Adrift

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Thank you, Conni and Faeritales, for your reviews of the last chapter! :) This one took me in a bit of a different direction as my characters went and hijacked the plot on me, so hope you still find it enjoyable. And to my late night beta-goddess RF...you rock, baby.

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For the longest time, Elizabeth simply watched Barbossa sleep.

Although morning had broken, there was only the faintest light coming through the windows of the Pearl; very little could penetrate the shadows cast by the crater walls looming above them. Still and all, it was enough that she could make out the figure of the man with whom she had shared the better part of her night...and herself.

He was sprawled across the expanse of the narrow mattress, rumpled ivory-coloured sheets modestly covering his hips. One of his hands lay over his heart as though he was taking a pledge and the other curled possessively over the curve of her hip, his elegant fingers settled lightly on the swell of her buttock. One long leg stuck out from beneath the blankets and hung over the edge of the bed. A dark diamond on the pale skin of his chest, the pendant he always wore rose and fell in time with each deep, steady breath. His lips were parted ever so slightly, as if inviting a kiss even in repose.

Elizabeth longed to give him exactly that but knew she couldn’t stop there. During the night, he’d awakened a hunger within her that wouldn’t be satisfied by something so simple as a kiss. She should have been left exhausted and sated after a night filled with ecstasy, but instead she had awakened wanting him with such desperation that her stomach was bunched into quivering knots. Elizabeth yearned to peel the sheets away and explore every part of him, memorizing the feel of his skin, the taste of his arousal, the scent of his desire.

Yet her feelings went beyond lust, and it was that very startling realization that had her studying him intensely as the first cold fingers of dawn crept across the floor of the cabin. Perhaps being bedded by a man for the first time brought forth the same kind of helpless, heartsick tenderness in every woman; she had no way of knowing and no one she could ask. But what she’d seen in his eyes as he’d moved within her stirred more than just her body, and she was left both frightened and elated at the prospect of what it might possibly mean.

As slowly and carefully as she could so as not to disturb him, Elizabeth slid out from beneath Barbossa’s restful embrace. She winced as she swung one leg to the floor, the stiffness in her thighs and the faint throbbing between her legs testaments to the fervour of their coupling. It was an ache that brought with it its own satisfaction; she felt that what he’d given to her – or taken away, as the case may be – was a gift.

Hector frowned slightly at her absence and rolled from his back to his side before growing still again, perhaps finding some manner of peace in the warm spot she’d left behind. It was strange to see him so unguarded and at ease, she thought as she gazed down upon him. Awake, there was a dangerous edge to Barbossa that made itself felt whether he seemed in good spirits or not. For him to have allowed her close enough to see what truly lay behind his usual blustering and posturing spoke to a level of trust she found surprising. At a different point in time, she was forced to admit to herself, she’d have been tempted cut his throat had she found him in so susceptible a position; now, the very same sight made her feel protective. Covetous. Vulnerable.

She shook her head. All of these new emotions were ones she could ill afford to indulge, especially as they were on the verge of a war that threatened to consume them all...a war that she had insisted upon declaring despite considerable advice to the contrary.

Sour fear churned in her gut. If she returned to the sanctuary of Hector’s bed, if she kissed and caressed her lover back to wakefulness, perhaps they could lose themselves in one another’s arms and she could quell the terror that threatened to break her. Maybe if she clung to him tightly enough, they could stop time altogether and the battle would pass them by untouched...

Elizabeth turned from him and exhaled shakily. There were so many ready to engage the enemy on her say-so; the weight of their lives threatened to crush her spirit before the first shot had even been fired. No man, even one so fearsome and powerful as Hector Barbossa, could alter the course she’d set.

Wallowing in self-pity would do no good, though. She straightened her shoulders. What kind of pirate lord would shy away from such an unparalleled challenge? If she was fool enough to land them all in the middle of a clash, then she damned well owed it to her men to show the courage to see it through. Her acclamation as king of the Brethren Court might have been the result of one of Jack Sparrow’s endless plots but it didn’t absolve her of the responsibilities of the position.

