Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean, its plot, or its characters.OR Romeo and Juliet. All original characters arethe works of myown imagination and belong to me. If you want to use them, just ask me and I'lldefinitely say yes because that's likeone of my life goals-to havesomeone else using mycharacters. Doubtful it's going to happen though.
Chapter One
Juliet looked out of her window in Port Royale, smelling the salty sea air and watching the older women going about their business in the early morning. Only seventeen, she had no duties to be attending to besides going to the market today to get eggs and fish. Eggs and fish... This is my life's accomplishment—buying provisions at a market. She pulled a navy blue dress over her petticoats and then combed out her long dark hair, deciding not to pull her wavy tresses back today.
She nodded to her family maid on her way out of the house, basket under her arm. The maid smiled, knowing that these were difficult times for Juliet. Last week she had received word of the death of her father at sea. This left her orphaned, as her mother had died from birth complications years ago. Now that both parents were gone, she was on her own. There was nothing left for her but a small pile of money in the bank—definitely not enough to live the rest of her life on but enough to tide her over until she arranged a good source of income.
Choosing to buy her fish first, Juliet headed to the wharf, pointedly ignoring the whistles that the raucous sailors threw in her direction as she walked by. She waltzed into her usual fishery to buy today's lunch. She told her order to the friendly old cashier, and then let him know that she'd be back in fifteen minutes to pick it up. She stepped outside and hastily bought an apple for her breakfast. She found a barrel about ten feet away from the stand and sat there to eat and watch the people around her. There were a lot of familiar faces… people she'd seen around town, merchants who'd stopped here to refuel, soldiers and the like, but today there seemed to be more strangers than were usual. Juliet noticed that a great ship had berthed in the harbour overnight. The Black Pearl… a slightly dark name for such a magnificent ship, but there didn't seem to be any hard evidence that this was indeed a pirate's vessel.
Juliet continued watching her neighbours and her gaze fell on one such stranger probably about her age. The brilliant Caribbean sun had kissed his skin into its beautiful bronze-tan hue. His hair was long and messy, dreaded, braided, and adorned with multicoloured beads. Currently he was arguing with the stand's owner over the price of cassava bread.
"How's a young sailor such as myself supposed to find anything to eat if you're going to go about charging this inordinate amount for a slight loaf a' bammie?"
She couldn't hear what the owner had responded, but it was presumably not to the sailor's liking, for he suddenly blew up with exasperation.
"Now, sir, I do hope you didn't mean that last comment to impugn me financial state! Just because I'm not willin' to throw my hard-earned wages at your feet does not mean I am little more than an insignificant street whelp! You know, I'm not even sure if I'd like to purchase the bammie anymore, anyways… I was also thinking of picking up a few of these mangos to go with my breakfast, but I'm sure I have enough of 'em on me good ship—Patience, we call her."
Juliet noticed that as he spoke, he picked up an apple and gestured with it, waving it in the air. He turned his head and detected her silent observation of him; she quickly became very interested in her own half-eaten apple. After a few moments, she looked back up and listened in on his story. He was now digging a short fingernail into the apple as he told about his ship.
"Yes, she's a merchant craft. We're on our way to good old England ourselves, carrying almost every commodity imaginable. We've got spices from India—nasty things, if I may say so—you get 'em in your eye and you'll be blinded for a day! Sugar, we have, too… people can't get enough of it in our beloved motherland. Call me no gypsy or fortuneteller, but I'll say if you all keep producing such fine sugar, you will indeed have many years to come in the West Indies!"
The brazen fellow excavated into the apple the entire time.
"Good sir, your senseless chatter has caused a line to form behind me. Now do let me pay for me mangos and bammie!"
Juliet watched as he put the loaf of bread, three mangos, and one apple into the burlap sack he'd slung around his shoulder. The stand's owner saw this and protested.
"No, no! This is my own apple! I've had it with me the whole while! See, I've even taken a bite out of it!"
Satisfied with the round lack of apple, the owner waved him out and shouted for the next customer. The deck hand Juliet had been viewing approached her confidently. With an unseen level of familiarity, he sat himself down on a barrel right next to hers and looked attentively into her face. After a few seconds he said simply,
"Hello."
"Good morning, sir."
"I'm Jack."
"Jack the Apple Thief."
"Yes, but some call me Jack Sparrow. And, if I may, I'm very curious as to the fair lady's name."
Francesca Benedict, the belle of the town, had been milling about the harbour waiting for her father to come home from a naval mission. Juliet assumed he was interested in her, as most men were, and so she fixed her eyes upon the more popular young lady. Jack turned, and looked at her as well, then looked back at Juliet questioningly. At the fishery, the cashier clanged a loud bell yelling "ORDER 17! ORDER 17!" As that was Juliet's order, she stood matter-of-factly, smoothing her dress.
"Her name is Francesca Benedict. Her father is the captain of the Dauntless, which should be arriving momentarily. I wish you luck with her, but I should warn you that she doesn't usually involve herself with every dashing young sailor she meets at the harbour. Good day, sir; I am off to buy fish and eggs."
