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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
- 19
- 20
- 21
A/N: Hello again! - I thought this would be the last chapter, but by the time I got to page 16 I realized I should just post and keep going. Thus far, Chapter 21 will be the final installment in this saga, before I begin the third book. We'll see how it goes. I start school on Monday, and I'm hoping sincerely to finish the final chapter before I return. If not, it won't be too long thereafter, so keep your eyes open! Thanks to everyone whose reviewed - it's so gratifying and I love hearing all your thoughts! I hope you enjoy the latest chapter and I'll see you soon! - Kimberlee

Chapter Twenty

It would only be once more. William focused on drawing the image of his father in his mind�s eye, willing it to the surface of the pool of water in front of him. He did not have many memories to choose from but each one was precious to him, if only for its rarity. What appeared before him when he finally opened his eyes to look was definitely his father, but the reality of his present state sent a jolt of shock through William�s gut. It was an image that could not easily be scrubbed from memory. His father�s hollow eyes were the one�s that had so haunted William�s dreams after the loss of his parents; he could see nothing of himself in the man who�d given him life.
William�s feelings for his father were complicated, at best. Most of what he knew about the man came from his mother. The very short time they�d spent in one another�s company had not been all he�d hoped for throughout his short life, but his love and admiration for the man who had been built up in his mind�s as �father� and �hero� could not be denied. It was the loss that scared him - the abandonment. His father� his mother� now maybe Jack. As he sat on the cold ground staring into eyes void of emotion, William was overcome by feelings of anger and resentment.
The rage was like nothing he�d ever felt before. It consumed him, making him shriek in fury as he leapt to his feet and ran down the dark corridor of the cave. Calypso made no attempt to stop him, merely seating herself on her throne, but William was far too lost in his anger to notice. Nor did he notice the white-hot glow forming in the center of his chest, or the aura of energy gathering around him as he ran. The gleaming mass grew hotter and brighter in concert with his wrath and fed the power of his aura like a nuclear core. He had run another five or six steps before he realized that his feet had left the ground.
William froze in midair, looking back toward Calypso who had not moved from where she sat. His confusion dampened all other emotions, causing him to slowly lower back to solid ground. He thought carefully as he walked back through the cavern, stopping before the goddess�s throne. �What happened?� he finally asked.
Calypso looked at him but for once, she did not smile her cryptic smile. �You use de power of de gods; you feed its hunger. It grow inside your belly until it filled again.�
William shook his head slowly. �I have no power. I�m not a god.�
�No,� she agreed. �But de spirit has tasted the power that I can give it.� Leaning forward, she extended a long-nailed finger and placed it gently against William�s chest. �Tell me you cannot feel de hunger; dat your soul is not crying out for more of what it can so easily have?�
William did feel an ache, but he was just a little boy, lost and alone.
Calypso nodded as if she could see his thoughts. �It fills de ache inside, young William. De power leaves no room for hurt, or fear, or sadness. Such emotions are only fuel for de might dat can be yours to wield.�
His mouth was dry. In his mind, William heard Jack speaking words of caution � reasons, very good reasons - why one would not want to be a god, but he couldn�t quite hear them. The ache in his belly was gnawing at him again and that hunger reflected in his eyes. �Why me?� he asked softly.
She smiled, but it was gentle, kind� and sad. He suddenly realized that everything she�d ever held dear - was gone. �Because, sweet William � who else can love dis ancient goddess enough to serve her purpose? Not witty Jack,� she said as she sat back in her chair. �His heart is lost to another � as is Captain Swann�s. Your father� him heart will do nothing but poison him. No. It is you, my sweet, who have de soul worthy, and ready, for such power.�
Licking his lips, William looked away from the sea goddess. There was something he was supposed to remember � something important. He closed his eyes, and immediately saw the familiar images from his nightmares; his mother leapt from the wall of Fort Charles, his father waved good-bye with cold eyes as the Flying Dutchman pulled away from Port Royal. And Jack� William felt tears well up behind his eyelids. Jack looked into William�s mother�s eyes, seeing nothing but her.
His eyes popped open, bright and hot with emotion and this time he noticed the swell of energy that accompanied it. �Show me,� he said.
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The crew of the Savarna had begun chasing the dawn only moments ago, just south of the Equator, but the four captain�s at the helm were too absorbed in their conversation to take notice. The three male captains wore similarly incredulous expressions on their faces as they stared at Elizabeth, their fellow captain and King. Perhaps it was only respect for her title that kept any one of them from speaking for a moment after she told them her idea to rescue her son.

