A/N Sorry this took a bit longer, but I've written a lot more for this
chapter.
*Picks chin up off floor in shock* You guys, I can't believe this, never in my wildest hopes had I thought I would get so many kind reviews, you are all too nice. I feel so happy now, I could fly if I had wings!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Pirates of the Caribbean.
As Katie walked home she went over the sign she had read earlier. The image of it was still fresh and she could remember every word. But what she dotted on the most was the word 'men'. She had heard of a female pirate on the Black Pearl before, but she had proved herself worth long before that. Katie, on the other hand, had no experience with piracy, at least no first hand experience. She was sure that she would be able to learn quickly if only given the chance. If they even so much as thought she wasn't a man they would send her off without a second glance.
Sure, there may be other Pirate ships that came through, and sure some of them will be hiring. But in all her seventeen years here there had only been one, and that one was certainly not looking for a larger crew. So the chances were very likely that the next chance she would have would come when she was almost forty. That would be far too late.
All she had ever wanted to be was a pirate. Her mothers' disapproval only added fuel to the fire and made her want it even more. She had often thought her father would approve. She never met him, but she had always envisioned him as a kind man that would love her no matter what she chose to do in life. She knew she looked like him, she hardly even resembled her mother. Maybe that's why she disliked Katie so much.
By now she was a few blocks from the docks and decided it was safe enough to go back on the main street, she didn't know her way around the back ways too well. Unlike before, they were now empty and silent. She wondered where the people had finally decided to hide, or if they were even still running. The pirates weren't even chasing them! Laughing to herself at the idiocy of it all, she made her way home.
When she walked in through the door she was smothered by Elizabeth. "Where were you? We were so worried, Katie. Oh, tell me you didn't go after them. Pirates are ruthless, they would kill you on the spot. I'm so glad you're all right." She was hugging her so tightly Katie's stomach started hurting.
"I'm alright, they weren't trying to hurt anyone. The pirates were just sitting there." Katie said, freeing herself of Elizabeth's grasp.
"How would you know what the pirates were doing, then?" Will asked, coming up behind his wife. "You wouldn't have known until you got there, and by then it could have been too late. We know you like pirates, but they're dangerous. It's foolish to go running after them like that."
"I was careful," was all Katie said. She knew they were right, of coarse. She had been careful, true, but it had been a rash decision. "They didn't see me."
"Please, just don't do that again. Until those pirates leave you will stay in the house, we don't want you to endanger yourself again." Elizabeth said gently.
There goes telling them about becoming a pirate, it was already obvious that they'd object. And Katie wanted this more than anything, she couldn't et them stop her, even if they believed it to be in her best interests. So she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I- I won't do it again." Well at least she would not sneak up on pirates. More like joining them, there's a big difference.
Elizabeth looked utterly relieved and Will just smiled grimly. Katie made some excuse about being tired, it was early evening and so it wasn't too unusual that she wanted to go to bed early. Before going upstairs to her room she surprised them both by embracing them warmly. This would probably be the last time she ever saw them, and they had been so kind to her.
Letting go of them and heading upstairs was one of the hardest things she had ever done. She loved them both, and leaving them for good was going to be painful. Living them had been the kindest treatment anyone had given to her, and she was just throwing it all away. Right then she had seriously considered staying; she could make a life somehow, and stay with these people she cared so much for.
But her heart rejected it, she was set on a pirates life. She knew the freedom and adventure it would grant her could make up for the heartache, eventually. And it would make her happy, happier than any life she could gain by staying in Port Royal. No, she wouldn't stay.
"Goodnight." Katie called from the top of the stairs, trying to keep her voice from sounding strained with emotion.
"Goodnight, Katie. We'll see you in the morning." Will called up, causing her to repress the urge to cry her eyes out and tell them everything.
'No, pirates do not cry. I do not cry, either. Not anymore.' She thought resolutely while drying her eyes.
Standing still for a moment to make sure that Will and Elizabeth had remained downstairs she walked past her own room and into theirs.
Looking around curiously she finally found what looked like the bureaus. She had never been in their room before, there had been to reason to. She opened the first one, which was filled with dresses. Closing it quietly she moved on to the other, there were only two, this had to be the right one. Dresses again, how many of these did Elizabeth need?
Sweeping her gaze around the room once more she saw a small chest in the corner opposite of where she could. She started to walk over to it when she stepped on a creaky board. Her heart instantly started to jump around in her chest and she strained her ears to hear any sounds of people coming closer.
After she was sure no one had heard her she continued forward, this time a little more tentative on where she stepped. The chest was a blain wooden box, but it was silent as she opened it. There lay what she was looking for, though she found it interesting that Will chose to keep his clothes in a plain chest.
She pulled out a plain white shirt and a pair of black pants, and held them up to herself. Will was bigger and taller than her, but she could roll the edges up until they fit her. Seeing a dark vest on the side she took that out, too. It wouldn't be that hard to hide her feminine figure, but the vest was thicker than the shirt alone and would help.
Looking around and seeing there was nothing else she needed, Katie crept out of the large bedroom and into her own. Once there she dumped the clothes on her bed and started going through her own things.
