A Pirate's Story
Chapter 1
A Ship in the Fog
Disclaimer: If I owned Orlando, would I really be wasting my time writing about him??! Ha!
Note: I know this isn't technically an original story of mine, but I just feel the movie provides so much on its own to write about, and thoughts and ideas kept coming to me as I watched (oh, only the last twenty times!). I've tried to be true to the movie itself, following every spoken word exactly, but the fill-in thoughts are my own idea of what the characters are thinking and feeling, based on the material given. I hope you enjoy. This is my first published writing of any kind, so be gentle! But honest reviews are appreciated!
And so, we begin..
Caribbean Sea, early eighteenth century
~*~*~*~
The ship was surrounded by a wall of thick, grey fog, the only sound being the sea lapping at its hull, and a small, girlish voice in soft song. A young girl could be seen, standing serenely at the ship's rail, her hands primly folded. Her honey-brown ringlets rested on the shoulders of her blue flower-print dress edged in lace. The whole day had put Elizabeth Swan into a melancholy mood, and the vivid imagination of a motherless ten- year-old conjured up all sorts of "what-ifs" to fill the void, and she didn't even realize she was softly singing a pirate's tune, it carrying out over the sightless waters, into nothingness. It came naturally, for it was her fondest dream of adventure to meet a pirate, so they, and anything having to do with piracy, were never far from her mind.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot Drink up, me hearties, yo, ho!
Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me!
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack Drink up, me hearties, oh - !!
Startled by a hand on her shoulder, her ringlets swung around as she looked at who it was, her blue eyes large and luminous. It was one of the ship's crew, Mr. Gibbs, the most superstitious man anyone could meet. His grey lambchop whiskers set off his wide jaw, accented by the hat he wore.
"Quiet, missy! The cursed pirates sail these waters! You don't want to bring them down on us, now, do ya?"
Staring at his fervent expression, she gave a small shake of her head. She thought them interesting, yes, but he should know she wouldn't intentionally bring anyone harm!
Lieutenant Norrington came up just in time to hear his remark. "Mr. Gibbs! That'll do!" An earnest, serious naval officer in his mid-twenties, he wore a brown wig with side ringlets over his ears and a ponytail down his neck, and stood straight in his red uniform and tricorner hat, his hands folded behind him, surveying the exchange with Governor Swan's young daughter.
"But she was singing about pirates!" Gibbs exclaims to him, "It's bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words!"
Norrington's disapproval was evident as he dismissed him, "Consider them marked. On your way."
"Aye, Lieutenant."
Norrington frowned as the sailor stalked off, muttering to himself.
"Bad luck having women on board, too, even a miniature one." Gibbs took a small leather-bound flask out of his vest and took a swig, with his back turned to the company on deck.
Staring after him, Elizabeth exclaims, with a faraway look in her eyes, "I think it'd be exciting to meet a pirate." She couldn't hide a sparkle in her eyes. The prim ringlets and proper dress only served as a mask for a spirited imagination and a fiery will of her own, which her father lived to conceal, anxious to train her as a proper English woman fitting of her place in society.
Norrington smiled indulgently at her innocence, and walked over to gaze into to fog over the ship's rail next to her, "Think again, Miss Swan. 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 just what he deserves." He pauses for emphasis and makes eye contact with the young girl, "A short drop and a sudden stop."
Slightly mystified, Elizabeth glances over at Gibbs for an explanation, and sees him yanking the handkerchief around his neck as if it were a noose, making his eyes bulge and his tongue loll out of his mouth. She gasps at the vivid picture he presented, and looks back up at Norrington in shock. Her father interrupts at this juncture, putting a stop to this line of conversation.
"Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor, but I'm - I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter."
The young officer looks instantly sorry at his loose tongue. "My apologies, Governor Swan." He walked away, removing himself from the conversation, leaving Elizabeth to exclaim to her father,
"Actually, I find this all fascinating!" Now the sparkle was twice as strong. Elizabeth felt she was closer to pirates now than ever before! Her father, being a part of "society," and frowned on anything about pirates - and any other unpleasant subject. particularly been taboo for "delicate young ladies." Much to her father's chagrin, however, Elizabeth still knew more about the unsavory lot than he would have liked.
