Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction ❯ Master of the Sea ❯ Chapter 5

Title: Master of the Sea

Author: Hurricane Islandheart
Summary: This divergence picks up after the end of Dead Man's Chest with the rescue of Captain Jack Sparrow from Davy Jones's Locker. However, Jack finds himself quickly ensnared in yet another trap of Jones's design, and this time he's accompanied by Will Turner and James Norrington. Jones is not taking the loss of his heart to Cutler Beckett lightly, and his plans for these three men include making them pay dearly for allowing it to fall into Beckett's hands. Meanwhile, the crew of the Black Pearl is not taking the loss of their recently-recovered captain and good friend well. With Barbossa at the helm, they set out to find any means possible of getting Jack and Will back without losing their own lives in the process. While undertaking this endeavour, they discover that the Aztec gold may not have been the only curse on the Black Pearl.

Adult Content Advisory: This story contains excessive violence, extreme sexual situations, aberrational behavior, drug use and other elements which most parents would consider too strong for viewing by their children and may be upsetting to some adult readers. Reader discretion is advised.

Credits: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Dead Man's Chest (2006), and At World's End (2007) are copyrighted to Walt Disney Pictures and distributed under their Buena Vista label. The CotBP story was written by Ted Elliot, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie and Jay Wolpert; DMC and AWE story were written by Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio. The Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow series (written by Rob Kidd and illustrated by Jean-Paul Orpinas) is copyright 2006 to Disney Enterprises, Inc. The Pirates' Guidelines (by Joshamee Gibbs), Bring Me That Horizon: The Making of Pirates of the Caribbean (by Michael Singer), and The Art of Pirates of the Caribbean (various artists) are copyright 2007 Disney Enterprises, Inc. The Pirate Primer: Mastering the Language of Swashbucklers and Rogues (by George Choundas) is copyright 2007 to George Choundas.

 

Chapter 5

 

Weatherby Swann glanced up to see the first rays of sunlight breaking over the horizon through Cutler Beckett's balcony window. He squinted his eyes against the piercing light and leaned over the papers on the desk again to add his signature to the topmost sheet. He faltered slightly as he sat the pen back in the ink well; signing his name to documents had become meaningless - these days, he only signed what Beckett told him to sign. However, this night he couldn't get the sight of those brown eyes out of his head. Logically, he knew he had to be mistaken - Joshamee Gibbs certainly was not that young anymore, and Elizabeth would have let herself be killed as a pirate before she turned to prostitution to make a living. Or at least, he hoped that was the case.

 

Swann gripped the edge of the desk tightly to keep himself from falling as he swayed forward slightly on his feet. He closed his eyes to try to block the image from his mind, but the darkness only reminded him of the darkness of the previous night.

 

Beckett saw the waver and was immediately on his feet. He gripped the governor's elbow tightly to steady the older man and peered at his face with concern. “Are you all right, Governor?” he asked.

 

“Just...just exhaustion, I think,” Swann replied. He opened his eyes and looked wearily for a place to sit down; the chair that he'd been sitting in earlier suddenly seemed a long distance away.

 

Beckett guided Swann to the chair and motioned for Mercer, who was already coming around the desk, to assist. “Mr. Mercer, fetch the doctor, please,” he said.

 

“Really, that's not necessary,” Swann murmured. He watched through tired, half-closed eyes as Mercer moved quickly out the door. Admittedly, he did not feel that well - however, with Elizabeth missing and his status having been demoted to a yes-man for Cutler Beckett, Swann realized that he really was not that concerned if he made it another day.

 

It made him sick to realize that he'd virtually sold his honor and his soul to Cutler Beckett, but if Beckett held up his end of the agreement, it'd be worth it. He would have a lot of explaining to do to Elizabeth if and when he got her back, especially if Beckett's men killed William and her other companions in the process - but if it brought her home safely where she could be hopefully redeemed and talked out of that wild lifestyle, it would be worth it.

 

It would be worth it, he reminded himself. It had to be. To have gone through the humiliation of answering Beckett's beck and call, signing his name to laws and deals he didn't believe in, making requests of the king that he didn't feel were fair - if all of that were to prove to be for naught, he didn't think he could live with himself.

 

Swann suddenly realized that Beckett, as well as the doctor brought in by Mercer, were leaning over him and speaking to him. He blinked and tried to focus on what they were saying.

