Chapter 26: A Thief in Time
"Get lost! Ye can rest till the next shift starts. An' remember yer orders."
"Yes, Captain."
Peggy was unsure how long she had spent kneeling on the floor in the captain's cabin of the Flying Dutchman. The perpetual shroud of night the Dutchman sailed beneath meddled with her sense of time. Even as a selkie more attuned to the rise and fall of the tides, she found herself disoriented and adrift.
All she knew was that it had been long enough for her legs to go to sleep and for her head to feel dizzy after she was commanded to her feet.
Besides choking her with his crab claw initially, Davy Jones had not touched her. However, the damage he did inflict was enough to leave a pair of nasty darkening bruises on either side of her neck. From what she had seen of her reflection in the captain's mirror, it would be noticeable – like a choker or a collar.
A morbid reminder for both her and Will of whose leash she was shackled to…
She ignored the crew's stares as she passed them by on her way below deck. Their break had ended some time ago, and they were back to work sailing. There was no storm now, so their movements were less frantic and their moods more relaxed.
Some eyes she caught staring were full of malicious glee, but a majority were looks of pity, especially when they caught sight of the bruises around her neck.
To her surprise, one of the crew, a short man who had mutated into half a shrimp, nodded his head politely to her as she passed and muttered:
"Missus Turner? Yer fella is waitin' fer ye at the bottom of the stairs." He pointed to one of the stairs that led to the kitchens and galley.
"Thank you." Peggy nodded as men stood aside and let her pass.
As expected, she found Will sitting hunched on a crate in the shadows below the stairs, his head bowed and his face glum as he picked and chewed his nails.
She had never seen him look so miserable. Not even his beatings from Mister Brown as a boy had achieved this effect on him.
It's all my fault. She thought glumly, barely heeding the tiny sting in her chest. This is why we couldn't be together. From the mess with Barbossa to this…all I do is draw him into more misery and hardship. He'd be better off with someone who won't drag him down like this.
She stiffened as Will suddenly raised a hand to his chest to rub against it, his head turning to check his surroundings. He leapt to his feet when he saw her standing at the foot of the stairs.
"Peg!" He gasped, brown eyes brightening as he strode to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I'm sorry-I-I didn't hear you come down. Are you alright? What did Jones do to you? My god, your neck…"
"It's not that bad." Peggy muttered as he carefully tilted her head to examine the bruising around her neck, "Looks worse than it feels."
"You're not hurt anywhere else?" Will gulped as he began to pat the rest of her down.
"Knees are sore, but that's just from kneeling on the floor for a bit." Peggy snorted softly. "One of his favourite punishments. You sit there, kneel in silence, and wait for the blow that may or may not come. It really drives some mad."
"I can imagine." Will sighed in relief. "You don't seem all that rattled"
"The less you react to his punishment, the more bored he gets. Eventually, he leaves you alone." Peggy shrugged
Will grimaced but chose not to comment. She did not sound too out of sorts, but then he remembered the sting in his chest just before he saw her.
"There's more, isn't there?" He murmured, hand cupping her freckled cheek. "Did he say something to you?"
Peggy shut her eyes in dismay. Oh yes, how could she forget about that little tidbit?
"He…he gave me orders…" She gulped, holding up her right wrist to show him Jones's mark.
Now, the ink from the black ring was spreading into her palm. All the blood vessels were so stained that her hand had taken on a strange, sickly green hue punctuated by the reddening of the skin.
Will shivered in disgust and horror at the sight. It looked eerily like the beginnings of gangrene, yet her hand was still soft and full of life.
"He wants you to stop me, doesn't he?" Will groaned as he leaned his forehead against hers. "He's trying to use you against me like you said."
Peggy stayed silent, but Will could tell from how she avoided his gaze that he had hit the nail on the head.
"But he's still allowing you to stay by my side."
"For now", Peggy muttered slowly and carefully, keeping her senses pricked on her wrist for any sign of pain or unnatural discomfort. If there was one thing she had learned at Jack Sparrow's knees, it was the importance of choosing one's words with care. Besides, she had only promised the Devil she would not tell Will about her task; he had never mentioned anything about Will guessing it for himself.
She supposed she should have counted herself lucky Will knew how to read her like a book.
"Will…" She gulped. "You need to leave me behind."
"Peggy-"
"Will…I can't leave this ship." She showed him her wrist again. "Don't tell me when you do…whatever it is you have to do. Not even in passing. Don't say goodbye. Don't let me see you leave…" She trailed off as her mark prickled warningly.
"Fine. I'll leave you behind if that stops Jones from hurting you." Will groaned in dismay, though his gaze was quick to steel itself. "But once I find what I need, I'm coming back for you."
"No, don't-"
"No." Will shook his head. "No. Please do not argue with me anymore about this. I'm coming back for you and freeing you from this ship, end of story. Now that I know what fresh hell this place is, I cannot leave you here, no matter what you say. "
Peggy sighed in exasperation as she leaned her head forward to rest against his chest. After kneeling in that frigid cabin, his body heat was so soothing.
"God, you're freezing," Will mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her, only to wince as he felt her temperature. He pulled away to rub her hands in his, blowing on her knuckles to warm them with his breath.
As he warmed her fingers, Will noticed for the first time how puffy her blue-grey eyes were and the dark circles surrounding them. She needed real rest in a proper bed in a safe place. Somewhere, she didn't have to fear for her life or worry about looking after him.
"Here," he whispered, his hands wrapping around her neck. His heart sank a little as she flinched at the motion. However, she quickly relaxed as she felt the familiar cold touch of metal against her skin.
She looked down and saw her abalone shell necklace lying on her breast.
"Thanks." She sighed in relief. "I…I didn't want him to find Jack's note."
"I figured." Will rested his forehead against hers, keeping his arms around her. "I'm sorry I put you in this position. I swear when I challenged Jones, I did not think he would-"
"I know you didn't," Peggy whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her face into his shoulder. I don't blame you at all."
"You should," Will groaned into her neck. "I promised you I wouldn't let him hurt you, and then I just gave you to him on a silver platter-"
"He was going to find an excuse to use me to torment you no matter what you did," Peggy whispered. "At least…at least something good came out of it. We know how far he will go to protect the key, and I now know where my pelt is."
"You do?" Will frowned, and Peggy nodded.
"Yes, it's in the captain's cabin. He keeps it in a corner behind a tapestry of Poseidon on the starboard wall. Bastard doesn't even bother to hide it that well." She added bitterly.
"Probably because he doesn't think anyone will dare to steal it," Will muttered, frowning as he saw her trying to hide a sniffle. Now that he looked closer, her skin was far paler than before and was starting to turn a little blue. "Come on. Let's get you in the warm. You are almost frozen solid."
