Disclaimer: I, FickleFriend, the author of this fanfiction, hereby declare that I do not gain any profit from this story and that all creative rights to the characters (with the exception of OCs) belong to their original creator(s).
Accelerating footsteps and the clanging of weapons broke the usual silence of night in Port Royal. Captain Jack Sparrow had taken a large gamble with available time and with no dark alleyways or large trees in sight to hide behind, his hopes of escaping were beginning to evaporate. But his knowledge of this was firm.
The army's not-so-quiet voices and their clumsy footsteps were beginning to get louder and louder. And just when Jack thought that he would have to resort to climbing a roof or breaking into a house, he spotted something most fortunate. The silhouette of a bench and a figure holding what looked like a newspaper. Jack slowed down and did some form of a dice onto the bench while simultaneously grabbing the newspaper out of the young woman's hands.
"Don't say anything," Jack said in a low voice, gesturing to his gun, as the woman started to protest.
They both remained absolutely still as the godforsaken men in red coats rushed past. Jack took a swig of rum, which was probably equivalent to a normal person's sigh of relief, and let out a small chuckle. "Blending in never fails. Especially when dealing with fools. It works every time. Life lesson number one from yours truly."
"I'm not sure that I need life lessons from a person that's headed to prison," she replied.
"Life has to end somewhere, but mine certainly won't be ending in prison" he said.
"Well why are they after you?" she inquired.
"Nosy." he answered. The girl was obviously not satisfied.
"Well, the answer is simple enough. You are a pirate. A notorious one at best. The authorities have been searching for you for many years. Yet you always escape as you are Captain Sparrow." She droned in a haughty tone. Jack frowned. If she knew the answer, then why ask? Best to ignore annoying people. And how on Earth did she know his name?
"Ever been to the sea, love?" he asked.
The girl seemed to suddenly change her demeanour from slightly superior to... less superior.
"Uh, yes, I have. And I intend to go again once I acquire a ship."
"Is that so?" Jack asked, a grin pulling at his lips. Clearly luck was favouring him. Yes, the girl seemed irritating... And weird but desperate times called for desperate measures.
"How would you like to sail the seven seas as part of my crew?"
"Well..." the girl trailed off, but it didn't seem like she was considering anything or was uncertain.
"It's the Pearl! How could you pass that up?"
"Very well," she affirmed.
"We'll be leaving tomorrow at sunrise with or without you. Don't bring anything that is even slightly dear to you... Our crew resemble animals more than anything else..." he said more to himself as he got up and started to walk off, still mumbling about his crew who would soon receive another member.
The next day
Jack stayed in the shadows of the trees and scanned the dock for the young woman. Upon reflection, he realised that not knowing what she looked like was probably not the best idea; he was ready to return to The Pearl and leave the ungrateful, tardy wench, when his thoughts were interrupted by a poke on the shoulder.
"Shall we go?" the girl asked. After looking at her attire, which was average and slightly worn down, Jack frowned. It may have been extremely dimly lit last night, but he thought that he had seen her in a dress.
"Ah, you're a pirate are you, love?" he asked, looking mildly interested.
"Why, yes. I'm branded too," she said, almost excited, waving the 'P' so close to his face that he couldn't focus and went slightly cross-eyed.
"Do try to stop boggling my brain," Jack said absentmindedly as he walked to the Pearl, tracing the raised, rough skin of his own brand, the unnamed girl following him.
"Where is The Pearl, exactly?"
"Exactly? It is exactly 900 feet south west of the harbour behind the largest cliff," Jack said, focusing on staying hidden. The girl, on the other hand, acted as though she was a regular citizen and had no cause to be hiding form the soldiers, constantly walking into the direct viewpoints of them. Jack was consistently pulling her back into the shadows.
"Why not just tie it up in the harbour?" she asked.
"Why do you think? I don't want my Pearl blown up just because I didn't want to walk a bit."
"Yes, but why not arrive and leave in the dead of night? That way, no one will see you?" Jack stopped in his tracks and grabbed her wrist.
"See that?" He said, pulling her out of the shadows and gesturing to the top of the cliff.
"Security has increased sevenfold in the past few years. I would have thought that you could work that out, love."
"Why not just shoot them all?"
"Better to avoid confrontation if possible," Jack said, getting irked.
"Well then, if the security has worsened so much, why is your ship so safe?"
"It's in a blind spot. The pompous brats never learn."
"Why did you even come to Port Royal in the first place?"
"Are you taking extensive notes for a book based on why I do things? If it makes you quiet, then think that I came to rescue you from this money-saturated, stuck up, aristocratic land," Jack said, waving a dismissive hand at her as he looked passed a protruding rock face that was protecting them from the evil eye of the red-coated gun carriers. The girl muttered something like, "So rude." Which was ignored.
Past the part of the cliff that they were hiding against, there was the expanse of sand, which was then blocked by another cliff. Behind that was the Pearl.
"I hope you know how to swim, love."
"What?" she hissed, "The sea shore is right there, we could easily run across it to get to your ship!"
"Yes but unless you want to be shot, then I suggest that you swim." He nodded his head towards the soldiers patrolling the sand.
"Right... Well, off we go." Her voice shook as she said this.
"That's the spirit. Although I don't know how on earth you managed to avoid being hanged with your lack of intellect."
However, the girl didn't hear this as she was too busy looking at the blue sea with a stare of pure disgust and worry. The same sea that Jack called home.
"Besides, you would have to swim at some point, unless you can swim through a huge chunk of rock."
"Stop trying to make this better for me!" she demanded.
"I am not to blame for the fact that this situation is highly unusual. A pirate who is afraid to get their hair wet." he shook his head in dismay, "Well, at least I'll be saved from an annoying crew member. Nice knowing you, love." He silently entered the water and expertly swam underneath the sea level. It was impossible to see where he was as he didn't come up for breath.
Incidentally, when Jack reached the boat, he saw the girl not far behind him. He flashed her a smug grin and began to climb the ropes, slightly annoyed at how much sunlight they were exposed to. But they were still hidden so all was well.
Until, they reached the deck and saw an unfamiliar pair of boots... With feet in them.
Jack craned his head to see who the intruder was. He groaned.
"Barbossa."
Let me know how I did and I hope you enjoyed,
Your FickleFriend