Carina began to stir on the log she was sleeping on. Soon enough she mustered enough energy to open her eyes, and when she did she immediately had to shut them tight again because the sunlight from over the trees was too bright.
She then felt a nasty pounding sensation in her head, and winced in pain for she had a terrible hangover. Placing a hand to her pounding head, Carina sat up slowly as she tried to wake herself up properly. The headache wasn't helping one bit.
The first thought to cross her mind afterwards was relief, though of course not from the throbbing pain in her skull. She still had her eyes shut tight, and for a brief moment she thought that she would be waking up to find herself back in her bed in St. Martin, getting ready to start the day pouring drinks at The Rusty Anchor. Coming up with clandestine ways of continuing her education. Continuing to openly show her skepticism to anything pertaining to the supernatural, which was surely utter nonsense. Existing as she always had been.
But after a few moments, the details begin rushing back to her. The bank heist. The blood moon. Henry. Jack Sparrow. Scarfield. Being sentenced to hang for witchcraft. Salazar and his ghostly crew. The pirates of the Dying Gull. Wearing the clothes of a pirate. Learning swordfighting from Jack and then getting completely drunk.
"Damn," Carina cursed, her hand still placed on her head in an attempt to stop the throbbing pain, but she squinted her eyes open to see the palm trees around her. So it hadn't been just some bizarre dream after all.
She felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach, her eyes widening as she felt bile rise up in her throat. Turning to the side towards the trees, Carina threw up on the grass next to her, and then had to wipe her mouth dry of the filth with her already dirty sleeve.
"Alright, that's it. No more rum for me," Carina spoke to herself. Her mother would be disappointed in her.
As she began to rub her temples, Carina looked at her lap and saw that Jack's coat was draped over her body like a blanket. She suddenly became curious why this was. Had he given it to her for the night and she didn't remember?
She smiled lightly at the thought. That was kind of Jack to do, even though he was a pirate.
Then a thought occurred to her, and she turned her head to the right to find that Jack was lying parallel to her on the adjacent log, his leather tricorn hat pulled down over his eyes. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully at first glance, but after a few moments of observation Carina saw that Jack was anything but peaceful.
She saw that the fingers on his left hand were twitching, along with his shoulders and legs. His head was moving quickly from left to right, and his mouth appeared to be moving, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying.
Carina was starting to get nervous as she watched Jack thrash in his sleep. She figured that he had to be having a nightmare of some sort. Should she wake him up and bring him out of it?
"... Jack?" she asked hesitantly, slowly taking off Jack's coat off of her legs. She then turned herself towards Jack's direction and stood up as gingerly as possible, one so that she wouldn't startle Jack any further, and two so she didn't make the pain in her head any worse.
Carina began to slowly walk towards Jack, one step at a time, until she got close enough that she could hear what was coming out of his mouth.
"No..." Jack unconsciously muttered, his breathing picking up quickly, "No... please don't... no... don't go..."
"Jack?" Carina asked again. She was starting to get really nervous for Jack now.
"Mag, no... don't... don't leave me..." Jack spoke again, his voice sounding more strained by the moment, "You... you monster..."
"Jack, are you alright?" Carina asked, and slowly she reached her arm out towards his shoulder so she could shake him awake.
However, the moment her fingers made contact with his shoulder, she realized that she shouldn't have.
Jack's eyes snapped open at once, and he began screaming at the top of his lungs as he stared upward at the morning sky, causing Carina to recoil in fear at this outburst.
The pirate's rage-filled eyes darted to look in her direction, and without warning Jack raised his left arm and began to swing it towards her. Carina gave off a high-pitched shriek when she did so, but she was able to catch onto Jack's wrist in time before it came in contact with her face. Throwing himself upward, Jack threw his right arm at Carina but she caught that one too. Jack, breathing heavily, wrestled to get out of Carina's grasp, all the while his eyes were darting in every direction away from her as he shouted, "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"
"Jack, calm down! It's me!" Carina shouted in Jack's face, causing the pirate to cease struggling against her grasp and looked her directly in the eyes. The look of anger was still present in his eyes, but his breathing had slowed down and he had made eye-contact with Carina.
"It's me, Carina. Remember?" she asked in a gentler voice, though her grip on his wrists remained firm. Slowly, Jack's look of rage started to disappear, and after a few more moments, it was replaced by a rather odd look. His eyes were locked on hers, and then it seemed like he was scanning her face like he was searching for something.
Almost like he recognized something.
She had seen this look before, back when they first met in the astronomer's shop in St. Martin. He had had the same peculiar gaze then as he did now, and Carina didn't understand why. They had never met each other before then.
"It's just me, Jack," Carina spoke again, unsure as to what he was doing just then and feeling uncomfortable while he did it, "You're alright."
Jack looked away from Carina, holding his head down in shame over what he just did. As he did so, Carina gently let go of Jack's wrists, who in turn slowly retracted them towards his lap. His gaze was now fixated upon the ground, staring at the remains of the fire they had built the night before.
Jack let out a heavy sigh, and Carina took a few steps back as she watched the sullen pirate hang his head down in silence, taking off his hat while he did so. She didn't know what had caused him to react like that, nor was she very interested in understanding why, but she couldn't help but pity him. He usually had this confidence and cheeriness about him wherever he went, but here she could see that there was something clearly wrong with him. He was obviously mad to begin with, but this was something else. Something inside him that he's kept bottled up for a long while. Something that was eating away at the pirate's soul and wouldn't stop until he was bereft of either life or feeling.
Carina doesn't know what compelled her, but she walked over closer to where Jack was sitting and sat down right next to him. She then leaned onto Jack's left shoulder, thinking that her presence would provide some comfort. She doesn't understand why she does it; she hardly even knows the man. But she recognizes that the man is in pain like some wounded animal, and so she does what she can to alleviate his suffering.
Jack doesn't look in her direction, but Carina knows that he feels better with her presence. She can tell by the way his heartbeat began to slow down soon after resting her head against him.
Carina raised her arms and wrapped them gently around his torso, quietly saying, "You're alright."
Jack doesn't respond, but he does raise his free hand up to where Carina's arm is wrapped over his chest and gives it a light, reassuring pat. Carina smiles lightly at the response after so many moments of tense silence, and then her eyes look down to see that his right sleeve had fallen back, revealing his pirate branding and the tattoo of the sparrow flying just on the horizon.
