Apprentice To The Sorcerer

I woke before Jack. The sun slanted across his high cheekbones, accentuating his male beauty. I ached to caress him like that beam, but I would wake him if I attempted it. I settled for touching him with my eyes.

It humbled me to know I had his love.

I felt his radiant strength against me and reveled in it. He could have anyone in the world should he put his mind to it, but he chose me. Our star brought us together, cemented our union, approved our love. His music sang in my ears and pounded in my blood. I hummed it softly, feeling the chords of his symphony wrap around my aching muscles. He warmed me, this beautiful pirate, all the way to my lowest point and even beyond the heavens.

Jack’s eyes fluttered. Glazed with sleep, he nevertheless fixed his gaze upon me. A slow, easy smile stretched his sensuous mouth. “I heard my music,” he murmured. “Ah, Lizzie, ‘tis the most soul-satisfying thing in the world to wake to you. Give me your lips.”

I snuggled into him, raising my mouth to his. He felt like satin against my mouth. His kiss came, winding into me, drawing my passion for him to the surface yet keeping it calm. Our lust lurked impatiently, prowled back and forth between us.

Jack captured my eyes. I fell into those tawny brown depths, my spirit going still with the impact of a single moment.

“Marry me, Lizzie,” Jack said gently. “I know I said I didn’t need a paper to love you, and I meant it, but I want to know you as my wife. You are my friend, my lover, my mate, my soul, my other half, my very reason to breathe. Let me put that stamp of ownership on you.” He touched my cheek with a single finger, moving down to my lips in a feather light caress. “I love you. I can’t swallow the bitter pill of this world without you by my side.”

A joy like I’d never known burst inside of me.

“Oh, Jack,” I whispered. I felt more than ready to answer him now. Why had I hesitated? Hot tears welled up and escaped, streaming down my face. “I’d be proud to take your name.”

We clutched at each other. Jack buried his head in the crook of my neck, crushed me to his body. “Don’t cry, luv,” he crooned. “I can’t bear it. Even if it is for happiness, I can’t bear it.”

“Then take us to Captain Barbossa and stand with me on the planks,” I said, pressing my tears to his cheek. “He’ll marry us right now.”

Jack smoothed my hair, running his hands over me with quiet desperation. “You mean that?” he asked, sounding breathless. “Right now?”

“Yes, Jack,” I assured him. “Just you and me and Hector. I’ll marry you this moment.”

As one, we came out of the bed. Silently, our eyes speaking for us, we dressed each other. We reached for no fancy clothes. We had no need of the trappings, the formality so many people employed at a time like this. All we needed was each other.

Our moment stretched. We touched each other. I slid my hands over his taut hips, underneath the shirt I’d just dressed him in. He caressed my arms, bringing his hands to my collarbone. We both quivered with the importance of what we were about to do. Our breathing reduced to shallow, silent gasps.

It seemed a dream, the trip to Barbossa’s ship. In no time we were climbing aboard. Jack sent a man to rouse him, asking the sailor to be quick. We held hands as we waited. In a few minutes Barbossa came staggering out into the light, clutching at a bottle with one hand and his cutlass in another. “What be this irritancy?” he groused, peering at us with his bloodshot eyes.

“In your cabin,” Jack commanded. “We have something private to ask of ye.”

Obediently but with no small amount of sullen ire, Barbossa turned right back around. We followed him in. He slammed the hatch shut with his foot and glared down at us by turns. “No, don’t be even tellin’ me,” he said, holding up his hand. “I seen it all before.” He turned to a box, sifting through it until he found a Bible. “Yer both mad; I wish you well ta-gether.”

Jack and I exchanged smiles.

Barbossa narrowed his gaze at us. His irritation with us fell away, draining from his tired eyes. He flicked his attention slowly across us, rested his attention on our hands. “No,” he said, his voice unusually soft. “I take it back.” He closed his eyes briefly before opening his Bible. “I ain’t never seen this sort of marriage before.” Suddenly, the spark reappeared in his eyes. “And God help the ocean fer it.”

When we didn’t answer him, Barbossa heaved a sigh. “Ya don’t even have rings?” he questioned.

