Only things I like

Welcome to my tumblr. I try to write on Pirates of Caribean and JJBA. I started a rewriting of POTC with a original female character, loosely inspired from Katrina Sparrow. I let you discover it.

I also started small stories about The Devil in Me (Supermassive Game, Dark Pictures Anthology). Don't ask why, I do not know myself. I just enjoy the universe.

The pace of publication will be uncertain, maybe with headcanon, drabbles or imagines. Maybe crossovers with my novels' characters!

Hello ! Salut !

Bienvenue sur mon tumblr. J'essaye d'écrire sur Pirates des Caraibes et Jojo. J'ai entamé une réécriture de POTC avec un personnage féminin original, vaguement inspiré du personnage de Katrina Sparrow? Je vous laisse découvrir.

Le rythme de publication sera très incertain, peut-être entrecoupé d'headcanon, drabbles ou imagines. Peut-être des crossovers avec mes personnages de romans !

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The Devil in Me :

I'll take care of you : link (Hector Munday x f!reader)

Open Door : link (Du'Met x f!reader)

Mechanically: link (Du'Met x f!reader)

Silhouette : link (Du'Met x ng!reader)

Pirates of the Caribean :

One shot that takes place after the PoC movies, it's a James Norrington x OC romance.

The begining and the end of a story. La fin et le début d'une histoire.

1) English version/version anglaise

1) Version française/french version

The rewriting of PoC movies with the character of Alice. It's a James Norrington x OC romance.

If you want to discover how they end up together. It will be long, because, I'll add chapters in between the movies to explain the development of the characters. The first movie will be almost the same, it will defer more for the second and the third, because the relationships will impact the characters' decisions.

A Drop in the Ocean / Une goutte dans l'Océan

Chapter 1 - A Ghost from the past

Chapitre 1 - Un fantôme du passé

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Chapter 2 - Hell of a Night, Day of Anxiety

Chapitre 2 - Nuit d'Enfer, Journée d'Angoisse

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Chapter 3 - Maritime Escapade

Chapitre 3 - Escapade Maritime

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Chapter 4 -Slaps and comrades

Chapitre 4 - Gifles et camarades

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Chapter 5 -Tempest and Stories.

Chapitre 5 - Tempête et Histoires.

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Chapter 6 - Pirate Code and combat

Chapitre 6 - Code Pirate et Bagarre

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Chapter 7 - Rum and Confessions

Chapitre 7 - Rhum et confessions

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Chapitre 8 - The Commodore: or how to get off on the wrong foot.

Chapitre 8 - Le Commodore : ou comment partir du mauvais pied.

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Chapter 9 - I lie, you lie, he lies

Chapitre précédent.

Premier chapitre.

English version.

Archive of our own (english only).

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Alice ouvrit une des fenêtres le plus doucement possible tandis qu’Elizabeth finissait d’attacher les derniers tissus entre eux pour former une corde et que le gouverneur Swann commençait à leur parler derrière la porte de la cabine, certainement incertain sur comment réagir après le spectacle qu’elles avaient donné.

« Il faut escalader jusqu’à la chaloupe, vous vous en sentez capable ? chuchota Alice à Elizabeth. »

La blonde opina du chef et accrocha leur corde de fortune. Alice enjamba la fenêtre et descendit prudemment jusqu’à pouvoir s’accrocher sur la ligne de fenêtres. Elle vit la silhouette fine d’Elizabeth la suivre avec prudence, mais détermination. Les deux jeunes femmes se glissèrent, en espérant qu’aucun soldat ne les repère, jusqu’à la chaloupe qui se balançait doucement dans l’air. Le pont semblait très calme, la majorité des soldats étant partis avec Jack et le Commodore. Les deux jeunes femmes grimpèrent dans la chaloupe et firent jouer les poulies pour faire descendre l’embarcation. Une fois l’eau atteinte, Elizabeth empoigna les rames.

« Vous avez l’air d’être suffisamment fatiguée comme cela, je m’en occupe. »

Alice lui adressa un sourire amical et s’installa dans l’embarcation. Le bruit des rames fendant l’eau dans le silence la rendait inconfortable. Elle voyait au loin les silhouettes des chaloupes des militaires se découper sous les rayons lunaires. Au bout de quelques minutes, alors que le navire disparaissait dans les ténèbres, Alice entrevit la figure du gouverneur passer la tête à travers la fenêtre de la cabine du capitaine.

La chaloupe se glissa silencieusement auprès du Black Pearl. Les deux jeunes femmes escaladèrent jusqu’au bastingage et passèrent silencieusement sur le pont. Deux voix les avaient alertées sur la présence d’un équipage. Alors qu’elles s’apprêtaient à avancer, la figure macabre du maniaque les prit de cours, d’un geste commun les deux femmes le saisirent à deux mains avant de l’envoyer valdinguer par-dessus bord. Un bruit métallique leur fit passer la tête par-dessus le bastingage, et deux visages de squelettes apparurent à la lucarne du canon avant de lever les yeux vers elles. La discrétion venait de se terminer. Alice saisit la main d’Elizabeth et l’entraîna vers la cale. Les pas et les voix rageuses des pirates montèrent dans leur direction avant de les dépasser alors qu’elles s’étaient cachées. Lorsque les pirates s’éclipsèrent vers le pont supérieur, Elizabeth entraîna Alice vers le pont inférieur et les geôles.

« Alice, Elizabeth ! fit maître Gibbs en s’accrochant aux barreaux. »

Alice trouva rapidement les clefs pour libérer l’équipage de son frère. Ensemble, ils poussèrent les deux pirates par-dessus bord sous le hourra de l’équipage.

« Tous ensemble avec nous ! s’écria Elizabeth. Will est dans cette caverne et nous devons le sauver. Parez, o-hisse, s’écria-t-elle une deuxième fois en saisissant les cordages qui tenaient la chaloupe. »

Les cordes glissèrent des mains d’Alice devant l’inaction des pirates, et Elizabeth s’arrêta également.

Nous ne pouvons rien faire sans vous, venez nous aider.

Le calme après la tempête

Cotton a raison, nous avons le Pearl avança Gibbs.

Que va devenir Jack, ? Vous abandonnez votre ami, s’exclama Alice outrée.

« Jack nous doit ce navire, s’exclama Marty.

—  Faut qu’on applique le Code, commenta Gibbs sans la regarder dans les yeux »

Elizabeth les regarda, désabusée.

« Le Code, souffla-t-elle. Vous êtes des pirates, au diable le code et au diable les règlements, ce n’est rien qu’une sorte de guide en fait. »

Cette fois si Gibbs regarda Alice dans les yeux.

« Désolé, mais le Code, vous savez… »

Sur ces mots Alice lui lança un regard noir avant de saisir la main d’Elizabeth et de la tirer vers la chaloupe.

« Eh bien, nous le ferons seules. Tant pis pour ces maudits pirates. »

Les deux jeunes femmes entreprirent de mettre la chaloupe à flot, et cette fois-ci Alice prit les rames.

« Maudits pirates, pesta Elizabeth. »

Les deux jeunes femmes arrivèrent dans le cahot de la grotte. Will était aux prises avec trois pirates, et Jack se battait avec Barbossa. Elles attrapèrent des objets contondants et allèrent porter assistance à Will qui afficha une mine des plus surprises en les voyant. Les trois pirates furent assommés rapidement et le trio regarda le combat entre Barbossa et Jack d’un œil interrogateur.

« De quel côté est Jack ? demanda Elizabeth.

— Ça dépend des moments, s’amusa Will. »

Alice dévisagea son frère qui continuait de bretter avec le capitaine pirate, sa forme tenant tantôt du squelette, tantôt du frère qu’elle connaissait. Elle sortit rapidement de sa léthargie, les pirates reprenaient leurs esprits. Alice se précipita vers une vieille épée qui dépassait du trésor et entama de se battre aux côtés de Will et Elizabeth. Rapidement, ils prirent le dessus sur les pirates en prenant l’avantage sur leur forme squelettique. Elle vit du coin de l’œil Will grimper près du coffre et Jack lui lançait une pièce dans les airs, qu’il rattrapa prestement. Alors qu’Elizabeth se précipitait vers Will. Jack cessa de bouger et Barbossa saisit son pistolet, qu’il braqua sur Will. Un coup de feu retentit dans la caverne.

Jack.

Il venait de tirer son unique balle.

« Dix ans que tu traînes ce pistoler et tu gâches ta seule balle.

—  Il ne l’a pas gâchée, répliqua froidement Will, la main au-dessus du coffre. »

La pièce tomba sèchement dans le coffre, et Barbossa ouvrit sa chemise. Une tache rouge naissait sur son torse.

Il murmura quelque chose qu’Alice n’entendit pas, avant de s’effondrer au sol.

Alice se précipita vers son frère avant de se jeter dans ses bras.

« Ne refais plus jamais, jamais ça, Jack. »

Le pirate se contenta de la serrer légèrement avant de se détacher.

Alice reprit de sa contenance et se mordit la lèvre. Son cœur essayait tant bien que mal de se calmer dans sa poitrine, tandis que Jack commençait à farfouiller dans le trésor. Le regard d’Alice croisa un instant celui d’Elizabeth, qui lui donna un sourire désolé.

Une boule se forma dans le ventre de la jeune femme. Le Black Pearl était parti sans eux. Seul restait le navire de la Navy. Jack n’avait pas d’échappatoire. Alice regarda ses pieds et se dirigea vers la chaloupe alors que Will et Elizabeth échangeaient à voix basse et que Jack récupérait du butin. Il ne savait pas que son équipage l’avait abandonné.

Une fois tous installés sur la chaloupe, Elizabeth et Alice échangèrent des regards embarrassés. Alice se passa la main sur la figure et se tourna vers son frère qui regardait vers l’horizon, et la mer qui se dévoilait derrière la bouche de la cavité.

« Jack… souffla Alice.

— Ouais sœurette ?

— J’ai quelque chose à te dire… »

Jack se retourna vers elle. Son regard s’affaissa en rencontrant le sien. Sûrement se doutait-il que la nouvelle n’était pas bonne. Alice décida de trancher au plus vite.

« Ton équipage est parti avec le Black Pearl. Je suis navrée Jack. »

Son frère se tourna de nouveau vers l’horizon, sans rien dire.

« Je suis désolée, Jack, lança Elizabeth. »

—  Ils ont fait ce qu’ils croyaient devoir faire, répondit-il laconiquement. On ne peut pas en demander plus que ça. »

Un long silence s’abattit tandis que Will continuait de ramer.

« Au fait, lança Jack, Alice et moi, nous ne nous sommes jamais rencontrés avant le jour où je l’ai forcée à m’accompagner avec maître Turner. N’est-ce pas ?

— Absolument, s’empressa de jurer Elizabeth en se saisissant de la main d’Alice dont les yeux commençaient à chauffer. »

Elle serra la main de la jeune femme et porta son autre main à la bouche et se mordilla les doigts. Sa gorge lui semblait si sèche et ses yeux si douloureux.

Chapitre précédent.

Premier chapitre.

English version.

Archive of our own (english only).

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Alice fut la première réveillée. Elizabeth dormait non loin du feu et à bonne distance de Jack qui enlaçait sa bouteille de rhum vide.

La gouvernante se leva avec difficulté, et pesta contre l’absence de nourriture pour faire passer la faim et la sensation atroce qui résonnait dans son crâne. Elle s’approcha de la mer et s’aspergea le visage. Le goût salé de l’eau ne l’aida pas à aller mieux. Elle décida de marcher un peu sur la plage, puis fixa l’horizon.

Au bout de quelques secondes, elle fixa Elizabeth qui commençait à se réveiller. Puis son regard se porta de nouveau vers l’horizon, puis vers Elizabeth, puis vers la direction de la cache de rhum. Enfin, elle regarda les braises qui s’éteignaient dans le foyer.

« Hum. »

Elle se dirigea vers Elizabeth qui s’était assise et lui tendit la main.

« J’ai un plan. »

La femme la regarda un peu perdue.

« Vous êtes la fille du gouverneur de Port Royal, il y a de forte chance que la marine royale vous cherche, non ? 

— Euh, oui. D’autant que le commodore est un ami. »

Alice hocha la tête et pointa le feu puis la cache de rhum. Malgré l’esprit embrumée d’Elizabeth, son visage s’éclaira rapidement.

« Brillant ! »

La gouvernante se contenta de sourire.

« Jack ne sera pas ravie, s’amusa la blonde. 

— Non, en effet, alors dépêchons-nous, fit Alice en gloussant. »

Les deux jeunes femmes préparèrent un bûcher de rhum, digne des pires cauchemars d’un pirate et allèrent raviver leur feu du soir pour récupérer de quoi allumer le feu de signal.

Alors qu’elles jetaient au feu les bariques de rhum, la voix désespérée de Jack se fit entendre.

« Il faut pas, arrêtez ! il faut pas. Qu’est-ce que vous faites-vous deux ? Vous avez brûlé nos provisions.

— Du rhum, ce n’est pas ce que j’appelle des provisions, déclara Alice d’un ton détaché.

— L’ombrage, le rhum, fit Jack d’un air dépité.

— Oui, on a plus de rhum, continua Elizabeth.

— Pourquoi on a plus de rhum ?

— D’abord, parce que c’est une boisson indigne qui fait de l’homme le plus respectable un fripon de bas étage, répliqua Elizabeth avec véhémence. Ensuite, cette fumée noire monte à plus de trois cents mètres, comme votre sœur me l’a rappelé, toute la flotte royale me cherche en ce moment. Croyez-vous réellement qu’il y ait le moindre risque qu’elle leur échappe ?

— Mais pourquoi on a plus de rhum ?! 

— Attendez capitaine Sparrow, déclara Elizabeth en s’asseyant. Accordez-moi une heure ou même deux, ouvrez l’œil et vous verrez apparaître des voiles blanches à l’horizon. »

Jack, rageur partit à l’opposé, il se retourna et héla sa sœur.

« Tu trahis ton nom !

— Ca fait des années que je ne m’appelle plus Teague, Jack ! cria Alice en levant les bras au ciel pour le narguer. »

Jack se retourna, frustré et furieux et les laissa près de leur brasier.

« Hâte de voir son visage lorsque le plan marchera, gloussa Alice.

— Votre frère ne s’en remettra pas, rajouta Elizabeth en riant. 

— J’espère vraiment que votre ami le commodore a déployé tous ses navires.

— Je n’en ai aucun doute, fit Elizabeth. Je le connais depuis très longtemps, nous avons toujours été amis. De plus, mon père ne supporterait pas que l’on me cherche à moitié. 

—Vous devez être très proches tous les deux ? »

Elizabeth la regarda d’un air pensif.

« Oui, nous le sommes depuis la mort de maman.

— Oh, je suis désolée.

— Vous ne pouviez pas savoir. Et vous ?

— Mon père et moi ne sommes pas proches, non. Et notre mère est morte à ma naissance.

— Je suis désolée, fit Elizabeth en un souffle.

— Vous ne pouviez pas savoir, fit Alice en lui adressant un regard et un sourire complices. »

Elizabeth les lui rendit d’un air plus chaleureux encore.

Au loin, Alice vit Jack s’arrêter sur la bute qui menait vers une autre plage. Il se retourna vers elles, puis vers la direction où il allait, puis vers elles de nouveau. Il leva les bras au ciel.

