Okay, I got a few responses, so here's the next chapter. Thanks to all who
reviewed and those of you reading, you might want to check out my friend's
story, Go Your Own Way. It's really good.
Key:
"Talking" //Thinking// 'Whispering'
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: Tortuga, and the Black Pearl
~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you mean, 'She's gone'?!" roared Commodore Norrington. "She can't be gone! She's getting married in two weeks time!" He slammed a fist down on the table in front of him. "That's the biggest load of hogwash I've ever heard come out of your mouths!" His blue eyes flashed dangerously at the servants in front of him, who muttered small apologies and stared at their feet. "If you don't find her."
Jonathan, Rose's personal servant and friend, stepped up. "Um, excuse me sir, but, um, might we check the smithy of, um, Mister William Turner?" he suggested feebly, still staring at his feet.
Norrington's eyes dimmed slightly. "Good suggestion. I'll go look for her myself," he snarled, "since you all are incompetent at finding my daughter." He grabbed his sword and stalked out of the house and down the road to the smithy.
««««««««««
Will looked up as the door behind him slammed open He turned and was face to face with the angriest man he's ever seen: Commodore Norrington.
"Commodore," Will said coolly, bowing and wiping his dirty hands on a rag. "For what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"My daughter, Mr. Turner. Where is she?" snapped the furious Commodore, bringing his face close to Will's. "In your bed perhaps?" Norrington never had any real proof but highly suspected that they were sleeping together, because Rose would disappear at night and not return until morning.
"Commodore Norrington, I have no idea what you are talking about. The only woman to share my bed was, is, and always will be Elizabeth." A small spark of anger flickered in the brown depths of the young man's eyes at the very idea of being unfaithful to Elizabeth. "I don't know where your daughter is, although I am positive she would have come to say goodbye to me first." It wasn't a total lie; Will really didn't know where Rose was.
Norrington drew his sword in a quick flash and presented it at Will's throat.
"Where is my daughter, pirate?" he hissed, spitting out the words as if they were poison.
Anger flashed in Will's eyes again. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," spat Norrington. "Where is she?"
"Edmund!" said a sharp voice from the stairs. The Commodore looked up and met the fierce brown eyes of Elizabeth. "Put that sword down!"
"Not 'til your husband tells me where my daughter is," said Norrington stiffly.
"You were suffocating her!" snapped Will, loosing control of his temper. He grabbed Norrington's sword with a gloved hand and twisted it out of the man's grasp. He grabbed it with both hands and snapped it across his knee, throwing the two pieces onto the floor. Norrington glared furiously at him.
"I was only protecting her from becoming something that could ruin her chances of marrying into a nice family! Protecting her from ruining her life with people like you!"
"Using that excuse of protecting her isn't going to work anymore, Commodore!" hissed Will furiously through clenched teeth. "Everyone in town could tell that she didn't want to be here. She was drawn to the sea, so why couldn't you just let her go?"
"Because no daughter of mine will become a pirate, drawn to the sea or not!" yelled Norrington.
"Oh, get over yourself!" screamed Elizabeth. Any protest from Will was silenced. Red faced and furious, Elizabeth came nose to nose with the Commodore. "You are the most self centered man I've ever met!" she said coldly. "Isn't your daughter's happiness more important to you than your public image? Honestly, you would think you were living your younger years through her!" Elizabeth stalked angrily up the hill and slammed the door shut to her room.
"I think you better leave," said Will, pointing to the door.
"Where did my daughter go, Will?" repeated the Commodore. Will hesitated, then opened the door for him.
"London. Now get out!" He slammed the door behind the Commodore's retreating back. He immediately picked up his hammer and resumed his work on the blade that was on it's way to becoming a sword.
««««««««««
Rose sat angrily at the back of the bar, taking huge gulps from her tankard of a lemonade she had in front of her. //Damn merchant's ship. Never trustworthy.//
The Lady Luck had ended up in Tortuga, not London. Now she was stuck here 'til she could find another ship that she could catch to London, since the captain of the Lady Luck had refused to change his schedule to take her there.
