Author's note: This chapter is a long one, but I couldn't break it up without stopping the flow, so enjoy a longer read! Pirate Cat flutters to the floor in exhaustion
As William spread his arms out wide and closed his eyes, the sea before him split open violently, and raised upward with the bowsprit of a massive ship shooting straight skyward, as if trying to take flight. The rest of the vessel practically took to the air, as it climbed a hundred feet above the surface of the wildly churning waves.
The ship came down with a deafening crash, landing on it's keel with the sound of a hundred cannons all being fired at once. The Black Pearl raised up and rocked wildly with the wash from the resurrected vessel, and the Pearl shook and swayed as if she was a paper boat in a rainbarrel. All that were on her decks either fell flat on their backs, or held on for what they thought were their very lives, as a wave of clear sea water washed up over the side of the ship.
As the reborn ship settled into the water, William merely turned, and said to Barbossa, simply, "Our offering." And he stepped down from the railing and resumed his place next to a plainly delighted Jack Sparrow.
Once Hector had recovered his senses, he lumbered over to the railing and stared in utter shock. He was joined by an unfazed Bootstrap Bill, Teague, Jack and William; the others gathered around them and murmered in awe. The ship was very familiar... she was no longer painted in the bright colors that she had been prior to being blown to pieces and sent to the depths... her garish paint was gone, and she was the color of golden oak, with polished gold gilding, and gleaming varnished decks. Her sails were cream coloured, and her numerous cannons, in their open ports, were dark gray iron. She was flying the skull and crossed sabers as her colours... Barbossa's colours had been hoisted. She was beautiful... and she had a history...
"... Mother o' God... " murmered Barbossa, "... the Endeavor... this is bloody Cutler Beckett's ship!"
"Poetic justice," Jack smiled, grimly.
"Haunted, she is..." Ragetti breathed in complete awe.
Jack turned and stared at the one eyed pirate...apparently Ragetti did not remember the history of the Black Pearl, and how she, too, could have been haunted, thanks to the greed of Cutler Beckett.
William spoke up, "Aye, Barbossa, she was the pride of the East India Trading Company... she was the Endeavor."
Barbossa turned to look at him, "Ye brought this ship up from th' depths on Jack Sparrow's behalf? What's in it fer you, Captain Turner?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow's friendship and loyalty. He and I are making you this offer in good faith... this ship for the Pearl... it is more than fair, as she is a fine ship."
Barbossa looked at Jack, and snarled, "Ye've hardly said a word, Jack... it is not like ye t' be so quiet-like... wot would ye say if I said, no, I want th' Pearl an' ain't interested in your offer, hm?"
Jack knew that he was being tested, and he simply cocked his head to one side and said, "Then I would legally ask, under th' sanctions set forth by th' Keeper o' th' Code," a flourishing sweep of a bejeweled hand brought a nod from Captain Teague, "... for a vote amongst th' crew, who would no doubt vote for me as th' Captain o' th' Pearl, correct, gents?" Jack gracefully swiveled his entire body around, and regarded his crew, expectantly.
Everyone stared at him, until Gibbs shouted "Aye!" and jabbed Pintel in the ribs. "Aye! I'd vote fer a true gentleman o' fortune, t' be sure!" Shouts of "Aye!" went all around Jack's old crew, and Mr. Cotton's parrot squawked, "Wind in th' sails!"
"... as I was sayin'" Jack smiled with great satisfaction, as the corners of Teague's eyes crinkled in a subtle smile, "If ye said no, I would take me a vote, an' once th' vote gives me th' Pearl back, I would find a godforsaken spit of land and simply bloody maroon you an' yer scurvy crewmen!" A nervous muttering went up among Barbossa's crew... they were now, more than ever, not in high appreciation of the situation that Hector had gotten them into.
Barbossa had not expected this answer. Jack the Monkey had climbed back down to take in the proceedings, and he screeched loudly and pointed to the reborn ship floating serenely next to the Pearl. Hector thoughtfully stroked his beard. Jack the Monkey screeched, and pointed, again, shiny little black eyes wide.
"There are other conditions, Barbossa," Bill finally spoke up. He smiled coldly, as Hector looked him up and down. "Aye, Barbossa," Bill pointedly did not use the title of captain, "Remember me, mate? Tied me to a cannon by me bootstraps?"
Hector's eyes widened, and he took a step back, and muttered, "Yer lookin' good, Bill..."
