spacebabie | Hearts Across the Sea 12

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 12: Preparing and Planning

The cock pit was nearly empty, only a couple of marines stood near the entrance and Will Turner could clearly see they were not Murtogg or Mullroy and it wasn’t just because they were arguing over trivial manners. In a way those two marines reminded him of those two bickering pirates from Jack’s crew, except they had a sense of honor and some form of intelligence. The lack of soldiers had meant less crowding and a perfect place for another sword lesson for Julia.

“Now let us see what my wife had taught you,” Will carefully held the sword with the blade pointed down.

“She has taught me well,” Julia still seemed nervous and maybe it was the fact they had stopped using wooden swords and moved on to the real thing. “She had one of the best teachers herself.”

Will smiled at the compliment. “Come at me,” he commanded.

Julia ran forward thrusting her blade from side to side. Will brought his blade quickly against Julia’s deflecting the attack until he had quickly turned the tables and she was the one on defense. With a few strikes he had disarmed her.

“Do you know how I managed to defeat you?” He asked while she retrieved her fallen blade.

“It was because you were inhumanly fast?” She asked.

“No it is because you were clearly only swinging to defend yourself.”

“Well of course I was.”

He nodded. “That is good, but when you are in a sword fight you will also want to attack your opponent, try to disarm them and even kill them.”

She nearly dropped her blade. “I do not wish to kill anyone.”

“I know,” Will had sighed. Elizabeth was almost the same when he first taught her. “But if it was something attacking you father, or your friends or James you may feel different.”

“I would try to injure them, I don’t know if I would be able to kill them.”

“For moral reasons?” Will raised an eyebrow.

“I am also not certain about my abilities,” she pointed to her left eye. “I am still blind here.”

“You have told me you are not completely blind there. When you and everyone who had become a Favorite were releasing that healing and repairing energy your eye had healed.”

“I can tell when it is night and day and when I am inside or outside. It is like holding a piece of parchment over my eye. I can see people moving, but they are like blurry shadows.”

“You can see more than a certain pirate that I know. He is missing an eye and he is an able fighter with a sword.” He felt the crystal dove against his chest. He hadn’t noticed it before, but it had recently become cooler to the touch.

“More practice it is then,” Julia held up her sword.

Will nodded. “Now let us see you try to defend yourself.” He relaxed his arm once more.

“If you were coming at me I would be doing this,” She swung the sword from side to side as she had done before.

“Very good, now I am going to attack you.” He raised his sword and struck it against hers. “Keep defending your self and wait and look for the right moment. When the blade goes back parry forth.”

“Like this?” She thrust the blade forward.

“Yes, but you were too soon,” he struck back quickly. “You want to both be able to defend yourself and attack.”

“Is now a good time?” She thrust the blade forward again and almost struck his wrist. She would have struck flesh if he hadn’t defended himself at the last minute.

“Excellent, you are getting better.” He noticed she was starting to tire of the exorcise. “We should rest for a minute.”

“Are you certain these skills will be necessary when we fight against Lorelei and the merfolk?”

“Yes,” a gravely voice came from the entrance. Saris was standing on the bottom step, leaning against the wooden cane of his and kept back by the two marines.

“What are you doing down here?” Will step in front of Julia. He was not about to let the shabby man near him or his friend. He did not trust the man, even if the crystal felt cooler than usual and created a ticklish tingle to course through his body. “I thought you were guiding Captain Groves.”

“I have given him and his little friend the necessary coordinates,” Saris answered.

“That does not explain why you are down here.”

“William Turner,” Julia whispered. “Do not be rude.”

“I’m sorry if I am a bit suspicious,” Will whispered back.

“I have heard you were a great swordsman and you were teaching one of the young ladies. I have also noticed there is a touch of destiny about the two of you.”

“I have heard that before,” Will did not lose his frown. “I am hoping I am not going to become something else.”

“You have pretty much lived out what you were destined for,” Saris pointed at him. “You have helped someone slay something of legend.”

“I have,” Will said, thinking of holding his father’s wrist and guiding his hand and knife to the pulsating heart of Davy Jones.

“What of me,” Julia asked. “What am I destined for?”

“I cannot say,” the strange man turned around and limped up the stairs.

