Hi guys! Long wait, I know - is it at least worth it? Let me know. I want to thank you for the reviews, I didn't expect so many after just 2 chapters but was so happy to get them. Hopefully I'll get many more now? Please do so, because that'll help me update faster.
Never in her lives, past and present (or was it past and future?), had she imagined herself in such a situation. Back in the 21st century the mere idea would've been ridiculous, since there weren't such things as pirate ships anymore - and even if there were, they didn't take prisoners. On the 18th it came to her just as impossible because she came from a good, loving, respectable family that didn't mingle with pirates.
Despite that, she found herself on board of perhaps the scariest ship she had ever seen - and she never thought that such an attribute could be given to a ship; surrounded by men who barely looked like men at all with no trace of decency on their demential eyes, of barbaric mannerisms and looks.
Dying was imminent, the way Anne saw it there was nothing she could do about it, and she wasn't complaining: she had lived twice, during the last one she spent it mostly bothered and shared it with people she cared deeply for. She hoped her mortal end would only mean her family and herself would reunite soon in heaven - the only reason why she was hurting, was because her father, and whatever impact the news of the passing of both daughters would have on is heart. Besides that, no, she was not afraid of dying but it did worry her that perhaps, something far worse than death could happen to any of them, something the sparkle on those pirates eyes gave away. She prayed to God he would spare them from such suffering; or at least, that he would spare Elizabeth.
The pirates had sat them down at both ends of the small boat in order to prevent any physical contact or any sort of conversation between the two of them, which she thought stupid, for even if they were sitting one next to the other, her full attention was on that one eyes pirate. How did he manage to look so alive? Was he even a man at all? Could it be, perhaps, that she was going crazy and that this pirate had never really died? Maybe everything was fake, the last sixteen years could be nothing but a mere hallucination of hers, after all, didn't all her school teachers tell her she had quite a good imagination? Yes, but not that good, Anne - she told herself immediately after.
What was even worse, it seemed as if she resulted just as interesting for the pirate as he did to her, and during the whole ride he kept a hawn-like look over her, while violating every social norm of personal space, forcing her to sit at the very edge of the wooden little raft; being on her nightgown was of no help at all, and she could feel the skin on her arms getting goosebumps both from the cold and the fear.
It felt like hours until they reached the ship and that definitely was not an upgrade to their situation, as it looked like it'd be their final destination. She tried taking hold of Elizabeth's hand out of pure instinct once they were overboard but her sister was quick and not quite as scared or accepting of death as Anne was, and she had taken a step upfront as soon as her feet touched the wood, explaining their situation to a tall, black man, who had slapped her face as soon as the gentlewoman had opened her mouth.
Anne gasped, and instantly moved over where her sister stood, wrapping her hunched frame, just in case the pirate tried to strike her sister again. Not that she would be of much protection, since if anything, she was much weaker and smaller than Elizabeth, but she was willing to take the punch. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't scared - oh no, quite on the contrary, she was terrified; the last time she had ever witnessed such violence towards a woman had been back when she was no younger than she was that day, by the hands of her stepfather - two days before she died.
However, no slap, punch, or kick came her way. Another pirate had taken hold of the other's hand, and told him that those under the protection of parley were off limits. That didn't reassure Anne on the least, so she did not raise her head up.
A peek through her sister's neck told her that man was the captain, if the hat and slightly nicer clothes he wore told one something, and hearing the other pirate calling him Sir only confirmed that. She was curious whereas if the higher rank meant he was supposed to be better than the others, or if in the pirate world it simply meant he was more degenerated.
"My apologies, miss. As you were saying, before you were so rudely interrupted?"
"Captain Barbossa… I'm here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal"
It didn't escape Anne that her sister had adopted quite a serious tone, which matched the seriousness of the subject discussed, and that it didn't look good on her if she had her kid sister hanging from her neck, hiding like a small little duck. Making use of strength she didn't even know she still possessed, Anne let go of her sister's frame, and instead took her place behind Elizabeth, still reluctant to lose complete contact, and holding now to her forearm. She could only imagine how pathetic she looked for the whole lot of them.
Barbossa shot her a curious look which she never noticed, since she kept her eyes glued to the floor, and then he proceeded to address his sister with both amusement and interest.
"There was a lot of long words in there, miss, and we're not but humble pirates. What is it you want?
"I want you to leave. And never come back."
They all laughed and Anne felt herself tremble, getting herself a bit closer to Elizabeth to the point in which both their bodies could've been mistaken for one.
"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request" after a second of tense silence, he added: "means no"
"Very well"
Giving her no time to advice her against it, Elizabeth quickly slipped the medallion off her neck, broke loose from her sister's hold over her arm and dangled the golden thing over the side of the ship, which resulted on two things: one, all the pirates went suddenly very quiet; two, it got Anne to look up again.
"I'll drop it"
For the first time, the younger Swann got a good look of most of the pirates there present, and that was a lot of them; but instead of focusing on his physical features, she caught on to the fact that they seemed incredibly nervous. Could it be that whatever her sister was holding mattered so much for them?
Captain Barbossa's attempt of a lie to cover up his interest, did nothing but confirm that. 'Why do you think it's so important for us?' asked he, and Anne couldn't help but wonder the same thing - so they both looked at Elizabeth, demanding an explanation.
Why that medallion was important to the pirates was worth knowing, she'd admit that, but why her sister knew of it and held in her possession anything like it was of much more interest for Anne Swann.
"Because it's what you're searching for. You've been searching for it for years. I recognize this ship. I saw it eight years ago, when we made the crossing from England."
And suddenly everything made sense for Anne. Less than ten minutes of being passed out in a boat when she was nine years old had resulted on her missing on information that could perhaps save their lives. The name of William Turner and his unusual arrival into their lives suddenly popped into her head.
Could it be that one of her only friends was a pirate as well? Had Elizabeth known all along?
After Elizabeth attempted to drop the medallion and had the crew reacting with fervor, it was clear that the eldest Swann held in her very own hand their ticket out of the ship or could be as well, their death sentence.
"You have a name, missy?"
"Elizabeth- Turner" she said, while looking at her sister for the first time since they arrived at the ship, shooting her a warning look that Anne would only understand after Elizabeth elaborated on her lie, still looking at her "I'm a maid in the governor's household"
Instead of the reaction they were looking for, which was for Barbossa to lose a bit of interest in her, it had the opposite effect. In fact, it seemed as if that last name meant more to those Pirates than if she had told them she was King George's daughter.
"Bootstrap" Anne heard one of the pirates next to her murmur to the undead one eyed one.
