Swish. Clang. Swish. Clang.
"Oh, forget it!" Elsa huffed angrily, throwing her metal practice sword down on the ground. "Look, I'm never going to get this, alright?"
"My dear Queen," the Duke said, adjusting his monocle, "No one picks up swordplay overnight. Even your sister Anna, who's been practicing for years, is hardly a skilled-"
"Well she's a lot more skilled than I am," Elsa said, hugging herself and looking away. Why didn't I practice with her? Elsa thought bitterly to herself. We could have learned together. Now…
"If I may, Queen Elsa, what motivated this sudden interest? Don't you feel safe here in the castle?" The Duke put his own sword away and walked over to the table nearby, pouring out two glasses of water. He picked them up and offered one to Elsa.
She reached out for the cup with a grateful nod. Elsa took a long sip before letting out a worried sigh. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that… I think that-"
A firm knock on the door cut her off, and Hans walked in, concern etched in his face. "I'm sorry to disturb you, Queen Elsa, but I'm afraid I have some bad news."
"What is it, Hans?" Elsa bit her lip nervously as Hans cleared his throat. "Maleficent's armies were seen moving west. It looks like she's going to attack Atlantis."
The glass slipped out of her hand and shattered loudly on the floor, but Elsa was already out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
"How did this happen?" Eric walked swiftly down the wooden pier as a guard ran alongside him. Anna and Kristoff followed close behind.
"We have no idea, sir," the guard admitted sheepishly, "There doesn't seem to be any sign of the lock being picked or forced at all."
"Which means Sparrow had help getting free," Kristoff interjected. Eric nodded and looked back at the guard. "I want everyone who was guarding the pirate rounded up and interrogated. Close the gates. I don't want him escaping on foot." The guard saluted Eric and ran back towards the castle.
Eric glanced back at Anna. "If he's trying to escape by sea, we'll catch him on my boat, the Interceptor. No one can match her for speed." They kept walking until they reached a sleek, two-masted brig. "First Mate Hawkins!" Eric called out, looking up.
"Yes, sir!" Hawkin's head poked out from the deck, and he waved at Eric. "All's well up here, Prince Eric."
"Get the Interceptor ready to sail," Eric said, "Jack Sparrow's escaped, and I expect he'll be trying to steal a boat and get away by sea any minute now."
"Oh, the pirate?" Hawkins pointed out to sea, "He's right over there, sir."
Eric, Anna, and Kristoff all followed the sailor's gaze, and they spotted a small rowboat. "What the- he's not far away at all!" Anna cried. "What does he think he's doing?"
"That's what you get when you try to escape on a rowboat," Hawkins responded with a smile. "The idiot probably saw the other ships were guarded, so he took the first thing he could find. We could sleep in, have breakfast and still be able to see him from here in the morning."
Anna burst into laughter as Eric took out a spyglass and peered into it. "Aw, no… we're going to have to shove off now, Jim. It seems Sparrow's taken Princess Ariel's rowboat."
"WHAT?!" A voice yelled. Ariel suddenly jumped out from behind a barrel. "He took the Little Mermaid?!"
"Princess Ariel!" Eric's eyes widened as he ran over to her. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I've been following you," Ariel blew a strand of red hair out of her face with an angry huff. "I was hoping to see the pirate. Ooh, I can't BELIEVE he took my boat!"
"Don't worry, Ariel," Eric said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to get it back for you. Anna, will you and Kristoff accompany me?"
"Absolutely," Anna said, nodding to Kristoff. "I've come a long way to hear what Sparrow has to say, after all!"
"I'm coming too!" Ariel said, clasping Eric's arm tightly.
"Ariel, please-" Eric muttered through clenched teeth, but Ariel held on.
"Oh, let her come, Eric," Anna smiled at the redhead. "Sparrow's literally right there. We'll just grab him and come back before anyone notices she's missing."
"Hrm…" Eric looked at Anna, then at the hopeful Ariel. "Alright. I guess I can't say no to such a pretty face," Eric's hand wrapped around Ariel's as they all walked up the gangplank and onto the deck of the Interceptor.
Hawkins was waiting for them at the ship's wheel, standing at attention. "We're ready to sail, sir," he said, nodding over to the small rowboat in the distance. "A few clouds overhead, but nothing to worry about."
