A pirate was sitting alone in a small sailboat, barely larger than a longboat, a round map spread before him. He carefully rearranged the movable circles of the map, pausing here and there to look for clues.

"Hmm."

The pirate glanced up, gazing at the full moon, hi s familiar dreadlocks flipping from his movement. He turned again, lifted his spyglass to one of his kohl-lined eyes, and tightly shut the other one. He could just spot land, even in the dim light of the moon.

"Destination accomplished," the pirate said to himself, rolling up the round bamboo map and pocketing it.

Captain Jack Sparrow's sailboat hit shore. He climbed out, his well-worn boots nearly sinking in the soft sand. He flailed his arms to keep balance, then started to stride away. He paused, considering, and turned back around to reach into the boat, pulling out a large bottle of rum.

Not too far away was a dock. Jack hurried to i t, taking a swig from his bottle of rum as he ran. With a magnificent leap, he jumped up onto the dock and followed it through a cluster of tall shrubs.

Now Jack saw a great palace, several stories tall, looming above him. The purple clouds surrounding its higher turrets gave it an oddly eerie look. Jack looked back at shore; he noticed three large Chinese warships at a second dock, farther away.

"Excellent," Jack murmured, walking right up to the gate of the palace, where a guard stood stiffly. The young man stared at Jack, absorbing his eccentric appearance.

"Good evening, young sir," Jack said with as much politeness a pirate could muster. "I must see the magistrate."

The guard simply stared.

"Ahh," Jack said. "No engles, I take it? Perhaps this will clear things up." He pulled out his trusty double-barreled pistol and aimed it at the young man, who sprang into action at once, opening the gate with much haste. Indeed, the poor youth nearly tripped over his own feet in his zealousness to assist this guest.

"Never fails," Jack said with a smirk, replacing the pistol once inside the gates. There were several stone paths leading to the palace. After careful consideration, Jack chose and quickly found himself standing in front of two more guards.

"See magistrate, yes?" One of the guards inquired. Jack gave a curt nod. "Take left on entrance and open first pair of double doors."

The guards then graciously held open the doors. Suspicious of the unusual hospitality, Jack stepped in with care and moved with caution, but decided to try their advice once he saw how many routes there were to explore. He took a left on his entrance, striding down a long hall and noting the splendor of the palace's interior. At the end of the hall was a pair of double doors, decorated with painted red flowers and translucent glass. Jack stealthily pushed the doors open to find a grand room, adorned with marble, silks, and opulence.

Only two people were inside, a man and a woman, both comfortably seated on red silk cushions in the center of the room. Dressed lavishly, both looked up at Jack in alarm. Concluding that the man was the magistrate, Jack gave a low bow and took in his appearance.

Though he was sitting, Jack could see that the man was portly. His beetle-black eyes crinkled in surprise and matched his soot colored hair, which was flecked with gray and fell to his waist. His beard, too, was just as long. He wore dark red robes that were embroidered with gold thread in a pattern of Chinese dragons.

"Welcome to Manchuria," the man said uncertainly, inclining his head in respect. "What business do you have here?"

"I am an agent of the East India Trading Company, Port Royal Headquarters, and I have been requested to discuss negotiations of the return of the island of Hainan, which, as you know, is under British occupation." The only in truth in this was the fact about Hainan, but Jack still felt obliged to add, "I am Captain Jack Sparrow."

At Jack's introduction, the young woman, who had averted her eyes and was reading a thick book, propped on the table between her and the magistrate, turned and looked up. Jack gazed at her, mesmerized.

She was not tall, but her slender body created this illusion. Her long onyx hair was waist length, excluding a wispy fringe of bangs. Her slightly curved noise was perfectly shaped, and she had large, twinkling brown eyes. Porcelain skin covered her body, scarlet lips and rosy cheeks adorned her face. To complete this image of perfection, she wore a long, floor-length dress the same color as her black hair, the hems of which were embroidered with gold, red, and orange butterflies.

