A Change in the Winds
Prologue:
It was a gray, cold, foggy day. The mist swirled overhead, and not even a caw of a seagull could be heard in the silence. The foamy, green waves lapped up the sides of the large ship, which was making its way North.
One lone figure could be seen on the ship, holding onto the wheel and humming to himself.
"Drink up me hearties, yo ho . . ."
Jack Sparrow stared out into the bleak fog. His crew had gone their separate ways a few months after Jack had retrieved the Black Pearl. So, for the moment, he was managing it alone. But of course he could man it by himself; he WAS Captain Jack Sparrow, after all! He was planning on seeking out recruits to start up a new crew, and perhaps looking for a new adventure.
Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed by a dark figure penetrating the fog, floating ominously on the water. Jack looked at it curiously. He steadied the wheel and left it for a moment, leaning over the railing, gazing at the unknown thing.
It was a person he could now see, lying on a raft, floating ever closer to the ship. Whoever they were, they were clearly unconscious.
Jack rushed over to a nearby rowboat and lowered himself down to the murky water, intent on rescuing the person and finding out how they came to be floating in the middle of the ocean on a raft.
Once in the water, he rowed over to the raft. When he got near enough, he saw that the unconscious person was in fact a young woman, around the age of nineteen or twenty. She had long, dark, slightly curly hair that rested lightly on her face. She was dressed in what appeared to be pirate's clothing.
Jack picked her up gently and placed her inside the rowboat, all the while wondering what had happened to her.
Once back on board, he lifted her in his arms and carried her into his cabin.
Inside, he placed her on his bed, covering her in a blanket so she wouldn't be cold. He looked down at her intently.
"Now how did a lass like you end up in a predicament like this?" he muttered to himself. He switched his gaze from her thin face, which was slightly tanned from being out in the sun, to the floor, where a folded up piece a yellowed parchment lay.
He bent over and picked it up, unfolding it slowly. 'This isn't mine . . .' he thought curiously.
Once it was completely unfurled, the parchment revealed itself to be a map. Jack let his eyes widen.
"How on earth did she get this?"
His brown eyes wandered back over to the woman, whose own eyes were twitching under their eyelids. All of a sudden she sat up, clutching the sides of the bed, dark, brown, intense eyes open wide.
Jack quickly folded the map and slipped it into his pocket, moving to the side of the bed. She looked up at him with surprise.
"Where- where am I?" Her voice was raspy from lack of water, but low and melodic all the same.
"Don't worry love, yer safe now," Jack assured her. "You're aboard me ship, at the moment."
She looked at him, puzzled. He was of average height, with dark hair that was matted and braided with trinkets and beads here and there. He had dark brown eyes, soft and comforting, and a beard to match his hair: two small braids hung there also tied with beads. He flashed her a grin, which showed that he had some golden teeth. He was wearing pirates clothing, and a brown leather jacket and a three-cornered hat. He wore a sword, pistol, and compass at his belt.
"And who are you?" she asked him, eyes still wide.
"Captain Jack Sparrow at yer service, love," he replied with a small bow. Her eyes widened even more.
"J- Jack Sparrow?" she repeated with wonder. "So I'm- on the- Black Pearl?"
Jack grinned roguishly. "Aye love, that ye are. Now, who are you?"
"Who am I?"
"Yes, you! Your name, what is it?"
She looked down at the blanket covering her. "I- I don't know."
Jack looked at her with bewilderment. "What?"
"I don't know! I don't remember who I am!" she said sadly.
"Well then, where did ye come from?"
"I'm not sure . . . All I remember, before now, is black rock . . . all around me . . . and fire . . ." She shivered and closed her eyes.
Jack wasn't sure what to do. How could she not know who she was?
"Well, we'll just have to make a name for ye, then."
She opened her eyes and looked back up at him. "Like what?"
Jack thought for a moment. "How 'bout Kit?"
"Why Kit?"
"Well, what do YOU want me to call ye?"
She blushed a little and cast her eyes downward. "Kit's just fine . . ."
"Great. Now that that's settled, what should I do with you?"
She gazed up at him with such intensity that he almost had to look away. "You're not going to- to leave me in some town, are you?"
Jack couldn't help but take pity on the lass. "Well, I guess . . . for the moment . . . you can, erm . . ." He mumbled the next words, "stay on me ship for a while . . ."
She perked up a little. "Do . . . you mean it? The infamous Captain Sparrow, taking me aboard his ship?"
"Well, if ye want . . . Until we can find out what to do with you . . ."
"Of course! It's better than being alone wandering the streets of an unknown town. Where's your crew?"
"Don't have one, anymore."
"Don't have one?"
"Well, at the moment, anyways. I need to start a new one, so a little extra help would be appreciated." He grinned at her, as she gave a small smile in return.
"So now, Kit, if ye don't mind I must be gettin' back to the helm. I DO have a ship to run, ye know." He tipped his hat to her and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
She leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. Everything was going so fast . . . And she couldn't remember anything at all before she got here, save for one horrible memory . . . Sharp, black rocked cave walls closing in about her, fire leaping up the sides, surrounding her, engulfing her . . .
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. 'Kit . . .' she thought amusedly. 'So that's my new name . . . Wonder how he thought of that? I wish I could remember my real name. Who I am . . . Everything just doesn't make sense . . . I wish I could remember . . .'
