A/N:

Hey guys! I'm glad that you're all liking the story as much as you are! I've been wanting so much to get the story into full swing, but there's so much I need to do with character development before they actually set sail!

Just so you know, Romola and Norrington at this point at least, have not fallen in love yet. Romola is intrigued with him, wondering what kind of person he truly is, and if he was in fact still in love with the Major's cousin, Elizabeth Swann.

Wondering as to the name change? The Major's mother married into the Gates family line, so he luckily, does not carry the Swann name, lol. If you're wondering what my characters look like, go onto my profile page and you'll see both Romola and Gates (Or at least my inspiration for them! )

(So, anyway, I what do you think of the link I put in between the OC's and the cannon characters? I haven't seen anyone really using Elizabeth and the Governor as family members in other fanfics…thought it would be a bit of a change to put in, lol. I've also haven't read many other fanfics where the heroine of the story isn't falling in love with Jack or engaged to someone other than a character from the movie, so I figured I would write something opposite to those, lol. Let me know what you think! .)

Rose of England: Glad you love the story so much! I thought someone would find amusement in Romola deciding to wear a gown that complimented the uniform that the Commodore wore! It marks the beginning of an interesting relationship, to be sure. . I've been meaning to review your fic on Norrington, but haven't been on long enough to read completely through the first chapter, but I think it's great so far! You must keep writing!

Charlotte Norrington: Love the name! I used that name in one of my Van Helsing fics, not Norrington of course, but Charlotte! Very elegant sounding. I'm glad that you like my story, and hope to hear from you again soon!

Kay50: Glad you like all of my stories. I'm not one to write very popular fics, so I'm glad when I see someone reading and reviewing more than one of my fics! It makes me feel happy to know that you've taken the time out to do so! Hopefully, I haven't lost you yet.

Anyway, this is getting a bit long winded, and I'm sure you want to read more of what I have to write, so onto the story! Hehehehehehehe….finally the first conversation…..

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The ship was being made ready to sail. I could hear it in the calls of the men and the sounds of the sails finally gathering wind. I could feel it in the way that, slowly, the ship began to lurch back and into deeper waters. Feeling the movement, I looked out the window panes at the back of the ship, Samuel following my lead, to see the scenery slowly growing smaller and smaller until it was barely noticeable in the distant horizon.

"Quite impressive, isn't it?" he asked me. I nodded slowly and approached the glass, peeking through one of the panes, watching the water moving gracefully beneath us. I could feel Samuel's eyes on me as I watched out the windows, his form a blur out of the corner of my eye as he looked back at me.

"Yes, it is." I responded, feeling my stomach turn slightly with the rocking of the ship. Turning my eyes away from the scene before me, I looked back towards Samuel.

"How long would a voyage from England to Port Royale take?" I asked him, noticing as he turned his gaze towards his gloves, which he slowly began to remove.

"I do not have an inkling of an idea, my dear." He answered. His hat he removed, exposing the blonde of his hair once again. Though he did not notice it, I smiled to myself, glad of the opportunity he was providing in examining what intrigued me most about him. "I will be sure to ask the Commodore. He is much more well versed in lengthy voyages than I." Samuel continued, raising his gaze towards me once again.

"What is it?" he asked me, as he noticed the smile on my face once again. "I can never know what you are thinking when you make that face at me." His expression was completely unreadable, as if he were speaking to nothing more than a fellow soldier.

"Nothing, nothing at all." I answered, knowing that even if I tried, he would never allow me to see his curls. Approaching him, I reached out to take his hands in mine. "Just thinking." I continued. He tightened his grip about my hands as he looked back at me.

"Have you been thinking on your answer?" he asked me, after several minutes of silence. I shook my head. How persistent he was!

"No." I answered, pulling away from his grip almost as soon as he had uttered his question. "I haven't made my decision yet." His eyes darkened slightly, noticing the slight tinge of hesitation in my voice. As soon as he opened his mouth to speak, I interrupted him.

"I think I hear someone." I said to Samuel. There were indeed steps approaching where we now waited. It took several moments of waiting before the door was finally opened, revealing Left tenant Gillete's smiling eyes.

"Major, the Commodore will see you now, if you please. He is waiting aft." Gillete said, looking towards Samuel.

