Something was definitely not right about this situation.
For one, she was laying on something much too soft to be the rickety, little lifeboat she was cast out on the sea in. Whatever this was, it was even too soft to be sand.
Belladonna groaned loudly and suddenly started feeling the pain spreading through her now conscious body. Once fully awake the pain was horrible, slicing through her side and her back and very nearly everywhere. The woman was strong though, she felt as though she could handle this pain.
With a few moments of mental preparation, she slipped open her eyes and shifted slightly. The first thing that met her line of sight was the ceiling and as she turned her head, more objects; a few statues, a chair, some maps.
It was obvious to her that she was on another ship, most likely the Pirate variety.
Gritting her teeth, Bella moved and sat up, hand immediately going to her side. Green eyes slipped down to stare at the clothes on her…which were definitely not her own. They were much too large and not covered in nearly enough bloodstains. Her Peacock feather was missing, as was her bandana not to mention her weapons were also no-where to be seen.
The pirate took a deep breath (which hurt her newly stitched up flesh) and stood on very shaky legs. The movement on this ship was hard to get used to…which meant this was not her Rose. Candles were lit around the room, light flickering against the boarded walls.
The oversized clothes slipped down with every step she took, pants slipping down only to become perched on her lower hips and shirt falling off her shoulders. Blonde hair, now loose, fell wherever it liked.
She stood, wavering slightly and staring out the porthole. The only thing that met her was the sky; black with the twinkling of stars.
The blonde braced herself on the shelf she found and slowly thought back.
The last she remembered was the mutiny; all blood, and gore, and violence…the battle that she lost to the rest of her crew. Then they sent her out to sea in a lifeboat. Someone had obviously picked her up…but whom? And for what purpose? Bella was prepared to defend herself, though in the back of her mind she knew, in this state, she couldn't possibly win. Her life was worth the fight, however.
A slightly stronger wave crashed into the side of the ship and made Bella stumble. The woman reached out and grasped the shelf harder, knocking something down. Partially glazed eyes peered down to the little black box. It took a few moments but the blonde had managed to kneel, pick up the object, and stand once more. The rocking of the ship was still setting her off balance and it was beginning to bother her.
The pirate glanced at the object in her hand before popping it open. She hadn't expected it to be a compass…a broken one at that. The needle was spinning wildly, twitching to both sides before spinning around the other way. She figured that a pirate with a broken compass couldn't be all that good.
"Ah, so that's where I left it."
The sudden voice caught her completely off-guard and the compass dropped to the floor by her feet. Green eyes went wide and a sort of panic flashed through them. She backed up a little, eyes flicking to each side, looking for something to defend herself with. Bella cursed under her breath when she came up empty.
"You alright, love?" Jack asked, taking a step closer.
Bella couldn't move backwards anymore and she spoke, voice slightly hoarse, "Leave me be, stay away from me."
Jack arched an eyebrow; she spoke way too proper. He didn't hear any hint of the typical rough accent that was normally associated with pirates.
"Yer safe here…no need to worry…"
Still Belladonna was jumpy, "I said leave me be…what am I doing here and who are you?"
She thought he looked oddly familiar…but she was tired and in so much pain it was hard to know for sure. When he took one more step forward she scampered to the side, hitting her wounded side against the shelf in the process. Her cry was pitiful and pain-filled, as she slightly hunched over trying to alleviate the pressure.
Jack was in her personal space in an instant, pressing his hand against her injured side gently. Bella tried to writhe away from him, which only lead to her backing into a wall. Now that she was virtually trapped on all sides, her adrenaline kicked in full force. Even though it hurt the adrenaline was numbing her senses and dulling the harsh, throbbing pain. She was twisting her body and lashing out her hands, though her vision was starting to blur, making it hard for her to see much of anything.
"Stop it, you silly twit! Yer gunna pop those sutures ye just got!"
The more Jack tried to restrain her the more she struggled, until it got to a point where she could barely move anymore. The blonde's breathing was harsh and her body was starting to tremble.
"Leave…me alone," she murmured, weakly trying to pull away again.
The other pirate wasn't going to let her go and pushed a leg between her own to keep her there. Glazed, green eyes widened with something akin to pure terror, but she didn't have the energy to struggle anymore. With this lack of energy Bella could feel herself blacking out, vision going grey around the edges. After losing so much blood it was no wonder why she had gotten weak so fast.
"Look here, I am—" Jack started. However, before he could even think of finishing, the blonde's eyes had closed and she went limp.
"Damnit, woman!" the pirate exclaimed, holding her up, "stop bloody doing that!"
That, of course, didn't do anything as the woman had already passed out. Jack sighed, glancing at her wounded side, seeing some blood beginning to stain the shirt.
Jack didn't know what he was going to do with her. First he would need to find out who she was; then he would decide her fate. Shifting around Bella, Sparrow scooped her small form into his arms and turned, gently depositing her on the makeshift bed.
"You better be worth all this trouble."
The party was nearing its end, the more haughty patrons having left much earlier. Despite this, there were still plenty of people left behind, laughing and generally having a good time. Champagne was still being popped open, the children laughing brightly as the cork flew halfway across the room.
