I have the next chapter! I couldn't help myself in using a Hamilton reference for a title. smallchildwithMACBOOK, thank you for the review! It had me grinning like an idiot! Thank you to everyone who has followed/reviewed/read this story and stuck around this long. I was worried people wouldn't even like it when I began posting. Anyway, best not delay any further. On with the chapter!
Evelyn POV
A couple hours later, we found ourselves off shore of a tiny island. Elizabeth was being prodded towards the edge of the plank by my crewmates. Jack and Abby stood off to the side, nervously waiting their turn. Barbossa was watching the whole thing, laughing darkly. I watched the scene before me sadly. I had asked Barbossa to spare the two girls. I didn't care too much about Elizabeth, but I knew Abby would never forgive me if I saved her but not her sister. Unfortunately, he told me he was planning on honoring his word and setting Abby and Elizabeth free. Of course when making his deal, Will had failed to make sure to specify just exactly where he wanted his friends released. Barbossa being the king of finding loopholes, was taking full advantage of Will's lapse in judgment. Will shook loose of the pirates holding him and rushed towards Barbossa.
"Barbossa, you lying bastard!" Will shouted. "You swore they'd go free!"
Barbossa snapped his head to the young boy. "Don't dare impugn me honor, boy!" He snarled. "I agreed they'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where!" He grinned and chuckled as Will was gagged. He turned back to Elizabeth and tilted his head, considering the girl. "Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don't it lads?" The crew murmured in agreement and for a bright second, I thought he was actually going to acquiesce to my request. However, my heart sank with his next words. "So I'll be having that dress back before you go." Elizabeth glared at the captain and stripped of her gown. The crew wolf whistled as she was left standing in her silk slip.
"It goes with your black heart," Elizabeth spat, throwing the dress at him.
"Oh, it's still warm," Barbossa commented, holding the dress to his cheek. He tossed the dress to the crew and turned to watch Elizabeth walk the plank. She moved to the end of the plank, looking apprehensively at the water below. She turned back and locked eyes with Will.
"Too long!" Bo'sun said. He slammed his foot on our end of the plank. Elizabeth let out a shriek as she was thrown off balance and toppled into the sea. The crew laughed in delight.
"I can walk by myself!" Abby snapped as she was shoved towards the plank. She glanced back at me and I knew I had to try one last time. I hurried towards Barbossa.
"Barbossa, please spare her," I pleaded, gripping his forearm. My Captain looked down at me. "Please. She's all I have left." Something passed over his face, but it was gone before I could tell what it was.
"Sorry, Evie, but I gave Mr. Turner my word that I would release the girls," he replied. I looked back to Abby who gave me a sad smile.
"I'll be alright, Evie," she assured me. "Jack got off the island before."
"Ten years ago, Abby," I pointed out, my eyes beginning to water.
"Ye of little faith," Abby chuckled. Despite her nonchalant appearance, I knew her well enough to tell that she was scared. It was possible that Jack could get them off the island, but what were the chances of that? Her and I both knew that this could very well be the last time we saw each other. "We'll see each other again." She turned around and looked down at the water. Taking a deep breath, she dove off the plank as the crew cheered. It took everything I had not to burst into tears right then and there.
"I really rather hoped we were past all this," Jack told Barbossa as he was shoved forward. Barbossa stepped up to Jack and threw an arm around his shoulders.
"Jack, Jack...Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip," Barbossa said, sounding very pleased with himself as he nodded towards the tiny island.
Jack gave the tiny island a wary glance. "I did notice."
"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape. But, despite your lady's confidence in you, I doubt it." Barbossa stepped back and drew his sword. "Off you go." Jack eyed the sword point at his chest.
"Last time you left me a pistol with one shot," Jack pointed out.
"By the powers, you're right," Barbossa said. "Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward." One of the crew handed the pistol to the Captain.
