Swelling Tides- Will Turner x Reader book 2

Chapter 9

Y/n's POV:

I awoke below deck. The ship rocked back and forth, the light fixture on the ceiling swinging about. I got out of the cot I had been placed in and climbed the stairs to the main deck. It was still dark out, but the sky was lightening; very early morning. Jack was at the wheel, staring at his compass. "You prick!" I yelled running towards him.

"Ahh, good morning Y/n." He smiled, but that smile faded as I grew closer. Once I was in front of him I slapped him across the face.

"You sent Will to his death! You killed him and sedated me! You are a horrible person Jack Sparrow and I damn you!" I slapped him again.

"Y/n-"

I drew my sword on him, laying it on his shoulder, ready to slice open his neck at any moment's notice.

"What have you done." I spat my words at him, my wrath clouding my eyes. My whole body shook. Tears pooled in my eyes. He was gone. Will was gone. And it was his fault.

"He's not dead Y/n." All trace of joke and merriment had left his voice and face. He looked me dead in the eyes and repeated himself. "Will is alive."

And for the first time, I fully believed he was being genuine. But I wasn't letting up. "Where is he." I demanded, pressing my blade closer to Jack's neck.

"On the Dutchman. They are going to keep him until we have ninety-nine souls to sacrifice."

"How long do we have."

"Just under three days." I lowered my sword slowly. I moved my hand to grip the dagger in my belt.

He's alive.

Will was alive.

"Then let's get him back."

"I'm sorry?" Jack said, doing a double take.

"We're going to get him back."

"Y/n, Will couldn't bring himself to kill one person to bring you back, but you're willing to lead ninety-nine to their deaths for him?"

That didn't surprise me. That wasn't who Will was. But he and I were very different. "I would kill all of you for him." I said to Jack, a warning almost.

And if only I had known Jack was the only one I had to kill all alone. I would have done it to. But alas. Dramatic irony.

"Where are we headed?"

"Tortuga." He replied.

I tried to push out all the noise from the bar as I grabbed a glass of rum. I remembered this bar well. I remembered when I was here with Will. His hands on me- his lips on mine-

I took a sip.

I took a seat next to Jack and we watched as Gibbs collected sailors to join the crew. Or rather, to be slaughtered.

"How we going?" Jack asked Gibbs.

"Including those four, that gives us... four."

Jack shook his compass with annoyance. "Don't know what you want, huh." I said, taking another sip of rum.

"Clever Miss Y/n, figured it out once again." He reached for my glass of rum and I slid it away from him.

"Jack we need to focus and try to get Will back."

"Aye- but... didn't he, you know, kiss another woman and... leave you for dead in a cave full of pirates?"

"Don't remind me." I sighed, taking a sip from my glass. "Yes, he did do that. And no, I haven't and may never completely forgive him for that but I've been in love with him for years. I don't know how I'd live without him."

"You know, he felt the same when you died."

"How do you mean?"

"The first thing he did was draw a dagger to his throat."

A pit opened in my stomach.

"We stopped him of course. That boy loves you more than I've seen anyone love someone else. We'll get him back."

I pulled a small knife from a sheath on my calf, plunging the gleaming blade into the table, "We better or the dagger will be at your throat." I stood up and turned heel away from Jack.

Will's POV:

Salt water stung my eyes and the eerie sound of organs filled my ears. I used to enjoy music. The same melody over and over begins to feel torturous after a while. I mindlessly heaved the rope to hoist the sails, the seaweed covering it making it harder to grip. Caught in another storm, the sea assaulted the ship. Although the Pearl might have gone down in conditions like this, the Dutchman would never. Its captain was the sea.

"Secure the mast tackles Mr. Turner!" A sailor barked out an order and I let go of the rope. I hastily ran up the ladder to the ropes only to see another man there.

"Step aside!" I yelled over the roaring waves.

"Hey! Mind yourself!" He yelled back. We both tugged at the rope. "Let go boy!"

And then I caught a clear glimpse of his face. "No." He whispered, dropping the rope. A cannon fell ten feet, breaking through the deck and dragging me with it until I let go of the rope at the last second.

"Drag that weevil to his feet!" A sailor ordered and two more came and lifted me up, grabbing my arms. They positioned me standing in front of a mast, my back to them.

"Five lashes will remind you to stay on 'em!" The sailor barked, pulling out a whip. My stomach dropped.

Y/n.

I need to get back to Y/n.

Stay strong for her.

I prepared for the pain of the whip when behind me I heard, "No!" The sailor from earlier grabbed the whip from the other one.

"Fine then, you'll share the punishment!"

"I'll take it all." The man who stopped him said.

"Will you now?" Jones walked onto the deck and only then did I realize the music from the organs had stopped. "And what would prompt such an act of charity?" He inquired and frankly, I was wondering the same.

He seemed to have trouble speaking for a second before saying, "My son." He turned to look at me. "He's my son."

There's no way-

It couldn't-

I turned fully towards him, pulling free of the grasp of the sailors.

Jones began to laugh. "What fortuitous circumstances be this? Five lashes be owed, I believe it is." Jones was handed the whip. He then presented it to my father.

I felt as if I was going to puke.

"No- no, I won't!" My father said, stepping away.

"The cat's out of the bag, Mr. Turner. Your issue will feel it's sting, be it by the bosun's hand or your own."

I was once again restrained and turned to face away.

My father begrudgingly took the whip from Jone's tentacled hand. My shirt was ripped off, exposing my back. The rain pelted from above, thunder and lightning shattering the sky.

I heard the whip crack and felt the sharp pain as the skin of my back split where it hit. And again. And again. I was shaking. I'd never felt so weak; so helpless. I wanted to collapse.

I couldn't.

I had to stay standing.

Not for me, for her.

Just get back to her alive, that was all I had to do.

Two more lashes.