Things got much worse then because her plan to stay unnoticed, which she had known wouldn't last for long, ended right then. Captain Barbossa was standing right in front of her, looking with interest; anxious to hear her say her last name, almost savouring the moment in which her lips said 'Turner'.
Seeing the fear that such proximity provoked her, Elizabeth made it quickly to her side and took her hand. Squeezing back, Anne felt herself strong enough to reply to a question that still hadn't been asked, but was most implied.
"Rachel Krominski"
No, she hadn't thought much of it. Perhaps if she had, she'd have at least used her first name, Anne; but it had all been instinctive and there was no going back now. That would be the first time she had ever pronounced that name out loud in the presence of people during Anne Swann's existence.
It lacked grace and didn't roll out her tongue as smoothly as Anne Swann did. It seemed ordinarily real and had no place in the world of Port Royal's Governor's daughter.
Elizabeth's curious look over her didn't escape her. She guessed it was a strange made up name to let out, as most people would've just gone with 'Jane Smith'. If they survived, there was no doubt there'd be some questioning about it.
"Krominski?"
"A Jewish father, sir"
Another fact from her older life. What was next? Was her brain suddenly going to let out the fact that she had died after living fifteen average years in Australia, a country that was yet to be discovered? However, she couldn't bring herself to be angry at her brain, after all, its skill to let out past information was buying her and her sister more minutes of life.
"And you intend me to believe you two are not related?" Barbossa smiled drily, making it clear for the Swann girls he wasn't stupid "With such beautiful pairs of brown eyes and the fact that the two were found together, must I assume it is all coincidence? I'll tell you what I think... " he smiled even more, and walked one step closer "One of you is lying, and I think that'd be you, Miss… Kromisnki" and when he said her last name, he gave his biggest and most terrorific smile yet.
That made her regret ever lying to him and Anne was left speechless. Had she really just ruined hers and Elizabeth's chance of escape? There was no way she could fix it.
Fortunately, Elizabeth worked well under stressful situations, and it's fair to say she gave the performance of her life.
"We're sisters. Half, sisters - we share the same mother, I never knew my father; not that I see how this could be of your interest"
The answer seemed to have satisfied him after some thought, but that didn't mean they were safe just yet. Once again, his interest was on the eldest Swann, who now proclaimed herself Elizabeth Turner.
"And how does a maid come to own a trinket such as that? A family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it if that's what you mean"
"No, no, nothing like that" and extending his hand, he said: "Very well. You hand that over, we'll put your town to our rudder and ne'er return"
The sisters shared a look, deciding whereas to trust his word or not, fully aware that whatever they did meant either life or death.
"Can we trust you?" Anne let out, her voice sounding weak and fragile, and not quite believing that she had been able to open her mouth at all.
She heard laughter from the other pirates, but she didn't care. It was a stupid question, sure, and probably did nothing but confirm that she was, in fact, the weakest of the two girls, but all there was left for her to do to make sure Elizabeth was safe.
"It's Miss Turner who invoked the parlay! Believe me, Miss, you'd best hand it over, now ... or these be the last friendly words you'll hear!" and the look he gave Elizabeth when saying those words made them realize there was really no choice to make.
With a bit of hesitation, she held out the medallion, and in turn, the pirate handed it to the monkey.
"Our bargain…?"
They didn't get an answer.
The captain turned on his feet and started walking away, nodding at the pirate who had previously slapped Elizabeth. Soon, the pirates were getting ready to leave.
With them still overboard.
Feeling their blood go cold and their souls escaping their bodies, both sisters followed Barossa, demanding for an explanation. The sudden stop of the booming over the town offered little consolation to them. No matter how small their faith had held before; the pact with Barbossa had given them hope, it was promising the two would be soon reunited with their father.
"Wait! You have to take us to shore!" Elizabeth cried, and Anne followed close behind "According to the rules of the Order of the Brethen-
He wheeled on her, and any trace of playfulness or fake politeness was gone.
"First. Your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement, and so I 'must' do nothing. Secondly: you must be a pirate for the pirate's code to apply. And you're not. And thirdly ... the code is more what you'd call guidelines than actual rules" he ended his jolly speech with a small pause, "Welcome aboard, Miss Turner" and then he turned
"You can't do this! We've to get home, we-
"Ah, yes, Miss Krominiski" the pirate said, now facing her, a small grin plastered on his face "Forgive me, I almost forgot about you. You'll be leaving this ship immediately"
Elizabeth and Anne shared a look, wondering what he meant, but they didn't have to wonder for long - the orders he gave to his men gave them the answer.
"Prepare the plank!"
Pure fear took over both girl's faces and that sent the pirates near them into a fist of laughter. They were now clenched to each other as their faces twisted frantically and begged Barbossa to put an end on it.
But their pleas weren't answered; Barbossa was already many meters away, and couldn't hear their cries, or more likely, he still could but chose to ignore them. That added to the fact that they were only two young women against at least two or three dozens of the wickets of grown men, resulted in their defeat.
Anne was pulled from Elizabeth's arms harshly, and the eldest Swann was pulled back by the arms by a different set of pirates. Each sister shouted the other's name as that happened, and fought hard against their captors but failed miserably - Elizabeth, in fact, seemed to have forgotten the fact that as far as those pirates were concerned, there was no Anne Swann in that ship, but a Rachel; she was lucky they were so amused with their suffering that those men didn't think twice of it.
"Elizabeth!" Anne's desperate shriek along with her tears could've moved the coldest heart, but not these pirates, who if anything, rejoiced on her panic.
She tried freeing herself, but the grip they had on her arms was solid and every move she made resulted in increasing her pain. That, however, didn't stop her from moving even more, almost frenetically, when she saw the actual plank which despite being nothing but a piece of wood, to her looked like every monster she had ever encountered in her nightmares.
Everything she had thought before, about not being scared to die? Well, all traces of such a thought had been erased from her mind in that moment. The instinct of survival truly is stronger than anything. Had anyone who knew her seen her at that moment, they'd have thought the young girl had gone insane, judging by her reddened face, hot abundant tears and abrupt movements. What had been once a sweet and angelic voice now sounded hoarse and old.
Elizabeth's own desperate cries could still be heard, but not by Anne.
Long gone was the shock she had experienced by that one eyed pirate and his apparent skill to bring himself back to life, and proof of that was the fact that she bit his arm. He hit her on the head after that, and some more laughter came from the other one holding her but it was almost impossible to notice, since there was noise everywhere.
