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Ficlet: Last Requests
Last Requests
By Honorat
Rating: G
Characters: Jack and Will
Disclaimer: A corporation like Disney makes my little bit of fanfic a bit superfluous, really.
Summary: In which Jack makes a request of Will before he is hanged. Another conversation in the brig of the Dauntless. Other conversations can be found here: A Pox on All Honour! , Whose Guilt? , and Here’s Luck to You
950 words. CotBP compatible.
Thank you![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
geekmama for casting a beta eye over this.
* * * * *
“They’re really going to hang you, Jack.”
The Dauntless had reached Port Royal. Even in the stygian depths of her brig, the prisoners could feel the alteration in her motion as she hove to and cast anchor, could hear the change in the activity of her crew. Time that had crept along interminably suddenly seemed frantic and short of breath. Any minute now, they could expect marines to drag them up out of the bowels of the ship.
It had struck Will that the end of this journey would only be a relief to a man who anticipated resuming some sort of life.
“I know.” The pirate’s voice revealed nothing of what he was feeling.
“They can’t do that!” Will exclaimed.
“What? Getting cold feet, Will? What happened to those three hours a day practice to bag yourself a pirate, hmmm?”
Will considered the question, his mind traveling back over what seemed centuries that had intervened between that fight in the forge and this moment. He’d been given little cause to change his mind about the majority of pirates he’d encountered during their adventures. Rotting refuse of humanity, the lot of them. He’d spent most of that time mistrusting Jack Sparrow, as well—with his crazed plots and his labyrinthine secrets and his inability ever to let another soul in on either. However, Will no longer classified their strange benefactor with those pirates who’d earned his everlasting hatred. In fact he might even admit to a certain growing fondness for the disreputable character. Of one thing, he was sure:
“Jack, I don’t want you to die.”
“Well, that makes two of us, son. Unfortunately we appear to be in the minority.”
“But you saved Elizabeth! You killed Barbossa!” Will objected.
“Pay attention, young William,” the pirate said forcefully. “Good deeds are their own punishment.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Enlightened self-interest. Don’t go painting me a hero, Will. I’m a pirate. I saw a chance to take what I could. Things just didn’t quite work out as I’d planned.”
“Liar,” Will said pleasantly.
“Insufferable pup,” Jack retorted amiably.
The two men fell silent, each traveling his own way in thought as they listened to the sounds of the harbour and waited for the tramp of feet on the hatch stairs.
Jack was the first to move, fumbling in the pocket of his vest.
“Ah ha!” he exclaimed in triumph as he withdrew the object he sought and held it out towards Will. “Take a look at this, lad.”
Nestled in the rough, tar-stained cup of the pirate’s hand, the cabochon ruby glowed like a drop of blood.
“Isn’t that a beautiful thing?” Jack asked, smiling affectionately at his treasure.
“Where did you get that?” Will asked, astonished. “Never mind. I know where you got it. Where have you been hiding it? They searched us before they threw us in here!”
Jack polished the gem tenderly with the end of his sash, then he held it up between his thumb and forefinger. His mischievous grin curled at one corner of his mouth, winking gold. “You really don’t want to know.”
No, Will decided after a moment’s reflection. He really didn’t.
“I want you to take this Will.” Jack said, waving the ruby at his cellmate.
“I can’t!” Will objected. “That must be worth a fortune.”
Jack simply dropped the ruby, leaving Will to scramble after it before it rolled out of the brig.
“You can. And it is.” His voice went unwontedly soft and serious. “I have something in the nature of a last request, as it were.”
Will closed his mouth mid-objection and stared from the jewel in his hand to the sober face of his companion. The shadows of the gallows seemed already to be gathering about the pirate.
“Anything I can do, Jack.”
“There’s a little boat sunk beside the dock here in the harbour –the Jolly Mon.” Jack explained. “I want you to sell this and use the money to get her raised. Whatever it takes. Then you send a message to Anamaria. Eventually she’ll be stopping in Tortuga, so leave the message at the Faithful Bride. Tell her she can have her boat back. I’ve no more need of it.”
“But she has your ship!” Will objected.
“She does.”
“Why not just give her the money to buy another boat?”
Jack shook his head with a faint chime. “Some boats can’t be replaced, son. Will you do it?”
“Of course.” Will said. It was the least he could do.
The pirate captain leaned back against the bulkhead, folded his hands on his stomach and crossed his legs like a man inclined to nap. As if in after thought, he added, “There’ll be some left over. That’ll be yours.”
“Jack, I can’t take that!”
“Course you can. Consider it your inheritance. I owe your father far more than that.” The pirate squinted at Will from under his hat and wrinkled his nose. “Get yourself some new clothes. You look a mess. You can buy yourself a hat or something. Your father always wore the stupidest hats.”
Then Jack tipped his own hat down, hiding his eyes, and produced an amazingly authentic semblance of sleep.