 

“I...I'm sorry, say again?” he asked wearily. “I'm afraid I was a bit out of sorts.”

 

Beckett's sigh of relief was audible and surprised Swann. “No worries, Governor,” Beckett replied. “We just wanted to let you know the doctor had arrived and would see to you.”

 

“We should move him to somewhere he can lie down for a bit,” the doctor said. “It would do him well to have some rest and quiet.”

 

Beckett nodded. “There is a guest room down the hall; the maids have it ready at all hours for guests. Governor Swann is more than welcome to rest there.”

 

“Do you feel well enough to walk, Governor?” the doctor asked. “I can call for assistance if you need it.”

 

“No, no, I'm all right,” Swann replied. He carefully got to his feet and drew himself upright. He wavered slightly and gripped the arm of the chair before stepping forward again. “I hate to be a burden. It's only down the hall; I can walk that far.”

 

The doctor stepped up and took one of the governor's arms and Beckett took the other. The two of them guided Swann down the hall to the guest room, and the doctor helped him into the bed.

Swann shivered as he pulled the blankets up around himself. The doctor glanced at Beckett. “Is there a maid who can tend to the fire and warm his feet? We want to avoid him becoming too warm or too cold.”

 

Beckett nodded and headed quickly out the door. The doctor turned his attention back to Swann. He saw that the older man was starting to drift off and gently touched the governor's shoulder to get his attention.

 

“I know that you're tired, Governor,” he began, “but I wonder if I might ask you a few questions before I let you settle in.”

 

Swann nodded. “It's all right,” he replied. “It's just the curse of getting old; I should be surprised I haven't slowed down before now, I suppose.” He paused and looked more carefully at the doctor. “You seem familiar; have you tended to me before?”

 

“Your household, at least, Governor Swann,” the doctor replied. “My name's Harmon Ansley - I attended to your daughter's mild illness this past winter.”

 

“Ah, that's right,” Swann replied. “Please forgive the lapse in my memory; it seems to be so short these days.” He let the sentence trail off as his thoughts once again drifted back to Elizabeth.

 

“You mentioned a few moments ago that you were feeling a bit out of sorts,” Ansley began. “Is that something that happens frequently for you?”

 

“No, not normally,” Swann said. He paused. “Well, at least until recently. It's...it's happened more frequently since Elizabeth went missing.” He folded his hands together and brought them up to his chin in thought. “I suppose I shouldn't dwell on it,” he continued. “She's a strong girl, she's been through a lot. I just can't bear the thought of losing both my wife and my daughter before I die.”

 

“She is a strong girl,” Ansley agreed. “I have heard that Lord Beckett's men are still searching for her; I'm sure he won't give up easily.”

 

“Yes,” Swann replied. His voice sounded distant as he spoke. “I am sure of that as well.”

 

Ansley noticed his voice and gaze go distant again. He reached over and gently touched the governor's shoulder to get his attention again. “Have you felt any pain or stiffness with your tiredness, Governor Swann?” he asked. “Or any odd sensations in your arms or legs?”

 

“No, no, none of that,” Swann said dismissively. “I'm sure everything is as fit as it can be considering my age.”

 

The doctor nodded. “Yes, you do seem to take care of yourself well, and your household's health was well-attended to the last time I was there.” He leaned over the older man and felt his forehead, then found the governor's pulse and noted that it was strong and regular. “I think I'm going to recommend bed rest for the day, and I'll suggest that Lord Beckett have a carriage brought up to take you home this evening. I'll stop by your mansion tomorrow to check back on you, Governor.”

 

Swann nodded tiredly and let himself relax on the bed again as the doctor stood to leave. Ansley turned and moved quickly to the door; just as he stepped into the doorway, he met Beckett, who was followed by a plump, middle-aged maid. Beckett glanced past the doctor at the dozing governor in the room, then the two of them stepped aside to make way for the maid to enter. As she attended to the room, Beckett and Ansley stepped into the hall.

 

“How serious is his condition, doctor?” Beckett asked quietly.

 

Ansley motioned for them to head back toward Beckett's office. When they were out of earshot of the room, the doctor spoke. “It's unfortunately very serious in the way that there's nothing I can do to remedy it,” he said. When Beckett remained silent, Ansley explained further. “The governor's daughter is his whole world, as I'm sure you've learned by now.”