The Governor looks rueful, "Yes, that's what concerns me." He ambles away, leaving her to her thoughts. He did his best to bring her up as a lady, to have the proper disposition for the daughter of a man of his stature. They may have left London for the more remote Caribbean islands, but they didn't have to leave good, genteel manners behind. Having lost his wife some years ago, he doted on his daughter more than he ought, and he just prayed it would have no ill effect on her, spending so much time around military men and listening to political and military meetings and strategies all the time.
Gazing after them, Elizabeth wonders if her father will ever see her as anything but a tiny child to be coddled and protected. She turns once again to the fog, and notices an open parasol floating upside down in the sea's grey waters, and a small smile plays around her mouth, at this hint of civility out in the middle of the Atlantic. Then she notices a much more startling discovery.
"Look," she calls out to the others on deck, "A boy! There's a boy in the water!" For sure enough, a young boy was laying on his back on a sheet of wood.from what? Her calls had done their intended job, and everyone else on deck ran to the railing to see what she saw, and soon organized chaos ensued as calls of "man overboard!" were followed by a line being dropped, and someone jumped in to retrieve him. Once safely aboard ship, he was laid on the deck's planks, unconscious. Norrington noted that he was still breathing.
Gibbs ran back to the railing, to see where he had come from, and exclaimed half in awe, "Mary, Mother of God.." At his words, the rest of the crew joined him, and they all stood silent and dumbfound at the sight before them.
Out of the fog, they saw what used to be a ship come into view, her keel busted down the middle, the mast almost level with the sea, and all of it brightly ablaze, absolutely nothing left to retrieve. It was a miracle the boy got out alive. Maybe someone foresaw the coming disaster and sent him adrift on the makeshift raft.
The Governor had come back on deck at hearing the commotion, and asked, "What happened here?" following everyone's gaze to the fire in the ocean.
Norrington was very matter-of-fact, "Most likely the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed," as if dismissing the matter. It was a fact of life on these rough waters, and he had seen worse.
"A lot o' good it did them." Gibbs glanced at the Lieutenant's scowl, "What?" He tried to defend his remarks, "Everyone's thinking it - I'm just saying it: Pirates!"
Governor Swan blustered that thought away, "Heavens! There's no proof of that! It was probably an accident!" No one wanted to think about the one danger everyone knew and dreaded.
While the adults discussed the cause of the disaster, Elizabeth slowly approached the boy still lying on the deck.
Lieutenant Norrington began barking out orders, "Rouse the captain immediately! Heave to and take in sail! Launch the boats!"
As the deck became a flurry of activity to carry out the orders, a man picked up the boy and carried him away. Governor Swan bent to speak close to his daughter, "Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him." Their eyes met briefly when he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. He knew she would be a good nurse. In spite of her penchant for boyish interests, she had her mother's sweet disposition and compassion for those in need. And she could especially help the lad if he was now an orphan; she had lost a parent herself. She nodded her understanding and followed the man to where he laid the boy on a blanket, out of the way of the ship's commotion. Swan gazed after his daughter, the lines in his face giving evidence to his years of care and worry over being a father and mother to his daughter, and his time in office as Governor.
The ship had sent a boat to investigate the burned ship's wreckage, but nothing proved salvageable.
Elizabeth approached the boy's still form, wondering who he was. He was soaked to the skin, his muslin shirt dirty, almost as dark as his brown breeches and vest. She reached out to brush aside a wet lock of brown hair falling over his brow. The touch must have startled him awake, for he gasped like a fish out of water and grapped her wrist, startling her and causing her to jump back. Taking great gulps to calm her breathing, she assured him.
"It's okay. My name's Elizabeth Swan."
Was he staring at an angel? Her soft brown halo of hair set off her heart- shaped face. He gasped out, "W-W-Will T-Turner," then collapsed back on the board, his hand dropping in exhaustion. He struggled to breathe while he stared at her soft face.
