I can't breathe!

(She stumbles back and appears to faint. Her father and fiancé shift their focus to her.)

Lucifer: (worried) Charlie!

(The hangman prepares to open the trapdoor below Alastor. Vaggie draws her sword and causes a commotion in the crowd.)

Vaggie: (urgently) MOVE!

(The crowd disperses in front of her and the drumroll ends just as Charlie sits up as she had faked her fainting. The hangman pulls the lever as Vaggie reaches the gallows and throws her sword underneath. The trapdoor opens and Alastor drops but lands on the flat side of the blade that's embedded in the gallows. He hangs but not fatally as Vaggie had broken his fall. Lucifer and Seviathan are confused by Charlie's action but realize she was stalling them. Seviathan calls for his men and runs to the gallows.)

(Vaggie rushes up on the gallows and draws another sword. She fights with the hangman as Alastor struggles to stay balanced on the other sword. The hangman swings his axe and knocks her sword away. She dodges another swing and the axe inadvertently cuts the rope holding Alastor. He lands below the gallows stunned by what's happening. Seviathan and some soldiers reach the gallows and Vaggie shoves the hangman off and on top of them. Alastor shakes off his surprise and cuts the rope around his hands with the sword sticking in the trapdoor.)

(He races out from under and Vaggie leaps off from above. Alastor takes the noose off and tosses one end of the rope to her as they make run for the fort's wall. Some soldiers stand in their way and they use the rope to trip them. Soldiers come from both the left and right sides so the duo keep heading straight. They reach a pillar and two soldiers come at them. They quickly circle and around them and pull them against the pillar with the rope to disarm them. They knock down some more soldiers and who come at them and somersault to the next pillar. Alastor and Vaggie lean against it and defend themselves from a few more before turning around the pillar and reach the wall and it looks like they're clear to escape when over a dozen soldiers surround them with their guns pointed at them. Seviathan walks up with his sword out. Lucifer and Charlie are behind him. Seviathan and Lucifer look at Vaggie with disgust and disappointment while Charlie is amazed by what Vaggie had done.)

Seviathan: I thought we might have to endure some ill-conceived manner of escape attempt, but not from you.

Lucifer: When we returned to Port Royal, I granted you clemency, and this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He is a pirate!

Vaggie: (insistently) And a good man.

(Alastor smiles at the soldiers and points to himself in a smug way.)

Vaggie: If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear.

(Seviathan glares at her aggressively.)

Seviathan: You forget your place, Turner.

(Vaggie glares back and smiles.)

Vaggie: (confidently) It's right here, between you and Alastor.

(Then to everyone's surprise, Charlie steps forward next to Vaggie and links her arm in hers.)

Charlie: (confidently) As is mine.

Lucifer: (shocked) Charlie... (to the soldiers) Lower your weapons. For fuck's sake, put them down!

(The soldiers stop pointing their guns at them. Seviathan lowers his sword and looks at Charlie, crestfallen.)

Seviathan: So this is where your heart truly lies, then?

Charlie: It is.

(It gets tensely silent for a moment until Alastor spots Sergio fly away from the fort. He finally realizes what the escape attempt was all about and speaks up.)

Alastor: (joyfully) Well, I'm actually feeling rather good about this.

(He goes up close to Lucifer smiling. The governor winces in slight disgust.)

Alastor: I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, ecumenically, grammatically?

(He then goes up to Seviathan.)

Alastor: (whispers) I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that.

(Seviathan is unenthused as he doesn't think he means it. Alastor then turns to Charlie.)

Alastor: (solemnly) Charlie, it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry.

(Charlie smiles and nods understandably. Alastor finally turns to Vaggie.)

Alastor: Vaggie...

(She looks at him ready to hear what he has to say.)

Alastor: (smirks) Nice hat.

(She's a little stunned with that being all he has to say but smiles anyway as she knows he's grateful for her help as she's grateful for his. Alastor then steps away from everyone and gets on the edge of the wall. They all watch him cautiously.)

Alastor: (pridefully) Friends! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that-

(He slips and tumbles off the wall. Everyone rushes over and looks down to see him plunging into the water below. Alastor surfaces and takes a deep breath. Lieutenant Stolas grins at his attempt to escape.)

