"Grand mama, please tell me of the pirates! Please tell me another story of the pirates!"
A five year old Carmen sat on the pillows with a wide smile. Her grandma smiled at her,
"Ok, poppy. One day there was this young princess who was quite a adventurer at heart. She would always hide her adventuress by succumbing to work and other boring things. Which ended with her never finding true love." Carmen frowned, and her grandma continued, "Her grandmother gave her a necklace that would take her to a special island called, Emerald Island, that only she could get the beautiful treasure, and after, she could have one wish," she stopped and pulled out a long silver necklace with a skull and serpent on a pendent and put it on Carmen.
"Although the pendent wasn't a pretty pink or a unicorn, the little girl kept the necklace. One day, she was caught in an incident and found herself in a very different place. She was in the Caribbean, where pirates were!"
Carmen's smile widened as she gazed at the pendent in her hand.
"She was taken up by a humorous pirate who had mystical dark eyes and tanned skin. And they set on a adventure across the see to a hidden island where only the princess could go"
Carmen was now jumping up and down. "Oh, what happens tell me! What happens!"
Her grandmother smiled before continuing, "They were followed by a evil man who was a bad pirate. He had heard of the special necklace the girl had and wanted the treasure for himself. He found the island that the princess and her pirate were on and there was a big fight. They won the fight by killing the bad pirate but not without him stabbing the princesses pirate"
Carmen gasped and moved forward to hear more clearly. "She held him until he took his last breathe. Then something magical happened!"
"What?" Carmen asked.
"Honey, we have to get going soon!", her mother poked her head in through the door.
Her grandmother smiled and stood up, "Poppy, we finish the story when I come back from my sea trip…But promise me you will look after the necklace. It will come to great use when you least expect "
-
Carmen slowly opened her eyes. She was warm, not cold anymore and the dress she had on was now gone, instead she now wore a loose shirt and pants. She wondered how she had managed to get into a bed, when the only thing she could remember was having a wit-competition with Jack Sparrow. She slowly sat up and noticed it was now night. There was a small click and she looked to her side to see a small flame.
"Nice to know yer up", someone slowly walked over to a table and placed an oil lamp down then brightened it. Jack Sparrow smiled at her. He sat down on a chair and leaned back onto the back legs. Carmen rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and stiffened at the thought of what happened between now and when she last spoke to Sparrow.
"What happened? All I remember if talking to you, then nothing", she said in a soft voice.
Jack looked golden from the yellow flame, and as he spoke his teeth winked at her, "Luv, yer' went pale then just passed out. That was seven hours ago."
Carmen stared at him, her face lined with bewilderment. She ran her fingers through her hair, the noticed it was slightly damp. Her hair should have already dried completely from the beach.
She looked back at Jack, "Why am I slightly wet?"
Jack tilted his head, "When ye' collapsed, ye' landed half in a crate of scraps," Carmen frowned in disgust as Jack continued, "so I thought it'd be nice of me to clean yer' up before setting yer' in me bed."
Carmen stared at him with eyes wide, "You gave me a bath, while I was knocked out?"
He smiled and pulled a cork from a bottle Carmen hadn't realised was on the table, "Well, I only bath'd yer top half with a wet clothe," he grinned even more. Carmen swung her legs over the bed, her face hidden from the locks of hair that fell around her face, "Jack, you perverted bastard. I hope to god you left my panties and bra on when you cleaned me up, or I'll seriously damage your goods so you can never f - "
Jack put his hands up, hushing her, "Luv, I don't woo unconscious women. Its just not satisfying someone who ain't into tha' moment as meself."
She turned her head so he could see the dim light glistening in her dark, chocolate eyes, "I hope so, Sparrow. Be lucky I'm not too well to attack you at the moment."
"Would yer rather me or the rest of me crew cleanin' yer up?" Jack had an amused expression plastered upon his face and began to tap his foot.
Carmen chose to ignore him, and thankfully took a chunk of bread he offered her. She was starving, and at the same time confused. The dream she had had just moments ago still lingered, but only in fragments in her mind.
"Have you ever heard of Emerald Island?" Carmen asked before taking a large bite of bread and chewing. Jack stopped tapping his foot. He slowly sat up and leaned forward.
"I may 'ave. Why ye' be asking?" he asked, his eyes steadily watching her like a hawk.
