DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean story or characters.
***NOTE: THIS WILL GET BETTER, I PROMISE! I'm just beginning with the same first part of the movie... it will change, don't worry!***
Okay, it's basically the same general story, but with few changes... ^_^. My own version of POTC. There's more stuff between Will and Elizabeth, and Jack Sparrow just might find a girl. The first chapter is pretty much the same thing as the movie, but mainly in a third-person Elizabeth P.O.V. Well, you'll see.. ^_^. Tell me how you like it!! Please R&R.
Chapter 1
Elizabeth stared into the deep, thickening mists hovering over the seas; a mixture of faded blues and grays, swirling together with the chilling wind. She was only a child, and she knew it, yet she still yearned for adventure.
Her dark brown eyes focused more intently, trying to see through the impenetrable mists. She knew they were out there. The pirates… she had always dreamt of meeting one. Oh, but of course not… they were bloody and gruesome, ravenous menacing killers. At least, her father would always tell her. Her father… he had always doubted Elizabeth's strength and courage, always looking out for her and protecting her; sheltering her from anything and everything even the least bit dangerous. Elizabeth had always respected him for that, and yet at the same time wished he would change. She wished that he would, for once, just let her go.
"Yo, ho, yo, ho… a pirate's life for me---" She gasped as an old, leathery hand clutched her shoulder.
"Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call 'em down on us?" an old voice hoarsely whispered, its breath curled as it touched her ear. She turned around, her eyes wide with fear.
"Mister Gibbs, that will do," Norrington, a handsome young fellow in his early twenties, glared sternly at the elderly man.
"But sir… she be singin' about pirates. Bad luck to be singin' about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog --- mark my words,"
"Consider them marked. On your way."
"Aye, Cap'n," he grunted. As he turned away, Elizabeth heard him mutter, "Bad luck to have a woman on board, too… even a mini'ture one," he took another glance at her and continued swabbing the decks of the ship.
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate," she said.
"Think again, Miss Swan. Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to it that any man that sails under a pirate flag, or wears a pirate brand, gets what he deserves: a short drop and a sudden stop."
Elizabeth looked at him questioningly, not knowing what he meant. Her eyes widened at the sight of Mr. Gibbs mimicking a man being hung. She then saw her father, the governor, come up besides Norrington, fixing his brass buttons on his thick, navy blue jacket.
"Captain Norrington, I appreciate your fervor, but I am concerned about the effect this subject will have on my daughter," he said. Elizabeth frowned at her father.
"My apologies, Governor," said Norrington.
"Actually, I find it all fascinating," she said. The Governor looked at his daughter uncertainly.
"And that's what concerns me. Elizabeth, dear… we will be landing in Port Royal very soon, and beginning our new lives. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we comport ourselves as befits our class and station?"
"Yes, father," she sighed.
Elizabeth walked over to the edge of the deck, resting her arms on the side of the ship as she stared aimlessly into the mist.
"I still think it would be exciting to meet a pirate…"
She then looked down into the black sea, an endless abyss of ocean. Suddenly, something caught her eye. A white speck of something, floating on the abyss. Her eyes squinted as she looked closer, identifying it as a lady's umbrella.
She laughed to herself as the thing twirled around, its long handle facing upwards as the tattered white cloth spun around in the water. Her small smile suddenly faded when she saw a piece of driftwood with something laying on it. It was… it was…
"A boy! There's a boy! There's a boy in the water!"
Norrington and her father rushed over to Elizabeth, spotting the floating piece of wreck. The boy was sprawled upon a broken piece of wood, seemingly a part of a ship.
"Man overboard!"
"Fetch a hook! Haul him out of there!"
Elizabeth tried to make her way through the quick movement and activity on the deck. The sailors used a boathook to snag the boy out of the water as he passed. Captain Norrington and the Governor hauled him aboard and laid him on the deck. Elizabeth sidled in for a closer look.
"He's still breathing," Norrington said, relieved.
"Where did he come from?" she asked.
"Mary, mother of God…"
They turned their attention to an apparently awestricken Mr. Gibbs. He pointed shakily into the clearing mists. Elizabeth gasped as a burning wreckage faded into view. The fire rose to the sky as the ship blackened into ashes. She could smell the faint odor of burning corpses, decomposing in the air. She covered her face in disgust as she saw the bodies of its crew floating in the sea. What was left of the ship's hull burned and crashed into the water. A ragged British flag could be seen hanging limply from the stern. It looked like the ship from the netherworld.
"What happened here?" The sound of her father's voice led a slight bit of comfort to her.
"An explosion in the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed."
"A lot of good it did them," Mr. Gibbs grunted. Governor Swan frowned at him. "Everyone's thinking it. I'm just saying it… pirates!"
"There's no proof of that. It could have been an accident. Captain, these men were protection. If there is even the slightest chance one of those poor devils is still alive, we cannot abandon them!"
"Of course not, Governor," Norrington turned to the crew. "Come about and strike the sails! Unlash the boats! Gunnery crew… jackets off the cannons!" he looked at Governor Swan. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,"
"Move the boy aft. We'll need the deck clear,"
Elizabeth still stared at the horrible wreck, unable to take her eyes off of it. Her father pulled her away from the hideous scene in the water.
"Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He's in your charge now. You'll watch over him?"
She nodded solemnly as she watched her father hurry away to help unstow the longboat. Her eyes turned to see the boy, still sleeping in unconsciousness. She kneeled down next to him, staring into his bruised complexion. She brushed some of the dirt and ashes from his handsome face. Curiously, she swept his light brown hair from his eyes…
Suddenly, he gasped and grabbed her wrist, coughing up water. Elizabeth nearly screamed, but her fear seemed to fade away as their eyes locked. She looked at his hand clutching hers, and softly touched it and held onto it with her other hand.
"My name is Elizabeth Swan," she whispered.
"W-Will… Will Turner," he stuttered, still in apprehension.
"I'm watching over you, Will,"
He clutched her hands again, and then slowly slipped back into unconsciousness. Elizabeth smiled, but then noticed a golden chain shimmering under the collar of his shirt. She gently lifted the necklace, tugging it free. A golden skull gazed up at her, as if from the darkest depths of the sea. Her eyes grew in amazement as she traced the strange Aztec design of the medallion. She looked into his lifeless eyes.
"You're a… a pirate…"
Elizabeth saw Norrington coming closer to her, and quickly snatched the necklace and hid it under her coat.
"Did he speak?"
"His-his name is Will Tuner… that is all I found out,"
"Very good,"
Norrington hurried away back to send orders to the crew. Elizabeth dashed across the deck to the stern of the ship as she further examined the strange medallion. Wow… a real live pirate…
Suddenly, a chilling wisp of the wind lashed against her face. She looked up into the smouldering horizon. Somewhat obscured by the fog was another ship… but it had black sails. Elizabeth was too frightened to speak. She glanced from the skull on the medallion to the tattered flag on the ship… it had a skull with crossbones.
** Please R & R, and let me know how you like it so far. **