Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. In fact, after watching
this flick, I developed an aversion to coinage of all sorts. Suing me
wouldn't be wise.
Note: Thanks for all of your reviews! I asked for your honesty, and I got just that. Unfortunately, I can't really do anything about it this late in the game. So, I'm afraid you all must bear with the stale plot and stomach the fact that her name is Natalie (I ran an old English name search and that's how I decided upon it, FYI, : ). TRY to enjoy, lol.
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 7)
"Search everywhere!" cried Governor Swann, the fear in his words all but tangible as it rose above the crowded hall, "Bring anything you find immediately to me! I must know where that madman is taking my daughter!"
The people, who had been in that room since sunset the evening before, worked by the first rays of the sun that were peeking over the horizon, scattering about like a gaggle of old hens, each searching for the solution that would bring the young Miss Swann home and deliver them into the governor's favor.
No one investigated with more fervor than the Eatons.
"Father, why, exactly, are we searching for her? Does it even matter anymore?" asked Clark, taking great pains to kneel in such a way that wouldn't dirty his breeches. The way his father had been talking, it would be the last new pair for a long while.
Geoffrey raised his eyes in bitter wonderment of why he was cursed with such a mindless dolt for a son, then continued to push the potted palm aside to check for any clues. "It is because you were engaged that you must participate in the rescue. The man isn't going to hand over his fortune just because you had planned on marrying her!"
"Oh, dear," sighed Elizabeth, slipping her arm through is and leaning her head up against the wall of his chest, relishing the sound of his breathing, the one thing that, at the moment, had remained constant. Looking across the room, she watched as young Clark Eaton searched beneath a table for some hint as to where his love had gone, and her heart broke for him. "I do hope she's alright, Will. She was finally happy, she had finally found her place, and now she's gone."
At his wife's softly spoken words, he placed a reassuring kiss into her fragrant hair, and then rested his chin atop her head. "Darling, there is nothing to worry about. This is Jack Sparrow we're speaking of! Natalie is the perfect medium to pass along his legacy of 'tyranny' on the high seas to land. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. I'm certain of it."
* * * *
"So then, I ran through the armory, with nothing more than a pistol with two shots and little powder, the entire French army following close behind!" shouted Jack Sparrow, pausing briefly to take a swig from the jug of rum in front of him and delighting in the pained expressions of his audience, who seemed anxious to hear the grand finale.
Slamming the glass container down on the table, he suffered their request. "So I shoot behind meself once, killing four soldiers, all lined up one behind the other, and then my last shot hit a row of powder kegs! As the explosions began, I ran as fast as my legs would carry me to the exit on the far side, and at the crash of the last detonation I..."
The words died in Jack's mouth, which had gone dry as parchment, as his eyes fell upon Natalie Swann walking into the tavern. No longer was she wearing that enormous dress, but instead, a pair of worn, brown britches fit her lower half to perfection and a billowing, formerly white shirt hung loosely from her frame, dipping down low on one shoulder, revealing her creamy, pale skin. Her hair had been freed from the restrictive knot at the nape of her neck and now hung freely in deep auburn waves down her back.
Mumbling a quick farewell to his very disappointed listeners, he rose from the wobbly wooden chair and hurried over to her side, grabbing hold of her forearm and pulling her out the front door and into the thick of Tortuga vice. Looking side to side for a safe place to keep her, he decided the only area decent enough for the lady on this Godforsaken island would be his ship. And so, he started to pull her to the left, in the direction of the Cara Mia.
Wide-eyed and speechless, Natalie watched in shock as he violently tugged her along, feeling, once again, like a child. Humiliation stung her cheeks as the unwashed miscreants took time out of their busy lives of debauchery to point and laugh at the sight she made, being disciplined by Captain Jack Sparrow.
Regaining her voice, her eyes narrowed as the anger consumed her. "Unhand me now!" she hollered, pulling back to escape his grasp.
"How 'bout no!" he said with a glance back, only tightening his hold on her wrist. This really wasn't fair. Out of all the ships, with all of the captains, in the entire world, why the hell did he get stuck babysitting!
Turning up onto the gangway, Jack tossed her on deck, and hopped aboard right after. Trying not to look at the picture she made, rubbing her wrist and looking up at him with blind hatred, he tried to remain cool when he asked, "What did I tell you just before I left, Miss Swann? Huh? Please. I'd like to know, for I have forgotten!"
