Read the author's notes (please)!
1) Ahem. Catclaws (my evil alter ego) has apparently found a way out of the closet I keep her locked in recently, because I am incredibly caustic in many places, both in the notes and the fic. I ask you not to take major offense to my general cattiness and sarcasm. My language in here is pretty bad, too...
2) I've only outright replaced one character in this fic. That character is Elizabeth, which I'll explain in the next note. Everybody else stays pretty much who and what they are. Slight exceptions for cameos might be made, and those people will probably be pretty highly OOC. Sorry, folks! Also, I don't know the names of many minor characters, so I'm going to make up names I think fit them.
3) Yes, I replaced Elizabeth. No, not with Relena. Frankly, that would either scare me shitless or cause me to barf up things I ate in second grade. If I wanted to do a replacing type fic, Elizabeth would be Merian, Will would be Wufei, Jack would be Duo, and Barbosa would be Treize- though Treize is too elegant to fit in with Barbosa's enjoyment of cruelty, not to mention temper. And I can't see him making a Lady walk the plank. Actually, I think J is closer to Barbosa then Treize. But back on topic- who I did replace Elizabeth with was Dorothy. Before you run screaming, I sharpened Liz's character up a bit, and mellowed out Dorothy until they matched. It's actually a lovely fit, though rather OOC. But doesn't Dotty-chan seem the type who would be obsessed with pirates as a girl?
4) I've done no major warping to the movie. Yes, there are differences in the lines and plot. Yes, the G-boys have major roles. It wouldn't be here as a GW fanfic, otherwise. So please don't worry. What I did was fit the G-boys and their baggage around what the movie is already about. Excepting the one replacement, and possible cameos.
5) There will be yaoi here. I don't think that it will get past limes, but there will be lemon mentions, and there could be lemon(s). I'm not sure yet. For all the rabid fans of Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp, the only characters this applies to are the ones from GW. (All the G-boys will be here- it will just take a while to introduce them, so please be patient)
6) Announcement: If you didn't understand the previous Warning, can't accept it, or are under legal age and here without permission, don't read this. And 'cause I've warned you, I am now not responsible for your shock and horror if you DO read it, anyway, or your parent's shock and horror if they find out what you're reading and take offense to it. Translated, this means: if you are mortally offended by what you read here, or are in deep shit because of it, it's your own stinkin' fault for ignoring me!
7) In relation to the above Warning, because it's your own stinkin' fault you're offended or in said deep shit, flaming me will have no effect whatsoever, beyond providing me with comic relief or maybe some amusing wall paper for the local public restrooms. The message is clear: flaming is a waste of time and good swear words.
8) I would like to add a little editorial comment here. Some idiots seem to enjoy reading these works of art (I mean fics as a whole, not mine personally- I'm not that egotistical...) for the sole purpose of getting offended and thus being able to rant. This is stupid. Stop. Now.
9) Nobody and nothing is mine. Not the G-boys (whaaaa), not the actors (sob), not the main plot (damn), and not the movie. Suing me will only earn you kitty litter, cat hair, and the tuna sandwich that I forgot in my gym locker last month.
10) I know less then nothing about the technical terms, weights, facts, and trivia. I'm writing this from listening to and watching the movie. I can rant to you about Greek mythology, but I can't sail a ship, make a sword, or issue real military commands/titles to save my life. I'm sorry if I mangle a term or a concept, or make something completely impossible happen because I don't know the truth from shit. I honestly don't mean to be that idiotic.
11) A few more little things: one, people might be a little OOC. Deal. It's not much, and this is an AU, you should be expecting it. Two, my evil alter ego Catclaws might make appearances. Three, anything you seen in the movie (such as violence, bloodletting, brawls, etc) will most likely have a place in here. If y'all 're faint of heart, this here fic ain't fer you.
Pirates, Ye Be Warned...
Pirates of the Caribbean By Silver Cateyes
The ship seemed to simply appear out of the fog, with no transitions between here and not here. That same fog made it seem to those on the ship that they weren't moving at all, but were merely drifting through a never-ending veil of gray. This was a rather depressing feeling, all around, and one small girl standing on the bow was softly singing a song she had made up, in an effort to disguise her own unease. She very rarely let anyone see her unease, and especially not when they were uneasy, too. "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. Next stop, we pilfer, we filch, and snatch-" A heavy hand fell on her shoulder, cutting her off, and causing her to gasp in shock.