"The other conditions would be, if ye should decide t' take th' reborn ship, are tha' ye follow th' Pirate's Code to perfection..." Bill continued.
"... an' ye leave my son an' his ship alone." Teague growled.
Barbossa looked up at the tall, dark masts of the Black Pearl, then over to the gleaming oak of Cutler Beckett's flag ship that was taken down by the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman at the Battle of the Maelstrom. A glorious ship... Beckett's tomb, but a glorious ship, nonetheless, in Hector Barbossa's glittering eyes. She was fast and she was a beauty. He walked up and down the deck of the Pearl, taking in the fine lines and the numerous sails of the ship on full display... he had seen the ship at sea, and knew that she was one of the finest... the same class of ship as the Royal Navy's Dauntless. He, Captain Hector Barbossa, could be sailing the flag ship of the fleet of the East India Trading Company as a pirate ship. Truly a sight to behold. He had to grudgingly agree with Sparrow... it was poetic justice.
"The choice is yours, Barbossa... " William said, "What say you?"
Hector turned to Jack and William, back at the offered ship, and finally smirked, "Agreed!" He put out his hand to shake upon the accord, and hands were shaken all around.
Jack could hardly contain himself. He grinned and said, "Well! I am glad tha' we could come t' an accord, Hector!"
Barbossa turned to his fine ship and chuckled, "I wonder what I should name her? The Endeavor is no name for a pirate vessel as grand as she is!"
William looked at the others, then spoke, tapping his forehead as though he had forgotten something, "Oh, that was another condition that we failed to mention... she has been rechristened, already," he said, lightly.
Barbossa spun around to stare at him, "Ye can't add another condition! I can name me own ship!"
"... I named th' Pearl, an' ye didn't rename her, ye dodderin' ol' twit..." Jack muttered.
William smiled and said, "I'm afraid you cannot rechristen her, Barbossa. This ship was resurrected by me, in honor of a hand more powerful than any of ours..." He turned to the ship and, with a mere wave of his hand, churned the waters about the ship's starboard side in order to bring her bow about, for all to take a closer look. Jack wished that he could do that.
It was then that they all finally looked at the dark walnut figurehead under the bowsprit. Exquisitely carved, it was the figure of a beautiful woman, very much like the flying angel at the bow of the Black Pearl... but with long flowing hair, instead of wings... long flowing hair, that was done in dreadlocks... she had a heart shaped locket at her neck... tribal markings carved into her lovely face... and rather than a flying sparrow in her hand, her hand was simply outstretched, and empty, with its palm up. Jack leaned forward and studied Barbossa's shocked face. A gasp went up from Jack's crewmembers as they took in the sight and recognized the face of the figure... a very lifelike rendering, indeed...
"Just as she can extend her hand in benevolence t' ye," Jack said, softly, "... she can also smite ye an' send ye t' th' briny deep wif a flick of 'er finger... th' name o' yer new ship, Barbossa, is Calypso's Hand... and I must warn ye, mate, ye had better adhere t' th' accord we just made... yer bein' watched... savvy?"
"You agreed, Barbossa," William said, in a low, threatening voice,"... I would not advise breaking an accord made in good faith between members of the Brethren in full, plain sight of the Keeper of the Code."
Barbossa looked over at a glowering Captain Teague, then at William and Jack. He looked over at the fine, but strangely disturbing ship that was now his, then drew himself up to his full height and silently grunted with a nod. His crew looked at each other, uneasily.
And they all stared in silence at the ebony eyes of the carved figurehead of the Calypso's Hand... it was, indeed, like those black eyes were watching them...
...Barbossa had agreed, Jack mused to himself, in a manner that Jack was not expecting; the Black Pearl was his, once again. As he watched Barbossa and his crewmembers row to the Calypso's Hand in the longboat, he almost felt as though it was too easy. It vexed him a bit. But Barbossa had also agreed to an accord almost too easily at Isle de Muerte in the treasure cave, and it enabled Jack to bring yet another plan to fruition, with William's help. This time, however, he had a very staunch and strong group of allies, and William was the best ally that a man could have, whether he was mortal or otherworldly, Jack decided it didn't matter. William Turner the Second was a good friend, an honorable man, and one hell of a good pirate, once it was all said and done.