Stolas: (amused) Idiot. He's nowhere to go but back to the noose.

(Then a soldier up on a tower in the fort points out in the distance.)

Soldier: Sail ho!

(Everyone sees the Black Pearl coming into view from behind a land mass just outside Port Royal. Alastor smiles with delight and starts swimming towards it. Stolas becomes concerned and turns to Seviathan.)

Stolas: What's your plan of action? Sir?

(Seviathan does not respond as he is unsure what to do now. Lucifer sees his uncertainty and proposes something to him.)

Lucifer: (smiles) Perhaps on the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy. Piracy itself can be the right course?

(Seviathan considers his words and makes up his mind.)

Seviathan: Miss Turner?

(Vaggie faces him. Charlie looks at her, worried. Vaggie looks at her back comfortingly.)

Vaggie: I will accept the consequences of my actions.

(Charlie understands and Seviathan holds his sword up between him and Vaggie.)

Seviathan: (sincerely) This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the one who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of her life. My compliments.

(Vaggie is surprised but smiles in gratitude as he finally recognized her as the one who forged his sword.)

Vaggie: Thank you.

(Seviathan puts the sword away and starts to walk back in the fort. He stops and turns back to Charlie.)

Seviathan: Oh, and Miss Magne...

(Charlie looks at him curiously.)

Seviathan: (smiles) The very best of luck to you both.

(She smiles back. Seviathan heads back to the fort with his men following.)

Stolas: Commodore? What about Sparrow?

Seviathan: Oh, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start.

(They all reenter the fort. Lucifer turns to Charlie as she and Vaggie stand side by side on the wall.)

Lucifer: So... This is the path you've chosen, is it? After all, she is a blacksmith.

(Charlie removes Vaggie's hat and two smile lovingly at each other.)

Charlie: (proudly) No... She's a pirate.

(Lucifer smiles understandably and follows the others into the fort leaving the girls alone. Vaggie and Charlie embrace and share a passionate kiss with beautiful view of the sea behind them.)

(Out in the sea, Alastor reaches the ship. The crew throw him a line and he catches it.)

Angel Dust: Heave!

(They pull the rope and he is lifted up and lands on the top deck. He looks up at Angel, Niffty and Husk smiling at him with Sergio on his shoulder.)

Alastor: Thought you were supposed to keep to the code?

Angel Dust: (shrugs) We figured they were more actual... guidelines.

Niffty: (proudly) And I figured you'd wanna see how I cleaned it all up!

(Angel holds out his hand and helps Alastor to his feet. Husk gives him his hat.)

Alastor: (grateful) Thank you.

(Cherri Bomb puts his coat around him.)

Cherri Bomb: Captain Sparrow, the Black Pearl is yours.

(Alastor goes to the wheel and runs his hand along it feeling happy that he finally has his ship back after a long time. He sees his crew waiting and starts barking orders.)

Alastor: On deck, you scabrous dogs! Hands to braces!

(The crew scatters and assumes their positions.)

Sergio: (squawks) Hands to braces!

Alastor: Let go and haul to run free!

(They prepare to sail off. Alastor takes the wheel and looks out in the distance.)

Alastor: (calmly) Now... Bring me that horizon.

(He opens his compass to see where it's pointing while humming the pirate song to himself.)

Alastor: ...and really bad eggs...

(He adjusts the ship's course, closes his compass and stares out at the sea with a bug smile.)

Alastor: Drink up me hearties, yo ho!

(In the cave of the Isla de Muerta, Al the monkey swims through the shallow water and passes the lifeless body of Pentious still laying on a pile of treasure. He jumps up on the stone chest containing the cursed Aztec gold where the lid is slightly open. He takes coin from the chest and screeches as he turns into an undead skeleton again.)

THE END

And there you have it! This was fun to write and I realized it's quicker for me to write rewrites of movies with cartoon characters than rewrites of video games. I'll start the PotC sequels with Vivziepop characters at some point when I have them all figured out. Thanks for reading and I'll see ya soon!