Fan Fiction ❯ Pirates of the Caribbean: Rise of the Pirate King ❯ Pawns and Dolls ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, kthxbai.

 

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Chapter 3

 

Pawns and Dolls

 

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“Not enough,” Jack replied, taking another draught of rum. “They want the entire ocean for themselves.”

 

“And that means taking out the strongest on the seas currently,” Barbossa added.

 

“Which would include the Dutchman and its captain,” Elizabeth breathed. “Which means they would need Will's heart.”

 

“Not only dear William,” Jack said.

 

Elizabeth blinked. “What?”

 

“The other pirate lords,” Barbossa replied. “Especially the Pirate King.”

 

Elizabeth swallowed, the pirate's words hanging on the air. Both captains were looking at her, apparently waiting for her reaction to the news that she too was being targeted. “So the pirate lords are after both me and Will,” she said at long last, unsure of what else she could trust her voice to say.

 

“Among other targets,” Jack affirmed, looking at her over his bottle of rum.

 

“How many of them have teamed up?”

 

“Four,” Barbossa replied. Elizabeth licked her lips, not liking the direction the conversation had taken. “Ammand Corsair of the Black Sea, Captaine Chevalle of the Mediterranean Sea, Mistress Ching of the Pacific Ocean, and Eduardo Villanueva of the Adriatic Sea.”

 

“Which leaves?”

 

“The three of us here, Gentleman Jocard of the Atlantic Ocean, and Sri Sumbhagee of the Indian Ocean,” Barbossa listed. “But…”

 

“But?”

 

“Jocard is dead,” Jack answered bluntly, putting the bottle back down on the table. Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise.

 

“Dead?” she whispered.

 

“These pirates have not wasted any time in taking out competing powers,” Barbossa said, rising from his seat. The grizzled pirate made his way over to the window and looked out absently. “They are quite the force to be reckoned with, these four pirate lords. Alone they are dangerous enough, but allied…” The graying pirate let the thought trail off. His point was well received.

 

Elizabeth swallowed but was filled with a sudden determination. In order to help Will, she knew what had to be done. “So what are we supposed to do?”

 

Jack quirked a curious eyebrow at her. “We?”

 

Elizabeth's lip twitched and she folded her hands carefully into her lap. “Well that's why you came, isn't it? To strike some kind of deal with me - and Will if you were lucky.”

 

“What arr you getting at, Captain Turner?” Barbossa asked, turning to look at her. Elizabeth regarded both her guests carefully. She was playing a dangerous game here, but she was dangerous in her own right, she reminded herself.

 

“It's been nearly ten years since I've seen either of you. Do you really take me as such a fool that I would believe you merely came to warn me about this out of the kindness of your hearts?”

 

Barbossa's lip twitched. “Fair enough.” He indicated for her to continue.

 

“If I know you two - and I think it's fair to say I do - then I would guess that your true motive is to form an alliance against these pirate lords,” Elizabeth replied. “Both of you have died once and I'm sure you'd like to put off the next one for as long as possible.”

 

Jack coughed violently, having choked on a mouthful of rum. Elizabeth snorted and turned back to Barbossa. He nodded that she was once again correct. She smiled grimly.

 

“So you two come to me, the Pirate King and Will's wife, in hopes of having both me and Will on your side in exchange for the knowledge of the danger. Am I still on the right track?”

 

“A little too right,” Jack muttered, wiping droplets of rum from his mouth and beard, having recovered from his choking attack. “How'd you get so smart?”

 

Elizabeth beckoned Jack closer. The pirate leaned in and she whispered loud enough for Barbossa to hear as well, “I'm a woman.”

 

Barbossa snorted and Jack gave her a level stare which she pointedly ignored. She turned back to the standing pirate. “So tell me about this alliance that you desire.”

 

“The three of us plus Will,” Jack answered instead, forcing Elizabeth to look back at him, “makes four pirate lords - sort of - against their four.”

 

“Not to mention Teague,” Barbossa piped up.

 

“I've already told you he won't come,” Jack replied irritably.

 

“How do you know?” This had the sound of an argument that had happened on more than one occasion in the past.

 

“I just know. This isn't the sort of conflict he likes to get himself involved in anymore.” Elizabeth idly wondered how Jack knew so much about the mysterious keeper of the pirate code but let the thought slide.

 

“What about Sri?” Elizabeth asked instead, hoping to derail any further argument on the matter.

 

“We've already spoken,” Barbossa said.

 

“Says he's not interested,” Jack finished.

 

“Why not? Surely the pirate lords will target him next if he's alone,” Elizabeth exclaimed, startled by the revelation.

 

“Said he'd rather take his chances with his own men,” Jack said, resting his heavy boots on the dining table. “He might already be dead.” He snorted derisively. “Hell, he probably already is.”