« Je crois que le plan a marché, fit Alice en se levant. »

Elizabeth fit de même et les deux jeunes femmes se dirigèrent vers Jack. Lorsqu’elles arrivèrent une chaloupe avec des marins de la Marine Royale débarquaient.

« Monsieur Gillette ! s’exclama Elizabeth en se précipitant vers l’officier. »

Ce dernier s’empourpra en la voyant habillée de ses dessous et s’exclama à son tour :

« Mademoiselle Swan, allez-vous bien ? »

Il lança un regard noir à Jack qui s’éloigna un peu d’Alice. Puis, il fixa cette dernière et aborda une mine surprise.

Elizabeth se retourna vers elle.

« Allons rejoindre le navire, nous discuterons après. »

Le dénommé Gilette acquiesça.

« Le commodore et le gouverneur seront soulagés de vous voir. »

Le visage d’Elizabeth s’illumina de soulagement, et fit signe à Alice de s’approcher. Elle lui attrapa le bras et s’avança vers la chaloupe où Jack se dirigeait à contre cœur.

Alice regarda pensive la main d’Elizabeth posée sur son bras. Elle savait que c’était un moyen pour Elizabeth pour rassurer l’officier sur la nature et la présence de la jeune femme qui sortait de nulle part. La gouvernante jeta un regard à Jack qui semblait en profonde réflexion. Sans doute élaborait-il sa prochaine étape de plan. Alice s’humecta les lèvres. Elle allait devoir la jouer fine, et feindre de ne pas le connaître. Cependant, elle ignorait qu’elles étaient les stratégies de ses deux comparses une fois à bord.

Le voyage fut silencieux. Alice sentait le regard inquisiteur de l’officier se poser sur elle. Son air débraillé et sa posture fatiguée par l’aventure ne l’aidaient peut-être pas. Elle décida de redresser sa posture lentement, ignorant la douleur de son corps, pour tenter la carte de la gouvernante de bonne réputation comme dommage collatéral des péripéties du capitaines Jack Sparrow. Ce n’était pas faux en soit, même si c’était elle qui avait décidé de le suivre.

Lorsque la chaloupe fut attachée au treuil. La main d’Elizabeth se serra sur son avant-bras. La blonde lui lança un regard furtif, Alice comprit qu’elle pouvait véritablement compter sur son soutien. Jack, lui, semblait toujours concentré, et trop silencieux pour être honnête.

Alice n’eut pas le temps de tourner un visage anxieux vers le pont du navire, qu’un homme au grand chapeau de plume s’exclama :

« Elizabeth ! »

Alice laissa échapper un sourire amusé lorsque la main de la jeune femme la lâcha à la voix et qu’elle reconnut son père.

D’un saut contrôlé malgré ses jupons, Elizabeth sauta sur le pont. L’officier, toujours dans la chaloupe lui adressa un regard surpris, qui redoubla lorsqu’Alice se leva avec autant de grâce possible pour franchir de la manière la plus polie et féminine le bastingage.

Elle ne put manquer le sourire en coin que Jack commençait à avoir devant le comportement des deux jeunes femmes. Elizabeth qui faisait fit du protocole de la bonne société anglaise après s’être rapidement habituée à la vie de pirate et Alice qui feignait la jeune effarouchée alors qu’elle aidait à manœuvrer les navires comme un véritable marin.

Elle n’eut pas le temps de finir de prendre position que deux soldats encadrèrent son frère et qu’un autre ne se place à côté d’elle pour l’attraper pas le poignet.

« Non ! s’exclama Elizabeth en sortant de l’étreinte de son père. C’est une autre victime de Sparrow.

— Vraiment ? Ce n’est pas l’impression que j’ai eue lorsqu’ils quittaient la baie de Port Royal à bord d’un navire volé. »

La voix dure et suspicieuse la fit frémir de part en part. Elle pensait que personne ne l’avait vu sur le navire. Malheursement pour elle, un œil aiguisé semblait l’avoir capturée depuis le port. Elle tourna un visage livide vers la voix et reconnu immédiatement celui qui devait être le commodore.

Sa grande stature s’enserrait élégamment dans son uniforme de gradé. Son regard clair s’obscurcissait sous la fermeté de son visage.

« Eh pourtant, fit Jack en s’approchant de lui, c’que dit mamzelle Swann est vrai. Monsieur Turner et moi-même avons décidé de prendre une garantie lors de notre escapade, au cas où vous nous auriez eu, et puis une paire de bras en plus pour naviguer, c’est toujours mieux. Honnêtement – le commodore leva un sourcil peu convaincu -, j’crois qu’elle comprends pas tout c’qui s’passe… »

Alice se retint pour lui lancer un regard outré. Essayait-il de la faire passer pour une simple d’esprit ?

« Elle est même pas anglaise, conclut Jack, une sorte de gouvernante. »

Le visage de commodore se teinta de surprise et Alice tenta sa chance en feignant un léger accent français.

« Toute cette histoire me dépasse, je suis épuisée et terrifiée par ce que nous venons de vivre. Mon dieu, mon dieu. »

Le gouverneur l’interpella.

« Quel est votre nom et pour qui travaillez-vous, mademoiselle ?»

Alice retint de sourire devant l’astuce du père d’Elizabeth.

« Je m’appelle Alice Belettre et je travaille pour Lord Brixton, je m’occupe de ses chers jumeaux monsieur George et mademoiselle Isabel. J’arrive tout droit de Marie Galente. »

Alice vit Elizabeth se retenir de sourire. Elle devait certainement comprendre suffisamment de français pour saisir la démarche de son père et la réponse d’Alice. Le gouverneur hocha la tête et se tourna vers le commodore.

« Cette jeune fille me semble dire la vérité, ne l’accablez pas, Commodore Norrington. »

Le dénommé Norrington la fixa d’un air plus doux, mais la gouvernant vit que son regard se teintait de suspicion. Elle n’osa glisser un regard à Elizabeth, de peur de le faire douter plus encore, alors elle opta pour lui servir ses plus beaux yeux de biche perdue. Mais de toute manière la jeune femme blonde partit rapidement sur le sujet de Will Turner et la discussion s’annonça houleuse et l’intervention de Jack ne sembla qu’agacer de plus en plus le commodore qui finit la discussion sèchement en lui rappelant que son prestige personnel ne passait pas devant la vie des autres.

« Mais ils continueront à piller et tuer si vous ne tentez pas de les arrêter au plus vite, s’interposa Alice en se rapprochant du commodore. Ils ne s’arrêterons jamais. Il ne s’agit pas que de sauver monsieur Turner, mais de mettre un terme à une grande menace pirate. L’attaque sur Port Royale a été si brutale et violente, ils reviendront, dans un, deux, trois ou même dix ans, qu’importe, ils seront de retour. Mettre un terme à cette menace maintenant servira à éviter que d’autres vies ne soient prises ou détruites. Il ne s’agit pas que de Will Turner, mais de tous nos concitoyens. »

Le commodore la fixa intensément et Alice recula en réalisant qu’elle se trouvait un peu trop près de lui sans pour autant rompre le contact de leur regard. Elle se mordit la lèvre devant le silence qui s’était formé parmi les officiers et son trio de mésaventure. L’officier la fixait toujours et semblait pondérer ses mots.

« Monsieur Sparrow, fit-il, vous allez accompagnez ces braves gens à la barre et leur fournir les coordonnées de l’île de la Muerta. Et vous passerez le reste du voyage à appliquer au pied de la lettre l’expression muet comme une tombe. J’espère me faire bien comprendre.

— C’est extrêmement clair, répondit Jack d’un ton caustique en se faisant empoigner par les soldats. »

Le commodore reporta son regard sur Alice, puis glissa vers Elizabeth.

« Après cette période éprouvante, je vous propose de vous reposer et de vous changer. Les quartiers du capitaine sont à votre disposition. »

Lorsque la porte de la cabine se ferma sur un dernier caquètement du gouverneur, Elizabeth enlaça Alice avec force.

« Merci, merci, merci, répéta-t-elle. »

Alice se contenta de la serrer sans ses bras et de tapoter son dos en un signe réconfortant. Elizabeth se détacha de la jeune femme et essuya rageusement les larmes de soulagement qui perlaient sur ses yeux. Elle fixa les vêtements de soldats qu’on leur avait apporté et les deux bassines d’eaux pour qu’elles se lavent un peu.

Alice se délesta rapidement de ses froques volées sur l’Interceptor et commença à se frotter énergiquement avec le linge et le savon qu’on leur avait fourni. Elle tenta de nettoyer tant bien que mal sa chevelure brune qu’elle laissa détachée après les longs jours passés attachés et attaqués par l’eau de mer et la sueur. Une fois dans ses vêtements propres elle s’assit avec fatigue dans une chaise près de la table où les attendait un repas froid accompagné de thé brûlant. Elle versa une tasse à Elizabeth qui finissait sa toilette et prit le récipient d’un air soulagé. Elles se regardèrent un instant toutes les deux, et elles se mirent à sourire mi-nerveusement mi de soulagées. Elles savaient très bien que la partie n’était pas terminée. Pour sauver Will, il leur fallait affronter un équipage de pirates qui ne peut mourir.

Quelqu’un toqua à la porte.

« Elizabeth ? Mademoiselle Alice ? Êtes-vous présentables ? »

C’était le gouverneur.

« Oui, père ! »

La porte s’ouvrit et le gouverneur s’engouffra suivit du commodore.

« Le pirate dit que nous arriverons bientôt à l’île, l’histoire d’une heure. Je venais vous tenir compagnie, déclara le père d’Elizabeth en saisissant une chaise. »

Le resta debout et servit une tasse au gouverneur. Alice sentit le regard du commodore se poser sur elle, elle décida de croiser le sien, mais il détourna les yeux. Ses joues avaient légèrement rougi. Inconfortable, la gouvernant réajusta ses cheveux pour qu’ils cachent son cou et ses joues, puis réajusta le veston de soldat qu’elle avait enfilé par-dessus sa chemise.

« D’où venez-vous mademoiselle Alice ? demanda le gouverneur en saisissant sa tasse.

— De Marie Galente, je suis née là-bas.

— Ah ! Vous parlez très bien anglais !

— Merci, fit-elle en souriant poliment. Notre gouvernante était anglaise.

— Un grand cycle, s’amusa le gouverneur Swann, vous voilà gouvernante pour des anglais ! »

Alice lui rendit un petit rire amusé et Elizabeth fit de même en tentant de cacher sa mine crispée à l’idée d’arriver aussi proche de l’île maudite.

Le commodore ne pipa mot et finit rapidement sa tasse avant de s’excuser. Le gouverneur, lui, resta un petit moment avec elles à bavarder de tout et de rien. Alice sentait sa tension monter et celle d’Elizabeth aussi. Elles se jetaient des regards inquiets et incertains. Comment et quand devaient-elles agit et les prévenir du problème des pirates ? Elles furent rapidement sorties de leur interrogation silencieuse lorsque le gouverneur s’excusa et sortit de la pièce.

« Il fait nuit, commenta Elizabeth en regardant par la fenêtre de la cabine. »

Alice tourna la tête vers la porte, les soldats s’agitaient.

« Nous devrions leur dire. »

Les deux femmes se levèrent de concert et ouvrirent la porte, déterminées.

L’officier Gilette les vit, à l’autre bout du pont et marcha vers elles. Les deux femmes allèrent à sa rencontre.

« Où est le commodore ? demanda Elizabeth.

— Parti avec Sparrow, inspecter les alentours. 

— Nous avons quelque chose à lui dire. C’est très important, commenta Alice, sur les pirates. 

— Quoi donc ? »

Elizabeth et Alice échangèrent un regard et la première prit la parole.

« L’équipage de Barbossa est maudit, ils ne peuvent pas mourir. Il faut accomplir le rituel d’abord, pour lever la malédiction et après ils seront vulnérables. »

L’officier Gilette resta coite un instant, puis un sourire incrédule s’esquissa sur ses lèvres.

« Mesdemoiselles, je pense que le soleil des Caraïbes et la fatigue ont eu raison de vous, veuillez retourner à la cabine du capitaine. Le commodore souhaite que vous y restiez en sécurité. 

— Non, non, fit Alice en secouant ses boucles brunes. Nous devons prévenir le commodore. L’équipage est maudit, il court à sa perte, lui et ses hommes, s’il attaque avant que le rituel soit accompli, mais Will mourra si c’est le cas. 

— Ecoutez mesdemoiselles, retournez à votre cabine. »

Il leur fit signe de la main, mais Alice et Elizabeth se précipitèrent vers une chaloupe.

La main de l’officier frôla l’épaule d’Alice qui prit violement sa main pour s’en débarrasser.

« Nous devons prévenir le commodore, maintenant, s’écria Elizabeth. »

Soudain, Alice sentit des mains lui saisir les bras et elle vit des soldats saisir Elizabeth. Alors qu’elles se débattaient, elles furent traînées à la cabine du capitaine, sous les remarques moqueuses de l’officier Gilette.

Elles furent poussées dans la cabine et un bruit de clef retentit derrière elles. Alice rouspéta.

English is not my first langage.

Reader is female, but there is no physical description of her, nor background except for the established relationship they had. I hope this help people to imagine the character they want.

NSFW ? (see TW)

TW : Kidnapping ; sexual harassment (forced kisses) ; implied murder ; mention of blood.

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A warm hand slid down her stomach. The woman turned slowly to the man who had crept up beside her.

"You're home early," she whispered.

He merely placed a kiss on her forehead and pulled her closer to him. She kissed the corner of his mouth and hugged him.

"Good day?"

The man stroked her cheek.

"I have a lot of work to do, I have to get up early tomorrow and I'll stay home for the night. I'll make it up to you, don't worry, I'll take care of you as soon as we're quiet."

The woman grunted slightly and nestled her head in her companion's neck. She let out a small smile of satisfaction at the gentle touch of the caresses on her loins and cheek.

"Good night."

The man didn't answer and delicately caught her jaw in his hand. The woman opened her eyes and looked into the hidden darkness of her companion.

“I love you, you know that?" he asked in a whisper.

— I know I love you too Hector. Rest well."

She placed a kiss on his lips before curling up in his arms.

When she woke up, Hector was gone, and her day went smoothly until the next day.

She was finishing her laundry when the sound of the key opening the main door told her that Hector had returned.

“I'm here," she exclaimed, picking up her basket. You're home early!"

She saw from the corner of her eye the build of her companion. He was staring at her without moving.

"Is everything all right?" she asked, turning back to him.

She froze slightly under his gaze. He was pale, his gaze fixed on her, almost lifeless. The woman noticed the dark stains on the sleeves of his suit and the light red drops on his polished shoes.

She dropped her basket and rushed towards him.

"Hector? Are you hurt?"

She put her hand against his chest and quickly looked him over. He remained stoic, looking at her without moving. The woman swallowed slightly.

"Hector? Are you all right?"

Hector raised his hand to her face and stroked her cheek. The woman noticed the blood-reddened flesh of his fingers, mixed with light black streaks. Powder. A slight panic gripped her heart.

"I'll get my first aid kit. I'll be right back."

It was possible for her to reach the phone on the way to the bathroom and call 911.

The woman took a few steps back before walking through the door and past Hector. With a quick movement, he grabbed her wrist and pressed her against his chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she felt his free arm pull something out of his pocket, then a sharp pain in her neck.

She tried to scream, a small object hit the ground, and he covered her mouth with his hand. Only a muffled scream came from her throat. Walls and objects began to dance before her eyes, disappearing into the darkness.

