One Shot: Rescue
Apr. 19th, 2006 08:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
honoratBy Honorat
Rating: PG-13
Characters: The Black Pearl and the Dauntless
Disclaimer: Pirate!
Summary: Sequel to Rivalry and Sisters. This is for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
felaine who wanted to see the meeting of the Black Pearl and the Dauntless. As usual, the ships have more to say in the plot of PotC than one might think. Angsty, but with a happy ending. Extremely late, extremely not a drabble, response to the “Delay” challenge at Black Pearl Sails.
Thank yougeek_mama_2 for the beta read.
* * * * *
Rescue
The Dauntless was the first to recognize that one of the shadows hovering around the headland was a ship.
Who are you? she challenged. And what are you doing in my waters?
I am the Black Pearl, came the immediate response, clear and unafraid.
The Black Pearl. A cold breath shivered her sails. The ghost ship! Although she looked thoroughly and solidly real, now. That fleet and evil ship had terrorized the Caribbean for ten years, in spite of all the Dauntless had been able to do. I know your name, cursed one, she hissed, wrath burning in her bilges until she wondered that her powder magazine was not endangered. Do not come nearer or I will destroy you!
I mean you and yours no harm. The pirate ship spoke peaceably.
Why should I believe you? the Dauntless accused bitterly. The last time you sailed into this harbour you tried to obliterate my town. You fired on my fort. The night was full of flames and screams and flying shrapnel. You draw death in your wake, black-hearted ship.
You are right, the Black Pearl said soberly. I did commit those crimes. But I am not the ship I was then.
Then explain your actions now, the Dauntless demanded coldly. Why should I not raise the alarm, run out my long guns and blast you into kindling?
My curse has been lifted, the Pearl tried to explain. I can no longer be forced to kill.
But you can still kill, the Dauntless snapped, her gunports quivering before the questing snouts of her cannon. They were scenting fire and blood and death. This ship sailed unashamed under the black flag. She was lawful prey.
As can you, the Black Pearl pointed out.
Yes, the Dauntless said meaningfully, I can. She could feel her cannons itching along her sides. Just a little closer now and she could open fire on her enemy.
But the black ship did not come closer. Instead, she hove to, just out of range, still hidden in the shadows, her sails slatting gently, her lines limp. All of her gunports remained sealed and non-threatening. Then the Black Pearl, fastest and most treacherous of pirate ships in the Caribbean, dipped her proud bowsprit nearly to the surface of the sea in meek entreaty.
Please, she begged. You must let me approach. I have so little time.
The Dauntless’s sails hung in slack-lined amazement. Nonplussed, she asked, Time for what?
I have come to save my captain. A tremor broke the Pearl’s words into shards of glass.
Your captain? the Dauntless asked, confused at first.
Yes, the Black Pearl explained, her voice like knives slicing the air. He delivered me from my curse, and for his pains they are going to kill him. I cannot let that happen.
The Dauntless’s attention was drawn to the small bird, winging its flight from the tender, cradling hands of the Black Pearl’s figurehead. Jack Sparrow is your captain, she stated. That meant he was the man the Royal Navy was hanging today. A chill crept up her masts. She would rather not have known that.
He is. And he always has been. Across all time and beyond all seas he will always be my captain, the dark ship’s voice was low and intense.
If he lives, the Dauntless said cruelly.
Even if he does not, the Black Pearl spoke sharply. But oh, she begged, you must let me try to save him.
I cannot stop them from hanging him, the Dauntless snapped.
Nor can I, the Pearl admitted. I can only be there for him if he succeeds in flying free. He is such a one for flight. I used to believe he might spread wings and light out for the sun. Hope warred with despair in her voice.
Indeed, the Dauntless spoke reflectively, he does not have the feel of the earthbound about him.
You have met him? The dark ship asked, brightening. I should have known. He has paid court to nearly every ship in the Caribbean since we were separated ten years ago.
She did not sound as though this bothered her, the Dauntless noted. In fact there was a hint of laughter in her tone.
You, however, she continued, I would have thought you were above his touch. But I should have known. Then you must understand what kind of man he is! There is nothing beyond him!
I returned him to Port Royal in my brig. I sailed under his command on the passage to Isla de Muerta where he sought to lift your curse. And he was briefly aboard me before he left Port Royal to hunt for you with my little sister, the Interceptor, the Dauntless explained coolly.
Oh. Something chilled in the dark ship’s tone. Of course. The Interceptor.
