Chapter 3
She walked the streets, ignoring the glances she was receiving from all the men and women and murmurs of her attire. She didn't care. She was very much intent on carrying out her goal. By the time she arrived at the mansion, it was late morning. The gate was open, and they were letting carriages in, clearly carrying supplies into the mansion. She dashed behind one, skidding on the ground to end up underneath it and grabbing onto the base of the carriage. As it stopped she let go, dashing into the brush near the mansion. Amaranth stealthily crept to the back of the house, where no servants were in sight. She looked up to see an open window, right, perfectly, next to the crisscrossed wood meant for the vines to grow on. How bloody convenient. She smirked, starting her ascend. She glanced into the room before climbing in. It turned out to be a bedroom. Someone was there…The Governor and a few women servants. No guards. Good. And no on was really paying attention to the window, as the Governor was talking to a rather pretty young woman in a puffy, uncomfortable-looking dress. Amaranth lifted herself up and silently behind the stand-up curtain. Removing her musket, she counted to three then moved away to reveal herself, pointing the musket in the general direction of the Governor and the woman.
"Don't you move," she said in a quiet voice. The Governor froze, then moved feverishly in front of the woman.
"I said don't move," Amaranth was getting irritated. "Where's your wife?"
The woman behind the governor gasped. "My mother's dead! What the bloody hell do you want!?"
The Governor looked horrorstruck. "Elizabeth! Hush!"
"Dead?" Amaranth muttered.
Governor Swann turned to her. "What do you want, girl? Do you intend to kill us?"
Amaranth glanced up, her face contorted with confused sadness. "No…I have no intention of hurting any of you…I just wanted to speak with your…my mother."
"Excuse me?" The governor gasped. "She only had one child and that was Elizabeth!"
"Or so she told you," Amaranth glared. "Look, she had a daughter, whom she left for you…that daughter was abandoned…or left with her pirate father. She had two necklaces, and together the pendants made a yin and yang sign, a trinket she got from my father. It the only one of it's kind. Made from silver-laced ivory and jet black onyx. She had the white half, and left me the black half. Have you noticed it in her possession?" Amaranth realized she was talking really quickly and fell silent, lowering her musket completely, feeling the burning sensation of coming tears in her eyes.
"Y-yes, she never dared take it off," Governor Swann stuttered. His daughter, Elizabeth, walked over to Amaranth.
"And do you have the other pendant piece?" She asked sternly, looking at the pirate-like woman who might be her half sister.
Amaranth nodded, reaching for the pendant around her neck, a sort of flowing teardrop with a white dot in the middle. "I do…" The Governor became pale.
"So…she lied to me. Why would she?" He stammered.
"Some things about the past are better left unheard. Sort of the what-you-don't-know-can't hurt you concept…" Amaranth said quietly, feeling Elizabeth stare at her.
"Father, she does look like Mother a bit…the set of the brow, the set of the jaw…" Elizabeth said.
"Guards!" The Governor cried out, suddenly, making both Amaranth and Elizabeth jump. The guards rushed into the room. The Governor pointed to Amaranth "Seize her!" They moved towards her, but Elizabeth blocked their path.
"Father, do you honestly intend to imprison my half-sister?" She glared at her father, shielding the surprised and dumb-struck Amaranth. She definitely wasn't used to anyone protecting her. She always fended for herself.
The Governor clenched his teeth. "Fine, Elizabeth. I am placing you in charge of that…woman who is claming to be related to my passed wife. I do not wish to discuss any more of it. She must leave by tomorrow. "Governor Swann turned around on his heels, and walked away, the guards on his heels.
Elizabeth turned to face Amaranth, smiling. "I don't know why he would do that. I-I never imagined my mother would have had another child before she met my father. Come on, let's get you out of those pirate clothes…are you a pirate?"
"Um…yes, I am." Amaranth stated uncomfortably, looking at Elizabeth's widening eyes and almost jumping back at the girl's next reaction.
