Villanueva's Tale

It was storming in Tortuga, as it had been for the past several days. The streets were muddy and dripping in rain. Only the drunkest of drunkards remained in them as they were tossed from pub to pub. Everyone else was crammed inside the narrow buildings—inns, pubs, stores, all chock full of smelly, dirty, loud people. The crowds, however, seemed to have no effect on the mellowed Captain Hector Barbossa. He was on his fifth glass of ale for the night, in an attempt to straighten out his melancholy nature. He and his crew had lost the trail of the illusive Captain Jack Sparrow, again…

They had searched for a good, long month. It seemed they had sailed to every corner of the Caribbean, but without the magical compass or charts, there was hardly a way of knowing where they were. Barbossa had called off the search when a storm began to form, and they made port in Tortuga. After a couple of hours, most of the crew had settled their anxieties with a few pints. After a month, most had forgotten Jack Sparrow entirely. Not Barbossa.

He let out a muffled burp, staring down into his large mug, swirling the amber liquid.

"Capitán Barbossa!" came a sudden booming voice, brimming with excitement.

The captain looked up slowly from his mug. "Eduardo?" he said, heavily slurred.

The man gave a laugh and pounded him once on the back. Barbossa gave a small grunt, his eyes rolling around unfocused in his head. "What has happened to cause a capitán such misery?" He gave a booming laugh and sat down in a chair beside Barbossa, slamming his own brimming mug down on the table. "Just two months after the conclave, and already you are drinking!" He laughed again and took a heavy swig. He was wearing layers of heavy clothing, shimmering with golden brocades. His large hat was crooked on his head, the long feather quivering with Eduardo's laughter.

"Jack Sparrow…" Barbossa muttered, staring back into his glass. "We lost 'im…" He burped again and struggled to look up at Eduardo's reaction.

"Jack Sparrow, eh?" Eduardo said, wiping foam from his mustache and narrowing his yellowed eyes. "Heard he was caught by that new Commodore, from Port Royal."

Barbossa's head shot up, his eyes widening and narrowing as he tried desperately to get his head straight at this news. "Port Royal?"

"Sí, Señor. Captured by Commodore Montgomery, due to be hanged."

"Again, eh?" Barbossa mumbled.

"Can't seem to keep himself out of trouble, poor man," Eduardo chuckled. "Why are you searching for him anyway?"

"Took me compass…me charts…dirty rat…" He gulped down some more ale. "Was suppose' to lead us to the Fountain o' Youth, they was…an' he just went an' took 'em…Mr. Joshamee Gibbs, over there…" Barbossa raised a shaky finger to the badger-like man, waving around his bottle of rum, one arm around a heavily chested woman. "Found him 'ere, with a couple o' wenches. Didn't 'ave a clue where Jack Sparrow had gone off to, didn't know anything about anything. And that's the closest we ever got to a clue. It was all blind sailing after that…"

"El Agua de Vida, eh?" Eduardo said, suddenly serious. "That is what you search for?"

Barbossa nodded feebly.

"Well, there is a tale around the Spanish Main, been around near 200 years. About El Agua de Vida…It is said that Juan Ponce de León, the Spanish explorer hid information about the place, how to find it. Letters, hiding within the walls of his mansion."

"And…those will help?" Barbossa asked, curious.

"You could put them to better use than a compass and charts," Eduardo said with a burp. "But you will probably need all three things to make it to the fountain."

Barbossa squinted. "And where be these letters of such high value?"

Eduardo grinned. "Ever traveled to Puerto Rico? In the governor's mansion there."

"And, by governor's mansion, I suppose you're implying a certain amount of gold and treasure as well?" The captain grinned crookedly.

"Perhaps as a payment for my stash of valuable information." And he drained his mug.

//\\//\\

It had been two months since Elizabeth had first started working in the mansion. Her hands and knees were raw from scrubbing floors. She was exhausted from the late nights and early mornings, and she constantly felt as if she was still at sea, nausea plaguing her for hours each day. Refusing to complain, she kept as quiet as possible upon returning to the small room, except when Josefina would talk with her after Ana and Manuel were asleep. The man sleeping all the time in the largest bed turned out to be Josefina's husband, Martín. 'He was ill and unable to work,' was all the woman had said about it before changing the subject. Questions arose every so often about Will's chest, but Elizabeth always kept silent. She slept with it beside her own heart at night, hiding it beneath her bed during the day.

Josefina had also elaborated about her relationship to Juan Ponce de León during their late night chats. Her great-grandfather was the son of the governor's son and a maid. The letters had been passed down through the governor's line, but it was too obvious. His father passed the letters to his illegitimate son, to throw off the trail. It was an unlikely person to hold such an important item, but it worked. Several raids had taken place throughout the course of history, and nobody had thought to look for the notes in such a trivial place as the trunk of a servant.

Elizabeth had been thinking a great deal about the fountain, the possibility of being with Will forever, but the conclusions she arrived at were only disappointing. For one, she had no ship. She would not be able to get off this island without one, and if she stole one, she would not be able to return. Even then—she had no compass, no sense of direction, no crew. And so the thought had drifted from the forefront of her thinking, and instead she concentrated on soapy floors and cooked vegetables.

When the end of her second month working was drawing to a close, Elizabeth had been feeling particularly ill, overwhelmed with headaches, vomiting, and light cramping. On some mornings, she could hardly get out of bed, and on some evenings, she couldn't get to bed fast enough. Josefina had sent her to bed early several times lately, but always with slight agitation.

Josefina returned to the room on one such evening after a heated conversation with the governor's wife. When she spotted Elizabeth lying on her bed, she folded her arms and pursed her lips. "What use are you to me if you do nothing but lie there, being ill?" she hissed quietly, since Ana and Manuel were asleep. "I did not bring you here to lie on my daughter's old bed sheets! You said you would earn your keep!"

Elizabeth sat up slowly, hand pressed to her forehead as she stared down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Josefina…"

The woman sighed, moving over to the trunk and sitting on its lid, so the two of them were facing each other. "I have just finished speaking to the governor's wife. She's…upset, with your lack of productivity."

Elizabeth looked up, eyes glistening. "Please don't make me leave…" she whispered. "I can't leave; I have to stay here, Josefina."

"You must understand, Elizabeth. I am just trying to look out for my own family. If you are unable to work, it is just another burden for us." She glanced briefly at her sleeping husband. His dark brown beard was several inches long and in desperate need of a trim, the same for his greasy hair. His breathing was uneven and ragged as he slept.

"I am trying," Elizabeth said, becoming slightly frantic. "I'm doing what I can…I don't know what's wrong. I'm just a little ill! It will pass, and I can help again…Please!"

"Elizabeth…" Josefina paused. She glanced out the window, watching a ship pulling in from the distance. "You have been a pleasure to meet and speak to, but I am afraid we just don't have room for a baby here."

Her mouth dropped and she stared at Josefina. "I…but…what?"

But before the words could even sink in, sudden shouts were heard, and then…

The explosion of a cannon.

A/N: Thanks all of you for your wonderful reviews! Sorry this took awhile, and it's short, but that's just how this chapter was planned out. School starts in less than two weeks, so updates will be taking a little longer. Please stay patient!

Also, a friend of mine asked why I was making Josefina seem so mean in this chapter--it's just so she's more real. I'm sick of all the 'perfect' new characters out there.

Please review!