Disclaimer: Don't own any of these people, except those that weren't in the movie.
Governor Swann calmly set down his knife and fork. They hit the table at the exact moment he heard the front door slam: Elizabeth, leaving no doubt for the blacksmith's.
Governor Swann shook hid head. How could his daughter, admittedly headstrong at times, have gone so far astray? Why couldn't she just see that Will was not the man for her? The Commodore was everything Will wasn't, and besides, James Norrington was a man on the right side of the law. William consorted with all sorts of ruffians and scoundrels. He was the son of a pirate, for God's sake! Now that he knew the boy's parentage, he was DEFINITELY sure that William Turner was not the type of person he wanted his daughter to keep company with, much less court and marry.
Governor Swann snapped his fingers. Immediately, a servant appeared and began to clear his lunch dishes, but Governor Swann stayed his hands.
"No, man, I'm not finished yet. But there is something else you can do for me." He beckoned the servant closer. He whispered conspiratorily into his ear, "If you would be so kind as to send for the Commodore, I would be much inclined to give you an extra little something on your monthly salary."
The servant's eyes widened. He was supporting a wife and two small children on his meager pay, and any surplus money would greatly help their upkeep. "Of course sir," he replied, trying to hide his excitement. Michael could have new boots now, and since the weather was beyond the paranormal, he would need them.
The servant hurried out of the room. Governor Swann waited until he heard the front door slam once again before he picked up his silverware once again. With a secret grin of hidden malice on his jowlly face, he began to eat the remains of his lunch.
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Jack grimaced. He knew that Tortuga was probably not the best place to leave his beloved ship, but there was no conceivable way for him to take the Pearl with him all the way to Port Royal. Not with the sea frozen solid as it was. But with half the crew behind as a guard, he reasoned his ship would be reasonably safe, so long as no one bought the treasure-susceptible crew off.
He shivered. It was so bloody freezing! He wrapped his salt-stiff overcoat around him a little tighter. It was old and partially threadbare. Nine years ago, when he had first received the coat, it might have provided some mesure of protection against the biting wind, but old as it was, it was pretty much useless.
He settled his hat further down over his ears and let rip a profanity when the stiff breeze whipped a string of beads into his eyes. Rubbing the bridge of his nose and muttering curses under his breath, he considered ditching the offending strand. He clawed it out of his mass of dreadlocks and examined the decoration.
It had six beads on it: two greyish-sliver ones, two red ones, one dull and the other bright, one silver hexagonal one, and one large yellow one, round and wooden. At the end of this beaded string, there hung a circular medallion, cast in the finest silver. Once it had shone like the moon, but now it was tarnished from the sea spray. From this medallion hung three silver beaded strings. Each of these things split into two fine silver chains. And at the end of the chains, there were more silver beads. It was possibly one of the more valuable and beautiful trinkets that he possessed. Dona Esperanza had given it to him.
Jack smiled a faraway smile. Ah yes...this was the second time in less than a day than he found himself slipping back into the past...
It had been several days since they had left behind the Spanish galleon. Dona Esperanza was emprisoned in one of the nicer cells in the ship's prison. And for the past three days, Jack had been furiously debating with himself the morality of locking a lady of high stature, like Dona Esperanza, in a dirty, grimy, pirate ship cell. He found, to his annoyance, that he couldn't stop thinking about her. True, she was beautiful, but, thought Jack, it seemed her beauty was only skin deep. Every crewman that had brought her meals had found her astonishingly curt and snappish. Just like the type of woman Jack preferred to avoid. And yet...she still lingered in his mind, just as her perfume had lingered in the air after she had been escorted below decks.
Jack sighed. He adjusted the wheel slightly so the bow of the Pearl was aiming directly towards the setting sun, and he thought about Dona Esperanza...again.
Jack slapped the wood of the wheel and swore loudly in frustration. This wouldn't do! WHY wouldn't she just leave his thoughts in peace?
"Stubbs!" called Jack. A nearby crewmember looked around. "Take the wheel for a while, but give her her head. Let the Pearl take us where she will."
Stubbs nodded curtly and stepped up to take the helm. A short man, he could barely see over the wheel when he stood behind it. As Jack ran down to the main deck, he would have laughed at the comical sight if he hadn't been in such a hurry.
Jack ran down the stairs to the ship's kitchens. "Hey, Ham!" he shouted. He wasn't being insulting, the Pearl's cook's name was Matthew Hamm, but everyone called him "Ham-Hands", Ham for short. And he wasn't called "Ham-Hands" for nothing. Matthew was an enormous brute of a man, with a huge bulk and huge hands to match. It was a foolish man that dared go up against Ham-Hands.
"Oy, Ham!" yelled Jack as he dashed into the kitchens. "Have you sent the lady's supper yet?"
Ham-Hands merely grunted and mumbled, "Gave it t'Ben only a min'te 'go."
"Thanks, Ham." Jack dashed back out of the kitchens and headed down another level.
He arrived on the prison deck and approached her cell. He was frantically trying to think of what to say that wouldn't make him seem like a complete idiot, when he heard a thump and a muffled shriek.
Jack was instantly alert. He ran around the last corner to find the cell door unbarred and swinging wide open, with Dona Esperanza and Ben Alderman in a furious tussle on the floor.
Alderman was oblivious to Jack presence, and so was Dona Esperanza. She was too busy trying to keep Alderman off of her to notice anything else.
"Get off of me!" she screamed, sounding strangely muffled through Alderman's palm. She struggled to throw him off, but to no avail.
"ALDERMAN!" roared Jack. He didn't think. He just acted. And in this case, acting meant kicking Benjamin full in the guts.
Ben was thrown off Dona Esperanza with the force of Jack's kick. He rolled over on his side and curled up in a ball, coughing and clutching his stomach.
"You leave her alone!" shouted Jack, pointing an accusing finger at Alderman. "We don't hurt people to get what we want! Isn't that the code we live by! Get up, Alderman! You digust me! Get out of my sight!"
Alderman hauled himself to his feet and hobbled as fast as he could out of the cell.
Once the thump of his boots had faded from hearing, Jack turned to Dona Esperanza, who was crouching in a fetal position in the corner. The only sound in the room was the faint drip of water and her ragged breathing.
"Miss?" Jack squatted down to her level. "Miss, are you alright? Did he hurt you?"
She didn't reply. But her shoulders began to shake. Jack felt a pang. She was crying.
"Miss? Miss, are you - " The rest of his sentence was cut off when she flung herself forward into his unsuspecting arms. Jack was so surprised that for a few seconds, he merely sat there with her arms around him. When he finally came to his senses, he cautiously put wrapped his arms around her. She didn't recoil at his touch, so he held her a little tighter. Cradling her head in the back of his hand, he let her cry herself out. They stayed like that, with Jack running a hand though her hair, until she drifted off to sleep.