Chapter Three- Stealing the Charts
The journey from Tortuga to Singapore took three weeks. It was completely uneventful, Hun Feng careful not to travel in the course of East India Company ships. Will was certain Tia Dalma had a hand in this. Her powers were definitely vast yet Will still hadn't learnt the fall extent of them. He had spent the three weeks working on the ship and discussing their plan once they arrived at Singapore. Barbossa was going to find a famous pirate by the name of Sao Feng, while Will would go to the pirate's uncle's temple and steal charts they needed to find their way to Davy Jones' Locker.
Elizabeth had remained fairly quiet throughout the journey, and was restless during sleep. Will knew that her betrayal to Jack was putting a heavy weight on her. Despite that fact they were going to save him he knew she would not forgive herself until Jack was back in the land of the living. Will also felt a heavy burden, his father was still trapped in service aboard the Flying Dutchman and Will had a promise to keep. He still didn't know how he was going to get his father back and stay with Elizabeth.
He had been contemplating the night before they arrived in Singapore when Elizabeth had come on deck and stood beside him at the stern.
"Are you thinking about your father?" Elizabeth asked after a moment of silence.
"Yes," Will replied. "I made a promise to free him from the Dutchman,"
Elizabeth put her hand over his, which was resting on the wooden railing of the stern. "How can you free him?" she asked.
"I need the Black Pearl, it's the only ship that can out run the Flying Dutchman," Will replied, looking down at his father's knife which he was holding in his free hand.
Elizabeth looked up at Will. "You plan is to fight the Flying Dutchman? We've tried that before without success."
Will looked down at her and replied, "I made a promise, Elizabeth." Elizabeth nodded in understanding and looked back over the sea.
"I don't yet know exactly how I'm going to save my father, but I have to," Will added.
"What ever happens, Will, I will stand by you," Elizabeth replied, her hand tightening over Will's.
Will pulled Elizabeth to him and kissed her lovingly, which she returned holding him as close as she could. Will ended the kiss and continued to hold her against him. "I love you," he whispered against her soft hair. He felt her smile against his skin.
"I love you too," she said. For that moment, nothing else existed but them.
Hun Feng's ship arrived at Singapore, dropped off Barbossa and his crew, and then continued for China. Elizabeth had convinced Will and Barbossa that it would be better if she go with Will to steal the charts, two thieves are better than one. Having changed into more appropriate clothing on the ship, Elizabeth easily blended into the crowd as Will and her made their way to the temple where the charts where hidden. They slipped unnoticed through the dilapidated docks. They carefully snuck round to the back of the temple, hiding behind stalls and carts whenever a guard would walk by. For a simple temple it was heavily guarded, making it difficult to get in.
The pair knelt in hiding behind an abandoned chart of fish watching the change of the guard.
"How do you think we can get in?" Elizabeth whispered to Will, who was looking around the temple.
"The least protected entrance is that one," Will replied quietly, pointing to the door to their left, with two guards only, one on either side of the door. Elizabeth nodded and she stepped out from behind the cart but was quickly pulled into a nearby shop by Will. Before she could question him her question was answered by half a dozen East India Company soldiers, walking through their intended path.
The two Asian pirates standing guard on either side of the back door of the temple were bickering in their native tongue, not paying any attention to their task. Through their bickering they didn't notice anyone sneaking up behind them.
In unison Will and Elizabeth grabbed the guards from behind and threw them against the wall, hitting their heads thus knocking them unconscious. The couple dragged the guards into the shop where they had been hiding. They took their weapons then carefully snuck back over to the back door of the temple. Will carefully opened the door and made sure the coast was clear before Elizabeth and himself ducked inside. The first room they came upon was empty and they both knew if they were going to get to the charts they couldn't afford to take out any more guards in case they were missed.
They carefully exited the first door, into a corridor which led in two opposite directions. "We should split up," Elizabeth said, turning to Will who didn't appear to be thrilled at the idea but nonetheless nodded and Elizabeth went right while Will went left.
Elizabeth walked quietly and slowly down the empty corridor. There were no more doors till she reached the end and the corridor led round a corner to a large room, filled with men, worshiping in front of an alter. Elizabeth didn't believe that the charts would be put in a public room such as this. She hid behind a lattice wall, her eyes surveying the room for doors. She could only see the large, elaborate doors of the main entrance, there were no other doors which might lead to the charts.
Just as she went to turn around she was struck on the back of the head. As she lost consciousness she saw a man grab her roughly from the ground, calling out for help.
When Elizabeth came to, she was tied to a wall in a bathhouse, her arms held with rope above her head. She'd had her outer clothes removed and all her weapons taken away. She was dressed only in a short blue robe, her legs bare from half way down her thighs. She looked around and saw a room with baths, filled with half naked men soaking in the water. Steam kept coming up between the wooden planks of the floor. Elizabeth was filled with panic when she couldn't see Will anywhere. She couldn't help but think the worst, which made her sick to even think it.
