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Chapter Nine: Run Away
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It just so happened that day that we were to dine with the Commodore for supper. After spending another hour in the blacksmith shop watching Daddy work, the carriage came for us and we headed back to the fort to see Mum again. We stopped at the fort and I immediately jumped out of the carriage, not even waiting for the footman to help me down.
"Come on, Roland!" I yelled as I ran through the entrance to the heart of the fort.
"Sir," said the footman. "Should I go after her?" I heard Daddy chuckle as I ran ahead, Roland tagging along.
"No," replied Will. "She hasn't been here before. Give her some freedom."
Ahead of me I saw the numerous faces of many well-dressed gentlemen and ladies turn my way, but I smiled back at them too thrilled with my day to understand what their faces meant. I ran up some stairs lining a wall and ran around the fort until I reached the part facing the sea. I leaned against a ledge and looked at the setting sun. I heard heavy breathing behind me and I knew Roland was not far away.
"Don't run so fast!" he panted. "I'm surprised no one grabbed you and gave you a good scolding." I looked at the sea, a nearly visible smile on my face. My eyes were wide and unblinking.
"Have you ever been out to sea, Roland?" I asked.
"No," he replied, as if my question was stupid.
"I want to be back on a ship. There, I've never felt so free. Here, there is dreaded Missus Whitman and Matthew. On the Black Pearl, there's only Jack and many miles of ocean. There's nothing to stop me." Roland didn't seem to be listening to me and I finally left my gaze on the sunset. Roland was behind me, picking up a stone on the ground.
"I bet I can throw it past that rock!" he yelled.
"Go ahead." He threw it, and it went up, up, then slowly fell down, down. It splashed barely above the rock he pointed to.
"See? I told you."
"Give me a try." We looked for another stone to throw and Roland found one.
"Here," he said. He dropped it in my hand and I threw it with all my might. It went up, and water rippled around its landing, just a couple of feet short of the rock.
"Curses," I whispered under my breath.
"You'll get better," said Roland. "Come on. I see Mum. We have to go."
"Where to?"
"To someone's house. I think the Commodore's."
"What's a Comma...whatever you call it?"
"He's like a captain, but higher than a captain."
"What?"
"Never mind. Ask him yourself."
"Which one is he?"
"He's the one walking beside my grandfather."
"Governor Swann?"
"Yes." I ran ahead of him and I heard him scowl. He didn't want to run after me again. I ran through the crowd that was now leaving the fort. I was caught in a maze of fluffy dresses and gold-buttoned coats, but I managed to come across the Commodore. I stopped right in front of him, and he looked at me slightly in shock, but he smiled at me.
"Well now. Who might you be?" he asked. "Are you looking for your mother?" I only stared at him in curiosity, for he reminded me of a larger version of Matthew, except with a white wig.
"Are you the Commo... the Commod..." I struggled with my stuttering.
"The Commodore?" he finished.
"Yes! Yes, that's it! Are you him?"
"I am. And who might you be?"
"I'm Astrid."
"Ahh, yes, little Astrid!" cried the Governor, suddenly picking me up as if I were a doll. "Elizabeth has grown quite fond of you. How have you been?"
"Fine, sir," I replied, remembering my manners. The Governor turned to the Commodore.
"This is the child Elizabeth has adopted. She is wonderful isn't she?" The Commodore grinned politely.
"She is. Something seems familiar about her though. I could have sworn that she looks exactly like the girl some of my men have reported to have been seen with the devious Jack Sparrow." I would have protested against him if Roland hadn't come at that moment.
"Good evening, Grandfather, Commodore," he said, bowing a little to each of them. "My mother asks if you are ready to depart, sirs." I was a little shocked at Roland's sudden flawless courtesy.
"We are," said Governor Swann. "Lead the way, young Roland." And lead us he did.
I stomped over to Roland and grabbed his shoulder, not checking to see if the Governor or Commodore were watching me. I felt him jump with shock, which made me burst into giggles.
"Where are we going?" I asked him.
"To his house."
"To whose house?"
"To his house," Roland replied, pointing behind us at the Commodore.
"Why?" I still didn't understand why we had to go to his house. Roland looked at me with an un-amused face. He scratched his head, loosening the strip of cloth that held his hair back.
"Because," he replied.
"Because why?"
