Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.

I think, perhaps, I should make it clear that I have never sailed a ship before. That said, it is understandable that I should be quite the most useless object (I say object because I really didn't have a purpose besides standing by Jack by the big wheel and having the top of my head roast in the sun) on the Interceptor.

Will seemed quite at home on the ship, which irks me because he lived with his mother up until he was eight, and then he came to Port Royal and was Mr. Brown's apprentice. When did he learn how to be a sailor?

Then unfairness of it all nearly struck me dumb.

The days were never really boring, because I just go to observe what everyone did all day, while Jack took my hand the allowed me to turn the wheel once in a while. No body was ever still on this ship (except me), seeing as how we didn't exactly have that many in our crew in the first place, and the Interceptor was quite large. I spent each day completely envious of Anamaria, who was easily one of the best sailors there, despite her being a woman. In fact, she was better than a lot of the men on board.

It was our third day out at sea, I think, when the horizon darkened over and huge purple thunder clouds gathered. In a blink of an eye they were open us, the air turning warm and sickly, like trying to breathe in water. A storm would be upon us, but for the moment all was calm. I tried very hard not to panic, as silence swamped over the crew. They knew what would happen in a moment or two. But I had never seen a storm at sea. Without warning, the storm struck.

Will and Mr. Gibbs were shouting to each other over to my left. "How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Will was saying above the wind. He never put much faith in things he didn't know, like when I'd tell him stories that I'd read about pirates and treasure and adventures where everything was right in the end.

"Well, we're not trying to find north now are we?" Mr. Gibbs shouted back darkly. The winds doubled their efforts to sweep us under the ocean, ending all chance at conversation as if it didn't want and further words spoken. The sky grew darker, until we left pitch-black far behind in the darkness that surrounded us now, and the waves reached up as if Neptune himself was trying to grab our ship and drag us under. The ship rocked and I tumbled from where I was standing, getting smacked against the side of the ship.

"Should we drop canvas, sir?" Gibbs called. I grabbed a rope and pulled myself up, my feet nearly slipping out from under me again. I tasted an iron-y tang in my mouth - I must have bit my tongue when I hit my head.

"She can hold a bit longer," Jack shouted over the scream of the wind. Will grabbed my arm and pulled me to him, I was too terrified to protest. I was so sure that the boat would capsize, and we'd all die.

Mr. Gibbs shouted something, I couldn't hear. But I heard Jack's answer, "We're catching up."

1.

The next day all was calm, as if the sea wanted to make us believe that the storm had never happened. I was laying in the cabin, staring up at the bunk on top of me. Anamaria walked in. "That's a nasty cut you've got there, Princess," she sneered, nodding to my forehead. I didn't say anything, just kept staring up. When she left a few minutes later, I got up and walked out into the bright sunlight of the afternoon. But I'd taken a dagger I'd found in the cabin and hid it in my boot. If we were going looking for pirates, I wanted an extra weapon on me. Besides, I knew about the mutinies on pirate ships. You couldn't trust pirates, maybe not even Jack Sparrow. I wasn't entirely stupid.

The sun was high and beating down like it wanted to boil the sea until it was gone. "No wind today," Jack muttered. Will paced angrily, "They'll have gotten ahead, we wont be able to catch up!" he said. I sighed, "If we have no wind, what makes you think they do?" I asked. Honestly, in all his desperation for my idiot sister, he seemed to have forgotten basic intelligence.

"The Black Pearl - " he started after a moment, looking shocked. It was the first time I'd spoken to him in four days, besides one word answers to his attempts at conversation. Not that we had too much time to talk, with him being a sailor and me busy with the nothing that I had to do. I was getting quite good at nothing, too.

"The Pearl is just a ship, though they that sail her are unnatural. She cannot sail without the wind," Jack said. "And how do you know so much about it?" Will asked suspiciously. Jack shrugged, "Heard the tales," he said.

The day passed slowly, the sun as unforgiving and unrelenting as nothing I've seen before. "A pirate's life isn't so interesting after all," I mused, just to see if my voice still worked. Will looked up, as did Jack, but it was Anamaria who answered.

