In the Hands of Fate I: Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter eight

Chapter eight

"First time I've been down here," I state as I take a seat on a bench in the rickety iron cell, "period. I've normally been on good terms with the captain. Whoever he is at the moment."

Jack looked to me in almost disgust, "Glad to see your enjoying yourself."

"If that's what you want to call it." I tapped my foot impatiently, humming under my breath.

"What are you singing?"

"I'm not. I'm humming."

"Fine. What are you humming?" he corrected himself.

"Something Miss Elizabeth taught me when she was younger."

"How long have you been a maid?" Jack asked snidely.

"Six years, I believe. And I'm not a maid. I was a governess, now I'm simply a lady-in-waiting."

"You, a nanny?" he wondered, disbelief clearly evident, "I can hardly believe that."

"Go back to staring out your hole."

And he did, too. It was quiet between us, but not awkward. I'm not entirely sure what I expected to pull off by locking myself, or rather having myself locked up in a small iron cell with him.

I made it through three verses before Jack and I were thrown on to each other. And lucky we were, not even thirty seconds later cannon fire blew right over us.

"Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack tried to yell to his crew.

I shook my head superficially and sat up as Jack snatched Gibbs' flask from the water and tried to drink from it. But, alas, it was empty. I spotted the blown lock on the door and called to Jack to follow me. Together, we climbed up to the main deck. Somewhere along the way, he grabbed on to my wrist and pulled me along.

It was pure chaos when we finally made it. Jack pulled me up on the railing and wrapped his arm around me. He stole a rope from a guy who was trying to board the Pearl.

"Thanks very much. Hold on tight," Jack mumbled as we ourselves swayed to the other ship. We landed haphazardly, using each other to keep us upright. I immediately went to Miss Elizabeth's aide.

"Sorry for the delay, Miss Elizabeth," I tell her as I ward of one of Father's crewmen.

"Estrella?" she questioned appalled.

"Not exactly."

I didn't have time to explain as a particularly mad looking man grabbed Elizabeth's arm. He lifted his arm to swing at her with his sword, but Jack caught his wrist before he could harm her.

"That's not very nice," Jack commented. I hit him with the hilt of my blade and knocked him overboard.

We were suddenly bombarded with gunshots, and Jack pulled Miss Elizabeth out of harm's way. Damn blonde, stealing my best friend.

"Where is the medallion?" he quizzed her.

She drew her hand back to hit him. "Wretch!" I stopped her hand before she could do much damage.

"Ah, where is dear William?" Jack wondered.

"Will!" came Miss Swann's worried answer as she hurried off to where ever Will could be found.

Jack (the monkey) pounced by us and Captain Jack took off after it. The two climbed over the mast, stalked closely by me, stopping right at Barbossa's feet.

"Why, thank you, Jack," Barbossa said as he took the medallion from the monkey.

"You're welcome," Jack (the pirate) replied.

"Oh, not you," I sneered, "He named the monkey 'Jack'."

The monkey smiled causing me to giggle.

"Gents, our hope is restored!" my father called out.

The cursed crew cheered. I crossed my arms a bit put out.

...

...

"If any of you so much as thinks the word 'parley', I'll have your guts for garters," Pintel threatened the hostages.

"Parley!" I called. I, of course, wasn't among them, being the Captain's daughter tends to give you privileges as so.

Elizabeth escaped the poorly tied ropes just milliseconds before the Interceptor exploded.

"You've got to stop it!" she screeched as she attacked Barbossa. "Stop it!"

He captured her arms easily to stop her. "Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality the last time. It holds fair now that you return the favor." He tossed her to a group of groping crewmembers.

"Barbossa!"

Everyone turned, most in shock, others not really caring, and then there was me, the only one with a smug look on their face.

There Will stood in all his glory, on the railing. He plopped down, grabbed Jack's pistol (why anyone would just let it lay around is beyond me), and pointed at my father.

"She goes free."

Barbossa, with a confused expression, asked what was going on in his mind.

"She goes free!" he stated again.

I rolled my eyes. "Got that the first time."

"You've only got one shot and we can't die," Barbossa told him.

"Don't do anything stupid," Jack begged.

"You can't," Will agreed as he stepped back onto the rail and pointed the pistol at his chin, "I can."

"Like that," I whispered.

"Who are you?" Dad asked.

"Nici unul! He's no one," I claimed stepping between them, "A distant cousin of my mother's sister's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though." As a second thought I added, "Eunuch."

He looked at me sternly. "Nice try. But none of your mother's family looks remotely close to that."

"Like you would know," I snapped back, "I doubt you've met a single one."

He challenged me with a glare but Will had other plans. "My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs through my veins."

I sighed and gave up, walking over to where Jack stood.

"Good try, love," he whispered in my ear.

"We're screwed," I whispered back.

"He's the spitting image of old Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us," Ragetti pointed out.

"On my word, do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' locker," Will threatened.

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner."

"Elizabeth goes free!"

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?"

Jack made a big commotion of pointing to himself.

Will looked from Jack and I to the crew and waved his pistol around a bit. "And the crew. The crew are not to be harmed."

Jack's face fell when he realized Will wasn't going to protect him.

"Agreed," my father sneered.

Romanian translation:

Nici unul - No one