Hello! This is my first Pirates Fanfic and, considering how long I've been writing and posting here, I'm surprised it took me this long. I know it's not my best work, but I've never worked with these characters before and wanted a little feedback from those who know how to write in this genre better than I do! Thanks for reading and leave a review with any comments; much appreciated! Enjoy!
There were no stars in the sky, everything as dark as the farthest depths of the ocean. She couldn't find the moon, either, no matter how hard she searched. She didn't have much time to look above her, however, because of the pressing need to run forward, away from whatever shapeless creature chased her. Elizabeth's fear of this unseen monster was irrational and odd because, not only was she running to escape it without trying to trick it or fight it, there was no fear, only a sense of urgency to get away. Not knowing where she was going, the constellations seemed to be her best bet for her bearings. Once, she tripped gazing at the sky for any glance of light to guide her way and the scrapes on her knees and wrists reminded her sharply of her lack of focus on what she was supposed to be doing. She was confused, though, as to what it was she was supposed to be doing. Stopping, Elizabeth caught her breath, trying to ignore the sharp, crisp pain in her ribs, keeping her knees from giving out under her weight.
Her surroundings worried her no more than the pursuing monster: darkness didn't scare her. As she was running, she could tell where every rock and vine and branch was, tossing away the bits of tropical forest that didn't move out of her way. Now that she had stopped, however, and took a close look at the woods that surrounded her, Elizabeth wasn't so sure about her path. Sitting on the ground, her knees disobeying her orders to withstand the stress, the pirate princess resigned herself to the fact she would have to rest before going on. Her clothes were in ruins, torn and tattered, although she didn't know why. Her hair was covered in dust and was escaping from its leather thong bound at the nape of her neck. Weary, Elizabeth stretched her sore muscles and tried one last time to find the moon and stars.
Nothing.
The night was cold and, although Elizabeth had kept warm by running, sitting the damp ground sent a chill up her spine, her sweat chilling and causing her to shiver. It was a chill that grew into an uncontrollable shiver and Elizabeth clutched her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around her torso. There was no rest for her, no solace, as if she was not meant to rest until she had successfully escaped the creature after her. There was no point in going on if her knees already gave out on her. Now she had to decide if she was going to fight when the thing chasing her finally found her or if she would let it all end… The sound of rustling leaves ahead of her caused her to start, jumping to her feet and reaching for her sword. However, a small wooden box came away from the pouch on her belt and into her hand.
"Jack's compass?" she whispered, astonished. It had been around the pirate's belt when she had tricked him into staying on The Pearl, when the Kraken was about to destroy everyone's chance of escape. She had left him there, his precious compass at his side. How did it end up with her? In a flash of unexpected wind, whistling through the trees, Elizabeth's hair finally came undone, the dirty blond strands whipping about her shoulders. Cautiously, ignoring the looming danger ahead of her as her pursuer grew closer and closer, Elizabeth opened the compass to see what she wanted most. Expecting to be pointed to a hiding spot, truly not knowing what to expect, Elizabeth saw the compass point spin madly before fixing itself permanently to a spot: ahead of her, where the monster was coming from.
Hundreds of thoughts swirled in her head, each stranger than before, and Elizabeth made up her mind on her course of action, putting one foot in front of the other until the creature was right in front of her. It's face hidden in the shadows, Elizabeth could reach out and touch it, and as she put her hand out—
In a cold sweat, Elizabeth sat up in her bed, heaving as if it had been ages since she had had a deep breath. The swaying of the ship bothered her suddenly, making her nauseous, and she knew that if she were to lie back down, she would be sick. It had happened every night, her nightmares that made no sense. Always, she was being chased without knowing why or who was after her. Always, she was able to find her way through dangerous terrain only to give herself up to her pursuer. Always, she couldn't find any light in the sky.
Setting her feet down on the cold wood floor of her small, cramped room, Elizabeth drew on a pair of old baggy pants to go along with her nightshirt before leaving her bed and walking the corridors to reach the deck of the ship. Being outside was always refreshing, the salty sea air soothing her weary mind. It was a soft night on the ocean, the waves sweeping against the side of the boat in a quiet caress as Elizabeth leaned over the edge of the deck, closing her eyes and letting the nightmare seep away.
" Anythin' on your mind, missy?"
Elizabeth flinched in alarm as a large figure came up behind her and spoke in her ear. Sighing in relief after realizing it wasn't the creature in her dreams, only the captain of the ship, she turned her face back to the ocean. Hopefully he hadn't seen her jump; she hated giving him the satisfaction of seeing her being anything but her strongest. The first few minutes of consciousness after a nightmare are not strong moments.
