AN: Here you go, my latest chapter! Sorry, that it wasn't as quick as my
first few but things are going to be a little bit slower from now on
because in two days I head back to college life, which means classes!
*gaaah* Anyways I hope you enjoy and thank you to all the reviewers! I
can't tell you how much it means to me that you guys enjoy my story so
much! ~Anlei~
A Sparrow's Daughter
By Anlei
Chapter Four
For the rest of the day Annabelle could barely focus on her chores. Her mind tried over and over again to wrap itself around this new revelation. She was a pirate. Maybe not formally, she had never plundered anything and as for sword play that was another story in itself. She wouldn't know what to do with a sword no matter how much she liked them.
Despite all of this she as a pirate by blood. That meant her mother was a pirate. Her father probably was too. She just wished she could remember. It seemed to raise more questions, questions she had never considered before. What as the name of the ship? Why did Norrington keep this from her? What does he know?
Now more than ever she wanted to find her father. She had too.
Was he even alive?
Annabelle had never considered it before. She may be driving herself crazy over someone she would never know. Maybe the reason it had always been just her and her mother resulted from an early death of her father.
Or maybe the reason she didn't know him was because he didn't want to know her. Maybe her mother had tried to spare her the grief of knowing that she had a father who regretted her existence.
No, no...none of these can be true. She refused to believe it.
It didn't matter, her mind was made up. She had to find him, even if he wanted nothing to do with her, only he would be able to provide her with answers. This was her heritage. She felt lost without knowing who she was or where she came from. She felt like she only existed, floating through life not knowing who it was that looked back at her from the mirror.
When she returned to the laundry room she and Clara remained silent. The other maids paid little attention to them gossiping away as they normally did. That was fine for Annabelle. At that moment she had no need to speak to any of them.
Afterwards, when it was nearly lunch time they stopped to eat quickly before going back to work. When Annabelle began to return with the others Clara stopped her.
"Go, you need sometime to yourself. We can handle the rest. Just be home before dinner." Annabelle was thankful. She had to get out of the house and spend those few hours alone. It began to feel...small.
Heading out the back door Annabelle made her way to the shore. Whenever she felt overwhelmed she would sit on the sand and listen to the waves crashing against the shore and it calmed her. It reminded her of those precious moments between her and her mother so long ago. They would lay in the sunlight after swimming, content to just be. She missed being able to run out into the ocean and dive in every morning. Annabelle's new life simply did not allow her the time or luxury to go swimming anymore. She was required to be at the house for most of the time. She had free time once dinner was over and the dishes were clean. But there was no time for swimming after dusk.
She went to the same place every time. It was a small, secluded end of the beach near the house. Very few people went there and she was able to strip down to nothing but her petticoat without worry. There was the occasion sailor or two but no one to disturb her.
Once she arrived the first thing she did was remove her shoes and stockings so she could feel the sand between her aching toes. It was warm and soothing underneath her tired feet. She stood for a moment, simply enjoying the sand before moving further down the beach. Making sure no one was around she stripped off her dress and bonnet, carefully placing them on the sand. Taking the pin out of her hair she let the braid fall down her back before her nimble fingers gracefully unwound it. Dark waves fell about her shoulders and back and she took this moment to truly let her body relax. Feeling the wind through her hair and inhaling the salt water she truly felt at home.
Then she carefully waded into the water. The waves were rougher than normal, nearly knocking her backwards but she pressed on until she was waist deep. She sank into the water then began swimming out into the blue green waters. She considered herself an excellent swimmer, even though lack of practice left her body in less than great condition for it. Her muscles burned with the familiar feeling of pushing herself against the current. She swam far out into the waters, arms and legs alternating with each rhythmic stroke. With each breath she took she pushed her body.
Almost instantly she felt better. There were no hidden memories to think about, no pirates, no fathers, nothing but her and the sea. Her mind recalled the look of her mother's toned limbs moving in and out of the ocean and the way the sun darkened her skin to a deep golden brown. She hoped the sun would do the same to her. At that moment she wanted very much to feel as if she were but a drop of water in the sea, a part of it.
Swimming farther and farther out to sea, she strove for the horizon and the sun that leisurely descended above her. Filling her lungs with air she dove underneath a wave. All sounds dissipated from around her and all that was left was the serenity of the calming blue. Her lungs began to burn for air and she pushed her body heavenward, breaking the surface.
