Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean or Disney.
Summary: Elizabeth is voted Pirate King by none other than Jack Sparrow. Yet, when she finds out that she must be married in order to actually gain her title and stop the East India Trading Company, she is forced to marry Jack, or Cutler Beckett will succeed in killing off all the pirates. So, the marriage ensues, and Elizabeth wonders if she made a mistake, marrying a man she does not love. Will she ever come to love him, or will she always view their bond as forced and unfortunate? Sparrabeth!
Bonds of a Forced Marr-i-age:
Chapter 1:
It was a dark and stormy afternoon, the sun hidden and wrapped up in the cold cover of the overcast clouds. It looked like it was about to rain. The sea was no better, her beautiful waters choppy and green, crashing against the shores then pulling back before coming down again, greedily pulling back grains of golden sand with a ferocious hunger. Barely anyone was in the streets of Shipwreck Cove, everyone huddled inside, fearing the rain with wide and grievous eyes. Rarely did storms pass them by, and if they did it was a small shower of rain with flippant, teasing winds. Nothing more than that. Yet, at the rate the sky darkened, the sailors who lived in said port were afraid. This did not bode them any good...no good at all.
Yet, the real point of interest was in the town center. A group of maybe a hundred pirates were all joined together, a feat in itself, and if you listened hard you could hear yelling and shouting coming from the large building. Lightning streaked across the sky, and thunder clashed in the distance, making it seem as if its purpose was to emphasize the argument and harsh words.
Elizabeth Swann growled in frustration, looking across a long table where six pirate lords were seated, another next to her, one on the other side of the room with his hands splayed across the parchments on the table, as well as herself. There were nine of them in all. The candles dripped from the huge chandelier above them, wax falling onto the surface of the furniture with a resounding thud, which seemed to echo as the room suddenly went silent.
After a moment of silence, Captain Ammand spoke up in a loud and grave tone of voice. "In order to decide what to do, whether free Calypso like Captain Barbossa suggests or fight like Captain Swann and Captain Sparrow suggests, we must all agree on the outcome." A distressed sigh rose up in the room, Elizabeth rolled her eyes, and then at once the fighting broke out again.
"And how shall we do that?", asked Gentleman Jocard, fed up with everything. He grabbed his pistol and pointed it at Jack, who immediately pulled out his pistol and held it up calmly, his eyes daring the man to try something. Suddenly, a gun shot rang out, like a whip cracking through the tension, and they all went silent, stunned. Then, one by one, they looked over at Barbossa, who blew off the barrel then shoved it back in its holster.
"I call upon Captain Teague!", his voice was loud and strong, and Jack visibly stiffened, his hands moving to clutch the rim of the table, eyes filled with horror and contempt. Elizabeth caught this, slightly amused, but hid her smile. Jack Sparrow, afraid? Now that was interesting. Captain Jack Sparrow wasn't a man to get afraid of things very easily, if at all. She figured he must be someone important, this Captain Teague.
Things between her and Jack hadn't been going so well as of late, and there was a barrier there. It was uncomfortable talking to each other, they had both decided on avoiding one another, and when they did speak it was quick and to the point. And...it stung. It stung badly. Yet, what was she to do about it? She had killed him, after all, killed him with a kiss. She was sorry, though, he had no idea how sorry she was for murdering him. It was a guilt that had weighed down on her conscience for months now...and as of late she had began to feel depressed, as if they would never work things out between them.
Suddenly, snapping Elizabeth from her musings, two sailors came out from the corner with a huge book which they lay down respectfully. Their fingers grazed across the leather cover before the pulled back and strolled away, exiting from the door from whence they came. Everyone gasped, their eyes wide, mouths sewed shut for once. It was the Pirate Code; the book everyone had to follow, at least...all pirates and sailors who longed for freedom. It was their way of life. (Unless, of course, you considered it more like guidelines than actual rules, which is what most to everyone did.)
A man stood up from the back and walked forward, having abandoned his guitar to the side. His steps were heavy, cutting through the air as a reminder of the great stress and responsibility everyone felt, and then he landed behind Jack, a hover of a smile playing over his pale red lips.