Have you seen her? The Dauntless asked eagerly, ready to temporarily suspend hostilities for the sake of information. She had been surprised to discover she had missed the company of the smaller ship. Do you know what has become of her? The two men who sailed her have returned, but no one has spoken of her.
I do know, the Pearl said quietly.
Then tell me. Is she well? the Dauntless pressed.
She is dead.
The words hit like a shot in still water. Shock shivered through the Dauntless’s timbers. Surely it couldn’t be true. Only a few weeks ago the little brig had been tugging at her moorings, longing for adventure, trifling with a pirate captain. So full of life and high spirits. A little annoying in her effervescent youth, but very dear for all of that.
But . . . dead?
How? she asked, pain leaching all emotion out of her words.
I killed her, the Black Pearl said dully.
Rage coursed through every line of the Royal Navy warship. Every one of her hundred guns trembled.
Then I will kill you! she hissed, her voice shaking.
I am sorry, the Pearl said humbly. You have that right. I can only say, I would not have done so had I been given a choice. And the hand that lit the final fire that blew her magazine did so on the orders of that fiend from hell who held the chains of my curse. He is dead, now. My captain killed him. I felt the life leave him as it returned to me.
A great, quivering sigh shuddered the Dauntless’s sails as she fought to curb her emotions. She must remember that this ship had been cursed. Could the Black Pearl still be blamed for the crimes of which she was guilty? The crimes forced on her by that madman, Barbossa? Perhaps not, but the Dauntless knew she did blame her. However, an honourable ship would not act merely on those feelings. A great emptiness filled her, as though her holds were hollowed out and her hull was merely a shell.
She was so young, the Dauntless murmured brokenly.
Yes, the pirate ship replied, the single word catching.
I am glad your captain avenged her death, the Dauntless said, although she wished she could have done so herself. Wished there were anything she could still do for her little sister ship.
As am I. The Black Pearl’s own voice was harsh.
But I would still like to shoot something, the Dauntless retorted, glaring at the dark ship, her yards rattling with her vehemence.
I understand, the Pearl said gravely, holding herself very still. Perhaps you will yet get your wish, because I am coming for my captain. There is nothing you can say to stop me. There was no defiance in her statement—merely a bedrock firm assertion of fact. He will die if I do not. And I do not choose to live without him.
You are a pirate ship. He is a pirate. It is my duty to stop you, the Dauntless informed her, the North Atlantic ice in her voice at odds with the warm Caribbean day.
Duty is a good thing, the Black Pearl agreed. The earth must turn in her orbit, bringing dawn and dusk and the seasons’ change. The stars must follow their courses through the night and speak our place in the universe. But oh, she exclaimed, wild clarions sounding faint and far off in her voice, the wind must blow free, where it will! Would you really wish to live in a world without it? My captain and I are creatures of the wind.
For an instant the Dauntless felt her sails stirred by a wind that had no relation to atmospheric conditions or the change in air currents. Like breath, it thrummed hauntingly in her rigging and stroked lightly along her hull. Suddenly the longing to slip her chains of anchorage and responsibility and to chase down the edge of the earth seemed almost more than she could bear. She shivered uncomfortably. This black ship might no longer be cursed, but she was still an enchantress, still a deadly enemy.
You are dangerous, she insisted, staunchly resisting, and I am a protector.
Very true. The Pearl dipped her bowsprit in acknowledgment touched with exhaustion.
The Dauntless remembered that she must be recuperating from ten years of hard use and what must have been a terrible race to reach Port Royal in time.
Great storms are dangerous, the dark ship continued passionately. Freedom is dangerous. And when I am a threat, you must protect. The urgency rose in her voice. But I swear by my love for my captain, I do not come to threaten this time!
The Dauntless remained silent and adamant. One false move by the pirate ship, and the Royal Navy ship would spill her gun crews to her cannons and blow that bloody boat off the face of the sea. She would. She must.
It is almost too late, the Black Pearl whispered, pleading. Please. Let me go to him.
The great warship shifted uncomfortably at her moorings. How would she feel if it were her commodore whose life was at stake?
Suddenly a shudder ran through the pirate ship. Her sails strained taut and her rigging vibrated with distress. Recklessly she plunged into range of the Dauntless’s longest guns. Oh God! she moaned. They are hanging him! I cannot bear it if, after all we have been through, he is taken from me!