A pirate appeared between two women through the stem, a bald middle aged Asian man with a tattoo of a dragon above his right ear and a long goatee.
"I've been told your Elizabeth Swann," he said in English as he approached her, looking her up and down.
"You have many people looking for you, many enemies."
"We have that in common, Sao Feng," Elizabeth replied coolly. Sao Feng at her, he appeared to be impressed.
"You should know that it is illegal for woman to enter my uncle's temple, the punishment is death," he said.
Pulling at her ropes, causing grazing on her wrists, she replied angrily, "Then why am I still alive?"
Sao Feng walked over to her and stood close. "Because I want to know why you where in my uncle's temple. I suggest u cooperate, Ms. Swann,"
Continuing to struggle and glare at her captor she asked, "And why should I do that?"
"Because you weren't travelling alone, were you?" Sao Feng replied and Elizabeth's heart skipped a beat, praying her face wouldn't betray her.
Sao Feng turned away from her and nodded to two large men standing either side of a large tub of water. The men took hold of a log resting on the tub and lifted it out of the water, bringing a young man up with it who was tied to the log. Elizabeth gasped as she immediately recognised it to be Will as he spat out water and made loud gasps for breath.
Will looked up at his fiancée tied to the wall. "Elizabeth," he choked out but was immediately hit in the stomach by the fist of one of the men holding him up. Elizabeth cried out in shock and Sao Feng turned to her.
"Your friend was caught trying to sneak out of the temple carrying my charts to the unknown world." He said and nodded at the men holding Will and Will was hit again.
"Stop!" Elizabeth cried out angrily, struggling hard against her binds.
Sao Feng then nodded at a man standing beside Elizabeth and he cut her down and she was grabbed by him and another man, immobilising her.
The men holding her tightened their grips on her arms as Sao Feng added, "You know Ms. Swann, I don't think there is anything more beautiful than a woman in pain."
Elizabeth looked from Sao Feng to Will who was staring at her in fear as he struggled against his bonds. Elizabeth was suddenly lifted and thrown into a large bath of freezing cold water, hands holding her under the water. The temperature of the water felt like thousands of tiny knives piercing her skin. It felt like an eternity till she was brought back to the surface, crying out in pain and struggling to breathe.
She looked up through her hair and saw Will was also being lifted out of the water, having endured the same thing. Their eyes met across the room, seeing his deep brown eyes gave her strength as she stood in the cold water.
Sao Feng then walked over to Will, "It's amazing what the body can endure." Will was hit again and Sao Feng turned back and walked over to Elizabeth. "But what can the heart endure?" he questioned looking at Elizabeth smiling maliciously.
Elizabeth swallowed and looked over at Will who was doubled over in pain. A short man walked over to Will, holding a wooden rod in his filthy hands. Panic rose within her as she was pulled out of the water on to floor in front of the tub, her legs relieved to be out of the chilling temperature of the water.
The short man starting hitting Will with the wood, first in the back, then the stomach. Will made little noise at first, and then started groaning in pain as the beating continued. Elizabeth started to cry and yelled at Sao Feng to stop. After half a minute, which felt like decade, Elizabeth begged,
"Please I'll do anything!"
Sao Feng held up his hand and the man stopped. Elizabeth stared at Will who was catching his breathe, gasping heavily. She turned her attention to Sao F eng who had walked over to her.
"You say you'll do anything?" he asked, amused by her desperation.
"Yes," Elizabeth replied without hesitation.
"You shouldn't be so hasty to make a sacrifice, Ms. Swann. A woman can suffer so much more," Sao Feng said, his tone still filled with amusement.
The man who had been hitting Will walked over to her with a cruel smile. "No," Will yelled with surprising strength. "Stay away from her!"
"You are not in a position to demand anything, Mr. Turner," Sao Feng sneered at Will who was now struggling furiously against his restraints.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and continued to glare at Sao Feng.
"Master, Master," a skinny half naked pirate came into the room and walked up to Sao Feng, stopping briefly to bow then continued up to the Pirate Lord. "Master, Captain Barbossa has arrived at Singapore and has requested to see you."
Sao Feng looked from Will to Elizabeth and smiled. He looked back at his servant and replied, "Let him come in, I also wish to see him."
A/N: Okay, here is chapter 3! I hope everyone is happy that I've updated so quickly, and reward me with reviews. I would love it if you could review the second chapter as well, because I'd like to know how people think my story is coming along. Thank you so much! And if you think that the story now needs a higher rating, please let me know so I can change it immediately.
I'm trying not to make my story a copy of the film, so am adding bits where ever I can, but I'm afraid the next chapter is going to have a lot of bits from the movie in it.