Chapter 2: The Family Sparrow and Tragedy
Meanwhile, on the clear Caribbean Sea, the Black Pearl treaded the waters. At the helm was none other than the slyest pirate who ever lived, Captain Jack Sparrow. For nine months Jack captained the Black Pearl and he couldn't have been happier. He had a family, his ship, and soon, immortality. Jack had all he wanted to himself and that was how he liked it.
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! Jack sang contently.
Hobbling up to the deck from below was no one else but Guinevere, Jack's feisty and very pregnant wife and First Mate. For nine months, Guinevere carried her child with the strength and wit only capable of a Sparrow. Jack was ferociously attentive to his wife during this time. Guinevere could barely lift a finger because Jack would practically lift it for her.
Upon seeing his wife out of bed, Jack snapped into action. "Guin, darling! What are you doing up here?"
"I needed air, or should I say, we needed air," Guinevere said earnestly, rubbing her round belly, "Being cooped up for long doesn't suit us."
"Well, that's how I know you're safe, suit or not," Jack told her, "You really shouldn't be on your feet else you risk the risk of hurting yourself or the little one, neither of which can be paid for with silver or gold, darling."
"Jack, Sweetheart, I've been off my feet for so long," Guinevere complained, "We're perfectly fine and we'll be together soon enough."
"Exactly why you should be off your feet below decks," Jack countered.
"Please, one Rose is enough, Jack, darling," Guinevere groaned.
"I heard that!" shouted Rose from behind.
"Besides, there's no harm in a little walk once and a while. You worry too much," Guinevere argued.
"Do not!" Jack replied.
"You do so!"
"Do not!"
"Do so!
"Do not!"
"You do so and you know it. You can trust me, Jack. The baby and I are fine, trust me."
Jack sighed. "If anything were to happen to you or Juliet or little Sparrow I'd never forgive meself, and I can hold a grudge for a long time."
Guinevere wrapped her arms about Jack's neck. "No need to fret. I'm here with you, you're here with me. I've never been or felt happier and nothing is going to happen to me or the little one."
"If Guin Sparrow says there's no reason to fret, then she must be trusted," Jack declared.
"Indeed," Guinevere laughed, snuggling with her husband, "Tell me something, Captain."
"Anything, First Mate," Jack replied.
"Since when do we let our ten year olds climb to the crow's nest?" Guinevere asked slyly.
"I've seen no ten year old in no crow's nest," Jack gulped.
"Really?" Guinevere asked smugly.
"Yep," Jack said hastily.
Guinevere looked up to the sky and cupped her hands to her face. "Juliet Wilhelmina Elizabeth Rose Sparrow, come down from there! That's an order!"
Swinging down from the crow's nest came Juliet Sparrow. By ten years of age, Juliet was equal to her mother's beauty and her father's strength. If not for her age, she would be the ideal pirate. She was very much the epitome of a Sparrow.
"Ahoy, Mother and Father!" Juliet greeted.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" Jack asked excitedly.
Guinevere raised an eyebrow, causing him to turn scarlet red.
"It's so much fun to look out at nothing but ocean!" Juliet exclaimed, "Papa is going to teach me to shoot later."
Jack's eyes widened.
Guinevere raised an eyebrow. "Is he now?"
"Juliet, love, why don't you practice your sword skills?" Jack suggested.
"Perfect!" Juliet exclaimed, "I know I can beat you again, Father! I could be better than Will!"
Suddenly, Juliet let out a string of coughs. For a moment she could've turned purple.
"Juliet, that cough hasn't gotten any better, has it?" Guinevere asked concerned.
"Comes and it goes," Juliet said between coughs.
"It's been coming and going for ages now," Guinevere gasped.
"Nearly a month on Friday," Jack added.
"Juliet, you're in no condition to learn to shoot today," Guinevere declared, "Go now and rest. I will bring you some water."
"But Mama, it's just a nasty cough," Juliet protested.
