Disclaimer: we do not own any places or people mentioned in this story such
as Captain Jack Sparrow, Barbosa, Tortuga, Black pearl etc. from the
pirates of the Caribbean however we do own the ship (later on), Catherine,
Charlotte Dacry, Susannah Crow, Rebecca Lightfoot (later on), Michael
Lightfoot (later on).
One hot Caribbean evening, as the sun was setting, a mysterious woman crawled spluttering and coughing out of the sea. Her long journey had brought her to Tortuga- the most corrupt city in the world.
The woman's long fiery hair was now dripping wet and her once admirable evening dress was now torn and tattered. "Well well Charlotte. Where have you ended up." She said to herself. As she laughed her blue eyes sparkled like emeralds. "Well at least you've got away from him"
Although Charlotte did not know where she had ended up her first impressions of the city were very close to the truth: a city full of drunken men, loose women and thieves. In the distance she could hear gunshots and the scream of a man in anguish. She realised she needed somewhere to sleep and luckily about 15 metres from the beach she was stood on a sign saying Diego's was visible.
As she started walking towards the sign she realised just how tired she was. Her legs and arms ached and her clothes stuck to her. To the right was a man who had fallen asleep on the beach. He reeked of beer and was snoring. Sticking out of his pocket was a pouch, which looked like it was full of money. Charlotte poked the excess fat, which oozed out of his trousers, to check to see if the man really was asleep. He didn't stir. Quick as a flash the pouch was in Charlotte's hand. "I need this money more than you, you drunken bastard" she sneered then headed towards Diego's.
Diego's was the only inn with a bar in Tortuga. As Charlotte walked into it she got a mixture of looks. The men leered at her, because however dirty and wet she looked it took more than that to hide her natural beauty. "What the fuck do they all think they are looking at," thought Charlotte.
Everyone in the bar looked drunk and dirty, with the exception of two people.
In the corner of the bar sat a figure, who unless up close had made it so it was impossible to distinguish whether they were male or female. The person was cloaked all in black and a hood covered their face. In front of them was a glass of water, which looked out of place when in front of everyone else was something alcoholic.
"Alright luvvy's calm down there's enough beer for you all" The barmaid's voice rose high above the shouts of the rowdy men. This woman was the only other person who wasn't drunk. She was your perfect barmaid: with just enough make up she was stunningly pretty and always had a mug of beer and a smile for anyone who wanted it. Her long brown hair was, at present, in a plait, which reached the bottom of her back. Her tight black top and trousers meant the men weren't just there for the beer.
As Charlotte reached the bar the barmaid's voice addressed her. "I aint seen you around here luvvy. Me names Susannah Crow and this eres my heart and home. Don't own the place like, but it's the only goddamn place I got to sleep and work. I have greater ambitions o' course but for now it'll do" Susannah drifted off as though living her dream in her head. After awhile she jerked herself back to reality. "Anyway what's your name and what brings you to Tortuga. Not exactly the most popular place in the world. Only usually see me regulars in ere. Nice to see a new face round." She paused for a breath; which was Charlotte's cue to tell her story.
When Charlotte set off she promised herself she wouldn't tell anyone about where she came from and what brought her here, in fear of her being tracked down by her father. However this woman was like no other she had met before. Her honest face and what seemed to be trustworthy nature had appealed to Charlotte. Her need to talk about what had happened had grown since the day she left.
"Alright then Susannah but lets not talk about it over a friggin bar. How bout you and me go sit over there. I need to talk to someone I think. Then maybe you can tell me bout your dream" "A'right Charlotte. ABIGAIL YOU CAN TAKE OVER FOR AWHILE CARNT YA?" she shouted to the other side of the bar. "Got no choice do I? Nope that I don't" Abigail said, half to herself.