 

Elizabeth gave Jack a withering glare until he removed his feet from the table before rising from her seat. She moved around her chair and pushed it under the table. The pirate king regarded her fellow pirate lords carefully. “So you came to make sure Will's heart is still in safe hands and to warn me of this danger,” Elizabeth said slowly. “But you were hoping to get more out of the deal.”

 

“As much has already been said,” Barbossa conceded.

 

“What I'm wondering is,” the governor said with a frown, “what good an alliance with me would do. I can understand wanting Will on your side, as he has the Dutchman and at this point can't die unless his heart is stabbed but that is safe with me. However, coming to me has no bearing on any alliance with him. So besides finding out about Will's heart, why come here?”

 

“You're the Pirate King, of course,” Barbossa replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “You will be targeted. We've been over this.”

 

“But I don't have a ship or a crew. Sao Feng left me his ship when he died but I gave that up to come back to Port Royal,” Elizabeth countered. “And you didn't appear to realize I had come into a position of power upon returning, so that couldn't have factored into your decision to come here.”

 

Barbossa and Jack exchanged an unreadable look before turning back to Elizabeth. “Do you believe in superstition, Captain Turner?”

 

Elizabeth blinked at the sudden change in topic. “I suppose to some degree…” Pirates were traditionally very superstitious and she herself was the Pirate King. Not to mention she had seen things at sea she would have once dismissed as things out of a fairy tale. Oh yes, she had a healthy respect for superstition.

 

“Then perhaps you will understand our decision.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Both Jack and I were visited in our dreams in the same night by Calypso,” Barbossa said quietly, as if afraid to utter the goddess' name too loudly. Elizabeth's insides jerked in surprise. “She warned us of the impending danger of the other pirate lords allying - which we had heard whispers of already but had no solid proof of until then - and told us to find the Turners.”

 

“Her exact words,” Jack said in an oddly sober voice, “were `The Turners have a destiny intertwined amongst your own once again.'”

 

“The implication was that our only chance at survival was to find the two of you,” Barbossa continued. “Why, we do not know. But I have long since learned to heed the words of the goddess of the sea.”

 

“We didn't know where either of you were,” Jack added, “so Tia Dalma - Calypso - whatever, told us to come back to place it all started.”

 

“Which was Port Royal,” Elizabeth finished, “since that was where we all met back then.”

 

“Exactly. So here we arr.”

 

“When was this?”

 

“About four months ago,” Barbossa replied.

 

“That long?!”

 

“We spent time confirming the alliance of the pirate lords and trying to find Jocard and Sri,” Barbossa replied with a slight shrug. “Once we had learned Jocard was dead and had been rejected by Sri, we came straight here.”

 

“And imagine our surprise to find out Elizabeth Turner was governor of this place,” Jack said amusedly. He was having a hard time accepting a woman in a position of power in the government. Elizabeth thought it was ironic he could accept her - even vote for her - as Pirate King and accept another woman - Mistress Ching - as a fellow pirate lord, but to see a woman in the government was something beyond comprehension to him.

 

She rolled her eyes. “I'm not the type of woman you find in Tortuga, Jack.”

 

Jack's eyes widened slightly and he stared at Elizabeth as if he had never seen her before. He picked up the bottle of rum and swilled it a few times, not taking a sip. Finally he put it back down on the table with a clunk. “Point taken, love.”

 

“I confess not understanding the strategy behind coming to Port Royal,” Barbossa said after a few moments, turning to Elizabeth, “but now I wonder if Calypso wanted us to get what help we could from you.”

 

“You mean the ships under my command?” the governor asked. Barbossa nodded. She frowned. “I don't know. I'm stretching the limits of my credibility as is, by letting the Pearl dock safely. To do much more to aid pirates, I would most likely be called in for investigation by the higher authorities of the Crown.”

 

“Even though you would be fighting a more dangerous pirate threat?” Jack asked.

 

Elizabeth sighed. “No matter who the opponent would be, there is little I could do to sufficiently explain fighting alongside pirates; especially pirates who sacked the town.”

 

“They obviously don't know who your husband is,” Barbossa quipped and Elizabeth winced.

 

“Most people know I'm married to Will but they don't realize what his… exact profession is. There are some rumors about it since we had dealings with Jack; especially since our initial wedding was interrupted so we could be arrested for aiding him, but no one is near the truth and there is no concrete proof,” she replied, wondering all the while why she was confiding this confidential information in men she hadn't seen in nearly ten years.

 

“But your son knows,” Barbossa pointed out.