Her heart pounded in her ears from all the exertion. Tilting backward she floated on the surface that gently rocked her seemingly weightless body. The heat of the sun brought a smile to her face.
She continued on until she felt up to swimming again. She swam until her arms and legs were so sore that she thought she'd have to crawl home. As the hours pass by the sun sank lower in the sky and she found herself exhausted on the hot sand. Regardless of her wishes her body began to sleep...
"Mama?"
"Hmm..."
"Are you awake, mama?"
Dark brown eyes opened to greet a similar yet smaller pair. The corners of those eyes crinkled in a languid smile.
"What's in your head, child?"
The child looked down at her tiny brown hands suddenly feeling silly. The woman sat up and brought the child into her comforting embrace.
"Come now, why that long face?"
The child leaned into her mothers arms.
"Why don't you ever talk about him, mama?"
The woman stiffened, trying not to let the child see her discomfort.
"Who?"
"Daddy."
The reply was so simple yet weighing so heavily upon the woman.
"Not much to say, love." She wanted the child to be happy with that answer but she knew it wouldn't work. She didn't want to think about him anymore.
But the child remained silent even though she wanted to ask more. The woman looked into the child's face and she could see the sadness. She released a heavy sigh.
"Take a look at there, child," the woman began stretching her finger towards the vast ocean, "and tell me what you see."
The child turned her small eyes to watch the horizon.
"It's the sea, mama." She replied, clearly puzzled.
"Aye, child, that it is. And it stretches out farther than you can imagine. Do you remember what we did on your birthday?" She asked turning to the child.
The child's face lit up with untold glee. She nodded vigorously.
"You took me to see all the boats! And the nice man with the funny hat let me on one! He said he was the captain and that was his boat."
The woman smiled and hugged the child closer.
"Yes. Well, your father is a captain of his own ship too." The woman's eyes suddenly turned wistful as she gazed towards the horizon.
The child's eyes lit up.
"Really?? Was it a big one?"
The woman laughed. "Yes, it was. He's probably out there right now." She spoke more so to herself than her daughter.
They both fell into silence and watched the waves crash and recede.
"I'm going to have my own ship one day too, Annie. I'll take you everywhere you want to go." She whispered, holding the child close.
"Can we go to daddy?" The child asked equally as quiet.
The question was never answered.
"Miss.miss?"
Annabelle awoke to someone shaking her shoulders in a less than gentle fashion. She frowned, opening her blurry eyes and seeing two faces peering down at her. She rose up on her elbows and eyed the two men curiously. She recognized William Turner along side a sailor she'd seen earlier on a fishing boat.
"Are you alright, Miss Annabelle?" Turner asked.
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, noticing that the sun was considerably lower in the sky then when she last saw it.
"Asleep? We thought the waves had tossed you a bit when we found you here, miss. The current's rough today. What were you doing sleeping on the beach here in naught but your undergarments?" The unnamed sailor asked, certainly unaccustomed to seeing young women lying around in the sand.
Annabelle frowned, half tempted to ask him what business it was of his but then she remembered her place. "I went for a swim."
The sailor looked surprised at her. "This is no place for a lady to go swimming alone." Annabelle resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was in no mood to be reprimanded by some sailor she'd never met.
"Are you sure you're alright, miss?" The soft voice of William Turner asked. She gave him a slight smile and nodded.
"I merely fell asleep and if you two wouldn't mind, I must return home. I'm late enough as it is." She replied getting to her feet. She Picked up her belongings and began moving away from the shore. Her face and skin felt hot from lying in the sun too long and she noticed that she had gotten considerably darker. She ran her fingers through her tangled, wavy hair, trying to tame it and shake the sand out of it at the same time.
"Miss Annabelle, if you would be so kind to wait for me. I'd like to walk you home." Annabelle wanted to say that she wasn't far and didn't need supervision but she decided against it. It was a nice enough request and he was a kind man. Looking down at herself she realized how it must look to people passing by and decided to get dressed. She wasn't a whore and didn't want to appear as one. Shaking the rest of the sand off her petticoat she slipped her dress over her head then put her shoes and stockings on. She held the bonnet and hair clips in her hand as Will made his way over to her. He had stopped for a moment to talk to the sailor before joining her.
