Hello, Sparrows! Here is Chapter 11, finally. I know it's slow-going. Thank you for your patience. I'm super excited for the next few chapters. More bonding is in store for these two pirate sweethearts. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If it isn't too much of a spoiler, or whatever, I'll answer. I know my writing isnt perfect, and I may not fully explain things. And as it is, I hate rereading my own work, so there is no editing. I may start writing more, as I cant start work on my next garb til my corsets come in. I hope you're all doing well in these hard times, and finding ways to be safe and still have fun. My mom and I took my son to the Water Cirque this weekend, and despite the changes, it was still fantastic. Social distance seating, performers wearing masks while amongst the audience, etc. As always, happy reading, Sparrows! 😊
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Enna's POV
I sigh with relief as I come out of the alleyway, spotting Sparrow's Nest bobbing gently against Tick Tock Dock. I stride, somewhat wearily over to my boat, smiling as soon as I see Eliza curled up serenely in the coil of rope underneath the board that serves as a seat. I step gingerly into the boat, trying not to wake her, but as soon as my boot touches the wood, her beautifully mismatched eyes open, and she lets out a yawn, stretching out her legs in front of her, the hairs on her back standing up straight.
"Hello, girl. Miss me?" I ask, sitting down and offering her a pet. She curls her head into my hand as I scratch softly behind her soft ears. I smile at hearing her purr contentedly. I shrug off my heavy coat, the heat from the late afternoon sun becoming too much to bear. I take my compass from the pocket, opening it hesitantly. The arrow points back onto the Isle, and I sigh exasperatedly. "Stupid magic-blocking barrier." I decide that I need to make haste back to the Port to resupply before heading to Auradon. As it is, I have no food, save the SOS stash of sun-dried fish in the bottom of one of my trunks. I don't bother pulling out my maps, as I can see the port from where I am, and I know already how long it will take to arrive. "Back to the Port, girl. I thought I would be able to resupply here, but I was dead wrong. We'll have to go a few days with minimal food." Eliza meows, as if she understands what I'm saying. I turn to untie the mooring rope, and am startled to see Harry Hook standing there, his tri-corn hat perched somewhat askew on his head. I am about to say something indignant, when I notice his dispirited expression. His mouth is pulled down from its usual smirk into a frown, his blue eyes are lacking their playful spark, and his brow is furrowed as he avoids meeting my eyes. Then, as if he can hear the question in my mind, he speaks.
"Uma and I got into a bit o' a rammy. She's dismissed me from her crew." He keeps his face cast downward, and I stay silent, sensing that he isn't finished. "I can't go home. Me father is a drunkard, an' the drink makes him...well, let's just say that I learnt quickly to deflect and block blows." I don't respond, having guessed as much from the tone of his conversation earlier. "I've nowhere to go. There's nothin' left for me 'ere." He slowly brings his eyes up to meet mine, and my breath catches at the pain I see there. That feeling, I know it well. It's more than just pain. It's a pain twinged with sadness, enhanced by the loss of someone dear, all wrapped up in the feeling of being lost, truly alone in this world. I felt it when my mother passed, before the letter came from my father. Before I had hope, I had felt this pain. And as I look into Harry's eyes, that pain is all I can see. I feel for him, as I know how it feels. And I find myself wanting to help him. I want to take him away from this prison that has caused him this pain.
"You don't have to explain. I want to help. But I can't just take you to Auradon with me. I know King Ben gave me leave to do whatever I need, but I'm not sure if bringing someone from the Isle with me is covered in that." He nods understandingly, but sadly. "But, I have to go back to the Port anyway to resupply. Once we're there, I can send a letter through a pigeon to King Ben explaining, and asking permission for you to accompany me to Auradon." He looks at me questioningly.
"You would do that fer me?" he asks. I shrug.