"Well what could we do to entertain you, Princess?" she said nastily. Jack shot her a look, I felt myself blush and looked down. "Actually," Will said slowly. I didn't look up. "Christina, it's been a while since we've had a lesson in swordsmanship," he continued.

I looked up, trying not to show the budding excitement in me. "Your point?" I said dryly. Will smiled. "I wonder d'you reckon you're good enough to beat me now?" he asked. I grinned. "If Jack could beat you, I definitely can," I said smugly.

"Oh, really?" Will asked.

"Will, if you fancy a duel you have only to ask," I chastised mockingly.

Will grabbed his sword and tossed me mine. It was the one he'd made for me when I'd asked him to teach me how to fight. He said he'd made it especially for me, it was lighter than most swords, but just as strong. He'd engraved my name in the hilt and a picture of a raven. I'd nearly kissed him the day he'd given it to me, but that was also the day he'd asked me about Elizabeth and what did she think of him and could I please casually mention him to her and then tell him what she'd said...so the sword was just a pretty thing given to me by my best-friend-nothing-more. I'd gotten home that day and had a good scream, but it didn't help the way it used to.

"Would you fancy a duel, Miss Swann?" Will asked now, politely bowing. I mimed a curtsy, seeing as how I no longer wore a dress. "Why, certainly, Mr. Turner," I said, grinning, forcing all thoughts of him and Elizabeth away. The crew gathered around to watch, Jack grinning and Anamaria glaring and rolling her eyes. "Winner's mine," Mr. Gibbs said suddenly. I felt a smile tug at my lips.

We began to duel, swords slashing and clanging loudly in the almost-silence of the sea. I couldn't think, I was so lost in the graceful dance, because that's what it was, really. A graceful, dangerous dance. My mind seemed to quiet itself and just let my body flow. Will struck, I parried and so on and so forth. We moved all over the ship, the crew had to move away a couple of times to avoid being hit. I had to walk up the stairs backwards, still fighting. I'd never fought like this before, in the lessons that Will gave me I wasn't even that good. But here, on a ship, out at sea, no longer in stupid bodice it was entirely different. I was as good as Will. I wondered if the change in scenery made me stronger, or if I had this in me all along.

I wondered vaguely what Anamaria would be thinking now. I stole a look at her, and she was watching with wide eyes as if me fighting was the last thing she'd expected. Jack was watching her with a smile on his lips, and then he turned to me. I winked. Will, thinking I was distracted I supposed, swung his sword high. I ducked and crouched to the ground, kicking his feet out from under him. He fell to the floor with an "Oof."

I grinned, standing over him. "Do you yield, Mr. Turner?" I asked, the tip of my blade at his neck. He stared up at me with wide eyes and nodded reluctantly. I reached down and took his hand, helping him up. "It seems you cannot beat anyone, Will," I teased. He smiled. "Have you been taking more lessons without telling me?" he asked. "Actually I haven't," I answered. He looked at me, and I couldn't read the expression he had. "You're very good, you know," he said.

"Well, I had a good teacher," I told him, smiling. Let's see if Elizabeth could do that. The fighting, I mean, not the smiling. She certainly could smile, and when she did all the idiot men at Port Royal nearly fainted like the morons they were. Even the married ones! Faithless, stupid, conniving men.

"Alright now, Gibbs did say he'd fight the winner," Jack said. "Oh, aye, sure he will," Anamaria said, "When he's sober somewhat, and we know that shan't happen soon. So I'll fight the Princess here. See how she fares against a pirate," she said, glaring at me.

I raised my chin. "Very well," I said. She hopped down from where she was sitting and grabbed her sword. I held mine at ready, prepared for another duel. Not for nothing, but dueling does take a lot out of you. And I really wanted to rip her teeth out. Princess! I've never been more insulted in my pathetic Elizabeth-tortured life!

