a pirate's life ➸ potc (1)

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧

My head was pounding. Groggily, I heaved myself up and spotted Jack lying next to me, his head tilted to the side. Oh God, Will, what did you do? Staggering onto my feet, I leaned over Jack's limp form and gently slapped his cheek.

"Sparrow, wake up," I hissed into his ear. "Wake up!" I slapped his cheek again, slightly harder this time. I couldn't help but notice how unusually soft his skin was.

Finally, his eyes flickered open. "Hmm?" He drawled. Then he seemed to realise where he was. "Lily?"

Smiling, I nodded and helped Jack up. Taking my hand, as well as the oar Will had abandoned to keep himself upright, he staggered out of the small passageway and into the cavern, where a huge gaggle of pirates were stood, furious looks on their faces. I noticed that Elizabeth and Will had gone, most likely back to the Interceptor, where Gibbs would have to leave Jack and I behind due to that bloody Pirate's Code. Jack looked startled and turned us both around to go the other way. However, more pirates surrounded us, looking even angrier than the other ones.

"You!" The tall lanky pirate from before said.

"You're supposed to be dead!" The lanky pirate's friend spat - he was a squat pirate with yellow eyes and straggly hair.

"Am I not?" Jack slurred, still clutching my hand. Our fingers weren't interlocked, but it still sent heat rocketing to my cheeks. He looked down at himself. "Oh."

As he looked up again, all the pirates had cocked their pistols and drawn their swords; all of them pointing towards me and Jack. He suddenly looked down in deep thought, and then started muttering gibberish.

"Palulay... parlili... parsnip, parsley, par - partner, partner..." He trailed off with a finger on his lips, concentrating hard, causing everyone else in the cave to look utterly confused, including myself.

Then, the lanky pirate finally clocked it. "Parley?" He offered helpfully.

"Parley!" Jack smiled triumphantly. "That's the one. Parley! Parley!"

All the other pirates turned to the lanky pirate with absolutely murderous looks on their ugly faces. "Parley?" The portly pirate hissed to his friend, anger laced in his voice. "Down to the depths whatever muttonhead thought up 'parley'," he then said, turning his attention back to me and Jack.

Jack smirked, his roguish charm back. "That would be the French."

The pirates began muttering among themselves, yet still pointed their pistols and cutlasses at us. But then they all quieted down and parted through the middle as their evil captain sauntered through them. Jack let go of my hand and leaned against the oar, his dark eyes not leaving Barbossa's yellowy-green ones. Anger bubbled within me as I remembered that this Captain had been the one to maroon poor Jack on an island, waiting for him to die.

I couldn't help myself. "You're a bastard, Captain Barbossa!" I spat, hoping for a better reaction than a small, menacing chuckle.

He gave a small nod to a couple of burly pirates behind me, and suddenly enormous hands clamped around my arms, pulling me backwards into the vile crew, with me spitting curses at them all the while. A dirty hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my cusses.

"How the blazes did you get off that island?" Barbossa asked, his calculating eyes studying Jack like a map. The rest of his crew looked at Jack expectantly too.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow," he shrugged. My butterflies were back. I didn't care - I embraced them with warm arms now.

"Ah. Well, I won't be makin' that mistake again," Barbossa had a wicked glint in his eye that sent shivers down my spine. "Gents," he addressed his crew, "ye all remember Captain Jack Sparrow?" The crew nodded and chuckled evilly. Barbossa put his face just millimetres from Jack's. "Kill 'im."

Again, the pirates all pointed their weapons towards Jack, but Jack didn't seem bothered. In fact, it made him more determined. As Barbossa began to walk away, Sparrow spoke up again.

"The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" He asked loudly. I knew he was referring to Elizabeth.

The captain sighed. "Hold yer fire!" He ordered his crew, making them all grunt in frustration as they reluctantly put their weapons away for a second time. Barbossa turned, that glint still in his watery eyes. "You know whose blood we need." It was a question, but he said it as a statement.

"I know whose blood you need," Jack confirmed.