The magistrate evidently noticed Jack's sudden interest in the girl, because he quickly said, "Captain Sparrow, this is Fan-ting. Fantine," he corrected. "My fiancé."

The woman gave him an approving nod.

"What are you wanting in return for you give back Hainan?" the magistrate asked.

"Here," Jack said, snapping his attention back onto this issue and removing a sheet of parchment from an inside coat pocket. He laid it carefully on the table between the two cushions. "This is the deed to Hainan. What we want is one Chinese warship and a crew of twenty men. We are interested, you see, in your technology – with a little experimenting, a ship combining British speed and Chinese weaponry could be built, and we will gladly share forty percent of the profits with you."

The parchment at which the magistrate was now looking with interest was, obviously, a fake deed. However, the magistrate was fooled. He stroked his long beard for some minutes before he replied.

"Only one ship in return for our island?" he inquired. "And the company will share almost half the profits?"

"Indeed," Jack confirmed. "Of course, the British will be doing the experimenting, so we felt more than fair offering forty percent. I'm telling you, mate, the company is rarely this generous."

"All right, I accept," the magistrate said, after a few moments of hesitation. "Please excuse for few minutes. I will inform the Dynasty Warrior to prepare for departure."

The magistrate left the room, leaving Jack and Fantine together in an awkward silence.

Fantine gazed at him.

"I know, Captain," she said, "that you are not an agent of this company. You are an infamous pirate."

Jack looked at the girl in surprise, taken back not only by this unexpected show of knowledge, but also by her smooth accent, a mix of British and French, unlike the magistrate's irritatingly hard to comprehend Chinese accent.

"How did you know that?" Jack demanded.

"You are in a number of books about piracy," Fantine replied simply.

Jack gave a small frown. "Well, just keep quiet, eh, young missy?"

"Not for free," Fantine said. Jack looked at her, alarmed.

"What?"

"I will keep quiet, if you will give me something in return," Fantine said in a low voice. "You will smuggle me onto the ship and sail away from Manchuria. I have not been outside the palace walls in eight years, so neither crewman nor civilian would recognize me as royalty. If you will help me, I will help you."
Jack considered. It would, indeed, be safer to take the girl.

"Why do you want to leave so badly, love?" Jack asked. "Your life seems comfortable."

"Oh, it is," Fantine assured him airily. "But one does tire of majestic life. There are darker reasons, dark secrets of the magistrate, but I will not share them with you. Yet."

Jack decided to take her, but not for the secrets of the magistrate, in whom he had little interest.

"Do you agree, then?" Fantine asked. "Take me onto your new ship, let me stay until we hit a land I fancy, and I will keep your secret safe."

"How can I trust you?" Jack shot back, sounding rather like one who only recently met a dishonest pirate. "You could run to any of the crew and inform on me."

Fantine laughed. "Oh, Captain," she said lightly, "even if I did that, now one would care. Most of them are pirate themselves. Or rather, caught pirates shown mercy by the magistrate. They would quite welcome you if they discovered you are a pirate."

This seemed reasonable, Jack decided. There was a chance the girl was bluffing, of course, but it would definitely be wiser to take her than leave her.

"Then I agree," Jack said, reaching out to shake the girl's hand and seal their agreement.—but she recoiled, staring at his offered palm. Jack looked down at his own hand.

"Oh, I know it's not clean," he said hastily, hastily wiping it on his coat.

"No," Fantine said weakly. "That ring. The silver skull and emerald ring. Where did you get it?"

Jack removed the ring and scrutinized it, thinking.

"I don't recall," he said honestly.

"You got it from Sao Feng."

Jack's eyes widened. This was quite true. At the girls' mention of this name, memories emerged from the back of Jack's mind.

"Affirmative," he said.

"Where is he?" Fantine asked quietly.

Jack paused. "Dead. His ship was attacked by the Flying Dutchman."

