Black
Pearl Tales
is the official archive of
Black Pearl Sails
and Black Pearl Library.
Pirates of the Caribbean
is the property of the
Disney Corporation.
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a Challenge:
Black
Pearl
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By Geek Mama ~ Fickle ~ There was no question, the Black Pearl knew when Jack and his skiff came into sight. Barbossa could sense the change in her, and sure enough, not five minutes later, there was a cry from the crow’s nest. “Ship ahoy! It’s the Captain!” That was Marty, damn his eyes. Barbossa scowled, vowing to have a word – and more than a word – with the hell-born imp. Her true captain gripped the spokes of the wheel to adjust their course and felt a trembling shiver run through her. Cheers sounded as the Pearl’s speed increased by a knot or more. Faithless jade.
By Cersia5 ~ Goodbye ~ Jack ran his hand along the railing one last time. He raised his aged eyes up at the sound of the creaking ropes and smiled as the new crew worked to loosen her long black sails, just like a dark haired woman would loosen her tresses to greet her long lost lover. “She’s yours now, lad,” Jack croaked as he and his son reached the gangway where he was to leave his friend, rescuer, home and ship for the last time.
“I’ll take good care of the Pearl, dad.”
Jack stopped in the middle of the gangway and whirled around. “Son, you have no option but to do so. Savvy?”
James Sparrow snarled back at his father. “Savvy.”
Jack's eyes scanned The Pearl once more and then turned away and headed to where Elizabeth patiently waited for him at the bottom.
By Sequence_fairy ~ Goodbye ~ She creaks, groans, and settles herself. Her sails snap taut in the Caribbean wind, her dark-eyed figurehead paying homage to the swells. She knows, she knows that this is her final journey, as the man bids her farewell from the wheel. He is burying her, it is her time. She goes, a stately queen, to her last resting place, the cove where he first laid eyes on her, a tattered wreck, restored with loving hands and years of time. He dives from her rail, as he has done so many times before, and she watches him go, whispering to him through the wind that she will always love him. By Cat ~ Aftermath ~ The Pearl loomed wraith-like out of the swirling mist, her rigging, like draggled hair disheveled hung in disarray across her decks and rails, obscuring her sleek form in an endless tangle of lines, and shrouds and canvas. The once majestic Black Pearl sat forlorn and forsaken, a wounded sea-bird with a broken wing. For one brief moment that lasted for eternity Jack was absolutely still, the image of his shattered ship burned indelibly into his brain. Closing his eyes he felt each injury – each rip in her canvas his own skin, each spar snapped one of his bones. He clung to the rail for support, feeling his beloved ship's pain, all because of him. By Ghillie_kitten ~ Ask Not Where The Compass Points ~ Jack paused in his frantic rowing and noticed that the island never seemed to get any nearer. He took advantage of the pause to take one last look at his ship. He saw the rest of the crew, and the Pearl herself making a valiant stand against the Kraken. However, valiant as it was, he knew would be one-sided. His heart ached for his beautiful ship; which was not helped by the memories of the first time she had gone down. He looked again at the island – the only spot that was safe for miles around. Undecided, he took out his compass, and opened it to find that, for once, it wasn’t broken, and maybe it hadn’t been before. As he saw what the compass was pointing at, he realized that the thing it pointed at was the thing he really wanted – his Pearl. He put the compass down and began rowing towards his ship. This time, she wouldn’t go down without a fight, or, without her captain. By Honorat Selonnet By Ravin ~ Hatred as Dark as Night ~ The Black Pearl bobbed listlessly, her mood as dark as her hull and sails. Oh, how she despised the man whose rough touch on her wheel caused her to shiver. Oh, how she hated him for stealing her away from her true love, her rightful Captain, and dared to proclaim himself captain and claim her as his own. "I should have thrown Barbossa overboard long ago," she thought as she pined for her love's gentle, caressing touch upon her wheel, and the