It seemed like no time when Will took her back to the kitchen, warmed her by the fire, and ushered her into that crammed bed. There, she fell asleep almost instantly, her exhaustion finally catching up.
Luckily for them both, Peggy had already prepped all the ingredients for the next shift's meals, so Bootstrap could quickly put it all together while she was cloistered away in the captain's cabin.
Even as Peggy curled to sleep after eating, the next shift came down for their meal and was surprisingly quiet as Bootstrap gave them their rations. Some spared Peggy a few looks of sympathy, though some glowered at her with undisguised loathing.
To Will's surprise, no one hounded him about not returning above deck for his next shift. Instead, they ignored him as he sat and ate on the edge of the makeshift bed by Peggy's side, only rising to his feet when his father shuffled to the door on the orders of the Bosun at the end of the meal rush.
Will felt guilty and was about to vouch for his father, but Bootstrap bade him to stay put.
"She'll need you more than I will," Bootstrap said gently but firmly as he put a hand up to stop Will following him out the door. "Jones is quiet now, but he will probably set his dogs on her the second you have yer back turned, and Silver can do nothin' in his chair." He jerked his head towards the aged man, snoring soundly in his chair by the fire.
"That's the thing." Will sighed heavily. "I don't think he will do that."
"What do you mean?" Bootstrap frowned.
"Peggy…she…well, she can't tell me what's going on because of her, y'know…" Will gestured to his wrist and said, "But from what I can tell, I think Jones gave her orders to sabotage whatever we do."
"Hmm, that does sound about right." Bootstrap nodded gravely as he pushed Will to sit back on the bed. "If I know the captain, he'll have probably asked her to kill ye. Jones doesn't like leavin' loose ends, and I daresay it would amuse his bloodlust to watch two lovers kill the other."
"Because he is so bitter about the love he lost?" Will wondered aloud, only to jolt as a withered voice muttered softly behind him:
"That's what happens when ye pledge yer love to one of the Old Gods. You end up courtin' tragedy for the rest of yer life."
"Old Gods?" Will frowned, turning around to see old Silver sitting in his chair. His wizened face was oddly alert, and his dark eyes gleamed keenly as he folded his hands in his lap.
"Aye, a sea goddess. Calypso, daughter of the Titan, Atlas. Nurturer and destroyer of man. 'Twas she who held the great warrior Odysseus on her island for seven years, waylaying his voyage home until Hermes, the messenger of the gods, delivered the order from Zeus himself to free her captive. Heartbroken and fearing Zeus's wrath, she fled here to the Caribbean, where she was worshipped for centuries by seafarers and sea children alike. Her magic is powerful, as is her dominion of the oceans. Until she was bound in human flesh by the First Brethren Court."
"Bound in human flesh?" Will frowned as he carefully approached the old man, determined to hear more.
"Aye," Silver coughed and resettled his blankets over his lap. "Bound her to mortal form they did. An incantation of ancient times. And in doing so, they left us all open to a greater threat."
"How do you know all this?" Will tilted his head, and Silver snorted.
"Because I was there, boy. I was there the day they bound her. Watched it all happen."
"You were a member of the First Brethren Court?" Bootstrap frowned. "Ye never mentioned that before."
"Ye never asked." Silver snorted bitterly. "No one ever does."
"If you were a member of the Brethren Court, then why would you stay here on this ship?" Will's brow furrowed. "You must have already served your hundred years."
"Aye, I did. But I chose to stay on." Silver shrugged. "So many stories…so much history to see in the making. So much to write-"
"Write?" Will felt something tingle in his mind. "You were a scribe?"
"More than a scribe, son. I was THE scribe." Silver sniffed haughtily. "I sailed under the colours of Captain James Haken."
"James Haken?"
"He means Old Captain Hook-"
Will looked up to see Peggy still in bed. Her eyes were open, and she turned to face them.
"-the first king of the Brethren Court," Peggy mumbled tiredly.
"I see ye managed ter pick up a book or two when you were gone." Silver snorted.
"Yes. I sure did," Peggy smirked. "Mister Stafford."
Will felt something click in his mind like a key in a lock.
"Percival Stafford? As in the Tales of the Deep?"
"Ah,h you've seen my book then?" Silver's face split into a wrinkly grin. "I did wonder if any copies survived after all these years."
"Aye. One did. It's on the Pearl now." Peggy mumbled. "as far as Jack's concerned,d that thing has pretty much become his bible."
"Wait, you're the Sage of the Brethren Court?" Bootstrap's eyes widened. "What the hell are you doin' here on the Dutchman? Why would you choose to stay here?"
"I wanted to hear more stories." Silver shrugged, "And where better to sit by the fire and hear stories from all over the world than a ship of the dead and damned. Though I have to say, it was getting quite stale until you two lovebirds came along." Silver chuckled, and Will felt his gut fall in horror. All those times he and Peggy had talked about what happened between them and their plans, and they thought he was asleep…had he been asleep? Or was it all just a ruse? Was the old doddering man by the fireside just a cover for his eavesdropping? Had he been spying on them for Jones-
"Relax, boy, I won't rat you out to the captain." Silver winked at Will "Not when the two of ye are keepin' things interesting around here. There ain't been a challenge to the old squid for a long time. He needs a shakeup now and then to keep from getting too big for his breeches."
"Glad we could entertain," Peggy mumbled, wincing as her bruised throat ached.
"BOOTSTRAP!" a man's voice shouted from above, and Bootstrap winced at the volume.
"I should get goin'. Rest up, you two. I'll be back soon." He grunted, a small smile gracing his blue lips as he watched Will help settle Peggy back into the bed.
"Stay safe." Will nodded at his father as Silver yawned wide and sank back into his chair.
"Yer leavin'? good. Now I can get a proper quiet nap."
"Lazy coot," Peggy whispered, glaring as the ancient man in the chair shut his eyes and snored almost immediately. "All he does is nap."
"Speaking of naps, you should lie back." Will hissed at her as he pressed her back into the thin excuse of a mattress. "You're exhausted."
"Nothing I haven't dealt with before."
"Still, you must rest. You've hardly slept a wink since we arrived." Will grimaced as he smoothed her curls from her face.
"You're one to talk," Peggy grumbled. "How's your back? And don't lie. I saw you rubbing it earlier."
"It's fine. No infection so far from what I can tell." Will grunted. "Just bruises, that's all."
"And you're not going back on shift till the next one?"
"No."
"Then that means you can sleep too," Peggy mumbled grumpily, grabbing his sleeve and tugging it.
Despite himself, Will felt a smile creeping up his lips as he carefully shed his boots and slid into the bed beside her, pulling the raggedy curtain over the side to hide them both in semi-darkness. Now, the only light was a small yellow lantern outside the tear in the curtain on the opposite wall. In the dimness, Will watched in worry as Peggy quickly melted into him, her fingers curling into his shirt.
