Apprentice To The Sorcerer

For the first time in many years I made my way over land alone. I’d departed from the crew in the one of the few alehouses left after the earthquake. No one inquired as to my destination or even noticed me leave, but I had to work hard for that. Pirates stuck together and such.

I decided to visit my father first.

Naturally the doorman didn’t think much of me when he opened the door. He took one look at my clothing and my weapons, made the correct assumption, and called the guards. After the last doorman’s death my father had learned to be cautious. I lounged against the door while his men surrounded me. Soon I could barely see into the room.

“What’s all this?” I heard my father’s voice say. “I know him, let him through.”

I pushed past the group and approached my father. He smiled politely at me. “I remember you,” he said. “You’re Lei.”

“Yes,” I said. “May I take a few minutes of your time, alone?” I took my cutlass off and also my pistol, laying them on his foyer table.

My father ushered me into his study and shut the door. “Is this about my daughter?” he asked swiftly. “Why didn’t Captain Sparrow come himself?”

“Captain Sparrow doesn’t know I’m here,” I said, taking off my hat.

My father eyed me hard. “Why, you look like my daughter,” he said slowly.

“That’s because I am.” I admitted, looking him in the eyes.

I expected him to embrace me, but my father merely continued to stand and stare. “But you can’t be,” he said at last. “You’re a boy.” His knuckles were clenched white upon his desk.

“I make a fairly believable boy,” I admitted, “But I am not a boy.” I opened my shirt to show him my flattened, bandaged breasts. “Takes a lot of work to pretend to be one, though.”

My father dashed from his chair at last, taking me in his arms. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he cried, hugging me tightly. “I was on that ship with you. You saw how I miss you!”

“I couldn’t tell you,” I answered. For some reason I wasn’t crying like I imagined I would be. “No one knows; Captain Sparrow doesn’t know who I am either. He picked me up from a merchant vessel months and months ago.”

“I don’t know whether to offer you a drink like a man or haul you off for a bath,” my father said, wrinkling his nose. His hands traced over my dirty face and limp hair. “But Elizabeth, sweetheart, don’t ever just run off on me again like that.”

“I’m sorry father, but I must,” I answered. “I love this life. Can you understand that?”

My father let go of me. Backing away, he sank into chair and wouldn’t look in my direction. “If that is the way it must be, put your hat back on,” he whispered. “I can bear it easier if I can convince myself you are still the pirate’s cabin boy.”

“I’m not his cabin boy,” I argued, putting myself to rights again. “I’m just a pirate. And speaking of which,” I reached into my pocket and retrieved the two diamonds I’d set aside for him. “I have something to give you that no one has died for and no one ever missed. You can take my gift without a care.”

My father looked at he diamonds in his palm. In disbelief, he rolled them around, letting light catch their inner fire. “For me?” he said slowly. “Lei, this is a fortune.” His voice caught on my assumed name. “I could go back to England in style with these.”

“Exactly.” I leaned close to him, pitching my voice low. “You don’t have to stay here, working for the East India Trading Company. You can go home, father. You can pack up and go.”

My father looked up at me. “How did you know? I never told you how unhappy I was here.” His voice shook.

“I could see it.” I sat down beside of him. “When mother died, your joy of this land died too.”

“Where is he?” I heard a man shout from the front doors. My mind flashed to my weapons, lying useless in the hall where anyone could pick them up. I shot to my feet and kicked open the door. Just as I entered the hall, Will came thundering down it. Seeing me, he dove out, blocked my attempt to arm myself.

I didn’t even think about it, to my later regret. My fist lashed out and pasted him right across the eye. He staggered backward, caught off balance and by complete surprise. Nonetheless I barely had time to draw my cutlass before his sword was out. “Where is he?” Will demanded, “Where is Sparrow?”

My father, struck dumb by our exchange, backed into the door and stood there, unable to articulate anything at all.

“Captain Sparrow is aboard the Pearl,” I said. “What do you mean by blowing in here like a madman?” I didn’t know what had possessed Will to behave this way. Jack anticipated Will coming to see him. Why had he come to my father’s home first?

“I must speak with him! His quartermaster said he wasn’t on the ship.” Will clenched his fist around the hilt of his rapier. I eyed it carefully. A cutlass couldn’t maneuver like a rapier. If he attacked me I would have to rely on evading him, not parrying his strikes.