"Quiet missy!" hissed the sailor who had been assigned to watch her on deck. "Cursed pirates sail these waters. Ya don't want ta bring 'em down on us, now, do ya?!"
"Mister Gibbs," a sharp voice cut through the fog, "that will do."
"She was singin' about pirates!" Gibbs said, but he saw that neither the Lieutenant nor the Governor had understood him. He hastened to explain more fully. "It's bad luck to be singin' about pirates when we're mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words."
"Consider them marked," returned the officer, calmly. "On your way."
"Aye, Lieutenant," Gibbs said. As he left, he cast a glance back at the girl, who had watched the exchange curiously. "It's bad luck to have a woman aboard, too... even a miniature one," he muttered to himself. Then, taking a swig from the flask he always carried, he went to see to his other duties.
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate," the girl commented, toying with a few strands of platinum blonde hair that fell over her shoulder.
"Think again, Miss Swan," the officer said in a rather smug tone. "Violent, 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 what he deserves- a short stop and a sudden drop." Here, he looked rather patronizingly down at the girl beside him.
Not quite understanding his meaning, but not wanting to admit it to someone who was acting that smug, she glanced over at the person who had been her firm ally since she had boarded the ship- Gibbs. He obligingly mimed chocking to death on his collar. Dorothy turned back to the Lieutenant wavering between shock and outrage- hanging was for criminals, not interesting people! Her father saved her from having to reply.
"Lieutenant Norington, I appreciate your fervor, but I, I'm concerned about the affect this subject will have upon my daughter," he interjected quickly, interrupting the conversation.
"My apologies, Governor Swan," the young officer replied, before walking off.
Dorothy frowned- now no one would tell her about pirates! "Actually," she said, trying to soothe her father, "I find it all fascinating."
"Yes," was the dry reply. "That's what concerns me." Her father, the newly appointed Governor of Port Royal, then walked off.
Frowning in disappointment, Dorothy turned back to look out at the waters over the bow. She was never allowed to talk about anything interesting! Then she spotted something that completely made her forget her bad mood. A parasol was bobbing lightly over the small waves that their passage had caused. Smiling at the randomly placed item, she followed it as it drifted by the ship. The frown returned, however, when Dorothy wondered just where the small, frilly thing had come from. Looking up ahead again, the small girl saw something else floating towards their ship. It looked like a piece of planking. And on it...
"Look!" she cried, as soon as she could see just what it was clearly. "A boy! There's a boy in the water!"
This caused an instant stir among the crew, and Lieutenant Norington rushed to the rail to look. "Man overboard!" he cried, when he too had spotted the boy. Dorothy would have been a little annoyed, had there been time- was her word so untrustworthy that everything she said had to be verified?- but there was too much going on for her to really work up a mood. The men were busy pulling the boy up, and she wanted a look at him.
"Haul him aboard!" instructed Norington, who was supervising. He seemed to be really concerned about the boy- Dorothy gave him a little more credit then she had previously.
The boy was quickly hoisted aboard, and a sailor placed him on the deck. "He's still breathing," Norington sighed in relief, looking at him.
"Mary, Mother o' God..." came a shocked voice from Gibbs, the only man who had stayed at the railing, looking out as to where the boy might have come from. There was another stir, as the crew moved to see just what had disturbed him so.
It was like a scene from a horror story, or a sailor's nightmare. There were bits of wood, some still burning, drifting around the wreck of what had once been a ship. The smoke from the two halves it had been blown into was drifting up, indistinguishable from the fog that had cloaked it from them.
"What happened here?" demanded the Governor in a shaken voice.
"Most likely the powder magazine, merchant vessels run heavily armed," guessed Norington after a few moments, when it became clear that no one else was going to answer.
"Bloody good it did them," comment Gibbs darkly. Everyone turned to look at him.
"Everyone's thinkin' it I'm only sayin' it," he muttered defensively. "Pirates."
"There's no proof of that," the Governor said in what he felt was a bracing tone. "It was probably an accident."
Dorothy, meanwhile, had gone over to look at the boy. Had he really survived that- that- horror?!
Norington got over his shock, and fell back on his best defense- action.
"Rouse the Captain immediately," he snapped. "Heave to and take in sail, launch the boats!" There was instant action over the ship as sailors followed the orders, so that they could go look for survivors. Someone picked up the boy, and moved him to atop a crate, where no one would step on him. Dorothy watched them pick him up, feeling oddly protective. She had been the one to save his life, after all...