Everything around her was dark, her whole body wrapped in a dull torpor. Her eyelids seemed so heavy, her breathing so shallow. Gradually the place became slightly lighter, and irregular jolts agitated her. No, it was not her. Her body was moving in an irregular rhythm. She could not turn her head, nor open her mouth. Something was stuck to her lips. Heavy air filled her nose. The buzzing in her ears ceased slightly, and a strangely familiar sound reached her. The rolling of a car. Her eyes finally got used to the darkness and she guessed that she was in the trunk of a car. The woman tried to feel the walls that enclosed her in the narrow space, but she could not move. She found herself bound hand and foot.

She let her head roll to the side. There was nothing she could do.

It seemed to her that an eternity passed before the car took what seemed to her to be a dirt road, the jolts became more irregular, more violent. Then the car stopped and the woman felt her body roll slightly into the boot. Soon the engine noise stopped, a door slammed, and she heard the muffled sound of footsteps. The trunk opened and the cold air enveloped her. Hector stood over her. With a powerful gesture, he grabbed her and swung her over his shoulder. The woman's whole body stiffened at once, her numb muscles from the drug gradually waking up and mingling with the aches and pains from her time in the trunk.

The woman let herself be carried without saying anything, Hector held her firmly and she could see nothing around her except the cold, ominous call of a forest. She also perceived a small wooden hut, bordered by a large workbench. Hector entered the house and switched on a flickering light. The door closed, and the sound of a locked lock clutched her stomach.

The woman allowed herself to be laid on a mattress like a sack of potatoes, which drew a muffled groan of pain from him. Hector ran a hand over his face, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

"Everything is going to be all right. Don't be afraid. Everything is going to be all right."

The captive could feel her heart beating strongly in her rib cage. The effects of the drug were slowly leaving her body, and she was slowly regaining control. Her mouth was so dry, her muscles aching, her vision obstructed by tears, and her breath short with panic. Hector, on the other hand, seemed so calm. He ran a hand over his head, then turned his back and walked out of the cabin. He returned in a few minutes, loaded with bags.

"Don't be afraid."

He began to rummage through the bags and prepare food in the cabin's tiny kitchen. When the food was ready, he approached her with a plate and placed it on the floor before sitting down beside her.

"There's nobody around for miles. Don't bother screaming."

He ran his fingers over her cheek and pulled the tape from her lips.

"Hector, please."

The man tilted his head slightly to one side and contemplated her for a moment before reaching for the plate. He placed a spoonful near her mouth.

"Eat, you'll feel better.

— Let me go Hector, I beg you. I won't say anything, I swear.

— Eat."

With a movement, he grabbed her jaw with his free hand and forced the spoon into her mouth. The warmth of the food felt good for a moment.

Hector," she swallowed, swallowing the food. Please, my love, stop. It's not too late to stop this, whatever it is.

— I'm afraid it is. Eat."

The captive's breathing quickened slightly. Reasoning with him seemed pointless. He gave her spoonful which she spat out directly. She felt Hector's fingers tighten on her jaw.

"Don't touch me, Hector! Let me go!"

Her voice choked with tears, her body jerked and her lungs tightened. The captive felt Hector's two hands clasp her face and immobilise her. He forced her to look at him.

"I will not let you go, my love, not ever.”

He placed a long kiss on her forehead, as tenderly as he was used to. The feel of her lips made him gag. He slid his lips over her face, kissed her skin tenderly, drying the tears on her cheeks, stroking her chin. Hector's warm breath left her feeling uneasy.

“Hector, why?" she sobbed.

— Don't cry my love. Everything will be fine, I promise. I have a work to complete.

— Stop Hector, stop...

— Shhh... Eat, get your strength back.”

He stroked her cheek tenderly.

"It will take a little time, but we will soon be at peace, my love. Eat and don't worry. I'll take good care of you.”

He placed a long kiss on her lips, humid with tears.

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Hope you liked it !

It is set before Open Door : link, which is set before Mechanically : link.

Here is a gn!reader x Du'Met !. Silhouette : link.

Still hope to write a Du'Lie story (I really need to watch again a gameplay of the game to write Charlie)

English is not my first langage (I write in french, and I translate after, it may contain weird formulas and sentences)

It is very different from the two other stories, but I really wanted to not make any reference to the body nor appareance of the 'reader'.

(Truly, I did not know where to lead the story.)

TW: Murder ; death ; blood.

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The woman ran hurriedly through the corridors of the cursed hotel. Her breathing became ragged under the effort and the panic that took her body like a deafening wave of heat. All her muscles pulsed with a sensation she never thought she would feel a primal fear from the depths of time, the will to survive. With a blow from her shoulder, the pain of which quickly dissipated under the adrenaline, she opened the door facing her with a loud bang. With a quick movement, she closed the door behind her without finding anything to barricade it and froze for a moment, gauging the noises around her. Her breath caught at the sound of a familiar voice in the semi-darkness.

"Jane?" the woman whispered.

There was no reply. The woman walked towards the voice further into the room, unaware of the eyes staring at her in the darkness.

"Jane!" the woman exclaimed before rushing to the chair where the famous Jane was waiting.

The woman bit her hand to stifle her scream.

"Jane!"

The woman turned her head to cry into her shoulder. Her eyes flushed red, and her breathing quickened again. "My God, my God, what's wrong with you!"

 It took him a few seconds before he left the deceased and finished crossing the room, holding his arms, looking left and right.

The woman opened the door and entered a long corridor that she did not know. She tried to open the doors she passed, but the handles would not budge.

The eyes followed her progress from the discrete blinders in the hollow wall. The trap was closing.

The woman put her hand on the handle of the back door. It opened. The woman entered a new room, filled with mannequins of all kinds.

A shadow crept from the opening in the wall among the humanoid forms.

The woman slid without knowing where to go among these strange creatures. Her breathing became more and more audible, uncomfortable under the empty stares that stared at her, under the hieratic gestures that surrounded her. Suddenly, something grazed her calf. She gasped and sobbed. Her gaze swept across the room, plunged into semi-darkness. Nothing. Not far from her, a familiar voice called out to her.

"I'm glad we're all here together. It's been a tough year for everyone," came a man's voice.

Adam?" the woman sobbed, turning to the voice.

This is a perfect opportunity to get rid of the unwanted," the voice continued.

What?" the woman choked, backing away slightly.

She felt a pressure on her right calf. She screamed and hopped on her foot before losing her balance slightly. A slight noise reached her ears behind her. Another came from across the room.

"Fuck," she spat, looking in the direction of the second noise.

She moved towards what she hoped was the back of the room. The mannequins were getting more and more numerous, tighter together. Suddenly she froze. A breath licked the back of her neck. She swallowed and turned her face slightly. A mannequin whose face she could not detail in the darkness, was only a few inches away. The mannequin moved its head.

The woman didn't hesitate and ran in the opposite direction. Her run was short. She collided with a male figure and backed away. But she hit the fake mannequin.

"No, no, please!" she shouted.

The man drew his knife, the figure behind the woman did the same, and they plunged their blades towards the woman. The muffled sound of stabbing lungs echoed through the room. The woman's body staggered, unable to move under the onslaught, blood gurgling in her throat as her erratic breathing rapidly faltered. The woman toppled backwards onto her attacker.

She faced the masked man who towered over her by several heads. The slivers of her blood appeared one last time in her eyes in the killer's mask, before her eyelids closed.

The body slid to the ground at the feet of the two figures in the darkness who stared at each other blankly. After a few seconds, the masked man slid in close to his sidekick who put his arms around his neck. The masked man's sullen gaze fell on the person in front of him, who reached up to place a light kiss under his chin, then tucked his nose into his collar. The man's hand slipped to the small of his sidekick's back and caressed his bare skin for a moment. They remained embraced for a moment before separating. The man took a few steps backwards and the figure in front of him stepped back, pulling the body towards a secret exit. They exchanged a last look before disappearing into the darkness.

How pleasant it was to hunt together.

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English is not my first langage (I write in french, and I translate after, it may contain weird formulas and sentences)

Also, I am not used to write sex scene.

It is set before this short story : Mechanically.

It is set after this story : I'll take care of you.

Reader is female, but there is no physical description of her, nor background except for the established relationship they had. I hope this help people to imagine the character they want.

TW :Murder (ofc, it's The Devil in Me) ; forced relationship ; forced sex ; kidnapping ; torture ; mention of blood

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Her eyes stared aimlessly at the clock. He had only been gone a few minutes. She didn't know what he was doing, but the late Lucinda's articulated body did not bode well for her. She shivered before trying again to open the front door. It was locked. Just like every night. She looked at the windows, they gave her little hope. The woman looked upstairs, empty of any occupants. No luck. She went back downstairs, giving up all hope.

The captive resigned herself to going to the bedroom. The bedroom, she could not use the term ‘their room’. There was a time, in another life, another place, when she welcomed Hector to her room with great pleasure. In retrospect, all the evenings spent at her place, and his reluctance to go to his, should have tipped her off... But how could she imagine the man she loved stalking and murdering innocent people on the streets of Chicago?

Her gaze fell on the door under the stairs and her heart stopped dead. The heavy padlock was loose. Hector had not pressed it hard enough. A long shiver ran through the woman as she reached for the lock. With a slow movement, she touched the steel and the lock opened fully. The woman blew out a deep breath and released the object from the lock before opening the cellar door. Darkness awaited.

With one hand she reached for the light switch. The yellowish light from the bulb revealed a wooden staircase. She had never set foot in the cellar. Hector seemed to store canned goods and tools there. The steps creaked under her feet, and she held her breath, unsure of what was really there.

Nothing awful. A long sigh of relief escaped her lungs. The cellar was good for storage, a shelf of canned goods, pasta and rice. Wooden boards from various sizes, and a workbench, perfectly tidy, and between them, a door. The woman slowly approached and turned the handle. The door opened and a light shone on a long corridor cut into the earth. The captive looked at the workbench, where a few tools lay. Was carrying a weapon a good idea? Hector was a former federal agent, imposing, muscular and had no trouble controlling her in the past. Did a weapon even stand a chance against him? She grabbed a screwdriver and slid it between her hip and her trousers, then entered the corridor.

After some time, a long staircase ended the corridor, which led to another door, locked on her side. This one opened onto a strange interior. The woman bit her lip, the light was subdued, the walls half-wooded and carpeted, the floor covered with a dark wooden floor. The corridor was narrow, and the door was the end of it. She followed the corridor with apprehension as it led to yet another locked door on her side, she opened it. This time, the door opened onto a large hallway that spanned several floors. The decoration was not from this time. But she had no time to dwell on it. She saw the main entrance to the building and her heart almost gave out, imposing iron gates separated her from the exit. The captive threw her head back and swore. A frightened scream echoed through the building. Her blood ran cold. Muffled noises were heard on the floor. Two double doors were open not far down the hall, and she trotted over to them.

She put her hand to her mouth in fright and her stomach tightened. Five dummies were seated, simulating a dinner party, unknown voices of discussion emanating from them. She returned to the hall. The floor didn't seem safe, so she went to a window and started to attack the glass with the screwdriver. After a few minutes her heart missed a beat, the staircase leading upstairs cracked far behind her. The woman turned her head.

An imposing man in an old suit was staring at her from the bottom of the stairs. His face was hidden under a strange mask and a round hat, but she recognised him instantly. Hector. She squeezed the screwdriver in her clammy hand.

"I'm sorry, Hector. I'm sorry." Tears rolled down her cheeks.

The man did not answer, and he took a step towards her. Her body tensed and she moved closer to the centre, diagonally to him. She didn't want to be backed up against a wall. In the great hall, she had a small chance to run. Maybe go back the same way? Go home and wait for him to come back and hope he wouldn't do anything to her? Was he just angry? The man who approached her said nothing, his gait was slow but sure, only his fingers moved slightly. He cracked his knuckles. She knew that Hector did this when he was hesitant. Was he hesitating to kill her? Perhaps it was the best option for her?

He was only a few metres away from her now. The woman pointed to the screwdriver in front of her.

"Don't come near me, Hector.

He stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head to the side. Then he took a few steps. He was only a metre away from her. Suddenly there was a loud noise behind one of the doors in the hall. Hector turned slightly towards the source of the noise. The woman didn't think, she ran past him, towards the stairs. Perhaps she had a chance to escape from him upstairs?

As she passed him, he reached out to grab her, she threw the screwdriver in his face and he instinctively shielded his face, allowing her to escape.

The woman climbed the stairs at full speed and went through the first door she saw. She didn't know what she was doing, she didn't know if she had a real chance of escaping, but she ran down the corridors. Several rooms passed before her eyes, each one gloomier than the next. The place was a real labyrinth. She seemed to pass through rooms and corridors that she had already been through, but which did not lead to the same place. Eventually she entered a large room where she saw a figure sitting in a chair, facing a window. It did not look good, the shape reminded her of Lucinda. A foreign voice was coming from it, it seemed to be the same as one of the mannequins in the dining room. She decided not to approach it.

She walked around the room, scanning the windows. Too high, too dark to be an option. She went out another door and down yet another corridor. Hasty footsteps were heard behind her. She turned and found herself face to face with an unknown man. His eyes were bloodshot, his face full of terror, he was panting like a devil.

"You! Who are you?

-I...

-You are in league with him! You monster!"

The woman did not have time to protest as the man threw himself at her. She tried to back away but fell to the ground and was hit in the face. She had no time to defend herself or to fight back, as the man was lifted off the ground and slammed against a wall. Hector.

The woman watched in horror as her former lover stabbed the man who had just attacked her several times. Blood spurted everywhere. She could not hold back a scream as the victim's cries were choked with blood. She got up hurriedly and fled. The woman ran for a few minutes through the corridors and found the door that led to the hall. She opened the door violently and bumped into someone. A gloved hand caught her as she fell.

"No!" she shouted.

The woman could say nothing more as Hector slung a bag over her head, grabbed her by the neck before pressing her back against his chest and locking her arms. She couldn't see and struggled for a few seconds before ceasing all movement.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry Hector. Forgive me."

The former agent did not answer. He led her down the corridors and through the doors. Finally, Hector forced her to sit in a chair. He took the bag off her head.

She found herself in front of some surveillance screens, she didn't dare turn her head, but the grey metal walls were quite different from the squalid corridors she had walked through. Hector finally let go of her and walked away for a few moments before returning to bind her hands.

"I'm sorry Hector, I'm so sorry," she repeated mechanically, not knowing if this would calm her kidnapper.

She felt Hector's hand slip over her neck and squeeze slightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks. The hand moved up her cheek, over her mouth and wiped the tears under her right eye with his thumb. The captive felt the mass of the agent behind her move, and his breath on her neck. Her gaze turned slightly, and she saw the mask near her face. His eyes, so unusually dull and lifeless, stared at her strangely. His thumb moved back down to her mouth, parting her lips, then back down to her neck. He gently stroked her neck before moving up to her mouth. She saw his head bend towards her, and he nestled his masked face in the crook of her neck. Hector's breathing was calm. The woman's breathing was also calming, but still tense. She felt Hector freeze as a small, steady ringing sound came from the monitors. He stood up and walked over to the noise and pressed a button.

A live video was displayed. Two people were locked in two different glass rooms, facing each other. She heard voices echoing near the monitors. Terrified voices.

"No, no, no," the captive whispered.

Hector turned his head towards her, then approached. He took her head between his two hands and stroked her cheeks. Then he went behind her, grabbed her shoulders and put her on her feet. He wrapped his arm around her, passing it between her bound arms and her belly, just below her chest.

