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Tangled Threads - A Story of Pirates	By : KiwiGirl Category: Pirates of the Caribbean (All) > General Views: 4819 -:- 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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- 5
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Chapter Five - Conversations

Jack took off his hat and rubbed at his head, the wind felt good on his face.
The restless breeze blew a braid across his eyes, and he pushed it back with
one hand, the other still resting lightly on the wheel. The ocean was as black
as indian ink and scarcely a ripple marred the surface, in sharp contrast the
spray splashed silver in the moonlight as the ship cut through the waves. The
tang of salt was in the air and Jack breathed deeply, as always that scent made
him feel alive. It was a full moon, the stairs were bright in a cloudless sky,
a good breeze, not too soft and not too brisk filled the black sails and other
than the creak of timbers and the slap of canvas, the night was still. These
were the moments that he treasured, late at night when the crew were quiet,
either asleep or lost in their own thoughts while going about their tasks. It
was him and the Pearl, alone under the
stars, if he listened hard enough he was sure that he would hear her heart
beating deep within the thick wooden planks beneath his feet. She was a
creation of wood and canvas that seemed to come to life, to fly beneath his
hands.

But tonight that simple pleasure was evading him. His thoughts kept drifting to
that crumbling house in Tortuga. The first time
ever that he had not said goodbye, that she had not clung onto him trying not
to cry, being so brave until he disappeared from sight. No doubt she was still
fuming, but she would be keeping that in check until she saw him again. He winced,
it was a given that she was preparing a long impassioned speech, he would be
forced to listen to it until she felt that he looked remorseful enough, then
she would throw herself at him and everything would be alright again. At least
he hoped that it would be, Bella could be wilful and he hoped that she had not
done anything rash.

Jack was unable to bring himself to tell Bella the real reason that he did not
want her to sail on the Pearl. He always told
himself that it was because she looked up to him, and he did not want her to
ever see him for the scallywag that he was. He sighed, it was not vanity that
stopped him from letting her sail. It was fear, mouth drying, bone numbing
fear, hell, that was the real reason. Bella was no fool, she knew him for what
he was, she had been raised by pirates and damned if she did not think like a
pirate at times, and she loved him anyway. No it was gut wrenching terror,
sometimes at night he woke sweating after dreaming that he had been holding her
in his arms, her body limp, blood streaming from her head. That was the real
reason, the thought of losing her made his blood run cold.

He shook his head putting her from his mind his thoughts returning to what had
been bothering him all day. The old fellow that he spoken to in Tortuga, he had
frowned when he had seen the chart, that island was known to him, but not as a
pirate haunt, he had mumbled something about the British and the Spaniards,
some fight along time ago, he had clutched Jack�s arm as he had left telling him
to be wary. Then there had been those two ships from yesterday, why had they
not pursued, they had sat on the horizon long enough to make out that it was
the Pearl, but had turned and sailed out of sight.
Something odd was going on and Jack�s intuition was telling him that all was
not right. He tugged on his moustache as he pondered, that little tickle in the
back of his head that had served him so well in the past was becoming an itch.

*

Will had tossed and turned in his bed for hours. Being first mate had its
advantages, a room of his own, while nowhere near as grand as Jack�s it was the
finest quarters that Will had ever lived in. Usually he relished the quiet,
sleeping soundly, but not tonight. He had worked a long day climbing up and
down the rigging and his body was tired but his mind was busy and he had been
unable to fall asleep. He had dozed fitfully his mind swirling with crazy
dreams, where English ships had ambushed the Pearl and a pitched
battle had suddenly vanished and he had found himself leaning on the rails
talking to the girl from the gunsmiths. �Bella� he sounded the name into the
darkness. It was odd that a girl that he had seen for all of five minutes
should be walking his dreams, Gibbs was not talking on the subject and when he had
asked Anna Maria if she knew of a Bella she had stared at him blankly and said
that she did not frequent places like Selena�s.