The hearty laughs of the drunks at the bar rang through her head, making an odd ringing sound in her ears. She swore quietly, taking another gulp from her drink.
"'Ello, love," said a voice, and Rose looked up into the warmest amber/brown eyes she had ever seen. A man slid into the chair across from her. He was dressed as a pirate, beads decorating his unruly black dreadlocks that were held out of his face by a strip of red-brown cloth. He had a moustache and a beard that was separated into two braids. "Fine night fer a drink, eh?" He sipped his own drink.
"What do you want?" Rose asked, rolling her eyes. "And what is your name?" Although Rose already had a sneaking suspicion as to the identity of the man, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"I wan' nothin' more than to 'ave a friendly chat, and as for me name," he said, grinning broadly. "You'll 'ave to earn it."
Rose rubbed her temples. "Men who look like you never want to just 'have a friendly chat'," she said irritably, deep blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And what exactly do I have to do to earn your name?"
A mischievous smile passed across the man's face, and he stood, beckoning her to the door.
««««««««««
The man brought his sword down in a ferocious arc, which Rose blocked with her own blade. She felt her muscles strain under the weight that the man suddenly applied to his blade, trying to force her down. But she pushed up and knocked his blade away. He retrieved it as she scrambled to her feet, then charged her, clashing swords again, sparks flying. This time Rose put force into it, making the man retreat and fall back.
He once again ran towards her, trying to attack. Rose jumped to the side and ran behind him. He quickly turned around so he wouldn't leave his back open too long.
The man charged at Rose, which she dodged easily. He was barely panting.
"Are you okay, sir? I don't want you to work too hard." Rose said in a mock- concerned tone.
"Sorry lass. There're only two people that have ever beat'n me, an' there's a slight chance that there will be a third," he said, grinning broadly. He slashed at her, managing to slice a cut on the side of her forehead and one on her left arm.
"As you wish, sir," Rose said as the man once again charged at her, quickly switching her sword from one hand to the other and wiping the blood off of her face that was starting to drip into her eyes. She dodged him easily, running to one side, then backing away from him as he stumbled to regain his balance. "I'm not going to lose to you, so you'd better plan on me being the third person to defeat you," Rose said as she charged him.
Rose dropped to the floor and swung her leg behind Jack's ankles, forcing him to fall backwards. After the man fell to the ground, Rose presented her sword at his heart. She knelt next to him, grinning.
"I win," Rose whispered in his ear.
"Aye, that you did, lass. And even bring a pirate, me word is me word. My name is Jack-"
"Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl," finished Rose, helping Jack to his feet.
"'Ow did you know who I was?" he asked in shock.
"I may be the daughter of the Commodore, but that doesn't mean I'm as stupid as he is." She grinned playfully at him.
"Then why did you make me-wait! You're the Commodore's daughter?!" Jack's eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
Rose nodded. "My name is Roselyn Elizabeth Norrington. Pleasure to meet you." She bowed elegantly.
"Wait 'til the crew hears about this, Cap'n," said a man, grinning at him. "They won't believe that you got bested by the Commodore's daughter!"
"Shut up, Gibbs!" he said, glaring at him. "It's none o' their business, anyways." He glared at the others, who shrank away, and left the scene in a huff.
Halfway to the docks on his way back from the bar after having a nice long drink, Jack saw a body lying in the middle of the road. He raised an eyebrow and went over to it. The figure was lying on its stomach, so he turned it over, and he winced, muttering a soft, "ow."
It was Rose. Her face was bloodied up from where her face hit the pavement. Jack opened her bag and ripped a shirt to make strips of cloth. He used one to soak up the blood and another to wrap up the wound around her head. He then grabbed another cloth and wrapped up her arm that was still bleeding. He then picked her up with a little effort and carried her to the safety of the Black Pearl.
