HUNT FOR THE GOLDEN MERMAID
THE BABY SPARROW
The sea breeze blew through Kate's dirty hair as she walked down the dock of Port Royal. Her appearance would shock any Governess, probably causing them to faint.
This young girl, Kate as she was known to friends... acquaintances, wore an old white shirt that wasn't nearly as white as it used to be, with a black waistcoat over it. She wore navy slacks and old black boots, around her waist was a thick leather belt and secured to that was a small carry sack, an empty pistol holster and an empty holster for a sword, the weapons themselves been taken not but a few days ago.
Beads, along with an old blue ribbon that had flowers embroidered on it were intertwined in her just past shoulder-length, dirty, brown, hair, that was somewhat curly but because of how filthy it was it didn't curl as much as it had before.
Her fingers, hands and wrists were covered in jewellery and tattoos. The tattoos were intertwining lines, waves and symbols that she had discovered along her travels. They were found across her forearms, hands and fingers, stopping just after her first set of knuckles. Her eyes were outlined in heavy black kohl and the right of her throat, just under her jaw line, boasted a long scar.
Many would think she were a pirate. Many were right.
---
The stomps of the Captain's weatherworn boots rang out across the deck of the Unforgiven. The crew feared the captain more than ever before. Since the girl-pirate had left the ship he was wicked and angrier. His dark figure would scare any honest person, probably any pirate too.
His tricorn hat was a dirty grey as so was his long worn jacket. His hair was a blonde but full of so much dirt and filth that it seemed brown. His face looked tired and worn to match his clothes and his eyes were so dark they seemed black.
"A sign of anythin' Crouch?" he asked his thin first mate.
"No sign cap'n. No sign since the last" Crouch answered sorrowfully.
"If the little wench left Tortuga she wouldn't 'ave gone far!" Captain Baron yelled to no crewmember in particular. "Her sticky fingers would'a caught somethin' by now, mark my words"
"Aye cap'n, no doubt she 'as been thrown overboard" Crouch agreed. "Fed to the sharks, says I"
"Fed to the sharks, says ye?" the Captain growled, "a little thin' like 'er would'a been picked up, Crouch."
"Aye cap'n. By sailors. Honest sailors." Crouch sniggered his last comment, "We need to find a tradin' port then, cap'n" Crouch grinned.
"Aye Crouch, ye thinkin' as ye should now" the captain nodded, "Set sail for the nearest Port, we'll sneak in and have a look"
"Nearest Port?" Crouch asked?
"Aye Crouch, ready the crew" the captain nodded and walked to his cabin.
"Hoist the sails!" Crouch yelled to the crew, "We're stoppin' in ol' Port Royal, lads" he yelled again and the crew cheered. "A rich town be Port Royal, lets see what it's got us" he whispered to himself.
---
As Kate walked up the dock she clutched her carry pouch in protection and kept her eyes and ears pealed. There was only one thing she was looking for here and she had to find it.
A small gust of wind blew a basket in her path and as she tried to stomp it her foot became caught. Sighing she leant over and pulled it off of her boots and let her eyes fall on one of her more significant tattoos on her left forearm.
A small sparrow, a baby one if you will, flying over the wavy lines that marked her arms.
Kate sighed again and stood up properly, she glanced around with her kohl-lined eyes and continued on her way through the Port. The people in this Port treated her as if she had just docked, in other words they offered her everything and anything they wanted to sell.
"Fish?" an old fisherman asked.
"Ah no, 'ad a big breakfast" she declined, patting her stomach.
"Beautiful jewellery?" a young woman asked.
"I'm not payin'" Kate answered while scrunching her face.
"Fresh fruit?" a chubby old man offered.
"Maybe ye should follow yur own advice, mate" she commented as she poked his fat belly.
"Watch your mouth, little girl" the chubby man glared and put the apples down at his stall.
"My name is Kate, not little girl, so ye better not call me that again!" she threatened back.
The chubby man's eye widened then turned back into his glare. He watched Kate for a moment then yelled to the market full of people.
"Thief!" Kate looked at him confused then realised. She was the so-called thief. "Thief!" he yelled out again.
Kate looked to the crowd that began to circle her, some of the Port's law decided to crash the party.
"Oh no, not again" she whispered to herself.
The circle got smaller and Kate began to worry more.
"Now, now, what seems to be the problem?" An officer asked the old fat liar.
