PoTC: Voyage of the Devil's Dowry

Morning rise and the ship was full of hustle and bustle again. It was as if the night before never happened. Sage and Jack were at the wheel and no one bothered them. Kain sat morosely on his usual barrel, talking to no one. He had not to to do without his pan flute, besides sharpening swords, which is what he did.

“That’s it.” Jack said to Sage happily, startling her.

“What’s it, Jack?” Sage said.

“It’ll be only a night more. We should be there by day break, Sage.” He smiled at her and it made her smile back.

Kain jerked in the corner after hearing him speak her name. ‘She would’ve smacked me if I’d have said that.’ He thought to himself.

“That’s great!” Sage said, “Did ye hear that Christian me boy?” She called to her brother who was setting on a barrel watching Gabriel tie off ropes.

Christian turned with a start, hopped of the barrel and walked to her side. “What be that, Cap’n?” he asked her.

“Tomorrow, when the sun peers over that horizon, our wait will be over and we’ll finally have bilge-sucking rat in our grasp.” She told him, her eyes far off as if she didn’t realize what she was saying.

Christian face contorted clumsily. It didn’t know whether to smile or frown. He forced a smile and said, “That’s great, Cap’n. Can’t wait. Finally.” With a nervous laugh he walked back up to his seat.


Sage didn’t notice the disappointment in his voice. She was only worried about her own vendetta. Revenge would finally be hers. She continued sailing on, happily as night fell once again and for the last time before the showdown. Perhaps, even the last time for the whole crew.

Tired from standing at the helm all day, Sage and Jack asked Carver to take the wheel, gave him Sage’s normal compass and told him to continue west the rest of the way. They then walked to the upper deck and set on down, laying their heads against a wooden side.

“Why do ye want revenge on yer father?” Jack asked suddenly.

“What do ye mean?” Sage replied, “He left our mum. It was terrible.”

“I think there’s more to it than that, Sage, ye wouldn’t want to kill yer own father because he left yer mum.” He said, “Ye can tell me. I’m not one to judge. No worries.”

Sage smiled, “That be my line.” She told him. She looked and and with a sigh, she continued. “Da was a monster. We all hated him. Mum was scared to leave him, so we stayed. It was almost a relief when he left.”

Jack looked over at her, worry lines creasing his face.

She looked over at him, continuing, “He beat us, all 3 of us, all the time. He’d make up reason just to hurt us. One night, he found out that my mum was seeing another man in town named Thomas Chesterton. He came home and beat her hard that night and then tried to rape her after she lost consciousness.”

Stopping she looked up toward the full moon that hung in the night sky, Jack could see that she was holding back from crying.

“We came home, Christian and I,” she started again, “Just in time to see what was going on through the window. We snuck in the back, quietly. I don’t think he would’ve heard us even if we had made noise. He was somewhere else. He wasn’t at all in his right mind. Christian went off somewhere, I figured to cry, he was very young. I knew I had to do something, so I got Mum’s iron pan and snuck over behind him. Just as I hit him I heard gunfire and turned to see Christian with Da’s gun. I saw that the pan had knocked Da unconscious and the bullet had hit him in the back of his leg.”

Jack grunted to show he was still listening as she told the rest of her story.

“Then, somehow, we gom inm in the cart and down by the docks. We took mum to the doctor’s and he treated her. She had forgotten everything that had happened, so we just told her that Da left, hoping that was less traumatic. Da never came back after that, as near as I can figure he woke and found a way to the Pearl. Not before he killed Thomas Chesterton though. After that, we swore to get him for what he had done. The book we lost was Mum’s diary. She didn’t even remember writing it, so we took it to remember what he’d done.”

She looked at Jack, showing that she was finished. Then turned to lie down on his lap.

Jack sighed, not knowing what to say, as he twirled her hair between his fingers.

Somewhere in the night, they both fell asleep right there.


Early the next morning, Sage felt someone nudge her on the shoulder. When she opened her eyes, Jack was looking back at her. Suddenly, she remembered where she was.

“Are we there?” she asked sleepily.

“Almost, love.” He replied, looking at his open compass “It’d be wise for ye to wake up now.”

She sat up quickly and walked to where the wheel was, Jack followed closely behind her, snapping his compass closed.

Kain was at the wheel. “Carver asked me to take over for him. Well, sorta, he kind of just woke me up and made a circle with his fingers, but as close as I can figure, this is what he wanted.”

Sage nodded at him and asked Jack to get them the rest of the way to where they were going, quickly.

“I’m going to go wake up Christian.” Sage said turning.

Kain followed close behind her, looking back to make sure they were far enough away from Jack that he couldn’t here him speak. “I saw you two the other night.” Kain said in Sage’s ear.

Sage stopped suddenly inches from her cabin. With an angry look she grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him along into her cabiChriChristian!!” Sage yelled loudly, “Get yer arse outta that hammock and go see if Jack needs ye or somethin’.”

Christian sat up suddenly upon hearing his name, eyes wide. In one swift movement he was out of the bed and out of the cabin, slamming the door shut behind him.

Sage turned immediately to face Kain. “Listen ta me very closely Kain. Firstly, the thing that happened between Jack and I is none of yer business. Secondly, ye are going ta tell me what the hell yer problem is, once and for all and then yer going ta tell me exactly why you think any of this is yer business. If ye don’t I will throw you off this ship so fast you won’t even have time to say Jack Ketch. Got it, bucko?”

Kain’s face turned red with anger “My problem is ye. Yer walk around this ship like yer the bloody queen of England. Ye think yer the only one that deserves a companion and it’s not right. I’ve been thinkin’ of leavin’ for a while now. That’s why I have women chase me. Maybe one of them will see that I’m more than just a bloody pirate. Maybe I will fall in love and get married and have children. Maybe I’ll get a decent job.”

Sage was surprised by what he was saying.

His nostrils flared as he continued. “As far as yer relationship with Sparrow, yer right. It’s none of my business. Forgive my wanting to protect ye. I feel the need ta, okay? Ye may be a pirate and the captain of this ship, but ta me you’re still Sage, me button-nosed neighbor who sat outside at night cryin’ ta get away from Grogg and playin’ tea parties.”

With a last breath he told her goodbye and walked out of the cabin, leaving her to stare after him.

Outside, he sat down on the barrel, as usual and grumpily stared at the horizon.

Jack, who was nearby at the helm, looked around to make sure no one would hear him talking. “Kain.” He said.

“Yeah what do you want, your Highness?” Kain asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“I just want to let you know. I still know you love her.” Jack replied, turning toward him.

Kain’s eyes met Jack’s flaming with anger. “Aye. We’ve already been through this. I’m not in the mood.”

“Well,” Jack said, “Then I’d say it’s a good thing I’m not propositioning ye for sex, then, idnit?” He laughed and his eyes sparkled.

Kain growled, “Get to the point.”

Jack’s smile turned to a frown, his eyes losing the gleam. “I just wanted ye ta know that… I know she loves ye too.”

Kain grunted “That’s a laugh if I ever heard one, Jack. She hates me.”

Jack shrugged “Think what ye want, Kain. She’s not with me when she kisses me she’s somewhere else. She doesn’t say my name while she sleeps. She can’t love me, she loved you first.”

Kain was about to speak when Jack looked toward the ship’s bowsprit and hollered to the entire ship “We’re here, mates.” And then whispered to himself, “The Pearl.”