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Savarna	By : BrethlessM Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > Het - Male/Female > Jack/Elizabeth Views: 5383 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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A/N: Helllo all! Another shorter chapter, but it'll make the overall story longer, so it's all good! School/work are still crazy, but I'm getting into a rhythm now. I totally forgot to mention that Arabella Smith is not my character! She was created by Rob Kidd for the Jack Sparrow children's fiction series! I liked her enough to give her a cameo, and another of the characters will appear in the third part of the trilogy. I'm glad you all like her - she was fun to write as a grown-up! I kinda hope to see her again! See you all next week, and thanks for all the comments! Even though I'm way behind in responding to them, I treasure each and every one, and they're great motivation on days when I want to scream and throw things at the wall! Love you! - Kimberlee

Chapter Sixteen

When the tall trees of Treasure Island first came into view, Elizabeth, Jack and Captain Teague were still arguing about how to handle El Lobo. After four hours of debate, none of their options seemed likely to work with any degree of certainty, and now they were running out of time. With little more than an hour left to make a decision, it was all anyone could do to keep his or her temper in check.

�We must have something he wants,� Elizabeth reasoned. �Something we can barter with him for the heart.�

�Love,� Jack sighed. �Since he left one of his men behind to report back if we showed up looking for him, it�s more than likely that the scug is well aware of what he�s got in his possession. That being the case, it�s equally as likely that he won�t give it up for any trinket we�ve got in our possession. Short of giving him the bloody ship,� he ignored his father�s glare, �the only thing of value here is you, Your Highness.�

Still glaring, Teague nodded. �Jackie�s right. El Lobo knows exactly what he has, and there�s something particular he wants it for. If we knew that, we may discover the best way to get the heart back.�

Elizabeth shrugged. �It could be a number of reasons, I suppose. Jack wanted Davy Jones� heart for leverage, Will wanted it to free his father, I wanted it to get Will back, Beckett wanted it to control the seas�.�

�But none of those reasons matter here, because our Mr. Turner is some sort of sea zombie without the power needed by someone who plans to control the seas. And I sincerely doubt that El Lobo harbors any secret desire for your husband, so that�s out too,� Jack added.

Elizabeth�s eyes glazed over, and she sat up straight as she thought over her idea. �No,� she began. �He can�t use the heart to control Will, so far as we know, but having Will�s heart gives him great power over someone else.� Looking at the two men, she said, �Me.�

Jack and Teague just looked at her, so Elizabeth went on. �I�m the Pirate King � for ten years pirates have been coming to me in Port Royal for one thing or another, and in the week Will was due to return, many came seeking� sanctuary, I suppose� they didn�t want to become the next Captain of the Flying Dutchman. It�s no secret who my husband was, but few truly know what happened on the day Port Royal fell into the sea.�

She met their eyes. �What if he�s hoping to get control of the seas, not through Will, but through the Pirate King, and has guessed correctly that I�ll do anything to get the heart back?�

Both Teague and Jack seemed to consider it, but at last Teague shook his head. �It�s a fine idea, lass, but I�m afraid it doesn�t completely hold water.� Seeing she was about to argue, he added, �Most everyone thought you were dead after Port Royal � your experiences in Tortuga should have taught you that.�

Deflated, Elizabeth leaned back against the ship�s rail, thinking again. Jack was sitting next to her on a barrel, and waved his hand before him as if clearing the air. �For whatever reason he wants it, it doesn�t change the fact that we need to get it back from him. I still think our best option is to go in round the back and send me in by my onsie to find the bloody thing� not to say that it�s bloody,� he added, nodding to Elizabeth.

�We don�t know where he�s located on the island, so we can�t say for sure which way �round the back� is, Jackie,� Teague growled. �You may be immortal, boy, but don�t be any more foolish than you have to be. You can still feel pain, and without being able to die, you�ll suffer quite a bit of it if El Lobo gets his hands on you.�

Before Jack could respond, a voice called down to them from the crow�s nest, �Captain! Company�s a-coming!�

All three captains responded, leaping up to peer in the direction Marty was pointing. The ship was coming up behind them, going towards the island and heading right for them. Jack watched it carefully as it came into view. �No colors,� he said. �She�s moving fast though. She�ll overtake us easily, especially as we have no intention of venturing in much closer to the island.�

�Is she Spanish?� Elizabeth asked.

Jack shook his head. �Can�t tell for sure, but I�d say, no. She�s going far too fast to be carrying treasure, and they very seldom travel alone.� He looked grim.

Elizabeth nodded firmly. �Then we assume they�re enemies.� Looking at Teague, she said, �We should probably move out of their way� make it appear we�re circling the island.�

Teague muttered something under his breath about young people telling him how to do his job, but he did as she asked. Just as he began calling orders to adjust the trim of the sails for their new direction, Marty called down again.