Prologue:
It was a gray, cold, foggy day. The mist swirled overhead, and not even a caw of a seagull could be heard in the silence. The foamy, green waves lapped up the sides of the large ship, which was making its way North.
One lone figure could be seen on the ship, holding onto the wheel and humming to himself.
"Drink up me hearties, yo ho . . ."
Jack Sparrow stared out into the bleak fog. His crew had gone their separate ways a few months after Jack had retrieved the Black Pearl. So, for the moment, he was managing it alone. But of course he could man it by himself; he WAS Captain Jack Sparrow, after all! He was planning on seeking out recruits to start up a new crew, and perhaps looking for a new adventure.
Suddenly, his thoughts were disturbed by a dark figure penetrating the fog, floating ominously on the water. Jack looked at it curiously. He steadied the wheel and left it for a moment, leaning over the railing, gazing at the unknown thing.
It was a person he could now see, lying on a raft, floating ever closer to the ship. Whoever they were, they were clearly unconscious.
Jack rushed over to a nearby rowboat and lowered himself down to the murky water, intent on rescuing the person and finding out how they came to be floating in the middle of the ocean on a raft.
Once in the water, he rowed over to the raft. When he got near enough, he saw that the unconscious person was in fact a young woman, around the age of nineteen or twenty. She had long, dark, slightly curly hair that rested lightly on her face. She was dressed in what appeared to be pirate's clothing.
Jack picked her up gently and placed her inside the rowboat, all the while wondering what had happened to her.
Once back on board, he lifted her in his arms and carried her into his cabin.
Inside, he placed her on his bed, covering her in a blanket so she wouldn't be cold. He looked down at her intently.
"Now how did a lass like you end up in a predicament like this?" he muttered to himself. He switched his gaze from her thin face, which was slightly tanned from being out in the sun, to the floor, where a folded up piece a yellowed parchment lay.
He bent over and picked it up, unfolding it slowly. 'This isn't mine . . .' he thought curiously.
Once it was completely unfurled, the parchment revealed itself to be a map. Jack let his eyes widen.
"How on earth did she get this?"
His brown eyes wandered back over to the woman, whose own eyes were twitching under their eyelids. All of a sudden she sat up, clutching the sides of the bed, dark, brown, intense eyes open wide.
Jack quickly folded the map and slipped it into his pocket, moving to the side of the bed. She looked up at him with surprise.
"Where- where am I?" Her voice was raspy from lack of water, but low and melodic all the same.
"Don't worry love, yer safe now," Jack assured her. "You're aboard me ship, at the moment."
She looked at him, puzzled. He was of average height, with dark hair that was matted and braided with trinkets and beads here and there. He had dark brown eyes, soft and comforting, and a beard to match his hair: two small braids hung there also tied with beads. He flashed her a grin, which showed that he had some golden teeth. He was wearing pirates clothing, and a brown leather jacket and a three-cornered hat. He wore a sword, pistol, and compass at his belt.
"And who are you?" she asked him, eyes still wide.
"Captain Jack Sparrow at yer service, love," he replied with a small bow. Her eyes widened even more.
"J- Jack Sparrow?" she repeated with wonder. "So I'm- on the- Black Pearl?"
Jack grinned roguishly. "Aye love, that ye are. Now, who are you?"
"Who am I?"
"Yes, you! Your name, what is it?"
She looked down at the blanket covering her. "I- I don't know."
Jack looked at her with bewilderment. "What?"
"I don't know! I don't remember who I am!" she said sadly.
"Well then, where did ye come from?"
"I'm not sure . . . All I remember, before now, is black rock . . . all around me . . . and fire . . ." She shivered and closed her eyes.
Jack wasn't sure what to do. How could she not know who she was?
"Well, we'll just have to make a name for ye, then."
She opened her eyes and looked back up at him. "Like what?"
Jack thought for a moment. "How 'bout Kit?"
"Why Kit?"
"Well, what do YOU want me to call ye?"
She blushed a little and cast her eyes downward. "Kit's just fine . . ."
"Great. Now that that's settled, what should I do with you?"
She gazed up at him with such intensity that he almost had to look away. "You're not going to- to leave me in some town, are you?"
Jack couldn't help but take pity on the lass. "Well, I guess . . . for the moment . . . you can, erm . . ." He mumbled the next words, "stay on me ship for a while . . ."
She perked up a little. "Do . . . you mean it? The infamous Captain Sparrow, taking me aboard his ship?"
"Well, if ye want . . . Until we can find out what to do with you . . ."
"Of course! It's better than being alone wandering the streets of an unknown town. Where's your crew?"
"Don't have one, anymore."
"Don't have one?"
"Well, at the moment, anyways. I need to start a new one, so a little extra help would be appreciated." He grinned at her, as she gave a small smile in return.
"So now, Kit, if ye don't mind I must be gettin' back to the helm. I DO have a ship to run, ye know." He tipped his hat to her and walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
She leaned back on the bed and closed her eyes. Everything was going so fast . . . And she couldn't remember anything at all before she got here, save for one horrible memory . . . Sharp, black rocked cave walls closing in about her, fire leaping up the sides, surrounding her, engulfing her . . .
She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. 'Kit . . .' she thought amusedly. 'So that's my new name . . . Wonder how he thought of that? I wish I could remember my real name. Who I am . . . Everything just doesn't make sense . . . I wish I could remember . . .'