"Move, boy.", he growled, and Jack's face drained of color. He quickly stepped to the side, shooting a glance over at Teague, the brown that surrounded his pupils becoming dark; eyes clouding over with a deep strained anger. To his great dissatisfaction, the old pirate ignored him. Instead, he whistled, the sound echoing around the spacious building. Then, a dog appeared, running in from some unseen entrance, and stopped at Teague's feet. He retrieved the key from its mouth, then shooed it off before moving to unlock the book. It fell open to a certain page, a small cloud of dust rising through the air as the pages fluttered.
Captain Teague flipped through them, his eyes roaming over the words, until he suddenly stopped, his hand stilling, then with a small cry of triumph he tapped a line on the page before reading it aloud. Elizabeth and Jack glanced up at the same time, both focusing on the book, and then Jack shoved the man to the side, running his finger along until he found it.
"In order fer the Brethren Court t' decide a course of action, that action must be approved by the Pirate King, or nothing can and will happen." He looked up, blinking, then glared over at Barbossa, who had a grin plastered on his face. Riled up, Jack leaned heavily against the table, shaking his head, noticing that Teague, his father, had left to sit back in his chair, plucking up his guitar and beginning to play it again, unfazed by the whole thing. He was, after all, Keeper of the Code...and he had been to these sort of meetings before.
"So, we need t' vote fer a Pirate King!", said Mistress Ching, then laughed. "That will never work! We'll never get anywhere!"
"Do it anyways.", grunted Barbossa, folding his arms across his chest. Elizabeth's eyes flashed with confusion, and she leaned over towards Master Gibbs. He seemed to sense her puzzlement and smiled before shrugging.
"In order for an action to be chosen, we need t' vote fer a Pirate King. Someone in this room. The only trouble is, everyone votes fer' emselves'.", he whispered to her, and she sighed.
"Bloody pirates!", she hissed and he laughed at her before going silent. Slowly, the pirates voted one by one, and each for themselves! It was as Gibbs had said. Soon enough, it was Elizabeth's turn. She folded her arms before chuckling. This would get them no where, Mistress Ching had been right. "Elizabeth Swann.", she called out, amused, until something happened that she would have never expected. It was Jack, and once again he had stunned her beyond words.
"Elizabeth Swann.", he had said finally, flashing her a grin. At her look of astonishment he snickered. "Curious, in'it?" The chords of music in the background suddenly stopped, a string broke sending out a horrible noise, and then tossing it carelessly to the side Teague got to his feet and sauntered forwards. He shoved Jack out of the way and silenced everyone once again, as they had began to holler and scream in anger. He peered at the code, then looked up at Elizabeth, who was blinking, her mouth moving slightly, yet no noise was coming out.
Jack, Jack Sparrow had voted for her, when he had absolutely no reason to. She couldn't help but wonder why he had voted for her, but then stopped. Of course. He wanted to fight, and so did she...and they were the only two! So, he had to vote for her. She sighed, passing a hand over her face, then looked up. Why had she expected something more out of him, so other motivation for voting for her?? He hated her. There was nothing else to be said.
"In order for Captain Swann to be the true Pirate King," said Teague, rather amused at that very moment, his eyes glinting mischievously, "she will need to be bound by the bonds of marriage." Elizabeth stood there, and then what he had said snapped together in her mind. All the sudden, she went as white as a sheet, having to grip the table in fear of fainting. All the pirates looked around at one another, and then Barbossa laughed.
"To bad Master Turner isn't here.", he sneered, but Teague just shook his head.
"She needs to be married to another Pirate Lord to make this official.", said he, and Elizabeth hung her head in horror. So much for that pl-
"I'll marry her.", said a hesitant voice, one that Elizabeth knew well. Her eyes widened, her head snapped up to look at Jack, and then before she could fully register what he had just said, she fainted.