�Captain!�

A second ship was coming at them, this time from Treasure Island itself. The ship was small and quick, and there was no question about its destination; it was aimed directly at the Savarna.

�Are they trying to pin us in?� Elizabeth asked incredulously.

Teague didn�t answer, concentrating intently on cutting across the tide and out of the path of the two ships, but Jack looked severe as he pulled out his spyglass for a closer look. �That would seem to be the case, love.�

The seriousness of Jack�s expression worried her more than his words. �We can outrun them though� can�t we?�

Sliding the spyglass shut between his two hands, Jack said, �In the Pearl - without question, but the Savarna�s a brigantine and that there,� he nodded in the direction of the ship coming from Treasure Island, �is a schooner. Cannot carry more than seventy men and only fourteen guns, but her size and weight makes her deadly fast, and we�re moving against the current.�

Jack pointed towards the other ship, which was now more obviously heading their direction. �That one�s a barque; ninety men and less than a third as many guns to her name, but still outpaces us by fair few knots.� He looked at her. �It might be wise if we prepared to be boarded.�

Teague didn�t cease his efforts to evade their pursuers, but the harsh set of his jaw spoke volumes. Eleven against as many as one-hundred sixty were not good odds, and he seemed just as eager to avoid the conflict as any of them.

The deck of the Savarna was nearly completely silent as the crew scrambled to obey Captain Teague�s orders. They carried few supplies � nothing they could rid themselves of to lighten the ship in any significant way. Only Jack stood completely still, watching their hunters draw nearer every minute.

Elizabeth called Pintel, Ragetti, Murtogg and Mulroy to attention and urged them to follow her to the gun deck. With so small a crew, these four would be all they could spare to man a defense. �Prepare the cannons on both sides,� she ordered, not waiting for them to respond. �Wait for my signal before firing.�

�Aye, aye, Captain,� the men said, but Elizabeth was already off at a run, searching for William.

Her son usually spent his afternoons with she and Jack somewhere on deck, but with their meeting in progress, he�d been asked to keep otherwise amused. Elizabeth finally found him in the storage room with a loan goat, playing with the violin he�d acquired on Tortuga.

�We�ve got trouble coming,� she told him without preamble. Taking him by the hand and leading him out of the hold, she said, �I want you to stay hidden somewhere � one of the longboats, perhaps � until you�re sure it�s safe to come out.�

William stopped and pulled his hand away. �No,� he protested. �I want to help.�

Elizabeth shook her head, taking his hand again. �These are not the kind of pirates we�re accustomed to seeing in Port Royal, William. These pirates are vicious, and I don�t want you falling into their path. Please, do as I say and keep yourself safe.�

She didn�t give him room to argue, but as they passed through the gun deck, William stopped again. �Powder monkey!� he said.

That caught Elizabeth�s attention. Stopping, she turned around to look at him, eyebrow raised in question.

�That�s my official position on this ship,� William said proudly. �Powder monkey. Only I haven�t done anything because we haven�t needed one until now. I have to stay here and bring powder to the gunners.�

Elizabeth stared at William, then looked up to see the four men watching. After a moment Ragetti said, �That�s God�s honest truth, Captain Swann.�

Closing her eyes for patience, Elizabeth sighed. Finally she gave her son a piercing look. �You are to stay at your post then, and perform your duty for these men. But the moment we�re boarded, you run and hide � understand? No heroics. You stay hidden until any member of this crew returns for you, and then you do exactly as they tell you. Agreed?� She looked as though she were in pain.

�Yes ma�am! I mean� aye, aye, Captain!� William said. He couldn�t mask the excitement in his eyes, and Elizabeth had to dig her nails into her palms to steady herself.

�You!� She said to the gunners. �If anything happens to my son, I�ll hold each of you personally responsible.� Before they could reply, she knelt and wrapped William in a tight embrace, ignoring his embarrassed muttering.

Elizabeth was astonished by how much closer the barque and the sloop were when she arrived back on deck, but they were also almost within firing range. Explaining to Jack what she�d done, she tried to ignore the queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Jack nodded approvingly, but he didn�t smile. �Don�t know if it�ll do much good to fire on them, but it couldn�t hurt to try.� The corner of his mouth twitched weakly, as he asked, �Ready to go, love?�

Elizabeth responded by getting into position between Jack and the stairs leading down to the gunners.

Looking out larboard and starboard at the approaching ships, Jack gauged the distance to each, trying to time the thing just right. Suddenly his eyes opened wide. �Bugger.� Before Elizabeth could ask what was wrong, Jack leapt off the railing and ran for cover, shouting, �Fire! Fire! Fire!�

�Fire!� Elizabeth called down to the gunners, just as cannon-fire shook the Savarna. Within seconds of entering firing range, the barque began its attack, erasing any doubt as to its intentions. Elizabeth ducked as a cannonball whizzed just over her head, and grabbed hold of a rail to keep from falling as another ball struck the hull.

