Chapter 11
ON THE DAUNTLESS…
Jack sat in the brig of the Dauntless, thinking of Angel. She was the only family he had left and meant the world to him.
I wonder where the Pearl is...I hope Angel's alright…
Suddenly, Norrington appeared at Jack's cell door.
"What d'you want, Norrin'ton," Jack hissed. "Where are you takin' me."
"Back to Port Royal. To be hanged." Norrington replied, smiling slightly.
"Well, that's a cheering thought," Jack replied sarcastically. "You do realize, of course, that my daughter will come to my rescue."
"Not likely. My men gave her a good knock to the head. Probably a good 2-3 inch deep gash in the side of her head." Norrington informed Jack. Jack's eyes widened at the news. "She won't be doing much of anything for a while."
ON THE PEARL…
A few hours later, the night shift came on deck, Will among them.
"I bet Jack's fine," He must have seen the worry in my eyes, because I was thinking of him.
"How can you be so sure?" I questioned. I knew in my heart that Jack was alright, but there was still doubt in my mind. I had never dealt with the British Royal Navy before, so I didn't know what to expect when we arrived in Port Royal. But I figured once we got there, I'd figure something out.
As the hour grew later, I noticed Will yawning an awful lot, causing me to do the same.
"Will, go to bed. If all I need to do is stay on this course for the rest of the night, I'll be fine alone. You need your rest," I said, after yawning again.
"Alright, do you need anything before I go?" he asked.
"Yeah, could you get me some more coffee?" He smiled and went to grab me my desired coffee. Mind you, it wasn't exactly a Starbucks Frappuccino, but it was good enough. It would at least keep me awake through the night. Now I knew what Jack experienced at night while I slept. Sleepless nights drinking coffee and standing at the helm.
A constant wind blew in from the Southeast, pushing us ever onward towards Port Royal and Jack.
Four bells sounded in the early morning, signaling the end of the night shift and start of the morning shift. The night shift headed for their cabins while the morning shift came up from the galley, Anamaria among them. She came up to the helm with a warm biscuit and a fresh cup of coffee.
"Thanks. I needed that," I said once I had a sip of the coffee and bite of the biscuit. She smiled, then set off to do her morning chores.
Around mid-day, Will came up on deck with Elizabeth. No sign of Alexandra, which was fine by me. I didn't want anything more to do with that whining brat. They enjoyed the warm tropical weather that was normal for the Caribbean year-round and the breeze that was sailing us forward. We continued our Northwestern course all day. Around lunch, I called Anamaria to my side.
"Could you take the helm for a while?" I asked. "I need to stretch my legs and get some food."
"Sure thing," she replied, taking the helm. With that, I set off for the galley. I found a roll and grabbed a glass of water, making an easy snack. I returned to the deck, roll in one hand, water in the other. I walked over to the starboard railing and leaned against it, eating my sourdough roll and looking out at the ocean. A few times I saw dolphins jumping and playing in our wake and even racing alongside our ship. It was very interesting watching them. They gave me something to focus on so I wouldn't constantly worry about Jack, but they didn't keep him out of my mind entirely.
After eating, I decided to head for my little spot on the Main Royal Yard. It gave me a sense of comfort to be up there and gave me a chance to think of a plan on rescuing Jack. So I climbed up the ratlines and reached the Main Royal Yard. Once I got right next to my hammock, I realized that someone was in it. And that someone was Alexandra! No wonder I hadn't seen her all morning!
"What the hell are you doing up here? And in my hammock!" I screamed. She sat up and looked me in the eyes.
"I am enjoying a nice breeze in my hammock. Seeing as no one was up here, I figured no one ever came up here, so I took over," she replied smartly. Well that was the absolute last straw. I grabbed her by the arm and yanked her out of my hammock and with one hand and held her out over the ocean. I was ready to throw her in, but thought better of it. Instead, I thought I'd scare some sense into her.
"Will!" I screamed. He looked up and saw me dangling his daughter over the deck. "Catch your precious daughter!" With that, I released Alex from my grip and watched her drop down well over 100 feet to her father's outstretched arms.