All she could think of was that she didn't want to die at sea again. She prayed to God to please spare her one more time, let her die out of exhaustion or a bullet, but not drowned again. The vivid memory of the excruciating burn she felt on her chest over sixteen years ago haunting and begging her to do whatever it took to avoid what was coming to her.
When she was forced to stand over the plank the urge of saving herself came even stronger than before, and like a wild animal, she began scratching the arms of those who before had held her and now wanted to get rid of her. Her display of emotions not only did not work, as was clear since the beginning, but also destabilized her in such a way that she had to go down to her knees and grab to both sides of the wooden piece so she wouldn't fall. It was rather undignified how she had followed through, since after all the result would be the same - another person, a braver person, would've just gone with it without making it such a comedy to those pirates. Hadn't Marie Antoinette walked to the guillotine standing tall with the fairest of airs?
In her mind, she promised herself she'd sit there all night if necessary, no matter how cold, shaky or simply unbearable it got. For a second she thought perhaps, if Barbossa saw hor recillient she was… perhaps he'd take pity on her and let her live; perhaps-
But that was impossible. Pirates were incapable of developing such complex emotions such as compassion, and that was shown to her when they started pointing at her with their swords to get her to move further away, as they shook the board and laughed, forcing her to stand up on her own two feet.
The noise didn't stop until she was on the very edge of the plank, hunching down slightly and looking like a scared little lamb, red and blotchy, puffy eyelids and with some water under her nose. Had anyone with a heart seen her, they'd have crumbled down and started crying themselves.
There was only another person whose pain and fear could equal Anne's that night, and that of course was Elizabeth, who had been forced to watch the whole thing. With Barbossa nowhere in sight, she turned to one of the men holding her, and discovering it was the one who had previously hit her, she begged: "Please, let her live. She's only sixteen. I'll go on her place. Take me"
"Say goodbye" another pirate replied, resting his harsh and dirty cheek against her soft skin, spitting saliva as he talked and making her stretch her neck in order to get away from him.
Anne searched for Elizabeth's eyes in the crowd and once she found her she felt a small relief from her torment - not completely, she was still petrified in fear, but she knew it was the last good thing she'd feel before dying, so she was grateful for it.
They started into each other's eyes for over a minute and in their minds, the rest of the ship became silent. It was just the two of them one more time, one last time. There were no words needed to be said, as they already knew how much one meant to the other, how they were each other's best friend, confident, how they were soulmates. They cherished the fact that they had the pleasure of knowing and loving each other for so many years.
"Pray for me… Lizzie" she bursted out in what at the moment seemed to be her strongest voice "and I shall pray for you"
Poor Elizabeth didn't even get to answer. Instead of words, a sharp cry left her lips, and it's sure to have caused some temporal damage on her vocal chords. Her scream was so strong that it wasn't lost among the laughter or her sister's own expression of terror.
One of the pirates had grown impatient and stepped on the board, accelerating the process.
Anne Swann hit her head with the board before falling, she could feel it. How bad it was she didn't know, but she guessed it could be worse, considering she was still conscious... but oh how she wished she wasn't.
Those memories of pure pain were no longer memories, those were her reality.
Soon she caught up on something she didn't quite remember from last time, but was definitely there and just as torturing as everything else in the experience, and it was the salty taste that took power of every single one of her glands - not that she could think much of it at the moment.
She had ingested quite a bit of water from the impact and the fear of knowing that what was yet to come was even worse didn't allow her to think straight. The darkness wasn't helping either, it just made the experience a hundred times more frightening - it was as if all the light in the world had just vanished and now there was only pain, blackness and fear.
Kicking and pushing she reached what she thought was air but soon a small wave had submerged her hand again under the darkness.
Please God, Please God, Please God don't let me die here. It hurts. Nothing but that went through her head. But then it came the thought of Elizabeth's face, among all those pirates, her torturers and how she was also in danger.
And she kicked, and she fought because she didn't want to die there, and she wanted the pain to stop, and she wanted to help Elizabeth.
And she made it, her right arm reached surface, and then followed her nose and the rest of her face for a split of a second.
The next time her face went underwater she managed to go back up in half the time than before. The air didn't feel as liberating as she thought it would, but that probably due to the fact that there was still lots of water in her nostrils and when she inhaled, both air and liquid went together - still, it was better than nothing.
It took her over five minutes, but she finally managed to stabilize herself and float on a semi decent way, stretching her neck at an almost impossible length so her face wouldn't fall under the water. The ship was gone, she could not even see it, so that meant it was very fast; she wondered how she'd find Elizabeth with a ship that fast, but knew that in order to worry about things as such, she'd first have to make sure she'd live to even help her sister.
At least one nice surprise was the fact that Port Royal was not too far away. She had to squint her eyes in order to see it's tiny port, but it was there and likely possible.
Perhaps those pirates thought that throwing her at sea would be the end of her, and with Anne Swann that was likely to be true, since she had never gone for a swim in all her life since that was considered not only dangerous but immoral - but to Rachel, who was born and spent all her life in a coastal town, swimming came as natural as walking (that was until she died, of course) Yes, maybe they thought they were saving themselves a bullet and gaining some entertainment, but they were careless and to Anne, that meant she'd perhaps live.
It was weird at first, to say the least. The muscles in her body were not at all familiar with what a front crawl required, but her mind was. After a while her body got used to it, as if the memories of it came back all of the sudden, something quite Platonic.
It also didn't take long for her arms and legs to go completely sore.
She stopped to rest at least a dozen times, and each time she thought she'd not be able to continue. At one point in particular, after her fifth or sixth stop not even the thoughts of Elizabeth and her father were able to motivate her to go on, and then she remembered her mother and how much Josephine Swann loved French pastries, especially those macarons.
Yes, suddenly she felt transported to those times in England, when she wasn't wet or cold or so profoundly tired as she was then, back when her mother lived and she'd sit both her daughters in bed with her on Sundays and shared with them those baked sweets that their father had ordered especially for her from France. She remembered it so vively and could almost feel the taste as if it were real. The sudden urge to have one was what kept her going.
Silly, really, but all she could think of as she did crawl after crawl was how she craved that specific food item and how good it would feel in her mouth, how much warmness it would bring to her body.
"Strawberry…. Lemon… Blueberry" she repeated time after time.
The baker at Port Royal had actually made them once or twice - had those been as good as those purchased in Paris? Why didn't they order them more often? Oh right, because it reminded them all too much of Mrs. Swann 's absence.
She arrived at shore with those thoughts and similar ones in her mind.