"Because that's what Mum said!" he yelled, obviously fed up with my inability to comprehend his statements in a flash.
"You could have just said that," I said, taking his anger in lightly. "Would've saved a lot more time." I skipped ahead, pushing my way through the throng until I ran out of the fort and into a line of carriages waiting to depart. I narrowed my eyes, trying to decipher which carriage was ours, but they all looked the same. They were all large, black, and tall, with thin black wheels holding them up.
Realizing that I had made a mistake in deserting Roland, I turned my head back to look for him, but I couldn't find his face in the moving swarm of people. Some even bumped into me without an apology. "Roland!" I called. "Roland!" But my screams were lost in the commotion of things. The tap of several peoples' shoes rang in the air, along with the constant chatter spilling from their mouths.
"There she is," came a loud voice. I turned around in response and was immediately hauled up by a firm arm. To my surprise, it was the Commodore himself. I could smell the powder of his wig and it irritated my nose. I was carried into a carriage and set down in a smooth seat by a window. The Commodore sat opposite of me, along with some other officers.
"Where is my mother?" I asked. The men sitting around me smiled at me simultaneously. "Where is she?"
"Don't fret, young Astrid," said the Commodore. "Missus Turner will be at my house, along with your other loved ones. We are headed there at the moment."
"Why?"
"I've invited you all to dine with me tonight at a festivity held at my home," he answered.
"What's a festivity?" The men chuckled at me and my face burned red.
"A gathering of people to have fun." I pressed my lips together and smiled cheaply. Their company was not as enjoyable as my family's.
"Thank you for taking me there then," I mumbled, looking at my feet that dangled above the floor. I knew when it was right to act like Astrid, and when it was right to act like a lady.
"How long have you lived in the Swann residence, Miss Astrid?" asked the Commodore.
"I can't remember," I replied. "Maybe a couple of months ago. I don't know."
"How did you end up living in their home? Governor Swann has not yet told me why." I knew he would find my behavior rude if I didn't tell him, so I opened my mouth to speak.
"I... don't remember," I murmured. I lied to him. I did remember. I remembered rowing in a rowboat with Jack to the docks. I remembered him using me to get the guards to let him go free. I remembered seeing Elizabeth, Will and Roland for the first time. And I remembered playing with Jack and thinking him to be the best father that ever lived, only to find that he had abandoned me.
For some reason, I felt my eyes grow hot and my nose began to run. I was crying, and I didn't understand why. I pinched my arm to make me stop, for the Commodore and his companions were sure to find me very unlady-like. I wiped my tears away with the sleeve of my new dress, and looked back up at the Commodore. They pressured me no further with more questions, and I remained quiet for the rest of the trip to the Commodore's grand home.
I wanted to look out the window instead of looking at the dull floor of the carriage, but I was too small to look over it without kneeling, another very uncivilized action. If I was riding with Mum and the people who knew me, then I would not feel any guilt from doing it, but sitting with naval officers made me feel as if the only thing I was allowed to do was breathe and sit.
To my relief, the carriage came to a halt, and as soon as the carriage door was opened, I got up first to be helped out by the footman. The footman gently helped me out, and as soon as I was on my own feet, I looked up at the sky. It was a swirl of blue and violet, rays of pink light vanishing each second. The air had gone cooler, but not too cold, and it felt cool and damp, like the air after a light rain.
"Astrid!" came a familiar voice. I smiled and followed the voice. People had begun their walk down the Commodore's walkway into his home, so I had to weave through them once again. "Astrid!" the voice came again.
"Here!" I yelled. Two gentle and strong hands grabbed me from behind and I shrieked with laughter. Will had found me and carried me in his arms, which I found much more comforting than the arms of the Commodore.
"Where have you been? Eli-- I mean, Mother, has been worried about you. She thought you got lost at the fort."
"I did get lost," I replied. "But the Commodore found me and took me here."
"Be sure to stay with Roland next time we go to another gathering. You two must always stay together. It will be easier to find you then. Come. I am sure Mum would be glad to see that you are safe."
He carried me into the home of the Commodore, whose name I later found out was James Norrington thanks to Roland. Daddy didn't put me down until he had found Mum, who waited frantically in the living room for us. As soon as she saw I was safe, she ran up and snatched me away from Dad, and I heard Roland giggling.
"I almost didn't believe Roland when he told me that you had ridden in another carriage. Who was in the carriage with you?"