"And don't you dare lay in my hammock again!" I knew I had scared the bejesus out of her and knew that she wouldn't go up to my hammock ever again. So I climbed up to the beam, slid down into my hammock, and laid down, looking out to the horizon.
ON THE DAUNTLESS…
Jack, still in his cell, began remembering his days sailing alongside his wife, Isabella von Tassel who became Isabella Sparrow after they married. She had such a fiery spirit and a heart that couldn't be tamed by any man but Jack. And even he had difficulties reeling her in with his irresistible charm for a while. Thinking of this made Jack laugh to himself. She really had played hard-to-get for a while it seemed. At first, she really wasn't interested in him at all, but after a little time had passed, she warmed up to him. They would spend long nights together sailing by moonlight and talking about anything and everything. But even then, she wouldn't be his girlfriend, only his sailing companion. She had her own ship and crew to think of, and a home of her own in Tortuga. Until Jack had met Isabella, he didn't have a roof over his head, unless his cabin on the Pearl counted…
Jack is sailing on his ship, the Black Pearl and Isabella is sailing next to him on her ship, the Midnight Phantom. They are returning from the Isla de Muerta and heading for Tortuga.
"Jack!" Isabella calls over the water from the helm of the Phantom. "We should be in Tortuga soon!"
"I know it love. I can't wait to get home!" Jack had met up with Isabella at the Isla de Muerta on his return journey from Hispaniola. It has been a long journey and Jack longs to return to his beloved Tortuga and to Isabella. He has finally tamed her wild heart and spirit enough to make her his girlfriend and he lives with her in a cute little one-story home on a hill overlooking the town and harbor.
Soon, the island looms into view. The two ships sail into the cove side by side, and dock. A crowd has gathered to see the two captains arrive home after many months at sea.
"Ah, there's nothin' like bein' home after 4 months at sea. Am I right, Isabella?" Jack says, turning to Isabella, smiling.
"You're right as always. It's great to be home." Isabella replies, taking Jack's arm and they walk through the streets of Tortuga to Isabella's house…
ON THE PEARL…
The sun was setting on our second day and I decided to head down for some food. Once I touched the deck, Elizabeth came over to me, not happy in the slightest about what I had done to her daughter hours before.
"Look. She crossed the line with me, not once, but twice. I cannot let that go unpunished. But it's not like I was gonna drop her without Will below to catch her. I just wanted to scare her into staying down here on deck where she belongs," I defended myself. Elizabeth gave me a stern look, but agreed that Alexandra shouldn't have been up in the Main Royal Yard. Glad that I had gotten my point across, I headed for the helm to ask Anamaria if she needed anything when I went to the galley.
"No, I'm okay. I actually had Cotton get me dinner earlier. Thanks though," she said. I smiled to her and went for dinner. When I arrived below, I saw that I wasn't the only one there. Gibbs and Cotton both were below as well, along with Will and Alex. I greeted everyone except Alex and headed for the pantry. All I needed was a bit of sourdough bread and a glass of water for my dinner. But on my way out the door, I reached over Alex's shoulder and snatched an apple off her plate. Smiling, I bit into it and replaced it on the plate.
"EWW! THAT'S DISCUSTIING! I DON'T WANT IT NOW!" she wailed.
"Well, in that case…" I replied, and snatching the apple back up, I walked out the door, grinning from ear to ear. I noticed since the Turners were sailing with us, there was no smoking or drinking or cursing, except for the harsh words I directed towards Alex whenever she crossed me. That wasn't normal, so I figured I'd act like the pirate I was born to be. I tired to act as much like Jack as I possibly could, and it seemed to help the crew keep their minds off him. Even though the Pirate's Code was always in effect, they decided to put that aside when I announced that I was going after Jack, even if I had to do it alone in a rowboat. Crazy as that sounds, I was that determined. They knew that Jack wouldn't want anything happening to me, so they knew they had no choice but to come along.
Author's Note:
Reviews are welcome – Artemis