Disclaimer: I do not own anything that as to do with Pirates of the Caribbean or their characters, it is owned by Disney. But I do own the original characters created within this story.
The Spanish Rose
By Pirate Heart
CHAPTER ONE
In her lifetime she had seen bad days but this day was ending up being one of the worst of them. It all started a couple of days ago when her ship suffered damage in a hurricane.
The Spanish Rose is a good strong ship but a ship can only take so much battering from the sea. It wasn't the choice of hers or her crew to go to Port Royal but the choice was taken out of their hands, it was either make to the nearest port or lose the ship altogether.
As they neared the island she ordered the crew to raise a British flag, make their way to a deserted cove and wish for the best. If the British discovered them she was hoping that seeing the British colors would keep them from investigating closer and seeing the name of the ship, unfortunately there was really no way to hide the name except to totally change it and no-way was that going to be happening while she was still alive.
She and a few crewmen went ashore to scope out the land while the rest of the crew stayed on board and kept watch. They quietly made their way to the town of Port Royal and noticed the abundance of British soldiers there. Having one of the crewmen to stay so that if anything unusual happened he could at least warn them, she and the others made their way back to the hidden cove.
With a well planned signal the pirates on board ship started scrambling down the side of the ship and into longboats to come ashore to get what was needed for repairs. Many came with saws and other tools that would be needed. Immediately a large tree started to be cut to replace the main mast that had broke during the storm. She hated using green wood but it couldn't be helped when they could they would replace it later.
While the crew was working on repairing the ship Rose made her way back on board and bellowed for her first mate, Johnson, as she was striding across the deck.
"Aye Captain?" a deep voice answered. She turned and looked up at her second in command.
"You and I are going to pay a visit to Port Royal and see about getting a few fresh supplies for the ship. What do you say?" she asked.
"Aye, it sounds like a good idea, Captain."
"Good, but there is just one thing this isn't Tortuga so we have to blend in here, that means you have to dress like a gentleman," Rose said with a smile. Johnson grimaced and she laughed.
"You've done it before you can do it again. Now go get ready and I'll meet you here on the deck." She turned and made her way to her cabin to get ready for this little adventure herself.
It seemed to take forever to get all of the female contraptions on that were required to play the part. "Damn, I hate it when I have to do this," she mumbled under her breath as she was walking out of her cabin.
Johnson was standing at the railing looking just as uncomfortable as she was which made her feel better. As she reached his side she said, "It always amazes me how well you clean up Johnson." He looked vaguely uncomfortable. It was always hard to read his Captain so he didn't know if he should take that as a compliment or not.
With a grin Rose turned her back on him and said, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to climb down a rope ladder in a dress, Johnson? No I suppose you don't, do you? Well, come on there is no use in putting this off no telling how fast we might have to leave this island and I want to get as much done as possible before that happens." She turned and stepping over the side started down the ladder.
When she reached the long boat she looked up and Johnson was already on his way down. She positioned herself at one oar and Johnson took up another and they made their way to shore. Every able bodied man was working on the ship which left them to row their own boat.
Upon reaching shore Johnson jumped out and pulled the boat up onto the sand and reached in to help his captain out, grinning. He knew how much she hated having to have help, but she couldn't get her skirt wet now could she.
"You just keep your hands in the proper places, do you hear?" she said in a loud whisper in his ear.
"Aye, I will try to control my wayward hands," he said with a mischievous look in his eye which made her smack him on the head with her hand.
"Ow', why did you do that?" he said when he put her on the beach rubbing his head.
"Oh, just so you will remember who the Captain here is." She started walking across the sand and with a curse stopped, reached down and pulled off the slippers that she was wearing that matched the dress. Still rubbing his head Johnson started following her with a grin on his face.
As Rose passed her Quartermaster she gave him instructions on what to do. "If we are not back by tomorrow afternoon I want you to get the Spanish Rose away from here at fast as you can."
"Aye, Captain," he replied.
As Rose walked by different members of her crew she said words of encouragement. Everyone of her crew admired her greatly and would do anything for her. There weren't too many pirate crews that were like that but because she treated them fairly, they greatly respected her for it.
It didn't take new crewmembers long to discover that the Captain was strict but fair, not to mention beautiful. Every man on the ship would give anything to be involved with her but according to the members of her crew that had been with her the longest she always kept her private life just that, private.
Another lesson quickly learned is that you never talked about the Captain in anyway but with respect or they would be answering to her first mate. Some even accused him of being her lover and when that happened they would be lucky if he didn't instantly kill him, not that the Captain couldn't handle it herself. She was highly skilled with all weapons and had even learned martial arts from a Chinese man she once rescued from a hangman's noose.
After leaving her men it didn't take long to get to the town. Rose put her hand in the crook of Johnson's arm and they both slowly started blending into the crowd. As luck would have it there was an open air market going so there was more than the usual people in town. It also made it easier for Rose and Johnson to buy the supplies that they needed. This wasn't the first time the two of them had to use this disguise and probably not the last.
As they walked around looking at what was offered Rose took note of the amount of soldiers mixed in with the citizens. As she was standing at a cart with fresh fruit Rose casually asked, "Are there usually this many soldiers in town?"
The cart owner looked at her with more than a casual interest. "I haven't seen you before, are you new in town?" Rose gave him a large smile that showed her perfect teeth, which was unusual for a pirate to have, and a dimple in her right cheek.
"Kind sir, my husband and I are visiting my cousins here in Port Royal. So I am not at all surprised by your observations." Rose had found out early in her life that the combination of white teeth and a dimple went a long way in making men think that she was a harmless woman that could never do anything wrong.
"That explains it then," the vendor said. "There have been numerous sightings of pirate ships lately. Port Royal has been attacked several times, so I myself am thankful for the protection." It was at that moment when Johnson, noticing the long conversation, walked over from another vendor.
"Darling, I found fabric over there that would go perfect with the chair you ordered for your cousin's house. It might be good for draperies."
"Oh, that sounds wonderful, dear. I must see it right away before it is taken."
She turned back toward the vendor, "If you will excuse me sir? I will be back later to get some fresh fruit for my cousin." With that statement she took Johnson's arm and they walked away melting into the crowd.
In a whisper that only she could hear Johnson said, "Captain, did you find out why there are so many soldiers present?"
"Pirate scare, but it's not us. We need to keep our eyes and ears open," she answered.