It loomed on the horizon, like a nightmare awaiting sleep. High mountain peeks covered the central area, but a swarming and busy coastal port had developed adjacent to where the ship sailed. A majestic creature, The Robin, was made of the sturdiest wood and moved smoothly through the choppy water, the figure of a robin on the front, distinguishing it from the various others ships surrounding it, each carrying the British flag. But The Robin had no affiliation, had no flag, had nothing.
Glaring was all she could seem to do. Sitting atop a rather large barrel, feet propped up on the side of the ship, Julie Michel sat, arms crossed a grim look plastered to her face. She wore blue pants that cut off just on the calf, but her boots met directly at that point, covering her legs entirely. A white shirt hung loosely off her body, though various belts were tied tightly around her petite waist. Hanging off her hip was a leather belt, which held a very intricately engraved sword and gun, both with rubies and emeralds placed into them ostentatiously. Black hair whipped around in the slight breeze that swept down through the docks, but it didn't distract Julie's glare towards the fleet of British ships trailing them, as it had been for the past months.
It had all occurred so terribly fast that Julie had needed those months to comprehend what was to come at Port Royal - their destination. Over two years ago, at the young age of seventeen, Julie and her best friend and fellow captain of The Robin, James Montgomery, had been caught off the coast of Spain by the British. It hadn't taken long for them to be tried and put in the Tower of London for treason against the crown and a plot to kill the Queen, none of which James or Julie denied or affirmed.
Their execution day had come rather quickly, on a cool Autumn morning. Assembled in front of a wooden stage was a stand made to fit their heads perfectly so that the executioner could have an easy swipe at their neck. Crowds had gathered to watch these young, infamous pirates be beheaded, but they had been dismayed when the King had burst in at the last moment, pardoning them… for now. Shocked, it hadn't taken long for the excitement to wear down, for their lives had been of very little value when considering this trade, for Julie and James were asked to complete a task for the British, a task, that after much contemplation, they accepted.
Ordering them across the Atlantic, they had been privileged enough to bring along their own ship, which was now crewed by many of the top commanding officers in the Royal Navy. Despite their rank, as the ship docked in Port Royal, the sun only beginning to set, nobody was there to greet them. Remaining poised atop the barrel, Julie didn't flinch as the anchor dropped for the first time in months and a voice called out her name.
"Julie!" She heard James exclaim as he came bounding across the deck. Standing six feet tall with broad shoulders and muscular arms, most found him intimidating and frightening, but there was of course, a different side to this friend of hers. Meeting when they were only five years old, they had spent their youth together in Marseilles, on the southern coast of France. Together they had secretly learned to sword fight, how to shoot and sail, against his aristocratic parents wished. It hadn't taken long for them to join a crew lead by Monty Shepson, a rogue that sailed the Indian Ocean in hopes of attacking British merchant ships. Within the first two years though, Monty had died in a battle off the coast of Sri Lanka, and after much pain and griming, Julie and James inherited his ship, which they still owned today.
The bargain for their life had been a simple decision, but one that British were happy by. Within the last five years a young man had been roaming through the Caribbean, overtaking merchant ships and escaping past the Navy by mere minutes. Although his fame was found mainly in the America's, both Jack and Julie had heard the tales of the famous captain.
"Get off there Julie." James commanded as he grabbed hold of her shoulders and wrenched her to the side, forcing her legs to the ground and her body to remain upright.
"You only had to ask." Julie said smoothly, her voice with a slight French accent, a certain darkness and mystery to her eyes. Glancing over her friend, Julie smirked at the familiar blonde hair and tan skin, and laughed at his eagerness to get on land. "Never have I met a pirate so willing to leave his ship in the hands of the British." Julie whispered to him, listening to his boisterous laughter as he walked over towards the railing of the ship, glancing down at the commanding officers calling to them.
Light was beginning to fade, the sun disappearing behind the distant hills. High tide was coming and the waves were breaking hard and fast upon the rocky shore. James and Julie continued across the deck and with graceful elegance, they lifted their legs over the edge and slid off the ship and onto the wooden dock. Standing before them was an elegantly dressed man of forty, whose gray hair showed through the white wig he wore. "You two have three days. Three days before we take you right back to England in order to be publicly beheaded, as you should have been."
"Tsk tsk." Julie said with a slight flick of her wrist, as if to reprimand him. "The Queen pardoned us, it isn't your job to judge whether that was merited or not."
"Indeed." The officer said as he pointed down towards the city. "We have this area swarming with officials, if you so much as attempt to escape…" He warned, his face growing faintly red with rage.
"We won't!" James protested, as if he had heard this exact speech before. Once satisfied they understood their mission and restrictions, the officers sent the pair on their way.
Once reaching the land, the hard cobble stone hitting their boots with a faint click, both of them surveyed the slowing crowds through the markets. Having only seen a preliminary sketch of the man, it was hard to distinguish his features from others. With long brown hair and beads permanently attached, he could have been many of the various men they saw walking home to their wives and to the local pub.
"This is impossible." Julie said exasperated. Frankly, she had imagined a perfect scenario in which they would find him, kill him, and be done with it all after an hour. Now it was going on four hours and the streets were empty, the only person being the tiny man lighting the lamps.
"I need a drink." James complained to Julie, who nodded in agreement. Of course, they both knew it was dangerous to attempt entry into a pub, for that had been strictly placed on the list of prohibited items, but they could of course, if asked, say they saw him enter.
It took only a few minutes for them to find the nearest pub, which was brimming with people, many of which were already drunk, despite the early hour. Barmaids served the delirious men, who tipped backwards in their chairs, in hopes the ladies would take the invitation to sit on their laps, but of course, the men were left disappointed. Skimming the street for soldiers, both Julie and James slipped into the door, hoping to be unnoticed. The arrival of two pirates was far from ordinary within this British colony, and so many curious eyes turned towards them as they made their way through the crowd to a small table in a corner. Casually, Julie collapsed into a chair, followed by James across from her. Julie's eyes briefly glanced over the crowd, lingering on a familiar face. Scrunching her forehead as if to correct her vision, her mouth dropped open.
It was him. Their target. He was sitting there, his hand holding a large glass of what appeared to be rum, his other hand attempting to grab on to the beautiful barmaid that walked by and all the while holding a conversation with a scraggly older man beside him. Looking to be about twenty-one, Jack Sparrow seemed happier then ever. Still in possession of the Black Pearl, with his first mate Barbossa far from mutiny, his jovial laughter could be heard throughout Port Royal.
It would be easy to catch the captain of the Black Pearl.