We fought, she was very good. As good as Will, maybe even better, in her own way. She was anything but predictable, attacking in one second and defending in the next. I felt myself getting tired, but I would not give up. For four days I'd had to live on this ship being called Princess and being sneered at like I was some simpering moron. I was determined to beat her. She talked to me like I was someone like my sister.

Not that she knew my sister of course, but obviously she thought that because I was the Governor's daughter I'd never done anytime of work in my life. Which is somewhat true, I haven't, unless you consider putting up with Elizabeth and my father work. Which I do. And the fencing lessons. Well, taxing though they were, they weren't really work. I enjoyed them.

Nevertheless, when she knocked my sword from my hands I was angry. I spun around and flew up the stairs, grabbing another sword from a crew members sheath, and turned back meeting her blade. I didn't have a good grip on the pommel, so the vibrations burned my hand and I nearly dropped it. I gritted my teeth and held on, feeling the contact shooting its way up my arm. Some of the crew winced. I bit my lip and lunged, taking her off guard. I fought my way back down the stairs, not letting up. She looked a bit shocked, but fought back defensively.

We fought for several more minutes, but I was no longer tired. She lunged and cut my arm, I snarled and curses flew from my mouth. I hardly heard the laughter of the crew. Part of my mind was shocked at what I'd just said, but most of me didn't care. Something was buzzing in my blood, I would not give up this fight until she killed me.

Luckily, she didn't have to because I knocked her sword away and grabbed the dagger from my boot, holding it up under her chin. If I was nothing else, I was, at least, fast.

"Do you yield, Princess?" I spat angrily. "How did I fare against a pirate now, Anamaria?" I said, sneering. Her dark eyes met mine, flashing madly. "Do you yield?" I whispered again. She dropped her sword, pursing her lips. "I yield," she said clearly. I pulled the dagger away, hiding it in my boot again, and tossed the sword back to its owner. Jack and Will were both looking at me with identical incredulous expressions. I raised my eyebrows and adjusted the bandana I'd made from my robe.

By now it was cooler, the winds from the sea were a blessing to my sticky skin. Jack smirked at Anamaria, who was glaring furiously at me. I smiled back proudly. She dropped her gaze. "You're very skilled, Princess," she said, but not in her usual nasty way. I nodded but didn't say anything.

"Do you think ye've got the energy for one more duel?" Jack asked, hopping down from his seat. My eyes widened - did he mean to duel with me? Jack Sparrow wanted to duel with me, Christina Swann, the Governor's daughter? I nearly laughed at how badly I would be beaten. Will was one thing, and Anamaria, but Jack Sparrow? I was only kidding when I said if Jack could beat Will then I certainly could. And yet I was itching to try. Even though I knew I'd probably be staring down the barrel of a pistol in thirty seconds time. Or feeling a cold blade pressed against my neck.

I took a deep breath, "Who wishes to challenge me then, Captain?" I asked. He gave me a look. "Now Christina, yer a bright girl. Don't go around acting stupid like dear William," he said, nodding at Will, who glared. I smiled. "Alright, Captain, if it's a duel you want then of course I shall oblige," I said.

"Good, 'cause you'd walk the plank if ye didn't," he said mock seriously. Or, at least, I hoped mock seriously. I nodded, and picked up my sword from where it had fallen when Anamaria disarmed me.

For the third time that day, I began to fight. For the first few moments I fought defensively, trying to figure out Jack's fighting style. But it was useless, he was never consistent. So I fought back, hard and unrelenting. I barely paused to defend myself, which turned out to be a mistake when Jack tripped me. He grinned down at me, but before he could pin me to the floor with the sword, I rolled backwards. Like I said, fast.

We fought and fought until nearly all my energy was spent and I was fighting only because I didn't think I had the strength to stop. Suddenly Jack's sword was at my neck and I had to stop moving or I'd have my throat slit open by my own stupidity. "Do you yield, Miss Swann?" he asked, his eyes twinkling in the dusk. I wanted to say yes, I really did, but my mind had lost the ability to function. He repeated the question, but I didn't hear it. Suddenly in the tired, muddled depths of my mind, an idea formed.

