Chapter 5 Blind Birds

"So, is this is your cunning plan, is it?" Scarlett hissed as Jack pushed her further into the corner behind the baker's shop, "kidnap me, the Governor of Port Royal's daughter, and dash from alley to alley, in the middle of the day, whilst the whole of the settlement is searching for us?"

Jack Sparrow had concluded that the lass truly must love the sound of her own voice, for she would never stop talking. He rolled his eyes and wrapped a cuffed hand around her pale white throat, "Now girl, are you gonna stop making noise and waggin' that tongue of yours, or am I gonna have to cut it out?" he tried to threaten her into silence, but he had also established rather quickly that she was not one to scare easily, she would not cower nor submit, and it was becoming very, very irritating.

"I would just like to see you try", she spat, and Jack threw her against the opposite wall as the second battalion of soldiers passed them, ducking from sight.

Once they had passed, he grabbed her tightly by the wrist, pulling Scarlett along, they dashed across the emptied street, and hid behind a chiselled statue of a blacksmith, to Scarlett's utter horror, they were right next to Will's shop. More soldiers passed, and Scarlett prayed to God that they would make for the alley next to the butcher's, but fate was not kind and God did not listen, as Jack dragged her inside the forge.

Scarlett breathed a sigh of relief when she perceived that Will had not yet returned, even as Jack pushed her roughly forward. She saw Betsy, the donkey, and Mr Brown asleep in his usual spot with an empty bottle of gin in hand. She felt Jack tense behind her as he too saw him, and Scarlett immediately fretted for the old drunk's life. "He won't wake", she told him shakily, but Jack did not seem convinced as he manoeuvred her to one side and approached him slowly. His mistake. Scarlett saw her chance and seized it in both hands, as she slowly walked backwards, and as quietly as possible, lifted one of Will's many swords, keeping it pressed firmly behind her back.

Jack nudged the sleeping man and even shouted lightly, but as Scarlett had predicted, he did not so much as stir. "Well, that's convenient", Jack murmured and turned to face her, alarmed to find the tip of her blade pointed at his chest. However, he did not show it on his face, and he smirked, "Now love", he tutted rather patronizingly, "what are you plannin' on doing with that?"

Scarlett narrowed her gaze, "As a citizen living under the protection of King George, I hereby place you under citizens arrest for the crimes of piracy, abduction and evading capture", she tried to sound confident as spoke, keeping her sword pointed at his exposed chest.

But she did not send tremors of fear down his spine, Jack Sparrow's smile only grew larger as he was greatly amused by the girl. "You are a brave lass, very stupid, but brave", he remarked, and as quick as lightning strikes the waves, he drew his own sword, pushing against the weight to throw her blade from his chest. However, he was very surprised to see her feet shift nimbly as she changed to a defensive parry, blocking his next thrust.

"You can use a sword", he mused, allowing his own blade to trace back and forth against hers, "that's not something you see every day".

"Neither is this", she growled, and she swiftly moved on to the attack, her slice was true to the mark, and had it not been for Jack's own quick reaction, he could have easily lost an arm. And thus, it began, back and forth, back and forth – a dodge, a blow, a hit, a miss – the two became entangled in an exotic dance of steel and wits as Scarlett focused all her years of training into the duel. However, Jack was a very different partner from Will.

Will would never attack her too hard, would never use his full strength even though Scarlett would chide him for not doing so, he made sure that she never suffered a bruise nor a scratch, that she was safe in sparring. Jack afforded her no such courtesies. He led the engagement just as a man might lead in a waltz. He was far stronger than her physically, and Scarlett had to employ all of her skill to counteract this. She was bruised, and scratched, and always seconds away from a fatal wound if she did not act quick enough. It was intense, terrifying … and exhilarating. Scarlett felt electrified with every swing of her sword, and if she was not mistaken, Jack seemed to be enjoying it every bit as she was, even with the irons cuffed to his hands. They danced their own allemande, as Scarlett twirled and glided across the forge floor, and she found the pirate Captain a very agreeable partner as he kept in perfect sync to her beat and her rhythm. Little did she know of how taken aback Jack was by her skill, how she was easily a match for him, and if he did not think of something soon, she could quite quickly best him.