She snatched her crumpled nightgown from where Hector had tossed it and tugged the garment impatiently over her head, fresh resolve tamping down the dread in her heart as she hastily dressed. It would do no good to cower aboard the Pearl, not with Beckett gleefully plotting the pirates’ demise. If he wanted a fight, then she would do her level best to accommodate him.

Scooping up her robe, she took one final, longing look back at Hector’s slumbering form. Whatever happened, she would not back down. She owed it to him...to them...to all free men. Elizabeth crept through the dimness towards the deck and slipped silently through the door.

+++++

All eyes turned as Elizabeth entered the dank, dark hall to where she’d summoned the other pirate lords. Tai Huang stuck close to her side, fingering the butt of his pistol as he glared defiantly around the room. As reluctant as he’d been to accept her authority when a dying Sao Feng bestowed her captaincy, her first mate had shown her nothing but respect since they’d escaped the Flying Dutchman. She doubted she could afford to take his loyalty for granted but he was playing his role well enough for the moment. So long as it was clear that she had the manpower to back her words, the other captains would be less inclined to press their advantage.

“Thank you for agreeing to meet,” she began, leaning forward and resting her fingertips lightly on the scarred surface of the immense table. One by one she coldly met the gaze of the captains standing around the table, pausing only marginally longer when she came to Barbossa. His expression was one of polite interest and the only acknowledgement he gave her was a brief inclination of his head. As innocuous a gesture as it seemed, her heart skipped a beat and a flush burned her cheeks all the same. With any luck, she thought before she could drag her eyes from his, it was too dim in the room for anyone else to have noticed. The last thing she needed to do was sabotage her dubious credibility by betraying the secrets of her heart.

“Well, we are but loyal subjects,” drawled Jack Sparrow, his eyes flashing deviously as he bowed with a flourish. His bald-faced insolence earned withering looks from more than just Elizabeth.

“You helped place me in this position of honour, Captain Sparrow,” she replied haughtily. “You might have done so in jest, but I assure you that I couldn’t take my duties as ‘king’ more seriously.”

Jack folded his hands together and bowed once more. “A thousand pardons, Your Highness,” he intoned, winking lasciviously at her. “I only did so because it was a position I thought you might find...enjoyable. Forgive the interruption. Please go on.”

Hector crossed his arms and stared across the table until Sparrow cleared his throat and shifted his feet uncomfortably. Had Jack had figured out that her relationship with Barbossa had changed? She bit her lip nervously. If such was the case, there was little she could do about it now, and she saw no choice but to press forward. She could only hope Jack’s discretion would ultimately be the better part of his valour and that he’d not use the knowledge as leverage against her. “Before we devise a strategy, may I ask each of you to provide an accounting of the number of ships at your disposal?”

“What strategy will make a difference?” snapped Gentleman Jocard. “The East India Comp’ny has untold resources. What hope have we of victory?” His nostrils flared and the heavy wooden necklace around his neck shifted as he indignantly puffed out his chest out.

“The stink of your fear is more than I can stand,” growled Captain Villenueva, his greying whiskers bristling as he pointed a finger at Jocard. “Perhaps you should hide with the woman and children, and let those with cajones take the fight to the enemy.” He turned his watery brown eyes on Elizabeth. “The Spanish Treasure Fleet has two ships, Captain Swann. Worth at least ten of Jocard’s, I’m thinking.”

“The Ranger would see your pathetic hulk at the bottom of the sea before you got off a single shot!” answered Jocard, his voice booming with righteous umbrage.

“Gentlemen, please...” Elizabeth tried to interject, watching the situation quickly slip from her control.

“Two of my junks accompanied the Ningpo on this journey,” boasted Mistress Ching, pursing her painted lips proudly. “Our swords are sharp and we thirst for British blood.”

“I bring only my Seref to the battle,” Ammand the Corsair added, sweeping his cloak back over one shoulder and resting a hand on his hip. “But she will be more than enough to keep the infidels in their place.”