“No,” Jack and I answered together.

Barbossa rolled his eyes. “Thought about this a long time?” he asked sarcastically. He held his hand out to Jack. “Yer big, onyx ring, give it,” he commanded. When Jack obediently complied, Barbossa turned to me. “Yer little gold ring,” he demanded. Upon both rings reaching him, Barbossa promptly pocketed them. “Fair’s fair,” he said, taking two of his own rings off. They were a set meant to stack together, white gold or platinum. “Ought ta fit the two of you,” he muttered. “None of us exactly got the manly hands pirates are s’possed ta have.”

He inhaled sharply, again seeming somewhat resigned to frustration. “You gotta have a witness,” he said. “I c’n do it on deck or ye can grab some swab.”

“Your cabin boy will do,” Jack answered.

Barbossa nodded. He stuck his head out the hatch. “Magdelena!” he shouted.

Jack and I exchanged expressions of mild surprise. Barbossa caught it. “Don’t give me that,” he spat, looking at Jack. “If you can marry your rigger I can damn sure lay rod to my cabin boy.”

Jack tried to keep a straight face. He failed as my helpless little laugh came out more of a snort. We set each other off utterly, laughing together, ignoring Barbossa’s sour look. He didn’t fool us one bit. I saw the edge of his mouth twitch as he impatiently waited for his “cabin boy”.

“What is it Hector?” Magdelena asked, coming through the hatch with a swish of skirts.

“I’m marryin’ these two,” he said, gesturing to us as if we were of no importance. “Here, hold the rings and bear witness. Pay attention, cause there’s gonna be a lot o people what won’t believe it.”

Magdelena’s eyebrows went straight up. Taking the rings, she stepped beside Barbossa. She smiled at us.

“We are gather here before God and this witness to unite in Holy Matrimony, Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann,” Barbossa said. “In this case it might be unholy matrimony.”

Magdelena elbowed him in the ribs.

“Seein’ as ‘ow you’ve neglected ta tow along any nay-sayers, we can skip that part,” Barbossa went on. “Now, ya got anythin’ ta say ta each other?”

Jack turned to me, taking my hand. “Only you, Lizzie, forever,” he said quietly.

I felt the love between us as a tangible thing. The final piece of myself kept distant, dislodged and fell into Jack. I smiled up into his dark eyes, barely able to see him through joyful tears.

“Put the ring on her, you daft pirate,” Barbossa growled.

Jack reached behind without looking, finding the ring Magdelena offered as if he had his eyes directly on it. He slid it onto my finger gently. It fit.

“Now you,” Barbossa said gruffly, but his voice sounded a bit forced.

“Only you, Jack, forever,” I whispered. Magdelena gave me his ring. I put it on. It fit, as I knew it would. Jack’s eyes shone wetly. We held onto each other, twining our fingers together.

“This pledge, be it witnessed by the Almighty or by the Pit, is hereby acknowledged,” Barbossa said, almost sounding like himself again. “I present Mr. And Mrs. Jack Sparrow. Let no man put yer covenant asunder.”

Our lips met. We were breathless with the enormity, the endorsement of our love. I threw my arms around Jack and held him to me, feeling my body enveloped by him.

“Alright, honeymoon somewhere’s else,” Barbossa grouched. Jack and I broke apart to look at him, grinning like idiots. He took out his log, dipped a quill, and began recording the event of our union. “I hope I’m dead and gone by the time yer whelps start terrorizing the island.”

“Hector,” Magdelena scolded. He spared her a glance.

“You don’t even know,” he defended. “You’ll see.” He crooked his finger at us. “Come and sign the logbook, ye dippy creatures.”

**************************************************************************************

“He doesn’t fool me,” I said to Jack as we rowed ashore. “Big, gruff pirate getting choked up over us.”

“E doesn’t fool me either,” Jack chuckled. “I had his measure when you kissed his cheek.”

“You could’ve started a fire with his blush,” I burst out, collapsing into giggles.

“Cabin boy,” Jack said, face twitching. “He called her his cabin boy.”

“The Almighty or the Pit,” I shot back. “Holy or unholy matrimony.”

