BPS Secret Santa: "The Christmas Stranger" (5/6) for GeekMama
A/N: Once upon a time (last December, in fact) I started writing/posting a Christmas story for geekmama as part of the BPS Secret Santa Fic exchange. I got four instalments posted, and then Real Life intruded with a vengeance, including extraordinarily heavy demands at work that didn't abate until May, two more beloved pets battling (and eventually succumbing to) cancer, and bouts of physical and mental exhaustion that sapped any creative energy I had (save for what I could muster for weekly drabbles). Now that things have quieted down some, and my muse has deigned to return from wherever it's been for the past seven months, my first order of business is to complete GeekMama's holiday fic, with my apologies for the unconscionably long delay, and my gratitude for her infinite patience and understanding.
Title: "The Christmas Stranger" (5/6)
Author: luvvycat
Written for: geekmama
Characters/Pairing: Young Will Turner/Young Elizabeth Swann
Rating: PG
Warnings: Some doxy suggestiveness in Part 2; minor violence in Parts 2 and 3; salty language in Part 4; minor suggestive themes throughout.
Disclaimer: PotC is Disney's, not mine (darn it!)
Author's Notes: In response to GeekMama's request "J/E (etc. ?) at Christmas; or young Jack, or young Will/Elizabeth at Christmas." Not beta'ed (as my recipient IS my beta, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise!), so any errors are entirely my own.
Elizabeth smiled and squeezed the Captain's hand encouragingly. "And now I'm afraid Walter and I must go." She rose and turned toward Will, and only he saw the tear slip down her cheek-whether from the sacrifice of her treasured keepsake, sympathy for the Captain's plight, or a combination of both, he couldn't be sure.
As they started packing plates, cutlery, and the rest of the non-consumables back into the hamper, the Captain cleared his throat. "If you don't mind prolonging the dubious pleasure of me company, I'll see you whelps back home…"
"Oh, no!" Elizabeth was quick to interject, her eyes reflecting a trace of panic. "That isn't necessary…"
Captain Smith laughed, his voice lowering to an almost dangerous, silken growl. "Oh, no you don't, missy! I won't have gone through all the trouble of savin' the pair of you, only to have it all come to naught should some unhappy happenstance happen to befall you walkin' back." He flung his arm out toward the window. "In case it's escaped your notice, this ain't precisely the posh end of town." His gaze fastened on Elizabeth again, softening as it had done when she'd offered him the necklace, and when he spoke his voice was softer as well. "And a young lady of quality such as yourself-one so obviously not born to this squalid setting-can't help but draw undesired attention from a decidedly undesirable element wot cares not a whit for your personal safety. I'd hate the thought of you exposin' yourself to danger again, without proper protection…"
Will bristled, chafing at the man's summary dismissal of him as an escort, as well as his exclusion from the little circle of intimacy that seemed to have grown between the Captain and Elizabeth. He squared his shoulders and, with all the defiant dignity of a fourteen-year-old male, eager to prove himself, said tersely, "You needn't put yourself out on our behalf. I can protect her, and myself!"
The Captain shifted his focus to Will, looked him up and down with a critical eye, as though taking his measure as a defender, and as a man. "A noble and admirable sentiment, to be sure, lad. But if I may point out the obvious: I am armed, and you are not, and, as demonstrated earlier, there are men afoot who would not hesitate to take advantage of that rather visible vulnerability - as evidenced by that little memento you now carry on your hand, which the lovely Bess has so attentively and tenderly tended to."
Will's jaw clenched as he ground his teeth in frustration, knowing the man was right, and resenting him for that fact. The Captain seemed to sense this frustration, as his tone became less flippant, more conciliatory. "This is not to cast any undue aspersions upon your capacity as a staunch protector of wayward young ladies. But in my life-one considerably longer than your own, I might add, and full of experiences that I hope you never get to … well, experience-I've known numerous men the likes of he wot accosted you, and I'd heartily advise you take it to heart when I say that you-and 'specially Bess-got off mercifully easy with the fairly minor injuries and indignities you've incurred." His split lip curled into an expression that was more grimace than grin. "And if there's one lesson life has taught me thus far, it's that Fate is a fickle and capricious strumpet, and one not to be trusted, nor trifled with. Having already done you one favour tonight, she might not be so kindly disposed to grant you another, if you again so foolishly put yourself-and her-" he nodded toward Elizabeth, "-in harm's way."
The Captain turned back to Elizabeth, tilting his chin up and looking down his injured nose at her. "As for you, young lady-my gratitude to you notwithstanding for the kindness and charity you've shown me-you might more thoroughly consider the possible consequences of your actions, before drawing susceptible young men into adventures-or shall I say rather, misadventures- wot place both you and him in peril. And don't try to tell me that you weren't the instigator of tonight's little escapade. I can see you've all the signs of a budding adventuress about you, and no mistake!" Elizabeth's mouth, which had opened to protest his accusation, snapped shut. "If I may be so bold as to give you … well, not exactly fatherly, for I'm hardly the paternal type, but at the very least some friendly advice … There's quite a lot to be said for avoiding dangerous situations in the first place. Saves a lot of time, trouble, and potential personal bodily harm." He winced as his hand went to his side, no doubt prodding tender, bruised flesh concealed under his clothing. "A lesson I, meself, failed to heed tonight, with obvious, predictable … and, may I add, exceedingly painful … results."
Elizabeth slanted a guilty look at Will and at his bandage-wrapped hand, as though realising for the first time her culpability for the wounds he had suffered on her behalf, before nodding, looking sufficiently chastened. "Advice well taken, Captain Smith."
