A hazy horizon swallowed Port Royal in a golden glow, and on the coast the gentle sound of the evening waves crashing against the sand created the music for the peaceful evening. The Port itself was thriving, and there had been few pirate attacks than ever before in the last week. It had been so quiet that a single girl had decided to venture out to the docks after hours. From her appearance it was obvious that she had a high social rank in their sea faring town. Her dress was a soft lilac colour, and it was covered with ornamental bows and lace, it was a wonder the girl could even move, even her hair had been pulled back into an odd shape. It had been placed in a high bun with several sparkling pins set into her hair. The girl looked no more than seventeen, and she was a scrawny little thing for her age, she was hardly the voluptuous figure of a woman that one would expect of her class, but then there were many things about this young woman that would strike another person as odd.
For one, no law abiding citizen would be out and about after hours, nor would they take themselves deliberately to the port where shady characters would hang around as they gathered supplies for their ships. No, this girl was very different from those in the same class as her, but then that was why she was always treated as the black sheep in her family. Course her Father still held strong affections for her, and he admired her strength and determination but there were times that he wished she wasn't as rebellious and as tomboyish. Still there was no use taming a wild child was there? Well at least she didn't think so. A cheeky smile stretched across her lower face as she stepped out of the suffocating lilac dress and nimbly jumped down to a concrete area of the port where the salty water washed up against the stone. Cautiously looking around to check that no one else was around she stepped back a few paces and jumped into the water with a magnificent splash.
"What a beautiful evening." The dark haired girl sighed happily as she floated on top of the water's surface looking at the golden hue of the sky, her verdant eyes glittering passionately. She wondered for a moment as she always did what it would be like to travel the world, and to see different things. She wanted so much to move out of this dull place, where the only excitement came from her sword lessons with the blacksmith and his apprentice. Or when there was the odd attack on the town, but then again the pirates never seemed to get past the canon fire of the fortified port walls. She guessed that wasn't a bad thing, but still she wanted excitement, and she wanted adventure. She wanted a life of a pirate. It was a scandalous fantasy she knew that, but there was something irresistible about the darker side of life, there was something mysteriously enticing about sailing the seven seas and seeking your fortune. She'd heard stories or pirates that roamed the seas taking down the Royal Navy's ship. What a sight that must be, to see ships in battle and to hear the booming canon fire splintering through the wood of the ship. The girl sighed longingly as the water swashed against her body.
"Hey you!" A deep voice called out making her jump, for a moment she lost her balance and fell into the water spluttering as she resurfaced. Looking around she swam back to the concrete edge pushing herself onto it. "What's a lady like you doing in so little?" Called out the voice again, this time there seemed to be a hint of laughter in it. Was he making fun of her? Frowning she put her hands on her hips, feeling no embarrassment from the fact that a man could see her in her under garments.
"Who's there?" She demanded looking around her again, casting her eye on the two large ships either side of her.
"Look up your highness!" The voice boomed the laughter in his voice becoming more obvious now. Obediently the girl looked up her green eyes searching the masts for any person, her eyes lay on the crow's nest and there she spotted the face that belonged to the whimsical voice. He was no older than her perhaps eighteen or nineteen, and his black matted hair had been pulled back into a red bandanna, and there was a huge grin plastered onto his face. He hauled himself over the wooden planks that made the wall of the nest and leant over the side his hands clinging onto the edges. "What is a creature of your design doing all the way out here?" He asked down toward the dark haired girl, she only kept her glare and her delicate hands on her hips.
"I'm enjoying the scenery is that a crime?" She retorted boldly keeping her gaze fixated on the boy, she couldn't see him properly from so high up.
"You wanna see a better view?" He asked holding out a hand. The girl drew back.
"Who are you?" She called out climbing back up onto the dock she ran across the large planks of wood her feet tapping on it as she did so until she reached the bottom of the ship.
"Why I'm Jack, Jack Sparrow at your service milady." The grubby boy grinned toothily mocking a slight bow. "And who may I ask are you?"
"Esmeralda, but call me Esme. I despise my long name." She smiled mocking a courtesy.