She should fire. The Dauntless knew she should. This grief-stricken ship would be no opponent at all in this moment. But she found she couldn’t.
I am sorry, she said. And she was, both for the bold, dark ship and for her vivid, fascinating captain.
How can they do this? the bewildered ship cried. He is a good man!
The Black Pearl spoke the truth. The Dauntless knew it. A man could lie with his voice, but never with his hands. She had trusted Jack Sparrow to take her safely through that graveyard of ships to Isla de Muerta, and he had not let her down. He could never touch the heights of her love and devotion to her commodore, but a glowing ember in one corner of her heart would always be reserved for that dark stranger who had seduced her for one night of exhilarating terror and the most incredible voyage of her life.
I know, she admitted quietly, feeling that small corner burn with her own pain.
Then the Black Pearl lurched as though she were shot. The Dauntless found herself looking to her cannons although she knew she had not fired.
No! the black ship wailed, her anguish wrenching her spars and groaning in her deckplates as though she were fighting through the most severe of storms. The echoes of her cry battered the sides of the shocked warship.
The Dauntless flinched. Is he . . .? she asked breathless with dread, not daring to finish the question.
For a moment the Black Pearl did not answer—seemed unable to answer. She shivered in on herself, almost seeming to shrink. Her entire hull shook with misery.
Suddenly, all the tension drained out of the dark ship. No, he is not! she gasped, joy lighting her sails until the Dauntless could have sworn the black turned gold. I should have known. Tears flooded her voice. I should have known! He is Captain Jack Sparrow, and he always flies free.
Somehow, then, Jack Sparrow had escaped the gallows, the Dauntless realized. But she knew her men, and she knew the pirate had not evaded death yet. They would pursue him with pure tenacity, drag him back to that place of execution and complete their mission.
She knew what she would do. It was illogical. It was illegal. It was against everything for which she had always stood. But she could not let that happen.
Go to him, she said to the Black Pearl.
What?
The poor dark ship was so overwrought she scarcely understood what the Dauntless was offering her.
Go, I say, the warship commanded patiently. I am letting you pass. Do you understand?
In response, the Black Pearl fairly leapt forward, safe from the Dauntless now, although soon to dare the long guns of Fort Charles. Thank you! she cried over her starboard quarter. Thank you!
A blue winged dart, forerunner for the fleet ship, swept above the battlements of the fort. Indeed, the Black Pearl was shelter for many winged things, the Dauntless reflected. Perilous creatures, the lot of them. Chasing freedom as though it were life itself. Staring into the sun. Like sharks and hawks and thunderstorms, they made the world a more dangerous place, but perhaps, she mused, watching that glorious ebony ship with her sails like archangels' wings race towards her beloved captain, disdainful of her own life, perhaps it was worth it for the sheer wild beauty of them.
The sea was resounding with a more intense allure than the Royal Navy ship had ever felt before. The Black Pearl was calling her captain, the Dauntless realized. And that call paled the faint temptation she had thrown at the Dauntless into near invisibility. This was a summons that no man could refuse. In it reverberated a decade of loss and despair, a lifetime of love and longing.
The Dauntless was not surprised when the tiny figure of a man took flight off the walls of the fort. Nor was she surprised that that call had dragged him over the edge as though he were caught in a fierce wind. She merely wondered that only one man had failed to resist that siren song.
He hit the water in a froth of spray, disappeared for a moment, then popped back to the surface. Turning with blind instinct towards the source of that call, he caught sight of his ship and struck out, swimming strongly towards her.
The Black Pearl hove to beside her captain, curveting and prancing in the white splash of the exuberant seas. Of course he did not climb aboard, as another man might have done. He flew, the Dauntless saw in wonder. Flew straight into his lady’s arms.
The Black Pearl quivered with elation, all grace and pride and swift sweet motion, as though she were a newly commissioned ship wooing her first captain. But this was not some youthful coquette flirting with a new partner. This was one of the grand dames of the sea, one of the great tall ships, come apart and dancing before her longtime captain like the giddiest of schooners.
The Dauntless almost expected to see the dark ship dissolve into light.
She felt an unexpected tightness about her heart. There was something so perfectly right about the two of them together. Something that should be let run free rather than shattered to pieces. Even now, the Dauntless could feel her men’s urgency. They wanted her to take that magnificent ship and her captain down. But her own commodore’s heart was as torn as her own. He alone, she could influence.
They must still return to duty and honour. But just this once . . .
I can give you one day, she called to the rejoicing pirate ship.