With a sigh, she bit back a string of insults in response to his patronizing tone and replied, "You said not to move, but I--."
He cut her off quickly, reiterating his instructions once more for her. "I said NOT TO MOVE! Is there anything in those few words that you find cryptic or confusing in any way!? I'd be thrilled to clarify for you, lass!"
Hopping to her feet, she jumped at him, yelling a reply directly to her face. "I'm frightfully sorry, Mister Sparrow, but I don't relish being told what I can and cannot do! In case you've forgotten, that is precisely why I left!"
"Ah, yes, why you left! Let's dwell on that delightful bit of information for a while, shall we?" he shouted, waving his hands wildly about above his head. "I am placing my crew at great risk by keeping you aboard, missy! Did it ever once occur to you that the incredibly uptight citizens of Port Royale might believe that you were kidnapped? They already know that I am the captain, all they have to do is seek the damn fleet on me now!"
She fell silent at his words, and slowly backed away from him. Raising her chin, she calmly stated, "No, I hadn't thought of that. I wouldn't dream of imposing so I will just stay here in Tortuga. Farewell." And with that, she started for the gangway.
His arm shot out and stopped her from leaving. From beside him, she raised her eyes to his and his stomach did some odd sort of nose dive. Training his eyes to look at the boom directly in front of him, he explained himself. "Norrington will have an even better reason to hang me if I leave you in such a place as this. You will stay with us for the time being, until we decide what to do with you. Savvy?"
Natalie simply nodded and replied, "I thank you for you graciousness, sir."
Dropping his hands from her, he stalked off across the deck. "There really is no need for such formality, Miss. You aren't a member of my crew so you can just call me Jack."
She smiled and walked over to his side, reciprocating his gesture. "Very well. But if I am to call you Jack, then you must call me Natalie." Copying his former utterance she gave a pirate-like growl and said, "Savvy?"
Raising an eyebrow, he struggled to suppress a grin, but feigned little amusement. "Do me a favor, would ya? Never do that again. It really doesn't suit you, luv." In response, her laughter rang out, clear and strong, and his gut turned over again. Changing the subject, he sent her a wink. "So, Natalie, where exactly did you lose that dress of yours to?"
"Ah, wouldn't you like to know!"
Note: Thanks for all of your reviews! I asked for your honesty, and I got just that. Unfortunately, I can't really do anything about it this late in the game. So, I'm afraid you all must bear with the stale plot and stomach the fact that her name is Natalie (I ran an old English name search and that's how I decided upon it, FYI, : ). TRY to enjoy, lol.
Here's To Freedom (Chapter 7)
"Search everywhere!" cried Governor Swann, the fear in his words all but tangible as it rose above the crowded hall, "Bring anything you find immediately to me! I must know where that madman is taking my daughter!"
The people, who had been in that room since sunset the evening before, worked by the first rays of the sun that were peeking over the horizon, scattering about like a gaggle of old hens, each searching for the solution that would bring the young Miss Swann home and deliver them into the governor's favor.
No one investigated with more fervor than the Eatons.
"Father, why, exactly, are we searching for her? Does it even matter anymore?" asked Clark, taking great pains to kneel in such a way that wouldn't dirty his breeches. The way his father had been talking, it would be the last new pair for a long while.
Geoffrey raised his eyes in bitter wonderment of why he was cursed with such a mindless dolt for a son, then continued to push the potted palm aside to check for any clues. "It is because you were engaged that you must participate in the rescue. The man isn't going to hand over his fortune just because you had planned on marrying her!"
"Oh, dear," sighed Elizabeth, slipping her arm through is and leaning her head up against the wall of his chest, relishing the sound of his breathing, the one thing that, at the moment, had remained constant. Looking across the room, she watched as young Clark Eaton searched beneath a table for some hint as to where his love had gone, and her heart broke for him. "I do hope she's alright, Will. She was finally happy, she had finally found her place, and now she's gone."
At his wife's softly spoken words, he placed a reassuring kiss into her fragrant hair, and then rested his chin atop her head. "Darling, there is nothing to worry about. This is Jack Sparrow we're speaking of! Natalie is the perfect medium to pass along his legacy of 'tyranny' on the high seas to land. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. I'm certain of it."
* * * *
"So then, I ran through the armory, with nothing more than a pistol with two shots and little powder, the entire French army following close behind!" shouted Jack Sparrow, pausing briefly to take a swig from the jug of rum in front of him and delighting in the pained expressions of his audience, who seemed anxious to hear the grand finale.
