spacebabie | Hearts Across the Sea 4

Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean and all related characters belong to Walt Disney, Gore, Jerry, Ted and Terry.

Original Characters such as Julia Carlisle and Abigail Peterson are my own creation.

Characters: James Norrington, Theodore Groves, Murtogg, Mullroy, William Turner, Elizabeth Turner, Julia Carlisle, Abigail Peterson.

Setting: A few months after The Chosen.

Hearts Across the Sea

Chapter 4: Harbingers

“Right here,” James Norrington circled an area on the map southeast of Italy. “Sailors have said this was where they had last seen the ships. They have disappeared somewhere in the Ionian Sea. This is when we need to use extra precaution and keep our eyes out.”

“Do we know if our ships have are the only ones who have been attacked?” One of the lieutenants asked.

“We are not certain if they have been attacked,” Lieutenant Pryce answered before James had a chance to speak. “All we know is that they have vanished around this area.”

“Lieutenant Pryce is correct,” James nodded. “We do not have enough facts to even begin to jump to any conclusions.” He hadn’t thought about ships from other nations ending up in the same fate as the English ships. “Although you have asked an interesting question, Lieutenant Strap. I have never thought of the possibility of other ships also disappearing since it hasn’t been mentioned in the letter. We will certainly ask.

“We should be dividing into three shifts,” Lieutenant Pryce spoke. “I will take morning shift, Strap you and your men will have the mid shift and Lieutenant Carson will have the evening shift.

“You are all dismissed,” James nodded towards the lieutenants before he left the quarter deck and made his way to his cabin.

It had been smooth sailing since they had left port a couple days prior. Daily drills were handled and the ship was kept clean, everyone obeyed their orders and tried to get the tasks done as fast and carefully as possible. They were a good crew, one of the best that James had worked with, but not the best. He had lost most of those brave men, including Andrew Gillette, when he had lost the Dauntless.

James stared at his hands and wrists, the gold braid in his naval coat reflected from the sunlight. He remembered when he hadn’t worn as much decorum when he was out at sea, only during official ceremonies, back when he was Captain and Commodore, before everything fell apart, before Elizabeth fell off the battlements and that blight of the seas sailed into Port Royal.

“I did love her, once,” James sighed at the memories. They were friends in the past and still friends to this day. He had remembered watching Elizabeth run along with several girls close to her age, and one of them was Julia. “Thank you for rejecting our engagement, Elizabeth.” If she hadn’t he wouldn’t have seen Julia in a new light, nor would he have courted her. He slipped his fingers under his collar and pulled out the ring on the chain. He kept the jewelry hidden underneath his waistcoat and coat, kept out of sight.

A small cough caused him to let go of the ring and he turned to see Lieutenant Pryce standing next to him, a smile had faded away before James had slipped the ring beneath the layers.

“Is their something the matter, Lieutenant?” James raised his eyebrows.

“Nothing sir, I was going to inquire when you would like to take the helm, but I did not know what was the best way to address you,” he paused to chew on his bottom lip. “When your mind has been lost in such thoughts.”

“I see,” James did not betray his emotion. He had no idea how long Lieutenant Pryce had been standing there but it was long enough.

“I know what I am about to say will be considered to be too forward,” Lieutenant Pryce placed his hands behind his back. “All I can say she is a fine woman with a good heart.”

“I do find it a bit inappropriate for you to be poking at my personal life.”

“We all have been discussing it at the fort, sir. We are just, well pleased that you are in love and happy. You deserve to be, especially after all that had happened to you.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant, and to answer your question I shall take the helm within the hour.” He needed to visit his cabin, not for a drink, but to write down his progress so far in his journal, and to help himself to a praline.

“There is something wrong,” Elizabeth Turner stared at the slender tree in the back of her small garden. “Why is this one not well while they others are healthy.” The bark of the tree was paler than the others and the green leaves have developed grayish brown spots on their once glossy surfaces. While the other trees were flowering this one had no blossoms.

“I have to admit I do find it a bit odd,” Will Turner stood next to her as she examined the tree. “They were all healthy yesterday.”

