Chapter Five

Sally awoke with the sound of purry snores at her ear and smiled as she smoothly nuzzled her face against that of her husband. As always, what had truly roused her was the shaft of light splitting the darkness of their quarters. Their side of the ship almost always faced the rising sun. And even when it didn’t, the custom of waking at a specific hour woke her regardless.

“Jack,” she said, shaking him gently. He sputtered, snorted, and dozed further.

Seeing that he was soundly unconscious, she rose without him, donning fresh clothes. After wearing the same apparel for three days, she thought she could stand a change. She almost longed for the days when she was pampered and looked after and clean.

“Jack,” she repeated, a little sharper this time. The man rose quickly, then yawned, stretching like a dainty feline.

“Go wake Will and Pearl, if ye please,” Sally said.

He settled back and gazed at her. “Why me?”

“Because I know about that rum you snuck aboard,” she said. “And if ye know what’s good for ye—”

“Understood,” he said, pushing himself to his feet.

So he did remember her pouring those barrels out into the ocean… She watched him scramble out in his night breeches and shook her head fondly.

“Another day begins,” she murmured to herself.

* * * * *

"Pearl," a voice was saying.

She felt someone tugging at her foot, and she kicked at whoever it was and rolled over in bed, groaning and pulling the covers over her head. A hand reached up and pulled the covers off her face. Pearl's hand shot up and smacked whoever it was in the face and snatched her covers back over her head.

"No wonder yer mother wanted me to wake ye up," Jack said, rubbing the side of his face. There was a laugh from the door, and Jack looked up to see Will standing there.

"Have trouble getting your daughter out of bed?" he asked, leaning up against the wall.

Jack nodded then grinned. "Take that pitcher of water there, Will, and when I say, well ye know what to do with it."

Jack, quick as a flash, snatched the covers off Pearl and grabbed her legs, yanking her down onto the floor.

"NOW!" Jack shouted, and Will dumped the pitcher of water on top of Pearl’s head. The girl let out a scream and shot up into a sitting position and shook the water off her head. She opened her eyes to see her father and Will laughing at her.

Sally came to the doorway and sighed. “I figured you’d get her up one way or another.”

“How could you let them do this?” Pearl asked, running her hand over her soaked hair.

“Let them, nothing,” Sally said. “This was their scheme. Now get dried off and dressed. In the meantime…” She turned to Will. “You. Crow’s nest.”

He pointed innocently to his chest.

“Yes. Now.”

He nodded and hurried out. Sally turned just in time to see Jack tiptoeing, almost all the way out of the room.

“Wait right there!”

He snapped his fingers and turned back, looking sullen.

“You are not getting anything from those rum barrels this early in the morning,” she scolded.

”Not even—”

“Not even a nip,” she said. “Off ye go. To the wheel!”

He nodded and stomped out like a sulking child.

“Men,” Sally said, leaving to let Pearl get ready.

Pearl shook her head, sending water all over the room. She soon emerged in fresh clothing, her long red hair still soaking wet though. Her eyes quickly went to the crow’s nest where Will was, then she headed up to the wheel.

She poked her father in the side. "No dumping water on me in the morning."

Jack shrugged. "Ye should 'ave gotten up."

Pearl rolled her eyes as her mother came over. "What do you need me to do today, mum?" she asked.

“Well, the deck needs swabbing…” She sighed at the pleading look in her daughter’s eyes. “But I figure one of the scallywags can do that. Can ye take care of the broken cell door in the brig? Ever since we threw Enus in their to sleep off a drunk, it just hasn’t been the same.”

“Sure, mum,” Pearl said.

“Tools in the—”

“I know,” Pearl said, waving her off as she wandered away.

Sally smirked and turned back to the horizon, hoping that Jack wasn’t too hung over to steer correctly.

Pearl grabbed the tools and went on down to the brig. She looked at the door and shook her head as she pulled out some tools. Pearl was banging on the door when she stopped. She thought she had heard someone scream above deck. She frowned, and heard nothing else, then banged away again. Pearl was tossed to the other side of the ship as something hit it. She heard the sound of cannons go off again, and the ship rocked another time. She scrambled to her feet and raced above deck.

