DVD Malfunctions
Disclaimer: do we really have to point out that I don't own one of he most awesome stories known to date?
Oh and Norrington's little flashback is from the Jack Sparrow Series: Sins of the Father.
And the comment Marks Makes about God was taken from Inside the actors studio from an interview with Daniel Radcliffe
Chapter 4: The Black Pearl
A dense fog blankets the entire bay and the town. Only Fort Charles is visible above it, set against a black diamond studded sky. The moon gives both Fort and fog an eerie glow. Just below the stone parapets of the fort, deep in the fog, like a shark fin slicing through the water, the topmast of a ship, its black sails billowing in the slight chill of the night. The Black Pearl has darkened the shores of Port Royal. Down below the masts and the sails and all the rigging were two pirates coming out on deck with a satchel of money between them.
"No it's mine-"
"I found it first!" A loud Bang! Cut through the evening. The door to the captain's den stood agar and in the middle of the golden light was a man with long straggly beard, piercing blue eyes, and grungy attire. Atop his head was a hat with a feather sticking out of it. His eyes narrowed at the two.
"what be the problem 'ere?"
"he stole my loot!" Pintel said yanking it towards him.
"and I told 'im I FOUND it!" Ragatti said yanking the satchel towards him; they instantly started going back and forth.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too" The Captain finally had enough and took them both by the back of the head and whacked them together.
"Shut your mouth you cags." He turned his gaze to Port Royal, the lights were dimming and hazed, as if the town had drifted into its own stupor. "We have the last piece of the gold to recover and if you screw it up…you'll be wishing I left ye with Jack."
~*~
The governor's mansion was another one of the rare homes to escape the climbing fog. Its pearl white walls were painted of the mournful sea this night. But in the pitch black windows only one was lit, and a gaggle of laughter passes beyond the panes of glass. Elizabeth and Janine, though different in age and era were strangely getting along, laughing as if they had know each other their whole lives.
Its funny, Janine was wondering if she would tell anyone what she was discussing with the famed governor's daughter. Apparently 'never judge a book by its cover' was a pretty fair assessment with Miss Swann here.
"Alright, alright, alright" Janine said laughing, "this is my last question"
"With you it's never a LAST question."
"True, which means you're screwed either way." Janine gave Jack's signature smirk, she tried so hard to perfect over the years of watching the movie.
"How big was it?" she couldn't help giggling at Elizabeth's bulged eyes and reddened cheeks.
"I cannot believe you would ask something like that!"
"hey YOU"RE the one who made me curious with all the sighing, jeeze don't go blaming it all on me!" Janine rolled her eyed and popped some popcorn into her mouth.
"How did you know that the kernels would pop into this, um, what did you call it again?"
"Popcorn, love." Shit, Janine mentally slapped herself. I keep my language up then for sure she'll know I'm no Callaway-
"You know for a girl with your status you seem to be very-"
"-pirate like?" Janine filled in, Elizabeth nodded slowly. Janine then lay down on her back and looked up at the ceiling painted a robin's egg blue. For some reason she felt as ease, and actually felt a light wind tricle her beading neck. Wiping away the sweat she pulled all her head up above her head, brown locks fanning out of the pillow. "It's just…well, what would you do if you had no-one to tell you what you should do? No more curtsies and perverted men that are like three times our age!" Janine slipped Norrington's name into a well placed cough.
"Ja-I mean Commodore Norrington isn't like that"
Janine pursed her lips then looked up at Elizabeth who was looking everywhere but at her face. Janine then smiled and rolled over on her stomach looking at Elizabeth.
"True his isn't." Again she pursed her lips, as she always did when she was thinking.
"I've always loved the ocean, although my element will always be air. And you could sail anywhere you wanted!" she looked at Elizabeth with shinning eyes. "I mean imagine that, anywhere – Japan, Puerto Rico, Australia. I mean, the wind taking you on a road-" oh she snapped her fingers" like that one song, my dad sings, I only know the one part though," she added in afterthought. "If you don't know where you're going any road will take you there!" she smiled again. Elizabeth smiled back.
