Unknown to most, there was another character in that lived in Port Royale. Most of the records of her had been lost or changed, for reasons you will discover as you read on.
I would like to thank my co-writer, BlackestSlytherin, for helping me write this story. It wouldn't be as awesome as it is without her :D
A Pirate's Life for me
Third person's POV
"Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me. Yo, ho, yo, ho, it's a pirate's life for me..." A young girl, twelve years of age, sung slowly and softly under her breath. She gazed out over the sea, her long auburn hair swinging in time with the rocking of the ship. "Drink up me hearties, yo, ho..."
Joshamme Gibbs, a sailor, clutched the girl's shoulder, startling her slightly.
"Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call 'em down on us?" The girl looked defiantly back at him.
"Mr Gibbs." The girl and old sailor both directed their attention to the dashing young man, Royal Navy to the core, as he glared sternly at Gibbs. Standing beside him was the girl's father, Governor Weatherby Swann , a man of obvious high station, evidenced by the brass buttons on his thick blue jacket. "That will do."
"She was singing about pirates. Bad luck to sing about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog - mark my words."
"Consider them marked. On your way."
" 'Aye, Lieutenant." As he moved off he muttered: "Bad luck to have women on board, too. Even mini'ture ones."
"Well I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate." The young girl told the two men.
"Think again, Miss Swann. 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, get what he deserves: a short drop and a sudden stop." The girl gasped, being very well versed in pirates.
"Captain Norrington... I appreciate your fervour, but I am concerned about about the effect this subject will have on my daughter."
"My apologies, Governor."
"Actually, I find it all fascinating." The girl was very independent, even at twelve. But her father was very worried about her wanting to meet a pirate.
"And that's what concerns me. Charlotte, we will be landing in Port Royal soon, and beginning our new lives. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we comport ourselves as befits to our class and station?" When he received no reply, he sighed and said: "Why don't you go and join your sister in the cabin?" The small girl turned around and gazed over the railing once again. Governor Swann sighed again and walked away.
"I still think it would be exciting to meet a pirate..." The girl said to herself. The fog Gibbs mentioned hemmed in the boat; very little of the sea was visible. But-
-suddenly a figure came into view. A young boy, Charlotte's age, was floating on a long piece of wood in the otherwise empty water. There was nothing to show where he came from, or how he came to be there.
"Look! A boy! There's a boy in the water!" The girl shouted, alerting the sailors.
"Man overboard!"
"Boy overboard!" Charlotte contradicted.
"Fetch a hook - haul him out of there!" There was a bustle of activity on deck. The sailors managed to catch the boy, and hauled him aboard. Charlotte ran closer. The boy was laid on the deck. "He's still breathing."
"Where did he come from?"
"Mary mother of God..." Gibbs said. All attention turned from the boy. The sea was no longer empty. Wreckage from a ship littered the water... along with the bodies of its crew. What was left of the ship's hull burned; a ragged British flag hung limply from the stern. The ship, the H.M.S Dauntless, slipped silently through it all.
"What happened here?"
"An explosion in the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed."
"Lot of good it did them..." Gibbs glanced at Governor Swann. "Everyone's thinking it! I'm just saying it! Pirates!"
"There is no proof of that. It could have been an accident. Captain, these men were my protection. If there is even the slightest chance one of those poor devils is still alive, we cannot abandon them!"
Of course not." Norrington spoke to a sailor. "Rouse the Captain immediately." To the crew, he said: "Come about and strike the sails! Unlash the boats! Gunnery crew... jackets off the cannons!" To Governor Swann, he said: "Hope for the best... prepare for the worse." To other sailors he said: "Move the aft. We'll need the deck clear."
The sailors being spoken too lifted the boy. The Governor pulled the girl away from the rail.
"Charlotte, I want you to accompany the boy. Take him to you and your sister's cabin. He's in your charge now. You'll watch over him?" Charlotte nodded. Governor Swann hurried away to help unstow the longboat. The sailors laid the boy gently down and rushed off.
As Charlotte looked down at the boy, she reached out and brushed his hair from his eyes-
-and the boy grabbed her wrist, awakening. The children's eyes locked. Charlotte took the boy's hand in her own.