««««««««««
Rose awoke the next morning with a massive headache and a bandaged head. She cracked her neck to the left, then to the right, then pressed hard on the crook where the neck joins with the skull. The pain from her headache disappeared and she sat up, feeling the bandage. All she remembered from last night was leaving the scene of the fight to cheers from the pirates and then darkness. She sighed and left the bandage on, looking around the room for the first time. She was in a large room that was lit with a solitary candle and all of the curtains were drawn. She was in a comfortable feather bed with crimson silk sheets and a black velvet comforter, and feather pillows, the same red color as the sheets.
//Where on earth am I?// she thought. She found her bag and sword next to her on a small bedside table. She slid into a pair of dark blue breeches and her boots, as well as a white shirt, clipping Will's sword to her belt. He hand lingered for a moment on the sword. //Will.I wish you were here now.you would know what to do.//
Just then the door opened and Jack strode in, smiling in his usual happy-go- lucky way.
"'Mornin' love. Glad you're awake." He winked at her.
"Jack, where am I?" she asked him angrily.
"There now, down lass. I only brought you with me. Better than leavin' you on the street where I found ye." He shrugged.
"Yes, but where did you bring me?" she glared at him hands on hips. When Jack didn't reply, she sighed furiously and started for the door.
"Wait a tic, darlin'," said Jack quickly, stepping between her and the door. "You can't be leavin'."
"And why not? You think I want to be here now?"
"Because, er, I saved your life," he said quickly.
"How so?" Rose folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.
"If I had, er, left you on the street where I found you, er, who knows how many people would have taken advantage of such a beautiful young woman like yourself," said the pirate with an innocent smile.
Rose hesitated for a moment, then pushed past him out the door.
All she could see was water and blue skies. No land or any other ship in sight. While she had been sleeping, Jack and his crew had departed from Tortuga to pillage and plunder.with her on board.
Rose wheeled to face Jack and tell him off but found that he had shut and locked the door to the room. He smiled and waved to her from the window next to the door.
"Jack Sparrow, you bloody kidnapped me!" she shouted at him, throwing her bag at the window.
"I couldn't help it, love," said Jack, defensively, peeking his head out of the door. "My crew was getting' restless." He ducked inside as a dagger buried itself in the wood from that surrounded the door.
"You could have left me at an inn or something!"
"I couldn't do that! Will would have me head if something had happened to you after I'd left you!" Rose narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know what Will would have done to you if something had happened to me?" she asked him furiously, glaring at him, knuckles white as she clutched a mug in her hand.
"'Cause I know these things. I know about your relationship. Besides his father and Elizabeth, you were the only other person he talked about." Jack stepped out of the room, knowing he had touched on a subject that Rose was sensitive about.
"Will is my best friend," she said angrily, sitting on a barrel. "You know nothing about him."
"Oh, but I do. More than you think. And I know what he would do to help you if he could." Jack sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "What d'you need help with, love? I'll 'elp you out."
"I need to get to London." Rose felt Jack stiffen next to her.
"Well," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. "I hope you find someone to help." He stood and headed towards the helm of the ship.
"What?! Wait a second! You just said you'd help me!"
"Pirates, love. We're pirates," he said, motioning to his crew. "London is a danger zone for us. We show our sails there and they'll have out heads."
"My father's the commodore, I can prevent that from happening."
"Not going to happen, Rosie, darlin'. Elizabeth tried to get me out of a spot of trouble and it only got me the gallows instead of being shot right then and there. And she's the daughter of the Governor of Port Royal."
"Yes, but I have special connections."
"Bottom line is, we can't take you to London. All we can do is take you with us 'til we come back to Tortuga."
"Where are you guys going?"
"We're on our way to the island of Nai. Ever heard of the legend of the Nai?"
Rose shook her head. Jack came and sat next to her again.
"Well then, let me tell you about it." He folded his legs Indian style and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. "This is how it all started.
"Meru and Maru were merfolk. Twin merfolk. Meru, the female twin, had golden hair that reached to her waist that moved like seaweed in the water, and coral red eyes. Maru looked similar to his sister, but his eyes were a sea blue color instead, and his hair went to his shoulders.
"Now, Meru and Maru wanted desperately to go to the surface and be amongst the humans. They tried everything, even stranding themselves on the beach, but their gills never went away, and neither did their fins. Devastated, they finally went to appeal to Fayei, the goddess of the seas. Fayei took pity on the twins and granted their wish. She gave them legs and hands, and replaced their gills with lungs.
