Disclaimer: I don't own Jack (sadly) or any of the other characters except Rose, Amos, and the others that you've never heard of.
"Not much is known 'bout Jack Sparrow, at least b'fore he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of Isle de Muerta..."
These were the words of an old sailor named Joshamee Gibbs.
But our story begins some years before this statement was made. We begin in Tortuga, on a lonely night. Now, I say lonely, but that does not necessarily mean quiet to the rowdy seaport on the island of Tortuga.
A small, skinny girl stared out of a grimy window overlooking the sea, and suddenly exclaimed, "Mummy, when I grow up, I am going to be a fearsome pirate and scare the bloody hell out of any ship that crosses my path!"
Her mother didn't look up from her sewing. "Of course you will darling," she said absentmindedly.
"And if I'm going to be a pirate-" Her mother cut her short. "A what?" she asked, not having heard her daughter the first time.
The girl took a deep breath and said very slowly, "I'm going to be a pirate, and if I'm a pirate I need a sword don't you think?"
"No, absolutely not. a five-year-old girl does not need a sword." The girl's mother was utterly bewildered. "Besides," she said, pulling herself together, "I thought you wanted to be a seamstress like me."
The little girl rolled her eyes. "Oh please Mummy, I only said that because you told me to say it to your friends." She giggled. "But I'm sure all pirates need to know how to sew. Suppose they get a torn sail?"
Her mother blinked, and then sighed deeply.
The girl smiled and said with a laugh, "Well I'd best start learning if I'm going to be a pirate!"
So Kate Rose (known mostly as just Rose) learned how to sew, but only how to mend sails. After all, what kind of pirate does needlepoint?
Five years later when Rose was ten, her mother, Scarlett, married a wealthy merchant named Amos Kingsley.
Mr. Kingsley was a strict man who did not approve of Rose's rude behaviour and attitude.
One evening while Mr. Kingsley was out on business, Rose crept into her mother's room to have a talk with her. Her mother sat quietly embroidering a handkerchief, humming softly.
"MUM!" said Rose indignantly. "That awful maid Amos hired made me wear a PERFECTLY awful dress today," she pouted.
"I saw it." Scarlett laughed.
"Then you saw how awful it was," Rose said triumphantly.
"No," Scarlett said, appalled. "I thought you looked stunning."
"Well," Rose began, "A PIRATE would NOT wear such a thing!" She thought quickly to find a good excuse why, "Because the lacy petticoats would get in the way."
Scarlett laughed heartily, "Of course a pirate wouldn't, but what's that got to do with you?"
Rose despised when adults pretended they didn't know what she was talking about. "Mum!" She groaned, "I'm still wondering how you possibly missed my point! Even Amos, as thick as he is, could understand what I'm saying!"
Her mother gave her a reproving look.
Rose rolled her eyes, and wondered why Scarlett was acting like she didn't know her daughter wanted to be a pirate.
"Rose, Amos is very intelligent and an astute businessman," Scarlett began.
"And rich," Rose interrupted.
Scarlett ignored her rude comment and continued, "Dear, I'm sure your father would not approve of such talk. You will not be a pirate; you will be a lady."
"Oh please," said Rose, "he's not even my real father, why should I care what he 'approves' of?"
And with that, she stalked out of the room in utter frustration.