"Elizabeth!" Amber yelled, wheeling away from the window. As she did, the medallion around her neck slapped against her skin.
The medallion! Amber's hand reached up and clutched it in her hands. Hers had stayed the same, but Jessie's…
"Oh God," Amber whispered. What if the pirates mistook Jessie's for the real thing? She didn't have more time to dwell on it though, because, the pirates on the Black Pearl had already rowed ashore. Despite Amber's mental protests, her palms started to sweat.
"Get a grip," Amber told herself. If she could keep her head long enough to have a normal conversation with Will Turner, by golly she could do this!
"…Right," Amber said, speaking out loud, instead of thinking to herself. "But what exactly is this" What was she supposed to do? Follow Estrella to the Fort? Race into Port Royal on her own? Hide in the closet with Elizabeth?
"Oh no," Amber told herself aloud. No way was she putting herself in such a position that she would get herself kidnapped!
"Amber!" Awoken by Amber's earlier yell, Elizabeth came running into her room, her white nightgown blowing behind her.
"Elizabeth!" Amber ran to the older girl and grabbed her forearms, Elizabeth mimicking the movement. For a moment Amber actually found herself slightly comforted by the fact that she wasn't alone, even if Elizabeth was the one she was with.
"Pirates!" Elizabeth said urgently. Amber was too frightened to comprehend whether or not Elizabeth's voice held not only fear, but also a touch of excitement. "They're invading the port! Here to rescue Captain Sparrow, no doubt…Come, Amber, come quickly!"
The teenage girl wasn't thinking clearly, and allowed herself to be dragged along by the governor's daughter. As they ran, Amber cursed herself for not being able to keep her head. She usually responded well under pressure, her friends called her 'calm and collected.'
I'm certainly not now, Amber growled at herself. It wasn't like she had no idea what was going to happen! She knew exactly, done to the last movement, what would happen tonight, and in the days that follow.
Wrong. Amber suddenly realized. She knew what had been going to happen…Before she was throw into the mix. And even if she hadn't changed anything this far, Amber only knew what would happen to Elizabeth, not her.
This thought caused Amber to tremble in fear.
"Amber…Amber?" Elizabeth's voice reached Amber even through her fearful thoughts. "Amber, you must move quicker. Father isn't in the house and the only servants here are Estrella, and the butler, Charles. Quickly, Amber…We must find them!" She took off again, towards the servant's end of the house.
In the midst of all that's important, Amber only had time for one thought: So Charles is "Chum's" real name…
"Are you with me, Amber?" Elizabeth's shout brought Amber back to the present. It seemed as if the older girl somehow knew she had to keep talking to Amber.
"Yes, I'm here," Amber assured her. "Right behind you." And she would stay there, all night if she had to. She needed someone else in control right now. Elizabeth, for the most part, seemed to be in control. Her levelheaded vibe was comforting Amber greatly and she felt that maybe she would live to see tomorrow.
As they were flying across the hallway and towards the room at the other end, Elizabeth and Amber heard a knock on the door. Again, Amber found herself thinking the dumbest things…If they're pirates, and are going to burst in anyway…Why knock?
"Charles-" Elizabeth began in a terrified scream, apparently thinking the same thing Amber knew—Whoever was behind that door did not have good intentions. "Don't-"
It was too late. The butler opened the door to reveal the pirates known as Pintel and Ragetti, among others.
"Hello Chum," Pintel laughed, and as Amber and Elizabeth watched on in horror, shot the poor man dead.
Elizabeth effectively muffled her scream of terror, her hand covering her mouth, but Amber didn't. She had never witnessed any murder before, and her terrified scream echoed throughout the foyer.
It attracted Ragetti's attention and he pointed up at them with his torch.
"Up there!" He bellowed.
As they advanced up the stairs, Elizabeth turned and practically flew up the stairs, Amber trying her best to keep up—She kept tripping over the hem of her own, darker, nightgown. It was Elizabeth's old one, and far too big.
She followed Elizabeth into a room in the servant's end of the foyer and shoved it closed behind her.
