Having fun, it turned out, had a rather idiosyncratic meaning for Jack: It meant loudly bawling, cheering, and screaming while jumping in circles and spinning around the campfire, occasionally reaching for a bottle of rum – Jack was on his fourth already - and downing the devil's work that was called alcohol down your throat, singing indecent and licentious pirate songs in between and dancing in wild and free manner, not remotely like the upper-class partner dances you were familiar with.
Your head was hurting from Jack swirling you in circles, from the screaming and the singing. The alcohol had spread through your body, had made your limbs and mind numb. You felt dizzy and everything was spinning in front of your eyes. And yet, you were... happy. Free.
Whether it was the alcohol in your blood or not didn't matter - the only thing that mattered was the feeling.
Freedom.
Something you had longed for for so long, it felt unreal to truly have it: It felt more like an illusion or a dream that you could wake up from at any moment.
So, you savoured every second of it, enjoyed the warm, fuzzy feeling that it left behind in your heart and were ready to accept everything that was to come.
You just let the alcohol do its work and for the first time in your life, you were in the here and now: When Jack had started to sing a pirate song, it had been unknown to you. But now, after listening to it for the fourth time, you sang along with him projecting a strong voice and exuding confidence in the lyrics; not caring about your reputation, or the reputation of your family, the crown's, or anyone else's.
"We're devils, we're black sheep, we're really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo-ho. Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for me", your slurred, warbled voices rang out, echoing across the waters that were illuminated by the thousand radiant stars of the night sky.
Jack staggered through the sand, so drunk he couldn't even put one foot in front of the other, his arms spread wide.
But there was no one who would have been bothered, no one to interfere, no one to judge; Elizabeth had withdrawn some time ago, had looked at you meaningfully, reminding you of your task and then, had disappeared. You had nodded confidently in return, but just like everything else, your clouded brain had forgotten this interaction two seconds later.
Now it was only you and Jack.
"I love this song", the pirate yelled out.
His arm found yours, they linked together, and you danced in a circle a few times before your bodies separated again. You chortled happily.
You had decided that you genuinely liked alcohol and the effect it had on you. Why had your parents kept this incredible drink from you for so long?
"Really bad eggs", Jack babbled.
Then, he lost his balance, due to the alcohol that was probably clouding his body and mind too, and with a short "oh" was forced to let himself flop onto the sand. He grabbed your arm, pulled you down to him and seconds later you were sitting on the soft sand as well.
"When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time", he explained to you with a slurred speech and flailing hand gestures.
"And you will be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main", you flattered him, unsure where your flirty, coquet words were coming from.
But it didn't bother you. You just enjoyed the moment.
"Not just the Spanish Main, love. The entire ocean. The entire world!", Jack fantasized, and for a moment there was a sparkle in his eyes, a gleam that illuminated his dark orbs.
It was ambition, desire, a dream showing itself through his words.
"Wherever we want to go, we go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and hull and deck and sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is, what the Black Pearl really is, is freedom", Jack continued, his arm pointing to the horizon and the endless expanse of the sea.
A ship, freedom?
A memory flashed your mind. It was about Chris.
"The Calgarian isn't just a ship, she's freedom. She can take me everywhere I want to go at every time. Freedom is a voyage, a journey, with the possibility of discovery and exploration. Like a ship sailing the open sea."
That's what Chris had said to you. That's what he had said to you on your way to Tortuga. When he had comforted you in your fear. When he had supported your dreams. When he had helped you out of your misery.
Suddenly, sadness overcame you and you missed him and his broad shoulders, his strong chest and long black hair. You didn't know where this sudden mood change was coming from, but you missed him terribly, his hugs, his love, his care. You missed a trustworthy person, a friend. You longed for someone to talk to, someone you could tell everything, for a person like Chris: your big brother, your best and only friend in this world.
But Chris wasn't here - heck, you couldn't even imagine where he was right now in this big, gigantic world - and maybe you would never see him again. Which only made your longing grow faster, harder. You longed for somebody to lean on, somebody to hold you.
Grabbed by these feelings and thoughts that had overrun you in seconds with unusual intensity like a pack of wild dogs, you snuggled up to Jack's side and laid your head on his chest which was only clad in a plain, white shirt.
His body flinched almost imperceptibly at the sudden touch, but he didn't protest, and you carefully nestled into his side.
Jack's torso was warm and comfortable, even his unique smell was the same, only this time the smell of rum was more prominent, masking the other components of his scent. You could hear his heartbeat, calm and steady, feel his chest slowly filling up with air and exhaling again. You blushed at the thought of being so close to himand were impressed by your own courage to touch him.
Then, you felt his fingers slowly move up your back as he placed his arm around you. The warm, bright moonlight shining down on you created a magical atmosphere, and slowly your mind calmed.
You felt like this night was made just for you and Jack.
And you didn't know if it was the pleasant warmth that Jack gave off or the fact that in his arms you suddenly felt way younger and smaller than you actually were, but something flared up inside your mind, a distant memory, a tiny flashback, and you started to softly hum a long-lost melody.
At first it was only a quiet whisper, then, remembering the lines, your voice grew louder into a gentle singing.
"The king and his man stole the queen from her bed. And bound her in her bones."
Jack tensed.
"The seas be ours and by the powers. Where we will, we'll roam."
Your voice faded.