"You know that it is very improper, for a lady such as yourself to be fighting", he tried to distract her, but Scarlett remained poised as a viper as she replied, "And what would you, a pirate, know of genteel manners?" Another parry, a strike, she had to stumble back to regain her footing.

"I know that a lady should be very scandalised to be in public", he smirked, "In such, revealing attire".

Scarlett growled, whipping around the sword stand as she deflected another hit, "Likewise, sir, it is very unmannerly for any gentleman to stare". She had Jack on the retreat now, as he narrowly avoided being locked into the corner.

They drew close as their swords clashed against each other, close enough for him to whisper with a devilish grin, "Good thing am' not one of those then, love".

On and on they went, and Jack was growing impatient, how long would it be before someone would stumble upon them? He thought for a moment, and swiftly withdrew his sword, and smiled, "Ahh, the younger Miss Swann, come to join us?" He watched as Scarlett's eyes went wide in alarm, and she spun on her heels, expecting to see her sister as she cried out, "Lizzie no!" But Elizabeth Swann was not standing at the door, and Scarlett was not standing for much longer as she felt the sting of a weighted object colliding with her head, immediately sending bursts of colours before her eyes. She groaned and began to stagger backwards and did not protest when she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and hold her upright. Something firm and warm was behind her, and in her confusion, she could not think of what it was, even when coarse bristles of dark hair tickled her ear, and she heard Jack's voice, distorted through running water, "Lesson there for you love, never turn your back on a pirate".

"What, what?" she slurred as the corners of her vision became dark, and her knees buckled. Jack quickly caught her, scooping her small frame into his arms as though she were a damsel. He laid her out on the straw and watched as her eyes fluttered closed, and she passed from all consciousness. He then retrieved his pistol from the ground, the back of which he had used to knock Scarlett out. He stuffed it back into his belt, turning now to deal with his most pressing problem, the iron shackles that bound him.

Had Scarlett been awake, she would have screamed bloody murder for the pain Jack had caused Betsy, but she slept soundly on the hay and did not hear the donkey braying from the burn, or the shredding of iron as Jack's chains were broken. He smiled at his own cunning, but as always, his satisfaction was short-lived, as he heard the forge door swing open. He glanced anxiously at the sleeping girl, sprawled out on the straw, no time to move her, he cursed himself, and quickly dashed from sight.

Will Turner entered his shop hastily, flinging down his satchel, eager as much as many of the men to join the search for Scarlett, and the pirate who had kidnapped her. He was surprised to see Betsy braying wildly, clearly distressed, and he quickly jumped the barrier to soothe the donkey. "Easy, easy", he hushed, as he patted her gently on the head. He sighed upon seeing his master, passed out from inebriation, "Right where I left you", he muttered, shaking his head, and turned to fetch a sword, before noticing something strange. His anvil and hammer had been moved, he was sure he had last used them closer to the fire, but they lay out in the open. That's when the truly remarkable thing caught his eye, he looked out from the anvil to see dark hair strewn out on the large pile of straw in the far corner of the shop, used for Betsy's food and bedding. He approached slowly, only to find to his utter amazement and relief, Scarlett sleeping soundly.

"Scarlett!" he cried and dashed to her side. She did not stir as he cupped her face in his hands, and he traced the pads of his thumbs across her pale cheeks, "Scarlett, Scar?" he repeated anxiously, however, he saw from the slight movement of her lips that she still breathed. "Come on Scar, wake up", and his eyes scanned the length of her body for any sign of tampering. She wore only her underdress, and the pantaloons she normally saved for their nightly sparring sessions, but, he noted, a large dark hat lay by her feet, something he knew for a certainty, Scarlett did not own. Instinctively, he reached out his arm, but before his fingertips could even brush against it, the sharpened point of a steel sword hovered over his hand.

