A thick mist hung over the world. It descended from the cloud filled heavens, sinking down from its lofty perch to engulf the land below in shadows and whispers. The sea lay beneath it, steadfast in its movement against the dark, but it could barely be seen, only a few shifting waves visible from a handful of feet away. The rest simply disappeared into the nothingness. It could still be heard, though. The gentle noise of water permeated the stifling air, bringing with it fresh breeze and a salty smell that helped to liberate the mist's captives. From above, the sun could almost be made out, its rays fighting to break through the grey prison to reach the land below it. Few succeeded, but those that did helped to light up the areas they greeted, with those that remained working to shift aside the unnatural fog, and clear the way for the birds and fish that travelled above and below the water. As well as for the large ship that cruised through the near still ocean.
It was a truly awesome sight to those fortunate enough to see it, gliding through the mist like a knife through butter. With three masts and multiple gun decks, it towered above the water, a terrifying Goliath that commanded respect and fear, whichever would be more effective in keeping a person in line. Proudly bearing the Union Jack, as well as the winged victory figurehead, it was the pride of the Royal Navy, the H.M.S Dauntless. Smoothly sailing through the sea, its rigging moved with the wind and the movement of the men climbing up and down it, sails puffed out with air to continue the ship's journey onwards towards its destination, the Caribbean. While the men worked, the sounds of their struggles barely seeped through the world, seeming muted and faint, as if trapped in their own inescapable bubbles. Only one voice could be clearly heard, above the wind and the waves, above the toil of the sailors and the order of the officers. From the bow rail, staring ahead into the empty nothingness of the ship's direction, there stood a young girl, clad in a dress with her strawberry blonde hair pulled into a light style atop and behind her head. She sang, almost under her breath, completely enclosed in a world of her own, away from the shifting deck beneath her.
"Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me. Yo, ho, yo, ho, it's a pirate's life for me."
The brief tap of footsteps behind her brought Elizabeth out of her bubble, and she turned slightly, spotting the boy who had moved up to stand beside her. Only three years older, the young man was already a full head taller than the twelve-year-old girl, towering over her like some protective statue. His dark blond hair, long but nowhere near as long as Elizabeth's, blew slightly in the small breeze, while his grey eyes looked down on her with clear merriment, showing his enjoyment of the situation. Dressed in a light brown coat, he seemed to give off a sense of nobility, an ease of power that she had only truly seen in her father and his friends. The young man smiled down at Elizabeth.
"You have been singing that same song ever since we left port." He sighed, the twinkling in his eyes digging away at the exasperation his voice contained. "Don't you ever get tired of it? Surely you know something else." It was true, Elizabeth had been singing, or at least humming, the same tune for days, weeks now, beginning a few hours after they had seen the last speck of land fall away behind them. It was understandable, though. She had been left with very little to do, being confined to her cabin or the small area of deck she now stood on, surrounded by obstacles and men who would prevent her from doing anything aside from standing there. It was driving her slowly mad, the stifling boredom of sea travel wearing her slowly down. She stared up at the older boy.
"You know I love this song, Edward." She said to the boy, her small voice still clear to her new companion. "And there's nothing else for me to do." Her eyes remained level, morphing into a look that almost dared for someone to tell her to stop.
"I know, Beth." The boy, Edward, assured her in a placating way, putting his hands up as if defending himself from further onslaught. "And I'm not telling you to stop. I know it's boring, but," he looked around in a conspiratorial manner before leaning in to whisper, "I heard that we only have a few days left to go." At her bright smile, he let out a laugh. "There, that's better. Keep this up, and I promise to teach you some new songs. Also about pirates." He quickly added, seeing the query pop into the young girl's eyes.
"Thank you, Edward." She said, quickly hugging him at the very important promise he had made.
"Ah, don't mention it. It'll annoy Father to no ends, but then again, what are brothers for anyways?" He brushed aside her thanks, squeezing her shoulder at the near-death grip he was trapped in. Pulling her arms off from around his waist, he leaned against the wooden rail. "Now go on, keep singing. You know how much I love this part."
Seeing the smile on her older brother's face, Elizabeth smiled in turn, resuming the song that had inspired her love of the legendary pirates.
