Chapter Three: Sword

Page was up early the next day. He watched eagerly as the sun rose above the ocean, casting long glowing rays into the sky.

From his spot on the roof, he had a great view of the ship. He had decided to visit Kayia at noon. Not wanting to look overly excited, he had made himself stay rooted to this spot for the past hour.

Page watched as small dots covered the deck. Each dot was a sailor, Page marveled at how many there were. Suddenly chaos erupted onboard. The flurry of activity kept Page hypnotized. Each dot weaved in and out of the center. It was like a dance. Page watched, awed for a couple minutes. Then he figured it out. They were swordfighting! He watched, intent on finding a pattern to the seemingly smooth dance of metal.

After watching for about an hour Page noticed the flurry of activity start to die down. The sun was nearly all the way above the horizon and fishermen were making their way out into the water. He slipped off the roof and into the sleeping chambers. Most of the kids were still asleep, but Page noticed some empty beds. He quietly walked down the stairs and frowned. The past few days had gone by fast. Tomorrow he would be forced to leave...

He pushed it out of his mind and walked out into the marketplace. Already, the booths were filled with fresh fish and crab. Page tried to take his time, but was done at all the booths within twenty minutes.

He didn't know how much longer he could last without running to the ship...

An hour later Page was laying on his back watching the clouds blow across the sky. After running an errand for a fisherman, collecting shells, eating and playing checkers. He had no idea of what to do next. Noon was still an hour away. He sighed and let his eyes drop closed. today's weather was nice, not overly hot like usual. He smiled he was going to...

"Aye, watcha doin up here?" Page spun around. He bashed his elbow on a rock and cringed. He saw the speaker. It was a little girl, probably eleven. She had torn trousers and a shirt that was much too large for her little frame. Over her head she had wrapped a cloth like a turban. Page wondered if he looked just as silly in his own baggy clothes.

"Ummm, I was just watching clouds..." His elbow throbbed and he held it.

"Oh..." She nimbly skipped over to him and plopped down. He eyed her suspiciously. She didn't seem to notice. "So, do ya live here?" She stared up at the sky. Page was confused by this strange little girl, but also intrigued. She had the same accent that Kayia had...

"Yeah.. I live here. Are you one of the crewmembers on the boat?" He pointed out to the ship. It seemed absurd for such a young girl to work on a ship, but he didn't know what else she could've come from.

She giggled. "No, me Mum runs the ship. She's the Cap'n. I go where she goes. Me name is Pearl." She smiled and Page immediately saw her mother in her. The same weird sense if humor, the same bright green eyes. He smiled back.

"I'm Page...What's it like living on that ship? I bet it's amazing." He was surprised by the sound of longing in his own voice. Pearl didn't seem to pick up on it.

"Aye, it truly is a adventure. But there be monsters that we hear of, that we must keep an eye out for." The way Pearl spoke drew Page in. He took the bait. He sat up.

"What kinds of monsters?" She grinned over at him like he had just asked the perfect question. He felt excitement as she stood and waved her hands theatrically. Then she started to sing.

" There be Krackens, and oysters and sharks and squids. They all haunt the sea. Look out below it's a Whales blowhole! Yo ho! What a sight to see!" she started to skip from side to side. Page's smile grew as she progressed. "But I would rather dive with sharks alive and meet the depths of the sea.." She stopped skipping and bent down, touching her finger to her temple. "Then meet The locker of Jones for he makes the sailors scream." Page's insides froze. His grin vanished and as she went on with her song he tried to figure out why he felt this way... where had he heard the name Davy Jones? He felt a connection deep in his heart to this name.

"You like me song?" She was grinning. Page tried to pull his face into somewhat of a smile, and succeeded. He clapped for her and she seemed to glow with pride. She bowed. And crouched right next to Page. "Do ye want to go see me ship?" Page nodded eagerly and she jumped up. Pearl had her hand in his. Page found himself being dragged by this young girl down the hill and through the marketplace. Eventually he found pace with her, but she didn't let go of his hand. She was laughing and he found it contagious. They laughed and before Page knew it, he was up the ramp and onboard.

