Flying With a Broken Wing, Chapter VI: Pirates, a Bucket, and a Rag

   Pintel scratched his dirty bald head again before pulling the damp rag out of the bucket and scrubbing the deck of the Black Pearl. “Scrub the Bloody Rapier, ye worthless cockroaches,” he mocked Barbossa, “Scrub the Pearl, ye filthy dogs!” His friend, Ragetti, joined him, mimicking, “Stem to stern, ye ugly toads!” Their scrubbing became more violent as they continued. “You know something,” Ragetti confessed, “There's something I don't understand.” “Big surprise,” his mate grumbled with sarcasm.
He glared and kept talking, “How did Captain Jack have a daughter?”
Pintel dropped the rag in shock, for the other pirate had caught him off guard. “Erm... Like everyone else. You know how that stuff works.”
“No, I don't.”
With a groan, Pintel turned to sit on his bottom, taking a break from his work. “Well... you see...”
Ragetti listened intently.
“...when a boy...” he picked up the rag for example, “...and a girl...” he lifted the bucket, “...fall in love, they decide to...” He put the rag in the bucket.
“I don't get it,” Ragetti admitted, rubbing his wooden eye.
A separate voice from their's put in, “I don't think I want to know what you two miserable scallywags are talking about.”

   Reluctantly, Pintel turned to find Jack standing above him with his arms crossed. Ragetti stupidly explained, “I was wondering how you had a daughter and no one knew.” “What?” Pintel yelled, throwing the wet rag on his head, “I thought you meant... ugh!” Jack obviously caught on and started laughing loudly. The bald pirate on the floor blushed all the way up to his bare scalp. Ragetti asked,  “What did you think I meant, Pintel?” Jack walked away, holding his stomach as he continued to chuckle in spite of himself. His laughter ceased when he saw the island the ships were now passing. Unintentionally, he said aloud, “Lizzie.”
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   “I'm coming with you, Addie,” Elizabeth protested to her demands, “Both Liam and I are!” Addie blocked the doorway with her arms like a child and whined, “No, you're not! Go away!” Elizabeth tried to push her, arguing, “I'm in my house! I don't have to go away!” Addie growled, “Well, stay then!” She put her arms down and ran from the house to her ship. “Come on, Liam,” Elizabeth told him, grabbing her bag with one hand and his arm with the other as she took off after Addie. “Are we really going on a real life ship, Mummy?” “Yes, darling, if you hurry up,” she replied.

   They caught up with Addie, who was gasping for breath on the dock in front of her ship, the Majestad. “I'm cursed, Elizabeth,” she choked out, “I'm just trying to live with it as long as I have to.” With a nostalgic smile, Elizabeth waved her index finger back and forth between she and herself, concluding, “Peas in a pod, darling.” Liam giggled beside her, remembering the tale that went with that saying. Addie, looking confused, sighed, “I suppose you can come-”
“Good.”
“-but, if you do anything to disrupt my mission, I will shoot you where it hurts.”
“I don't believe you will.”
“Don't test me and you won't have to be proven wrong.” She smiled.

   Taking Elizabeth's bag from her, Addie lead the mother and son up the gangplank to the deck. Before they could get settled, Alex ran up to her and announced, “Addie, you will not believe what ship is on the horizon!” She looked out to sea, her eyes following his pointed finger. A ship with black sails silhouetted the sky. Her eyes glowed as she declared, “It's the Pearl.” “The Black Pearl!” Liam shrieked with joy. Elizabeth wondered, “What is the other ship they're towing?” “It doesn't matter!” Addie shouted, ordering, “Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!” Letting go of Liam's hand, Elizabeth desperately tried to remember how a ship worked.
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   Pulling his spyglass out of his pocket, Jack eyed the ship that was headed their direction on the sea. He read the gold lettering on the side: the Majestad. Indeed, the ship was majestic. The curves of the hull were constructed perfectly to fit the waves and the sails were trimmed with fine linen. Her design was similar to the Pearl's, but, of course, it wasn't nearly as glorious in Jack's eyes. He moved his spyglass to see if he could recognize the landlubber who captained such a vessel.

   There, standing on the rail of that grand ship, was Adeline Rose Cunningham- his daughter. Her put the spyglass down, shaking his head to make what he thought was a hallucination go away. However, sure enough, when he checked again, she was still there. Her big chocolate eyes to match his focused on the Pearl, determined. Her curly brown hair to match her mother's danced in the wind in a carefree frenzy. She looked older, as Kate had said, but no less beautiful. He felt a warm feeling of pride fill up in his chest.

   “Captain!" Marty called down to Jack from the crow's nest, but Barbossa answered, “What is it, ye miniscule leech?” Marty pursed his lips in a frown and made a rude gesture before replying, “There's a ship headed our way! And fast!” Barbossa yanked Jack's spyglass from his grip and aimed it at the ship in question. In desperation, Jack stepped in front of his view, stuttering, “I-I don't think we need to worry about this ship, Hector.” “Out of my way!” Barbossa commanded, shoving him away. Jack stepped away in defeat and prayed to any higher power that Barbossa wouldn't see Addie's resemblance to the rightful captain of the Pearl.