"Shall we go?" He asked, offering her his arm. She nodded and looped her arm through his. They began walking for the Norrington Household.
"How did you happen upon me, Mr. Turner?" Annabelle asked, giving him a quick look.
"I sometimes take walks through this area when I need to think. The young sailor was a friend of mine and I saw him crouching over you." He replied, taking notice of her again. The resemblance was just uncanny.
"I apologize for this. It was careless of me." She replied, feeling uncomfortable. She noticed the way he looked at her and felt tempted to yank her arm out of his and run the rest of the way. But she remained calm. She hated being stared at.
"It's no trouble."
Will noticed the girl's discomfort and struggled with something to make her feel at ease.
"Is this something you do often?" He asked. She gave him a puzzled look.
"Sleep half dressed in the sand?" She asked, quirking a grin.
He returned the smile, "I mean swimming here, along this shore."
"Not very often, anymore. I do when I have the time. And I'm afraid lack of it has made me terribly out of shape." She grinned sheepishly, now noticing the stiffness creeping into her limbs. She knew she was going to hurt later for her exertion.
"You're family must have been sailors then."
Annabelle nearly stopped dead. But she quickly realized he was merely guessing. The children who spent time at sea were taught to swim more so than those who spent most of their time on land.
She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, something like that." She replied dismissively, giving a weak smile. "My mother taught me to swim when we lived in Spain. It's a natural as walking to me."
"You're mother, is she also a maid of Norrinton?" He asked in the pretense of appearing casual.
"No...I was told that she died when I was younger, before I came to live with Norrington."
Will suddenly felt silly for asking. "My apologies, miss." He replied softly.
She gave him another smile, pulling her arm out of his. "There's no need. I don't remember much of her. I thank you for walking me home."
He smiled and she turned to make her way through the back entrance to avoid being seen. Will gave a sigh. A question had been on his mind ever since she mentioned her mother. He knew he was being presumptuous but he felt compelled to ask.
"If you don't mind me asking...what was her name?" He questioned.
Annabelle turned to look at him. She thought the question was odd but saw no real reason for not answering.
"Her name was Anamaria."
Will gave himself credit for not outwardly showing his complete and utter shock at her words. He schooled his face with a smile and gave her a bow. "Good day to you, Miss Annabelle." He spoke and quickly walked away.
AN: Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! ^_~
A Sparrow's Daughter
By Anlei
Chapter Four
For the rest of the day Annabelle could barely focus on her chores. Her mind tried over and over again to wrap itself around this new revelation. She was a pirate. Maybe not formally, she had never plundered anything and as for sword play that was another story in itself. She wouldn't know what to do with a sword no matter how much she liked them.
Despite all of this she as a pirate by blood. That meant her mother was a pirate. Her father probably was too. She just wished she could remember. It seemed to raise more questions, questions she had never considered before. What as the name of the ship? Why did Norrington keep this from her? What does he know?
Now more than ever she wanted to find her father. She had too.
Was he even alive?
Annabelle had never considered it before. She may be driving herself crazy over someone she would never know. Maybe the reason it had always been just her and her mother resulted from an early death of her father.
Or maybe the reason she didn't know him was because he didn't want to know her. Maybe her mother had tried to spare her the grief of knowing that she had a father who regretted her existence.
No, no...none of these can be true. She refused to believe it.
It didn't matter, her mind was made up. She had to find him, even if he wanted nothing to do with her, only he would be able to provide her with answers. This was her heritage. She felt lost without knowing who she was or where she came from. She felt like she only existed, floating through life not knowing who it was that looked back at her from the mirror.
When she returned to the laundry room she and Clara remained silent. The other maids paid little attention to them gossiping away as they normally did. That was fine for Annabelle. At that moment she had no need to speak to any of them.
Afterwards, when it was nearly lunch time they stopped to eat quickly before going back to work. When Annabelle began to return with the others Clara stopped her.
"Go, you need sometime to yourself. We can handle the rest. Just be home before dinner." Annabelle was thankful. She had to get out of the house and spend those few hours alone. It began to feel...small.
Heading out the back door Annabelle made her way to the shore. Whenever she felt overwhelmed she would sit on the sand and listen to the waves crashing against the shore and it calmed her. It reminded her of those precious moments between her and her mother so long ago. They would lay in the sunlight after swimming, content to just be. She missed being able to run out into the ocean and dive in every morning. Annabelle's new life simply did not allow her the time or luxury to go swimming anymore. She was required to be at the house for most of the time. She had free time once dinner was over and the dishes were clean. But there was no time for swimming after dusk.
