Jack Sparrow stared out at the horizon as he inspected the newly made ship.
"Incredible," He whispered.
Hector Barbossa, Sparrow's soon to be first mate, came up behind him. "She's a beaut', Jack."
"That she is. But what do ya name such a treasure?" Jack said, running his hands along a smoothly polished banister. He thought back into his past.
~Eleven years earlier~
Young Sailor Jack Sparrow walked into the first pub he came upon, and what would become his favorite; The Faithful Bride.
The ship he sailed on, The Shining Noel, had come into Tortuga for a week of plundering, sex, and rum. It was Jack's first time back to Tortuga, the place he grew up in. His first time there as a pilot.
There were bar wenches scattered through out the large room, sitting on men's laps and on tables. All seemed preoccuppied, and not one looked like the kind of girl Jack wanted, so he wandered.
He wandered to the back of the pub, where he saw a large gathering of pirates crowded around a table. Being a rather scrawny lad at the time, he squirmed through to the center of the crowd and punched a man out of one of the chairs.
He while he brushed himself off, and looked himself over, he heard a beautiful but boisterous voice speaking, telling a story animatedly.
"And the twelve of them -Twelve!- closed in on me! Well, what was a girl to do, right mates?" Jack looked up. There sat the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with a mischevious smirk on her face and a frame of mugs surrounding her.
Her lush red lips formed a heart as she opened her mouth and sang, "Oooooooooooooooh, We pilage, we plunder, we rifle and loot!"
The men around her chorused in, "Drink up me hearties yo ho!"
"We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot!" She belted out again.
"Drink up me hearties yo ho!" Then the woman joined in for a "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"
Rum bottles clanked together and everyone laughed. Slowly the group dispersed, all with hugs and kisses from the woman, and she and Jack were left alone.
"'Ello, sweetheart. What can I do for you?"
Jack was mesmorized by the melodious voice, and said, "What's your name?"
"Pearl Black."
Jack closed his eyes and said it to himself.
"What's your name, sweetheart? Or I can keep calling you sweetheart. . ."
Though Jack was inclined to sweetheart, he said, "Sparrow, Jack Sparrow."
Pearl looked at him with sharp eyes before her expression changed. "Aw, my little sparrow! Can I buy you a drink, lad?"
~In the present~
Jack got lost in his daydream. That was how she got him hooked; Jack Sparrow's original love, before rum or his hat or his ship.
But you should never fall in love with a woman who sells her love. It always ends bad.
As did Jack and Pearl's relationship. But Jack still loved her. He still visited her grave.
Hector Barbossa looked at his captain. "Jack?"
Jack looked up, a new mischeviousness in his eyes. "It's CAPTAIN Jack."
Barbossa tried to stop from laughing. "Captain of WHAT, mate?"
Jack spun around sharply to face his friend. "The Black Pearl. This is my ship, the Black Pearl."
Barbossa stepped back. Jack smiled. "Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. I love it."
He fingered the side of his ship again. Barbossa looked at his care for it and scowled. Jack loved his ship too much already. "Where shall it be christened?"
Jack looked up. "I know just the place."
~***~
After a few preperations, Jack, Hector, and three more crewmates sailed off into the sunset, on their way to Tortuga to pick up a crew.
There they met the man who supplied them with many of their crewmembers, Joshamee Gibbs. After only four days the ship took off to a small island called Port Royale.
The ship sailed in with a truce flag up, and bothered no one in the town but a certain priest. . . the priest that performed Pearl Black's funeral.
Jack asked the priest solemnly to perform the christening. And though this priest did not like the idea of familiarizing with pirates, he saw the sincerity in Jack Sparrow's eyes and consented to do it at daybreak the next morning.
~***~
For the first time of many times to come, Jack sailed away at sunset on the Black Pearl, on a very specific day in the summer, from Port Royale. And every year he came to Port Royale, in any way he could manage, and stood in front of the grave of Pearl Black with his hat in his hand. Even after he was the subject of a mutiny, he got there somehow, each year for ten years. On the tenth year, he actually came in on a sinking boat belonging to a woman pirate, Anamaria. And after that he had his Black Pearl back, until the day that he died.
And until the day that he died, he visited the grave of Pearl Black every year on that same late summer day.
