A/N: Doesn't anyone want to enter my fan art contest? I haven't heard a word about it. Pretty please withcheeries on top? Here are the details again...

To celebrate my upcoming one year anniversary (and because I really want it) I am having a fan-art contest. No prizes just acclaim. The complete rules are on my profile page, but in short, here's what I want you fan-artists to do. Complete a piece of fan art for ANY of the stories I have written for this website. No smut please, any media as long as I can see it on the computer screen, email it to me with a private message by AUGUST 14th, 2006! The winners (which will probably be anyone who submits something) will be announced on AUGUST 25, 2006. I'm giving you two months to do this people so I hope you enter! Please visit my profile page for the complete rules and hey, I'd appreciate it if you drop me a private message telling me to keep an eye out for your fan-art. : ) So have fun with the contest. I'll try to update on other stories soon to let more people know about the contest.

Back to the story, well folks, here's the first flashback! No Jack...but two chapters from now you'll see a bit of our beloved Captain...then two chapters after that he will be officially in the story! Hope you like Mignonette. Tell me what you think.

peace, love and lipgloss,

Mlle. Fox

p.s. less than two weeks till Dead Man's Chest can you believe it? (insert fangirl squeal here)

...so long ago in Pyrus...

Mignonette lit a candle, casting dark shadows of the walls in her large bedroom. She grabbed her dressing gown and slipped out of bed tying the silk ribbons around her bosom. She picked up the candle and walked out of her bedroom, the sentry standing at attention. She didn't even look them in the eye as she headed down the hall towards the cries of,

"Papa! Papa! Papa!" Soft sobs and muffled voices filled the air as Mignonette turned the handle and entered the room. With her knees curled up to her chest sat Genevieve Patrice, Princess of Genovia and second in line for the Genovian Throne. But Mignonette only saw her eleven year old baby sister, her tears flowing down her face. The governess was scolding her,

"Your Highness must stop this foolishness immediately and go straight back to sleep!"

"Her Highness may do as she pleases, Governess Baracaldo." Mignonette told the old gray woman icily. Governess Baracaldo jumped and spun around to stutter,

"Your Majesty! Forgive me I did not see you standing there!"

"You should be asking my forgiveness for your harsh manner towards the Princess, Baracaldo…but if you leave us I shall forget this incident ever happened." Mignonette said dismissively. The old woman curtsied and practically ran from the room if it wasn't dignified.

"I'm sorry I woke you Sister…I shall go back to sleep." Genevieve said hanging her head in submission. Mignonette gave her a warm smile and approached her side, placing the candle on the night stand,

"You will do no such thing until you tell me what's wrong." In a quiet, timid voice, Genevieve whispered,

"I dreamt of Papa again." Mignonette sat in the bed brushing Genevieve's long golden curls out of her face.

"That means you've dreamt of him every night this week, Genevieve. Papa would want you to sleep you know." Mignonette said gently.

"I know…but I miss him so much Minnie!" Genevieve exclaimed throwing herself into Mignonette's arms and beginning to sob again. Mignonette shushed her sister soothingly and smoothed the hair on the back of her head.

"I know…I know…I miss him too." Mignonette said kissing Genevieve's head.

"I can't believe he's gone. How do you stand it Minnie? How can you be so strong?" Genevieve asked. Mignonette didn't answer at first. She gulped down a lump in her throat. Ever since their father passed away in his sleep last week, Mignonette had been thrust into the preparations of her coronation upon her twenty-first birthday in three weeks. She had become queen literally overnight. And on March 23rd it would be official. The fact that she and her sister were in mourning over their father was beside the point. Genovia needed a ruler on the throne. And as the oldest living heir, that meant Mignonette.

Mignonette wished one of her two older brothers had survived childbirth. But their mother, the Late Queen Kathleen had always been a sickly woman. The fact Mignonette was alive, strong and healthy was a miracle. But when Kathleen had Genevieve, her weak body couldn't take it. The Lord called her to his side nearly twelve years ago. Now while Genevieve herself was healthy, the doctors believed she would never have children, but it was still too soon to say. But that didn't mean the nobles of the court weren't pressuring Mignonette to marry and provide an heir. Mignonette thought she still had plenty of time when her father was alive. Gerald never pressured his girls into the idea of marriage. In fact, he encouraged ideas of them finding their true loves and marrying them. But now with Gerald dead, the fact that Mignonette wasn't ready loomed over her head. She wasn't ready to marry! She wasn't ready to have a child! And she certainly wasn't ready to be queen! She didn't even know how to rule a country; her lessons had not gotten that far.

Oh Papa! Why did you have to die when I have no clue what to do? Mignonette thought to herself and biting back tears of her own. Mignonette pulled Genevieve away from her once the wave of tears were spent and said gently,

"Listen…I'm not as strong as you think. I'm going to need you the next…oh…sixty years to keep me sane!" Earning a short laugh from the girl, Mignonette went on,

"Papa loved us both very much, and he wanted us to be happy. It's okay that we're sad, but we must move on with our lives…no matter how scary it is, understand?"

"Yes…Minnie? Do you think Papa is with Mama now?" asked Genevieve.

