Here's the next chapter my dudes! Hope you enjoy because I have no idea if this is even good.
Abby POV
It had been five years since I washed up on the shore of Port Royal. Elizabeth, the Governor's then 15-year-old daughter was quite interested in me and stayed with me as much as she could while I was forced to rest by the doctor. We got along extremely well and quickly became fast friends. Her father, possibly feeling sorry for me, took me in and treated me as his own, even allowing me to call him father when I slipped up after living with the Swanns for almost a year. I was rather surprised that a governor would take in a complete stranger, but I was grateful all the same. Elizabeth seemed happy to have another woman in the house other than the maids. As I was 7 years older than her, she became like a younger sister to me, we shared almost everything.
I stood on the balcony to my room, breathing in the salty ocean air. A light breeze blew past, ruffling my long black hair. I swept my ocean blue eyes over the scenery in front of me. The Governor's house was situated on a hill and my balcony gave me a beautiful view of the Port Royal harbor. I had been living with the Swanns for five years and was now 27 years old. It was a lot to get used to, going from living with my best friend in the 21st century to living as a governor's daughter in the 18th century. I often wondered what happened to Evie. I assumed she wound up here too, where was the question. Over the last five years, I've kept my eyes peeled for any sign of her, but so far nothing. I've also spent the last five years reading all I could about pirates and sailing. Figured, if I was in the world of POTC, then I should be prepared. I was broken from my thoughts by a knock at my bedroom door.
"Come in," I called as I drew my dressing gown tighter around my body. My adoptive father walked in flanked by two maids, one of them carrying a box. I smiled as I walked back into my room. "Morning, father."
"Good morning, Abigail," my father greeted with a warm smile. "Glad to see you are awake. I have a gift for you."
"A gift, really?" I asked. "What for?"
"Well, I got one for Elizabeth and I couldn't very well forget her sister, could I?" He replied. He gestured for the maid to open the box. I looked in and gasped at what I saw.
"Oh, father!" I cried in delight, pulling out a beautiful blue dress. "It's gorgeous! It's perfect for the ceremony today!"
My father smiled. "I'm glad you like it. Now go on and get dressed while I go wake Elizabeth." I went behind my changing screen, followed by the two maids. They helped me slip into the corset that came with the dress and I gasped as they tightened it.
"Isabella, would you mind loosening the laces?" I asked one of the maids. "It would be a bit embarrassing if I passed out during Captain Norrington's promotion."
"Yes, miss," Isabella replied.
"Isabella, I've told you and Mary to call me Abby," I reminded her, wincing slightly as she tugged the laces of my corset loose.
"Sorry...Abby."
I smiled. "Thank you." I took a deep breath as she finished loosening the laces. "That's much better." Isabella tied the laces and she and Mary helped me into my dress. Mary then fixed my hair. I thanked both my maids and went out into the hall.
"Impressive, very impressive," my father was saying as I came to the stairs. I looked down into the foyer and saw my father examining a sword in his hands. Will Turner, apprentice to the local blacksmith and my best friend was standing in front of my father, a proud look on his face as he watched my father.
"Hello, Will," I greeted cheerfully as I walked up behind my father.
Will smiled and nodded. "Miss Swann, good to see you." I had gotten to know Will quite well over the last five years. I had convinced him to teach me how to sword fight, not that my father knew that. I managed to get him to call me Abby when we were alone, but no matter how many times I told him, he insisted on calling me by my adopted last name whenever we were in public. I found it rather amusing.
"Abigail, you look beautiful in that dress," my father complemented, causing me to blush slightly. I looked at the sword my father still held.
"Is that Commodore Norrington's new sword?" I asked.
"Yes, it is. Mr. Turner was just delivering it."
My eyes light up. "May I see it? I'll be careful," I promised when my father hesitated. He consented and handed it to me. I examined nearly every inch, pulling the blade out of the scabbard slightly. "Will, it's beautiful!"
"Yes, Commodore Norrington is going to be very pleased with this," my father agreed as I passed the sword back to Will who was practically beaming at my appraisal. "Do pass my compliments on to your master." Will's face fell and I closed my eyes briefly in annoyance. I knew perfectly well that Will had made that sword along with all the others he had sold. Unfortunately, his master, Mr. Brown got all the credit for Will's hard work.
"I shall," Will replied, hiding his disappointment. "A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated." Will stopped speaking and stared wide eyed at something behind us. I turned around to see Elizabeth on her way down the stairs, adorned in her new dress.
