At the Ceremony

I find this completely and insanely boring. They force me to dress up so I can't breathe, then stand outside in the warm weather, only to be light-headed and be bored to tears? Humph, I don't care for this one bit! Elizabeth and I are feverishly fanning ourselves, desperately attempting to catch some air in our lungs. When all the foolishness is over with, we stand around and chat with others that I somewhat know.

"Commodore" Norrington waltzes up to Elizabeth and asks for a moment. He leads her to the platform that looks over the ocean. I am standing on the side, practically killing myself to hear what it's all about.

"Uh, you look lovely, Elizabeth." I hear the Commodore begin. That statement is obvious. Elizabeth always looks lovely. Norrington continues. "I, uh, apologize if I seem forward, but I must speak my mind. This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet achieved. Uh…a marriage to a fine woman. You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth."

Oh! Oh my God! He's proposing! I thought. I knew the day would come, but never did I suspect that it would be this soon!

I look towards Elizabeth. She has grown pale, and still is busily fanning herself. I have grown worried. You can tell from the look on her face that something is wrong. Elizabeth begins to sway and is panting hard. My heart stops. Something is wrong.

"I can't breathe." She can't breathe? Of course! The corset and heat is making us light-headed, but she has a severe case. Just as Commodore Norrington looks the other way and says "Yes, I...I'm a bit nervous myself.." Elizabeth falls over and lands with a big splash in the sea. Norrington turns "Elizabeth?" he asks. Is he blind? Has he not realized what happened? The Commodore looks down and sees the water that was disturbed by Elizabeth's quick and unexpected fall. "ELIZABETH!" he screams as if she can hear him. I quickly run up to where he stands, as do many others. Norrington begins to take off his jacket for a feeble attempt at rescuing Elizabeth, but a man with freckles and powdered wig stops him.

"Sir, the rocks!" he says. "It's a miracle she missed them!" Norrington puts his coat back on. Was he going to let her drown because of a few rocks? True, they were big, but if he were really in love with her so much to ask her hand in marriage, then he should be willing to jump. I stare at him with disbelief. Apparently, he doesn't notice this, but he is, and always will be, too ignorant to notice me at all.

Everyone runs off and towards the docks. I stay and stare at the spot where Elizabeth fell. Would they reach her on time? It is doubtful, for it would take a long time now to reach her. Oh Elizabeth, beloved sister! How will I go on with out her? Suddenly, I spot a man jump in after her. He dives down and swims to where he saw her fall. I hold my breath. Will he reach her? He has been down for an insane amount of time now, but he does surface and he is carrying a body with him! Elizabeth! Oh, please let it be not too late! He swims with her to the dock. She isn't moving. I quickly run to the docks by the others. I find Elizabeth sprawled out on the dock and a man was searching for her pulse.

"She's not breathing!" he said. My heart stops. Not breathing? A man that was soaking wet with dreadlocks, a long braided beard, and a bandana around his head (I assumed he was the man who went after my sister) came up and pushed him away.

"Move!" He commanded. The man pulled out his knife and cut open Elizabeth's corset. It was a smart move, for she instantly coughed up a little water and squirmed around on the deck. Father helped her up and draped a long black coat around her, for she only had on the thin layer under the dress.

a/n: it's like a dress, but it's not a dress, it goes under the dresses...yeah

I hug her, glad to know that she is okay. We watch as father turns to the man who had ultimately saved my sister's life. He seems disgusted by what stands in front of him. "Shoot him!" he commands. I had wonder why, for this was the man who has just saved his daughter from a terrible end.

"Father!" Elizabeth expresses in disbelief. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

Norrington puts away the sword he had positioned in the face of the man. The man looks at Elizabeth with gratitude. Commodore, however, doesn't seem to be happy; he has a suspicion about this man, I can tell.

"I believe thanks are in order." He tells the man. Norrington offers his hand, acting as a mere gentleman. After pausing for a split second, the man takes it, thinking it is simply a kind handshake. However, he finds out that it wasn't quite the nice gesture when Commodore Norrington grabs to his hand rather tightly and pulls his sleeve up a bit. This exposes a "P", which shows what the man really was. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, pirate?" Commodore asks. Before either Elizabeth or I have time to react Father commands, "Hang him!"

"Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons." I glance at Elizabeth. She has a look of shock on her face. Maybe she gawks over the fact that a Pirate saved her life. Norrington pulls the pirate's sleeve up higher. There, above the "P" lays a sparrow in flight above an ocean. He looks up. "Well, well, Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

I had heard of him before. Elizabeth and I have heard stories about this man, such as how he was stuck on an island with nothing but a pistol with one shot. He sat for three days before he made it off and he still has that pistol.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir." Jack replies.

"Well, I don't see your ship, Captain." Norrington replies in a smart-alecky tone.

"I'm in the market, as it were."

A skinnier man in uniform, Murtogg I believe his name is, steps forward. "He said he'd come to commandeer one." He told Norrington.

The more plump man dressed the same as Murtogg, Mullroy, mumbles to Murtogg "I told you he was telling the truth," before speaking to Commodore. "These are his, Sir." He hands Jack Sparrow's effects to Norrington. The Commodore seems amused as he looks through Sparrow's things.

"No additional shots nor powder," he observes as the looks at his gun. Next he picks up a compass. "A compass that doesn't point north," next he pulls his sword out a little to see the metal blade, "and I half expected it to be made of wood." Norrington has a smug look on his face. It makes me ill just to think of Elizabeth marrying him. "You are without doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of." He spits out at Jack. However, Mr. Sparrow comes back out.

"But you have heard of me."

All right, that's it. Sorry it took so long to put this up. I've has summer school, but today was our last day, so I hope I'll be able to update sooner than this! Thank you for the reviews! I love hearing from you! Hope you'll enjoy the next one!