He sat up running a hand through his tangled curls, and stretching before
leaning back on his pillow and looking at the ceiling. They should reach the
island tomorrow, Jack had retired to his cabin most nights with maps and
compass plotting their course. Many glasses of rum had been sipped as he worked
his head bent close in the flickering lamplight, Will had sat at the other end
of the table, glass at hand as he had rifled through the many captains logs
Jack had accumulated over the years. The isle had been mentioned once or twice
but only as a point of reference, as for treasure well there had been nary a
whisper of that. Several times Jack had seemed doubtful and once or twice had
looked like he was about to confide something to Will, but each time he had
appeared to change his mind, instead checking his compass and turning his face
back towards the detailed charts. Will had been happy to let Jack be, there
seemed to be no danger in sailing to a deserted island, he knew Jack well
enough now to know if there was something that intrigued the Captain that he
would not be satisfied until he had seen things for himself. But the events of
yesterday had been decidedly odd and today Will had been mulling things over as
he had worked alongside the crew. He sighed, he needed to talk with Jack,
swinging his legs over the side of the bed he pulled on his trousers and a
crumpled linen shirt, which he tucked loosely into his pants as he walked
barefooted from the room.

*

�Jack� the voice from behind him had him turning, he had not heard Will
climbing the stairs, he wondered how long he had been standing there, if the
young pirate had seen him wipe his eyes with his sleeve, tears welling at the
thought of that dream, the one that he had dreamt over and over these past
years.

�Young William, should you not be in your bed dreaming of bonny lasses?� Jack
grinned.

�Couldn�t sleep Jack� Will went to stand at the railing �was thinking about
that map and all.�

�The map you say� Jack was serious now �we should be seeing that island on the
morrow Turner, what were you thinking, I have been having some thoughts myself
and not all of them happy ones?�

�Those ships on the horizon yesterday?�

Jack nodded �Maybe not the pride of the English navy but could have been nasty�

�Aye, they turned away Jack, why did they not follow us, two of them one of us,
they would have seen it was the Pearl.�

�I had been wondering that myself� Jack was thinking hard, his expression
slightly worried �are you thinking this could be some trap� he was looking at
Will now �that the English have decided to come after the Pearl again?�

Will shrugged �I don�t know Jack but it was odd, and in my gut I feel that
something is not right. �

Jack made a disgusted face �Any pirate would have found that chart and got
excited, X marks the spot and all that, are you thinking that we are on a wild
goose chase?�

�I don�t know Jack� Will looked Jack full in the eye, he was pacing now �but I
can�t fathom it.�

Jack pulled the offending map from his pocket and scowled at it �What say we
anchor the Pearl here� he pointed at
a larger island inked in green it had a mountain marked in the centre of it
�then we have a brisk walk before breakfast, just like the fine ladies of Singapore. I have had reason
to climb that hill before wonderful view from there Will, if we have a welcome
party waiting for us�� his voice trailed off as Will nodded.

�Aye Captain we need to reset the sails to come about, I�ll tell them to be
quiet about it.�

�Good Pirate that� Jack murmured watching as Will went from man to man giving
whispered orders. As the crew moved to follow his instructions Jack began to
turn the wheel.

*

�You will come back soon Bella?� the old woman looked at her, her face was a
mass of wrinkles but her eyes were still bright and her hand steady as she
reached and touched Bella�s face. �You�re a good girl, sitting here listening
to an old lady�s stories, now you make sure that you give Maggie and Sam my
love�

�I will Grandma� Bella kissed the old woman on the cheek before going into the
kitchen to say goodbye to Josie, Anna Maria�s Mama.

Josie was standing at the cast iron stove stirring a big pot; it smelt as if
she was making a spicy fish stew and Bella�s stomach grumbled. It was almost
dinnertime she had been visiting most of the afternoon, sitting in the dim
little parlour talking with Grandma. Bella had been hoping that if she could
steer the conversation in the right direction, Grandma might give her answers
to the questions that Jack always shrugged over and then quickly changed the
subject. However, she had been frustrated, as Grandma had spent the afternoon
instead telling her about Jack�s Mama and how she had met the first Captain
Sparrow.

Bella listened politely she had heard most of it before, how it had been an
unlikely match, the pair having met when he had boarded the ship on which her
family was sailing from England to America, all set to start a new life. He had
divested them of their valuables and their eldest daughter. She had lived in Tortuga cheek to jowl with
the very men that her father, a judge, had made a career out of condemning to
death. She was an educated woman and had established a small school teaching
the local children to read and write, as Emma Sparrow was fond of saying �there
was no point in going to all the trouble of boarding a ship to steal a bushel
load of beans all because one could not read.� It was thanks to her that the
younger generation of pirates were all semi literate and beans were only eaten
by those who really liked them.