She went to the same place every time. It was a small, secluded end of the beach near the house. Very few people went there and she was able to strip down to nothing but her petticoat without worry. There was the occasion sailor or two but no one to disturb her.
Once she arrived the first thing she did was remove her shoes and stockings so she could feel the sand between her aching toes. It was warm and soothing underneath her tired feet. She stood for a moment, simply enjoying the sand before moving further down the beach. Making sure no one was around she stripped off her dress and bonnet, carefully placing them on the sand. Taking the pin out of her hair she let the braid fall down her back before her nimble fingers gracefully unwound it. Dark waves fell about her shoulders and back and she took this moment to truly let her body relax. Feeling the wind through her hair and inhaling the salt water she truly felt at home.
Then she carefully waded into the water. The waves were rougher than normal, nearly knocking her backwards but she pressed on until she was waist deep. She sank into the water then began swimming out into the blue green waters. She considered herself an excellent swimmer, even though lack of practice left her body in less than great condition for it. Her muscles burned with the familiar feeling of pushing herself against the current. She swam far out into the waters, arms and legs alternating with each rhythmic stroke. With each breath she took she pushed her body.
Almost instantly she felt better. There were no hidden memories to think about, no pirates, no fathers, nothing but her and the sea. Her mind recalled the look of her mother's toned limbs moving in and out of the ocean and the way the sun darkened her skin to a deep golden brown. She hoped the sun would do the same to her. At that moment she wanted very much to feel as if she were but a drop of water in the sea, a part of it.
Swimming farther and farther out to sea, she strove for the horizon and the sun that leisurely descended above her. Filling her lungs with air she dove underneath a wave. All sounds dissipated from around her and all that was left was the serenity of the calming blue. Her lungs began to burn for air and she pushed her body heavenward, breaking the surface.
Her heart pounded in her ears from all the exertion. Tilting backward she floated on the surface that gently rocked her seemingly weightless body. The heat of the sun brought a smile to her face.
She continued on until she felt up to swimming again. She swam until her arms and legs were so sore that she thought she'd have to crawl home. As the hours pass by the sun sank lower in the sky and she found herself exhausted on the hot sand. Regardless of her wishes her body began to sleep...
"Mama?"
"Hmm..."
"Are you awake, mama?"
Dark brown eyes opened to greet a similar yet smaller pair. The corners of those eyes crinkled in a languid smile.
"What's in your head, child?"
The child looked down at her tiny brown hands suddenly feeling silly. The woman sat up and brought the child into her comforting embrace.
"Come now, why that long face?"
The child leaned into her mothers arms.
"Why don't you ever talk about him, mama?"
The woman stiffened, trying not to let the child see her discomfort.
"Who?"
"Daddy."
The reply was so simple yet weighing so heavily upon the woman.
"Not much to say, love." She wanted the child to be happy with that answer but she knew it wouldn't work. She didn't want to think about him anymore.
But the child remained silent even though she wanted to ask more. The woman looked into the child's face and she could see the sadness. She released a heavy sigh.
"Take a look at there, child," the woman began stretching her finger towards the vast ocean, "and tell me what you see."
The child turned her small eyes to watch the horizon.
"It's the sea, mama." She replied, clearly puzzled.
"Aye, child, that it is. And it stretches out farther than you can imagine. Do you remember what we did on your birthday?" She asked turning to the child.
The child's face lit up with untold glee. She nodded vigorously.
"You took me to see all the boats! And the nice man with the funny hat let me on one! He said he was the captain and that was his boat."
The woman smiled and hugged the child closer.
"Yes. Well, your father is a captain of his own ship too." The woman's eyes suddenly turned wistful as she gazed towards the horizon.
The child's eyes lit up.
"Really?? Was it a big one?"
The woman laughed. "Yes, it was. He's probably out there right now." She spoke more so to herself than her daughter.
They both fell into silence and watched the waves crash and recede.
"I'm going to have my own ship one day too, Annie. I'll take you everywhere you want to go." She whispered, holding the child close.
"Can we go to daddy?" The child asked equally as quiet.
The question was never answered.