Nevertheless, at the rumble of boots on wooden stairs, the pirate was on his feet, facing the door to their cell, thoroughly alert.
The sand had run out of their hourglass.
Will joined him, more slowly. “Jack,” Will said tentatively.
“What is it?” Jack raised an enquiring brow at him.
Will held out his hand. “Thank you—for everything.”
The pirate returned the handclasp. “You’re a good man, Will Turner.”
“You’re a good man, too, Jack Sparrow.”
* * * * *
The End
By Honorat
Rating: G
Characters: Jack and Will
Disclaimer: A corporation like Disney makes my little bit of fanfic a bit superfluous, really.
Summary: In which Jack makes a request of Will before he is hanged. Another conversation in the brig of the Dauntless. Other conversations can be found here: A Pox on All Honour! , Whose Guilt? , and Here’s Luck to You
950 words. CotBP compatible.
Thank you
geekmama for casting a beta eye over this.* * * * *
“They’re really going to hang you, Jack.”
The Dauntless had reached Port Royal. Even in the stygian depths of her brig, the prisoners could feel the alteration in her motion as she hove to and cast anchor, could hear the change in the activity of her crew. Time that had crept along interminably suddenly seemed frantic and short of breath. Any minute now, they could expect marines to drag them up out of the bowels of the ship.
It had struck Will that the end of this journey would only be a relief to a man who anticipated resuming some sort of life.
“I know.” The pirate’s voice revealed nothing of what he was feeling.
“They can’t do that!” Will exclaimed.
“What? Getting cold feet, Will? What happened to those three hours a day practice to bag yourself a pirate, hmmm?”
Will considered the question, his mind traveling back over what seemed centuries that had intervened between that fight in the forge and this moment. He’d been given little cause to change his mind about the majority of pirates he’d encountered during their adventures. Rotting refuse of humanity, the lot of them. He’d spent most of that time mistrusting Jack Sparrow, as well—with his crazed plots and his labyrinthine secrets and his inability ever to let another soul in on either. However, Will no longer classified their strange benefactor with those pirates who’d earned his everlasting hatred. In fact he might even admit to a certain growing fondness for the disreputable character. Of one thing, he was sure:
“Jack, I don’t want you to die.”
“Well, that makes two of us, son. Unfortunately we appear to be in the minority.”
“But you saved Elizabeth! You killed Barbossa!” Will objected.
“Pay attention, young William,” the pirate said forcefully. “Good deeds are their own punishment.”
“Then why did you do it?”
“Enlightened self-interest. Don’t go painting me a hero, Will. I’m a pirate. I saw a chance to take what I could. Things just didn’t quite work out as I’d planned.”
“Liar,” Will said pleasantly.
“Insufferable pup,” Jack retorted amiably.
The two men fell silent, each traveling his own way in thought as they listened to the sounds of the harbour and waited for the tramp of feet on the hatch stairs.
Jack was the first to move, fumbling in the pocket of his vest.
“Ah ha!” he exclaimed in triumph as he withdrew the object he sought and held it out towards Will. “Take a look at this, lad.”
Nestled in the rough, tar-stained cup of the pirate’s hand, the cabochon ruby glowed like a drop of blood.
“Isn’t that a beautiful thing?” Jack asked, smiling affectionately at his treasure.
“Where did you get that?” Will asked, astonished. “Never mind. I know where you got it. Where have you been hiding it? They searched us before they threw us in here!”
Jack polished the gem tenderly with the end of his sash, then he held it up between his thumb and forefinger. His mischievous grin curled at one corner of his mouth, winking gold. “You really don’t want to know.”
No, Will decided after a moment’s reflection. He really didn’t.
“I want you to take this Will.” Jack said, waving the ruby at his cellmate.
“I can’t!” Will objected. “That must be worth a fortune.”
Jack simply dropped the ruby, leaving Will to scramble after it before it rolled out of the brig.
“You can. And it is.” His voice went unwontedly soft and serious. “I have something in the nature of a last request, as it were.”
Will closed his mouth mid-objection and stared from the jewel in his hand to the sober face of his companion. The shadows of the gallows seemed already to be gathering about the pirate.
“Anything I can do, Jack.”
“There’s a little boat sunk beside the dock here in the harbour –the Jolly Mon.” Jack explained. “I want you to sell this and use the money to get her raised. Whatever it takes. Then you send a message to Anamaria. Eventually she’ll be stopping in Tortuga, so leave the message at the Faithful Bride. Tell her she can have her boat back. I’ve no more need of it.”
“But she has your ship!” Will objected.
“She does.”
“Why not just give her the money to buy another boat?”
Jack shook his head with a faint chime. “Some boats can’t be replaced, son. Will you do it?”
“Of course.” Will said. It was the least he could do.