"Sorry." She mumbled. "But you're warm."
"I don't mind. So long as you feel better that's all that matters." He stroked a lock of hair behind her ear. "So…Old Captain Hook, huh?"
"I know, right? Pirates and their nicknames." Peggy snorted. "The story goes that one of his cabin boys, Peter Pannell, betrayed him, seduced his daughter and stole a valuable enchanted artefact from his treasure horde. To add insult to injury, Pannell killed Haken's lover and first mate, Belle Tinkerman, by accident after serving her a tonic that was supposed to knock her out for a few hours, only to poison her by giving her too much. As you can imagine, with his lover dead and his greatest treasure stolen, Haken was furious and vowed vengeance on Pannell. Months passed, and Haken hunted Pannell down to an island, where he found the lad in a swamp trying to outrun a crocodile. They fought, and in the skirmish, the boy cut off his hand and tossed it into the water, where it is believed the crocodile ate it and proceeded to hunt down Haken through the swamp, hungry for more. Luckily, Haken was rescued by his first mate, but from that day on, his hand was replaced by a large silver hook and his dreams were forever plagued by a crocodile hunting him in a swamp."
"And Pannell?"
"They say he ran into the swamp laughing with Haken's daughter and disappeared, never to be seen again. Some say they died in the swamp together." Peggy yawned. "But no one knows what really happened."
"And the treasure? What was it?"
"No one knows for certain. Some say it was a pocket watch or a clock, enchanted to tell the time of death of any who held it; others say it was a compass pointing to your heart's greatest desire. All who know the legend agree that the treasure was circular and had a needle in the middle that pointed to something and that nothing of it was seen since Pannell disappeared."
Peggy shrugged tiredly, her heart aching at the sight of the eagerness that lit up Will's eyes. He looked just like that innocent, excitable boy she used to read stories to by the fire all those years ago…
"What?" Will's brow furrowed as he saw her give a wan, tired smile.
"Nothing…" Peggy murmured, carefully turning over onto her other back, her head turned so it faced the wall instead of his face "Goodnight, Will."
"…goodnight Peg," Will murmured, brow furrowing in concern as her breathing deepened alarmingly fast as she succumbed to her exhaustion.
She was never one to collapse like that unless she had pushed herself to the extreme. Usually, she liked to sit up and read or lie awake and slowly drift off. Now lying here so still, so cold, so pale…
A shiver ran down Will's spine as an image of his mother's sickly face lying peacefully on white linen sheets crossed his mind, and he shook his head hard to dispel it.
No. He shouldn't think like that.
Peggy was not dead yet.
She still had time. She was still breathing; he could see her chest rise and fall even now as she curled onto her side away from him.
But still…Tia Dalma had given her only weeks to live. Weeks…days…that was all the time he had. And to make matters worse, he was finding it hard to keep track of time. The Flying Dutchman always seemed shrouded in shadow as the ship chased the night across the ocean. According to Silver, it had only been one and a half days since Will and Peggy's arrival, but to Will, it already felt like ten years had passed.
What if he didn't make it off the ship in time? Or worse, what if he made it off the boat and got delayed returning? By the time he came back, Peggy might already be…
No! Don't think that way!
He felt her shift onto her back again as she tried to find a comfortable position, and instinctively, he rolled over onto her, shutting his eyes as he tried to force himself to sleep.
It may have been inappropriate, but it was the only way Will could ensure that she stayed put and did not move without his knowledge.
Now she had given up and was deep in sleep, her eyelids twitching as she drifted in dreams, her arms limp as they curled around his neck, one resting between his shoulder blades and the other in his hair as she cradled him into her breast. Will had to admit it was comfortable laying with her like this. He had never once dared to hold her like this in his sleep for fear of her reaction…for fear of being inappropriate. God, he had been so stupid.
Will sighed heavily as he nuzzled his nose into Peggy's collarbone, enjoying how her body shifted beneath him to accommodate his weight.
How could he ever be afraid of being so close like this? It was so warm and soft. Her salty, spicy scent surrounded him and drowned out the acrid, fishy smell of the Dutchman, while the steady up-and-down of her chest was calming, like the way the ocean rocked a hammock.
Best of all was the gentle thumping of her heartbeat against his ear. Will had thought that since her heart was broken, it would somehow sound broken, too. But no, it was still beating strong. He still had time to hold her close…make things right…
A small part of him wondered if his feelings for Peggy were merely physical and not emotional. Was he clinging to her because she was there? Would he have reacted similarly if Elizabeth had been in her place?
He had agreed to marry Elizabeth and to live a life with her. Yet now, in Peggy's arms, all he could think about was how he could return with her to that dingy little apartment above that forge and live safe and sound away from it all, even if it meant dealing with Mister Brown's drunken ravings every day.
Was he missing home? Did he want to run back to the safety of the familiar to avoid the danger of an uncertain future?
Again, his mind rebelled against the idea.
Yes, he had missed his life with Peggy…but it was not because of the creature comforts she gave him.
She had made that hovel a home simply by standing there with him…she could make any place feel like home. Even here on the terrible Flying Dutchman, Will felt at peace in her arms.
The thought of it all being gone in a couple of weeks was so awful he could hardly bear to think about it. Watching her vanish into Jones's quarters was hard enough without his heart flying out of his chest.
He knew Peggy only said she was giving up or would pass on soon because she was trying not to give herself or him false hope. However, Will could not accept this. He had no choice but to; the alternative was too sad and dreadful to consider. This year alone, he had discovered a new side to her he had never seen before, and he wanted more.
He wanted more time with her. More time to talk, to hold her…to kiss her…He had kissed her on the head and cheek so many times before, and he had tossed those moments away so flippantly. He was such an idiot that it had taken her being at Death's doorstep for him to realise how precious each touch was. And then there was that accidental kiss on the Black Pearl and their kiss that night before Isla De Muerta.
If only Will could kiss her again, not by accident or because of alcohol, but just for himself as a man. Then he'd know that his emotions for her were more than passing lust, curiosity or desperation.
He grimaced and remembered Peggy's turn away after they boarded the Dutchman. Worse still was how disappointed he had felt at her rejection. She had said she loved him so much that she was dying from a broken heart, yet she kept turning away from him when she could have had him to herself. Why?
Because she doesn't want to be the other woman, idiot!
A small voice sneered at Will.
She knows it's wrong for her to pursue you while you are betrothed to another. She's trying to do the right thing, unlike YOU.
The voice was right, of course. He was an engaged man. He shouldn't have been trying to be so intimate with Peggy when he was promised to wed another.
But he…he had to know…
He had to know if his feelings were real, as awful as it was. Or was it just like Peggy had said, and was it just his selfish desire to play the gallant hero rearing its ugly head again?