�Well? What do you think?� Elizabeth asked, after what she considered a suitably long period of time in which to digest her, admittedly, precarious gambit. She looked at Jack, already knowing his opinion and hoping for his input as devil�s advocate.

Still, no one spoke. Teague�s face, normally fairly impassive, clearly expressed his emotions for perhaps the first time since Elizabeth had known him. He looked shocked, disbelieving, uncertain, impatient� and perhaps, even a little afraid. Slowly, he turned to look as his son, as if to confirm that he had heard her correctly.

Jack smiled uneasily. �Don�t look at me, mate� I contributed nothing to this insidiously preposterous stratagem.� Glancing at Elizabeth, he sighed. �However, one must admit that it�s not without merit.�

Will, still gaping at Elizabeth, found his voice with a short, forced laugh. �It�s mad!� he said, looking at each of them in turn. �Not only is it mad, it�s impossible!�

Briefly looking at his father, Jack sighed, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. �That�s not quite as true as it would seem,� he admitted reluctantly.�

Teague was eyeing Jack carefully. When he spoke, his voice was low and even. �What you�re proposing� it�s very dangerous, Jackie.� He shook his head and looked at Elizabeth. �Are you certain you understand the risk? What you�re asking��

�Is not something I can ask,� Elizabeth interrupted gently with a fleeting look at Jack. �I�m not even sure how it would work, exactly,� she admitted. �But as it stands, we have no weapon we can use against her, no viable plan of action� and more importantly, no leverage.� It was a word that earned a grim nod from Teague and made Will steal a look at Jack. �If there were any way around it��

�We�d take it,� Jack said firmly. �Believe me when I say that I am eager, enthusiastic� indeed, fervent, to come to some alternative solution for rescuing young William. However, after considering our... meager options, I must agree with Elizabeth - as disagreeable as her proposition is, it may be our only chance.�

Teague�s expressionless mask had slipped back into place, but he stared at Elizabeth speculatively. She glanced at Jack and then down at her hands. �I understand what�s at stake,� she told the older man, her eyes solemn. �Please believe me� if I could do it myself, I would.�

After a moment, Teague nodded, his shoulders slackening.

Will watched the exchange carefully, looking at Jack when it was through. �Can you do what she�s suggesting?� he asked quietly. To his surprise, he saw a glimmer of fear in the normally carefree pirate�s eyes.

Jack�s eyes met Elizabeth�s. It what not so much a question for him of what he could or could not do. No, this time it was a matter of what he was willing to do. With as much gravity as he could muster, Jack looked Will in the eye and nodded. �It�s a distinct possibility,� he said with a weak smile.

Elizabeth took Jack�s hand and squeezed it once. There were so many ways in which things could go wrong with what she had just proposed, but in a game where the rules were constantly changing, sometimes a wild card was the only way to win.

Jack sighed heavily, looking at the sun appearing just to the left of the bowsprit. The morning sky was colored purple and orange and for a moment, he forgot the pall that had grown over them in the last day or so and enjoyed the smell of the salt sea air as it brushed past his face.

�I should make my rounds,� he said, stretching out his back. His eyes darted over to Will, who was staring contemplatively over the port rail, before resting on Elizabeth. �We�ll meet again later?�

It was an odd question, but Elizabeth understood. �Yes,� she nodded with a soft smile. �I�ll catch up.� She watched him go and suddenly wished that she had not suggested such an insane plan after all.

�Lass,� Teague called to her quietly.

Elizabeth sighed, with no small measure of guilt. Turning to face the captain, she began, �I know we talked about� what could happen� if Jack takes advantage of his abilities�� she hesitated.

Teague shook his head slowly. �It�s a great risk, lass, but you�re right. If he can do what you suggest, there just might be a chance that we�ll get out of this in one piece.�

She felt a rush of gratitude and before she could think to stop herself, Elizabeth gave the older man a hug. Teague stiffened in her embrace before chuckling slightly, draping one arm around her shoulders.

�You�re so like his mother,� Teague said with an amused sigh. �I can see why he�s besotted with you.� He looked at her face, flicking a finger across her cheek when she blushed. �You�ll take care of my boy.�

Elizabeth nodded, even though she knew it was not a question. Glancing down at the main deck, she spotted Will sitting on a barrel near the mizzenmast, sharpening his sword. She turned to apologize to Teague, but he waved her off without a word. She smiled thankfully before making her way down to her husband.