"I'm watching over you, Will." She gave him a reassuring smile, and he closed his eyes once more, giving in to the exhaustion again.
She saw him collapse back to sleep, and noticed a chain around his neck. Pulling it out from under his shirt, it had a medallion attached. On closer inspection, it was gold, open-worked, with a skull and crossbones formed in the center. Holding it in her hand, she stared incredulously at it, then at Will's face.
"You're - you're a pirate!" she spoke low, in an awed and amazed voice.
Elizabeth was then startled by Lieutenant Norrington, and spun around to face him, hiding the necklace behind her skirts.
"Has he said anything?" the Commodore snapped out.
"His name's William Turner. That's all I found out." She worked at keeping her face innocent. Would the Commodore actually hang a young boy for piracy, as he'd threatened to do to anyone sailing 'under a pirate's flag or wearing a pirate's brand'? Did that include carrying pirate medallions? Elizabeth didn't want to risk finding out.
Upon gleaning no helpful information, Norrington gave orders to have him taken below, as if dismissing him entirely.
Elizabeth watches the men carry him away, but stays next to the rail for a moment longer, gazing at this strange article she had just found. A pirate's medallion! Was the boy really a pirate? He didn't look it! And what of his family? As she held up the coin to look more closely, something off in the distance of the fog caught her attention.
Out of the mist, she made out the stern and sails of another ship.only this ship's sails were so holey, it was a wonder they caught any wind, and everything about it was black. The only other color was the white of the skull and crossed swords on its pirate flag, flying high from the topmost mast of the ship. Her eyes widened in disbelief. As quickly as she saw it, it disappeared into the thick fog. What did it all mean? After hearing from his own lips what the Lieutenant intended to do with anyone in association with pirates, she determined not to tell a soul what she had witnessed today. There was a story here, she felt it. And Will deserved to have his say. He looked to be about her age, maybe a year older. Was he really a pirate? The thought gave her shivers. What would be done with him, once they arrived at their destination? He would need a home and family - he was still too young to live on his own. Maybe she could persuade her father to help the boy.
~*~*~*~
Chapter 1
A Ship in the Fog
Disclaimer: If I owned Orlando, would I really be wasting my time writing about him??! Ha!
Note: I know this isn't technically an original story of mine, but I just feel the movie provides so much on its own to write about, and thoughts and ideas kept coming to me as I watched (oh, only the last twenty times!). I've tried to be true to the movie itself, following every spoken word exactly, but the fill-in thoughts are my own idea of what the characters are thinking and feeling, based on the material given. I hope you enjoy. This is my first published writing of any kind, so be gentle! But honest reviews are appreciated!
And so, we begin..
Caribbean Sea, early eighteenth century
~*~*~*~
The ship was surrounded by a wall of thick, grey fog, the only sound being the sea lapping at its hull, and a small, girlish voice in soft song. A young girl could be seen, standing serenely at the ship's rail, her hands primly folded. Her honey-brown ringlets rested on the shoulders of her blue flower-print dress edged in lace. The whole day had put Elizabeth Swan into a melancholy mood, and the vivid imagination of a motherless ten- year-old conjured up all sorts of "what-ifs" to fill the void, and she didn't even realize she was softly singing a pirate's tune, it carrying out over the sightless waters, into nothingness. It came naturally, for it was her fondest dream of adventure to meet a pirate, so they, and anything having to do with piracy, were never far from her mind.
We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot Drink up, me hearties, yo, ho!
Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me!
We extort, we pilfer, we filch and sack Drink up, me hearties, oh - !!
Startled by a hand on her shoulder, her ringlets swung around as she looked at who it was, her blue eyes large and luminous. It was one of the ship's crew, Mr. Gibbs, the most superstitious man anyone could meet. His grey lambchop whiskers set off his wide jaw, accented by the hat he wore.
"Quiet, missy! The cursed pirates sail these waters! You don't want to bring them down on us, now, do ya?"
Staring at his fervent expression, she gave a small shake of her head. She thought them interesting, yes, but he should know she wouldn't intentionally bring anyone harm!