Now that he thought about why he had been so determined to chase after Elizabeth? Will could not deny feeling a certain, almost child-like thrill throughout his adventures six months ago. Fighting pirates, actually taking charge of his own life. Exploring new places, meeting interesting new people who had travelled and lived and not the same boring rich snobs who never left their sheltered bubbles and told the same stories repeatedly over lukewarm tea. Being freed from the chains of propriety and talking with people from all walks of life as equals…Being beside a woman who loved him unconditionally without constantly fretting about embarrassing her because of his humbler upbringing.
The thudding of booted feet was loud outside the door, and Will scowled as Peggy stirred beneath him and grumbled.
"Wassat?"
"Nothing Peg. Just the crew. Go back to sleep." He whispered as he carefully raised his head to look at her.
"Mmkay. G'night," Peggy mumbled sleepily, eyes shutting as she melted back into the thin straw mattress.
Will stared down at her as he hovered over her on his elbows.
Her face was so relaxed, so peaceful. He could see the slightest trace of a smile gracing the corners of her lips. It was the first time he had seen her so calm in his presence since she left him six months ago.
He was so close he could taste her breath with every inhale…so close…all he had to do was-
NO!
Will stopped his lips a hair's breadth from touching hers.
No…as tempting as it was, this was wrong.
I can't kiss her like that. Will shook his head in shame as he moved his lips to peck her cheek instead before he resettled himself with his head against her heart.
Not like this. No matter how much I want to, it will never be right. If I kissed her like that now, I'd be no better than her father, keeping a lover in secret while being promised to another. No. That would not be fair on either her or Elizabeth.
No… matter what he felt for Peggy and Elizabeth, neither woman deserved to be hurt like that.
Not like when Norrington was strung along so brutally. The same nasty voice from earlier hissed in his mind.
Will bristled as the memory of Norrington's heartbroken face washed over his mind.
That poor man who had most likely died at sea disgraced and dejected at such a loss.
Will remembered watching the officer at his engagement party slowly losing the battle to sorrow and inebriation. Will had reservations about inviting the man after all that had happened at Jack's botched execution, but Elizabeth had assured him it would be fine. No… assured was not quite the right word.
She had declared it would be fine and that Norrington would have put the whole mess behind him because it was his duty as an officer of the Crown.
But he did not put it behind him. Even duty has its limits. Everyone else could see that, so why couldn't she?
Will's mouth twisted as he sighed into Peggy's clavicle.
If Will had had a say in the invitations in the first place, he would have strongly protested the arrangement. Or he would have invited Norrington out of courtesy but quietly offered him a legitimate excuse to back out at the last minute to spare him the humiliation. That would have been the kinder option.
It was cruel that Elizabeth would not heed Norrington's hurt feelings and invite him to witness her happiness with his rival so soon after his public humiliation. Will did not believe the cruelty was intentional; however, in a way, that almost made the situation worse.
Even if she had not meant to be cruel intentionally, was Elizabeth really that naïve that she could not understand the damage their actions had caused her old fiancé? Indeed, she must have figured that inviting a man who had so clearly loved and valued her to watch her wed someone else would hurt him even more. And if she knew, why did she still bother inviting him?
Or was it naivete?
Will knew he had been naïve when it came to Peggy's suffering. As selfish as he was, he had never purposefully set out to harm her. His damage was more accidental. When he wanted something, he tended to charge ahead without thought like a bull, knocking her out of the way, not out of malice, but more tunnel-visioned singlemindedness. He knew it was no excuse for the damage he caused, but he never purposefully set out to hurt Peggy.
But Elizabeth…she had knowingly used Norrington's marriage proposal to get her way. She had to know that if she broke her word to the man, he would be hurt. Yes, Norrington was prim and proper, but Will had seen from their brief time on the Dauntless that he had cared for Elizabeth, and if his downward spiral was any indication, he had cared about her a lot.
Yet, for all Will had seen of his fiancé over the past few months, Elizabeth did not seem to have any remorse for her actions. She truly did not care about what happened to the man after he had lost all usefulness so long as her happiness remained undisputed.
Just think…that could have been you.
Will shivered as a chill went down his spine at the thought.
Hell, if she was willing to toss a loving and loyal man like Norrington aside to get what she wants, what's stopping her from doing that to you? Who's to say it hasn't happened already?
Will shuddered and sucked in a deep breath as he tried to banish the awful thought from his mind.
No! No! That could not be true.
Yes, Elizabeth had not handled the Norrington situation well, but that didn't necessarily mean she would do the same to him. She loved him. She had told Will she loved him and had agreed to marry him…
And all the while, he was chasing another woman for her affection…and it was the woman he had tossed aside to be with Elizabeth in the first place. A very warm, loving, devoted woman he had doomed twice to hell because of his selfishness.
I must free Peggy first. Will thought stubbornly.
Whether I feel anything for her or not, she deserves to be free of Jones. Then, I must find Elizabeth and cancel our engagement or put the wedding on hold until I figure out how to stop Peggy from dying.
And then what? The small voice in his brain sneered. What will you choose then? Who will you choose?
Will sighed heavily.
No… that didn't matter right now. Right now, it wasn't about choosing one woman over the other; it was about doing what was right and making sure it was done the right way.
Yes. Whatever was done in the past was done. But whatever he did moving forward had to be done the right way. Even if he did not have feelings for Peggy, he knew he could not marry Elizabeth while his heart was in such a mess.
Nor could he marry her if he knew it would kill the other woman in his life he cared about.
No wedding, not even one to Elizabeth Swann, was worth that much.
"LAND HO!"
"Ahh, Tortuga. There be a sight for sore eyes." Gibbs sighed in relief as he caught sight of the familiar pirate port on the distant horizon.
"You really think she'll be there?" a young voice mumbled, and Gibbs looked down to see young Jimmy Labelle standing beside him at the railing.
After a night's solid rest, a bath, fresh clothes and medical treatment, the boy looked remarkably better. One of his arms was in a sling and splint to keep a fractured wrist in place, and the blow to the head was bandaged up, but so far, he seemed to be walking about steadily even on the swaying ship.
Jack had not given his young nephew anything to do save rest, but, like all young adolescents, Jimmy was not one to sit still for long, though he remained subdued.
"I'm not sure where yer ma is, boy, but Tortuga has a lot of eyes and ears about. If she's been through there, we'll hear it." Gibbs patted the young boy on the shoulder. "How's the head feelin'?"
"Not too bad. It's me ribs, honestly." Jimmy muttere,d glancing about the deck. "What happened to Peggy? I slept in her bed last night, but I haven't seen her anywhere,e and Sloane won't tell me nothin'-"
"Oh Pegs…she's…" Gibbs gulped. Oh goodness, how would he explain the mess with Jones to the kid? Would the captain give him hell for it or not? "She's…on an errand fer the captain."
