The sun slowly rose over the small city of Tortuga, a British-controlled port, and its citizens began to rise as well. Many of the bars were still open of course – catering as outlets for those still drinking, or as bedrooms for those who'd passed out during the wild night.

One of these early risers was named Joshua Greene – a young man in his twenties, with sandy blond hair and a matching goatee. The son of a local merchant, Joshua was now following in his father's footsteps – he was one of the fisherman in town, rising with the sun and heading out to the docks.

Many women in the town admired Joshua for his looks; many of the local hookers had even tried to pay HIM to sleep with them. But the young lad only had his heart set on one girl.

Amelia was her name, and there was nothing more or less special about her than him. She lived near the docks, sewing and making clothing every single day, along with her sisters and mother. The girl had beautiful curly brunette hair, brilliant hazel eyes, and a slim figure and face. But the best part about her was her smile. Joshua often saw her through the second story window, and always tried to catch her eye as he passed. Even though he was confident in many areas, he was just too shy to ask this beautiful woman to spend an evening on the beach with him.

These are, however, just petty details, for those of you missing a few sails from yer mast. This tale really begins one foggy morning on the quiet streets of Tortuga.

Joshua quietly walked towards the numerous docks, carrying with him a simple lunch for the day – the rest of his equipment was already with the boat.

He rounded a corner, and automatically looked upwards – there was Amelia's house, as usual, and hopefully the girl herself would make an appearance. Joshua was so distracted by the sight that he instinctively jumped back when his path was blocked.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, someone stepped in front of his path, startling him.

"Oh! Chastity," he said, regaining his composure, "Fancy seeing you out this morning."

Chastity was the preacher's daughter, but you couldn't tell. With her fiery red hair and a pink dress to match, this girl was about as far from God as possible.

"Well, how do you do, Joshua?" she asked sweetly, batting her eyebrows and smiling. On top of her head was a giant red hat, which Joshua thought looked ridiculous.

"I'm fine, Chastity," Joshua replied, knowing the girl's true motives. Chastity had hoped for a while now that Joshua would court her, but he had always resisted the 'temptation.' And besides…she was an incredible gossip.

"Going out to fish?" Chastity asked, Joshua knowing that she already knew the answer to that question.

"As always," Joshua replied with a weak smile. Quickly side-stepping the girl, he continued on his way, ignoring her frowns and pouting.

Joshua continued on his way to the docks when another unexpected surprise occurred – this one, however, was pleasant.

Amelia was outside on the front steps, hanging some laundry. Joshua's first instinct was to hide or go another way, but he fought the butterflies in his stomach and nervously approached the girl.

"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" he said, his British accent wavering slightly.

"Oh! Yes, quite!" Amelia said, looking up from the clothing she was washing, "You're…Joshua, right?"

"Yes," he stammered, smiling nervously.

"I've seen you about," Amelia said, a twinkle in her eye, "Such a committed man at this age…I don't believe I've seen any other fishermen as young as you are."

"I do take pride in my work, Miss Amelia," Joshua replied. Amelia laughed, making Joshua immediately feel embarrassed.

But the girl simply said "Call me Amy. I never did like my full name."

"Will do…Amy," Joshua said with a grin. They said goodbye, and Joshua continued on his way, full of glee.

When Joshua got to the docks, he began to follow through with his daily routine of preparing his ship.

"Oy, foul weather, huh?" a fellow fisherman asked him, who was also heading out to the ocean.

"Quite," Joshua agreed, looking out to the sea. What had started as a morning fog had now developed into a full blown cloud over the port and sea, which would make the morning's fishing even more difficult. And worse, the wind was picking up.

"Not good signs, lad," the fisherman said to Joshua, "There's trouble brewing…and I don't like the looks of things."

"I'm sure it's just a touch of bad weather…it should clear up by this afternoon," Joshua said, and with that, took his boat and headed to the deeper waters.

The town's fort was solidly constructed – made of a strong brick and stone, and one of the tallest on the seas. Cannons were placed facing outward everywhere, protecting the port from whatever enemies that came for them. The mayor, a Spaniard by the name of Carlos Valles, wanted the utmost protection for the citizens of the town.

But stones and bricks can only stand so much.