The rhythmic motion of the metal on leather produced a repetitive sound that had a lulling effect. Sitting on the deck beside him, she watched Will slide blade across leather over and over again, letting her mind wander in search of the right words. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, but none of them seemed the right way to break the silence.

�He can really do it, what you say?� Will asked calmly.

Elizabeth nodded. �His mother� Will, his mother was Calypso�s daughter.� Will�s movements ceased. He stared at the blade, his eyes focused inwardly as he thought back over all the time he�d know Jack. �She�s dead now, Jack�s mother, but she had certain� powers, and Jack has the ability to channel them, if he chooses.�

�Huh,� Will said. A soft burst of laughter escaped him. �That explains quite a lot, actually.� Without looking at her, he returned to sharpening his blade. �It proves what I�ve been thinking� that � no matter how much you think you know, you can never really assume anything, can you?�

She looked at him questioningly, but he went on as though she weren�t there.

�My whole life has been based on assumptions. I assumed my father was a merchant seaman, when he was actually a pirate. As a pirate, I assumed he could not also be a good man, which was equally untrue. I assumed the daughter of a governor could never love a lowly blacksmith.� He stopped sharpening again. �I�ve assumed many things � about honor; loyalty; trust.� He shook his head, falling silent for a moment. �I saw you, you know,� he continued quietly. �When you left Jack for the kraken� I saw you kissing him.�

Elizabeth�s face fell to examine her hands in her lap. �It was the only way,� she said apologetically.

Will nodded. �I should have asked,� he said. �The whole way to Tia Dalma�s shack, I wondered, �if there were a way to bring him back, would you choose him, or me? When the opportunity came to rescue him, I had my own reasons for going after Jack and the Pearl, but�� he paused. �I wanted you to be happy. I didn�t realize that it was guilt tearing you apart. You didn�t tell me, but I should have been man enough to ask for the truth.� He laughed. �I spent ten years riding the currents between this world and the next, and when I saw you kissing Jack in Port Royal - �

Elizabeth quickly looked up, �Will,� she said urgently. �I wasn�t - �

�Jack told me,� Will interrupted. You were saying good-bye. You�d made your choice, but I didn�t wait to ask what it was, did I? I just assumed��

For the first time in the conversation, Will lowered his sword and looked at her. �That�s the bottom line, isn�t it? All these years, I�ve been assuming I know what you want, what you feel � when I should have just asked you.�

She looked away from him sadly, unsure of what to say. �I�ve always loved you, Will.�

�I know,� he said softly. �As strange as that sound, given my actions, I�ve always known that.� He reached over and touched her face, turning it to face him. �But what I should have asked - from the moment I first suspected � is, do you love Jack Sparrow, too?�

Elizabeth�s surprise showed on her face, and her mouth fell open in instinctive reply. �Yes,� she whispered.

Will smiled sadly. Quietly, he took a cloth from his pocket and began polishing the freshly honed blade. A tear escaped Elizabeth�s eye and she put a hand on his forearm. �Will, I�m so - �

But he stopped her. �You�re happy,� he said. �Since the first moment I saw you, I knew that you belonged to the sea. I was a fool to try and keep you from it, or to expect you to give it up.� He looked out across the water, far into the distance. �I�ve had my fill of it,� he said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. �Ten years is not the sum of a man�s life, but time flows differently aboard the Dutchman than in other places. I�ve lived an eternity upon the sea and that�s far more than I ever wanted.�

He put his hand upon hers, which was still resting on his arm. �I�m tired, Elizabeth,� he said, and the weight of the words pressed in upon her. �I�ve led a fuller life than most men twice my age, and I�m ready to rest now.� Seeing the sorrow in her eyes, he leaned forward, placing a soft, tender kiss on her brow. �I love you, Elizabeth Swann.� He lifted her hand and looked at Jack�s emerald ring on her finger. His expression held a touch of the resentment he�d always felt toward Jack Sparrow, but he didn�t voice it.
Clearing his throat, he released her hand and resumed polishing his sword. Elizabeth stood and after a brief pause, she kissed the top of his head. As she walked away, Will asked, �He�ll take care of William?�

With a sad smile, Elizabeth nodded without turning around. �He will,� she said.