"Miss.miss?"
Annabelle awoke to someone shaking her shoulders in a less than gentle fashion. She frowned, opening her blurry eyes and seeing two faces peering down at her. She rose up on her elbows and eyed the two men curiously. She recognized William Turner along side a sailor she'd seen earlier on a fishing boat.
"Are you alright, Miss Annabelle?" Turner asked.
"How long have I been asleep?" She asked, noticing that the sun was considerably lower in the sky then when she last saw it.
"Asleep? We thought the waves had tossed you a bit when we found you here, miss. The current's rough today. What were you doing sleeping on the beach here in naught but your undergarments?" The unnamed sailor asked, certainly unaccustomed to seeing young women lying around in the sand.
Annabelle frowned, half tempted to ask him what business it was of his but then she remembered her place. "I went for a swim."
The sailor looked surprised at her. "This is no place for a lady to go swimming alone." Annabelle resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She was in no mood to be reprimanded by some sailor she'd never met.
"Are you sure you're alright, miss?" The soft voice of William Turner asked. She gave him a slight smile and nodded.
"I merely fell asleep and if you two wouldn't mind, I must return home. I'm late enough as it is." She replied getting to her feet. She Picked up her belongings and began moving away from the shore. Her face and skin felt hot from lying in the sun too long and she noticed that she had gotten considerably darker. She ran her fingers through her tangled, wavy hair, trying to tame it and shake the sand out of it at the same time.
"Miss Annabelle, if you would be so kind to wait for me. I'd like to walk you home." Annabelle wanted to say that she wasn't far and didn't need supervision but she decided against it. It was a nice enough request and he was a kind man. Looking down at herself she realized how it must look to people passing by and decided to get dressed. She wasn't a whore and didn't want to appear as one. Shaking the rest of the sand off her petticoat she slipped her dress over her head then put her shoes and stockings on. She held the bonnet and hair clips in her hand as Will made his way over to her. He had stopped for a moment to talk to the sailor before joining her.
"Shall we go?" He asked, offering her his arm. She nodded and looped her arm through his. They began walking for the Norrington Household.
"How did you happen upon me, Mr. Turner?" Annabelle asked, giving him a quick look.
"I sometimes take walks through this area when I need to think. The young sailor was a friend of mine and I saw him crouching over you." He replied, taking notice of her again. The resemblance was just uncanny.
"I apologize for this. It was careless of me." She replied, feeling uncomfortable. She noticed the way he looked at her and felt tempted to yank her arm out of his and run the rest of the way. But she remained calm. She hated being stared at.
"It's no trouble."
Will noticed the girl's discomfort and struggled with something to make her feel at ease.
"Is this something you do often?" He asked. She gave him a puzzled look.
"Sleep half dressed in the sand?" She asked, quirking a grin.
He returned the smile, "I mean swimming here, along this shore."
"Not very often, anymore. I do when I have the time. And I'm afraid lack of it has made me terribly out of shape." She grinned sheepishly, now noticing the stiffness creeping into her limbs. She knew she was going to hurt later for her exertion.
"You're family must have been sailors then."
Annabelle nearly stopped dead. But she quickly realized he was merely guessing. The children who spent time at sea were taught to swim more so than those who spent most of their time on land.
She gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, something like that." She replied dismissively, giving a weak smile. "My mother taught me to swim when we lived in Spain. It's a natural as walking to me."
"You're mother, is she also a maid of Norrinton?" He asked in the pretense of appearing casual.
"No...I was told that she died when I was younger, before I came to live with Norrington."
Will suddenly felt silly for asking. "My apologies, miss." He replied softly.
She gave him another smile, pulling her arm out of his. "There's no need. I don't remember much of her. I thank you for walking me home."
He smiled and she turned to make her way through the back entrance to avoid being seen. Will gave a sigh. A question had been on his mind ever since she mentioned her mother. He knew he was being presumptuous but he felt compelled to ask.
"If you don't mind me asking...what was her name?" He questioned.
Annabelle turned to look at him. She thought the question was odd but saw no real reason for not answering.
"Her name was Anamaria."
Will gave himself credit for not outwardly showing his complete and utter shock at her words. He schooled his face with a smile and gave her a bow. "Good day to you, Miss Annabelle." He spoke and quickly walked away.
AN: Reviews are ALWAYS welcome! ^_~