This is another short chapter, so, what the hey, I'll just put the rest of the chapters narrated by James up tonight. By the way, I really hope I got all of these naval rankings in the right order... I know absolutely nothing about this sort of stuff and am hoping that my source was correct. Oh, and good news, everyone... Captain Jack Sparrow is in the two chapters after this one, so hang tight, he's coming!!!
I don't own anything, we all know this, OK, let's move on...
13. Tales Told: In the Caribbean
The main thing I remember about you during that voyage, Elizabeth, was your extreme curiosity. You could not have been more than twelve or thirteen, and you never stopped asking questions about the boat, the weather, the sea, Port Royal, and, above all, pirates. I am sorry that I was not more polite or patient with you, and that I had answered more of your queries, but I was too caught up in my own self-importance, I suppose – I remember that I could hardly believe that I, a brash young nineteen-year-old, was in charge of countless men more than twice my age, as well as the Intrepid, one of the finest sailing ships in the Royal Navy. Once I realized that my men would actually listen to me, trust me, maybe even respect me, the seas suddenly seemed far too few, the horizon not broad enough, the voyage across the Atlantic far too short. I was restless to sail out and away, testing my wings, so to speak, as an officer and as the scourge of piracy in the Caribbean. I became moody, withdrawn, distanced from my crew, and far too ambitious for my own good. Although I had never been terribly emotional – my father had cured me of that supposed weakness long ago – my ego kept me from being able to relate to any other being on board. Your questions fell on my deaf ears, and, if I recall correctly, you instead got your answers from a stout, superstitious fellow with large sideburns and a liking for rum, who at this point I'm sure you know much better than I ever did.
More clearly than any other day on that voyage, I remember that bleak and foggy day we rescued William Turner. You were standing on the prow of the ship, and had just been scolded by Mr Gibbs for singing some pirate song that he was convinced would bring the pirates down upon us, when, lo and behold, the next minute you were screaming that a boy was floating about in the water. I remember when we saw the burning wreck he had come off of, I tried to pretend that the flames might have stemmed from an explosion in the powder magazine, afraid that the idea of pirates might frighten you… but of course I had nothing to fear, as you seemed more excited than anything at the thought of meeting a pirate. I suppose I believed at the time that that was why you grew so attached to young Master Turner, not only because he was the only person on the ship your age, but also because you had some clinging wish that he himself was a pirate. Or perhaps I was just projecting my own suspicions of the boy… but, if so, I had no idea how right I was about him.
Upon our arrival at Port Royal, I must admit I was rather glad that I was going to get my ship back to myself and be able to go off pirate-chasing again. I bade you and your father good-bye, and was off with my crew. For the next eight years, I sped through the ranks of a naval officer; lieutenant, lieutenant-commander, commander, and at long last, at the unprecedented young age of twenty-five, captain of my own ship. Throughout this time, I was on the seas constantly, fighting and capturing pirates (and no doubt strengthening my reputation and standings in the Navy while doing so). It became a sort of morbid fascination for me, to see these wild, fearsome men with their glinting eyes and their lust for blood and treasures go to the gallows one by one… a short drop and a sudden stop, all in good business, to rid the world of corruption and filth and make the seas a safer place for honest men. And always, during the infrequent periods I was back on shore, I was welcomed at your home, where your father would eagerly ask me about all my latest exploits. I think it was during this time that I realized that he thought of me as a surrogate son as much as I had always thought of him as the supportive father I had never had.
And it was during these years that I watched you grow up. I cannot say exactly when it was that my heart first skipped a beat when I saw you, but my guess is that it was shortly after I returned from some long adventure at sea, at one of the balls your father hosted every now and again at your estate. I was quite astounded at how quickly it seemed you had matured from the inquisitive young girl I had sailed across the Atlantic into the stunning young lady I saw before me. But, although you were older, and more graceful and charming than ever, you still had an air of the unexpected about you, like a bird that would gladly fly from the bars of its corseted cage if given the chance. I think that above all this is what fascinated me the most about your personality. And, although at first I resisted it, feeling as though it would be too improper for me to covet the daughter of the man I thought of as a second father, I eventually gave into the feelings I always kept locked away from the outside world, and allowed myself to fall in love with you.
Because of the conflict I felt within my heart about falling in love with you, I threw myself completely into my work, trying to distract myself. Before long, I had caught the attention of the Royal Navy again, and was promoted to commodore. I have no doubt you remember well the events of that day, but I still would like to be able to justify my actions by telling you exactly what was going through my head the day I met Captain Jack Sparrow.