Each time Bella had tried to push the story forward to talk about the day she
had arrived Grandma either had pretended to be hard of hearing or had launched
into some tale about Jack. She was very fond of Jack, he always made a point of
kissing her and telling her she was still the most beautiful creature in all of
the Caribbean. After yet another futile attempt, Bella
had given up, if Grandma knew she was not talking, and from the way that the
sharp old eyes kept focusing on the gold locket around Bella�s neck, she knew
something. Jack always told her to keep the locket out of sight but had never
offered any reason as to why. This morning she had pulled it from it�s hiding
place in a fit of pique, Jack did not like her wearing it and just lately that
was a good enough reason to wear it openly.

�Bella are you off back up that hill now?� Josie turned from the stove wiping
her hands on her apron, a widow these last two years she supported herself by
sewing. Not long after Anna Maria�s father had died Jack had tried to help out
but Josie had been proud refusing his gold. When Bella had mentioned in passing
that Josie was now a seamstress Jack had suddenly developed an interest in
fashion, many a bolt of good satin or silk had made its way into Josie�s house
in the dead of night. She had protested but a wide-eyed Jack had said that
fabric was of no use to him or the crew and if she did not want it, he would
just have to throw it overboard. He was sure that the fish would look very
natty in satin of course but he had thought that it would be put to better use
in her little workshop. Laughing and calling him a scoundrel she had accepted
that he was going to help her whether she liked it or not, Jack usually got his
way, sometimes in a very roundabout manner but he would get there in the end.

�So will we be seeing you next week then?�

�Yes I will be along�

�That will be wonderful honey, you know Grandma looks forward to your visits
all week, she misses Anna Maria not being about.�

�I miss her too.�

�I know you do� Josie folded Bella in her arms in a quick hug �just don�t go
doing anything rash Bella, I have heard about your disappearing acts, Sam may
be thinking that you come here but what will I be saying if he comes looking
for you?�

Bella was silent and Josie sighed and raised her eyes skywards, �heaven help me
girl, if Jack finds out he will skin you alive� she gave Bella a push �now get
home before it gets dark, there be pirates out there��

Bella made her way though the winding lanes just north of what passed for the
main street of Tortuga, she could hear the music from the many taverns, the
streets were busy tonight a number of vessels had made port today and the crews
had been visiting with loved ones or drinking and wenching, depending on their
priorities. The light had begun to fade from the sky as she hurried along, she
should have left earlier, tonight was probably not a good night to be in these
streets alone. Head down she turned the corner into the road that made it�s
winding way up the hill, she had only walked three paces when she felt a hand
catch at her arm, her heart thudded once in her chest and she sucked in a deep
breath.

�So what do we have here?� a rough voice asked, �You look to be a pretty lass�

�Take your hand off me� Bella warned her voice low.

�I don�t think that I want to be doing that dahling� the voice was closer now
the grip on her arm tightening as dirty fingers touched her face �I have not
seen you in any of the taverns, are you one of Selena�s girls?�

The calloused fingers were rough against her skin and she could see his face in
the moonlight, hard eyes that glinted as his gaze moved over her body. His
breath was sour on her cheek as his face loomed closer, she could see the rough
stubble on his chin and the broken veins that spread across his nose, he licked
his lips, his wet tongue flickering across his cruel mouth. Icy fear clutched
at her chest and her heart stuttered as he pulled her closer towards him. She
had no weapon, her small belt knife lost in the folds of her dress, as much use
to her as the sword that leaned hidden in the back of her wardrobe.

�Well are you girl?� he gave her a rough shake and pushed her against the wall.
Her head bounced against the stones.

�I am not a wh*re� she grated the words from between clenched teeth as she
kicked out, her front foot slamming between his legs. The breath whooshed out
of his lungs and he staggered back, one step then two before straightening his
eyes narrow with fury. Angry now Bella kicked at him again, he jumped back,
swearing fumbling for his sword, but she was spinning now in the dance that
Jack had taught her. Dark hair flying she twisted half turning as she kicked
him in the thigh, immediately stepping in to hit his jaw with one elbow, then
another before grasping his shoulders and kneeing him hard in the groin. He
staggered and retched his hands dropping to clutch at himself. He was
snivelling and her lip curled as she drew her arm back, with an angry grunt her
fist hit the drunken pirate solidly in the nose. His eyes rolled up in his head
and he slumped to the ground. Brushing her hands on her skirt, she stepped
away, but then stopped and turned back, holding her breath against the smell
she removed a jewelled dagger from his waist. Hefting it once or twice in her
hand, she smiled coldly and then bent down to tuck it in her boot. When he woke
he would be lucky to still have the clothes he was standing in, she might as
well have something for the trouble he had intended to cause her. Without a
backwards glance she continued on her way.
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Tangled Threads - A Story of Pirates