All the thumping and commotion brought most of the crew from above deck to
the crew's quarters, having never heard quite a ruckus of the like before.
"Ah, and the rest of me villainous crew arrives. Gents, meet Scarlet, newest pirate aboard the Pearl."
Many of the newcomers cheered, for they needed the help on the ship, however small. They too began to congratulate Scarlet.
After a minute or so of this, Jack finally shouted over the din, "Aright, back on deck, the lot of ye. Give the lass some room to breathe."
"I'm not a lass." A few of the men closest to Scarlet could hear her mumble. They laughed, and left to do Jack's bidding, nodding to Jack, some saying, "Sir." As they passed. Scarlet made to go with them, but Jack stopped her.
"Lass, I've never seen anybody climb any rigging fast's or faster'n ye. I want ye to work just on th'ropes, seein's to how damned fast ye are."
Scarlet grinned. "Well, Cap'n, I do love to climb."
Jack nodded and clapped her on the back. "Then it's a good thing that's where ye'll be workin'."
Scarlet turned, and scurried up the ladder. Jack stared after her for a moment, and then shook his head vigorously, as though to clear it, then followed Scarlet up the ladder.
* * * *
The Pearl arrived in the harbor of Port Royal mid-morning, much later than Jack had anticipated. The streets would be crowded, and there would be twice as many men on duty at the fort, which meant more eyes with which to see his ship.
Scarlet was to be found up in the rigging of the Pearl, trying to keep herself awake. She was constantly shaking her head trying to rid herself of the sleep she had lacked for the past 48 hours. Looking down, she saw Jack waving at her, so she climbed over to a loose rope and slid down to the deck, landing with a thud.
"Aright, lass?" He asked as she walked over to him, a little tips from lack of sleep. Scarlet nodded sleepily. "Good!" Jack said. Motioning for the crew to gather close around, Jack began to talk as quietly as he could.
"Aright, gents, we've got to be quite from now on. We've got to be as unnoticeable as possible. We're not supposed to be here, but we need the supplies we couldn't get in Tortuga; I need to check in wiv a friend. Gibbs, Annamaria, Scarlet, Shorty and Andy are t'come ashore wiv me. The rest o'ye, stay as low and quiet as possible, and be ready to pull up to the docks, pick us land-goers up, and get us out o'here as quickly as possible. Come on, get too it, we don't have all day."
Jack made for one of the rowboats and helped some of the crew lower it into the water. Then he and those he'd specified earlier climbed down into the rowboat and began to make for shore. They landed the boat on a spit of beach some distance away from the town.
"Remember, we've until nightfall at the latest, so do what ye need to do quickly. If'n ye see a red coat, run. Can't have any o'ye gettin' caught. Scarlet, yer wiv me, I've a friend I want ye t'meet. Get goin', the lot of ye."
Everyone took off in different directions, heading for town. Scarlet followed Jack over a steep and swerving path that led them right into the heart of the town. Scarlet trailed after Jack, simply wandering sleepily, until she found that she no longer knew either where she or Jack was. Jack was nowhere to be seen, so Scarlet continued to wander aimlessly.
Suddenly, she found herself on an open lane that led right up to the fort that protected Port Royal. Seventy odd soldiers, all in uniform, were milling about. Scarlet stopped, trying to get her sleep ridden brain to think. Red equals., red equals., come on Scarlet, she thought. Red equals..Run!! Just thinking the word run, a loud booming noise starts coming from the fort. Cannon fire! Scarlet realized after about a minute or so. At the same time, she saw some of the soldiers leave and retreat into the fort, while a few came running towards her. Scarlet fled, racing around first one corner, then another, trying just to loose the men, and not get hit by either bullet or cannon-ball.
Rounding a corner, Scarlet nearly ran right into a young woman. She was a girl really, no more than eighteen or nineteen, wearing a long frilly dress. Scarlet moved to go past her, but the girl stopped her. "You're not a pirate, are you?"
"Lass, I'm in a hurry, move!" Scarlet just about shouted.