She added a pair of little-worn but always cherished boots to the pile. They were made of soft leather in a comfortable style rare around Port Royal. She had saved for two months to buy them the merchant had claimed they used to belong to a pirate. That was when she was eleven, now she realized he had just been trying to get her to buy them, but they came in handy now.
On top of that all she needed was a plain leather belt to hold up the large pants, and her sword the Will had made her when he started teaching her how to use it. The hilt had plain brown leather wrapped around it, nothing too fancy.
That was all she had that was worth taking. She obviously wasn't taking any dresses, and she would be more comfortable without them anyway. She really didn't have any personal possessions that she needed, besides the ones already in the pile.
She changed into the garments now gathered on her bed. Once she had it all on, Katie walked over to the full length mirror hanging on the back of her door.
She didn't look very different, but the pants definitely changed the way she looked a lot. The sword at her hip looked strange to her eyes, the weight put her slightly off balance. Leaning over she straitened her boots a little. They were so much more comfortable than her everyday shoes, she wished she had began to wear them before this.
As she brought her body back upright her hair slid over her shoulder. Her hair. She doubted very highly that pirates had hair as long as hers, and even if they did it wasn't going to be smooth and silky, at sea there was no way to wash it. But it did make her seem more feminine.
She unsheathed her sword and held her hair taunt behind her back. It was awkward but she finally managed to slip the sword underneath her outstretched locks as far up as she could go. Before she could change her mind, she cut through it with one clean swipe. She brought her hands slowly around and just looked at her hair in her hand.
The end result was shocking. Her hair that had been a deep black ever since she was a child now came just above her shoulders. It did make her seem a little manlier, well, boyish rather. She gathered it at the nape of her neck, it just barley reached, and put a small barrette to hold it there. Then on second thought, what pirates, what man, wore barrettes?
She went to her small bureau and pulled out a leather string from the front of a dress, then replaced the barrette with that. Once again she dived into her bureau and took out a dusty old hat. It was something her mother had given her, it being a more stylish hat at the time. It was dark brown, nearly black, and was round with a wide brim, the shape around her head was slightly squared. Katie brushed it off and placed it on her head. It shadowed her face and made her look slightly more masculine, and it hid the cleanliness of her hair. A few days out at sea would solve that problem, but for now there was nothing she could do.
By now it had been dark out for maybe half an hour. From downstairs she heard the grandfather clock chime nine times. Only three hours to go.
XxXxX
There were only a few figures gathered at the docks. Six, to be exact. They were grouped a distance away from the docks, really. Just enough to get off the wooden beams. A few of the men were standing over a small fire that illuminated the scene.
Katie took a deep breath stepped out from the shadowed doorway she had been standing in, and straitening her shoulders, walked towards them.
Three of them were clearly there in response to the ad.
The first man was huge. His arms were as big around as most people's necks, his muscles straining against his shirt. On the side of his neck he had a large tattoo of a colorless sun that seemed to ripple every time the man moved his head. His eyes were dark and expressionless, his face emotionless. He didn't seemed relaxed, but he wasn't nervous.
The second man wore a hat much similar to Katie's and it drooped over his face, making him look dark and threatening. His short, chiseled beard was a light brown and came into a point at the end. He seemed small compared to the big man he was standing next to, but was, in fact, larger than average.
The last man seemed as menacing as the word itself. He was leaning against a wooden beam sticking up out of the dock, picking his teeth with a tiny dagger. He had a small golden hoop through his left nostril and a few more in both his ears. As Katie approached his eyes locked on to her and it gave her an unsettled feeling. If she hadn't seen them all with her own eyes she would have never believed that such men lived in Port Royal.
"'ere's another one." She recognized the voice as one of those she had heard earlier. 'Harkey' he had been called. He was thin as a rod, and much smaller than anyone of the other men there. He had eerie ice blue eyes that seemed to bulge out of his head, and his nose was far too large for his face.
"That's prob'ly the last one, its too late for any others to show up. Will this be enough cap'n?" The second man was middle aged with gray streaked in his hair. His face was shaven clean, which was a surprise. She had thought pirates would just let they're beards grow wild.
"It'll 'ave to do. Alrigh'. Line up righ' ere' in front of us now. That's it." She recognized that voice as well; this was the captain. He had long, dark hair with coins and beads braided into it, a hat on top of his head. Just as the other two men his face was darkened from to Caribbean sun. His eyes were dark and cunning, though they seemed as though they were laughing at everyone. He seemed slightly unsteady, Katie wondered if he was drunk. Just her luck to get a ship with a drunk man leading them around wherever he chose.
Everyone shifted slightly, but they were all pretty much in line except for Katie. Once positioned The captain swayed over to the end of the line farthest from Katie. He stopped at the big man first. "Yer name?"
The man with the pointed beard spoke up from beside him. "He don't be talkin' much, no 'im. 'is name is Garret, we've been mates since we were boys. We're good pirates, our ol' cap'n got killed 'n then we all went our own ways, 'is first mate was a righ' ol' block'ead, no man would follow 'im."
The captain took a few more steps until he was standing in front of the man who had spoken. "Who are you then?" He asked flourishing his hands towards then other man.
"Brady, cap'n." He said, taking off his hat, revealing a greasy set of hair, and tipping it towards the captain. "at yer service."