His eyes looked upwards, and he darted onto his feet, as Jack Sparrow held the sword in hand. "You're the one they're hunting", Will stated, glancing worriedly at Scarlett, "Pirate", he spat.

Jack cocked a brow, "You seem somewhat familiar, have I threatened you before?" he then glanced over to Scarlett, and back to the young lad, comparing the two, there seemed present some very striking resemblances.

"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates", Will answered darkly.

"Ah", Jack smirked, "Well then, it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record, so if you'll excuse me", and he turned to leave, but Will was as stubborn as his dear friend now lying unconscious, and he picked up one of his more recently finished swords.

Jack heard this, but was not in a particular mood for yet another engagement, the lass had worn him out, and his patience was thinner than thread. "Do you think this wise, boy?" he mocked, "crossing blades with a pirate?"

But there was a determination on Will's face, eerily similar to Scarlett's, and he changed to an offensive stance, "You abducted Miss Swann", he growled as a response.

He glanced at the sleeping girl, Miss Swann, he smiled, pressing the weight of his sword against his, "only a little". And for a second time, Jack found himself up against another worthy opponent. The boy was good, though his form was different to hers, more rigid, disciplined, and Jack noted very irritatingly his competence with a blade as he defended from blow after blow.

The boy was cunning too, having blocked his way out by jamming the door with a sword, and again they fought, both disarming each other, and quickly re-arming themselves with the hundreds of swords that littered Will's shop. "Who makes all these?" Jack asked, both in admiration and exacerbation.

"I do", Will declared, "And I practice with them three hours a day!"

That ain't something' to boast about, Jack thought, and smirked again, "You need to find yourself a girl, mate".

Their swords clashed once more, and Jack knew that if he was ever going to escape the exchange and get out of the place, he had to throw Will off, either by distracting him or angering him. "Or, perhaps the reason that you practice three hours a day is that you've already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet", and he nodded towards Scarlett, and with a grimace, he added, "You aren't a eunuch, are you?"

Jack saw that he was successful in enraging the boy, but that had only succeeded in making him even more filled with determination, and heightened his focus as he snarled, "I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate", he thrusted his sword, "I can kill it!"

And so, it went on, their duelling travelling from the ground to the beams in the roof, back to the ground once more, and Jack was utterly exhausted, and even Will showed signs of fatigue. But neither lost their focus, so much so, that neither of the men noticed when Scarlett groggily blinked upon opening her eyes, or heard her as she groaned from the pain in her head. "What's, what's happening", she moaned as she rolled onto her side, despite seeing it plainly with her own eyes, it took Scarlett several moments to process the situation, Will, fighting Jack Sparrow. Her heart raced and commanded her into action. But the pistol to the head had done her cognitive reflexes considerable damage, as she clumsily attempted to haul herself to her feet. Even as she watched Jack throw a bag of brown powder on Will before drawing his pistol on him, she found herself unable to move any faster than snail's pace as she struggled to keep her balance.

"You cheated", Will stated in disgust, completely taken aback by one completely disregarding the rules of engagement. Jack could not help but smile, "Pirate", he sang.

There were shouts from outside, and pressing on the sealed doors, the soldiers had located them from the ruckus, and now Will was blocking Jack's only way out. "Move away", he demanded.

"No", Will was strong in his conviction, even with the barrel of a gun pointed at his chest.

"Please move", Jack snapped, and Scarlett watched this with great curiosity, pirates were thought to be utterly without morals, with no respect for life, and so why would Jack not shoot?
"No!" Will shouted once more, and Scarlett wanted to scream at him for being a fool, "I cannot simply step aside and watch you escape".