"Are you, or not?" The girl asked. Scarlet would have been gone by know, but this girl was both taller than Scarlet and an innocent bystander, which meant that Scarlet couldn't just stab her or shoot her.
"Yes!" Scarlet said, exasperated.
"Is your captain Jack Sparrow?"
Scarlet looked at the girl questioningly. "Yes."
"You've got to find him and get out of here!"
"What?" Scarlet's sleepy brain was not helping the situation.
Then the ten odd soldiers that had been chasing Scarlet came pounding around the corner.
"Miss Turner, are you all right?" One of the men asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." She said, slightly baffled.
"Well, you've done us a favor by detaining her." The soldier said.
She immediately let go of Scarlet. "I'm not detaining her for you."
The men looked puzzled. Scarlet turned to run, but from around a corner in front of her another ten odd men came, and they began to shoot at her as soon as they saw her.
Scarlet grabbed hold of the girl's arm and took off running, dragging her along behind.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.
"You're a Turner." Scarlet shouted back.
The girl picked up her skirts as best she could and continued to run behind Scarlet. "What of it?" She asked.
"And ye know Cap'n Jack." Scarlet replied.
The girl stopped asking questions. They rounded another corner, and streaked past a small smithy. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlet saw Jack, looking puzzled, standing next to a man who turned and ran into the smithy.
"Scarlet, what're ye doin'?" He called as she ran past.
Jack had been catching up with his friend Will Turner and wondering where Scarlet was when the cannon fire had started. He ran outside, followed by Will.
"They're blowin' 'oles in my ship!" He cried.
Then Scarlet had run past, toting Will's wife, Elizabeth behind her.
"Scarlet, what're ye doin'?" He called.
Will ran inside and was back out in a flash, bare sword in his hand, an axe, an empty sheath, and a sheathed sword in his belt.
"She's kidnapping Elizabeth." Will said, and began to chase after them.
Then the soldiers came pounding around the corner, chasing after Scarlet, Elizabeth and Will.
"The Turners'll be the death of me." Jack muttered as he took up the chase after the soldiers.
"Ah, and the rest of me villainous crew arrives. Gents, meet Scarlet, newest pirate aboard the Pearl."
Many of the newcomers cheered, for they needed the help on the ship, however small. They too began to congratulate Scarlet.
After a minute or so of this, Jack finally shouted over the din, "Aright, back on deck, the lot of ye. Give the lass some room to breathe."
"I'm not a lass." A few of the men closest to Scarlet could hear her mumble. They laughed, and left to do Jack's bidding, nodding to Jack, some saying, "Sir." As they passed. Scarlet made to go with them, but Jack stopped her.
"Lass, I've never seen anybody climb any rigging fast's or faster'n ye. I want ye to work just on th'ropes, seein's to how damned fast ye are."
Scarlet grinned. "Well, Cap'n, I do love to climb."
Jack nodded and clapped her on the back. "Then it's a good thing that's where ye'll be workin'."
Scarlet turned, and scurried up the ladder. Jack stared after her for a moment, and then shook his head vigorously, as though to clear it, then followed Scarlet up the ladder.
* * * *
The Pearl arrived in the harbor of Port Royal mid-morning, much later than Jack had anticipated. The streets would be crowded, and there would be twice as many men on duty at the fort, which meant more eyes with which to see his ship.
Scarlet was to be found up in the rigging of the Pearl, trying to keep herself awake. She was constantly shaking her head trying to rid herself of the sleep she had lacked for the past 48 hours. Looking down, she saw Jack waving at her, so she climbed over to a loose rope and slid down to the deck, landing with a thud.
"Aright, lass?" He asked as she walked over to him, a little tips from lack of sleep. Scarlet nodded sleepily. "Good!" Jack said. Motioning for the crew to gather close around, Jack began to talk as quietly as he could.
