Disclamer: The Original Pirates of the Caribbean storyline does not belong to me. All of the characters that were in the movie do not belong to me. Never have, never will. A shame really...

A/N: I'm going to keep this nice and simple. For those of you who have started reading this a long time ago, it's nothing that different and I'm terribly sorry to have to make you wait so long for an update that will be worth your while, but it will come. For those of you who are seeing this for the first time, this is a story that I am writing with a friend of mine so I hope you enjoy it.

Prologue

The flames reflected in the young woman's eyes as she gazed off silently into the distance. A crowd was gathering in front of the burning building. What had been promised to be a silent night was awake with sounds of fire and panic.

Cassandra Isaac sat on her horse some distance away from the burning house, on the edge of the forest. The hill on which the forest started overlooked the city of Port Royal and she could see everything from up here.

Her black Stallion was standing patiently and looking straight ahead. The horse had been hers for the past two years. She had taken him while escaping from a scene of a crime. Of course she never returned him, and the horse had become hers. She never really gave him a name, for he didn't respond to any names but the one that he had been given at birth. And Cassandra did not know what that name was.

Cassandra's long, black hair cascaded down her back in waves, lifting slightly from time to time in the breeze. Her dark blue eyes seemed to have been holding the dark secrets of her past. And with the reflection of the flames in them, seemed more mysterious than ever. In the moonlight, they would seem to almost give off a faint glow, adding depth to them and illuminating her fair features.

Cassandra looked over to her sister, Ophelia, who was watching the flames in shock. Ophelia was sitting on top of her own horse, her gaze locked on the remains of the burning house. Her horse was gray in color and was slightly smaller than Cassandra's. He too had been taken in an escape. The same time that Cassandra stole her horse in fact. But unlike Cassandra's horse, Ophelia had named her Stallion. Now he responded to the name 'Shadow'.

Ophelia's shoulder length brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. A few loose locks of hair fell down around her face and the light breeze was eagerly playing with them. Her emerald eyes did not hold as much darkness as her sister's. Though not much happiness could be seen either. She had grown up around crime and didn't know any other way of life. But it didn't change the fact that every time she was involved in a robbery she wished that there could be some other way.

But out of all the crimes that the two sisters had committed over the years, this had been the worst. And neither of them saw it coming. It was unintentional. But they had done it.

Cassandra had no choice but to kill that woman. The woman almost killed Ophelia after all. There was no other choice. Cassandra had to protect her sister and it got out of hand. Both of the sisters escaped from the house safely in the end. And no one suspected them. No one could suspect them. They had not been seen near the house by anyone who still lived. Or at least such were their hopes.

Ophelia, being only 17, was two years younger than her sister. She had spent a good part of her life depending on thievery for survival with her sister. But even after all they've been through she could not accept the fact that somebody had to die in order for them to be able to escape. That woman had been so young…around Cassandra's age. Ophelia would never forget the look in her eyes at the last moments of her life. She did not deserve to die. She had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But despite all that, Ophelia knew that she could always depend on her sister to take care of her. Ever since their parents' death, Cassandra had become something of a mother for her. She made sure that they always had food and water. And she kept both of them safe and protected. Even if it meant that they had to lead a life of robbery and travel.

"Come," Cassandra said quietly. "Before someone takes notice of our presence." They had what they had come for. And she didn't want to think of what the cost of it had been. She needed to stay strong for her sister's sake. She had never shown any weakness around anyone and she wasn't going to start now. No matter what the situation was.

Ophelia tore her eyes away from the flames. She looked up at her sister. "I wonder who she was. What she was like. Did she really deserve to die like that?" she questioned thoughtfully.

Cassandra said nothing on the matter. She simply turned her horse around and said, "Come. We have to go," before setting off into the forest. They would hide out for a while in the forest or somewhere in the town until the heat dies down. Then they would take the money that they had acquired and buy a boat so they could get out of Port Royal. There were other places where they needed to go to be able to survive.

Ophelia followed close behind her sister, glancing back one last time before she disappeared into the cover of the trees. Shadows surrounded her and no one would find them in here. Not until the sun came up. And she knew no one would come looking in the forest.

Remember to review! It's a sure way to get me to update faster!