Disclaimer: I do not own PotC, but I do own the Karvers, Hampton, and the HMS Lady Rose.
Chapter 7:
The horse-drawn carriage pulled to a stop, much to Jack's relief. He didn't enjoy this form of travel. He missed his ship. He opened the door on his left, hopping down to ground level. Weak legs almost buckled beneath him and he had to grab the carriage to regain his balance. Norrington climbed out after him, assisting Elizabeth out next. He climbed back in and the carriage continued on to the manor itself.
They were at the bathhouse, Elizabeth had insisted on helping him, saying it was her house and she could show him where everything was. And who was he to argue in his state?
It was only after the carriage left that the pirate realized that he'd left his writing materials behind. He shrugged it off, telling himself he wouldn't need it.
Elizabeth led him inside the bathhouse, which was only several rooms large. He followed her into one of the side rooms. An empty water basin sat in the center of the room. She dragged it to the side of the room, where a warm water pump sat. She spent a good few minutes pumping water into the tub, before it was at a decent amount.
After dragging it back to the center of the room, she turned to him. "I'll go find you something to change into. You can strip and get into the tub while I do that."
He nodded in response and she spun around to do what she said she'd do, leaving him alone.
Jack began to do as she'd suggested, removing the bandages from his torso. He felt the thinly healed wounds stretch as he bent over to take off his boots, before he realized that he didn't have any. He rolled his eyes at himself, removing his bandana and the trinkets from his head. He removed the sash around his waist and his belt, trousers following.
He stepped into the tub, fully unclothed, grimacing at the water stung the wounds in his feet and calves. He slowly sank down, dreading the pain he'd feel in his back. He submerged carefully, crying out in pain through clenched teeth as the still-open lashes in his back absorbed water.
Submerged to his neck, he lay back against the curved side of the basin and forced himself to relax, doing his best to ignore the pain. He dunked his head under, wetting his dreadlocks and facial hair. When he surfaced, blinking water from his eyes, he spat out the water that had slipped in through the hole in his cheek.
The water was already a murky color, full of his blood and the other grime that had covered his body.
Jack dragged a hand through the mess of his beard, which came out covered in both blood and dirt. He shook his hand under the water to clean it, repeating the process two more times. He undid the overgrown twin braids, redoing them neatly.
He ran a hand through his dreadlocks, intending on cleaning the dust from them too, but his hand got snagged pretty quickly. His face twitched in annoyance and he sought to free his hand. It took him a good long moment to figure it out, but he did, cracking his knuckles with a sigh. He set back to work, his hands coating with grime rather quickly. He rinsed them off, combing them through again and again. Once he'd cleaned most of the dirt out, he began to untangle them so that his hair would no longer be dreadlocked and that he could redo it.
He's just finished untangling the last of his dreadlocks when Elizabeth walked back in. She saw what he was doing and amusement came across her face. She placed the stack of clothes she held on a table across the room, coming to kneel beside him.
"Let me help." She offered.
He lowered his hands in silent defeat, crossing his arms across his bare chest. He felt her hands grab his hair and twist it into the right shape. He was mildly surprised and impressed. When'd you learn to dreadlock?
Jack, now unoccupied, found himself studying her face. Her expression was set in concentration as she worked, brown eyes focused on the task at hand.
His mind wandered, not back to the memories of the voyage to Port Royal, but of the night he and Elizabeth had spent on Rumrunner's Isle after Barbossa marooned them.
"You'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main." She'd said, looking directly at him.
"Not jus' the Spanish main, love. The entire ocean. The entire world." He'd replied. "Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is, ye know. It's not jus' a keel, an' a deck, an' sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is- what the Black Pearl really is- is freedom."
He smiled at the memory, finding himself growing fond of the young woman dreadlocking his hair. He was taken off-guard to find her gazing back at his face. She returned the smile, making him wonder what she was thinking.
Then, catching the pirate even more by surprise, Elizabeth leaned down and pressed her lips to his. The kiss was slow, yet full of caring. After she pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers. He cupped her cheek, stroking her smooth skin with his thumb.
"I love you, Jack." She murmured.
I love you too, Lizzie.
*X*
The carriage was waiting for them when they left the bathhouse, Jack feeling cleaner than he had in weeks. His mind, too, was at peace for the moment. They climbed into the carriage for the thankfully short ride to the manor. They disembarked it upon arrival, the pirate helping the governor's daughter to the ground just as Norrington had.
Stiles- also cleaned and looking better, Lord Karver, Norrington, Governor Swann, and Will Turner- to Jack's surprise- were awaiting their arrival just outside the doors. The pirate could feel their eyes on him as he followed Elizabeth in their direction. It's not nice to stare.
"Elizabeth." Will greeted. "Jack."
The Black Pearl's captain gave a small nod in reply. I wonder if they've told him anything.
"You're looking better, Sparrow." Norrington told him.
He gave a small shrug.
The small group went inside the manor. To the pirate captain's surprise, his brother gestured for him to follow him. He obeyed, climbing the stairs after him. His legs protested, but he ignored them. He was led to a room on the right side of the hall.
Jacob opened the door. "Weatherby told me that this room would work for you while you stayed."
The bedroom was of decent size, and surprisingly casual for a governor's mansion. The one thing that drew Jack's eyes was a small guitar that leaned against the far wall. He felt a sense of childhood nostalgia overwhelm him for a moment. He crossed the room to the instrument, picking it up with care, turning it right way around in his hands.
"I requested that for you." His brother told him. "Figured something from home would help."
