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The Sacking of Port Royal
by TortugaBlack

CHAPTER 20: Epilogue - A New Beginning

A cloak of despondency had settled over the captain’s cabin aboard the Black Pearl. The subdued morning light drifting through the gallery windows heralded a new day, while tiny dust particles danced on the sunbeams. The only sound breaking the silence was the rhythmic thumping as the Pearl, on her way to the open sea, breached the waves marking the coastline of Lime Cay; her course set for Tortuga. Off her bow, the Morning Star matched her pace.

Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann sat next to each other at the cabin’s huge table, their faces drawn in weary despair, both lost in thought as they each mulled over the serious implications of their recent actions. Silently observing them, Jack Sparrow stood, casually reached across the table, meticulously selected an apple from a bowl in front of them, and again took his seat. Propping both booted feet onto the top of the table and crossing them at the ankles, he settled back, his expression one of contented satisfaction with a night that had afforded him both financial and emotional gains.

“It was wrong,” Elizabeth whispered in the direction of the tabletop, her expression one of numbing acceptance at the reality of their situation. “We should never have agreed to the taking of James’ ship. It was an act of piracy and James will have no recourse but to charge us with the same crimes as those we aided in the attempt.”

Sparrow polished the apple briefly on the sleeve of his once clean shirt. Frowning, he turned the fruit a couple of times in his hand, found a spot to his liking and took a hungry bite.

“You weren’t involved,” Will Turner spoke dispiritedly, his eyes red-rimmed and his body weary from the lack of sleep. “Were it in my power to roll back the night and leave you asleep in your bed and innocent of such accusations, I would do so.”

“But I was involved,” she insisted. “We both were the moment we stepped aboard the Morning Star.” She glanced toward the man at her side, then back to the tabletop. “By British law we are guilty by association.”

“Then let him bring his charges. No decent man would stand by and allow a woman to be hanged for them,” Will soothed, his longings to draw her to him and shelter her from her fears were easily read in the tender expression so painfully naked in his dark eyes; fear of a future they now both faced. He reached out and took her hand.

At the head of the table, the pirate captain hummed softly to himself as he turned the apple to avoid a soft spot in the fruit and took another bite.

“That’s not true,” she disagreed in a voice so soft Will had to move closer to hear it. “Women have been hanged for acts of piracy far less serious than this.” She tightened her hand in his, her fingers cold with her fear. “James has laws that govern his duties, he can make no exception for me.”

A look of disbelief, followed closely by despair, crossed Turner’s youthful features. “Surely that cannot be?”

“Jack–” Elizabeth shifted her attention briefly to the man at the head of the table. “Have not women been hanged for piracy?”

“Aye,” Sparrow replied without looking up. He took another bite from the apple.

“But not a woman of your social standing,” Will plead in frantic desperation. “Your father is governor. He would never allow it to go so far.”

“It’s true, class has its privileges,” Elizabeth admitted, biting her lower lip in thought. “But even should James refuse to testify against me, charges of piracy brought by and sworn to by respected officers of the British Navy would make it difficult for even my father to intervene.”

“That would leave Gillette. Surely no one would take the word of such a man when the name of a good woman might be compromised.” Will shifted his attention towards the head of the table and the man seated there. “Would they?”

“Aye.” Jack studied the apple intently, frowning as he turned the fruit to avoid still another bad spot. Plotting a careful course around the imperfection, he took another bite.

Chilling realization stilled the young couple; the only sound in the room the crunch of strong teeth into the crisp, firm apple.

“If all this is true, you cannot return to your home, your father…the life you had.” Will’s voice broke in despair. “How can you ever forgive me for so thoughtlessly making you a part of this?”

“You came for me in an act of caring, to protect me,” Elizabeth soothed, turning until she could cover his hand with her free one. “I came, Will Turner, because I love you and my place will always be at your side.”