 

He paused outside Beckett's office and waited for the lord to lead the way inside. He followed Beckett through the heavy wooden doors and walked across the room to look out the balcony window. “He's heartsick,” Ansley continued. “His daughter being missing has been obviously taking a toll on his mind and now his body is starting to be affected as well. Short of returning his daughter safely to him, the only thing that can be done is to try to keep his spirits up, make sure he rests when he's feeling weak, and hope for the best.”

 

Beckett sat down at his desk and folded his hands silently. He remained that way for several minutes, contemplating the doctor's words. Ansley stared out the window and waited patiently for Beckett to speak.

 

“Well, this is unfortunate,” Beckett finally said. “I had hoped that it would not come to this; Governor Swann is far too valuable to everyone on this island for him to fall victim to his daughter's waywardness.”

 

“And there's been no word of her whereabouts recently?” Ansley inquired. He turned to face Beckett as he spoke. “The last I had heard she was seen on Tortuga with Jack Sparrow and a rowdy lot of pirates accompanying him.”

 

“Unfortunately, that's the last anyone can confirm seeing her,” Beckett replied. “I'm afraid anyone who might have seen her personally isn't around to tell the tale.” He gazed evenly at the doctor as he spoke.

 

“Ah,” Ansley replied. “Well, that is unfortunate, then. I can't say that I've ever heard of much good coming from putting a woman on a ship, let alone on a ship full of pirates.”

 

“Indeed,” Beckett said. “The only option open to us at the moment is to keep Governor Swann alive as long as possible. Though my men are still looking for her, it's entirely possible that she found her fate with the less than desirable of this world.”

 

Just then, Beckett and Ansley were interrupted by a sudden pounding on the door. Both men looked quickly toward the sound as a soldier shouted from the other side.

 

“Lord Beckett! Lord Beckett, there is an urgent matter we must discuss!” The man's voice was shaken but clear.

 

“Come in at once,” Beckett called.

 

The door burst open and three soldiers rushed into the room. “Lord Beckett, Lieutenant Groves has gone missing, Sir,” one of the soldiers said. “There's reason to believe that he was the victim of foul play.”

 

Beckett looked up at them sharply. “Groves?” he demanded. “One of the soldiers guarding my estate? What sort of foul play?”

 

“Well, it's not entirely certain,” a second soldier replied. “He, ah, may have been in the company of, ah, less than desirable persons last night.”

 

Beckett frowned. “When a soldier is missing, I do not have time for niceties,” he said. His voice was low and held an edge of hostility. “Speak plainly of Groves's whereabouts the last time he was seen.”

 

“He was with a prostitute, Sir,” the soldier replied. He blushed furiously red and looked at the ground. “It was rather quiet last night after you returned with Governor Swann, so he decided to go with her when she approached us at the gates.”

 

“A prostitute, you say?” Beckett asked. He arched an eyebrow. “I take it there were no witnesses to where they went, then?”

 

“She was with an escort,” the soldier replied. “I wasn't able to get a good look at him - he remained in the shadows while she approached us. The two of them escorted Groves down the street toward the harbor.”

 

Beckett's lips pursed into a thin line. “The last time I was aware, prostitutes work the docks - they don't work the streets and return to the docks.” He paused in thought for a moment. “Where is Mercer?” he demanded. “Have him brought here.”

 

“We met Mister Mercer on the way to inform you of Groves's disappearance,” the first soldier replied. “We told him our business and he sent us to inform you of the problem while he searched for information.”

 

“Good,” Beckett replied. “At least one of my staff can be relied upon to handle matters without being spoon fed.”

 

He turned back to the doctor. “Doctor Ansley, if you would be so kind as to oversee the maids tending to Governor Swann, it would be appreciated. Please give them any instruction that will aid in his recovery. I'm afraid I'm going to have to divert my attention to handling this new situation.”

 

Ansley nodded. “Yes, Lord Beckett,” he replied. “I'll see to them right away.” He bowed shortly to Beckett and left in the direction of the guest room.

 

Beckett had just turned back to question the soldiers further when Mercer strode into the room. He guided a young boy firmly by the shoulder with his right hand and carried a large satchel with his left hand. He quickly glanced around the room and assessed the situation before speaking to Beckett.

 

“I expect that these two men have given you the basic information about the situation, Lord Beckett,” Mercer began. “It seems that Groves has at best been kidnapped. These were found on the docks.” He let go of the boy and removed Groves's weapons from the satchel and sat them carefully on Beckett's desk. He then turned to the boy. “Repeat for Lord Beckett what you told me,” Mercer instructed.

