Splash!
A cry tore through the salty air, high and desperate.
"ELIZABETH!"
Vikram froze where he crouched behind a stack of crates. His heart skipped. He knew that voice, and when he rushed to the railing, forgetting entirely that he was meant to be hiding, he saw her dress vanish beneath the turquoise surface.
"That's Miss Elizabeth!" he exclaimed. She's the one who used to bring me bread and cookies! And the one big brother likes!
(Image)
His voice cracked with panic as he turned to the uniformed men nearby. "Save her! Someone! Do something!"
Jack Sparrow, leaning casually against the helm post, pretending to admire the horizon, lifted a brow.
He looked from the the boy to the churning water, then to the flailing guards.
"Well," Jack drawled, "are you going to save her, then?"
"I–I can't swim!" Mullroy stammered, flushing red.
Jack turned to Murtogg, who merely blinked at him.
Jack sighed, long and theatrical. "Proud sons of the King's Navy, you are."
With a huff, he began unbuckling his sword belt and sash. "Do not lose these," he said sharply, thrusting them into Vikram's hands.
Before anyone could reply, Jack dove cleanly into the sea.
Splash.
Suddenly, the water rippled outward, and for a brief moment, something deep below seemed to answer.
A strange tremor, like the beat of a great drum, echoed faintly through the water.
Vikram frowned, leaning forward over the edge. "What the hell was that…" he murmured.
And The air shifted. The seagulls scattered with shrill cries. A gust swept over the harbor, and the once-bright sky dimmed into an eerie overcast.
Vikram shivered. The hairs on his arms stood on end.
Moments later, Jack's head broke the surface, followed by Elizabeth, limp in his arms. He hauled her toward the dock with effort, gritting his teeth.
Murtogg and Mullroy rushed forward, with Vikram scrambling alongside them. Together, they pulled Elizabeth onto the planks.
"She's not breathing!" Vikram shouted, panic rising in his voice.
"MOVE!" Jack barked. Without hesitation, he drew a small knife and sliced open the corset strings.
With a gasp and a violent cough, Elizabeth sputtered to life, water spilling from her lips. She gulped for air as everyone exhaled in relief.
"Never would've thought of that," Mullroy muttered, half in awe.
Jack glanced at him sideways. "Clearly, you've never been to Singapore."
Vikram gave a shaky laugh of relief, until something glinted against her neck. A gold coin, strange and heavy, dangled from a worn out thread.
He crouched, curiosity overtaking him, and picked it up. "Is this... gold?"
It was gold, or at least, it should have been. But the color wasn't the warm, shining gold of coins in a merchant's pouch. This one was darker, aged, almost tarnished, as if it had soaked in seawater for a hundred years.
He reached out, fingers brushing against its edge. It was heavy. Too heavy for its size.
The surface was carved with strange, angular symbols, a sunburst encircling the grim face of a skull. The hollows of its eyes seemed to stare right back at him, mocking, alive.
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A faint chill crawled up his arm the moment he touched it.
Jack's gaze flicked down, his usual smirk fading for the first time. "Best not to touch that, mate," he murmured, his tone suddenly flat.
Vikram frowned, looking at him. "It's just a coin…"
"Not just any coin," Jack said softly, taking it carefully from his hand.
His expression darkened. He turned to Elizabeth, his usual swagger replaced by an edge of concern.
"Where," he asked quietly, "did you get this?"
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But before she could answer, the clatter of boots and the gleam of steel filled the air.
"Hold it right there!"
Commodore Norrington and his men came running down the dock, swords drawn. The Governor followed close behind, face pale with fear.
(Image of Commodore Norrington)
(Image of Governor)
Within seconds, half a dozen blades were leveled at Jack, and at Vikram, who froze mid-step.
"Wh–what did I do? I'm innocent!" he squeaked, raising his hands.
Governor Swann rushed to Elizabeth, wrapping her in his coat. "Elizabeth!" he cried. Then, to the Commodore, "Kill him!"
The Governor's command once again hung sharp in the air."And! Shoot him!"
Muskets were raised; Jack still stood nonchalant, still dripping seawater, eyes flicking from the barrels aimed at his chest to the crowd around him.
"Father!" Elizabeth's voice cut through the chaos, raw but firm.The Governor halted mid-gesture.
She stepped between Jack and the soldiers, clutching her coat tightly around her soaked dress. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"
Norrington hesitated, jaw tightening. After a long, tense pause, he slowly lowered his sword.
"Very well," he said at last. "A moment's gratitude, then."
He extended a gloved hand to Jack. Jack eyed it warily, then accepted it. In a swift motion, Norrington yanked him forward, flipping Jack's wrist. His grip tightened, eyes narrowing as he turned the branded skin toward the light.
The faint, seared letter P glowed against the tan flesh.