At the head of the table, Jack Sparrow rolled his eyes heavenward at the overly dramatic words spoken by the feisty headstrong young woman and cringed at the fawning light of adoration in the eyes of young Will Turner….a sight, he silently swore, no man should ever have to witness in the eyes of another. “Well, now that we have that settled,” Jack Sparrow interjected loudly. “We can perhaps get beyond the ‘I should haves’ and the ‘I should not haves.’” He dropped his booted feet to the deck and, with a smile more closely resembling a grimace, carelessly tossed the apple core over his shoulder. “Will Turner, prior to your unfortunate run in with the commodore aboard the Morning Star, had you decided to return to Port Royal and your respected position as blacksmith under the apprenticeship of the good Master Brown?”

“No.”

“What–?” Speechless, Elizabeth Swann could only stare in disbelief at the man she loved.

His elbows on the table, fingers steepled in front of his chin, Jack Sparrow watched, amused, the visual exchange between the couple. “So it has been decided,” he purred, enjoying the look of shock that crossed the young woman’s features leaving her momentarily speechless. A rare occurrence, to be sure, Sparrow noted. He cleared his throat before continuing, “Therefore, as it has hereby been stated, Mister Turner will not willingly return to Port Royal to face Norrington’s rope and you, Miss Swann, will not return to Port Royal without dear William, are we clear on that?”

Stunned to silence, the young couple could only stare at the pirate captain.

“I will accept your silence as a yes.” Sparrow eyed the apple bowl. Deciding against another of the fresh fruit, he turned back to them. “What then are your plans?” He settled an appraising eye on the young woman. “You’re a comely wench, Elizabeth Swann. I’m sure there are men who would pay well to sample your charms.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice, “but I would recommend you watch that tongue of yours, missy.”

“She is not one of your strumpets, Jack,” Will’s reply bristled with indignation. “And I will not have her spoken to like one.”

Sparrow settled back in his chair and, for a moment, lowered his gaze to hide his amused success of his baiting and confirmation of Will’s feelings. His mirth under control, he looked again on the governor’s daughter. “Elizabeth Swann, do you love William Turner?” he articulated carefully, exasperation and impatience in both his baritone and his expression.

Caught off guard, Elizabeth shifted her attention first to Will, then back to Sparrow. “Yes,” she answered firmly. “Yes, I do.”

“Will–” Sparrow turned to the young blacksmith, “–same question.”

“Do I love Elizabeth? Yes,” he admitted without hesitation. “Since the day we met.”

Rolling his eyes heavenward, Sparrow pressed on. “Then by the eyes of a blind sailor, marry!”

Expressions of question, wonderment and, finally hope, all vied for prominence in the young woman’s face that, only moments before, had been pinched with fear and uncertainty. Elizabeth Swann sat in stunned silence, her mind spiraling out of control in its attempt to absorb the give and take between the two men.

“Jack, how would I support–?” Will stammered mindlessly, unable to grasp the enormity of Sparrow’s suggestion.

“Where could we–?” Elizabeth blurted in panic.

Both centered their attention on the man at the head of the table.

“How? Fly your colors, mate! Make your pretty swords…” Sparrow tilted his head, regarding the young blacksmith with amusement. “Where…is your choice, luv.” He nodded toward Elizabeth. “But I suggest it be somewhere other than Norrington’s little island.”

Will Turner calmed. Having worked past the first shock of Sparrow’s suggestion, he considered the possibilities. “The skill and the knowledge, I have,” he stated with certainty. “But I would need a forge, tools…I have none of these things.”

“But you can get them,” Sparrow offered slyly.

“I will not be a pirate,” Will Turner insisted, immediately suspicious of the expression on the pirate’s face, similar to one seen earlier when he had been tricked into the night’s adventure.

Sparrow sighed. “Did any one ask you to be?” He lowered his voice and leaned closer. “Although there are some who would argue that you already are.”

Getting no response to his teasing jab, Jack straightened and pulled a small leather pouch from his shirt, put it to his ear and gave it a shake. Raising an eyebrow, he nodded his satisfaction and handed it to Turner. “Open it.”

Turner loosened the drawstrings and emptied the purse’s contents onto the table. A dozen gold coins spilled forth. He looked up. “What is this?”

