Fight For The Right

32~ Curiosity

*Elizabeth's P.O.V*

I am no longer paying attention to where in the world we are going. It doesn't matter to me. I have much more depressing and time consuming thoughts on my mind. Gibbs tried confronting me last night, but had soon recognized that I wanted to be left alone.

Now, as I sat on the stairs facing towards the open water, I suppressed a groan as Jack joined me, a bottle of rum in one hand, "My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled," he said.

Are you sure Gibbs didn't just tell you that?

"I just thought I'd be married by now," I answered glumly. "I'm so ready to be married."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw the look of surprise and disgust on his face. He probably thought it was something else. Typical males. He popped open the rum bottle and handed it to me. I took a drink of the auburn coloured liquid, my lip curling at the taste and my throat burning slightly before setting it down. Jack looked even more surprised that I didn't spit it out; I remember my last experience with rum. I hadn't even taken one mouthful while he'd downed the whole lot.

"You know..." he cleared his throat and leant his elbow on the stair beside me. "Lizzie, I am Captain of a ship, and being Captain of a ship I could, in fact, perform a marriage right here. Right on this deck. Right... now."

I stared at him like he was mad - which he is already, but that's not the point! With a look of disgust on my face I handed him back the bottle and got up, walking away. "Uh... no, thank you."

He followed me to the railing, waving the rum bottle around. "Why not? We are very much alike, you and I. I and you... us."

I leant against it and narrowed my eyes. "Except for a sense of honour and decency and moral centre," I looked at him over my shoulder and spat out the next remark. "And personal hygiene."

I saw him sniff near his underarm and had to stop myself from smirking. "Trifles," he recovered from my insult. "You will come over to my side, I know it."

"You seem very certain."

"One word, love: curiosity. You long for freedom. You long to do what you want to do because you want it. To act on selfish impulse. You want to see what it' like. One day... you won't be able to resist."

I turned around and watched him carefully. What is going on in his mind? "Why doesn't your compass work?" I asked.

"Ah, my compass works fine," he bit his lip and looked at where it was latched onto my belt.

"Because you and I are alike. And there will come a moment when you have a chance to show it. To do the right thing."

"I love those moments," he smirked, walking around a cannon to stand at the rail. "I like to wave at them as they pass by."

I rolled my eyes and followed him. "You'll have the chance to do something... something courageous. And when you do, you'll discover something. That you're a good man."

"All evidence to the contrary."

I chuckled quietly. "No, I have faith in you. You want to know why?"

"Do tell, dearie."

I smirked inwardly. He had no idea that I am luring him in. He went for the bait so easily. I leant into him. "Curiosity. You're going to want it - a chance to be admired - and gain the rewards that follow. You won't be able to resist. You're going to want to know what it tastes like."

By now, we were nearly nose to nose, and I forced myself not to recoil at the faint smell of alcohol on his breath. "I do want to know what it tastes like." he answered, leaning in closer.

He caressed my cheek and I continued talking. "But seeing as you're a good man, I know that you'd never put me in a position that would compromise my honour." He leant in closer, ready to kiss me, as I imagine, when he suddenly pulled back. I must say, I am rather relieved. "I'm proud of you, Jack."

Suddenly, Gibbs grabbed our attention by yelling, "Land-ho!" We all rushed a spot on the deck where we could see, and sure enough, there was an island in the distance.

*

Not long after, I was sitting in the back of a longboat with Norrington, Jack sitting at the front with his jar of dirt while Pintel and Ragetti were rowing. And again, they were arguing.

"You're pulling too fast," Pintel complained.

"You're pulling too slow. We don't want the Kraken to catch us."

"I'm saving me strength for when it comes. Just don't think it's Kraken, anyways. Always heard it was 'Kray-ken.'"

"What, with the long 'a'?"

"Aye."

"No no no no no," Ragetti scolded. "'Kroken' is how it's pronounced in the original Scandinavian, and 'Kraken' is closer to that."

Norrington and I glanced at each other and he rolled his eyes. I agree, I am growing tired of their bickering.

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

"It's a mythological creature; I can call it what I wants!"

*

I definitely wasn't the only one relieved when we reached the beach. Jack took off his coat and dumped it in the boat, picking up a shovel. "Guard the boat; mind the tide..." he instructed Pintel and Ragetti. "... don't touch my dirt."

I rolled my eyes at Norrington as we followed him across the island, Jack walking ahead with the shovel placed over his shoulder. "What is it with him and that jar of dirt?" Norrington asked me.

"I have no idea. None of the crew that were there when he got it talk about it, either. Just another mystery about Jack."

"Isn't there always?"

We continued the walk in silence, and I pulled out the compass when Jack stopped at some sand dunes near the beach. The needle pointed one way and I followed it, Jack and Norrington watching me go. It was only when I had been walking in circles for the last few minutes that I stopped walking and watched the needle. I spun before pointing off to my left; I followed it with my eyes and saw it was pointing to Jack... again. I shook it in fury before sighing in frustration.

"This doesn't work. And it certainly doesn't point to what you want most." I sat down cross-legged on the sand in a huff, glaring at the ground. Jack came scurrying over and looked at the compass on the ground beside me.

"Yes, it does," he said. "You're sitting on it."

I looked at him. "Beg pardon?"

"Move," e shooed me off and whistled to Norrington, pointing where I'd just been sitting. Glaring at Jack in annoyance, Norrington picked up the shovel and began digging.

*

It is taking longer than I think Jack expected. He was meditating on the sand dune when we heard a loud think; Norrington;s shovel had hit something. We all looked down into the hole, sweeping sand off the top of the large metal chest before hauling it out onto the sand. Using the end of the shovel, Jack cracked the padlock open, and we crouched down in front of it. Opening the lid, we were surprised to find an assortment of flower banquets, love letters and flower petals. But beneath all of that, jack pulled out a smaller, metallic chest with strange carvings on it. Curious, we leant in and pulled back slightly when we heard a thumping from inside it.

"It's real," I frowned, somewhat surprised.

"You actually were telling the truth," Norrington smirked from the other side Jack.

"I do that quite a lot, yet people are always surprised."

"With good reason!"