"Seeing as there's two of us, a gentleman would give us a pair of pistols," Jack said hopefully. If I wasn't so upset at losing my best friend, I would have laughed. Jack should know better than anyone that Barbossa is far from a gentleman.
"It'll be one pistol, as before, and you can be the gentleman, an' shoot the lady, and starve to death yourself!" Barbossa told Jack. He tossed Jack's pistol over the side. Jack grimaced and dove after it. The crew cheered as their former captain disappeared. "Alright, you maggots! Take the prisoners to the brig and get back to work!" The crew quickly rushed about to obey their Captain. I moved to the rail as we sailed away. In the distance, I could just make out Abby as she swam for the beach. A stray tear made its way down my cheek and I took a shaky breath. I heard footsteps approaching and I turned to walk away, not in the mood to talk to anyone. Unfortunately, I bumped into the very person I didn't want to talk to. "Ye alright?" Barbossa asked, his brows furrowing slightly in concern as he noticed the tear.
"Oh, so now you suddenly care?" I snapped, glaring at my Captain. "You didn't seem to care a few minutes ago when I was asking you to spare my best friend!"
"I couldn't spare your friend, whether I wanted to or not," he argued, glaring at me. "The crew was ready to mutiny not two hours before. I had to do something!"
"But she was my best friend!" My voice cracked as I struggled to keep the tears at bay. My fists shook at my side with the effort of keeping my emotions in check, which obviously wasn't working very well. I had always been the more emotional one between Abby and I. He probably wasn't going to like what I was about to say, but at this point I didn't care. Captain or not, I wanted to make it clear to him that I did not approve of his actions. "She was the closest thing to family I had left and now she's gone because you were afraid to lose your Captain status!" My head suddenly snapped to the side. I placed a hand to my rapidly reddening cheek and stared in shock at Barbossa who still had his hand raised.
"I'm your captain, ye do not speak to me that way!" He snarled. My eyes wide with a combination of shock and fear, I backed away a few steps before turning away and running off. I slammed the door to my cabin and collapsed on my bed, finally letting the tears flow.
I couldn't believe he hit me! I mean, I knew he had a bit of a temper, but until today it had never really been directed at me. Barbossa had always been surprisingly gentle with me apart from our sparring sessions, but I suspect he went easy on me in the beginning despite his claim that he wouldn't. I had never expected him to hit me. For the first time since I began sailing with the cursed crew, I was afraid of him.. When I had first entered this world, it had never really occurred to me that I should be scared of Barbossa and his crew. I was so shocked and excited at the prospect of sailing with one of my favorite characters, that it never crossed my mind that I may know who they are, but these pirates didn't know me. To them I was simply a young woman they found adrift at sea. It wasn't until Barbossa had shouted to his crew that I wasn't for their pleasure that I realized I wasn't in a Disney movie, that my fictional world had become a reality. I stuck pretty close to either Barbossa or Pintel and Ragetti after that, at least until I learned to defend myself. As the weeks went by, I gradually warmed up to the rest of the crew, but was never as comfortable around them as the other three. Barbossa would often tease me, enjoying the way I would blush and turn away, sometimes grumbling comebacks under my breath. Eventually, I became comfortable enough to fire back with my own quips. Occasionally we would spend hours just talking and exchanging witty banter. The more time I spent with him, the more I found myself relaxing around him. Whenever we went ashore, he was usually never very far, especially after the first couple of times when some drunkards thought I was one of the tavern wenches. While his gruff and intimidating demeanor often scared off even the most inebriated of pirates, it had a more soothing effect on me. With his solid, steady presence standing next to me, calculating blue eyes scanning the room for any wretch daring enough to cause trouble, it was hard to even be unnerved in a situation I normally would have been avoided altogether.
