Pirates of the Caribbean 6: Hoist the Colours

A Rescuing in Vain

I breathed in quietly, trying to suppress my memories as I prepared to continue. Glancing over at Jack, his eyes were large and his face had a certain blankness to it; he was still trying to absorb the parts of this story which he'd just learned.

"I should continue." I mumbled, and he shot a hand out to stop me for a moment, knowing how difficult it would be for me to talk about. But he stopped, and I assumed it was merely because he realized it wouldn't be any easier for himself to explain.

"I came down eventually and headed towards our cabin, where I found Jack. I remember I burst the door open, stuck my head in, and called him. I was trying to mask my tears from him and hoped he wouldn't notice I'd been crying. When I said his name and he didn't move or flinch, continuing to face away from me in his chair and gaze out the window, I knew something was awry. Finally, he spoke. 'Are you here to gather your things, love?' I was bewildered and flustered. 'What on earth do you mean, Jack?' He stood up boldly and whirled to look at me finally, pushing past me and grasping the door. 'I assure you I won't be keeping you from port any longer than necessary.' After I still wasn't sure what he meant, he stopped in the doorway and looked back at me from below his arm. 'You are no longer allowed in this room. Move your necessities to a hammock below decks at your earliest convenience, if you please.' I was left alone as he slammed the door in more than one way; I had spent my whole life under his protection and that had just been completely stripped away from me."

I looked up and saw that Jack was completely still, his blank eyes staring down at the legs of the table. I didn't blame him for behaving like a statue; his reasons for acting the way he did many years ago were understandable, yet how was he supposed to handle this news that he'd been mistaken?

"I didn't find much of anything in that room that I wanted. Kind of a strange thing... you live somewhere for what seems like ever and build a home around it, yet when you lose the person who made it a home, nothing else matters." I turned towards Jack. "I took nothing, save my pendant and my anklet." He tilted his head and smiled a soft grin, as if being reminded of the detail that I'd kept both meant the world to him.

I shrugged. "Oh, well, and of course, my sword."

"I'm not sure how much time passed. It could've been hours or simply a few minutes. I went downstairs, found myself a hammock, and sat there attempting to comprehend the havoc which had just been wreaked on my life. The men had dispersed from their meeting when I got there, and soon enough they were all called up onto deck for supper. Light ceased to glow and shadows slipped through the planks, and I knew the night was coming. The room seemed empty, and because of its immense size and darkness, it didn't occur to me that anyone else could've stayed behind instead of going up to eat."

I could feel my throat getting thick and my eyes getting blurry. For the love of Mother and Child, I'm crying again? Why is this is a difficult topic?

I took a steady breath in. "I needed a moment alone, and I wanted to try and get to sleep as soon as possible... I was so tired. I-I remember setting my things underneath my hammock." I shook my head and continued to hold in the sobs. "That was the worst decision I could've made."

"I had walked to the other side of the room to grab a bottle of rum, when I heard the voice of Barbossa behind me."

I heard gasping and when I looked up at Elizabeth, she cocked her head and squinted her eyes. "Barbossa? What could Hector have possibly done?"

I buried my face in my hands. Not Hector. Nobody would understand.

Jack stepped forward, holding up a finger.

"Ah, ah, not Hector Barbossa, no. This was a certain Luther Barbossa... the beloved brother of our lovely Hector."

Gasping filled the silence once again and Jack took a step closer to me.