loving way he spoke to her. Oh, how she missed Jack and hoped he would rescue her soon By DesiringPirates ~ Going Away~ It was dark out, yet Elizabeth knew that it was out there. Sailing away, going away. All her hopes and dreams, all her memories and freedom were catching wind and going off... without her to chase them. A tear fell down her cheek, followed by another, and soon her face wash awash with her grief. It was going away, and she was sitting here, almost afraid to move and run. Afraid to scream out that she wanted to go along. "Land ho!" A voice rang out, causing a gasp to rip from her throat. What she thought was running away was actually coming for her... coming straight at her... opening up his arms and waiting for her to run into them. Unable to control herself, Elizabeth smiled and sobbed at the same time and ran to the Captain. "Let's get ye home, luv. A'right?" He calmed her nerves, pointing at the large blackened vessel that sat gently in the dark waters. By Cat ~ Amends ~ He closed his eyes and felt the ship under his feet, her timbers groaning slightly as the tide lapped against her hull. The wind freshened, her tattered sails fluttered a sad song – one of loss and betrayal and remorse. Drawing a deep breath Jack opened his eyes and set his jaw in determination. He'd let his beloved ship down, almost lost her and his crew in a moment of rash action.He reckoned he had a debt to pay – if she'd have him back. His fingers touched the rail; he felt a shudder and wondered if it were him or the ship--or both. "At'a girl, luv," he murmured, his fingers stroking the wood. "I'm here now. We'll make it right. We'll make us both right, eh?" By Mycoffeemuse ~ Of Apples and Irony ~ `The apple, symbolic of knowledge, both good and evil, of wisdom gleaned through trials, is forbidden, yet sweet. It is the original curse of Eve to Adam, if you will.'This Barbossa thought as he lay dying in the treasure cave of Isla de Morte. The irony did not escape him, for he, too, had been deceived by a woman. And if Elizabeth was to be the `Eve' to his downfall, then Sparrow, `Damn you, Sparrow'… well, he was a serpent. `And blast it if he didn't now have the Pearl…`Which is, by the way, another symbol for wisdom.' By Danglingdingle ~ Ship and a Man ~ Sharp, fluttering snap of sails like a fair maiden’s soft laughter. Flavours all around, fresh tar, the tang of the ever lingering sea and salt mixing with the scent of newly stocked oranges, all to be tasted in the back of the throat, mingling with the feel of the grain of the wood growing warm under the caressing hand. Whispering shyly through touch, careful with the words, for strangers can say only so much even when they’ve known forever and want to tell everything. And she’s eager to make way. She wants to move, and moves the man. They’re freedom. *
Slack, sway of the sails like the mournful, last weeping sob of a widow. Smells all around, acrid burning tar, fumes of the scorching flesh, the salt much sweeter in the back of the throat confusing the swallowed tears for familiar air. The smouldering wood kindling, too hot for the too raw hand to caress. Clutching to feel the pain, voiceless cries exchanged between lovers who have known forever and shared their every secret. And she’s eager to take the way. She refuses to stop moving and moves the man. “She’s only a ship mate.” Like he’s but a man. By Florencia7 ~ In the Clear ~ He stood next to her, watching her eyes fixed on the black horizon, her hair billowing in the wind like the black sails of the ship in front of them. “Why have you waited?” He asked, his voice muffled by the crashing of the waves, the sea always louder than his voice, always less audible to her than the sea. “I haven't,” she whispered in a voice filled with belonging somewhere where he could not reach. “But I came here today to say-” “A farewell?” He offered, the word tasting like mourning, black as her hazel eyes when she turned to look at him. “To say that I can live only on the Black Pearl.” She stepped into the longboat with a faint smile of belated sincerity. “I'm not sorry.” By Tiamary ~ Eyes On Deck ~ A board is loose. Loose board, loose board, loose board, loose… Don’t look up. Face. ‘Spose I looked up. “Jack.” Do not make eye contact. Too late. Look stern. “It wouldn’t have worked out between us.” Ohhhhhh, the irony! Hoisted