Disclaimer: I do not own The Pirates of the Caribbean or any of its characters, the plot, etc.
Author's Note: Okay, this story is basically what is going on in the young Elizabeth's head on the ship from England. You know the opening scene where the older Elizabeth is dreaming and you learn how Elizabeth met Will, finds the medallion, etc? That's pretty much what takes place here. It's written from Elizabeth's POV, and most of the lines are right from the movie--most of my own work is at the beginning and end of the chapter. This is my first fan-fic (I don't even consider it much of a fan-fic; like I said most of the words are right from the movie), but feel free to flame me if you'd like ; ). Constructive criticism is always appreciated though, of course.
Well! Now that all of that is out of the way, read, review, and enjoy!
The Pirates of the Caribbean; Elizabeth's Younger Days
Chapter One:
"How are you coming along in your studies, Miss Swann?"
I rolled my eyes slightly. He may have been a fine Lieutenant, but he sure was a bore to have simple conversation with.
"Fine, Lieutenant Norrington," I replied, trying not to make my boredom seem too obvious. "Just fine."
"Elizabeth is two years ahead in her studies than the average student," my father, Governor Swann, added proudly. I smiled softly, fighting back a yawn.
"Father, will you excuse me for a moment?" I asked. "I'd like to get a little fresh air." He nodded, so I quickly curtsied and practically ran out of the cabin and onto the deck. I took a deep breath of the salty air, being maybe a little too thankful to be away from my father and the Lieutenant. We had been in that cabin chatting for nearly an hour (although most of the time it was just the two men speaking with each other and myself sitting silently in the background), which was one of the most dull hours in all the ten years of my life. I ran towards the bow of the ship, and pretended I was Captain Liza Swann, head of a band of scallywags, looking out for a secret island where an ancient treasure was buried. I smiled and began singing parts of a pirate song that I had just learned from the ship's cabin boy, James.
"We're devils, we're black sheep, we're really bad eggs,
Drink up me hearties, yo ho,
We kidnap and ravage and don't give a hoot,
Drink up me hearties, yo ho,
Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!
We extort we pilfer we filch and sack,
Drink up me--"
Gibbs grabbed my shoulder. "Quiet, young missy. Cursed pirates sail these waters. You wouldn't want to bring them down on us, now would you?" His grip on my shoulder tightened.
"Mr. Gibbs, that will do," said Norrington as he approached.
"But she was singing about pirates. It's bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words."
"Consider them marked. On your way."
"Aye Lieutenant," said Gibbs as he walked off. I also heard him mumble something else but I couldn't make out the words. I shook my head,
"I think it'd be rather exciting to meet a pirate."
"Think again, Miss Swann," he replied. "Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets just what he deserves..." he paused. "A short drop and a sudden stop." He gave me a small smile. My brow knotted in confusion. I looked towards Gibbs--he imitated a man being hung. I gasped and stared at the Lieutenant in horror. How dare he! Pirates were just like any other men... except for the stealing, kidnapping, and ravaging... and I could understand them being punished for such crimes, but killed?
"Lieutenant Norrington," Father stepped forward, "I appreciate your fervor, but I'm concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter."
"Apologies, Governor Swann," said Norrington, walking away.
"Actually, I find it all quite fascinating," I said rather matter-of-factly.
"Yes, that's what concerns me!"
I rolled my eyes again and walked away towards the very bow of the ship. Something in the water caught my eye as I leaned over the rail. It was... a parasol? How did that get there? I watched the parasol quickly go under the ship and disappear, when another floating object got my attention. It was a boy! A boy was lying motionless on a large piece of wood--the wood looked like it was part of a ship or something.
"Look! There's a boy! A boy in the water!" I shouted, pointing in the direction of the boy. Everyone saw him and Lieutenant Norrington began bellowing out orders to the crew. Three or four shouts of "Man overboard!" could be heard throughout the deck. I watched worriedly as they lifted the boy aboard. I heard someone say, "He's still breathing." My eyes dashed from each crew members' face to the other; I found that Gibbs was staring at something. "Mary, Mother of God," he whispered. I turned around and my mouth hung open in shock. A huge ship--or what used to be a ship-- was split in two and on fire. Debris floated about in the water. Gray smoke rose up high into the cloudy sky.