Panicked voices were punctuated by cries of panic. Hector slipped his hand under her shirt and stroked her belly, his other hand sliding down her hip. She swallowed. The screaming subsided slightly. Did they think they could get away with it? The woman felt Hector's left hand unbutton her jeans and then slip into her panties. She closed her eyes. His right hand felt her breast, while his left hand slid to her crotch. The woman gasped at the stimulating hand.

Suddenly the voices panicked again. She moaned. Hector stopped caressing her breast, and she felt Hector pull down his trousers. With a sharp jerk, he pressed her against him and sat down on the chair behind him. She felt his hard member on her bare back. With his free hand, he grabbed her neck and lower face, forcing her to look at the screens. With his left hand, he continued his work between her legs.

The voices turned to screaming as drops fell from the ceiling of one of the rooms. One of the people held his arm in pain and threw himself at a button. Hector let his fingers slip into her, and the acid rain became a little heavier in the other room.

"Please, Hector, stop," she whispered in pain.

He continued more vigorously until a wave of pleasure consumed her. Tears flowed profusely down her cheeks. He withdrew his hand and lifted her. She felt Hector's member sliding into her. The person undergoing the shower pressed their button. The other person screamed in pain. She sobbed. Hector set a fast pace that was unusual for him. The screams alternated with the video, as the prisoners rained the acid back at each other harder and harder. Hector growled in pleasure near her ear, his left arm pinning her against him, while his right hand paralysed her face. The woman could feel herself being pulled out of her body by Hector's brutal movements and the cries of pain and despair from his victims. Her vision blurred; the sounds became muffled. One voice stopped screaming, the other was still screaming in hoarse pain and crying. Hector growled. The voice faded away. Hector pressed her hard against him as he finished inside her. He continued to hold her as if her life depended on it for a few seconds before releasing his embrace. The cold touch of his mask woke her slightly from her lethargy, then she felt the touch of his nose and mouth against her neck. With a misty eye, she saw his mask on the table in front of her. He placed a long kiss on her neck, then she felt his breath near her ear. Then his deep voice came in a low breath.

"Join me, my love."

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I hope you liked !

Here is another short story, which take place shortly after Mechanically : link.

Open Door is set after I'll take care of you : link.

As I said, I tried to remain as neutral as possible regarding the reader description, so you can imagine the character as you want. Which was weird for me, as I found a bit repetetive the use of "woman", "she", "captive". Also the story has less descriptions than I'm used too, I guess it would be too long for this kind of story. (I am a sucker for long descriptions ; I was brought up on classic French authors ( I am talking to you Balzac and Hugo)

Also I have a entire background about the character, although I do have some plotholes (cannot get around the fake death and dental iditenfication).

I want to try to write a non-gendered person, with no reference to body description, with Du'Met as "love" interest. The style would be different though, and I need to work on the idea to make the text flow.

NSFW

English is not my first langage (I write in french, and I translate after, it may contain weird formulas and sentences)

Also, I am not used to write that kind of stuff (I mean 'sex scene', even if it's light.)

TW : Implied murder (ofc, it's The Devil in Me) ; forced relationship ; forced sex (not extremely detailed) ; forced pregnancy ; kidnapping ; suicidal thoughts

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The sound of the key in the lock made her shiver, as it did every night when he left for his "evening".  The woman crossed her arms and rubbed her shoulders before turning back to the figure sitting by the sofa.

"You're too good for him, that good-for-nothing doesn't deserve you," the voice croaked.

The woman swallowed and stared at the stairs for a moment. Thomas was sleeping peacefully, he was sleeping a lot, too much, according to her. The woman sighed again, curled up and closed her eyes for a moment. What would become of him? Her gaze shifted to the darkened kitchen. She had long since stopped testing the drawers, all locked by him when she was alone. Was he still doing it?

The woman sat down in her chair, opposite to the old woman. She picked up the book that was waiting for her and read through the lines without much conviction. Eventually, she fell asleep on the book.

The woman woke up in a jump. The rain was falling outside. She stretched her arms and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost two in the morning. She sighed and stared at her 'mother-in-law' for a moment. She swallowed, closed her book and stood up. She turned off the main light, leaving only a small lamp on for when he returns. Finally, she went to their room and left the door ajar. She hated it; it seemed to her that the old lady was watching her from the corner of her eye. This was not possible, and yet she felt that her every move was being watched.

The woman went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She touched the drawer where he kept his razors with her fingertips. Everything was locked up. The woman shrugged, no escape, as always. She undressed and put on a nightgown, and as always, her stomach tightened slightly. Whose garment had it been? The woman bit her lip, and a long shiver ran down her spine. She could imagine…

The woman finally crawled into bed and turned off the light, stared at the ceiling and listened for the sound of rain. Hopefully, it would stop raining in the morning, but in any case, the garden would be soggy. The squash had to be picked. She turned on her side and clutched her pillow against her. Thomas was going to dirty the whole house with his dirty boots. She sighed again and folded her legs over her chest.

She didn't like rainy days, it meant more time in the house with Lucinda. The woman pulled the blanket down over her chin. She let the sound of the rain lull her to sleep.

The woman awoke a second time when the bed creaked under the weight of a second person. She groaned slightly, and a hand stroked her face, then she felt his body move towards her. He smelled of soap. The hand moved down to her neck in gentle caresses. The darkness lightened slightly with habit, and she saw his imposing figure. His other hand brushed her hip, lifting her shirt. She automatically plastered a smile on her lips, and his lips came to rest on her. His kisses were always tender these nights, always sensual. Her mouth slid down to his neck as his right hand moved down to her chest and caressed her breasts, and his left hand stroked his crotch under his nightgown. The rain had stopped. It had been warming the last few days, perhaps the ground would warm up as quickly? She moaned under the caresses, and the nibbling of her right earlobe. Thomas didn't really like vegetables, especially squash. She had to force him to eat a little. The woman let out a long moan when he captured her lips, and mechanically she kissed him back. She put her hands around his chest and shivered as his fingers gently penetrated her. Then he whispered soft words in her ear. She kissed his neck. With any luck she could take Thomas to the beach near the house, it was a bit of a walk, but he didn't want them to go near the cliff. A wave of pleasure washed over her.

"Hector," she moaned.

He kissed her harder before pulling away from her slightly. He didn't trust her to stay near the cliff, even with Thomas. Was he afraid she would jump? She sighed with relief as she heard the condom packet being ripped. Maybe he wasn't wrong. The first time he'd taken her to the cliff, her gaze hadn't been able to leave the horizon. The horizon called to her, so far and so near. She hadn't had time to finish her step that he had grabbed her hand and led her back to the house. Soon after, he whispered to her about having a child, and a few months later, she became pregnant. He knew that she would never do anything to herself while being pregnant. He was right, but the idea still titillated her. He kissed her again and rubbed his member against her crotch before whispering compliments in her ear. She just moaned and nibbled on his ear. If she "left" what would happen to Thomas? Would he kill him? Perhaps. Maybe it would be for the best.

"Hector," she moaned in his ear, as he slid into her.

His pace was slow, calm and controlled. She planted her fingers in his back as he kissed her neck, his right hand played with her breast, and his left hand worked down. Apart from the cliff, and the incident at the door, she'd never had another opportunity to end it. Mechanically, she kissed him. Would there ever be another opportunity? A long shiver of fear and pleasure ran through her body, she ran her fingers through his hair. Her only attempt to escape still haunted her.

 Her body bucked under the pleasure that invaded her again as the last slow stroke was given. She fell back onto the mattress, panting, and he gave her one last kiss before withdrawing. She closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would wash the sheets, she had to do the laundry anyway. He sank down beside her and grabbed her hip to hold her close. His arm blocked her from any movement. He put his head close to her. She knew he was staring at her. He was always staring at her. In the past, in what seemed to be another life, she would blush under his gaze, then it would scare her; now she was indifferent. Nothing changed, nothing will change. There was no escape from Hector Munday.

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I hope it was ok.

I posted another short story about this "couple". It's called Open Door.

First chapter.

Next chapter.

Previous chapter.

Archive of our own.

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Alice opened one of the windows as quietly as possible while Elizabeth finished tying the last of the cloths together to form a rope and Governor Swann began to talk to them behind the cabin door, certainly unsure of how to react after the spectacle they had given.

"We have to climb up to the boat, do you feel up to it?" Alice whispered to Elizabeth.

The blonde nodded and hooked their makeshift rope. Alice stepped over the window and carefully climbed down until she could hold on to the window line. She saw Elizabeth's slim figure following her cautiously, but determinedly. The two young women crept, hoping that no soldiers would spot them, to the rowboat which was swaying gently in the air. The deck seemed very quiet, most of the soldiers having left with Jack and the Commodore. The two young women climbed into the boat and worked the pulleys to lower the boat. Once they reached the water, Elizabeth grabbed the oars.

"You look tired enough as it is, I will take care of it.

Alice gave her a friendly smile and settled into the boat. The sound of the oars splitting the water in the silence made her uncomfortable. In the distance she could see the silhouettes of the military boats silhouetted against the moonlight. After a few minutes, as the ship disappeared into the darkness, Alice glimpsed the figure of the governor poking his head through the window of the captain's cabin.

The longboat slipped silently alongside the Black Pearl. The two young women climbed up to the rail and silently passed on deck. Two voices had alerted them to the presence of a crew. As they were about to move forward, the macabre figure of the maniac caught them unawares, and in a joint gesture the two women grabbed him with both hands before sending him tumbling overboard. A metallic clang sent their heads over the rail, and two skeletal faces appeared in the gun's skylight before looking up at them. The stealth had just ended. Alice grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her towards the hold. The pirates' footsteps and raucous voices rose in their direction before passing them as they hid. As the pirates slipped away to the upper deck, Elizabeth led Alice to the lower deck and the gaols.

"Alice, Elizabeth!" said Master Gibbs, holding onto the bars.

Alice quickly found the keys to free her brother's crew. Together they pushed the two pirates overboard to the cheers of the crew.

"All of you with us!" cried Elizabeth. Will is in that cave and we must save him. Pare, o-ha-ha," she cried a second time, grabbing the ropes that held the boat together.

The ropes slipped from Alice's hands at the pirates' inaction, and Elizabeth stopped as well.

"We need you help, come on!

—  Any port in a storm.

—  Cotton's right, we've got the Pearl," Gibbs said.

“And what about Jack , your just gonna leave him ?" Alice exclaimed in outrage.

Jack owes us a ship," Marty exclaimed.

—  There's the Code to consider Gibbs commented without looking her in the eye.

Elizabeth looked at them, disillusioned.

“The Code," she breathed. You're pirates, hang the code and hang the rules. They’re more like guideline anyway.

This time if Gibbs looked Alice in the eye.

"Sorry, but the Code, you know..."

With that Alice glared at him before grabbing Elizabeth's hand and pulling her towards the rowboat.

"Well, we'll do it alone. So much for those bloody pirates."

The two young women began to launch the boat, and this time Alice took the oars.

"Bloody pirates," Elizabeth grumbled.

The two young women arrived at the cave. Will was struggling with three pirates, and Jack was fighting with Barbossa. They grabbed some blunt objects and went to assist Will, who looked most surprised to see them. The three pirates were quickly knocked out and the trio watched the fight between Barbossa and Jack with a questioning eye.

“Whose side is Jack on?" asked Elizabeth.

— At the moment? Will laughed.

Alice stared at her brother who continued to spar with the pirate captain, his form sometimes skeletal, sometimes the brother she knew. She quickly snapped out of her lethargy, the pirates were coming to their senses. Alice rushed to an old sword that was sticking out of the treasure and began to fight alongside Will and Elizabeth. They quickly overcame the pirates by overcoming their skeletal form. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Will climb up to the chest and Jack toss a coin in the air, which he promptly caught. As Elizabeth rushed towards Will. Jack stopped moving and Barbossa grabbed his pistol, pointing it at Will. A shot rang out in the cave.

Jack.

He had just fired his only bullet.

"Ten years you carry that pistol and now you waste your shot.

— He didn't waste it," Will replied coldly, his hand over the safe.

The coin fell sharply into the trunk, and Barbossa opened his shirt. A red stain was emerging on his chest.

He muttered something that Alice did not hear, before collapsing to the floor.

Alice ran to her brother and threw herself into his arms.

"Never, never do that again, Jack.

The pirate merely squeezed her lightly before pulling away.

Alice regained her composure and bit her lip. Her heart was trying to calm down in her chest, while Jack started to rummage through the treasure. Alice's gaze met Elizabeth's for a moment, who gave her a sorry smile.

A lump formed in the young woman's stomach. The Black Pearl had left without them. Only the Navy ship remained. Jack had no way out. Alice looked down at her feet and headed for the longboat as Will and Elizabeth exchanged low voices and Jack retrieved some loot. He did not know that his crew had abandoned him.

Once they were all settled on the boat, Elizabeth and Alice exchanged embarrassed looks. Alice ran her hand over her face and turned to her brother who was looking towards the horizon, and the sea that was revealed behind the mouth of the cavity.

“Jack..." gasped Alice.

—  Yeah?

—  I have something to tell you..."

Jack turned to her. His gaze dropped as he met hers. He probably suspected that the news was not good. Alice decided to make a quick decision.

"Your crew left with the Black Pearl. I am sorry, Jack."

Her brother turned back to the horizon, saying nothing.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Elizabeth said.

— They done what that’s right by them" he replied laconically. Can’t except more than that

There was a long silence as Will continued to row.

“By the way," Jack said, "Alice and I never met until the day I forced her to come with me and Turner. Do we all agree?

— Absolutely," Elizabeth swore, grabbing Alice's hand whose eyes were beginning to heat up.

She squeezed the young woman's hand and brought her other hand to her mouth and bit her fingers. Her throat felt so dry and her eyes so sore.