"Dorothy," her father said over her shoulder, startling her- bother, that was twice in one day!- "I want you to accompany the boy. He'll be in your charge; take care of him."
Dorothy recognized this for what it was- something to distract her from the burning ship ahead of them. But looking after the boy was what she wanted to do, and if there had been any pirates here, they were now gone. So she nodded complacently, and walked over to where the boy lay.
He was about her age, and seemed very pale, lying on a dark burlap sack where the sailor had placed him. His hair looked like it was a much darker blond then her own platinum hair; but it was hard to tell for certain because it was wet. She moved to brush a bit of it off his face, to get a better look at him.
Suddenly, he came awake, grabbing at her arm, nearly choking on his panicked gasp. Dorothy jumped, yet again startled. Enough was enough! Taking a calming breath, she tried to soothe the boy in front of her. "It's okay. My name's Dorothy Swan."
"W-Will Turner," the boy stammered out in return.
"I'm watching over you, Will." Dorothy didn't know why she said that- maybe it was something her mother used to say to her. But she didn't really need to say anything else; Will had passed out again. As his head relaxed back, a piece of twine around his neck caught her eye. Pulling at it, she discovered a gold medallion that fit into the palm of her hand. It was intricately carved, with points and in the center was- a skull?!
"You're a- pirate?" she murmured in shock.
"Has he said anything?" The strident voice of Lieutenant Norington whipped her around, and she quickly hid the gold piece behind her back. Dorothy remembered Norington's ideas on pirates.
"His name's William Turner. That's all I found out," she stated flatly, hoping that this would satisfy the officer.
He nodded. "Take him below," he instructed two others, then went to oversee the boats. Dorothy watched, knowing that the men were going to bathe the boy and change his cloths. She wouldn't be allowed into the room until they were done.
To pass the time, she went over to a corner of the bow, where nobody could see what she held in her hands, to look at the medallion. After carefully checking that none of the sailors were near her, she held it up to see better. As she looked at it, another ship seemed to suddenly fade into her focus, as if the mist was parting just to give her this glimpse. But this was no ship of the British navy. This ship was painted black, all over. Even its tattered sails were black. Stray flaps from the holes blew in the wind, the wind that despite those holes seemed to be propelling the ship quickly, far more quickly then their own ship could move. And flying from the mast, clear as if it were noon on a sunny summer's day, was the skull and crossed swords that were the symbol of fear- of pirates.
(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)
Dorothy suddenly woke, in her own bed, staring at the flames of a lantern that a helpful maid had placed on her table. It had been years since she had dreamed of that day, and that ship- but never had the dreams been so clear, so close to her memories. Well, that day was far in the past, now- 8 years in the past, to be precise. She was 18, a full-grown young woman, as her father was so fond of saying... so why did that day still haunt her? Why did it still linger in her mind and dreams? Dorothy frowned. She should have more control over herself then this.
Knowing that she wouldn't sleep anymore, Dorothy got up and went to look at the one thing that truly proved that the day had happened- that she had seen that ship. It was her one taste of adventure, for the rest of her life would probably be as dull and boring as society invariably was.
This tangible memory was stored under a false bottom to a drawer in her desk. After removing the articles that had been stored there, she pulled off the blank piece of wood and reached for the small, gold medallion, dull from the years it had spent in its hide away. It had lived there ever since she had come from England. She had never felt an urge to bring it out, before now. But that dream seemed to almost call to it. She stared at it for a moment, rubbing some dust off with her thumb. As the layers came off, the skull seemed to grin right at her, shining in the light cast by the lamp. Struck by sudden impulse, she tied the ends of the twine that held it around her neck. As she gazed at it in the mirror, Dorothy wondered what it would be like... to sail away from Port Royal... to get away from society's stuffy rules, and Captain Norington's increasing advances... to have an adventure...
The rapping on her door and her father calling her name jerked her back. Dorothy raced for her dressing robe, knocking over a chair. Her father couldn't see her like this, and he certainly couldn't see the medallion!
Apparently hearing the thud of the chair, her father called out again. "Dorothy? Are you all right? Are you... decent?"
"Yes," Dorothy gasped, quickly shoving the golden pendant down the front of her bodice. "Yes!" she called out louder.