"Carina..." Jack finally speaks, his voice almost a whisper. She looks up towards him, his face still in the opposite direction. She waits a moment to see if Jack will continue with what he has on his mind.
"Ca-ri-na..." Jack repeats, letting the name roll over his tongue. Though, not like he was waiting for her to speak, just that he was repeating her name and emphasizing the syllables. Puzzled, Carina lifted her head off of Jack's shoulder and asked, "Yes, Jack?"
"That's a pretty name," Jack speaks aloud, though Carina is uncertain if he's directly speaking to her. He still seems like he's a little out of it. Nevertheless, she blushes at the comment and says, "Um... thanks?"
Carina releases her arms from around Jack and places them back at her sides, her cheeks still red from the compliment. At least, she thinks it's a compliment. You can never really tell with Jack Sparrow.
"Not a very common one, is it?" asked Jack, who still wasn't looking towards her when he spoke.
Carina raised an eyebrow, not exactly sure what his line of thinking was.
"No, it isn't," Carina says. She had always been proud of her name, but no one had ever asked that question of her even if it was a rather uncommon one.
"That's good," Jack says, "That means you're unique. Something different about you that sets you apart from other people. Makes you special, you know?"
"Yes, I suppose it does," Carina confesses. She liked how her name made her stand out in a crowd, especially because that's how she felt about herself her whole life. She always felt like she was different than other people her age, and she knew that's because she wanted to achieve things beyond her limits. That's why she wanted to be an astronomer, so that she could break those limits for herself. Be as free as the stars in the night sky.
"It suits you," Jack said, "You're an outlier. Your name means that you don't conform to the rules of society, that you know deep down you're different than all the 'Marys' and the 'Jennifers' and 'Susans' and whatnot. It means that you're not confined to the shackles of what other people define as 'normal.' You're a risk-taker, you're an artisan, you're everything that you want to be because you're you."
Carina smiled and turned away, for now her cheeks were a bright crimson. She hadn't expected him to get all deep just then, but she was glad that he was around. This was a man who knew exactly what he wanted out of life, and she appreciated what he had to say. As much as she was still mistrustful of him, Carina had to admit that she and Jack weren't that much different from each other. It was kind of creepy how much they were alike, actually.
"I'm not quite sure that's what my mother had in mind, but thank you," Carina spoke, hoping her tone suggested a playful nature. She heard Jack chuckle at her words, and then he said, "What about your father? I don't think you've ever mentioned him."
"I haven't," Carina replied, and then she became somewhat serious. She remembered that she hadn't intended on sharing much about herself with Jack or the other pirates lest something should happen and they try to find the Trident without her. "He, uh... he died before I was born."
"Oh," Jack said, his voice grim, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Not your fault," Carina said, "He loved stargazing, though. That's how my mother got the idea for my name."
"Sounds like a clever woman. I like clever women," Jack spoke aloud with a grin, but Carina didn't really want the conversation to be focused on her parents.
Then, a thought occurred to her, and her eyes widened at the realization. How could she have forgotten?
"Henry!" Carina exclaimed, and she turned towards Jack, who had now decided to turn towards her, "We need to find Henry and get off this island!"
"Oh bugger, you're right," Jack said. He too was concerned for Henry, and he knew that they had to find him and then meet up with Gibbs and the rest of the crew on the other side.
Quickly, Jack and Carina got up on their feet, grabbed their possessions, and took off away from the camp as they began to search for the young Turner.
"Where is he, anyway?" Jack asked.
"Wakey-wakey..." a greasy Irish voice spoke, and Henry was certain that it was just a nightmare at first. Soon, he felt a stinging sensation from his wrists, an ache in his shoulders, and felt a massive amount of pressure in his feet. His head was all swimmy and it was difficult to discern exactly what was going on.
"Come on, boy, wake up," he heard the voice spoke again, and his vision was blurry as he attempted to force his eyelids open. There was a figure standing in front of him, but he could barely make out the outline of it being a man that stood before him.
"Hey!" the voice yelled, and then Henry felt a series of swift smacks against both of his cheeks. His eyes snapped open to see that Pig Kelly was standing in front of him, flashing his yellow teeth with a sinister sneer. Kelly then reached out and grabbed hold of Henry's jaw and said, "Well, well, well! Look who decided ta come back down ta Earth, boys! The pipsqueak and 'is buffoons!"
As Kelly let go of his jaw, Henry only realized just then that he couldn't move his arms, and saw that he was hanging by his wrists from a very long piece of rope that was attached to a high ceiling above him. It looked like he was hanging inside a barn of some sort. He then saw that Kelly was standing on a tall stool so that he would be at even-height with the suspended Henry. He struggled for a minute in a vain attempt to escape, and Kelly just laughed at him.
"Oh! Seems the pipsqueak is a feisty one, boys! Perhaps he needs ta cool down some," Kelly snorted.
As Henry was trying to decipher what he said, Kelly descended down from the stool and gestured his hand in a forward motion, and soon one of his goons came forward holding a bucket of something. By the time Henry realized that it was water, the man tossed the bucket towards him as he was soaked with cold water.
"GAAAHHH!" Henry exclaimed, not expecting the water to be that freezing especially in Caribbean climates. He felt the water dripping down his clothes, and spat some that had gotten close to his mouth.
"You know what? Wake the other two as well," Kelly ordered, and two more men came forward with buckets of their own. One tossed the water at Henry's right, and Henry looked to see that Pintel was hanging right next to him. His eyes snapped open in surprise and shouted "Bloody hell!"
The other man tossed water towards Henry's left, and Henry saw that Ragetti was now awake and drenched with water as well, only he exclaimed, "No! I don't want to paint the fence again!"
Henry directed his focus back on Kelly, who was standing before the three of them, holding his hands behind his back.
"Look, I'm not a violent man... usually. And I don't want ta have ta waste me time with you lot," Kelly began to speak, "but justice... needs to be served."
"I don't even know who you are!" Henry shouted at him, "We have no quarrel with you, now let us go!"
"Oh, believe me, I want nothin' more than ta let bygones be bygones, but Jack Sparrow owes me, see," Kelly explained.