The exhaustion on her body was so great that as soon as her feet managed to touch bottom, Anne allowed herself to close her eyes for what she thought was just a second and lie on her back. She only opened her eyes again to find she had fallen asleep and that salty but slightly warmer water had entered her respiratory tract once again. Fortunately she was able to get it all out through coughing.
If asked, the girl would've said she probably swam over an hour and a half, but it really had been over two. When she finally reached the beach, she allowed a small smile to show on her face, and feeling her knees go weak she let herself fall with her chest towards the sand.
Port Royal seemed awfully quiet, the fire on the houses and shops had been turned off for a while and all traces of it was a light smoke coming off some of them. They were recovering from all that had happened… and she wondered if perhaps she could recover too, at least for a few minutes, since the walk to her house was still quite a long way, especially for someone who had just endured what she had.
And once again, she fell asleep, with her cheek against the cold sand. This time, however, she didn't wake up to imminent danger, but instead a pair of gentle green eyes and a reassuring voice of everything getting better.
That was the longest short night of her entire life.
She saw herself surrounded by corrupted men with equally corrupted souls everywhere and they all laughed and spoke out her sister's name, but Elizabeth was nowhere to be found. Then, the scene changed, but it wasn't any better - she was underwater, her sister and father were also there, but they weren't moving and she desperately tried to get them up to surface, but pirates grabbed her feet and pulled her down, and she saw her family's figures disappear.
She woke up a few times, and the darkness of her room made the whole place unfamiliar and unwelcoming, despite the fact that she was laying on her very own mattress, with her very own blankets - cold sweat all over her back, forehead and chest.
She slept for a total of five hours, counting her nap at the beach and knew despite how sore every single joint on her body was, without counting the exhaustion from her mind, she would not go back to sleep again.
Running her hand over the night table to reach the candle holder which had been lit during the night, she knocked down some things, and the sound must've alerted her maid, who not too long after entered the room.
"Miss Swann!" Cried Celeste, as she leaned over to speak closer and gelter to the young girl "I'll fetch the Governor this minute"
Anne was unable to give an answer. First off, because Celeste left the room quickly and once again she was on her own, and because she found her mouth incredibly dry, so much in fact, that she doubted she'd be able to speak a sentence without some water first.
Next time the maid entered the room, she did so in company of a worried looking Wheaterby Swann, who if the bags under his eyes were proof of anything, had just spent a worse night than Anne herself.
While the man run next to his daughter's place, Estrella walked pass them to open the curtains and the bright sunlight entered through the windows forcing Anne to squint her eyes shut for a few minutes and told her it was close to mid morning and that if one paid no mind to the events of the previous day, it could be described as quite the lovely morning.
With the help of her arms and feeling as if those were about to crack in half from the pain of her sore muscles, the girl got herself into a sitting position and with the morning light she was able to really appreciate her father's deplorable state.
However, in between those now regrettable features, the youngest Swann found a momentaneous glimpse of pure relief on his brown eyes.
"You'll be alright" his father's soft voice said, half for himself, half to his daughter's assurance, as he held her head against his chest in a strong embrace.
It was almost as if he was afraid she'd disappear again if he let go of her.
Soon, she felt the wetness of tears fall upon her, and since it seemed she was too dehydrated to even cry, it was obvious those were her father's. Suddenly she felt guilty of even closing her eyes for a second the previous night, how could she have fallen asleep when it was clear her father would be in a deplorable state after finding out not only one but two daughters, his only children, had been abducted by pirates?
She wanted to say something to make him feel better, anything, but as she had noted before, she really needed water.
When Mr. Swann noticed his daughter was trying to speak, he pulled apart slightly, and with an almost desperate need to please whatever command she might have he heard her ask for water and he repeated said request to Celeste, who in a matter of seconds had handled the girl a glass full of it, which was always kept by the window along with a jar.
Her father sat on the verge of the bed and spoke with the sincerity of a tired man.
"I already sent for the doctor, it shouldn't take too long" he explained as she swallowed small quantities of water, because she didn't want to make herself ill "I gave the Commodore permission to check for injuries last night, I hope you'll understand. They do have training on the treating of injuries, and with the doctor so far away and-
"The commodore?" Anne's hoarse voice asked, already knowing the answer, but hoping it would be different.
"Commodore Norrington, he was the one who found you. He carried you home"
And since going through trauma didn't erase the fact that she was still somehow of a teenage girl, the new information managed to get her cheeks crimson red.
Her father, drowned in worries, of course didn't notice.
What must've Norrington thought of her seeing her in such a state? And what did it mean he had checked for injuries? Deciding not to pounder too much, Anne went back to what was really important.
"Elizabeth…" she managed to let out, and that got all of her father's attention. She was looking for the correct way to explain what her sister's situation was when her father's eager voice interrupted her.
"Yes, what about her?"
"She… she- I think she's safe"
She had spent most of her morning explaining and reassuring her father that she believed her sister's wellbeing wasn't at such high risk as initially thought. She left out some bits and pieces of the story, such as the fact that the previous owner of the medallion that seemed to be keeping Elizabeth safe was William Turner - she also told him that they had used fake names, but had purposely avoided mentioning what her sister's new last name was.
Anne told the story as well as she could and watched her father's eyes light up with hope. She told him that Elizabeth had come across some sort of jewel and that at least for the moment, it was keeping her alive.
That's how she spent half of her morning. The other half, much to her embarrassment, she'd have to spend it telling the same story to the members of the Royal Navy, and that meant Commodore Norrington.
Although it was awfully clear that her body needed to stay in bed for at least another day and a half and such a thing was instructed by the doctor, she convinced her father to allow her to meet the other men downstairs, fully dressed and keeping what was left of her dignity. Not that her father would've allowed all those men in uniform inside her chambers with her still in bed, no, but the Governor would've had to deliver the information back and forths and everyone would've known she was so weak that she couldn't even get up from bed to help her sister.
She looked at her reflection once, only to check if everything was in place, and considering everything that had happened during the last twenty four hours, it was clear that was as good as she'd look that morning: pale, with big purple bags under her eyes and with a generous amount of scratches on the right side of her head, which she had the plank to thank for.
Her father knocked softly on her bedroom door, letting her know everyone had arrived. She left out a sigh and gave her arm to her father, who ever since she woke up, with few exceptions, had insisted on staying by her side at all times. Anne understood that, the poor man had lost a wife, it seemed as if he had just lost a daughter and she was all he had left.