"This girl tried to take some of my goods," he explained to the man in red uniform.
"They're bloody apples and I didn' steal any, yer dirty liar" Kate spat.
"Calm down...miss," the officer commented as he took in her appearance, she didn't look like any young girl he had seen before. Not like the beauties seen in Port Royal who had flawless skin, unscathed by dirt. No doubt this girl was a foreigner. She wasn't hideous, she wasn't ugly either, she was just... ordinary, as if she didn't care for herself as much as a girl should. Except her eyes, the dark brown colour they held was intensifying, the black kohl around them only making this more so.
"I'd believe this fine gentleman before a dirty little foreigner," he growled.
"That is racism and I'm the same bloody colour!" Kate yelled causing the women in the crowd to gasp.
"Arrest her!" the soldier said thickly.
Kate reached for her sword and felt her stomach drop when it wasn't there.
"Bloody pirates" she whispered when she remembered what had happened to it. "Almost certainly for the best, I fear. I'm not too good with a sword" she grinned then punched the officer that was closest then tried to hit the next.
Another grabbed her from behind and began to put her in shackles.
"Gentle, I bruise easily," Kate informed. The officer pulled her arms tighter trying to cause harm and Kate just sighed. "So... what really is my offence?"
"Well for one you are a pirate," the first officer said lazily.
"Pirate?" Kate asked shocked, "I am a young, innocent girl. I have no weapons, where are yur grounds?" she argued.
"What is your name, girl?" the officer asked. He signalled for his men to take aim on her with their muskets and Kate gulped.
"Well, seem as though we're all friends..." Kate said, clearly worried.
"What's your name?" the officer asked again, this time in a growl.
"As I were sayin'!" Kate glared and tugged at her shackled wrists, "Me name is Katherine Sparrow and that red jus' doesn' suit ye, officer."
"Sparrow?" he laughed and looked to his men, ignoring her insult.
"That's what I said, is everythin' workin' up there?" Kate asked gesturing to his head with her eyes.
The officer drew back his arm to strike her and she winched, waiting for the sting.
"She's not a pirate!" a voice interrupted.
The crowd parted and a tall young man with shoulder length dark hair walked over to the officer who was in charge. Kate had never seen him before in her life.
"Turner, what do you want?" the officer asked as he dropped his arm slowly.
Turner, as he was known glanced over to Kate then back to the soldier.
"I said she's not a pirate" he said obviously, "She's a blacksmith hand from Santiago." He answered quickly. "Mr Brown requested we have a new one"
"But she is a girl, a young girl" the soldier objected.
"So 'cause I'm a young girl I cannot be a blacksmith, but I can be a pirate?" Kate asked, "What goes on in yur head, mate?"
"Shut it!" the officer yelled and quickly hit her across the face with the back of his hand.
"Bastard" Kate said as she spat the blood out of her mouth.
"Turner, do you have proof she is a blacksmith hand?"
"Do you have proof she's a pirate?" Turner asked, his expressions were challenging.
The officer sighed.
"Release her"
The officer that held Kate let her out of the shackles but wasn't too gentle about it.
"Easy!" Kate groaned.
The officer pushed Kate into Turner and followed the other men in uniform.
After seeing the drama had ended the crowd went back to their business, leaving the chubby man displeased.
"If anyone is the pirate Turner, it's you" he growled and walked back over to his stall.
Kate looked up to the man that helped her out of that mess.
"Thanks, ye saved me from a hangin'" she nodded as she rubbed her cheek and turned to walk away.
"Hey, you can't just leave" Turner called after her.
Kate turned back to him.
"Turner, was it?" Kate asked.
Turner nodded.
"William," he offered then corrected himself, "Will Turner" he smiled, Kate nodded.
"Kate, Kate Sparrow" she introduced herself again.
Will nodded.
"I heard" he smiled.
"So why am I still 'ere then?" Kate asked confused, "Did ye want payment?" she asked a little annoyed. "I have nothin'" she proved by holding her arms out.
"I can see that" Turner commented.
"'Oi!" Kate growled, "I still have dignity...well kind of" she sighed.
"Yeah, sorry" Will looked down. "Right. Follow me." he said suddenly.
"What? Where?" Kate asked confused as this new acquaintance pulled her down the street by her wrist.
"To the Blacksmith, that's where the officers think you'll be, so I advise you go there" Will told her as he continued to drag her down the street.