"The twins washed up on the beaches of Nai, lungs burning as they took their first breaths of air. A group of fisherman that were coming back from their nightly outings found them and brought them back to their village. Now, Meru and Maru were very beautiful in their human forms, and the Nai people were big on gods, and gods were perfect, so naturally they assumed that the twins were gods. They began to worship them and give them gifts. Meru and Maru told them that they were misguided in their worship. They should be worshiping the Goddess of the Sea, Fayei, said the twins. She was the one that could bring them good fortune.
"So the Nai started worshiping Fayei. Fayei herself was pleased with this and blessed the Nai people. The Nai were very happy and gave Meru and Maru a lot of gold and what not. After a few years, Meru and Maru died, leaving their treasure behind and promising the Nai that they would be reborn in the future. And only they could bring the gold back from where they hid."
Rose blinked. Jack grinned ecstatically.
"So let me get this straight. You want to go to Nai to try and get the treasure?" asked Rose, twirling her hair around a finger thoughtfully.
He nodded. "Yup."
"And how do you know have the right twins?"
"Well, I worked with a medium and whatnot and she helped me find them." He grinned. "They're over there." He motioned to two young men standing motionless at the prow of the boat. "Their names are James and John."
Rose watched them for a minute. "Sounds like fun," she said, pushing her dark brown hair out of her face.
"Aye." He nodded happily.
Rose reached over and grabbed his beard by both braids and pulled hard, bringing Jack's face close to hers.
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!" said Jack. "Lemme go!"
"It's back to Tortuga when this little adventure is over, alright?" she hissed.
Jack nodded meekly.
"Good." She released him, and then headed for the opposite side of the boat, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
Jack rubbed his chin, trying to dull the pain.
"Feisty one, ain't she?" he said to no one in particular. He rubbed the back of his neck and sauntered off to the helm.
Key:
"Talking" //Thinking// 'Whispering'
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2: Tortuga, and the Black Pearl
~~~~~~~~~~
"What do you mean, 'She's gone'?!" roared Commodore Norrington. "She can't be gone! She's getting married in two weeks time!" He slammed a fist down on the table in front of him. "That's the biggest load of hogwash I've ever heard come out of your mouths!" His blue eyes flashed dangerously at the servants in front of him, who muttered small apologies and stared at their feet. "If you don't find her."
Jonathan, Rose's personal servant and friend, stepped up. "Um, excuse me sir, but, um, might we check the smithy of, um, Mister William Turner?" he suggested feebly, still staring at his feet.
Norrington's eyes dimmed slightly. "Good suggestion. I'll go look for her myself," he snarled, "since you all are incompetent at finding my daughter." He grabbed his sword and stalked out of the house and down the road to the smithy.
««««««««««
Will looked up as the door behind him slammed open He turned and was face to face with the angriest man he's ever seen: Commodore Norrington.
"Commodore," Will said coolly, bowing and wiping his dirty hands on a rag. "For what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
"My daughter, Mr. Turner. Where is she?" snapped the furious Commodore, bringing his face close to Will's. "In your bed perhaps?" Norrington never had any real proof but highly suspected that they were sleeping together, because Rose would disappear at night and not return until morning.
"Commodore Norrington, I have no idea what you are talking about. The only woman to share my bed was, is, and always will be Elizabeth." A small spark of anger flickered in the brown depths of the young man's eyes at the very idea of being unfaithful to Elizabeth. "I don't know where your daughter is, although I am positive she would have come to say goodbye to me first." It wasn't a total lie; Will really didn't know where Rose was.
Norrington drew his sword in a quick flash and presented it at Will's throat.
"Where is my daughter, pirate?" he hissed, spitting out the words as if they were poison.
Anger flashed in Will's eyes again. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," spat Norrington. "Where is she?"
"Edmund!" said a sharp voice from the stairs. The Commodore looked up and met the fierce brown eyes of Elizabeth. "Put that sword down!"