Fantine's eyes grew brighter. "Oh, my," she said sadly. Jack looked wondrously at her. She knew Sao Feng so well she felt such sadness for his passing. Jack knew the Pirate Lord of Singapore often took young mistresses, but Fantine had said she had not left the palace for eight years.

The girl shook her head, clearing her tears, then dropped her gaze.

"That compass," she said. Jack looked down again and unlatched the compass from his belt.
"I've read about it," Fantine continued. "You value it greatly. You will leave it here with me."

"I thought you're coming with!" Jack objected, surprised.

"Yes, that I am," Fantine said. "But I must feign sleep before I can leave the castle, and I must wait for the magistrate to sleep. You will board the ship and wait for me. When the magistrate sleeps, I will go to the ship. You will help me up, and I will return the compass."

"You can't trust me?"

"You are a pirate," Fantine said dismissively. "Trust is a thing to be earned."

Reluctantly, Jack handed the girl the compass, just as the magistrate reentered.

"You may board ship now. Lian?" he called.

A girl entered from behind the curtains on the far side of the room. She was square shouldered and tired looking, no doubt a servant. The magistrate spoke to her in Chinese, and she began to leave.

"Follow her," the magistrate told Jack. "She will lead you to ship."

Jack hurried after the girl, looking back at Fantine only once.

The servant, Lian, walked ahead of Jack. She spoke to the guards, including the gate guard Jack had earlier threatened, all of whom quickly allowed passage. Lian continued, down the dock and along the white sanded beach, stopping at a rowboat which was occupied by a muscle-bound Chinese man.

Lian bowed a signal for Jack to climb into the boat. Upon this action, the man began rowing quickly to the ship in the deeper water. The ship was clean and regal, but Jack sighed – he wanted his Pearl. He boarded the Dynasty Warrior, only to be welcomed by his new crew.

"Welcome, Captain Sparrow," a tall, are-cheated man said, stepping out of the crowd of some twenty men. "What is our heading? Sir?"

Jack was surprised at this politeness.

"My good man," Jack began graciously. "Mr.…what was your name?"
"Xing-zhao," said the man.

"Oh, dear," Jack said. "I'll just call you John, what say you to that mate? Anyway," Jack continued without waiting for a reply, "I am to wait for someone who will join us shortly. Send a boat to shore and wait a bit. Meanwhile, raise the starboard anchor and prepare to take leave! Come on, men, we don't have all night!"
Jack retired to his new cabin, which was decorated like the palace and where a meal was already laid out. Ignoring the food, Jack pulled out his hip and unfurled it, stretching it on the empty end of the table.

"Yes," Jack murmured, "the Empress is just here…"

"Sir?"

Jack looked around; Xing-zhao was poking his head into the cabin.
"Yes, John?"

The man winced. "Your guest has arrived."

Guest? Jack had temporarily forgotten about Fantine in his preoccupation with his map.

"Oh, yes," Jack said shortly. "I'll be there momentarily, mate."

He carefully rolled up the map and left eh cabin, walking on deck to the rail, where the man who had rowed Jack to the ship was helping Fantine up.

"Compass," he said tersely.

Fantine glared at him. "Salutations to you as well, Captain."

She snapped her fingers, and a series of pained grunts ensued. An end of a trunk appeared, followed by a panting man.

"Thank you," she said to him, relieving him of his burden. She hoisted the trunk with unexpected strength, opened it, and pulled out the compass. Jack caught a glimpse of silvery objects (Probably jewelry), jars, and silk clothes, and was caught unawares when Fantine tossed the compass at him, but managed to catch it.

"Show Miss…Miss, eh…"

"Zheng," supplied Fantine.

"Ah! Yes, of course. John, show Miss Zheng to the guest cabin."

Xing-zhao frowned but obliged.

Now another man, Yang-tsai, came to Jack.

"Our heading, Captain?"

Jack pulled out his compass with a flourish and flipped it open.

"Four degrees starboard southwest."

"And our destination, sir?"

"Singapore."