"Then why don't you take your beef up with him, huh? Why the rope?" Henry demanded.
"Because you're the perfect bargaining chip, boyo," Kelly said, "I know you lot came with Sparrow, and now he's here on me island. He's gonna come lookin' for ya at some point or another, though I can't guarantee you'll be in the best... condition when he finds ya," he finished with a laugh.
"This don't sound good," Ragetti uttered under his breath, and then Kelly continued, saying, "Although, ya could make this easier on yourselves if you just tell me where he is. Do that and you're free to go."
"But... we don't know where he is," Henry answered, "We got separated because the Royal Navy was chasing us. I don't even know if he's still alive."
"The Royal Navy? On me island?" Kelly looked horrified, "Damn, it took us so long ta find a place where the Redcoats wouldn't think ta look. We'll have to relocate."
"How about a deal?" Henry began, "We have a ship, we can guarantee you safe passage from this island. Cut us down and we'll get out together."
Kelly looked to contemplate the issue for a moment, but then he looked at Henry with a sinister gaze and said, "No can do, sonny. I won't ever sail with Jack Sparrow if me life depended on it. That man is the biggest lout I've ever laid eyes on. I'll take me chances fightin' off the Redcoats."
Henry sighed in defeat. That was one avenue of escape that was closed off. He needed to find another, and soon.
"Since ya can't help me find Sparrow, perhaps ya could tell me what this is," Kelly said as he pulled an arm out from behind his back, revealing that he was holding a small, leather-bound book in his grubby fingers.
Galileo's diary.
"I dunno," Henry lied, for he knew that he couldn't let someone like Kelly find his way to the Trident. He would abuse it's power for certain.
"Then why did ya have it on ya, I wonder?" Kelly asked with a wicked grin, "What makes it so special?"
"Have you tried reading it? Books are meant for that, you know," Henry said, feeling brave. But he soon realized it was better to keep his mouth shut than talk smack to the guy who held his life on the line.
"I'm afraid none of us here can, unfortunately," Kelly replied with a snarl, "But you look like a bright enough lad. Maybe you could illustrate us?"
"I think the word you're looking for is 'elucidate,'" Ragetti commented, followed by Pintel shouting, "Shut up! You're not helping here!"
"Both of you, quiet!" Henry shouted, trying to resume control of the situation. His attention returned to Kelly, and said, "I can't read either. I picked that book up on our ship. Thought I'd try learning how at some point, you know?"
He knew it was an outright lie that not even someone as thick as Kelly would believe him, but there was no way he was going to tell him about the Trident of Poseidon. He promised Carina that no one else would know of the diary's existence, but for the moment Kelly didn't know what kind of book it was, so he was good in that regard.
Kelly looked at Henry with a piercing gaze, though not one he was easily intimidated by.
"You have ten minutes," Kelly said, "You can consider changing yer mind and telling me what's in this book, or..."
He tilted his head back, raised his fist, stuck out his tongue, and made a snapping noise with his mouth. Afterwards, he chuckled viciously.
"A pity that Sparrow's debt to me has to be paid with your lives. I would've preferred less bloodshed," Kelly pretended to look distraught, "He does that to people constantly, trading in people to save his own skin. Surely you know this, right?"
Henry stayed silent on the matter. His mother and father had told him that Jack was untrustworthy, but for whatever reason he had refused to believe it. He just hoped his faith in the man wasn't ill-placed in this instance.
"We'll be back, just hang tight," Kelly laughed as he picked up the stool, and he and his men exited the barn and locked the door behind them.
"Great, now how are we supposed to get out of here?" Pintel complained, "Why didn't you just tell him about the book?"
"Actually, what even is this book?" Ragetti asked, "What's so important about it?"
"I'll tell you about it after we get out of here," Henry explained.
"What do you mean?" Ragetti inquired.
"I mean, that Kelly seemed to forget to check that there's a knife in my boot," Henry replied with a grin, wagging his right leg, and the two pirates got giddy expressions on their faces.
"What an idiot," Pintel commented with a smile.
"The only problem is, I can't reach it like this. One of you will have to do it," Henry said, and both Pintel and Ragetti looked at him skeptically.
"You do it, Pin. You're closest," Ragetti said, but Pintel didn't look too pleased about it and said, "Are you mad? I don't have that kind of flexibility!"
"Maybe if you did more sit-ups, you could," Ragetti said, unaware that this just made Pintel even more angry.
"Why you-" Pintel began, but then Henry interrupted with "Alright then. Ragetti, you do it."
"Ugh, fine," Ragetti moaned, and then Henry began to twist his body towards Ragetti, holding out his right leg towards him.
"Alright, when I say 'go,' I need you ready to catch the knife with your feet. Ready?" Henry asked.
"Yeah, sure," Ragetti replied.
"Okay... GO!" Henry exclaimed, lifting his leg up high enough so that the short, black knife would fall out of its sheathe in his boot. With lightning-fast reflexes, Ragetti extended both of his feet out and caught the blade between them.
"Woo! I did it! Yes!" Ragetti cheered, and then Henry said, "Excellent. Now cut yourself down and find some way to get us out of here."
Ragetti nodded, and then he turned his legs upward with the knife still between them, and began to saw through the rope holding his arms to the ceiling of the barn.
Once he had cut through the rope, Ragetti fell onto the floor of the barn with an audible thud, and looked upward to see Pintel and Henry still suspended in midair.
As he got to his feet and was prepared to cut down the pair of them, all three of them heard the sounds of the barn door unlocking, and their attention was focused on the door which was now swinging open.
"Uh-oh," all three of them said at the same time.
When the door opened, Kelly saw Ragetti standing in front of him, holding the knife while Henry and Pintel were still tied up.
"Oh, hello there," Ragetti waved at him and tried to force a smile through his teeth, but Kelly looked livid enough to tear through all of them with his bare hands.
"THEY'RE ESCAPING!" Kelly bellowed, and he lunged for Ragetti, only for the one-eyed pirate to evade his tackle as the Irishman fell to the ground with a thud.
Ragetti looked up to Henry and Pintel, and Henry shouted, "Run! Just go! Find Jack!"