The pirate nodded gratefully. That it does.
He strummed the strings to test their strength and tautness. They were pretty sturdy, made of a strong material. Recently replaced, he guessed.
He thought for a moment, choosing one of the many songs he'd heard his father sing over the years. Then he began to play it. Jacob recognized the song instantly and began to sing it.
"Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go?
To-me! Way hey hey, high roll and go,
Ho where am I to go me Johnnies, oh where am I to go?
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go?
Way up on that t'gallant yard, that's where you're bound to go
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Way up in that t'gallant yard, the gans'l for to stow.
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
Way up on that t'gallant yard and take that gans'l in
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Way up on that t'gallant yard the rabbit for to skin
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go.
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound away around Cape Horn, that's where you're bound to go.
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
You're bound away around Cape Horn all through the ice an' snow
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound away me bully boys, that's where you're bound to go.
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
You're bound to be a sailorman, when you have served your time.
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
You're bound to be a sailorman all in the blackball line
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go!
Where am I to go me Johnnies, where am I to go?
To-me! way hey hey, high roll and go,
Ho where am I to go me Johnnies, oh where am I to go?
For I'm a young sailor boy and where am I to go?"
Jack looked up from his guitar to see that he and Jacob had acquired an audience. They seemed mildly surprised by the brothers, causing a small smirk to spread across his face.
"What song was that?" Will asked.
"It's called Where Am I To Go." Lord Karver told them. "Jack's father used to sing it all the time when we were younger."
The pirate nodded confirmation.
"I didn't know you could play a guitar." Elizabeth told him.
"I didn't know he could sing!" Stiles grinned, pointing at his father.
The two brothers exchanged amused glances, Jack tilting his head to the other. Wanna do another?
"Homeward Bound?" The older man asked.
He nodded in response, taking up the tune of the song on his guitar. Jacob took up the words.
"Our anchor we'll weigh,
And our sails we will set.
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
The friends we are leaving,
We leave with regret,
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound.
We're homeward bound,
Oh joyful sound!
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
Come rally the capstan,
And run quick around.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound.
We're homeward bound
We'd have you know
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
And over the water
To England must go,
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound.
Heave with a will,
And heave long and strong,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
Sing a good chorus
For 'tis a good song.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound.
Hurrah! that good run
Brought the anchor a-weigh,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
She's up to the hawse,
Sing before we belay.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound.
'We're homeward bound,'
You've heard us say,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well,
Goodbye, fare-ye-well.
Hook on the cat fall then,
And rut her away.
Hurrah, my boys, we're homeward bound."
"Your memory doesn't fail you, my brother." Lord Karver praised, smiling lightly.
Neither does yours. Jack shrugged back, setting the guitar back down where he'd found it.
*X*
The day had gone by rather peacefully, much to Jack's liking. He'd seen enough action as of lately. It was now dark, and he sat alone in his assigned room, back propped against the headboard of the bed. He knew he should rest, but he couldn't bring himself to. Whether it was the fear of nightmares or the fact that he was now alone for the first time in over a week, he didn't know.
But either way, he needed rest. That he knew.
His thoughts began to wander, but he forced them further into the past than of recent events. He forced himself to remember the first day he stepped foot in Port Royal- when he met Elizabeth.
He'd just finished telling the two soldiers his story of becoming the Pelegostos' chief. A loud splash had been heard in the water, both him and the soldiers turning to look.
"ELIZABETH!" Norrington's cry had come from the top of the fort.
Jack, knowing that the Navy men would never make it in time, rowed them back to the Interceptor, and turned to one of the two soldiers.
"Will ye be savin' her then?"
"I can't swim."
The other man also shook his head, rather quickly too.
"Pride of the king's Navy ye are." He'd muttered, stripping himself of his effects and shoving them into the arms of the two men. "Do not lose these."
Then he'd climbed onto the railing of the ship and promptly dived- rather gracefully- into the water. He saw the form of the woman below him, putting all his efforts into reaching her. He did, wrapping his arms around her body and pushing off the ocean floor with his feet, propelling them upwards.
They'd reached the surface, but something was weighing them down. Gasping in air quickly, Jack felt himself get pulled back into the depths. Her dress. He instantly thought, tearing the fine material from her body and leaving her in her undergarments. Once that was done, reaching to the surface and staying there was significantly easier. He made his way to the docks, where the two Navy men assisted in heaving the young woman onto dry land.
"Not breathing." The dark haired of the two soldiers worried.
"Move!" The pirate ordered, pushing past him.
He drew a dagger, cutting the ties of her corset. Instantly, she regained consciousness, coughing and sputtering.
"Never would've thought of that." The soldier commented.
"Clearly ye've never been to Singapore." He shot back. He glanced back at her, studying her. Then a glint of gold caught his eye. He reached down, only to find that he held nothing but one of the pieces of cursed Aztec gold. His eyes met hers. "Where did ye get that?"
Footsteps sounded on the wooden planking and a sword appeared at his throat.
"On your feet!" It was no one other than Norrington, followed by his men and the governor.
Governor Swann wrapped a coat around Elizabeth, pulling her close. She assured him that she was fine. He glared at one of the two dimwitted soldiers, who held the corset Jack had handed to him. He dropped it, pointing in his direction.
"Shoot him!" The governor exclaimed.
"Father!" Elizabeth argued. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"
The pirate, now standing, nodded appreciatively toward her.
"I believe thanks are in order." Norrington held his hand out.
Jack, still in the land of memories, drifted off into sleep.