Elizabeth moaned, her vision blurry, her head throbbing as she sat up. Two strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her up, and she leaned back for a moment before opening her eyes. She swayed dangerously, and the grip immediately tightened for a moment until she finally had footing of the ground. Then, the person let her go and stepped back. She looked around. She was in another room, but she could hear distant yells and crashes. She finally felt better enough to look around, and spotted Teague, Jack, and Barbossa standing over to the side, apparently waiting for her. Teague and Barbossa in a heated conversation, but Jack met her gaze, his concerned and worried.
"Ye alright darlin'?", he asked after a moment, and she nodded meekly.
"Wha- what happened?", she whispered, tilting her head and rubbing one arm. He gave her a sly smile.
"Ye fainted, Lizzie, right in front of all those pirates. Not good, I must say, fer a future Pirate King.", she shook her head, bewildered, and suddenly her eyes widened at a quick rate, blood rushing from her face as she remembered. He saw that she was in danger of fainting, and caught her wrist in a vice-like grip. "None of that.", he growled sternly, and she shivered before taking in a calming breath. Once he was sure she was alright he quickly let her go, glancing over at the other two finished their conversation and came forward.
"Captain Swann.", said Teague with a curious smile. "Ye gave us all quite a scare." Elizabeth blinked, then became enraged with fury.
"You?I gave you a scare? You gave me one! Your telling me I have to...to...marry in order to become Pirate King?" He nodded indifferently, and smirked.
"Calm down, Captain Swann.", he said, and she shut her mouth, settling on glaring at him and Jack. "The only reason we require this is because you are a woman. None of the others outside will even think about letting you become Pirate King unless and until you marry." Elizabeth blushed, glancing over at Jack. He met her gave and shrugged, and she felt icy chills run down her spine.
"Then can't someone else be Pirate King?", she exclaimed in annoyance, throwing her hands up in the air. He shook his head.
"No. Once yer voted for...that is something you cannot undo. You must marry now, or you will give leave for the East India Trading Company to destroy and kill all pirates until none are left. You are our only hope." Elizabeth looked down, then quickly looked up and over, trying not to cry. Will. She loved him so much, and he was someone out there, waiting for her, loving her with all his heart...and yet she was forced to marry another. A man she didn't love. "Do you agree?", Teague asked, snapping her out of her thoughts. She sighed, shutting her eyes to force back then tears, then nodded quickly.
"Do I havea choice?", she asked bitterly, opening her eyes to look over at Jack, who looked back upon her with no emotion. Then, moving towards him, she took his hand in hers, watching as Teague turned to find his small marriage book. She glanced over at Jack, and sighed. "Why me?", she questioned him, and he gave her a small smile, one that made her shudder slightly. She rarely saw him smile anymore...not since she killed him.
"I figured I was the best out of the bunch, unless ye'd rather marry Barbossa instead." She chuckled quietly. "Besides, ye don' get all disgusted when I touch ye, at least I don' think so...I think it's safe t' assume ye don', since ye kissed me once afore." Her face fell at the memory, and she looked away from him. But at the gentle touch of his hand under her chin she met his gaze once more. "Don' worry bout' the past.", he said sternly, but with a trace of amusement in his eyes. "Tis' o'er." He looked as if he was about to say more, but Teague cleared his throat, and they both looked over at him, Elizabeth feeling a warm blush spread down her neck and a furious pace.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today t' join the man, and this woman, in holy matrimony.", he started in a loud clear tone. Elizabeth watched him with interest, not wanting to think about what was happening, what she was doing, who she was betraying...Teague looked familiar, and upon spotting the beads in his hair and the dreadlocks she startled, gasping very softly, so softly that it was inaudible. Teague was Jack's father! Which consequently meant that he would be her father-in-law.
A long time later, though to Elizabeth it felt like only a couple of minutes, she felt Jack squeeze her hand gently. She looked over, hearing him say his vows, and then Teague looked up and nodded to her, reading over the words. She hesitated for only a brief moment when her turn came, but she her survival, as well as everyone else's, rested on her shoulders.
"I do.", she whispered, and it was sealed. Teague shut the book, then looked between the two for a moment, silence hanging over their heads like a heavy weight. Then, at the sound of a gun shot in the other room, he grimaced.