Ragetti didn't have time to respond before he had to evade the gunshots coming from Kelly's men. Soon enough, he ran away from the barn and into the jungle.
"Hold yer damned fire!" Kelly ordered, getting back to his feet, "He's off to find Sparrow. With any luck, he'll come to us."
Kelly turned to face Henry and Pintel, who were starting to panic after what just happened.
"It's off to the gallows with you lot," Kelly said with a sinister grin.
"So, I've been thinking," Carina began, following behind Jack.
"Thinking? About what?" Jack asked as he led the pair of them through the jungle.
"When you asked me about my name, about how it makes me stand out," she began, "It got me thinking that you had the same idea about yourself, Jack Sparrow."
"Captain Jack Sparrow," he corrected her, seemingly forgetting about the point that Carina was trying to make, "It isn't that hard to remember, lass."
"That's another thing, why do you always insist on being referred to as 'Captain' wherever you go?" Carina asked.
Jack looked over his shoulder and gave her an odd look, and then said, in a matter-of-fact way, "Because I am a Captain. I earned that title, so I deserve the recognition for what I've achieved, savvy?"
"I suppose," Carina said, but then she realized she got sidetracked again. How come she kept falling into that trap of his?
"Anyway, I think it's fairly obvious to anyone that 'Sparrow' isn't your real name, isn't it?" Carina inquired with a hint of confidence to her voice.
Jack kept on walking, and then he halfheartedly replied, "I am not at liberty to say at the present time."
"Hmph, and I thought you said pirates were all about liberty," she teased.
"Indeed, and I'm at liberty to say that my name is Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please," Jack retorted, though he didn't sound like he was offended or anything. Rather, he didn't want to talk about it right now.
"But same principle, right?" Carina asked, "You're an outlier, like me."
"Might I ask what the point of all this is, missy?" Jack stopped and turned to face her, "As much as I would love to roleplay Socrates with you, we have a eunuch to rescue, a trident to locate, and a Spaniard to kill, savvy?"
"All I wanted was to kill time, Christ," Carina said, crossing her arms, "I thought you of all people would understand that-"
"HELP! HEEEEEELP!"
Jack and Carina looked towards where the screaming came from, and saw a figure rushing through a dense thicket towards them. Acting instinctively, Jack pulled out his pistol and Carina pulled out her sword, readying themselves for what was to come.
Out from the thicket burst Ragetti, who stopped in place and gave off a high-pitched squeal at seeing the weapons pointed towards him.
"Oh good, it's you," Jack spoke, holstering his gun. But he knew something was still off, "Last I checked, there were two of you, and you two are incapable of splitting up for more than a moment."
Ragetti was panting heavily, placing his hands on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath, and he tried to explain what happened.
"Irish... barn... rope... that way..." he managed to get out, pointing in the direction he just came in.
Jack and Carina looked at Ragetti with confusion at what he had just said. They turned to face each other, and Jack asked, "Any clue as to what that haphazard, incoherent mumbling of barely discernable English meant?"
Carina shook her head.
Ragetti had managed to muster up enough energy, and then said, "They've got Pin and the Turner lad up in this barn back over that way!"
"You mean the Redcoats?" Carina asked.
"No, some Irish git by the name of Kelly," Ragetti explained.
"Pig Kelly?" Jack recoiled at the name, "Terrific."
"Let me guess: yet another person that you've managed to piss off that wants you dead," Carina stated simply, "You seem to have a black book of that happening."
"You have no idea, love," Jack said.
"They're gonna hang 'em both unless you come to settle your debt!" Ragetti elaborated, "Come on, let's go!"
Ragetti took off back the way he came, and Jack and Carina followed after him.
"What do you mean Henry's a eunuch?" Carina asked.
Henry and Pintel were escorted to the clearing just outside of the barn. They had their arms tied behind their back, and were now standing on top of stools beneath the exceptionally long branch of a tree. Kelly's crew of buccaneers, which amounted to about sixteen men including Kelly himself, had tied two pieces of rope to the branch above them and were now in the process of fitting the nooses around the necks of their prey.
"Whatever happens," Pintel began, "I just want you to know... I don't really know who you are and I don't much care."
"Likewise," Henry replied, though he only indulged the stubby pirate to keep his own nerves in check. There was no knife to help them this time.
"I mean, you seem like a decent enough lad and all, but-" Pintel began, but Kelly interrupted and said, "Shut up, you two! You're givin' me a bleedin' headache."
"Oh, sorry if we're causing you distress!" Henry mocked, "It's not exactly the most pleasant of things having a noose tied around your neck. You give it a go, why don't you?"
"You're not in a position to give me orders, boyo," Kelly retorted, "The only reason why your scrawny little neck hasn't been snapped yet is so Sparrow can come to me."
"And you really think that he'd come and stick his neck out for us?" Henry sarcastically inquired, "It's clear you don't know the man at all."
"Is that so?" Kelly asked, eyeing the stool that Henry was standing on.
"All I'm saying is that you can't expect Jack to just walk over here out in the open, outnumbered, outgunned, with no possible-"
"PARLAY!"
All heads in the area turned towards the source of the shout, and before them stood Jack, Carina, and Ragetti.
"We invoke the right of parlay, and by extension that would also apply to the two upstanding gentlemen that you have awaiting execution at present," Jack spoke in a calm in confident manner. Ragetti did his best to keep his cool, and Carina had her hand resting atop the hilt of her sword.
"Jack! Carina!" Henry exclaimed, laughing a litte, "Oh, I am so glad to see you two!"
He then looked directly at Carina.
"What are you wearing?" Henry asked with an odd gaze, to which Carina bluntly replied, "It's a long story."
"Hate to break up the reunion, but can we get on with the parlay?" Kelly impatiently asked, "I've got better things to do today."
"Indeed," Jack began, stepping forward closer to Kelly, and Kelly himself came closer as well.
"It seems that time and tide have brought you to Hangman's Bay so you can settle your debt to me, is this so?" Kelly asked.
"That's what this place is called?" Jack quipped, "I thought it was 'extremely difficult to navigate and meant to purely frustrate' bay."
"Don't screw with me, Jack," Kelly said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, but it is in my mandate to screw with you, Pierre," Jack flashed his teeth at the Irishman, only testing the latter's patience further, "But rest assured, I know that we'll come to an agreement that will be mutually beneficial."
