| A Pirate's Dawn |
Chapter 1
"Stella"
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* Author's Notes *
Hi ev'raybody! I've been busy for the past two weeks and haven't gotten to write anything, it's insane! Anyway, I've really wanted to start another POTC frantic, so this is what I've come up with! As always, I do not own POTC *scowls menacingly, a la evil villain* or any of the characters!
Please R & R ! I really like hearing comments and/or suggestions from readers, and I DO accept anonymous reviews!
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It was a beautiful evening, the sky filled with brilliant shades of red and orange. Stella sighed happily as she leaned on the side of the ship, gazing westward. The ship was in the middle of the sea, with nothing to see on the horizon but more crystalline water, sparkling with the sun's fire. She stood there, the wind gently blowing her hair around her face. Just when the sun had almost fully set, she felt two large, strong hands grab around her mouth and waist, pulling her backwards into what seemed like an endless pit of darkness.
Stella awoke in her bed, covered in a nervous sweat. She looked around her room cautiously, as if someone were to pop out at her any moment.
"No…they couldn't have come back for me. They don't know…" she trailed off to herself quietly, trying to reassure her. She was right; it had been a full six years since that night, and to this day, they probably thought she was dead.
Ever since she could remember, Stella had lived on a ship her entire life. Her father had been the captain of one of the most renowned vessels in the Spanish Main, the "Intrepid." It had been a small ship, compared to others, but for the brute force she lacked, she made up in her incredible speed. Stella had practically been raised by the Intrepid's crew, and because of this, she acquired quite a vocabulary, and a taste for raunchy jokes and rum at an early age. Her father had seen nothing wrong with it, glad his daughter was not one of the common china dolls that stayed indoors, wasting away, never knowing a true life. The Intrepid's crew was good-natured and regarded Stella as their own daughter as well, protecting her when they went on lootings, and entertaining her on the ship. It was like one large, very alcoholic family. Until that unforgettable night.
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It was a day like any other. Stella was sixteen years old, now possessing the skills of any other crewmember on board. Her father had taught her all he had known, and given her, her own cutlass and pistol, a sign of a true pirate. She had spent that day sparring with her father, as she was a perfectionist when it came to her skills. In her mind, they could always be improved upon. After dinner downstairs with the crew, she had wandered back on the deck to watch the sunset, as she usually did when she wanted to think. This night, she didn't have much to think about, she just needed some air, and it was the perfect night for it. The hands grabbed her just like in the dream; she was completely unarmed. Before she knew it, her arms were bound behind her with rope, and her mouth was gagged with a disgustingly dirty rag. Not being able to make a sound, she was half-dragged, half-carried into a small rowboat, and taken over to another ship, one she had never seen before. That was the last time she saw her father and the crew. As they boarded the ship, "Maria's Fate" as she read from the side, she heard a large explosion. She turned and saw the most horrific sight she had ever seen…The Intrepid, blown into several large, burning pieces. Whether anyone had survived she couldn't tell, as she was violently jerked into what seemed like the captain's chamber. She waited for what seemed like an hour, her face wet with furious tears. A door opened, and a darkly-clothed man walked towards her, grinning victoriously. But as he came closer, his expression changed into that of fury. He pushed Stella out of the way, sending her toppling to the floor, and opened the door to find the crew listening against the wall.
"You complete idiots! This isn't the girl I wanted!" he boomed in a rage. A short man stepped forward, obviously his first mate.
"This was the only one aboard. James only had one daughter," he defended himself. The captain turned to face Stella once more, and sighed, knowing this was true.
"I suppose it doesn't matter. James is dead, so is the crew." He shrugged, somewhat content, and started walking towards the stern of the ship to steer.
"Captain? The girl? What are we to do with her?" a greasy looking pirate asked.
The captain turned and then smirked evilly. "Whatever you want, she's of no use to me." He turned and carried on towards the wheel, the crew eyeing Stella like a pack of wolves.