Slamming the glass container down on the table, he suffered their request. "So I shoot behind meself once, killing four soldiers, all lined up one behind the other, and then my last shot hit a row of powder kegs! As the explosions began, I ran as fast as my legs would carry me to the exit on the far side, and at the crash of the last detonation I..."
The words died in Jack's mouth, which had gone dry as parchment, as his eyes fell upon Natalie Swann walking into the tavern. No longer was she wearing that enormous dress, but instead, a pair of worn, brown britches fit her lower half to perfection and a billowing, formerly white shirt hung loosely from her frame, dipping down low on one shoulder, revealing her creamy, pale skin. Her hair had been freed from the restrictive knot at the nape of her neck and now hung freely in deep auburn waves down her back.
Mumbling a quick farewell to his very disappointed listeners, he rose from the wobbly wooden chair and hurried over to her side, grabbing hold of her forearm and pulling her out the front door and into the thick of Tortuga vice. Looking side to side for a safe place to keep her, he decided the only area decent enough for the lady on this Godforsaken island would be his ship. And so, he started to pull her to the left, in the direction of the Cara Mia.
Wide-eyed and speechless, Natalie watched in shock as he violently tugged her along, feeling, once again, like a child. Humiliation stung her cheeks as the unwashed miscreants took time out of their busy lives of debauchery to point and laugh at the sight she made, being disciplined by Captain Jack Sparrow.
Regaining her voice, her eyes narrowed as the anger consumed her. "Unhand me now!" she hollered, pulling back to escape his grasp.
"How 'bout no!" he said with a glance back, only tightening his hold on her wrist. This really wasn't fair. Out of all the ships, with all of the captains, in the entire world, why the hell did he get stuck babysitting!
Turning up onto the gangway, Jack tossed her on deck, and hopped aboard right after. Trying not to look at the picture she made, rubbing her wrist and looking up at him with blind hatred, he tried to remain cool when he asked, "What did I tell you just before I left, Miss Swann? Huh? Please. I'd like to know, for I have forgotten!"
With a sigh, she bit back a string of insults in response to his patronizing tone and replied, "You said not to move, but I--."
He cut her off quickly, reiterating his instructions once more for her. "I said NOT TO MOVE! Is there anything in those few words that you find cryptic or confusing in any way!? I'd be thrilled to clarify for you, lass!"
Hopping to her feet, she jumped at him, yelling a reply directly to her face. "I'm frightfully sorry, Mister Sparrow, but I don't relish being told what I can and cannot do! In case you've forgotten, that is precisely why I left!"
"Ah, yes, why you left! Let's dwell on that delightful bit of information for a while, shall we?" he shouted, waving his hands wildly about above his head. "I am placing my crew at great risk by keeping you aboard, missy! Did it ever once occur to you that the incredibly uptight citizens of Port Royale might believe that you were kidnapped? They already know that I am the captain, all they have to do is seek the damn fleet on me now!"
She fell silent at his words, and slowly backed away from him. Raising her chin, she calmly stated, "No, I hadn't thought of that. I wouldn't dream of imposing so I will just stay here in Tortuga. Farewell." And with that, she started for the gangway.
His arm shot out and stopped her from leaving. From beside him, she raised her eyes to his and his stomach did some odd sort of nose dive. Training his eyes to look at the boom directly in front of him, he explained himself. "Norrington will have an even better reason to hang me if I leave you in such a place as this. You will stay with us for the time being, until we decide what to do with you. Savvy?"
Natalie simply nodded and replied, "I thank you for you graciousness, sir."
Dropping his hands from her, he stalked off across the deck. "There really is no need for such formality, Miss. You aren't a member of my crew so you can just call me Jack."
She smiled and walked over to his side, reciprocating his gesture. "Very well. But if I am to call you Jack, then you must call me Natalie." Copying his former utterance she gave a pirate-like growl and said, "Savvy?"
Raising an eyebrow, he struggled to suppress a grin, but feigned little amusement. "Do me a favor, would ya? Never do that again. It really doesn't suit you, luv." In response, her laughter rang out, clear and strong, and his gut turned over again. Changing the subject, he sent her a wink. "So, Natalie, where exactly did you lose that dress of yours to?"
"Ah, wouldn't you like to know!"