"Fat chance of that happenin'," Kelly snarled, "But, a parlay's a parlay, and so we must honor the code. What be your terms, Captain Sparrow?"
Jack grinned some more at the Irish pirate, and said, "You and your lot cut down the aforementioned upstanding gentlemen from the nooses and allow myself, the lad, the belligerent homunculus, this creep with the glass eye, and this girl to depart from your island safely."
"And in exchange?" Kelly asked, "Don't forget you still have a debt to me."
Jack chuckled, "As you may or may not already be aware, the Royal Navy has landed on the shores of your little isle. No doubt they're combing the place as we speak and will inevitably find you here. I can promise you and your men safe passage from here, and then we'll drop you off in Tortuga once we've lost the trail of the Navy, and from there, I will reimburse you for the silver I borrowed from you."
"You mean stole," Kelly bluntly commented.
"You're having a negative attitude about this, mate," Jack placed a hand on the Irishman's shoulder, "Help me help you."
But Kelly only snorted at Jack's offer, brushing his hand off his shoulder and saying, "No can do, Jack. The lad already told me about how you brought the Royal Navy to me doorstep, and there's no chance in hell I'm going to sail under you of all people. So, no deal."
Kelly quickly drew a dagger from his belt and held it up against Jack's throat, and Jack's eyes widened in panic.
"Wait!" Carina exclaimed, and Kelly turned his attention over to her and said, "Ah, missy. I had almost forgotten you were here."
"What if we could offer you something much more valuable than silver?" Carina elaborated, but Henry, already detecting what she was about to say, said, "Carina, don't do it!"
"Henry, it's going to be fine. If I don't, then he'll kill us," Carina reassured him.
"What be your offer, girl?" Kelly inquired, taking the knife off of Jack's throat.
Carina cleared her throat, and then said, "The Trident of Poseidon."
Kelly snorted again, and then he turned to his men and said, "Get a load of this, boys! The girl hopes to tempt us with a children's story!"
Kelly's men laughed heartily, but Carina remained firm. She said, "I'm an astronomer. I know how to reach it in time before the route vanishes again for decades."
"Do you now?" Kelly asked, "And why should I believe you?"
"I'm telling the truth, I swear it," Carina reaffirmed, but Kelly was still skeptical.
"You're going to have to do better than that," Kelly said.
Carina looked towards Henry who was looking at her nervously while being strung up next to Pintel, over to Jack who looked anxious for her to do something. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do next.
"Alright then," she said, drawing out her sword from her scabbard and holding the edge of the blade to her throat.
"Carina, no!" Henry cried out.
"Oh good God, girl! What are you doing!?" Jack called out in a state of panic.
"You must be insane, lass," Kelly laughed.
"I'm the only one that knows how to reach the Trident," Carina declared, "In less than twenty-four hours, the route will completely vanish unless we depart today. You're right, you've got no reason to believe me. But consider for a moment that I am telling the truth, would you be willing to risk that just for your pride over some squabble over mere silver? This is the Trident of Poseidon we're talking about! You could rule the seas with it! You could destroy entire navies at will, and make yourself the most fearsome pirate in the Caribbean and beyond! How does that sound to you?"
Kelly looked to be considering it for a moment, and asked, "What be your terms, missy?"
"You let me, Jack, and the rest go safely, and Jack assumes command over you and your crew for the time being. After we find the Trident, you let us all go safely, and the Trident is yours. Do this, or I swear I will slit my own throat and the Trident will never be yours. Do we have an accord?" Carina stated, gulping and only just now registering the full scope of what she was doing. Where did this sudden insane confidence come from? This wasn't like her at all.
She looked over to Henry and Jack again, who still looked deathly terrified that she would consider such an extreme action. But she knew this was the only way they could escape their wrath for the moment.
Kelly walked towards her, chuckling while he did so. When he got close enough to her, he said, "You're completely mental, girl. I like that. You know, you remind me of Jack somewhat. You're both as equally mad."
Carina kept her composure, and her grip on the hilt of her sword was ever so tight.
"What's your answer?" Carina asked, to which Kelly extended his meaty hand and said, "Agreed."
Carina took his hand with her free one and they shook for a brief moment. Afterwards, Kelly took a step back, and Carina sheathed her sword. Henry, Jack, Pintel, and Ragetti breathed audible sighs of relief, though Carina herself was still shaken with what she had just done.
"Cut them down," Kelly ordered, and his men cut down Henry and Pintel's nooses and the bonds that held their arms behind their backs. Pintel rushed over to join at Ragetti's side, and they started to talk aimlessly about something trivial. Henry sprinted over towards Carina and embraced her hard. Carina returned the courtesy and wrapped her arms around him.
"Oh my God, what the hell were you thinking!?" Henry asked her, still not over what she had been prepared to do.
"I couldn't just let you hang," Carina answered, "You saved my life from the gallows, now I saved yours. We're square."
They held on tight for another few moments before both decided to break away. When they did, they saw that Jack was standing beside them and he was looking directly at Carina.
"You've got guts, Carina," Jack said very solemnly, "But don't you ever do something as reckless as that ever again, you hear me?"
"Fine," Carina said, and she felt uneasy at Jack's serious tone of voice. She knows what she did was far beyond sane, and thus this sort of reaction was expected, but that doesn't mean she liked seeing him reacting so sternly.
"Thank you, though," Jack said after a few moments with a light smile, and Carina returned the courtesy.
Their moment was interrupted by a rude cough, and Jack, Carina, and Henry turned to face Kelly who said, "I don't wish to interrupt the moment, but perhaps we should get back to your ship so we can find the Trident as per our deal."
"Indeed," Jack began, "And as I recall, you and your men are under my command, savvy?"
"Yes," Kelly reluctantly responded, and Jack walked up to him with his confident swagger as he looked over towards his crew.
"Not exactly my top pick, but it'll have to do," Jack commented, "Now, if you'd be so kind as to follow me, we'll make our way back to my ship, and we can depart from-"
BOOM!
Everyone turned their heads towards the deafening noise, and Jack looked in shock at who was standing before him.