"Don't be afraid. My name is Charlotte Swann."
"Will Turner."
"I'm watching over you, Will." Charlotte said comfortingly. Will clutched her hand, and then slipped back into unconsciousness.
Will's movements had opened up the collar of his shirt. Charlotte spotted a chain around his neck. Tugging it free, she revealed a gold medallion. One side was blank. Charlotte turned it over-
-and a skull gazed up at her. Charlotte could recognise that it was vaguely Aztec in design, but there was another, more important side to this coin.
"You're a pirate!" Charlotte whispered in amazement. She glanced around at the crew. Spotting Norrington, Charlotte made a decision. Taking the medallion from around Will's neck, she hid it under her coat.
"Did he speak?" Norrington asked.
"His name is William Turner - that's all I found out."
"Very good." Norrington rushed off. Charlotte stole away to the stern of the ship to examine her prize. A wisp of wind caused her to look up-
-and out over the sea, moving through the fog, silent as a ghost, was a large sailing ship, a schooner -
-but it had black sails. Charlotte stared, fascinated. The ship was obscured by the fog as it passed; but not before the small girl standing at the stern spotted the frightening skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger.
Charlotte looked from it to the medallion - and noticed the skull on the flag was the same as the one on the medallion. Charlotte squeezed her eyes tight-
A year or so later
"You don't understand me!" Charlotte yelled at her father. Stamping up the stairs, she flew into her room, and flung herself on the bed furiously. Her father was driving her to the brink of insanity! Nobody seemed to get that she didn't want to be a lady of high society – quite the opposite in fact. She longed for adventure, not sitting in a drawing room, sipping tea and gossiping. Elizabeth loved pretty dresses and browsing the latest fashions from London, but Charlotte much preferred helping Will down at the forge – without her father's knowledge, for he'd never let her out of the house without an escort if he found out she was doing something unladylike. Sitting up suddenly, she got up and walked over to the large French window in the centre of her room. She sighed as she gazed longingly out of it; she was just able to make out the top of blacksmiths that Will worked and lived at in the dusk of evening. She glanced at the clock on her mantel piece – it was almost nine, and soon it would completely dark outside. She return to looking outside, this time gazing up at the stars. One of the benefits of being the governor's daughter – and there were hardly any – was that Charlotte received an education. The library in the manor had a few books on astronomy, which she had snatched up and read hungrily. Charlotte prided herself on being at least somewhat versed in the stars. She sighed yet again. Astronomy would hardly be useful in the life her father had laid out for her and her sister – with the latter not being bothered in the slightest that she would never have in the opportunity to see the world. She once again yearned for adventure. If only there was an escape from it all. If only…
Her eyes once again rested on the village, though she had to strain her eyes to see any of it clearly, for night had fallen and the thick clouds had blocked all light the moon had to offer. She squinted, and a rare gap in the clouds let a trickle of moonlight through, and this allowed her to focus on the harbour. The sea. Freedom…
Making a spur of the moment decision, she opened her window, and climbed out.
She had often slipped out of her window at night to make her way to John Brown's blacksmith, where Will was living, and often the hem of her horribly constricting dress caught on the latch of the windowsill. This time was no different, and she huffed as she impatiently tugged on the frightfully long garment. She winced as she heard a tear echo through the still night and looked down to see a large portion of her dress hanging off. Quietly slipping down the trellis and hoping that no one inside the house had heard the rip, she continued to run down the long, winding driveway in the direction of John Brown's blacksmith, pausing only to dart into one of the side alleys once she was in the village and dispose of the tear by ripping off the bottom of her dress. It now showed her ankles but it was much easier to move around in. The streets were deserted, so no one was there to question why a young girl was alone, wandering the streets, at night.
Soon she arrived at her destination. Knocking the confirmed knock, John opened the door, smiled at her and let her in. He liked Charlotte, always coming to see Will. He also liked to piss off the governor, even if the governor was unaware of what he was doing. He knew that he was breaking some unspoken rule of society by allowing Charlotte into the blacksmith. He also knew that it was most likely that he was breaching a written law by letting Charlotte occasionally help Will at the furnace. If the governor found out that his daughter helped down at the forge, he would blow a gasket! Shaking his head in wicked glee, he wandered into his quarters, leaving his charge and his guest alone.
