A/n: Hello reader! This is my first attempt at a Pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction. I really loved the depiction of Captain Salazar and wanted to have a story surrounding him as the film is relatively new and therefore there is a lack of fanfics about him so far. Hope you enjoy and I should be updating soon!

An English Rose is found unconscious upon an abandoned vessel with only the memory of a flag and a blood covered compass on her mind. As though fortune was on her side, the infamous Spanish Captain takes an interest in her past. However, despite a friendship and more blooming between the two, fate can be cruel and Constance finds herself in the odd situation of falling for the living and running from the dead.

Chapter 1

The sounds of canon fire was numbed by the ringing which echoed in her head. Long pale hair swayed with her body as the large ship was hit over and over again. As though the world had slowed down, the young girl watched as debris and god knows what was thrown around the lower decks, bouncing off the bars of her cage. Suddenly time had caught up once more and the loud clangs and bangs caused her to flinch. Shouting from above broke her from her trance as she realised the severity of her situation. The ship was under attack and by the sounds of it, her captors were not winning.

Grabbing her dirtied skirts, she attempted to get to the other side of her cage but the blows to the ship were causing her to repeatedly lose her balance. Resigned to crawling, she let out small squeaks as more debris began to appear and realised water was beginning to wet her knees. As though her situation could not get any worse she suddenly heard the crew shouting from above about abandoning ship. Panic hit her as the sound of people above grew smaller and smaller yet the water around her was getting higher and higher. Standing up once again she shouted for help and grabbed onto the bars, hopelessly pulling on them.

Then there was silence. A deafening silence which was only filled with the sound of her own quick shallow breath. She couldn't believe it. She was to die, a prisoner on a ship. The bars would not move and she could think of no way of escaping.

"Help! Please!" She shouted, her voice breaking as the water was beginning to reach her waist. When there was no reply, her eyes looked around frantically for anything to help her when her eyes drifted to an odd looking item which was floating just inches away from the bars. Reaching out with trembling fingers, she caught the odd device and gave a defeated sigh when she opened it and it appeared to be a compass. The arrow frantically circled around and she narrowed her eyes at it. Not only was it useless but it was broken. She was just about to drop the damned thing when her thoughts were broken by the sudden pounding of feet above her. She looked up and could see the shape of boots running across the deck and felt a flood of relief as they began to go down the stairs. Seconds later she watched as a figure emerged from the upper decks.

The man ran down the stairs looking around wildly. She took into account his scruffy form and his dirtied face and recognised him slightly. It had been so long since she had seen anyone but a young boy who would give her the occasional drink or meal that she could not be sure if she had met him for all the men she had met on the vessel had looked equally as scruffy. Her staring did not go unnoticed as he stopped in his tracks and stared at her, but his eyes were not drawn to her. Rather to what she was holding.

"The compass!" He exclaimed, relief rippling across his wrinkled face.

"Please, let me out. You can't leave me here!" She pleaded, ignoring his observation. He blinked and moved forward, wading through the rising water until he was inches away from the bars.

"Give me the compass and I will let you out". He growled, his yellow teeth showing slightly through his thin lips. She gave him a cautious look and took a step backwards. She knew very well she had limited time but was not going to be fooled so easily.

"Open the door and I will give you the compass". She demanded, her hand tightening around the object which only five minutes ago had lacked any importance. The man in response cursed under his breath and suddenly ran back up the stairs he had came from, leaving her in shock. She ran forwards again, well aware of the water rising above her chest and was about to shout when he appeared again with a handful of large keys. It took him a few seconds to figure out which key was which and managed to unlock the door. Although the water made it hard to move, the man with some determination managed to push the door enough for her to escape. Once out, she moved past him quickly and ascended the stairs, only to cover her eyes when the blinding sun hit her.

She had hardly any chance to take in her surroundings as the compass was ripped out of her hand with some force. Through blurry eyes, she noticed the ship was well and truly battered. Fire and wood littered the sea and the smell of smoke was potent in the air. She suddenly realised that there had to have been a ship which had caused this and looked round, wondering who had managed to cause such carnage.

But, as she turned and attempted to clear her vision there was a sudden smack followed by pain she had never experienced before. All of a sudden her slim body was falling backwards, the weight of her wet garments dragging her down faster. As though time had once again slowed down, she felt her body hit the floor and watched through blurry eyes as the compass landed near her face, it's cover painted in a dark red liquid. The same liquid which appeared to be pooling beside her and causing her light blonde hair to become darker.

The sound of footsteps echoed in her ears and a weathered hand slowly moved down and grabbed the fallen compass. Turning her head painfully slowly, she observed the man with hooded eyes and watched as his mouth opened and closed. His words fell on deaf ears as she could no longer hear anything, not even the waves or the burning of wood. With one last blink she watched his figure fade away. Turning her head once more she observed the large flag which had once proudly been on display now in ruins and allowed herself a small smirk. As the world turned black the last thing she thought of was that flag and how she hoped to see many more flags of that kind in the same way.