"Jaaaaack! We meet again!" Barbossa's voice boomed just as loud as the gunshot, and Jack saw that he was pointing a smoking pistol in the air. He also saw that he was accompanied by his own crew of pirates, which was smaller than Kelly's but nevertheless still as threatening. He saw that Murtogg and Mullroy, the two Royal Marines-turned-pirates, were standing at Barbossa's sides, and Barbossa handed his emptied pistol over to Murtogg. In the group of pirates standing before him, Jack saw that Gibbs, Marty, and Cotton were within Barbossa's ranks, but Jack knew it was best to approach this one step at a time.
"Ah, Hector!" Jack exclaimed with a grin, "So good to see you again! Nice to see you've gone back to your old look. Let's just say that, for the record, that privateer's rag didn't suit you at all, especially that wig. I've always liked that wide hat of yours, you know? Adds a sense of dramatic flair about you-"
"Ah, shut yer trap, Jack," Barbossa looked annoyed, "We've only just met again twenty seconds ago and I already want to kill ya."
"Come, come, Hector. It's all in good fun," Jack flashed a grin, "Hey, I've noticed you've got quite the spring in your step. Has your leg grown back?"
Jack then noticed the cane that Barbossa was using to walk looked most unusual, and then asked, "Doing well for yourself I take it? Monopolizing piracy and all?"
"Business couldn't be better, Jack," Barbossa said, limping closer, "Except for now, of course."
"Ah, that's a pity," Jack said, "Speaking of business, we just got done negotiating a deal with this gentlemen right here-"
Before Jack could properly introduce Kelly to Barbossa, Barbossa raised his unusual cane and pulled the trigger of its blunderbuss component, killing Kelly and sending him flying back a few feet, causing everyone to jump in surprise.
Carina cupped her hands over her mouth in horror as she watched Barbossa kill the man she had just negotiated their deal with, and Henry was taken aback by such violence coming without warning.
Jack sighed calmly like Barbossa's sudden killing was a trifle thing, and said, "Hector... would it kill you to show a modicum of restraint for once in your life?"
But Barbossa didn't answer that question, for Murtogg and Mullroy had come up to his sides, and Mullroy asked, "So I guess we'll be returning to Salazar with Mr. Sparrow then, Captain?"
"What?" Jack asked, frozen in place, "You mean... you were the one that led Salazar to me?"
"I did what I had to do to protect my control of the seas," Barbossa admitted, though he maintained his composure, "He promised to spare me and me crew in exchange for you. I'm sorry, Jack, but I had no choice."
Jack was livid at this point, but Barbossa spoke again before he could react rashly, "But I've come to realize that he'll kill us all whether we bring you back or not."
"We're not going back now?" Murtogg inquired, to which Barbossa answered, "Nay, that would spell our doom. Now," he directed his attention back at Jack, "Is it true? You've found a route to the Trident of Poseidon?"
"What would you be wanting with that?" Jack asked.
"I know it be the only thing that can stop that ghostly Spanish butcher, and with it I'll gut the dead that stole my control of the sea," Barbossa replied.
"To answer your question, yes we have. But as much as I love your plan," Jack spoke, "There's no way the Dying Gull can outrun the Silent Mary and the Royal Navy."
"Um, Captain?" Gibbs voice spoke up, and he worked his way through the crowd of pirates to get to Jack.
"What is it, Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked, raising a brow.
"Well, you see... um..." Gibbs began, before Jack said, "Out with it, man."
Gibbs gulped, "The winds caused the Gull to crash along the shoreline. There's no chance of fixing it the state it was in."
Jack sighed and brought a hand to his eyes.
"Fine then, any alternatives? Because I don't know what we can use to outrun that wretched hull of a ship," Jack commented.
"Ah, but there be one, Jack. The fastest ship to ever sail the seven seas," Barbossa spoke up with a smile, to which Jack looked confused, "The Black Pearl. Master Gibbs told me that it survived Blackbeard's attack, and now rests in a bottle that you carry with you."
Jack's eyes widened in shock, and he looked over to Gibbs who gave him a sheepish look.
"Have you got it on you now?" Barbossa asked.
"I do," Jack asked, pulling the bottle out of his coat where the blackened pirate ship sat miniaturized in the water inside it.
"Aha!" Barbossa exclaimed, "I knew she somehow survived! The Pearl always does!"
"Wait," Henry spoke up, and he came forward to look at the Pearl resting inside the bottle, "That's the Black Pearl? I've heard stories but I've never seen it before!"
"That's a fully-functional ship?" Carina asked, incredulous, "I'm definitely going mad, aren't I?"
"But how are we going to get it out?" Jack asked, "I've been trying to find a way for years and could never find one."
"That's simple, Jack," Barbossa said, quickly unsheathing his large broadsword, "We use the power that put it in the bottle to get it out. You remember the power of Blackbeard's sword, don't ye?"
"I do," Jack said, recounting the time he was shanghaied onto the Queen Anne's Revenge in the search for the Fountain of Youth.
"Set it down and I'll get it out," Barbossa said, and carefully Jack set the bottle down on the ground. Could this truly work? Could he really get his Pearl back to the way it was?
"By the power of Triton's sovereign blade," Barbossa began, raising the Sword of Triton high up in the air, "I, Hector Barbossa, hereby release the Black Pearl to her former and rightful glory!"
Barbossa swung down hard with the Sword of Triton, and cracked the surface with it's tip. Everyone looked down in anticipation as Barbossa had a look of glee about him, awaiting the moment when the Pearl would resume it's normal size.
But nothing happened.
Soon, Barbossa's pleased expression vanished followed by great confusion as the bottle just sat on the ground, doing absolutely nothing.
"Is that it?" Pintel asked.
"Maybe we need to speak softly to it and give it words of encouragement," Ragetti suggested.
"I don't understand," Barbossa looked confused, sheathing his sword and picking the bottle up off the ground, "This should've worked."
"Maybe it wasn't the right way?" Murtogg inserted.
"Or perhaps some sort of spell needed to be cast or something," Mullroy spoke up.
"I don't know what to say gents, this should have worked," Barbossa looked concerned, turning the bottle in his hands as the Pearl retained it's tiny shape.
"Could be just the cold," Ragetti suggested, to which Pintel gave him an odd look and said, "Ships don't work like that."
"Well, full-size ships don't get trapped inside bottles often, do they?" Ragetti shot back.