In response he nodded dramatically, patted the man on the cheek and stepped over to the menacing man in, moving his head in an odd way that made him look as though he were about to go to sleep. Before he could speak the man answered his question for him.
"I'm Carlton, Gregory Carlton, good captain." Katie was surprised as his lack of an accent, out of the other two men he looked more like a pirate and yet he sounded less like one. At least she wouldn't be the only one out of place.
"Mmmm, I see." The captain said before moving on to Katie. Before her he swayed slightly to the side and gave a lopsided smile. "Who are ye, laddie? Speak up."
Suddenly Katie realized how ridiculous she must look. Even though she didn't look like a girl anymore, now all she looked like was a boy. A tiny one, compared to all others present, and presumably looking scared out of her mind. At the same moment she also realized she couldn't tell him her name was Katie, that would be ridiculous.
"You w-want to know m-my name?" She asked, stalling for time. At least she had remembered to make her voice sound a bit deeper. The captain rolled his eyes.
"No, boy, I want ter know yer shoe size." He said, seemingly highly amused at the situation.
Katie smiled nervously. Of all things she had to forget to prepare! She searched her mind but every name she could come up with seemed, unfitting. "My name," she cleared her throat while looking about desperately for inspiration. "My name, is, uh." She heard a few sniggers come from the other men. She looked to her feet, thinking that maybe they could give her advice, when she saw what she was standing on.
"Mat." She breathed finally, "My name is Mat."
"Aye, an' I thought ye'd done an' forget yer own name!" He appeared to be thinking something over. Suddenly his face lit up. "Boy, I 'ave a question for ye. What, exactly, does yer dear old mother think o' this?"
Katie was so caught of guard by the question she answered without thinking. "It doesn't matter now."
The captain grinned, "Killed, her did ye?"
"No!" Katie said in horror.
"Pity, maybe that would 'ave toughened ye up." He glanced over at his shipmates before continuing. "All right, let me see yer teeth." Katie gave him a questioning glance. He hadn't asked anyone else about there teeth, or their mothers. Had she done something wrong? '
"Open up, boy." He said after Katie just stood there.
Katie bared her lips as much as she could, showing a full mouth of teeth. He grabbed her chin roughly and held her face upwards, then turning her head slightly to get a better view, while Katie was trying her best not to let him see her face, not wanting anyone to see anything that could give her away. "Mmm, hmm. Ye aren't a pirate are ye?"
"Not yet." She said before her mind could process the question. "I mean of coarse I-"
She was cut off as he turned away. "Gibbs, get the brand out." They all waited in silence as the older pirate walked over to the ship and came back with a long, black metal rod. He set it into the flames and the captain began talking again.
"Ye see, normally I wouldn't do this, takin a boy with no experience on me ship, but we need the help. I s'pose someone can show ye all you'll need to know." He started walking up and down the line of soon to be shipmates. "This 'ere is Harkey," he said pointing to the man with eerie blue eyes. "And me first mate Gibbs," he added, gesturing to the man who had gone to the ship earlier. "And me. I'll be yer captain. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, welcome to the Black Pearl."
Katie shouldn't have been too surprised to learn it was Jack Sparrow, she had remembered all the stories. But this man seemed so.drunk. She had pictured Jack Sparrow as a steady man, among other things that this man in front of her was not.
The man named Gibbs called over to him, "It's ready."
Jack smiled gleefully, "Boy, come over 'ere." He lead Katie to a crate sitting next to the fire and she sat down on it, worried as to what was going to happen next.
"Now, since you've never been a part of a pirate crew before, we don't know for sure that yer not a spy o' some sort, for the 'government'." He said the word while letting his eyes grow big in a mock example of how frightened he was of them. "So we'll mark you, so ye can't go running 'ome 'an lettin' them all know 'bout our pretty ship 'ere. Now, 'hold still. Don't flinch or it'll hurt worse come morning."
He plopped down on a crate he had pulled up next to her and grabbed her left arm. Once he rolled up her sleeve to her elbow (all the while Katie hoping he didn't comment on how small her arms were compared to all the other men's') and pulled the rod the Gibbs had gotten earlier out of the fire.
Katie's eyes grew helplessly round as she saw it and realization hit her in the face. They meant to burn that thing into her arm. The end was glowing orange and had a coarsely shaped 'P' that was starting to come far too close to her skin for comfort. She started to protest but then saw that it had stopped coming closer to her and Jack was looking at her expectantly. No, she was going to be a pirate, and if this was what she needed to do then she would do it.
She nodded weakly to him and he raised an eyebrow. "Ye sure about this, once it's there, there's no turnin' back." She nodded again.
Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and waited for the burn. When it was pressed against her skin she gasped aloud and cursed herself that it sounded very much to high pitched. She felt like laughing, getting burned and she was still thinking about being 'Mat' instead of 'Katie'.
It was done in an instant, though it still burned like crazy. When she opened her eyes there was a red P marked into her skin. Now she really was a pirate, going back was not an option any more.
"Come on, I want us out of 'ere by morning. Back to the ship." Jack called out.
A/n My longest chapter yet, 3,522 words without Ans or thank-yous or anything. Hope it was worth it, tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism is more than helpful!
