The Map

Is that it?

A/N: Usual disclaimer applies as always... 

Thanks to AniSparrow for being a great beta.

Nothing too horrendous in this chapter... a few mentions of nasty things that, as long as you've taken into consideration the rating shouldn't bother you overly (now they've changed the ratings to bloody letters, I have not a clue! Thank goodness I hit 18 awhile back and can search with impunity)

OHH! I found out which movie inspired the map on Nell's back. It was an old black and white Bob Hope film and it was called the Pirate and the Princess... or possible The Princess and the Pirate. I can't remember which way round; it was a great movie though. (I love Bob Hope and Bing Crosby movies. High Society is in my top ten favourite films...)

Chapter 21

Nell almost bumped into Dwent he stopped so suddenly, but when she looked over his shoulder in front of him, she realised just why he had stopped. The cave they had entered was small; a shaft of sunlight pierced the roof of the cave about thirty feet above them, and directly in the shaft of sunlight, in its own little spotlight was a group of chests.

"Is that it?" she asked disappointedly, studying the brown battered dreary looking chests.

Dwent turned to her and the glint in his eyes made her reassess her opinion of the chests.

 "Aye, miss. I gather that be it." He stepped forward as Jack stood over one of the chests, and using the point of his dagger, popped the rusted lock and flung the lid back.

Nell gasped audibly as the sudden explosion of golden light made the entire cave light up as the sunlight glinted down on it.

"It's..." She stepped forward again, not aware of Norrington or Bryant who had come to stand beside her, staring at the open chest. "It's..." Nell blinked; she'd never before seen such a sight. Gold coins, goblets, plates, necklaces, and bracelets were all piled into the chest.

"Bloody beautiful," Jack breathed. "That's what it is!" He looked around at his men grinning from ear to ear. "What say we get this lot back to the Pearl?"

"Aye Capt'n!" came the resounding roar, followed by every man heading to the treasure to start examining it.

Nell watched as even the red-coats were bending over the treasure, only De Mornay and Beaumont were kneeling further from the treasure, but Nell could see the greed shining in their eyes as they drank in the sight of the gold. She turned to Norrington beside her, his hands behind his back and a muscle working in the side of his jaw. His eyes were narrowed as he watched his red-coats fawning over the treasure.

"It doesn't belong to them," Norrington's voice was strained.

Nell looked back at where Jack was opening the other chests. Fabric spilled out of one and lots of bags out of the other. "No, it doesn't," she agreed. "What will you do now?"

He looked down at her as she stood quietly beside him, her hands folded in front of her, and her beads wrapped around one hand.

"Concentrate on finding a way off this island. We are reliant on Sparrow's good humour to return us unharmed to Port Royal. But... my responsibility thereafter falls in returning the treasure to its rightful owner."

"Technically speaking, Commodore, there is no rightful owner," came Jack's slur from behind him. Nell jumped slightly, not realising he'd moved from the chests. She turned and he slung a necklace over her head. She looked down, one hand coming up to touch the pearls that lay around her throat; she sucked in her breath at their sheer beauty. Nell looked up at Jack, her fingers playing over the small perfectly round beads.