"Drink up me hearties, yo, ho…"
Suddenly, she was stopped once again by someone clutching at her shoulder. Surprised, she spun around to stand face to face with Mr Gibbs, one of the sailors that swarmed around the ship.
"Quiet, missy!" the man hissed, his voice low and filled with warning. "Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call 'em down on us?" Too shocked for words, Elizabeth looked quickly to Edward, who had moved forward when she had been grabbed. His fists were closed, and she could see how the knuckles whitened under the strain they were under. Not for the first time, she was glad for the presence of her, sometimes overprotective, brother.
"Mr Gibbs." A commanding voice called out from behind the grey whiskered man, and all three gathered turned to see Lieutenant Norrington, standing as straight as a board further back on the deck, glaring at Gibbs with a stern expression. Beside the navy man stood the Swann siblings' father, the newly appointed governor of Port Royal, wearing a thick red jacket with brass buttons. While Elizabeth felt an instant comfort flow through her at the sight of her father, Edward only felt the muscles in his shoulders tighten, strain growing at the presence of the two men. "That will do." The lieutenant continued, his words possessing the command needed for the old sailor to release the young Swann, turning to properly face his superior.
"She was singing about pirates. Bad luck to sing about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog-mark my words." The man cautioned, and Elizabeth saw Edward, in the corner of her eye, rolling his own. Gibb's reputation for being a superstitious man had been a source of great delight for the elder Swann sibling throughout the trip, the young man always taking the opportunity to provoke some sort of crazed warning from the old sailor. The pair had, nonetheless, managed to get on fairly well, with the son of the governor often being found listening to tales of times gone past from the experience, though often drunk, man. And, as with multiple times in the past, Gibb's warnings fell on deaf ears.
"Consider them marked. On your way." Norrington instructed, his voice clearly showing his view on the cautionary words.
"Aye lieutenant." Gibbs obeyed, ducking slightly as he moved passed his superior officer towards his swabbing duties, still muttering. Edward barely managed to hear the man's ramblings. "Bad luck to have a woman on board, too. Even a miniature one." The young Swann smiled slightly as, just after these words, Gibbs took a surreptitious swig from a flask, with Edward not needing to guess what was in it. He himself had drunk from that flask, after hours of asking and annoyance, with his understanding of the man's caution becoming clearer with the copious amounts of rum. While Elizabeth had posed no issue to the ship's journey, sailors would always have their superstitions. Still, he thought, slightly grumpily, that was no reason to insult his sister.
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate." Elizabeth made her voice heard, the love of all things pirate she had coming straight to the surface with the words. Both Edward and Norrington smiled at the simple statement, although for very different reasons. Despite his occasional mocking of the topic, Edward was also interested in meeting a pirate. The idea of a life of freedom on the sea appealed to him immensely, not least after the recent conversations he'd been having with his father. Just from looking at the lieutenant's face, anyone could tell how the idea of a pirate being exciting was completely ludicrous.
"Think again, Miss Swann." Norrington began, walking slowly to stare out at the sea, the same as Elizabeth had done only moments before. "Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag, or wears a pirate brand, gets what he deserves: a short drop and a sudden stop." The last words caused a slight smirk to form on the officer's face, although it was lost on the young girl he was talking to. She had, not understanding the meaning of the final statement, turned to her brother, who chose to very colourfully enact the sight of a man getting hung. A shocked gasp from Elizabeth, and the new Governor moved forwards, shooting a quick glare of disapproval at his son.
"Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervour, but I am concerned about the effect this subject will have on my children." The older man quickly intervened, desperate to avoid further stoking the fire in his daughter for that subject. He missed the eye roll Edward sent his way, and thankfully didn't hear the quiet, yet heavy, sigh from the younger man.
"My apologies, Governor." Norrington said quickly, turning as he did so to return to his duties. Elizabeth was quick to pipe up in his absence.
"Actually, I find it all fascinating." She said, challenging her father and the viewpoint he wished to instil. While she herself didn't realise this, her brother most certainly did, and he allowed a triumphant smirk to spread across his features. Elizabeth had always been something of a maverick in this regard, going against social norms if it meant getting what she wanted. And Edward was only too happy to assist in this behaviour.
