Fathoms Below: Captain Jack Sparrow

Chapter 26: Singapore

"Yer don't say much these days do yer lassie?" A voice said, taking a seat beside me as our crew drank in the Admiral Benbow tavern in Tortuga. I cast a glance at the familiar man before turning away, not feeling the need to talk.
I sat nursing a tumbler of rum that I couldn't bring myself to drink. It reminded me of him, everything reminded me of him.

"Y'know Ditty, 'tis a shame for such a beauty to sit silently in a dark alcove on her lonesome," I turn my head again to him, now giving him a look of disgust, only for him to raise his hands at me.
"Oh I mean nothing by it Ditty, never like that," he defends himself, "I simply mean ''tis a shame to see such hurt on a lassie as fine as you." He spoke honestly, without an arrogant or patronising edge his words so often held.
I sent him a small yet grateful smile before frowning at the name.
"Ditty?" I frowned. He shrugged with a smile that held 100 secrets. He began to rise from the table but I had to stop him.
"Can I trust you?" I asked bluntly, scrutinising his face for a reaction. He sat back down with a slight sigh.
"I be asking yer the same question Ditty," he replied, using my new apparent nickname. I let out a little huff of laughter at this.
"Aye but you'll be the first of the crew to do so," he said, gesturing to the rest of us huddled around a table not too far away, no doubt still sharing tales of the sea and of Jack, none of which I wanted to listen to.
"I trust you," I said honestly. His eyes widened a little at that revelation, "despite our previous encounters, we both find ourselves in the pursuit of the same thing, just with different intentions," I said, still looking up at him. His eyes flickered for a moment, a smile tugging at his lips. "We're going to need each other to get there, and back again."
"Aye, ye be correct at that Ditty," he paused, "ye can trust me, I bare yer no ill will, nor Jack." I nodded.

"The map we need, it's in Singapore?" I asked. Barbossa merely nodded, drinking the last of his rum. I slid my tumbler across the table to him and he looked up at me in somewhat surprise before nodding his head in thanks, accepting the tumbler and taking a large swing.

"How are we going to intercept them?" He smirked over at me in reply.
"I like yer thinking Ditty." He laughed.

—-
"The bell has been raised from its watery grave. Hear its sepulchral tone. A call to all, pay heed to the squall and turn your sails toward home," Elizabeth and I sang as we paddled through the dark canal's of Singapore. To my left I could see a large snake of some kind, devouring a bird "Yo ho, haul together, hoist the colours high. Heave ho-"

"Thief and beggar! Never say we die," a man spat out as he appeared in front of us. "A dangerous song to be singing for anyone ignorant of its meaning. Particularly two women." By this time, another two men had appeared by his side, both with weapons drawn, pointing directly at us.

"What makes you think they're alone?" Came a voice from behind us. The heavy footsteps descended the stone steps to the canal, finally reaching the pavement where we stood, taking his place behind us.

"You protect them?" the first man sneered. Elizabeth took out her knife and held it to the ringleader's throat.

"What makes you think we need protecting?" She hissed venomously.

"Your master's expecting us," Barbossa said behind us in a calm manner, the way this should be handled.
And an unexpected death or three would cast an unfortunate cloud over our meeting," I added.

Shouts rang out nearby and we all flinched back, hiding in the shadows cast by the wall as we watched a fleet of soldiers run past, clearly from the East India Trading Company. I briefly looked at Barbossa, not expecting that to have happened and from the look on his face, neither had he.