Hey. This is my 1st attempt at a POTC fanfic. I hope you guys like it! R&R :)
DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the charcters or names in this story except for Aeryn Stormwater. Im just having some fun.
Ambush
Aeryn Stormwater lifted the heavy mug to her lips and drank deeply. Placing the wooden tankard softly on her desk, she brushed her yellow hair out of her eyes and stared down at the brown and faded map in front of her. She knew was close now. She ran her finger over the coarse paper, without really seeing what she was doing, her other hand preoccupied with the thin silver chain around her neck. She fingered her necklace slowly and brought the shiny pendant into her line of sight.
This had been her mother's and was the last thing she had left of her. It was a small thing, a tiny pendant of a simple skull with two blazing emerald eyes. Aeryn loved those eyes that were the exact same shade as her own. She felt more naked without this little keepsake than without any clothing. She tucked it back under her linen shirt and lifted the mug to her mouth again, draining the last of the warm rum, smacking her lips contently.
Candles flickered softly causing shadows to jump and dance on the walls. She could smell the sweetness of rum from her empty cup and the salt from the sea that heaved against her ship. The Blue Emerald was swift and agile in even the hardest or weather and the roughest of waves. This ship was Aeryn's life and she was going to use it to get everything she ever yearned for.
She stood up and walked past her large and comfortable bed to the cold, square window. The inky black night pressed against it and she could see nothing. Good, that meant The Pearl would not see her coming, a perfect ambush. She leant her forehead against the cool glass for a moment. She had been following The Black Pearl for months now and it was almost within her grasp. The ship was lighting fast just as it was rumoured to be but Aeryn was insistent. She would not make port until she had taken that ship and met Jack Sparrow in the flesh. Preferably in chains too.
She had glimpsed him only once before. He had only just escaped her last attempt to capture his ship. She remembered him standing on the railing smirking cheekily as his crew taunted her own just as they caught a strong wind that blew them quickly out of range. He had tipped his hat off to her. The thought of that made her blood boil. Arrogant scallywag, she mused. No matter her time would come very soon. There was a heavy rap at the door and Aeryn turned away from the window.
A little man with a small amount of greasy black hair stepped tentatively into her room. His shirt was stained and his bare feet were dirty. He left the door open and held up a spluttering lamp.
"Captain Stormwater, The Pearl had been spotted, we are catching up to her" he said in an excited whisper.
"Good. Thank you Jenkins. I'll be up on deck in a moment," Aeryn dismissed him with a wave of her hand and Jenkins vanished, shutting the wooden door without a sound. Aeryn smiled to her self coyly and slung on her soft leather coat from the edge of her bed. She picked up both her loaded double barrel flintlock pistols and slipped them into her holder at her waist. She grabbed the dull silver cutlass, her father's, and slipped it into the strong leather scabbard. Her hat was her last item she needed. Heavy black cloth with a silver trim and large sea green feather in it side. She scooped it up off the desk and strode out of her room and up onto the deck.
She slapped the hat onto her head and headed up to the bow. The air was crisp and cool. She placed her hands on the smooth lacquered rail and smiled. The Pearl was close, closer than she thought. The ship seemed to be sleeping, she could not see a soul moving whilst her men silently gathered up their arms. Aeryn turned and looked at them all. Her crew was almost one hundred strong and Sparrow had only a mere thirty or so on board his vessel. The night was eerily silent. It made Aeryn's stomach knot nervously but she shrugged it off.
"This is it," She said softly to them, not doubting that every man there heard her voice "Tonight we will take The Pearl. To your stations and when I give the signal, fire."
The men scurried away and Aeryn walked quickly up to the helm. She strode up the steps and reached out to take the wheel, loving the smooth, familiar feel of it in her hands. The Pearl was very close now, only a minute or so apart. As soon as they snuck in next to it she would open fire.
The Blue Emerald's bow was level with The Pearl's stern and every man tensed. Aeryn's knuckles where white as she gripped the helm tightly. If they were discovered now then Sparrow's crew would have time to man stations. She needed the element of surprise on her side. She winced at every creak The Emerald made as it moved slowly up her enemy's boat. She could see the other ships helm now and swore she saw a smallest of movements and tensed, as The Emerald was half way up The Black Pearl. She was almost level when she heard a shout pierce the air.