"Ah, Elizabeth, you look stunning," my father complemented, smiling proudly at his daughter. I noticed Will opened his mouth to speak, but quickly closed it and nodded in agreement.
"Will! So good to see you!" Elizabeth said happily as she walked down the stairs. I noticed her hand drift absentmindedly to her neck. "I had a dream about you last night."
Will blinked, obviously surprised. "About me?"
"Elizabeth, is that entirely proper for you to-" my father attempted to say, but Elizabeth ignored him.
"About the day we met. Do you remember?"
"How could I forget, Miss Swann?" Will replied, a light blush dusting his cheeks.
"Will, how many times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?" Elizabeth scolded lightly.
"At least once more, Miss Swann, as always," Will politely replied, causing Elizabeth's smile to falter. I rolled my eyes. Always the gentleman.
"There, see, at least the boy has a sense of propriety," my father said. "Now, we really must be going." He took the case with the sword and handed it to a servant and headed out the door.
"Good day, Mr. Turner," Elizabeth replied coolly. She gathered her skirts and strode past Will. I shot Will an apologetic smile before following. I felt bad for him. It was clear that he had feelings for Elizabeth and that Elizabeth had feelings for him, but neither one of them would admit it. Not that it would really do much good anyway as Elizabeth was the daughter of the governor and was expected to marry someone of a higher class. Poor Will was just the apprentice of the local blacksmith.
The ceremony went by rather slowly. Poor Elizabeth looked extremely uncomfortable and tried to discreetly adjust her corset.
"Would you like me to loosen your corset, Lizzie?" I asked once the ceremony had ended.
"Yes please!" Elizabeth said with a sigh of relief. "I can barely breathe." Unfortunately, before I got the chance, the newly promoted Commodore Norrington walked over.
"May I have a moment?" He asked Elizabeth. He extended his arm and she hesitated before taking it. I gave her a questioning look and she nodded in reassurance. I watched as she and Norrington walked off. I guessed he was going to propose to her. It wasn't a secret that he fancied Elizabeth. Unfortunately, I knew that Elizabeth didn't feel the same for him. In all honesty, he was a nice guy, but I wasn't sure if he was the man for her. I turned my head when I heard Norrington shout Elizabeth's name. I noticed that she was no longer standing on the ramparts. I wasted no time in bolting for the docks, barely noticing as the sky darkened and the wind picked up. I reached the docks just in time to see two soldiers, Murtogg and Mullroy helping a man I recognized as Jack Sparrow drag Elizabeth out of the water.
"Lizzie!" I gasped, rushing over and dropping to my knees beside the unconscious girl, barely taking time to notice she was no longer wearing her dress. I quickly put two fingers against her neck and sighed in relief when I felt a pulse. That relief quickly turned to panic as I noticed she wasn't breathing. "She's not breathing!"
"Move!" Jack ordered as he shoved me aside. He grabbed a knife from Murtogg and slit her corset down the middle. He tossed the corset to Murtogg who caught it with a flinch. For a frightening few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, Elizabeth gasped and started coughing up water. I sighed in relief.
"I never would have thought of that," Mullroy commented.
"Clearly, you've never been to Singapore," Jack replied flatly. His gaze then landed on the medallion around Elizabeth's neck and he picked it up. "Where did you get that?" Before Elizabeth could answer, a point of a sword was thrust under Jack's chin, Norrington's sword to be exact.
"On your feet," Norrington snarled. Jack slowly rose to his feet, keeping his eyes on the sword. I helped Elizabeth to her feet. Now that I was no longer worried about my sister, I was able to get a good look at Jack. I ran my eyes over his form. I always thought he was good looking in the films, but that did nothing to prepare me for finally seeing him in person. His skin was tan from years out in the Caribbean sun, his hair was in its usual dreadlocks, his trademark red bandanna was tied around his forehead, complete with the usual beads and wale bone. He had a mustache and small beaded beard, but it was his eyes that got me. Those dark, chocolate brown eyes that I could just lose myself in.
"Elizabeth! Abigail! Are you alright?" My father asked in concern, breaking me from my trance. He stripped off his coat and draped it over my sister.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine," she assured our father. My father caught sight of the corset that Murtogg was still holding. Murtogg quickly dropped the corset and pointed to Jack.
"Shoot him!" My father ordered.
"Father!" Elizabeth protested. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?" Norrington hesitated, glancing at Elizabeth. Norrington sighed and sheathed his sword. Jack gave a grateful nod to Elizabeth.