He looked down from the quarterdeck, his thin hands curled around the smooth wooden handles of the wheel, and watched in silence as his father picked up the Pirate Codex and turned to leave, without even so much as saying goodbye to him. He watched Jonathan Teague's back as he was nearly to the bow, where he had climbed aboard stealthily, with Bill, from the long boat that was tied up below. Teague's own ship, The Star of Madagascar, was now coming into sight around the edge of the shoreline where it had been hidden, in order to pick him up... the Star was the very ship upon which Jack had been born, off of the coast of colonial India during a voyage back from the Far East. He tried with all of his heart to force his mouth to open and say something... it was a fine time for his mouth to disconnect from the rest of his functioning face.
Bill and William had joined him at the wheel, and they both watched as Jack's hands gripped the handles tighter and tighter, as he leaned up against the wheel with his body as if to become a part of the wheel, itself. He was swallowing hard... and yet he could not speak.
Finally, as Mr. Pintel offered to row Captain Jonathan Teague to his waiting ship, Teague turned, and looked at his son and his friends upon the quarterdeck of the beautiful ship that Jack loved more than anything else in the world, and, as he had after the Battle of the Maelstrom, he removed his hat in salute... and nodded, smiling slightly. Jack removed his hat, smiled sadly, and nodded back. In a heartbeat, Teague was over the side, and gone...
Bill looked at Jack with compassion... Jack, who was trying so hard to maintain his composure. It was all starting to hit him, and his usual cheerfulness was beginning to falter. Bill could tell that the terrible memories of the recent past were all starting to bubble back up inside of Jack's head...the Kraken... the dreadful Locker that had hammered terrible cracks into Jack's mind... William's and Elizabeth's fate... the loss of his ship. He was in need of comforting words. Jack was beginning to tremble a little, and Bill finally broke the silence.
Bill gently looked Jack in the eye, and said, "When I came to his home port, here in Madagascar, to tell him of Barbossa's treachery and our plan to parlay, Captain Teague never hesitated for a moment to come to your side, Jack. Jonathan cares about ye, son, he just does not know how to love ye... he couldn't give ye what ye needed when ye were a wee whelp... so rather than give ye only a little o' what ye needed, he thought it better t' give ye nothin' at all an' hope that ye found mates tha' could help ye make it... ye sometimes used bad judgment, lad, but ye know tha' ye have yer mates... it may not be th' same as havin' yer father, but it ain't so bad..." Bill smiled at his friend. Jack fought the lump that was forming in his throat.
Bill and William both put an arm around Jack's shoulders as they watched the longboat row into the distance... William patted his back, just as Jack had when William was so completely overwhelmed upon receiving Elizabeth's letter. William watched Jack closely, as he hoped that it would give him as much strength as he, himself, had drawn from one such simple gesture.
Jack had never felt this way before. He felt as though his family was standing next to him with their arms around his shoulders, more than rowing away from him... yet, he swallowed hard, and choked out, "Didja hear wot he said 'bout me? He called me 'is son, right in front o' everyone... he has never called me 'son'... ever... just 'boy'... after all o' these years, I'm finally 'is son..." He laid his head down on the wheel of his beautiful Pearl, and sighed, heavily, "... I'm good wif that... s'more than I ever had before..." he smiled, ever so slightly. Jack was feeling, after all of this time, that perhaps, just maybe, his father was a bit proud of him. Proud enough to finally acknowledge to the world that he had a son. He took a deep breath, and tried hard to draw himself up and be a captain in front of his celebrating crew.
Bill and William were silent... as they watched Jonathan Teague's ship drop sail, and disappear... out of Jack's life, again.
For a very long time, Jack caressed the wheel of his beloved ship and closed his eyes, and his crew pulled out the rum. Bill and William finally joined the merriment, and brought rum up to the quarterdeck so that they could drink a round with the rightful captain of the Black Pearl... Jack was tired, but he knew that he had to keep going strongly, for the lad... his best friend... who was laughing and raising a toast at his side. Jack was hoping, now, that his own part of the plans that had been made would now be in motion...and perhaps, just perhaps, he could finally feel that all of the horrible things that had happened to all of them, since that fateful day that he sailed into Port Royal Bay on a sinking boat, would be forever changed...
Hopefully, he would soon have word of some kind... and a chance to make things right... the tiny little pirates on his shoulders were whispering to him that he would soon have his chance to make things up to William Turner the Second, and his bonny lass, who waited for him on an island in the China Sea...
He hoped that word would come soon... very soon... Jack Sparrow narrowed his eyes, and for strength, took a good long pull from a bottle of rum.
to be continued... more chapters coming up...stay tuned!!!