What did you say? the Pearl called back as though out of the depths of a dream, scarcely hearing.
One day’s head start, Black Pearl. Will it be enough?
Oh yes! The dark ship exclaimed, laughter ringing through her rigging in bright arpeggios. I feel as though I could circumnavigate the globe in one day! Thank you Dauntless. I will never forget your kindness.
Her swift flight from the harbour lent credence to her delighted claim.
Fair winds, sister, the Dauntless murmured.
The Black Pearl’s faint reply drifted back over the shimmering sea as her tall dark sails filled, reaching out for the horizon: He will be my fair wind indeed.
The End
Rating: PG-13
Characters: The Black Pearl and the Dauntless
Disclaimer: Pirate!
Summary: Sequel to Rivalry and Sisters. This is for
felaine who wanted to see the meeting of the Black Pearl and the Dauntless. As usual, the ships have more to say in the plot of PotC than one might think. Angsty, but with a happy ending. Extremely late, extremely not a drabble, response to the “Delay” challenge at Black Pearl Sails.Thank you
geek_mama_2 for the beta read.* * * * *
Rescue
The Dauntless was the first to recognize that one of the shadows hovering around the headland was a ship.
Who are you? she challenged. And what are you doing in my waters?
I am the Black Pearl, came the immediate response, clear and unafraid.
The Black Pearl. A cold breath shivered her sails. The ghost ship! Although she looked thoroughly and solidly real, now. That fleet and evil ship had terrorized the Caribbean for ten years, in spite of all the Dauntless had been able to do. I know your name, cursed one, she hissed, wrath burning in her bilges until she wondered that her powder magazine was not endangered. Do not come nearer or I will destroy you!
I mean you and yours no harm. The pirate ship spoke peaceably.
Why should I believe you? the Dauntless accused bitterly. The last time you sailed into this harbour you tried to obliterate my town. You fired on my fort. The night was full of flames and screams and flying shrapnel. You draw death in your wake, black-hearted ship.
You are right, the Black Pearl said soberly. I did commit those crimes. But I am not the ship I was then.
Then explain your actions now, the Dauntless demanded coldly. Why should I not raise the alarm, run out my long guns and blast you into kindling?
My curse has been lifted, the Pearl tried to explain. I can no longer be forced to kill.
But you can still kill, the Dauntless snapped, her gunports quivering before the questing snouts of her cannon. They were scenting fire and blood and death. This ship sailed unashamed under the black flag. She was lawful prey.
As can you, the Black Pearl pointed out.
Yes, the Dauntless said meaningfully, I can. She could feel her cannons itching along her sides. Just a little closer now and she could open fire on her enemy.
But the black ship did not come closer. Instead, she hove to, just out of range, still hidden in the shadows, her sails slatting gently, her lines limp. All of her gunports remained sealed and non-threatening. Then the Black Pearl, fastest and most treacherous of pirate ships in the Caribbean, dipped her proud bowsprit nearly to the surface of the sea in meek entreaty.
Please, she begged. You must let me approach. I have so little time.
The Dauntless’s sails hung in slack-lined amazement. Nonplussed, she asked, Time for what?
I have come to save my captain. A tremor broke the Pearl’s words into shards of glass.
Your captain? the Dauntless asked, confused at first.
Yes, the Black Pearl explained, her voice like knives slicing the air. He delivered me from my curse, and for his pains they are going to kill him. I cannot let that happen.
The Dauntless’s attention was drawn to the small bird, winging its flight from the tender, cradling hands of the Black Pearl’s figurehead. Jack Sparrow is your captain, she stated. That meant he was the man the Royal Navy was hanging today. A chill crept up her masts. She would rather not have known that.
He is. And he always has been. Across all time and beyond all seas he will always be my captain, the dark ship’s voice was low and intense.
If he lives, the Dauntless said cruelly.
Even if he does not, the Black Pearl spoke sharply. But oh, she begged, you must let me try to save him.
I cannot stop them from hanging him, the Dauntless snapped.
Nor can I, the Pearl admitted. I can only be there for him if he succeeds in flying free. He is such a one for flight. I used to believe he might spread wings and light out for the sun. Hope warred with despair in her voice.
Indeed, the Dauntless spoke reflectively, he does not have the feel of the earthbound about him.
You have met him? The dark ship asked, brightening. I should have known. He has paid court to nearly every ship in the Caribbean since we were separated ten years ago.