 

Elizabeth shrugged. “He doesn't know everything, but he's spent time with Will at sea, after all. It's not something I could especially keep a secret from him. It's his father, after all. He knows better than to spout any stories that might get us all in trouble.”

 

“Smart kid.”

 

“Yes,” Elizabeth said proudly.

 

“So you won't be able to help us,” Jack said with a sigh.

 

“Not with another ship or crew, no,” Elizabeth replied apologetically.

 

“If that's the case, why would Calypso send us here?” Barbossa mused. “There must be some important reason to come here first.”

 

Elizabeth pursed her lips, unsure if she should mention her own visit from Calypso before deciding against it. Her goal did not match that of the other two pirates, so they were unlikely to aid her. But perhaps Calypso sent them to Port Royal to aid Elizabeth's quest… but that begged the question of why the goddess was being so helpful to her. After all, if Will's soul was unbound from the sea, the Dutchman would no longer have a captain and that was Calypso's direct charge.

 

The governor pinched the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache coming on. Too many questions were hitting her all of a sudden. And the time she had to get answers was short.

 

“We still don't know why Calypso wants to help us,” Jack said after several silent moments, unknowingly echoing Elizabeth's own question.

 

“Perhaps to reward us for setting us free.”

 

Elizabeth snorted. “I doubt it.” Barbossa looked at her curiously. “She loved Davy Jones. And in case you've forgotten, we were the ones to kill him.”

 

“He had it coming,” Jack growled defensively.

 

Elizabeth had a sudden flashback to Jones stabbing Will in the chest and the feeling of her lover's body heat fading as he died in her arms. She forced her mind to the present with some effort. “I never said he didn't,” she told the eccentric pirate. “But love isn't logical.”

 

“I'll say,” Jack muttered. Elizabeth pointedly ignored him.

 

“Do ye think she is tricking us, then?” Barbossa asked curiously. At least he saw her as an equal, the governor thought with a smirk.

 

“I don't know,” she admitted. “But it would be wise to assume we are not the only ones being aided, whether by Calypso or another power.”

 

“Like a supernatural game of chess and we are the pawns.”

 

Elizabeth blinked at Jack. “Exactly.”

 

Barbossa shuddered. “It's a thought to make your blood run cold.”

 

“Whatever the case is,” the Pirate King said slowly, “Calypso said to find the Turners. You've found me but that leaves Will.”

 

“Do you know where our boy is?” Jack asked, taking a sip of rum.

 

“No.” Immediately the room deflated. “I don't even know if he is in our world or not.”

 

“If Will is in the underworld performing his duties, we'll never be able to find him,” Barbossa frowned. “When is he supposed to come ashore again?”

 

“Five weeks,” Elizabeth replied.

 

“Perhaps we should just wait until then to make any move.”

 

“No!” Elizabeth realized she had spoken too quickly a little too late. Her companions were looking at her oddly. “That is… anything can happen in five weeks. Waiting around just isn't my style.”

 

“That's true enough,” Jack said suspiciously. “But that's not it. There is something more, isn't there?”

 

Elizabeth did some quick thinking. “If Calypso told you to come to Port Royal as a lead for finding both of us, wouldn't she have told us to wait until then?” Barbossa crossed his arms across his chest. “I doubt Will is in the underworld. That wouldn't fit with the convenience if whatever she is scheming.”

 

“Interesting point.”

 

“I don't like the idea of being a goddess' plaything, but if she is going to make our plans easier, then I'm willing to use that to my advantage,” Elizabeth continued. A sudden thought crept across her mind: was this quick thinking another Pirate King boost? She disregarded the idea immediately.

 

“Then what are you suggesting?” Barbossa asked. Jack leaned inward, showing his interest as well.

 

“That Will might be in touch in the next few days. That would be very convenient for Calypso if she wants us to join forces. But…”

 

“But?”

 

“I still don't see what good I am without a ship or crew to offer,” Elizabeth answered uneasily. “If Will agrees, we will have two ships to their four.”

 

“Quality over quantity,” Jack countered sagely.

 

“The Dutchman and the Pearl are two of the best ships ever to sail the seas,” Barbossa said. Elizabeth noticed he was agreeing with Jack without outright saying it. The thought made her smile slightly.

 

“There is a lot to consider,” Elizabeth said finally. “I will grant the Pearl permission to dock in the harbor for as long as necessary.”

 

“Wouldn't that be putting your pretty neck on the line?” Jack asked. His lips were upturned into a slight smirk as he swilled the rum in his hand. Elizabeth drew herself up.

 

“I don't expect it to take long for something to happen. If gods are involved, things will not move slowly.”

 

“We only know of one for sure,” Barbossa reminded her.

 

“Even if this is Calypso's way of entertaining herself,” Elizabeth said, doing her best to project the power of her positions, “she will grow bored if things move slowly. Something will happen.” I hope. Otherwise I'll be in trouble.