"Of course, I will be there presently." Samuel answered. His eyes left the left tenant to rest on me. "Romola, you will not mind if I am gone for a bit?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Of course not. Perform any business that you may have. I will see you again soon enough, I'm sure." I answered. He leaned in slightly, his lips brushing against my cheek as he whispered something more in my ear.

'Please Romola…' he said quietly. 'Do not disappoint everyone with your answer….do not disappoint me…' he continued, his voice even lower. I could hear the sadness in his words, the lonliness.

For the first time since we had met, his lips did not leave my cheek as they always had when he had whispered something or another into my ear. On the contrary. They moved closer pressing against my skin in a gentle kiss. I blushed furiously as he pulled away and his lips turned up in that knowing smile he always wore around me. Reaching out to take my hand, he squeezed it in a silent farewell before heading towards the exit.

Gillete, seeing him approach, opened the door further, his back against the door as Samuel passed. A slight nod of acknowledgement was all Samuel gave in answer before Gillete quietly closed the door behind him, removing his hat as he entered further into the room. Several seconds passed.

"Miss Polignac, I was asked to provide a small tour of the vessel for you by the Commodore. I should be happy to show you about, if you are willing to, that is." I looked back towards the beautiful horizon before answering.

"I would be absolutely delighted! Thank you, Left tenant." I answered. He nodded quickly, his hand traveling to the holster of his weapon.

"I will give you a moment to prepare, then. Should you need me, I shall be waiting outside the door." He said. Bowing his head slightly, he turned and quickly left the room, leaving me alone once again. I followed his quiet exit with curious eyes, wincing slightly as I heard the door close rather harshly behind him.

For several seconds I regarded my surroundings, taking in the dark stain of the wood, and the elaborate molding of the beams. Though the room was rather sparsely decorated, I smiled, realizing that so much planning had gone on within these walls and on the table that I now rested against.

Several large maps were piled upon the table, all weighted down with various items, the corners curling up and revealing the slightly yellowish tinge of the paper. I smiled as I recognized his signature upon on of the corners, the elaborate flourish of the letter 'N' reflecting the confidence of his nature.

In the corner, I found a rather barren room through another doorway, the only thing within it's walls a simply hammock and a hook for a coat. Most likely, that would be his room…

How suitable I assumed this place to be for the Commodore. I could almost envision him looking out the same window I now found myself looking out, watching the ship slowly move and sway against the wind. How exiting it all must have been for him….

Feeling the ship sway….

My stomach….

Almost immediately after I had formed those thoughts I felt a terrible movement in my belly and the slight dampness of my forehead. I reached out absentmindedly gripping the corner of his desk for life itself.

My stomach seemed to shift and move within me, creating a feeling, which was more or less in one word, uncomfortable. Once again, I felt the sway of the ship as it moved on the sea. I pulled away from the table, running towards the door and taking hold of the door handle.

"Are you well, Miss Polignac?" I heard Left tenant Gillete ask as I opened the door, arriving once again on deck. I glanced at him stopped momentarily before feeling my stomach churn once again. His curious gaze followed me as I walked past him in a pure hurry. I held my stomach tightly almost rushing towards the railing of the ship. Leaning over the edge, I breathed in deeply, inhaling the salty ocean air and feeling the dampness on my forehead dry as the cool wind touched my face.

"Miss Polignac!" I heard Gillete say somewhat concernedly. I felt his hand upon my back as he leaned over to catch a glimpse of my face.

"I do not feel so well…what is this?" I asked quietly. Gillete's eyes slowly began to glitter with a smile.

"This is what we seamen like to call seasickness, miss. And you are one of the lucky few to experience it." He answered. I turned my head towards him, a scowl written upon my face. "Do not worry, you will get over it presently. Come, let me get you some salt crackers. That will settle your stomach a bit." He said. Reaching for my arm, he gently pulled me away from the railing and began to lead me towards a place where I could sit.

Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a bag, which most certainly contained the crackers he spoke of. I watched in perfect silence as he opened the package, pulling out several crackers and holding them out for me to take. I regarded him with a suspicious look before cautiously taking the food he had presented me with.

"They are not the best thing that I have ever tasted, but they do the job when it comes to stomach ailments. Go on, try it." He said when he noticed me looking blankly back at him. Slowly, I returned my gaze towards the crackers, which were now in my hand.

What in the world did these things taste like?