"Thanks, Hawkins," Eric said as Hawkins nodded, then ran over to the mast and hoisted the sails. Eric took the wheel and guided the ship towards the Little Mermaid. As they got closer, Anna began to make out the pirate's long dreadlocks. He was huffing, clearly straining to row the boat as fast as he could. "What a silly man," Anna said to herself with a giggle.
She ran to the side of the boat and waved as the Interceptor slowed to a crawl next to the Little Mermaid, matching the pirate's speed.
"Ahoy, matey!" Anna called out teasingly, as the pirate looked up. He wore a black hat over his dreadlocks along with a red bandanna tied around his head. "Surrender, and prepare to be mounted!"
"No room for mounting down here, I'm afraid," Jack Sparrow replied with a wide smile. "But if you like, I could come up there and mount you."
"Do you want to punch him, or should I?" Kristoff scowled at the pirate.
"The term is 'prepare to be boarded', not 'prepare to be mounted', Princess Anna," Eric explained patiently to her from the wheel as Ariel giggled.
Anna pouted. "It was an honest mistake!" She looked back down at Sparrow. "Well, the jig is up, Mr. Sparrow-"
"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, love," Jack said quickly.
"Now, we can take you back to King Triton and let him deal with you, or you can tell me what you know about my parents' ship," Anna explained, "If you do, I promise Triton will go easy on you when we get back."
Jack Sparrow cocked his head to the side curiously. "You're the Arendelle girl, then?"
Anna nodded. "And you promise I won't get hanged for my troubles?" Sparrow asked. He peered into Anna's eyes as she nodded again.
"Alright, then," Sparrow shrugged. "Toss me a rope so I can climb up there, and I'll tell you what I know."
Anna looked back at Eric, who nodded to Hawkins. Hawkins darted over to a barrel and took out a length of rope, tossing it to Sparrow below. Sparrow started climbing up the side, and rain began to patter down.
"I thought you said the weather was fine to sail, Hawkins," Eric berated the first mate as he looked up at the sky. "Sorry, sir! I didn't think they were storm clouds." Hawkins laughed sheepishly as he held onto the rope Sparrow was climbing.
"Not to worry," Eric rubbed his forehead, "It's not like we'll be out here much longer. We'll be back ashore before the storm gets too bad." Sparrow finally jumped over onto the deck. Standing in front of Anna, she noticed he was taller than her, but not by much. He had on worn brown pants and a black vest covering a very dirty white shirt. The pirate bowed mockingly.
"Okay, Captain Jack Sparrow, spill it," Anna demanded, crossing her arms. "What do you know about my parents?"
"It's a bit of a tale, lass, and I'm parched from all that rowing I had to do," Sparrow said, hanging his head. "You wouldn't have a bit of rum below deck, would you?"
"Aghhh!" Anna ran at the pirate but was quickly picked up by Kristoff and carried away from Sparrow, while she kicked and screamed. "Why are you being so difficult?!"
Sparrow laughed as Kristoff walked down below deck, Anna slung over his shoulder. He put her back down carefully. "Let me go back up there and beat the story out of him!"
"Calm down, Anna," Kristoff held onto her forearm. "You can't just go around punching everyone who frustrates you. He's just stalling for time. The sooner he tells us what we want to know, the sooner he goes back to Triton. He knows that."
"What is he stalling for?" Anna asked curiously. Suddenly, Hawkin's voice rang out.
"Pirates incoming! It's the Black Pearl!"
Kristoff took out his trusty hammer. "Stay here!" Kristoff said to Anna as he went back up.
"No way!" Anna drew her sword and followed him. "I'd never forgive myself if someone got hurt while I was hiding somewhere."
"Fine, but stay close to me." Kristoff whispered furtively as they ran up the stairs.
They came out onto the deck and Anna gasped as a large three-masted galleon loomed to the port side of the Interceptor. Tattered black sails waved and pirates yelled as the soot-colored hull of the Pearl crashed into the Interceptor. The rain began to pour down harder now, and Anna had to run a hand through her hair to stop long red strands from falling in her face.
"What should we do, sir?" Hawkins asked nervously. Ariel hid behind Eric, who had already drawn a cutlass.
"It doesn't look like they're here to talk," Eric frowned as he stood between Ariel and the pirates. Kristoff looked over at Sparrow. "Friends of yours?"