“You’ve spoken to him enough anyway,” I said, slapping his sword to the side and away from my face. “Thanks to your last attempt to ‘speak’ to the captain, I had to repair all twenty eight stitches in his side.”

“He deserved it,” Will said, talking through set teeth. “Are you alright, governor? What business does this pirate have with you?”

“He brings me a gift from Elizabeth,” my father said quickly, seeing his opening to diffuse the situation. I felt relieved he hadn’t given me away, had taken my cue.

Will lowered his sword, his face falling in disbelief. “Elizabeth? Where is she?”

I reached into my pocket. “She also sends this to you, William Turner,” I said, giving him a little bag with two diamonds in it. “For your shop.”

Will shook the diamonds into his palm. “How much blood is on these?” he asked quietly.

“None.” I straightened my hat and thrust my pistol inside my sash. “And there’s no point asking the captain where she is, he doesn’t know.”

“Then how came you to have these?” Will dropped the diamonds into a bag and shoved it into his shirt. His sword came up again. “You must have seen her.”

I instantly drew my cutlass to match him. “You ask too many question,” I said. “Be content with what she’s sent you and take it like the gift she meant it to be, not the excuse to lose your sodding mind.”

He advanced. I danced out of reach of his blade, but barely, hearing my shirt tear with the closeness of it. That decided it for me. Will could run me through with his weapon easily. I sprinted for the cabinet that held my father’s swords.

A sword buried itself in the frame of the cabinet, sealing it shut. Not pausing, I smashed through the glass and took the gilt sword father had received on his tenth anniversary as governor, a sword made by Will, actually. Guards were gathering now. I heard him tell them to stand clear.

In that instant I realized the depth of my father’s love for me. He could call his guards down on me any moment, stop the charade I played in front of Will, keep me safe and force me to stay, but he did none of that. He let me be, gave me the chance to solve my problem the way I wanted to.

How I loved my daddy.

Will wrenched his sword free, but he had to stand close to me to do it. I slammed into his side with my fist, knocking the wind out of him. His free arm and shoulder moved up to smash into me and I ducked down, hitting him again in the large nerve that went down his thigh.

Using his moment of staggering to my advantage, I darted away from Will and put my cutlass away, raising my father’s sword. Will came at me, the demon of anger lighting his eyes from within. “You are keeping me from her, you and Jack Sparrow!” he shouted. “I know he knows where she is, I can see it in his eyes.”

“That’s Captain Jack Sparrow,” I corrected. “And I’m afraid you’re quite wrong.”

He attacked in a flurry of strikes, beating me back quickly. I knew I was no match for him, I could hope to hold him off but little else, and the moment I grew tired he would have me.

It seemed we fought forever. Will made a lucky strike on my thigh, opening me up like a split sausage. My father, bless him, stifled his cry of alarm. Using the moment in which Will sought proof of his strike, I tackled him. Our swords clattered away, save for my sheathed cutlass. We traded blows rapidly, with me protecting my injured rib as much as possible. I saw stars now, blinding, circling stars in my vision that mocked my attempt to gain balance.

My hand knocked into a vase and I grabbed it, bringing it down over Will’s forehead. He grunted, shook his head like dog in the rain. I rolled off of him and made to run past him, but he caught the cuff of my breeches and brought me down to the floor. I barely rolled in enough time to avoid my rib. “Gods curse your pigheadedness,” I snarled, staggering to my feet. The guards stood between me and the door. Though they were not under orders to stop me, they would be a chore to get by in a hurry. I was trapped.

I kicked Will in the gut just as he rose up on all fours, sending him back down. I didn’t want to hurt him, but if he got up I might never get away. My sight fell on the window at the far end of the hall.

Nothing for it then.

I sprinted for the window. Will lurched to his feet. I didn’t look to see if he ran behind me or not, merely clutched my arms around my midsection, ducked my head and burst through the frame as if a launched cannon ball. Parts of the edging and braces cut me, along with the glass, and I fell the full two seconds to the ground with my eyes shut.

But luck was with me. I landed in a pile of soft, landscaping sand piled up beside the mansion. Taking off at a dead run, I raced for the populated section of town where I would be easily lost. Blood seeped steadily out of my wound. I applied pressure to it and limped quickly back to the alehouse.