"I certainly do hope so." He straightened. "In any case … you've got yourself an escort, whether you want one or not, and I'll not rest until I see you safely to your doorstep. Besides," his stern visage warmed by way of a lopsided grin, "it's been ages since I've been so pleasantly diverted as I've been this evening by your pleasant and diversionary selves, and I would not be averse to averting that eventual eventuality when our diverse paths must inevitability … diverge.
"But first…" He shifted his weight from one leg to another, his nose twitching. "If the two of you will excuse me for a moment before we take our leave of this quaint hostelry, I'm afraid nature calls, quite pressingly, and rather than offend the lady's delicate sensibilities by availin' meself of the accommodations at hand-or, rather, those presently situated under yon bed-I will instead remove meself to this fine establishment's considerably less-than-fine public privy." He made a small bow to Elizabeth before sashaying unsteadily to the door. Just as he lay his hand upon the latch, he turned and fixed each of them with hawkish black eyes. "And don't you even begin to entertain the slightest notion of the idea of takin' your leave whilst I'm gone. Savvy?"
Will was about to protest, intending to do exactly what the Captain was warning them not to, but Elizabeth laid a hand upon his arm. "Yes… savvy," she said to the Captain.
He tilted his chin up and narrowed his blackened eyes sceptically at them, then with a little moue and a curt nod of his head, he turned and staggered from the room.
Once the door closed, and the sound of the Captain's boot-heels receded down the hall, Will made a motion toward the hamper. "Come on, Elizabeth. If we leave now, we can be well away by the time he returns."
"Will…" she began, hesitantly.
He paused in mid-stoop and looked up at her. She stood, hands folded before her, still as a statue, making no move to retrieve the basket or her cloak.
"Elizabeth … hurry!" he exhorted. "He won't be gone long…"
"But I just promised him we'd wait." She had that stubborn set to her jaw that told him she would not be swayed from her decided course.
He sighed and straightened again. "But what happens when we reach our destination, and he sees that your 'home' is the Governor's mansion? I thought you wanted to keep your identity a secret…"
"We'll just have to think of something on the way. Besides, the man did save our lives…"
"For which you paid him, handsomely!" Will interjected. "Not only with a lavish Christmas feast, but also with your mother's necklace."
Her face crumpled, and he immediately regretted his harsh tone, continuing more gently, "Elizabeth … why did you give it away to him? How could you even consider parting with something that means so much to you … for a man like him? How do you know he won't just waste the gift … barter it for more rum, and happily drink himself to death?" He thought again of the underdressed woman they had encountered earlier, and suspected what else a man with low morals and flush with newfound riches might spend them on.
When she looked up he saw her eyes had welled up again with tears, her lower lip trembling. "Oh, Will. Have you forgotten so soon how it is to suffer the loss of someone - or something - you dearly love?"
Will was quite taken aback by the depth of emotion on her face, felt a lurch in his heart as he remembered his own mother's death, a scant year ago. As memories washed over him, both happy and sad, he-only just-maintained his composure, though he couldn't prevent his voice cracking a bit as he said, "Losing a ship is hardly the same as losing a parent, Elizabeth. That is, providing one can trust that that little tale he told was true…"
Elizabeth inclined her head slightly, conceding Will's point. "I suppose you're right; he might be playing us false. But I can't help feeling, here-" she lay her hand upon her chest, right over her heart, "that he was being utterly sincere. My heart is telling me that man is grieving a loss every bit as deep and genuine as our own, and that that grief has eaten away at him, taken away his last shred of hope, until all that was left for him was … this." The sweep of her arm took in their squalid, bottle-strewn surroundings.
A tear escaped her brimming eyes, and Will barely restrained a sudden impulse to brush it away, to let his thumb tenderly tracing the curve of her cheek, allow it to linger perhaps just a few seconds longer than might be considered proper.
"If there was a way for me to ease his pain, to restore some of the hope he had lost … how could I not do it?"
Will sighed and hung his head a moment. "You have an extraordinarily kind heart, Elizabeth. I only hope you have no cause to regret it, later."
* * * * *
By the time they had finished packing up the hamper and tidying up the leavings of their impromptu Christmas Eve dinner, Captain Smith had yet to return.
"I wonder what's keeping the Captain?" Will said.
"You don't suppose something has happened to him?" Elizabeth fretted, with a worried frown. Her eyes widened in alarm. "What if the men who beat him came back to finish what they started? Or the man he saved us from?"
Will gave a rather uncharitable snort. "Perhaps, as drunk as he was tonight, he's fallen down the privy."
Elizabeth shot him an affronted glare. "Will! That's not funny!"
Will gave a slight roll of his eyes, and was about to retort when there was a noise from the hall, just before the door opened, and the Captain re-entered the room.
It looked like he had paid a return visit to the pump as well as to the privy, only this time taking a little more care with his toilette. His hair was damp again, and his face appeared to be freshly-scrubbed, which only served to cast the livid bruises and fresh abrasions into clearer, and quite shocking, relief. As bad as they had appeared behind their concealing layer of grime, they looked even more horrific exposed thus.
At their combined stare, Captain Smith shifted uncomfortably, "Wot?" Looking down, he checked the closure of his breeches. "M' dinghy's not slipped its moorings, has it?"
