First off thank you ArtemisTheGoddessOfTheHunt, Black WhiteGreyME, Dinosaur Imperial Soldier, NightShark774, TamaraT19, avataranger, daydreamer987, legionxavier20, smacktwinsrule, Gabriel177, and Kalithegamer, for the favorites and follows.
Second off, I know Elizabeth's personality isn't accurate to the Black Pearl and is more in line with Dead Man's Chest and At World's End. That's because in this universe Elizabeth is older and has already spent time as a pirate.
Chapter 1
At the edge of the governor's estate, where the perfectly maintained lawn hit the jungle, a figure could be seen standing under a banana tree.
Deep in contemplation, she absentmindedly pulled up her pale hair and tied it with a piece of cord.
With a conformational nod, Emma flopped down on the dirt and quickly removed her boots. Reaching out for the cloth bag that sat next to her. She pulled out a long piece of fabric (which had a remarkable resemblance to the curtains in the manor house).
Taking the dagger from her belt in one hand and the fabric in the other, the air was soon filled with the terrible sound of ripping and tearing. Once the curtain was rendered into strips, Emma began to twist them together creating a strong rope.
The task complete Emma clambered back onto her (still bare) feet only stopping for a moment to dust off her britches and to return her dagger to its sheath.
Stepping up to the tree Emma tried to throw the makeshift rope around it. Once, twice, and there she had it, pulling the rope tight she tied the loop closed.
With that, Emma leaned all her weight against the rope, put her feet on the trunk and shimmed her way up the tree.
Emma must have been sitting atop that tree for half an hour, munching away on the ripe fruit, when out of nowhere the wind shifted, the cold air lashed at Emma's hair, swaying the tree. Gripped by fear Emma scrambled down the tree, only to slip partway down and fall, hitting the ground hard.
Lying dazed on the ground for a moment. Emma soon gathered her wits and stumbled back onto her feet. Hurriedly she gathered her thing and raced across the lawn. Just as she reached the back door gunshots could be heard coming from the town.
She stopped to listen, trying to make out any other sound.
Suddenly the door was jerked open by the very red face cook. "Where?! Have you been?! My taters won't peel themselves!"
Emma stepped back, opened her mouth to reply and then thought better of it. Shrugging she sidestepped the cook. "Just get to it, you useless girl!" he shouted over his shoulder as he locked the door.
Turning around he found an empty kitchen, no sight of Emma anywhere, "Blast it! That weasel is gone again!"
Softly laughing to herself, Emma quietly slipped into her mother's bedroom.
Toeing her boots off and dropping her bag on the side table, Emma rifled around the bottom drawer of her mother's dresser, "Ah, there you are right where she left ye."
In her hands, Emma held a well-worn volume, titled 'The Twenty Most Notorious Pirates of Our Age', the pages were yellowed and the cover was falling to pieces. Jumping on to the bed Emma settled down. Opening the book she immediately flipped to 'Chapter Fifteen, Jack Sparrow', a very cramped 'Captain' had been added.
Underneath the heading was a replica of a wanted poster for Jack. Emma turned the pages until she got to her favorite story, though she knew most of them were lies it didn't stop her from enjoying them, especially the Sack of Nassau.
Unfortunately, she didn't get to read it, as at that moment the sounds of her mother and grandfather's return, drifted upstairs. Emma snatched up her bag and hid behind the dressing screen. Just in time too.
"Father really, I am fine," Elizabeth said as she entered her room.
"Yes, yes, of course. It's just you had quite the shock. I just want to make sure you're alright." Governor Swann said.
Elizabeth turned around, hand on the door, "I just want to lie down if you don't mind."
"Oh, yes, right, of course...I'll just go...then," with those words the door shut in the Governor's face.
Elizabeth snatched up her dressing gown and while tieing it called out, "You can come out now."
Emma stepped out from behind the screen smiling brightly at her mother. Her smile slipped a little when she saw the state Elizabeth was in.
"What happened to you?" Emma exclaimed, eyebrows shooting up.
"We don't have time. I need you to go into town and gather supplies, enough to last three people a week and freshwater a lot of it. Then go down to the cove and…"
Throwing her arm's out Emma interrupted, "Whoah, hold up. Why am I doing all this?"
Elizabeth glared sternly at her daughter, "It's rude to interrupt." The effect was ruined by the mischiefs tilt of Elizabeth's lips.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but what's going on? Why the sudden need for supplies and the only thing at the cove is the fishing boat…" Emma trailed off, thoughtfulness then understanding flashed across her face, "Are we leaving?"
