Something More Than Before
Chapter 8 – A Few More Drinks
Lord Cutler Beckett sat at his desk in his office in Port Royal. According to his faithful assistant, Mr. Mercer, there was still no word on the whereabouts of the chest containing Davy Jones' heart. And no matter which way you sliced it, Beckett wanted that chest, fast. Governor Weatherby Swann, also known as Elizabeth Swann's father, stood before Beckett, his hands in shackles. He was waiting for Beckett to speak.
"Are you aware of where your daughter is?" Beckett asked, breaking the uneasy silence.
"No," the Governor said firmly.
"Would you like to know where she is?" Beckett said, looking up at the Governor.
"Do you know where she is?" the Governor asked, a tiny glint of hope in his eye.
"We have an idea."
"An idea cannot lead me to her, or provide me with a cure for the doubt and worry that keeps me awake at night," the Governor said, the hope in his eyes vanishing.
"No, but we can send a ship to pursue this idea..." Beckett said, "...and we may produce some leads from it."
"I am not willing to trust you, or to take that risk," the Governor said bitterly.
Mr. Mercer, who had been hiding quietly in the shadows, appeared and spoke.
"She was last seen on the island of Tortuga," he told the Governor, who turned to face him.
"Do you know where she went from there?" the Governor asked desperately.
"She left in the company of a former ally," Mr. Mercer said, before he spat out the name, "...Jack Sparrow."
The Governor was surprised to hear this. "Jack Sparrow?"
"And..." Beckett said, standing up and walking over to a small table, where there was a case, "...the previous owner of this sword."
Beckett opened the case to reveal a perfectly crafted and rarely used sword. It was the sword of the former Commodore Norrington.
"She's with Sparrow and Norrington?" the Governor asked incredulously.
"An interesting pair," Beckett mused, "but it seems that the ex-Commodore was so desperate for life on the seas, that he has turned to piracy, and taken up a job on board Jack's ship, the Black Pearl."
"What has happened to the man?" the Governor said pitifully.
"Indeed," Beckett muttered. He turned back around to face the Governor.
"Of course..." Mr. Mercer went on, "...we don't know why she is with Jack and Norrington. That's where you can help us."
"Help you do what? Find my daughter so that you can arrest her and then hang her?!" the Governor cried.
"She is on the run from the law," Beckett reminded him, as if he needed reminding, "and as Lord Cutler Beckett, it is part of my job to make sure that she is caught and given the punishment she was sentenced with and deserves."
"She is not on the run from the law," the Governor said defensively. "She only left because she wanted to find –"
But the Governor stopped talking before he said something he knew he would regret.
"Go on," Beckett urged him.
Mr. Mercer studied him closely. "He means William Turner," Mr. Mercer deduced.
The Governor turned to look at him. "What gave you that idea?"
"Who else or what else would she do such a thing for?" Mr. Mercer explained.
"No-one," the Governor admitted quietly.
"Exactly," Mr. Mercer smiled.
-----
Will had had quite a lot to drink since Giselle had left him sitting there. He was now seeing triple of everything...or double...he couldn't count very well at the moment. He had a sudden urge to burst into song...but he thought better of it and ignored it. Oh, he wanted to sing! No, he couldn't sing. And he meant that; he could not sing.
What he wanted, what he really needed, was some company. He found the torn pieces of Giselle's address on the floor close to where he'd been sitting and he put them together. He read it, though he couldn't figure out for the life of him how, and left his now empty seventh tankard of rum on the table and staggered towards the door. Already he could tell there was going to be one hell of a painful hangover in the morning.
After walking into each side of the doorframe several times (each), he finally managed to make it through the door out onto the streets of Tortuga. It had died down a reasonable amount but there were still many drunken people about.
He somehow managed to navigate his way through the rotating streets until he stood, barely, outside a door that he was sure was Giselle's. Clearing his throat audibly, he knocked.
Within minutes, the pretty blonde had answered. She, too, had obviously had a few more drinks after abandoning Will in the pub; she smelled strongly of ale.
"Helloooooo," Will smiled goofily; Giselle giggled in a very high-pitched voice.
"You're the dude from the pub, ain't ya?" she asked, still giggling annoyingly.
Will grinned cheekily, nodding rapidly.
"I knew you'd soon come find me!" Giselle said, gently pushing him on the shoulder. Of course, in Will's condition, that wasn't a very bright idea. He fell over.
Giselle could only point and laugh. Yes, she had definitely been drinking. A lot.
"Shurrup," Will mumbled, still grinning widely.
"OK," Giselle said, ignoring him. She pulled him up by his hand and he collapsed on her, almost falling over again. What a pair they were!
Before any protest could be heard from Will, Giselle grabbed his hand and dragged him in, locking her lips with his. Will, too drunk to protest, could only follow. Or in his case, be dragged.
-----
On board the Black Pearl, Elizabeth was sitting in her cabin. She was incredibly nervous. It was getting later, and it was growing darker outside. After five minutes of restless waiting, she decided to go and call on Jack, and then they would take it from there.
She knocked anxiously on Jack's door. "Jack?" she asked hesitantly.
"Be with ya in a minute, love," came Jack's voice from inside. She couldn't tell his mood from his voice. "Just making it a bit special for ya."
Elizabeth was too nervous to even try and work out what this could mean.
When Jack came to the door, he didn't let her look inside. Instead, he told her to cover her eyes, which she did. As an extra precaution, no doubt, she almost immediately felt his hands over her eyes, and he began to lead her inside the room.
They had ventured into the room, and Jack took his hands off her eyes, and she opened her eyes.
Don't you just hate it when I do that? Well, you'll find out what's special next chapter!
Review please!
QueenSerenity818 out.