Will coughed, suppressing sudden laughter, while Elizabeth flushed bright red. "N-no," she stammered, diverting her eyes and fiddling with the folds of her skirt. "We were just concerned that you had been waylaid. You've taken ever so long to return…"
He spread his arms. "Well, as you can see, I'm here now … and ready to escort my most charitable benefactress and her loyal swain home…"
While the Captain collected his sword and his hat, Will hefted the hamper - considerably lighter now that it was emptied of its edibles.
Elizabeth reached for her cloak, still spread across the table, but the Captain was suddenly at her side, doffing his just-donned hat as he gave her a surprisingly courtly bow and a gap-toothed grin. "If m'lady would permit me?"
He snatched the cape from the table and made a grand show of draping it over her shoulders, nimble fingers plucking at the loose flowing velvet, taking great care arranging the folds around her. When he had finished, he touched the brim of his hat respectfully, then gallantly offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he said, his poor, abused face moulding itself into a cheeky grin.
Smiling, she looped her arm through his. As they sailed past Will, seemingly oblivious to him, he sighed dejectedly and followed with the hamper.
* * * * *
With their escort's help, they made it out of the dockside area without incident. Though the moon was not as high in the sky as when he and Elizabeth had embarked upon their errand of goodwill, it still shone brightly enough to light their way.
Will followed just behind Elizabeth and Captain Smith, watching and listening as they chit-chatted about matters various and sundry. He seethed with resentment, watching the two of them, wishing himself in the Captain's place - capturing the steady regard of her warm brown gaze, feeling her slender arm linked with his, seeing the brilliant flash of her pearly teeth as she smiled up at him.
The Captain moved forward with his rolling, swaying sailor's gait, sharing with her - presumably, sanitised for her maiden's ears and sensibilities - tales of his adventures at sea, and Will wondered how many were true, and which were naught but embroidered and embellished twaddle.
He had just finished telling her of his altercation with the pirates - a tale so outlandish Will was certain it was mostly fabrication - when Elizabeth rejoined:
"Actually, we saw a pirate ship on our crossing from England."
Captain Smith raised a sceptical brow, clearly not believing her. "Do tell! A pirate ship, eh? And you lived to tell the tale?" He smiled indulgently. "And how did you know she was a pirate ship?
"She was flying pirate colours … a black flag with skull and crossbones, just like in the stories. She materialised out of the fog, like a ghost ship. She was eerily beautiful, with her tattered black sails fluttering in the breeze, and her black-painted hull…"
The Captain stopped in his tracks, bringing both Elizabeth and Will up short. He had the strangest expression on his face as he said, "A black ship, you say? With black sails?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said.
Smith's face had gone quite ashen, and still as stone. "How long ago was this?"
"Not quite a year ago. We were less than a week out of Port Royal. She had just attacked and destroyed a merchant ship whose burning wreckage we came across." Her expression turned grim. "I'm afraid there were no survivors, save for a boy we pulled out of the water…" She flicked a surreptitious glance at Will.
Memories of that day came unbidden to Will's mind… fire and fear, smoke and screams, bombardment and blood …
"Sounds like the Black Pearl," Captain Smith muttered.
Elizabeth gasped. "The Black Pearl! But isn't that Captain Jack Sparrow's ship?" She shook her head, a look of horror on her face. "Oh, no … it couldn't have been. Captain Sparrow simply wouldn't have done something like that … wantonly destroyed a ship, left no survivors."
"And what do you know of this Captain Sparrow?" he asked, eyes sharp in their blackened sockets as he regarded her. "Besides him being a notorious pirate, and captain of the Black Pearl…"
"Oh, practically everything!" Elizabeth gushed. "How he sacked Nassau port without firing a shot… how he vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company… how he defeated a dozen deadly, sabre-wielding Corsairs armed with only his sword, knife, and hat… how he escaped from a Turkish prison by picking the lock with the desiccated finger-bone of a skeleton… how he disguised himself as a concubine to rescue a kidnapped Persian princess from a sheikh's harem…"
The Captain's eyes widened as he looked down at her with a mock-horrified expression. "Quite prurient tales, for such a well-bred young lady. Tell me, missy … do you even know what a concubine is?"
She said, sheepishly, "Well … no. I did ask my father once, and he practically choked on his breakfast! All he said was that it was inappropriate for me to know such things, or to even ask about them." She fixed him with curious, questioning eyes. "Can you tell me what a concubine is? I'm sure you must know."
Captain Smith squirmed. "Yes, well … in this, I'm afraid I am in agreement with your father. No doubt, you'll find out, once you're older." Then the Captain's face thawed, the corner of his mouth quirking. "So you're fond of pirates, then?"
Will watched Elizabeth's face brighten. "Oh, yes! I think it would be simply marvellous to finally meet one! I find them utterly fascinating!"
"Do you, now?" Smith's quirky grin widened into a slow, somewhat amused smile. "And this Captain Sparrow … I take it he's your favourite?"
She nodded enthusiastically, and embarked upon another spate of feminine gushing.
Listening to Elizabeth extol the virtues of her pirate hero Jack Sparrow, Will found himself thankful that he'd never be in the position of having to directly vie for Elizabeth's affections with that fabled buccaneer. How could he hope to compete with the shining protagonist of her dreams and fantasies? Happily, Will was able to take comfort in the fact that the chances of her idol ever crossing their paths were infinitesimal, to say the least.
"Of course, there are some who are of the mind that all pirates are the same and, no matter what they've done, or haven't done, ought to hang."
"Is that so?" Captain Smith queried. "And who may these as-yet-unnamed 'some's be?"
"Well, Lieutenant Norrington, for one-he was one of the men in charge of the Dauntless, the Navy ship we came over on. My father, for another. And…" She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes flicking to Will.