At least half a dozen men were waiting for them downstairs. She avoided looking at anyone's faces, and clung to her father's forearm as if her life depended on it. Being the center of attention wasn't something she was used to or fond of and she would've been perfectly happy if she managed to avoid it for the rest of her life; hadn't it been an extraordinary situation as it was, she would've never agreed to something like it.
To see the state in which her home was left brought tears to her eyes which she never allowed to let down, her cheeks lighting up just from daring to feel that way when a house was nothing compared to the human losts around Port Royal which reached a number above fifteen, and it fell completely unimportant when she thought of her sister being kept captive, but it was still not a nice scene to see. It comforted her, at least, that it'd surely be taken care of within no time.
The Admiral, Jonathan Pryce, was the first to address her, with a courteous nod and the face of a man who was left in charge after the most merciless pirate attack those coasts had suffered a while: "Miss Swann, how d'you do?"
Not great, admiral - she thought, but her mental health wasn't as deteriorated yet to let out such a honest reply to such a trivial question. Instead, she gave him a nod and repeated his words: "How'd you do, Admiral" then, after clearing up her still fragile voice a little, she continued: "Would you like me to start?"
"Please, Miss. Swann"
And so after being introduced to the troops, she began telling the story again, leaving the same details out and including some others she had forgotten when first telling her father about it. Not a single person dared to interrupt her. She spoke for over ten minutes to the point of soreness and was glad to find that her contribution had not been in vain, for the officers seemed optimistic they could get her sister back, with some bribery of course.
All there was left to do, was for her to point out in the map in which direction she thought the ship had sailed off to - something of which she was completely sure of; after all, she swam from that point to the island for over two hours. After that, they'll sail that way and disembark at any island they'd come across of and ask around regarding the whereabouts of the pirate ship.
Admiral Pryce managed to get an almost reluctant Weatherby Swann to leave his daughter's side and accompany him to get the maps locked in his study, as the Navy had lost a few of those on the fire of the previous night. Her father's absence let Anne quite lost at a room full of people who at least were not longer paying so much attention to her, but instead talking among themselves - still, she was not used to being by herself in rooms full of people and found it incredibly uncomfortable and slightly embarrassing - who would've know being ignored was closely as bad as being paid attention to.
The company she acquired in the matter of seconds after her father's absence, although overly desired during normal circumstances, didn't make things better.
A pair of shiny black boots stood in front of her, by far cleaner and newer than any of the other ones around. His body stood tall and straight and he held both of his hands together by the fingertips against his back.
His presence was that proper of a Commodore, formidable and deserving of respect, and whenever another second of looking down at her own feet went by, the more consolidated visions of Mrs. Cartwright's daunting face became - memories of her past, when Anne's timid nature would impulse her to hide behind her mother's skirt whenever she'd be introduced to anyone over the age of sixteen - Mrs. Cartwright, who never raised her voice at her or frowned, would always catch her at those times and look her in the eye, holding that intense gaze until little Anne Swann would take a deep breath, hold onto her momma's fair hand and with a face as red as an Irish kid's hair, she'd follow as taught since an even younger age and make most people chuckle out of tenderness.
Trying to escape the old matron's ghostly memories, she lifted up her head and the Commodore's excessive blinking and close lipped smile told her perhaps she wasn't the only one who wished to be somewhere else at the moment. Although any girl on her right senses would've felt highly offended by that, especially considering he had been the object of her affection for so long, to her it made the redness on her face go down by a few tones.
It took Anne a long time to decide where exactly she should place her eye gaze – not his eyes, obviously, since she wouldn't be able to get a single syllable out; not his nose… because that was too strange; so at the end she decided for her lips, which she came to find later was perhaps not the wisest choice.
"I'd like to personally thank you, Miss Swann, for the information you've provided us with"
Her sore and stiff shoulders loosened up as the result of a whole body sigh - she knew exactly what to reply to that and at least for the time being she wouldn't make a fool of herself by falling into silence after getting too nervous and forgetting how to elaborate a coherent sentence.
She offered a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes and her weak and soft voice, worn out by the exhaustive explanation she had given the Navy made her seem in the eyes of the man in front of her like quite a miserable creature, no wonder that was the case considering everything she had been through in such a short period of hours.
"It's me who should be saying thank you, Commodore. It has come to my attention you were the one who saved me"
Yes, she was very, very thankful. Perhaps a few weeks back, she'd have died out of pure happiness had she known the person who she had fancied for years had carried her unconscious body across the beach to her house, a very romantic thing. But things had changed: first off, he had proposed to his sister and although the lady In question had passed out before giving any answers, Anne had decided to advise her sister to accept his offer – quite a masochist thing to do, true, but Elizabeth deserved the kind of man James Norrington was, and Anne could endure it if her sister's happiness was a stake.
Besides, there was also the embarrassment of knowing he had 'checked for injuries" whatever it was that it meant, and to be completely honest, the less she thought of it, the better.
He gave a grimace and lowered his head: "Please, don't attribute me with your own achievements. That's actually another thing I wanted to talk to you about, Miss Swann. What you did, swimming in the open sea after all that happened… If half my men were able to do that…You're a very brave young lady"
Anne's mouth opened out of instinct, but it seemed as if she couldn't come up with anything appropriate to say back. What did one say when told such things?
Anne Swann had been called many beautiful things: 'delicate; 'smart; 'kind'; even 'pretty' a few times, but never 'brave' – not during this life, and certainly not during her last. Had she not known one of the main reasons why James Norrington had achieved such a high position in the Royal Navy was because his inability to frolic around with the sailors who had once been his peers had shaped a serious and respectful character , she'd have thought he was messing with her.
The Governor's and Admiral's arrival couldn't have been better timed, seeing that Anne had no idea what sort of answer to give to such a speech, and that she was about to do what she feared would happen since they first started their conversation, and that was, make a fool of herself.
Commodore Norrington gave her a nod, and fled her side to stand alongside his men. The maps were settled over the table and everyone was waiting for her. Sighing, she did her best to guide these men to her sister.
She was leaning against the maps, Admiral Pryce standing right by her side and paying close attention to her very word, a slightly open mouth and a look of admiration that was shared by his men, all of them surprised that not only a woman, but a nobleman's daughter out of all people, had such a strong sense of direction when it came to the sea.
Maps were going to be closed and she was ready to step aside to let those with more experience than her to come up with a strategy to sail those waters in the least amount of time, but the rumbling sound of the wide door opening and the even louder noise desperate feet made when they ran their way made her, along with everybody else's faces rise.
'They've taken her' Mr. William Turner's dirty and sweat wet face showed as much concern as the Governor and his younger daughter's did. 'They've taken Elizabeth!'
