Title: Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Disclaimer: Pirates of the Caribbean is owned by Disney. Film copyright to Jerry Bruckheimer Productions and script is written by Terry Rossio and Ted Elliot. I own nothing.
Summary: A curse haunts the skeletal crew members of the Black Pearl, and there is only one way to break it. Elizabeth holds the last medallion and the blood needed runs through Will's veins. Enter Jack Sparrow, the roguish pirate and former captain of the Black Pearl. Had the film been made into a book, this would be it.
A/N: I've checked every rule on fanfiction.net and I found nothing against rewriting a film into a book so while I try to find myself a new muse, this is what's going to occupy me. Have fun and leave a review on your way out; I love constructive criticism. Oh yeah, and please excuse me for any grammatical errors or typos. I try to correct them, but as I don't have a beta reader and I'm a flawed person, I can't fix everything. Thanks.
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Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
By: Savvy Jack Sparrow
The vast shape of the broad HMS Dauntless came into view, shrouded by an eerie fog. A young female voice carried out through the silent air. Young Elizabeth Turner gazed out into the sea, standing at the bow of the ship, singing, "...We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot. Drink up, me 'earties, yo ho... We kidnap and pillage and don't give a hoot, drink up me 'earties yo ho... Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me... We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack, drink up—"
A hand grabbed her shoulder. She gasped and whirled around, to see Mr. Gibbs standing behind her.
"Quiet, missy, cursed pirates sail these waters. You don't want to bring them down on us now, do ya?" he warned, his eyes glinting.
"Mr. Gibbs, that will do!" Lieutenant Norrington said shortly, coming up behind them.
"She was singing about pirates," Gibbs pointed to Elizabeth. "Bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog. Mark my words."
"Consider them marked," Norrington replied.
"On your way."
Gibbs nodded, "Aye, Lieutenant." He made his way past Norrington and muttered, "it's bad luck to have a woman on board, too, even a miniature one." He took a long swig from his canteen and wiped his mouth.
"I think it'd be rather exciting to meet a pirate!" Elizabeth exclaimed eagerly.
The lieutenant smiled briefly. "Think again, Miss Swann. Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to that any man who sails under a pirate flag gets what the deserves-" He paused. "-a short drop and a sudden stop."
There was a silence as Elizabeth glanced over at Gibbs who grabbed his shirt collar and imitated being hung from a noose. She gasped and looked back over to Norrington.
Governor Swann interrupted the two and eyed his daughter. "Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor. But I'm... I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter."
Norrington dipped his head and apologized, "My apologies, Governor Swann." He left.
"Actually," Elizabeth piped up. "I find it quite fascinating."
He stared at her momentarily. "Yes, that's what concerns me." He went to rejoin the others.
The girl once again looked out into the sea as she had been doing before when her gaze fell upon a parasol floating in the water. How curious, she thought to herself, eyes following the white object as she moved down the deck with it. Suddenly, she spotted a piece of wreckage in the water, a young boy sprawled across it, unmoving.
"Look, a boy! There's a boy in the water!" she cried with alarm.
"Man overboard!" Gibbs yelled.
Norrington began to shout orders to the sailors. "Haul him aboard!" The crew members hastily brought the boy on board, the limp body being placed on deck. The rise and fall of his chest brought relief to them all. "He's still breathing."
Gibbs tore his eyes off the boy and ran to the side of the ship, and stared in shock at what he saw. "Mary, Mother of God!"
The others rushed up to see what Gibbs was so astounded by. The burning outline of what was once a ship lay before them. Scattered pieces of flaming wood surrounded it and a heavy trail of smoke floated from the wreckage.
"What happened there?" Governor Swann asked, incredulously.
"It's most likely the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed," Norrington assured him. As they watched, a burning segment of the wooden mast collapsed.
"A lot of good it did them," Gibbs growled. He turned to give Norrington a wary look. "Everyone's thinkin' it, I'm jus' sayin' it – pirates!"
Governor Swann laughed nervously. "There's no proof of that," he responded hastily. "It was probably an accident!"
Elizabeth left the railing and slowly walked towards the boy. The sailors stared at the remaining wreckage of the ship a moment longer before Norrington began to bark out commands. "Rouse the Captain immediately! Heave to and take in sail, load the boats!" They split and went to work. A small boat was sent to investigate the damaged ship.
Governor Swann bent over next to Elizabeth so that she could hear him over the working chaos that had taken over the ship. "Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge... Take care of him."
She nodded mutely and leaned down over the boy. Her hand brushed away his sopping wet hair from his face and jumped with a start when he woke abruptly, grabbing her arm. "It's okay. My name is Elizabeth Swann."
"W-W-Will Turner," he stuttered, before falling unconscious once again.
"I'm watching over you, Will." A flash of gold caught Elizabeth's eye. She gently pulled out a circular object that was attached to a chain clasped around Will's neck. It was a golden medallion, with a skull etched upon it. "You're a p-pirate!"
"Has he said anything?"
Elizabeth yanked the necklace off of the boy's neck and whirled around with a gasp, hiding it behind her back. "His name is William Turner. That's all I found out."
Norrington nodded and motioned to his sailors. "Take him below."
Elizabeth went over to the stern of the ship and glanced warily around her before carefully uncovering the medallion. She held it up to get a better view, and squinted out into the fog. Suddenly, a looming, black-sailed ship came into view. Her eyes widened as they rested on the billowing, black flag – the symbol of the skull and crossbones. The sign of the Black Pearl.