Brief as the glance was, the Captain picked up on it. He stopped and turned, fixing Will with an incisive look. "Ah. I take it you support that opinion as well."
Will's return look was defiant, resolute. "I do," he said simply, without elaborating.
As Captain Smith's eyes narrowed, Elizabeth interjected. "I'm afraid that this is one of the few subjects on which Walter and I do not agree. But, please understand … he has good reason for feeling the way he does." The smile she cast Will was filled with sympathy, her eyes kind.
"And you?" the Captain asked, turning keen eyes back toward Elizabeth. "What are your feelings on the matter?"
She met his eyes, levelly. "I feel quite differently. I believe a man-any man-should be judged solely on his own deeds, or misdeeds-the good in him weighed against the bad, and taken into consideration when determining his fate and administering justice. As I see it, there are good and bad men in every walk of life. To say a man should die, simply for being a pirate, is, to me, simply wrong."
"Not the prevailing opinion, I fear. And your Captain Sparrow? Where does he fall into this scheme, eh? What makes this one pirate worthy of saving, when others might hang?"
She brightened again, happy to be brought back to her favourite subject. "For one, he's clever, and brilliant, and prefers to use his wits rather than deadly force to get his way out of a scrape. He doesn't kill gratuitously. It's said that he never takes a life, unless it's absolutely necessary to save himself, or the lives of his crew."
"Quite a paragon of piracy, it seems!" Captain Smith interrupted. He smirked. "Pray, tell me more…"
"And…" she started, then paused, blushing.
"And…?" the Captain prompted.
"Well … the stories also say that all the ladies fancy him, and consider him to be very handsome indeed. It's said that he's stolen as many hearts as he has chests of treasure, and that he's left a trail of broken ones from New Orleans to Singapore."
The Captain's smirk widened. "Well, darlin' … a woman's heart is indeed a precious thing, well worth the stealin'. Some may say it's a commodity more treasured than silver or gold. But, knowin’ what a scurrilous bunch pirates can be, I’d wager your Captain Sparrow spent considerably more time savin’ his own neck than those of any fair damsels. There’s no profit in it, after all-unless, of course the damsel in question, or her loving and devoted family, happens to be exceedingly rich…” He gave a rather wicked grin. “Or exceedingly lovely… preferably, both!”
Then his smile dimmed. "However, I'm afraid your tales of the Black Pearl and her captain are a tad out of date. The word one hears upon the seas of late is that Sparrow…" he paused, and closed his eyes briefly, as if in pain, "Captain Sparrow… lost the Pearl in a mutiny a few years back…"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh! No, I hadn't heard! Is he …" her lower lip trembled, just a bit, "… is he dead?"
Smith frowned and muttered under his breath, "Might as well be…" before responding, "Apparently, he was marooned on a desert island, left for dead, but somehow made a miraculous escape from said desolate spit of land, for he's been spotted, here and there, since then."
"Oh!" she let her breath out in a rush. "Thank heaven!"
"Still, perhaps you shouldn't believe everything you hear. It is just possible that tales can be somewhat - exaggerated. As heroic as you make this Captain Sparrow sound, the truth may prove to be less impressive … and, in fact, rather disappointing. There may be considerably more dark in the man, more sins on his account, than you give him credit for."
"I doubt that. You see, I believe in my Captain Sparrow." She smiled then, and took his hand. "And if not for the dark in man, sir, how could one recognise the light, and appreciate the fact that it exists?"
* * * * *
The three of them walked together, until they reached a clearing about halfway to the Governor's mansion. As they got closer to home, Elizabeth turned to their escort. "It's not much farther, now. There's no need for you to accompany us the rest of the way."
Before Captain Smith could reply, a sound rent the night, getting closer - the clatter of carriage wheels.
All three figures froze, and for a moment Will had a sudden urge to drop the hamper, grab Elizabeth's hand and seek concealment in the undergrowth alongside the road. But there was no time, as a carriage suddenly appeared 'round the bend.
Will felt Elizabeth clutch at his arm as the conveyance slowed to a stop right beside them. The passenger window lowered, and a white-wigged head popped out.
"Miss Swann? Is that you?"
"Lieutenant Norrington," Elizabeth acknowledged the new arrival, her hand tightening even more on Will's arm. He could hear the dismay in her tone-which he shared-at being caught out a mere quarter-hour from safely reaching the end of their Christmas escapade, with no-one the wiser.
"Might I ask what you are doing out here, young lady, when last I heard your father was convinced you were up in your room, sleeping the sleep of the innocent?" His eyebrows rose questioningly as his eyes flicked to the hamper in Will's grasp, the white napkin wrapped round his hand. He barely acknowledged Will's presence otherwise.
"We were merely taking an offering of food into town," Elizabeth started.
"For the needy," Will added, helpfully, earning a disdainful glance from the Lieutenant.
"In the spirit of the season, you understand," Elizabeth quickly appended. "We have so much, after all, and others have so little…"
Norrington's eyes narrowed (Will thought) with scepticism, then softened as they alit on Elizabeth, whose face had taken on a guiltless and earnest expression Will, even though he knew better, found more than convincing.
Apparently, the Lieutenant did as well.
"Yes, well … a noble sentiment, to be sure," he admitted, sounding somewhat chastened, though his eyes retained their sharpness. "And one to be commended, as all acts of charity must. Nevertheless, we can't have you wandering out here, alone, in the middle of the night. I'm afraid I must insist that you allow me the privilege of escorting you home, and I will make sure you are delivered safely to your doorstep, and into your father's care."