Alice quickly shed the clothes she had stolen from the Interceptor and began to scrub herself vigorously with the cloth and soap they had been provided. She tried to clean her brown hair, which she had left loose after the long days spent tied up and attacked by sea water and sweat. Once in her clean clothes she sat down tiredly in a chair near the table where a cold meal with hot tea was waiting. She poured a cup for Elizabeth, who was finishing her washing, and took the container with a look of relief. They looked at each other for a moment, and smiled half-nervously and half-relievedly. They knew that the game was not over. To save Will, they had to face a crew of pirates who could not die. Someone knocked on the door. ‘Elizabeth? Mademoiselle Alice? Are you presentable?’ It was the governor. ‘Yes, Father! The door opened and the governor rushed in followed by the commodore. “The pirate says we shall soon arrive at the island, in an hour. I came to keep you company,” said Elizabeth’s father, grabbing a chair. He stood and served the governor a cup. Alice felt the commodore’s gaze on her, and decided to meet his, but he looked away. His cheeks had reddened slightly. Uncomfortable, the governess readjusted her hair to hide her neck and cheeks, then readjusted the soldier’s jacket she had put on over her shirt. ‘Where are you from, Mademoiselle Alice?’ the governor asked as he picked up his cup. —From Marie Galente, I was born there. —Ah, you speak English very well! —Thank you, ‘she smiled politely. ‘Our governess was English. —A great cycle,’ laughed Governor Swann, ‘you’re a governess for the English!’ Alice gave him an amused chuckle and Elizabeth did the same, trying to hide her tense face at the idea of arriving so close to the cursed island. The commodore said nothing and quickly finished his cup before apologising. The governor stayed with them for a while, chatting about everything and anything. Alice could feel her tension rising and Elizabeth’s too. They looked at each other with concern and uncertainty. How and when should they act and warn them about the pirates? They were quickly brought out of their silent interrogation when the governor excused himself and left the room. ‘It’s dark,’ Elizabeth commented as she looked out the cabin window. Alice turned her head towards the door, the soldiers were stirring. ‘We should tell them.’ The two women stood up together and opened the door, determined. Officer Gilette saw them at the other end of the bridge and walked towards them. The two women went to meet him. ‘Where is the Commodore?’ asked Elizabeth. —He’s gone with Sparrow to look around. —We have something to tell him. It’s very important,’ commented Alice, ‘about the pirates. —What is it?’ Elizabeth and Alice exchanged glances and the former spoke up. ‘Barbossa’s crew is cursed, they can’t die. They must perform the ritual first, to lift the curse, and then they will be vulnerable.’ Officer Gilette remained silent for a moment, then an incredulous smile played on his lips. ‘Ladies, I think the Caribbean sun and fatigue have taken their toll on you, so please return to the captain’s cabin. The commodore wishes you to remain there safely. ’No, no, ‘Alice shook her black curls. We must warn the commodore. The crew are cursed, they will lose themselves and their men if they attack before the ritual is performed, but Will will die if they do. —Listen, ladies, go back to your cabin.’ He waved his hand, but Alice and Elizabeth rushed to a longboat. The officer’s hand brushed against Alice’s shoulder and she grabbed his hand hard to get rid of it. ‘We must tell the commodore now,’ cried Elizabeth. Suddenly Alice felt hands grab her arms and saw soldiers grab Elizabeth. As they struggled, they were dragged to the captain’s cabin, under the mocking remarks of Officer Gilette. They were pushed into the cabin and a sound of a key was heard behind them. Alice grumbled. ‘Well, that was a failure.’

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When they arrived a rowboat with Royal Navy sailors was disembarking. ‘Mr. Gillette!’ exclaimed Elizabeth, rushing towards the officer. The latter became flushed when he saw her dressed in her underwear and exclaimed in turn: ‘Miss Swan, are you alright?’ He glared at Jack, who moved away from Alice a little. Then he stared at her and looked surprised. Elizabeth turned to her. ‘Let’s go to the ship, we’ll talk later. The man named Gilette nodded. “The commodore and the governor will be relieved to see you. Elizabeth’s face lit up with relief, and she motioned for Alice to come closer. She grabbed her arm and walked towards the longboat where Jack was reluctantly heading. Alice looked thoughtfully at Elizabeth’s hand on her arm. She knew that this was Elizabeth’s way of reassuring the officer of the nature and presence of the young woman who had come out of nowhere. The governess glanced at Jack who seemed to be in deep thought. No doubt he was working out his next step of the plan. Alice moistened her lips. She was going to have to play it smart and pretend not to know him. However, she didn’t know what her two companions’ strategies were once they were on board. The journey was silent. Alice could feel the officer’s inquisitive gaze upon her. Her dishevelled look and her adventure-weary posture were perhaps not helping her. She decided to straighten her posture slowly, ignoring the pain in her body, to try the reputable governess card as collateral damage from Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventures. It was not wrong in itself, even if it was she who had decided to follow him. When the boat was attached to the winch, Elizabeth’s hand tightened on her forearm. The blonde gave her a furtive look, Alice understood that she could really count on her support. Jack, on the other hand, still seemed focused, and too quiet to be honest. Alice did not have time to turn an anxious face towards the deck of the ship, when a man in a large feathered hat exclaimed: ‘Elizabeth!’ Alice let out an amused smile as the young woman’s hand dropped to her voice and she recognised her father. With a controlled leap in spite of her petticoats, Elizabeth jumped onto the deck. The officer, still in the boat, gave her a surprised look, which increased when Alice rose with as much grace as possible to cross the rail in the most polite and feminine way. She could not miss the smirk that Jack was beginning to get at the behaviour of the two young women. Elizabeth, who was raised in good English society quickly become accustomed to the pirate life, and Alice was pretending to be a scared young woman while she was helping to manoeuvre the ships like a real sailor. She didn’t have time to finish taking her position before two soldiers flanked her brother and another stood beside her and grabbed her by the wrist.

‘No!’ Elizabeth exclaimed as she pulled out of her father’s embrace. This is another of Sparrow’s victims. —Is it? That’s not the impression I got when they were leaving Port Royal Bay in a stolen ship.’

The harsh, suspicious voice sent a shiver through her. She didn’t think anyone had seen her on the ship. Unluckily for her, a sharp eye seemed to have captured her from the port. She turned a livid face towards the voice and immediately recognised the man who must be the commodore. His tall stature was elegantly encased in his officer’s uniform. His clear eyes darkened under the firmness of his face.

‘Well,’ said Jack, approaching him, ‘what Miss Swann says is true. Mr. Turner and I decided to take a guarantee on our escapade, in case you got us, and then an extra pair of arms to navigate is always better. Honestly,’ the commodore raised an unconvinced eyebrow, ‘I don’t think she understands what’s going on. Alice held back to give him an outraged look. Was he trying to make her look simple-minded?

’She’s not even English,’ Jack concluded, ’a sort of governess. Commodore’s face flushed with surprise and Alice tried her luck by feigning a slight French accent. ’This whole thing is beyond me, I’m exhausted and terrified by what we’ve just been through. Mon Dieu, mon dieu.” The governor called out to her. ‘Quel est votre nom et pour qui travaillez-vous, mademoiselle ?’

Alice held back a smile at Elizabeth’s father’s cleverness. ‘Je m’appelle Alice Belettre et je travaille pour Lord Brixton, je m’occupe de ses chers jumeaux, monsieur George et mademoiselle Isabel. J’arrive tout droit de Marie Galente.’ Alice saw Elizabeth hold back a smile. Surely, she understood enough French to grasp her father’s approach and Alice’s response. The governor nodded and turned to the commodore. ‘This young lady seems to me to be telling the truth, do not burden her, Commodore Norrington.’ The man called Norrington stared at her more gently, but the governor saw that his gaze was tinged with suspicion.

She did not dare to glance at Elizabeth, for fear of making him doubt her even more, so she opted to give him her most beautiful lost doe eyes. But in any case, the young blonde woman quickly turned to the subject of Will Turner and the discussion became heated and Jack’s intervention only seemed to irritate the commodore more and more, who ended the discussion curtly by reminding her that her personal prestige did not come before the lives of others. ‘But they will continue to loot and kill if you don’t try to stop them as soon as possible,’ Alice interposed, approaching the commodore. ‘They will never stop. This is not just about saving Mr. Turner, it’s about stopping a major pirate threat. The attack on Port Royale was so brutal and violent, they will be back, in one, two, three or even ten years, it doesn’t matter, they will be back. Ending this threat now will serve to prevent more lives being taken or destroyed. This is not just about Will Turner, it’s about all our citizens.’

The commodore stared at her intently and Alice stepped back as she realised she was a little too close to him without breaking eye contact. She bit her lip at the silence that had formed among the officers and her trio of misadventures. The officer was still staring at her and seemed to be weighing his words.

‘Mr. Sparrow,’ he said, ‘you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with bearing to Isla de la Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrases “silent as the grave”. Do I make myself clear? —Inescapably clear,’ Jack replied caustically as the soldiers grabbed him.

The commodore returned his gaze to Alice, then slid to Elizabeth. ‘After this trying time, I suggest you rest and change. The captain’s quarters are at your disposal. When the cabin door closed with a final cackle from the governor, Elizabeth hugged Alice tightly.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she repeated. Alice merely hugged her and patted her back in a comforting gesture. Elizabeth broke away from the young woman and angrily wiped the tears of relief from her eyes. She stared at the soldiers’ clothes that had been brought to them and the two basins of water for them to wash themselves in.

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Previous chapter.

First Chapter

Next chapter - comming soon.

Archive of our own.

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Alice was the first to wake up. Elizabeth was sleeping not far from the fire and at a safe distance from Jack, who was hugging his empty rum bottle. The governess struggled to her feet, and railed against the lack of food to wash away the hunger and the dreadful sensation that echoed in her skull. She walked over to the sea and splashed her face. The salty taste of the water did not help her feel better. She decided to walk along the beach for a while and then stared at the horizon. After a few seconds, she looked at Elizabeth who was beginning to wake up. Then her gaze went back to the horizon, then to Elizabeth, then to the direction of the rum cache. Finally, she looked at the dying embers in the fireplace. ‘Hmm.’ She walked over to Elizabeth who had sat down and held out her hand. ‘I have a plan.’ The woman looked at her a little confused. ‘You are the daughter of the governor of Port Royal, there’s a good chance the Royal Navy is looking for you, right? —Yes. Especially since the commodore is a friend.’ Alice nodded and pointed to the fire and then the cache of rum. Despite Elizabeth’s foggy mind, her face lit up quickly. ‘Brilliant!’ The governess merely smiled. ‘Jack won’t be pleased, “the blonde laughed. —No, indeed, so let’s hurry,” Alice giggled. The two young women prepared a pyre of rum, worthy of a pirate’s worst nightmare, and went to rekindle their evening fire to get something to light the fire. As they threw the rum barrels into the fire, Jack’s desperate voice was heard. “No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you two doing? You’ve burned all the food, the shade, the rum mustn’t. —Rum is not what I call necessary,” said Alice in a detached tone. —The shade, the rum, “said Jack dejectedly. —Yes, the rum is gone,” continued Elizabeth. —Why the rum gone? —One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Elizabeth replied vehemently. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. As your sister reminded me, the entire Royal Navy is out looking for me. Do you really think there is the slightest chance that they won’t see it? —But why is the rum gone?! —Just wait, Captain Sparrow,’ said Elizabeth, sitting down. Give it an hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye open. Jack angrily walked away, turned and hailed his sister. ‘You betray your name! —I haven’t been called Teague for years, Jack!’ shouted Alice, throwing her arms up in the air to taunt him. Jack turned, frustrated and angry, and left them by their brazier. ‘Can’t wait to see his face when the plan works, “Alice chuckled. —Your brother will never get over it,” Elizabeth added with a laugh. —I do hope your friend the commodore has deployed all his ships. —I have no doubt, “said Elizabeth. I’ve known him for a very long time, we’ve always been friends. Besides, my father wouldn’t put up with anyone half looking for me. —You two must be very close?” Elizabeth looked at her thoughtfully. “Yes, we have been since Mama died. —Oh, I am sorry. —You couldn’t have known. And what about you? —My father and I are not close, no. And our mother died when I was two. —I am sorry,” Elizabeth said in a breath. —You couldn’t have known,’ Alice gave her a knowing look and smile. Elizabeth returned them with an even warmer look. In the distance, Alice saw Jack stop on the ridge that led to another beach. He looked back at them, then back at the direction he was going, then back at them again. He raised his arms to the sky. ‘I think the plan worked,’ Alice said, standing up. Elizabeth did the same and the two young women walked towards Jack.

In the distance, Alice saw Jack stop on the ridge that led to another beach. He looked back at them, then back at the direction he was going, then back at them again. He raised his arms to the sky. ‘I think the plan worked,’ Alice said, standing up. Elizabeth did the same and the two young women walked towards Jack. When they arrived a rowboat with Royal Navy sailors was disembarking. ‘Mr. Gillette!’ exclaimed Elizabeth, rushing towards the officer. The latter became flushed when he saw her dressed in her underwear and exclaimed in turn: ‘Miss Swan, are you alright?’ He glared at Jack, who moved away from Alice a little. Then he stared at her and looked surprised. Elizabeth turned to her. ‘Let’s go to the ship, we’ll talk later. The man named Gilette nodded. “The commodore and the governor will be relieved to see you. Elizabeth’s face lit up with relief, and she motioned for Alice to come closer. She grabbed her arm and walked towards the longboat where Jack was reluctantly heading. Alice looked thoughtfully at Elizabeth’s hand on her arm. She knew that this was Elizabeth’s way of reassuring the officer of the nature and presence of the young woman who had come out of nowhere. The governess glanced at Jack who seemed to be in deep thought. No doubt he was working out his next step of the plan. Alice moistened her lips. She was going to have to play it smart and pretend not to know him. However, she didn’t know what her two companions’ strategies were once they were on board. The journey was silent. Alice could feel the officer’s inquisitive gaze upon her. Her dishevelled look and her adventure-weary posture were perhaps not helping her. She decided to straighten her posture slowly, ignoring the pain in her body, to try the reputable governess card as collateral damage from Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventures. It was not wrong in itself, even if it was she who had decided to follow him. When the boat was attached to the winch, Elizabeth’s hand tightened on her forearm. The blonde gave her a furtive look, Alice understood that she could really count on her support. Jack, on the other hand, still seemed focused, and too quiet to be honest. Alice did not have time to turn an anxious face towards the deck of the ship, when a man in a large feathered hat exclaimed: ‘Elizabeth!’ Alice let out an amused smile as the young woman’s hand dropped to her voice and she recognised her father. With a controlled leap in spite of her petticoats, Elizabeth jumped onto the deck. The officer, still in the boat, gave her a surprised look, which increased when Alice rose with as much grace as possible to cross the rail in the most polite and feminine way. She could not miss the smirk that Jack was beginning to get at the behaviour of the two young women. Elizabeth, who was raised in good English society quickly become accustomed to the pirate life, and Alice was pretending to be a scared young woman while she was helping to manoeuvre the ships like a real sailor. She didn’t have time to finish taking her position before two soldiers flanked her brother and another stood beside her and grabbed her by the wrist. ‘No!’ Elizabeth exclaimed as she pulled out of her father’s embrace. This is another of Sparrow’s victims. —Is it? That’s not the impression I got when they were leaving Port Royal Bay in a stolen ship.’ The harsh, suspicious voice sent a shiver through her. She didn’t think anyone had seen her on the ship. Unluckily for her, a sharp eye seemed to have captured her from the port. She turned a livid face towards the voice and immediately recognised the man who must be the commodore. His tall stature was elegantly encased in his officer’s uniform. His clear eyes darkened under the firmness of his face.

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The chapter is a tad too long for tumblr, I was not able to post it entirely, so I had to make two other posts for the same chapter.

Chapitre précédent.

Premier chapitre.

English version. (coming soon)

Archive of our own (english only).

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« Qui es-tu donc ? » questionna Barbossa.

A ces mots, Alice vit son frère se précipiter vers son ancien second.

« Personne, c’est personne. »

Alice leva les yeux au ciel lorsque Jack commença une tentative de baratin sur le capitaine pirate, qui devait être habitué à cela de sa part. Elle manqua d’esquisser un sourire lorsque Will se présenta. Il faisait véritablement tout pour gâcher les plans de son frère, quitte à y laisser plus que souhaité.

Un pirate maigre commenta la ressemblance entre Will et son père, Bill le bottier et pirate de son état. Le puzzle finissait enfin.

Barbossa lui demanda d’un ton las :

« Quelles sont vos revendication monsieur Turner. ?

—Libérez Elizabeth.

—Ca je crois qu’on a compris. Y-a-t-il autre chose ?

—Et Al… l’équipage, se reprit rapidement Wil. »

Alice donna un coup de pied dans le mollet de Jack qui s’agitait pour que Will le désigne. Malheusement pour lui, Will ne le mentionna pas. Alice se mordit les lèvres. Allait-elle encore perdre son frère ?