I heard a knock at the door and groaned, burying my face in my pillow. "Go away!" I shouted as whoever was at the door knocked again. Apparently, they didn't take the hint and knocked a third time. I groaned again and got up to answer it. "I'm not in the mood to-" I started to say as I opened my door, expecting to see Barbossa. Instead, I found Ragetti standing there, twisting his hand nervously. I quickly wiped the tears from my cheeks. "Oh. Hi, Ragetti. Did you need something?"
The lanky pirate shook his head, eyes darting around as if he were watching for something. "No, I came to see if ya were alright," he said. "I saw what happened on deck." I sighed and walked back over to my bed, sitting down heavily. After standing awkwardly in the doorway for a moment, he followed me in, shutting the door behind him. He stood in front of me, looking concerned. "Ya okay?" I opened my mouth to reply. My first reaction was to tell him I was fine, but I knew better than to lie to Ragetti. For a pirate, he was surprisingly insightful.
"No, I'm not alright," I admitted, sighing heavily. "I was hoping Barbossa would understand how much Abby meant to me and allow her to stay. I mean, he himself said Turner failed to specify when or where they were released. He could have used that as a loophole to release Abby somewhere else, though she probably wouldn't have forgiven me for that." I sighed again and closed my eyes, a few more tears sliding down my cheeks. "She was all I had left from my former life and I hadn't even seen her in five years. And now, I'll never see her again!" My voice cracked at the last word and I held back a sob. Ragetti quickly sat beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him and broke down. He didn't say anything, simply letting me cry as he rubbed my back comfortingly. Who knew a pirate could be so mothering. After a few minutes, I had calmed down.
"I know it may not seem like it, but the Capt'n really does care fer ya," Ragetti told me.
"Tell that to my bruised cheek," I scoffed, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "I never thought he would hit me. Though I do suppose maybe I was a bit harsh."
"Thing is, if anyone else spoke to him like tha', he would've done a lot worse." I looked at him, a bit confused. "He has a soft spot fer ya, Evie, always has. And I can tell you feel somethin' fer him too."
"I don't have feelings for him," I denied, but the blush that rose to my cheeks said otherwise.
"If ya truly feel something fer him, ya need to tell him, Evie," Ragetti said gently. "We may be immortal now, but we're pirates. Once the curse is lifted, there's no telling how long ye'll have." I remained quiet, musing over what he had said. It was a sobering notion, but he was right, it was rare for a pirate to die of old age. I knew I liked Barbossa, despite his earlier actions, but could it be more than that? Ragetti patted my shoulder and left me to my thoughts.
Could he really have a soft spot for me? Elizabeth was right when she said Barbossa wasn't the kind of man to take a woman onto his crew, Barbossa himself had admitted it. And yet, he had made an exception for me. Why? I thought back to all the times we've spent together. He took in a strange girl with, to his knowledge, no memories and gave me a place on his crew. Not only that, but he taught me how to fight and sail. He invited me to join him for meals though he couldn't eat and we spent hours talking about various things and exchanging banter back and forth. He protected me as I was still learning how to handle being around pirates. Whenever we docked at Tortuga, he was always nearby, and if he couldn't be, Pintel and Ragetti followed me around like guard dogs. For goodness sake, I even got an apology off him! Why would he go through all of that if he didn't have some sort of soft spot for me? The idea made my heart flutter, which actually startled me a bit. Five years ago, Barbossa was merely one of my many fangirl crushes, an obsession over a fictional character that had raised my expectations of any potential mate to impossible heights. Never once did it ever occur to me that I might one day end up in the world of one of my fandoms. Why would it? That sort of stuff only ever happened in fanfiction. Yet here I was, sitting in my cabin on the Black Pearl after just having had a fight with a man I had only ever previously seen on screen. Okay, I admit, I liked Barbossa beyond the fangirl crush I had on him when I entered this world. But now to hear that my beloved Captain possibly shared my feelings, it made me wonder if my own feelings were something more. I sighed, placing my head in my hands. I wished I could have talked to Abby about these feelings. She would know what was going on.