"Not 'til your husband tells me where my daughter is," said Norrington stiffly.
"You were suffocating her!" snapped Will, loosing control of his temper. He grabbed Norrington's sword with a gloved hand and twisted it out of the man's grasp. He grabbed it with both hands and snapped it across his knee, throwing the two pieces onto the floor. Norrington glared furiously at him.
"I was only protecting her from becoming something that could ruin her chances of marrying into a nice family! Protecting her from ruining her life with people like you!"
"Using that excuse of protecting her isn't going to work anymore, Commodore!" hissed Will furiously through clenched teeth. "Everyone in town could tell that she didn't want to be here. She was drawn to the sea, so why couldn't you just let her go?"
"Because no daughter of mine will become a pirate, drawn to the sea or not!" yelled Norrington.
"Oh, get over yourself!" screamed Elizabeth. Any protest from Will was silenced. Red faced and furious, Elizabeth came nose to nose with the Commodore. "You are the most self centered man I've ever met!" she said coldly. "Isn't your daughter's happiness more important to you than your public image? Honestly, you would think you were living your younger years through her!" Elizabeth stalked angrily up the hill and slammed the door shut to her room.
"I think you better leave," said Will, pointing to the door.
"Where did my daughter go, Will?" repeated the Commodore. Will hesitated, then opened the door for him.
"London. Now get out!" He slammed the door behind the Commodore's retreating back. He immediately picked up his hammer and resumed his work on the blade that was on it's way to becoming a sword.
««««««««««
Rose sat angrily at the back of the bar, taking huge gulps from her tankard of a lemonade she had in front of her. //Damn merchant's ship. Never trustworthy.//
The Lady Luck had ended up in Tortuga, not London. Now she was stuck here 'til she could find another ship that she could catch to London, since the captain of the Lady Luck had refused to change his schedule to take her there.
The hearty laughs of the drunks at the bar rang through her head, making an odd ringing sound in her ears. She swore quietly, taking another gulp from her drink.
"'Ello, love," said a voice, and Rose looked up into the warmest amber/brown eyes she had ever seen. A man slid into the chair across from her. He was dressed as a pirate, beads decorating his unruly black dreadlocks that were held out of his face by a strip of red-brown cloth. He had a moustache and a beard that was separated into two braids. "Fine night fer a drink, eh?" He sipped his own drink.
"What do you want?" Rose asked, rolling her eyes. "And what is your name?" Although Rose already had a sneaking suspicion as to the identity of the man, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
"I wan' nothin' more than to 'ave a friendly chat, and as for me name," he said, grinning broadly. "You'll 'ave to earn it."
Rose rubbed her temples. "Men who look like you never want to just 'have a friendly chat'," she said irritably, deep blue eyes flashing dangerously. "And what exactly do I have to do to earn your name?"
A mischievous smile passed across the man's face, and he stood, beckoning her to the door.
««««««««««
The man brought his sword down in a ferocious arc, which Rose blocked with her own blade. She felt her muscles strain under the weight that the man suddenly applied to his blade, trying to force her down. But she pushed up and knocked his blade away. He retrieved it as she scrambled to her feet, then charged her, clashing swords again, sparks flying. This time Rose put force into it, making the man retreat and fall back.
He once again ran towards her, trying to attack. Rose jumped to the side and ran behind him. He quickly turned around so he wouldn't leave his back open too long.
The man charged at Rose, which she dodged easily. He was barely panting.
"Are you okay, sir? I don't want you to work too hard." Rose said in a mock- concerned tone.
"Sorry lass. There're only two people that have ever beat'n me, an' there's a slight chance that there will be a third," he said, grinning broadly. He slashed at her, managing to slice a cut on the side of her forehead and one on her left arm.
"As you wish, sir," Rose said as the man once again charged at her, quickly switching her sword from one hand to the other and wiping the blood off of her face that was starting to drip into her eyes. She dodged him easily, running to one side, then backing away from him as he stumbled to regain his balance. "I'm not going to lose to you, so you'd better plan on me being the third person to defeat you," Rose said as she charged him.