“Starboard!” Sally screamed at the top of her lungs. There was a scrambling of men and weapons and cannons. Sally spotted her daughter. “Pearl! Don’t do a thing til they board! Yer my secret weapon, lass!” She turned to the crow’s nest. “Get outta there, Will!”

He nodded but did not act quick enough. A cannonball swooshed overhead and slammed into the crow’s nest, reducing it to kindling.

“Will!” Pearl shrieked.

Sally watched helplessly as he struck the deck in a heap. The two women ran to him as he lay sprawled in his back, eyes shut.

“Is he dead!?” Pearl asked in a panic.

“I doubt it,” Sally said. “Will! Can ye hear me!?”

He raised his head slowly and blinked at her.

“Am I hit?” he asked, his voice thick as his head wobbled. “Am I… injured?”

“Ye look as alive and handsome as ever,” Sally said. “On yer feet. We’re under attack.”

"I got that much," Will said as Pearl reached down and helped him up.

Sam went dashing past them and stopped when he saw Pearl. "Be careful, Pearl! Don't get tossed in the water this time!"

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Don't worry. Besides the crow’s nest is already gone."

"SAM, GET TO YER STATION!" Sally screamed as she looked to see him standing there talking. "Will, Pearl, you two get ready. Their gonna board us any second!"

Pearl pulled out her new daggers, and Will his sword. She grinned. "Ye ready for a real fight?"

He nodded as ropes and boards attached themselves to the Black Pearl and pirates came over.

Sally drew her blade and slashed at the nearest enemy, taking him down quickly as more charged. She heard a growl to her right and turned, knocking the hilt of her sword against the man’s head. He crumpled to the deck woozily. Three more pirates converged on her at once, but she was undaunted. She whirled, kicked, and cut her way through them, glancing at Pearl once she had a moment.

The young woman was twirling her knives and fighting like an expert, swinging and slashing as a few men drew back from her in intimidation.

Sally noticed a man attempting to swing aboard the ship and pointed him out to Pearl. Pearl drew back and threw one of her daggers at the rope’s middle, severing it and causing the man to fall screaming into the ocean. Sally threw her daughter a sword as she sheathed her other dagger, and the fight continued.

Pearl's fighting stance changed as she took up a two handed grip on the sword. She twirled the sword and charged forward at the nearest enemy. Their swords clashed together, neither giving way to the other. The man came at Pearl with a series of hard sharp hits, making her back up. The man backed off for a second, and Pearl went at him, pushing him backwards until he was up against the side of the boat. She kicked him in the head, and he flew over the edge of the ship.

Pearl had a breather and looked around to see where everyone was. Her mother was holding three men at bay, her father was taking people down as though they were nothing, and Will was slashing away at two opponents.

She turned her head, eyes searching for Sam. As she found him she watched as his opponent knocked his sword out of his hand and drove his sword through his gut. Sam's and Pearl’s eyes both widened in shock as Sam slowly fell to the ground.

"SAM!" Pearl screamed and raced over to him. She quickly killed the pirate and dropped down to her knees at Sam’s side.

Sally turned to her daughter’s outcry and gazed upon the commotion. When she saw an opposing pirate come up behind Pearl, she threw her sword in his direction, watching with hopeful eyes as it flew end over end and plunged into his heart. She ran toward Pearl and hauled her up as the girl wept bitterly.

“I know, child,” Sally said, clutching her daughter with one arm and prying her sword free with the other. “But ye must fight. Keep moving. There’ll be time to mourn later.”

Pearl sniffled and glanced down at Sam one more time before taking up her sword and going after the nearest enemy with a rage she had never showed before. She spun kicked and slashed at anyone who got in her way, all the while edging towards the other ship. She grabbed a rope and swung across, landing on the other side and snatching at the captain. She knocked his sword out of his hands and placed hers across his neck.

"Tell 'em to drop their weapons, or ye’ll be seeing Davey Jones’ locker," she hissed.