"I…" I said slowly, reaching up and touching the tip of the sword. I took a step towards the Captain, slowly pushing the sword away and looking up at him through my lashes. I was aiming for seductive, but, hey, I had my doubts. After all, I'm not Elizabeth...Jack looked a little more than shocked, but didn't move.

When I stood toe to toe with him, I looked up and met his eyes. I nearly laughed at the lust I saw, for God's sake, I was sweaty and smelly and still this pirate could think of nothing but the low cut neck line of my shirt, and how my corset worked for "support." I reached down and pulled the pistol from his belt. "I do not yield," I started to say, but out of no where he conjured up a dagger and held it to my throat.

So we stood, him with a pistol over his heart, and me with a dagger to my throat. Mr. Gibbs roared with laughter, and Will, I saw from the corner of my eye, was glaring at me. God knows why. "You cheated," Jack said. I snorted, "Woman," I explained. "Though, I could say the same for you. Cheated," I said glancing at his hand which still held the dagger under my chin.

"I think it be a draw," Mr. Gibbs said, patting the Captain on the back. I handed Jack his pistol, and he put his dagger away. He smiled at me, "I think ye've proved yerself, miss," he said. I grinned and headed down to the cabin to sleep. As I passed by Will I flashed a grin at him, but he was still glaring at me.

Oh bloody well.

1.

The next few days passed without incident, although Will was extremely cold towards me after the duel. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. But it wasn't something I thought about too much anymore anyway. It was a lost cause, after all, wasn't it?

So I spent my days sometimes up at the big wheel with the Captain, sometimes climbing the rigging and sitting all the way on top and just watching the sea. It was so beautiful up there. After the duels, Anamaria seemed to have gained a bit of respect for me, although she still called me Princess. But she was more tolerable than Elizabeth was on one of her good days, so it wasn't all that bad. She would toss hints at me, telling me the differences between the starboard side and the…other…side. As much as I tried to hang onto all these little facts, they slipped away when I stared out at the sea.

It was our sixth day at sea that I sat atop the tallest mast and let the wind take my hair (which by now was starting to resemble Jack's with my eyes closed. I never wanted to leave this ship, it was more like home to me than the Governor's mansion had ever been. But, I realized, I was also longing for solid ground under my feet, and some different (clean) clothes. I sighed and thought of my mother. I wonder if she had ever sat up on a ship like this and listened to the muffled sounds of the crew below, and the gulls above, and the never ending sea, and thought about me.

Probably not. She'd have had better things to think about. Like Elizabeth, for one. Didn't just about everyone think more about Elizabeth than me? Except, perhaps, for Jack. And even he was a long shot.

But my mother, from what I remembered of her, she was the only one in my whole life who treated me the same as Elizabeth. As if I wasn't the ugly version of the twin. As if I was just as good. Operative words, once again, being "as if."

And then she had to run off with a pirate. She could have at the very least taken me with her.

I don't know how long I stayed up there, just complaining about the injustice of my getting the leftover traits from my mother and father. It was a rant that I usually avoided thinking about, and that I never under any circumstances said out loud. Not even to Mary, even though she seemed to know anyway. I wouldn't give Elizabeth the satisfaction of knowing that more than anything else in the world I wanted to look like her, and have men tripping over themselves to kiss her stupid hand and ask for that stupid dance.

Over the years I'd gotten accustomed to being the overlooked one, but on this ship where the only other girl was Anamaria, who looked somewhat like me, and there was no Elizabeth for the men to be fawning over. I liked being the only Swann here. I liked the fact that I wasn't overlooked, that people actually looked at me and talked to me instead of staring right through until they saw beautiful Elizabeth grace the room with her presence.

I liked having Will all to myself.

Not that it particularly mattered anymore, seeing as how he wasn't even talking to me.

AND I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW BLOODY WHY.

"Men," I huffed.