Charlotte and Susannah placed themselves on the table next to the cloaked figure. Susannah was the first to speak "Go ahead luvvy. You got a story ta tell and I got nowt better to do al night. I'm all ears." "Alright well here's what happened:
(A/N flashback)
It was the eve of Charlottes wedding. She was sat in her room, thinking and she was beginning to realise there was no way out of it. When she was thirteen her mother had died, and now at the age of 21 she wished her mum was here to save her from this marriage. Her mother was always someone with sense who loved her dearly yet she seemed to be hiding a dark secret from her. Her father however was the complete opposite to her caring mother.
Her father was forcing her into marrying a man who she had only seen once but the thought of him disgusted her. His name was Lord Bexford and he was the greediest, most obnoxious man in Santiago. His stomach hung so far over his trousers his belt was buried deeply under the fat. His beard was a breeding ground for insects which fed off the food caught in there and his daily exercise consisted of walking to the local pub and attempting to chat up the local women.
The reason her father gave her for forcing her to marry the man was: "He's a nice NORMAL man who's respected around here."
Charlotte didn't understand what he meant by that. She only knew she didn't want to go through with this marriage. She decided she couldn't take sitting in her room anymore. The thoughts of tomorrow were just getting her angry and she'd already slapped her father, which did nothing. She decided she needed a walk to clear her head. The next event that took place changed her life forever.
As she was walking down the street a tall, dark and handsome man headed towards her and stopped infront of her. "Yuv got yur mothers eyes yur know." He said, in a deep voice with a strong accent that would make you do anything for him. "Who are you, and how the hell did you know my mother?" shouted Charlotte. She was confused as to how this roguish looking man could have possibly known her mother. "Never told yur I guess. Well ive bin keeping an eye on yu since yur mum died. Promised her id keep me eye on yu if owt happened to her. Pirate to pirate yu know."
In that moment everything fell into place: the strange behaviour of her mother. Her fathers hatred towards her mum and him wanting her to marry a "normal man". It all stemmed from her father's hatred of pirates. All throughout her childhood he told her stories about pirates: always where they were the bad guys. Suddenly she understood why her father and mother never got on. Yet part of her refused to believe what was so obviously true.
"Look I don't know who you are but leave me alone and stop bullshitting about my mother." She started to walk off. "Dunt marry him. He aint the one for yu. Just run away and maybe one day we'l meet up and we'll travel together like I did with ya mother when I wuz younger and I'll tell yu stories bout her, savvy?" Charlotte was silent and just gave him an evil look. "Adios me matey" With that he turned and started running. In the next blink of an eye he was gone.
With the mysterious man placing the idea of running away in her head she realised it was the only way out. She wondered why she had never though of it herself because she wasn't happy living with her father. At that moment she decided she would steal her fathers fishing boat and sail to the nearest shore.
She gathered provision and set off that same evening. A fortnight into sailing she was unfortunate enough to hit the mast of a sunken ship and it made a hole in the boat. Luckily she was about a mile off shore and being strong managed to swim to the shore of Tortuga.
(A/N end of flashback)
"An I thought id ad a hard life luvvy. What are yu gonna do now? I mean yu carnt go home" said Susannah shocked. "Yeah well that's what you get for having a bastard father and I'm gonna do something that I've always wanted to do, Something that runs in my blood. I'm gonna get myself a ship, and maybe a crew. Hey you said you had greater ambitions. Don't suppose you fancy coming?" Susannah laughed. "Would yu believe ive always wanted to be a pirate? I'm up for it. So we gonna get ourselves a ship then?" "Unless you've weapons under them there clothes. Something tells me you haven't got a chance of getting a boat." The voice came from under the hood of the figure on the next table. It was an easy distinguishable voice, clearly female. Yet still she didn't remove the hood covering her face. She stood up and went over to the table. Charlotte pulled a face. "Oh yeah I suppose you've got a genius idea for getting us a boat." She said. "Actually yeah and I've got weapons too, if you're prepared to come on board with me. If not I'll just go get myself a boat without you." Still keeping her face covered she opened the robe of her cloak to show rows of daggers, guns and small swords. She handed Susannah a dagger and Charlotte a sword. In her own hands she held a gun in one and a dagger in the other. Susannah asked "And who exactly is the mysterious woman whos gonna help us"
"Just call me Catherine. We'll have time for formal introductions later and maybe I'll let you in on a few things about my past later too but for now let's go get ourselves a ship."
