Elizabeth had never been at such a crossroad in her life. Part of her felt guilty for kissing Jack, but the other had been all for it. She knew why it had needed to happen, yet she wondered if there could have been another way. She had not exactly had enough time to think it through. If there had been such a way, a way which would have allowed her not to be unfaithful to Will and not deprive Charlotte of her father, she would have taken that course of action. Right?

Poor Charlotte, Elizabeth thought miserably. Jack's daughter was still under the impression that her father had willingly stayed aboard the Pearl. The girl had fought tooth and nail to get off the dinghy and back to Jack, and it had taken the combined efforts of Will, Mr. Gibbs, Ragetti, Pintel, Cotton, and Marty to hold her down and keep her from tipping the little boat over. As the scene played itself over in her mind, Elizabeth sighed, her conflicting emotions weighing down on her.

As confused as Elizabeth was, she knew one thing for certain: She could not tell Will the truth under any circumstances. It would not be fair in the least to make him carry her burden. Things were already unfair as they were. The governor's daughter only hoped that this would not create a rift between her and Will. Oh, why had she not thought of all this before she had acted? She supposed that the old saying that you ought to think before you act was very wise.

With this inner conflict weighing down on her, Elizabeth stared over the railing into the seemingly fathomless ocean. She had been so caught up in her own thoughts that she had numbly climbed aboard and made herself comfortable. She had not bothered to find out where they were going, or what their purpose was. She had an inkling that it had to do with Jack, but she couldn't be too certain. She was like a sheep, following the rest of the herd blindly.

Finding her voice, she managed to croak, "Where are we going?"

"The South China Sea," Charlotte answered, joining the other woman by the railing of their small vessel.

This bit of information only added to the haze of Elizabeth's confusion. She shook her head. "But why?" she asked, her voice still a little rough from not being used.

"The song 'as been sung," was the cryptic reply. Elizabeth shook her head again and sighed, slumping down so that her chin rested on the railing.

"The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed
And bound her in her bones
The seas be ours and by the powers
Where we will, we'll roam

Yo ho, haul together hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die

Some men have died and some are alive
And others sail on the sea
With the keys to the cage and the devil to pay
We lay to Fiddler's Green

The bell has been raised from its watery grave
Do you hear its sepulchral tone?
A call to all, pay heed the squall
And turn your sails toward home.

Yo ho, haul together hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."

Elizabeth stared at Charlotte, who had just sung the haunting verses, her voice a wavering alto. Obviously this song held more meaning than she could grasp at the moment. She shook herself a bit, trying to rid herself of the goose bumps that had risen on her skin.

"It be the song that brings together pirates in a time o' need," Barbossa said from where he stood at the helm. His hand lay lightly on the wheel, moving it only fractionally from time to time.

"And the pirates gather in the South China Sea?" Elizabeth asked, trying to make sense of it all. Of all the places in the known world, why would they choose that one?

"No, what we be goin' after in Singapore is a bit more material," he answered. His gaze never left the horizon, although there was only water to be seen in every direction. Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…

Elizabeth groaned. She was not getting any answers of the kind that she wanted. "And what would that be?"

"Charts."

"Charts?"

"Aye, charts." Barbossa flashed her a smile.

"So that we can find the place where the pirates gather?"

"No."

"Then what are the charts for?" Elizabeth asked, her voice shaking in annoyance. She grasped the railing as she glared at the pirate captain.

"To find witty Jack and him precious Pearl," replied Tia Dalma in a somewhat surreal voice. She too gazed off into the distance from where she stood by the mizzen-mast. Her fingers toyed with the silver locket that hung around her neck.

Elizabeth's mouth formed an o as realization struck her. She returned to her slumped over position at the railing, feeling quite foolish. She stole a glance at Will, wanting ever so badly to go over and talk to him. It was a simple matter, really. He was only a few paces away and all she needed to do was greet him in a manner that would open them both up for conversation. But for all her courage, she could not bring herself to do so. She had created a wall that she could not, for the life of her, figure out how to bring down, or at least maneuver around. She just kept telling herself that everything would be alright once…once…

A/N: I've got the ball rolling, so an update should be in order within the next month. Perhaps the next week if I decide not to sleep. Reviews are appreciated. They help motivate me.