Jack released the safety, hoping that might scare the boy into submission, "This shot is not meant for you", he warned, and even Will appeared moved upon realising the same as Scarlett behind him, Jack would not shoot him. But there came no need for it, as Will stared on as Jack was struck on the head from behind, a bottle of gin, shattering about him like a halo. He stayed standing but a second, before dropping to the ground, revealing Mr Brown standing behind him.

Something awakened in Scarlett, and she ran to the side of both Will and Jack, still very much confused, but all the happier that her most beloved friend was safe. "Will", she cried, although it came out rather slurred as she fell into him, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Scarlett, you're okay", he breathed in relief, "Did he hurt you?"

She wagged her head, "But, but Will", she gasped, head still fuzzy in most places, "He, he, he didn't shoot".

"What?"

She batted his chest, "He wouldn't kill you". They both stared at the unconscious pirate, and Scarlett could not help but think in her dazed mind that it served him right. At that moment the soldiers burst through the doors, guns at the ready as they filled the small shop, encircling them all. Norrington followed swiftly behind, and without the luxury of a social filter, Scarlett frowned upon seeing him.

"Excellent work, Mr Brown", he commended the old drunk, and Scarlett was enraged, it was she, and Will, who had fought Jack, "You have assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive".

"Just doin' my civic duty sir", he grumbled, and Scarlett glared at James, Jack wasn't dangerous, well, he was not lethally dangerous. "Commodore, it was Will who fought him", Scarlett finally protested, and his eyes landed on her. His face could not help but betray a completely aghast look at the sight of her. Scarlett's hair was utterly wild, with pieces of straw stuck out at every angle. Her underdress had dried, and now clang to every curve of her body, including the deep curve of her bust, what was the most striking, was the skirt that was not particularly long, and it was clear for him and all the men to see that she wore pantaloons and soldiers' boots. "Scarlett", he coughed, before quickly masking his face in an expression of delight, "thank God you are alright".

"I was never in any real danger", she told him honestly, "Jack had every opportunity to kill both myself and Will, he did not take it".

It was then she saw the flash of annoyance glinting in Norrington's eyes, and her good senses finally returned, and Scarlett knew to be silent. "Hmph", he huffed, before continuing, "Well, I trust that you will always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take him away". He then motioned for her, "Scarlett, if you please, your father and sister are desperate to see you", he reached out his arm, which she reluctantly accepted. Before she left, Scarlett looked over her shoulder to Will, before smiling, and mouthed secretly, thank you.

Will smiled back, as always, Scarlett was the only person to ever see the full version of himself, his ability, what he was capable of. And he thought on that even after she left, and what Jack had insinuated on his emotions for her. It was true, he loved Scarlett deeply, but not in the way that he loved Elizabeth. He loved her as a person who was his greatest and most cherished friend, the only person in Port Royal who he could truly be himself with, with whom he did not feel the cruel and shaming distinctions of class. But still, he had been enraged by the discourtesy Jack had bestowed upon her, strumpet, that's what he had called her. If he knew her, he thought, then he would know how entirely wrong he was, for Scarlett Swann was many things; hot-headed, brave, arrogant, fiercely loyal and honest-to-boot, but a strumpet? A fallen woman? Never. That is also why, Will did not care for how Norrington stared at her in horror, yes, her appearance had been dishevelled, perhaps he thought the pirate had had his way with her. However, this only further showed Will that her betrothed did not know anything about her, for he could never, ever be able to doubt Scarlett's integrity, for he knew all too well that she is more than prepared to strike a man stone dead before she would allow him to abuse her.

From within his cell, Jack was increasingly aggravated by the constant whistling and begging of those pirates in the one adjacent his, as they tried desperately to lure the dog with the key, close enough to the bars for one of them to snatch it.

"You can keep doing that forever, that dog is never going to move", he chastised them in their desperation.

"Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet", one scraggly man answered. Neither have I, Jack thought, last minute escapes had become his renowned speciality. Jack smiled, and turned away, wanting to be alone with his thoughts with some degree of silence. As one would assume, his imaginings were not on his impending dawn appointment with the gallows, no, only one thing was playing over and over in his mind, his very brief dealings with the Miss Scarlett Swann, and the boy from the barn.

How exactly did she learn to fight like that? A high-ranking lady of the aristocracy and she pulled more dirty tricks than he did. There was a certain intimacy in their engagement, and that intrigued him, she seemed to be having far too much fun for someone of her disposition. Even her appearance, that had struck him deeply. He knew her face, for it was the same as the most beautiful woman he had ever known. A merchant ship's daughter, a respectable woman who even Lords and Dukes fell in love with once they laid eyes on her … but she only ever had eyes for one man, one twice her age. And Scarlett had the eyes of that man, those same piercing blue that mirrored the sea. The boy didn't have them, but he certainly had the man's face. But, the question was, could it be possible? The 'daughter', of the Governor? Could a governor's daughter truly feel inclined to don men's trousers beneath her skirts and fight with the ferocity of even the most feared of pirates? And, Jack remembered, sketching her face and form in his mind's eye, she was beautiful, even more so than the woman, than Dauphine Turner.

"Here", Scarlett smiled, as she watched as Nellie slipped from sight, "You'll be wanting this back", and she removed the pirate medallion from beneath her pillow and placed it into her sister's open palm. Scarlett had been sent straight to bed after Commodore Norrington had escorted her home, well, after a hot bath. She had perceived with great agony that he delayed his departure a full twenty minutes before he had finally quit the Swann's home. Did he honestly think she would have an answer for him today, after everything? She was shocked that he was still intent on marrying her, after he mercilessly exhausted her with a thousand questions on her time with Jack, before she finally snapped in anger, "Commodore, I am aware of what you are insinuating, and no, I did not lie with Captain Sparrow, nor did he force himself on me!" He had been scandalised into silence, so taken aback by how she could speak of such things so outrightly, and he had put it down to her still being in shock.

She also had to reassure her father that her purity was still intact upon entering her home and was once more bombarded with the same questions. She was tired, in agony from her head and covered in bruises, and all she longed for most was to be left alone with her sister. And now, hours later, she finally had that opportunity.

Her sister returned her smile as she safely fastened the medallion around her neck, "Thank you for keeping it safe".

"I think you must have it the other way around", Scarlett laughed, "It must have saved me, all the soldiers could remark upon was how narrowly I missed the rocks when I fell".

"It's been such a difficult day for you Scar", Elizabeth sighed, holding her sister's hand.

Scarlett tried to laugh it off, rolling her eyes, "Yes well, I had suspected Commodore Norrington would propose, but I must admit I wasn't entirely prepared for it".

Elizabeth's eyes grew wide in bewilderment, raising her eyebrows high, "Scar, surely you must know I was speaking of your abduction by that pirate".

Scarlett winced, wanting to kick herself, yes of, course, of all the things Elizabeth would be referencing as difficult, all Scarlett could think of was that cursed proposal. She swallowed hard, she could always trust Lizzie, even with her most scandalous of thoughts. "To be honest, that was the only part of the day I found … not difficult".

Elizabeth scoffed in disbelief, "Surely you aren't saying Scar, that being kidnapped by a pirate, was better than being proposed to by Commodore Norrington?"

Scarlett bit her lip, "Would I be truly horrid if I said yes?"

Her sister wagged her head, and gave her a small smile, "No Scar, I suppose you would just be you". The two girls laughed, what else could they do? The whole day was like a chapter taken from one of their childhood storybooks and brought to life.

"Then tell me Scarlett, what was it really like being in the company of a pirate?" Elizabeth asked her a question that had not been put forward by anyone else that day, not by Norrington, not by her father. Scarlett's smile widened, this was the story that she wanted to tell. "Oh Lizzie, it was so, so, electrifying. From the makeshift zip-line to the swordfight –

"Swordfight!" Elizabeth interrupted, clutching tighter onto her sister's hand, "You duelled him?"