Juliet picked up her purchase, a paper-wrapped package. Jack remained seated on his barrel and watched her turn the corner. Now that's interesting… He reached into his bag and pulled out a green glass bottle of rum. Just as he was about to bite the cork off, a young girl flounced next to him. Admittedly, the first thing that Jack noticed about this girl was the size of her breasts, which her dress had done almost nothing to hide. Jack slowly lifted his eyes upwards to settle on her face.
"Is this seat taken?" Francesca asked, leaning forward to expose her chest even further to him.
"By all means, no!" Jack grinned, revealing splendidly white teeth in his debonair smile.
"I am Francesca Benedict," she introduced, offering him her hand. He kissed it seductively.
"I am quite pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Benedict."
"I'm getting bored standing here and waiting for my father," she giggled, placing her hand on Jack's knee. "Would you like to entertain me until he arrives?"
"Well, Miss Benedict, I'm afraid I have errands to be running, but I'll be sure to completely ravage you some other time."
"Why, aren't you bold!"
Jack smiled and winked, then turned the corner and rolled his eyes. Now where's my observant little pet?
Juliet was in line to pay for her eggs when she heard a man's whisper in her ear.
"Did you know that you have self esteem issues, miss?"
"Excuse me, sir, I--" Juliet began. She turned and saw Jack. "What are you doing here?"
"Conversing. It is interesting, you know, that when I asked the name of a fair lady, you automatically assumed I meant the marshmallow of yellow petticoats that advanced upon me the minute you left."
"Didn't you mean Francesca? I mean, she's the only one people are interested in."
"No, she's not the only one," Jack said, taking Juliet's hand and kissing it. "I wish to know your name."
Juliet was taken aback—this had never happened to her before. Ever since she could remember, boys were only going after Francesca, never her. Yes, the sailors at the harbour seemed interested enough, but with months at sea with only other men, they'd whistle at any two-legged female.
"J-Juliet."
"And as fair as the noble Capulet, my dear," he said, kissing her hand again. He grinned and added an undertone in her ear, "but I have more important matters to discuss with you."
"What would those be, Mr. Sparrow?"
"You think I'm dashing." Jack batted his eyelashes and laughed.
"Well, I meant to say, oh, yes, I guess—" Juliet handed her shillings to the cashier, who replied "Thank you, Miss Cortés," letting Jack know of Juliet's last name.
"Cortés! Cortés! Surely a descendant of the exceptional explorer himself?"
"Yes, well, I don't know, sir."
"Call me Jack, Miss Cortés. I'm naught but a simple sailor."
"And apple thief."
"And apple thief," he conceded. He took a dangerously low bow, but was startled to discover that she had meandered away during his dip.
Juliet needed to get home to give this fish, whose stench was beginning to permeate the air around her, to the cook before she smelt of the sea forevermore. She stepped lightly and quickly through the cobblestone streets of Port Royale as she found her way to her medium-sized home at the top of a hill.
"Please do let me carry your basket for you," Jack said, popping out from behind a bush.
"How did you…what are you…" Juliet asked breathlessly.
"The red flower of my heart for my beautiful Spanish lady!" Jack produced a delicate blossom from behind his back and offered it to Juliet. She took it, blushing. Suddenly Jack snatched her basket of food and looped his arm through hers.
"Now, I will carry your basket up this hill for you, and you will tell me just how dashing I am."
"I'm not entirely sure this is at all proper, Mr. Sparrow, I mean, what if someone sees—"
"Are you embarrassed of me, love?"
"No…"
"Are you remorseful of the deed we did so well all of last night?"
"MISTER SPARROW!"
In a huff, Juliet seized her basket back from Jack and made to run up the hill away from him, but she couldn't get away before he had stolen her hand.
"Now, now, love, I was only jokin'—I didn't mean to offend you! I'm a pi—I'm a sailor, it's in me nature…"
"Mr. Sparrow, please unhand me! I have business to be attending to without the hindrance of a love-deprived sail—were you about to say pirate?"
"No, love, no! Nothing but a slip of the tongue, mistake of the lips, oh how my honourable fathers must be turning in their graves!"
Still suspicious, Juliet frowned and turned to walk away, forgetting that Jack still held her hand captive with his own.
"'If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this,-
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.'"
Juliet turned, startled by this sudden burst of Shakespeare. How many pirates are so educated?
"Come on, love, just a quick one?"
"Mr. Sparrow, I have a list of many things to do today and kissing and quoting Shakespeare with a pirate I've just met an hour ago is not on it!"
"You know, Miss Cortés, when I first saw you sitting at the harbour, you seemed quite quiet, but you're actually a little bit feisty."
Juliet turned again to walk away, aggravated.
"But you know, I kind of like you. You're the first girl who has not accepted my advances or romances. Haven't kissed me when I asked. Heavens, you 'aven't even flirted back."
"Good day, Mr. Sparrow."
Juliet Cortés, we will meet again.