Abby POV
I dragged myself onto the beach and flopped onto my back in the sand, completely exhausted. Jack followed close behind, tossing the rope that had been used to tie his hands onto the sand. He turned and stared forlornly at his ship rapidly disappearing into the distance.
"That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship," he grumbled. He sat down on the sand beside me and pulled off his boots, dumping the water out. Elizabeth set out across the beach, probably to see how big the island was. "Ya'll right, luv?" I looked over to see Jack gazing at me with a slightly concerned expression. I sat up with a grunt and shrugged.
"Bout as well as I can be after having been marooned," I replied. "Still, could be worse. At least I got some nice company."
Jack smirked. "Can't argue ya there, luv." I watched as Jack picked up his pistol and disassembled it, laying the parts out to dry.
"You know, I was really hoping Barbossa would have listened to Evie," I admitted with a sigh, pulling off my shoes and socks.
"That scallywag ain't one to be swayed by a pretty face," Jack scoffed.
"I don't know. He almost seemed to consider listening to her," I recalled. "I thought for sure I saw him give her a guilty look before telling her he gave his word, brief as it may have been."
"Trust me, that man hasn't felt a lick of guilt in his life," Jack grumbled. "Though I will admit, there did seem to be something going on 'tween those two." I hummed in agreement.
"Well, if we don't make it off this island, at least I can say I got a taste of adventure before I died," I sighed as I took off my waistcoat and laid it out to dry. "It can get boring stuck in the Governor's palace all day."
"If we somehow manage to miraculously make it off this bloody island, yer welcome aboard my ship," Jack offered. I snapped my head to him in surprise. Before I got a chance to comment, Elizabeth came back around, meeting up with her footprints. I quickly looked away from Jack and busied myself with burying my toes in the sand. "It's really not all that big, is it?" He said, putting the pieces of his pistol back together.
"If you're going to shoot me, please do so without delay," Elizabeth told him bitterly.
"Is there a problem between us, Miss Swann?" Jack asked stiffly.
"You were going to tell Barbossa about Will in exchange for a ship!" Elizabeth snapped.
"That was what we told Barbossa, yes, but Lizzie, you know me well enough to know I wouldn't let anything happen to Will," I told her gently. "Barbossa was going to kill Jack and I unless we gave him something worthwhile. We needed a ship and he needed a name. We never actually planned on telling Barbossa about Will, just keep him on the hook long enough to give us the Pearl. Unfortunately, Will blew that plan sky high."
Elizabeth's face fell. "Oh."
"Oh," Jack mocked. With his pistol reassembled, Jack got to his feet and held a hand out to me. I took it with a smile and he pulled me to my feet and headed inland.
"He still risked his life to save ours!" Elizabeth countered, hurrying after the pirate. Jack let out a dry laugh. "So we have to do something to rescue him!"
"Lizzie…" I said gently, trying to soothe her. I really didn't need them fighting right now.
"Off you go, then," Jack shot back, shooing her away. "Let me know how that turns out."
"Jack…" I warned, but he ignored me and continued walking.
"But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? So we can escape in the same way you did then!" Elizabeth continued.
I grimaced, recalling the story Gibbs had told. "If you want to volunteer to pull the hair off Jack's back to make a rope, then be my guest."
"To what point and purpose, young missy?" Jack snapped, whirling around to face her. "The Black Pearl is gone. And unless you have a rudder and a lot of sail hidden in that bodice…" He glanced down at her chest skeptically. "Unlikely, young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him." He turned and spotted a tree and walked up to it. He made a few precise steps from the tree and I cocked my head at him. What was he doing? Unfortunately, Elizabeth wasn't done yet.
"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow! You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company! You sacked Nassau port without even firing a shot! Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" Jack ignored her and stopped, jumping up and down. I stepped in front of him, forcing him to look at me.
"Jack, how did you escape last time?" I asked. Jack placed his hands on my shoulders and I had to fight a blush. He moved me back a couple of steps before sighing in resignation, causing me to frown. Why did he seem so reluctant to tell us how he escaped.