With a heavy sigh, Elizabeth sat down on the bed and patted the space next to her.
Emma took her mother's invitation and sat down. Once she was seated Elizabeth took Emma into her arms.
"James proposed to me." Emma made to sit up but Elizabeth held her still. "Listen. We were on the wall when he proposed and I was having trouble breathing, due to my corset. The bloody thing. Anyway, I ended up fainting and fell off." This time Emma did break from Elizabeth's grasp. Scanning her mother with worried eyes, Emma looked for any injuries. Finding none she slowly relaxed and was once more wrapped in her mother's embrace.
"As you can see I sustained no injury, but I would have drowned if it weren't for...if it wasn't for...for…" Elizabeth couldn't seem to find the right words to explain what happened. "There was a man on the docks he saved me. He wasn't just any man he was...well when I saw him I thought I had died. He...was your father."
Emma bolted from the bed, staring at her mother with wide eyes, "That can't be, he's dead, he was shot. Becket shot him!"
"I know, I know, my Little Sparrow. But I promise you it was him."
"How? If he was alive, why didn't he come for us?"
"I don't know but right now isn't the time, he is set to be hanged in the morning so we don't have a lot of time. I need you to do as I say, go gather the supplies, get the boat ready and wait for us."
With a slow nod, Emma moved to leave.
"Are you forgetting something?" Elizabeth asked as she handed Emma her shoes. "I swear, you can't keep these things on for more than a minute."
Emma just shrugged and smiled sheepishly while taking the boots. Quietly, she opened the door and slipped away.
The sun had set a while ago. Emma had started to pass not too long after.
Now, two hours later, there was a distinct groove in the sand, the length of the small fishing boat. Every so often Emma would look up at the rising moon and then to the town which could be easily seen from the beach.
She wasn't sure when her mother would come but she was already worried that something had gone wrong.
Though Emma didn't know it, Elizabeth hadn't even made her move yet.
As soon as the maid had left Elizabeth slipped quickly but quietly from her bed, moving to the far side of it, opposite the door. She knelt and reached under the bed. Moving about her hand, Elizabeth looked for one particular bord. It had a small hole in it just big enough for her finger.
There, her fingers brushed over the small dent that was the hole, she pulled the board up revealing a hidden alcove. Within it were a pistol, a sword, boots and a box that held a pair of pants and a shirt. Quickly Elizabeth changed.
She reached for her gun when suddenly the sound of cannon fire and screaming reached her. Darting to the balcony, Elizabeth looked out. The port was under attack, she could see houses burning, and a black ship firing on the fort.
Up the path rushed a dozen or so, black-hearted bilge rats, breaking the gate as they rushed forward.
Elizebeth ran to the foyer. Arriving just in time to see the butler get shot.
The pirates came flooding in, two pointed up at her, one was tall and skinny, with a wooden eye, the other short and round, with yellow eyes.
With a short screech, Elizabeth whirled around, running back to her room. Slamming the door and locking it she turned around, right into the arms of the maid, "They're here for you, miss. You're the governor's daughter, they're here to take you."
Elizabeth's eyes widened. They most likely weren't after her, they probably didn't even know the governor had a daughter, but if they did figure it out she would be in trouble.
Pushing the maid behind the dressing screen Elizebeth ordered her, "When you can. Run to the fort."
Running into the bedroom just as the door burst, Elizebeth had little time to think so she grabbed the first thing she could, the bed warmer. With a mighty swing, she hit the short pirate just as he came running in.
Her and the skinny one wrestled for the instrument before she let the hot coals rain down on him. Giving her enough time to run back to the foyer and into the dining room, barricading the door with a candlestick.
Elizabeth moved directly to the mounted swords, but to her horror, they were welded together.
'Blast it, I really wish I had gone for my sword,' Elizabeth thought, as she slipped into the cabinets that lined the wall. They had been used many a time, as a hiding spot for when she and Emma played hide-and-seek.
The two pirates finally broke the door down. Ragetti, the tall one, pointed to the open window, but Pintel, the short and round pirate, noticed that the rug had a bent corner near the cabinet.
Tapping the side of his nose Pintel pointed this out. "Come on out little poppet, we won't hurt you," he called softly, as he approached the doors. "You can't hide. The gold calls to us."