 

Beckett looked over the child critically as he waited for him to speak. The boy appeared to be no more than ten years old, and his filthy bare feet, ragged clothing and unkempt hair suggested that he'd spent the better part of those ten years in the streets. The boy shifted his weight and rubbed at the floor underneath his feet with his toes. He looked at his feet as he spoke.

 

“I got those off the docks,” the boy said quietly. “I didn't think that the solider was ever coming back for them, so I wanted to sell them.”

 

“Did you see what happened to the solider carrying them?” Beckett demanded. “What made you think he wasn't coming back for them?”

 

“Yes, I saw,” the boy replied. “I was sleeping under one of the crates on the docks and heard them walk past. I looked out and saw a pretty lady and a gentleman walking with the soldier to a boat that had been tied up. I was going to go and ask the gentleman for work, but then he and the lady took out guns and made the soldier put his weapons on the dock, then made him get in the boat. They took him away out into the water,” the boy said.

 

“And after that?” Beckett asked. His lips pursed into a thin line as he held back his anger.

 

“I waited until I couldn't hear the paddles of their boat no more, then snuck out and picked up the weapons the soldier had put down. I don't ever seen no gentleman or lady act like that, so I figured the soldier wasn't going to be coming back any time soon.”

 

Beckett carefully exhaled. “Indeed,” he replied. “And why did you not alert someone on the docks, or other soldiers here in Port Royal?”

 

“Nobody ever listens to me,” the boy replied. “I used to tell on people who stole or cheated someone or hurt someone, but I kept being told that I don't know nothing. They didn't kill him or leave a dead body or nothing, so I didn't bother with it.”

 

Beckett frowned. “Well, I am going to bother with it,” he replied. “Can you give me a description of the kidnappers - the ones who took away the soldier? I would like to have them arrested as soon as they are seen again.”

 

“They looked rich,” the boy said doubtfully. “I don't remember seeing them on the docks before. The lady was pretty and had curly hair done up fancy on her head; she was really white and had really red lips.” The boy tugged on his lip in thought. “She was wearing a green dress, I think. And the man was wearing black and had black hair and a black beard. He was hard to see, even in the moonlight.”

 

“A prostitute and her shadowy escort,” Beckett mused. He walked to his desk and drew a small purse out of one of the drawers; he removed a small coin and walked back over to the boy. “You've been most helpful,” he said. He pressed the coin into the boy's palm and nodded to the door. “Run back along to the docks,” he said. “On the off chance that the lady and gentleman come back, I want you to alert the soldiers immediately.”

 

The boy's hand instinctively closed around the coin. He nodded heartily and dashed out the door and out of the mansion.

 

Beckett watched the boy leave with a bemused look on his face. “What is it they say?” he wondered aloud. “Pay a man enough and he'll walk barefoot into Hell?” He turned back to the two soldiers and Mercer. “There is very little chance that any prostitute would have reason or ability to kidnap a soldier at gunpoint and take him out to sea,” he continued. “It seems our dear Miss Swann and her pirate companions are still alive and well.” He pointed toward the soldiers. “You two - put out word that Groves was kidnapped by pirates. I want every able-bodied person in Port Royal on alert for pirate ships in the vicinity.” The two soldiers nodded and hurried out of the office.

 

Beckett closed the door behind them and turned back to Mercer. “Mister Mercer, ready a search ship; I expect they're sailing in the Black Pearl once again, for them to have come and gone unseen as they did. Make sure the men are armed and have backup following them - if they encounter the Pearl, I want that ship sunk and everyone on board killed. Ensure that Lieutenant Groves is killed in the confrontation, if he's not already dead; he doesn't seem the type to hold up well under torture, and the only reason he'd have been taken alive would be for information. Oh, and have the same orders delivered to the Flying Dutchman; I doubt that the crew of the Black Pearl is yet ambitious enough to tackle the Dutchman, but should the Dutchman run across them it would provide a ready solution to our problem.”

 

Mercer nodded. “Right away, Lord Beckett,” he replied. He moved quickly out of the room.

 

Beckett walked back to his desk. He picked up Groves's gun and examined it for a moment, then looked at the map taking shape on his wall. “One way or another,” he reminded himself.