"I certainly hope so," Sparrow said, though he took out his sword all the same. "That's my ship, the Black Pearl. But it's funny. Now that I think about it, the last time I saw this crew was when they threw me overboard."
"So why are they here?" Anna glared as the pirates made way for a man wearing a black hat with a feather in it. Their captain, Anna thought to herself as she glared angrily at him.
"Fortune smiles upon us tonight, lads," the man said to his pirates, who yelled in agreement. "The princess of Atlantis is on this boat, make no mistake. She's bound to get us a nice ransom from her father, wouldn't you say, Prince Eric?" Eric only glared, holding his sword in front of his chest, and putting a hand on Ariel's shoulder protectively.
The captain took out a scroll from his coat pocket and unfurled it, squinting as he read. "A beautiful young lady, with red hair and blue eyes." He put the scroll away and looked at Ariel, then at Anna. "The only problem is I see two ladies fitting that particular description here. I suppose we'll just have to take them both!"
He laughed as he motioned at his crew, and they began to jump across the gap between the two boats. As they landed, Eric ran at them, kicking one back off the boat into the water below. He then parried the sword of another. "Ariel! Get back!" Eric said as Ariel nodded, sprinting towards the other end of the boat. A pirate ran at her, but Hawkins dove out from behind the mast, tackling the pirate to the ground.
The pirate captain leapt onto the deck, and Kristoff ran at him with his hammer. The captain dodged with surprising speed, and he pushed the young knight towards a group of pirates.
"Kristoff!" Anna moved to help him, but the captain cut off her path, towering over her.
He was easily six feet tall, with blue eyes and long greying hair. In one hand, he held a broadsword, and the pistol in his belt glinted in the moonlight. He wore a dark blue coat and black leather boots.
"Where do you think you're going, lass?" Barbossa smiled, his yellow teeth inches from Anna's face. She crinkled her nose and met his eyes, a defiant glare in hers. "Aren't you scared of the bad pirates?"
"Absolutely not!" Anna clenched her teeth and raised her sword.
Barbossa laughed. "I like your courage. But if you wanted to play knight, little girl, you should have stayed home!" With a grunt, he swung his broadsword at Anna.
Anna yelped as she instinctively brought her sword up over her head to protect herself, and the two blades clanged loudly against each other.
"Anna!" Kristoff struggled to get to her, but was blocked by the pirates he was fighting. He managed to throw one off the ship with his free hand. "Anna, get away from him!"
"Aye, little lady," Jack Sparrow called out as he grappled with another pirate, "Hector Barbossa's not someone you want to tangle with."
Anna's eyes widened. This was the pirate captain Barbossa? "Um… I think I might have made a mistake," Anna squeaked as she held her ground, her hands suddenly shaking.
Barbossa's blue eyes stared hungrily at the rubies encrusted in the hilt of Anna's sword as he pulled back and swung at her again. This time, Anna was ready. She rolled out of the way as his broadsword dug into the wooden deck.
"I know that sword," Barbossa growled, turning to face her. "I tried stealing it once, long ago. What's a little girl like you doing with it? You're not Princess Ariel at all, are you?"
"This is my sword," Anna said, holding it up as she took a deep breath. Don't be scared, Anna, she told herself as her hands tightened around the hilt. You don't have to be afraid of anyone, because… "I'm Princess Anna of Arendelle."
"Princess of Arendelle?" A wide toothy grin greeted her. "Well, then your father must be King Agdar, eh, girl?" He pulled the sword up, sending shards of wood flying, and he pushed the sword straight towards Anna. She managed to barely dodge it, the sword clanging against the side of her armor. She sprinted behind a barrel. "I met your father once. I'm going to enjoy sending him your head."
"You're a little late for that," Anna called out nervously, "He was lost at sea." She poked her head out from under the barrel. Her eyes darted back and forth. Barbossa stood only a few feet away, and Kristoff and Eric still fought with pirates across the deck.
What am I going to do? Anna thought to herself. Barbossa was a feared pirate captain. For all her big talk, she was… just Anna. The longer the fight dragged on, the more likely she was to get herself killed.
She spied a coil of rope hanging loosely by the side of the ship. The rope Hawkins had used to pull up Sparrow. Her eyes moved down to a hook attached to the deck. "Hmm, yeah, that might work," she muttered to herself as she took off, running as fast as she could towards the rope.