"Errand?" Jimmy narrowed his eyes, and Gibbs sighed as he was reminded fiercely of Jack's kohl-lined brown eyes. Damn, the family resemblance was disconcerting.
"Aye, yer uncle is huntin' down this chest, see, but the problem is that the key to this chest is not with the chest but on this other ship. Unfortunately, Jack's only got three days to find both the chest and the key so he sent Turner and Pegs to-"
"-To steal the key while we go and find the chest." Jimmy finished, and Gibbs nodded. "But how are they going to catch up with us in three days if they're somewhere out there."
"The captain of the ship they're on knows the location of the treasure," Gibbs explained. So once they get the key and the information, they should be able to find us quickly…if everything goes to plan."
"Uncle Jack really does leave a lot to chance." Jimmy sighed. "Anything could go wrong at any moment."
"Aye, Jimmy, it could." A new voice piped in from behind the boy and the older sailor, making them jump.
They wheeled around to see Jack Sparrow standing behind them with a small, pleased grin and a twinkle in his eye.
"But that's all part of the fun."
"Boy was wonderin' where Peggy was," Gibbs explained as the captain shot him a questioning look.
"Ahh, Pegsy. She'll be fine, boy, don't you worry." Jack waved Jimmy off. "She survived bein' on the wrong end of Barbossa. She can survive that mad bastard."
"And Mum?" Jimmy looked back at the seaport on the horizon.. "Do you think we'll find her in Tortuga?"
Jack paused. Usually, he had no problem being brutally honest in times like this. But this was different. Jimmy was family, not just family, but a real decent kid…or as decent as one could be after growing up with cutthroat and conniving pirates like Jack and his family. Whatever caution Jack felt towards his older sister, he had to admit she had raised her son well. Jack did not doubt that he'd be a great pirate when he got older.
"Honestly, Jimbo…I…I dunno if we are going to find yer mum there." Jack answered carefully, patting a ringed hand on his nephew's shoulder. "But I do know this, yer mom might be a conniving, double-crossing, back-stabbing infuriatingly know-it-all wenc-"
"Ahem!" Gibbs coughed, hiding his smirk behind his hand as Jack smoothly changed tack.
"-Wwooman. I was going to say, woman. But as a mother, aye, as a mother, I know she would never abandon you on purpose. Now, I'm not sayin' she will or won't be in Tortuga. Hell, I don't know if she's dead or alive; I ain't a bloody soothsayer, ey. All I'm sayin' is that there is a good chance of findin' something in Tortuga. Maybe whispers, maybe rumours. Hell, yer Ma might arrive after we leave. But whatever the case may be, goin' to Tortuga is the best chance you have right now of findin' what happened to her or letting her find you. People talk, and if we leave before she arrives at Tortuga, she'll be able to follow the whispers and find us. Whatever happens, at least you have a chance. Savvy?"
"I…I think so." Jimmy nodded as he tried to decipher the confusing jumble of words. "But if she's going to find me, then wouldn't it be better if I stayed behind when you-"
"Outta the question!" Jack and Gibbs exclaimed together, the latter bowing his head as Jack shot him a look.
"Leave you in Tortuga alone like this?" Jack gestured to the boy's bandaged head and arm. "Nah Jim. I like ye and all, but your ma would viciously slaughter me in my sleep if I let ye go off on yer own in this sorry state. And if she's dead, her ghost would come back to haunt me somethin' fierce. And I've had my share of undead hauntings to last me a lifetime." He looked at Gibbs, and they both shivered. "The only place she'd trust me to leave ye behind would be back with the Old Man at Shipwreck Cove, and we ain't gonna be going that way for a while. So until we find out what happened to yer ma, yer to stay with me. Captain's orders."
He gently ruffled Jimmy's hair and turned to Gibbs.
"Get us to land, Mister Gibbs. We've got work to do and a barrel of rum with my name on it."
Will Turner held his breath as he tiptoed through the door.
All was silent. Nothing stirred in the Captain's Cabin of the Flying Dutchman…not even the Captain himself.
Will could see him at the far end opposite the door, seated on a piano stool with his body bent over onto the keys.
A soft snoring sound filled the air, nearly syncing in time with the creaking of wood as the ship swayed gently side to side like a cradle in the calmer seas.
Will carefully crept forward, thanking his lucky stars that the large long damp carpet beneath him dampened his footsteps. He didn't even dare open his mouth, only breathing through his nose for fear of the sound echoing against the organ's massive pipes that loomed up and overshadowed half the room.
Will had never seen such a musical instrument in his life. He had seen the pipe organ at the church on Port Royal, but that was a tiny pathetic toy compared to this monstrosity.
It was huge, and each pipe seemed made of a tubular piece of coral. The woman in the stained glass window above seemed to be smiling eerily down at him as if every move he made towards the sleeping captain was for her entertainment.
Will wondered if it was a picture of Jones's lost love—that Heathen Goddess Calypso.
If so, she was a formidable figure to behold.
Will wondered how such a union could have been possible, at least in this day and age.
He knew Peggy and Sloane swore by the old gods like Poseidon rather than the Lord Almighty, but he had chalked it up to them being superstitious like pirates. To think old gods of the sea were surviving till this day and age and living amongst humans? Falling for them, cursing them…
Will silently sucked in a deep, bracing breath as he reached Jones's side, praying that neither clawed nor tentacled hand would reach out and throttle him.
However, no movement came.
Davy Jones slumped in his chair, shoulders and head bent, his mouth moving in soundless mutters and soft snores.
Well…here goes nothing.
"Look lively, men! We've got only one night, and we don't want to waste it. Mister Gibbs, you, Mister Sloane, and young Jimbo will follow me to the Twelve Daggers. The rest of your lot, get this lady re-stocked and ready to sail again! Chop-chop!"
Ronan Sloane glowered as he followed Jack Sparrow, Gibbs and Jimmy off the gangplank and onto the pier of Tortuga's wharf.
To everyone's surprise they had been able actually to secure a safe mooring at one of the piers.
Then again, with how many pirate ships the EITC were gunning down these days, there weren't as many ships out there.
But that was not what had Sloane seething.
He could not believe it.
He really could not believe Jack Sparrow would be able to pull off a stunt like this. Sending that annoying whelp Will Turner over aboard the Flying Dutchman was one thing. Served the boy right for all the crap he had pulled.
But leaving Peggy Blake, the last selkie of the Caribbean, in the hands of the Devil of the Deep?
That was nearly traitorous.
Worse still Peggy herself had been in debt to such a creature FOR YEARS.
Sloane remembered the smell of the mark on the other selkie woman's wrist, and even now, his hackles rose.