Lieutenant Norrington came up just in time to hear his remark. "Mr. Gibbs! That'll do!" An earnest, serious naval officer in his mid-twenties, he wore a brown wig with side ringlets over his ears and a ponytail down his neck, and stood straight in his red uniform and tricorner hat, his hands folded behind him, surveying the exchange with Governor Swan's young daughter.
"But she was singing about pirates!" Gibbs exclaims to him, "It's bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words!"
Norrington's disapproval was evident as he dismissed him, "Consider them marked. On your way."
"Aye, Lieutenant."
Norrington frowned as the sailor stalked off, muttering to himself.
"Bad luck having women on board, too, even a miniature one." Gibbs took a small leather-bound flask out of his vest and took a swig, with his back turned to the company on deck.
Staring after him, Elizabeth exclaims, with a faraway look in her eyes, "I think it'd be exciting to meet a pirate." She couldn't hide a sparkle in her eyes. The prim ringlets and proper dress only served as a mask for a spirited imagination and a fiery will of her own, which her father lived to conceal, anxious to train her as a proper English woman fitting of her place in society.
Norrington smiled indulgently at her innocence, and walked over to gaze into to fog over the ship's rail next to her, "Think again, Miss Swan. 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 just what he deserves." He pauses for emphasis and makes eye contact with the young girl, "A short drop and a sudden stop."
Slightly mystified, Elizabeth glances over at Gibbs for an explanation, and sees him yanking the handkerchief around his neck as if it were a noose, making his eyes bulge and his tongue loll out of his mouth. She gasps at the vivid picture he presented, and looks back up at Norrington in shock. Her father interrupts at this juncture, putting a stop to this line of conversation.
"Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor, but I'm - I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter."
The young officer looks instantly sorry at his loose tongue. "My apologies, Governor Swan." He walked away, removing himself from the conversation, leaving Elizabeth to exclaim to her father,
"Actually, I find this all fascinating!" Now the sparkle was twice as strong. Elizabeth felt she was closer to pirates now than ever before! Her father, being a part of "society," and frowned on anything about pirates - and any other unpleasant subject. particularly been taboo for "delicate young ladies." Much to her father's chagrin, however, Elizabeth still knew more about the unsavory lot than he would have liked.
The Governor looks rueful, "Yes, that's what concerns me." He ambles away, leaving her to her thoughts. He did his best to bring her up as a lady, to have the proper disposition for the daughter of a man of his stature. They may have left London for the more remote Caribbean islands, but they didn't have to leave good, genteel manners behind. Having lost his wife some years ago, he doted on his daughter more than he ought, and he just prayed it would have no ill effect on her, spending so much time around military men and listening to political and military meetings and strategies all the time.
Gazing after them, Elizabeth wonders if her father will ever see her as anything but a tiny child to be coddled and protected. She turns once again to the fog, and notices an open parasol floating upside down in the sea's grey waters, and a small smile plays around her mouth, at this hint of civility out in the middle of the Atlantic. Then she notices a much more startling discovery.
"Look," she calls out to the others on deck, "A boy! There's a boy in the water!" For sure enough, a young boy was laying on his back on a sheet of wood.from what? Her calls had done their intended job, and everyone else on deck ran to the railing to see what she saw, and soon organized chaos ensued as calls of "man overboard!" were followed by a line being dropped, and someone jumped in to retrieve him. Once safely aboard ship, he was laid on the deck's planks, unconscious. Norrington noted that he was still breathing.
Gibbs ran back to the railing, to see where he had come from, and exclaimed half in awe, "Mary, Mother of God.." At his words, the rest of the crew joined him, and they all stood silent and dumbfound at the sight before them.
Out of the fog, they saw what used to be a ship come into view, her keel busted down the middle, the mast almost level with the sea, and all of it brightly ablaze, absolutely nothing left to retrieve. It was a miracle the boy got out alive. Maybe someone foresaw the coming disaster and sent him adrift on the makeshift raft.
The Governor had come back on deck at hearing the commotion, and asked, "What happened here?" following everyone's gaze to the fire in the ocean.
Norrington was very matter-of-fact, "Most likely the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed," as if dismissing the matter. It was a fact of life on these rough waters, and he had seen worse.