The Governor came in, followed by the maids, who began to quickly open curtains and windows. "Still abed, at this hour...?" chided her father gently, ignoring the maids. Dorothy quickly blinked, to avoid the bright sun from the windows. Her eyes were still adjusted for darkness. "Beautiful day," Governor Swan observed, motioning to the clear view of the bay and fort that the open windows provided.
"I have a gift, for you," he continued, motioning to one of the maids. She was carrying a large box, which the Governor opened, revealing one of the nicest gowns that Dorothy had seen in a long while. While Dorothy personally found many of the formal dresses to be overdone and tasteless, this one was gorgeously simple.
"Oh, it's beautiful," she sighed, picking it up.
"Isn't it?" her father said, happily.
A sudden thought struck Dorothy. Though her father might be rather pompous and set in his ways at times, he was goodhearted, and intelligent, and rarely did something without a reason. "May I inquire as to the occasion?" she said, feeling a hint of suspicion.
"Does a father need an occasion to dote upon his daughter?" he replied, laughing a bit. He motioned for the maids to help Dorothy with the dress behind a screen on the other side of the room.
Though Dorothy felt there might be more, this answer would have to do. She began to change from the nightgown into the new dress, with the maids helping her to do and undo all the various petticoats and buttons. This would keep them from seeing the medallion, which she probably wouldn't be able to remove until this evening, now. Damnit.
As they began this process, her father spoke. "Actually, I ah... I had hoped you might wear it to the ceremony today."
"Ceremony?" asked Dorothy, from the other side of the screen. She had a horrible feeling that she knew what was coming.
"Captain Norington's promotion ceremony."
"I knew it," Dorothy said, sticking her head out from behind the screen.
"Commodore Norington, as he's about to become," her father amended. "Fine gentleman, don't you think?" Dorothy couldn't answer this, because the maids were starting to lacing up the corset- and it's hard to talk when there's no breath in your body. Her father continued, unaware. "He fancies you, you know." Her heard the gasp she gave, however.
"Dorothy? How's it coming?"
"It's difficult to say," his daughter choked out once she managed to get enough breath to do so.
"I'm told it's the latest fashion in London," was his almost apologetic reply.
"Well women in London must have learned not to breath!"
At this point, a footman walked in, saving the Governor from a response. "Milord, you have visitors," he announced.
(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)
The two young craftsmen were standing in the front hall, not entirely certain what to do. They weren't of high enough rank to sit comfortably in the sitting room, but they were certainly of a higher status then the servants. As a result, they were standing somewhat awkwardly in the front hall, waiting.
The younger of the two was holding a long thin box, as well as a stance that gave the impression that the entire fort's regiment wouldn't move him. His short, dark brown hair looked as if the only comb it knew was the wind, and was falling into his dark blue eyes. His face had most of the maids swooning, but no hint of expression on his face betrayed what he thought of this.
The older of the two, who had his hair tied back with a strip of leather, was wandering aimlessly towards a metal candle bracket on the wall. They were, after all, blacksmiths (or apprentices thereof), and he was curious about the work. Was it welding or mold? Will was answered when the middle candleholder came off in his hand. Ah. Welding then, and not very good work. Oops. Will looked franticly for a place to put the holder before anyone came. Heero solved his problem by grabbing it and dropping it in the cane stand by the front door.
Just in time, too- a footman walked through carrying a tray, and then Governor Swan himself came down the stairs. "Ah, Mister Turner, Mister Yuy," he said, nodding to the two young men and walking over. "It's good to see you again." His eyes drifted over them to fasten on the box in Heero's hands.
"Good day, sir," Will said, stepping forward and ignoring the way the Governor seemed to look through him rather then at him. "We have your order," he announced, taking the box from Heero and placing it on the table. When Will opened it, a sword in a scabbard was revealed. Taking the blade carefully, Will held it out for the Governor's inspection. Heero looked on; his opinion of highborn when it came to handling sharp pointy things was not very complementary.
As the elder man drew the sword and checked its edge and length, Will began to talk about why the sword was a good one.
"The blade is folded steel," he explained. "That's gold filigree laid into the handle." Here he held out his hands for the sword. "If I may?"
Governor Swan obligingly handed the blade over to the younger man. Will held it up and placed a finger just above the hilt. "Perfectly balanced," he demonstrated proudly. "The tang is nearly the full width of the blade." With a quick toss and flip, Will then handed the sword back to its buyer.