“I wonder if I am destined to destroy Lorelei,” Julia stared at her sword.

“You might be,” Will nodded. “And if you are you are going to need a bit more practice.

She had done it again. That creature, after she finished violating him with her mouth, had sung again. When he awoke he had found his arms were no longer bound. He had thought they would have set up an actual door to his sleeping chamber and kept him locked inside. They hadn’t. He was still able to slip through the cloth and move around. It was when he was outside he had noticed the section where his sleeping chamber and dining area were located was sealed off by cages made from bones and upon further examination he had noticed they were the bones from whales.

“Why should I expect it to be any different?” James ran his fingers against the surface of the bones. It was a morbid prison, but he was thankful they were not human bones. He had more range than what he had originally expected, and at least he wasn’t bound. “I do wonder how long have they been here.”

He closed his eyes, preparing to he hear her voice; a voice that he had once believed to be enchantingly beautiful had turned into a sound that caused a slow chill to slither down his spine. He could not believe what she had done to him. It was easier for him to believe what she and her people were than the heinous act she had performed on him. The only relief he found was when he woke to find his clothes had been placed on his bed.

“So you are not here,” James opened his eyes. He could not hear her, yet he felt he wasn’t alone. He turned around, and there she was standing a few feet in front of the skeletal barrier. “You,” James hissed and jumped back.

“What is wrong, my love,” Lorel stepped closer. “Are you not surprised to see me?”

“I am not your love,” James answered coldly. “I am not your anything.”

“You are my mate,” her slender fingers stroked against the bars. “Or at least you will be.”

“Never,” he took another step back. “I will never be your mate, even if you do alter my form.” He would swim away, find a way to rescue the rest of his men and swim back to Port Royal, back to Julia. He hoped she would still love him in his new form. “Has my transformation already begun?”

“I have not transformed you, nor have begun the spell. It will not work until the full moon and it will be a few more nights until then, and you will be my mate.” Her voice grew even softer.

“I do not want anything to do with you. I despise you.”

She shrank back hurt. “Why not? Am I not beautiful?”

“You are very beautiful, but there is more to a fine woman than just beauty,” he thought of the women he had fallen in love with in the past, including Elizabeth and Julia. “They are intelligent women, those who are caring, can laugh at a joke, appreciate fine food and music. They have their own talents.” His smile faded. “They do not attack ships, capture men for food or breeding purposes, nor do the tie men down and violate their bodies.”

“That was a violation?” Lorel stared at him in confusion. “I had thought you enjoyed it. The movement of your hips, the way you had your eyes half closed, the way that you moaned, and then you sprayed your seed.” She licked her lips. “Do you not realize how delicious your seed is?”

“I-,” James did not know how to answer that. His entire body had frozen over and he felt feel his whole body flush from embarrassment.

“I forgot how you can’t really do that with legs. You will once your transformation is complete.”

James still couldn’t believe the words that had fallen out of her mouth. They were not fit for a woman, or a man. Jack Sparrow would have blushed from embarrassment if he heard such words.

“Is there something wrong?” Lorel’s eyes had widened. “You have changed colors rather quickly. You were pink and then red, and now you are ghostly pale. Are you ill?”

“I am not ill,” James felt his mouth work. “I am just recovering from shock.”

“What has caused such shock?”

“From what you have said,” James felt all sense returning. “Did you not realize what you had said? Did you not hear yourself?”

“Those are human concerns my love,” she slid her arm through the bars, but James was too far out of reach from her hand. “I have nearly forgotten what had caused men to be embarrassed over such trifling matters, soon you will not have to worry about those.”

“I refuse to allow you to transform me. If there is a potion I will not drink. If there is a spell chanted I refuse to listen. You will not transform me and I will not be your mate.”

“You are the most fitting member of your species. Do you not want to be immortal, to be a god?”

“I am quite happy being a mortal human. I enjoy my life. I prefer to be aboard a ship above water, with my crew. We fight together, laugh together, we are more than just military men, and we are friends. I have friends back at my island home. I am in love already with a woman who lives there.”

“Ah yes,” Lorel rolled her eyes. “The human woman you mentioned.”

“You will not roll your eyes or refer to her in that tone of voice,” he approached her. “Julia Carlisle is a fine woman, lovely to the eyes, clever and kind and a talented artist.”

