Savvy? [Will Turner]

V

5.0

Dawn had broken and a golden hue once again illuminated Lynn so his skin shone bronze. From beneath the stolen pirate hat, his eyes were narrowed in both focus and disgust. Many had gathered around the platform to watch the guards fasten a noose around Lynn's neck but no one could see his harsh glares. The hat remained loose and had long since covered the uppermost part of his face, casting it into darkness so even the guards didn't know who they were sentencing to death.

His hands were bound and Lynn had to ground his teeth from the painful position he was put in. He could practically feel the bullet in his leg, being shot again and again which turned into painful throbs that beat alongside his heartbeat. 

He was stubborn and smart, a bad combination if you asked anyone. It was those two traits that got Lynn locked up in the dingy cell in the first place, it was those two traits that told him parading around the town wouldn't result in anything less than becoming immortal and it was those two traits he blamed for so many of his downfalls, he'd almost forgotten how to blame someone else. 

Raising his head slightly, Lynn could now see as high as beyond the crowds' heads, and there, rounding the corner and peaking around stone-cold walls, two men were migrating towards Lynn. Not to him, he had to remind himself, to the waters behind. He said it before, 'stick to the code' so if Lynn's plan didn't work, he would be left hanging, a fleshless skeleton strung upon Port Royal's entryway to ward off any pirates. 

Of course, those were the thoughts a young Lynn would constantly think about whenever he found himself caught up in bad business. Now, years later- his mind was working, his eyes skirting the edges, the handbag she carried, the guns the guards held, and the rope above him. 

He caught the eye of one of the men as they seemed to realize who was actually getting hanged. The pirate must have gotten out of the God-forsaken prison cell. Jack made a big flourish with his hands as if to say 'what the hell did you get yourself into mate?' before dropping them to his sides and turning to the other man beside him. It was William- the blacksmith and he wore a similar ghosted expression on his face upon seeing Lynn in the state he was in. 

Lynn made a show of licking his lips then scratching his nose with his bound hands. He jutted his head back slightly to tell the pair to go, he'll catch up. It was a system they had adopted once many years ago where they were sailing aimlessly through the Caribbean. Bored out of their minds, they came up with signals to talk with one another discreetly should they find themselves in a situation where they could not directly talk. This was the first time they needed to use it and Jack didn't seem to get the message. He began mouthing words, exaggerating the 'o' sounds as he tried to silently talk with a man many many meters away. 

Lynn ground his teeth together and his jaw held firm, the muscles flexing as he worked them. He watched with narrowed eyes to try and piece together what Jack was saying and could only hope he was making 'do you need help?!' so, he made it to seem that he was disappointed in himself, hung his head and shook his head no. 

Looking back up and hoping Jack got the message, he raised his eyes and looked over the crowd once again. The William boy was talking theatrically to the Captain and he seemed to be explaining what Lynn couldn't. Their eyes met and Lynn looked away, he was staring in that direction for too long, and he could only hope the guards were as dumb as they appeared. The pirate watched as Jack and Will walked off to steal a boat. 

A guard with an ego of pure cockiness and authority aggressively cleared his throat and the crowd settled down. He sauntered in front of Lynn and unrolled a scroll slowly as if mocking the pirate as he stood at the stake. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to witness the hanging of... a pirate- who dared cross our borders and caused immense destruction to our forces" Lynn heard the guard hesitate when it came to stating his name. He didn't know. Still, he continued.