 

“You sound like you believe she is determining what we should do before we do it, as if we were her dolls,” Barbossa said contemptuously.

 

“I don't discount free will. But, as you said Captain Barbossa, we pirates learn to heed the advice of the gods.”

 

Barbossa opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again without speaking. Finally he nodded jerkily after sharing a glance with Jack.

 

“We will wait for news of Mister Turner, then,” he said. “But if no news comes within the week, we will reevaluate our plans.”

 

“I accept those terms,” Elizabeth replied formally.

 

“I expect no trouble with the port guards, either.”

 

“There will be none.”

 

“Supplies?”

 

“We will grant what can be spared. Don't forget your station in my port, Captain.” Elizabeth regarded both guests with a frown. “In return I wish both of you and the crew would keep a low profile. It makes my job of keeping you from being arrested easier.”

 

“You will have no trouble. Right Jack?”

 

Jack sighed, rising to his feet. “On me honor, then.”

 

“Accepted,” Elizabeth said with a nod. “A messenger will be sent to the ship with any news as soon as I have it.”

 

“Likewise.”

 

“I will see you both for dinner.”

 

“We have an accord,” Barbossa said, shaking hands with her.

 

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As Elizabeth expected, it did not take long for Will to get in touch with her. On the second day after the Pearl's arrival, she was sitting in her office looking over official documents when William ran in. She looked up curiously to see he was holding a scrunched up leaf of parchment in his hands.

 

“It just came,” William said breathlessly, “from a messenger pigeon.”

 

“One of your father's?” Elizabeth asked anxiously. The boy nodded eagerly and the governor felt relief wash over her. “Let me see.” Her son brought the parchment over. “Did you read it?”

 

“No ma'am.”

 

Elizabeth nodded absently as she opened the sealed note; it was crumpled from William's grip on it during his hurry to get the note to her. The words almost seemed surreal as she read them:

 

My dearest Elizabeth,

 

I know we had not planned on meeting again until the Day, but certain events have come to my attention that I need to speak with you about.

 

I fear you and William may be in danger so hope this letter has reached you without incident. The bird is trustworthy but I worry about the power of our enemies.

 

We need to meet immediately. When can you get away? Send reply with the bird. It will find me.

 

Love,

 

Will

 

Elizabeth looked up at her son. “Where is the pigeon, William?”

 

He looked at her sheepishly. “In my room. I know I'm not supposed to keep animals in there, but-”

 

“Fetch it, please.” William blinked. “I'm not angry,” Elizabeth said, this time more gently. “That bird is waiting for a reply.”

 

“Does Father want to meet?” the boy asked excitedly.

 

“Yes.”

 

“When?”

 

“That's what I need the bird for, my dear. Please bring it here.” Elizabeth could tell her son was bursting with questions but she shooed him from the office to get the bird. While she waited, she pulled out a fresh sheet of parchment and wrote her reply:

 

Will,

 

I agree. We need to speak face-to-face immediately. Name the place and time and we will be there. Some old friends recently brought similar tidings to what you want to discuss, I'm sure.

 

Much love,

 

Lizzie

 

She had sealed the reply by the time William returned with the pigeon resting in his arms. He looked disappointed that she was done with her reply so he wouldn't be able to peek at it. She smiled at her son and beckoned him to her desk.

 

He put the bird down carefully in front of his mother and she quickly tied her note to the pigeon's leg with a short length of twine she found in her desk.

 

“Make haste, little one,” she whispered to the bird as she picked it up and took it to the window. It cooed at her as if to placate her worries and she let it go. She had no idea how close Will was so did not know when to expect a reply.

 

She turned back to her son. He was practically bouncing. “Are we going to see Father soon?”

 

Elizabeth smiled at the boy. “Yes.” He grinned and she ruffled his hair, much to his chagrin. He pouted in an exaggerated manner. “I need someone quick and strong to go down to the harbor and tell the captains of the Pearl that I need to see them,” the governor said thoughtfully. “Any ideas?” she asked, knowing full well he would give anything for an excuse to go down to the docks to see the ship from his parents' stories. His mood drastically improved at the prospect as she had hoped it would.

 

“I know someone!”

 

“Is he quick?” she asked seriously.

 

“The quickest!”

 

“Is he strong?”

 

“The strongest!”

 

“Well then he better get down to the docks immediately and prove his worth,” Elizabeth said with a nod.

 

“I'll get him,” William called as he sped out of the door of her office. She turned to her window once more and smiled as she watched her son race down the pathway from the house to the docks.

 

The pirates should be pleased, Elizabeth thought to herself. Things appeared to be on the move.