Jack sighed and looked away in disappointment. Yet another dead end. Maybe they could come up with another solution for getting off. He looked around towards the direction of Kelly's barn to see if there was anything useful, and all he saw was an old rowboat and a pen with goats insi-
That was it.
"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called out, an idea suddenly formulating in his head, "What all did you bring from the Gull?"
"Well, Captain, we brought the rest of those ships in bottles, we brought our weapons, some rum rations, that crossbow we found, the trumpet-"
"That's it!" Jack said, "Everyone, follow me to the shoreline! You lot," he pointed over towards Kelly's men, who Jack presumed they were his now on account of the fact that Barbossa killed Kelly many moments ago, "I need three goats from that pen."
The combined group of Barbossa's and Jack's crews had (finally) reached the shoreline on the opposite end of the island. It was midmorning at this point, so they still had plenty of time to find the Trident left. As per his orders, Jack's crew had brought along three goats from Kelly's barn along with the rowboat so they could make it out to the ship once they had it.
"Can someone explain to me what Jack needs all this stuff for?" Carina asked, unsure why Jack needed goats of all thing to release a ship.
"Well, Carina," Gibbs began, "It was an idea Jack had a long time ago to get the Pearl out of the bottle that he never got to realize. Now that there's a need, he's going to do it."
"A waste of time if ye ask me," Barbossa commented, "The sword should have worked."
"Hey, I don't mean to change the subject," Henry started speaking directly to Barbossa, and then the pirate looked towards the boy who said, "but you're the Hector Barbossa?"
"The one and only, Mr..." Barbossa inquired.
"Turner, sir. Henry Turner," the boy said, to which Barbossa looked over him in surprise, "My parents were Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann."
"Ah, I thought you looked familiar," Barbossa managed to say, though to be honest he didn't know what to say to him given the history he had with his family.
"I would just like to say thank you for officiating my parents' marriage, and also they still haven't forgiven you for strapping my grandfather to a cannon," Henry said, and Barbossa realized that this was becoming extremely awkward. Hoping to distance himself from this conversation, he walked with his blunderbuss-cane over to where Jack was, who was currently tying an hourglass he had in his pocket to the underside of the crossbow he had.
"So, what be in your head, Jack?" Barbossa asked, wondering what Jack's plan was.
"My thinking was," Jack began, pulling the string back on the crossbow, "that perhaps the magic sword isn't enough. What do all ships need to function outside of it's structural components?"
"... The sea?" Barbossa answered.
"Bingo," Jack smiled, "Now, the Pearl, please."
Barbossa fished the cracked bottle housing the Pearl out of his waistcoat and handed it over to Jack, who slid it into place along the flight groove where an arrow would normally go.
"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack called over, and he saw his first mate struggling with Cotton and Marty to keep the goats in place, "The trumpet!"
Gibbs walked away from where the goats were holding the trumpet in his grasp. He came up alongside Jack and said, "Ready when you are, Captain."
"I'm ready now," Jack said, lifting up the crossbow and taking aim out towards the open ocean. After a few moments of hesitation, Jack exhaled slowly, and pulled the trigger on the crossbow.
The bottle went flying through the air, and while it did Gibbs began to play British Grenadiers on the trumpet he had. Almost immediately upon firing, Jack dropped the crossbow onto the ground, extended his arms, and started wiggling his fingers in the air like he was going to cast a spell or something.
"Does he normally do this?" Carina asked aloud to no one in particular. Everyone was just as confused as she was.
The bottle landed onto the surface of the water, and after a few moments it began to seep through the crack in the bottle. After it filled up, the bottle and the Pearl began to sink to the bottom.
Nothing came up.
Jack looked distraught. His whimsicality at trying to release the Pearl turned to anguish. His face was frozen, his gaze fixated on where the Pearl had landed, never to come back up again.
"No..." he finally managed to get through his mouth. He couldn't believe it. This could not be the end for the Pearl, it just couldn't be.
It was impossible.
"She was a fine ship, she was," Barbossa sighed, and at that moment Jack collapsed onto his knees. He was absolutely destroyed at that moment. Everything he had ever done for that ship, to keep her afloat and to keep her his, it amounted to nothing. The Pearl was everything to him, and now it was no more. A tiny speck of nothing lying at the bottom of the ocean. Barbossa didn't understand what this ship meant to him, how could he? Did he know the lengths Jack went to so he could keep her? All that he had sacrificed? Everything that Jack is, it is because of the Black Pearl.
He had lost the only piece of her that he had left in this world.
Jack lowers his head onto the ground, and Barbossa swears he can hear him crying. But he never saw any tears.
Henry and Carina look solemn as they see Jack collapse in anguish, feeling terrible for not knowing how they can help.
But then they hear the rumbling.
The rumbling just beneath the surface.
"Captain! Look!" Gibbs exclaims, pointing a finger out towards the water. Slowly, Jack lifts his head off the sand and looks out to the water, and he sees that there's something rising up.
"What?" he asks aloud, getting to his feet. After a few more moments, he sees something rise out of the water.
A soaking wet Jolly Roger, a skull sitting atop crossed swords.
Jack's despair turns into excitement again, and soon he sees the crow's nest, and then the black sails, and then the masts, and then the weather deck and the lanterns and the anchors and the mermaid figurehead and the sixteen broadside cannons.
The Black Pearl had returned, drenched in seawater and at it's original massive size.
Jack stood in wonderment with his mouth agape. His ship was back.
Barbossa gave off a heart laugh, the crews cheered, and Henry and Carina stood in bewilderment.
"The Black Pearl," Henry spoke aloud, "The fastest ship in the Caribbean! It's here!"
"It's beautiful," Carina said, her mouth agape, and Henry looked over towards her, "A tiny ship just grew out of a bottle into a huge one, and it's beautiful. Either I'm completely insane, or this is quite possibly the most extraordinary dream I've ever had."
"Well, you're not dreaming, and I'm quite sure that you're not completely insane," Henry said, and Carina laughed. Then a thought occurred to Henry just then, and he said, "Oh! Before I forget, I picked this up off of Kelly. He took it off me, but I got it back."
Carina saw that Henry was holding Galileo's diary out towards her, and she took it with a smile and said, "Thank you, Henry."