She found Jack at the bow, watching in silence as the sun crept up over the horizon. Smiling as she leaned against the rail beside him, Elizabeth said, �I thought you were making your rounds, Captain.�

Jack grinned. �I�ll get �round to it,� he looked at her, quirking an eyebrow. �At the moment I�m busy inspecting the sunrise� making sure it�s done properly.�

�Oh?� Elizabeth couldn�t hide the humor in her voice. �How does one judge such a thing?�

Jack didn�t respond, staring at the dawn as though waiting for something. At last he turned to her. Without a word, Jack pulled Elizabeth into his arms and dipped her backwards. �Like this,� he said. Jack kissed her and Elizabeth�s arms wound around his neck, pulling him closer. It had been a long time since either one of them had slept, but the feel of the one�s mouth upon the other sent a shiver of electricity through them both, revitalizing them.

Jack lifted her upright again, trailing kisses toward her ear, where he whispered, �Morning, love.�

Elizabeth opened her eyes and saw that within the space of the few moments she�d spent in his arms, the sun had fully risen, illuminating the sky for miles and burning away the morning mist. She looked at Jack curiously. �How did you��

Jack just grinned. �Practice, love� it�s all in the timing.�

She rolled her eyes. �I daren�t ask whom aboard the Pearl was subject to your experimentations.� Jack frowned and opened his mouth to protest when Elizabeth stopped him with a hand to his chest. �Jack? Why are they raising the colors?�

Jack looked and saw that she was right. Captain Teague�s flag � a red skeleton holding a guitar in its left hand on a field of black � was climbing up the foremast. �We crossed the equator this morning,� he said. �It�s tradition.�

�Really?� Intrigued, Elizabeth looked over the railing into the water, as though she could see the dividing line beneath them. �Funny� in all my time at sea, this is the first time I�ve crossed the equator.�

A strange look passed over Jack�s face. �S�that right?� he asked, staring at her.

Elizabeth laughed. �I must have circled the globe nearly a dozen times, but always in the northern hemisphere � Jack, why are you looking at me like that?�

Jack shook himself out of his stupor. �Nothing! What? I mean� there�s work to be done!� Kissing Elizabeth lightly on the nose, he gave her a little shove closer to the bow railing. �I must speak to the Captain regarding, um� work details. Why don�t you make use of the head while it�s nice and empty of leering pirate-types, and then meet me at the helm, all right?�

Before she could even answer, Jack was off at a gawky lope toward the stern.

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The magic she had imbued in William was not a perfect match. It had, after all, been intended for Jack. The boy would never be the kind of god that Jack would have been but that was only natural. Jack was descendent from gods, while William�
Calypso looked at the boy hovering three feet from the roof of her cave. Though his eyes were open, they were glowing blue light and a white aura of energy surrounded him. Despite that, his entire body appeared relaxed as arcs of light danced around him, flowing in and out of his body. It was the same process Jack had gone through soon after coming to her from his home village as a boy. It would do him no harm, by itself. Right now, William was just a conduit for knowledge. Every thought, feeling, sight, sound, or smell in the universe, was running through him like a stream. Overwhelming, certainly, but soon he would be able to narrow, to focus� and then, to control.
No, William would not have the natural talent that Jack would have possessed, but he had his own power that made him perfect for the role of a demi-god. If Jack would not accept his duty, now that his mother was dead, Calypso had no alternative but to find someone who would. William was not Jack�s son by blood, but the pirate had made his intentions toward the boy more than clear; even the Malagasy had seen it. And, as the blood son of Will Turner, William was just about as close to ideal as she could get without bearing another child herself.
The child looked like his father� the young, handsome blacksmith she�d seen such potential in when Jack had first brought him up the Pantano River. He was the kind of man she needed in her service � one who would willingly risk everything for what he wanted most. The cost had been high for Will, but he had not hesitated. If it had not been for Elizabeth Swann, he would still be ferrying souls from this world to the next.
The thought made Calypso frown, and for a minute she had to fight back the voices screaming at her for relief. With no one to carry the souls of those who�d died at sea to the afterlife, it was up to Calypso to bring about their release and they would not stop crying until the Dutchman once again had a captain to carry out the mission. Will was lost to her now. After leading Jack and his crew here, there was nothing she could do to hold her former captain unless he himself chose to stay. Lifting Will�s heart in the palm of her hand so that it was level with her eyes, Calypso placed it before her nose and inhaled deeply. Sorrow emanated from it in undulating waves, making it clear to her that she must look elsewhere for her captain.