"No, Captain Barbossa, nothing at all."
"Ye be lying and take me for a fool. I'll ask again: anythin' on your mind?"
Rolling her eyes, Elizabeth tried to turn away from the pirate lord, but he caught her am and turned her back. Ready to snap at him and tear herself away, she was more than relieved to see the bottle he was offering her. Hardly hesitating, she accepted the bottle and shrugged his hand off her elbow as she sniffed the liquid inside.
"Wine? I thought most pirates drank rum," Elizabeth mentioned offhandedly as she looked up at him over the rim off the bottle.
"Ye haven't been payin' close enough attention—"
Barbossa stopped talking as he realized the young woman wasn't paying attention and was, instead, eagerly gulping the wine. After she had taken several healthy swigs, he reached out and took the bottle away, smiling as she frowned at him.
"Now, ye ne'ver answered me question of why ye're out here on the deck of me ship in the middle of the night. Anything on your mind?"
"You keep asking me that," she replied haughtily, "And what makes you think I'm going to answer?"
"Because I've let ye drink over half me wine outta the goodness of me heart. Now, I'm only going to ask once more before I send ye off to bed… and yes, missy, I can send ye off to bed because this is me ship and I will not allow anyone to be wanderin' around without permission."
"It's nothing," Elizabeth said, leaning back over the rails, setting her elbows down onto the hard, salt-soaked wood and resting her chin on her knuckles. "Just a bad dream."
"Ye've had a few of those lately."
"Yes, I have. They're just bad dreams, though," she said, voice fading away into the roar of the sea as a wave swept against the boat stronger than the other waves. "Just bad dreams."
"About Jack?"
"Not exactly," Elizabeth said, trying to find words to explain her nightmare. "I was running away from something, but stopped because I couldn't go on any further. As it came closer, I tried to draw my sword, but I ended up with Jack's compass. I opened it and it pointed me toward the creature instead of North. I took a step forward and woke up. That's how it was. And why would you think it was about that horrible man?"
"Just curiosity," Barbossa smirked. "That monster hauntin' your dreams… Do ye know what it is?"
"No. But I've had that dream for nights and nights on end. I wish it would stop," she muttered, wondering why she was even telling this wretched man about her fears in the darkest hours in the night. "Why are you out here?"
"A habit of mine, ye might say, wandering 'round the ship."
"In the middle of the night?"
"Ye aren't the only one with nightmares and monsters, Miss Swann."
Barbossa leaned on the edge of the deck alongside Elizabeth, looking far out into the deep aqua landscape as the night continued. Elizabeth, realizing her nightshirt was hardly tied at the top, quickly rearranged herself, never noticing Barbossa's smile grew wider as she did so. Elizabeth watched the ocean grow stronger as what seemed like hours passed by, at the captain's side. As she stood next to him and contemplated anything but her nightmare, Elizabeth noticed Barbossa smelt of spice and wine, carried to her nose by the salty sea wind. She never remembered him resting beside her so closely; had his elbow been touching her's all this time? Looking over at him out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw his face was hidden in the shadows of his hat, the shadows growing deeper as, from behind a heavy cloud, the moon appeared. The deck was awash in celestial light and Elizabeth heaved a sigh as the clouds moved away to reveal the stars as well.
"Moonlight," Barbossa stated, "I've had enough of that for more than one lifetime. Ye've no idea how much I've had of that…"
"The moonlight shows us for what we truly are," Elizabeth stated, recalling his words to her as she had frantically tried to escape the cursed pirates her first night aboard The Pearl. Barbossa lifted his face to the sky and shut his eyes against the light, Elizabeth remembering how, only a few months ago, he would have been a skeleton. She lifted her face to the light as well, if only to confirm it was actually there and not hidden as it had been in her dream. The stars were entrancing and Elizabeth found herself trying to count them. As she did, leaning over to get a better look at a constellation with many stars, she rested her shoulder against her captain's, not realizing she had done so until he stirred.
"Excuse me," she murmured, stepping away. Barbossa caught her arm once more and pulled her back.
"Stay," he said, "And finish. I'll help."
"What?" she asked, wondering if they would be playing this game of questions and answers until the sun came up. "Finish what? The wine?"
"Countin' the stars."
Elizabeth walked forward carefully until she stood at his side once more, leaning against his shoulder as he pulled her closer. As she looked toward the heavens, she heard the slosh of the wine as Barbossa pressed it into her hands after taking a sip of it himself.
"Aye, and the wine, too."
The End! Hehe... I love one shots. Thank you for reading!