“Oh, a little bit of both I should think,” Jack said, letting go of the oars. We bobbed adrift halfway to the island. “Not the best honeymoon accommodations, but it’s ours, Lizzie,” he said, looking behind to the land. “I promise you we’ll have that house, and soon.”

“I can wait,” I assured him. “And it’s a good thing, too, because we wouldn’t get very far with demands on people incapable of performing.”

“What we need is a healthy group of professionals,” Jack mused. “A team of paid men who can keep their mouths shut.”

“Where?” I asked. I didn’t expect him to answer.

“There,” Jack said in a quiet voice, pointing out to sea. “Merchant cutters flying the white. Look familiar?”

I twisted to look. Four cutters sailed peacefully close, obviously intent on a mooring. “They can land,” I said. “No one is still in the contagious stage now.” I looked at them hard. “Jack, I think those are my father’s men. I see a swan painted on the prow of the first.”

“Good eyes,” Jack replied. “Aye, that’s a swan alright.” He cut his eyes to me. “Dear old dad missed the wedding. Will he be upset?”

I sighed. “Who knows? He didn’t seem to like the idea of you and I, but he didn’t stop me from coming back to your ship.”

“When was this last?” Jack asked. “You didn’t tell me about it.”

“Oh, well, I was sick,” I said. “I went to visit father and Will came. We had a fight, which is how he ended up following me back to the Pearl.” I paused to take a harder look at the figures running around on board the closest ship. “Anyway, before Will came I showed father who I was. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t tell me no and he didn’t reveal me to Will. He allowed us to fight right in his hall though he had men who could have separated us in an instant.” I smiled. “Good man, my father.”

“Shall we go meet him?” Jack asked, taking up the oars again.

“No.” I shook my head. “What if it isn’t my father? We’d be alone on an enemy ship.”

“Never stopped me before,” Jack said, grinning. “What does our star say?”

I paused. My star felt…calm. “I don’t feel anything bad,” I admitted. “You?”

“The same.” Jack turned the boat. “Whetherby’s carpet it is,” he announced. “When he calls us upon it, I hope you remember this w’s all your idea.”

“You proposed to me,” I said sternly.

“Aye, but you ran off and then married me,” Jack said, still smiling. “I’ve always been trouble.”

“Truer words were never spoken,” I murmured.

**************************************************************************************

Father’s sailors were friendly enough to tell us not to bother coming aboard. My father suffered from seasickness and refused to see anyone until it cleared up. “Don’t look like that,” one man said to me, in a kind tone. “Masculine pride only, Miss Swann.”

“Mrs. Sparrow,” I corrected him. “See if that gets him on deck.”

The man’s mouth pressed to conceal a smile. “Right away, Mrs. Sparrow,” he said, leaving us bobbing in the water alongside the ship. Jack turned to say something to me, but stopped when a man shouted to us from the rail.

“Captain Sparrow!”

Jack tilted his head. “Do I know you?” he asked.

“No.” The man held a stiffly wrapped parcel over the side. “Mary Martin O’Conner’s order,” he explained. “She says not to complain about it being late, considering you’ve not been in one spot to get it for eleven years.” He dropped the package. “She says she hopes you haven’t gotten fat.”

Jack caught the object. It didn’t seem to weigh much. “My thanks,” he shouted out. He looked at me. “Can’t even remember what I asked her to make,” he said, looking slightly worried.

At that moment my father appeared at the rail. He looked down at us. In color he resembled a slightly under-ripe banana. “Oh, do come up,” he said testily. “I didn’t mean for my own daughter and her…”he narrowed his eyes at Jack. “Husband,” he went on, “to float out here.”

We climbed up. Jack left his package in the boat.

“Hello darling,” father said, hugging me tightly. “You look radiant.” Again he narrowed his eyes at Jack. “I hope it’s just a tan.”

He thought I might be pregnant.

“Probably just a tan,” I assured him halfway. “You just missed our wedding. Captain Barbossa wed us about fifteen minutes ago.” I hugged him back. Ah, it was so good to do that after so long. “What brings you here and how did you know where to find us?”

“A little bird told me,” my father said, not taking his eyes off of Jack. “Glad of it, too.”