She closed her eyes tightly.
******
Her eyes snapped open. An older Elizabeth lay in bed, now a full-grown woman. She looked around her room and climbed out, picking up the flickering candle aside her bed. Just a dream. She pulled open her dresser drawer and placed the books in it onto the surface of the desk. She stared at the dark, musky bottom of the drawer before placing her fingers around the handle in the middle and prying it open. A hidden compartment appeared, where the medallion lay, covered in dust, untouched for many years.
Elizabeth picked it up and gazed at it, replacing the bottom of the drawer and closing it. She carefully wiped the dust off and undid the clasp on the chain. Looking into her mirror, she hung it around her neck and stared at her reflection.
A sharp knock on her bedroom door made her snap out of her dream-like daze. "Elizabeth!"
She ran to the side of her bed, stumbling over her chair in a quick attempt to reach her robe. Several loud knocks followed.
"Are you alright?" Governor Swann asked, hearing the commotion from outside the room. "Are you decent?"
"Yes, yes!" Elizabeth called out, pulling the robe around her nightgown and hiding the medallion inside her bodice just as the door opened.
A chuckle escaped from her father's lips. He also had aged; his once brown hair now a shade of grey. "Oh, still at bed at this hour?" The maids bustled into the room, one of them pulling open the closed window to reveal a view of the sparkling blue ocean. Light poured into the room. "It's a beautiful day." He turned to the maid carrying a box. "I have a gift for you." The lid of the box was removed, to reveal a beautiful corset and dress.
Elizabeth gasped and exclaimed enthusiastically, "Oh, it's beautiful!" She held it up in front of her and admired it.
"Isn't it?" he replied with a note of pride in his voice.
She turned to the governor and smiled. "May I inquire as to the occasion?"
He raised his eyebrows and said, "Does a father need an occasion to dote upon his daughter?" He chortled as Elizabeth went to put on the dress. "Go on." The two maids followed behind for assistance.
"Actually, I, uh... I had hoped you might wear it for the ceremony today."
"The ceremony?" Elizabeth asked, hanging her nightgown onto the dressing wall.
Governor Swann hesitated a moment before answering, "Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony."
The young woman's face appeared, her eyes narrowed fiercely. "I knew it!" she hissed.
"Commodore Norrington he's about to become!" he added quickly. "Fine gentlemen, don't you think?" He didn't wait for an answer before plunging on ahead. "He fancies you."
There was a pause of silence where the sounds of strapping and yanking were heard, along with a intake of breath from Elizabeth.
"...Elizabeth? How's it coming?"
Elizabeth winced as the corset was tugged tighter. "It's difficult to say," she gritted between clenched teeth.
"I'm told it's the latest fashion in London."
Curse the women in London! She thought angrily. "Well, the women in London must've learned not to breath!" Elizabeth snapped.
The shadow of the butler appeared at the door. "M'lord, you have a visitor."
******
Downstairs, in the main hall of the Swann mansion, a young man with russet hair and brown eyes in blacksmith clothing waited patiently. His name was Will Turner. A long, thin box was underneath one arm as he took in his surroundings. Curiously, he reached up to the hall lamp to inspect the craftsmanship put into it, and then retracted his arm. To his horror, the lamp came down with his hand, the sound echoing around the large room. Eyes widening, he glanced around before attempting to put it into his pocket, and then dropped the lamp into the nearest hollow object he could find, which happened to be the cane holder. One of the servants walked past him, clearing his throat. The blacksmith nodded curtly.
At that moment, the governor walked into the room. "Ah, Mr. Turner, good to see you again," he said with a courteous nod.
"Good day, sir," he responded politely, as he set the sword case upon the table. "I have your order." He opened the case and took the sword from the box, bowing slightly as the older man took the sword from the blacksmith's hands, drawing it from its sheath.
"The blade is folded steel, that's gold filigree inlaid into the handle. If I may...?" Will requested, reaching for the blade. The governor nodded and handed it to him. Will expertly balanced the sword in his hands. "Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade." He flipped it in the air and caught the blade gracefully so the handle was facing Governor Swann.
"Impressive! Very impressive." He looked it over once more before remarking, "Ah, now, Commodore Norrington is going to be very pleased with this. Do pass my compliments on to your Master." He sheathed the sword and handed it to him.
Will looked up at the governor as he re-clasped the case of Norrington's sword and smiled. "I shall. A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated." His gaze shifted to the slender young lady coming down the stairs.
"Ah, Elizabeth. You look absolutely stunning," her father cried, delighted with the outfit she was wearing.
Elizabeth looked past her father over to Will. "Will! So good to see you," she said breathlessly, making her way down the stairs. "I had a dream about you last night!"
"About me?"
Governor Swann looked from Will to Elizabeth asked uneasily, "Elizabeth, is that entirely proper for you to...?"
"About the day we met, do you remember?" she continued, not hearing her father.
"How could I forget, Miss Swann?"
Elizabeth stared into his eyes. "Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?"
"At least once more, Miss Swann. As always," he replied, smiling uncertainly.
"There, see, at least the boy has a sense of propriety," Governor Swann interrupted swiftly, stepping forward to grab the box. "Now, we really must be going. Farewell."
"Good day, Mr. Turner," Elizabeth acknowledged cordially.
"Come along," Governor Swann called.
She turned, her gaze lingering on the boy as she finally left the household.
Will stood still for a moment before trailing after her. "Good day..." The doors closed behind him and Elizabeth watched him from her carriage. "Elizabeth."
******