"You have a nice voice."
"When I was small, I always wanted to be a mermaid. I always said 'when I grow up I'm going to be Ariel and meet my prince charming and everything.' But of course you got to grow up sometime…"
The silence between them was comfortable as they both gazed out the open window, each engrossed with their on thoughts. Elizabeth sighed when she saw Fort Charles standing against the diamond studded sky, only the size of a thimble. A smirk crossed her lips and she rubbed her hands together to get a little bit more heat. Commodore Norrington. A good position, fit as you must be to join the ranks of the Navy, if granted the opportunity he'd probably be romantic. He was cookie-cutter perfect. Then Janine's words were replied. Maybe it was just that, she needed a little bit more adventure.
"So…what do you think of the Commodore's proposal?" Elizabeth sighed, playing with the chain of the medallion.
"He a fine man. He's what any woman should dream of marrying." Janine picked up on the 'should' instead of the 'would' smirked resting her chin on her knees. A few more moments of silence passed between them.
"I feel sorry for him" Janine said quietly. Elizabeth glanced at her but said nothing. "He's such an amazing man, and yet…" she too gave a small sigh. "He'd make a great father though."
Elizabeth looked over at this. "What makes you say that?"
"His father." She flinched at the memory of admiral Norrington of so long ago. She had been absolutely crushed when she learned of James' past in Sins of Our Father. "Was a bastard. And when you grow up with a parent you resent…you can't help but think 'when I become a dad, I'll never do this.' And because of that we-" she stopped. "Let's just say that he'll be stern in all the right places."
Elizabeth gazed at her with a look of confusion, "how do you…"
"It's called research." Replied Janine, then added in a muttered afterthought, "or fanatical obsession…"
~*~
In the town cocooned in an oddly silent night, a little blacksmith's shop window was lit. Will and Sam talked animatedly as Will pounded at the metal of the newly forming blade. He suddenly stoped, a deep cold without a breeze wrapped itself around him. Something wasn't right. He moved towards the open window, Sam peered over his shoulder.
"What is it?" There's nothing but fog on the empty streets Unconsciously Will grabbed the boarding axe on the wall and a little something felt better with the weight in his hands. Sam threw a glance at the axe
"What's that for?" Sam asked.
Will turned to her, "Defense."
"Defense against what?" then her mouth formed the shape of an 'o.' "right. That."
"That, what" asked Will with a worried stare.
"Nothing, just, getting a chill from the evening air." Will picked up the jacket that lay haphazardly over the donkey's back and slipped it over her shoulder, buttoning up the first few buttons. She discreetly inhaled his sent, she looked up and chocolate met mocha. Will's heart began to speed up as a light blush graced her cheeks, but he turned away and closed the window. Even in the company the night felt a little to ominous for her liking.
~*~
The cold stone steps lead in a spiral down to the cellars where the moans of prisoners could be heard upstairs and through the wooden doors. This night was no different, only the moans were sometimes exchanged with desperate whistles. In the corner of the dark and dank hallway lined with cells, was a mutt of a dog, with a ring of keys in his mouth.
Skinny, dirty, and bruised arms were sticking out between the bars trying to coax the dog to the three prisoners. One holds a loop of rope; another waggles a bone but the dog stands unfazed and revolted. He sits there mere inches away from the prisoners and cocks his head in an innocent 'what?'
"Come here, boy ... want a nice, juicy bone?" asked one with a helpless pleading tone, In the adjoining cell, Jack sat up against the wall, brown tricorner hat tipped over his eyes in a false sleep. Hayley was sprawled over the large (and incredibly random) stack of hay on the far side of the cell.
"And so here we are." Finishes Hayley to no-one in particular, "stuck in jail, damned to be hung-going to be hung and I-" she stops short as a silver glint catches her eye. Sitting up and squinting she looks at it.
"Holy Shit a harmonica. Kick ass…" with that she jams her hand through the bars of the cell and gropes for the instrument.
"You can keep doing that forever, that dog's never going to move." The prisoner holding the rope lookat at jack, affronted.
