Disclaimer: don't own POTC...
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Governor Swann sat comfortably in his fireside chair, sipping a glass of aged brandy. It warmed his old bones considerably, and eased the aches in his joints that had been building since the cold snap had begun. He was settling deeper into his armchair when the door burst open. He started, spilling his brandy. He turned to berate the intruder, angry at the abrupt intrusion.
"I say - " he began testily, but he was interrupted by Norrington's lackey, Gillette.
"Begging your pardon, sir," he gasped. "I ran all the way from the fort to give you the news, sir."
Governor Swann rose, still clutching his half-empty glass in one hand. "It had better be important, Gillette; I was just getting comfortable."
"Sir - "Gillette hesitated. "We received a tip-off, sir, and we've just confirmed it..." He trailed off. "Sir, I'm not quite sure how to tell you this, but..." He trailed off again, unsure how to break the news to the aged Governor.
"Well out with it, man!" snapped Governor Swann, waving the brandy glass, spilling more of the amber liquid. "I don't have all day!"
"Your daughter is missing, sir; believed to be dead."
Governor Swann dropped his glass to the floor where it shattered into a hundred glittering pieces. He paled and sat heavily down in his armchair. He raised a shaking hand to his face. "H - how - ?"
"Commodore Norrington has reasonable proof that it was the blacksmith, sir. He appears to have fled the city, and we've found evidence that Sparrow has recently visited the area. We suspect the blacksmith is in league with him, sir; and that the blacksmith killed your daughter and left with the pirates. The sea is frozen, so they can't have sailed. They have no horses; we believe they are on foot. If you agree to release the Commodore from prison and erase the charges against him, he is willing to lead the pursuit after them."
Governor Swann rose to his feet, his hands clenched in fists so tightly that his knuckles were turning white. He trembled with combination of rage and sorrow and as he spoke, his jowlly chin wobbled. "Release Norrington. I'm coming with him."
Gillette nodded, saluted and dashed from the chamber. Governor Swann stared blindly after him. "Turner," he snarled. "I'm going to kill him with my bare hands!"
In a fit of violent rage, he struck the bottle of brandy still sitting on the table. It flew through the air and shattered on the wall. Heedless of the broken glass crunching underfoot, Governor Swann stalked out of the room to prepare himself for the hunt.
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Elizabeth was on the verge of a panic attack. "But - but - stole my soul! That means - that means - "
"Yes," interrupted Esperanza harshly. "While you appear to be in perfect health here, your body is dying. We have little more than two weeks before our souls will start to fade. And when they do, it means our body is close to death. We can only live for so long without the essential self, the soul, and whilst we will also waste away from lack of food and water, we will shrivel to little more than husks without our souls. Look." She held up her hands. They were transparent from her fingertips to her elbows. "I've been here longer than you. My time is already ending. I will die."
"How do you know Jack won't come for you?" Elizabeth asked. "Surely you have a little more faith in him than that."
"He abandoned me. I doubt he even remembers me. He will not come. " She sighed and looked upwards, as if searching for something more than mist. "I only take consolation in the fact that Alderman will fail in his attempt for revenge. Jack won't risk his skin for a woman he barely even recollects." Her voice took on a bitter tone. "He will live on while I die for a cause that is no longer mine."
"Why do you think he abandoned you? How do you know he just wasn't delayed?"
"I waited for near two months. He never came."
"Haven't you heard?" exclaimed Elizabeth incredulously. "His first mate betrayed him and marooned him on an island."
Esperanza, who had been walking a little way in the opposite direction, spun around. "What?" She ran back and dropped to her knees in front of Elizabeth's still seated form. "Tell me everything!"
Elizabeth proceeded to recount her recent adventure with Will, Jack, Barbossa and the cursed Aztec gold. When she had finished, Esperanza looked stunned. "Barbossa..." she whispered. "His first mate. Just like Alderman. And like Alderman, he betrayed him."
"You see?" said Elizabeth gently. "It's not his fault. Maybe he still loves you."
"I'm such a fool!" cried Esperanza violently. "Why didn't I give him a chance? Why? I'm just too goddamn proud!"
"If I know Jack," began Elizabeth, "then he's probably already caught up with my Will. They're quite good friends, y'know. If they're anything like what I think they are, they're on their way here to rescue us. Wherever 'here' is."
Esperanza looked into Elizabeth's face, her eyes shining. "Maybe Jack will come for me after all."
Elizabeth smiled. "Just like he promised."
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A/N: hey, i just realized sumthing. why would he have a fireplace? they live in the caribbean!
and thanks to y'all who leave reviews. appreciate IMMENSELY. u have no IDEA how helpful it is. it really gets me going.
and a thanks to all y'all who WILL be leaving reviews! (hint hint!)
just an update, but charles dickens had not killed me! (entirely. reviews will help keep me alive)
and i've written another oneshot called "fall to pieces" It's a songfic, but i think its more fic than song, so give it a try even if u generally dont like to read songfics cuz u cant b bothered to read the song bits. (like me)
u're all VERY appreciated by little moi. thanx!