"Oh, but we're not alone…" Elizabeth began, turning to introduce their escort…
But the road behind them was empty, save for the pale shafts of Christmas moonlight.
Captain John Smith had vanished into the night.
(Part 6)
Title: "The Christmas Stranger" (5/6)
Author: luvvycat
Written for: geekmama
Characters/Pairing: Young Will Turner/Young Elizabeth Swann
Rating: PG
Warnings: Some doxy suggestiveness in Part 2; minor violence in Parts 2 and 3; salty language in Part 4; minor suggestive themes throughout.
Disclaimer: PotC is Disney's, not mine (darn it!)
Author's Notes: In response to GeekMama's request "J/E (etc. ?) at Christmas; or young Jack, or young Will/Elizabeth at Christmas." Not beta'ed (as my recipient IS my beta, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise!), so any errors are entirely my own.
Elizabeth smiled and squeezed the Captain's hand encouragingly. "And now I'm afraid Walter and I must go." She rose and turned toward Will, and only he saw the tear slip down her cheek-whether from the sacrifice of her treasured keepsake, sympathy for the Captain's plight, or a combination of both, he couldn't be sure.
As they started packing plates, cutlery, and the rest of the non-consumables back into the hamper, the Captain cleared his throat. "If you don't mind prolonging the dubious pleasure of me company, I'll see you whelps back home…"
"Oh, no!" Elizabeth was quick to interject, her eyes reflecting a trace of panic. "That isn't necessary…"
Captain Smith laughed, his voice lowering to an almost dangerous, silken growl. "Oh, no you don't, missy! I won't have gone through all the trouble of savin' the pair of you, only to have it all come to naught should some unhappy happenstance happen to befall you walkin' back." He flung his arm out toward the window. "In case it's escaped your notice, this ain't precisely the posh end of town." His gaze fastened on Elizabeth again, softening as it had done when she'd offered him the necklace, and when he spoke his voice was softer as well. "And a young lady of quality such as yourself-one so obviously not born to this squalid setting-can't help but draw undesired attention from a decidedly undesirable element wot cares not a whit for your personal safety. I'd hate the thought of you exposin' yourself to danger again, without proper protection…"
Will bristled, chafing at the man's summary dismissal of him as an escort, as well as his exclusion from the little circle of intimacy that seemed to have grown between the Captain and Elizabeth. He squared his shoulders and, with all the defiant dignity of a fourteen-year-old male, eager to prove himself, said tersely, "You needn't put yourself out on our behalf. I can protect her, and myself!"
The Captain shifted his focus to Will, looked him up and down with a critical eye, as though taking his measure as a defender, and as a man. "A noble and admirable sentiment, to be sure, lad. But if I may point out the obvious: I am armed, and you are not, and, as demonstrated earlier, there are men afoot who would not hesitate to take advantage of that rather visible vulnerability - as evidenced by that little memento you now carry on your hand, which the lovely Bess has so attentively and tenderly tended to."
Will's jaw clenched as he ground his teeth in frustration, knowing the man was right, and resenting him for that fact. The Captain seemed to sense this frustration, as his tone became less flippant, more conciliatory. "This is not to cast any undue aspersions upon your capacity as a staunch protector of wayward young ladies. But in my life-one considerably longer than your own, I might add, and full of experiences that I hope you never get to … well, experience-I've known numerous men the likes of he wot accosted you, and I'd heartily advise you take it to heart when I say that you-and 'specially Bess-got off mercifully easy with the fairly minor injuries and indignities you've incurred." His split lip curled into an expression that was more grimace than grin. "And if there's one lesson life has taught me thus far, it's that Fate is a fickle and capricious strumpet, and one not to be trusted, nor trifled with. Having already done you one favour tonight, she might not be so kindly disposed to grant you another, if you again so foolishly put yourself-and her-" he nodded toward Elizabeth, "-in harm's way."
The Captain turned back to Elizabeth, tilting his chin up and looking down his injured nose at her. "As for you, young lady-my gratitude to you notwithstanding for the kindness and charity you've shown me-you might more thoroughly consider the possible consequences of your actions, before drawing susceptible young men into adventures-or shall I say rather, misadventures- wot place both you and him in peril. And don't try to tell me that you weren't the instigator of tonight's little escapade. I can see you've all the signs of a budding adventuress about you, and no mistake!" Elizabeth's mouth, which had opened to protest his accusation, snapped shut. "If I may be so bold as to give you … well, not exactly fatherly, for I'm hardly the paternal type, but at the very least some friendly advice … There's quite a lot to be said for avoiding dangerous situations in the first place. Saves a lot of time, trouble, and potential personal bodily harm." He winced as his hand went to his side, no doubt prodding tender, bruised flesh concealed under his clothing. "A lesson I, meself, failed to heed tonight, with obvious, predictable … and, may I add, exceedingly painful … results."
Elizabeth slanted a guilty look at Will and at his bandage-wrapped hand, as though realising for the first time her culpability for the wounds he had suffered on her behalf, before nodding, looking sufficiently chastened. "Advice well taken, Captain Smith."
"I certainly do hope so." He straightened. "In any case … you've got yourself an escort, whether you want one or not, and I'll not rest until I see you safely to your doorstep. Besides," his stern visage warmed by way of a lopsided grin, "it's been ages since I've been so pleasantly diverted as I've been this evening by your pleasant and diversionary selves, and I would not be averse to averting that eventual eventuality when our diverse paths must inevitability … diverge.