"Excuse us if we ain't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet!" Jack smirks and tips his hat further over his eyes.
"Hah hah! Yes!" Hayley pulls the Harmonica out from the adjacent cell and starts to wipe it off with her sleeve.
"Thank god, this scene SO deserved a harmonica!" Jack looked at her from under his hat, and wondered where she came from. His first thought-when she told him about the time travel- was the warped watch that had transported him and Fitzwilliam back into the pre-historic age. But he scoffed at the idea, anyway he looked at her 'Navy' definitely wasn't scrapped across her forehead. But that's what he had thought about Fitzy. How wrong he was then. But it didn't matter, he resolved, because by morning her would be gone and Everyone would talk about the amazing escape of Captain Jack Sparrow.
~*~
The wind was soft but strong and the creek of wood from the noose in the gallows courtyard sent shivers up everyone's spines, and yet the spell of cold still lingered on Commodore Norrington as he walked with the Governor around the far wall. He had waited for today! He had rehearsed every line, every movement and executed it as finely and as swiftly as any of his well trained men. Well, in the Bathroom at least.
It had started off as every morning before had. Before the sun had touched the water he ran the trail behind his home down to the private beach at the bottom. Stripping down to his shorts he would relish in the last bit of warmth the earth had left to give and swim out to the sunken ship merely two-hundred feet from shore. The crow's nest stuck out by a meter or two above the waters surface, and taking a deep breath he would swim down, touch the deck and spring back upwards. Of course he would do a couple more laps to and fro until the sun was halfway up from the water.
He would rehearse what he had to say three or four times and then headed out to the fort.
"Has my daughter given you an answer yet?" Mr. Swan asked. Norrington shakes his head taking himself out of his reverie.
"No. She hasn't."
"Well, she had a trying day ... Ghastly weather tonight." He added in afterthought.
James remembered why today was a little different then the others, as he soaked in the tub he had a dream (more like a memory) of when he had bet the Infamous Jack Sparrow. He was six years old. And the reason why still today he couldn't kill that damned pirate!
James gave a couple more steps backwards as his cousin, Fitzwilliam, went dueled face to face with a pirate, His short brown hair was held back by a red bandanna and three or four beads that were strung in his hair swung back and fourth as they battled, the swaying was actually kind of hypnotic. His eyelids began to droop and he fought to keep them open and once he did he took another careful steps back towards the railing.
There was a strangled scream from one of the other crew members and a bigger version of the pirate his cousin was battling, pulled the sword from his stomach and it scared him he ran to his fathers side but then backed away as the big pirate went after his father. He back away quickly but then a tried groan drew his attention to the little pirate who was now coming towards him his arms outstretched. He backed away- and fell into the water hearing his father cry "James!" before the slash of the sea. For a moment everything was blue and his lungs burned as the sea twisted and churned around him and everything went black. After a few seconds of what James believed was death he heard voices,
"James! If he's dead-" he had heard his cousin begin, but was interrupted by another boy, that James could only assume was the pirate he was battling before.
"What?" the little pirate said, "What will you do, Fitzy? Mind you, none of us has put this child in danger. It was you and that unckie of yours over there. Bringing a kid like that into a battle seems like a very wise decision now, does it not? Oh don't bother answering that question. It's just like you people to put anyone around you at risk-even a child. And for what, Fitzy? For what?"
"You're a filthy pirate." his cousin spat angrily, to which the little pirate replied:
"Thank goodness for that, if this is the way you not-piratey people treat each other." He bagan to cough and as james opened his eyes he saaw the big pirate smile and give a nod to the rest of the crew saying he would be alright, for a moment Jack and James' eyes met before his father had shouted halfway across the deck.
"Saved by a pirate, James. You stupid brat. You should have let yourself drown, boy. I would rather have that than a Norrington smeared with the taint of being indebted to a pirate. It felt like he had been slapped and he turned his face away, just in time to see the little pirate sneer in his fathers general direction.
