Author: Syphonus
Title: Truth be Told
E-mail: bakurasknife@yahoo.com
Claimer: Rosanna Marie "Deadly Ro" Williams/ Rosanna Marie "Deadly Ro" James (take your pick - same person, different names) is my own creation.
Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Captian Jack Sparrow or any other character and whatever else from Pirates of the Carribean.
Twelve years before...
A little girl stood on the balcony outside her bedroom, staring out at the port. Rosanna Marie Williams imagined herself on a pirate ship, about to pillage a nearby town. She was overtaken by her imagination; the real world was left behind. The girl was clad in boys clothing, and she wore a bandana on her head, keeping her hair out of her face. The captain's hands sung a pirate song, and soon the girl found herself joining in. The crew drew their swords, about to arrive at the port.
"We're rascals, scoundrals, villians, and knaves, drink up, me hearties, yo ho! We're devils and black sheep, and really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho! Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for -"
"Stop that nonsense!"
Rosanna Marie was suddenly sucked back into reality. She spun around to face her father, who was looking quite angry. Her gaze dropped and she stared at her shoes.
"I'm sorry, father."
"Pirates are bad people, Rosanna Marie. I don't want to ever hear you singing that... that... foolishness again. Understood?" he said. Anger was easily detected in his voice.
"Yes, father," she sighed.
As soon as her father had left the room, she waited until she could be sure that he wouldn't hear her. A smile broke out on her face. She begun to skip, twirl, and dance around the balcony and her bedroom, singing joyfully.
"We're beggars and blighters, ne'er-do-well cads, drink up, me hearties, yo ho..."
Year 1679, England [A/N: I made up the date, correct me if there's a specific date the PotC took place]
"...aye, but we're loved by our mommies and dads, drink up, me hearties, yo ho!"
Twenty-two year old Rosanna Marie ran out of her brother's bedroom, skidding to a stop. She wore a makeshift bandanna, which was actually just a large piece of cloth ripped from an old nightgown, her brother's brown trousers, which stopped just below the knee, one of his white shirts, and a brown leather vest over top of the shirt. Her younger brother, Brennan, age 18, was at a buisness party with her father and her mother, not to return for a few hours yet. She grabbeded a pair of black boots, which also belonged to Brennan, out of the hallway closet and began pulling them onto her feet.
"Miss Williams, may I ask what you are doing?"
Startled, Rosanna Marie let go of the boot she was holding, leaving it halfway on her right foot. She, slowly, looked over to see one of her maids, Rebecca. She finished putting on the right boot and jumped to her feet immediately, her eyes wide.
"I'm... I'm... Playing make-beleive!" she covered.
"Playing pretend at your age is highly unheard of, and quite childish. And pretending to be a boy, no less, is impropor," Rebecca barked.
"I'm not pretending to be a boy," Rosanna Marie frowned. But her frown quickly turned into a smile as she took a sword off the display shelf, holding it out towards Rebecca. "I be a pirate," she said, "An' ye be stadin' in the way of me booty!"
Rosanna Marie grabbed another sword, and tossed it to Rebecca, who screamed and ducked, covering her head. The sword landed with a 'clank' behind her.
"Well, no wonder you aren't married," Rebecca stated, stomping off.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rosanna Marie called after her, but Rebecca was already gone. "Oh... Blimey!" she screamed, balling her free hand into a fist.
Rosanna Marie peeked into her father's room, to make sure no maids were in there. She snuck in, stealthily, and opened her father's wardrobe. She pulled a belt, a sword sheath, and a pistol holster off a hook on one of the doors, and inserted the belt on all belt loops save one. She slipped the sword sheath and pistol holster onto the belt, then put the belt through the last loop. After buckling the belt, she sheathed the sword, and began searching her father's bedroom for a pistol to put in the holster. She began to sing again, enthusiastically.
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me! 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 -"
"Rosanna Marie Williams! Just what do you think you're doing!"
Rosanna Marie turned slowly, leaving the drawer she was looking in open. Her eyes widened.
"Father," she nodded to him, "you're home early."