"I believe thanks are in order," Norrington decided, holding out his hand to Jack. Jack hesitated before slowly shaking Norrington's hand. Norrington tightened his grip and pulled up Jack's sleeve, revealing a scar in the shape of a 'P' on his wrist. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, pirate?"
"Hang him," my father declared.
"Keep your guns on him, men," Norrington ordered. "Gillette, fetch some irons." He pulled Jack's sleeve up a little higher, revealing a tattoo of a sparrow. "Well, well...Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir," Jack corrected. I had to use every ounce of self control I had to keep from squealing in delight.
"Well, I don't see your ship...Captain," Norrington said mockingly.
"I'm in the market, as it were." I bit my lip to keep from smiling.
"He said he'd come to commandeer one," Murtogg spoke up.
"Told ya he was telling the truth," Mullroy told Murtogg. "These are his, sir." He grabbed Jack's effects and handed them to Norrington.
"No additional shots nor powder," Norrington commented as he searched through Jack's things. "A compass that doesn't point north." He partially unsheathed Jack's sword and smirked. "And I have expected it to be made of wood. You are without a doubt the worst pirate I've ever heard of."
"But you have heard of me," Jack piped up. I let out an involuntary laugh which I quickly covered with a cough when I was given some strange looks. Norrington glared at Jack before roughly grabbing his arm and dragging him off.
I jogged to catch up with him. "Commodore, please, you must reconsider."
"Carefully, Lieutenant," Norrington warned as he passed Jack to Gillette to be shackled.
"Pirate or not, this man saved my sister's life," I argued, moving to stand between Norrington and Jack. "I don't think it's appropriate to reward chivalry with the hangman's noose."
"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness," Norrington retorted.
"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack pointed out.
Norrington glared at Jack. "Indeed." Gillette finished shackling Jack's wrists and stepped away.
"Finally," Jack muttered. Before I could react, Jack had thrown his chains around my neck.
"No, don't shoot!" My father shouted in panic.
"I knew you'd warm up to me," Jack said with a smirk. "Commodore Norrington, my effects, please, and my hat." Norrington hesitated. "Commodore!" Norrington set his jaw and grabbed Jack's effects from Mullroy. "Abigail. It is Abigail isn't it?"
"I prefer Abby, actually," I corrected. I was surprisingly calm despite the fact that I had a chain around my neck. I mean sure, my heart was pounding, but it had little to do with my life being threatened. I could tell that Jack didn't really want to hurt me, he was just looking for an escape. I was honestly having trouble deciding if I should fangirl over how close I was the Captain Jack Sparrow or if I should be annoyed that I was being used as his scapegoat.
"Abby, if you'd be so kind," Jack said. I fought down a blush as his breath tickled my neck. "Come, come dear. We don't have all day." Jack's things were shoved into my arms and he reached around to grab his pistol. He spun me around and held the pistol to my head. Once again, I wasn't too worried as the pistol wasn't cocked. I sighed and tucked the compass into his belt. Jack smirked, obviously enjoying our close proximity. "Now if you'd be very kind." I shoved his hat on his head and strapped on his sword. I wrapped his baldric around his shoulder and I saw him smirk satisfactorily at Norrington. I gave the baldric a swift tug, making sure it was secure. "Easy on the goods, darling."
"Considering I'm saving your life and you saved my sister's life, I hope this means we're even," I told Jack, raising a questioning eyebrow and smiling flirtatiously.
"Aye," Jack agreed, flashing his signature smirk. "I think this makes us square." He spun me around, pistol still pressed to the side of my head. "Gentlemen, m'ladies, you will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" With that, he shoved me towards Norrington. Jack kicked a nearby lever and grabbed a rope.
"Now, will you shoot him?" My father asked in annoyance.
"Open fire!" Norrington ordered. His men fired at Jack as he swung around on the rope, eventually landing on a beam bore us. "On his heels!" I watched in awe as Jack threw his chains over a rope and slid down to the ground. "Gillette, Mr. Sparrow has a dawn appointment with the gallows. I would hate for him to miss it." Gillette nodded and took some soldiers with him.
"Abigail, are you alright?" My father asked in concern.
I nodded and tried not to let out a fangirlish sigh. "I'm fine, father. Let's go home." My father nodded and led Elizabeth and I home.