Ils furent tous regroupés et Barbossa ordonna de lever l’ancre. Alice ignora combien de temps ils passèrent en mer, mais cela ne fut pas extrêmement long puisque le soleil demeurait encore haut dans le ciel. Ils arrivèrent à vue d’une petite île. Elizabeth fut agrippée hors du groupe et Will aussi. Alice tenta d’attraper la main de la femme, mais les pirates la firent rentrer dans le rang. Alice se trouva coller à son frère qui lui prit le poignet pour la maintenir en place. Néanmoins, la jeune femme s’agitait pour qu’il la lâche. Elle siffla dans sa direction.

« Si on s’en sort, tu me le payeras, Jack. »

L’intéressé esquiva le regard de sa sœur, la lâcha et lui souffla. « N’attire pas l’attention. »

Elle se calma et regarda autour d’elle. Barbossa glissait son regard entre elle et son frère, le visage impassible tandis que ses hommes commençaient à chahuter Elizabeth.

Alice déglutit. Son teint halé par le soleil et le sel de sa jeunesse à la baie des naufragés avait laissé place à un teint plus blanc lors de sa réclusion à Marie Galante. En tant que fille de bonne famille, elle se devait d’éviter de montrer sa peau au soleil au risque qu’il ne l’embrasse de trop. Elle espérait que son voyage en mer ne l’avait pas trop rapprochée de son frère, dont elle partageait déjà la couleur des yeux et le même sourire, issus de leur père. Sa chevelure était plus sombre que celle de son frère, et ses joues plus pleines de sa vie repue. Mais les angles de son visage pointaient plus leurs traits depuis qu’elle avait prit la mer sur les talons de son frère. Elle espérait sincèrement que Barbossa ne fut jamais au courant de son existence et qu’ainsi il ne fasse pas le rapprochement entre son frère et ses voyages jusqu’à Marie Galante lorsqu’il était encore son second.

Il fit signe à son équipage d’amener Jack près de lui et glissa un regard froid sur la jeune femme avant qu’Elizabeth ne monte sur la planche. Son attention fut capturée par Will qui le haranguait, auquel il répondit en se moquant du manque de précision de ses conditions avant qu’il ne le fasse bâillonner. Alors que Will se tenait près d’elle, ramené par les pirates. Elle croisa le regard de Barbossa qui pencha la tête sur le côté avant de regarder Jack et de replanter son regard bleu dans son regard foncé.

Un long frisson parcouru Alice.

Elle n’essaya pas d’esquiver le regard du capitaine, trop pétrifiée de la situation. Elle remarqua la silhouette de son frère qui s’agitait sur place. Barbossa continua de la regarder et un grand silence s’installa. Alice vit William jeter un coup d’œil vers elle, l’œil apeuré. Il venait de comprendre ce qu’il se passait.

« Dis-moi Jack, fit Barbossa avec un sourire sournois au coin des lèvres. Je me suis toujours demandé ce que tu pouvais bien faire chez les français, durant notre période de cohabitation. »

Alice retint son souffle.

« Moi ? demanda innocemment. Profiter de ces dames, du vin et de la cuisine ! Quoi d’autre ? »

Barbossa esquissa un sourire plus grand encore et demanda avec un fort accent.

« Il y a un petit air de famille, non ? »

Alice écarquilla les yeux et fixa Jack qui avait compris sans comprendre.

« Je n’sais pas ce que tu dis Hector, mais j’la connais pas. Elle est venu avec Anna-Maria, fit Jack en désignant la femme pirate, dont le visage fermé ne montrait pas l’envie de les aider dans le mensonge. 

— Alors je suppose que ça ne posera pas problème. »

D’un grand pas, Barbossa saisit le poignet d’Alice qui jappa de surprise lorsqu’il l’a lança dans un groupe de pirate, qui après avoir perdu le contacte Elizabeth, la saisirent de toutes parts.

« Non ! cria Jack en avançant avant de fermer le poing et de se le mordre. 

— Je me demande comment une si jolie créature peut avoir un frère comme toi, Jack. »

Les pirates rirent d’un rire gras avant de continuer de la toucher. Alice se débattit.

« Lâchez-moi, lâchez-moi ! »

Sans qu’Alice ne voit la demande de Barbossa, les pirates la poussèrent sur la planche, faisant vaciller Elizabeth qui la regardait d’un air désolé.

« Quel dommage de perdre deux pareilles merveilles, pas vrai les enfants. Alors je vais récupérer cette robe avant que vous nous quittiez. »

Alice regarda Elizabeth dont l’air désolé avait laissé place à un regard dur avant d’enlever sa robe. Elle la passa à Alice qui la lança à Barbossa qui la lança aux pirates.

Ces derniers commencèrent à râler que les femmes ne sautent pas. Alice échangea un regard avec Jack. Il n’avait pas l’air inquiet pour elle dans l’immédiat. Elle regarda l’île. Elle pensait pouvoir nager sans trop de problème. Enfin, si elle n’était pas aussi fatiguée et abimée de ses péripéties. Elle n’eut pas eu le temps de tergiverser plus. Celui qui semblait être le second de Barbossa déclara :

« C’est trop long. »

Alice sentit la planche bouger avec violence et perçut Elizabeth perdre l’équilibre. Alors qu’elle s’apprêtait à tomber en travers de la planche, Alice prit un rapide appuie sur sa jambe droite pour accompagner le mouvement de la planche et sauter dans l’eau.

Le contact de la mer, plus froide qu’elle l’aurait souhaité, lécha ses multiples égratignures en lampées désagréables. Sa vision se brouilla douloureusement au contact de l’eau salée dont elle n’avait plus l’habitude. D’un geste instinctif, elle nagea à la surface, où elle vit Elizabeth reprendre ses esprits. Alice stagna et posa un index sur ses lèvres pour intimer à Elizabeth de rester silencieuse, pour ne pas épuiser son souffle alors qu’il leur restait tant à parcourir pour atteindre le rivage. Elizabeth hocha docilement la tête, visiblement choquée de ce qu’il venait de se passer. En silence, elles se dirigèrent doucement vers la plage. A peine quelques mètres parcourus, le bruit d’un plongeon se fit entendre derrière elles. Alice écarquilla les yeux, redoutant une mauvaise surprise. Décidant de ne pas céder à la panique en nageant plus vite, Alice jetait frénétiquement des coups d’œil derrière elles. La jeune femme perçut une tête familière percer les eaux. Jack. Elle soupira fortement, s’éclaboussant le visage d’eau au passage.

La traversée lui parut durer une éternité. Elle nageait près d’Elizabeth, comme pour se rassurer de veiller sur elle, et qu’elle veille sur elle en retour. Elle décida de ne pas attendre Jack, qui nageait sans forcer la vitesse derrière elles. Elle lui lançait cependant de réguliers coup d’œil pour vérifier son état.

Lorsque les vagues commencèrent à mener au rivage, Alice décida se de laisser flotter sur les flots vers la plage. Ses muscles criaient de douleur et sa respiration, engorgée de sel de mer, lui faisait mal. Si elle remerciait les maigres restes de sa vie d’enfance à courir et grimper partout, son séjour français de bonne famille l’avait bien affaiblie. L’exercice outrancier n’apparaissait pas au programme de l’éducation d’une fille de bonne famille. Si elle avait pu brièvement apprendre à monter à cheval sur l’île de Marie Galante, cette expérience assez rare pour la récente colonie, n’était pas destiner à faire d’elle une cavalière experte, et ses jambes souffrante lui faisaient remarquer ce détail avec fourberie.

Heureusement pour leur trio de fortune, le fond clair se fit aussi rapidement palpable sous leur nage. Alice sautillait désormais en se laissant porter par le poids allégé que lui prodiguait la mer, et les vagues qui la poussaient doucement. Bientôt, elle vit son frère apparaître près d’elle. Sa mine fermée donna un pincement au cœur de la jeune femme. Aussi calculateur qu’il était, elle voyait bien que ses plans semblaient s’être éteints sur ce rivage.

Ils finirent par arriver sur la plage où Jack se retourna pour contempler le Black Pearl à l’horizon.

C’est la deuxième fois que je vois ce pourri mettre les voiles avec mon bâtiment. »

Sans qu’Alice ou Elizabeth ne puissent le répondre, Jack déguerpi d’un pas rapide vers le centre de l’île. Elizabeth le précéda en lui demandant comment il avait fait la première fois pour s’échapper.

Le défaitisme de Jack lui donna un coup au moral. La grande tirade d’Elizabeth sur les exploits de son frère lui arracha tout de même un intérêt certain. Les rumeurs avaient bon train sur Marie Galente, comme dans toutes les colonies occidentales, et les récits sur les pirates étaient très populaires. Elle avait toujours écouté les histoires sur son frère avec nostalgie et amertume.

Elle fut tirée de ses pensées lorsque Jack rompit la légende qui le précédait en révélant n’être resté que trois jours sur l’île. Alors qu’il s’adressait, d’un ton légèrement énervé à Elizabeth, Alice vit qu’il glissait des coups d’œil gênés dans sa direction.

Sans doute devait-il se dire que sa sœur, qui n’avait pas beaucoup d’estime pour lui, en aurait encore moins. La jeune femme pinça les lèvres et baissa le regard, qu’elle releva vite lorsqu’il souleva une trappe cachée sous les herbes ensablées.

Le regard d’Elizabeth croisa celui dépitée d’Alice. La première serra les lèvres rageusement et continua d’haranguer le pirate sur sa légende ternie. Il finit par tendre une bouteille à Elizabeth et contourna sa sœur qui lui lança un regard noir et croisa les bras. Il reprit une bouteille dans la cachette et lui tendit. Elle l’attrapa d’une main rageuse.

« Tu es pire que papa. 

— Je sais. » fit-il avant de partir vers la plage.

Alice regarda Elizabeth et lui dit.

« Nous devrions chercher du bois pour ce soir, avant que nous soyons tous trop saouls pour ça. »

La fille du gouverneur hocha la tête et les deux jeunes femmes commencèrent à récolter du bois pour un feu. Alors qu’elles se tenaient près l’une de l’autre, Elizabeth la regarda.

« Je ne vous ai jamais remercié d’être venue avec Will me chercher. Je sais que Jack est votre frère et que vous aviez une position à Port Royal, donc merci d’être venue.Il n’y a pas de quoi. De plus, je n’ai pas été d’une grande aide. Jack se joue de nous tous sans que nous puissions changer la donne. Et maintenant nous sommes bloqués sur une île déserte… 

—Merci d’avoir essayé. »

Elizabeth lui lança un sourire et un regard sympathiques et tendres avant de partir vers la plage, son fagot de bois et sa bouteille de rhum calé dessus. Alice jeta un dernier regard vers la cave et rejoignit les deux.

Lorsqu’elles arrivèrent sur la plage, Jack avait déjà commencé à boire, assis en tailleur. Il remarqua leur bois et dit laconiquement.

« Faudra des feuilles ou des herbes pour lancer la combustion. »

Sa sœur se contenta de lâcher son fagot et croisa les bras. Jack posa sa bouteille, se leva et parti vers les arbres.

« Restez ici, je m’en occupe, soupira Alice à Elizabeth devant sa mine exténuée. »

Elle emboita le pas de son frère qui la vit arriver avec surprise.

« T’es pas obligée de v’nir. J’peux le faire tout seul.

— Je préfère vérifier que tu ne te fasse pas mal.

—Qu’est-ce qu’ça peut bien t’faire ? répondit-il sèchement avant de détourner le visage. »

Alice le regarda s’éloigner, surprise. Puis le rouge lui monta aux joues.

« Hé ! S’il y a bien une personne qui a le droit d’être en colère, c’est moi ! »

Jack se retourna en levant les yeux au ciel.

« J’suis désolé de pas être venu te chercher, d’accord ? Mais c’était pour le mieux. Je t’ai fait une promesse, mais tu devrais savoir mieux que quiconque, qu’on ne fait pas confiance à une pirate, déclara-t-il en ouvrant les bras et en lui tournant le dos. »

Alice attrapa un morceau de bois qui trônait par terre et lui jeta.

« Hé ! s’offusqua-t-il. »

Il avisa un morceau et lui lança. Alice lui adressa un regard indigné et ils restèrent une brève seconde à se regarder avant de commencer à se jeter des bouts de bois.

C’est le rire franc d’Alice lorsque son frère l’attrapa, le visage flanqué d’un sourire, qui arrêta leur jeu d’enfants. Jack lâcha sa sœur qui épousseta son pantalon et lui adressa un regard triste.

« Je comprends Jack, que tu ne pouvais pas venir il y a dix ans. Mais pourquoi n’es-tu jamais venu me voir après ? »

Jack commença à ramasser des feuilles de palmier au sol avant de dire sans la regarder.

« Je m’suis toujours dit que c’était mieux pour toi de rester là-bas. Papa t’a laissée pour une raison, pour te donner une chance de pas finit comme nous, je pense qu’il a eu raison… »

Le cœur d’Alice se serra.

« Mais au fond, continua-t-il, j’pense que j’voulais pas t’voir déçue. J’ai dû barouder un peu après qu’Barbossa m’a maronné sur c’te île. J’savais déjà que le temps avait semblé long pour toi après t’avoir laissée là-bas, alors je repoussais le moment, jusqu’à ce qu’ça me semble inutile de revenir, de perturber ta nouvelle vie. »

La jeune femme regarda au loin derrière Jack, cherchant à contenir les larmes qui lui montaient aux yeux. Elle finit par se rapprocher de lui et l’attrapa en un câlin fraternel. Jack le lui rendit, surpris.

Ils restèrent un petit moment là avant qu’Alice reprenne ses esprits et lui dise :

« Tu sens mauvais.

— Toi aussi sœurette, fit Jack en s’écartant d’elle, un sourire narquois au visage. »

Elle se contenta de lui donner une claque sur l’épaule et se baissa pour continuer la collecte de branches.

Peu après, ils rejoignirent Elizabeth qui les attendait avec un semblant de foyer préparé. Le trio prépara le feu et Jack s’occupa d’allumer les flammes avec deux pierres qu’il avait trouvé plus tôt.

Ils s’assirent dans le sable, Jack entre les deux femmes et commencèrent à boire en silence. Rapidement, l’alcool leur monta à la tête. Alors que la nuit tombait, l’alcool et la fatigue les firent chanter à tue-tête des chansons que Jack connaissait un peu trop bien et qu’Alice se remémorait rapidement. Cette dernière fut la première à se laisser tomber, et regarda d’un regard flou Jack et Elizabeth danser.

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Archive of our own.

-------------------------------------------------------

‘Who are you?’ asked Barbossa.

At these words Alice saw her brother rush towards his former first mate.

‘No one. He’s no one.

Alice rolled her eyes as Jack began an attempt to spiel about the pirate captain, who must have been used to this from him. She almost smirked when Will introduced himself. He really was doing everything he could to spoil his brother’s plans, even if it meant leaving more than he wanted.

A skinny pirate commented on the resemblance between Will and his father, Bill the bootmaker and pirate. The puzzle was finally complete.

Barbossa asked him wearily:

‘Name your terms, Mr. Turner.

—Elizabeth goes free!

—Yes, we know that one. Anything else?

—And Al … the crew. The crew are not to be harmed.’ Will recovered quickly.

Alice kicked Jack’s calf as he waved for Will to point him out. Unfortunately for him, Will did not mention it. Alice bit her lip. Was she going to lose her brother again?