"Aright, gents, we've got to be quite from now on. We've got to be as unnoticeable as possible. We're not supposed to be here, but we need the supplies we couldn't get in Tortuga; I need to check in wiv a friend. Gibbs, Annamaria, Scarlet, Shorty and Andy are t'come ashore wiv me. The rest o'ye, stay as low and quiet as possible, and be ready to pull up to the docks, pick us land-goers up, and get us out o'here as quickly as possible. Come on, get too it, we don't have all day."
Jack made for one of the rowboats and helped some of the crew lower it into the water. Then he and those he'd specified earlier climbed down into the rowboat and began to make for shore. They landed the boat on a spit of beach some distance away from the town.
"Remember, we've until nightfall at the latest, so do what ye need to do quickly. If'n ye see a red coat, run. Can't have any o'ye gettin' caught. Scarlet, yer wiv me, I've a friend I want ye t'meet. Get goin', the lot of ye."
Everyone took off in different directions, heading for town. Scarlet followed Jack over a steep and swerving path that led them right into the heart of the town. Scarlet trailed after Jack, simply wandering sleepily, until she found that she no longer knew either where she or Jack was. Jack was nowhere to be seen, so Scarlet continued to wander aimlessly.
Suddenly, she found herself on an open lane that led right up to the fort that protected Port Royal. Seventy odd soldiers, all in uniform, were milling about. Scarlet stopped, trying to get her sleep ridden brain to think. Red equals., red equals., come on Scarlet, she thought. Red equals..Run!! Just thinking the word run, a loud booming noise starts coming from the fort. Cannon fire! Scarlet realized after about a minute or so. At the same time, she saw some of the soldiers leave and retreat into the fort, while a few came running towards her. Scarlet fled, racing around first one corner, then another, trying just to loose the men, and not get hit by either bullet or cannon-ball.
Rounding a corner, Scarlet nearly ran right into a young woman. She was a girl really, no more than eighteen or nineteen, wearing a long frilly dress. Scarlet moved to go past her, but the girl stopped her. "You're not a pirate, are you?"
"Lass, I'm in a hurry, move!" Scarlet just about shouted.
"Are you, or not?" The girl asked. Scarlet would have been gone by know, but this girl was both taller than Scarlet and an innocent bystander, which meant that Scarlet couldn't just stab her or shoot her.
"Yes!" Scarlet said, exasperated.
"Is your captain Jack Sparrow?"
Scarlet looked at the girl questioningly. "Yes."
"You've got to find him and get out of here!"
"What?" Scarlet's sleepy brain was not helping the situation.
Then the ten odd soldiers that had been chasing Scarlet came pounding around the corner.
"Miss Turner, are you all right?" One of the men asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." She said, slightly baffled.
"Well, you've done us a favor by detaining her." The soldier said.
She immediately let go of Scarlet. "I'm not detaining her for you."
The men looked puzzled. Scarlet turned to run, but from around a corner in front of her another ten odd men came, and they began to shoot at her as soon as they saw her.
Scarlet grabbed hold of the girl's arm and took off running, dragging her along behind.
"What are you doing?" She shouted.
"You're a Turner." Scarlet shouted back.
The girl picked up her skirts as best she could and continued to run behind Scarlet. "What of it?" She asked.
"And ye know Cap'n Jack." Scarlet replied.
The girl stopped asking questions. They rounded another corner, and streaked past a small smithy. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlet saw Jack, looking puzzled, standing next to a man who turned and ran into the smithy.
"Scarlet, what're ye doin'?" He called as she ran past.
Jack had been catching up with his friend Will Turner and wondering where Scarlet was when the cannon fire had started. He ran outside, followed by Will.
"They're blowin' 'oles in my ship!" He cried.
Then Scarlet had run past, toting Will's wife, Elizabeth behind her.
"Scarlet, what're ye doin'?" He called.
Will ran inside and was back out in a flash, bare sword in his hand, an axe, an empty sheath, and a sheathed sword in his belt.
"She's kidnapping Elizabeth." Will said, and began to chase after them.
Then the soldiers came pounding around the corner, chasing after Scarlet, Elizabeth and Will.
"The Turners'll be the death of me." Jack muttered as he took up the chase after the soldiers.