"Fire all!"
A huge crashing noise filled the silence of the night and before she could react Aeryn felt the deck under her shift. She barely held her balance and clutched onto the helm tightly. She glanced over to The Pearl and saw men scurrying over the deck. Cursing under her breath she straightened up.
"Fire!" she screamed as Sparrows cannons went off for a second time. She abandoned the helm and sprinted down the steps as her men fired heavy cannon balls into the side of The Pearl. How did he see her, she wondered to herself staring over at Sparrow's ship now alive with light and activity.
She withdrew one pistol and ordered another strike. She groaned as a cannon ball slammed into centre mask, cracking it. Aeryn jumped up onto the rail and pulled out her second pistol and taking a careful aim at the centre cannon she shot down one of the men who had scarred her beautiful ship.
Ropes were out and pirates were hopping from one ship to another. Aeryn aimed for the other man at the cannon and fired a second shot but failed to see if it met her target. A small monkey in miniature clothing swung down from a rope holding on with only his tail. He screeched at her and reached out, grabbing the small silver chain around her neck. The devilish monkey broke the chain and scurried up the rope jumping over onto The Pearl. Aeryn fell back off the railing as a heavy cannon ball slammed into the side of her vessel. She felt a sting above her left eye and reached up with her hand to find blood dribbling from a deep cut above her eyebrow. She quickly regained her footing and launched herself back onto what was left of the railing.
"Oi! You little bastard give that back!" She yelled in frustration as the monkey landed on the deck of Sparrow's ship. Pocketing her pistols Aeryn grabbed hold of a rope and swung out toward the other vessel. She felt the sicking weightlessness as she soared above the navy water. Aeryn let go of the rope and landed on her knees, bruising them painfully, on the deck of The Pearl. She righted herself quickly and withdrew her cutlass, wiping a smudge of blood out of her eye. Where is that monkey, she wondered looking around in the chaos. She spotted the little hairy monster running up the steps to the helm and chased him up. She was almost at the top when she felt an iron grip on her upper arm. Aeryn swung round with her cutlass but her attack was blocked swiftly. She felt the weapon being prised from her hand and was pushed roughly, face first, onto the deck. Her cheek smarted from the sudden impact. A knee was pressed between her shoulder blades and heavy iron cuffs shut painfully tight around her wrists, forcing her hands to stay in the small of her back.
"So trying to steal my ship again love?" a silky voice asked.
Aeryn twisted and looked over her shoulder. A tall man with dark eyes looked down at her. Brown dreadlocks swung in front of his face, though the majority of his hair was held back with a faded red bandanna. He smiled at her and Aeryn saw numerous gold teeth in his mouth. The beads entwined in his dark beard gleamed in the moonlight. She glared at him.
"Jack Sparrow!" she spat.
"The one and only love" Jack teased. He seemed highly amused with himself and removed his knee from her back. Jack stood up and pulled Aeryn to her feet. Aeryn glanced over to her left at her ship and groaned aloud. Her beloved Blue Emerald was up in flames, her men jumping overboard to escape the fire. Any of her men who had been on The Pearl had either jumped over board or been killed.
Jack steered her down the steps onto the main deck. Aeryn heard a shriek and stopped suddenly as the monkey ran past with her necklace in it grotty little mouth. She struggled in Sparrow's grasp. She didn't care about her ship or her men at the moment; all she wanted was that necklace. The monkey jumped up onto a coil of rope and handed the silver chain to an old man with a parrot on his shoulder. He grinned and held it out to the Captain who pocketed it without a word.
"Any survivors?" Sparrow asked his crew who had gathered around the main mast. Aeryn felt his fingers gripping her forearms painfully tight and tried to throw him off again. Jack reinforced his grip on her arms and took one her own pistols out its holder. He cocked it and held it under her chin.
"None of her lot survived far as we could tell Captain" A gruff man replied. Aeryn sighed and closed her eyes. She was shaking with anger. She was sorely tempted to smash her boot down on one of Sparrow's feet if only he wasn't holding a pistol to her head. She flinched as Jack hand brushed across her belly and removed her other pistol. Jack laughed softly, his breath tickling her ear. Aeryn shivered.