"Well Esme won't you join me?" Jack smiled grabbing a rope from the mast and in a flash he was on the deck of the ship and hanging over the edge of the ladder his hand outstretched to her. Esme stayed there for a second, her head screaming at her to slow down and think the situation through. From the looks of the ship it was in a bad way, and from the looks of Jack it may very well be a pirate vessel, and from that inkling Esme could feel her heart swell with a sense of adventure. A real pirate ship could it possibly be? Yet wouldn't the port canons have taken them out? Unless they had paid someone handsomely to keep themselves under the radar, or perhaps no one knew. Slowly her heart was starting to win over her head, and before she could give the situation a second thought her body was already moving her up the ladder where she took Jack's outstretched hand readily and allowed him to pull her onto the ship.
"So where is everyone?" Esme whispered.
"All below deck catching some shut eye. It's my job to make sure no one comes sniffing about out cargo you see." Jack puffed his chest out proudly letting go of Esme's hand. "You're lucky I didn't cut you down as soon as I saw you! Captain says I got a hawks' eye." Jack smirked; Esme laughed wondering whether the boys' ego could get even bigger.
"Hm, I'm sure I could have you under my blade any day." Esme challenged him light heartedly.
"You'd be so lucky!" Jack bit back grabbing hold of her waist making Esme gasp with surprise as he tugged on the rope and they were propelled upwards, the rush of wind against her face, and in seconds her feet touched the wood of the crow's nest and her hands clung to the sides. Esme froze as she looked to past the mast, without the sails in the way she could see far out to sea it was truly a beautiful view. Taken a back she slowly pushed herself into the crow's nest and then turned to Jack.
"Do you see this every day?" She breathed.
"Most days, unless I'm swabbing the deck, or I'm in the hull, one day I'll be Captain of a ship you know. Captain Jack Sparrow it's got a nice ring to it doesn't it?" He smiled looking out over to the horizon, but it was clear to Esme that he wasn't looking at the scene in front of him, no his dream had transported him far away to another time. It was a look that she had caught herself looking like in fragments of glass or mirror as she fell into a daydream. It was odd to think that there were other people with high dreams just like her.
"Yeah, it'd be fun to be a pirate." She sighed resting her arms on the crows nests rail. "To sail the seas, searching for treasure, locking swords with the very best."
"A girl of your class can't be a pirate, don't be silly! Besides you're hardly past fifteen I suspect!" Jack cut in, slicing her dream of being a Pirate to ribbons.
"Why can't I! And I'm seventeen, almost eighteen I'll have you know!" Esme spat, outraged by Jack's reply.
"You're a scrawny thing for a woman your age, I prefer mine with a few more curves." Jack grinned purposely trying to rile Esme's anger, and despite the fact she could see he was doing this, she couldn't help but grow more irritated by the second.
"A ships boy like you won't become a Captain!" She said rashly giving Jack a push, Jack let out a yelp and teetered backwards knocking his back against the side of the nest and then he suddenly fell backwards. Esme screamed launching herself to look over the edge expecting to see the squished body of the boy on the deck but instead she saw him happily standing on part of the mast that held the sail. Fuming she let out a frustrated cry and sank down into the crow's nest waiting for the unruly ships boy to climb back over the edge, and as she did she gave him a thoroughly deserved punch in the arm.
"Don't do that I thought you died!" Esme sniffed, Jack once again flashed a cheeky smile and placed a grubby arm over her shoulder.
"I've got a proposition for ya, how about I teach you to be a pirate?" He asked. Esme's face immediately lit up.
"Really! That would be great, but what can I do for you?" She asked racking her brains to see if she could help Jack in anyway. It would only be far, to make a sort of deal between the new friends.
"I'll think of something, I haven't got long to teach you though, we'll be at port for another week then we'll depart so you'd better be a quick learner." Jack warned. Esme nodded enthusiastically.
"I'll meet you the same time tomorrow, but I better get going I don't want to get caught by Father." Esme grinned standing up and gripping the rope that they had used to get up to the crow's nest stepping over the barrier and climbing down to the deck, waving up to Jack she ran down the port and home. As she ran home her smile on her face stretched almost from ear to ear. It seemed that things had started to get interesting.