"Yes", Scarlett whispered excitedly, being overcome as the memories of the day flooded back to her, she spoke quickly, "It was amazing Lizzie! I held my own, against a pirate! It was maddening, but, I was in control, I felt … for the first time I felt completely alive, and free". Elizabeth watched her sister be overwhelmed with emotion, she could see that mischievous glinting in her eyes grow larger until they sparkled like deep sapphires.

Elizabeth sighed, "You know if Father heard you talking like this, he would faint with the shock".

And like that, the glinting faded, and Scarlett once more assumed her role of Miss Swann, and her head drooped. "I know", she muttered, and then looked up, the faintest droplets of tears sneaking out from the corners of her eyes. "But Lizzie, I'm glad, and happy, for what happened today, for, If I am to marry Norrington, become his wife and be hid forever behind closed doors, I shall always have today in my mind. I can cherish it, remember it as the day that I fell from heights, was both rescued and abducted by a famous pirate captain, and then duelled him. I can say that on this day, I lived, and that will sustain me".

Elizabeth did not realise that she was clenching her sister's hand so tightly that Scarlett yelped, and she finally realised her. Tears had escaped from Elizabeth's own eyes, because how could she deny her sister's misery, when it was also her own? Every word Scarlett had spoken, reminisced with her younger sister, for she may have been more adapted at hiding her secret desires, she felt them strongly all the same. She too yearned for the freedom Scarlett so desperately craved. She was too overcome, and rose from her sister's bed, "Goodnight Scarlett", she whispered and turned to leave, but an image struck her mind, and she found herself turning to her sister once more, who was fighting back her own tears. "Do you remember, the walk along the pier, when we were boarding the ship from London?" she asked her.

Scarlett nodded, "How could I forget?"

Elizabeth continued on, "Do you remember the birds, the Turkish man was selling, how sweetly they sang, in all those tiny cages. Even in those cages, they sang so beautifully.

"Yes, I remember".

"Do you recall, how I begged father to buy us one, so that we may listen to it sing on the voyage? He resisted at first, but then you asked him, and he could never say no to you Scarlett. He bought us a beautiful green Finch. You held it up close, your nose was pressed against the bars, and you saw, how it had strange eyes".

"Yes".

"And so, I asked father, why are its eyes so pale? But father did not know, but the Turkish man answered, he told us, how they blinded them, all the birds were blinded so that they could not see the cages, or know whether it was day or night, so that they would sing sweetly, all the time", Elizabeth retold the story, such a simple one of their childhood.

"Yes, I remember that man's beastly cruelty", Scarlett spat.

"Was it cruelty though?" Elizabeth laughed sadly, "Or was it pity? Maybe, it would be better if we were blinded, then we not covet, we not want so earnestly, how could we hate the bars of our cages so, if we could not see them?"

Scarlett laughed too, although it was hoarse, "Perhaps it would be better to be blind, but Lizzie, do you not remember what became of the little green finch?"

Elizabeth wavered a moment, and shook her head, "No, I cannot recall it".

Her sister smiled weakly, "That is because I concealed it from you. I thought perhaps, I could ease the bird's sufferings, so I realised it, so that it may fly free", she muffled a sob, "But blind birds cannot fly far Lizzie, it drowned, before my eyes".

Elizabeth and Scarlett both fell into silence. What more could be said? The room what become stifled with dread and darkness, and neither sister knew how to bring back the light. It was Scarlett who finally nodded, "Goodnight Elizabeth", before burrowing into the bed. Her sister sighed, knowing now to take her leave, regretting now her staying to recount the story. "Goodnight Scarlett", she murmured, as she left with candle in hand.

Scarlett, was of course right, blind birds cannot fly. In the end she would have to choose. Blind herself, live in her cage in a meagre contentment by shutting out the outside world completely, or,

Fly away free, for it cannot be both.