Suddenly, she felt a boot kick at her ankle and she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Anna rolled over, holding her sword across her chest, and Barbossa's blade crashed down on top of it. Anna held her sword steady, gritting her teeth as Barbossa's sword shook, just inches from her face.
She kicked out, sending the pirate onto his back, who cursed loudly as he hit the deck. Anna quickly clambered to her knees and pulled on the rope dangling in front of her, and the other end of the rope flew back onto the boat. She dove at Barbossa's leg, looping one end of the rope around the captain's boot. As he got to his knees and raised his sword, Anna rolled towards the hook, grabbing the other end of the rope. She tied it securely around the hook as Barbossa stood up.
"You think you can beat me by hopping and rolling around, girl?" He growled, raising his sword.
"Let's find out," Anna said as she aimed a kick at the captain's chest, sending him careening over the side of the boat. The rope pulled taut and Barbossa hit the hull of the Interceptor with a thud. Anna peeked over the side.
"Now, you could probably cut yourself free, Captain Barbossa," Anna said, looking down at him as he dangled in the air, swiping at the air with his sword as he yelled angrily. "But it's a bit of a drop, and I can't guarantee we'll be fishing you out of the water. So I wouldn't if I were you." Anna had to stop herself from jumping up and down in celebration. She had fought a pirate! And everything worked out okay! "I can't wait to see the look on Elsa's face when I tell her about this," Anna laughed.
As Anna looked around the deck of the Interceptor, she was happy to see that most of the pirates had been thrown overboard by Eric, Kristoff, and Hawkins. Sparrow shoved the last pirate off the Interceptor, and winked at Anna as he put a boot on the side of the boat and jumped, landing on the now-empty Black Pearl.
"Sparrow!" Anna called out, "What do you think you're doing?" The torrential rain was joined by howling wind, and she only barely heard his yelled reply.
"The Pearl is my ship, love," Sparrow exclaimed, running over to the ship's wheel and waving at Eric, who was helping Ariel out from her hiding place under a crate. "Gentlemen. Ladies. You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack-"
Suddenly, lightning hit the mast of the Black Pearl and the loud crack of thunder made Anna cover her ears. "Hawkins, we've got to get to back to shore right now!" Eric yelled, running to the wheel, shielding his eyes from the storm.
"I can't find shore, sir!" Hawkins said, looking frantically out into the distance. Anna followed his stare, and she had to agree… the dark clouds and heavy rain made it impossible to see far in any direction.
"The lights, Hawkins, look for the lights!" Eric cried out as Ariel hung onto him. The Pearl began to careen forward with the waves, the mast on fire from the lightning strike, and soon it had disappeared into the storm.
"Princess Anna!" Barbossa yelled as he swung back and forth, still dangling over the side of the ship. "Have mercy! I'll be pounded into a pulp if you leave me like this!"
Anna frowned as Eric steered, Hawkins and Kristoff running around trying to bring down the sails. She ran to the hook where she had attached the rope and began to pull as hard as she could.
"It's no good, sir!" Hawkins said as he and Kristoff struggled with the sails. "Then prepare to heave-to!" Eric called out.
"What does that mean?!" Kristoff yelled. Anna kept pulling the rope, and she finally saw Barbossa's boot.
"We've got to get the sails working against each other, or we'll capsize!" Hawkins explained, showing Kristoff what to do. Barbossa pulled himself over the edge, slashing the rope around his boot in one swift motion. Anna ran up to him. "Now come on, we've got to help the others or we're all going to drown!" She said to the pirate captain.
"Thank you, Princess Anna," Barbossa said humbly as he placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. Anna smiled at him and nodded, turning around before feeling herself held in place. Barbossa's hand gripped her shoulder tightly.
"You're as trusting as your father was," Barbossa laughed as he pulled hard, sending Anna flying overboard, "Tell him I say hello!"
To Anna, everything seemed to slow down. She saw the rain droplets clearly, and could make out the name of the boat inscribed on the hull. She looked up and saw Barbossa's toothy grin, his blue eyes glinting as a bolt of lightning crashed somewhere in the distance behind him. She heard someone yell her name, and then a loud splash as she hit the cold water below, her heavy armor pulling her down into the depths.