REVIEWERS
Marian Blond - Thanks, it's hard to get the personalities so that they don't seem fake of too changed from the movie. I'm glad you think it's realistic. Thanks for both of your reviews!
Meg- Two reviews! Yay! Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter too. Hmm, cordless phones, no I think I'll keep updating. But thanks for that unusual 'encouragement'
Lucki- I inspired you? Wow, that's flattering, I'll be looking out for your fic, too. And don't worry, I'm not done with Will and Elizabeth yet *grins evily*
Nugristiel08LG- Yea, I like to picture things too, it makes the story seem more realistic.
Dazzle- lol, don't hug the computer too hard, my cousin made that mistake once and it cost her dearly in more way than one. Thanks so much!!
Israfel- I agree, that's why this chapter is much longer, hopefull most will be a bit more like this, before I just wanted to find out what everyone thought about it before I went off and wrote a kabillion pages, you know? Thank you so much for you're review and the compliments.
Anamaria- Yes, I think we all love him. And Johnny Depp is such a talented actor, he really brought the character to life. So I had to put him in here, it would hardly be POTC if I didn't.
Paulgirl- Well, you can read what happens next, I'm glad you're liking this!
Aurora Conlon - Thanks! Sorry this update was a little late, but I made the chapter much longer.
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faye-amemori- Thank you, I'm really thankful for the pointers, too. I'll keep those in mind as I'm writing. And I'll ready you're fic when you post it, though I may not be a very good critic, sometimes I'm too nice. But I will certainly try!
SingleServing- Don't worry, I love writing so I won't be stopping any time soon, thanks for the review!
Wowowow- Yeah, I tend to gradualize my stories a little more than I probably would need to, I want it to seem as realistic as possible. BYT Wow is my word, wow I'm stuck on it. Lol, thanks for you're kind review!
Marching Angel- lol, I hope you like this!
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watery muffins- Was he in character here? He's so unpredictable and crazy it's sometimes hard, tell me and I'll go back through and edit, I have no problem fixing it up a little, or a lot, whatever it needs to make it a better story.
celtic elf- actually I'm not sure yet, or maybe I am and I'm not telling...thanks for the review!
Tauremorna- Hmm, I hadn't even thought of that. Sometimes I get carried away a little, thanks for pointing it out to me. I hope that I cleared it up a little in this chapter, and that it wasn't too terribly obvious that I wasn't trying to do just that.
Ash- Thanks so much, you're all so nice to me!
songelf88 and G.H.S. the warg - Oh I hope you didn't die or anything, need more is a bit dangerous. What if I never updated again? Lol, thanks for your review!
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Pirate Lass- Thanks! Yea, I saw 'Anamaria' (I can't remember the actresses name, bad Shannon) on Conan (wow I love that show) and she's been in a few other movies too, though I can't remember now, my mind is too jumbled up.
DarkAngelB- *Throws out confetti* My first reviewer that's ever squealed for my story! Celebration, thanks so much!
Mrs.Jada SparrowA.K.A Z- I'm not sure yet, or I'm not telling yet I haven't decided which. But whoever she does end up falling in love with, it's not going to be right off the bat. It has to seem real and everything.
Rouge Sparrow- Thanks so much for your review! Sorry it was a little delayed!
Dragon Girl Revlis- Yes, I was the same way, the movie was absolutley wonderful. Thank you for the review!!
Abskii- Yes, and I've gotten the message loud and clear, though I can't say I wasn't shocked nearly to death. Thank you so much!
Vikki-Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too
Cassadina- My heart started feeling all happy when I read your review, thank you so much! I'm glad you think everything's going alright, and that it goes by itself. I love writing, not just fanfiction but when obsession takes my fanfiction is all I can seem to want to write. Thank you so much, once again!
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Juliette Louise - I love the word installment, it's my word of the day now. Don't ask me why, I don't usually even have a word of the day but whatever, I feel so happy I could do some strange and dangerous things right now. Thanks so much!
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I give it all to Mr. Black - Thank you!!! This one took a bit longer, so I hope you all haven't lost interest.
Spazzy Chase- I know, people can be hilarious sometimes. I mean, really, sometimes I just have to laugh. Another installment word! Wow, I really am loving that. Thanks for your review!
CrazySwimmer27 - I know, I'm going with my grandma again this weekend. I can't get enough of it! Thanks for your review!
ChelseaBloom - Thanks, I agree, it's one of my favorite movies ever.
Oh, and I put this at the bottom because I'm half ashamed of writing this in here. But if any of you like LOTR Fics, pretty please read mine, it's only got three chapters so far, but they're all long and the fourth is on it's way, I have to wait for my Beta to finish looking it over. It's under my other pen name I Get Stalked By Snowmen and it's called Into the Unknown. Ok, that's it, sorry if this sounds cheesy or too self promoting.
*Picks chin up off floor in shock* You guys, I can't believe this, never in my wildest hopes had I thought I would get so many kind reviews, you are all too nice. I feel so happy now, I could fly if I had wings!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Pirates of the Caribbean.