"Yes, they are a bit exasperating, aren't they?" Anamaria said from behind me. She hopped into the little cup thing that I was sitting in. She sat opposite me, in the same stance, arms wrapped around her knees. "So which son of a bitch are ye mopin on about, Princess?" she asked. "Absolutely no one," I said angrily. "And do find some other name for me, won't you?" I asked.

Anamaria laughed, "Thas' yer name to me, Princess, I cant help it," she said. I sighed. "It's that William boy isn' it?" she asked. I looked up, shocked. "No it's not," I said snottily. Sounding just like Elizabeth.

She grinned cheekily at me. "He's a looker, aint 'e? What a body…woo and that backside!" she said. I glared, more at how my face was getting hot and my cheeks most likely flushing magenta. I cheered myself by thinking of how when Elizabeth blushes, its not attractive. That's about the one thing she doesn't do prettily. Her face gets all splotchy. She doesn't cry beautifully either. It's her nostrils, you see. They flare. And my father thinks that I'm just being evil when I laugh at her when she cries. But her face is so damn hilarious!

Still, the men only love it more when she gets all splotchy and red. Bah! Men!

"Ah, I can see it on yer face. You fancy the boy," Anamaria crowed.

"What boy?" someone asked. I looked up. Oh Good Lord, it was Will.

"Not you," I said angrily. Anamaria just kept on laughing. Never mind, she was just as infuriating as my sister. And now that I looked at her, just as pretty, in a brown-village-girl- island-princess sort of way. DAMN THE WENCH! Damn them both.

Will hopped into the cup, which was going to fall into the sea because of all our weight, I was so sure. Maybe at least then my face would cool off and not get all pink. "Christina, you're face is all pink did you get sunburned?" Will asked. Anamaria just laughed harder. "She's blushing," the little witch said oh-so-helpfully.

"I am not. As a matter of fact, yes, I did get sunburned. But it's going away, just like you right, Anamaria?" I said, glaring at her. She took the hint and waggled her eyebrows at me before jumping out of the cup and holding onto the rigging.

"Ravage her within an inch of her life, William," she said, patting his shoulder. My mouth fell open, I refused to believe what I just heard what she said. Will looked embarrassed, turning to me after Anamaria left.

"What was that all about?" he asked, looking sideways at me.

"You're quite mistaken if you think I know. Why are we suddenly on speaking terms again?" I asked, glaring at him. In a moment I would jump out of this stupid cup thing and fall into the ocean and drown and not have to deal with this idiocy anymore.

"That's what I came here about, I wanted apologize."

"For what? For...hmm lets see, refusing to talk to me for no damn reason? Oh, don't worry too much about that Will, it doesn't matter to me anyway." I said.

"It doesn't?"

"No."

"Oh," he said quietly.

"Why? Should it matter to me?" I asked. He fidgeted a little. I sighed, running my hand through my hair. Which was another mistake on my part, because I hadn't brushed my hair in a week and my hand got stuck. "Bother," I muttered, wrestling my hand out of my hair. Or trying to. How did Jack live! Will chuckled.

"Don't you laugh at me. You know what, I don't even know why you're here!" I said angrily. I didn't even know why I was so angry, except I felt like a fool with my hand stuck in my hair. I yanked on it, tears coming to my eyes and my scalp felt like it was ripping in two.

"I told you -"

"Yes, you told me that you wanted to apologize. But it doesn't matter Will. We're here to save my sister. Once you play the hero and rescue her pretty little blonde head you'll go and get married and send my father to an early grave, and I'll be nothing to you but a sister-in-law seeing as how I don't need anymore lessons, because one: when we get back, I'll never see a ship again and two: I beat you already. So what did you have to tell me again?" I asked, finally getting my hand free and crossing my arms over my chest, glaring up at him. He paused for a moment, looking anywhere but at me. I wanted to scream at him to look at me just once the way he looked when he thought of my sister.

He opened his mouth to say something, but I looked down and saw the crew gathered and looking over the edge of the ship.

"You're going to have to wait, I think we're finally here," I said, hurrying down to the deck.