She did not sound as though this bothered her, the Dauntless noted. In fact there was a hint of laughter in her tone.
You, however, she continued, I would have thought you were above his touch. But I should have known. Then you must understand what kind of man he is! There is nothing beyond him!
I returned him to Port Royal in my brig. I sailed under his command on the passage to Isla de Muerta where he sought to lift your curse. And he was briefly aboard me before he left Port Royal to hunt for you with my little sister, the Interceptor, the Dauntless explained coolly.
Oh. Something chilled in the dark ship’s tone. Of course. The Interceptor.
Have you seen her? The Dauntless asked eagerly, ready to temporarily suspend hostilities for the sake of information. She had been surprised to discover she had missed the company of the smaller ship. Do you know what has become of her? The two men who sailed her have returned, but no one has spoken of her.
I do know, the Pearl said quietly.
Then tell me. Is she well? the Dauntless pressed.
She is dead.
The words hit like a shot in still water. Shock shivered through the Dauntless’s timbers. Surely it couldn’t be true. Only a few weeks ago the little brig had been tugging at her moorings, longing for adventure, trifling with a pirate captain. So full of life and high spirits. A little annoying in her effervescent youth, but very dear for all of that.
But . . . dead?
How? she asked, pain leaching all emotion out of her words.
I killed her, the Black Pearl said dully.
Rage coursed through every line of the Royal Navy warship. Every one of her hundred guns trembled.
Then I will kill you! she hissed, her voice shaking.
I am sorry, the Pearl said humbly. You have that right. I can only say, I would not have done so had I been given a choice. And the hand that lit the final fire that blew her magazine did so on the orders of that fiend from hell who held the chains of my curse. He is dead, now. My captain killed him. I felt the life leave him as it returned to me.
A great, quivering sigh shuddered the Dauntless’s sails as she fought to curb her emotions. She must remember that this ship had been cursed. Could the Black Pearl still be blamed for the crimes of which she was guilty? The crimes forced on her by that madman, Barbossa? Perhaps not, but the Dauntless knew she did blame her. However, an honourable ship would not act merely on those feelings. A great emptiness filled her, as though her holds were hollowed out and her hull was merely a shell.
She was so young, the Dauntless murmured brokenly.
Yes, the pirate ship replied, the single word catching.
I am glad your captain avenged her death, the Dauntless said, although she wished she could have done so herself. Wished there were anything she could still do for her little sister ship.
As am I. The Black Pearl’s own voice was harsh.
But I would still like to shoot something, the Dauntless retorted, glaring at the dark ship, her yards rattling with her vehemence.
I understand, the Pearl said gravely, holding herself very still. Perhaps you will yet get your wish, because I am coming for my captain. There is nothing you can say to stop me. There was no defiance in her statement—merely a bedrock firm assertion of fact. He will die if I do not. And I do not choose to live without him.
You are a pirate ship. He is a pirate. It is my duty to stop you, the Dauntless informed her, the North Atlantic ice in her voice at odds with the warm Caribbean day.
Duty is a good thing, the Black Pearl agreed. The earth must turn in her orbit, bringing dawn and dusk and the seasons’ change. The stars must follow their courses through the night and speak our place in the universe. But oh, she exclaimed, wild clarions sounding faint and far off in her voice, the wind must blow free, where it will! Would you really wish to live in a world without it? My captain and I are creatures of the wind.
For an instant the Dauntless felt her sails stirred by a wind that had no relation to atmospheric conditions or the change in air currents. Like breath, it thrummed hauntingly in her rigging and stroked lightly along her hull. Suddenly the longing to slip her chains of anchorage and responsibility and to chase down the edge of the earth seemed almost more than she could bear. She shivered uncomfortably. This black ship might no longer be cursed, but she was still an enchantress, still a deadly enemy.
You are dangerous, she insisted, staunchly resisting, and I am a protector.
Very true. The Pearl dipped her bowsprit in acknowledgment touched with exhaustion.
The Dauntless remembered that she must be recuperating from ten years of hard use and what must have been a terrible race to reach Port Royal in time.
Great storms are dangerous, the dark ship continued passionately. Freedom is dangerous. And when I am a threat, you must protect. The urgency rose in her voice. But I swear by my love for my captain, I do not come to threaten this time!
The Dauntless remained silent and adamant. One false move by the pirate ship, and the Royal Navy ship would spill her gun crews to her cannons and blow that bloody boat off the face of the sea. She would. She must.