These lines held old, distant memories and thoughts. They were like a glimpse into your past, like a look into a very specific night, in a very specific place. Just one night that, ironically, had led you to this exact situation. Without this fateful night, you would have probably never sailed under Jack's flag or even joined him in the first place.
It might have taken almost a decade for the two of you to meet again, but maybe it was meant to be this way, you thought. Maybe this was fate: What is meant to be will always finds its way. No matter how long it takes.
Fate is a tricky bastard then, you decided.
Behind you, Jack slowly straightened his stiffened torso. You were still in a daze, but even you had noticed that Jack had reacted strangely to the melody. At the same time, you were dazed enough to not fully understand the consequences of your careless behaviour.
"Where do you know this melody from?", Jack asked, his voice far more alert and comprehensible than before.
"Oh, I must have picked it up somewhere", you answered, unsettled by his sharpened voice, and sat up to look into his eyes.
Have you said something wrong?
"The hymn of pirate liberty? Picked up somewhere? Oh, I don't doubt that for a second, (y/n)", Jack hissed ironically.
Puzzled, you looked at him. His currently black looking eyes stared at you, and even though he had a smile on his lips, it was more sneaky than friendly.
Jack knew more than he wanted to reveal. There was this sparkle in his eyes again, a gleam. But your bedazzled mind still didn't have a clue what his sudden alertness was all about.
"I'm telling the truth, Jack, I just picked it up somewhere", you tried to reassure him.
But Jack didn't seem convinced at all.
"Which sleazy dives did your father take you to on his travels then, lassie? There must have been the craziest carousers, lunatic seadogs or demented old salts. Because nobody else dares to sing this hymn out loud. Too dangerous. It is a call to arms for the members of the brethren court, savvy?"
He looked at you intently.
"Only my kind knows it. And you're telling me, you're not a pirate?"
And then it dawned on you what a grave mistake you had made.
You hadn't lied, no. You had picked up the hymn somewhere.
From Jack.
Jack, who was a pirate, Jack, who knew the hymn like any other pirate would. But you weren't one, as you had stated. Therefore, you couldn't know this melody.
Unless someone had sung it to you.
Maybe he wouldn't immediately think of the young girl from all those years ago, but Jack was shrewd and calculating and at some point, he would see the connection: This song had made you look suspicious. Like a liar. And you were even more suspicious when you added the fact that you were from Nassau.
Once again you had made yourself the target of suspicion, careless as you were.
The damn rum, you thought.
"I- well...", you cleared your throat, "I can't remember where I know it from."
You tried to sound confident, but your voice was shaking, trembling as Jack's sharp gaze was fixed on you. For a few moments that felt like minutes, he just looked at you keenly as you became more and more brittle under his stare. But you didn't dare to break eye contact. If you looked away now, it would seem even more distrustful. You had to stand your ground. Even if it was difficult to remain firm under Jack's piercing and yet so beautiful eyes.
More than anything you wished for this whole situation to be over. You would much rather snuggle up in Jack's arms again and enjoy his embrace, feel safe. But this situation was product of your own negligence, your own fault, and even though you hadn't actually lied, you now had to face the consequences of your disreputable behaviour.
"Well, sometimes people hear things they are not supposed to, love", Jack shrugged, and his sharp gaze softened into a thoughtful one, his alertness disappeared.
Suddenly he was changed, as if the previous conversation had never taken place. But did he really believe you? Accepted your excuses and forgot about the situation?
No matter how drunk you were or not, one thing remained: Jack was a mystery. Was this part of a plan or was this real? It wasn't clear to you whether he had forgotten your slip-up from before or not.
While you were still confused about his sudden change in manner, he pulled you close to his broad chest again, so close that you could hear his heartbeat calm and steady.
"But if you want to, we can honour pirates' freedom without summoning the whole brethren court", Jack whispered directly into your ear, his slurred speech returning as well as his mumbling.
You shivered at his breath against your skin and his sudden closeness, blushed at the feeling of his broad chest against your bare skin; you would be lying if you said you didn't feel comfortable and safe and well-protected in his strong arms.
Jack raised his bottle of rum.
"To pirate liberty", he said.
You raised your bottle as well and looked him in the eyes, still blushing, still confused.
"To freedom."
Then, Jack chuckled and with a smile added:
"To you, my love."
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞:
As you've probably already noticed, I'm not a huge fan of author's notes at the end of a chapter, but this time, there is something really important on my mind, so I kindly ask you to read this note.
Since starting this story, I've had several ideas on how to continue the story at this point, which characters could return, which might be added, etc., but unfortunately all of these ideas go into completely different directions - and I haven't been able to decide on one yet.
As you can see, I'm in dying need of inspiration and opinions to make up my mind.
Therefore, I kindly ask you to share your opinion and ideas on the matter with me: How do you imagine this story to continue? Which character of the reader's past would you like to hear more about? Or which character do you expect to appear in the following chapters as the reader comes in contact with the Royal Navy? Do you have any whishes on what or who should be included? And do you wish for some new tropes such as jealousy, forced marriage, friends to lovers, etc.?
Everything you want to share, please share with me; every comment or message is much appreciated! I dearly hope that your ideas might help me to decide a final plot for this story.
Thank you!
In general, I would like to thank you all for reading this story, for commenting and voting. Every single one of you makes my day and I'm so glad that you can enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoy writing it for you.
But like i said, I'm not a huge fan of author's notes, so I better stop here and leave the rest of my thank-you-speech for the author's note at the end of this story XD.
All the love, Ami xx