“Why this tree?” Elizabeth asked. “I don’t see any fungus or any other kind of parasite growing on it. Are there any strange insects living inside?”

“I’ll investigate,” Will paced around the tree, staring at each branch and ran his fingers over the bark. “I don’t see anything wrong.”

“I’ll have Estrella fetch some water for it,” Elizabeth said. Perhaps it just needed a little more to drink.

“Do you think water will be enough?” Will asked.

“I don’t know what else to do,” Elizabeth didn’t want the tree to die. It may have not provided delicious fruit or nuts to eat like so many others, but when its flowers were in bloom they provided a sweet fragrance.

“I could get some dung from the donkey at the forge and have it put into the soil.”

“Do you think that will work?”

He shrugged. “Horse dung is good for plants and donkeys are close relatives to horses.”

“Thank you,” she smiled.

“I’ll have some sent over after we return from dinner.”

“It can’t wait,” Elizabeth did not remove her gaze from the tree. “We have to take care of it now.”

“But we will be late.”

“Please Will,” she stared into his eyes. “We have to have it done now.”

“It is just a tree Elizabeth.”

“Its illness might spread to other trees.” If one tree was perfectly healthy the day before and turned weak and dying the next day then who know what will happen to the other trees in their garden.

“It might not spread that quickly.”

“This tree was perfectly fine yesterday,” she pointed to the weak tree. “We will prepare for dinner after it has received the fertilizer and the water.”

“After I plant in the fertilizer I am going to need a bath,” he held out his arms.

“Then you will receive a bath and I shall help bathe you.”

Will’s eyebrows rose at the offer. “I better get the fertilizer then.” He walked at a high speed towards the gate before he broke out into a run.

Elizabeth just watched as he ran, wondering what could have prompted his new devotion. She thought about what she had said when it slowly crept into her head. “Oh William, I hope you do return real soon.”

“Steady pace gentlemen,” Captain Theodore Groves watched as several naval officers marched in a straight line. “I do not want to see anyone falling back. Keep your back’s straight, any slacking and you will see the back of a lash before this day is over.” Theodore kept his arms folded as his men marched to their destination. “Very well, but it could have been done faster.”

“Faster?” The lieutenant at the lead asked. “Any faster and we wouldn’t be marching, we would be jogging.”

“Are you questioning my order?” Theodore asked. “Just because you have earned your rank does not mean you are free from any physical reprimand.”

“With all due respect sir,” the lieutenant stared directly into his eyes. “We are already nearly running, several are trying to catch their breath.”

Theodore stared at the rest of the officers; many were breathing hard and appeared haggard. Beads of sweat had already formed on their foreheads and were dribbling down their faces.

“How long have we been at this?” Theodore asked. He hadn’t even noticed how tired he had felt. His mind was on both work and James, and a part of him was also thinking of Abigail Peterson, although he was not certain why.

“Nearly two hours, sir,” the lieutenant replied.

“Twenty minutes,” Theodore granted them the request. “You have been given twenty minutes to rest and cool off, after I want you to work on your target practice with your pistols. Lieutenant I leave them in your stead.”

“Yes, Captain,” the lieutenant nodded at him.

Theodore headed back to his office where he can rest a bit himself and continue on his paper work. He did not need to rest himself and did feel a bit guilty he hadn’t marched as much. He could have gone little further. He had found he was able to spend several hours on his feet without his leg bothering him at all.

He paused when he saw a child out of the corner of his eye. He was certain it was a young girl with a head full of golden curls. He did not think much of it at first. There were many children who came with their mothers to visit their fathers, uncles, and older brothers at the fort. She was a military man’s relative.

“Are you ready to take your tea?” Mullroy asked when Theodore walked past him.

“Maybe in another hour,” Theodore said. “Thank you for offering.”

Theodore’s office was clean and empty, a little too empty. He had often had meeting with James and several lieutenants in that office. Theodore had to keep his mind of the latest mission of the Naiad and think of work. He reached for a quill and nearly knocked over an ornate snuff box. It was a gift from Abigail, correction it was a gift from Mr. Peterson and Abigail had given it to him. Why did he want to think the gift had come from Abigail herself?

