On Sparrow Wings
Prologue: Port Royal
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Pirates of the Caribbean, except my beautiful soundtrack, which plays even as we speak.
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It had been a long day. He laid his tired head on the pillow and closed his eyes. The steady rocking of the ship quickly lulled him sleep.
~~~
The Wind Rider pulled into port at dawn. A slender man with dreadlocks, braids, and beads was first to disembark, but barely. The rest of the crew followed quite rapidly, giving the young man a run for his money.
"Now, first mate though ye be, Jack Sparrow, I be warnin' ye, don't ye be stirring up too much trouble," an elderly looking man said, "or the captain will be havin' yer hide."
Jack grinned back at the man. "Aw, Winger! When do I ever stir up trouble?" He winked and swaggered off. Winger just shook his head and started towards the nearest pub. ~~~
Across town, a young lady was just finishing a note she was writing. She sat back to reread it.
Dear Mother and Father,
I know you want me to grow up and be a respectable woman with a respectable husband and live a respectable life, but I just can't do that yet. You've kept me so repressed I don't even know who I am!
I'll tell you right now that I do know one thing. I'm going to live my way. I started to a few years ago when I started to sneak out and learned to fight. Now there's no stopping me! I'm running away, and I'm going to find a life for myself.
I appreciate all that you've done for me so far and I ask you to please not come looking for me.
With Much Love,
Maris Katharine Morrison
She nodded her head in satisfaction, sealed it and set it on her dressing table. Looking into the mirror, she studied her reflection. With the disguise almost complete, she looked like a young boy. Except for the hair. The light brown, softly curling hair was a dead give away, but she wasn't brave enough to cut it. So she tied it up under a bandana and plunked her hat on. Now she really looked like a boy. Nodding her head in satisfaction, she picked up the pack sitting next to her and climbed out the window, disappearing into the crowds not far away. ~~~
"I told ye! Ye'll not be buying anythin' of mine with that lot of flashy trash! Be gone or I'll poke yer eye out with me sword!" growled a grizzled looking merchant.
"Oh, ye think so, do ye?" taunted Jack. "Well then, have at it." He stood and drew his sword. The merchant complied and attacked. Swords clashing, they danced around each other, striking and missing, and striking again. It was clear even to the untrained eye that Jack had more skill. He slowly drew the merchant toward the edge of the dock. Suddenly a voice rang out from the crowd.
"The guards are coming!"
Jack looked over towards the guard posts, and seeing the approaching Royal Navy guards dashed of in the opposite direction, nodding his thanks to the informer. He turned and dashed, leaving the merchant standing in the middle of the dock, flabbergasted. ~~~
Maris slipped out of the crowd, determined to follow the young man. She had no idea why she had warned him, but she had and now she wanted to find out why. She steadily followed as he swerved into a street, only to move down another one almost instantly. Eventually he slowed and moved into an alley. She cautiously followed, but he was no where to be seen. She frowned in frustration.
Turning to go back, she was suddenly confronted with a hand over her mouth and a sword at her throat.
"Ye warned me, I said thank ye, so why are ye followin' me?" he growled in her ear, moving his hand as he spoke so she could reply.
"I- I wanted to know where you were going. Your not much older than I am." Remembering her disguise last minute, she tried to deepen her voice.
"Fair enough." He relaxed and pointed down the alley to where a ship was visible. "Ye see that ship? That's the one I came in on, and that's the one I'm leavin' on, so you can just go back home."
"No. Take me to your captain. I want to leave on your ship."
"What!? Now wait just a minute! Ye think ye can warn me of trouble then stand here, half off yer rocker, and demand passage aboard the Wind Rider? If ye want to leave, yer gonna half to work, be part of the crew." He grinned, looking at the soft boy in front of him. Maris saw the smirk and glared back.
"Fine! Take me to your captain!"
"Fine! What's your name, anyway?"
"Ma-" She stumbled over her name, thinking of a new one. "-rk. Mark is my name."
"Mark, eh? Well, come on, then, Mark, the captain is a busy man!" He strode off, leaving 'Mark' to hurry after him. ~~~
Jack quickly moved across the deck to Captain Langford's quarters. He knocked and turned around to keep an eye on Mark. The kid acted as though he'd never been on a ship before.
"Jack! What brings you back so early?" said the Captain, stepping into the sunshine.
Jack turned. "This boy wants to be part of the crew."
"How old are ye, son?" Captain Langford asked Mark.
"I'm sixteen, sir."
"Well, Jack, this boy is only two years younger than ye be right now and two years older than ye were when ye joined me." He turned back to Mark. "Now then, what kind of trainin' have ye had?"
"What kind of-? What? I don't understand?" Mark looked confused.
"Can ye fight?"
"Oh! Oh, yes, sword and knife!"
"Excellent. Can ye work? And work hard, without complainin'? For the better part of the day?"
"Yes, I- I can." Mark didn't sound as sure about this aspect. Jack grinned.
"One last question. What does yer daddy do for a livin'?"
"He's a farrier. I used to help him."
"Excellent. I'm Captain Robert Langford. This here is me first mate, Jack Sparrow." Langford said, gesturing to Jack.
"I'm Mark Morrison." Mark stuck out his hand.
Langford looked at the hand but did not shake it. "Mark, it seems there be a lot of things yer gonna need to know to sail on any pirate ship. I'll leave ye in Jack's care and he'll teach ye everything ye'll need to know. Welcome aboard!" He turned and entered his quarters.
"What did he say!?" The two stared in disbelief at each other.
~*~
A/N: Thanks for reading the beginning of my fic. This is the first fic I have ever written not based on anime. But ya gotta love those pirates! Incase your interested, I have one other fic posted, a humorous one involving Escaflowne and cows. And shortly there will be a few more cow fics for all my other fave shows and movies. Silent Cobra inspired me… you should run. Oh, and this fic gets way more interesting as it goes on. After all, this is just the prologue! You just have to come back to find out what happens. Luvies!