It is almost too late, the Black Pearl whispered, pleading. Please. Let me go to him.
The great warship shifted uncomfortably at her moorings. How would she feel if it were her commodore whose life was at stake?
Suddenly a shudder ran through the pirate ship. Her sails strained taut and her rigging vibrated with distress. Recklessly she plunged into range of the Dauntless’s longest guns. Oh God! she moaned. They are hanging him! I cannot bear it if, after all we have been through, he is taken from me!
She should fire. The Dauntless knew she should. This grief-stricken ship would be no opponent at all in this moment. But she found she couldn’t.
I am sorry, she said. And she was, both for the bold, dark ship and for her vivid, fascinating captain.
How can they do this? the bewildered ship cried. He is a good man!
The Black Pearl spoke the truth. The Dauntless knew it. A man could lie with his voice, but never with his hands. She had trusted Jack Sparrow to take her safely through that graveyard of ships to Isla de Muerta, and he had not let her down. He could never touch the heights of her love and devotion to her commodore, but a glowing ember in one corner of her heart would always be reserved for that dark stranger who had seduced her for one night of exhilarating terror and the most incredible voyage of her life.
I know, she admitted quietly, feeling that small corner burn with her own pain.
Then the Black Pearl lurched as though she were shot. The Dauntless found herself looking to her cannons although she knew she had not fired.
No! the black ship wailed, her anguish wrenching her spars and groaning in her deckplates as though she were fighting through the most severe of storms. The echoes of her cry battered the sides of the shocked warship.
The Dauntless flinched. Is he . . .? she asked breathless with dread, not daring to finish the question.
For a moment the Black Pearl did not answer—seemed unable to answer. She shivered in on herself, almost seeming to shrink. Her entire hull shook with misery.
Suddenly, all the tension drained out of the dark ship. No, he is not! she gasped, joy lighting her sails until the Dauntless could have sworn the black turned gold. I should have known. Tears flooded her voice. I should have known! He is Captain Jack Sparrow, and he always flies free.
Somehow, then, Jack Sparrow had escaped the gallows, the Dauntless realized. But she knew her men, and she knew the pirate had not evaded death yet. They would pursue him with pure tenacity, drag him back to that place of execution and complete their mission.
She knew what she would do. It was illogical. It was illegal. It was against everything for which she had always stood. But she could not let that happen.
Go to him, she said to the Black Pearl.
What?
The poor dark ship was so overwrought she scarcely understood what the Dauntless was offering her.
Go, I say, the warship commanded patiently. I am letting you pass. Do you understand?
In response, the Black Pearl fairly leapt forward, safe from the Dauntless now, although soon to dare the long guns of Fort Charles. Thank you! she cried over her starboard quarter. Thank you!
A blue winged dart, forerunner for the fleet ship, swept above the battlements of the fort. Indeed, the Black Pearl was shelter for many winged things, the Dauntless reflected. Perilous creatures, the lot of them. Chasing freedom as though it were life itself. Staring into the sun. Like sharks and hawks and thunderstorms, they made the world a more dangerous place, but perhaps, she mused, watching that glorious ebony ship with her sails like archangels' wings race towards her beloved captain, disdainful of her own life, perhaps it was worth it for the sheer wild beauty of them.
The sea was resounding with a more intense allure than the Royal Navy ship had ever felt before. The Black Pearl was calling her captain, the Dauntless realized. And that call paled the faint temptation she had thrown at the Dauntless into near invisibility. This was a summons that no man could refuse. In it reverberated a decade of loss and despair, a lifetime of love and longing.
The Dauntless was not surprised when the tiny figure of a man took flight off the walls of the fort. Nor was she surprised that that call had dragged him over the edge as though he were caught in a fierce wind. She merely wondered that only one man had failed to resist that siren song.
He hit the water in a froth of spray, disappeared for a moment, then popped back to the surface. Turning with blind instinct towards the source of that call, he caught sight of his ship and struck out, swimming strongly towards her.
The Black Pearl hove to beside her captain, curveting and prancing in the white splash of the exuberant seas. Of course he did not climb aboard, as another man might have done. He flew, the Dauntless saw in wonder. Flew straight into his lady’s arms.
The Black Pearl quivered with elation, all grace and pride and swift sweet motion, as though she were a newly commissioned ship wooing her first captain. But this was not some youthful coquette flirting with a new partner. This was one of the grand dames of the sea, one of the great tall ships, come apart and dancing before her longtime captain like the giddiest of schooners.