'The gold?' Elizabeth confusedly thought. Pulling a small gold medallion from beneath her shirt, she studied it. 'Is this little trinket really what they wanted?'
Glancing up Elizabeth had to stifle a scream. Looking through the crack was a yellow eye, "Hello poppet."
Elizebeth wasn't sure whether she should curse herself or applaud herself, shouting out parley like that, what was she thinking. But, it was too late now, she was on the ship.
From among the pirates stepped a tall dark skin man. "She's invoked the right of parley. She wishes to speak to Captain Barbossa," Pintel said to the man.
"I am here to…" Elizebeth was abruptly cut off by a slap from the man. Horror, then shock and finally, anger flashed across her face.
"You, speak when spoken to," said the man.
"And, ye won't lay a hand on those under the protection of parley," said the captain. He had a scraggly beard, a wide-brimmed hat, and the confidence of a man who knew both his strengths and weaknesses. "My apologies miss," he said as a leeches smile spread across his face. "What is that ye be wanting?"
Elizabeth drew herself up, head held high, her fingers twitched almost as if to rest on a sword hilt but there wasn't one, so she curled her fingers into a fist instead. Barbossa didn't miss that, the smallest of smirks formed on his face. Raising his eyes to meet hers, he found her staring him dead on. "I want you to leave and never come back," Elizabeth bit out, almost like she was trying to bite his head off.
Laughter rippled through the men at her words. Leaning in, Barbossa said "I think not. And there's nothing you can do to make us," straightening, he gestured to Pintel and Ragetti, "Take her to the brig."
Before they could lay hold of her, Elizabeth in two strides was at the railing, hand outstretched gold medallion dangling over the dark waters. "If you don't leave I will drop it." At seeing this the whole crew took a step forward, but came to a standstill when Barbossa barked out, "And what makes you think, that we care for a single piece of gold when our hull is full to bursting."
Elizabeth smiled, it was a dangerous kind of smile, the kind you would see on a piranha before it goes for the kill. "Three reasons," The words were sickly sweet. "One," She lifted the pointer finger of the outstretched hand, "Your two crew members," nodding at Pintel and Ragetti, "Said it themself the gold was calling to them. Gold that calls to men, that's not the strangest thing I've seen. Two." She raised her middle finger, "Your's and your crew's reaction just now. Men don't jump when there's nothing to fear. And three." She lifted her ring finger, the chain was now resting in the loop made by her pinky and thumb. "The fact you are all waiting with bated breath to jump forward and stop me."
Taking a cautious step forward Barbossa asked, "Do ye have a name missy?"
Elizabeth's mind raised, 'I can't tell him my name's Swann, that would certainly end in trouble. Sparrow is out of the question, that name has always meant a sword at the throat. She needed a name that wouldn't be suspicious, a normal name. A name that would fit a girl dress in men's clothes.' She thought of the last part with a hint of humor. 'Tuner, yes that would do.'
A second or two after being asked the question, Elizabeth said "Turner, my names...Elizabeth turner. I'm a maid in the governor's household."
"Miss Turner, hey? And how does a maid come to own such a trinket, a family heirloom perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you mean." It was the truth, Elizabeth had found it one day on the street, a year or so ago. It was only out of a rebellious moment that she was wearing it now. Having known Norrington was most likely to propose that day, she had put it on as a way of saying 'I am not yours' and had simply not taken it off.
"Very well," said Barbossa as he reached out, "You hand it over and we'll put your town to our rudder. Ne've return" Elizabeth cautiously handed the gold piece over.
As soon as she handed it over, Barbossa nodded to his first mate, the man that had hit Elizabeth, with a shout from him the men began to get the ship underway.
Worriedly Elizabeth followed after the captain. Realizing that he wasn't going to take her to shore she shouted out, "Wait! You have to take me to shore! According to the code of the brethren…"
"First!" Barbossa barked out, "You returned to shore was not part of our negotiations. Second, you must be a pirate for the pirate code to apply and you're not. And thirdly the code is more what you would call guidelines than actual rules. Welcome aboard the Black Pearl Miss Turner!"
"How do you know I'm not one!?" Elizabeth snarled out.
Looking her up and down Barbossa sneered, the hint of amusement in his voice as he said, "What? A pirate? Ha, that Miss Tuner I think not." Turning he marched up the stairs as the two pirates that brought her to the ship dragged her way.
Ok, so I just have to say the title of this fic is a work in progress if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
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