"Yes, that's what concerns me." The sibling's father said with a sigh, before turning and heading back towards his cabin. The two Swanns watched him go for a second, the younger one containing a mixture of shame and curiosity, while the older one was nothing by anger. As the two went to face the oncoming ocean again, Edward leaned in, filled with the desire to remove the unhappy look from his sister's face.
"You know, I still think it would be exciting to meet a pirate…" he whispered, a smirk in his voice as Elizabeth smiled up at him. He was always there to cheer her up. The pair faced forward again, when something caught the eyes of both. There was something floating in the water. As it passed closer to the ship, losing the shrouding tendrils of smoke that had clung to it, both brother and sister could clearly see the upside-down parasol, calmly bobbing as it slowly passed alongside the massive ship's hull. Neither of them spoke, the shock at the unexpected object seeming to remove the ability.
"I'm not the only one who saw that, am I?" Edward finally managed to whisper, the confusion surrounding the out of place item displayed clearly on his face. Elizabeth, however, said nothing, her eyes trailing further into the mist, as another dark silhouette, a much larger one, began to appear. As the details came into focus, her eyes widened.
"Look! A boy! There's a boy in the water!" She called out, grabbing the attention of the rest of the crew while tugging insistently on Edward's arm. Men rushed to the railing, peering over to the barely visible water below them.
"Man overboard!" Norrington cried out, directing the men with his usual regimented control. "Man the ropes. Fetch a Hook!" Before the sailors could do anything, however, there came a loud splash, and the dozens of eyes looked overboard once again, to see the figure of Edward swimming quickly towards the floating wooden raft. He'd pulled off his jacket, leaving it in Elizabeth's arms, and moved with powerful strokes through the water. Gripping onto the unconscious boy, he pulled him into the water, both man and boy floating on their backs as Edward slowly pulled the two towards the ship. Seeing the pair near, Norrington resumed his control.
"Haul them aboard!" He cried out. "And for God's sake, get a blanket!" Men rushed to obey, dragging the sodden figures aboard and, while lying the unknown boy on the deck, wrapped Edward up in a slightly sodden, although warm, blanket, the young man pulling it closer to him as the cold of the sea finally registered in his mind. Checking the boy over, Norrington pulled back with his assessment. "He's still breathing."
Elizabeth, meanwhile, was hugging her brother close to her, when she heard Gibbs' low voice rasp out. "Mary, Mother of God!" Turning to follow the old sailor's eyes, Elizabeth and Edward, along with the dozens of assembled sailors, stared out at a scene of utter destruction. A ship was on fire in the middle of the sea, the flames almost ripping through the fog to make the sight clearer. Fire licked up the cracked and broken hull, with various pieces of flotsam bobbing in the water around from the centre point. Looking out in horror, Elizabeth was distracted by the sudden presence of her father, seemingly attracted by the commotion.
"What happened here?" He asked.
"It's most likely the powder magazine." Norrington answered, his voice filled with calm certainty. "Merchant vessels run heavily armed." Edward and Elizabeth glanced at one another at these words, another conclusion roaming in their minds. And at least one other person agreed with them.
"A lot of good it did them." Gibbs' voice came clear through the near silent air. At a look from Norrington, he continued, unabashed. "Everyone's thinking it. I'm just saying it. Pirates."
"There's no proof of that." Governor Swann was quick to suppress the idea, and Edward rolled his eyes at the actions of his father. He was crushing what could be the accurate conclusion just because he didn't like it. "It was probably an accident."
Norrington chose that moment to take charge, seemingly eager to quench the crew's opportunity to come up with their own theories. "Rouse the Captain immediately! Heave to and take in sail. Launch the boats." Some of the sailors moved the young boy from his position on the deck, as others rushed around to stop the ship and deploy the boats. Edward, though shivering, sighed at the pointless action.
"They won't find anything." He said under his breath, with even Elizabeth straining to hear his words. "No one's coming out of that fire." As he muttered to himself, the Governor approached his daughter.
"Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him." He glanced over at the bundled form of his son. "As well as your brother." He finished with a light smile, one that, despite their relationship, Edward couldn't help but return. Elizabeth merely nodded at her father's instructions, holding her brother's wrist as she walked over to the young boy. When the duo reached the boy's unconscious form, she let go of the older man's hand, looking over the younger body and running a hand through his hair. Suddenly, the boy jerked awake, grabbing Elizabeth's hand as he looked around him, confusion and panic in his eyes.
"It's ok. My name's Elizabeth Swann. This is my brother, Edward." She quickly introduced herself, trying to put the young boy at ease. It seemed to work.
"W-W-Will Turner." He stuttered out, either from the prior events he'd been through or the chill he must have felt in his bones. Edward felt the latter to be more likely.
"We're watching over you, Will." Elizabeth reassured him, before Will, seeming far more relaxed than when he woke up, fainted into a dead sleep. Edward's eye was caught on a brief flash of gold around the boy's neck, and he reached forward, pulling into his had a gold medallion. It was fashioned with an Aztec pattern, and his eyes widened in recognition, as did those of Elizabeth. "You're a p-pirate." She managed to get out. Suddenly, a voice spoke up from behind them, and the Swann siblings spun around to face the sudden appearance of Norrington, Edward quickly hiding the medallion beneath his blanket.
"Has he said anything?" The lieutenant queried, and Elizabeth piped up.
"His name is William Turner. That's all I found out." She said, giving the information needed without giving anything away. Edward almost glowed with pride at his sister.
"Take him below." Norrington ordered the men stood behind him, and they obeyed, lifting Will and pulling him into the warm darkness of the ship's belly. Once they had gone, Elizabeth moved closer to her brother, who himself had moved to stand at the Dauntless' rear railing, examining the recently acquired trinket. Holding it up to let the light fall on the detail, Edward's eyes were drawn past the gold, towards something moving away from the ship. Elizabeth saw it too, and they both stared across the water, at slowly vanishing black ship, torn sails pulling it through the mist, and with the black pirate flag fluttering atop the mast.
ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS
(Eight years later)
Elizabeth's eyes snapped open as she woke with a start, the memories of that day acting as a blossoming fire for other thoughts and more memories. Slowly sitting up in bed, she looked around the room she had inhabited for the many years since arriving at Port Royal, trying to assure herself that it truly was there, that she wasn't still dreaming. Rising from the covers, she gently lowered her legs to the ground, finding her balance before slowly moving to the bureau across from her bed. She pulled open a drawer, reached under several items, and pulled out… the medallion. The single disc of Aztec gold that she and her brother had found so many years ago. It had been in her keep for only a few days less, Edward gently pressing it into her hands a handful of hours after they had arrived at the port of their new home. She couldn't remember the details of what he had said, but it had been a comfort to him once the precious chain was in her hand, and then hidden beneath her clothing.
Edward. The memory of the medallion's past stirred up the thoughts of her brother, thoughts she had tried to suppress for years. He had never truly taken to Port Royal, always looking and behaving like something was missing in his life. Their father, now properly acting in his role as the Governor, never seemed to notice, but Elizabeth did, and she had done her best to help her older brother, who saw their new home as nothing more than a prison. After all of this, it shouldn't have surprised her as much when he had disappeared, but it had, since even she had never seen that things were so bad for him. He had just vanished in the night, taking barely anything with him, and leaving behind nothing, not even a note to explain his actions. Elizabeth missed her brother, missed his cheerful energy, missed his ability to always be able to make her smile. He had always been there for her, and then he… wasn't. No one knew anything about what had happened to him, with Elizabeth not even knowing whether he was alive or dead. But she knew, in the depths of her soul, that Edward was still alive, still out there somewhere. She knew she'd see him again.
As she slipped the medallion around her neck, and heard the knocks on the door that would start her day, she held that belief in the back of her mind. Never suspecting just how little time that homemade prophecy would take to come to pass.
ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS
ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS
ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS*ROTBS
Thanks for reading this far!
Just for future notice, this story is basically a mini project for me, since most of my time will be dedicated to my Mad Max story for now. Once that's over, expect faster updates, but just so you know. It will be slow to start.
Anyway, hope to see you all again soon.
TimeFury1347