One hot Caribbean evening, as the sun was setting, a mysterious woman crawled spluttering and coughing out of the sea. Her long journey had brought her to Tortuga- the most corrupt city in the world.
The woman's long fiery hair was now dripping wet and her once admirable evening dress was now torn and tattered. "Well well Charlotte. Where have you ended up." She said to herself. As she laughed her blue eyes sparkled like emeralds. "Well at least you've got away from him"
Although Charlotte did not know where she had ended up her first impressions of the city were very close to the truth: a city full of drunken men, loose women and thieves. In the distance she could hear gunshots and the scream of a man in anguish. She realised she needed somewhere to sleep and luckily about 15 metres from the beach she was stood on a sign saying Diego's was visible.
As she started walking towards the sign she realised just how tired she was. Her legs and arms ached and her clothes stuck to her. To the right was a man who had fallen asleep on the beach. He reeked of beer and was snoring. Sticking out of his pocket was a pouch, which looked like it was full of money. Charlotte poked the excess fat, which oozed out of his trousers, to check to see if the man really was asleep. He didn't stir. Quick as a flash the pouch was in Charlotte's hand. "I need this money more than you, you drunken bastard" she sneered then headed towards Diego's.
Diego's was the only inn with a bar in Tortuga. As Charlotte walked into it she got a mixture of looks. The men leered at her, because however dirty and wet she looked it took more than that to hide her natural beauty. "What the fuck do they all think they are looking at," thought Charlotte.
Everyone in the bar looked drunk and dirty, with the exception of two people.
In the corner of the bar sat a figure, who unless up close had made it so it was impossible to distinguish whether they were male or female. The person was cloaked all in black and a hood covered their face. In front of them was a glass of water, which looked out of place when in front of everyone else was something alcoholic.
"Alright luvvy's calm down there's enough beer for you all" The barmaid's voice rose high above the shouts of the rowdy men. This woman was the only other person who wasn't drunk. She was your perfect barmaid: with just enough make up she was stunningly pretty and always had a mug of beer and a smile for anyone who wanted it. Her long brown hair was, at present, in a plait, which reached the bottom of her back. Her tight black top and trousers meant the men weren't just there for the beer.
As Charlotte reached the bar the barmaid's voice addressed her. "I aint seen you around here luvvy. Me names Susannah Crow and this eres my heart and home. Don't own the place like, but it's the only goddamn place I got to sleep and work. I have greater ambitions o' course but for now it'll do" Susannah drifted off as though living her dream in her head. After awhile she jerked herself back to reality. "Anyway what's your name and what brings you to Tortuga. Not exactly the most popular place in the world. Only usually see me regulars in ere. Nice to see a new face round." She paused for a breath; which was Charlotte's cue to tell her story.
When Charlotte set off she promised herself she wouldn't tell anyone about where she came from and what brought her here, in fear of her being tracked down by her father. However this woman was like no other she had met before. Her honest face and what seemed to be trustworthy nature had appealed to Charlotte. Her need to talk about what had happened had grown since the day she left.
"Alright then Susannah but lets not talk about it over a friggin bar. How bout you and me go sit over there. I need to talk to someone I think. Then maybe you can tell me bout your dream" "A'right Charlotte. ABIGAIL YOU CAN TAKE OVER FOR AWHILE CARNT YA?" she shouted to the other side of the bar. "Got no choice do I? Nope that I don't" Abigail said, half to herself.
Charlotte and Susannah placed themselves on the table next to the cloaked figure. Susannah was the first to speak "Go ahead luvvy. You got a story ta tell and I got nowt better to do al night. I'm all ears." "Alright well here's what happened:
(A/N flashback)
It was the eve of Charlottes wedding. She was sat in her room, thinking and she was beginning to realise there was no way out of it. When she was thirteen her mother had died, and now at the age of 21 she wished her mum was here to save her from this marriage. Her mother was always someone with sense who loved her dearly yet she seemed to be hiding a dark secret from her. Her father however was the complete opposite to her caring mother.