"My pleasure," Henry said, and the two continued to stare at the newly restored Black Pearl.
Barbossa was continuing to stare at the Pearl when he placed a hand atop of his skull-handled pistol at his belt and said, "You know, there be room for only one Captain."
Before he could draw, though, Barbossa heard the sound of a hammer being thumbed back next to his left ear. His eyes slowly looked over to see Jack pointing a pistol to his skull, and the latter pirate was laughing at the former's misfortune.
"Oh no you don't, Hector," Jack began with a grin, "Not this time."
"Damn," Barbossa cursed. Maybe he should have kept his mouth shut to begin with.
"Did you think I didn't learn my lesson after all these years?" Jack quipped, "I know I can't trust you, Hector. You brought Salazar to me, and you've stolen my ship so many times that I've lost track."
"I think you mean my ship, Jack," Barbossa said, to which Jack would say, "I think my crew would disagree with you."
Soon enough, Gibbs, Marty, Cotton, Pintel, Ragetti, and all of Kelly's former men had their weapons drawn and pointed at what was left of Barbossa's crew, and it was evident that Jack's supporters outnumbered Barbossa's two to one.
Jack looked down to Barbossa's belt, and he saw that, somehow, he had gotten his compass. He didn't know how and he didn't care to ask why he had it, but Jack pulled it off his belt and said, "I'll be taking that back, thanks."
"You'll regret this day, Jack Sparrow," Barbossa threatened.
"I regret most of them already, Captain Barbossa," Jack said, and he turned to face Barbossa's men and said, "All of you sail under me now! Any objections and I will leave you behind, savvy?"
"Well, I don't suppose we got much of a choice, do we?" Murtogg said rhetorically.
Pintel and Ragetti came forward and relieved Barbossa of his pistol and the Sword of Triton, with Pintel saying, "Sorry, Captain. Captain Sparrow's orders."
"It ain't nothin' personal, it's just... well, we're still not over that whole incident with Blackbeard," Ragetti said, "I guess it is kind of personal, then."
They seized his arms, and Barbossa knew there was no resisting capture for this time. For now, he would have to go along with what Jack said.
Everyone had taken turns riding out to and from the Black Pearl, loading everyone and everything they could onto the ship. Barbossa's crew had been forced to assimilate to under Jack's command, but after they came to realize that it was because of Barbossa that they were put in Salazar's crosshairs in the first place, they were more complacent to Jack being in command instead.
Soon, everyone was aboard the Pearl, and some last-minute preparations were being made before they could leave. Pintel and Ragetti had tied Barbossa to the foremast so as to ensure that he wouldn't try anything foolish, and Jack was inspecting every last inch of the Pearl.
To think, it had been twenty years since he last set foot on this ship. Everything looked to be in top condition. Jack supposed that Blackbeard had repaired the ship before he shrunk it down so it would be a more pleasing collectable. He inspected every sail, every line, every cabin, every cannon, every deck-nail, purely based on how much he missed the ship. The powder reserves were still dry, and fortunately there was lots of ammunition they could use should the need arise.
Everything looked to be in perfect condition until he inspected the helm, and he noticed that the swivel cannons near the helm looked different. On closer inspection, Jack saw that the one-barreled swivels that had always adored the ship had been replaced by a strange, six-barreled device.
"Oi," Jack called out as he walked over to where Barbossa was tied up, "What have you done to me swivels?"
"Those?" Barbossa inqured, "Ah, yes. Shortly after we destroyed Davy Jones, we made some improvements to the arsenal of the ship. The swivels there be a prototype designed by an English gunsmith named James Puckle. It can fire six shots before reloading instead of just one, though it was useless against Blackbeard I admit."
"Good to know," Jack said, "And hey, if you behave, you might get a spot on my crew. With luck, you could be my quartermaster."
"I ain't nobody's quartermaster," Barbossa complained.
"Well, I can't make you first-mate because Mr. Gibbs is in that role, and there is no way I'm letting you be captain again," Jack said, "But hey, you can at least enjoy the ri- AH! Monkey!"
Jack froze as he saw Jack the Monkey, Barbossa's pet undead capuchin, descend down onto Barbossa's shoulder and give off it's animal shriek.
"Filthy beast, go away!" Jack shouted as he tried to shoo the creature away. But Barbossa didn't look fazed, and said, "Jack! Oh, I missed ye, me boy! Did ye miss your daddy? Did ye? Oh, yes you did!"
"Ugh," Jack looked disgusted, "I'll leave you two to play catch-up, while I get us underway, savvy?"
Barbossa ignored him, content to spend time with his newly reunited pet. Jack Sparrow rolled his eyes and made his way back to the helm, and said, "Mr. Gibbs! Prepare to make way!"
"Make way!" Gibbs ordered the rest of the crew, "Captain Jack Sparrow is at the wheel!"
Jack smiled as he gently put his hands on the smooth, rosewood wheel of the ship. Feeling the wood beneath his hands brought back so many memories, and for the first time in years he felt as happy as he could ever be. He was finally reunited with his ship after so long. She was his once more, and no one could take her away from him. Not ever again.
"My precious Pearl," Jack said, thinking that the ship would know her true master had returned to her.
Henry and Carina came up and stood at Jack's sides, and Henry asked, "Are we ready to go?"
"Indeed we are, Mr. Turner," Jack replied, "Indeed we are. Full canvas!"
The sails dropped on his word, and the wind started to carry the Black Pearl across the ocean once more.
"Homestretch, Jack," Carina said, and Jack couldn't help but agree as he steered the ship out towards the horizon.
Soon this would all be over. Soon.
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for the delay, but here is another chapter for you. I apologize for the length but I had to get them out on the ocean with the Pearl in this chapter. I hope you all enjoyed reading, and like the direction I'm taking this story as opposed to how the movie handled it, which, in my opinion, was incredibly clumsy in regards to the characterization of Jack upon seemingly losing the Pearl for good. Anywho, please be sure to read, review, and share this story, and your constant support helps keep this going. Next time, some revelations about the past will finally come to light as Jack Sparrow sets out on his date with destiny.
Please be sure to review or PM me if you have anything you'd like to share, and I promise I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks to all of you and stay classy!
- Spent