She sat on a divan in her manor house, her feet barely touching the floor. She looked out the window at the water droplets slowly cascading down the glass window pane. It was raining outside, as was expected in England that time of the year. The sky was gray and particularly gloomy that day, something that upset her greatly since it was spring, the time for new beginnings. She hated to think of anything to begin in such dreary weather, though she could not deny its beauty.

"Harriet? Are you listening?"

Harriet snapped back to reality. "Sorry father, I was distracted," she explained. "The rain was just so peaceful and beautiful..."

The new governor smiled. "Alright," he said. "I just said you should behave whilst in the guests' companies. You wouldn't want to give them the wrong impressions of you, would you?"

She shook her head. "No, father," she said. "I wouldn't."

He stroked her hair gently. "Good," he said, and returned to the paperwork he was working on prior to the conversation.

Her father was in his office doing paperwork for the government. She sat with her sister, Elizabeth, her fraternal twin, her older twin. Elizabeth had light brown hair and hazel eyes, much like her father without his wig, while Harriet had dark brown hair and green eyes, much like her mother before she passed away at childbirth twelve years ago. Only their looks really varied. Their personalities were quite similar: both loved the ocean, both longed for adventure, and both had an innate interest in pirates.

They were waiting for the guests to arrive for the ball. Her father had just assumed the position of Governor. He was to be stationed in Port Royal, Jamaica. They would be leaving at the end of the month aboard the HMS Dauntless. This was to be their congratulatory and farewell ball, after which they would start preparing for the journey to the Caribbean.

Harriet wasn't the most pleased with this. She did not want to leave her hometown and friends. She had pleaded with her father, but there was no going around it: they were leaving for good. Elizabeth on the other hand, she wanted to go to the Caribbean. "The weather here is so depressing," she had said. "Besides, there we're more likely to meet pirates!" This persuaded Harriet enough for her to partially look forward to her new home.

There was a knock at the door. Harriet, her sister, and her father abruptly stood from where they were sitting and rushed to the foot of the stairs, where they would greet the guests one by one as they entered.

The butler opened the door and announced their guests.

"Governor Weatherby Swann, lovely to meet you," Harriet's father said, smiling widely while shaking his hand and kissing her hand. "These are my daughters Elizabeth and Harriet."

This was their cue. They both lifted their skirts ever so slightly and curtsied. "How do you do?" they said together. This went on and on until all the guests had arrived.

Once the final guests had arrived, Governor Swann approached the front of his guests.

He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said his voice loud and clear for all to hear. "Thank you for coming to this little celebration I put together. As you all know, I have assumed the position of Governor of Jamaica and will be stationed in Port Royal, meaning this will be the last time I may see many of you." He paused and sighed. "I just wanted to say how pleased I was to have known you all and I hope success follows you with your future endeavours." At this, he lifted the glass of wine he had in his hand. "God bless," he said. The guests lifted their glasses and said "God bless" in agreement.

The Governor took a sip of his wine and lowered it. "Now," he said his eyes bright with excitement. "Let the celebration begin!"

With that the music started, and people started to dance and mingle.

Harriet and her sister mingled with the guests, or rather half-mingled. They barely knew any of the people at the ball, save for a few of the naval officers who would be accompanying them to the Caribbean.

A group of three naval officers caught Harriet's eye. "Lizzie," she said, gently elbowing her sister who was busy examining the flowers in the centrepiece of their table.

"Ouch!" Elizabeth exclaimed, though not loud enough for anyone but her sister to hear. "What was that for, Harrie?" She looked at her sister and where she was looking. A smile appeared on her lips.

"Come," Harriet said. "Let's say hello."

Elizabeth nodded. They stood up from their seats and walked up to the group of naval officers.

The officers were standing in a circle, talking to one another with drinks in their hands. One of them had his back turned to Harriet and Elizabeth as they approached. He wore a blue coat and a brown wig, tied at the end with a black ribbon.

"Good evening officers," Harriet greeted them with a curt curtsy, as did Elizabeth.