Just what was Jack Sparrow playing at? Letting her go to such a creature?
Why hadn't she fought back?
Fools, bloody fools, the lot of them. He thought savagely as he stomped after Jack, keeping Jimmy square in front of him with a hand on his shoulder so he would not slip away.
Despite promising to obey his uncle's command, the boy was as wily as the rest of his family. If you gave him an inch, he'd slip out of your grasp like an eel.
However, it would seem his anxiousness to find his mother kept his usual rambunctiousness in check as they were ushered in through a side door of the Twelve Daggers by a very irate and harried Annamaria.
"Ye lot did choose to come at an awful time." the woman snarled at Jack. "I don' have any rooms available at all! With the EITC shootin' up all them ships we've been packed since ye last left."
"Not to worry, Anna." Gibbs responded on his captain's behalf, "We won't be stayin' the night. We're just 'ere recruitin', that's all, and getting' some rum and grub."
"Recruiting?" Annamaria frowned suspiciously, now looking around at their small group. "What happened to yer crew? Where's Peggy?" her eyes narrowed dangerously on Jack as she added, "And where's that whelp? Has he gone and gotten her in trouble again?"
"Actually, no. It's the opposite." Jack's smirk fell into a grimace as he muttered to the pirate turned inn-keeper. "I'll tell ya about it later. This ain't news for waggling ears."
"Fine," Annamaria grumbled though Sloane could see the worry brewing in her brown eyes as she looked down at Jimmy's bandaged head and arm. "Ay-yai-yai! What happened to ye ,Jimmy boy? You've gotten all roughed up." She reached out to gently tilt Jimmy's face from side to side.
"The company," the boy blushed in embarrassment at the woman's fussing. "the Painted Lady she was…"
"Sunk." Annamaria sighed heavily. "Aye, I know. Been the talk of the town for two days now."
"Any survivors?" Sloane asked, squeezing Jimmy's shoulder reassuringly.
"A few." Annamaria nodded.
"And Jacquelin?" Jack quirked a brow curiously.
Now Annamaria shifted very uncomfortably on her feet.
"She's alive…or at least that's what Franky and Griffin told me." She sucked in a deep breath and said softly. "The Company have her. They took her just before they sunk the Lady good and proper."
"No! No, that can't be true!" Jimmy cried ou,t and at a look from Jack, Sloane grabbed the boy to stop him from moving. "No! The EITC can't have mum! They'll kill her."
"No, they won't." Sloane muttered, "If I know Lord Beckett, he will keep Captain Labelle alive. She's too high up in the Court to kill off so easily."
"Mister Sloane is right, Jimmy," Jack murmured, stroking his twin-plaited beard thoughtfully, though everyone could see his gaze had turned unnaturally cold even as he tried to smile and ruffle his nephew's hair. "But I wouldn't worry too much about it. This ain't the first time the red coats caught yer ma, and each time she got out of it with her crooked tail squeaky clean."
So…he's not quite as oblivious as I thought. Sloane's teeth gritted as he watched the pirate captain order Annamaria to set aside a table to be cleared out for Gibbs to sit at and start recruiting.
As the innkeeper and her brothers moved to fulfil the request, Sloane quickly steered his charge to another table in a corner where he ordered a round of drinks and some food, his green eyes drifting over each patron in turn.
Nearly all were drunken and wasted pirates. If any were working for the EITC like he had been, it would be difficult to spot them in this mess.
There was too much going on at once.
Fights and brawls, loud music and singing, drunken roars and swaying. Women and men writhing in dark corners as they gave into vice and debauchery.
Had this been any other time, Sloane would have drunk in the hedonistic anarchy with much gusto and glee. A lot of selkies enjoyed such freewheeling company-
He paused in his musings as he spotted a dark-clad figure standing and leaning against a pillar.
The figure was familiar: an older man garbed in dark clothes and with a scar across his face.
What's that reptile doing here? Sloane froze in horror, quickly excusing himself from Jack and Jimmy's company as he slid away from their table to meld into the shadows.
This wasn't good. After all the drama of the last few days, he had utterly forgotten his first assignment. If Beckett thought him a traitor now…
He quickly slid down at the bar and slipped out a small journal tucked away in his dark shirt.
It would not be the neatest report, but it would have to do.
He had worked too hard for too long for his cover to be blown so severely.
He kept his message to the point and truthful. Lying right now was not in his best interest. True, he could not reveal his involvement with the brethren court or his true allegiance to his clan, but so far, Beckett had never been able to poke holes into his backstory.
He had just about signed off his note when he felt hot air breathing down his neck.
"Well, well, well. Mister Sloane, fancy seeing you here."
"Mister Mercer," Sloane muttered, quickly tearing off the paper from the journal before tearing out another sheet and folding it into a makeshift envelope. "What brings you to my humble stomping grounds."
"Oh, not much," Mercer smirked as he oh-so-casually sat down by his side at the bar, eyeing him with almost sadistic pleasure. "Just business. Our boss has not heard from you for a while, so he sent me in his stead to check your progress. How fortuitous it is that you returned to this hovel tonight. If you hadn't, I'd have been forced to send our men to scour the oceans to find you and check on your progress. Make sure nothing happened to you while you were in the company of these…degenerates." He added softly, his voice a snake's hiss.
"Fortunate indeed that you found me then." Sloane forced a smile to his face, though his green eyes were cold and disgusted for the man beside him. "I was wondering how I was going to send a message across to our boss. There have been some interesting developments, and I'm sure he wants to know as soon as possible. Developments relating to his eldest daughter and the Turner boy." Sloane slid the hastily made envelope to his fellow clerk, who took it and turned it over in his hand.
"I know it's not my most stellar work, but I do not have much time," Sloane admitted. "I am leaving at first light with the Pearl, and I need to stay sharp tonight."
"And mister Turner and Miss Beckett? I don't see either with you tonight." Mercer's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Sloane, who grimaced.
"All will be explained in my report. Bosses eyes only."
"O,h I would never dream of opening our master's private messages." Mercer rolled his eyes as he pocketed the envelope into the inner pocket of his long coat. "Not even yours."
"Good." Sloane snorted. "Because this is not something you want getting out."
"Speaking of getting out. Here's some new orders from the top." Mercer slid another small envelope made from paler and thicker card paper across the grubby countertop to Sloane, who took it and opened it swiftly.
His eyes widened as he scanned the page inside.
"No…no way…" he looked up at Mercer, who was scowling and bristling angrily.
"You're kidding?"
"I wish I was," Mercer grunted. "But alas, it is true."
"She just left? On her own? She's so young-"
"That didn't stop her sister." Mercer snarled fingers flexing around the hilt of a small knife on his belt. "I trust you will keep an eye out and report immediately if you see her?"