“Perhaps we could set the Ranger on fire and steer her on a course straight towards the enemy fleet,” sneered Villanueva. “That decrepit dinghy and its crew can serve the greater good by igniting the Endeavour.”

“Ha!” burst out Capitaine Chevalle. “I believe dat the greasy Spaniards would be make better torches. Why, de oil of your hair alone, Villanueva, would keep all the lanterns in da town of Shipwreck burning for a hundred years.”

“Sri Sumbhajee believes that your behaviour marks you all as fools,” cried out Pusasn on behalf of the Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean. His master sat taciturn and silent as ever, looking almost sad. “He has foreseen great misfortune ahead if we do not unite!”

Villanueva was too angry to listen. “Silence, French dog! Your wig must be on too tight if you think I’ll bear such insults from the likes of you!”

“This isn’t accomplishing anything!” Elizabeth yelled, vainly trying to make herself heard above the din. She slapped the surface of the table with the flat of her hand to little effect. The bickering grew in volume and the threat of violence simmered.

Jocard whipped out his dagger and excitedly waved it over his head. “I’ve an easy end to your argument here, Villanueva! If you’ve nothing worth saying, then you’ve no need of your tongue...come, let me relieve you of it and be done with your blithering idiocy!”

“Best watch your own tongue, Jocard,” warned Ammand, drawing his scimitar and holding it at the ready above his own head. “Nothing but empty words have spilled from your lips this morning!”

“I offer the Pearl, o exalted one,” broke in Jack, looking far too amused by what was happening around him for Elizabeth’s liking. “The fastest ship in these waters, as you well know...”

“’Tis I who offers the Pearl,” hissed Barbossa, leaning his knuckles on the table and narrowing his eyes at his bitter rival. “She ain’t yers to be bandyin’ about, not today and not e’er again!”

“No, don’t the two of you start,” moaned Elizabeth, her head falling forward in despair. It was too much. How could she hope to put forth a defence of any kind when all her energy was consumed with keeping the members of the Brethren Court from killing one another?

“That’s an old tune you’re singing, mate, and I for one have grown tired of hearing it,” growled Jack. “Who had her when you came to fetch me from the Locker, eh? I believe you left your ship scattered in pieces on the sand and it was left to me to rescue you and all your slimy little friends.”

“If it weren’t fer me comin’ and findin’ ye, still ye’d be sailin’ them trackless seas!” bellowed the older pirate, clutching the hilt of his sword as his temper boiled over. “Should’ve taken what t’was I needed from ye and opened ye up, gullet to gut, right there upon the shore!”

Words ceased to have any meaning at all for Elizabeth in the midst of the verbal explosions erupting from all sides. Trying to outscream them would do her no good at all and although Barbossa had halted a similar outburst with a well-timed gunshot the day prior, she had little reason to believe they’d extend her the same kind of respect. The descent into petty bickering infuriated her but her anger brought forth a calm, cold resolve. It was a day to fight, not to talk.

She looked at Tai Huang and jerked her head, indicating that he should follow her. There was no time for this ridiculous infighting; she could better use the opportunity to ensure that the Empress was ready for battle. In the few minutes it took the rest of the pirate lords to notice that she was leaving, she and her lieutenant had nearly made it to the doorway.

“Where do you go, king?” spat Jocard, the contempt in his voice clear. “Have we frightened you away? Perhaps you leave to take tea before we all die!”

A hush fell over the room as Elizabeth turned, drawing herself straight and meeting Jocard’s hostile glare. “I go to war,” she answered evenly. “I’d rather face Beckett alone than stand here any longer and listen to the rest of you braying like asses as the enemy closes in on us!”