Rose dropped to the floor and swung her leg behind Jack's ankles, forcing him to fall backwards. After the man fell to the ground, Rose presented her sword at his heart. She knelt next to him, grinning.
"I win," Rose whispered in his ear.
"Aye, that you did, lass. And even bring a pirate, me word is me word. My name is Jack-"
"Jack Sparrow, captain of the Black Pearl," finished Rose, helping Jack to his feet.
"'Ow did you know who I was?" he asked in shock.
"I may be the daughter of the Commodore, but that doesn't mean I'm as stupid as he is." She grinned playfully at him.
"Then why did you make me-wait! You're the Commodore's daughter?!" Jack's eyes widened and his mouth fell open.
Rose nodded. "My name is Roselyn Elizabeth Norrington. Pleasure to meet you." She bowed elegantly.
"Wait 'til the crew hears about this, Cap'n," said a man, grinning at him. "They won't believe that you got bested by the Commodore's daughter!"
"Shut up, Gibbs!" he said, glaring at him. "It's none o' their business, anyways." He glared at the others, who shrank away, and left the scene in a huff.
Halfway to the docks on his way back from the bar after having a nice long drink, Jack saw a body lying in the middle of the road. He raised an eyebrow and went over to it. The figure was lying on its stomach, so he turned it over, and he winced, muttering a soft, "ow."
It was Rose. Her face was bloodied up from where her face hit the pavement. Jack opened her bag and ripped a shirt to make strips of cloth. He used one to soak up the blood and another to wrap up the wound around her head. He then grabbed another cloth and wrapped up her arm that was still bleeding. He then picked her up with a little effort and carried her to the safety of the Black Pearl.
««««««««««
Rose awoke the next morning with a massive headache and a bandaged head. She cracked her neck to the left, then to the right, then pressed hard on the crook where the neck joins with the skull. The pain from her headache disappeared and she sat up, feeling the bandage. All she remembered from last night was leaving the scene of the fight to cheers from the pirates and then darkness. She sighed and left the bandage on, looking around the room for the first time. She was in a large room that was lit with a solitary candle and all of the curtains were drawn. She was in a comfortable feather bed with crimson silk sheets and a black velvet comforter, and feather pillows, the same red color as the sheets.
//Where on earth am I?// she thought. She found her bag and sword next to her on a small bedside table. She slid into a pair of dark blue breeches and her boots, as well as a white shirt, clipping Will's sword to her belt. He hand lingered for a moment on the sword. //Will.I wish you were here now.you would know what to do.//
Just then the door opened and Jack strode in, smiling in his usual happy-go- lucky way.
"'Mornin' love. Glad you're awake." He winked at her.
"Jack, where am I?" she asked him angrily.
"There now, down lass. I only brought you with me. Better than leavin' you on the street where I found ye." He shrugged.
"Yes, but where did you bring me?" she glared at him hands on hips. When Jack didn't reply, she sighed furiously and started for the door.
"Wait a tic, darlin'," said Jack quickly, stepping between her and the door. "You can't be leavin'."
"And why not? You think I want to be here now?"
"Because, er, I saved your life," he said quickly.
"How so?" Rose folded her arms across her chest stubbornly.
"If I had, er, left you on the street where I found you, er, who knows how many people would have taken advantage of such a beautiful young woman like yourself," said the pirate with an innocent smile.
Rose hesitated for a moment, then pushed past him out the door.
All she could see was water and blue skies. No land or any other ship in sight. While she had been sleeping, Jack and his crew had departed from Tortuga to pillage and plunder.with her on board.
Rose wheeled to face Jack and tell him off but found that he had shut and locked the door to the room. He smiled and waved to her from the window next to the door.
"Jack Sparrow, you bloody kidnapped me!" she shouted at him, throwing her bag at the window.
"I couldn't help it, love," said Jack, defensively, peeking his head out of the door. "My crew was getting' restless." He ducked inside as a dagger buried itself in the wood from that surrounded the door.
"You could have left me at an inn or something!"
"I couldn't do that! Will would have me head if something had happened to you after I'd left you!" Rose narrowed her eyes.
