This is my new story :D My little fantasy of Pirates of the Caribbean. Yes, this will branch into the movies; the third for sure. Maybe haha. Well, I hope you guys enjoy. Sorry it's so short. It is the prologue after all :D And yes, the title is inspired by Edgar Allen Poe's poem Annabel Lee. I'll explan in the next chapter :)

Prologue

The nine pirate lords hadn't been called together in a very long time. Not since before Annabelle had born. Her stepfather had been a lord and had told her stories of the first court. And of course she had followed in his footsteps in becoming a pirate, rising to the rank of captain. But when he laid on his deathbed, she just couldn't take his seat as a Pirate Lord. Annabelle gave the seat to someone else; someone she trusted with her life.

Annabelle sat at a table with the Captain Teague, listening to the debate turned riot. It put a small smile on her face; this was how politics truly worked. It didn't matter if one wore fancy, expensive clothing or was a pirate, political discussions always had a fight in them. The only difference was that pirates got physical when opinions clashed. Annabelle nibbled on her thumbnail, growing antsy. She wanted to go out there and talk some sense into all of them.

Shipwreck Cove, part of Shipwreck Island, was a fortress, yes, but if they holed up here, many innocent lives would be claimed and half of the pirates would be dead within the month. Exactly as Jack said. No matter how foolish people thought he was, Jack was often right. Annabelle wondered what Teague thought. He rarely sailed these days, when he did he demanded Annabelle go with him as his first mate. His trust was spread thin, like butter over too much bread. But then again, who could blame him? Teague had been a captain for at least fourty years.

"I call upon Captain Teague," Barbossa's voice came into the room adjacent from where all the pirates were huddled. "Keeper of the Code." Annabelle stood with the captain, but hid behind a corner in the room to watch what happened next. She couldn't help but chuckle when he shot a man who was being smart about the Code. Annabelle could sense Jack Sparrow's apprehension from a mile away.

"You're in my way, boy." The familiar voice from Jack's childhood growled. With a look of submission, Jack slithered away, giving room to his father. Captian Teague was Keeper of the Code, and he lived by it's rules while most pirates hung the code and did what they wanted. As a boy Jack had been schooled in the many laws a pirate was to live by, but of course he never remembered them. The Code was his father's thing, being Captian Jack Sparrow was his. "Ah, Barbossa is right."

"Hang on a minute," Jack muttered, almost pushing his father out of the way to read the gigantic book. "It shall be the duties of the king to declare war, parlay with shared adversaries... Fancy that."

"There has not been a king since the first court," Chevalle, a French pirate stood. "And that's not likely to change."

"Not likely," Teague agreed, going to a corner in the room to sit in a comfy chair.

"Why not?" Elizabeth Swann, the new captain of the crew Sao Feng left when he died, frowned.

"See," Gibbs, who had been standing beside her, explained. "The Pirate King is elected by popular vote."

"And each pirate only ever votes for hisself." Barbossa finished with a malicious grin on his face.

"I call for a vote!" Jack called as his father picked up a guitar from the floor. He began to play a song that came to his head without much thought. As he played the guitar, Teague listened to the pirate lords.

"I vote for Ammand, the corsiar."

"Captain Chevalle, the penniless Frenchman."

"Sri Sumbhajee votes for Sri Sumbhajee." The pirate's deep voiced assistant spoke loudly.

"Mistress Ching!"

"Gentleman Jocard."

"Elizabeth Swann." The governor's daughter shrugged, not knowing what she was getting herself into.

"Barbossa."

"Elizabeth Swann." All eyes fell on Jack except for his father's.

"What?" Elizabeth spoke, slightly aghast.

"I know," Jack smiled mischeviously. "Curious isn't it?" A loud outburst from the other pirates sitting at the table was directed towards Jack. Many were demanding why he didn't vote for them and that he was a fool to not to. "Am I to understand that you lot will not be keeping to the code then?"

A string on Teague's small guitar snapped and he looked at the crowed of angered pirates. They saw his expression as a warning, and knew the Code was to be kept to. Or they would end like Sri Sumbhajee's first mate. All but Mistress Ching sat in their respective chairs.

"Very well. What say you, Captain Swann, king of the Brethren Court?" The aged Chinese-woman said, motioning towards Elizabeth who was still gathering their thoughts.

"Prepare every vessel that floats," She ordered, liking her new position as king. "At dawn, we go to war."

The pirate Sri Sumbhajee rose. Most every eye was on him, waiting for him to speak.

"And so, we shall go to war." His voice was incredibly high pitched and falsetto. Jack made a face as everyone else cheered and left to prepare their ships.

He turned to face his father who was fiddling with the strings that were left on the guitar. Teague was looking at him whilst playing, a curious look on his face. Jack felt a sense of defense, the need to protect himself. He feared his father was thinking ill of him.

"What? You've seen it all, done it all, you survived. That's the trick isn't it? To survive?" Jack spread his arms out, guesturing to his father's old age. Teague sighed and set his guitar aside, crossing his legs.

"It's not just about living forever, Jackie. The trick is living with yourself forever." He stated, standing to look his son in the eyes. A sign of respect amonst pirates. Jack searched for something to talk about. It had been years since he had seen either of his parents. Guilt washed over him when he remembered his mother was sick and he hadn't ever come to see her.

"How's mum?" He asked, half expecting his father to lead him to her grave or to their old house where she was cooking something for the both of them. Instead, Teague lifted a shrunken head that had been blackened, presumably by the shrinking process. Through her lips were teeth from some animal. "She looks great."

Teague shrugged and replaced the head to where it sat on his belt.

"So us pirates are really going to war, eh Jackie?" Teague sighed, feeling defeated. Although he felt it necessary to fight against the East India Trading Company, he was old, and weary. He felt as if his years were numbered. Jack nodded gravely. "Well, there's someone you need to tell. Because if I tell 'er, she just might refuse."

Jack's mind went blank as to who his father was refering to. He watched as Teague motioned towards the room he had appeared from. From the shadows appeared the girl who had tortured him as a teenager. The woman who had enraptured him as an adult. The one who got away.

Annabelle wore a violet dress, it appeared to be Elizabethen style with the collar cut off. The sleeves had bee removed as well, making it a bodice and billowing skirts. Jack didn't blame her for getting rid of all that material; it got rather warm in the Caribbean. Her skin was a healthy tan, and the brown hair that was on her head fell just past her shoulders. The hair that would have been in her face was tied back with a black ribbon. It was neat and brushed to the point where it looked silky smooth.

"Jack," She cooed, a warm smile on her face. "It's been too long."

"Aye, that it has." He wasn't used to women being so kind to him when they met after not seeing each other for so long. Jack warned himself to be on guard. Women always had strange ways of showing men they were angry.

"I'm not mad at you, Jack. You've hardly done anything to upset me. Now get that look off your face and go inside; I'm sure you're hungry?" She raised a hand to his cheek and gave it one stroke of her thumb before letting it drop. There seemed to be sadness in her blue eyes as she dropped her hand. Jack kind of wished it had stayed longer. No, it would have been better if her hand had delivered a stinging slap. Then he wouldn't have had to decipher words to find out what she really ment. However, Annabelle had alway been one to get to the point. Always.

Whelp...this is the prologue. I hopes you guys like it! There definitely will be more, considering I'm on a Pirates binge. MWAHAHAHA! Disclaimer: I do not own and POTC materials or characters. Annabelle is mine though. Review! PLease :]