A shriek escaped Elizabeth's throat when she ran into Estrella, and Amber turned to see the woman tell her desperately:
"Miss Swann! They've come to kidnap you!"
"Whot?" Elizabeth asked, her slightly British accent making her appear even more confused. Amber assumed that Elizabeth's idea of the pirates being here to rescue Jack was now out of the question.
"You're the gov'ner's daughter…" Estrella told her with patience.
"Ransom," Amber said matter-of-factly, even though she knew that wasn't why the pirates were here.
Amber watched as realization dawned on Elizabeth's face, and she quickly reassessed the situation. It didn't take her long to get back in control.
"They haven't seen you," She told Estrella shoving her into a corner, and, Amber noticed, out of sight. "Hide, and the first chance you get, run to the fort."
"They have seen you…" Elizabeth muttered to Amber, her hand pressed to her forehead as she tried to think quickly. "But you're of no use to them…"
"Should I feel relieved or unloved?" Amber mumbled inaudibly.
"Hurry! Up here!" Shouts were heard from the room outside; the doorknob rattled and Amber knew Pintel and Ragetti were mere seconds away from bursting in on them.
"Oh…" Elizabeth looked around her surroundings. She looked from Estrella's hiding place to Amber and in a single glance Amber knew that there was no room for them both to hide there.
"Follow me," Elizabeth ordered, and moments before the duo burst in on them, she raced into the adjoining room.
Amber was at her heels, but as she turned the same corner, she tripped on her blasted nightgown hem. She fell to her knees; and though she bounced right back up, she had lost valuable seconds. As she turned the corner after Elizabeth, Pintel caught sight of the corner of her nightgown.
"In here!" She heard him shout, and he appeared a moment later. Before she could get far enough away, he grabbed hold of the extra cloth of her nightgown and pulled her to him.
"I gotcha now," He laughed in her face and Amber's throat swelled with fear. She was too frightened to scream.
"Duck!"
Amber only had a second to comprehend the words shouted by Elizabeth; but since she knew what her intentions were in the movie, she understood what they meant.
Poor Pintel did not, however, and as Amber twisted her head out of the way, he was hit square in the face by the bed warmer Elizabeth held as a weapon.
He fell to the floor in pain, and, groaning, released Amber to clutch his face.
"Thank you," Amber said as she fell to the ground by the sudden movement of Pintel's collapse. As she pushed herself to her feet she added, "And that was so cool!"
Ignoring her, Elizabeth swung the bed warmer again, this time at Ragetti. The skinny pirate caught it in his hand before it could hit him though, and Amber could swear she heard him barking at her.
"Woof! Woof!" Ragetti barked, as Amber shook her head in disgust. He was very cool, yet oddly disturbing…
"Gotcha," Ragetti laughed to Elizabeth as she struggled to get the pan out of his grasp.
"Elizabeth, there is more than one way to use a bed warmer as a weapon!" Amber cried, gesturing towards the clasp on the rod. She couldn't reach from here; otherwise she would have squeezed it herself.
"Perfect," Elizabeth said. Ragetti followed her gaze, as she looked up at the pan of the bed warmer. With one quick squeeze of the finger she released the clasp and sprinkled red-hot coal into the pirate's eyes.
"It's hot!" He cried, releasing the bed warmer to brush furiously at his face. "It's on me!"
"This way," Elizabeth said to Amber as she grabbed the younger girl's arm to drag her towards the stairs.
"Come on!" Pintel, recovered from his earlier whack in the face, told Ragetti.
Elizabeth and Amber raced down the stairs, Amber struggling to stay upright and cursing her nightgown hem for being so long. If she tripped again…
As they neared the end of the steps, Ragetti jumped over the stair well of the second floor and landed on both feet directly in front of Elizabeth, stopping her dead in her tracks. Behind her, Amber could hear the sound of Pintel's boots come to a halt. They had them trapped.