Mignonette smiled, "I know he is. And she will take very good care of him. Now they can be together forever! And one day, long into the future, we'll be with them both again too. And hopefully, so will our husbands, and our children, and our children's children and so on and so forth until the end of time and the Renaldi line!" Mignonette said. Genevieve smiled brightly,

"Papa use to say something like that…'till the end of time and the Renaldi line…"

"Yes he did…oh Genevieve…my god you look so much like Mama." Mignonette said remembering the kind beautiful and wise woman. Genevieve smile grew even larger,

"Really?" Mignonette nodded,

"Mmm-hmm. Spitting image! Now…Mama and Papa both want you to get to sleep!" Mignonette said standing and tucking her sister in.

"Yes Minnie."

"Genevieve…remember… no matter what happens, I will always take care of you." Mignonette said.

"But who will take care of you Minnie?" asked Genevieve innocently. Mignonette ignored her sister's question and kissed her cheek saying,

"I love you."

"I love you Minnie." Genevieve said rolling on her side. Soon she fell fast asleep, her breathing heard throughout the room. Mignonette couldn't leave the room though. Genevieve's question unnerved her. She went over to the water basin and splashed her face with cool water. She looked up from her dripping face to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Could this young, fair looking girl with the porcelain skin and blue green eyes really become a queen? She ran a hair through her long brown hair and sighed. Who would take care of Mignonette when Mignonette couldn't take care of herself? Her heart longed for her husband, whoever he may be. She longed for strong comforting arms to hold her when the world got to be too much to bear. But for now, all she had was herself. The future Queen of Genovia.

The next morning, Mignonette met with her advisors, the noblemen of the court. They were all rich, powerful men wearing wigs and waistcoats, nothing but the finest. And the leader of them all was Lord Richard Chestivaldi. He owned Genovia's largest pear orchards. He was a tall skinny man of fifty, with a sharp hawk like nose and cold gray eyes. Surprisingly, the man was good with children and he had charmed Mignonette as a girl. But now as his Queen, Mignonette could see he still regarded her as a know-nothing girl, a silly child. He was currently standing before where Mignonette sat on the throne and telling her,

"Your Majesty, with all due respect, you must think of the future of your country."

"But Lord Chestivaldi isn't wishing to understand the new labor laws you all are imposing on your lands thinking of the future?" Mignonette asked. The other nobles looked nervously to Chestivaldi,

"Well…yes Milady…however that is a matter that can wait. Now we must discuss what you are doing about your need to be married." Chestivaldi told her.

"Dear Lord Chestivaldi, couldn't we wait until I meet a nice gentleman before we discuss marriage?" Mignonette asked.

"Oh Your Majesty that is terribly amusing!" Chetivaldi laughed as did the other nobles. Mignonette feigned laughter as Chestivaldi came up to the side of the throne and continued,

"Well, while that would be wonderful, there is no harm in you meeting a few potential suitors now is there?"

"Are there any in particular you have in mind?" Mignonette said with suspicion.

"Well now that you bring it up, yes. A Lord Cutler Beckett, of England. He is a prime agent of the East Indian Trading Company and would prove to be a most desirable match for our economy and our relations with Britannia.

"I see…well when shall we be expecting Lord Beckett?" asked Mignonette.

"Oh no Majesty, he is not coming here…he has far too much business in Port Royal. Actually, we thought, after the coronation, that you would sail to Jamaica yourself." Chestivaldi suggested.

"Seems a bit much and a bit soon to meet a suitor that can't even come to me!" Mignonette said.

"I know Princess, but while you are there you could also visit Genovian colonies and do some diplomacy with the English elite. I know Governor Swann of Port Royal has been begging your father to come to Port Royal for years. And now that your father can no longer go…well…" Chestivaldi said with a shrug. Mignonette hung her head at the reminder of her father. Chestivaldi gave a smug side smile to his associates as Mignonette lifted her head and said,

"Very well, I shall go to Jamaica a week after the coronation."

"Actually a merchant ship is set out to sail the day after, why doesn't Her Majesty go on that ship?" asked Chestivaldi.

"What's wrong with the royal flagship?" asked Mignonette.

"Well Milady, a merchant ship is faster and better equipped to handle the pirates that litter the Caribbean. And a royal flagship, we fear, would prove too slow and too tempting for the vile creatures." Chestivaldi told her.

"Very well then." Mignonette agreed.

"Excellent Your Majesty! And do not fear; we shall handle the affairs of state in your absence!" Chestivaldi assured her. Mignonette stood and said before leaving the room,

"Very well Gentlemen…I shall trust your judgment."

"Your Majesty." They all said bowing as she left. One of the nobles made sure she was out of earshot before saying to Chestivaldi,

"Well Richard that was easier than I thought it would be."

"What did I tell you? Now with the little upstart out of the way, we can focus on increasing our holdings. Who knows? With any luck a pirate may blow her out of the water. Which would unfortunately mean Gentlemen, that I would act as Regent until the Princess Genevieve came of age. And by the time that would happen, she could already be under our thumb so much, she would just let us act on her behalf!" Chestivaldi said dreaming of power.

"Or better still; the girl could be so overcome with grief at her sister's passing that she abdicated her throne and joins a nunnery! Making you next in line." suggested another noble.

"Yes…one can only hope…King Richard the First…that has a nice right to it!" Chestivaldi said laughing.