"Ye wouldn't kill me. Yer just a young lass," he answered, laughing.

"Oh really?" Pearl pushed the sword closer to his throat, drawing a little blood. The man swallowed and called out to his men to lay down their weapons.

Sally swaggered over, putting a hand on Pearl’s arm and nodding for her to draw back a bit so the man could talk.

“Mind telling me what this little raid of yours was for?” she asked smoothly.

“We got word ye were headed for an island,” he said. “Seeking treasure.”

“Where would ye hear a thing like that?” she asked.

“Word gets ‘round,” he said, grinning. “We want in!”

“Well, this definitely wasn’t the way to get there,” Sally said. “Yer walkin’ the plank.”

“No!” he said at once. “No. We could help ye.”

“Help!?” Pearl exclaimed, putting her sword’s edge closer to his throat once again. “After what ye did!?”

“I trust no help, advice, or well-wishing ye could ever give, scum,” Sally said. “And I won’t let ye go free.” She thought for a long moment. “We’ll keep ye and yer men in the brig.”

"Aye, good idea, mum. I just fixed the door down their before this lot attacked." She gave him an evil look before she pulled a piece of rope off the ground and tied his hands together.

The Black Pearl's crew locked the rest of the enemy into the brig of the ship and made sure they did not have any hidden knives or things that could help them get out. Pearl shoved the captain roughly into his cell, sending him across to the other side and making him smack his head into the wall. He cursed and turned to glare at her as she locked him in and then went back up the stairs. She stood on the deck for a moment, looking over the dead bodies before going back to where Sam’s was.

Sally sighed as she looked over the fallen bodies. “Our crew has most definitely been affected. We’ve lost many, good men.”

“Good?” Jack said at her side.

“Hard workers,” she grunted, crossing her arms.

She watched Pearl as she knelt by Sam. She was about to approach when she saw Will join her, then thought better of interrupting them.

Pearl glanced at Will as he kneeled down beside her. Her face was tearstained again, and her red hair clung to her face.

"I never knew I cared so much," Pearl said in a soft voice as she stroked Sam's face.

Will put an arm around her shoulder. "Sometimes we never know how much we care until it’s too late," he said gently.

Pearl leaned into Will, and he enveloped her in a hug. She felt comfort in his grasp, and she felt safe. She leaned her head into his chest and cried as he rocked her gently.

Sally sighed and turned to one of the tired, lumbering crewmembers who approached.

“Gather some others and wrap the bodies,” she said.

“Ye want we should dump ‘em?” he asked.

“No,” she said. “Tonight, we bury them at sea. They deserve a ceremony of some sort. Go on.”

He nodded and gestured for a few others to follow him. Sally stayed put, sighing and letting the wind cool the sheen of sweat on her brow. She saw her daughter being comforted by a good man and felt at peace. She felt Jack place an arm around her and saw his sheepish grin, and she felt at home once again.

* * * * *

The sun shimmered as the water lapped at its approach. Three Sparrows stood at the ships bow, watching bodies drop to the water. The youngest of the three winced at each sploosh but was consoled by the presence of a fourth, one who had stayed by her side and comforted her throughout the day.

Sally watched the bond grow between Pearl and Will with approval. Jack watched with wary paranoia. When the swarthy captain named something “Pearl”, that was an insignia of preciousness to him. So he scowled at the arm Will sneaked around Pearl’s shoulders.

Pearl watched as two men carried Sam's wrapped body to the edge of the ship and dropped it over. Pearl felt her knees go limp, and Will put another arm around her to hold her up. She pressed her face into his chest as the water swallowed the body. Sam's body had been the last one, and the crew all bowed their heads in respect. The only sound was the water lapping at the edge of the boat, and Pearl's sniffling.

When they lifted their heads, Pearl was the first to leave. She climbed up to the crow’s nest and sat down, leaning her back against the pole looking up at the sun. A few minutes later, Will appeared and sat down next to her. He didn’t speak, but his closeness was enough.

Chapter Six

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