Going in, I met Gibbs going out. Seeing my wound, his smile dropped. He drew his cutlass and stepped up beside me. “Where and who?” he asked swiftly.

“Not here,” I said. “Took care of it, but I need to get back to ship.”

“Right.” Gibbs sheathed his weapon and caught the attention of Mokulu, who in turn nudged Ragetti and Pintel. The men came over to us. Saying nothing, Mokulu gave me his shoulder and we made our way to the longboat.

I could see Jack standing at the rail as we approached. I cursed my luck. He would be watching. I didn’t want him to see this. He’d ask questions.

No sooner did I see Jack, some instinct bade me turn. William was right behind us, sailing by himself in a small boat.

Fury overtook my sense. I leapt up so fast neither Mokulu or Ragetti, who supported me, could stop my forward motion. I dove for Will’s boat, nearly colliding with it from the force of my exit. Startled, he stopped rowing. I wrenched the oar out of his hand and cracked it down on his other hand, making him drop the other oar.

Now Mokulu had the boat to rights, alongside Will’s vessel. He cuffed me at the collar, swinging me back aboard before Will could react. I splashed water everywhere as I landed in my seat. My hat nearly came off. “What be wrong with you?” Mokulu shouted, his voice half concerned, half angry.

I didn’t answer. I let my mates drag me aboard ship and dump me on a cannon. In mere seconds, Will was also on board, sword already out.

I was tired of this. As Jack advanced upon the scene I got up. Will pointed at me with his sword. “Don’t you dare move,” he said, breathing harshly.

“Don’t you fucking tell me what to do, William Turner,” I answered back. “If you could have gone on with your life and left me to mine, this wouldn’t be happening.” I tore off my hat, wrenching the ribbon out that kept my hair flat and covered. “Neither of you knew who I was and I was happy, do you hear me?”

The entire ship fell silent. I felt the weight of hundreds of eyes upon me. Will stood frozen, mouth agape, his sword dropping to the deck with a clatter. My eyes moved until I found Jack.

Jack, leaning against the mast with his cocked hip, grinned at me. “Cat’s out of the bag, Lei,” he said.

I felt sick as I realized Jack had known all along. I tore my eyes away from him to look into the sympathetic eyes of my mates. They hadn’t known, but incredibly, it didn’t matter. This realization bolstered my flagging nerve. I limped past everyone unhindered, walked straight into Jack’s cabin, and retrieved my travel medical bag.

All were silent as I sat under a lamp and began prepping myself for stitches. I tore open my breeches, doused myself, my hands and the needle with spirits and commenced. Mokulu came to stand by me. Silently, he knelt and held the edges of my pants away from the wound.

“Well, William,” Jack said suddenly. “I told you what I would do if Miss Elizabeth Swann ever set foot on my ship.”

Will said nothing. I could feel his eyes staring holes through me as I sewed myself shut. Stubbornly, I kept my head down and on my work. This hurt more than anything I’d ever experienced and it took all my nerve to do the job without shaking.

“You’re welcome to her,” Will said finally, his tone ominous. “I hope never to see her again.”

I deserved it. It hurt, but I deserved it. Even knowing this, I couldn’t let it slide. I stood, my work half finished. Mokulu swiftly took up where I left off. Pintel handed me his flask.

“Fine, Will,” I said. “Just remember we all make our own choices, and you chose not to let me go. It’s only because you want me to be someone I’m not that you can’t see that.”

“This isn’t you.” Will edged backward toward the rail, shaking his head. “Elizabeth would never attack me. Elizabeth would never hide from me. Elizabeth would never leave me like you did.”

“You attacked me first,” I reminded him. “You blew in, demanding things, seeing me only as the means to achieve a goal. I wasn’t a person to you, I was a pirate, and you’ll never see pirates as anything but sub-human.” My vision was swimming now, probably from shock and blood loss. I clutched onto Mokulu’s shoulder with one hand and Pintel with the other. Pintel tucked his arm underneath mine, taking most of my weight off my one good leg.

“It looks like you’re in good hands anyway,” Will said. “Goodbye, woman who looks like Elizabeth.”

“Goodbye Will,” I whispered.

I didn’t get to see him go. Blackness caught up with me. The last thing I knew, Pintel and Mokulu were carrying me.