"What happened here?" Father asked. I didn't pay attention to what the reply was, because I was looking down at the boy lying on the deck. He must've come from the ship, I thought. Even though I wasn't paying much attention, I heard Gibbs say something about pirates. Before I knew what was happening, the captain of our ship, Captain Rowell, and most of the crew were getting ready to board the boats and look for survivors. Father came up behind me and said, "Elizabeth, I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge. Take care of him." I nodded and followed the men who were carrying the boy out of the way of all the hustle and bustle. They laid him down on a pile of blankets nearby, and after they left I took a closer look at him. He looked about my age, had almost black hair, and fair skin. I laid my hand on the side of his head, and he suddenly jerked awake, gasping. I jumped.
"It's all right. My name's Elizabeth Swann," I said softly to the clearly confused boy.
"W-Will Turner," he stuttered. I smiled.
"I'm watching over you, Will." He sighed and laid his head down again, slipping back into unconsciousness. I spotted some sort of necklace resting on his chest. As I took it in my hand and got a closer look, I saw that it was some sort of gold-colored medallion or something of the sort, with a large skull in the center. I gasped, "You're a pirate!"
"Has he said anything?" I jumped and spun around, hiding the necklace behind my back, to see Norrington standing there, awaiting a reply.
"His name's William Turner," I said nervously. "That's all I found out." Norrington nodded.
"Take him below," he ordered a few of the crew members. I stepped away from Will as three men carried him below deck. Wanting to take a closer look at the strange medallion, I slowly made my way near the bow of the ship again--away from all the commotion. I looked down at the necklace in my hand, rubbing its surface with my thumb to polish it up a little. Holding it up in front of my face, I studied the designs and shapes on the round edges of the medallion, and the strange skull in the middle. Suddenly, I noticed a large, gray mass on the horizon. I lowered the medallion and let my eyes focus on the dark thing moving on the water. It was a ship; a ship with black sails. The breath caught in my throat when I saw its flag: a skull and two crossed rapiers. Pirates. They must've been the ones who destroyed the merchant vessel! Gibbs was right.
Without thinking, I yelled, "Father! Father! A ship! There's another ship! Pirates!" As soon as I uttered that word, I got full attention from the crew. Shouts of , "Pirates? Where?" and "There are pirates?" were heard as many of the sailors rushed to my side. "Where, Miss Swann?" three of them asked at the same time. I spun around, facing the horizon, "Right the--" I stopped short. The ship had disappeared. "It was right there! I saw it!" The entire crew let out irritated, yet partially relieved sighs and returned to their posts. Gibbs looked at me with annoyance, "You may think that a funny joke, missy, but it isn't to those who fell victim to them devils." I gaped at him, my eyes darting between his face and the horizon. "B-But... I saw it. I swear I did. A ship... with black sails..." My father stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
"Darling, you've had a very shocking day. Perhaps you were just seeing things. It's all right--even happens to me every once and a while..." He kept talking, but I didn't listen. All my attention was on the sea in front of me. I knew I saw a ship. I would swear it on dear Mother's grave, God rest her soul. Wouldn't anyone believe me?
Author's Note: So, you like? A few minor notes here; I really had no idea who the captain of that ship was, so I just named him Captain Rowell. Kind of has a ring to it doesn't it? Ha ha ha... anyway, I am also sorry for any grammatical errors that you may have noticed--I don't think there are many, but even so--I did my best. And on a final note, I'm not sure whether or not I'm going to continue this story and add more chapters. I have a few ideas for it (my own ideas--stuff that isn't in the movie), but not enough to go on... yet. I'm also working on a Lord of the Rings fan-fic that I haven't posted yet, so I'll be spending most of my time working on that. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to read my fan-fic and don't forget to review!
-Lauren