on me own petard! Stop smiling, Jack. “Keep telling yourself that, Darling.” Bloody Hell, did my voice just CRACK? Such a coquettish smirk. Remember your husband, one Will Turner? Oh, Jesus …DEFENSE! “Once was quite enough!” Excellent. All hail Jack Sparrow, Puritan schoolmarm. “Thank you.” Fine, you’re welcome. And she’s gone. So… why am I smiling? Because she likes me. By This_weirdness ~ Black Pearl ~ Ten years I've been carrying this shot. Ten long years. Not a day has gone by when I haven't thought about where I might put it. His head? Too kind. His belly? Now there's a thought. The blackguard deserves to die a slow, painful death. His heart? Doesn't have one. Perfidious bastard. Should never have taken him on. Should have listened to me old man. Said he had that look about him. Still, it'll all be over soon. She's near. I can feel her. Bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh, heart of my own heart. My Pearl. Mine. By Fried_flamingo ~ Stained ~ From the corner of her eye, black canvas snaps. Elizabeth’s head spins towards the quay, but all sails shine gold in the setting sun. She feels dirty and dark in their reflected glow. “We’ll barter passage,” says Gibbs. “Head upriver.” But his voice is broken and confused. He walks like a man without bearing. His ship is gone, thinks Elizabeth. I took her from him. Behind her, wings flap sullenly, a fallen angel straining for the sky. I won’t look. I won’t. You’re not really there. Beneath her fingernails, blood has dried. In the failing light, it looks like tar. By Compassrose7577 By Triskellion ~ Black Pearl ~ She knew the instant his feet touched her deck that he had returned. That erratic rhythm of steps, the way he caressed her rails, she remembered for all he was ten years gone. How she had longed for the gentle touch of his hands upon her wheel. His memory was wreathed in warmth from days when the sun dared shine upon her planks. Even the faint wisps of sensation from the years before the sea claimed her only for her to be reborn all centered around him. Her mast straightened, her sails tried to billow, for her captain had returned. By Sal323 ~ All Consuming ~ In her dreams, she watches them drown. Wrapped in a lover’s embrace, he shudders when his spine snaps, splintering and sinking into a treacherous sea. There’s no scream but the rending of canvas and the cracking of ribs; fragile bones shatter – fragile hearts, too. The defiant flutter of sail and mast heralds Elizabeth’s fate; as scarlet waters claim them, she understands her crime. For the lie tastes bitter as blood and nothing can wash it from her lips. I’m not sorry. Her kiss, she thinks, was as cruel as the beast’s embrace and guilt sticks like splinters in her throat. By Djarum99 ~ Stars That Reigned At My Nativity ~ ”We'll steal her back.” Driftwood sparks perish in her eyes - she would kill for him, for love. Killed you for it, Calypso whispers, and he embraces irony, buries himself each night in its swwet-silk heat. “Masts, keel, hull - that’s all she means to Barbossa. For you, the Pearl was freedom.” Jack remembers another island, dancing with the moon's fierce priestess - her innocence, his doomed fire, drowned at the end of the world. “Devil doesn’t sell freedom, Bess - my soul’s already forfeit.” “Persuasion? Swords?” “Those might work.” He kisses her, hears dark-sail keening on the changing wind.
~ Competition ~ Dressed in her finery, and promising a submission she’d never show him, she’d seduced Barbossa. She’d tempted Turner, in truth she’d tempted the whole crew; each of them wanting her for himself, only the captain’s watchful eye keeping them at bay. She’d even brought the once proud Norrington to his knees. As for Sparrow…? He’d once said that a ship was freedom and Elizabeth had believed him then, but now she knew better. Freedom? Not this ship. This ship had enslaved him, enslaved them all, and the realisation that she couldn’t compete felt like a shard of ice through Elizabeth's heart. By Cersia5 ~ The Price To Be Paid ~ The sound of water lapped against the hull of The Pearl in the weary darkness. The sound of Elizabeth’s distant sobbing and William’s soothing words tore at his heart. He couldn’t be there for her. He didn’t deserve to touch her, he had silently reasoned. “She came for you, Jack,” Tia Dalma had whispered into his ear earlier.