The Dauntless almost expected to see the dark ship dissolve into light.
She felt an unexpected tightness about her heart. There was something so perfectly right about the two of them together. Something that should be let run free rather than shattered to pieces. Even now, the Dauntless could feel her men’s urgency. They wanted her to take that magnificent ship and her captain down. But her own commodore’s heart was as torn as her own. He alone, she could influence.
They must still return to duty and honour. But just this once . . .
I can give you one day, she called to the rejoicing pirate ship.
What did you say? the Pearl called back as though out of the depths of a dream, scarcely hearing.
One day’s head start, Black Pearl. Will it be enough?
Oh yes! The dark ship exclaimed, laughter ringing through her rigging in bright arpeggios. I feel as though I could circumnavigate the globe in one day! Thank you Dauntless. I will never forget your kindness.
Her swift flight from the harbour lent credence to her delighted claim.
Fair winds, sister, the Dauntless murmured.
The Black Pearl’s faint reply drifted back over the shimmering sea as her tall dark sails filled, reaching out for the horizon: He will be my fair wind indeed.
The End
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-19 04:13 pm (UTC)You are amazing.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-19 06:14 pm (UTC)her sails slatting gently
What exactly does that mean? (I try to pick up as much sailing terminology from your fics as I can, LOL.)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-19 06:47 pm (UTC)Slatting is what a sail does when it is taken off the wind. The wind then blows on either side of it and it flaps back and forth rather aimlessly. In a high wind it can be rather violently noisy.
no subject
Date: 2006-04-19 06:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-19 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 08:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-20 09:11 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-21 04:42 pm (UTC)More? PLeeeeeaaaaseee ::shameless begging::
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Date: 2006-04-21 07:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-24 09:54 am (UTC)You do such amazing things anthropomorphizing the ships! Wonderful little frisson.
her gunports quivering before the questing snouts of her cannon
Those canon are ready, just itching to be used and looking like they want to suck up their loads and fire without benefit of assistance from the crew.
Across all time and beyond all seas he will always be my captain...
If he lives, the Dauntless said cruelly.
Even if he does not
Guh. So pretty. A number of people write well of how Jack loves his Pearl, but am in awe of your ability to show how much she loves him. Her not letting go of his blood was an amazing image, but this one just gives me shivers!
Loved the exchange about the flirty little Interceptor, the cool, reserved Dauntless eager to hear of her little sister, and so upset to learn of her death, and then - oooh! - vengeful!
Duty is a good thing, the Black Pearl agreed. The earth must turn in her orbit, bringing dawn and dusk and the seasons' change. The stars must follow their courses through the night and speak our place in the universe. But oh, she exclaimed, wild clarions sounding faint and far off in her voice, the wind must blow free, where it will! Would you really wish to live in a world without it? My captain and I are creatures of the wind.
*bounce* Corollary to Jack's telling Elizabeth what a ship really is. And oh, to suggest a world without wind to a tall ship ... devastating thought.
The great warship shifted uncomfortably at her moorings. How would she feel if it were her commodore whose life was at stake?
The proud, staid Dauntless loves her captain too! Well, of course, she should, but (yay!) evidence!
That the Pearl knows, can almost see, what is happening to Jack, can herself feel that trapdoor drop ... marvelous!
The sea was resounding with a more intense allure than the Royal Navy ship had ever felt before. The Black Pearl was calling her captain, the Dauntless realized. And that call paled the faint temptation she had thrown at the Dauntless into near invisibility. This was a summons that no man could refuse. In it reverberated a decade of loss and despair, a lifetime of love and longing.
The Dauntless was not surprised when the tiny figure of a man took flight off the walls of the fort. Nor was she surprised that that call had dragged him over the edge as though he were caught in a fierce wind. She merely wondered that only one man had failed to resist that siren song.
*squeeee* (Apologies for quoting back such a big chunk, but simply could not break this up!) Not buffoonery, not a carefully calculated escape strategy, but a gut-level response to his lady! I love it! *dances little jig*
They must still return to duty and honour. But just this once . . .
I can give you one day, she called to the rejoicing pirate ship.
Adore that the one day's head start was the Dauntless's idea, and that she has such a rapport with Norrington that she can persuade him.
*polishes something large and shiny* When shall we schedule your coronation, oh queen of ship-fic?