"Amazing!" Elizabeth was ecstatic. "A woman pirate! I never actually dreamed of hearing about one! Are you…or do you have to disguise yourself to be on the ship?"
"Ugh…No. I wouldn't be able to disguise myself very well…" Amaranth laughed nervously. "I am the captain of the Damned Jewel…"
"Damned Jewel? Are you serious?"
"Could you lower your voice, please?" Amaranth winced at her throbbing headache.
"Oh, sorry. So, my mother was also your mother. How old are you?" Elizabeth asked.
"Need you ask?" Amaranth retorted.
"Can I guess?"
"Oh, do be generous…"
"You look 20 or so," Elizabeth took a step back, scanning her newly discovered half-sister.
"Or so…twenty one," Amaranth couldn't help but smile. "Was my mother…ugh, what was my mother like?"
Elizabeth was about to respond, but a butler came in, reminding Elizabeth that they had Commodore Norington's ceremony to go to.
"Come on," Elizabeth ,motioned to the closet in her room. "Let's find you something nice to wear, shall we?"
Amaranth stared at Elizabeth, attempting to say something, and failing several times. "Um, I don't think I should go…"
"Why in the world not? Give me a good reason!" Elizabeth pressed her hands on her hips.
"Well, one reason is that I am a pirate and quite frankly, the warning about being hanged just before entering the port was less than hospitable. Another reason, is that I am personally afraid that if your father sees me again, he will personally tear my throat out."
Elizabeth looked slightly taken aback. "Well…that is to say…eh…if I let him, which I won't! So stop being so stubborn and pick out a dress!" Elizabeth grabbed Amaranth by the wrist, dragging her behind her towards the rather large closet that was filled with quite the amount of different dresses. The dress that caught Amaranth's eye was a dark red, almost black, somewhat puffy dress. In front, there was a lacy design, with laces crisscrossed down the middle. The sleeves stopped at the elbow, and draped down after that.
"Like that one? I barely wear it. Too dark for me. Well, I'll leave you to change. I have my own dress to put on." Elizabeth gave her a nice smile and turned around to get her own clothes.
"Wait," Amaranth called after her. "I…umm, never wore a dress before. How the bloody hell do you put it on?"
Elizabeth stared at her for a few seconds, then giggled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll help you out."
After quite the torturous fitting into the dress, after arguments of whether Amaranth could keep a knife and her black boots (with the captain winning), the dress sat smugly on the blue-eyed girl.
"And the eye patch?" Elizabeth asked. "What happened?"
"Umm, nothing, really," Amaranth lied, as if it were truth. What was she going to say? Oh, when I loose control of my emotions, the eye does funky stuff and make me see things I shouldn't? Yeah, that sounded sane enough. "It just has a very great sensitivity to the light, is all."
"Oh," Elizabeth said. "So, you wouldn't want it off?"
"No, not particularly…"
"Alright, I suppose once a pirate, always a pirate," she heard Elizabeth mutter.
"Oh, how true," Amaranth nodded, smiling at Elizabeth, who blushed at the fact that her half-sister heard something she shouldn't have.
"Well, shall we go?" Elizabeth asked heading out the door. Amaranth followed, uncomfortable as she was being in such a large and wealthy house.
She followed Elizabeth down the stairs, and saw the Governor and some young man, with gentle feminine features, offering Governor Swann a sword. Amaranth gaped at the fine blade.
"Hello, Will," she heard Elizabeth say. She came up behind Elizabeth, uncomfortably tugging at the laced sleeve of her newly acquired dress. She hated dresses…with a burning passion.
"Miss Swann," Will bowed slightly.
"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Elizabeth?"
"At least once more," Will smiled. Amaranth snorted. The two were practically made for each other. That she could see.
Elizabeth glared at Will, and walked out. Amaranth quickly followed her, seeing Governor Swann eye the sword then look over to his unwelcome guest.