   But, of course, Jack's luck was not the type to make even the most unfortunate of buccaneers jealous. When Barbossa let out, “By the powers of Poseidon! Would ye look at that!” Jack knew that he was going to have to think up a plan quickly. “What is it, mate?” he asked, hoping to throw the villain off. “Don't play stupid, Jack,” he scolded, “She looks just like ye.”
“That's not her! Just... leave her alone!”
Why are ye so eager to protect a perfect stranger if it's not her?” he asked in disbelief.
With speedy thinking, Jack replied, “Wouldn't want a pretty thing like that to go to waste.”
“Don't think me a fool, Jack. She's got your eyes and face. And fool can see that.”
“So, you admit you're a fool.”
Slamming the spyglass closed, Barbossa ordered, “Lock him in the brig!”
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   Addie stepped down from the railing and ran to the lower deck downstairs. “Alex!” she shouted up, “Get down here and help me!” She uncovered her cannons and opened their hatches to shoot out. Alex came down with Elizabeth following behind, Liam holding onto her skirt. “Help me make ready the cannons,” she ordered, kicking a cannonball to Alex. Elizabeth's eyes widened in shock and she sent Liam to the upper deck. “You're going to fire on the Pearl?” she asked in hopes of being proven wrong. “Yes,” Addie replied, “and Jack can die with his precious ship.” Alex started arming the cannons, but Elizabeth tried to stop, putting her arm in front and saying, “You can't attack randomly. It's unjust.” “Shut up!” Addie screamed, “I'll do what I like!”
“Addie, think about it! He'll fire back! Not to mention, you don't know how many men he has aboard, but I can almost guarantee that it's more than three and a child!”

   A loud bang was heard from outside and the three crew members of the Majestad had no time to step out of the way before a cannon shot through the wall. Addie found herself flying through the air and the next thing she knew, her head was pounding in pain. Alex was at her side in a matter of seconds, cupping her face, crying out in worry, “Addie! Addie! Addie, are you alright?” She didn't answer his question, but she did utter in anger, “He fired! The bastard shot at me! He attacked randomly! That's not fair!” “Beg pardon, madam,” Elizabeth snapped, “but weren't you just about to do the same to him?” Addie tried to get up, but Alex held her down, instructing, “Stay down! You need to rest! Your head is bleeding.” “Board his ship!” she commanded, pushing him away and getting up, ignoring the throbbing pain in her head. She ran to a cannon, pulling back on the throttle, firing it.
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   Jack peeked through a hole in the hull where his cell was. The water soaking his boots was irritating. He never did get that leak fixed. Addie's ship was getting closer and closer to the Pearl, but he hoped she would stay away. He knew Barbossa was going to attack. What Jack couldn't understand is why she would be heading for his ship anyhow. She didn't even like him. A cannon fired nearby, startling him. He watched it fly and smash into the side of her ship. “Oi!” he shouted to the traitorous pirates above, “Belay! Stop that!” He knew it was useless. However, moments later, he saw a cannon flying towards his ship. It blasted through the wall a few yards from him. “Bloody hell!” he shouted, “Stop blowing holes in my ship!” Another crashed through but a few seconds after that. “Adeline!” he scorned even though there was no way she could hear him, “Stop that this minute! Stop it! Belay!”
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   Another cannon plummeted from above. Addie growled in fury and fired her cannon once again. When yet another came her way, she uselessly yelled to her unaware father, “Cease fire, you blackguard!” The ship was close enough for them to board, so she grabbed the grappling hooks in the cargo hold, but she found Liam in there. “What the bugger are you doing in here?” “Mummy says its safer in here,” he explained. “Yes, well, Mummy doesn't know what she's talking about,” Addie chided, “The safest place would be in my cabin at the back. Come along.” She held out her hand and he took it, following her upstairs.

   After Liam was safely hidden in her boudoir, Addie sprinted out to the main deck. Alex took a grappling hook from her, trying to keep steady as the cannons kept attacking. Elizabeth did the same and Addie saw that she'd changed from her motherly dress and apron into breeches and a shirt. A sword was strapped to her side. Addie smiled to herself as she prepared her own hook. When everyone's was fastened, she gave the order, “Now!” They threw hooks and they all attached to the enemy ship's railing. Alex  locked arms with her as they swung over to the deck of the Pearl.

   When Addie's feet landed on the floor, she unlinked arms with Alex and began to fight. She crossed blades with pirates of all sorts before she found herself up against an old friend. “Mr. Gibbs?” she asked in hope and happiness. “Miss Addie!” he acknowledged back. He stretched his sword behind her and stabbed a pirate that had been about to kill her. “Thanks! Where is my father?” she asked, fighting with him now, back to back. “In the brig!” he replied over the noises and shouting.
“What?” she blunted in confusion, slicing a pirate's gut.
“Barbossa put him there!”
“Who?”

   The next pirate Addie crossed blades with had a large hat with a ridiculously giant feather in it. He had scraggly dirty hair on his head and face. When he smiled,  he displayed his ugly rotten teeth. “Hello, Adeline Sparrow,” he greeted, his revolting breath burning her nose. Before she could react in any way, Alex was beside her, staring at the man oddly before he spoke, “Uncle Hector?” The stranger to Addie lowered his blade and responded, “Alex.”