"Last time...I was here a grand total of three days. All right?" He answered in annoyance. He bent down and pulled open a trapdoor that was previously hidden under the sand. "Last time, the rum runners who used this island as a cache came by, and I was able to barter passage off." He climbed into the pit and disappeared. "From the looks of things, they've long been out of business." He came back into view, holding three bottles of rum. "Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that."
"So that's it, then?" Elizabeth snapped, glaring at the pirate as he climbed out of the pit. "That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow? You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum?"
"Welcome to the Caribbean, luv," Jack replied with a sweep of his arms. He walked off back towards the beach. Elizabeth hurried to catch up while I followed more leisurely.
"So! Is there any truth to the other stories?" Elizabeth demanded, jumping in front of him.
Jack gave her an offended look. "Truth?" He lifted up each of his sleeves and pulled his shirt collar down slightly, revealing the scars that resided there. I winced at a particularly ragged one on his left arm. "No truth at all." He sat down in the sand and opened his rum bottle. "We'll stay alive a month, maybe more. Keep a weather eye open for passing ships, and our chances are fair." I doubted his words and I could tell he did too.
"And what about Will?" Elizabeth asked. "We have to do something!"
"Lizzie, I know you want to save Will, so do I," I told her gently. "But unless we can come up with a way to get off this island soon, there's nothing we can do."
Elizabeth gave me a fierce look. "I've never known you to give up so easily."
I sighed heavily. "I don't know what to tell you, Lizzie. Maybe if we could make a signal of some kind, but there would be no guarantee that any passing ships would see it."
"She's right," Jack agreed. "But I got the next best thing." He passed one of the rum bottles to me and rolled the other one to Elizabeth. "Here's luck to you Will Turner!" He took a huge gulp of rum from his own bottle. I glanced down at mine, shrugged, and took a gulp. I coughed a bit as the strong drink slid down my throat. "Takes a bit o' getting used to," he said. I looked up at Elizabeth, who still hadn't sat down and patted the sand beside me. She sighed and plopped down with a huff.
"Drink up me hearties, yo ho…" She sang softly and took a gulp.
"What was that, Elizabeth?" Jack asked, snapping his head to her.
"It's Miss Swann," Elizabeth snapped. "Nothing. Just a song I learned as a child when I actually thought it would be exciting to meet a pirate."
"Well in all honesty, our first encounter with pirates wasn't dull," I pointed out.
"Let's hear it," Jack urged.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No."
"Come on. We've got the time. Let's have it!" He pressed.
"No. I'd have to have a lot more to drink."
Jack eyed her. "How much more?"
Hours later, the three of us were dancing around a bonfire, swinging half empty rum bottles as we sang loudly.
"We're devils, we're black sheep, we're really bad eggs. Drink up me hearties, yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" The three of us sang.
"I love this song!" An inebriated Jack cried happily, linking arms with me and twirling us around.
"It's the best!" I added, my words slurring a bit. I had to admit, I might have been a bit drunk. Back at my home in Port Royal, I usually only had one glass of wine during dinner. Unfortunately, 18th century rum had just a bit higher alcohol content than what I was used to.
"Really bad eggs!" Jack stumbled and fell on the beach, pulling me down with him. He reached up and pulled Elizabeth down too. "When I get the Pearl back, I'm going to teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!"
"N' you'll be pos-povi-potisi." I frowned in frustration as my mouth refused to work with me. "Positively!" I grinned and raised my half empty rum bottle triumphantly. "You'll be positively the mo' fearsom' pirate in the Spanish Main," I declared.
"Not just the Spanish Main, luv. The entire ocean...the entire world," Jack corrected. "Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That's what a ship needs...but what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is...is freedom." I stared at him in awe. That was a really inspiring speech.
"The Black Pearl really means alot to you, doesn't she?" I murmured.