"How do you know what Will would have done to you if something had happened to me?" she asked him furiously, glaring at him, knuckles white as she clutched a mug in her hand.
"'Cause I know these things. I know about your relationship. Besides his father and Elizabeth, you were the only other person he talked about." Jack stepped out of the room, knowing he had touched on a subject that Rose was sensitive about.
"Will is my best friend," she said angrily, sitting on a barrel. "You know nothing about him."
"Oh, but I do. More than you think. And I know what he would do to help you if he could." Jack sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "What d'you need help with, love? I'll 'elp you out."
"I need to get to London." Rose felt Jack stiffen next to her.
"Well," he said, clapping her on the shoulder. "I hope you find someone to help." He stood and headed towards the helm of the ship.
"What?! Wait a second! You just said you'd help me!"
"Pirates, love. We're pirates," he said, motioning to his crew. "London is a danger zone for us. We show our sails there and they'll have out heads."
"My father's the commodore, I can prevent that from happening."
"Not going to happen, Rosie, darlin'. Elizabeth tried to get me out of a spot of trouble and it only got me the gallows instead of being shot right then and there. And she's the daughter of the Governor of Port Royal."
"Yes, but I have special connections."
"Bottom line is, we can't take you to London. All we can do is take you with us 'til we come back to Tortuga."
"Where are you guys going?"
"We're on our way to the island of Nai. Ever heard of the legend of the Nai?"
Rose shook her head. Jack came and sat next to her again.
"Well then, let me tell you about it." He folded his legs Indian style and shifted his weight to a more comfortable position. "This is how it all started.
"Meru and Maru were merfolk. Twin merfolk. Meru, the female twin, had golden hair that reached to her waist that moved like seaweed in the water, and coral red eyes. Maru looked similar to his sister, but his eyes were a sea blue color instead, and his hair went to his shoulders.
"Now, Meru and Maru wanted desperately to go to the surface and be amongst the humans. They tried everything, even stranding themselves on the beach, but their gills never went away, and neither did their fins. Devastated, they finally went to appeal to Fayei, the goddess of the seas. Fayei took pity on the twins and granted their wish. She gave them legs and hands, and replaced their gills with lungs.
"The twins washed up on the beaches of Nai, lungs burning as they took their first breaths of air. A group of fisherman that were coming back from their nightly outings found them and brought them back to their village. Now, Meru and Maru were very beautiful in their human forms, and the Nai people were big on gods, and gods were perfect, so naturally they assumed that the twins were gods. They began to worship them and give them gifts. Meru and Maru told them that they were misguided in their worship. They should be worshiping the Goddess of the Sea, Fayei, said the twins. She was the one that could bring them good fortune.
"So the Nai started worshiping Fayei. Fayei herself was pleased with this and blessed the Nai people. The Nai were very happy and gave Meru and Maru a lot of gold and what not. After a few years, Meru and Maru died, leaving their treasure behind and promising the Nai that they would be reborn in the future. And only they could bring the gold back from where they hid."
Rose blinked. Jack grinned ecstatically.
"So let me get this straight. You want to go to Nai to try and get the treasure?" asked Rose, twirling her hair around a finger thoughtfully.
He nodded. "Yup."
"And how do you know have the right twins?"
"Well, I worked with a medium and whatnot and she helped me find them." He grinned. "They're over there." He motioned to two young men standing motionless at the prow of the boat. "Their names are James and John."
Rose watched them for a minute. "Sounds like fun," she said, pushing her dark brown hair out of her face.
"Aye." He nodded happily.
Rose reached over and grabbed his beard by both braids and pulled hard, bringing Jack's face close to hers.
"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow ow!!" said Jack. "Lemme go!"
"It's back to Tortuga when this little adventure is over, alright?" she hissed.
Jack nodded meekly.
"Good." She released him, and then headed for the opposite side of the boat, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.
Jack rubbed his chin, trying to dull the pain.
"Feisty one, ain't she?" he said to no one in particular. He rubbed the back of his neck and sauntered off to the helm.