"Yes…yes, of course. Naturally,"
"Then our business is done. If you happen to be delayed in leaving and require my services then I am lodging at the Faithful Bride. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Sloane nodded, hardly heeding the man as he slid smoothly away from the bar to slip back into the shadows
Oh, by Poseidon. The corners of the selkie male's mouth twitched upward as he scanned the page before him again.
You Beckett girls are a handful.
Will's heart almost flew in his chest as he locked the door to the captain's cabin behind him.
He couldn't believe it. He had done it.
He had done it.
He looked down into his hands. In one of them, he held an old and rusted-over iron key. He held a pelt of dark brown and cream-coloured fur in his other hand, dappled with darker brown spots on the back.
With a shuddering breath, he tucked the pelt between his legs and tied the key on a black chord he kept tied around his neck, all the while doing his best to keep his breathing quiet. He was so anxious that every breath he took felt loud and rattling in his ears.
As soon as the key was secured around his neck, he bundled up the fur pelt, which was as small as he could make it, and stuffed it under his shirt. As the fibres touched his skin, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
He could almost feel the magic pouring out of the garment…so raw…so powerful…and yet it smelled and felt…like her…
Will had heard from Gibbs and Jack that a selkie's pelt was a piece of their soul, made solid, but he had never really believed it till now. He just thought it was like the cursed treasure of Cortez, an enchanted item.
But now…now holding the pelt to his skin…it almost felt like she was in his arms.
I need to get this back to her. With this, she could swim away from Jones the minute I kill him…but Jones has ordered her to hurt me if I try to make off with the key…
Quietly, Will crept across the deck, only pausing to glance at his father, who had been acting like a lookout. The man was preparing one of the smaller rowboats on the ship's side.
For the first time since Will had arrived, the deck of the Flying Dutchman was quiet and almost deserted. Since the storms had passed and the wind was near dead, not even Davy Jones could find an excuse to keep his crew working to the bone. Now, she only needed one man at the helm while six other crew members sat on deck ready to leap to action should their circumstances change. However, since there was barely any wind, the six men had taken advantage of the peace and were fast asleep in the shadows beneath the upper deck.
As it wasn't uncommon to hear a man walk above or below deck, the thudding of Will's footsteps went unheeded by any of them as he stowed below deck.
He had very little time and had to ensure he did this right.
As soon as Davy Jones woke from his nap in his quarters, Will's hours would be numbered. The Devil would notice the key to the Dead Man's Chest was gone, and hopefully, that would keep him too distracted to notice the other priceless treasure missing from his cabin.
Will had taken the silver trident key and used it to unlock the chest it opened before returning it to its rightful place. He had ensured that the tapestry that had hidden the silver chest looked the same as when he found it. Now, all he had to hope for was that Peggy could keep the secret safe all alone. Yes his father would be there but...but Will was not sure he'd be able to do much to protect Peggy from Jones's wrath.
Will crept into the kitchen, taking a few cautious steps over to old Silver, leaning back and snoring loudly in his chair like usual. His mouth was open, and he was drooling, so Will was confident that the old sage was dead asleep.
Good. Though Silver had said he would not rat him out, Will had learned long ago not to trust the words of any pirate blindly.
And so, with bated breath, Will pulled aside the raggedy curtain that hid the bed from view.
Peggy was still fast asleep, her curls a mess around the pillow and her chest rising and falling as she breathed deeply.
Will felt something inside his chest pull and tug almost painfully. However, it was not the familiar sad sting he associated with the broken bond. No, this was a pang of longing.
How easy would it be to slip under the covers beside her once more and hold her till the dawn came…
Will shook his head as he pulled the selkie pelt from his shirt. Carefully not to disturb her, he pulled off her blanket with one hand while the other carefully draped the pelt over Peggy's body.
The effect was instantaneous. Will leapt back as Peggy sucked in a sharp breath, her chest heaving for a moment as if she were breathing clearly for the first time. He could feel something in his chest warm and strengthened, and he knew, he just knew, something had gone right.
He could see the colour returning to her skin before his eyes, her cheeks returning to the rosy hue he remembered from six months ago, before that fateful day Jack had arrived in Port Royal. Her face slackened, and her brow smoothed as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her entire body. She even looked younger, more like the young woman she was supposed to be.
Sure, there was still some lingering pain. Will could feel the ache of the broken bond still there, barely tethering her heart to his as it hung on its flimsy threads. However, with the return of her selkie pelt, even those strings seemed to tense and strengthen on their own.
He may not have bought her much time, but it was better than nothing.
When it was clear she wasn't going to wake up from her slumber any time soon, he let himself approach her once more, swiftly pulling her other blanket over the top of her and her pelt, making sure to hide the latter as much as he could before tucking a folded sheet of yellow parchment beneath her pillow. He had stolen it earlier from a journal kept down in the hold below, among all the other bits and bobs that had been scavenged off shipwrecks the Dutchman had encountered.
He just hoped his message would be enough to stop her fretting.
"I'll be back soon." He whispered, stroking his thumb across a freckled cheek, "I'll come back for you when I've dealt with Jones. Please hold on for me for a little longer." He pressed his lips against her forehead and sucked in a deep breath as he murmured.
"I love you…and I'm going to make things right…I promise."
She was sitting on a beach in a plain white shirt and brown breeches. The soft, white sands contrasted with the fiery copper red of her hair, which blew wildly in the winds.
She smiled and chuckled as she looked at the breaking waves lapping on the shore. There, ankle-deep in the water, two children were playing. Both had brown hair, and their faces were unclear, but they were smiling, shouting, and laughing as they splashed and tousled in the water. Both were in shirts and breeches like she was, though the shorter child was a girl and the taller one was a boy.
"Woah-woah-woah Darling! Steady on there!" she shouted as the girl grunted and pushed the boy bodily into the water, where he landed with a groan and a squeak. "Go easy on your brother!"
"Owww! What was that for?"
"Oh, stop whining. I didn't hit you that hard, har-ah! Hey! " The girl rolled her eyes, then squeaked as her brother tackled her into the waves. "MUUUM!"
"Typical." She rolled her eyes, stood to her feet, and rushed towards the children, her bare feet leaving a clear impression in the sand. "Alright, now, you two alright. Break it up. When I said you could play for a bit, I did not mean to start a fight. Keep that for your sparring lessons."
"Aww, mum!"
"Don't aww mum me. Your father will be back any time, and what am I going to tell him when he sees the two of you all battered and bruised as if you were in a Tortugan bar fight?"
She smiled as her two children pouted at her mutinously; however, her son's attention was quickly distracted as something splashed behind them.
He turned around and pointed.
"Mum, look."
She looked up and saw a magnificent seal raised on the beach. It was as long as she was tall, with dark chocolaty brown fur and a creamy underbelly. Along its back were a dappling of slightly darker brown spots. Its big eyes were dark grey-blue, and it stared at her with an intelligence that was near human, even as she reached out a hand to touch it.