"I know how it feels when you lose someone like that. In my case, my mother died, but losing your best friend must be in the same category. Not to mention what you said about your father. I may be a pirate, but that doesn't mean I can't have a heart." I finish untying the mooring rope, coiling it neatly in the bottom of the boat. I prepare to push away from the dock. "You coming or not?" I ask Harry, as he is still standing on Tick-Tock Dock. He looks back for a moment at his home, before stepping over the water and into the boat, losing his balance slightly as the boat rocks with his extra weight. He moves a foot to steady himself, and accidentally steps on Eliza's tail, eliciting an angry hiss from her. Harry retracts his foot immediately, exclaiming in surprise at her, and falls clumsily into the boat, his hat falling over his eyes. I stifle a laugh as he rights himself, and his hat, Eliza climbing into my lap, eyeing Harry uneasily. I stroke her fur gently, in an attempt to soothe her temper. Soon, she is purring.
"Sorry, I didnae see her there," Harry says. "I hope I didn't hurt her," he finishes, searching the kitten for any signs of distress. I let out a small laugh.
"Not too bad, I think. Just her tail." I continue stroking her back, her purrs growing louder as she closes her eyes contentedly.
"Ah. Bonny little lass, aren't you?" He extends a hand toward her in an attempt to scratch under her chin, but she begins to growl lowly in her chest.
"Eliza, be nice," I scold her gently. "Sorry. She's got a bit of a temper." Harry chuckles.
"Well that sounds familiar," he says, his eyes meeting mine again. I feel my cheeks redden. Why am I always blushing around him?
"We'd better get going. It will take us about three days if this wind keeps up, and I haven't got any food."
"Well then it's a good thing I've brought this," Harry says, proudly holding up a burlap sack he seems to have produced from nowhere. He opens it up, and begins showing me the bits of food he managed to grab before Uma kicked him out. "Hushpuppies," he says, holding up a greasy paper bag. "Some eggs, courtesy of Gil," he says, pulling out a glass jar with about five boiled eggs. "Pickles," he holds up another glass jar. "Some sardines," he says with a wince, holding up a rectangular metal can. "And the piece de resistance," he says in a very bad French accent. "Sea Apple Ale!" he announces, holding up a bottle of the foully fermented beverage. "Sorry it's not much, but-"
"No, no, this is actually perfect. I wasn't kidding when I said I have no food, so this is amazing. Thank you," I say sincerely. "I will say that you can have the entire bottle of 'ale.' That stuff is simply disgusting." I laugh a little, which makes Harry smile. "Now, we really do need to get going. These will last us to Port, but not to Auradon." Harry nods, and I pull on the rope to raise my small sails, letting the wind carry us towards our destination. I turn it slightly, then tie off the rope to keep us on the right course. I notice Harry watching me with fascination. "What?" I ask curiously.
"How do ya do that with such ease?" he asks.
"Well, I've been sailing for years. My father taught me everything he knows, and I've picked up even more from my books on sailing."
"You have books on sailing?" He seems surprised.
"Yes. And on navigation, mapology, geography, astrology, meteorology-"
"Whoa, lass. Those be a lot of big fancy words. You mean to tell me you read about all that?" He seems cynical.
"Yes. Being a pirate is more than just ships and swords. The most successful pirates are able to not only read, but create maps. They also have to be able to read the stars and the sky. And be able to tell when a storm is blowing in and how long it will last, as well as how to navigate safely through or around it. Not to mention mastering all the different fighting techniques and languages they may encounter. As well as being able to keep a ship stocked with supplies, and knowing the value of treasure and goods to trade at ports." Harry blinks at me.
"And ya really know how to do all that?" he asks, almost challengingly.
"I don't claim to be an expert in any of them. But I do know a lot. I still have a lot to learn, but I know enough to survive on my own." Harry nods, seemingly impressed.
"Do you think you could teach me?"
"Teach you what, exactly?" I ask. He shrugs.
"Anything. I don't want to be just extra weight. I'd feel better about coming with you if I could be somewhat useful." I smile.