Despite the original shock his unexpected presence had caused, all men in uniform, including the Governor found themselves drawn towards the maps and their possible routes rather than to the face of a worried yet unimportant blacksmith.
Anne, on the other hand, who knew not only of that man's undoubted love for his sister but also his relation to the amulet that was keeping her alive that very moment, kept her gaze fixated his way.
William Turner, who had been the talk of Port Royale a year after his arrival when he had returned a generous amount of gold he had found on the streets - said gold belonged a British nobleman whose cold heart hadn't permitted him to see the act as it really was: a selfless gesture performed by a kind child, and instead he rewarded young Mr. Turner's action with a weary nod.
Will Turner, who had seen Anne Swann - to whom he had no obligation nor interest towards to - unaccompanied by the beach once when she had been fourteen, and he stayed by her side at a prudent distance, refusing to leave despite the fact he was risking his job by not delivering a sword on time to Mr. Garner, an important nobleman who was known for his very short temperament. He shared vivid stories with her that day, the sort you don't find in books and that he hadn't even been sure where he had gotten from. He didn't leave her side until Elizabeth and Miss. Taylor, who had left briefly to take care of the latest foot after she cut herself with some rock.
Will, who would always blush when talking to her sister and never called them anything but how it was appropriate; who never raised his voice to anyone; who worked hard everyday and still always met them with a smile.
She was more than inclined to believe he was absolutely ignorant of the possession Elizabeth had on her hands and the fact that he had been its previous owner. Still, she was weary and wanted to see if he'd let any information out that could help them find her sister safe soon.
'Mr. Mallot, remove this man' Norrington said, his eyes never leaving the parchment as he scribbled down what he had heard from Miss. Swann.
Anne's head was drawn to his voice, opening her mouth almost as widely as her eyes, to contradict him. She almost did so, but Will Turner's voice quieted her down and forced her to locate her attention on his face again.
The desperation in his voice as he claimed they had to save Elizabeth lighted up Anne's own face. Whatever he knew or didn't was of little importance. This man would've done anything for her sister's life and the fact that he was implicated with that golden medallion meant that he could be of more help than anyone else in that room.
However, her father who like everyone else but her, was unaware of the importance William Turner played on the whole matter, was unable to keep out of his voice that anger that preoccupation for a child produces. Few times had Anne seen her father raise his voice but never before had she seen him do so with such desperation: "And where do you propose we start? If you have any information concerning my daughter, please share it."
Anne, whose moment of bravery was beyond past, saw no way in which she could raise her interest and trust in Mr. Turner's help after seeing the display of her father's foreign attitude. During normal circumstances he, as the dutiful father was, would have listened and treasured anything she'd have to say; any opinion, any wish, even if that was listening to the words of a simple blacksmith. Understandably, having no idea of the whereabouts of his eldest child or the state of her well-being and integrity, that often willing to listen man wasn't as willing anymore unless it came with the assurance he'd get his elder daughter back.
There was no way for her to inform them of what she knew without implying both her sister and Will Turner were involved with something society took more seriously than anything, so much as to condemn to death those who would take part in it, and that was piracy. Despite the fact that it was unlikely such a thing should happen to the daughter of a governor, Anne had decided whatever she did to get answers from William Turner would have to be kept a secret from everyone else, just in case.
If things weren't to improve in twenty four hours, she'd tell all the truth to her father.
But help came from the most unexpected of places, as it usually does.
"Jack Sparrow" Mr. Mallot let out unsurely. "He talked about the Black Pearl"
That name, which Anne had naively thought Elizabeth and she would talk about for weeks after the incident which involved him, had in all honestly been suppressed from her mind to the point in which she almost frowned upon the mentioning of it.
"Mentioned it this morning" another man in uniform added.
"Ask him where it is! Make a deal with him to get Elizabeth"
Anne's paleness produced by the intense emotions and conditions in which her body and mind had been put through for the last couple of hours vanished in that very moment, and her face seemed brighter than ever, and so did her eyes.
She was staring up at her father with what threatened to become a smile.
In Weatherby's eyes she saw the possibility he'd agree to it. She could see how he was fighting with the idea of making a deal with the same pirate that had threatened the life of his daughter just twenty four hours ago just to save that same daughter's life. The poor man was so desperate that he could've done anything.
"No… "
"He's the most fitted person to get us to Elizabeth" Anne said in a desperate whisper.
Her words would have sounded like the furthest thing from reasonable even if coming from the lips of the almiral himself, so of course that coming from the governor's fifteen year old daughter they produced a few mocking smirks and matching eyes from the uniformed men around her.
Will Turner, on the other hand, nodded vigorously while he looked her way with a slight hint of madness in his eyes, which she could only attribute to his hidden feelings towards his sister. However, she could see how they both could be looking like absolute nut cases to the rest of the people around them; fools, at best, since no one in their right senses would propose such a thing - pirates were dangerous, especially one like Jack Sparrow. But she loved her sister more than she loved her own life and to save her, so Anne could care less what people thought of her; given the opportunity, she'd cry to the King himself and make the biggest of pariahs out of herself if that meant her sister would be back in Port Royal with them.
Still, no matter how much she personally appreciated the blacksmith or how loved she was by her father, their opinions weighted much less than anyone else's in that room - hers, because she was an underage female and his because of his lack of experience and rank.
"The pirates that invaded this fort left Sparrow locked in his cell" calmly explained Commodore Norrington, not even lifting his eyes off the map, as if the suggestion was so absurd it wasn't even worth a disapproving glance " Ergo, they're not his allies."
Despite the reason behind his words, which any person in their right senses would've been able to appreciate, and she was one of them, Anne couldn't help but feel frustrated with the commodore. Had she not fixed such a noble and distinguished image of him, it wouldn't have bothered her so much, as she would've realised he was really just acting as any prudent man when listening to a plan about making alliances with well known pirates. But this was Mr. Norrington, not just any prudent man; he was the man who she saw above everything else, who she thought fair, trustworthy, uncorrupted. He should be doing much more in order to help her sister, even if that meant making alliances with pirates and listening to crazy blacksmiths and naive young girls.
Her anger dissipated the second Will Turner pulled out an axe and buried it over the map which had captivated all of the commodore's attention just minutes prior.
Everyone was able to hear the harsh words that came out of the Commodore's mouth, even though they were said at a very low and sensible volumen. "Do not make the mistake to think you are the only man here who cares for Elizabeth" that was the last thing he said and although they lifted a weight off Anne's chest, because it showed her that Mr. Norrington was more than compromised with finding her sister, it also stung, because it reminded her he had chosen Elizabeth, without even considering her as an option. Of course she shoved off the displeasure his final words caused her almost immediately, scolding herself for being so selfish as to think about that when her sister was in such a dangerous situation.