“You are not keeping your mind on what is important,” Theodore scolded him. He had work to do. He could at least look out the window and see if the twenty minutes were up.

What he saw had made him bolt up from his seat. It was the same child from before, dancing in the middle of the courtyard. There was no sign of parent around her. There was no one to grab her and reprimand her for running off, and what was even odder was the fact that no one seemed to have noticed. Marines and naval officers were still continuing their orders as if she wasn’t really there at all.

“Miss,” Theodore shouted at the girl. Fort Charles was no place for a child to be left unattended. “You shouldn’t be down there.”

Several uniformed men stared up at him in shock. The looked at each other and pointed at themselves before they stared up at Theodore.

“As you were gentlemen,” Theodore instructed and stared at the dancing child. “I am speaking to the child.” He pointed at the girl.

The men stared up at him with bewilderment in their eyes. “What child?” Several of them asked.

Theodore blinked and pointed at the direction of the child once again. She stared up at him, smiled and waved.

“I shall take care of this,” Theodore said and ran out of his office, down the steps and towards the courtyard. Part of him wanted the child to still be there. He had to make certain he wasn’t mad.

The little girl was still there, dancing in the middle of the grass. The bottom of her green gown was held in her hands as she pranced, pale golden girls bounced with each step. She wore no shoes on her feet.

“Miss you shouldn’t be here,” Theodore crossed his arms. “Where are your parents?”

“I should go,” the girl said. Theodore had never seen anyone as pale as her. “I’ll will be back to help you.”

“How do I need help, and how can you provide it?”

“Help you help he who helped me once.” She blinked. “I told him I would never forget what he has done.”

“Who are we talking about?”

“The one who is about to get into trouble, your friend he is. She wants him for herself, but like all her other toys she will grow bored and forget and he will be in the worse kind of pain, far worse than when she stood between him and the pirate, far worse than the storm.” She hiked up the bottom of her dress even further and turned around and ran.

“Wait,” Theodore held out his hand. “I still don’t know who you are talking about.”

“He is on your mind and seeking what had been lost.” The girl did not stop. “You will have to leave soon in order to save him.”

“Are we talking about James?” Theodore stared at the back of her legs as she continued to run. For a second he had almost thought he had seen sunlight reflect of her skin as if it were covered in shimmery scales.

“Captain Groves?” Murtogg asked from behind him. “Are you feeling well?”

“I feel quite well,” Theodore blinked. “I think I will have that tea right now.”

The dark waves were almost as high as the masts of the Naiad as they continued to surround the shaking and rocking ship. James Norrington held onto the wheel with his life as he tried to steer out of the tempest, his face was etched with both fear and disappointment.

The waves suddenly turned into tentacles, not the flesh and suction covered tendrils of squid and octopi, but coiling and writhing limbs made out of water. They wrapped themselves around the Naiad’s hull and squeezed, the mighty ship was crushed from the force, masts were snapped in half and within seconds it was rendered to kindling.

Ghostly women swam from the wreckage, each one carrying a half drowned sailor. Only James remained, floating in the center. He stared up at the sky; blood from the cuts on his face dripped down and mixed with the tears from his eyes.

“Luscious treasure,” a pair of pale hands, ending in long and dark blue nails grabbed onto James and pulled him under the surface.

Julia’s cries mixed with James’s screams she had heard in her head as she bolted up in her bed. The dream had been vivid, she could have felt the wind and smelled the scent of the sea and she was powerless to reach out to the man she had loved.

“Dear lord, no,” she stared at her hands. They were shaking. “Please God, not him; please don’t let it happen to James.” She reached over to the night table and grabbed the pocket watch she had placed there. She ran her finger over the surface of the cover. “It hasn’t happened yet.” She whispered. She might be able to prevent it, but she would have to leave as soon as possible. “I won’t allow anything to happen to you.” She brought the pocket watch close to her chest.