Jack gazed out over the ocean. "Aye. That ship is me life."
"Sounds like a pretty nice life," I commented wistfully.
"Better than being stuffed up in the Governor's palace all day. I get to spend my days out on the open sea, doing as I wish," Jack said. I hummed in response. Elizabeth leaned back against him and sighed.
"Jack, it must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island," she said.
"Ah yes...but the company is infinitely better than last time," Jack replied. I felt a twinge of jealousy as he wound his other arm around Elizabeth's shoulders. I turned my head away with a scowl, missing the look of disgust on Elizabeth's face. "And the scenery has definitely improved." Elizabeth suddenly sat up, moving away from his arm.
"Mr. Sparrow, I'm not entirely sure I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk," she announced.
"I think I could use more," I muttered, taking another swig of my bottle.
"I know exactly what you mean, luv," Jack said with a smirk. He gave his moustache a little twist.
Elizabeth raised her almost empty bottle. "To freedom!"
"To the Black Pearl!" Jack said. They clinked bottles and Jack chugged his bottle, promptly passing out.
"He's gonna 'ave one heck of a hangover in the morning," I slurred, glancing down at the unconscious captain. I held my bottle up to my lips again, knowing somewhere in my fuzzy brain I was going to have a headache of my own when I woke up.
"You fancy him." I lowered my bottle and looked at Elizabeth.
"What?"
"You fancy him," she repeated.
I shrugged, the world swaying slightly as I jostled my head. "I admit I find him attractive, yeah."
"Abby," Elizabeth said softly. "I saw the way you looked at him the day he rescued me and earlier on the beach, and the way you keep defending him. Can you honestly tell me you don't feel something for him?" I opened my mouth, but closed it again when I couldn't come up with a reply. She was right though, I did fancy Jack. I had been waiting five years to finally meet him, but that didn't matter.
I scowled, twirling the rum in my bottle. "Alright, I fancy him. Happy? S'not like I could pursue 'im though. He's a pirate n' I don't think father would approve of me running off with Jack."
Elizabeth gazed at me. "Do you want to?"
"I dunno know," I admitted. The idea of sailing the seven seas with Jack was a tempting offer to be sure, but I didn't want to leave my sister and father behind. I sighed and took another large gulp from my bottle. I laid down, resting my head in the crook of Jack's arm and allowing sleep to claim me.
I woke the next morning to the smell of smoke. I bolted upright and immediately regretted every decision I ever made. My head felt like someone was going at it with a jackhammer, which the bright sunlight did nothing to help. I opened my eyes once they adjusted and looked for the source of the smoke. I turned and saw a large pile of burning boxes. Next to me, Jack woke and leapt to his feet. Elizabeth threw another keg on the fire. She ducked at a small explosion, but continued.
"No! Not good!" Jack yelled. "Stop! Not good! What are you doing? You've burned all the food, the shade, the rum!"
"Yes, the rum is gone," Elizabeth replied, not worried in the slightest.
"Why's the rum gone?" Jack demanded.
Elizabeth whirled to face the pirate and even I had to take a step back at her fierce gaze. "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for Abby and I, do you really think that there's even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" I had to admit, it was a good plan. Can't believe I didn't think of it.
"But why's the rum gone?" Jack repeated, sounding deviestated at the loss of his beloved drink. I almost felt bad at the look on his face. He looked like someone had kicked a puppy.
Elizabeth ignored him and sat down in the sand. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open and you will see white sails on that horizon." Jack was fuming. He pulled out his pistol, but quickly put it back and stalked off. I stood next to my sister, gazing out at the sea.
"Nice plan," I complimented.
"I came up with the idea after you mentioned making a signal. I would've asked you to help, but you seemed a bit preoccupied sleeping off your rum," she replied.