At that moment a canon ball burst through the wall, sending broken wood flying. Amber, Elizabeth, Pintel, and Ragetti all looked on as the canon took out one of its own men as the pirate struggled with an armful of jewelry.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Elizabeth and Amber darted past the pirates. Not a second later, the chandelier crashed to the floor in a fury of broken glass.
The fallen ceiling piece sent Amber and Elizabeth into a panic. In the chaos and rush that followed moments later, Amber ran towards the mansion's front doors and Elizabeth the dining room.
With Amber going on way and Elizabeth going the other, Pintel and Ragetti were torn. Ragetti had already taken a few, rushed steps in the direction of Elizabeth, so Pintel ordered him to go and get her while he went after Amber.
Amber's face went pale as she reached Charles' dead body at the door. She really didn't want to step on him on her way out.
But she had no choice. Amber stepped on his fingers as she raced past the doorway, avoiding stepping on any other parts of his body.
"Oh…yuck…" Amber complained as she slid to a halt. She half-turned; hoping neither Pintel nor Ragetti had followed her. Amber's hopes crashed when she noticed Pintel's burly form rush out of the mansion after her.
"Why me…" Amber wondered, wishing the pirates would just leave her alone. She realized what a mistake she had made when she had turned and fled towards the door, instead of following Elizabeth. But she had been rushed, and wasn't thinking clearly. She turned back around and headed towards the main streets of Port Royal.
The little town was in havoc. Everywhere people screamed as pirates chased them, terrorizing them to death. Buildings were burning and collapsing; and all around Amber townsfolk and pirates fell to the ground.
"Mama!" A little blonde-haired boy, no older than four or five, cried out. Amber's gaze found him standing all alone in front of her, but up farther than she was.
A stray canon ball struck the wall of the building behind him, and it wobbled back and forth dangerously. It moments, it would tumble to the ground.
Amber's breath caught. If the child didn't get out of the way before the structure fell, he would be crushed and killed on impact.
As the bottom of the wall began to give way, Amber rushed forward and scooped up the boy in her arms without completely stopping. Only when they were out of harm's way did she halt.
"It's okay," Amber comforted the child trembling in her arms, despite her own pounding heart. "You're alright now."
Immediately the boy relaxed in her arms. Though the panic was still all around her, Amber smiled a little. She had always had a soft spot for children, especially little boys. They were always so sweet and adorable.
"Daemon!" A woman's voice cried. "Daemon, where are you?"
"Mama!" The little boy cried, squirming in Amber's arms. She realized that this child must be Daemon.
"Daemon!" A woman pushed her way through the crowd and stopped in front of Amber. Though her clothes were torn and face bloody, she showed great relief. "Oh Daemon, thank God you're alright!"
Amber surrendered the boy willingly to the woman, knowing that by the way each was acting, she could mean him no harm. The woman began to cry tears of joy as she held Daemon in her arms and cried tears of joy.
"Thank you. Thank you do much for keeping my little boy safe," She said to Amber, looking up for the first time to see her standing there. "I don't know how'll I ever thank you."
"It's alright," Amber said. She didn't want to sound rude, but this wasn't exactly the time or place to have a reunion. Amber hadn't forgotten that she still had a pirate on her trail.
After another gushed 'thank you' the woman turned to leave. Amber headed of in the other direction, wondering where she should go, and if Pintel had given up on her and gone back to help Ragetti.
Across the street, Amber saw Will engaged in fighting a pirate. She crossed over closer to see that the man held Will by the neck and had an ax to his throat.
"Say good-bye," He snarled.
Before the pirate could make a move to cut Will's throat, however, a canon ball slammed into a building behind them and the sign above them came tumbling loose.
Will ducked just in time to avoid being hit by the flying sign, but the pirate didn't.
"Good-bye," Will said, just as instructed, as the sign flung the pirate through the glass. Will stumbled back a few steps and right into Amber.
"Will!" Amber cried, relieved to be with someone familiar. It was way too freaky to be out there alone with no way to defend herself. "Thank God I found you!"