And even after he died, he was always there that summer's day and more than that. For he was laid to rest right next to her.
Hector Barbossa, Sparrow's soon to be first mate, came up behind him. "She's a beaut', Jack."
"That she is. But what do ya name such a treasure?" Jack said, running his hands along a smoothly polished banister. He thought back into his past.
~Eleven years earlier~
Young Sailor Jack Sparrow walked into the first pub he came upon, and what would become his favorite; The Faithful Bride.
The ship he sailed on, The Shining Noel, had come into Tortuga for a week of plundering, sex, and rum. It was Jack's first time back to Tortuga, the place he grew up in. His first time there as a pilot.
There were bar wenches scattered through out the large room, sitting on men's laps and on tables. All seemed preoccuppied, and not one looked like the kind of girl Jack wanted, so he wandered.
He wandered to the back of the pub, where he saw a large gathering of pirates crowded around a table. Being a rather scrawny lad at the time, he squirmed through to the center of the crowd and punched a man out of one of the chairs.
He while he brushed himself off, and looked himself over, he heard a beautiful but boisterous voice speaking, telling a story animatedly.
"And the twelve of them -Twelve!- closed in on me! Well, what was a girl to do, right mates?" Jack looked up. There sat the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, with a mischevious smirk on her face and a frame of mugs surrounding her.
Her lush red lips formed a heart as she opened her mouth and sang, "Oooooooooooooooh, We pilage, we plunder, we rifle and loot!"
The men around her chorused in, "Drink up me hearties yo ho!"
"We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot!" She belted out again.
"Drink up me hearties yo ho!" Then the woman joined in for a "Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!"
Rum bottles clanked together and everyone laughed. Slowly the group dispersed, all with hugs and kisses from the woman, and she and Jack were left alone.
"'Ello, sweetheart. What can I do for you?"
Jack was mesmorized by the melodious voice, and said, "What's your name?"
"Pearl Black."
Jack closed his eyes and said it to himself.
"What's your name, sweetheart? Or I can keep calling you sweetheart. . ."
Though Jack was inclined to sweetheart, he said, "Sparrow, Jack Sparrow."
Pearl looked at him with sharp eyes before her expression changed. "Aw, my little sparrow! Can I buy you a drink, lad?"
~In the present~
Jack got lost in his daydream. That was how she got him hooked; Jack Sparrow's original love, before rum or his hat or his ship.
But you should never fall in love with a woman who sells her love. It always ends bad.
As did Jack and Pearl's relationship. But Jack still loved her. He still visited her grave.
Hector Barbossa looked at his captain. "Jack?"
Jack looked up, a new mischeviousness in his eyes. "It's CAPTAIN Jack."
Barbossa tried to stop from laughing. "Captain of WHAT, mate?"
Jack spun around sharply to face his friend. "The Black Pearl. This is my ship, the Black Pearl."
Barbossa stepped back. Jack smiled. "Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. I love it."
He fingered the side of his ship again. Barbossa looked at his care for it and scowled. Jack loved his ship too much already. "Where shall it be christened?"
Jack looked up. "I know just the place."
~***~
After a few preperations, Jack, Hector, and three more crewmates sailed off into the sunset, on their way to Tortuga to pick up a crew.
There they met the man who supplied them with many of their crewmembers, Joshamee Gibbs. After only four days the ship took off to a small island called Port Royale.
The ship sailed in with a truce flag up, and bothered no one in the town but a certain priest. . . the priest that performed Pearl Black's funeral.
Jack asked the priest solemnly to perform the christening. And though this priest did not like the idea of familiarizing with pirates, he saw the sincerity in Jack Sparrow's eyes and consented to do it at daybreak the next morning.
~***~
For the first time of many times to come, Jack sailed away at sunset on the Black Pearl, on a very specific day in the summer, from Port Royale. And every year he came to Port Royale, in any way he could manage, and stood in front of the grave of Pearl Black with his hat in his hand. Even after he was the subject of a mutiny, he got there somehow, each year for ten years. On the tenth year, he actually came in on a sinking boat belonging to a woman pirate, Anamaria. And after that he had his Black Pearl back, until the day that he died.
And until the day that he died, he visited the grave of Pearl Black every year on that same late summer day.
And even after he died, he was always there that summer's day and more than that. For he was laid to rest right next to her.