The Makings of a Pirate, by Hellborne

Pirates of the Caribbean

Copyright: Characters, not mine, See the Mouse. Story, mine, but I make no money. He does, but not on this.

Typing convention. / is used for thoughts.

Summary: Jack Sparrow seems to be waging a personal war on slavery. Elizabeth and Will want to know WHY.

BETA: The great and unbelievably humble Pendragginink...I love you! You are the greatest!!!!! I really can't say enough wonderful things about you!

A/N: Feed the plot ferrets or they'll bite you in the arse...and I won't write anything else.

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Chapter 7 - Darts and Bangles

While "the Earl" was in the rum factory, Robert went shopping. He was lucky. The tailor had some breeches that almost fit. They were a little too big at the waist, and a little too short in the legs, but they were exactly what many of the other pirates wore. The shirt and vest that the tailor had were also too big for him, but that was fine as well. As he looked in the mirror, he noted that he DEFINITELY no longer looked like a gentleman. He paid for the clothes and left the shop. The cobbler next door had three pairs of shoes and four pairs of boots. One of the pairs of boots fit a little snugly, but the cobbler did something to them to stretch them and they were fine. Finally, he went to a haberdasher and tried to get a hat, but the store had no extras that fit in even the remotest sense.

On his way down to the docks, a man stopped him at dagger point. "And where be ye a goin', chum?"

Robert looked the man up and down and decided to find out how popular Jack Sparrow was in the criminal sector. "I am first mate on the Black Pearl. Now leave me be."

The man hesitated for a moment. "The Black Pearl, eh? Yu don' sound like no pirate. Yeh sound like a bloody aristocrat!"

Norrington thought about how to speak in what he tended to refer to as "piratese." "I am Robert James, first mate under Commodore Jack Sparrow. Now let me pass and I will let you live, savvy?" /Well, I tried. At least the "savvy" sounded right./

"And I'm Lord Raymond Smythe-Douglas 'imself! Now 'and over the purse and I'll let YOU live, SAVVY!" He leaned in to take the small bag, but suddenly fell forward past the stunned pirate-in-training to the ground.

Robert bent down and rolled him over, puzzled. The man seemed completely unharmed except for the fact that he was dead. Then he noticed a tiny dart sticking out of the man's neck. He looked around and saw a black man and a black woman talking to each other, the man's back to him. The woman was watching Norrington and smiling at him. He smiled back and walked over to the couple, carrying the dart. "Excuse me, but do either of you know what this is?" He held it out to the couple.

The woman smiled at him. "Yes, Mr. James. It is a dart. The man would have killed you, and Mr. Raymond asked me to make sure you stayed safe."

/Jack had hired a WOMAN to watch my back?!/ "Actually, I didn't need the help, but thank you anyway."

"Actually, Mr. James, you did. That man uses the same kind of poisons that I do. Even if you had a sword, one nick with that knife would kill you."

Norrington was impressed. But.../Even if I HAD a sword?/ He looked down: No sword. He then remembered that he didn't wear it, as he had gotten used to not wearing it as a slave, and it was still on the Black Pearl.

"Look here, Mr. James. You take his sword and dagger and wash them good, but be very careful that you do not kill yourself by mistake."

Robert walked back to the body and carefully took the dagger and sword and made sure that they were completely in their scabbards. Deciding to see how far he could bring himself to become a pirate, he searched the man and found a small bag of coins. He took the bag and noticed that the man had a three-cornered hat, so he took that too, and put it on his head.

When he arrived back at the Pearl, he looked across to the erstwhile slave ship and saw that it was alive and crawling with activity. People were stripping and cleaning her, making her ready for painting. He watched the work for some time, so he didn't notice Ana Maria till she put her hand on his shoulder, which made him jump.

"So ye be lookin' closer to a proper pirate now. Let's get ye lookin' even moreso." She had an evil glint in her eyes. She led him into his (formerly her) cabin and sat him in the chair at the small desk and reached onto a shelf for a bag, which she put on the desk. Then she removed his new hat and placed it on the desk as well. She took the leather thong out of his long hair, letting it fall loose down his back and stepped back to look at it.

Robert was curious. "Well? Is there anything I've missed?"

"Aye, and I'll be fixin' it for you now."

She stepped up again, reaching into a drawer next to the desk and pulled out a couple of long sashes, and put them on the desk with the rest of the items she'd put there. Then she began plaiting his hair, weaving various trinkets from the bag into it.

Robert stopped her after the second trinket. "But captain, I do not wish to look like Commodore Sparrow."

Ana Maria laughed. "You could never look like Jack. But with your long hair it would do ye good to braid and adorn it. Nobody will recognize you with what I'm going to do to ye."

He sat back and relaxed while she got back to work.

- -

Robert watched from behind the helm as "Lord Raymond" stepped gracefully out of the carriage and flounced up the gangplank to his cabin, disappearing within. He couldn't help but chuckle, especially now that he knew who he really was. He took his hat and the deep blue sash that Ana Maria had given him off and put them on a barrel next to the wheel and waited.

A few minutes later, Jack walked out and climbed the stairs to the helm. When he saw Robert with a head completely full of tiny braids clinging to his head with trinkets woven throughout, he laughed, almost falling down the steps again. "Ana Maria, eh mate?"

"Yes. She also gave me this scarf for my head." He put the scarf back on.

"Well, mate, she did a right fine job. Ye look more like a pirate than I do. Tell me, Robert. Is everybody aboard?"

"Yes, Commodore. The crew drew lots to see who was staying and who was leaving. All who are not staying are gone now. There is a crew of 80 including you and me. The hold is filled with barrels of fresh water. We are ready to set sail immediately as I believe you had hinted at back at the plantation."

"Good then. You have first watch. Set sail for Bonaire. We're GOIN' to market!" With that, Jack slid down the handrail and walked into his cabin.

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TBC

A/N: So how do you like Norrie now? Let me know! Hit that REVIEW button NOW!