"Impressive," the Governor commented, though it wasn't quite clear whether he was referring to the sword, or to Will's display. Heero felt both were a little overdone; a sword's quality didn't depend on the hilt's gold, and simple tricks for overstuffed rich men were pointless. The conversation continued without his input, however; both other men were well accustomed to his habit of saying as little as possible or necessary.
"Very impressive," Swan repeated, taking the sword back and sheathing it. "Commodore Norington's going to be very pleased with this." He handed the now covered blade to Will, who smiled and placed it back in its box. The Governor wasn't finished speaking, however. "Do pass my complements on to your Master," he added.
Here, if you were looking very closely for it, the slightest twitch of cynical amusement crossed Heero's face. Had this rich fool been at all in touch with what was actually happening in his city, he would have known that their 'Master' was a drunken sot who had not truly worked metal for several years. It was Heero who did the main work, as well as the heaving and carrying that was necessary in a smith, and Will who filled the orders and fancy jobs. The sword that had just been displayed was a piece that Will had placed a very large amount of time and effort into. But no, all this politician could be bothered with was parties and ceremonies...
Will, however, merely smiled a touch sardonically before replying "I shall. A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated." He might have said more, but his attention was then attracted and held by the person now descending the stairs.
Horribly uncomfortable though the corset might be, it did its job. Dorothy was every inch the elegant lady, from her immaculate dress to her sweeping, light blonde hair. Her father had given up trying to get her to keep it in curls six years ago.
"Ah, Dorothy," her father said, noticing her as well. "You look absolutely stunning." She, however, had focused her attention on another.
"Will," she called, descending the stairs. "It's so good to see you." While many held the Governor's daughter to be calculating and cold hearted, she simply had no use for people she felt were foolish. This was most of society. Will, however, she genuinely liked, and was more open with him then with most. Of course, a bit of this might have been simply a way to annoy every stuffy matron she had ever met, but it was only a small bit. "I had a dream about you, last night," she said as she walked over. The look on her father's face was rather comical, really.
"About me?" repeated Will nervously. He really wasn't anywhere near confident that he should be offending or annoying the Governor, not if he wanted to stay in business.
"Ah, is that entirely proper for you to-" the Governor tried to advise, but his daughter interrupted him.
"About the day we met, do you remember?" Dorothy continued, smiling up at Will.
"How could I forget, Miss Swan?" was the evasive reply. Out of the corner of his eye, Will could see Heero. As one of the few people who could actually read Heero's moods, Will recognized that Heero was somewhere between annoyance at the rich as a whole and amusement at Will's problem. No help from there.
"Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Dorothy?" chuckled the lady in front of him. Will's response to this was usually amusing...
Much as he longed to say something along the lines of 'Never again,' Will knew that the Governor would never allow it. So, his answer was as it had ever been. "At least once more, Miss Swan. As always."
Now the Governor finally managed to get a word in. "There, you see? At least the boy has a sense of propriety. Now we really must be going." So saying, he picked up the box the two men had come to deliver, and started to the door.
Dorothy's face, which had fallen slightly at Will's response, was now icy at the rebuke. "Good day, Mr. Turner," she said coolly, then walked after her father.
Will followed them out, as did Heero. "Good day," Will called after the departing carriage. "Dorothy," he added under his breath. Only Heero was close enough to hear it.
Now Heero finally spoke. "Stupid."
"What?" Will asked. "Not offending a man who could ruin our business, or not saying what I wished to?"
"Hn," was his only response, as Heero started back to the town and their shop. Heero, the younger of the two smiths, barely old enough to be called a man now, had been brought to the blacksmith's as a foundling shortly after Will. The two had grown up together. They knew everything about each other except their pasts- that was the one thing that they didn't talk about. So Will knew full well that the grunt was merely a filler answer. Heero thought that Will knew exactly what was stupid.
And he did. A blacksmith could never aspire to marry the Governor's daughter- no matter how much or how long he loved her. With a sigh, Will started after Heero.
(x)(x)(x)(x)(x)
A/N:
So? What do you think? Comments? Criticism? Reviews? I would beg, but cats don't beg. I'll just plead shamelessly.
Catclaws: Review NOW, you insignificant specks! Or else!
Silver Cateyes: DOWN girl! Back! Back! snaps whip Don't worry folks, it's all under control!
Catclaws: grabs whip and tosses it into the trash compactor
Silver Cateyes: Eep! Er... give her catnip! It sometimes distracts her! runs away very fast