And what had it cost her?
Her father’s life.
Pretty dresses and fancy balls.
And for what?
To save him and his rackety old ship?
“I’m sorry, love, it would have never worked,” he whispered as he removed the ring he stolen for her from his finger and dropped into the haunted ocean below and walked away. Water to continued to lap against The Black Pearl; washing the ring against a nail on its hull. By Hereswith ~ Raised From the Deep ~ The effort strains the timber, tearing splinters, the wooden frames quiver, but still—up—she bears towards the surface as the sea roars and rumbles, splitting open before her bow—rise—and it’s all there is, the whole of the world, the pull of compulsion like a towline, dragging her out of the briny dark until she sheds water like a skin, sloughing it off with a heavy shudder, the scatter of drops catching light in the sun, and there she stills, resting on her curved belly, whole again and afloat, and her shadow on the waves is burned black. By Penknife ~ Singular ~ It's a bad risk, raising Sparrow's ship for the promise of his soul; the man could die in a hundred ways on land, even if he doesn't manage to slip his bonds and cheat his benefactor. Davy Jones raises Sparrow's Wicked Wench from the depths all the same, but not unaltered; her black sails are only the outward sign of her sea change. She was always a fast ship, but now she is the fastest on the ocean, uncatchable, unique. Pirates will fight over anything unique. Jones thinks it's worth raising the Pearl for the souls she'll send his way. By Djarum99 ~ Firebird ~ He’s four-and-twenty when he saves her, thirteen years glitter endless, and Jack’s danced with devils before. Cuckolded all save one, and Jones’ triumphant leer fades beneath Beckett's vengeful flames, the death-throes of his queen. Unwritten legend pulses in half-healed scars - honor shows herself cruel, a faithless muse disowned. Boots kiss blackened boards, hot-blood hands claim possession - she shudders beneath his lover’s touch, arcs raven sails against the wind. His body sings with a young man’s hunger and she answers sweet, whispers sinner’s hymns in her rigging, spreads her wings like a fire-born phoenix, soars. Bring me that horizon… By Faeritales ~ Captain ~ Elizabeth listened to their bickering with bemusement. “My ship.” “My charts.” “Makes you chartman.” “Which way’re yeh goin’, Jack?” Captain of the Black Pearl. Elizabeth knew. One had abandoned the ship in her hour of need. One never had, never would. When the battle came, the choice was clear. Maelstrom; one had stayed. “Captain Barbossa! We need you at the helm!” Captain Barbossa. Captain. Their eyes met and time stopped and she begged him to hear the words she couldn’t speak. Please. You’re the only one who can save us. A heartbeat. I need you. Captain. “Aye, that be true.” By Sequence_fairy ~ Moonlit Correlations ~ And they glow, like pearls in the night, her eyes dark as the boards of his ship, her hair gleaming in the moonlight, like the planks of his ship. Her voice is low, husky and haunting, like the voice of his ship, pulling at the fabric of his soul. He watches now, as they stand, in commune with each other at the helm. His ladies, the pair of pearls he wears within the trinkets in his hair, one white and one black. He loves them; his ship, his dark lady, the Black Pearl, and his companion, his winged lady, Elizabeth. By Tiamary ~ Monster ~ My heart is breaking, for Jack has abandoned me. He rows away, leaving me to the Kraken. Joy! He has returned! He fires once and the Kraken is gone! The crew departs. Jack gazes at me with sorrowful eyes. Thank you for saving me. I forgive you everything. Look out! Behind you! Alas, the monster is devouring him with that cavernous mouth! Foul beast, stop eating Jack! What a relief…the monster is gone. We are alone together, Jack and I, we are joined as one. He will never leave me again. Thank you, Elizabeth. Sorry I called you a monster.
~.~
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