"There's a pirate threatening the Governor's daughter!" Someone shouted in town.
Chatter started flaring up immediately about whom the pirate may or may not be. One girl stayed out of the conversations and went to see whom this pirate was. She was friends' with the Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Swann, and anyone who threatened her friends threatened her.
Her black hair was flying behind her as she ran, her green eyes filled anger, her golden dress flew behind her as she ran. She arrived at the docks, where the pirate supposedly was, as Elizabeth was pushed back into the crowd of Royal Navy officials.
The pirate flew up onto a spinning thing used for maintenance on the ships. The men in the crowd started shooting at him now, he stopped and zip-lined down a rope and into the town.
"Capture him!" Commodore Norington shouted as the men scattered into the town.
The girl walked up to Elizabeth and her father, Governor Swann. "Elizabeth are you ok?" She asked, concerned for her friend.
Elizabeth nodded. "I'm fine Ria. A little shaken, but fine."
Ria smiled. "Thank god! So, who was that guy?" Ria had the feeling that she recognized him, but wasn't sure.
Elizabeth shook her head. "Some pirate named…Jack Sparrow, I think...?"
Ria ran back toward the town. "Thanks!" It's him, just as I thought! This is exactly the stupid kind of thing that he'd do.
She ran into the town just in time to see the men from earlier trying to force open the door to the blacksmith's shop. Ria knew the two blacksmiths' well. She also knew that if it was the Jack Sparrow she was thinking of was inside there, the two blacksmiths' would have no problem dealing with him, not even the drunk one.
As Ria ran up, the men were able to force their way into the shop and capture Jack.
"Thank you Mr. Merrser. You helped in the capture of a dangerous man." Commodore Norington said to the drunken blacksmith.
"Just fulfilling my civil duties, sir." Mr. Merrser said, clutching an empty Rum bottle to his chest like there was still some in it.
Just behind Norington, a dust covered boy stood looking between the two like they were crazy. His name was Will Turner; his normally black hair had a slight red tint from some dust. His clothes also bore a slight red tint from the dust.
Norington looked down at the unconscious Jack and smiled. "Well, everyone will remember this as the day that Jack Sparrow almost escaped. Take him away."
The other Navy officers grabbed Jack and took him away. As they passed Ria, she recognized him when she got a good look at his face. That was the Jack Sparrow she thought it was.
Ria walked up to Will. "You okay, Will?"
Norington looked at Ria. "Miss Night…? What are you doing in a blacksmiths' shop?"
"I saw your men trying to get in and I was curious as to why." Ria said, acting like a young lady would be expected to act. "And as your men passed with that pirate, I realized that it was to capture the pirate who threatened Elizabeth." Why doesn't anyone here call me by my name?
"I see. Are you friends with Miss Swann?"
Ria nodded. "I am."
"No relation?" Norington pressed.
"No, none at all." Ria said. "But her, Governor Swann, and Will have all been like family since I arrived in Port Royal."
Norington walked out of the shop.
Will laughed.
Ria looked over at Will with an angry look. "You think it's funny that I have to act 'proper' to Commodore Norington…?"
"Yes!" Will laughed.
Ria punched Will in the arm. "I don't enjoy acting 'proper'! It's a waste of time and energy." Ria sighed. If I could act how I want around everybody, I would be happy.
Will grabbed a bucket of water and put his head in it so he could wash the dust from his hair. He came back up and his face was no longer covered in dust and neither was some of his hair.
Ria walked out of the shop. "See ya Will!"
Will grabbed a towel and wiped the water off of his face. "Goodbye."
Ria walked to where they kept prisoners and found that the guards were on break and snuck in. She walked down, looking in every cell, until she saw the man she was looking for; Jack Sparrow.
Ria put her hands on the cold bars of the cell, Jack had his eyes shut. "So, this is what you've become…?"
Jack looked in her direction. "Huh?"
"You've become a caged animal, Jack. I never expected it." Ria said, smiling at Jack.
Jack walked over to her. "You look familiar, have I threatened you before…?"
Ria shook her head. "No, we've met each other before though."
Jack gave her a weird look. "Who are you?"
Ria let go of the cell bars and leaned against the opposite wall. "Ria Night. We met ten years ago on an abandoned island, parted ways at Tortuga. I never thought I'd see you again."
Jack thought for a minute. "…Oh yes, I remember you now! You were lovely in a pirate outfit…why the change?"
Ria sighed. "I live here in Port Royal now. Nobody can know that I was once a pirate or I'd have to face the gallows."
"You know…I would take you to the sea again if you helped me out of this cell." Jack offered.
Ria shook her head. "As much as I like you Jack, I don't have the means to release you…But I know someone who might. I'll tell the Governor that it was a drunk misunderstanding and that you should be released."
"And if that don't work?" Jack asked, sitting down.