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Date: 2006-04-24 06:06 pm (UTC)Those canon are ready, just itching to be used and looking like they want to suck up their loads and fire without benefit of assistance from the crew.
Heh! They do almost seem able to do that. It’s been interesting describing ship movements and actions which would normally be controlled by a crew being motivated and carried out by ships via their human symbiotes.
A number of people write well of how Jack loves his Pearl, but am in awe of your ability to show how much she loves him. Her not letting go of his blood was an amazing image, but this one just gives me shivers!
*blush* Awww thanks! I maintain that that reunion of Jack and the Pearl is the most romantic moment in that movie. That pairing is my favourite to write. I was thinking of Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s sonnet here: “And shall but love thee better after death.” Hmm. I should go reread her sonnet sequence for more ideas! And thanks to
the cool, reserved Dauntless eager to hear of her little sister, and so upset to learn of her death, and then - oooh! - vengeful!
I felt that the Dauntless and the Interceptor should react to each other like siblings and that the instincts of a warship would be to avenge her sister’s death. This reminds me of the lament of the father in “Beowulf”—he cannot avenge his son’s death because the boy was killed by his brother. I don’t think of these literary references when I write, but my brain is steeped in them.
And oh, to suggest a world without wind to a tall ship ... devastating thought.
Yes, the Dauntless must consider how much the free wind means to her before she decides that strict observance to duty is the only possible lifestyle for a ship to pursue.
The proud, staid Dauntless loves her captain too! Well, of course, she should, but (yay!) evidence!
Of course she does. He’s quite loveable!
That the Pearl knows, can almost see, what is happening to Jack, can herself feel that trapdoor drop ... marvelous!
Now that her curse is gone, she can feel him again. I felt it would be truly tragic for her to know what was being done to him but be powerless to stop it. Thank goodness for Will!
Not buffoonery, not a carefully calculated escape strategy, but a gut-level response to his lady! I love it! *dances little jig*
*joins in the dance* Part of the fun of this series has been explaining little odd things that happened as the result of the ship’s interference. And when this scene replayed itself in my head, I could just see Jack being preempted by his ship in the moment of his grand exit scene. Sort of the “Shut up and COME to me!” He’s wanted her so long—of course he couldn’t resist.
Adore that the one day's head start was the Dauntless's idea, and that she has such a rapport with Norrington that she can persuade him.
Another one of those events explained by ship interference. The Dauntless and the Pearl are different in many ways, but they meet in their loves for their commanding officers.
I’m delighted that you have enjoyed this very odd little series. It has gotten way out of hand. I’ve already got ideas for the next movie. Thank you so much for your kind words and comments. I’ll probably look like
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Date: 2006-04-25 09:54 am (UTC)Heh! They do almost seem able to do that.
I got such a strong picture of them, skittering jittering in anticipation, muttering, "open the ports, open the ports already, we wanna shoot!"
Part of the fun of this series has been explaining little odd things that happened as the result of the ship's interference.
And of course this is part of why the series has been so enjoyable to read, that you've picked the most delightful things to have been ship-influenced. And then there's the way they all swoon about Jack, even the Dauntless. *g*
A man could lie with his voice, but never with his hands.
Keep seeing the way he caresses the Pearl's wheel. One can imagine him introducing himself to the other ships, his first touch at their helms - Jack Sparrow, ship whisperer.
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Date: 2006-04-25 03:37 pm (UTC)That's a great picture. I keep getting a really tacky cartoon in my head.
then there's the way they all swoon about Jack, even the Dauntless. *g*
Ship fangirls. *snerk* If I were a ship, I would!
Keep seeing the way he caresses the Pearl's wheel. One can imagine him introducing himself to the other ships, his first touch at their helms - Jack Sparrow, ship whisperer.
He does keep abducting ships. I'm reminded of the dialogue in The Libertine, "And did you like abduction?" "Passionately!" As for that last scene with the Pearl, that is my favourite in the movie. Jack is in love with that ship. *melt*
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Date: 2006-04-25 05:09 pm (UTC)There are any number of dialog snippets from The Libertine which would fit quite well in Jack's mouth. That is probably the best one.
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Date: 2006-04-29 06:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-30 06:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-06 08:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-08 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-09 06:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-09 06:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-14 02:01 am (UTC)This is how one describes infatuation mixed with a good dose of time and depth - real love. Taking romantic love to the next level, this perfect relationship between captain and ship. Wonderful thrilling!
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Date: 2008-05-14 04:59 am (UTC)