Carmen stopped chewing and felt slightly uneasy, "My grandmother told me in a fairy tale", her fingers subconsciously fingered at the necklace and charm that rested just below her collar bone.
Jack had not seen the necklace properly before but now he felt his insides turning with realisation.
The necklace of Emerald Island…
He snatched it off her neck and started to laugh. "Oh, me bloody lord!", he rushed over to the lamp and put it up close.
Carmen threw the bread down and rushed quickly towards him, "What the hell are you doing?" Carmen tried to snatch the dazzling trinket, but Jack merely held it above his head so she had no way of reaching it.
"I can't believe me eyes," he put his hand down and grinned at her, "maybe it wasn't such' cha bad idea ta 'ave yer on board!"
Carmen stared furiously at him, "Give me the damn pendent Jack!"
Jack began to rampage through some papers on his desk. Carmen stood behind him, her arms crossed and annoyed expression upon her normally content features. Jack turned and looked over his shoulder at her, a grin at her as his eyes raked down her upper half. Carmen looked down and realised that the overly sized shirt was now exposing her left shoulder and the top of her black bra.
"Yer, not bad at all, luv", Jack said with a sly grin while walking towards her, the pendent still tightly clasped in one hand. Carmen didn't smile, but pulled back her arm and flung it forward but Jack was quicker. He grabbed her fist just centimetres away from his face.
"Yer really should know not to hit a man in tha' same place twice, lass", he slowly pushed her arm down.
"Oh, really," she pouted and slowly touched his cheek where a bruise shadowed her previous contact, "I've learnt my lesson." Within one swift motion, she rammed her knee into his crutch. Jack's facial expression went from suggestive to pain and the pendent fell to the floor. He doubled over and groaned.
"Now, Captain Jack, I want to know what you know", Carmen stated, while staring down at Jack's doubled over form. He didn't reply.
"Jack, answer me."
She turned her head to see a sword on the side of the bed. Reaching over and holding the sword so the point was only a hairs breath away from Jack's form, she wanted to be sure that he wasn't going to strike at her after she had attacked him twice. Moments passed, and Jack still didn't move. Worry began to set in.
"Jack?", she reached forward to aid him but to her surprise, Jack was up, sword ready to strike if need be.
"Oh lass, yer should'na of done tha'", he cooed in a rumbling voice as he ran his sword along Carmen's blade. Carmen instantly knew she had taken the wrong step in retrieving her necklace. She didn't know how to use a sword. She knew perhaps how to stab, but that was just common sense. Quick reflexes and possibly the same for agility, but not swords play.
An odd feeling ran up her insides as Jack repeated the gesture with his sword, his eyes dark and dangerous. Suddenly, she felt like she wanted the fight. She wanted the adrenaline rush in her veins.
"I don't take orders", she hissed and blocked as Jack swung his sword down. She twisted and turned as there swords created a war.
"Yer quiet good fer a lass, luv," he grinned and stepped back, lowering his sword. Carmen was gasping, her insides tight with alert and her mind racing. She had never felt so alive in just a few seconds. She didn't know how she used the sword either. She had no real fighting skills, at least until now.
"Com' on luv, put tha' sword down and I'll make yer a deal." Jack placed the point of his sword on the floor, and rested his weight upon it.
She slowly lowered the weapon. Carmen stared at him with wonder, "A deal? What sort of deal?"
"A deal tha' yer'll like milady!" He took an apple off the table and took a bite. He lazily threw his sword onto a bench, and sat down at the table again.
"What could you give me in a deal that I possible want?" Carmen asked as he threw an apple at her.
"Ta go back ta where ever yer came from," he leaned back into the chair, "Usin' tha' pretty lil necklace of yer's."
Carmen knew straight away that Jack was about to inform her of things she never knew, "Yer said a few things in yer sleep. An' from what I can tell, yer tha' Emeralds Island key-keeper."
Carmen felt a jolt of shock, "Key-keeper? I thought that was only a fairy tale!"
Jack spoke in between chews, "Ye', a lot do, but a lot also thought the Black Pearl was a fairy tale."
Carmen titled her head, studying the pirate before her. He was filling the cracks in her dream…
"Well, yer already know from yer grams and so do I," he took another bite of the apple then after a few chews, he continued, "yer looked quiet intense when yer were sleepin'. So I sat by yer and listened."
"You were listening to me sleep talk?"