"But first…" He shifted his weight from one leg to another, his nose twitching. "If the two of you will excuse me for a moment before we take our leave of this quaint hostelry, I'm afraid nature calls, quite pressingly, and rather than offend the lady's delicate sensibilities by availin' meself of the accommodations at hand-or, rather, those presently situated under yon bed-I will instead remove meself to this fine establishment's considerably less-than-fine public privy." He made a small bow to Elizabeth before sashaying unsteadily to the door. Just as he lay his hand upon the latch, he turned and fixed each of them with hawkish black eyes. "And don't you even begin to entertain the slightest notion of the idea of takin' your leave whilst I'm gone. Savvy?"
Will was about to protest, intending to do exactly what the Captain was warning them not to, but Elizabeth laid a hand upon his arm. "Yes… savvy," she said to the Captain.
He tilted his chin up and narrowed his blackened eyes sceptically at them, then with a little moue and a curt nod of his head, he turned and staggered from the room.
Once the door closed, and the sound of the Captain's boot-heels receded down the hall, Will made a motion toward the hamper. "Come on, Elizabeth. If we leave now, we can be well away by the time he returns."
"Will…" she began, hesitantly.
He paused in mid-stoop and looked up at her. She stood, hands folded before her, still as a statue, making no move to retrieve the basket or her cloak.
"Elizabeth … hurry!" he exhorted. "He won't be gone long…"
"But I just promised him we'd wait." She had that stubborn set to her jaw that told him she would not be swayed from her decided course.
He sighed and straightened again. "But what happens when we reach our destination, and he sees that your 'home' is the Governor's mansion? I thought you wanted to keep your identity a secret…"
"We'll just have to think of something on the way. Besides, the man did save our lives…"
"For which you paid him, handsomely!" Will interjected. "Not only with a lavish Christmas feast, but also with your mother's necklace."
Her face crumpled, and he immediately regretted his harsh tone, continuing more gently, "Elizabeth … why did you give it away to him? How could you even consider parting with something that means so much to you … for a man like him? How do you know he won't just waste the gift … barter it for more rum, and happily drink himself to death?" He thought again of the underdressed woman they had encountered earlier, and suspected what else a man with low morals and flush with newfound riches might spend them on.
When she looked up he saw her eyes had welled up again with tears, her lower lip trembling. "Oh, Will. Have you forgotten so soon how it is to suffer the loss of someone - or something - you dearly love?"
Will was quite taken aback by the depth of emotion on her face, felt a lurch in his heart as he remembered his own mother's death, a scant year ago. As memories washed over him, both happy and sad, he-only just-maintained his composure, though he couldn't prevent his voice cracking a bit as he said, "Losing a ship is hardly the same as losing a parent, Elizabeth. That is, providing one can trust that that little tale he told was true…"
Elizabeth inclined her head slightly, conceding Will's point. "I suppose you're right; he might be playing us false. But I can't help feeling, here-" she lay her hand upon her chest, right over her heart, "that he was being utterly sincere. My heart is telling me that man is grieving a loss every bit as deep and genuine as our own, and that that grief has eaten away at him, taken away his last shred of hope, until all that was left for him was … this." The sweep of her arm took in their squalid, bottle-strewn surroundings.
A tear escaped her brimming eyes, and Will barely restrained a sudden impulse to brush it away, to let his thumb tenderly tracing the curve of her cheek, allow it to linger perhaps just a few seconds longer than might be considered proper.
"If there was a way for me to ease his pain, to restore some of the hope he had lost … how could I not do it?"
Will sighed and hung his head a moment. "You have an extraordinarily kind heart, Elizabeth. I only hope you have no cause to regret it, later."
* * * * *
By the time they had finished packing up the hamper and tidying up the leavings of their impromptu Christmas Eve dinner, Captain Smith had yet to return.
"I wonder what's keeping the Captain?" Will said.
"You don't suppose something has happened to him?" Elizabeth fretted, with a worried frown. Her eyes widened in alarm. "What if the men who beat him came back to finish what they started? Or the man he saved us from?"
Will gave a rather uncharitable snort. "Perhaps, as drunk as he was tonight, he's fallen down the privy."
Elizabeth shot him an affronted glare. "Will! That's not funny!"
Will gave a slight roll of his eyes, and was about to retort when there was a noise from the hall, just before the door opened, and the Captain re-entered the room.
It looked like he had paid a return visit to the pump as well as to the privy, only this time taking a little more care with his toilette. His hair was damp again, and his face appeared to be freshly-scrubbed, which only served to cast the livid bruises and fresh abrasions into clearer, and quite shocking, relief. As bad as they had appeared behind their concealing layer of grime, they looked even more horrific exposed thus.
At their combined stare, Captain Smith shifted uncomfortably, "Wot?" Looking down, he checked the closure of his breeches. "M' dinghy's not slipped its moorings, has it?"
Will coughed, suppressing sudden laughter, while Elizabeth flushed bright red. "N-no," she stammered, diverting her eyes and fiddling with the folds of her skirt. "We were just concerned that you had been waylaid. You've taken ever so long to return…"
He spread his arms. "Well, as you can see, I'm here now … and ready to escort my most charitable benefactress and her loyal swain home…"
While the Captain collected his sword and his hat, Will hefted the hamper - considerably lighter now that it was emptied of its edibles.
Elizabeth reached for her cloak, still spread across the table, but the Captain was suddenly at her side, doffing his just-donned hat as he gave her a surprisingly courtly bow and a gap-toothed grin. "If m'lady would permit me?"