"Thank you Gibbs. Now could you take this treacherous swine down to the brig and keep those chains on her too"
Aeryn stumbled slightly as Jack let go. Jack tossed a large bronze key to Gibbs who caught it and wrapped his hands around her arms and led her down into the belly of the ship. Aeryn stumbled again on the way down unable to see properly from the blood that had spilled out of the cut above her eye. Gibbs strode to the end of the ship and opened the heavy wooden door and pushed her into the brig.
Aeryn recoiled at the foul smell, of which is origins she did not wish to guess. She gagged as Gibbs pushed her to nearest cell. He fitted the big key into the metal lock and undid one of the small cages and sat Aeryn down in it. Aeryn felt a chill as she sat on the wet floor. Reaching behind her he attached the small length of chain between her cuffs to the wall at her back. He stepped back away from her and lighted a tiny stub of a candle in the far corner of her cell and placed it on a wooden stool, before stepping out and locking the door without a glance at her.
Aeryn waited until she heard the second click of the wooden door before struggling with the cuffs that bound her hands behind her back. She pulled on the cuffs hard and grunted in pain as they cut deeper into her wrists. She gave up and leant her head against the wall, swallowing thickly. Her hat was missing she realised suddenly. Must have fallen off when she swung between ships. She felt insecure without the small weight of her mother's pendant resting between her breasts. She missed that weight almost like a physical ache. She let loose a small sob of despair. He had her father's cutlass too. He had taken everything.
She sat still all of a suddenly aware of all the aches and pain her body was enduring. At least I'm on the ship, she thought trying to be optimistic. If I can get these cuffs off maybe I can make this work in my favour. She struggled a moment more before giving up. Her eyes were heavy and she felt sleep forcing its self on her as a result from all the tension and pain of the last hour. She fell asleep sitting up against the filthy wall.
Gibbs marched up the steps to the helm and joined Jack at the wheel. He pressed the key into his Captain's hand and stared silently out to the water for a moment. Jack consulted his compass and made a slight shift in direction.
"That was a perfect ambush you set up Captain"
"A rare stroke of genius aye Gibbs?"
"What are you gonna do with her Captain?" Gibbs asked.
"Dunno yet, depends what takes my fancy. I'm sure she will be useful though mate" Jack answered. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the silver chain that the woman had been after. He stared at a moment before putting it back.
"Why do you reckon she's been chasing us this past couple of months though Jack?" Gibbs asked turning to face the Captain.
"That what I intend to find out Mr. Gibbs. But for now leave her down there for awhile" Jack replied.
Jack held onto the soft warm wood of the helm and closed his eyes breathing in the salty water. It was quiet again. He was glad he had glimpsed her ship early that afternoon otherwise imagine what would of happened is she had taken him be surprise as she had intended. Most likely he would be the one locked up in a cold brig. Jack shuddered and turned to Gibbs who was still watching him.
"Gibbs can you take over the helm all this pirating has made me rather thirsty and there is a nice bottle of rum in my chamber with my name on it,"
"Sure thing Captain" The older man muttered taking the heavy helm out of Jack's hands.
Jack stepped away from the wheel and made his way over to the staircase but paused when a glint caught his eye. He bent down before the top of the stairs to pick up the dull cutlass the woman had dropped before he had cuffed her. He took it with him down the steps and turned into the large wooden and glass doors that lead to his private domain. He dropped the sword on a map-strewn table. He placed the two stolen pistols next to it.
Shrugging out of his jacket, Jack undid both of his belts and his sash, letting his shirt hang free. He reached for the tall, half full bottle of rum as he kicked off his boots and reached up to remove his hat. Jack took a large swig out of the rum, loving the burning feeling of it going down his throat. He belched loudly before reaching back into his shirt pocket and taking out the broken necklace and the bronze key. He dropped them onto the small table beside his bed without looking at them.
Quickly removing the rest of his clothing, Jack slipped between the sheets of his large bed, naked, and took another large gulp out of the rum bottle. Licking his lips he sighed a leant back against the pillows. He turned his head to look at the key glinting in the candlelight. He remembered with sudden clarity the softness of her long golden hair brushing gently against his cheek. And those fierce green eyes in her blood splattered face, penetrating his. Jack smiled and polished off the last of the rum dropping the bottle to the floor with a loud clunk.
He would find what she wanted and why she had been stalking him for a month. In fact he was looking forward to it.