Chapter 30:  Beckett and the Brethren Court

 

The mood aboard the Black Pearl was melancholy at best.  No one knew of Captain Jack Sparrow’s fate—they had not been able to wait near Port Royal long enough to see if Robin had managed to rescue him as well.  But everyone feared the worst.

Elizabeth was confused.  She had hated Robin—and still did—but now she felt guilty about those hateful feelings towards the woman.  Robin could very well be sitting in a cell waiting to be hung right now because she had rescued the crew of the Pearl from the gallows.  Elizabeth put her head in her hands, trying to understand why Robin would do something like that.  She must have known that her chances for survival were slim.  It seemed completely unlike her to risk her life for others.  Perhaps Elizabeth had judged Robin too hastily.

Elizabeth snorted at this thought in grim amusement as she shook her head.  Robin must have believed that she had much to gain if she succeeded.  What she could have gained from her actions Elizabeth could not fathom, but there had to be something.

Elizabeth’s thoughts turned to James.  He had betrayed them again.  He was working for Lord Beckett.  But this did not make sense; at least, not completely.  All previous evidence and actions the two had taken seemed to show that James and Robin had taken the Blood Oath together, meaning that neither could betray the other.

But if James was working for Beckett, then Robin had betrayed him.  Yet Robin had not died as she rescued the crew.  Thus either Robin had somehow not betrayed James, James had taken the Blood Oath with someone else (God forbid it was with Lord Beckett), or the Blood Oath did not really work and was merely a myth.  Had Elizabeth not personally met the heathen god Calypso in the past, she would have likely chosen to believe the last of those possibilities.

“Mrs. Turner.”  Elizabeth was brought out of her thoughts as she turned to look at Captain Barbossa, who was holding out a coin to her.  Elizabeth looked at it in confusion, wondering if Barbossa wanted her to take it and why.  Barbossa suddenly stepped closer, causing Elizabeth to take a startled step back in surprise.  Barbossa rolled his eyes and took another step forward, grabbing Elizabeth’s arm and pulling her close to him.  “Listen, Captain Turner,” he hissed, putting the coin, a piece of eight, to her ear.

The piece of eight almost seemed to sing a wordless song in her ear, the sound enchanting…and familiar.  “The call,” Elizabeth said quietly, the song echoing in her mind and sending a shiver through her body.

“Aye, Mrs. Turner,” Barbossa confirmed.  “The song has been sung.”

Elizabeth leaned onto the railing of the ship.  “We have to go back.”

There was a moment of silence before Barbossa responded.  “To Shipwreck Cove, you mean.”

“No.”  Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked at her hands.  “Jack is one of the Pirate Lords.  We have to go back to Port Royal and ensure his safety.

Barbossa let out a long breath.  “That would be taking a great risk, Mrs. Turner,” he said.  “We can’t take the chance with all those Navy and Company ships about.”

“We will take that chance,” Elizabeth said quietly but firmly.

“I’m sorry to contradict you, miss, but—.”

“King.”  Elizabeth turned around to face the pirate captain, an eyebrow arched.  Barbossa saw that there was no point in arguing.  Elizabeth was indeed the King of the Brethren Court, courtesy of Jack.

“If you insist, Captain Turner,” Barbossa said grudgingly, heading to the helm.

Elizabeth looked back out onto the sea.  She hoped that Jack was all right.  He had to be alive.  Jack had a way of surviving.

* * *

Jack opened his eyes.  It was very dark.  He squinted, trying to see where he was, but his eyes were not adjusting well to the dim light.  Jack closed his eyes again as his head seemed to spin.  Was he hung-over?

Jack felt his heart skip a beat as the word “hung” sunk into his mind.  He put a hand to his throat as he remembered being hung…along with his daughter.

“Finally awake, Jack?”

Jack gasped in surprised and looked to where the voice had come from, but his eyes could only make out a faint silhouette seated nearby him.  He realized that he knew that voice.  “Jackie?” he said hesitantly.  Jack could just barely make out a smile on the figure’s face as Jack sat up and put a hand to his throbbing head.  “What happened?”

There was a brief silence before Robin answered.  “We died.”

