A Pirate's Life for Me

Chapter 24: Sisters and... lovers?

"You're pulling too fast!"

"You're pulling too slow!"

Annalise wanted to bury her face in her hands in exasperation as Pintel and Ragetti argued for yet another time while they pulled at the oars of the long boat. Elizabeth sat beside her sister, looking just as annoyed, while Jack sat at the front of the boat, clutching his jar of dirt of which Annalise had yet to figure out the purpose of. Norrington sat behind the Swann sisters at the prow, and though she couldn't see him Annalise could feel the irritation radiating off the ex-Commodore.

"We don't want the Kraken to catch us." Ragetti continued, and Pintel grunted back snappishly, "I'm saving me strength for when it comes. And I don't think it's Kraken, anyway. Always heard it says Kray-ken.

"What with the long 'a'?" Ragetti checked, and Pintel nodded.

"Uh huh."

"No no no no no." Ragetti shook his head as he refuted his fellow pirate. "'Kroken' is how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian, and 'Kraken' is closer to that."

"Well, we ain't original Scandinavians, are we?" Pintel shot back. "Kray-ken."

"It's a mythological creature; I can calls it what I wants!" Ragetti argued, and Annalise finally exploded.

"Would you two just shut it until we get to that godforsaken spit of land?!"

There was a long silence in which Elizabeth glanced at her sister in surprise, while Pintel and Ragetti stared at her outright, oars forgotten. Annalise folded her arms.

"Now, pull!"

The two pirates hastily obeyed, pulling at a much more evenly-matched pace than before. But it didn't stop Pintel from muttering to Ragetti, "Someone's got her knickers in a twist."

"I think she's just been around too many pirates - bad influences on the lady." Ragetti disagreed.

Annalise's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the pair shut up again quickly. The rest of the trip to the tiny island was passed in silence as not even Norrington broke the peace Annalise finally managed to find since the whole journey started. They were close to their goal now... and when they were done, Elizabeth and Will could tie the knot at last, Norrington could go on being a jerk for all Annalise cared, the pirates would be free to roam the seas as they always had, and Jack... well, that would probably be another mountain to climb when she got there.

They finally reached shore after a few more minutes of rowing, and Annalise braced herself as the long-boat bumped harshly against the beach sand. Jack was quickest out of the boat, and he tossed his coat back inside as Pintel and Ragetti also jumped out and began to drag the longboat up onto the beach enough that it wouldn't be dragged back out to sea without that.

Annalise hopped out with her sister, Norrington right behind them, while Jack grabbed a shovel from inside the longboat before he turned to his two pirates.

"Guard the boat; mind the tides... don't touch my dirt." He warned, causing Pintel and Ragetti to exchange looks before they shrugged.

Satisfied, Jack turned back only to find Annalise observing him with a slight frown.

"What?" He asked defensively, and she shrugged.

"What's so important about the jar of dirt?" She questioned and Jack sniffed.

"That's none of your concern." He replied, but she just looked to Pintel and Ragetti. The latter was only too happy to explain.

"Davy Jones can't step on land, except once every ten years." The pirate explained, relishing in sharing something other people didn't know. "He cannot touch God's almighty earth, so it is on land that the Captain is safe."