Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 8 of Say You Will. I want to thank those who have left reviews for this story. It truly does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I am working hard on this story to make sure that it is turning out well. If I have any sort of mistakes I apologize. I am human and I miss errors when coming back to review the story and editing. I hope that you guys enjoy this next part of the story. Without further ado Chapter 8. ENJOY!
Chapter 8
Rose got out of the boat looking around with her brows furrowed together.
"Guard the boat. Mind the tide." Jack said moving away from the boat after removing his jacket, grabbing a shovel, and setting the jar of dirt in the boat. He turned to Elizabeth and handed her the compass.
James came to a stop when he noticed an abandoned church. His brows pinched together in confusion. "I didn't expect anyone to be here."
"There's not." Elizabeth said, shaking her head.
"She's right." Rose said softly as she began to walk slowly with her sister.
"You know this place?" James questioned looking at the two of them.
"Stories." Rose admitted softly as she walked. "Isla Cruces. The Church came to the island and brought salvation and disease and death."
Elizabeth nodded her head. "They say the priest had to bury everybody, one after the other. It drove him mad, and he hung himself."
"Better mad with the rest of the world than sane alone."
Rose looked over at her fiance with a worried gaze.
"No fraternizing with the help loves."
Elizabeth started walking again.
"Oh, after you sir." James mused as he waited for Jack to move.
Jack handed James his shovel. Then followed Elizabeth.
Rose let out a breath as she slowly walked with James bringing up the rear of the group.
Jack waited impatiently as Elizabeth passed him following the compass.
She turned when the needle swung around in the opposite direction. She then turned again when the needle moved again. It kept moving back and forth and irritation began to grow upon her face. Frustrated, she sat down in the sand and tossed the compass away from her.
Rose took a breath coming over to her sister.
"It doesn't work! It doesn't show you what you want most."
Rose patted her sister's shoulder softly as Jack looked at the compass.
"Yes it does. You're sitting on it."
"Beg pardon?"
"Move." Jack shoved Elizabeth aside and made an x in the sand with his toe. He looked at James with a look.
James let out a breath and moved knowing that the look meant dig. He began to dig a hole into the ground.
Rose looked around with her brows pinched together in worry. She looked back at Jack. "You could be kinder to your help."
Jack waved his hand. "He's the help."
"He's also my fiance." Rose stated crossing her arms looking at him with narrowed eyes. "We're more than glad to help you, but you don't have to be a jerk about it." Rose moved to help James with digging the hole. She moved the sand easily with her hands as James dug the hole into the ground.
"You didn't have to do that, Rose." James said as he continued to dig.
"Yes, I did." Rose said as she looked up at him. "You're helping Jack and you should at least get some sort of respect. Since you allowed him a few days head start before… you vanished and decided to not come home due to worry." She said softly, keeping her voice low so Jack couldn't hear what she was saying.
James' shovel hit something.
Jack moved to help James lift the chest out of the hole that was dug. Jack used his shovel to break the lock. He sank to his knees lifting up the lid of it.
Rose blinked a few times, seeing a long white dress, a conch shell, dried flowers, a strand of white pearls, lace, and love letters.
Jack pushed those items aside and lifted out a chest.
Rose swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that this had to be the chest that Jack had been talking about. She backed away when she and the others could hear a single deep beat of a heart.
"It's real." Elizabeth said softly in shock.
"You actually were telling the truth." James said moving back next to Rose touching her arm to make sure that she was alright.
"I do that a lot, and yet people are still surprised."
"With good reason." Will's voice rang out.
Elizabeth turned her head sharply to see her fiance there soaking wet. She turned sharply running to him. "Will you're alright? Thank God. I came looking for you with Rose."
"I'm fine, I'm fine, I know. I like your hair."
Rose let out a soft chuckle shaking her head lightly.
Jack looked around at the sea with a worried gaze upon his face. "How did you get here?"
"Sea turtles, mate. A pair of them, strapped to my feet."
"Not so easy, is it?"
"But I do owe you thanks, Jack."
Jack blinked a few times in confusion. "You do?"
"After you tricked me onto that ship to square your debt to Jones."
"What?" Elizabeth said in shock looking over at Jack.
"What?" Jack reiterated her words.
"I was reunited with my father."
"You're welcome."
"Everything you said to me, every word was a lie." Elizabeth said her hands balling up into fists at her sides. "I took heed on your word ignoring Rose's warning all along…"
"Yes. Time and tide, love…" Jack turned his attention to Will who was now on the ground with a key in his hand, his father's knife in the other. "What are you doing?"
"I'm going to kill Jones." Will said easily.
Rose backed away when she saw Jack pull his sword out putting it against Will's throat.
"I can't you do that, William. If Jones is dead, then who's to call his beastie off the hunt? Now, if you please, the key."
Will slapped Jack's sword away jumping back and grabbing Elizabeth's sword pointing it at Jack. "I keep the promises I make. I intend to free my father. I hope you're here to see it."
James pulled out his sword as well pointing it at Will. "I can't you do that, either. Sorry."
Rose let out a groan rubbing the palms of her hands against her eyes. She couldn't understand how men could do such a thing and make it a point that one of them needed to be the better man. There was no way that this was going to end well that was for sure.
"I knew you'd warm up to me eventually." Jack mused with a smile.
James moved his sword towards Jack. "Lord Beckett desires the contents of that chest. I deliver it. I get my life back."
Rose looked at James with wide eyes. Granted she had a feeling that James wanted his life back but to get it back that way was dangerous.
"Ah. The dark side of ambition."
"I prefer to think of it as the promise of redemption."
Rose looked at Elizabeth grabbing her arm slowly pulling her back away from the three men that were about to duel one another.
"Will, we can't let him get the chest. You can trust me on this…" Jack took in Will's look. "You can mistrust me less than you can mistrust him."
Will's eyes slid over to James taking in the site of the man. "You look awful."
"Granted. But you're still naive. He just wants Elizabeth for himself."
"Pot. Kettle. Black."
The three of them began to fight one another.
Will looked sharply at Elizabeth and Rose. "Guard the chest."
Rose and Elizabeth looked at one another.
"No. This is barbaric. This is not how grown men settle their… oh, fine!"
Rose let out a breath shaking her head lightly.
"Let's just all haul out our swords and start banging away at each other. Have at it. That will solve everything. Well I've had it with a lot of you. I've had enough of rum soaked wobbly legged pirates."
"It's not going to work, Elizabeth." Rose said softly, shaking her head once again.
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This is the end of Chapter 8. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I hope that it turned out well. I tried my best to write this chapter out and make it as good as I could. Now we got James wanting to regain his powers back in the ranks of the military, but is it something that Rose wants? Does Rose want him to be Commodore again? Please leave a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. I'll try to update as soon as I can with a new chapter. Until next time.