"What do you mean? You 'set sail' – are you leaving again?!"
Elizabeth gaped at James Norrington in shock, and he nodded. Yes, in fact, this had been the reason for his visit, he had to inform the Governor about the departure of the Challenger, but secretly, he had also wanted to see that one's daughter once more.
She was appalled, "But – you're not entirely recovered, and – you can't!"
"Oh no, I'm fine, believe me. I've already talked to your father, everything is ready, I just wanted to say good-bye and farewell!"
"You want to haunt that fleet of pirates, right?" Her voice was getting shrill with horror. "With this Captain or Commodore or however he calls himself who – How can you do that?!"
"It is my profession to capture pirates, Miss Swann. We have a fairly good idea about the area where they usually search for their prey, and we will find them!"
She found no breath to answer, and what should she have said anyway that would keep him from this most terrible plan! She tried it nevertheless, whispering, "But – they're dangerous, they've sunk the Dauntless and – James, you mustn't do that, please!"
"They were lucky with the Dauntless, they won't be so lucky again!"
"You were lucky to be still alive! Just imagine if they –" Her eyes were wide and her voice faltering. She wanted to cry that he must not go under any circumstances, that he must stay for her sake, but just too well she remembered the last time when she had begged him to neglect his duties for her sake, and she swallowed hard.
He smiled softly, "Miss Swann, if my calculations are correct, this 'Commodore Black' has attacked and destroyed more than twenty ships in the past two years. Would you really want him to go on like that? I trust the Challenger to be as worthy as the Dauntless, and we shall vanquish them like they deserve, or –"
He bit his lip; he hadn't intended to frighten her, but to explain. Now that he saw her terrified look, he regretted every word he had uttered; she had nursed him in his darkest hours and must find him very ungrateful to risk his life. But in the end, it was his job, even if it hadn't been for his own fervent wish to avenge the Dauntless, he still would have been forced to pursue them.
She made a last attempt, "But if these pirates are really so dangerous as you say, you can't leave the town alone then! What if they come here to pilfer Port Royal?"
"The Falcon will stay and with it Lieutenant Chandler. Don't worry! Besides, as far as we know, they've never before attacked a settlement."
If he had meant it would soften her fears to hear this, he had been thoroughly wrong. Lieutenant Chandler would not go with him?! The most loyal friend he had, the friend who had saved his life once before? She felt tears rising but forced them away, mouthing, "Very well then…"
He made a bow, and saw her reach out her hand, so he took it and kissed her fingertips, inwardly shaken with agitation. She pressed his hand tightly and whispered, "You must swear to come back, Commodore – James – please, do swear it!"
"Do not make me give a vow that isn't in my power to keep, Miss Swann," he replied gravely, still bowing, still holding her hand.
"Please, James!"
Her tone was urgent; he felt overpowered with the situation and briskly straightened and stepped back, "Adieu, Miss Swann!"
"Don't say 'adieu' but 'au revoir'! And don't call me Miss Swann but Elizabeth!" she cried helplessly when he turned away, giving her a last smile.
"Good-bye then – Elizabeth!"
He was gone in the next moment, leaving her back in utter devastation. It must not be true, she closed her eyes, incapable to hold the tears back – it mustn't be true! He mustn't risk his life, somewhere out on the ocean, facing a most cruel danger – he had said himself that he wasn't accustomed to his new ship yet – how could he throw himself into battle in a situation like this?! The Dauntless had been said to be invincible, yet it had been sunk to the bottom of the ocean! So what about the Challenger? She couldn't say why, but she strongly disliked the Challenger, surely she wasn't as good as the Dauntless –
She ran to her room from where she had the best view of the harbour; seeing the crew go aboard. She was shuddering but could not avert her eyes either, she simply stood there rooted to the spot and hardly breathed. At last, she saw James mount the ship as well, the plank was taken in and the ropes undone, and the Challenger, sparkling in the sun even more due to those golden effects, slowly sailed out of the harbour. Her Commander stood at the helm, she clearly recognised his figure even if it was far in the distance and her sight blurred by tears, and without noticing it herself, she muttered a prayer aloud.