As Katie walked home she went over the sign she had read earlier. The image of it was still fresh and she could remember every word. But what she dotted on the most was the word 'men'. She had heard of a female pirate on the Black Pearl before, but she had proved herself worth long before that. Katie, on the other hand, had no experience with piracy, at least no first hand experience. She was sure that she would be able to learn quickly if only given the chance. If they even so much as thought she wasn't a man they would send her off without a second glance.
Sure, there may be other Pirate ships that came through, and sure some of them will be hiring. But in all her seventeen years here there had only been one, and that one was certainly not looking for a larger crew. So the chances were very likely that the next chance she would have would come when she was almost forty. That would be far too late.
All she had ever wanted to be was a pirate. Her mothers' disapproval only added fuel to the fire and made her want it even more. She had often thought her father would approve. She never met him, but she had always envisioned him as a kind man that would love her no matter what she chose to do in life. She knew she looked like him, she hardly even resembled her mother. Maybe that's why she disliked Katie so much.
By now she was a few blocks from the docks and decided it was safe enough to go back on the main street, she didn't know her way around the back ways too well. Unlike before, they were now empty and silent. She wondered where the people had finally decided to hide, or if they were even still running. The pirates weren't even chasing them! Laughing to herself at the idiocy of it all, she made her way home.
When she walked in through the door she was smothered by Elizabeth. "Where were you? We were so worried, Katie. Oh, tell me you didn't go after them. Pirates are ruthless, they would kill you on the spot. I'm so glad you're all right." She was hugging her so tightly Katie's stomach started hurting.
"I'm alright, they weren't trying to hurt anyone. The pirates were just sitting there." Katie said, freeing herself of Elizabeth's grasp.
"How would you know what the pirates were doing, then?" Will asked, coming up behind his wife. "You wouldn't have known until you got there, and by then it could have been too late. We know you like pirates, but they're dangerous. It's foolish to go running after them like that."
"I was careful," was all Katie said. She knew they were right, of coarse. She had been careful, true, but it had been a rash decision. "They didn't see me."
"Please, just don't do that again. Until those pirates leave you will stay in the house, we don't want you to endanger yourself again." Elizabeth said gently.
There goes telling them about becoming a pirate, it was already obvious that they'd object. And Katie wanted this more than anything, she couldn't et them stop her, even if they believed it to be in her best interests. So she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you worry. I- I won't do it again." Well at least she would not sneak up on pirates. More like joining them, there's a big difference.
Elizabeth looked utterly relieved and Will just smiled grimly. Katie made some excuse about being tired, it was early evening and so it wasn't too unusual that she wanted to go to bed early. Before going upstairs to her room she surprised them both by embracing them warmly. This would probably be the last time she ever saw them, and they had been so kind to her.
Letting go of them and heading upstairs was one of the hardest things she had ever done. She loved them both, and leaving them for good was going to be painful. Living them had been the kindest treatment anyone had given to her, and she was just throwing it all away. Right then she had seriously considered staying; she could make a life somehow, and stay with these people she cared so much for.
But her heart rejected it, she was set on a pirates life. She knew the freedom and adventure it would grant her could make up for the heartache, eventually. And it would make her happy, happier than any life she could gain by staying in Port Royal. No, she wouldn't stay.
"Goodnight." Katie called from the top of the stairs, trying to keep her voice from sounding strained with emotion.
"Goodnight, Katie. We'll see you in the morning." Will called up, causing her to repress the urge to cry her eyes out and tell them everything.
'No, pirates do not cry. I do not cry, either. Not anymore.' She thought resolutely while drying her eyes.
Standing still for a moment to make sure that Will and Elizabeth had remained downstairs she walked past her own room and into theirs.
Looking around curiously she finally found what looked like the bureaus. She had never been in their room before, there had been to reason to. She opened the first one, which was filled with dresses. Closing it quietly she moved on to the other, there were only two, this had to be the right one. Dresses again, how many of these did Elizabeth need?
Sweeping her gaze around the room once more she saw a small chest in the corner opposite of where she could. She started to walk over to it when she stepped on a creaky board. Her heart instantly started to jump around in her chest and she strained her ears to hear any sounds of people coming closer.
After she was sure no one had heard her she continued forward, this time a little more tentative on where she stepped. The chest was a blain wooden box, but it was silent as she opened it. There lay what she was looking for, though she found it interesting that Will chose to keep his clothes in a plain chest.
She pulled out a plain white shirt and a pair of black pants, and held them up to herself. Will was bigger and taller than her, but she could roll the edges up until they fit her. Seeing a dark vest on the side she took that out, too. It wouldn't be that hard to hide her feminine figure, but the vest was thicker than the shirt alone and would help.
Looking around and seeing there was nothing else she needed, Katie crept out of the large bedroom and into her own. Once there she dumped the clothes on her bed and started going through her own things.
She added a pair of little-worn but always cherished boots to the pile. They were made of soft leather in a comfortable style rare around Port Royal. She had saved for two months to buy them the merchant had claimed they used to belong to a pirate. That was when she was eleven, now she realized he had just been trying to get her to buy them, but they came in handy now.
On top of that all she needed was a plain leather belt to hold up the large pants, and her sword the Will had made her when he started teaching her how to use it. The hilt had plain brown leather wrapped around it, nothing too fancy.
