Song of the Sea: Sunsets and Black Sails

Chapter 8: The Call

It felt like no time at all had passed when the first rays of morning light began to creep through the hole in the side of the ship's cell wall. Aria hadn't slept a wink; her mind was far too busy brewing with a plot for her and her sister to escape. Nothing seemed plausible enough yet; there were too many uncertainties. But there was nothing she could do from inside this cell. Just as soon as the thought had crossed her mind, footsteps sounded on the stairs, and she lifted her head to see who was coming.

Pintel and Ragetti were back. As much as Aria hated the entire situation, she was strangely more at ease with the two of them. At the very least, she was glad that it hadn't been a pair of crew members she hadn't yet met. With this pair, she was beginning to learn their mannerisms, and she could predict how they would react. If it were anyone else, a potentially fatal misstep would be far too easy.

"My lady, the cap'n is requesting your presence above deck," Pintel informed her, unlocking the door.

Aria rolled her eyes but got to her feet anyway. The two men led her up the wooden steps to the main deck, into the blinding sunlight. That small amount flowing through the cracks of the cell hadn't been nearly enough to prepare Aria for the full light of day. As her eyes adjusted, she looked around the Black Pearl. Captain Barbossa was standing proudly at the helm, and the crew's work immediately paused when they noticed her.

At the moment, however, she didn't care. Seeing this deck in the daylight brought her back to a time long ago. Her mind was raging with the memories of Jack.

-

The Wicked Wench was making a short venture this time, and Aria's father had reluctantly allowed her to go along. Jack had been excited to have her on board again, for the first time since their initial voyage together.

"Best be wary, Cap'n," Gibbs had warned, out of earshot of Aria's father, "I hear tell that pirates've been growin' fiercer in these waters we be travelin'."

Jack hadn't seemed all that worried at the time, but once they were well underway and the crew had mostly busied themselves below deck for the night, he pulled Aria aside.

"Listen, love, with all this talk of pirates..." He slowly trailed off.

Aria moved closer to him and gently rested a hand on his arm. He got like this sometimes, when he was thinking of his past.

"Jack, I'll be alright," she said, attempting to reassure him. "If we do run into pirates, I have full faith in your capabilities to hold the Wicked Wench."

He shook his head. "I won't be taking any chances, Aria."

With that, he turned and snagged a spare sword from a supply barrel. Needless to say, Aria was a bit confused.

"Jack?"

"I'm going to teach you to fight," he stated, pressing the hilt into her hand. "Whether we run afoul of pirates on this journey or not, there's always a chance that a raid could befall the city back home." With a small grin, he continued, "And, as much as I'd like to, I can't always be there to protect you."

Aria giggled a bit. "Teaching a lady to fight? Jack, how very indecent of you."

"You know I've never been one for tradition," he countered teasingly. "Now, plant your feet, but be ready to move."

Thankfully, she had taken advantage of the time away from England to once more abandon what she deemed to be the more useless layers of her dress, and was thus unrestricted as Jack taught her the basics of handling a blade. In fact, he continued to do so every day for the rest of the week-long journey. It wasn't a lot of time, but Aria could at least defend herself now. At Jack's encouragement, she did her best to continue the practice alone, though it proved a difficult secret to hide from her father. Still, it put him at ease to know that she wouldn't be left completely helpless, should the worst happen.