Jack was immortal, and before the next few days were out she hoped to see him in his rightful place on the island of Madagascar. Without a god to fill their shrine, the people of that island could turn their worship to another god. Trapped within a mortal prison for centuries, Calypso had been unable to prevent some of her most faithful adherents from losing faith in her. Madagascar had kept her alive until the pirates had finally released her but in those last ten years, the death of her daughter had nearly been the goddesses� end. It would be just as easy to send William to the shrine, but the boy would be much more easy to manipulate than Jack and he was far too unpredictable. No - unable to die and far from obedient, Jack would be sent back to the place she had once helped him escape from.
That left one other key person in Calypso scheme � Elizabeth Turner. Captain Swann was a pirate, no better or worse than those who had sought to bind the goddess in human form and then release her only when it was beneficial to them. Still, the lady may have gone unnoticed by the goddess if it were not for the fact that her grandson had fallen in love with Elizabeth. Love was a betrayal far too personal for Calypso to forgive. It was love that had come between her and Davy Jones and it was love that had taken Savarna away from her too. Calypso had done quite a bit to ensure that Jack Sparrow would never love anyone but himself and yet somehow, Ms. Swann had found a way.
Since being bound in her bones by the First Brethren Court, Calypso had discovered a tendency in herself to misunderstand certain things. She had not anticipated Jack�s desire to stab Jones� heart himself, which she would have preferred over Will. That he did not stab it didn�t ruin her plans as much as it showed her that Jack�s sense of self-preservation had found a fatal flaw in Ms. Swann. Calypso suddenly saw Elizabeth as a more formidable opponent than anticipated. Not only had she gone on to lead the Brethren Court to victory upon the sea, she�d remained faithful to her husband for ten long years, making intervention necessary.

It was not hard sending Jack in Elizabeth�s direction, but even that proved to be the wrong move. Elizabeth had not betrayed her husband, despite her feelings for Jack. When Will had caught them together, she had not fallen into despair as Calypso had expected. Instead, she had done the only thing that would free Will Turner of his obligation � she had sacrificed herself. Calypso had never miscalculated so greatly about anyone but Jack Sparrow. Her desire to take some recompense for a small and petty slight had grown into an obsessive desire to punish by taking away from Elizabeth everything she loved.
The voices of those lost at sea became screaming again, but she closed her eyes and after a while, they went away. Calypso looked up at William. The lights around him were not only slowing down, but taking on a smoother rhythm, as though the boy were beginning to learn how to manage their arrival. She smiled. Taking the boy was only the beginning. Will would go next and without any power of his own, Jack would be unable to stop her from sending him back to the shrine. After that, only one thing would save William from death � Elizabeth would have to stab the heart.
Calypso laughed. Elizabeth would serve aboard the Dutchman forever and William � well, to be a god, he�d have to die anyway.
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The sun had shone so brightly all day that it seemed to be challenging a person not to enjoy it. Indeed, had she not been reminded of William everywhere she looked, Elizabeth would have found any excuse to be out in it. She had thought to seek refuge in the crow�s nest, but just standing beneath the perch atop the mainmast called to her mind the sound of William�s giggle as he�d looked down on her and Jack kissing one night, not too long ago.

It was like that wherever she went and even getting through her four hour shift at the helm had threatened to drive her to madness. To make things worse, both Jack and Teague had been conspicuously absent during her watch, though she doubted they were sleeping. Teague usually lurked nearby whenever she or Jack was behind the wheel of his ship, only sleeping when he could no longer remain standing. Jack was never far from underfoot, and for them both to have disappeared made Elizabeth suspicious. Still, when Teague finally came to relieve her, though she eyed him suspiciously, his face betrayed nothing of his or Jack�s whereabouts and too tired to pry, Elizabeth had gone to see if anything else were out of the ordinary.

Unfortunately, everything was out of the ordinary that day. The ship had a full crew for the first time since she�d been aboard it and neither man nor sea-best-man-thing were without a duty to perform. The smell of hot tar stung her nostrils as several of Will�s crewmen hacked old oakum from the seams of the decks and then drove new oakum in, sealing it with ladles full of pitch. With excess time on their hands, Murtogg, Mullroy and Marty had begun patching holes in the sails and Noah was busy splicing old rope to make new.

Everywhere she looked, sailors were working or playing; Ragetti and Pintel had engaged some of Will�s men in a game of dice and elsewhere the sound of raucous laughter competed with the calls of other men busy at work. The apparent normalcy of it would have fooled Elizabeth, except that William was not there among them, learning how to make new rope or pestering Ragetti to teach him how to play liar�s dice.

Something drew her eye and Elizabeth turned to see Will watching her from the entrance to the lower decks. The pain must have shown on her face, for he came to her and without hesitation, took her in his arms.