Evelyn POV
It had been 5 years since I started sailing with the crew of the Black Pearl. I fit in with the crew surprisingly well. I think the crew actually liked having me aboard. I did just about every job on the ship and I think I impressed the crew with my willingness to do any task given to me. I even found I had a knack for climbing things as I could scale the rigging faster than anyone else. I had added a few accessories to my outfit. A flintlock pistol was now shoved into my belt and a baldric held my cutlass. I had also found a black frock coat to finish my look. Barbossa continued to teach me how to fight and even taught me how to sail with a bit of prodding from me. He was a tough teacher, but I learned a lot. The crew would often pause in their duties to watch Barbossa and I spar. Like he said, he was a master swordsman and it took me several months to last any more than a couple minutes against him. It took me a while to find the right sword. All the swords I tried were too long for me and felt awkward in my hand. Barbossa wasn't much help either as he wanted me to try every single sword in the armory. I eventually found a suitable sword. It was a plain cutlass, nothing fancy about it, but it got the job done. It was shorter which made it easier for me to handle. Thankfully, once I found the right sword, I was able to last much longer against Barbossa. Occasionally, I would spar with other members of the crew, usually Pintel or Ragetti. I had made it my duty to get to know every member of the crew. Out of everyone, I had taken a liking to Pintel and Ragetti. I found the two funny, though they never tried to be.
Currently, I was in my cabin, patching a tear in Ragetti's coat. I passed the needle through the fabric one last time and tied off the thread. I held up my coat and smiled in satisfaction at my handiwork. I left my cabin and headed to the main deck.
"Oi, Ragetti!" I called.
"Aye?" The one-eyed pirate asked, coming over.
I handed him his coat. "All fixed. Try to be more careful next time," I told him with a teasing smile.
"Thanks," Ragetti said, slipping into his coat. I nodded and turned, spotting Barbossa standing by the helm, his first mate Bo'sun at the helm.
"Captain," I greeted with a nod as I climbed to the helm. "Bo'sun." Bo'sun nodded in acknowledgment and turned the wheel a degree. Jack the monkey screeched and jumped onto my shoulder. I smiled and reached up to stroke the monkey. "Hello to you too, Jack."
"Evie, are ye ready for our spar?" Barbossa asked.
"Why do we continue to spar?" I inquired. "You know I'm the best swordsman on the ship besides you."
"Aye, that may be true, but there's always room for improvement," the pirate lord replied.
I sighed. "I don't think one day off will kill me."
"It very well could," he countered. "'Sides, you didn't become the best swordsman on my crew by slackin' off."
"Oh, alright," I conceded with an over dramatic sigh. I followed Barbossa to the main deck and Jack jumped off my shoulder, scampering off up the rigging. "Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and beat you this time."
Barbossa scoffed and drew his sword. "You and I both know that'll ne'er happen."
I shrugged as I drew my cutlass and moved into a fighting stance. "A girl can dream, can't she?" As always, the crew paused in their duties to watch. We paced around each other, waiting to see if the other would make the first move. Barbossa charged at me and I swung my blade to block his. The clank of the swords rang out. We continued to spar, our movements almost like a dance. I had learned to use my smaller size to my advantage. I was quicker and more agile than many of the other crew members. Unfortunately for me, while this technique worked on the other crew members, it wasn't as effective with Barbossa. I spied an opening in Barbossa's defenses and swung my blade, but he saw it coming. He brought his own blade up to block mine. I pressed my weight against his sword and he pressed back, backing me against the mast. My arms shook with the effort of holding back his blade and my eyes darted around frantically, looking for a way out. I glanced down and spotted my escape. Quick as lightning, I slipped down and rolled through Barbossa's legs as he stumbled from the release of pressure against his blade. I sprung to my feet on the other side and spun around to strike. Unfortunately, Barbossa was too quick and blocked.
"Impressive," he complimented. "But ye need to be quicker than that." Almost before I had time to register what was happening, I found myself lying on the deck, Barbossa's sword at my throat. The crew erupted into cheers and hollers and Barbossa smirked. "I think that was a new record."
"And I think you enjoy this way too much," I grumbled. Barbossa chuckled and held out his hand to me.
"Probably," the pirate captain replied, tugging me to my feet. I nodded gratefully to Ragetti as he passed me my cutlass.
"I thought for sure I had you that time," I sighed, sheathing my cutlass.
"That was an impressive move," Barbossa admitted. "Not many would see that coming." I smiled at the compliment. Suddenly, the entire ship shook, knocking me to the deck again.
"What the heck was that?" I asked, getting to my feet.
"We've got a lead," Barbossa declared, making his way back to the helm.
"The medallion?" I asked, following.
Barbossa grinned devilishly. "Aye!" He shoved Bo'sun aside and took the helm.