II
He's a Scoundrel!
With a heavy heart, Norrington set sail for Tortuga, the only other civilized island in the Caribbean. His time away had done a number on him. He spent most of his days drunk now that he had no need for honor. He sat at his regular table in the back of a grubby pub, watching the wenches as they passed him. He finished off another bottle of rum, trying to battle the memories of Elizabeth that clouded his brain. A familiar name pierced the incoherent babble, and that name was Jack Sparrow.
"What do you know of Jack Sparrow!" Norrington snarled, imprudently grabbing the shirt of the man who had just spoken.
The man flicked him off his person as if he were as insignificant as a bug. He crashed into a group of sailors at the other end of the pub. The brutes started yelling and punching one another, giving Norrington the opportunity to sneak away. The brawl continued for several minutes until Katherine, the barmaid, had the presence of mind to silence them all with her dinner bell.
John, the owner of the pub, surveyed the damage. There were several broken bottles and a few smashed chairs. One man was still in a headlock, scared still by the bell. The scene was enough to outrage anyone, even the kindly John. "Who started this!" he roared into the crowd.
"The former commodore!" someone shouted. John beckoned to his teenage son, Charlie, who was drying a glass. Then his eyes turned on Norrington. He felt John's tight grip on the back of his coat. Everyone in the pub cheered as he was thrown face first into the street.
At the same time, a young woman named Anna Bannerley was on her nightly walk when it suddenly began to pour. She had lived on tortuga long enough to be used to its unpredictable weather, and headed home. She was almost to her house when she heard the noises from John's pub. They sound like they're having a good time she thought as she hurried on. She had almost passed the pub when something sent her sprawling into a puddle. From a distance, it looked like she had tripped on a rather large stone. Then she realized it was a man!
Her first instincts told her he was dead, but she had to know for sure. Touching him with her skirt, she carefully rolled him onto his back. One of his eyes was blacked and his lip was torn and bleeding, but he was very much alive. The candlelight from the pub shone on his face and caught the blue-and-gold of his tattered uniform. Anna gasped. "You're a Navy man!" she whispered, surprised.
The crowd parted as Anna entered the pub. The rough, rowdy men were used to Jezebels and whores. Never had they seen a fine woman before. "I need an able-bodied man!"Anna announced.
A toothless lecher grabbed her around her waist. "I'm right here, baby," he said.
Anna eyed him with disgust. She didn't have time for this! She gave him a hard shove, forcing him to let go of her. Everyone stared in amazement; they might have expected that from a wench but not from her!
She proceeded to the counter where John and Charlie were laughing about some poor fool who thought he could catch a pirate. John looked up when he saw Anna. "Miss Anna," he greeted her, "What can I get you?"
"Please," said Anna, "I need you help."
John mumbled to Katherine to watch the counter as he followed Anna out of the pub. Outside, Norrington still lay unconscious on the wet street. "Please, John," Anna begged, "My house isn't far. We can't just leave him here!"
John hesitated. This man was well-known for starting fights in his pub. What if he tried to hurt Anna? "I'll do it for you, Miss Anna," he said slowly as he lifted Norrington's limp body, " but I don't see what you'd want with him. He's a scoundrel!"
Ana brushed a stray lock of hair out of Norrington's face. "Aren't we all?" she said.