She stalked back towards them, reveling in the deep offense she saw on most of the faces before her. Only Sri Sumbhajee looked secretly amused. “Tread carefully, ma chère,” warned Chevalle, the threat implicit in his tone. “You should t’ink about who it is you are speaking to…”

Elizabeth laughed bitterly. “When I first arrived, I thought this was to be a gathering of the most bloodthirsty, merciless and accomplished pirates in the world. Recent experience, however, has shown me that instead, you’re just a herd of panicked old mules, scared silly by the wolf that lurks outside the barn door. And like mules, you can think of nothing to do but kick up your heels and run in circles while the wolf takes you down, one by one.”

“Yet we remain lethal enough to end your pitiful life if we so choose, Captain Swann,” said Mistress Ching, her eyes as flat and dead as a shark’s. If the old adage about females of the species often being the more deadly was true, Elizabeth decided that Ching was a woman who typified the saying.

“That’s true,” Elizabeth replied, feigning indifference although she was not oblivious to the dangerous nature of her approach. “Why stop there, though? If we’re going to make Beckett’s job easier for him, we can hack one another to bits now and be done with it. If you and the rest of my esteemed colleagues around this table are too stubborn…too stupid…to admit that we must work together, then it’s pointless to speak of strategy or assets. We’re finished before we’ve even begun.”

Ching shot up out of her chair. “I will not be disrespected by a…a CHILD!” she shrieked, pointing an accusing finger towards Elizabeth.

“You forget your place, whore!” hollered Jocard, kicking his chair back out of the way and advancing quickly on Elizabeth, his teeth bared and his dagger’s edge catching the light. Before either she or Tai Huang could draw a weapon, a shot rang out and Jocard’s knife was sent twisting through the air. The Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Ocean clutched at his mangled, bloody hand, his eyes bulging in disbelief.

Acrid smoke trailed lazily from Barbossa’s pistol as he strode over to stand at Elizabeth’s side. “Seems that ye be the one as fergets hisself,” he snarled, tucking the muzzle of his weapon back into his belt. “Ye must keep to the Code, same as us all...and the Code says that ‘tis ‘Lizabeth Swann as leads. Or perhaps yer wantin’ to call on Teague and discuss yer misgivins’ with him.”

As much as she appreciated Hector’s chivalry, Elizabeth immediately understood that he’d done her little good in the eyes of the other captains. She angrily shoved her way past him and stepped around the table until she was face to face with Jocard. She tilted her chin up at him and narrowed her eyes. “If you ever cross me again,” she whispered harshly, “you’ll wish that it was Teague you had to deal with.”

In one swift motion, she snatched his injured hand by the wrist and slammed it hard onto the tabletop. He had barely let out the first gasp of pain when she tore her own knife from its sheath and stabbed the dagger through the shredded palm of his hand, burying the tip deep into the table’s surface and pinning him securely in place. Jocard wailed with a fury that echoed through the hall as Elizabeth slowly sauntered back to her place at the head of the table.

For a time, only stunned silence greeted her show of ruthlessness. Then Sri Sumbhajee began a high-pitched giggling that started several of the other captains laughing in turn. Despite the nausea swelling in her stomach with realization of the horror she’d committed, Elizabeth managed a bleak smile in response.

“I am believing,” tittered the rotund little Indian, “that the dispute over leadership has been effectively settled.”

Even Jocard was grinning, albeit in a rather rueful, pained way as he tugged the knife from the table and wrapped his mangled hand in a silk scarf proffered by Mistress Ching. There was new reverence on the faces of those gathered, with the exception of Captains Barbossa and Sparrow. Jack appeared flabbergasted, his eyes darting time and again from Elizabeth’s face to the smeared puddle of blood on the table. Hector simply seemed angry, though the object of his displeasure was unclear.

“We respectfully await your orders, our king,” said Ammand. “We shall follow you into battle with pride.”

Elizabeth stood straight and clasped her hands behind her back, all the better to hide their trembling. “We haven’t enough ships in our fleet for two seperate attacks,” she announced decisively. “We’ll form a single line, with the Black Pearl as our flagship. Tai Huang shall captain the Empress...and I shall command the Pearl.”

Both Barbossa and Jack whipped their heads around, the audacity of the statement clearly shocking them. “The hell you will,” laughed Jack. “I’ll be damned again if I’ll allow...”