A little blonde scampered around with her friends, playing tag on the polished, wooden dance floor. She was currently chasing a girl around the same size as her with shoulder-length, wavy, brown hair.
Bella's fingers brushed the other's arm and she jumped up triumphantly, "You are it, Lizzy!"
Little Elizabeth turned around, a frown on her face, "I am not! You didn't touch me!"
Belladonna huffed, a similar frown on her face, "You are cheating! I did so!"
It was at that moment that the blonde went to lunge for Elizabeth. However, her mother was ten steps ahead of her and snatched the girl around the waist. Baroness Langley held fast to Bella as she tried to squirm away.
The high-class woman apologized to little Miss Swann, taking Bella aside and setting her in a chair.
"Belladonna, that was uncalled for," she said, giving her daughter a stern look.
The little girl gave her best puppy dog eyes, "But momma…she was cheating…"
The woman put her hands on her hips, "That is no excuse, now come, no playing for a while, let us see the parting guests off."
The blonde sighed and hopped from the chair, taking her mother's hand. They wandered through the party, speaking to random guests, all of which fussed over Bella.
"She is just precious, Mrs. Langley," said a woman wearing a tight black dress that sparkled. Bella's little green eyes watched the light flickering off the shimmering sparkles.
"Thank you, Baroness Donahue," Mary replied, smiling at her.
Little Bella sighed, now bored that she wasn't allowed to run around with her other friends. She smoothed down the skirt of her pale blue dress, feeling the silky material under her fingers. Her mother was still talking to the other Baroness, leaving Belladonna to simply stand there. Her eyes scanned the whole room; coming to rest on a man she had never seen before. She was curious now. He was talking with her father, drink in hand, and chuckling.
"It was so nice talking to you, we must have lunch sometime," Mrs. Donahue remarked.
Her husband was standing there, arm outstretched, "Come now love, time to retire."
"So good to talk to you as well, I shall make an appointment."
The couple left and Baroness Langley looked down at her daughter. She noticed the eight year old was intently watching someone in the distance.
She smiled and bent a little, "That is Lieutenant Norrington, would you like to meet him?"
The blonde looked up, green eyes slightly wide and she blushed a pretty shade of pink. Her mother didn't wait for an answer before taking hold of the girl's hand and leading her over. Bella bit her lip as they neared and the Lieutenant looked down at her with a small smile.
"Look at that, my two favorite girls," said the Baron with a bright smile. He leaned over to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.
"Good evening, Baroness Langley, you look beautiful tonight," Norrington said, taking her hand and giving it a kiss.
Mary smiled, "Flattery gets you no where, Lieutenant."
Belladonna was shrinking behind her mother's skirt, peering out timidly. The brunette looked beside her and smiled, pushing the little girl out.
"Lieutenant, this is my daughter, she wanted to meet you."
At that moment, Bella felt like running and hiding, her blush deepening. She was appalled and embarrassed that her mother would even say anything of the sort. It was true, but that didn't mean her mother could say it!
James gave a small, smug kind of smile, "That so?"
The Baron took the Navy official's glass, "Let me refill this for you."
Mary went with her husband, which left Bella alone with the Lieutenant. She didn't look up at him and instead scuffed her foot on the floor.
Norrington kneeled so he was eye-level with her, "Hello there…what is your name?"
Green eyes looked to him and she swallowed, "B-Belladonna…"
"So very pleased to make your acquaintance, Belladonna," gently he reached for her hand, kissing it like he had her mother.
Her eyes went slightly wide and the pale skin of her cheeks kept their deep red color. When he released her hand she pulled it into her chest, clutching it there tightly. There were little butterflies in her stomach, what did that mean?
The Baron and Baroness returned shortly thereafter, Arthur handing his comrade a fresh drink and Mary smiling softly when Bella scampered behind her dress once more.
"Young Belladonna gets all her good looks from her mother," James said with a smile.
This time Mary blushed, "I have already told you, flattery will get you no where, though I do enjoy it." Her smile was coy.
Arthur laughed, "Ah, but she has her father's attitude."
Norrington chuckled, giving the Baron a rebellious smirk, "Then god help whomever she intends to wed."
This time it was Mary's turn to laugh.
Jack sighed, settling down in the wooden chair at his desk. Maps were strewn all across it, but there were also personal effects he'd removed from the blonde. Her clothes were rather bloodstained and he shifted through her pockets.
He blinked, pulling out a rolled up piece of paper. It was no longer sealed and by now it was rather dirty. However, the paper was sturdy and stained with a tea-like color.
Unrolling it, the pirate arched an eyebrow. Not only was this an official document, but the King had also signed it. Jack recognized it as a Letter de Marque. A Letter of Marque that cleared this pirate, stating she was a privateer. The Captain snorted, there was no way she was a privateer; he just got that feeling.
Sparrow read whatever of it he could before glancing at the name. The daughter of a Baron, hm? That was interesting.
He turned to look at the unconscious form on the bed, "So…Miss Belladonna Rosalyn Langley, is it?"
The man wasn't stupid and knew Bella wasn't going to answer due to her state of incapacitation. He rolled the letter back up and stuck it underneath a map on his desk.
"I may have some use for ye yet."