Not far off the coast of Port Royal the Chasing Freedom's white sails billowed in the wind as its captain starred off at the island of Jamaica. It had been nearly three months since she heard that fateful conversation in Tortuga - the day she learned Jack Sparrow had escaped from Port Royal.
Sitting two tables away in a Faithful Bride Tavern, Alex had heard several men strike up a conversation that drew her attention away from the bottle of rum in her hands. She narrowed her eyes as she eavesdropped on their conversation.
"Did you hear that Jack Sparrow almost met the hangman's noose?" a short stout man asked his companion across the table.
The sound of Jack's name nearly made Alex choke on a mouthful of rum - or at least correct the man by informing him it was Captain Jack Sparrow.
"Where did you hear this?" a taller, leaner man asked.
The one who had so clearly disrespected Captain Sparrow continued, "Aye, heard it from a merchant captain just the other day. Witnessed it himself right there in Port Royal, he did."
"Port Royal, you say?" the second man asked "Man has a lot of guts to try anything there, what with their young Commodore and all. The 'scourge of piracy' they call that Commodore Norrington, they do."
Alex was certain that not even Jack was stupid enough to return to Port Royal; at least she hoped he wasn't that foolish. She suddenly felt the urge to feel close to Jack - she needed to feel close to her brother.
Alexandra, though many just called her Alex, was the younger sister of Captain Jack Sparrow, and even though it had been over a year since she last saw him in Tortuga, she still cared about him even to this day. Where Jack was mostly known for his odd nature and often crazy schemes, Alex, however, was far more straightforward and was known for being more of a fighter rather than relying on tricks like her brother.
Since the news of Jack's recent run in with the Royal Navy, Alex had been in a somewhat foul mood toward everyone instead of being the easily agreeable captain her crew loved.
These days most of the crew refused to be anywhere near her for fear that they would be the next victims of her horrid temper. The only crew member that seemed brave enough, or had little desire for self preservation, was her first mate, Aaron, and even then he preferred to tread lightly around Captain Alex Sparrow.
Aaron Davis was Alex's first mate and closest confidant. Their bond stretched back to the day Alex stowed aboard a ship bound from the England to the Caribbean nearly nine years ago. After discovering Alex on board, he chose not to turn her into the captain but instead protected the then sixteen-year-old Alexandra and it was then she felt a close connection with him. Over the years they stuck together working aboard different ships until Alex won a ship from a pirate in a drunken game of cards in Tortuga.
"Captain," Aaron called from behind her, his voice shaky and full of anxiety. Alex closed her eyes and let out a groan of frustration. "A ship's been spotted coming up on the starboard side."
"Is it anyone I should be concerned about?" she asked, not looking back at Aaron.
"Actually," he began, taking a deep breath, "it is a bit of a concern, Captain."
Finally looking back at Aaron she could tell that whoever it was, was a huge problem by the look on his face. Aaron's usually calm expression was anything but that as she followed him across the deck.
Looking through her spyglass she quickly recognized the flags flying, they were those of the East India Trading Company, a terrifying sight for any pirate, especially a pirate with her surname.
"Damn," she muttered under her breath.
Alex instantly knew it was a foolish and selfish mistake to come to Port Royal, she'd condemned her crew to a horrible fate since those aboard the company ship had probably noticed her and they would quickly be in range of the guns.
"Alex," Aaron began, grabbing hold of Alex's shoulders and turned her to face him, "I know about your family's history with the company an' I want you off this ship. I couldn' forgive myself if somethin' happened to you."
"I'm going to accept the same fate as my crew."
"Please, I'm beggin' you."
"Aaron, this is not up for debate! I'm staying-"
"No!" he yelled, several members of the crew turned their attention to them. "Your fate will be worse than the crew's! The Company will not be lenient when they find out you're a Sparrow."
Alex reached for the silver sparrow that hung from her neck and knew that Aaron was right, with her family's history with the East India Trading Company and Cutler Beckett's strong dislike for the Sparrows and pirates in general, there would be a grim fate awaiting her. Beckett had probably never gotten over how Jack had released a ship full of slaves on the island of Kerma which resulted in one of her brothers many arrests by the Company and the sinking of the Wicked Wench.
Letting out a heavy sigh, Alex couldn't help but agree. "You're right, Beckett would see that my punishment be drawn out. But how am I supposed to get away? It's not like they wouldn't notice a long boat making its way toward land."
Before long Aaron had the crew throwing barrels overboard as futile hope sparked among the crew that they would be spared from the gallows if Alex was not on board. Aaron and Alex exchanged a silent moment where they both realized that was not going to be the case.
Before Alex climbed down the ladder on the side of the ship, Aaron pulled Alex into a tight embrace. "Good luck, Alex," he whispered into her long, brown curls. "Promise me you'll get as far away as possible as soon as you can."
"Thank you, Aaron." Tears threatened to fall as she wrapped her arms tightly around Aaron's waist. "Once again you are risking your life for mine."
"I'll always defend you."
With that Alex descended down the side of her ship and jumped into the water, ducking around the debris thrown over the side of the Chasing Freedom to keep out of view. She felt guilty about leaving her crew behind but she knew they had a better chance if they didn't have a Sparrow on board.
Alex struggled to keep her head above water as she struggled against the current and the swelling waves and prayed that she didn't swallow too much salt water. The beating she was receiving was bound to leave her entire body bruised, sore and stiff in the morning.
It felt like a lifetime before she finally reached the shore and Alex stumbled out of the water and collapsed from exhaustion on the sandy shores of Port Royal. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear gunfire as she watched the East India Trading Company take control of her ship. She could only helplessly watch as tears ran freely down Alex's face as she contemplated the fate of her crew.