“Agreed!” interjected out Barbossa, his mouth thin with indecipherable emotion. “The ship be hers!” It was Elizabeth’s turn to be surprised at his quick concession.

“Hector,” began Jack, holding out his hands in supplication, “you can’t be serious about letting...her...take the ship. I don’t doubt that you’ve seen a side of Lizzie that I’ve yet to witness, but I can’t see how that might possibly justify...”

“The last man who challenged me,” Elizabeth interrupted once she realized the path Jack’s words were taking, “lived to tell the tale. The next man might not be so fortunate. Need I remind you...”

Jack’s hair fell around his face as he bowed his head in resignation. “Yes, yes...I know. ‘King’. Fine. But it’s a long journey from claiming the title to captaining a ship like the Pearl in battle. We shall see if you’re as adept at handling her as you are in handling the ignoble Captain Blackheart, Miss Swann.”

“Make ready to sail at the top of the hour,” Elizabeth said, ignoring Jack’s ill-intended commentary. He knew that she’d spent the night in Hector’s company; there was no doubt about it. And though she puzzled over how Jack might have found them out, now that it was in the open, the ‘how’ seemed irrelevant. “And prepare your men for what lies ahead. Some of the finest sailors crew the ships in Beckett’s fleet, but there’s not one among them who could best ours in spirit and ferocity.”

The pirate lords began to file out of the hall, muttering amongst themselves and glancing knowingly at Elizabeth. Barbossa and Tai Huang flanked her as though their very presence could protect her from the embarassment to which Sparrow had subjected her. As Jack tried to duck around them and avoid her, Hector’s hand suddenly shot out and he grabbed Jack by his loose, dark locks, abruptly stopping him and causing Jack to cry out in affront.

“Just in case yer of a mind to alter events to suit yer own ends,” Barbossa whispered menacingly as he brought his cutlass to bear, causing Elizabeth to squeak in surprise and jump back from the arc of the blade as it flashed past Jack's head. At first she thought that Hector had done it put a scare into the other man as payback for besmirching her reputation. It took a moment for her to notice that the little beaded braid – the one with which Jack had secured a battered piece of eight – had been sheared from Jack’s head and dropped into Hector’s broad palm. There wasn’t so much as a nick on the bandana upon which it had rested, so true was Barbossa’s aim.

Jack watched as Hector tucked the little plait of hair away. “What care I for that trinket, eh?” said Jack, rubbing the spot on his scalp where a tuft of extremely short hair now stuck straight up. “I don’t think so close a shave was strictly necessary.”

Barbossa smirked unpleasantly back at him. “I be thinkin’ that ye’d shed no tears should I fail in me quest, Jack. Would leave ye free and clear to misappropriate me ship…and anythin’ else ye might have had a thought to claim. Just collectin’ a bit of insurance, is all.”

Jack’s kohl-lined eyes narrowed in anger. “My ship, you mean. And what you stole from my person just now is no guarantee of success. There’s more than one amongst us as would gladly see you sent back to hell this day, mate. You might be wise to watch your back.”

The smile faded from Barbossa’s lips and the air around them almost seemed to grow colder. “I might be sayin’ the same to ye.”

Jack threateningly pointed his finger at Barbossa but said nothing more before storming from the room. Hector angrily started after him but halted in his tracks as Elizabeth laid her hand gently on his arm. He looked back down at her and seemed about to speak when he realized that Tai Huang had remained at his captain’s side and was glaring at Hector suspiciously.

“Tai Huang,” Elizabeth said, taking her first officer by the arm and leaning confidentially close. “As I said, you are in command of the Empress today. It falls upon you to ensure that we are ready for what we are about to face. Our success rests with you...and should we win, I shall name you captain of the Empress as a reward for your loyalty.”

The offer was enough to distract her first officer from his concern over Barbossa. “This is your promise?” he said in surprise. “What of Sao Feng’s title?”