Teague�s voice filled the air around them and the crew rushed to their stations. Jack was shouting at his father to go faster, and Elizabeth spared only a moment to make sure that no one on deck was injured before rushing down the stairs to check on the rest of the crew.

She ran into William as he came up from the hold, lugging bags full of gunpowder in either arm. His eyes were bright, and when he saw Elizabeth he told her, �There�s a hole in the ship!� and continued on his way. As the four men reloaded the cannons, Elizabeth checked the damage in the hold. William was right � a cannonball had missed the storage chamber holding all the ships powder and ammunition by mere feet.

Back on deck, Jack was incredibly frustrated. He hated fighting losing battles � especially against ships so small he could fit them in the Pearl�s hold. Elizabeth appeared from below deck, and although she looked grim, he could tell from her calm demeanor that William hadn�t been harmed.

�There�s a hole in the larboard hull, but otherwise everything is fine. It was close though� a few meters to the left and we�d be nothing but ash,� Elizabeth told him.

�We hit both their vessels.� he paused as a second volley of cannonballs rocked the ship. �The schooner�s listing, but we only nicked the other one.�

Elizabeth looked around. �We need a plan.�

Reaching for the mermaid bead, Jack began running his thumb over its surface, thinking. Pausing, he looked down at the object in his hand. Without another word, Jack ran towards the helm. �Move aside, old man,� he said. �It�s my turn.�

�Jack,� Elizabeth exchanged a worried look with Teague, glancing at the bead. �I don�t think��

Jack frowned. �I�m the only one who can get us out of here fast enough to save our hides, love� unless you�ve got a better plan?�

Elizabeth bit her lip. She didn�t like it, but Jack was right; he was their best chance. Reluctantly, she nodded her assent suppressing a feeling of forboding.

They were still fighting the current but under Jack�s guidance, the ship seemed to instantly pick up speed. Clasping the bead tightly in one hand, he altered their course only slightly, sending them cutting across the waves and out of the path of the converging enemy vessels. Jack laughed triumphantly, and when the next volley of cannon fire shot their way, they were safely out of range.

A cheer went up from everyone on deck, and Jack grinned madly. �Ready about, men!� he shouted. �We�re going hard alee!�

�Jack!� Elizabeth hastily tied the lines she�d adjusted. �What are you doing?�

His eyes sparkled. �Making these catfish rue the day they decided to take on Captain Jack Sparrow.� Swiftly, the Savarna came about, heading straight for the schooner.

With the barque still bearing down on them - and with the Savarna once more in her path � Elizabeth did not like the way the situation was shaping up. �Jack!� she shouted again. �This is madness! We�re vastly outnumbered!�

Jack didn�t answer, just continued to grin. As he swung the ship around, completing the 180-degree turn, he found himself exactly where he wanted to be. At an angle to the schooner and just in front of her bow, he was out of the range of her cannons and within range for his own to be of use.

Seeing what Jack was up to seconds before he spoke, Elizabeth ran towards the hold again. When Jack gave her the command to fire, the word was out of her mouth before he�d closed his own around it.

Everything shook, and Elizabeth searched for the receding black specks now flying through the air towards the schooner. The cannonballs whistled in flight before colliding with the vessel in a reverberating crash. Both of the two balls hit their target, and as she watched, Elizabeth realized that the smaller ship was beginning to list on one side. �You did it!� She shouted.

�Now, for her mate,� Jack grinned.

The sound of cannon fire came again, but no one had given the command for it. Elizabeth and Jack both looked up in alarm as they realized what was happening. While they�d been distracted by their victory over the schooner, the barque had drawn close enough to fire on them.

Jack tried to turn the ship away from the blast but it was too late. One of the cannonballs smashed into the mainmast, sending it crashing to the deck. From his position near the mizzenmast, Teague began swearing loudly and colorfully.

�Isn�t this ship supposed to be protected?� Elizabeth shouted, after commanding the gunners to fire starboard.

�Not against basic physics,� Jack replied over the roar of the cannons. �They can�t sink us, but they can slow us up a great deal.�

They hit their target, but the barque seemed to shake off the injury as though it were nothing.

�Jackie!� Teague called. He was pointing towards the wreck on their larboard side.

The schooner was still sinking, but a handful of longboats had emerged from the smoke and were now persistently headed their way.

Jack�s eyes widened and he frantically tried to adjust their course once more. They were not completely disabled without the mainmast, but not even Jack inordinate sailing abilities could get them out of danger fast enough. Elizabeth, Teague, Ina, Noah and Marty had just got the mast back into position and tentatively secured with extra hempen lines when the first longboats reached the Savarna.