Norrington was brought back to the present as a soft 'POFF' engulfed the once silent air but then there was the whistle of an incoming –
"What was that?"
"Cannon fire!" James Shouted and talked the Governor to the ground as the wall of the parpet explodes, enough daydreaming. He yelled to his crew.
"Return fire!" then he looked to the Governor.
"Governor Swan barricade yourself in my office." Another cannon hits the fort and Swann flinched, James became deadly serious and his voice turned cold.
"That's an order."
~*~
Jack sits up. The sound of cannon fire is now the dominant sound of the night.
"I know those guns!"
Hayley rolled her eyes at him. "No really?" she looked out onto the water stealing the only bit of view she could from the window. "I think everyone knows those guns.". The other prisoners crowd around their window like hungry dogs as well.
"It's the Pearl." Hayley and Jack say simultaneously.
"The Black Pearl?" Asks one of the prisoners, shivering "I've heard stories ... she's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years ... and never leaves any survivors."
"No survivors?" Jack asks. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" The prisoners look at eachother.
"Dolt." Hayley adds.
~*~
With each BOOM of the ship's guns, cannon fire lights up the fog. Both the fort and the town were being hammered now. Streets, buildings, docks and ships shatter and exploded beneath the onslaught. Villagers ran for cover, dodging flying debris. If that wasn't hell on earth, then it's about to be – Blocking the already dimmed moonlight are longboats, that carried armed pirates. They swarmed from the boats like mice, and struck down villagers indiscriminately and setting fires to anything that could. A pair had set out with special purpose. Ragatti, the tallest of the pair, had a wooden eyeball that squeaked when it moved; Pintel made up for his lack of height with ugly.
~*~
Will opened the small window and was gob smacked at all the wreckage caused in the last ten minutes, he closed it again and armed himself: boarding axe at the small of his back, three dirks in his belt, sword in his scabbard and a second sword and axe for good measure. He slid back the doors but not before Sam pulls him back in and locked the door behind her. She glared at him determined, and Will's heart (at the most inconvenient of times) sped up once again.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"To fight. Now stay here."
"Will it's dangerous, you're going to hit on the head and knocked unconscious of something."
"You're overreacting" if you only knew how much I wasn't, she thought grimly, but her lips had set into a thin line and she growled: "Am not."
"Are so."
"Are not"
"Are so"
"Are-"Before Sam had a chance to argue Will pressed his lips against her in an attempt to silence and astound her. Will pulled away and ran out the door. Sam stood there for a moment staring at the empty doorframe.
"What the fuck just happened?"
Outside Will tiptoed around debris and took down the pirates torturing the innocents and as he did that he thought about the kiss. If it could be called for it was quick and …quick. Disregarding the feeling for now Will swung the axe around his hand, he was ready for action. Just as the thought had crossed his mind he saw a woman run past, chased by Jacoby a wild eyed pirate with a bandolier of clay bombs across his chest. He grabs one and it sparked to life as he pulled if from his vest with glee. Will gave a soft whistle and when Jacoby turned Will threw the axe and it hit him in the back. Jacoby Dropped the the floor, then taking the axe back Will headed up the street.
~*~
Men scrambled for cover as cannon fire rained down on the fort; Gillette stood still, looking around, shell shocked. Daniel quickly walked up and slapped him across the face.
"Get in line, this is not a statute contest get those cannons loaded!"
"Y-yes sir." Gillette said shakily. Then turned and ran for cover, Daniel placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose.
"Oh that blubbering idiot!" Daniel roared, and then took matters into his own hands and returned fire. "Cowardly fool, I'll make sure he can't walk for a week!" James turns to Daniel and gives him a clap on the shoulder before doing the same with another cannon and yelled to his men "Return fire!"
"Remind me why we're here."
"Because we have a duty to the queen and to her colonies." Daniel looked at James then lights the cannon and plugs his ears as it fires.
"No really. Why are we here?" James looked around at all the men that had retreated from their guard and battalion.
"Because the people who sign up for the army now a days are cowards." Then James opened the back loading more powder in at the same rhythm as Daniel.