“I am king only for so long as the Brethren are gathered,” she assured, knowing that the burden that came with it would be lifted from her shoulders by battle’s end, one way or another. “The title of Pirate Lord of the South China Sea, the ship, the crew...I swear that all will be yours, as it should have been from the beginning.”

The tremulous emotion on his face touched her deeply, unexpected as it was. Tai Huang backed up a foot and bowed deeply, his hands clutched together in front of him. “Before I accept such an honour, I must prove myself worthy...and we must be victorious! Although you have chosen to sail the Black Pearl into battle, I respectfully request that you allow a contingent of men from the Empress to serve as your personal crew. I am obliged to see to your safety, after all.”

“As you wish,” Elizabeth agreed, bowing slightly in response. “Now I ask that you leave us and carry out your duties. I have matters I need to discuss privately with Captain Barbossa.” There was little use in pretending that Tai Huang hadn’t figured out exactly how private their conversation might turn, but she attempted to hold on to some semblance of decorum regardless.

Whatever Tai Huang’s feelings were on the matter, he chose to keep them to himself. He inclined his head and turned on his heel, leaving her and Hector alone in the cavernous hall.

“Yer recklessness could have cost ye today, girl,” he chided quietly. “I might not always be there when ye find yerself in dire need; ye must learn to have a care fer yer own well-bein’.”

“I had no choice but to take a stand and well you know it,” she answered crossly, her back still to him. It was so much easier to concentrate without having to look at him; just his presence set her senses humming. “I had to earn their respect by proving myself every bit as brutal as the rest of them. Or at least I was on my way to earning it before Jack revealed our secret.” She whirled around on him, more galled than anxious now at the thought of her humiliation. “Did you tell him...about us, I mean?”

Hector’s jaw stiffened. “T’weren’t me, missy. Maybe ye weren’t so stealthy as ye thought when ye stole from me bed in the wee hours of the mornin’ and crept back to yer own bunk under cover of darkness.”

She blushed deeply. “If I’d stayed...” she began, but he didn’t give her an opportunity to completely finish the thought.

“Then what?” he barked, his hands tightening up into fists. “Then others would have known of the shameful way ye’d spent yer night? Or were ye worried that they’d think less of ye in knowin’ who it was that ye spent it with?”

“You’re putting words in my mouth!” Elizabeth gasped, shaking her head. “I never said any such thing.”

“Ye seem awful concerned about the opinions of a bunch of scurvy marauders,” he added contemptuously. “Or maybe ‘tis not what they think that counts so much as the fact that ye think less of yerself for layin’ with one like me. Who was I to claim such a prize...is that what’s in yer head?”

“No! Hector, no!” She protested as she reached towards him. He stepped away, keeping her at a distance. “It’s not like that at all!”

“Them as gathered about this table don’t give a whit how ye care to pass yer time or with whom,” Hector sneered. “Ain’t no sense of propriety to offend here, ‘Lizabeth, unless it be yer own. If anythin’, all Jack did was show ‘em that ye’ve a powerful ally. Or mebbe t’would be more correct to say, had.”

Elizabeth felt like someone had run her through, so great was the agony in her chest. How could a morning that had started out with such hopeful promise have spiralled into such an ugly scene? “Do you truly believe what you’re saying?” she asked, a painful lump in her throat making it impossible to speak above a whisper. “That I’m capable of such duplicity?”

Hector turned away from her. “I think ye regret what ye gave me. I think yer ashamed that ye took me as yer lover; elseways, ye’d not care what Jack or anyone else thought of it.”

“You’re wrong. You’re wrong and you’ve belittled everything that we shared,” she choked out. Elizabeth struggled to contain her tears; she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d reduced her to a blubbering mess.

“I’ve a ship to attend to,” he said over his shoulder. “If ye’ll excuse me, Yer Majesty. I’ll be off to the Pearl and makin’ sure that yer crew and mine stand at the ready fer yer orders.”

The echo of his boots thundered through the hall, loud as cannon shots as he strode away and left her alone with her heartache and bafflement.