They were all grouped together and Barbossa ordered them to weigh anchor. Alice did not know how long they spent at sea, but it was not very long as the sun was still high in the sky. They came within sight of a small island. Elizabeth was grabbed out of the group and so was Will. Alice tried to grab the woman’s hand, but the pirates pulled her back into line. Alice found herself clinging to her brother who grabbed her wrist to hold her in place. Nevertheless, the young woman was struggling to get him to let her go. She hissed in his direction.

‘If we get out of this, you’ll pay for it, Jack.’

The interested party dodged his sister’s gaze, let go of her and hissed, ‘Don’t draw attention to yourself.’

She calmed down and looked around. Barbossa glanced between her and her brother, his face impassive as his men began to heckle Elizabeth.

Alice swallowed. Her sun-bleached, salt-slicked complexion from her youth in Shipwreck Bay had been replaced by a whiter complexion from her confinement in Marie Galante. As a girl from a good family, she had to avoid showing her skin to the sun or it would kiss the skin too much. She hoped that her sea voyage had not brought her too close to her brother, whose eyes and smile they already shared from their father. Her hair was darker than her brother’s, and her cheeks fuller of her sated life. But the corners of her face showed more of their features since she had set sail on her brother’s heels. She sincerely hoped that Barbossa would never know of her existence, and that he would not make the connection between her brother and his voyages to Marie Galante when he was still his first mate.

He motioned for his crew to bring Jack close to him and glanced coldly at the young woman before Elizabeth climbed onto the plank. His attention was captured by Will haranguing him, to which he responded by mocking the vagueness of his terms before he gagged him. As Will stood beside him, brought back by the pirates, she met Barbossa’s gaze, and he tilted his head to one side before looking at Jack and planting back his blue gaze in hers.

A long shiver ran through Alice.

She did not try to avoid the captain’s gaze, too petrified of the situation. She noticed her brother’s figure fidgeting on the spot. Barbossa continued to look at her and a great silence fell. Alice saw William glancing towards her with a frightened look on his face. He had just realised what was going on.

‘Tell me Jack, ‘Barbossa said with a sly smile on his face. I always wondered what you were doing with the French, during our time together.’

Alice held her breath.

‘Me? he asked innocently. Enjoying the ladies, the wine and the food! What else?’

Barbossa smiled even wider and asked in a thick accent.

“Il y a un petit air de famille, non ?”

Alice’s eyes widened and she stared at Jack, who understood without understanding what he said.

“I don’t know what you’re saying, Hector, but I don’t know her. She came with Anna-Maria,” Jack pointed at the pirate woman, whose closed face showed no desire to help them with the lie.

—Then I guess it won’t be a problem.’

With a large step, Barbossa grabbed Alice’s wrist, who yelped in surprise as he threw her into a group of pirates, who after losing contact with Elizabeth, grabbed her from all sides.

‘No!’ shouted Jack as he stepped forward before closing his fist and biting it.

—I wonder how such a pretty creature can have a brother like you, Jack.’

The pirates laughed a fat laugh before continuing to touch her. Alice struggled.

‘Get off me, get off me!’

Without Alice seeing Barbossa’s demand, the pirates pushed her down onto the plank, causing Elizabeth to wobble and look at her with a sorry look on her face.

‘Though it does seem a shame to lose something so fine, don’t it lads? So I’ll be havin’ that dress back before you go.’

Alice looked at Elizabeth whose sorry look had given way to a hard look before taking off her dress. She passed it to Alice who threw it to Barbossa who threw it to the pirates.

The pirates began to grumble that the women were not jumping. Alice exchanged a look with Jack. He didn’t seem to be worried about her at the moment. She looked at the island. She thought she could swim without too much trouble. That is, if she wasn’t so tired and battered from her adventures. She didn’t have time to dither any further. The one who seemed to be Barbossa’s second in command said:

‘Too long..

Alice felt the plank move violently and perceived Elizabeth lose her balance. As she was about to fall across the board, Alice took a quick lean on her right leg to accompany the movement of the board and jump into the water.

The contact of the sea, colder than she would have liked, licked her multiple scratches in unpleasant swathes. Her vision blurred painfully at the contact with the salt water, which she was no longer used to. With an instinctive gesture, she swam to the surface, where she saw Elizabeth come to her senses. Alice stagnated and put an index finger to her lips to tell Elizabeth to be quiet, so as not to exhaust her breath when they had so much further to go to reach the shore. Elizabeth nodded obediently, obviously shocked by what had just happened. In silence, they went slowly towards the beach. Just a few metres away from the ship, the sound of a dive was heard behind them. Alice’s eyes widened, fearing a nasty surprise. Deciding not to panic by swimming faster, Alice frantically glanced behind them. The young woman perceived a familiar head poking through the water. Jack. She sighed heavily, splashing water on her face as she went to the shore.

The swim seemed to take forever. She swam close to Elizabeth, as if to reassure herself that she was watching over her, and that she was watching over her in return. She decided not to wait for Jack, who was swimming without forcing the speed behind them. She did, however, give him regular glances to check on his condition.

When the waves began to lead to the shore, Alice decided to float down to the beach. Her muscles were screaming in pain and her throat, engorged with sea salt, ached. If she was thankful for the meagre remnants of her childhood running and climbing, her French sojourn in good society had weakened her. Excessive exercise was not part of the education of a girl from a good family. If she had briefly learned to ride a horse on the island of Marie Galante, this experience, rare enough for the recent colony, was not destined to make her an expert horsewoman, and her aching legs made her point this out with guile.

Fortunately for their makeshift trio, the clear bottom also quickly became palpable beneath their legs. Alice was now bouncing along with the lighter weight of the sea, and the waves gently pushing her along. Soon she saw her brother appear beside her. His closed face made her heart ache. As calculating as he was, she could see that his plans seemed to have died on this shore.

Eventually they reached the beach where Jack turned to look at the Black Pearl on the horizon.

‘That’s the second time I’ve watched that man sail away with my ship.’

Without Alice or Elizabeth being able to answer him, Jack took a quick step towards the centre of the island. Elizabeth preceded him, asking him how he had managed to escape the first time.

Jack’s defeatism was a blow to her morale. Elizabeth’s great tirade about her brother’s exploits did pique her interest, however. Rumours were rife on Marie Galente, as in all the western colonies, and stories about pirates were very popular. She had always listened to the stories about her brother with nostalgia and bitterness.

She was roused from her thoughts when Jack broke the legend that preceded him by revealing that he had only been on the island for three days. As he spoke in a slightly annoyed tone to Elizabeth, Alice saw that he glanced in her direction with embarrassed eyes.

He must have thought that his sister, who did not think much of him, would think even less of him. The young woman pursed her lips and lowered her gaze, which she quickly raised when he lifted a trap door hidden under the sandy grass.

Elizabeth’s gaze met Alice’s dejected one. The former pursed her lips angrily and continued to harangue the pirate about his tarnished legend. He finally handed Elizabeth a bottle and walked around her sister, who glowered at him and crossed her arms. He retrieved a bottle from the stash and handed it to her. She grabbed it with an angry hand.

‘You’re worse than Dad.

—I know,’ he said before walking off towards the beach.

Alice looked at Elizabeth and said.

‘We should get some wood for tonight, before we’re all too drunk for it.’

The governor’s daughter nodded and the two young women began to gather wood for a fire. As they stood next to each other, Elizabeth looked at her.

‘I never thanked you for coming with Will to get me. I know Jack is your brother and you had a position in Port Royal, so thank you for coming.

—You’re welcome. Besides, I was not much help. Jack is playing us all for fools without us being able to change the game. And now we’re stranded on a deserted island…

—Thanks for trying.’

Elizabeth gave her a sympathetic and tender smile and look before walking off towards the beach, her bundle of wood and bottle of rum propped up on it. Alice took one last look at the cellar and joined the two.

When they reached the beach, Jack had already started drinking, sitting cross-legged. He noticed their wood and said laconically.

‘We’ll need some leaves or herbs to start the burning.’

His sister simply dropped her bundle and crossed her arms. Jack put down his bottle, stood up and walked towards the trees.

‘Stay here, I’ll take care of it,’ sighed Alice to Elizabeth at her exhausted expression.

She followed in her brother’s footsteps and he saw her coming with surprise.

‘Ya’ don’t have to come. I can do it myself

—I would rather make sure you do not hurt yourself.

—What do you care?’ he replied curtly before turning his face away.

Alice watched him walk away, surprised. Then her cheeks turned red.

‘Hey, if anyone has the right to be angry, it’s me!’

Jack turned around and rolled his eyes.

‘I’m sorry I didn’t come for ya, ’kay? But it was for the best. I made you a promise, but y should know better than anyone that a pirate is not to be trusted,’ he said, opening his arms and turning his back on her.

Alice grabbed a piece of wood from the floor and threw it at him.

‘Hey!’ he said offensively.

He picked up a piece and threw it at her. Alice looked at him indignantly and they stared at each other for a brief second before they started throwing pieces of wood at each other.

It was Alice’s frank laughter when her brother caught her, his face flanked by a smile, that stopped their childish game. Jack let go of his sister, who dusted off her trousers and gave him a sad look.

‘I understand Jack, that you could not come ten years ago. But why did not you ever come to see me afterwards?’

Jack began to pick up the palm leaves from the ground before saying without looking at her.

‘I always thought it was better for you to stay there. Dad left you for a reason, to give you a chance not to end up like us, I think he was right…’

Alice’s heart sank.

‘But deep down,’ he continued, ‘I guess I didn’t want to see you disappointed. I had to do a bit of dashing around after Barbossa had left me on that island. It seemed like a long time after I left you there, so I was putting it off until it didn’t seem necessary to come back and disrupt your new life.’

The young woman looked behind Jack in the distance, trying to contain the tears that were welling up in her eyes. She finally got close to him and grabbed him in a brotherly hug. Jack returned it, surprised.

They stood there for a moment before Alice came to her senses and said:

‘You smell bad.

—So do you, sis,’ Jack said, pulling away from her with a smirk on his face.

She merely slapped him on the shoulder and bent down to continue collecting branches.

Soon after, they joined Elizabeth who was waiting for them with a semblance of a prepared fire. The trio prepared the fire and Jack set the flames with two stones he had found earlier.

They sat down in the sand, Jack between the two women, and began to drink in silence. Soon the alcohol was going to their heads. As the night wore on, the alcohol and fatigue made them sing at the top of their lungs to songs that Jack knew a little too well and that Alice quickly recalled. Alice was the first to drop off, and watched with a blurred look as Jack and Elizabeth danced.

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Alice soufflait sous l’effort de ramer seule sa chaloupe. Elle avait attendu que la chaloupe de son frère disparaisse pour glisser la sienne sur les flots. Elle regardait avec appréhension les falaises qui l’entouraient de leur présence imposante et obscure dans la brume. Elle finit par atteindre l’entrée de la grotte et guetta un instant qu’elle n’entendait pas de bruit venir de l’intérieur. Elle jeta un coup d’œil au navire derrière elle. Elle pouvait voir la figure de Maître Gibbs au bastingage. Elle se doutait que quand Jack apprendrait qu’elle avait quitté le navire, le pauvre Gibbs allait passer un mauvais quart d’heure. Elle se mordit la lèvre à cette pensée, puis se ravisa. De toutes les manières, Jack subirait sa furie avant d’exercer la sienne sur Gibbs. Elle n’en revenait pas que Jack se serve de Will comme levier contre Barbossa. Will et elle l’avaient un peu pressenti lorsqu’ils avaient retrouvé maître Gibbs, mais sans comprendre les tenants et aboutissants de l’histoire. Will se doutait de quelque chose, mais ne savait pas tout, contrairement à elle. La révélation de Gibbs à Alice lui permettait de remettre en place les pièces du puzzle. Jack voulait échanger Will contre le Black Pearl. Cependant, Alice ignorait pourquoi Will avait autant d’importance pour le pirate. Cela avait-il un rapport avec l’arrivée mouvementé de Will dans les Caraïbes lorsqu’il était enfant ? Une pièce lui manquait. Plus elle avançait dans le goulot sombre de la grotte, plus l’anxiété de placer cette dernière pièce montait. Qu’est-ce qui attendait Will au bout de cette grotte ?

Les mains moites d’Alice se serrèrent sur les rames lorsque la chaloupe heurta la chaloupe que son frère et Will avaient usée. Elle plaça les rames dans l’embarcation et tendit l’oreille. Un brouhaha provenait d’une galerie, et une faible clarté se reflétait dans l’angle. Elle souffla de stress et s’engagea dans le couloir. Le passage irrégulier s’ouvrait en différents endroits, plus ou moins larges sur une grande caverne d’où des reflets d’or se dégageaient au rythme des bruits d’une foule en colère.

Alice perçut une silhouette s’accroupir.

“Will ! souffla-t-elle”

Le jeune homme se redressa, la mine surprise.

“Alice ? Que faites-vous là ?

— Vérifier que Jack ne fasse rien de stupide. Où est-il ?”

Dans la semi-obscurité, Will cacha sa mine gênée.

“Je ne sais pas, il est parti à l’opposé de la grotte. Je vais récupérer Elizabeth. Est-ce vous pouvez saboter une éventuelle poursuite en leur volant leurs rames ?”

Alice plissa les yeux, mais acquiesça, elle se dirigea en silence vers l’endroit que Will pointait tandis que ce dernier contournait accroupi un mur au fond pour s’engouffrer dans la caverne. Alice déplaça en silence les rames des chaloupes qui se cachaient dans une autre cavité vers leur lieu d’arrivée et plaça les rames dans leur chaloupe. Elle entendait les pirates s’énerver et vit Will et une silhouette féminine s’approcher d’elle.

“Dans la chaloupe, souffla Will, ils arrivent !Et Jack ? répondit Alice, inquiète. 

Il arrive, il prendra la seconde chaloupe.

Je l’attends alors. 

—Non, la coupa fermement Will. Autant éviter qu’il vous voie et qu’il partage la même chaloupe, ça vous évitera un mauvais moment.”

Alice monta dans la chaloupe et Will et Elizabeth s’installèrent. La gouvernante remarqua la mine figée et inquiète de Will qui empoigna les rames pour partir au plus vite de la grotte. Elizabeth la dévisagea du regard.

“Qui êtes-vous ? demanda-t-elle.

— Je m’appelle Alice, je suis gouvernante à Port-Royal, et la sœur de Jack.”

La bouche d’Elizabeth s’ouvrit en O. et elle fixa Will d’un air outré.

“Jack Sparrow ?”

Will se contenta de ramer avec force et ils finirent par sortir de la grotte rapidement.

“Pouvez-vous jeter les rames à l’eau, cela allégera la chaloupe, demanda Will.”

Les deux femmes s’exécutèrent en silence et jetèrent les rames une par une au fur et à mesure qu’il sortait de la grotte. Alice finit par se retourner.

“Je ne vois pas Jack.”

Will ne lui répondit pas.

“Will ! s’énerva Alice.”

Elizabeth se raidit sur son siège, son visage angélique s’anima d’une mine gênée. 

“Je ne pense pas que Jack puisse s’en sortir.”