By this time, Stella had gotten back onto her feet and was now looking at the crew in fear. Her cutlass and pistol were now at the bottom of the sea, along with everything else. As a few of the crewmembers approached her, she narrowed her eyes, now feeling nothing but rage. The had killed her father! They had separated her from him before his death for no reason! She could have at least died with them! But now she was here, destined for a less than pleasant future. At this idea, she spat right in the first mate's face. She didn't want them to think she was some delicate little girl they could do what they pleased with. The pirate stood there for a moment, in silent rage, and wiped his face off. He opened his eyes and shot his hand at her throat, grasping it tightly.
"You listen here lass, you stay on this ship, you do what we tell ye to do. Ye play nice," he said in a restrained yell. Do ye understand?" He let go of her throat, allowing her to answer.
Stella mustered up the most strength her could at the moment to keep back her tears. She wasn't weak like the other prisoners they probably usually took. She narrowed her eyes once again and stood straight up. "Then I won't be staying on this ship, will I?" She stood her ground, waiting for his reaction.
His cocky smile quickly turned back into pure fury, not used to being talked back to. With that, he grabbed her roughly, and tilted her over the side of the ship, backwards. "Give yer father my regards," he spat out, and heaved her over the side.
Stella opened her eyes to see herself surrounded in dark blue waters. She couldn't tell how deep she was, since there was no light to reference herself to. That didn't matter; she needed to get to the surface, no matter how deep she was. She started kicking as hard as she could, while trying to slip the ropes off of her arms. Luckily, the crew was sloppy, and hadn't completely knotted it, allowing her to slide it off quite easily. Relieved, she started swimming as fast as she could to what little of the moonlight she could see.
Just as she thought her lungs would burst, she surfaced. She had indeed been deeper than she had thought. After she had caught her breath, she looked around, trying to reorient herself. Maria's Fate was already off in the distance, and for this, Stella was grateful. She looked to her left, seeing something large and shadowed, floating in the water. She cautiously paddled towards it, not in the trusting mood, and her heart leaped with joy. It was the rowboat they had used to bring her from the Intrepid. "Thank God, they're such careless pirates…" she thought to herself as she pulled herself into the small boat. She smiled once again, finding the oars to be inside as well. She took out her compass, which hung from a strip of leather around her neck, and pointed the boat west, hoping to hit a port or another ship in that direction. Before she started paddling however, she took one of the rings off of her finger, and dropped it into the sea.
"Goodbye, father. I'll never forget you or the crew. The heavens take ye, all those lost at sea," she whispered to herself, hoping these words could be heard. She bowed her head in respect, and started rowing west.
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A small tear crept out of the corner of Stella's eye. It was hard for her to remember that night, and she had dreams about it at least twice a week. She did her best to avoid thinking about it, but she really couldn't help it.
She had rowed due west for a week before she landed at a port about ten miles away from Tortuga. She was near death from lack of water, and had lost nearly fifteen pounds. Luckily, a woman had found her and gotten her a meal and enough money for a week's worth of living expenses. She thanked the old lady, and headed for Tortuga, determined to find a new life there.
She had lived in Tortuga ever since. She started out working as a kitchen maid at a large tavern, worked her way up, and was now a bar maid. She got her regular pay, free drinks, and tips from customers. When she didn't have someone to wait on, she spent her time drinking and talking with customers. Since everyone in Tortuga was a pirate, or did business with them, she didn't have to change her name or dress, or anything else, for that matter. She couldn't have asked for a better deal. Everyone at the tavern knew her as Stella, and didn't ask any questions about it. But recently, she had gone into a state of depression. She didn't really want to spend the rest of her life as a bar maid, getting hit on constantly by all sorts of strange men. She was a pirate! A damn good one at that. The longer she stayed in Tortuga, the more her skills deteriorated, no matter how much she practiced.
Stella sighed, and laid back down. It was early in the morning, and she had to be up in another couple hours. She couldn't think about this any longer, or she'd be up for the rest of the night.
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