Mr. Norrington made an attempt to leave with her father, but before he could take him away and leave her there waiting for who knew how long, she requested Weatherby Swann to please have a word, as she pulled out her fan, opened widely and started shaking it quickly towards her face. Without knowing so, she was recreating an exact picture of what her sister looked like during the faulty proposal - a fact that the Commodore did catch onto and caused him to stare at the scene with wide eyes.
"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Her father's concerned and skittish voice asked, coming right at her and grabbing her hands with fearful eyes. He hadn't been at all convinced she should've been allowed lo leave the rest of her bed after all she had been through and seeing her all red in the cheeks and fanning her face as if she was running out of air didn't do another thing but confirm him he should've listened to his instincts and obliged her to do as instructed by the doctors.
"Yes, papa. I'm just feeling a bit light-headed. Might I be allowed to go back home and get some rest?"
"Of course, dear. We'll leave right this minute"
"That's not necessary, papa. You should stay" upon his clear intention to object, she added: "You're very much needed here to find Elizabeth. I'm sure one of the officers can make sure I get there safely"
Weatherby had always tried to be a good father, especially after his wife was gone, and right then he felt as if he was failing terribly at it, with one daughter missing and the other one sick from exhaustion. As if to share an apology for failing at being a good father to her, he kissed her hands and nodded with resignation. Then, he shared a glance with the Commodore and the latter nodded before calling for two of his men and ordering them to take Miss Swann safely to her home and see that she had everything she could possibly need, on top of setting guard outside until instructed otherwise.
The ride home was silent, partly due to the fact that they were not supposed to talk to her, the daughter of a Governor, but mainly because there was only one thing in her mind and to think of it was so exhausting that there was no way she could make up for interesting conversation with other people but herself.
She was barely able to modulate a thank you to the pair of soldiers, despite the fact there was really no need for her to - they were only following orders. One of them attempted to follow her inside, but she instructed him not to. He didn't seem too sure to do as she asked, but his friend, who had little intention of standing under the sun by himself for who knew how many hours, convinced him to stay. Besides, she had assured the servants were inside and she would send for them if there was any problem.
The minute the door was closed she climbed up the stairs to her bedroom, ignoring the curious looks the servants threw her way. That same name was repeating itself over and over in her head, like a curse. When she finally reached her bed, she dropped her weight without much care over the floor, making herself flinch, but there was no time to lose. Down on her knees, with both hands wrapped tightly together and eyes closed with fierceness, Anne prayed to God to forgive her for all the things she was about to do, for all the pain she was about to give many people, mainly her father. But there was a chance of getting Elizabeth back, and without her help that chance would only get slimmer.
She always knew there was a reason why she had been given another chance at life, she was being convinced now that it was to save her sister. And since not only had she been allowed to live again but to live a life filled with love and comfort and anything she could wish for, there was nothing she wouldn't do to save her sister.
With slightly shaking hands Anne grabbed one of her flowery pockets, a much more appropriate choice for what she intended to do than her many shiny handbags. In it she threw some leftover pumpkin bread, three apples and a rusty bottle full of water (which was the most difficult thing to get, since it was rarely used). Of course she knew that amount of food wouldn't last her for over a day, but taking more meant bringing more attention to herself and thus, frustrating her plans. Lastly, she grabbed some crowns and shillings - fortunately the pirates had spared the small amount of coins she kept on a reliquaire next to her bed - there wasn't much of it, since she rarely had need for it; it was funny that perhaps now those wouldn't be enough for the voyage she was intending to do.
Leaving the house wasn't difficult, at least not physically. Most servants had no idea she was back from the meeting with the navy soldiers and besides, the pirates had left plenty of work to keep them busy for the rest of the day or so. Regarding her emotions towards the place, towards her home, it took a great deal of inner strength not to spend too much time mourning over her departure; when she had left the London house, she had done so with the knowledge that Elizabeth and her father were coming with her and that in that way, her home would always be with her; now she was adventuring herself into a journey with no one dear as company, without knowing when she'd see her father or sister again, or if she would at all.
Before walking out of the door, Anne picked up her ginger cat, who had followed her all the way there, and kissed its head goodbye. There was another being she wished she would see again.
Without looking back, because doing so meant crying, Anne Swann wrapped a veil around her face, in order not to be recognised by anyone, and walked away from home, all alone, without knowing where this journey would lead her but completely sure it was her destiny to go. If she didn't do it and her sister was caused any harm, she'd never forgive herself.
Her first stop was a place she had never visited before but it was impossible not to know where it was due to its social importance. Luckily for her, the road that led to the dungeons wasn't too far off - walking there took her less than an hour and not a person saw her, since everyone was too busy putting together all the damage caused by the attack - her feet only hurt slightly, for God knew those slippers weren't meant for anything more than short walks. When she finally arrived, she made sure to stick her frame to the walls and watch each one of her steps, since she didn't want to be caught. Her efforts turned out to be unnecessary, since as she discovered when passing the first floor, the place was so deserted that not even the prisoners were there anymore. Her face crumpled into a frown as she continued walking not as carefully as before, but much slower and unsure - what was she going to do if it turned out he had escaped as well? If she went looking for Elizabeth by herself she was as good as death and all she would achieve was leave her father heartbroken and daughterless.
As soon as the name of Will Turner popped into her head, and the possibility he could help her if Jack Sparrow was not available, she heard his voice. Could it be that the two of them had had the same idea?
"William!" She shouted with cheerfulness, for if he was talking, that meant there was somewhere else there. And who else in that dirty, corrupted place could William Turner be willingly talking to but him?.
She almost ran down the stairs to his encounter, and in less than a minute she found herself staring at him. He looked at her wide eyed, while holding a bench on both his hands, looking determined to bring that cell down. In front of him, stood the disgusting pirate that had brought the two of them there.
"Miss. Swann, I- I can explain"
"No need to" she smiled widely, walking closer to him and putting both hands on the same bench he was holding "I'll help."
"You sure you like the other one? This lass seems more fun" Jack Sparrow commented.
Will Turner dropped what he was holding, careful enough not to hurt Anne by doing so. The pirate stood there with amusement in his eyes, if he hadn't been eager to get out of the cell, he wouldn't have minded to keep watching the pair for an hour or so. William Turner cleaned the sweat from his forehead with the back of his sleeve and took a deep breath.