"Amber?" Will asked, confused as to why she would be here. Before he could say anything more, though, something else caught his eye.
It was Elizabeth. Ragetti held her hands behind her back and was shoving her along towards the Pearl. Elizabeth caught Amber's eye once, and the younger girl knew she was frightened. Elizabeth's gaze landed on Will and she called his name loud enough for him to hear.
"Elizabeth," Will whispered, but before he could do anything, a running pirate hit over the head with one of his stolen goods.
"Out of my way, Scum," He called, laughing.
As she gazed down at Will's unconscious form, Amber was grateful that she had been standing out of the way of the pirate's hand, otherwise she would probably be laying there next to him. She sighed as she looked at him. She could have stopped that…
Suddenly a thought filled Amber's brain and she realized something.
She had seen Ragetti pushing Elizabeth along towards the ship. But as Amber though back to what she had seen, she remembered that Pintel had not been with them…
"'Ello Poppet."
A startlingly creepy voice came from behind Amber, and she froze, recognizing it. Before the dirty hand even clamped down on the back of her neck she knew she had made a mistake; being temporarily distracted by Daemon and Will had allowed Pintel to catch up with her.
Pintel put his flaming torch inches away from Amber's neck. The flames flickered dangerously close to her throat and she whimpered. She knew that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to let Pintel see her fear, but she knew the pirate would willingly kill her here and now and he only thing she could feel was fear. In fact, she was on the verge of tears as he brought his lips close to her ear to whisper:
"You've got something of mine, lass, and I think ya better be givin' it back."
Did he mean the medallion? Surely he knew it was Elizabeth who possesed it.
But then it struck Amber that he didn't. All he knew was that someone had the medallion. Since both Amber and Elizabeth had been at the house at the same time, the pirate had no way of knowing which girl had the medallion.
If Ragetti had taken Elizabeth towards the Pearl without Pintel's knowing, then the stubby pirate still had reason to believe that he needed to capture Amber.
Sudden heat all around her neck, as if she were wearing a necklace of fire, pierced through Amber and she called out and twisted away. But Pintel held her tight; though Amber noticed he did move his hand from the back of her neck to her shoulder—Meaning he felt the heat too.
Amber knew it couldn't be the torch, because it hadn't moved from its spot near her throat.
"What do ya have that's a-hot, lass?" Pintel asked, fingering the part of the medallion's chain on the back of her neck.
When he picked that particular part of her chain up, Amber noticed the heat in that spot melt away.
Of course! Amber thought, wondering why she hadn't realized it sooner. The burning around her neck was no more than the metal, chain—heated from being so close to the torch.
It wouldn't have mattered much, except now Pintel was aware of her necklace. Curiously, he twisted the chain around and noticed the medallion on the chain.
"Ah…" Pintel laughed.
Please don't turn it over. Amber begged silently. If Pintel found out her medallion was a fake, what would he do to her?
But then, what would he do if he thought the medallion was real?
Pintel didn't turn it over. All he did was reach for the clasp to unhook the necklace. His fingers were large, though, and he fumbled with the release.
Taking advantage of the moment, Amber stopped on Pintel's foot with all her weight.
"Ow!" The pirate howled, releasing Amber to grab his foot. He recovered quickly though and Amber didn't have time to run far.
"Just hand over the gold, lass, and I promise I won't hurt you," He persuasively.
Amber grasped the medallion her sweat palms and shook her head, backing away from him slowly. He advanced on her, and she backed up as far as she could –making sure she didn't step on Will. When she ran into a still-standing building, and could back away no farther, Pintel kept coming closer.
He snarled and reached for a pistol he kept in his belt. "I'll get that gold, one way or another, lassie," He threatened.
"Parley!" Amber said immediately as he raised the gun.
Pintel froze. "What?"
"Parley," Amber repeated, remembering the rest of Elizabeth's speech that Pintel didn't hear. "I invoke the right of parley. According to the code of the brethren set down by the pirates Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take me to your Captain."