"Too nasty for me," Guinevere countered, "I have to take care of you and your brother or sister. First I'll take care of you. Go and rest. I will follow."
"Mama is right, Juliet. I promise to teach you to shoot when you're better," Jack said comfortingly.
"That makes me feel so much better now, Father!" Juliet said cheerfully.
"Nice try," Jack said, seeing past his daughter's excuse.
"Go on, to bed," Guinevere said, scooting her daughter below decks.
"But it's nothing, Mother," Juliet said dismissively, "I have a bit of a cold. Nothing a Sparrow can't handle."
"I'm sure of that. Now in you go," Guinevere said with a smile.
Juliet scampered into Jack's quarters. Guinevere turned around to face Jack. She slowly folded her arms, as if expecting an explanation.
"Oh, bugger," Jack groaned.
"The crow's nest? Teaching to shoot?" Guinevere demanded.
"It's a pirate's life," Jack said sheepishly.
"Juliet is the daughter of pirates, not a pirate herself," Guinevere countered, "She is only ten, Jack! I don't want her to worry about facing gallows at so young an age. I don't want this threat on the new Sparrow, either."
"We're pirates and we're bound to be hunted," Jack argued, "Juliet will know what to do at the opportune moment. Besides, she loves it and I love teaching her. Not to mention, she's as stubborn as you and won't take no for an answer. How can you pass this up?"
Guinevere sighed. "It's fortunate you are so handsome and I have our children in mind. Oh, feel that!"
Jack pressed his hand on Guinevere's round belly. "My, what a strong little one! Reminds me of you!"
"Indeed," Guinevere agreed in pleasure, "Speaking of strength, I'd like those strong arms around me."
"As you wish, Mrs. Sparrow," Jack complied, wrapping his arms about Guinevere.
Just then, Gibbs came rushing up to them, panting hard. "Cap'n! Jack! Mrs. Guin!"
"Mr. Gibbs, I've not seen you in this much of a commotion since there was a commotion to get into," Jack said calmly.
"What's got you spooked, Mr. Gibbs?" Guinevere asked.
"Something terrible…it's about Miss Juliet!" Gibbs said urgently.
Jack and Guinevere's eyes bulged. "What?"
"I found her below decks and she ain't moving. She's silent as the grave and as still as a rock," Gibbs explained, "You've got to see for yourselves!"
"Rose!" Guinevere called.
Rose immediately came to her friend's side. "What is it, Guin?"
"Juliet," Jack explained, "She's sick and she's unconscious below."
"Come with us," Guinevere commanded.
"No need to tell me twice," Rose said quickly.
With all haste, Gibbs led Jack, Guinevere, and Rose below decks. There, they discovered a motionless Juliet. She lay not far from a hammock with a sword by her side.
"God, she's whiter than a ghost!" Jack gasped.
"She's cold as a corpse!" Guinevere shrieked, "Rose! Help!"
Rose knelt down by Juliet and listened to her heart. "She's alive and barely breathing."
"What's wrong with her?" Guinevere gasped.
"I don't know," Rose replied, "I need to test her first. I need you to leave me with her."
"Hurry, Rose!" Guinevere said urgently.
"You heard her! That's an order," Jack said.
"Aye, Captain!" Rose said compliantly.
Taking Guinevere's hand, Jack and Guinevere quitted the room and headed to the main deck.
Guinevere took a seat on the stairs while Jack nervously paced to and fro waiting for an answer. Both of them were shaking from the danger their daughter could be in.
"I'm scared, Jack," Guinevere said, the dread in her voice.
Jack stopped pacing and sat with his wife on the stairs. "You may be shocked to know this, but so am I. Try and be brave. You worrying is not good for either of us, particularly little Sparrow and me."
Guinevere half smiled at her husband. "Why is it you always know the right thing to say?"
"Pirate," Jack replied.
Just then, Rose emerged from below decks.