“Your future, Mister Turner, compliments of Captain Bully Hayes for a job well done.” He grinned. “It won’t buy a ship, mate, but spent wisely there should be enough there, along with your share of the spoils taken from the Jackal, to start your own business.” The sly look of the fox was back as he again leaned toward Turner. “But I’d be careful if I were you, mate; a man once wed is not likely to have coin like that in his pocket for long.”

A seething look from Elizabeth only broadened the pirate’s smile. Leaning back, he continued, “Once the tale of your fight with Pease is told and retold in the taverns of Tortuga…and beyond…there’ll be no lack of customers for your fine swords. You won’t be looking for business, mate, it’ll come looking for you.”

Pleased with himself and confident that the matter was settled, Sparrow eased back in his chair to watch the young couple attempting to assimilate all the information he had bestowed. To his frustration, the conversation turned to when and where to wed and where they would start married lives if not in Port Royal.

Wearied of the subject, Sparrow pulled a single sheet of parchment from the disarray of papers at his elbow, opened the ink well anchoring the lot and reached for a quill. “Until such time as you can decide…between the two of you…where best to hang young Will’s shingle, you’re going to need a place to stay.” He settled an inquiring look on them. “Aye?”

Falling silent, both pairs of dark eyes met his, surprise in both. Although, he had to admit the expressions on the young faces were not the same; the one held unbridled suspicion, while the other hopeful desperation.

“I will accept your silence as yes…” He returned to the parchment and the quill moved rapidly across it.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Will queried with interest and not a little suspicion.

“Drafting Articles.”

“For us?” Will and Elizabeth exchanged puzzled glances.

“Why?” Again it was Will who addressed the matter.

Sparrow heaved what might have been a heavy sigh less honest than most and laid the quill aside. “You both sign Articles with me and you are free to stay aboard the Pearl under the protection of myself and the crew until such time as you have made your plans for the future.” An innocent smile played across the pirate’s swarthy features. “What say you to those arrangements?”

Will shifted his attention from the pirate to the woman at his side. “Elizabeth?”

“And these Articles,” Elizabeth questioned suspiciously. “What will they consist of?”

“You accuse me of a deviousness beyond my heartfelt desire to help you and young William?” Sparrow feigned hurt indignation.

“Of you, Jack Sparrow, pirate extraordinary and fearless captain of the infamous Black Pearl?” Elizabeth studied the man for any signs of deception. “Yes.”

“Oh, good! Back to the business at hand.” Sparrow turned back to his quill and parchment. “Mister Turner, Ana Maria is taking inventory in the quartermaster’s cabin. Will you ask her to join us?”

Turner pushed to his feet and left the cabin, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Jack Sparrow, I don’t know that I entirely trust you in this matter.”

Ignoring her, Sparrow continued writing, his pen strokes strong and sure in their progression across the page.

The cabin door opened and Will Turner followed the Pearl’s quartermaster into the room.

“Ana Maria, take a seat,” Sparrow ordered without looking up from his work. “You’re here to witness the reading and signing of these Articles.” He glanced up, shooting Elizabeth a look of amusement. “And to act on the behalf of Elizabeth Swann and William Turner that neither is unfairly taken advantage of in the wording of said Articles. Savvy?”

The young quartermaster glanced quickly at first one, then the other of those seated across from her, before meeting the hooded and strangely unreadable gaze of the man at the head of the table. “Aye.” She took her place at the table, seemingly as much at a loss for her presence as they.

Jack Sparrow wrote on, purposely ignoring the uneasy silence that had fallen around him. Finished, he perused the document, then set both inkwell and quill aside and looked up. “Elizabeth Swann, you come to these Articles as a man…uh, woman…whose skills and value to this ship and crew have yet to be determined.”

“You mean I’ve yet to prove myself worthy as a pirate, buccaneer, or scalawag,” Elizabeth answered, her suspicions growing.

Jack Sparrow gave her an appraising glance. “Aye.” Returning his attention to the parchment, he continued, “Therefore, it is my decision, as captain of this ship, to write these Articles as a partnership. What say you?”

Elizabeth and Will exchanged puzzled looks, than shot a questioning glance toward Ana Maria. “Aye,” she acknowledged. “It is not uncommon for a virgin crewman to serve under a more experienced hand,” she explained, “until he has proven his worth and loyalty to ship and crew.”