Rosanna Marie gave a soft laugh, out of fear, and tried to smile as if she was at fault for nothing. Her father stomped over to her.
"I go to a party for a few hours and I return to see you in your brother's clothes, prancing around as if... as if..."
"I were a pirate?" she finished for him.
"Don't you dare say that! You are not a pirate, do you hear me? You are not a pirate!"
"But a life of piracy... In intrigues me, father. It has since I was but a child. I long to be on the sea, on a pirate ship, sailing into the horizon -"
Rosanna was cut off from finishing her sentence by her father's hand, striking her across the face. Instantly, without even thinking, she drew the sword that was sheathed at her hip. Her father stepped backwards, avoiding the point of the blade.
"I WILL NOT HAVE A PIRATE FOR A DAUGHTER! YOU WILL NOT FOLLOW THE LIFE OF YOUR FATHER, ROSANNA MARIE, YOU ARE A RESPECTABLE ENGLISHWOMAN!" her father shouted at her.
Rosanna stopped, wide eyed. She resheathed the sword.
"Life of my father... That could mean one of two things, either that you were a pirate, or I am the child of a pirate, and you adopted me, taking the life I was chosen to live - the life I want to live, and hiding it from me for twenty-two years," she shouted, "And I highly doubt it was the first one, seeing as to -"
*Flashback*
"Father, what is going on?" seven year old Rosanna Marie asked.
"A man, a pirate, was responsible for a pillage on this town seven years ago. He was caught, and will be hung for his actions."
Rosanna Marie pointed to the man on the platform in front of them, with a rope around his neck and his hands tied in front of him.
"Nicholas James, convicted by Sir Samuel Williams, charged with -" one of the soldiers near the platform began.
"Is that him?" she asked. Her father nodded.
"- a pillage on this city, Port Saint Johns, whcih took place seven years ago, and charged with piracy, is sentenced to hanging, on this day of August 8th, 1664," finished the soldier, who moved away from the platform. [A/N: I made up a city, for the occasion of the story. If there really is a Port Saint Johns, it's a mere coincedence]
A drumroll began, and just before the platform dropped out and the drums stopped, the man on the platform's eyes widened, and he smiled at Rosanna Marie.
"The pirate! He smiled at me! He smiled at me..."
*End Flashback*
"Seeing as to how you killed my father, fifteen years ago."
Just then, Rebecca rushed into the room, startling both Rosanna Marie and her father. A look of shock and horror was masked on Rebecca's face.
"Sir, there's an attack on the city! A pirate attack, a... a... A pillage!" Rebecca exclaimed.Slowly, a smile crept its way onto Rosanna Marie's face.
"Perfect," she whispered.
Rosanna Marie ran out of her fa-- legal guardian's bedroom, through the hallways, down the stairs, and out the front door. Windows on buildings were smashed, people were dead in the streets, and pirates fought off English soldiers (and vice versa). A soldier was thrown backwards, and landed a few feet in front of her. She walked over to the body, drawing her sword in case he wasn't dead. A pistol fell out of the soldier's hand, and the soldier laid there, unblinking. Rosanna Marie picked up the soldier's pistol, and put it in her holster.
She looked up just in time to see a soldier rush at her with his sword drawn, mistaking her for one of the pirates who attacked the city. She blocked his attack, sidestepping at the same time. It was like a dance: block, block, sidestep, attack, attack, block, attack, sidestep, sidestep, backstep, backstep, block, attack... Just as she was about to attack again, a sword tip appeared out of the soldier's stomach, then was removed. The soldier fell down, revealing a female pirate.
"Ye be not one o' the captain's crew," she stated. The girl raised her sword to Rosanna Marie. "Who's flag do ye sail under?"
"No, that I be not," Rosanna Marie said, raising her sword as well, "I sail under no one's flag."
The girl went to attack her, but Rosanna Marie hit the hilt of the the girl's sword, knocking the sword out of her hand and into the air. Rosanna Marie caught the sword by its blade, then tossed it up and caught it by its hilt.