�Elizabeth,� he said, stroking her hair as though she were a child with a skinned knee. �When was the last time you slept? You look like a ghost.� He pulled away and smiled at her. �I should know,� he joked.

�I�m afraid to sleep,� she admitted. �What if I close my eyes and something happens to William?�

Will searched her face; the worry in his expression was so familiar that Elizabeth�s heart almost broke to see it. �Making yourself sick won�t help our son, Elizabeth. If something were to happen to William, there�s nothing you could do from here, awake or not.� She looked away but he continued anyway. �You�d better serve him by getting rest while you can, so that you�ll have all your strength when we get� wherever it is we�re going.�

She met his eyes. �Are we close, Will?�

He closed his eyes and reached out again. It took far less time for him to find the link to his heart than it had before. �Yes,� he said confidently. �I don�t have Jack�s compass, but I feel that we�re getting closer.� He brushed a lock of hair back behind her ear. �Go to bed, Elizabeth. At least try and get some sleep?�

With a deep sigh, Elizabeth nodded. When Will smiled and turned her in the direction of her cabin, she walked toward it without hesitation. She didn�t bother undressing before lying down on the bunk � if something happened, she wanted to be ready for action without delay. The sun beckoned tauntingly from outside the windows, but Elizabeth simply rolled over, placing Jack�s pillow over her head. She didn�t think she could sleep, not with all the thoughts swirling around in her brain, but at least with her eyes closed, she couldn�t see that her son was gone.

Elizabeth did sleep though � a long and dreamless sleep that no one could have predicted; as if mystical forces were at work to allow her that fragile haven, even if only for a short time. By the time Jack crept into their cabin to wake her, the sun had just sunk down into the ocean and all the lamps had been lit up on deck. Considering what he had in store for her that night, Jack took great care to wake her as gently as possible.

Lying down beside her, Jack brushed her hair off of her back and gently rubbed. �Elizabeth,� he called quietly. �Wake up, love.� Her eyes opened slowly and met his, blinking sleepily. Flashing a golden-toothed smile, Jack said, �Ah, there�s my girl.�

�What�s going on?� Elizabeth murmured. �Has something happened? Are we there?� She sat up in bed quickly, but Jack put a hand on her arm.

�No, love. We�re not quite there yet, though we did take a turn due east, round the Cape of Good Hope,� he reported.

Still half-asleep, Elizabeth shook her head. �The Cape of Good Hope?� she repeated.

Jack nodded, looking grim. �The former stomping grounds of both myself and the old man. Seems Tia might have taken young William home with her.�

Letting this sink in, Elizabeth searched Jack�s eyes. �Why would she take him there, Jack?� Her voice was surprisingly calm.

He shrugged uneasily. �I can imagine any number of unsavory possibilities about that, love. I think it might be best if we wait and see, instead of letting our imaginations get the better of us. Savvy?� Her brow had already begun to furrow again and that was the last thing Jack wanted. �I take it you spoke to the whelp earlier? He�s avoided me all day.�

Elizabeth nodded. �Yes. He already suspected� took it rather well, actually. He�s a good man.� Before Jack could interject, she looked at him quizzically. �And where did you disappear to all day, anyway?�

Jack grinned widely. �That, my dear, is a surprise.� At Elizabeth�s raised eyebrow, his smile grew wider. Standing up, he bowed to her and held out his hand. �If you�ll follow me, my Lord and King, I will gladly show you the fruits of my labors.�

Elizabeth stared at him, surprised. �Jack� are you wearing one of my dresses?� He was indeed. It was the corseted thing she hated, despite its finery, and though it fit him poorly, he�d managed to squeeze into it without lacing up the back.

He bowed again, and then made her a clumsy curtsey. �No more questions; no more questions.� He held out his hand again. �This way, my lady.�

Curious in spite of herself, Elizabeth took his hand and walked with him. �I�m going to regret this, aren�t I?� she asked wryly.

�Likely,� Jack replied jauntily, but gave her no time to question him further. Pushing open the cabin door, he led her outside onto the brightly lit deck amid a roar of voices cheering.

Elizabeth looked around in shock. Every member of the crew was dressed in costume meant to resemble a lady�s gown. Some of them actually appeared to have found dresses among the stores in Teague�s hold, but other�s looked as if theirs had been stitched together from bits of spare cloth, rope, netting, sails, or even old shirts and breeches. Marty was wearing a shirt that must have belonged to Noah, with a bit of rope around the waist for a belt and more tattered coils of rope serving as a golden curled wig. He grinned at her from beneath the mass, waving a bottle of rum in her direction.