Her father was forcing her into marrying a man who she had only seen once but the thought of him disgusted her. His name was Lord Bexford and he was the greediest, most obnoxious man in Santiago. His stomach hung so far over his trousers his belt was buried deeply under the fat. His beard was a breeding ground for insects which fed off the food caught in there and his daily exercise consisted of walking to the local pub and attempting to chat up the local women.
The reason her father gave her for forcing her to marry the man was: "He's a nice NORMAL man who's respected around here."
Charlotte didn't understand what he meant by that. She only knew she didn't want to go through with this marriage. She decided she couldn't take sitting in her room anymore. The thoughts of tomorrow were just getting her angry and she'd already slapped her father, which did nothing. She decided she needed a walk to clear her head. The next event that took place changed her life forever.
As she was walking down the street a tall, dark and handsome man headed towards her and stopped infront of her. "Yuv got yur mothers eyes yur know." He said, in a deep voice with a strong accent that would make you do anything for him. "Who are you, and how the hell did you know my mother?" shouted Charlotte. She was confused as to how this roguish looking man could have possibly known her mother. "Never told yur I guess. Well ive bin keeping an eye on yu since yur mum died. Promised her id keep me eye on yu if owt happened to her. Pirate to pirate yu know."
In that moment everything fell into place: the strange behaviour of her mother. Her fathers hatred towards her mum and him wanting her to marry a "normal man". It all stemmed from her father's hatred of pirates. All throughout her childhood he told her stories about pirates: always where they were the bad guys. Suddenly she understood why her father and mother never got on. Yet part of her refused to believe what was so obviously true.
"Look I don't know who you are but leave me alone and stop bullshitting about my mother." She started to walk off. "Dunt marry him. He aint the one for yu. Just run away and maybe one day we'l meet up and we'll travel together like I did with ya mother when I wuz younger and I'll tell yu stories bout her, savvy?" Charlotte was silent and just gave him an evil look. "Adios me matey" With that he turned and started running. In the next blink of an eye he was gone.
With the mysterious man placing the idea of running away in her head she realised it was the only way out. She wondered why she had never though of it herself because she wasn't happy living with her father. At that moment she decided she would steal her fathers fishing boat and sail to the nearest shore.
She gathered provision and set off that same evening. A fortnight into sailing she was unfortunate enough to hit the mast of a sunken ship and it made a hole in the boat. Luckily she was about a mile off shore and being strong managed to swim to the shore of Tortuga.
(A/N end of flashback)
"An I thought id ad a hard life luvvy. What are yu gonna do now? I mean yu carnt go home" said Susannah shocked. "Yeah well that's what you get for having a bastard father and I'm gonna do something that I've always wanted to do, Something that runs in my blood. I'm gonna get myself a ship, and maybe a crew. Hey you said you had greater ambitions. Don't suppose you fancy coming?" Susannah laughed. "Would yu believe ive always wanted to be a pirate? I'm up for it. So we gonna get ourselves a ship then?" "Unless you've weapons under them there clothes. Something tells me you haven't got a chance of getting a boat." The voice came from under the hood of the figure on the next table. It was an easy distinguishable voice, clearly female. Yet still she didn't remove the hood covering her face. She stood up and went over to the table. Charlotte pulled a face. "Oh yeah I suppose you've got a genius idea for getting us a boat." She said. "Actually yeah and I've got weapons too, if you're prepared to come on board with me. If not I'll just go get myself a boat without you." Still keeping her face covered she opened the robe of her cloak to show rows of daggers, guns and small swords. She handed Susannah a dagger and Charlotte a sword. In her own hands she held a gun in one and a dagger in the other. Susannah asked "And who exactly is the mysterious woman whos gonna help us"
"Just call me Catherine. We'll have time for formal introductions later and maybe I'll let you in on a few things about my past later too but for now let's go get ourselves a ship."