Jack disregarded her question, "Yer, well I heards 'bout the legend of Emerald Island and a young girl whose knows the ways there", he turned around a bit and caught a glimpse of her stomach. Carmen rearranged the shirt, so now that every man-catching part was not visible now.
"So? How do you know all about this?" Carmen queried. Jack turned around and threw the core of the apple out of a port hole.
"Lass, wha' pirate doesn't know 'bout Emerald Island? It's sorta like an 'ole wives tale. But we all know, not all of wha' they says is lies", Jack went deep into thought, and Carmen gazed curiously at him. He suddenly snapped out of it, and continued talking.
"So, luv. Yer seem to have some sorta connection ter this Island of jewels. An if yer take me there…" He smirked and nodded slowly. Carmen caught his drift. This island sounded as if it held a great fortune, and she felt that was the only reason he wanted to go there.
"You will help me get back home?" She asked in an equally suggestive tone. "And since I think you want something in return," she said while pulling her hair back and not breaking eye contact, "I'll let you have 45 of what ever I find on this island".
Jack sat forward, "Yer wise, luv. But why would yer trust a pirate like meself?"
She mimicked his gesture, "Because I have no other choice," her face was so close to his that he could feel her breath, "and I know how to look after myself, Captain Jack Sparrow."
Jack let out a convincing grunt, "Well, luv. Yer gunna have to earn yer stay on tha Pearl," he stood up and opened the door. Carmen stepped into the peeping sunrise and looked down onto the pirates coming out onto the deck, "So, do yer know how to cook, luv?"
-
Carmen found herself back down in the small kitchen, trying to find something suitable to cook. It was a pretty impressive kitchen for a ship. She checked out all the cupboards, drawers, crates and anything else. And she guessed there was food in the barrels. Carmen wandered over to the barrels and pulled the lid off one. As soon as the lid was pulled off, the air was filled with a horrible smell. Carmen squeezed her eye shut for a moment then opened them again to see the barrel filled with tuna. She walked over to the next and opened it. It was filled with bread and the next with butter. She opened the second last one and was happy to find some vegetables. She grabbed a couple dozen of fish and vegetables and got to work.
She had just finished gutting the fish and chopping the vegetables, when she realised she had no water. She turned around and checked the other barrels but only succeeded in finding rum and more rum.
"Tha' waters in tha' barrel below deck", a female voice stated. Turning around, she found the woman called Anamaria watching her.
Carmen stood up and nodded, "Um, thanks."
Anamaria kept a steady stare on her as if she didn't trust her, "Yer know that Capt'n Jack only let you stay on 'cos of the treasure."
Carmen slowly picked up the knife and started to chop up some lettuce, "Yeah. But I'd rather here than that bloody Tortuga".
Anamaria chuckled, "I don' think yer would las' long."
Carmen stopped chopping, put the knife down and shrugged, "And I wont deny that I wouldn't."
Anamaria gave an approving laugh, picked up some more carrot and left the kitchen with a loud snap of the door. Carmen took a long breath then went to get the water. As she walked across the deck, the crew stared at her with curious and hungry eyes. She looked up to the helm to see Jack at the wheel, and staring at a compass. He looked up and tipped his hat to her and started to talk to Gibbs. She pulled up the hatch and brought up a small bucket of water. And made her way across the deck again.
"We 'ead 'wards Isla de la Muerte," Jack moved the wheel slightly to the left, "Gibbs, tell Lochlan' to get up tha' birds nest and keep watch fer a few hours." Gibbs nodded and yelled out to Lockland as he went onto the deck and past Anamaria who was making her way to the helm. She leant against the rail and watched as Carmen carried the bucket to the kitchen.
"Why'd yer let her stay?", Anamaria asked after a few minutes. Jack continued to watched the ocean, "She ain't gunna be any 'elp, Capt'n."
Jack turned his head to her and raised his eye brow. "She knows 'ow ta use a sword, Anamaria, she can 'elp." He turned the wheel slightly to the right as the wind picked up.
"But she's just a distraction", Anamaria indicated as Carmen lowered the bucket to the ground for a moment to rest. One of the crew, Drake, reached over and roughly grabbed her behind.
Carmen shot up and slowly turned to face the culprit, her face stern. Without much warning, her arm shot up and her fist collided with Drake's face.
"And she knows how ter punch", Jack said with a grin as he saw Drake staggered back, his face pale and the rest of the crew behind him roaring with laughter.