I rubbed my forehead where my headache still throbbed. "Sorry about that," I apologized. "I didn't originally intend to drink that much. I'll need to learn to go easy in the future, assuming I even ever touch another bottle of rum." I glanced over to where Jack was part way down the beach. "I'm going to go make sure he doesn't waste his one shot on something stupid." I hurried after the fuming pirate. As I got closer, I could hear him mumbling to himself.
"Must have been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack. Must have been terrible for you," Jack mocked in an imitation of Elizabeth. "Well, it BLOODY is now!"
"It's a good thing you didn't go into theatre because that was a terrible impression," I quipped as I caught up.
"What do you want?" He snapped.
"Listen, I'm sorry about Lizzie," I apologized. "But you have to admit it was a good plan. There's a very slim chance someone from the Navy won't see it."
"But why did she have to go and burn the rum?" He whined.
"Cause it burns well?" I suggested, earning a glare from the pirate. I sighed and rubbed my still throbbing head with a wince. "I'll see if I can get you some more rum when we get off this island."
"Ya'll right, luv?" Jack asked, looking concerned.
"Headache," I grumbled. "How come you don't have a hangover?"
"I'm used to drinking large amounts of rum, luv."
I pinched the bridge of my nose and clamped my eyes tight as my head gave a particularly painful throb. "That can't be healthy.".
Jack shrugged. "When ya spend as much time as I do out at sea, fresh water is rather scarce."
I smiled. "I would like to hear about your adventures some day."
"Why not now?" Jack asked, smirking. I pointed behind him. He turned around and his smirk fell as he spotted the white sails and a longboat headed straight for us. "There'll be no living with her after this."
The three of us were brought aboard the Dauntless where Elizabeth and I were immediately enveloped in a hug from our father while Jack was flanked by Murtogg and Mullroy. My father then scolded me for running off with Will and Jack, even if it was to save my sister. Elizabeth came to my defense as she told the story of what happened. However, despite the danger Will was in, our father ordered Norrington to sail back to Port Royal.
"But we've got to save Will!" Elizabeth protested.
"She's right!" I agreed. "We can't just leave him. Plus, Evie is on that ship. I don't want to lose my best friend again, not after I just found her."
"NO!" Our father shouted, effectively cutting us both off. "You're both safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates."
"Then we condemn him to death!" Elizabeth said angrily.
"The boy's fate is regrettable," our father replied, sounding at least a bit guilty. "But then, so is his decision to engage in piracy." He turned to me. "And I know that girl is your friend, but she is a pirate now. I'm afraid you would only lose her if we pursued them."
"She probably didn't have a choice!" I protested angrily, though I knew he was right. Woman or not, she was a pirate and even a fair trial would end in a hanging. "And Will only engaged in piracy to save Elizabeth." Both my father and Norrington lowered their eyes guiltily.
"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion," Jack announced, walking forward to address Norrington. "The Pearl was listing near the scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl...the last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" I raised an eyebrow at the pirate as he smiled hopefully at Norrington. What was he planning?
"By remembering that I serve others, Mister Sparrow, not only myself," Norrington retorted. He turned on his heel and marched towards the helm.
"Commodore, I beg you," Elizabeth pleaded, hurrying after him. "Please do this, for me. As a wedding gift." Everyone froze and Norrington turned to Elizabeth, shock clear on his face.
"Elizabeth...are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" Our father asked excitedly.
"I am," Elizabeth answered. I stared at my sister, slack jawed. I never expected her to accept his proposal. She loved Will!
"A wedding! I love weddings! Drinks all around!" Jack exclaimed happily. He calmed down at a look from Norrington and held out his wrists. "I know. Clap him in irons, right?"
"Mister Sparrow. You will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with a bearing to Isla de Muerta," Norrington said firmly. "You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave.' Do I make myself clear?"
"Inescapably," Jack replied. Murtogg and Mullroy escorted Jack to the helm, but he winked at me as he passed, causing me to shake my head with a smirk. It was hard to believe that a pirate like Jack could be so clever.