"Parley," Rosanna Marie stated simply. She handed the girl's sword back to her. "Yer effects?"
The girl snatched the sword from Rosanna Marie. "Who are you?"
Rosanna Marie bowed, stepping back with her left leg; her left arm stretched behind her, and her right arm stretched in front of her. "Deadly Ro Wi-- James." Rosanna stood back up.
"Tell me, lass. What be yer full name?"
"Rosanna Marie James. An' who be you?"
"Anamaria. That be all ye need to know. Come, ye have a meetin' with the cap'n."
Rosanna Marie - Deadly Ro, as she proclaimed herself, followed Anamaria all the way to a cove a half mile left of the city. A beautiful ship was docked there, and Ro was mesmerized. Anamaria hit Ro with the hilt of her sword, to knock her out of her trance.
"Get in the boat," Anamaria commanded, nodding towards a small rowboat. Ro did as she was told, humming a shanty under her breath. Anamaria rowed the two to the ship, and they climbed on board.
"Wait here," Anamaria commanded.
While Anamaria was gone, Ro turned to the starboard of the ship, looking out to the ocean. Ro began to sing A Pirates Life for Me to keep her occupied.
"Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me! We kindle and char, inflame and ignite, drink up, me hearties, yo ho! We burn up the city, we're really a fright, drink up, me hearties, yo ho! We're rascals, scoundrels, villans, and knaves, drink up, me 'earties, yo ho! We're -"
"Devils and black sheep and really bad eggs, drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" came a male voice.
Ro spun around to face the captain of the ship, Anamaria standing next to him. "Captain," Ro nodded to him. "I 'ear you've invoked the right o' parley. What are yer conditions?"
Ro paused. "I want to work on this ship. I want to be a crew member."
"D'you mind if I call you me bonny lass, love? Well, me bonny lass, what do I get in return for lettin' you in me crew?"
Ro narrowed her eyes. "Ye're speaking to Deadly Ro James, 'ere. I'll work twice as 'ard as any other hands; I'll make sure none o' yer hearties end up in Davy Jones' Jocker unless you sentence them to it, the same with any treasure. And," Ro said, reaching into her pocket and drawing out a sachel, "Ye get this. Savvy? The Captain opened the sachel. "Three hundred shillings," Ro informed him.
"Well, me bonny Ro, you have yourself an accord," he said, extending his hand, and Ro shook it."I s'pose you think that mark on yer collarbone is a birthmark, love?" the Captain asked. Ro nodded. "It's the mark o' Captain Nicholas James, yer -"
"Father. I know. Mr. Williams killed him. An' you have no right to call me yer 'love' or yer bonny lass"
"Right, of course," he smiled. "Mr. Williams sunk 'is ship, too."
"His ship? The ship that would be rightfully mine, had Mr. Williams not -" Ro clamped her hand over her mouth.
"Ah, so you were taken in by the fool!"
"Yes, an' 'e ruined my childhood."
A man wandered over from the quarterdeck. Ro turned to face him. "It's terribly bad luck to have a woman on board," he said.
"Well, ye already 'ave one," Ro began, "It won't kill ye to 'ave another."
Ro looked off the port of the ship, and saw the rest of the crew beginning to make their way on board.
"Me 'earties! We 'ave a new crew member! Feast yer deadlights on Deadly Ro!" he said, introducing her. "An' I am Captain Jack Sparrow." Ro bowed to him in the same mannor that she bowed to Anamaria not too long ago. "Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails!" he called to the crew members. Ro was about to go to as he commanded, but he slapped a hand on her shoulder.
"Ah, ah, you get to swab the decks," he smiled at her, handing her a bucket and mop. The crew let out a howl of laughter at her. Ro glanced at the mop, her jaw tightening. She looked at the floor, then back at him, as if to challenge him.
"Aye, I s'pose I 'ave to prove meself? Fine. I will prove meself. I'll 'ave these here docks swabbed faster than any other crew member on this ship," she said, snatching the bucket and mop from him, and walked over to the quarterdeck to start swabbing.