"Look, Will, I appreciate yur help and everythin' but I've arrived in Port Royal for a reason" Kate explained as she tugged at her arm.
"We will discuss this when we get to the Blacksmith's"
After being dragged to Port Royals Blacksmith by a near stranger Kate felt her arm burn in pain. It felt as if this William Turner had pulled her elbow out of it socket and she was not too happy about that.
"By the gods above us, did you have to drag me the entire way to this..." Kate yelled and looked at her surroundings, when she caught site of the donkey she was confused, "place"
"The Blacksmith, you already knew that and yes" Will sighed as he took his jacket off. "So, what brings you to Port Royal, Miss Sparrow?"
"Ah, of course, that" Kate smiled as she inspected the room more thoroughly. She glanced at the many swords that were hanging about the place, "Who makes all these?" she asked in awe as she picked up a long silver sword with a leather strapped handle.
"I do" Will answered simply as he sat down on a step.
Kate looked back to him and noticed a sleeping man in a chair behind him.
"Who's that?" she asked and pointed at him with the sword she was still holding.
"Mr Brown, the so called blacksmith of Port Royal" he laughed.
"Hmm" Kate sighed and inspected the sword again.
"So, what brings you to Port Royal?" Will asked again.
"I'm tryin' to solve somethin' of great matter and I need to find a certain someone to solve said matter." Kate answered still inspecting the craftsmanship of the sword she held in her hand.
Will chuckled and Kate looked up.
"What's the matter Mr Turner, somethin' caught in yur throat?" she asked offended.
"No, no. I just admire your phrasing, it reminds me of someone"
"Someone?" she asked lifting her chin and letting her arm, along with the sword drop to her side. "Someone, who?"
"A certain someone" Will smiled.
"Mr Turner is yur choosing of words implyin' that ye do indeed know the certain someone who I am indeed searching for?" Kate asked, it was almost as if you needed a translator to understand her.
"A one Captain Jack Sparrow?" Will asked.
Kate's brow rose, this seemed to be a lucky day.
"You know that man?" she asked and put the sword in her holster. "Or jus' that man's reputation?"
"I know that pirate" Will nodded, "are you going to pay for that?"
"Can't ye let it slide?" she asked her face pleading but she quickly changed the subject, "Where is he?"
"The last I heard of Jack was that he was on his beloved Pearl... that's a rather expensive sword" Will explained and stood.
"Yes, yes, the Black Pearl, I've searched for it. But I heard 'e was docked here. I didn' see the Pearl when arrivin' but 'e may have caught passage on another ship" Kate answered annoyed.
"He would never leave the Pearl unless he had to" Will said.
"'e wouldn't?" Kate asked.
"No, he loves the ship" Will clarified. "Tell me, Kate, have you ever met Jack?" Will asked interested, surely if she knew him she'd know how much he loved his Pearl.
"Met? Not...exactly" she confessed.
"How did you expect to find him? Does he even know you exist?" Will asked in astonishment.
"Well the man holds a reputation, I've heard a description of 'im" Kate pointed out.
"Does he know you exist?" Will asked again, a little more stern.
Kate was silent. Her mouth was open for speech but she closed it rigidly. Her eyes roamed the room looking for somewhere to focus on other than Will's eyes.
"Does he?"
"No." she answered simply, "'e doesn't. 'e's never heard of me but I need me fathers help"
After silence Will finally offered a piece of advice.
"Have you checked Tortuga?"
"T'was the first place I looked, mate." she laughed, "But that was weeks if not a month ago"
"Why do you need Jack?" Will asked finally, he had been avoiding that question for some time.
"A girl, even if she is a pirate needs 'er father at times" Kate said, she wasn't going to indulge him with information.
"Kate, how did you get here? You're not a Captain, that's for sure" Kate looked outraged by that statement, "If you were aboard a pirate's ship you definitely would have been arrested" Will asked suddenly.
"Will, some thing's... well they're better left for the imagination" she smiled and walked for the door.
"Where are you going?" he asked as she pulled up the handle of the door.
"That is one of those things better left for the imagination" she smiled wider and walked out the open door.
Will sighed and quickly grabbed his jacket.
"Yep, just like her father" he said to himself as he followed her path out the door.
---
So there it is, my first PotC fanfic.
What did you think? You like? You didn't? Got some advice?
Review and let me know then. Let me know if this fic should go on.