Disclaimer: Still don't own it (damn it). I wish that I did.

Chapter 2: Awakening and Life

She awoke, warm, dry, and in pain. Those were the first things in her mind.the next thing was: who am I?

She sat straight up in bed.wait, a bed? The last thing she remembered was water, and a good deal of it! Where had the bed come from? She looked around.

She was in a nice, cozy room, well furnished with a desk, several chairs, her bed, a large wardrobe, and a dressing screen that was by a very large set of windows that led to a balcony overlooking the sea. Very nice, in her mind.

"Oh! You're awake!"

She twisted around, getting a good look at the voice's owner. A lovely young girl, probably fourteen, was looking at her with smoky brown eyes, her equally-colored hair perfectly done up, and her crème colored dress in perfect order. The girl came up to her and sat on the bed.

"My name is Elizabeth Swann, my father is the governor. May I ask what your name is?"

"I...I don't know," she said in surprise. "I don't know anything."

Elizabeth blinked. "Oh, dear...I had better fetch my father, then, he'll know what to do." She quickly rushed out of the room, leaving the young woman alone in the bed.

Several minutes passed before Elizabeth returned, an elderly gentleman in a long wig at her side.

"Father, she says that she doesn't remember anything from her past, not even her own name!"

The Governor turned toward the young woman. "Is this true?"

The woman shifted in her bed. "I'm afraid so, sir. All I remember is water, and waking up here. Um, how did I get here?"

"I found you on the beach last night, while I was walking," explained Elizabeth. "You were unconscious, and we brought you up here to rest and eventually tell us where you are from."

"However," said the Governor, "since you cannot remember who you are, much less where you are from, you are welcome to stay here as long as you wish. Now, about a name for you." Several moments of silence followed.

"How about Lara, it sounds pretty, don't you think?" asked Elizabeth.

"Lara," the girl whispered. "Yes, it's nice, but what about a last name?"

"Well, how about Storm? After all, it looks like you've been in a storm," suggested the Governor. "Lara Storm, welcome to Port Royal!"

"Thank you, sir," she replied.

"Father, remember what you said earlier, about her working for us?"

"Oh, yes," he smiled.

"What about my working for you?" asked Lara. "I don't understand."

"Lara, would you mind being a handmaiden to Elizabeth? She seems fond of you, and it would give you a chance to meet others and form friendships in town."

Lara smiled. "I would be honored to be your handmaiden, Elizabeth, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do."

"Oh it's simple!" Elizabeth said excitedly. "You are with me all day, like a constant companion. You carry a few things with you, small things like fans, smelling salts, and handkerchiefs, in case I need them. It's not hard. I'm not really demanding."

"Indeed, Elizabeth is quite needless, as far as young girls are," said the Governor, chuckling. "Most girls require baskets of things, but Elizabeth is quite able of being without them!"

The matter settled, Elizabeth and her father left Lara to rest, after promising to come back later with a seamstress to help fit her with clothes. That said, Lara settled down for a nice nap.

Six months later, Lara had fit into Port Royal like a glove. She took her job as Elizabeth's maid very seriously, and did everything she could to make sure that her friend and mistress was comfortable in public. Every single one of Lara's gowns had at least a dozen hidden pockets that held some sort of object or another. Everything from handkerchiefs to a small bag of sweets or crackers was hidden in her pockets, usually because Lara felt it better to be safe than sorry. (Anyway, Elizabeth tended to have hunger pains after being out for too long, and the food would help until they reached the Governor's mansion for lunch, tea, or dinner.)

Even though she was supposed to be at Elizabeth's side as a servant, she was more like an elder sister to the younger girl, and had even begun to call her "Lizzie" in private, or very quietly in public. The two had grown very close, and Lara heard all of Lizzie's secrets, including her fascination with pirates. The two would talk about pirates late at night, when all of the others were in bed, thinking about all of the treasure and adventures experienced by them. Elizabeth had shown Lara several small newspaper clippings of one in particular, Captain Jack Sparrow, and all of his dealings with the British government and the East India Company. Lara found him fascinating, and they both loved talking about him.

It was not long afterwards that Lara had been introduced to Elizabeth's other foundling, the young man, William Turner. He had stopped by the mansion on an errand from his master, the local blacksmith, and the two had met in the entryway, when Lara had answered the door. Both Governor Swann and Elizabeth had been called to a party and Lara was left at home with the day off, so she and Will had spent the whole day together at the forge, talking. The two separated before dinner, and Lara returned to the house to find Elizabeth in her room, reading.

"How was your day, Lara? I missed you terribly; Lady White's party was incredibly boring without you!"

Lara smiled. "Well, it's your own fault for giving me the day off, Lizzie! And the party couldn't have been that bad," she said, sitting down across from her mistress.

"It was and you know it," Elizabeth replied, putting her book aside as two servants brought in their dinners. After they left, the two young women started to eat.

"What did you do all day, Lara? The servants said you were gone all day."

"I talked with Will Turner," Lara replied, finishing her chicken breast and potatoes. "He's a very nice young man. I wish I could talk to him all the time, he's very interesting." Something flashed in Elizabeth's eyes before becoming invisible.

"Well.if it means that much to you, you may have the afternoons off to go see him. Father says that now is the socializing season, so parties are held almost everyday. You can go see Will and keep him company."

"Oh, Lizzie, that's wonderful! I can't thank you enough!" She hugged Elizabeth before going to her room and retiring for the night, never seeing the look of envy on her mistress's face.

As the years past, Lara's friendships with Elizabeth and Will grew beyond measure. Her sisterly friendship with Elizabeth deepened so much that the two were nearly inseparable; Lara even wore gowns that were a close resemblance with the ones Elizabeth wore, though quite a bit less elegant. (After all, she was a maid in waiting, not an elegant lady like Elizabeth.) Elizabeth had even told Lara her deepest, darkest secret, which was stealing a pirate medallion from a young, rescued Will Turner eight years ago. She had quickly explained that she had feared that they would hang the young boy if they found it on him, and so she had stolen it to save him. Lara, also feeling alarmed at the danger toward Will, had told Elizabeth that it had been the right thing to do, and had sworn not to tell Will about it.

That was the only secret between Lara and Will. Will had told Lara everything about him, from his father disappearing, to his mother's death, which led to his trying to find his long-lost father. He had then showed Lara how he practiced his sword fighting every day, so that he could kill pirates like pirates had killed the men on the ship he had been on. She had been fascinated by the sword fighting, and had asked Will to teach her in secret. He had agreed, and the two were soon equally matched in the ways of the sword. He had even made her one for her twenty-first birthday. Little did they know that it was soon to come in handy.


AN: What do you think? I hope that everyone likes it! No flames, please. Um, does everyone want an OC/Will romance, or an OC/Jack romance? It's open-ended at this point, so please let me know! (Personally, I like Jack, that "daring rogue/pirate" thing does it for me every time!)