The Empress of the Seas

The next morning after I kindly informed Jack about his six year old son he decided to sleep in. So I decided to point the ship in the right direction.

After getting a map from Gibbs and having Grotter help me put the new islands where they were supposed to be I went up to the helm and took the wheel. Jack woke up about an hour later. He was obviously not in a good mood; me being in his spot didn’t help.

“What are ye doing?” he asked when he reached me. I had the map on a table next to me. It was being weighed down with Grotters’ water-logged pocket watch, a ring I gave Kyle, Jacks’ compass, and my bracelet. Me and the men in my life. Sigh.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” I answered sarcastically.

“Well it looks like your steering my ship.”

“Oh my god, really? Thanks! I really didn’t know what I was doing!” I rolled my eyes. Grabbing the map I stepped out of the way. “Ye can have your throne back now, your majesty.”

Instead of staying there he followed me. I was so annoyed I stopped right in front of his cabin.

“What do ye want?” I yelled.

“What did ye have written on that map?” he asked with real curiosity.

“I can’t write on a map now? What are ye? The Map Police? I can write whatever the hell I want on this map, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!”

In the middle of this speech he pulled me into his cabin (the crew was starting to look our way) and closed the door.

“Let go of me!” I pulled my arm back and readjusted the map in my hands.

“What’s wrong with ye?” he asked storming up to me. “I ask ye a simple question and ye flip out!”

“Oh, so you’re all nice now that ye know ye have a son?”

“Maybe I would have been nice all along if I knew I had a son!”

“Maybe you’re just an ass and always will be!”

“Maybe you’re a bitch who looks for reasons to stay mad at a person!”

“Maybe I found the secret to the legend and am just too pissed to tell ye!”

I walked around him to the door but he grabbed my wrist, my right wrist, and I cringed. I didn’t have to turn around to know his face softened.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” I said and tried to pull away but he pulled back making me face him. He looked at my wrist and his face went from shock to anger to confusion.

“Why?” He asked looking into my eyes.

I took a breath realizing how much I wanted to be there, wanted to be with him. I shook that thought out of my head. “I promised.” Pulling my arm back I quickly left to room.

That night after dinner, I sat in the galley wrapping a bandage around my wrist. When I was having trouble tying it Gibbs came over and helped.

“So Jack tells me Kyle has a dad.” He said as he finished.

I tensed up a bit but then sighed and relaxed.

“Ye wouldn’t know where he is, would ye?”

“You’re room.”

I tilted my head in confusion but he only smiled and went above deck. After thinking about demanding Gibbs to explain I headed for my cabin. I was going to walk in and ask him what the hell he was doing in there but stopped when I heard Kyle laugh.

“The bugger had to weigh at least a thousand pounds!” Jack said as I peeked in.

“No he didn’t!” Kyle laughed even more.

“Ok, ok, the shark didn’t weigh a thousand. Maybe nine-hundred and ninety-nine,” he smirked sitting on a chair next to the bed.

He kept up with the story that was most likely fake for a while and I just stood there listening. After maybe an hour it came to an end.

“So that’s how I found the Treasure of the Wind. Now it’s time for ye to go to bed.”

“No!” Kyle whined but Jack took the blanket and covered his legs.

“Ye want to be a great captain one day, don’t ye?”

Kyle pouted but nodded.

“Well all good captains need to sleep!”

“Ye mean with all those pretty ladies?” I had to hide my laugh as Kyle’s little joke made Jack freeze.

“I’ll talk to ye about that in ten years ok?” He said uneasily.

Then Kyle got on his knees so he was level with Jack and hugged him.

“I love ye, Daddy,” he said with so much childhood innocence that Jack had to smile.

“I love ye too.” He patted him on the back then made him go to bed and blew out the candle.

I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall, smiling as Jack came out. He closed the door behind him then jumped when he saw me.

“How long have ye been standing there?”

“Long enough,” I said and walked with him back to his cabin.

“So…”

“You’re map is out-dated.” I told him.

“What?” he said, not really sure what I was talking about.

“Her home; the Queen’s kingdom. I figured it out in Corus’s cabin. He had a newer map.”

He looked like he could kiss me. He did kiss me.

I stood there frozen and was about to kiss him back when he pulled away.

“Umm…” I said running my hand through my hair.

He didn’t say anything but smiled and opened the door to his cabin.

Now, I know what all you people are thinking and no, we didn’t do anything. I told him what I knew, we had a few drinks, and I passed out in the chair. When I woke up I was on his bed, all clothes still on, with Jack already heading for her kingdom.

After I finally got up I went to the helm and sat on the rail. I took in a deep breath of the salty air and looked at the sky that was thick with fog. We didn’t talk but we didn’t feel the need to. It was nice.

Maybe an hour after noon Crystal came flying down from the crows nest and ran up to us. She gave me a weird look and I thought I’d ask for my bracelet that was on her wrist back when I explained why Jack and I were not fighting.

But after that thought she gave us the real news: “We’re gonna be ship wrecked!”

“What are ye talking about?” I asked as if she were going crazy.

“Rocks! Big, sharp, pointy rocks! Right in front of us!”

We rushed to the front of the ship as Jack ordered the crew to drop anchor. That was the best thing we could do since there was no time to turn.

Everyone was rushing around but when I saw Kyle he was sitting on the rail closest to the rocks. I ran for him but stopped when the ship did, inches from the sharp, deadly, edges. Kyle reached out his leg and rested his foot on the rock.

Jack came up to us and was quickly followed by the crew.

“Is it so much to ask someone to put the rock death bed on the map? What the hell is this?” Jack said.

Kyle looked around at all the puzzled faces before saying, “It’s her kingdom,” like it was the most obvious thing in the world.