That was all she had that was worth taking. She obviously wasn't taking any dresses, and she would be more comfortable without them anyway. She really didn't have any personal possessions that she needed, besides the ones already in the pile.
She changed into the garments now gathered on her bed. Once she had it all on, Katie walked over to the full length mirror hanging on the back of her door.
She didn't look very different, but the pants definitely changed the way she looked a lot. The sword at her hip looked strange to her eyes, the weight put her slightly off balance. Leaning over she straitened her boots a little. They were so much more comfortable than her everyday shoes, she wished she had began to wear them before this.
As she brought her body back upright her hair slid over her shoulder. Her hair. She doubted very highly that pirates had hair as long as hers, and even if they did it wasn't going to be smooth and silky, at sea there was no way to wash it. But it did make her seem more feminine.
She unsheathed her sword and held her hair taunt behind her back. It was awkward but she finally managed to slip the sword underneath her outstretched locks as far up as she could go. Before she could change her mind, she cut through it with one clean swipe. She brought her hands slowly around and just looked at her hair in her hand.
The end result was shocking. Her hair that had been a deep black ever since she was a child now came just above her shoulders. It did make her seem a little manlier, well, boyish rather. She gathered it at the nape of her neck, it just barley reached, and put a small barrette to hold it there. Then on second thought, what pirates, what man, wore barrettes?
She went to her small bureau and pulled out a leather string from the front of a dress, then replaced the barrette with that. Once again she dived into her bureau and took out a dusty old hat. It was something her mother had given her, it being a more stylish hat at the time. It was dark brown, nearly black, and was round with a wide brim, the shape around her head was slightly squared. Katie brushed it off and placed it on her head. It shadowed her face and made her look slightly more masculine, and it hid the cleanliness of her hair. A few days out at sea would solve that problem, but for now there was nothing she could do.
By now it had been dark out for maybe half an hour. From downstairs she heard the grandfather clock chime nine times. Only three hours to go.
XxXxX
There were only a few figures gathered at the docks. Six, to be exact. They were grouped a distance away from the docks, really. Just enough to get off the wooden beams. A few of the men were standing over a small fire that illuminated the scene.
Katie took a deep breath stepped out from the shadowed doorway she had been standing in, and straitening her shoulders, walked towards them.
Three of them were clearly there in response to the ad.
The first man was huge. His arms were as big around as most people's necks, his muscles straining against his shirt. On the side of his neck he had a large tattoo of a colorless sun that seemed to ripple every time the man moved his head. His eyes were dark and expressionless, his face emotionless. He didn't seemed relaxed, but he wasn't nervous.
The second man wore a hat much similar to Katie's and it drooped over his face, making him look dark and threatening. His short, chiseled beard was a light brown and came into a point at the end. He seemed small compared to the big man he was standing next to, but was, in fact, larger than average.
The last man seemed as menacing as the word itself. He was leaning against a wooden beam sticking up out of the dock, picking his teeth with a tiny dagger. He had a small golden hoop through his left nostril and a few more in both his ears. As Katie approached his eyes locked on to her and it gave her an unsettled feeling. If she hadn't seen them all with her own eyes she would have never believed that such men lived in Port Royal.
"'ere's another one." She recognized the voice as one of those she had heard earlier. 'Harkey' he had been called. He was thin as a rod, and much smaller than anyone of the other men there. He had eerie ice blue eyes that seemed to bulge out of his head, and his nose was far too large for his face.
"That's prob'ly the last one, its too late for any others to show up. Will this be enough cap'n?" The second man was middle aged with gray streaked in his hair. His face was shaven clean, which was a surprise. She had thought pirates would just let they're beards grow wild.
"It'll 'ave to do. Alrigh'. Line up righ' ere' in front of us now. That's it." She recognized that voice as well; this was the captain. He had long, dark hair with coins and beads braided into it, a hat on top of his head. Just as the other two men his face was darkened from to Caribbean sun. His eyes were dark and cunning, though they seemed as though they were laughing at everyone. He seemed slightly unsteady, Katie wondered if he was drunk. Just her luck to get a ship with a drunk man leading them around wherever he chose.
Everyone shifted slightly, but they were all pretty much in line except for Katie. Once positioned The captain swayed over to the end of the line farthest from Katie. He stopped at the big man first. "Yer name?"
The man with the pointed beard spoke up from beside him. "He don't be talkin' much, no 'im. 'is name is Garret, we've been mates since we were boys. We're good pirates, our ol' cap'n got killed 'n then we all went our own ways, 'is first mate was a righ' ol' block'ead, no man would follow 'im."
The captain took a few more steps until he was standing in front of the man who had spoken. "Who are you then?" He asked flourishing his hands towards then other man.
"Brady, cap'n." He said, taking off his hat, revealing a greasy set of hair, and tipping it towards the captain. "at yer service."
In response he nodded dramatically, patted the man on the cheek and stepped over to the menacing man in, moving his head in an odd way that made him look as though he were about to go to sleep. Before he could speak the man answered his question for him.
"I'm Carlton, Gregory Carlton, good captain." Katie was surprised as his lack of an accent, out of the other two men he looked more like a pirate and yet he sounded less like one. At least she wouldn't be the only one out of place.