"I believe it is well time I go an' stop what e'er is going on in there. Take yer time, but by sayin' that I mean hurry up an' come within a few minutes. We still have a couple matters t' discuss.", said he, then strolled out the door, motioning with a swift movement of his hand for Hector to follow, which he did. Soon, Elizabeth and Jack were alone.
It was about then that she broke down. Letting go of his hand she moved to sit down on a small couch, covering her face with her hands, tears leaking out under her eyelids. She had done something horrible, and now she felt like she did not deserve to live. Will loved her, he wished to marry her, and yet she had been forced to marry another...and now she would never be with him, the man she had dreamed of since the age of ten. The boy she grew up with, her first crush, and now her one true love. Yet, she was stuck with Jack. Jack! A man who would never love her, who probably saw her as some salty wench and nothing more, just another notch on his bed post.
She realized, with a sick dread, that she would have to perform these marriage duties with him, seeing as she was his wife. At least, she thought solemnly, my skin doesn't crawl when he lays his hand on me. At least I didn't have to marry someone that I don't know. At least it's Jack Sparrow. She felt a hand lay on her shoulder, and the sinking of the cushion next to her signaled that he had sat down beside her. She sniffed, quickly wiping away tears, then looked over at him.
"Is marryin' me that bad, love?", he asked, faking offense, and she sighed, a small trace of a smile fleeting across her lips.
"I don't know.", she said. "It's just, I love Will...I thought I was going to marry him. And now I'm married to you instead, and there will never be a chance for us now...after all this time of being engaged and in love, it was a waste." Jack shook his head in disagreement.
"No.", he said firmly, cupping her face in his hands. "Love is ne'er a waste. Lizzie, darling, it is a beautiful and wondrous thing t' have, for as long as ye can hold it. Make use of the time that ye have it in yer grasp, don' take it fer granted." He leaned in, locking eyes with her. "If ye really want t' leave me, after this is all over ye can rid of me and we'll go our separate ways, savvy? Just...put up wiv' me fer right now."
Was he really offering her a way out of this? She had been right, he was a good man. Her eyes lit up, and then she nodded.
"I suppose I could do that.", she said with a small grin, and he chuckled. She looked at him for a couple more seconds, then moved to get up, but he quickly tugged her back down and took her left hand in his. Sliding a ring off his finger, he deftly slipped in onto hers. Letting her go, she brought her hand up close to her face in order to study it. It was a thin silver band, with two small skulls engraved on either side of a red ruby, which glinted softly in the dim lighting.
She smiled gently, and then looked up at him. He smiled back, and then suddenly her arms were tight around him, head buried against his shoulder for a brief moment. Not even seconds later she pulled back, laughed nervously, then looked back down at her ring.
"Thank you Jack.", she whispered. "It's lovely."
"Just like you.", he quipped after a moment, and even though she strained she could catch no teasing in his voice, only a deep and genuine passion. She smile became watery, and then leaning forward she caught his face in her hands and pressed a quick chaste kiss to his lips. He made no response, which made her feel better, and then she pulled away and stood up, grabbing his hand and entwining her fingers with his. She started to walk towards the door, when he sighed. "Lizzie, there is a catch."
She spun around, then frowned. "What do you mean?", she inquired suspiciously. He took in a deep breath, passing his free hand over his face.
"Ye'll need t' be married t' me fer a full month, not a day or two. It's pirate law.", he said grimly. "The Brethren Court may be full of blubbering idiots, but when it comes to the law they take it very seriously." She blinked, then sniffed quietly. Her eyes watered, and then she looked up and smiled at him.
"Alright then.", she whispered, nodding. "I can do that." He smiled gently in return, then walking to the door, she opened it and stepped out into the main room.
At their entrance, the hushed murmured stopped, and Elizabeth raised her chin to look at everyone boldly, advancing until they both reached the front of the table.
"So, Mrs. Sparrow, what plan of action have you and your husband decided on?", asked Mistress Ching finally. Elizabeth smirked and then looked around at everyone before answering in a strong voice.
"We are to go to war!" Mistress Ching glanced at them both, then nodded.
"Then war it shall be.", said she, and everyone else murmured their agreement.