"You do know that it took me at least three weeks just to learn how to tie that knot? I gestured to my handiwork. "And even longer to learn how to properly do pretty much anything. It's not something you can just learn in one sitting." He looks down at his boots, and I notice him running his fingers around his hook. "But, I guess there's no harm in getting started." His blue eyes meet mine, a glimmer of happiness in them. I get up and go over to the small cabin, and dig through my trunks for my books. I select the one on boats, and exit, tossing it at Harry. He grunts as the thick book hits his stomach before he catches it in his lap. "This one's got everything you need to know about ships, including the names of the various parts of one, as well as how to correctly navigate one."
"I know what's what on a ship," he says cockily.
"Oh, really?" I face him challengingly. "What's the front called?" He scoffs.
"The bow."
"Rear?"
"Stern."
"Right?"
"Starboard."
"Left?"
"Port. This is too easy." He scoffs, and leans back against the side of the boat leisurely. I narrow my eyes at him.
"The pole extending from the bow of the ship?"
"The bowspirit."
"Where cargo is kept?"
"Hull."
"Mast names?"
"Middle, main. Bow, fore mast. Stern, mizzen mast."
"The bottom of the ship?"
"Same as where the cargo is kept, the hull."
"Ha! Wrong!"
"What?" A look of confusion graces his face.
"The very bottom of a ship is called the keel, and it is where the term 'keelhaul' comes from."
"Keelhaul? You made that up!" he shouts accusingly.
"Keelhauling is a brutal pirate punishment, in which the victim is tied to a rope, thrown overboard the bow, and as the movement of the ship forces the victim underneath the keel, the barnacles scrape into their body, ripping their flesh from their bones. It is a punishment that almost always results in death. I can't imagine which must be worse, feeling the jagged edges of each barnacle cut into your skin, the pain of drowning, or the sharks that keelhauling almost always attracts." Harry blinks at me, his blue eyes wide in what looks like fear, but as soon as I catch him, he covers his shock with his signature smirk.
"Yeah, that's definitely something you made up." I sigh exasperatedly, and go back into the cabin, searching now for my Crime and Punishment book. I flip quickly to the pages on keelhauling and slam it, a little too roughly, into Harry's lap. "Well," he says, as he examines the pages. "Looks like you were right, lassie." He smirks up at me. I notice a change in his facial expression. Something akin to the look in my father's eyes when I left.
HARRY'S POV
"Looks like you were right, lassie," I say, smirking up at her. But I am taken aback by what I see. The defiant look in her wild, green eyes, her hair moving slightly in the wind. The sun is directly behind her head from where I sit, so the golden light makes a kind of halo around her, making her look like a wild, pirate goddess. I notice again how her scars only serve to make her look more dangerous, and more beautiful. The panther's fang through her ear, as well. I can't help but look at her with admiration just then.
"What?" she asks. I quickly shove those thoughts out of my head.
"Just thought I saw a spider in your hair," I say. Really, Harry? A spider in her hair?
"A spider?!" Enna throws down her hat, and immediately starts shaking her head wildly, trying to knock out the nonexistent arachnid. I chuckle at her.
"Relax, lass. I think it was just me seeing things." Yeah, like how adorable you are when you blush, like now... STOP IT! I notice her cheeks, pink with embarrassment. "Afraid of spiders, are ya?" I ask curiously.
"No!" she shouts defensively. I look at her with a gentle smirk. She sighs. "Maybe? Look, please, please don't tell anybody! If anybody knew that the foreboding daughter of Captain Jack Sparrow was afraid of spiders..."
"No one would take ya seriously? Trust me, lass, I get it. And your secret's safe with me." She smiles gently at me. I love that smile. STOP!!! She goes to busy herself with a map and her compass. What is going on with me? I can't be getting smitten with her! I'm supposed to be getting her to trust me. Get her to trust me, and fall for me. Those are my orders. Then steal the compass, find the wand, and free everyone on the Isle. My mission branded into my brain, I take up the book Enna gave me, and begin reading. And what do you know? I actually find it interesting.
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