"Mmmm, I see." The captain said before moving on to Katie. Before her he swayed slightly to the side and gave a lopsided smile. "Who are ye, laddie? Speak up."
Suddenly Katie realized how ridiculous she must look. Even though she didn't look like a girl anymore, now all she looked like was a boy. A tiny one, compared to all others present, and presumably looking scared out of her mind. At the same moment she also realized she couldn't tell him her name was Katie, that would be ridiculous.
"You w-want to know m-my name?" She asked, stalling for time. At least she had remembered to make her voice sound a bit deeper. The captain rolled his eyes.
"No, boy, I want ter know yer shoe size." He said, seemingly highly amused at the situation.
Katie smiled nervously. Of all things she had to forget to prepare! She searched her mind but every name she could come up with seemed, unfitting. "My name," she cleared her throat while looking about desperately for inspiration. "My name, is, uh." She heard a few sniggers come from the other men. She looked to her feet, thinking that maybe they could give her advice, when she saw what she was standing on.
"Mat." She breathed finally, "My name is Mat."
"Aye, an' I thought ye'd done an' forget yer own name!" He appeared to be thinking something over. Suddenly his face lit up. "Boy, I 'ave a question for ye. What, exactly, does yer dear old mother think o' this?"
Katie was so caught of guard by the question she answered without thinking. "It doesn't matter now."
The captain grinned, "Killed, her did ye?"
"No!" Katie said in horror.
"Pity, maybe that would 'ave toughened ye up." He glanced over at his shipmates before continuing. "All right, let me see yer teeth." Katie gave him a questioning glance. He hadn't asked anyone else about there teeth, or their mothers. Had she done something wrong? '
"Open up, boy." He said after Katie just stood there.
Katie bared her lips as much as she could, showing a full mouth of teeth. He grabbed her chin roughly and held her face upwards, then turning her head slightly to get a better view, while Katie was trying her best not to let him see her face, not wanting anyone to see anything that could give her away. "Mmm, hmm. Ye aren't a pirate are ye?"
"Not yet." She said before her mind could process the question. "I mean of coarse I-"
She was cut off as he turned away. "Gibbs, get the brand out." They all waited in silence as the older pirate walked over to the ship and came back with a long, black metal rod. He set it into the flames and the captain began talking again.
"Ye see, normally I wouldn't do this, takin a boy with no experience on me ship, but we need the help. I s'pose someone can show ye all you'll need to know." He started walking up and down the line of soon to be shipmates. "This 'ere is Harkey," he said pointing to the man with eerie blue eyes. "And me first mate Gibbs," he added, gesturing to the man who had gone to the ship earlier. "And me. I'll be yer captain. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, welcome to the Black Pearl."
Katie shouldn't have been too surprised to learn it was Jack Sparrow, she had remembered all the stories. But this man seemed so.drunk. She had pictured Jack Sparrow as a steady man, among other things that this man in front of her was not.
The man named Gibbs called over to him, "It's ready."
Jack smiled gleefully, "Boy, come over 'ere." He lead Katie to a crate sitting next to the fire and she sat down on it, worried as to what was going to happen next.
"Now, since you've never been a part of a pirate crew before, we don't know for sure that yer not a spy o' some sort, for the 'government'." He said the word while letting his eyes grow big in a mock example of how frightened he was of them. "So we'll mark you, so ye can't go running 'ome 'an lettin' them all know 'bout our pretty ship 'ere. Now, 'hold still. Don't flinch or it'll hurt worse come morning."
He plopped down on a crate he had pulled up next to her and grabbed her left arm. Once he rolled up her sleeve to her elbow (all the while Katie hoping he didn't comment on how small her arms were compared to all the other men's') and pulled the rod the Gibbs had gotten earlier out of the fire.
Katie's eyes grew helplessly round as she saw it and realization hit her in the face. They meant to burn that thing into her arm. The end was glowing orange and had a coarsely shaped 'P' that was starting to come far too close to her skin for comfort. She started to protest but then saw that it had stopped coming closer to her and Jack was looking at her expectantly. No, she was going to be a pirate, and if this was what she needed to do then she would do it.
She nodded weakly to him and he raised an eyebrow. "Ye sure about this, once it's there, there's no turnin' back." She nodded again.
Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes and waited for the burn. When it was pressed against her skin she gasped aloud and cursed herself that it sounded very much to high pitched. She felt like laughing, getting burned and she was still thinking about being 'Mat' instead of 'Katie'.
It was done in an instant, though it still burned like crazy. When she opened her eyes there was a red P marked into her skin. Now she really was a pirate, going back was not an option any more.
"Come on, I want us out of 'ere by morning. Back to the ship." Jack called out.
A/n My longest chapter yet, 3,522 words without Ans or thank-yous or anything. Hope it was worth it, tell me what you think. Any constructive criticism is more than helpful!
REVIEWERS
Marian Blond - Thanks, it's hard to get the personalities so that they don't seem fake of too changed from the movie. I'm glad you think it's realistic. Thanks for both of your reviews!