“Is she as beautiful as I? Can she sing at all, can she summon storms or calm a raging sea?”

“She does more than that,” James glared at her. “She can capture the exact images with her brush and pallet. She can bake the sweetest tarts made with marmalade. Her smile can light up the darkest night and her laughter is music of the heavens, while your voice and your presence disgust me.”

“How could you say such things?” She was still confused.

“I have already tried to explain,” he grabbed onto the bars. “But you refuse to listen. I am in love with another woman and do not wish to become your mate. I want to be returned along with my crew to land. I do not want to breed with you or swim over your egg and,” he gritted his teeth. “Spray my seed.”

“We breed like the dolphins, not like the fish.”

James sighed. It was easier for him to get through to Sparrow than someone like her. “It doesn’t matter, even if I was a merman I still wouldn’t be interested.”

“You will soon change.”

“Not if I can prevent it.”

“But you can’t,” she turned on her heel. “You won’t be able to. I will see to it that you will fall in love with me.”

James watched as she ran off, and did not care if she was crying or not. He had to think of way to escape, find his men and free them, and together they would figure out a way to return to Port Royal.

“According to the coordinates Mr. Saris had given me we will be sailing here,” Theodore Groves circled the location on the map. He was alone in his cabin, save for Whitecap. Once he had the course plotted he will present it to his lieutenants. “The only problem is there is no island. “

“Many sleep in grottos,” Whitecap explained. “They are keeping Admiral Norrington and the others down there.”

“Unfortunately there is no possibly way for us to reach this area; I doubt any of us can hold our breaths long enough.”

“You don’t have to worry about that part. I will find a way to get us down there.”

“Thank you,” he patted her gently on top of the head. “I will be meeting with my lieutenants, but first I shall speak with the others. I know where Mr. Turner and Miss Carlisle are, I do not even know where Mr. Saris is.”

“There is something about him,” Whitecap placed a finger underneath her bottom lip. “I don’t know what it is, but there is more to him than what he seems.”

“There is no doubt he is eccentric,” Theodore nodded. “Not near in the same range as Captain Sparrow. I should inform Miss Peterson first, get over the painful part rather quickly.”

“Why would speaking with her be painful?”

“Have you not observed the way she acts and speaks? She has been quite rude with you.”

Whitecap shrugged. “I do not mind. She must have her reason.”

“If she had a reason then why won’t she tell me?”

“Have you asked?”

Theodore did not have an answer. He was certain he had asked before but he could not remember the exact words. “I am not too certain.”

“You could ask her when you give her the information.”

“Maybe I will.” It would depend on what Abigail’s mood might be.

Theodore frowned when he did find Abigail. She was seated in the corner of the deck, running a brush through her dark tresses. He found himself staring at each wave as the bristles glided through it and it reflected the sunlight. Her eyes were half closed; mouth was set in a half formed smile. Her complexion had darkened slightly from her time aboard; she no longer appeared ghostly or ill.

What was he doing and why was he mesmerized by her? “Miss Peterson,” he greeted.

“Good afternoon Captain,” Abigail opened her eyes.

“I see we can be civil,” he muttered under breath. “I have just been informed of where we are headed.”

“Have you told the others?” She did not stop in her preening.

“You are the first,” he raised his eyebrows when she set her brush down. “You may not know the exact coordinates. I do know that it is underwater.”

“We are going to have to swim to rescue them?”

“With Whitecap’s help of course.”

She nodded. “I see.” There was no distain in her voice, nor a snide tone.

“I do not know why you dislike her.”

Abigail shrugged. “I guess I am wary about her, being what she is. It is more of distrust, especially since she is alone with you.”

“I did not realize you cared about my welfare.”

“There is a lot you do not know about me, Captain.” Her back stiffened.

“We really do not get much of a chance to talk.”

“There will be plenty of time after we rescued the Admiral and the others.”

“Yes, I suppose it would.”

“We can take a walk around Port Royal,” she stood up. “You can accompany me to shops, and I am certain my father would want to invite you to tea.”

“I wouldn’t mind to-“

“Excellent,” she walked towards the hatch and down the steps, not loosing her smile for a second.

“Attending,” Theodore coughed. What did he just get himself into?