Alice écarquilla les yeux et ne réagit pas lorsque leur chaloupe heurta le navire. Il lui fallut attendre un moment avant de réaliser. Elle se leva brutalement, faisant chanceler la chaloupe. Elizabeth s’agrippa avec anxiété aux bords de la frêle embarcation, et Will l’attrapa le bras pour la rassurer. La gouvernante commença à monter à bord du navire. Une boule s’était formée dans son estomac et son cœur lancinait de douleur. Elle passa le bastingage où elle vit la mine soulagée de Gibbs la confronter, puis Will grimpa à son tour et Elizabeth, qui pesta contre les pirates avant de reconnaître le second qui l’accueillait.

Ce dernier devant la mine vide de la gouvernante s’adressa à Will avec un visage inquiet.

“Eh petit, où est Jack ? Laissé sur place” dit froidement en attrapant Will par le bras pour s’éloigner.

Laissé sur place ? questionna Alice.Il n’a pas réussi à partir, c’est tout, répliqua Will, en omettant le fait qu’il l’avait assommé’.

Le jeune homme agrippa l’épaule d’Elizabeth et laissa le groupe de pirate et la gouvernante digérer la nouvelle. Cette dernière fixait d’un regard vide l’horizon grisâtre, elle sentait l’air se faire un peu plus rare dans ses poumons, et sa tête s’alourdir. Elle en avait tant voulu à Jack pour l’avoir abandonnée dix ans plus tôt, et désormais c’était elle qui l’avait abandonné dans la grotte.

Son corps semblait si lourd, qu’elle ne bougea pas quand maître Gibbs lui tapota l’épaule. Elle n’entendit pas ce qu’il lui disait. Tout ce qu’elle voyait était les formes floues des pirates qui s’affairaient à faire partir le navire.

C’est le souffle chaud et désagréable du second qui la fit sortir doucement de sa torpeur. Son visage inquiet et morne était proche d’elle. Elle réalisa qui lui secouait légèrement l’épaule.

« Mam’zelle ? »

Alice lui lança un regard vide.

« Il n’y a aucune chance qu’il s’en sorte seul ? »

La marin s’humecta les lèvres, lui lança un regard pensif et souffla.

« On sait jamais avec Jack… »

La gouvernante sentait comme un grand poids sur sa nuque, elle se contenta de hocher la tête et traîna un pas lent vers le pont inférieur. Elle voulait s’asseoir et qu’on la laisse en paix.

Alice discerna d’un œil morne les bougies qui éclairaient le derrière de caisse au fond du pont et distingua deux voix parler à voix basse. Will et Elizabeth. Alice déglutit et s’assit sur l’escalier avant de prendre sa tête dans les mains.

Elle ignorait combien de temps elle resta assise, la tête enfouie dans ses mains. Seule sa respiration faisait bouger son corps en un rythme douloureux, ses muscles qui avaient oublié le goût de l’effort lui faisaient rendre au centuple les jours passés en mer. Son visage enduit de sueur et de sel commençait à faire brûler ses mains enflammées par le travail des cordes. Ses bras lancinaient de douleur et ses jambes ne semblaient plus jamais vouloir se lever. D’un coup son corps se tendit comme un arc lorsqu’une masse la frôla. Le bruit d’un pas s’arrêta près d’elle et une voix féminine l’interpella.

« Mademoiselle Alice ? »

Une main se posa délicatement sur son épaule, comme une mère caresse la tête de son enfant.

« Ne restez pas assise-là, venez dehors avec moi. »

Elle sentit la main glisser sur son bras et presser sa main, cherchant à la saisir comme l’on saisit un nouveau-né.

La gouvernante laissa glisser sa main dans celle d’Elizabeth et lui lança un regard perdu. Elle fixa son regard noisette et sa face d’ange avant de hocher la tête. Elle prit avec plus de force la main non blessée de la jeune femme et se leva avec douleur. Son corps irradiait de douleur et pourtant son esprit n’avait jamais été aussi endormi.

Les deux femmes montèrent les marches qui menaient au pont et une clameur inquiète leur parvint aux oreilles. Elizabeth poussa d’une main la trappe et lança un regard paniqué à Alice.

« Vite, montons ! »

Les deux femmes s’extirpèrent de la trappe et déboulèrent dans un chaos organisé. Les pirates manœuvraient à grande vitesse, menés par la voix de maître Gibbs. Toujours accrochées par la main, les deux femmes se précipitèrent dehors. L’écume leur fouetta le visage, et il leur fallut attraper les cordages pour se maintenir sur les pieds. Désormais, les mains séparées, Elizabeth héla maître Gibbs. Alice se précipita au bastingage et regarda vers la poupe du navire. Un ciel d’orage couvrait un navire aux voiles noir trouée.

Alice ne l’avait vu qu’une seule fois, partir du port de Marie Galante, sans se douter que c’était la dernière fois qu’elle verrait son frère avant de longues années.

Elizabeth jeta un coup d’œil rapide vers elle et alla vers Anna-Maria. Alice lui emboîta le pas. La première proposa rapidement l’idée des hauts-fonds et un semblant d’espoir s’installa dans leur groupe.

Ils s’attelèrent tous à jeter tout ce qui était inutile pour pouvoir passer les hauts-fonds sans encombre. La stratégie ne dura que trop peu de temps à leur goût. Le Black Pearl les rattrapait dangereusement, ils pouvaient distinguer les avirons sortis. Will s’emporta et appela à défendre le navire avec tout ce qui leur tombait sur la main. Gibbs transmit l’ordre et l’équipage s’éparpilla. Alice et Elizabeth restèrent ensemble, ne voulant pas se mettre en travers du chemin des marins qui connaissaient comment charger des canons bien mieux qu’elles.

Gibbs interpella leur groupe en panique, indiquant qu’ils allaient se faire balayer. Elizabeth proposa de jeter l’ancre à tribord, à la surprise générale. Alice fut très surprise devant la qualité stratégique de la jeune femme et supporta son idée avec Will et Gibbs auprès d’Anna-Maria.

Le navire vira de bord avec violence et Alice s’accrocha comme un diable pour éviter de tomber. Lorsque les flancs des navires se firent face, Alice et Elizabeth s’armèrent de sabre qu’elles avaient localisé durant la fuite sur les hauts-fonds. Les deux femmes se tenaient près l’une de l’autre et regardaient avec désarroi les équipages vociférer, se haranguer avant le combat. Alice se mordit la lèvre et serra fermement la garde de son épée. Jamais elle ne s’était retrouvée au milieu d’un combat. Son père, qui ne prenait plus beaucoup la mer depuis qu’il gardait le Code, avait toujours fait attention à ce que leurs sorties se déroulaient sans accrocs. Pour être franche, elle pensait que son père restait presque à vue de la baie des Naufragés pour qu’il ne lui arrive rien.

Will cria la mise à feu, Elizabeth fit de même. Le sang monta dans les tempes d’Alice, son cœur prit le rythme d’un cheval au galop et elle hurla de même.

Les bruits de canons explosèrent dans ses oreilles, et la fumée commença à émerger des navires. Des cris de douleur et surtout de colère et de rage se firent entendre de tous bords. Elle entendait les éclats de bois siffler dans les airs, les vagues tambouriner dans l’espace entre les navires, cherchant en vain à échapper au conflit.

Alice savait pertinemment que leurs chances étaient maigres. Dans la fureur de la fumée, elle distingua les silhouettes des pirates commencer à vouloir aborder. Will, Gibbs, Elizabeth et elle se précipitèrent au bastingage pour se protéger des balles qui sifflaient dans les airs. Will et Gibbs attrapèrent des fusils et Alice fit de même sous le regard surpris d’Elizabeth. La gouvernante posa son épée à ses côtés et se mit en joue. Elle visa un pirate qui prenait une corde en face et tira. Si Jack était bien meilleur bretteur qu’elle, sa visée était bien meilleure. Petite déjà elle surprenait les membres d’équipage de son père par son œil aiguisé et sa stabilité de tir. Alice s’humecta les lèvres et trembla légèrement en voyant le pirate tomber à l’eau. Elle n’avait jamais tué personne, et ne comptait pas commencer à jour, mais l’instinct de survie était plus fort que tout. Elle rechargea et se remit en joue.

Gibbs interpella Elizabeth.

« Il faut trouver une autre idée, ma fille. À votre tour !

— Qu’est-ce qu’on pourrait nourrir à l’enfer ?

— Pourquoi pas elle, fit Anna-Maria en mettant Elizabeth en joue. »

Instinctivement, Alice visa la femme pirate.

Will répliqua calmement.

"Ce n’est pas elle qu’ils veulent."

Soudainement Will déguerpit.

Alice décida de ne pas chercher à comprendre et se contenta de donner un coup de crosse à Anna-Maria avant de continuer à tirer sur leur adversaire. La pirate lui lança un regard noir, que l’intéressée ignora avec dédain. Alice continuait de tirer lorsqu’un tir de canon détruisit le mât de leur navire. Alice regarda le mât tomber avec une vitesse qui lui semblait si lente et douloureuse. Si elle savait que leur chance de fuir était impossible, le voir symbolisé par la chute du mât, lui donna un nœud à l’estomac. Lorsque le mât heurta le navire, elle vacilla de sa position accroupie et se laissa tomber. Pendant une fraction de seconde tout le monde fut arrêté dans son action et reprit ses esprits. Alors qu’elle se relevait avec difficulté tout en vérifiant qu’Elizabeth allait bien, elle remarqua les pirates en face brandir sabres et pistolets. Elle continua de tirer sur les pirates, mais cela lui semblait dérisoire, jamais il ne lui semblait que leur nombre baissait. Elle attrapa un autre fusil qu’elle tendit à Elizabeth qui commença à tirer tant bien que mal. Elle ne remarqua que maintenant le bandage qui enserrait la main de la jeune femme. Les pirates adverses commençaient à prendre position sur leur navire. Ils étaient trop proches à son goût, elle hésita à garder son fusil, mais finit par l’abandonner et brandit son sabre. Elle se plaça devant Elizabeth pour qu’elle assure les tirs, en espérant qu’elle ne la vise pas par mégarde, et faire rempart. Elles déjouèrent quelques attaques lorsqu’elles furent prises entre trois pirates. Elizabeth tira sur l’un deux, et Alice désarma l’autre avant de l’assommer. Malheursement pour elles, le troisième allait sabrer Elizabeth Swann lorsque le cœur d’Alice se stoppa.

La main du pirate était retenue par Jack qui lui lança un commentaire narquois avant qu’Elizabeth ne lui assène un coup de crosse le faisant tomber par-dessus bord. Une vision sur l’autre navire fit sortir Alice de sa stupéfaction.

« À couvert ! cria-t-elle en direction de son frère et Elizabeth, tout en reculant et en se baissant. »

Jack se précipita sur Elizabeth et la plaça au couvert du bastingage. Sans qu’Alice comprenne, elle vit Elizabeth s’énerver sur son frère avant qu’elle ne parte en courant dans l’autre sens.

« Elizabeth ! » cria Alice en se levant pour courir derrière la jeune femme. Une main forte l’arrêta d’un coup sec.

« Ne bouge pas et continue de te défendre Alice, fit Jack en serrant son poignet. » Alice tenta de se défaire de l’emprise de son frère lorsqu’il jeta un coup d’œil sur le côté et s’écria.

« Le macaque. Il se leva précipitamment et lança à sa sœur. Ne bouge pas ! »

Alice ouvrit la bouche et la referma. Le macaque ? De quoi parlait-il et qu’est-ce qu’il se passait ? Il se mit à courir sur le navire et monter sur le mât abattu. Elle jeta un rapide coup d’œil sur le navire et ne vit pas Elizabeth, elle décida de prendre la suite de son frère.

Elle enjamba les divers obstacles et rouspéta en voyant son frère continuer sur le mât, puis vit avec étonnement qu’il poursuivait effectivement un singe. Elle s’engageait à son tour sur le mât lorsqu’elle vit un homme faire face à son frère sur le mât. Son chapeau et la morgue qui habillait son visage suggéraient qu’il s’agissait de Barbossa. Sans qu’elle ne puisse aller plus loin sur le mât, des mains l’agrippèrent avec forces.

« Vient là ma p’tite. »

Son épaule droite partit en arrière et elle se trouva plaquée contre un pirate tandis qu’un autre lui agrippa les poignets. Des cris de joie émergèrent autour d’elle. Leur équipage avait été pris. Le capitaine Barbossa déclara quelque chose qu’Alice ne saisit pas et la clameur devint un cri de joie collectif. Quoi qu’ils célébrassent, cela ne valait rien de bon. Elle ne comprenait pas ce qu’ils leur voulaient et qu’elle était la pièce manquante au puzzle. Mais elle soupçonnait que la réaction de Jack face au macaque était liée.

Elle se débattu pour montrer son indignation lorsque les mains des pirates s’attardaient un peu trop près de ses hanches. Elle qui avait d’abord été sous la protection de son pirate de père, puis de la bonne société française, le contact de ces mains baladeuses la révulsait. Leurs souffles se tenaient trop près de son cou à son goût et leurs regards brillaient d’une lueur malsaine lorsqu’ils s’arrêtaient sur son torse où sa chemise blanche collait à sa peau par la sueur et l’eau de mer. Elle continuait de se débattre, essayant de leur mettre ses cheveux nattés dans la figure pour les gêner. Elle fut traînée sur le Black Pearl et placée avec l’équipage, tandis que leur navire coulait de plus en plus. La Black Pearl s’était éloignée et elle zyeutait Barbossa qui regardait leur navire s’abîmer en jouant avec une pièce.

Alice plissa les yeux. La pièce du puzzle serait une véritable pièce ? Elle renifla de dédain lorsque deux pirates les menacèrent. Elle échangea un regard avec Elizabeth qui lui semblait à la fois troublée et énervée. Soudainement, cette dernière s’échappa des cordages et se précipita vers le bastingage lorsque leur navire explosa.

Élisabeth fut stoppée dans sa course et se précipita vers le capitaine pirate. Alice comprit. Will. Il était resté sur le navire et venait de mourir dans l’explosion. Ne pouvant porter sa main à la bouche, elle se mordit avec violence la lèvre pour résister à l’envie de pleurer de stupeur.

Ses pleurs furent avortés par l’indignation lorsque le capitaine lança Elizabeth dans les bras d’un groupe de pirates. Un long frisson la prit au corps et les cris d’Elizabeth résonnaient dans ses os. Soudain, une voix familière interpella Barbossa.

Alice bascula la tête en arrière, et ses jambes céder à moitié sous les coups successifs d’émotions. Elle ferma les yeux. Jamais elle n’avait vécu pire jour de toute sa vie. Même l’abandon de son père et la trahison de Jack semblaient moins violents sous le feu de l’action.

Alice ne revint à la réalité lorsque Barbossa prononça la phrase la plus absurde qu’elle eut jamais entendue.

« Oui, mais tu n’as qu’une seule balle et on ne peut pas mourir. »

Alice sentit son esprit partir sous le coup de l’information.

Lorsque Will monta sur le bastingage et menaça de se tuer. Alice jeta un regard noir à Jack. C’était lui la clef de l’énigme. Ou plutôt du fait que Barbossa et son équipage ne pouvaient pas mourir. Elle concentra ses dernières forces pour essayer de comprendre. La pièce, la capture d’Elizabeth, sa blessure à la main, la nécessité d’avoir Will vivant, et l’immortalité du pirate ? Barbossa avait besoin de la pièce et du sang de Will pour vaincre son immortalité, mais c’est Elizabeth qui a été prise pour cible. Elle devait donc avoir la pièce à la place du garçon.

Alice se ressaisit sur ses jambes. Elle allait tuer Jack.

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