Chapter 1-A Life So Changed
"Aemilia Sampson, sir," I said, speaking to the British officer who had just addressed me. I suppose I did look rather odd compared to all of the other women and girls at Port Royale. Whereas the others were wearing these beautiful dresses that were clean and fresh, I was wearing a white dress shirt that didn't button all the way up, pants that went just below my knees, and tall boots that went to my knees. All of my clothing was worn and ragged and had about two months of dust and dirt imbedded into them. My hair left a lot to be desired as well. The proper ladies wore their hair in updo's, said hair looking sleek and shiny. My own hair was in a braid for the most part, but some smaller sections were braided as well and hung about my face. I also had a bit of dark blue material tied around my head, holding my hair away from my face.
"And what is your reason for being in Port Royale, Miss Sampson?" the office asked in a stiff voice.
"Does one need a specific reason ter be 'ere?" I asked him. "C'mon now, be a good chappie and let me pass."
The officer gave me an incredulous look. "Very well, then." He moved aside reluctantly, letting me through.
"I thank ye kindly!" said I in a cheerful voice, bowing ever so slightly. "Cheers!"
I went on my way then, wandering around this port. It was an interesting place to me, seeing as I had spent all of my life in Tortuga. Tortuga certainly wasn't the nicest place to grow up; I'll let you know. I'd grown up in the pubs, making friends with the whores and hearing the pirate's stories of adventures and gold. Now, Port Royale was the exact opposite of Tortuga. It was very clean here. All of the ladies here looked like they would faint if they ever came in contact with a whore and the men looked respectable and decent. And, judging by the display I'd seen on my boat ride in, pirates didn't dare come here. I had seen a couple of sun-bleached skeletons, wearing pirates clothes, hung from ropes.
As I wandered about the village of Port Royale, I noticed all of the dirty looks that I was on the receiving end of. I didn't walk much like any lady that they had ever seen before. I merely gave each lady and gentleman a saucy smirk as I passed him or her, the stares not bothering me in the least.
"Need a weapon…any weapon," I muttered to myself, looking in every shop that was along the road. It would appear that no shopkeepers made swords. I sighed in exasperation. "There's got to be a bloody blacksmith around…hallo!"
My eyes had just strayed across a shop sign. A shop sign for a blacksmith: W. Turner.
"Bloody brilliant," I muttered out loud, walking into the blacksmiths. I stood still for a moment, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dark of this shop. When I would see, I noticed that no one was in here beside myself, even though there was a fire burning.
"Hallo?" I called out, receiving no answer back. "Hm." I shrugged my shoulders and began to poke around the blacksmith's shop. I picked up many swords, testing out the different lengths and weights, but I found none that I particularly cared for. Most were too fancy for me…or too expensive. Not that money was any huge problem for me. I just didn't want to waste it all at one place.
I'd just picked up a sword and waved it around a bit, testing it out. As I drew the sword back once more, a rough hand grabbed my arm. I spun around quickly, eyeing this man up and down. He appeared to be scrutinizing me as well. He wasn't bad looking, but I also noticed a gold band on the ring finger of his left hand. He took the sword out of my hand and put it back where it had previously been. I merely shrugged my shoulders, not really caring.
"Not me style, actually," I said. I stuck out a dirty hand to shake his. He took my hand and shook it slightly, releasing my hand rather quickly. The man was wearing nice clothes, but definitely not his Sunday best.
"Who are you?" he asked me.
"Aemilia, sir. Aemilia Sampson. And you?"
"Will Turner," said he in response, as a rather beautiful lady walked into the shop from the back. She also had a ring on her left ring finger and I assumed her to be Will Turner's wife.
"Will? Whom are you talking to?" she asked, walking towards where Will and I stood.
"Elizabeth, this is Aemilia Sampson," replied Will in a gentle voice. "Aemilia, this is Elizabeth Turner, my wife."
"So I see," I said, motioning to the gold bands on their fingers.
Will and Elizabeth both watched me for a moment until Will spoke up.
"What can I help you with?" he asked me.
"Well, I was looking for a sword and maybe a dagger," I said in an offhand voice. "And I've seen some nice ones in here. You do fine work, Mr. Turner."
"Thank you," he said, a quizzical look coming onto his face. "But you're a…"
The front door banged open and a man came charging in. Will, Elizabeth, and myself turned our heads to look at him. This newcomer was definitely a sight. He had on long pants with boots that went up to his knees or thereabouts. He was wearing a white dress shirt (just like my own) that didn't button all the way up and a black vest was over top of the shirt. He had a white sash tied around his waist along with a sword and a gun. His hair had trinkets and beads in it along with dreadlocks. A dirty red bandana was tied around his head and also had a tri corner hat perches on top of it all. A black overcoat was hanging over his arm.
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A/N: Hallo everyone! That is the first chapter of my story, Copper-Eyed Pirate. I'm feeling kind of good about this. Please review…takes all of ten seconds. Thank you!
~MoonlightSerenade