…
"Well," he began with a hint of a smile, "I think we can afford to give him one day's head start."
Commodore James Norrington couldn't stop hearing those words repeating in his head as his crew and the Dauntless sailed just off the coast of Tripoli, the Black Pearl appearing larger on the horizon with each passing day.
Yes, it was only a matter of time before the Black Pearl was under the control of the Royal Navy and Jack Sparrow and his crew locked in the brig below his feet. However, this pirate hunt was taking much longer than anyone had expected, and James was probably the most surprised when he realized they had been chasing Sparrow for over three months. He should have been back in Port Royal weeks ago dealing with that mess rather than pouring over the maps and logs of this region, a constant reminder that the supplies in the cargo hold were running low while he was alone in his cabin, locked away from the rest of the crew.
It should not have been this hard to catch Sparrow. After all, he was by far one of the worst pirates he had ever heard of, although Lieutenant Theodore Groves would gladly argue that point, even taking into consideration that the day he met Sparrow, he had a pistol with one shot and a compass that didn't point north.
But he was able to commandeer the Interceptor right out from under your nose, he had to remind himself. And of course he proceeded to sink it as well.
James let out a heavy sigh as he recalled every incident that was caused by Sparrow, as well as all the paperwork that had to be filed for each said incident. There was probably a mound of work to be done on his desk back in Port Royal.
It was the second time that Jack Sparrow escaped from Port Royal that hit James the hardest because not only did Sparrow escape the hangman's noose, but it was also that this infuriating man had shattered his personal life as well.
James prided himself in being a very private man, the type of man that rarely allowed his personal life to interfere with his professional life. He had proposed to Elizabeth Swann, a woman that he watched grow into a fine woman before his very eyes, the day he was promoted to Commodore only to take back her promise in front of his men - men that looked to him for strength. Men that everyday entrusted their lives in him and the decisions he made.
And, of course, she left him for a blacksmith. No, Turner was the apprentice to a blacksmith.
A flash of lightning lit up Norrington's cabin like daylight, and the crack of thunder made James flinch. The sudden realization of the storm raging outside of his cabin and the violent rocking of the ship broke James from his thoughts, and he glanced up at a small mirror to gaze at himself.
Dark circles had developed under the Commodore's intense green eyes betraying the fact James had hardly been sleeping, and even when he tried, sleep did not come easy. His long brown hair crumpled after hours of running his hand through it in frustration. However, that was easy enough to hide under his powdered wig and tricorn hat. James barely recognized his reflection as the well kept military man that he was, and his crew knew he was, or at least was capable of being.
He straightened himself up so that he looked at least somewhat presentable, James headed out of his cabin to get a better idea of what was barreling down on his ship and to find out how close they were to the Black Pearl.
"I think he's gone completely mad," a sailor hissed under his breath to another as James passed making his way to the helm, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. "Completely mental he is."
James froze, backed up, and turned his attention to the young sailor. "What was that, sailor? Questioning your superior officer, are we?"
The poor bloke suddenly regretted saying anything about the Commodore as his fellow crewmen watched as all color drained from the young man's face. However there must have been someone looking out for the young sailor as another loud clap of thunder rumbled overhead causing James to notice Gillette running toward him.
"Commodore!" Lieutenant Gillette yelled running up the stairs, the young Lieutenant's face full of anxiety. "Might it be wise to head for land and cut off the pursuit? At least until the storm subsides a bit?"
Soaking wet from the downpour and staring off toward land, James hesitated for a second, his mind and his heart telling him to listen to his years of experience in the Royal Navy and head for land, but his pride demanded they continue after Sparrow. Anyway, if the storm became too much, they could always head for land but the wind and the rain was not nearly enough to justify shoving all the crew's hard work aside or shoving all of his hard work aside.
All eyes were now on the Commodore, even the poor sailor who was praying James had forgotten what he had said, hoping that he would order them to break off pursuit. Nobody dared to breathe in fear that it might negatively influence the Commodore's decision.
"We will continue our pursuit," Norrington ordered, his crew now in disbelief. "No doubt Sparrow will sail through this storm."
As the waves continued crashing against the ship, most of the crew had reached a consensus: Commodore Norrington was completely obsessed with catching Sparrow…no matter the cost, and that cost would prove to be far more than Norrington could afford. Throughout the night the waves washed over the quarterdeck, and at one point, James heard someone on deck yell the last thing he ever wanted to hear on his ship, "Man overboard!"
It wouldn't be the last time he heard those fateful words.
As the night progressed the storm raged on and everyone on board the Dauntless did everything in their power to keep the ship intact as it capsized and broke apart amidst the fury of the swelling ocean. It was every man for himself as they struggled to protect their own lives. Everything became less clear for James, and eventually, the darkness of the night overcame him.
It was not until dawn broke the following morning did Commodore James Norrington realize the Dauntless was gone when he woke up lying alone on a rocky beach, his head throbbing as he traced a jagged cut along his hairline. Many details from the previous night had sunk with the Dauntless, along with any chance that James Norrington's life would ever be the same.
AN: This is my first attempt at writing a story for Pirates of the Caribbean so please bear with me as I maneuver through this. Luckily I have the fantastic Amani Ishikawa as my beta who has been so wonderful for listening to my ideas and providing a tremendous amount of insight into this whole process.
Sadly I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean and do not pretend to do so. I also don't own the rights to the gorgeous James Norrington/Jack Davenport. However, I do have some right to Alex because she is a creation of my own imagination.
Please leave your thoughts and feelings for this first chapter and believe me when I say things will only get more interesting from here.