Unable to help herself, Elizabeth laughed at the sight they presented. �What on earth?� she wondered aloud as Jack released her hand and leaned back against the wall to watch her. �What is all this?� she asked.

�Your initiation, lass,� Captain Teague appeared on her left and handed her a full bottle of rum without the stopper. The older man was the only one not wearing women�s clothes, but he had removed his frock coat, shoes, stockings, hat and bandana, and instead wore a wreath made of seaweed around his head. �I am King Neptune, god of the sea, and as this be your first voyage across the great equator, why � a celebration be in order!�

The pirates cheered and Elizabeth tried not to look apprehensive. �What kind of initiation, Captain?�

He grinned and Elizabeth felt foolishly comforted by the rare sight of it. �It�s an old sea-faring tradition that whomsoever crosses the equator must make a sacrifice to Neptune himself, else they face His wrath upon the seas forever.�

�Sacrifice,� she repeated slowly.

�More of a� baptism really, love,� Jack said as he retook her right arm. �Drink up! The night is young and the men are in need of festivities, isn�t that right lads?� A roar of �Arrrr!� went up from the men, and Elizabeth hastily took a swallow of rum. It was Teague�s good rum, and that somehow made her more nervous.

�Is this really a tradition, Jack? Or just and excuse to get drunk,� Elizabeth whispered as he and Teague led her arm in arm toward the bow, where a throne made of barrels had been erected, apparently especially for her use.

�There�s not a man among us who hasn�t been through said initiation and lived, and you�re the only one on this voyage whose never made the crossing before.� Accepting a tankard of rum from Murtogg, Jack raised it to her in cheers. �Relax, drink up � get your mind off things for a few hours. We�ll have plenty to worry about before too long, and the pirate who plays happy, stays happy.�

With a sigh, Elizabeth smiled and clinked her bottle against his mug. Taking another swallow, she watch as Jack spun off in his borrowed dress and bare feet, spinning around and around with Noah and Marty as Teague sat down beside her and began to play his guitar.

It had been many years since such heartfelt laughter had been heard aboard the Savarna, though the revelers ignored the edge of urgency that fueled it. Man after man approached Elizabeth in her seat of honor, offering her a toast and drink of rum, or a small gift. From Noah she got a supply of fresh twine; from Marty a crane shaped out of paper. From Ragetti she received a small wooden turtle he�d carved that afternoon, with a hole in the center so that she could wear it as a bead in her hair or at her belt. He explained, with a blush, that those who�d crossed the equator were known as shellbacks, and blushed even more when she hugged him in thanks.

Elizabeth couldn�t remember willingly having drunk so much rum in her life, much less enjoying it, and it was only when Marty asked her to dance with him and she stood up that she realized she was a little drunk. The knowledge didn�t stop her though; it was the first time in days that she didn�t feel an ache lingering in her chest and the thought of William didn�t threaten to bring tears to her eyes. She felt blessed to have these men at her side; men who would serve her, care for her, and fight for her like family. Even among non-pirates, that was a rare thing.

She was practically the only one wearing pants, but that didn�t seem to stop any of them from dancing with her. A blur of faces spun her around and one of them was even Will, whose eyes sparkled with laughter that never quite emerged from his mouth. Elizabeth hugged him tightly, wanting to thank him for his love and his kindness and his understanding, but the words came out garbled and unintelligible instead.

Finally, she found herself in Jack�s arms, her head rested against her shoulder. Someone had taken the bottle of rum away from her and for a moment, Elizabeth thought it was raining until the drops of liquid found their way into her mouth. Rum. Seeing a drop slide down Jack throat, she stuck out her tongue and caught it, tracing its path back up to his chin.

Jack inhaled sharply. �Having fun, love?� he whispered huskily.

�Yes,� she said with a child-like grin. �Merriment all �round.�

He laughed and she giggled at the way it rumbled in his chest. �You�re beginning to sound like a pirate, �Lizbeth.�

Elizabeth laughed again, snorting this time. �You, Captain Sparrow, are drunk,� she said, leaning close. �I think it�s time for me to take you to bed before you embarrass yourself.�

Her face was so close to his that Jack only needed to lower his head half an inch further to capture her lips, but her resisted with an audible groan. �No, love. As much as I�d like that, we�re not finished here, and I expect you�ll be far too exhausted when we�re done for what you�ve got in mind.�

�Hmmm?� Elizabeth smiled cutely.