Charlotte crept over to where Will was sleeping. She gently touched him on the shoulder, waking him up.
Smiling, Will stood up. His smile fell when he saw Charlotte's expression.
"What is it?" He asked. Charlotte took a deep breath.
"I'm running away." She said quickly. Will stopped fiddling with a piece of leather he had tied around his wrist and gave her an incredulous look. He opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Eventually, he croaked:
"But…why?"
"I don't feel at home here. I crave freedom that I will never achieve. No one understands me." she saw his hurt look and added "No one but you. Besides I cannot sit around and just wait for a future where my life's ambition is to have children and have the highest social status! I won't do it!"
Will looked around wildly. "You could stay here! Your father wouldn't have to know! He could think you have run away when in fact you're with me!" He offered gallantly, with a touch of desperation. Charlotte shook her head.
"Thank you, but no. I'm sorry, Will. My mind is made up. I cannot stay." Charlotte was in tears by now. "I'm sorry." She repeated, burying her head in her hands. Will dug around in his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to her.
"Here." Charlotte sniffed, looking up and taking the offered handkerchief and wiping away her tears. She went to give it back to Will, but he refused it. "You need it more than I do." Despite the situation, Charlotte smiled.
She brought out her own handkerchief and gave it to Will. He took it.
"I'm sorry." Charlotte said for the third time.
"I understand." Will stepped closer. "Just promise me that you'll come back one day." Charlotte nodded.
"I promise." The two embraced quickly. Charlotte made her way slowly to the door, turning around several times to see Will standing, desolate, with her handkerchief in his hand. She nearly ran back to him, saying of course she wouldn't leave him, but she couldn't face her father again.
Finally walking outside, and closing the door softly behind her, she stood for a moment in thought. What should I do next? She wondered.
Setting off in the direction of the port, she bashed into someone.
"Oh, I'm very sorry." She apologised.
"Don't worry, little miss." The man said. Looking down, he recognised the Governor's daughter. "What are you doing out here at such an hour?" He asked.
"I'm running away."
"Are you now?" Joshamee Gibbs pondered over this. The few times he'd seen the child out with her sister she had looked greatly unhappy. Maybe -
"Where are you headed?" The girl asked, drawing him abruptly out of his thoughts .
"That's none of your business." Gibbs retorted sharply. But on seeing the look on the girl's face after the harshly spoken words, he softened. "Come along then. We best be off."
"Pardon?" Charlotte asked, confused.
"I thought you were running away. I suppose I am too, in a way. So us fugitives must stick together, eh?" Charlotte smiled, liking that idea. "But," he said when she had bounded off in the direction of the port looking a good deal happier "We shall have to secure your some leggings and a tunic" he declared, looking at her clothes in disdain. "Can't have you wandering the ship in a dress like that, or people'll know we had the governor daughter in our midst. Not to mention the mobility issue it would present." He grinned at her and clapped her on the shoulder before steering her in the direction of the ship, whistling.
"So where are we off to?" Charlotte asked, already getting in the swing of things.
"Now, that's for the Captain to tell us, isn't it?"
Location: unknown
Charlie opened her eyes to see the bright blue sky. She sat up, groaning, her temples pounding.
"Where am I?" She put a hand to her head and attempted to shade her poor, abused eyes from the sun's harsh glare.
"On a boat. The -"
"Hold that thought" Charlie told the voice before she leaned over the side and released the contents of her stomach. "So, I'm on a boat…" She trailed off as she looked at the churning sea.
"You are on a boat," The voice began for a second time, sound slightly irritated "The Jolly Mon, to be exact." Charlie looked up in the direction of the voice now, startled.
"You stole Anamaria's boat?" She asked incredulously. Jack grinned.
"Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of returning."
Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!
So hope you enjoyed! I know Jack went on many different adventures (Jack is the Captain Gibbs was talking about, if you hadn't already guessed), but I don't know much about them, so I'm not going to write about them. So, ta till next time!