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"Now these are the 20 pounders…" Gillete told me, about an hour into to the tour. He had led me below decks, the day darkening almost to night as we stepped over ropes and other pieces of equipment. In the dim lighting of the room, I noticed the dark outline of the cannons, eternally posed for fire. Some men stood nearby, preparing them for the drill.

"I'll spare you the more boring details, but I must say…they are rather loud when fired. I was fourteen when I first became a seamen, and when I saw these things, I admit I was a bit taken aback. One person alone is not enough to fire this one cannon." Gillete continued, circling about the one on the far left and slapping his hand against the top of it. His eyes began to glow with amusement as he noticed my intrigued expression. "These ropes here," he continued gesturing to some ropes tied to the cannon and wound against the wall. "Are used to actually move it towards the hull for firing. But, I am getting a bit ahead of myself. The men actually have to pull it away from the wall with their own strength before the cannonball can be inserted. About four or five of them are assigned to just merely doing this….well, anyway…you pull it, and when the cannon is far enough away, the cannonball and gunpowder are added to prepare for fire. As soon as that is done, the cannon is moved towards the hull once again using the ropes I showed you earlier, to this window that slides open like this." He continued. Gesturing me to approach, I did, watching as he lifted the door to reveal the beautiful day outside. Shifting his body away from the cannon to allow me some room to look, I moved closer. I smiled, leaning below him and peering outside. The Left tenant continued his description from behind me. "Then the cannon is lit, and your ears are covered when it finally is fired. When I first heard them, I had thought I had gone deaf!" He said, his voice conveying nothing but amusement as he remembered.

"That was a funny day, Gillete. I remember you were about to crawl into a hole and die yourself. Quite a change from then to today, isn't it, Major?" I heard someone ask with a hint of amusement in his tone. I pulled away from the opening, turning about and finding the Commodore smiling back at us, beside him, Samuel.

"Yes, of course, quite a change." Samuel said.

"I remember that day well, Gillete. I had to chase you down to pull you from underneath the stairwell and slap you to keep you sane. It was rather funny." The Commodore answered. Gillete reddened slightly in embarrassment.

"We were young then, only midshipmen…." He answered, closing the opening he had held open for me. "Please do not bring that up again, it's hard enough remembering it now." The Commodore nodded.

"Alright." He said. "I'll try not to remind you."

"Beautiful cannons these are." Samuel said suddenly, approaching it and peering closely at the intricate designs. "I've never seen the like."

Gillete, who had been staring at the Commodore in slight embarrassment immediately snapped to attention. Turning towards Samuel, he smiled.

"Yes, yes they are. The most beautiful of any ship in His Majesties navy!" Gillete answered. Samuel turned away from the cannon only to meet his eyes.

"A bit expensive, I would expect?" Samuel said.

"Of course!" Gillete answered. And once again, he began the litany of descriptions he had only said moments ago to me, leaving both the Commodore and I all but ignored.

"I notice you are a bit pale. I hope seasickness is not the reason?" I heard the Commodore ask quietly, leaning in slightly so as to be heard. I turned to him and smiled.

"I was a bit sick earlier. The Left tenant was kind enough to help me with some salt crackers." I answered, almost in a whisper. I began to fan my face, feeling heat rising to my cheeks.

"Come, I will accompany you upstairs. It is a bit stifling down here after a while, especially for those not accustomed to low ceilings and small rooms." He answered. Holding his arm out for me to take, he smiled.

"Alright." I answered quietly after a while. Looking back at Samuel, I smiled. "It's so amusing how one can become so enamored with nothing more than a cannon…" I said as he began to lead me towards the stairs.

"I know." He answered. "Especially one that was so afraid of them in the beginning." He was speaking of Gillete. And I? I was speaking of no one other than Samuel. We climbed the stairs leading towards the deck. And he said nothing more.

"Your gown," the Commodore said, leading me towards the railing of the ship. "Am I right in suspecting you chose the colors with an ulterior motive in mind?" he asked. I blushed slightly, nodding in affirmation.

"I merely observed that it would compliment the ship…" I said quietly.

"And my uniform." He answered, looking out towards the horizon. The fresh breeze of the air cooled my skin as I followed his gaze towards the horizon.

"I suppose." I answered quietly. For several minutes he remained silent. I could hear the hurried footfalls of the men behind us, all hurrying to do one task or another. It was a rather busy day, though we both had no hurry to do anything at all.