Jack was tempted to forget the bloody ceremony and carry her off anyway, but the men were ready, waiting for him to give the signal. �Initiation isn�t over yet, love. You�ve got to be baptized, or else Neptune will be quite cross with us all. Can�t have that, can we?�

Straightening up, she met his eyes steadily and Jack had to smile. �That�s my girl,� he thought.

Clearing her throat, Elizabeth saluted clumsily. �What must I do, Captain?�

Not bothering to remind her that this wasn�t the Royal Navy, Jack led her to the railing. �Tradition decrees that all initiants must be submerged in the drink, no less than three times, in order to prove their manly, er, or womanly, as the case may be, fortitude.�

Elizabeth felt a little more sober now. �Dunked? How?�

Teague was at her right again. �We tie you to a spar, so you don�t drown, and the whole thing�s over before you know it.�

Looking up, Elizabeth saw a spar already being lowered from the yardarm above her. All around her, pirates stood smiling in anticipation, but she saw support in the more familiar faces as well. �You�ve all done this?� she asked them.

�Aye, only we had to do it naked!� Pintel shouted, causing the lot of them to burst into fits of laughter. She found Will among the crowd and he shrugged and nodded in confirmation.

Jack glared at the men, quieting them down, before turning to Elizabeth again. �What say you, Captain Swann? Do you have the courage and fortitude necessary to sacrifice yourself to the terrors of the deep?�

She met his eyes and the last of her doubts melted away. �Aye!� she shouted, and was echoed by the cheers of her crewmates. Will came forward and eyed Jack carefully as the two of them began tying the spar to her waist while Captain Teague held it steady against her. The rope felt secure against her stomach, and when Teague gave the order to �Hoist her up!� she felt a small yank before being lifted off the floor.

The men were cheering again as the deck swam before Elizabeth�s eyes and then disappeared before the dark expanse of water below. The night was warm, but suddenly the idea of standing around in wet clothes didn�t sound appealing at all. �Wait a moment!� she called down, and within seconds she had stripped out of her shirt and breeches, tossing them back down to the deck.

For a long minute the deck was completely silent. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw nearly thirty men staring up at her hanging naked from the yardarm. Suddenly a cheer rang out again and she heard Teague�s voice call, �Release the sacrifice!�

With a rush of wind and the sensation of her stomach flying into her throat, Elizabeth dropped through the air, straightening her body as much as possible before hitting the water. She plunged far beneath the surface, emitting a small shriek from between pursed lips at the chill before being yanked upward again. The splashing of the water mixed with the roar of the men on deck as she danced high above them again, suspended for only a second before Teague announced her second dive. The water was less cold this time and she emerged from the ocean laughing. It was like a combination of flying and swimming, and she loved it.

The rush of the third drop was accompanied by a fantastic shriek of hilarity and as she plummeted beneath the waves for the third time, Elizabeth thought to herself that she must be drunk to be behaving so foolishly and enjoying herself immensely for it.

Elizabeth was lowered back to the deck and even before her feet touched down, Jack and Will were beside her, abandoned jackets found and at the ready to shield her naked body from eager eyes. She slipped her arms into the sleeves of the coat Will was offering and Jack wrapped the second one round her middle, tying the sleeves at her waist. Elizabeth laughed and raised her arms to ring the water from her hair. Jack was looking at her in admiration and amusement, despite protectively standing between her and the crew, while Will wore an expression of bewilderment and displeasure.

Turning to Teague, she asked, �So, do I pass, Captain?�

He didn�t bother hiding his laughter. It boomed from him, making everyone but Jack jump in surprise. �Aye, ye did, lassie, ye did. I�ll be buggared if I�ve ever met a woman half as gutsy as you are.�

�That�s be the drink, mate,� Jack said with a grin, but he looked no less proud.

An enormous clap of thunder roared out overhead and only a fraction of a second later, a fork of lightning reached scaly fingers across the dark sky. Before anyone had time to say a word, rain poured down on them as though someone had taken a dagger and ripped open the belly of the heavens.

�Is it Neptune?� Pintel asked fearfully.

�We did the ceremony right,� Ragetti said.

Jack had frozen in place. Closing his eyes, he sniffed at the air and made a face. �S�not Neptune,� he said finally. �But definitely a close relation.� Turning to Elizabeth he said, �Run and dress, love. We�ll be needing all hands.�
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Savarna