The Governor was concerned as well, not quite as much as his daughter, but still enough to pace his study in great uneasiness. His thoughts were similar nevertheless – a single, and more, new ship, alone in capture of three heavily armed pirate vessels, who after all had nothing to lose… He was worried, less for the ship than for its crew, but mostly, for the good Commodore. Not only his personal regard for this man and his merits let Governor Swann feel so tense, but that the Commodore was the foundation for the whole town's rise to prosperity and peace. What should become of them all if he got himself killed? Whoever was to be his successor, he would have to prove his worth first until his mere reputation let pirates and scoundrels better avoid the place. And what if the town was to be attacked? He dreaded to think of it! For the first time ever he congratulated himself to his future son-in-law, who was after all a fabulous sword fighter. The boy would protect Elizabeth, no matter what was to come, which was some comfort at least. But what about the town? He tried to calm himself; the Commodore would return, he had the Lord on his side, hadn't he? He had never lost a battle but one, and even then, he had survived, he had returned.
Will was kind of excited that the Challenger had gone to pursue these mysterious pirates and wished he had joined that mission. Unfortunately for him, he expressed this wish in presence of his lovely fiancée, before he had realised how dismayed she was with that story.
"Are you mad?!" she cried furiously, "have you got any idea what you're saying there?! I'm half crazy with fear for the Commodore and his people, but they, they've got to go because it's their duty! And you?! Be glad, be grateful that you needn't throw your life away like them! These pirates leave no survivors!"
He winced back with so much vehemence, but she poked him with her forefinger against his chest, "Do you even think of me? I stay here, I can't sleep with horror! You want to be a hero? You cannot choose to be a hero, Will!"
"I want to be with you, Elizabeth, I –"
"Be with me? So why do you want to leave then?"
"Oh Elizabeth, you must know that – I want to be able to marry you!"
"For marrying me, you've got to be alive in the first place!"
He tried to step closer, embrace her perhaps, but she withdrew, angrily sparkling at him. He stretched out his hand, "Elizabeth – please! I love you! I'd do anything for you, just tell me what you want, and I'll do it!"
She sneered scathingly. "How can you expect that of me, if you don't know what to do yourself? Five minutes ago, you wanted to be a great man, setting out to hunt down evil, and now, you ask me what to do?"
"But Elizabeth –"
"I need to be alone, Will. Please, go."
She saw him walk away, defeated, his whole pose showed his hurt and even more his face did. She didn't want to pain him, but neither found any word of consolation or reconciliation… What did she want? She was absolutely sure that she wouldn't endure when he joined the Navy – James' absence felt like suffocating, how would she feel if Will left her then? And as for their constant quarrelling what he could do instead to speed up their marriage… She couldn't say. It would come with time, wouldn't it?
For a start, it would do him quite good to grow up a bit; her anger took hold of her again. He was amiable and good-tempered, but sometimes, he stole her very last nerve – why couldn't he be a little more decisive? A little less submissive? She believed at once that he would do just everything for her, without questions, but… Her future husband should be a bit more independent than that, right? He couldn't just bend to each and any of her moods – she was sorely aware that she was sometimes very moody, she didn't need her father's less than subtle hints for knowing that! How could she marry somebody who was as immature as she was herself? Perhaps it was not bad that they would have to wait some more years until joining their hands, until they both had grown a tad older?
Lieutenant Chandler had 'accidentally' met the lovely Miss Van Dyke, well, admittedly, he had walked through the streets for most of the afternoon hoping to encounter her, and his effort were gratified at last. He had offered her his arm, she had accepted, so now they sauntered along the pier and he pretended to be interested in the weather. He was angry with himself, for coming up with such a matter, for his own desire to be with her, for the fact that he couldn't refrain to steal some glances of her whenever he could.
But the lady was less interested in the skies and asked rather casually, "Lieutenant… Have you ever wondered why Mr. Gillette has hanged himself?"
"Well, I suppose he truly had some glasses too much, Miss, or he couldn't get over it that he wasn't promoted after all –"
"No, I mean – why did he hang himself? Why didn't he take his pistol?"
He couldn't answer to that, and she continued, "I've fretted on this point for quite a while now, and I still don't get it. Hanging is a terrible way of dying, it can take very long until one's dead. Had he shot himself, it would have been much easier!"
He was bewildered with the topic, "Oh well… I don't know! Maybe he didn't think of it?"
"Didn't think of it? He must have witnessed some dozen hangings in his time in the Navy, probably more. I have seen only one in my whole life, and I shall certainly never forget it!"
"Maybe he wanted to punish himself for his last sin? Maybe he thought that if he misdemeaned against our Lord, it ought not go quietly and quick…"
"Quietly? Sir, if he had fired his gun, it might have been quick, but certainly not quiet."