Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters I refer to in this story. I do own Charlotte, Sarah, Abigail, and anyone else whom you don't recognize.
Author's Note- Ok, so, I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest for the second time and got inspired. I apologize for the delay in updates. Thanks to those who read and review.
Incubus2704- I'm glad you're not bored. I'll have to check out your stories. Thanks for reviewing.
CrimsonCrome- Thank you for the review. Well, Jack's a pirate (as I'm sure you've already gathered). He'll fall in love with anything that has two legs and a feminine figure. LOL. No, you weren't too harsh on the Elizabeth thing. I apologize if I was; I just really don't like her. I'm not sure there'll be too much POTC 2 stuff. The only reason being that I came up with the plot before I saw the movie, so I'm not sure what would fit in and what wouldn't.
On With the Story,
Will stared at the square of fabric. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but guessed it probably had to do with treasure. Jack was always looking for treasure.
"What is it?" the blacksmith asked, letting his curiosity take control.
Jack grinned and opened the cloth.
Drawn in dark blue ink and blotted in some places was a map.
"A map." Will stated.
Sparrow looked up.
"Not quite. A third of a map."
Will bent over the table to get a better look at the burnt material.
Sure enough, the map was cut off at the side and on the bottom with rough, torn edges replacing the two missing pieces.
"Where are the other two thirds?"
"Somewhere between here and there."
At these words, Jack pointed to his left. The blacksmith assumed he was partly drunk and decided not to say anything.
"What does it lead to?"
"Treasure. You know, shiny stuff you usually dig out of the ground."
Will nodded.
"And how do you suppose you find this treasure?"
Sparrow frowned. Was there a sarcastic edge behind his acquaintance's words?
"Not me. We. We are going to set off in the Black Pearl and find the other two pieces of the charter. Then, we'll dig up the treasure and split it between us sixty forty."
"We," Will repeated.
"You really need to start listening, mate. Yes, we. You, me, and Elizabeth. Where is she anyway? I was under the distinct impression that you two were going to be joined in holy matrimony."
"She's," Will took a painful swallow, a fresh pain stabbing his heart. "Gone."
"I knew she'd be the first to leave."
"No, Jack. Gone, dead, deceased, never to return!"
Sparrow just stood there shocked at the sudden outburst. Was it possible that Will was lying? No, he loved Elizabeth too much for that.
"That would explain why she's not here," the captain said quietly.
"I can't go. No now."
"Yes you can. You want to get revenge on her death."
Will stared at Captain Sparrow. How could the man be so selfish?
"Would she want you to sit around mourning? That isn't the Lizzy I knew."
The blacksmith thought about it for a couple moments. Elizabeth always had loved adventure and accomplishing feats that had seemed impossible to others.
"Besides, staying here will drive you insane. I've seen it happen to many a good man," Sparrow continued.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
xxxxx
Jack Sparrow led the way to the docks; keeping carefully to the shadows and dodging anyone whom came too close.
"Now, where did it go," he murmured to himself, scanning the waterline with his chocolate brown eyes.
In a matter of minutes, Jack found what he was looking for; a small longboat.
Will was a little under whelmed.
The last time Captain Sparrow had sailed in to Port Royal, he'd come elaborately on a sinking ship that happened to reach the dock just before it went completely under. A longboat just didn't seem extreme enough for the infamous pirate.
The young man looked out to the horizon, looking for the Black Pearl, Sparrow's famous ship. He felt a few tears spring to his eyes when he realized that this was the same thing he'd done just before Elizabeth had stepped out of his life.
A gust of wind brought his gaze to one side, and he saw the ship.
Anchored near the edge of the bay, was the large, fast frigate. Its well-known black sails were secured, hiding them from plain view. Simple, but effective.
Will glanced down at Jack.
The pirate was stepping into the small boat.
"This seems a bit…ordinary, Jack."
"Just laying low."
The blacksmith climbed into the boat and sat across from Jack.
"Oh, one more thing. I'm going to have to ask you to put this on."
Sparrow reached under the seat and pulled out a dark green lady's cloak.
"Security purposes," the pirate added, noticing William's stare.
Will took the garment and looked briefly to the sky.
What had he gotten himself into?
xxxxx
Charlotte tied her sun hat's pale blue ribbon under her chin.
They'd been at sea for nearly two weeks and she had fast learned that staying in the sun without a hat turned the skin a tan color; something that was frowned upon at her social level.
A breeze full of brine and sprays of water greeted the young woman as she stepped out of her cabin and onto the deck.
Several of the crewmembers smiled at her from the rigging. Something in their grins told her that they were thinking about more than just being friendly.
The wooden planks that made up the floor of the deck were clean, the occasional splash from the ocean making small puddles on the boards.
Charlotte's stomach squeezed itself into a tight knot as she looked out to the never-ending body of water. The waves tossed and turned, making the large boat bounce up and down. White foam topped the waves as they crashed against the wooden hull.
Miss Andrews pulled her gaze away from the ocean and began fanning herself vigorously with her small hand fan.
She had also discovered in the two weeks time that she became seasick if she looked at or thought about the churning waves for too long.
The wind began to pick up, blowing her loose hair around her face.
Charlotte decided that she had been out too long and turned to leave, being careful not to look at the water as she went.
xxxxx
Sarah watched her mistress leave and shook her head. Charlotte had many assets and strengths, but it was obvious that she had never worked or done anything strenuous in her life.
She turned her attention back to the sea.
Like everyone else in the family's entourage, the maid had been violently seasick during the first week of the journey. Now, however, the waves and motion didn't bother her as much.
She closed her eyes and allowed the breeze to caress her face. The salt from the water stung her sunburn, but she ignored it.
"Enjoying it, then?" a voice asked from behind her.
Sarah turned.
"Abby, don't sneak up on me like that," she scolded lightly.
The Irish woman laughed and soon had her friend giggling too.
"Alright, I'm sorry." She looked to the clouds. "Those clouds don't look too pleasant."
Sarah followed her companion's gaze.
A black, ominous cloud seemed to have been following them ever since they'd left port.
That's ridiculous, clouds don't posses the ability to follow something. Still…
The British woman looked upwards again.
Was it just her, or were the clouds closer?
The once gentle breeze was turning into a violent wind, beating its fury against anything that got in its path.
"Maybe we should go inside," Abigail shouted over the roar of the coming gale.
"Aye."
Abby shook her head. Her friend had been picking up sailor talk and used it when it was just the two of them.
On the way back to their cabin, Abigail looked at the dark blue water.
The waves turned angrily, creating small whirlpools and rocking the ship with a passion.
This can't be good she thought as she closed their room's door behind her.
Author's Note- I apologize if Will and Jack were a bit out of character. I hope you enjoyed that. I'm always open to suggestions and questions. Your opinion is also strongly appreciated, good or bad. I'll update in week or so.