The pirate captain leaned back against the bulkhead, folded his hands on his stomach and crossed his legs like a man inclined to nap. As if in after thought, he added, “There’ll be some left over. That’ll be yours.”
“Jack, I can’t take that!”
“Course you can. Consider it your inheritance. I owe your father far more than that.” The pirate squinted at Will from under his hat and wrinkled his nose. “Get yourself some new clothes. You look a mess. You can buy yourself a hat or something. Your father always wore the stupidest hats.”
Then Jack tipped his own hat down, hiding his eyes, and produced an amazingly authentic semblance of sleep.
Nevertheless, at the rumble of boots on wooden stairs, the pirate was on his feet, facing the door to their cell, thoroughly alert.
The sand had run out of their hourglass.
Will joined him, more slowly. “Jack,” Will said tentatively.
“What is it?” Jack raised an enquiring brow at him.
Will held out his hand. “Thank you—for everything.”
The pirate returned the handclasp. “You’re a good man, Will Turner.”
“You’re a good man, too, Jack Sparrow.”
* * * * *
The End
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Thank you so much for sharing!
Might I beg you to post this lovely story at
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“Insufferable pup,” Jack retorted amiably.
And I'd say that's just about perfect for them. *G* Lovely little story (especially since we know how it turns out) - you're still one of the best "fill in the canon" writers in the fandom, dearie!
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I have always loved your stories, even if I haven't commented on all of them.
It's nice to see that there are at least a few of us PotC fanfic writers still coming up with story lines and posting.
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And Jack thinking about Ana, that is touching. She is one of my favorites.
It is nice to see a new story from you, it has been a lonely place.
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I'm honoured that you think so. Thank you so much for commenting.
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I'm not sure I can cross-post this since I'm not a member there.
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Not to mention that absurd goal of completing the CotBP novelization!
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I do have a soft spot for Jack and Anamaria--and I've actually got a backstory for the Jolly Mon before it belonged to Anamaria. I really should polish that off and post it some day.
It's nice to be here and be welcomed. Thank you. I've missed this place.
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You don't have to be a member to post :)
I've always loved the dynamic between Jack and Will in the first movie.
Haven't we all :D That is what got me into this mess in the first place. Not Jack, not Will, not any which one of the characters per se, but the interaction, which, IMHO, is an entity of its own, really.
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*Mouse cannonballs Rat in beside-herself glee*
*... ...*
* Mouse worriedly attempts to resuscitate/re-inflate Rat* (Very ...abundantly proportioned Mouse)
I'm too incoherent with relief to see you well enough to post, to see you in good spirits, brimming with plans for writing in the fandom, hopefully healthy and with, dare I hope, even a clean bill so far to comment thoughtfully on "Last Request"; and scurrying back to reread the previous sections in the "Luck" series.
I'll just say you are still at the top of your game, in terms of the sheer lovely writing, in terms of handling exposition smoothly, convincing sentiment as expressed between men, and even though a short mood piece, still with the background of plotting; something that's been in fairly short supply for a long time.
While I'm thrilled with your stated intention to finish WIP (Crossing the Bar DOES come to mind, I'll confess), the very best part of this post is that it's HERE.
Heartfelt welcome back.
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"The sand had run out of their hourglass."
“Jack, I don’t want you to die.”
“Well, that makes two of us, son. Unfortunately we appear to be in the minority.” So very dear and the no good deed goes unpunished...really really fine work, piratista--and very cool to read more stories from you. You're one of the first I ever read out of a very fine group of writers really influenced my thinking about fan fics and such and set an incredibly high bar of what good fan fic is. You create such pictures...how fine! And thanks.
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(Anonymous) 2010-06-16 09:42 pm (UTC)(link)But: the very best part of this post is that it's HERE. I couldn't agree more. I wish you good health and well being. Stay with us, Honorat. :)
Aletheia (and for not to be so rudely anonymously: http://aletheiafelinea.deviantart.com/)
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You don't know how much it means to me to have friends like you in places like this. I had a sudden urge to hop a plane and deliver the hug in person.
As for health, other than suffering a few nuisancey lingering side effects from treatments and a brand-new, full-blown case of hypochondria, I am currently in what we'll hope is a long term-relation with NED (no evidence of disease). From cappy and hairless to happy and careless--that's the goal.
I'm delighted you think I haven't lost too much momentum as a writer, although probably two thirds of this piece was written long and long ago. I do certainly plan to finish Crossing, but at this point I am grimly attacking "Worthy." It seems to be the itch I have to scratch. The fact that I'm just one measley chapter away from finished is very alluring.
Thank you so much for the welcome! It's good to be back.
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Awww, Ana ist mentioned.^^ <3
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Yay, another Anamaria fan!
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Anamaria is awesome!
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(Anonymous) 2010-07-01 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)It's simply good to see you here again, and in good form. *hugs* :)
Aletheia
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