Norrington's expression hardened. "Ah," he said dryly. "A brush with the East India Trading Company, I see. Pirate."
Governor Swann stepped forward, outrage overtaking gratitude."Hang him!" he ordered. "Hang the man who saved my daughter's life!"
"You can't!" Vikram blurted, struggling as two marines grabbed him by the arms. "He saved her! You can't just-!"
"Silence, boy," a soldier hissed, tightening his hold.
Norrington's icy gaze flicked toward him, a single glance that froze the words in his throat, then back to Jack.
"Keep your weapons trained on him," Norrington ordered calmly. The guards cocked their muskets, surrounding Jack in a half-circle.
Vikram squirmed in the soldiers' grip below, still clutching the pirate's effects, sword, compass, pistol, and belt.
Norrington tugged up the loose sleeve on Jack's left arm and frowned at the crude tattoo etched into the skin, a small bird, mid-flight.
"Well, well," he said, a faint smirk tugging his lips. "Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"
Jack straightened his hatless head with a hint of wounded pride."Captain Jack Sparrow… if you please."
Behind him, Mullroy muttered under his breath, parroting, "If you please," as he snatched Jack's belongings from Vikram's protesting hands and handed them to Norrington.
Vikram glared. "Hey! Those are-!"
"Silence," one of the marines barked, shoving him down again.
Norrington inspected the items with disdain. "A compass that doesn't point north, a pistol with but one shot, and a belt that's seen better days."
He looked Jack in the eye. "You are, without doubt, the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
Jack smiled lazily. "Ah… but you have heard of me."
A ripple of amusement spread through the watching officers, quickly silenced by Norrington's glare.
"Put him in irons," Norrington ordered curtly, "and take him to the Prison."
And two guards seized Jack, wrenching his arms and snapping on a pair of heavy iron manacles. The chains clinked as Jack rolled his shoulders, unimpressed.
Jack took advantage of the pause. His eyes darted, to Elizabeth, recovering in her father's arms… to the distracted marines… to the edge of the dock.
"Commodore!" Elizabeth's voice rang out, clear and urgent. She stepped forward, still pale but defiant. "I must protest!"
"Elizabeth, please," her father warned, but she ignored him.
"Pirate or not, this man saved my life," she said, her eyes flashing at Norrington. "You owe him thanks, not a noose!"
"One good deed," Norrington replied stiffly, "does not redeem a man from a lifetime of wickedness."
Jack smiled faintly. "Though it seems to have bought me a few seconds more to live."
Then, in one smooth motion, he twisted his wrists, swung the length of his chains around Elizabeth's neck and shoulders, pulling her flush against him. The cold steel links gleamed in the sun.
Gasps erupted across the dock. Governor Swann froze.
"Elizabeth!" he cried.
Jack leaned close to her ear and whispered with a grin, "I knew you'd warm up to me."
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"Hold your fire!" Governor Swann shouted desperately. "Don't shoot! please!"
"Don't move," Jack said lightly, eyes on Norrington. "You'll endanger her."
"Release her!" Norrington barked, stepping forward.
"I can't do that," Jack said, backing slowly toward the stairs leading off the dock, Elizabeth still in his grasp. "Not just yet."
He tilted his head toward Vikram, who still held his artifacts. "You there, lad! My effects, if you please."
Vikram blinked, startled, but tossed the gear toward him. Jack caught it deftly, never taking his eyes off Norrington.
"Now then," Jack said, tightening his grip slightly on Elizabeth's arm, "this will be the day you will always remember as the day that you almost caught-"
He shoved Elizabeth forward, released her, and with a grin,
"-Captain Jack Sparrow!"
He spun, leapt off the dock, grabbed a rope, and swung cleanly over the harbor, landing on a passing sailboat below. Then sprinted up and dove cleanly off the edge, vanishing into the harbor below.
A splash echoed through the silence.
Then,
Gunfire erupted.
Smoke filled the air.
"AFTER HIM!" Norrington roared. "Don't let him reach the town!"
Muskets fired, bullets splashing uselessly into the sea.
Vikram scrambled to the edge of the dock, shouting after the fleeing pirate, "HEY! YOU STILL OWE ME TWO SHILLINGS!"
A few yards away Jack's head broke the surface. He glanced up, water streaming from his hair, and shouted back, "Add it to my tab, lad!"
Norrington's fury boiled over. "Seize that boy as well!" he snapped, pointing at Vikram. "He aided the pirate!"
Two guards seized Vikram instantly.
"What?! I just handed him his belt!" Vikram protested, kicking as they dragged him away. "I'm innocent! I didn't even get my two shillings!"
"Take him," Norrington repeated without even looking back.
As Vikram was dragged away down the dock, he shouted at the retreating Commodore, "You're arresting the wrong guy! I'm just a witness! …And he still owes me two shillings!"