Thank God for quoting best friends and long hours in front of the TV. Amber said mentally, grateful for the firs time that she and Jessie had watched the movie so many times in a row, and for Jessie's annoying, non-stop quoting…Not even Amber could quote that much.
"I know the code," Pintel said slowly, perhaps wondering why she knew.
"If an adversary demands parley you can do them no harm until the parley is complete," Amber insisted. She hope she was recalling correctly when she thought that Pintel was the one that had made Ragetti 'honor the code' and not the other way around…Otherwise, she could be in trouble.
"You want to be taken to the Captain, eh?" Pintel grinned disgustedly. "I'll honor the code, but you'll go without a fuss."
By now he was close enough to Amber to grab her wrists, and twist them around behind her back. He shoved her in front of him, and she stumbled.
"On your feet," He growled pulling her upright and pushing her along.
Amber allowed herself to be shoved rather roughly along, figuring there was nothing she could do about how gently Pintel brought her to the Captain she had insisted on seeing.
----------------------
A few minutes later Amber was brought on board. Ragetti had just gotten Elizabeth on bored moments before. Now they stood side by side, Pintel holding Amber's wrist, Ragetti Elizabeth's.
"I didn't know we was taking on captives," The Bo'Sun said firmly to the duo.
"She's invoked the right of parley with Captain Barbossa," Pintel and Ragetti said in unison, each talking about the girl they held. The two pirates glanced at each other curiously, before turning back to the Bo'Sun.
Ragetti had released Elizabeth and she stepped forward boldly, telling the Bo-Sun, "I am here to negotiat-" She was cut of by the Bo'Sun's hand striking the side of her face with a sickening noise.
Amber winced. It the slap didn't look like it would feel to pleasant.
"You will speak when spoken to," He ordered Elizabeth, who stood gasping in shock with her hand on her cheek.
"And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley," The voice belonging to Captain Barbossa said sternly, grabbing the Bo'Sun's wrist.
"Aye, Sir," Bo'Sun said grudgingly, pulling his wrist free of Barbossa's grip.
Barbossa turned to Elizabeth, "My apologies, miss."
"Captain Barbossa," Elizabeth began, "I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities towards Port Royal."
"Yeah, sure…What she said," Amber added, as the pirates laughed at the girls. Amber stepped forward, and when Pintel released her, she went to stand beside Elizabeth.
"I understood you," Barbossa said to Amber before addressing Elizabeth, "But there where a lot of long words in there, Miss.; we're not but humble pirates. What is it that you want?"
"I want you to leave and never come back," Elizabeth said coldly.
"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request," Barbossa said calmly, and when Elizabeth stared blankly on while Amber made faces at the evilly cute monkey, he continued, "Means 'no.'"
"Very well," Elizabeth replied, jerking her medallion of her neck and walking over to the side of the ship, "I'll drop it," She threatened.
While Elizabeth stood there, Amber fumbled with her medallion. Should she just pretend it was real? Or should she just leave it there, and hope no one noticed it?
But Pintel had already saw it. Might as well play it in my favor. Amber thought. She went to join Elizabeth by the edge, but before she could reach dangle her medallion over the edge as well, Pintel grabbed her wrist.
"I can't let you do that," He snarled quietly, yanking the chain of the medallion. Amber fought for it for a moment, but he had a firmer grip than she did, and it was pulled from her grasp. Laughing, he pocketed the coin.
"Bloody," Amber cursed. If she could have only had the 'leverage' the medallion would have given her, she would have been taken back to shore.
Elizabeth still held the medallion over the sea. Finally, Barbossa spoke:
"My hold's a bursting with swag. That bit of shine matters to us?" He laughed nervously and added with a snap, "Why?"
"It's what you've been searching for!" Elizabeth said desperately. "I recognize this ship—I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from England!"
"Didja know?" Barbossa said calmly.
"Calm down, girl," Amber whispered. Elizabeth was getting nervous, and needed to calm down if she was going to get what she wanted.
"Fine," Elizabeth said, taking Amber's quiet advice. "I suppose if it is worthless, there's no point in me keeping it." She let some of the chain slide through her fingers.