“I wrote to him before we reached here,” Jack said, meeting my eyes. “Thought he might like to know.”

“Thank you,” I said softly. At one point such news would have enraged me. I would have seen it as masculine meddling. Now I saw it for what it was; concern. Jack had no intention of taking me from my father.

“I’m sorry I missed the wedding,” father said, looking sorry indeed. “But I’m glad you both agreed to it before you ended up in a family way.” He motioned us to follow him to his cabin. “I have something to discuss with you both.”

Once alone, father offered Jack a brandy glass. Neat as anything, Jack curled his hand around the stem and sat down. If not for his clothes he could have been a very proper socialite, for he angled his body in the chair very affectedly. I held out my hand for one. Father eyed me. Saying nothing, he poured for me as well.

“I’ll get to it,” my father said. “These ships are full of masons, architects, laborers and such. I brought them to help you. They are already paid for.” He pulled out a list, sliding it across the table to Jack. “Here are the men’s names and occupations. I assure you they all do very fine work. Most of them built my mansion in Port Royal.”

“This is very generous of you, Whetherby,” Jack said quietly.

I heard the unspoken question.

Why.

Why did the governor of Port Royal want to help pirates build a fortress?

My father heard it too. He smiled, looked down at the table. “I’m not a politician anymore,” he said. “I am a free man. If I choose to help my daughter it is no man’s business but mine.” His smile stretched in a wry twist of his lips. “And yours, I suppose.”

“You quit,” I cried out, not able to hide my delight.

“I quit,” he agreed. “I’m going back to England, to rain and seasons. I want to see snow again, to see cabbage roses blooming by the garden gate. Maybe I’ll meet someone.”

I got up to hug him again. “Oh, I’m so glad,” I breathed.

“I’ll be sure to write,” father said. “Once this place is established you’ll certainly have post.”

“Absolutely,” Jack said. “How long will you stay with us?”

“I can’t stay.” My father sighed. “I have a schedule. And I am eager to go home.”

“I understand,” I said.

“I knew you would,” he answered. “And I’m glad my arrival happened after your marriage.”

“So you wouldn’t have to stop it?” Jack asked, not quite smiling.

“No.” My father held Jack’s eyes. “So I wouldn’t have had to insist upon it.”

“I’ll do right by Lizzie,” Jack answered softly.

“If you don’t, I will succeed where she failed,” my father replied.

“How did you know I killed Jack?” I asked, shocked. “I didn’t tell anyone. Jack hasn’t told anyone.”

“A little priestess told me,” my father said. “How do you think I found you? I can’t read a map, even as well as Captain Sparrow can draw one.”

“You consulted Tia Dalma?” I couldn’t imagine my father going to the woman’s home, not in a thousand years I couldn’t.

“I did.” My father looked well pleased with himself. “She’s on ship right now, insisted upon coming with us.”

Jack shivered.

I felt gladdened by this news. Tia was a font of information and she knew magic. She could help me quite a lot.

“But now, darling,” father said. “Give me another hug. It must last me quite awhile I’m afraid.”

I didn’t cry. I knew I would see him again, in my heart of hearts. All the same, I felt sad. He hadn’t stayed around very long. Of course, I deserved it, for running off on him so quickly the last time we spoke.

Father offered Jack his hand. “All threats aside, do well,” he urged my husband. “I hold nothing against you, Sparrow; I’m too old. You make her happy and that’s all I ever wanted for my daughter.”

“Thank you,” Jack answered, clasping hands with him. “I promise nothing comes before Lizzie.”

I felt I could burst with gladness. This was the happiest day of my life and I hadn’t even had dinner yet.

Twenty minutes saw us through the last goodbyes, the instructions, and the sadness. I found myself back in the boat, watching my father’s personal ship weigh anchor to sail away. Tia and her amazing amount of luggage already occupied land. Jack and I settled down and he began to row. “Never thought he’d not shoot me,” Jack said thoughtfully. “T’would have been his right.”

“My father is a gentle, kind man,” I replied. “I hope he has a safe journey home.”

“He will,” Jack assured me, echoing the intuitions of my heart. “Your father will be just fine.”