"A lot o' good it did them." Gibbs glanced at the Lieutenant's scowl, "What?" He tried to defend his remarks, "Everyone's thinking it - I'm just saying it: Pirates!"
Governor Swan blustered that thought away, "Heavens! There's no proof of that! It was probably an accident!" No one wanted to think about the one danger everyone knew and dreaded.
While the adults discussed the cause of the disaster, Elizabeth slowly approached the boy still lying on the deck.
Lieutenant Norrington began barking out orders, "Rouse the captain immediately! Heave to and take in sail! Launch the boats!"
As the deck became a flurry of activity to carry out the orders, a man picked up the boy and carried him away. Governor Swan bent to speak close to his daughter, "Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him." Their eyes met briefly when he placed a hand gently on her shoulder. He knew she would be a good nurse. In spite of her penchant for boyish interests, she had her mother's sweet disposition and compassion for those in need. And she could especially help the lad if he was now an orphan; she had lost a parent herself. She nodded her understanding and followed the man to where he laid the boy on a blanket, out of the way of the ship's commotion. Swan gazed after his daughter, the lines in his face giving evidence to his years of care and worry over being a father and mother to his daughter, and his time in office as Governor.
The ship had sent a boat to investigate the burned ship's wreckage, but nothing proved salvageable.
Elizabeth approached the boy's still form, wondering who he was. He was soaked to the skin, his muslin shirt dirty, almost as dark as his brown breeches and vest. She reached out to brush aside a wet lock of brown hair falling over his brow. The touch must have startled him awake, for he gasped like a fish out of water and grapped her wrist, startling her and causing her to jump back. Taking great gulps to calm her breathing, she assured him.
"It's okay. My name's Elizabeth Swan."
Was he staring at an angel? Her soft brown halo of hair set off her heart- shaped face. He gasped out, "W-W-Will T-Turner," then collapsed back on the board, his hand dropping in exhaustion. He struggled to breathe while he stared at her soft face.
"I'm watching over you, Will." She gave him a reassuring smile, and he closed his eyes once more, giving in to the exhaustion again.
She saw him collapse back to sleep, and noticed a chain around his neck. Pulling it out from under his shirt, it had a medallion attached. On closer inspection, it was gold, open-worked, with a skull and crossbones formed in the center. Holding it in her hand, she stared incredulously at it, then at Will's face.
"You're - you're a pirate!" she spoke low, in an awed and amazed voice.
Elizabeth was then startled by Lieutenant Norrington, and spun around to face him, hiding the necklace behind her skirts.
"Has he said anything?" the Commodore snapped out.
"His name's William Turner. That's all I found out." She worked at keeping her face innocent. Would the Commodore actually hang a young boy for piracy, as he'd threatened to do to anyone sailing 'under a pirate's flag or wearing a pirate's brand'? Did that include carrying pirate medallions? Elizabeth didn't want to risk finding out.
Upon gleaning no helpful information, Norrington gave orders to have him taken below, as if dismissing him entirely.
Elizabeth watches the men carry him away, but stays next to the rail for a moment longer, gazing at this strange article she had just found. A pirate's medallion! Was the boy really a pirate? He didn't look it! And what of his family? As she held up the coin to look more closely, something off in the distance of the fog caught her attention.
Out of the mist, she made out the stern and sails of another ship.only this ship's sails were so holey, it was a wonder they caught any wind, and everything about it was black. The only other color was the white of the skull and crossed swords on its pirate flag, flying high from the topmost mast of the ship. Her eyes widened in disbelief. As quickly as she saw it, it disappeared into the thick fog. What did it all mean? After hearing from his own lips what the Lieutenant intended to do with anyone in association with pirates, she determined not to tell a soul what she had witnessed today. There was a story here, she felt it. And Will deserved to have his say. He looked to be about her age, maybe a year older. Was he really a pirate? The thought gave her shivers. What would be done with him, once they arrived at their destination? He would need a home and family - he was still too young to live on his own. Maybe she could persuade her father to help the boy.
~*~*~*~