Elizabeth looked up, met the stern countenance of the pirate captain and, for a brief moment, the line along her jaw line twitched as she gritted her teeth at the touch of teasing mirth witnessed on his face at the word virgin. “All right.”

“Mister Turner, what say you?”

“Yes,” Will agreed readily.

Satisfied, Sparrow read on. “As a further condition of these Articles, William Turner, do you agree to accept Elizabeth Swann as a rightful member of your crew and be willing to forfeit your life in the protection of your partner and crewman…” he looked up, “…crew woman?” Shrugging, he looked aside at the young blacksmith.

Will again nodded. “Yes, of course.”

Looking up from the parchment, Jack Sparrow settled his attention on the young woman at Turner’s side, who still watched him with expressions of misgivings and flickering mistrust. “While under these Articles of Partnership, do you, Elizabeth Swann, agree to fight at Mister Turner’s side, protect his back, and as his partner, see to his care should he be hurt in battle?”

“Of course,” Elizabeth snapped, without looking at Ana Maria. Had she done so, she would have seen understanding and amusement momentarily widen the young pirate’s dark eyes.

Sparrow nodded gravely. He turned back to the young smithy. “Mister Turner, while under these Articles do you swear to share in equal parts any plunder taken while under the conditions of this partnership?”

“Yes!” both replied as one.

Elizabeth sighed in resignation. “Are you about finished?”

“Aye.” Jack tipped his quartermaster a tiny headshake to insure her silence.

“All that remains is to sign and date the document.” He pushed the parchment across the table to the young couple and handed Turner the quill. “Ana Maria will witness it. If you notice,” he thoughtfully pointed out, “I have not entered an expiration date. Therefore, you will be considered partners and members of this crew for whatever time needed.”

Together the young couple scanned the document. Finished, they exchanged looks before passed it across the table to Ana Maria.

Accepting the parchment, the Pearl’s quartermaster carefully studied each boldly written word. Looking up, she found the eyes of both fixed unwaveringly on her. “It looks to be in order, ” she proclaimed importantly.

Will reclaimed the document and quickly scrawled his name across the bottom of the parchment, dated it and slid it across to the woman at his side. Elizabeth took another moment to again read through the Articles inscribed there. Finding nothing suspicious, she accepted the quill from Will and signed her name with a flourish, dated it and slid it back to Sparrow.

With a flash of gold and an amused grin, Jack Sparrow signed his name below theirs, dated it and slid the parchment and quill to Ana Maria who carefully made her mark and returned the finished contract to him. The action did not go unnoticed by the couple seated across from the young pirate nor could they miss the uncontrolled tears that rolled down her cheeks. Beaming at them, her eyes bright with emotion, Ana Maria got up and ran from the room, pausing only long enough to close the cabin door softly behind her.

Elizabeth turned a scathing look toward Jack Sparrow. “To act on our behalf and to see that we’re not taken advantage of? How can Ana Maria do that, Jack Sparrow, when she cannot read?” She stumbled to her feet with mounting fury. “And now, you have somehow reduced the poor woman to tears!”

“Elizabeth,” Jack addressed her gravely. “Did I not read aloud each and every article as written on the document you signed?”

“Yes,” she snapped in teeth-clenching bluntness.

“And were you able to read and understand each of those set forth for your signature?” Sparrow pressed, watching her closely.

She hesitated, but could find no misdirection in the question. “Yes...”

“Well then…” Sparrow carefully folded the document and slipped it into his shirt. “What difference does it make that Ana Maria could not read them? She heard them and I can hereby attest that there is nothing amiss with her hearing!”

He rose and studied them gravely. “As captain of this vessel, currently at sea and destined for Tortuga, I formally welcome you to the crew.” Turning away with a wave of dismissal, he moved toward his private quarters. “Now if you two would kindly go find a cabin of your own, I’d like to get some sleep.”

“Jack,” Elizabeth called out after him. “Why was she crying?”

Sparrow turned back to face them, his expression one of personal satisfaction. “She’s a woman, Mrs. Turner, they always cry at weddings.”

~ FINIS ~