"No!" The whole crew cried in unison, leaning forward instinctively.
Elizabeth gave a soft, 'oh…' and gathered the rest of the chain into her fist.
Barbossa stepped forward, looking more than a little nervous. "Do ya have a name, Missy?"
"Elizabeth…Turner," She said,
Don't we all wish. Amber thought.
Elizabeth looked down humbly. "I'm a maid in the governor's household."
"Miss Turner." Barbossa turned to his crew and an excited murmur with threw the crowd.
"Bootstrap!" Pintel told Ragetti, who nodded eagerly.
"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that?" Barbossa said, turning to back to Elizabeth. "Family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you're wondering," Elizabeth replied.
"It's not," Amber assured her, but the other girl didn't hear.
"Very well, you'll hand it over and we'll put your port to our rudder and ne'er return," Barbossa offered. He held out his hand for the medallion.
Elizabeth thought about it, then hesitatingly began to surrender the medallion.
"Don't-" Amber began not really caring if she changed the course of things. But Pintel but a dirty hand over her mouth, and what Amber wanted to say wasn't worth licking his hand.
Elizabeth shot a look at Amber, confused. When she looked back at Barbossa he was smiling, and wiggling his fingertips for the medallion. Slowly, Elizabeth gave it to him.
The captain gave it to the monkey who jumped onto Pintel's shoulder and screeched.
"All right," He said, reaching into his pocket for Amber's medallion. Not much got by that little monkey.
Barbossa watched with interest as Pintel handed the medallion to the monkey. The monkey studied it; and for a moment looked as if he were going to toss it to the ground.
There is no way that monkey knows it's fake. Amber thought desperately. She was relieved when the monkey shrieked and ran off with both medallions.
Barbossa watched him go, looking thoughtfully at Amber.
"So you go them both?" He asked Pintel.
"Aye," Pintel replied proudly.
"Good." He turned to Amber, "And you're name, lass?"
"Amber…Swann," Amber said slowly, figuring any other name would result in her declared useless and being thrown overboard.
Elizabeth gaped at Amber, who only stared at Barbossa.
"Hmm…" The captain said thoughtfully. "Might do for a nice bit of ransom when all it's over. She stays."
He turned then and began barking orders at his crew, who began to leave port.
"Wait!" Elizabeth called out worriedly. "She can't stay—What of our bargain?"
Barbossa ignored her, and began to walk away.
"Wait!" She called again. "You have to take us to shore!" She looked back at Amber, and seemed to be remembering Barbossa saying she stayed. "Our bargain! You must. According to the code of the order of the brethren…"
"First!" Barbossa wheeled around to address Elizabeth, and Amber came to stand beside her to hear his small speech. "Your return to shore was not part of our negations, nor our agreements, so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirates' code to apply, and you're not! And thirdly! The code is more what you'd call…guidelines…than actual rules." He laughed slyly. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Misses Turner and Swann!"
Ragetti and Pintel came up from behind the girls and Amber once again found herself being shoved below deck by Pintel's rough hands.
As they walked, they were also sailing away from Port Royal. The farther they got, the uneasier Ragetti got. He shifted from foot to foot and clucked his tongue nervously a few times.
"What's got ya so uneasy, Rags?" Pintel finally asked, as if there weren't two girls listening in.
Ragetti shook his head. "Don't ya feel it, Pintel? It's calling…."
"What's calling, Rags?"
The tall pirate shrugged. "It's probably nuttin'. Let's just get these lassie's belong deck, eh?"
Pintel agreed, and they walked on silently.
As she was being shoved along next to Elizabeth, a thought suddenly struck Amber. Tomorrow, when Will goes to the jailhouse for Jack and Jessie, she wouldn't be with him, as she told Jessie she would be.
And Will wasn't awake to see me taken captive. Amber released with a sickening pain in her stomach. So he won't be able to say for sure that I'm with Elizabeth.
Which meant that, though they may guess as to her whereabouts, no one would know for certain.