"The Commodore," I replied, happy that I had said the word correctly.
"The Commodore?" She glanced at Daddy for a moment.
"He asked me why you were taking care of me," I said. Mum's brows wrinkled and she looked at me with a confused expression. "I said that I didn't remember anything as my answer to each of his questions."
"That's good," Mother sighed with relief. She set me down on the floor beside Roland, whose hair had been neatly tied back again. She walked over to Daddy and whispered something in his ear. He glanced at me for less than a second, and listened intently to her words.
"You must be in trouble," Roland whispered to me. "They talk to each other like that all the time whenever I am in trouble. They are deciding your punishment." Before I had a chance to reply, Mother answered for me.
"Quite the contrary, Roland," she said. "I am very happy that Astrid is back with us. Now, the children of the other families are in another room for their own separate gathering. Go along now." As if Mum and Dad had just met, Daddy offered her his arm in a very gentlemanly way, and she took it with her head held up high, just like the proud, yet spirited woman she is.
"Good-bye!" I said. Each of them nodded gratefully at me. Roland tugged at my sleeve and his eyes looked in the direction of where the other children were. Then, mimicking our parents just for fun, he held out his arm for me, and I gladly took it, holding my head high in the air, trying to control my laughter.
We entered a large and well-lit room. Children sat on the floor playing some games, and some sat on chairs, talking or bragging about how rich their family was. They didn't even notice that we had entered. To my dismay, I spotted the revolting head of Matthew and anger was beginning to rise in my veins. I smiled though, seeing that his nose had a bruise and scratch on it from my fist.
"Hello!" I said, as loud as I could without actually screaming. A bunch of blond, brown and black heads turned our way.
"Oh, no. Not you again!" Matthew yelled. He ran up in front of the group and pointed at me as if I was a criminal. "She's a pirate! She'll try to steal from you!"
"If she's a pirate, then how come she is in a dress like all of us?" a girl replied.
"It's true! See this bruise on my nose! She did it!" Again, he pointed his chubby white finger at me. I, though, made no reaction to it.
"Nonsense, Matthew!" said another girl. "She is in a dress, and her hair is well groomed. She is far from a pirate! You just want attention." The girl made the familiar "Hmph!" sound, and I could not help but grin.
"I'm Astrid," I said.
"And you all know me," Roland laughed. He turned to me and waved his arms in the air to silence everyone. "This is my friend," he said. "Astrid."
"I already told them that, Roland," I mumbled under my breath.
"She can think up really nice games," he continued, ignoring my little message to him.
"Astrid," said a girl with black tresses bouncing on her head. It was tied neatly with a green satin ribbon. She walked up to me. She was a little taller than me, most likely because of her heels, and smiled at me, but I was not sure if the smile was out of wickedness or kindness. Her black eyes shimmered in the light and it looked as though she was squinting at me because she appeared to be smiling too hard. "Do you play with dolls?" she asked.
I looked at her with a plain expression, hardly entertained by her somewhat evil grin. "What's a doll?" I asked. Her thin eyebrows shot up and her squinted eyes widened to the size of olives.
"You don't know what a doll is?" she replied, raising her voice in disbelief.
"What is it?" I asked, still not understanding the scenario. The girl laughed lightly at me, waving her dainty hands in the air. "Roland," she began. "She doesn't even know what a doll is!" I looked at Roland suddenly with flaming eyes, waiting to see how he would reply to the ugly little lass. He hid his look from me, trying not to make eye contact and he spoke softly to the other girl.
"I'm just doing this because my parents like her," he said. "Besides, she's not staying in our house forever." The girl eyed me, beaming with pleasure. I was speechless. I wasn't sure if I wanted to beat up Roland's little face or beat up the wench who persuaded him to say that stuff about me. Either way, I was mad as hell.
"If you thought I was a stupid idiot from the beginning then you should have just said so!" I yelled at Roland. I clenched my fist and sent it flying to Roland's face. He stumbled to the ground, blood leaking out of his nose. The girl with the stupid green ribbon knelt down beside him and I yanked her hair, pleased to pull out several strands. She wailed and I ran out of the room.
The tap of my shoes echoed on the wooden floors and I unlocked the front door of the Commodore's home. I swung it open and ran out, believing that no one ever loved me from the beginning and that no one would ever love me at all.