A Rebel's Treasure 3

Chapter Four

Will walked up beside Elizabeth, fury lined his face. He crossed his arms and stared down at his fiancée. "You left Jack to the Kraken?"

"He's rescued now," Elizabeth snapped back. She looked everywhere but at Will. "It's done with. Will, I had no choice."

Will shook his head at her, "You chose not to tell me."

"I couldn't," Elizabeth finally looked at Will. "It wasn't your burden to bear."

"But I did bear it, didn't I?" Will raised his voice. He couldn't' believe Elizabeth right now. Not only did she put him through so many unbearable weeks, but she also hurt Eleanor. Will had felt that over these weeks he was able to bond closely with Eleanor because they had both been hurt and were trying to find a way to overcome it together. "I just didn't know what it was. I thought..."

"You thought I loved him," Elizabeth finished. She turned to face Will, her eyes softening as she looked at him. Will maintained his eye contact with her, trying his best to convey just how much she had hurt him. She reached towards him, but he stepped out of her grasp.

"If you make your choices alone," he said, "how can I trust you?" He shook his head at her and took a few steps away.

"You can't," Elizabeth said, looking forlorn.

He turned back to add, "Not only did you do this to me, but think about your sister. She has been thinking about how the man she loves chose her own sister over her." He walked away from Elizabeth, leaving her with an open mouth and guilt-ridden expression. The whole encounter had been overheard by Eleanor, who was causally leaning against the mast. She did her best to avoid Elizabeth's notice as she continued to watch her sister. Elizabeth simply turned back to look over the railing of the ship and out towards the ocean. From the slump in her shoulders, Eleanor knew Will's words had gotten to her. Eleanor shook her head, mentally reminding herself that there would be plenty of time to discuss everything that had happened with her sister. So she went over to help Cotton with the rigging.

Eleanor continued to help around the ship, trying her best to avoid Jack who was still comparing telescopes with Barbossa, until night fell. Eleanor decided to sit upon the railing at the back of the ship, watching the waves crash around the ship. Pintel and Ragetti were fishing on the bowsprit, talking aimlessly to each other. Suddenly, as if they had crossed into some ethereal water, ghostly forms seemed to drift passed. Eleanor sat up with a start, her eyes widening as she took in the sight below her.

She heard Pintel grumble, "Eerie, that's down right macabre."

"Wonder what would happen if you dropped a cannon ball on one of 'em," Ragetti pondered. Eleanor watched as they scrambled back up onto the deck and giggled as they raced down to the weapon storage. Eleanor frowned at the bodies that passed by. Other crew members were also starting to notice the bodies as they drifted by. Tia Dalma ascended the stairs and leant on the railing beside Eleanor. Her face was dark and gloomy. Eleanor had the feeling that these bodies were messing with her witchy voodoo. Her stare was lethal as she glared towards the returning Pintel and Ragetti who dropped their cannonballs as soon as they saw her.

"Be disrespectful, it would," Pintel muttered.

"They should be in the care of Davy Jones," Tia growled. "That was the duty him was charged with by the goddess, Calypso. To ferry them who dies at the sea to the other side." Her eyes darkened as she continued to speak. "And every ten years he could come ashore to be with she who love him, truly," she appeared to give off a small sigh, brushing her fingers over one of the crab necklaces around her neck. "But the man has become a monster."

"So he wasn't always...tentacly?" Ragetti said, wiggling his fingers by his chin.

Tia scowled at him, "No, him was a man...once."

"There are boats coming now," Eleanor frowned, watching the lanterns bob in the night. The crew started to flock towards the side of the deck, looking out at the boats. As Eleanor started to make her way down the stairs, one boat in particular caught her eye. "Father?" she whispered. Her eyes widened as she yelled, "Elizabeth! It's our father!"

Elizabeth ran to the side of the deck, peering out at the boat. Both sisters were smiling as they watched their father. "We've made it back. Father here, look here!"

Jack looked, sadly, between the two girls before gently saying, "Eleanor, Elizabeth, we're not back."

Eleanor's face dropped as she looked back out towards the bobbing boat. She vaguely saw Will try to grab Elizabeth's hand to comfort her. She simply shook her head, taking a step backwards.

"Father!!" Elizabeth yelled out.

The yell finally grabbed Governor Swann's attention and he turned, seemingly startled, to look towards the Black Pearl. His eyes found his two daughters and he called out to them. "Eleanor, Elizabeth, are you dead?"

"No," Eleanor called out, shaking her head. She felt as if her heart was splitting in two. Her stomach had already dropped through the deck. Tears started to well in her eyes. "No..."

"I think I am," Governor Swann muttered, looking forwards again.

"No, you can't be!" Elizabeth shouted, her voice cracking. Both sisters started to clamber further along the boat, trying to stay inline with their father's floating boat.

"There was this chest, you see," their father continued. "At the time it seemed so important."

"Come aboard!" Elizabeth shouted again.

"Please, Father!" Eleanor cried out, a tear sliding down her face. She didn't care if any of the crew noticed or thought any less of her. This was her family.

"I learned that if you stab the heart," Governor Swann went on, as if he couldn't hear his daughters, "yours must take its place." He looked back towards the ship. "Sail the seas for eternity. The Dutchman must always have a captain. Silly thing to die for."

Eleanor looked around frantically before spying some rope. She picked it up and threw it across the water so it landed in her fathers boat. "Grab the line!" Her father did not. "Father, please, take the line!"

"I'm so proud of you both," Governor Swann said, smiling towards his only daughters. Eleanor felt her heart being cleaved even further. Elizabeth had a frantic look in her eyes.

"Father, the line, take the line!" Elizabeth shouted. They both ran to the stern of the ship.

"They must not leave the ship!" Tia cried out. Will and Jack both sprinted into action, racing up the stairs to grab onto the girls. Both had been attempting to climb the rigging to reach their father. Jack's arms wound around Eleanor's waist as she struggled against him to get loose.

"Father come back with us!" Elizabeth cried. "Please!"

"I'll give your love to your mother, shall I?" their father said, turning forwards. His boat floating into the distance. Elizabeth started to sob, turning into Will's shoulder. He looked towards Tia Dalma.

"Is there a way?"

She shook her head, "Him at peace."

Eleanor covered her mouth with her hand, feeling the tears start to spill more aggressively down her cheeks. Jack slowly released his hold on her waist, before placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off. "Don't touch me," she hissed at him.

Jack's eyes were wide as he watched Eleanor. "Love – "

"Don't," Eleanor snapped, storming down the stairs. Tears were shining on her cheeks as she stored into the captain's cabin and slammed the door. Once she had locked the door behind her she allowed herself to break down completing. Harsh sobs wracked her body and she covered her mouth to muffle them as best she could. She reflected on how horrible she had been as a daughter to her father in the past, having only gone back to visit him at Elizabeth's interrupted wedding. And yet, he had still said he was proud of her.