"Marks?" Norrington asked, as they both with precision load the cannonball in and close the hatch.
"What would you want god to say as you arrived at the pearly gates."
"Isn't it amazing we're the same height?" replied Marks and laughing they both shout, "Fire!"
Elizabeth looked out from the balcony: through the fog, multiple fires are visible and the ships burn in the harbor and echoes of the frightened women and children made Janine stir.
"no mommy I want the blueberry pie," A cannon fire woke her, "oh what happened-have they arrived?"
"Who?"
"The pirates." And as if she finally had heard herself, Janine jumped into action, ditching the nightgown and slipping on the pants and cotton shirt she had stashed underneath her pillow.
"Pirates!"
"Yup." Janine looked around and slipped on the many belts. "I think I can get a few more minutes before Pintel and Ragatti come and-"
"We have to leave-NOW!" Elizabeth yanked Janine towards the banister. The movement on the main floor caught their eyes.
"Pirates." Janine whispered melodramatically. Elizabeth bolted down the hallway-dragging Janine by the hair.
"Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow, Ow!" Janine said with between every step. "That's attached you know!" They reached the landing above the foyer just as the Butler opened the door.
" 'ello, chum." Came a voice, and a pistolBOOMS and a slipt second later the butler layed in a crumpled heap on the floor. Janine pointed and laughed as Ragetti's wooden eye squeaked up toward her.
"That was always one of my favorite parts!" Janine tried in a way of explination to Elizabeth's disgusted look. Janine looked at them, they smiled at her, and Janine's smile faded.
"Oh snap."
"Up there!" They rushed for the stairs as more pirates come in through the door with torches. Elizabeth scrambled back into her bedroom, and slamed the door locking it on impulse-no longer with Janine. Janine heard the door click. And glared in Elizabeth's general direction.
"yeah, thanks that's really nice!" she screamed through the door, then gathering her wits she frantically looked around and headed back down the stairs and finding no –one to capture her she turned into the living room then went through the maids door into the kitchen, where two pirates stood raiding the knife drawer. They looked at her. Janine gave a meek smile.
"Well, I would have to say that I prefer the knife with the longer handle…but unfortunately I can't stay for dinner" She then turned and bolted out of the room, through the parlor then foyer and dashed out the front door heading strait towards the pier.
Sam turned down a coupld of streets and gave a cry of frustration. Where the heck did he go? He kisses her then ditches her, just great. She would talk to him about that later, no one seemed to be in this part of the town, she looked around noticed the large hill with a big house on it. then she noticed a figure running down the hill with two silhouettes behind her holding long knives. Sam squinted as her friend whizzed past her screaming with her arms out in front of her waving like a madman.
"Ok that wasn't weird-" then before she could follow her lead the two pirates who were following her picked her up.
"Parle!" she screamed, they looked at her with a confused expression.
"What did you say?"
"I said Parle! You have to take me-"
"We KNOW where we 'ave to take ya you wench." Sam HATED being called a wench but she would take it for now...if it meant not dying.
Elizabeth realized that she was in real rouble, there was the SLAM of a body against the door. Another SLAM at the door and it gave way to Pintel and Ragetti. spoting Elizabeth dashing out the side door they ran for the door, Pintel got swatted by the pan of the bed warmer in his face he staggered back, holding his nose.
She goes to swing it at Ragetti but he caught the bed warmer by the handle and Elizabeth couldn't jerk it free, so she pulled the trigger and the hot coals ran down all over him. He howled in pain beating at his hair and his eye. Elizabeth ran for the hallway door in an effort to get down the stairs, but Ragetti landed between Elizabeth and the front door. His hair and his wooden eye were still smoldering as he reached-Elizabeth pulled up short, and ran the other way- Pintel is waiting for her.
Nowhere to run. A third pirate came out of the door beneath the stairs, his arms full of loot when suddenly, the wall EXPLODED and a cannon ball ripped through the foyer, slamming the third pirate back through the door. Elizabeth took advantage of the distranction and the chandelier that crashed onto the floor to race for the dining room.
