Fight For The Right

Epilogue~ A Pirate's Life For Me

*Maddie's P.O.V*

"If anyone asks, I had nothing to do with this," I told Barbossa, who smirked at me in reply.

The wind blew hair back from my face as I walked along the deck with the sun warming my skin, closing my eyes briefly as I listened to the sounds of the sea around us and the activity of the ship.

"All men up the ratlines," a crew member called, and once again the ship was alive with activity as we sailed far out of the port of Tortuga... minus a certain pirate. You guessed it, we left Jack behind. Well, technically Barbossa did.

"All men up the ratlines!" another crew member repeated, and soon enough the sails of the Pearl caught the breeze and we sailed on a strong current.

With Cotton at the helm, as per usual, I stood at the railing of the stern, watching the horizon. On the deck I could see Grapple climbing the rigging as he helped crew members coax more wind into the sails, and beside me Barbossa had picked up a tiny peanut between his thumb and index finger, holding it out to Jack the monkey.

"Oh, you want a taste of this?" Jack took the peanut from Barbossa and ate it, and the pirate captain smiles and his next comment reminded me of a father fussing over his child. "Oh, that's a good boy! You're Daddy's good boy. Oh, yes, you are. Oh, yes, you are."

I smiles and shook my head, looking up as Pintel, Ragetti, Marty and two other crew members - both of whom I recognized as MUrtogg and MUllroy, former officers of the Navy of Port Royal - came up to the helm, looking rather troubled.

"Sir?" Barbossa looked up at Pintel as he spoke. "Some of the men don't feel entirely settled about leaving Captain Jack behind."

Beside him, Ragetti was carving out a new wooden eye with a knife and muttered, "Again."

"Again," Pintel added.

"Is that so?" Barbossa raised an eyebrow, glancing at me briefly over his shoulder, and it took a lot of willpower to hide the fact I was laughing.

"It would make us feel a whole lot better regarding our fortunes if we could see that item you told us about," Pintel continued.

"On the charts," Marty explained.

"Aye," Murtogg and Mullroy agreed.

"With our own eyes," Pintel finished.

"To help put and ease to our burden of guilt, so to speak," Ragetti added, and Pintel nodded in agreement.

Barbossa straightened up and reached for the charts, which were rolled up beside Jack the monkey. "Feast your eyes upon this, mateys. There's more than one way to live forever." I noticed Pintel and the others looking exceptionally eager. "Gents, I give you the Fountain of Youth."

He unrolled the charts and held them out for the others to see, but rather than wide eyes and grins, their expressions were ones of confusion. Barbossa looked down and I really struggles to hold back from smiling now, as he held up the charts to reveal where they should've been... was now just a huge hole where someone had cut out the charts.

Barbossa rolled his eyes and growled, "Sparrow."

~

I must say, that was indeed an amusing sight - but a disappointing one for Pintel and the others. As they cursed Jack under their breaths they went back to their duties, and I stayed at the helm with Barbossa, still trying not to laugh.

As morning turned into afternoon, and afternoon into early evening, there was nothing ahead of us but open ocean, and as usual I felt my heart leap at the sight of the vast openness. To me, that was natural beauty in itself and freedom, just waiting for individuals like ourselves to sail upon its waters.