He looked up at the majestic sails. and noticed Kayia's iconic red hair. He wondered if she had anything to grab onto if she slipped. From that far up, if she fell.. But he watched as she expertly jumped from beam to beam. She swung down to the deck and smiled at the two kids. She eyed their hands still clasped together. They both seemed to realize this fact at the same time, they dropped their hands to their sides.

Pages face flushed as red as Kayia's hair. She grinned. "Welcome aboard Mr. Page. I see you've met me daughter." Page nodded.

"She nearly gave me a heart attack when she snuck up on me!" Pearl laughed. Kayia smiled.

"Pearl, do ye want to give Page a tour belowdecks?" Pearl shrugged. This must seem an odd request for someone who had lived their entire life on a boat. Page noticed Kayia's hand was reasting on a sleek silver sword. It glittered in the sun. " After the tour, it's time for your sparring session." Pearls eyes lit up.

"Aye Cap'n!" She skipped to a stairwell over on the other side of the ship. "C'mon Page!" He smiled at Kayia and ran to the stairs.

--

The tour had been fascinating. The fact that hundreds of men could bunk downstairs with provisions and the boat could still float was amazing.

Page had learned that Pearl's mother had gotten this ship four years ago. Pearls father had died in a shipwreck five years ago. She was twelve and an only child. Page found himself laughing at all her jokes. He liked it that he felt so free with her.

They made their way up the wooden stairs. Pearl had grabbed a sword for herself belowdecks and was looking excited to match against her own mother. She had offered him a sword. He had tried to refuse but he found it in his hands and Pearl moving on before he could count to three. It was now strapped to his side, as he approached Kayia she eyed it.

"You ev'r handled a sword Page?" He shook his head and Pearl's jaw dropped. Kayia smiled knowingly. "That's fine lad. Let's begin." She taught the pair a couple positions and then instructed them to practice on each other. Page stepped around nervously, but he found that he was doing well at blocking Pearls ferocious blows. Though they had force behind them they were easy to predict, Page found himself switching from defensive to offensive. He felt his stance change, and seemed to watch from far away as he backed Pearl into a corner.

She tried desperately to push away, but she saw he was winning. When her foot hit the side of the ship, he lowered his sword. He heard clapping behind him and turned. Kayia looked pleased. She was lightly clapping. Pearl looked miffed and stomped past him.

"I'm sorry Pearl..." Kayia shushed him.

"Pearl, get yer behind back here." Pearl marched back. "Take fighti'n position." Pearl lowered. Kayia adjusted her feet and Pearl made a face. Page tried to hide his laughter. The angry look on her face started to wear off. "Aight, you look good Lassie. Now keep yer feet in this position."

With that Page and Pearl resumed. Never had page felt such an adrenaline rush. He and Pearl were about equally matched. She won half, he won half. When the sun started to set, Kayia sent him home. Pearl gave him a quick hug which made both of their faces red, and then she scampered off belowdecks.

Page smiled. He didn't know what tomorrow would bring.. but he was starting to find his place in the world... He liked it.

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Hi guys!! I hope you liked this chapter. I'm really pleased with it. I'm going to start replying to review's. If you've reviewed, thank you so much!! It's really the reason I keep writing. I have some pretty good action scenes in the near future so bear with me!!

Guest/ wolfcastleblack: Don't worry, Elizabeth is alive. I'm not going to kill off my favorite character :)

Martha: Thank you so much! Many chapters to come, I promise!

Buckhunter The Race Horse: Cool name BTW. No, Its not the Back Pearl. I don't know if Jack will be in this story. Just because I think I wouldn't be able to write his perfectness. Tell me if you want him Though! (Maybe I can squeeze him in somewhere.)

Alexis: Thank you so much! I am a fangirl too. Enjoy the story!!

Thank you to all my reviewers. If you have any questions please post them in the reviews. I will answer them as quickly as I can. Byeeeeee!