"Is it his class?" Amaranth caught up to Elizabeth, who looked at her quizzically. The pirate was about to explain, but Elizabeth's father entered the carriage.
"Hullo…" Amaranth muttered and said not a word. Several loathing glances were exchanged.
They arrived at the ceremony, which ended up being horridly boring. The sun was way to hot and Amaranth, much like Elizabeth, wanted to leave quickly. After the ceremony, Elizabeth was called aside by Commodore Norington. Amaranth stood out of hearing distance, but she could see them. In particular, she could Elizabeth struggling to breathe. Was it the corset? Amaranth wondered. She could see a few words being exchanged, Norrington was nervous, and then…Elizabeth fainted. And flew right over the small stone border, into the water. Amaranth dashed forward, nearly tripping over the damn dress, looking over the edge. She swore under her breath and sprinted away, towards the docks. She grabbed the long dress and bunched it into her arms, and ran as fast as it permitted. She really didn't know what her plan was, and she couldn't think of one. But she knew she had to view the event from a different perspective. Plus she could've sworn on her ship that she saw someone on the dock dive into the water and head for Elizabeth. Amaranth prayed that that someone succeeded.
She rounded onto the dock, heading towards the now-emerged savior, Elizabeth over her shoulder. Then she froze dead after she realized who it was. Jack Sparrow. They met faster than she thought they would.
"Jack?" She asked, all the while rushing to Elizabeth, who was passed out.
"Ah, hello love," Jack grinned untying Elizabeth's corset, handing it to one of the dumbfounded guards who stood by. Elizabeth coughed up some water, turning over to her side.
"Elizabeth!" Amaranth turned to see Governor Swann, Commodore Norrington and a whole lot of red-coated guards rush towards them. Elizabeth looked at her dress-less attire, instead just heaving the undergarment nightgown on. She bolted up, away from Jack (and Amaranth), who crouched on either side of her, and into her father's arms, grabbing his offered coat. As the rifles pointed at Jack and Amaranth, Elizabeth tore away.
"Commodore, do you honestly intend on killing the man that saved my life…and my half sister?" Norrington balked.
"No, Elizabeth. I suppose a thanks is in order," the commodore offered his hand to Jack, who stared at it at first, as if questioning what in the world he should do with it. Amaranth knew the dirty trick, and instead of sparrow, gripped Norrington's hand.
"He says your welcome!" She grinned like a fool. "You see, he lost his ability to speak," she glared at Jack who was about to open his mouth, her deep glare telling him to shut up.
Norrington tore his hand away from her firm hold. "And you know this man?" He demanded.
"Me? Why yes, I know him. Long history, mhm," Amaranth weaved the bullshit with her silver tongue, that she so thankfully inherited from her father.
"And you are willing to cross your heart that that man is no pirate?" Commodore demanded. Jack Sparrow just stared at all that was happening with a bemused expression, as did everyone else gathered at the port.
Amaranth smirked. "Of course," the lie was golden…
"Right, than you will have no objection of showing me his right arm," Norrington smiled. Elizabeth clenched her jaw tighter.
"Um, my word isn't enough? HEY!" Amaranth snarled as Norrington pushed past her and grabbed Jacks arm, pulling up the sleeve roughly. A burned-in 'P' could be seen on his tanned skin.
"Would you look at that…Jack Sparrow…"
"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please," Jack beamed sheepishly.
"Captain? And where's your ship?"
"Currently not here," Amaranth growled.
"Hang him…and her!" Governor Swann said in a shaky voice, disregarding Elizabeth's outraged cry.
Amaranth and jack were both shackled and hauled off to the gallows.
"Brilliant," Amaranth snarled to her self, stumbling over her dress.
"You look lovely, darling," Jack complemented her, looking quite oblivious to the fact hat they were being pushed off to their death. Amaranth wondered how the hell they were going to get out of this, if they even were.
A/N:Well, another chapter is up! Hope you all like it! Tell me what you think about it and i always appreciate constructive critisizm! Thanks for ur reviews!