Jack drew his sword and pistol, turning to Elizabeth as he did. �Run,� he said shortly. �Take William and hide.�

Elizabeth scowled at him. �No. William has his orders, and I�ve been in worse situations than this, Jack. I�ll not cower like some fluttering dove whilst you protect me. That�s not how it�s done with us.�

Jack knew the worry shone in his eyes but he made no attempt to hide it from her. Kissing her fiercely and quickly he held Elizabeth face in his hands, being careful not to injure her with the weapons he still carried. �I�ll not lose you now,� he told her. �Remember that.�

Elizabeth swallowed. �You remember it too.� Hoping that her son had obeyed her orders, she drew her own sword and pistol from their holsters and stepped up next to Jack.
The first man was up over the side of the ship low and fast, and no shots hit him. The second man took a bullet in the shoulder and fell backwards into the water, taking the third man with him. After that, everything was chaos. Enemy pirates swarmed over the ship from both sides, the barque having sent her own envoy. It was impossible to tell how many men there were, but none of the Savarna�s crew had any doubts that they were outnumbered.

For all its intensity, the fight was not a long one. Marty was the first to be caught when a bag was thrown over his head, and Noah and Ina were taken not long after. Soon the four gunners were brought up from their posts at the point of a sword, as well. Elizabeth was relieved to see that William wasn�t among them, and was distracted long enough that she gave the two pirates fighting her an in, and suddenly found herself weaponless.

Jack had managed to run through six men before a seventh took him down, literally, by tripping him and sitting squarely on his back with a pistol to his head, but it was Captain Teague who gave the enemy pirates the most trouble.

Elizabeth had never seen Teague fight before, and she could tell by his stunned expression that Jack hadn�t either. The older pirate�s face was more alive than she�d ever seen it, and his grin was fierce enough to make more than one of his opponents hesitate, and get cut down for their troubles. In the end, it took five men surrounding him to stop Teague in his tracks, and Elizabeth was just grateful that the invaders hadn�t simply shot him to save themselves the trouble of fighting him.

Ten crewmembers were lined up in a row and ropes secured around their wrists, connecting them to one another. One of the other pirates seemed to be the one in charge, but the tall, skinny man was not El Lobo. When he finally approached the prisoners, he ignored both Teague and Jack and spoke to the third of the captains first.

�Greetings, Captain Swann� I mean, Your Highness.� His bow was low and mocking, and Elizabeth glared as the other pirates laughed. �Fancy meeting you here � especially considerin� you�re supposed to be dead.�

�Such rumors have been mildly exaggerated,� she spat sarcastically.

The pirate grinned. �So it would appear. Forgive my rudeness� Alejandro Mortiz, at your service,� he bowed again. �Though I am called �Tiburon�, by my friends, and enemies. I am first mate to El Lobo, aboard the Asesino Sangriento, and as his embajador, allow me to welcome you to Treasure Island.

Jack made a scoffing sound. �So where is the old dog, then? Out for a stroll while you do his dirty work?�

Tiburon strolled the few paces over to Jack, and without warning, struck him hard across the face, causing a ribbon of blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth. �Ah, Jack Sparrow. We were surprised to hear you were accompanying Captain Swann. Seems rather foolish of you to sail into an obviously lost cause.� Tiburon looked with interest at Teague. �And you, Captain Teague. You haven�t left Shipwreck City in years. I wonder what could bring together such an interestingly powerful combination of pirates� it must be something very important, no?�

The man laughed when he received no answer. �It is no matter. You see, we know why you are here, and I am sorry to say that your quest must end in vain.� He looked at Elizabeth again. �You will not get the heart of Captain Turner back. However, you all will be given the great honor of meeting El Lobo, himself. That more than makes up for your loss, no?� He gave his crew orders in Spanish and the pirates began preparing the ship to sail towards Treasure Island.

Your ship is an adequate replacement for the schooner you destroyed, although I�m disappointed it is not the Black Pearl you brought me. Lose it again, Jack?� Tiburon laughed.

�Captain,� Jack muttered icily.

Tiburon smiled, and it was clear how he got his name. �Yes, Captain� but not for long, my friend. El Lobo has big plans for the three of you.�

Elizabeth shot a glance at Jack, who subtly shook his head. She tried not to worry for them, steeling herself to keep her promise to Savarna and protect Jack however she could. But even as she and the rest of the crew were lead down the gangplank onto the sandy shore of Treasure Island, Elizabeth had to restrain herself from looking back at the captured Savarna, praying to whomever was listening that none of the Spanish pirates discovered William, wherever he had hidden.
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Savarna