Guinevere and Jack jumped up and approached her. "Well?"
Rose could not speak and a lump formed in her throat.
"Last time I checked, Cotton is the only mute aboard this ship!" Guinevere said impatiently.
"Tell us what is wrong with Juliet, Rose," Jack commanded.
Rose sighed. "I had a hunch and I didn't like it. Sometimes I don't like it when I'm right."
"Quit stalling and tell me what's wrong!" Guinevere snapped.
"She's dying, Guin!" Rose said glumly.
Guinevere's face drained of colour. "What?"
"What on Earth do you mean, Rose?" Jack demanded.
"She's dying, as in the opposite of living," Rose explained.
"How? All she has is just a simple cough," Jack asked.
"No, Jack," Rose said slowly, "It was no cough."
"Then what was it?" Guinevere demanded.
"Consumption. Juliet has consumption," Rose replied sadly.
Jack and Guinevere couldn't speak and their hearts skipped a beat.
"She is resting quietly if you want to see her," Rose told them.
Quietly, Jack and Guinevere descended the stairs to find Juliet sitting up on the hammock.
"Mama, Father!" Juliet greeted cheerfully.
"Ahoy, my pirate king!" Jack replied.
"How do you feel?" Guinevere asked.
"Wonderful," Juliet replied.
"No, please be serious," Guinevere told her.
"Truly, Mama. I'm fine," Juliet insisted.
"Of course you are!" Jack agreed.
Guinevere's eyes grew wide. "Jack!"
"I'm in good health, Mama, honestly," Juliet said earnestly.
"You're sick and you've been so for nearly a month!" Guinevere gasped.
"I was sick, but I'm all right now," Juliet argued, "I'm sure it was just a cold."
"Certainly, darling," Jack told her, "just a common cold. No reason to fret. You rest now and we'll have shooting lessons tomorrow. Do we have an accord?"
"Aye, Captain!" Juliet agreed before closing her eyes.
Later that evening, Guinevere sat in Jack's quarters, fuming. "Just a cold?" she demanded, "You lied to your daughter! She'll be so frightened when she knows."
"Exactly," Jack commented, "If she doesn't know that she's sick then there's no need to be telling her as she doesn't need to fret."
"Doesn't need to fret?" Guinevere gasped incredulously, "She is sick! It will be far worse not to tell her!"
"We've still got time. She's still strong enough," Jack said.
With a terrible scream of pain and sorrow, Guinevere leapt up from her seat with fresh tears dampening her face, "How long until she loses her breath all the time? How long until she's too weak to move? How long?"
Jack listened to his wife in silence.
"How…why did this happen? What have I done to deserve this? What has she done to deserve it? My girl, my girl!" Guinevere wept.
Quietly, Jack filled a sobbing Guinevere into his arms. "Shhh…I know, I know. Everything will be fine."
"My baby, my baby!" Guinevere sobbed, "I wish I could save her!"
Jack's eyes brightened. "Perhaps we can."
"How?" Guinevere asked, between sniffles.
Jack presented her with his compass and the charts. "How much do you know about the Fountain of Youth?"
"How will that help Juliet?" Guinevere demanded.
"The Fountain of Youth gives the drinker everlasting life," Jack explained, "If dear Juliet were to drink from this fountain, she would be spared of her disease and live forever."
"How do I know this isn't just one of your schemes to be immortal?" Guinevere asked dubiously.
"Would I ever lie to you?" Jack asked.
"Never," Guinevere said.
Jack placed his compass in her hand. "What is it you want most? The Fountain of Youth, is it not?"
"To save Juliet!" Guinevere corrected.
"By finding the Fountain of Youth," Jack added.
The compass spun round and the needle slowly landed northwest.
"Mr. Gibbs, make ready to sail northwest!" Jack commanded.
"Aye, aye, Captain!" Gibbs said compliantly.
Hold on, Juliet, Guinevere thought to herself.