You Forget One Very Important Thing Mate – (6)
When Will opened the door to the Blacksmiths, Jack and Ashley followed him indoors with a large amount of contempt and indifference. Jack preferred to be at sea; the only piece of land he really liked was Tortuga. And Ashley, well; she was just copying Jack really.
"So where be your bonnie lass?" Jack asked Will, one hand on his hip as the other smoothed over his mustache.
"I was waiting for you," Said a voice from behind them.
Ashley turned around to see a young woman with curly brown hair and brown eyes, she ran up to Will and they embraced, she couldn't help but laugh to herself as Jack rolled his eyes at this display.
Finally they separated and the woman changed moods very suddenly.
"Will, you're late!"
"I know, I shan't bore you with the details, Elizabeth, all I can say is that I was lucky enough to bump into Jack, he brought me here," Will replied; sheepishly.
Bloody coward, too afraid to admit that he was in a tavern with me all night and that's why he was late. He'll probably say he was busy rescuing a damsel in distress or a sick child. Stupid Whelp. Jack thought.
"Thank you Jack, and…Will? Who is this?" The woman; now known to Ashley as Elizabeth turned a eye upon the young girl.
"Oh that's Ashley Sparton, the newest addition of Jacks crew," Will replied, waiting for Elizabeth's reaction.
"Um…Ashley dear, why don't you go and look around Port Royal hmm?"
Ashley found herself being gently led out of the door by Elizabeth, who pushed her onto the streets with a strangely deceptive smile upon her face.
"Fine, I'm going, but don't think I don't know you'll be talking about me!" Ashley mumbled, kicking the ground and shoving her hands in her pockets.
(JACKS POV)
"You're joking!?" Elizabeth turned back to me with outrage.
"About what love?" I replied, beginning to wonder why I bothered to bring the whelp back to her in the first place.
"That…that girl!...your really going to let a young lady become a member of your crew?"
"She's definitely no woman love, far from it," I said.
"This is your doing isn't it? The reason she's wearing men's clothing…the way she talks!" The lass seemed to be getting more and more angry by the second.
"Will and I have already had this discussion, love, and in all fairness she was like that before I found her,"
"Yes, I feel somewhat the same as you Elizabeth, I proposed that the girl was to stay with us," Will put his irritatingly polite word in.
"And?" Elizabeth asked.
"She won't like it, the girl will just cause problems if she's with you," I said, trying to be reasonable.
"She will not. Jack, do you intend to ruin her life?..She could be caught and hanged! Ashley still has years ahead of her!" Elizabeth said. "Let her stay with us Jack, I could turn her into a proper woman, she could be happy and when she's older she can be wed. She will have children, Ashley could be thought of highly in so-"
"No,"
"Elizabeth is right, Jack, just give us..and Ashley a chance" Will exclaimed.
I know just what you're trying to do mate, this girl is mine; I know it. I knew from just the moment I saw her in Tortuga. So you can just bugger off!
"Let us go and find her, we'll see what she thinks," Elizabeth stopped my train of thought, ushering us all out onto the streets.
(ASHLEYS POV)
During my forced exploration of this place, I had seen several children that mirrored the ones living in Tortuga. They were scruffy and unclean. At first I presumed them to just be the children of the more common citizens, but they were clearly not. I'd seen children previously, and they were not dirty and underfed as these ones were. Port Royal was obviously not as grand a place as Will had made it out to be.
I got into a conversation with these children; I was giving them tips, which I'd learned from my days on the streets.
"Now, lines like 'When I'm famous, you'll be sorry!' always work, however you can always try 'I'm going to starve to death!'" I gave them advice on everything I learnt; from excuses if you've been caught to excellent begging techniques.
"You know a lot...for a pirate," Commented one girl, grinning at me.
"How did you know that I was a-?" I frowned.
"We saw you walking through the street with Captain Jack Sparrow, he's famous for rescuing the Governors daughter from the hands of evil pirates," The girl said.
"Aye, I almost forgot how famous my Captain really is," I said with a smile on my face.
"Oh look, I'll show you how much of a great beggar I am!"
I stood up and wiped my hands on the muddy ground, then rubbing the dirt all over my face, I put my effects (Weapons and such) in past.
"Scuse me Guv'ner, you don't have some guineas to spare do ye…?" I said, battering my eyelashes.
(JACKS POV)
"Is that-" Elizabeth began, but she didn't need an answer, we knew it was Ashley.
She was near some street rats and she had dirt on her face, she was talking to a Gentleman.
We walked closer to see that the man was handing her two shillings, and with a smile Ashely skipped back over to the children. Handing them the coins and then attempting to wipe her face clean.
(ASHLEYS POV)
The man had obliged as I had done my sympathy speech, and I'd run back over to the children as swiftly as possible.
"Ashley look! It's that Jack Sparrow!" Jane, the girl who passed me back my effects, whispered in my ear. I turned around and sure enough he was there watching, he motioned for me to come over to him.
"Sorry to cut this short, here!" I said, handing Jane the two shillings I had earned for the group.
"I can't," Jane said, trying to give them back to me.
"Yes you can, I'll be having no need for them, share them with the others, I'll see you around sometime Jane, farewell!" I called, striding over towards Jack, Will and Elizabeth with a huge grin on my face.
"What was that love?" Jack seemed very confused.
"Just sharing some of my old tricks, worked too, might I add,"
"Aye, that it did, but where be your profit?"
"I gave it to the children; I know how hard it it for them," I replied.
"Wait! You used to be a street urchin?" Elizabeth seemed most perturbed.
"Perhaps the most wanted of them in all of Tortuga," I smirked.
She drew away from me suddenly, and I heard her mumble something like 'Never mind, we'll sort that out,'
"Wha?" I looked to her for some kind of explanation.
"I was going to leave it up to you, but after that performance, I insist that you stay with Will and I. We're going to let you grow up properly – as the Lady you should be," Elizabeth replied.
"What?…. I refuse!" I shouted out angrily, stomping my foot and looking at Jack in dismay.
"There's no use love, I've got no say in the matter anymore," He shook his head.
"Yes you do! You're my Captain! I refuse to be turned into some posh ninny!"
"Come along Ashley," Will smiled awkwardly, grabbing my arm and leading me away from Jack. He was surprisingly strong from the whelp that he was; I had no chance of escape.
"Jack!" I called out to the only person who I thought would be willing to save me from such an abysmal fate.
"I'm sorry love, we'll see each other again!" He called back to me, turning his back and beginning to walk away; and yet I still knew that he wore a look of complete guilt upon his face.
Some kind of a father you are!
I was gently guided into the carriage with Will and Elizabeth, and the last thing I saw of my Father as the Carriage rounded the corner were his empathetic, Kohl-rimmed eyes.
A lady..Me?...never!