The officer turned around. He flushed slightly, as though embarrassed of his unawareness of their presence. "Pardon me, Misses Swann," he said, nodding to both Harriet and Elizabeth. "I was unaware of your presences."

"Lieutenant James Norrington," Harriet said, both she and Elizabeth calling him that when he would frustrate them. "How many times have we told you to call us Elizabeth and Harriet?"

"Only a billion times," Elizabeth said, feigning a frown.

James flushed all the more. "I apologize, Harriet and Elizabeth," he said. "It won't happen again."

Elizabeth smiled. "Good."

Harriet then addressed the whole group. "I'm so glad you will be joining us to the Caribbean," she said joyfully. "I don't know what Elizabeth and I would do if you weren't coming with us."

"We'd probably lose our minds out of boredom," Elizabeth said.

"We'd think you were already in that state," Lieutenant Theodore Grooves said before he could stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

Harriet and Elizabeth opened their mouths in protest, Elizabeth taking it a step further by gently smacking him on the arm with her fan.

"Talk to us like that again and I'll tell on you to James," Harriet joked. "Oh wait, that's Andrew's job."

Both James and Theodore nearly spat out their drinks in laughter.

"I am NOT a tattletale!" Lieutenant Andrew Gillette protested, his cheeks reddening in embarrassment and anger.

"You have to admit it, lieutenant." James said, recovering first from his coughing fit. "You are a bit of a tattletale."

"I am not!" Andrew said.

"Are too!" Theodore said, having recovered from his coughing fit still laughing.

"Am NOT!" Andrew exclaimed, shaking his hands in frustration and accidentally spilling his drink. "Oh no!" Andrew pulled out his handkerchief and wiped down his uniform. Theodore rolled his eyes at this and talked to the lady next to him. In a few moments he was engrossed in his conversation with the woman.

"You owe me a drink, Swann," Andrew said to Harriet. "You caused this."

Harriet turned to her sister with a mischievous smile. "Time to pay your dues, Lizzie," she said.

Elizabeth groaned. Earlier that year she had been grounded by their father, so she had asked for her sister's help in distracting their father so she could escape for a bit. She said she would return the favour, either through a large favour or many small ones, though she did not realize how tiring it would be. She turned around and headed towards the bar.

"Doesn't she hate it when people call her that?" James asked quizzically, referring to Harriet's pet name for her sister.

"There are certain perks that come with being her sister," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Permission to call her 'Lizzie' included."

James smiled. "So," James said. "What brings you to our humble group of officers?"

"Besides the intent to irritate, you mean?" Harriet questioned jokingly.

James flushed again. "No," he said. "I did not mean that."

"I'm joking, James," Harriet said gently. "Actually, we just wanted to say 'hi'. You three are basically the only people here that we know..." she leaned in closer and put a hand over her mouth. "...and the only ones who haven't had to choose between cremation and burial yet."

James snickered. "Harriet," he said, hardly able to contain his laughter. "That's not very proper."

Harriet laughed as well. She was glad James was coming. He was so fun to be with. That is, when he isn't all stuck up about propriety, which he usually was. That's why she loved being with James alone, where he would usually relax a little, especially when her father wasn't watching. James wouldn't dare act improper in front if the governor, otherwise it would tarnish his reputation. Harriet didn't much believe in propriety, and found it rather irritating to have to follow, but she knew it was for the best, so she kept her impropriety to a manageable level. Elizabeth on the other hand completely loathed propriety and only acted proper so as not to be disowned (an exaggeration, but true up to a certain point.)

"Here," Elizabeth said, coming back to the room with a drink in her hands. "Here's your drink, Andrew, and this time, don't spill it."

Andrew's face reddened again as he took the drink from Elizabeth's hand.

A/N: End of chapter one. I think the length has improved compared to my previous fanfiction (although it wasn't all that intentional...I was just more into writing this story than the previous one :) ). I hope you enjoyed it (I hope it has left you curious enough to read more! XD). Please review!