Meg- Two reviews! Yay! Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter too. Hmm, cordless phones, no I think I'll keep updating. But thanks for that unusual 'encouragement'
Lucki- I inspired you? Wow, that's flattering, I'll be looking out for your fic, too. And don't worry, I'm not done with Will and Elizabeth yet *grins evily*
Nugristiel08LG- Yea, I like to picture things too, it makes the story seem more realistic.
Dazzle- lol, don't hug the computer too hard, my cousin made that mistake once and it cost her dearly in more way than one. Thanks so much!!
Israfel- I agree, that's why this chapter is much longer, hopefull most will be a bit more like this, before I just wanted to find out what everyone thought about it before I went off and wrote a kabillion pages, you know? Thank you so much for you're review and the compliments.
Anamaria- Yes, I think we all love him. And Johnny Depp is such a talented actor, he really brought the character to life. So I had to put him in here, it would hardly be POTC if I didn't.
Paulgirl- Well, you can read what happens next, I'm glad you're liking this!
Aurora Conlon - Thanks! Sorry this update was a little late, but I made the chapter much longer.
Lady Brown- Yay! Two reviews! Thanks so much, and keeping your word, lol for some reason that made me crack up.
faye-amemori- Thank you, I'm really thankful for the pointers, too. I'll keep those in mind as I'm writing. And I'll ready you're fic when you post it, though I may not be a very good critic, sometimes I'm too nice. But I will certainly try!
SingleServing- Don't worry, I love writing so I won't be stopping any time soon, thanks for the review!
Wowowow- Yeah, I tend to gradualize my stories a little more than I probably would need to, I want it to seem as realistic as possible. BYT Wow is my word, wow I'm stuck on it. Lol, thanks for you're kind review!
Marching Angel- lol, I hope you like this!
Cursed Pirate- Thanks, and there'll be more to come in a few days, hope you liked it!
Cassandra Cassidy - Sorry it wasn't by the end of the day! But longer, that's better, right? And thanks for the kind rant, I'm glad you think so!
watery muffins- Was he in character here? He's so unpredictable and crazy it's sometimes hard, tell me and I'll go back through and edit, I have no problem fixing it up a little, or a lot, whatever it needs to make it a better story.
celtic elf- actually I'm not sure yet, or maybe I am and I'm not telling...thanks for the review!
Tauremorna- Hmm, I hadn't even thought of that. Sometimes I get carried away a little, thanks for pointing it out to me. I hope that I cleared it up a little in this chapter, and that it wasn't too terribly obvious that I wasn't trying to do just that.
Ash- Thanks so much, you're all so nice to me!
songelf88 and G.H.S. the warg - Oh I hope you didn't die or anything, need more is a bit dangerous. What if I never updated again? Lol, thanks for your review!
Quof- So I'm not the only one that sings when my fav stories update! I have found I'm not alone! Thank you so much!
Pirate Lass- Thanks! Yea, I saw 'Anamaria' (I can't remember the actresses name, bad Shannon) on Conan (wow I love that show) and she's been in a few other movies too, though I can't remember now, my mind is too jumbled up.
DarkAngelB- *Throws out confetti* My first reviewer that's ever squealed for my story! Celebration, thanks so much!
Mrs.Jada SparrowA.K.A Z- I'm not sure yet, or I'm not telling yet I haven't decided which. But whoever she does end up falling in love with, it's not going to be right off the bat. It has to seem real and everything.
Rouge Sparrow- Thanks so much for your review! Sorry it was a little delayed!
Dragon Girl Revlis- Yes, I was the same way, the movie was absolutley wonderful. Thank you for the review!!
Abskii- Yes, and I've gotten the message loud and clear, though I can't say I wasn't shocked nearly to death. Thank you so much!
Vikki-Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter too
Cassadina- My heart started feeling all happy when I read your review, thank you so much! I'm glad you think everything's going alright, and that it goes by itself. I love writing, not just fanfiction but when obsession takes my fanfiction is all I can seem to want to write. Thank you so much, once again!
Szhismine- actually there were quite a few there even before the movie came out. Thanks so much for your review!
Aserie- thanks for your suggestion, any thing in particular that I should look for?
Puppy- I know and it keeps growing everyday! Thank you for your review!
Juliette Louise - I love the word installment, it's my word of the day now. Don't ask me why, I don't usually even have a word of the day but whatever, I feel so happy I could do some strange and dangerous things right now. Thanks so much!
Annie- Thank you for reviewing! I hope you liked!
I give it all to Mr. Black - Thank you!!! This one took a bit longer, so I hope you all haven't lost interest.
Spazzy Chase- I know, people can be hilarious sometimes. I mean, really, sometimes I just have to laugh. Another installment word! Wow, I really am loving that. Thanks for your review!
CrazySwimmer27 - I know, I'm going with my grandma again this weekend. I can't get enough of it! Thanks for your review!
ChelseaBloom - Thanks, I agree, it's one of my favorite movies ever.
Oh, and I put this at the bottom because I'm half ashamed of writing this in here. But if any of you like LOTR Fics, pretty please read mine, it's only got three chapters so far, but they're all long and the fourth is on it's way, I have to wait for my Beta to finish looking it over. It's under my other pen name I Get Stalked By Snowmen and it's called Into the Unknown. Ok, that's it, sorry if this sounds cheesy or too self promoting.