She slid the doors shut, and grabbed a candelabra and forked it down over the door pulls the make a shift bolt that held against the pirates' attempt to pull the doors open. The pirates begin to throw themselves at the doors. Above the fireplace were two crossed swords. Elizabeth grabbed one by the hilt and pulled but it won't come free. Both swords were securely attached to the wall. Damn! The doors buckle, the pirates were relentless. Elizabeth looked desperately around the room. And an idea come to her.
The pirates rush in but the room is empty. Curtains trailed out the open window. Ragetti starts to climb through, but Pintel stops him and Indicates: "She's still here."
"We know you're here, poppet. Come out and we promise we won't hurt you." Ragetti, still smoldering, gives him look he wants to hurt her plenty. Pintel shakes his head: 'Don't worry, I'm lying.'
"We will find you, poppet ... You've got something of ours, and it calls to us!" Elizabeth pushed back against the linen laden shelves.
"The gold calls to us!" Elizabeth registers that she looked down at the medallion she had neglected to take off. The gold glints in the thin line of light that spills through the crack between the doors and then the light was gone. Elizabeth looked up and Pintel's eye was visible in the crack between the doors.
"Hello, poppet." Pintel yanked open the doors of the linen closet, and revealed Elizabeth
"Parlay!" Pintel can't believe his ears.
"What?"
"Parlay! I invoke the right of parlay! According to the Code of the Brethren, set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you must take me to your Captain!"
"I know the code."
"If an adversary demands parlay, you can do them no harm until the parlay is complete."
"To blazes with the code!" Ragetti shouted pointing the gun to her, Pintel turned sharply.
"She wants to be taken to the Captain, and she'll go without a fuss." Ragetti looked at him. With a simultaneous exaggerated nod of their heads, they agreed: that's good.
"We must honor the code." Pintel yanked her towards the door.
Will slashed fighting with Grapple, just as a cannon ball whistled past and blew out a wall. A hanging sign swung down, Will sidestepped just enough to let it go by and smash into Grapple. Will turned to see through the smoke and dust: Elizabeth and Sam, being escorted roughly by Pintel, Ragetti and two others. Followed by other pirates carrying loot. Will squared his jaw to save them and then a bomb rolled up and landed next to him. Will looked down at the bomb and up to Jacoby. Will blinked in disbelief didn't he already kill this guy? He looked down an saw that the bomb was a dud. In a blur of brown, Janine ran behind and between then, and effectively smoked Jacoby with the hilt of her sword then parried the blow that Will was going to receive from the candlestick by another pirate.
"Careful, mate that would've knocked you up." Will stared the girl incredulously and his thoughts drifted to the thoughts of the conversation he had with Sam.
"What are you doing here anyway?" he had asked fixing her blade.
"I'm, uh visiting a couple of friends."
"Oh. Has he been in the town long?"
"…she travels."
"Anyone I would know?"
"Definitely not," scoffed Sam combing a lock of hair behind her ear. Will narrowed his eyes at the blade.
"So what do you need this for?"
"She gets herself in tricky situations, her and Hayley."
"Ah," said Will piecing it all up together.
"So she's a pirate."
"Janine's a wannabe" Sam corrected.
"What does she look like?" Sam then quirked an eyebrow, "not going after her are you?" Will had laughed.
"No, just curious." he replied
"Well, she has long brown hair; it's so soft and wonderful to play with. Then she's got these bright blue eyes. She's kinda fluffy-"
"Fluffy?"
"Yeah, you know she's not skinny like me, but she's not fat either."
"I see."
Janine read his mind and smiled.
"Yup I'm Janine, pleasure to meet you we'll deal with formalities once I get this-" Janine attacked a nearby pirate, faked an aerial blow and swung towards to slash his abdomen. Then quickly ran him through "-sucker, and we get settled." Will looked at her, and then up in the sky. Wondering what exactly he got himself into.
And so the fourth chapter is revised and rewritten. Damn I hope the next one's shorter ^^
Ciao for now- Janine aka Capt. Blue-Eyed Jane