Ria shrugged. "I don't know."
The guards were coming up a passage, muttering something about hearing a civilian in the jail.
Ria ran out of the jail and back to her house in the middle of town. Once in her house, she changed from her gold dress to a baggy white long-sleeved shirt that was tied at the ends of the sleeved and blood red capris, she tucked the shirt in. Ria unlocked her dressed first drawer and pulled out a pirate captain hat and put it on.
Ria looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. I could go back to that life just by helping an old friend… She reached for some earrings that she hadn't worn in years. They were dangling diamond earrings that Jack gave her back on the island.
As she was putting them on, there was cannon fire coming from the port. Ria ran out of her room and upstairs, where the guest rooms were. She looked out one of the windows and saw a single ship with black sails in the harbor, firing on Port Royal.
Ria put on her earrings, put on some socks and shoes, packed some clothes into a small backpack, grabbed a sword that hadn't been used in years, and ran out of her house. As Ria exited her house, a cannon ball hit it, destroying it. She had no home in Port Royal anymore, but she thought it was fate telling her to stop living a lie and become a pirate once again.
Ria put her sword on her side and smirked. "They're coming." Ria ran toward the blacksmiths' shop to get Will.
…
Will was sharpening a sword when Ria ran inside. He realized what she was wearing and saw the backpack. "Ria, why are you dressed like that? What's going on?"
Ria ran up to Will. "The Black Pearl is the harbor. A legendary pirate ship is in the harbor! It's firing on Port Royal…my house is gone."
"What?!" Will asked, grabbing a sword.
Ria nodded. "And I'm leaving on the Interceptor now. It's the opportune moment for me to leave. I want you to help me free Jack Sparrow and join us on the sea."
Will shook his head. "I'm not a pirate. And neither are you. You can live here until we build you a new home…You're not leaving Port Royal!" Will ran out of the shop as a pirate tried entering. "Ria, my hatchet!" He shouted, stabbing the pirate.
Ria grabbed Will's hatchet and gave it to him as she ran outside, unsheathing her own sword.
Will ran up beside her. "You any good?"
Ria shrugged. "It's been a while since I fought with a sword, but it shouldn't take me to long to get used to it again."
Will laughed.
They ran at a group of pirates. Ria stabbed and slashed at them, and the pirates dropped like flies. Will threw his hatchet at one that almost killed Ria.
Will ran past and grabbed his hatchet out of the pirates back. "Be careful!"
"Whatever!" Ria killed another pirate and ran to the jail.
Jack and the other prisoners were gathered at the cell windows, looking out at the Black Pearl. Ria was running up to Jack's cell when a hole was blown in the wall in the cell next to Jack's. Ria coughed because of the dust, not hearing what one of the prisoners said to Jack as he escaped.
When the dust cleared, one of the guards fell down the steps as two pirates forced their way into the jail. Ria hid behind a wooden crate that was against the other wall, in front of Jack's cell.
Jack saw her there, but kept quiet about it.
The two pirates walked down the stairs. "This isn't the armory!" One of them shouted.
The other one saw Jack. "Well, well, look what we have here! If it isn't Jack Sparrow…?"
"Last we saw you, you were screamin' into the distance." The first one said. "His fortunes haven't improved much."
"Well, the deepest belly of hell is reserved for murderers and traitors." Jack said, walking up to the cell door.
The second pirate put his arm through one of the square holes in the cell door and grabbed Jack's neck. The part of his arm that the moonlight hit turned to bone, the part of his sleeved looked ripped and tattered, but the rest of his body and shirt looked normal.
"That's interesting." Jack said, looking at the guy's arm.
"You know nothing of hell!" The pirate said, releasing Jack's neck. His arm becoming normal once the moonlight wasn't hitting it.
The two pirates left.
"That's very interesting." Jack said, looking at his own hand.
Ria stood up when she was sure the coast was clear, her legs were shaking a little, her sword was lying on the ground. "What was that?"
"Cursed pirates." Jack said apathetically.
"Tell me why and how to kill them!" Ria said, she wanted to be rid of the pirates. "I killed one of them earlier, I'm sure of it."
"No to the first, no the second." Jack said, sitting against the cells wall.
"Why?!"
"Because, you'll find out why they're cursed soon enough and there's no way of killing them." Jack said.
Ria realized something at that moment and picked up her sword. "Will!"
"Wait!" Jack said, Ria stopped and looked back at him. "That's looks good on you."
Ria smiled and ran out of the jail. There were no more pirates in town, just the townspeople who weren't killed in the assault by either the pirates or the cannons.
Ria looked over to the harbor and saw that the Black Pearl was leaving. "They're leaving…?"
Next Time;
Back On The Seas:
Ria, Will, and Jack commandeer a ship and go to rescue Elizabeth from the man who stole Jack's ship from him.