He snatched the cape from the table and made a grand show of draping it over her shoulders, nimble fingers plucking at the loose flowing velvet, taking great care arranging the folds around her. When he had finished, he touched the brim of his hat respectfully, then gallantly offered her his arm. "Shall we?" he said, his poor, abused face moulding itself into a cheeky grin.
Smiling, she looped her arm through his. As they sailed past Will, seemingly oblivious to him, he sighed dejectedly and followed with the hamper.
* * * * *
With their escort's help, they made it out of the dockside area without incident. Though the moon was not as high in the sky as when he and Elizabeth had embarked upon their errand of goodwill, it still shone brightly enough to light their way.
Will followed just behind Elizabeth and Captain Smith, watching and listening as they chit-chatted about matters various and sundry. He seethed with resentment, watching the two of them, wishing himself in the Captain's place - capturing the steady regard of her warm brown gaze, feeling her slender arm linked with his, seeing the brilliant flash of her pearly teeth as she smiled up at him.
The Captain moved forward with his rolling, swaying sailor's gait, sharing with her - presumably, sanitised for her maiden's ears and sensibilities - tales of his adventures at sea, and Will wondered how many were true, and which were naught but embroidered and embellished twaddle.
He had just finished telling her of his altercation with the pirates - a tale so outlandish Will was certain it was mostly fabrication - when Elizabeth rejoined:
"Actually, we saw a pirate ship on our crossing from England."
Captain Smith raised a sceptical brow, clearly not believing her. "Do tell! A pirate ship, eh? And you lived to tell the tale?" He smiled indulgently. "And how did you know she was a pirate ship?
"She was flying pirate colours … a black flag with skull and crossbones, just like in the stories. She materialised out of the fog, like a ghost ship. She was eerily beautiful, with her tattered black sails fluttering in the breeze, and her black-painted hull…"
The Captain stopped in his tracks, bringing both Elizabeth and Will up short. He had the strangest expression on his face as he said, "A black ship, you say? With black sails?"
"Yes," Elizabeth said.
Smith's face had gone quite ashen, and still as stone. "How long ago was this?"
"Not quite a year ago. We were less than a week out of Port Royal. She had just attacked and destroyed a merchant ship whose burning wreckage we came across." Her expression turned grim. "I'm afraid there were no survivors, save for a boy we pulled out of the water…" She flicked a surreptitious glance at Will.
Memories of that day came unbidden to Will's mind… fire and fear, smoke and screams, bombardment and blood …
"Sounds like the Black Pearl," Captain Smith muttered.
Elizabeth gasped. "The Black Pearl! But isn't that Captain Jack Sparrow's ship?" She shook her head, a look of horror on her face. "Oh, no … it couldn't have been. Captain Sparrow simply wouldn't have done something like that … wantonly destroyed a ship, left no survivors."
"And what do you know of this Captain Sparrow?" he asked, eyes sharp in their blackened sockets as he regarded her. "Besides him being a notorious pirate, and captain of the Black Pearl…"
"Oh, practically everything!" Elizabeth gushed. "How he sacked Nassau port without firing a shot… how he vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company… how he defeated a dozen deadly, sabre-wielding Corsairs armed with only his sword, knife, and hat… how he escaped from a Turkish prison by picking the lock with the desiccated finger-bone of a skeleton… how he disguised himself as a concubine to rescue a kidnapped Persian princess from a sheikh's harem…"
The Captain's eyes widened as he looked down at her with a mock-horrified expression. "Quite prurient tales, for such a well-bred young lady. Tell me, missy … do you even know what a concubine is?"
She said, sheepishly, "Well … no. I did ask my father once, and he practically choked on his breakfast! All he said was that it was inappropriate for me to know such things, or to even ask about them." She fixed him with curious, questioning eyes. "Can you tell me what a concubine is? I'm sure you must know."
Captain Smith squirmed. "Yes, well … in this, I'm afraid I am in agreement with your father. No doubt, you'll find out, once you're older." Then the Captain's face thawed, the corner of his mouth quirking. "So you're fond of pirates, then?"
Will watched Elizabeth's face brighten. "Oh, yes! I think it would be simply marvellous to finally meet one! I find them utterly fascinating!"
"Do you, now?" Smith's quirky grin widened into a slow, somewhat amused smile. "And this Captain Sparrow … I take it he's your favourite?"
She nodded enthusiastically, and embarked upon another spate of feminine gushing.
Listening to Elizabeth extol the virtues of her pirate hero Jack Sparrow, Will found himself thankful that he'd never be in the position of having to directly vie for Elizabeth's affections with that fabled buccaneer. How could he hope to compete with the shining protagonist of her dreams and fantasies? Happily, Will was able to take comfort in the fact that the chances of her idol ever crossing their paths were infinitesimal, to say the least.
"Of course, there are some who are of the mind that all pirates are the same and, no matter what they've done, or haven't done, ought to hang."
"Is that so?" Captain Smith queried. "And who may these as-yet-unnamed 'some's be?"
"Well, Lieutenant Norrington, for one-he was one of the men in charge of the Dauntless, the Navy ship we came over on. My father, for another. And…" She snapped her mouth shut, her eyes flicking to Will.
Brief as the glance was, the Captain picked up on it. He stopped and turned, fixing Will with an incisive look. "Ah. I take it you support that opinion as well."
Will's return look was defiant, resolute. "I do," he said simply, without elaborating.
