They were back on The Pearl, leaving the now fogged waters of Port Royal. Lydia stood at the back of the ship, watching as her old home became smaller and smaller the more and more they left the bay. It was like a disappearing memory, the last chapter before you closed the book, and Lydia didn't feel ashamed to see it go. She wasn't clutching at the edge of the beach, clinging onto it forever. Now she had let go and although it will forever be with her, it was still time to go. Trailing up behind her, Jack hung his chin on her shoulder, hearing her chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Where too miss?" Jack asked, spinning them around to the helm "I don't believe you have specified which lovely island we're going to yet."
"Have I not?" Lydia laughed, pulling away and holding onto his hands.
"No. Very secretive you are," He winked.
"Ha ha okay, we should gather everyone," Lydia said.
"Oi you lot! Wanna know where we're going?" Jack shouted out to the crew.
Silently, the crew looked to each other and shrugged before shuffling quickly up to the helm, gathering around Jack and Lydia as Jack called for a map. They layed it out in the middle of the now formed circle, Lydia gazing up only to find the huddle faces of the crew around her. The map was small but pictured the Caribbean, down to the tiny islands decorating the waters.
"So, my parents said it was the sixth island from Tortuga," Lydia informed them, examining the map on the floor "I assume um... That-"
"Wait the sixth island? There's hundreds of islands in this sea," Pintel interrupted, leaning in far to see the map.
"Yeah how do we know the direction in which the island goes?" Regetti joined.
Lydia scoffed and eyed the map again, flustered by the crew's impatience. Her parents liked to make it a struggle, they liked to make it as hard as possible to find whatever it is she had to find. The map was confusing, and Lydia understood why her parents taught her as much as they could before she left them. Although being just the Caribbean there were clusters of islands yet to be marked, new land was being discovered every day. Barbossa shoved his way through the group and had a look for himself, annoyed by Pintel and Regetti's pestering.
"Look at the map lads. Tortuga is in one long line of islands trailing across these waters," Barbossa brushed his finger along the map before halting at a particularly small island with no name "there. You see that weren't too hard now was it."
So we have our heading?" Gibbs wondered, the whole crew looking to Lydia.
"We have our heading," she threw her arms up, everyone cheering before getting to work.
••••••••••
As the day crawled through, Peter slumped by the side of the ship, watching the Pearl leave Port Royal. They were far enough so they couldn't be seen by the Pearl, but just close enough to watch them slip away. His knuckles were growing white on the railings, desperate to get to them. The smell of salt was being forcefully breathed up his nose, Peter's eyes twitching. Morning always seemed to be their easiest time to slip away. Maybe Peter needed to wake up earlier? Maybe if his Captain wasn't so slow he would have her by now.
O'Malley was watching them too, but his eyes always flickered back to Peter. He saw his outrage at the wait however this was always the game with O'Malley. He's waited so long he was not going to risk anything. While the rest of the crew worked their way around the ship, O'Malley strolled down the stairs to where Peter was standing.
"You must be more patient my boy," he warned, letting his eyes drop to where Peter was leaving handprints in the wood he was holding on so tight.
"How can I when they're right there? When she's that close," Peter said shaking his head.
YOU ARE READING
The Pirate of Port Royal
Fanfiction~ COMPLETED SEQUEL TO PAINTER OF PORT ROYAL ~ The great war was finished. They'd won! Everything was setting into place. All they needed now was Lydia's hefty treasure to settle the rest of their woes. If only that would go to plan. If only another...
