PotC Fic - Wager
Title: Wager
Author:
kenton_bomb
Rating: PG
Pairings: J/E, with slight W/E I suppose.
Word Count: 1, 144 much longer than it was meant to be.
A/N: Written in response for the
blackpearlsails prompt 'wager' and a lot over 100 words. It's the first time I've written anything for a prompt and ages since I've posted anything, so hopefully it's okay. Also, I have no idea how a ship actually works so if that part makes no sense then I apologise I just copied from CotBP and hoped for the best. :)
“The Empress is a fine ship, I’ll give you that, but there’s no way she’s faster than The Pearl”
Jack Sparrow sat in a smoky corner of Shipwreck Cove’s best tavern, one hand coiled possessively around a bottle of half drunken rum; the other fluttering in the air as he spoke. Opposite him sat Elizabeth Swann, King of Pirates, her own rum lying untouched before her.
She shook her head at Sparrow’s comment, her untamed sun-bleached hair falling across her face in the process, and lifted the bottle to her lips. When she spoke her eyes were fixed upon his, a confident smirk upon her face, “The Pearl, like her Captain, is old. She may have been the best once...”
“I am not old!”
Elizabeth let out a small laugh, one that caused an unwanted fluttering of Jack’s stomach, “Well you’re not young.”
Jack scoffed at that and reached into his pocket. After retrieving, first, a minuscule telescope and then a map of some sort, Jack finally found what he was looking for; a small bag of coins.
“I wager ten doubloons on The Pearl beating your junk” Elizabeth raised her eyebrows at this, “around the cove and back” He held out his hand, awaiting the King’s answer.
After a few short moments he felt the warmth of her hand in his as she replied confidently, “Deal.”
A smile touched Jack’s lips as he rose from his seat and fixed his hat upon his head, “I’ll see you in the morning then, Captain Swann. Be sure not to spend all your coin tonight.”
“Don’t worry Mr Sparrow, I’ll save it for tomorrow when I have a much heavier pocket”
With a glint in his eyes and a cockeyed grin on his lips Jack Sparrow swaggered out of the tavern leaving Elizabeth alone with her rum.
************
The next morning, Elizabeth waited impatiently by the docks for The Black Pearl’s Captain. Turning her gaze to the wide street, that lead to the marketplace of Shipwreck Cove, she saw him parading towards her, a dockside wench in one arm and a bottle of rum in the other.
Once he was within hearing distance and the woman had been sent on her way with a fuller purse, Elizabeth called out to him. “I’m not entirely sure you can afford pleasurable company, Captain.”
He smiled in response and stood before her, “You seem sure of yourself, Lizzie.” His name for her caused an involuntary smile as she nodded. “In which case why don’t we up the stakes?”
“I’m listening.”
“If I win, which I will, as the Pearl is obviously the faster ship, then I will have no need for pleasurable company, as you put it, as I will have, free of charge, the company of a certain Pirate King and will therefore be able to spend my winnings on many bottles of Shipwreck’s finest rum in celebration of my victory.”
“You would want my company would you? And why would that be, I thought I were nothing more than a murdering wench?” Elizabeth asked in jest, Jack had long forgiven her and they would only bring that particular part of their past up when joking with one another.
“Ah, that.” Jack swallowed, his brow furrowed as he considered the question for a moment. Elizabeth had to restrain from grinning at his performance. “Well...” he began eventually, “being that you are in fact a murdering wench, I would normally be inclined to refuse one’s company.” He paused, long enough for him to take in her reaction before continuing. “However, tonight you would be free, and I don’t know about you but I do enjoy receiving things free of charge, as it were.”
She smiled, “Very well then Captain Sparrow. If you win, which you most definitely will not, I will spend the night with you. But if I win then...” Here she paused, what would she want from Jack Sparrow? There were many things that went through her mind but she pushed them aside for surely a married woman such as herself would not consider such things when the man concerned was not her husband.
Looking up at him she saw him stand with his arms crossed across his chest, a booted foot tapping against the wood of the dock in mock impatience. “Come on Miss Swann, before the tide comes back in please.” He was so very Jack Sparrow, no longer the tortured man they had dragged back from the locker, a smirk upon his face, braids and trinkets jingling in the soft breeze and hat fixed firmly upon his head.
“Very well.” She eventually said, her eyes fixed on him, “If I win, then I get...” her gaze travelled upwards, “your hat.”
His arms suddenly uncrossed and a hand shot up to the hat in question, “My hat? But...”
“What’s the matter, Jack? Not feeling so confident anymore?”
He sneered and lowered his hand, “Very well, you can have my hat if you win.”
She shot him a smile before turning away and boarding her ship.
***********
On the docks stood one of Elizabeth’s best friends and advisor, Mr Jacobson. He looked between the two ships and saw that the two Captains were ready. A small crowd were already gathering round having heard of the King’s and Captain Jack Sparrow’s little contest.
“On three you may raise anchor” he shouted, “One...Two...Three!”
The crowd behind cheered and shouted out their support for their favourites as the anchors of both ships were raised and soon enough The Empress was on her way towards the Devil’s Throat.
“Mr Gibbs!” Jack Sparrow shouted from his place at the helm, “Would you care to explain why my ship is not moving and I am therefore being beaten by that bloody woman?!?”
Gibbs nervously hurried up the stairs of the helm towards his Captain, his eyes fixed on the deck below him, he answered, “She’s disabled the rudder chain, sir”
“She’s what?”
Just in view Jack could see The Empress’ Captain stood proudly by the helm, no doubt with a smirk on her face, as she waved to him before passing through the Throat.
*******
“You owe me ten doubloons and a hat, Captain Sparrow” The Pirate King called as she stepped onto the dock.
“I owe you nothing! You cheated.”
She smiled and walked right up to him, their faces inches apart. Jack swallowed and was just about to close his eyes when she whispered “Pirate” and reached up taking his hat from upon his head.
“Treacherous wench!” he shouted half heartedly after her as she ran down the streets of Shipwreck Cove, ignoring the puzzled looks she was receiving, Jack’s hat taming her wild hair and a grin upon her face. “Give me me bloody hat back!”
“Persuade me” she called back.
Perhaps he hadn’t won her company for tonight freely, but maybe he could still get it. If I’m lucky. He thought to himself and with that he set off after her.