As Captain Smith's eyes narrowed, Elizabeth interjected. "I'm afraid that this is one of the few subjects on which Walter and I do not agree. But, please understand … he has good reason for feeling the way he does." The smile she cast Will was filled with sympathy, her eyes kind.
"And you?" the Captain asked, turning keen eyes back toward Elizabeth. "What are your feelings on the matter?"
She met his eyes, levelly. "I feel quite differently. I believe a man-any man-should be judged solely on his own deeds, or misdeeds-the good in him weighed against the bad, and taken into consideration when determining his fate and administering justice. As I see it, there are good and bad men in every walk of life. To say a man should die, simply for being a pirate, is, to me, simply wrong."
"Not the prevailing opinion, I fear. And your Captain Sparrow? Where does he fall into this scheme, eh? What makes this one pirate worthy of saving, when others might hang?"
She brightened again, happy to be brought back to her favourite subject. "For one, he's clever, and brilliant, and prefers to use his wits rather than deadly force to get his way out of a scrape. He doesn't kill gratuitously. It's said that he never takes a life, unless it's absolutely necessary to save himself, or the lives of his crew."
"Quite a paragon of piracy, it seems!" Captain Smith interrupted. He smirked. "Pray, tell me more…"
"And…" she started, then paused, blushing.
"And…?" the Captain prompted.
"Well … the stories also say that all the ladies fancy him, and consider him to be very handsome indeed. It's said that he's stolen as many hearts as he has chests of treasure, and that he's left a trail of broken ones from New Orleans to Singapore."
The Captain's smirk widened. "Well, darlin' … a woman's heart is indeed a precious thing, well worth the stealin'. Some may say it's a commodity more treasured than silver or gold. But, knowin’ what a scurrilous bunch pirates can be, I’d wager your Captain Sparrow spent considerably more time savin’ his own neck than those of any fair damsels. There’s no profit in it, after all-unless, of course the damsel in question, or her loving and devoted family, happens to be exceedingly rich…” He gave a rather wicked grin. “Or exceedingly lovely… preferably, both!”
Then his smile dimmed. "However, I'm afraid your tales of the Black Pearl and her captain are a tad out of date. The word one hears upon the seas of late is that Sparrow…" he paused, and closed his eyes briefly, as if in pain, "Captain Sparrow… lost the Pearl in a mutiny a few years back…"
Elizabeth's eyes widened. "Oh! No, I hadn't heard! Is he …" her lower lip trembled, just a bit, "… is he dead?"
Smith frowned and muttered under his breath, "Might as well be…" before responding, "Apparently, he was marooned on a desert island, left for dead, but somehow made a miraculous escape from said desolate spit of land, for he's been spotted, here and there, since then."
"Oh!" she let her breath out in a rush. "Thank heaven!"
"Still, perhaps you shouldn't believe everything you hear. It is just possible that tales can be somewhat - exaggerated. As heroic as you make this Captain Sparrow sound, the truth may prove to be less impressive … and, in fact, rather disappointing. There may be considerably more dark in the man, more sins on his account, than you give him credit for."
"I doubt that. You see, I believe in my Captain Sparrow." She smiled then, and took his hand. "And if not for the dark in man, sir, how could one recognise the light, and appreciate the fact that it exists?"
* * * * *
The three of them walked together, until they reached a clearing about halfway to the Governor's mansion. As they got closer to home, Elizabeth turned to their escort. "It's not much farther, now. There's no need for you to accompany us the rest of the way."
Before Captain Smith could reply, a sound rent the night, getting closer - the clatter of carriage wheels.
All three figures froze, and for a moment Will had a sudden urge to drop the hamper, grab Elizabeth's hand and seek concealment in the undergrowth alongside the road. But there was no time, as a carriage suddenly appeared 'round the bend.
Will felt Elizabeth clutch at his arm as the conveyance slowed to a stop right beside them. The passenger window lowered, and a white-wigged head popped out.
"Miss Swann? Is that you?"
"Lieutenant Norrington," Elizabeth acknowledged the new arrival, her hand tightening even more on Will's arm. He could hear the dismay in her tone-which he shared-at being caught out a mere quarter-hour from safely reaching the end of their Christmas escapade, with no-one the wiser.
"Might I ask what you are doing out here, young lady, when last I heard your father was convinced you were up in your room, sleeping the sleep of the innocent?" His eyebrows rose questioningly as his eyes flicked to the hamper in Will's grasp, the white napkin wrapped round his hand. He barely acknowledged Will's presence otherwise.
"We were merely taking an offering of food into town," Elizabeth started.
"For the needy," Will added, helpfully, earning a disdainful glance from the Lieutenant.
"In the spirit of the season, you understand," Elizabeth quickly appended. "We have so much, after all, and others have so little…"
Norrington's eyes narrowed (Will thought) with scepticism, then softened as they alit on Elizabeth, whose face had taken on a guiltless and earnest expression Will, even though he knew better, found more than convincing.
Apparently, the Lieutenant did as well.
"Yes, well … a noble sentiment, to be sure," he admitted, sounding somewhat chastened, though his eyes retained their sharpness. "And one to be commended, as all acts of charity must. Nevertheless, we can't have you wandering out here, alone, in the middle of the night. I'm afraid I must insist that you allow me the privilege of escorting you home, and I will make sure you are delivered safely to your doorstep, and into your father's care."
"Oh, but we're not alone…" Elizabeth began, turning to introduce their escort…
But the road behind them was empty, save for the pale shafts of Christmas moonlight.
Captain John Smith had vanished into the night.
(Part 6)