"Miss. Swann, It's not safe for you to be here. Did anyone else come with you?"
"No, I left the soldiers at the house. I'm by myself"
"Then, with more reason, I must escort you home right away"
"You won't do such a thing. I care about my sister the same as you and love her even more. We're both here for the same thing. I'm helping." As she saw him take air to surely tell her how inappropriate and dangerous it was for a young woman to do the same he was attempting to do, she added: "And don't forget, Mr. Turner, that I just saw you trying to help a deeply distrubed pirate escape, which is a grave crime; and I wouldn't be mistaken to assume that by the right price, said pirate would testify by the truth."Jack Sparrow opened his mouth with a smile to answer to that, as he raised a finger,but Anne Swann cut her off, returning her gaze towards William to finish her words "So your options are to either let me help find my sister or be given the same fate as this individual"
Will Turner swallowed and took a few seconds to answer, nodding slowly: "As you wish, Miss. Swann"
The girl nodded too, and kneeling down to grab the bench, she added: "And William, I think that given the circumstances, you can refer to me as Anne, don't you think?"
When he went down to help her with the weight of the bench, he said. "Alright, Anne"
Most of the strength that knocked the cell down was William's, but Anne couldn't help to feel a little proud of herself when after just pulling once, the pirate that went by the name of Jack Sparrow was free. The excitement prevented her from feeling the shame that was tied to it but as soon as it wore off, later that night, as she was trying to conceive sleep, it came with the force of a thousand seas. It wasn't until many nights later that she understood that she wasn't proud of releasing a criminal of Sparrow's type, but rather of actually doing something by herself that actually made an impact - all those years, Anne Swann had done nothing more than pray, be a good daughter and read.
As they ran from the dungeons, Anne felt the adrenaline of it on every limb, as if the remains of the soreness from the swimming of the past night had vanished. In order to calm herself down, because adrenaline often led to fear once it wore off if used too quickly, she started questioning William Turner, who ran in front of her but behind Sparrow; she asked about what had he promised the pirate in order to receive his help, and of what exactly did that help consist of. The answer to the last question was given to her when the stopped under a bridge and Will Turner's attention was shifted where Jack Sparrow's eyes were, which was right at a ship.
"We're going to steal a ship?" had Anne been able to see his face, she'd have seen the growing worry on his eyes, which truly matched her own "That ship?"
"Commandeer. We're going to commandeer that ship. Nautical term." Sparrow pointed towards the ship with his dirty finger. Anne was close enough to him to smell him, but stayed there so she could get a better look of what their course of actions would be like "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going" he turned to face the blacksmith, standing so close to him that she almost felt bad for Will, since the smell must've been unbearing "How far are you willing to go to save her? I know she will do whatever I say" he gestured with his head towards Anne, not even looking at her "The lass is very important and still came to find me, but what about you?"
"I'll die for her" Was Will Turner's answer. Anyone doubting his love for Elizabeth was insulting.
"Oh good. No worries then."
Despite the fact that what the pirate said troubled her greatly, because the fact that someone believed her capable of following a pirate's every order wasn't very appealing to anyone who shared half of Anne's principles, it was the truth. Dirty, evil and degenerated, that man was the only one who could get her sister back - Anne felt it in her guts the minute they freed him; he looked like a madman, and mad people often came up with the best ideas and had the best of luck.
The way he planned their escape of Port Royal only confirmed her theory about his insanity.
William Turner, a blacksmith; Jack Sparrow, a pirate and Anne Swann, a governor's daughter, walking underwater and using the remaining space of a flipped canoe to breath. What was most surprising was that hadn't it been for her dress, which meant she was supposed to make a bigger effort in order to move than the two men with her, Anne would've almost said it was a comfortable experience - despite the burning legs, that is.
"This is either madness or brilliance"
"It's remarkable how often those two triats coincide."
After they climbed over the ship to get on it (which took her twice or three times what it took them) they did something that made it into the top craziest things that she had ever experienced, and that was saying something, considering she had once reincarnated into the body of a newborn baby plus some time travel; Jack Sparrow lead the party of three as they announced themselves to the crew and took out a gun and then announced they would be taking over the ship. William Turner even pulled out a sword and yelled.
The looks of incredulity they were given perhaps matched Anne's. Suddenly she wondered if depending on a mad pirate and a love intoxicated goody two shoes blacksmith for her heroic plan was such a good idea as it seemed just minutes ago.
They were laughed at and then informed the ship could not be crewed by two men.
"You'll never make it out of the bay"
"And let's not forget they have the woman" another officer said, his laughter reklinding that of his peers.
Anne frowned but her covered face didn't allow for the facial gesture to reach the men who had insulted her. As soon as her feet had touched the wooden floors, she had wrapped the veil around her head again; and what a good thing she had, since the man speaking was no other than Lieutenant Gillette, who she had seen that very same morning.
A gun pointed to Gillette's face was all they needed to get them off the ship.
Things moved quickly from then on. Sparrow made sure to snap orders at Anne and William at full speed. They had to move ropes from one place to the other, tie knots and move fast, as the rest of the Navy were near and would, without doubt, join them to defend what was theirs.
Just as William was setting her up to go up the rope and jump from the Dauntless to the Interceptor, Anne heard a voice she was not expecting to hear. It truly wasn't strange at all that he should be there - if anything, it was expected, someone was stealing a Royal Navy boat and he was the new Commodore; but still, it was an unsettling thing to hear James Norrington's voice just then. Commodore Norrington was someone in whom Anne Swann thought about often: she wondered what he was doing at certain times of the day; what sort of books he liked to read; how many lives had he helped by just doing what was his duty, his passion - to put it simple, the thoughts that involved him were pure and good. Right then, she was not only in the company of a criminal and another armed man, but also stealing a ship from the same country her father served in; there was nothing good and pure in what she was doing, and James Norrington and everything he implied to her had nothing to do with it either.
Since Will was jumping with her, since Sparrow he had told her he didn't trust her falling on the water if she went by herself (and had offered to do the honors of escorting her, but thankfully William had said he would instead) he wasted no time in thinking about Norrington or anything else and jumped as soon as he made sure all the men from the Interceptor were on the Dauntless. That was a good thing, because if left by herself, Anne would've just stayed there and soon would've been recognized by at least one of the many men there who saw her rather daily.
Once in the Interceptor, with shaky arms and legs, Anne Swann allowed her to let out a sigh and sit down on the floor, wrapping her hands around her knees and resting her chin over them as well as she watched Port Royal stay behind and turn small as they sailed into the unknown.