The bluntness of his daughter’s statement startled Jack.  The last thing that Jack remembered was standing on the gallows, and the natural ending to such a situation was death.  But they could not possibly be dead…

“Dead?” Jack said in disbelief.  “I’ve been dead before, love, and it wasn’t like this…then again, that was Davy Jones’ Locker, wasn’t it, so I suppose it would be different…”  Robin laughed brightly, again surprising her father.  “What’s so funny?” Jack asked in annoyance.  “Being dead is not funny.”

“Well, you’re not dead now,” Robin said in amusement, almost as though the statement was the most obvious fact in the world.

Jack blinked.  “What?”

Robin stifled another laugh.  “You’re not dead.”

Jack looked down at his body, which was barely visible in the dim light.  “I’m not?” he exclaimed in surprise.  He turned back to his daughter and hesitantly asked, “Are you?”

“Dead?  No, of course not,” Robin answered with a chuckle.  “Sparrows aren’t that easily gotten rid of.”

Jack grinned and looked around.  “The boy?” he asked when he noticed that John was nowhere in sight.  Of course, it was so dark wherever they were that the boy could have been just a meter away and Jack probably would not have been able to see him.

“John is fine.  He’s at Lizzie’s place.  Her maid will take care of him—I gave her quite a large bag of gold.”

“And how did you acquire said wealth?” Jack asked with a grin.

“Pirate.”

Jack smirked and looked around again.  “Where are we?”

“Use your senses, Jack.”

Jack sighed, feeling as though his daughter was being far too entertained by his confusion.  He realized that they were slowly rocking, a familiar and comforting feeling.  He heard a faint creaking and then knocked on the floor below him, confirming that it was wood.  “A ship,” he said with a smile.  “What ship?”

“The Ruthless,” Robin said with a little shrug.  “It’s new, I believe.”

Jack stroked his beard.  “Sounds like a pirate ship…sure it’s wise to stowaway aboard here?”

Robin shifted uncomfortably.  “Actually,” she began with a cough, “it’s a ship of the Company.”

Jack’s blood ran cold as he stared at his daughter in shock.  “The Company?  The East India Company—that Company?” he hissed.  “Are you mad?”

“Look who’s talking…” Robin muttered under her breath.  “Listen.”  Robin moved closer to him, her blue eyes sparkling.  “The song was sung, Jack.  The Brethren Court will gather—you must get to Shipwreck Cove.”

“Is Beckett on board?” Jack asked completely ignoring what Robin was telling him about the Brethren Court, despite its importance.

Robin closed her eyes and sighed.  “I don’t believe so.  Now, Jack, the Brethren—.”

“Who’s in charge of the ship if not Beckett?”  Even in the darkness, Jack believed that he saw Robin blush.

“The captain is named Gillette,” she answered simply.

“That little guy with the irons?” Jack said with a laugh.  “He made Captain?”  Robin’s brow furrowed in confusion.  “Long story, love.”  Jack looked at his daughter intently, her facial features become more visible as he adjusted to the lighting.  “You didn’t tell me who was in command of the ship.”

Robin did not answer for a moment.  “I said that the captain is someone named Gillette,” she repeated quietly.

“Yes,” Jack said.  “But you are still not saying who’s in command, love.”

“Sharper than you look, aren’t you, Jack?” Robin said with a grin.

Jack was not entirely sure whether this was a compliment or an insult.  “Don’t act so surprised that I have a mind, Jackie.”

“Listen to me, Jack, the Brethren Court will be meeting.  Cutler knows this—.”

“Cutler?” Jack interrupted sharply, now ignoring the fact that Robin was still refusing to answer his question.  “He is on board, isn’t it?”

“No!” Robin insisted, her face flushing again.  Jack was suspicious—surely his daughter could not still have feelings for that man.  “Will you listen to me?  Beckett will know that the Brethren Court will be meeting—he will use this as another opportunity to destroy—.”

A door suddenly opened, and the two ducked behind some barrels and fell silent as someone came in.  The sailor was carrying a key, with which he opened another door and vanished for a few moments.  When he came back out, he was carrying what appeared to be a bottle of rum.  Jack’s eyes glinted greedily as he watched the man lock the door and head back out of the storage room.

“Jack!” Robin hissed as Jack got up and headed to the door where the soldier had gotten the rum.  “Jack, get back here!”

The door to the storage room suddenly opened again.  “Damn,” Robin breathed.