"I know you…" She whispered as the creature trilled eagerly, ducking its head so she could touch the top of it.
Soft fibres, warm despite the wet sea, grazed her fingers as she stroked them gently, her fingers tingling.
Tears streamed down her eyes as the two brown-haired children melted away like smoke in the wind, leaving her alone on the beach with the large seal.
"You're really here…aren't you? But…how-"
"Wake up."
She blinked as she looked at the seal,, which opened its mouth to bark. However, instead of the usual 'Aawuff!' of a bark, words came out.
Words in her voice.
"Wake up! You must wake up now! NOW!"
Peggy Blake gasped, and her eyes flew open.
She lay alone on the thin bed in the Flying Dutchman's kitchen. The curtain had been pulled aside, bathing her in enough light to hit her eyes and make her cringe instantly.
Above her, a man hissed as he shook her by the shoulder. He tried very hard to be gentle,, but his fear was evident in how badly his pale hand shook, and his voice wavered as she rubbed her eyes.
"Bootstrap? What's…what's going on? Where's Will?" Peggy frowned as the hunched, coral-covered figure of the older Turner man came into sharper focus.
"Will's gone. He's left. You need to get up now."
"Gone? Gone where…" Peggy trailed off as she sat up and felt her covers shift, only they felt heavier than before. Now that she thought about it, there seemed to be two blankets over her.
She looked down and gasped.
SMASH!
CRASH!
There was the smashing of glass and the thudding of many heavy objects, which hit and collided with a solid surface.
All the crewmen of the Flying Dutchmen trembled with terror as the roar of fury echoed over the deck.
It had been a long time since they saw their captain this angry. The Devil was usually so composed and in control. Although he sometimes had bouts of melancholy, he always found a way to express it through his music whenever one of his funny turns took him over.
Now, however…now he was enraged.
And everyone knew exactly why.
The Turner boy.
Against all odds, the whelp had pulled a fast one over the Devil himself.
This was no play of the dice like before. He had dared to waltz into the Captain's Cabin and steal the keys from the Devil's neck.
They all would have admired him for his pluck…if their captain were not so terrifying to behold in his wrath.
They just hoped none of them would be next on the chopping block because whenever Davy Jones caught William Turner, and he would, there truly would be hell to pay.
Tia Dalma smiled as she looked into the bowl of seawater.
Finally.
Finally, things were starting to go in the direction she had planned.
The boy had the key.
The girl had her pelt.
Now, all that was left was to nudge Jack Sparrow in the right direction. The pirate seemed surprisingly distracted despite his mission. Not even Tia Dalma had seen his heart so torn between his desires.
It was no wonder his compass was not working.
Tia Dalma's gaze hardened with derisive glee as she remembered the day she had acquired the compass.
Despite being bound in mortal form, she still had a great deal of power and influence over the creatures of the water.
Even the crocodiles of the swamps nearby obeyed her command. How well they had obeyed her that day that boy and that pirate king had fought.
That Pirate King. Tia Dalma's hands tightened around the edge of her bowl. That monster…that blackguard, that had bound her to this form…how she had been so disappointed in him escaping the wrath of the crocodiles.
However, there was only so much she could do when bound like this.
And so she had settled for that other traitorous creature delivering her that compass.
That young man, foolish, greedy, flighty. He had been so eager in his search for immortal youth that he had been willing to lead the woman he loved to death and kill her father.
Such a wretched, filthy excuse for a human. But she had made a deal with him to give her the compass in exchange for being young for the rest of his life.
The idiot had never specified how long the rest of his life had to be after delivering his cargo. Oh, how he had screamed so deliciously as the crocodile had devoured his young flesh…
Tia Dalma smiled as the image in the water shifted as she carefully swirled the wooden bowl.
How fitting would it be that the very compass that had led her greatest enemy to bind her to this horrible existence was now going to be the very thing that freed her from this disgusting existence?
Now if only Jack Sparrow could get his head screwed on straight…or if he had another head to help him.
Tia Dalma bit her lip as the image finally refocused on another face.
A young woman in rough, ill-fitting men's clothes was trying to push her way through a crowd of rowdy, drunk pirates. Her long blonde hair was tied up and tucked into a black hat, and her face was harried as she looked behind her to call out to someone.
What 'ave we here?
Tia Dalma's eyebrows rose as the blonde woman reached out to grab the hand of a much smaller, delicate-looking figure and pull them out of the squash of the crowd.
It was a child—a girl with a pale doll-like face, dark brown hair, and light blue-grey eyes… blue-grey eyes familiar to Tia Dalma, even though she had only seen them a few days ago in a different face.
"Hmm…" Tia Dalma murmured, "It seems de wind and de tides bring me another gift."
Her lips widened into a wicked grin.
"Dis shall be interesting."
MUAHAHAHAHA! And there we are.
Chapter 26 is over. Will finally gets the key, Peggy has her pelt, and Jack and the others are in Tortuga.
This is where the Flying Dutchman arc will end (we'll get some peek-ins here and there), and the focus will shift to the Black Pearl for a little bit. It was hard to find a natural stopping point for the FD arc, but I feel this is a nice comfy spot with us getting to know what happened somewhere else while Will rows out to sea (kinda like Gendry in Game of Thrones rowing for a few seasons before he gets back LAMO).
So Will has finally figured out he's in love with Peggy (now tell her you love her when she's awake you dummy!). but in all seriousness, probably for the best he doesn't get with her at this moment when he's still engaged. Wouldn't be fair on Pegs. I've tortured her enough as an author.
Yes I did weave Captain J. Hook and Peter Pan into the POTC universe. And yes, I did make Hook the first Pirate King. Honestly it felt right and I'm enjoying putting little snippets of other disney/literature franchises into the POTC universe. I feel like there is some place for them. Also Haken is the German word for Hook. Pannell is a surname that means "tiler" (as in one who lays/makes rooftiles) so that felt like a natural extension of the Pan name. Then we have Belle Tinkerman (aka Tinkerbell, who did drank poison and nearly died for Peter). Hooks daughter being stolen away by Pannell is basically a reference to Wendy Darling, and how her father George Darling is often played by the same actor as Captain Hook in the play. And of course had to include the crocodile (I know i probably didn't get their habitat right but there are some crocodiles native to Cuba). Yes, I did change the infamous clock to Jack's compass but i felt like both are round, both have hands, it's the sort of detail that could get messed about when passed along through word of mouth.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed making it. It was nice to get the ball rolling with Jack and Sloane again, and it will be nice to see Elizabeth and this new player in the story ;)
if you enjoyed, please keep reading, reviewing, faving and following for more
Thanks
FuzzyBeta