"This way!"
"Hurry men!"
"I think I saw him! Follow me!" Voices echoed through the town as I hurried through the running townsfolk dragging Elizabeth behind me. Soldiers infested the streets marching or running through people in different directions. My heart thumped heavily in my chest, the encounter with the pirate still so vivid in my mind.
"Rosabelle, slow down! you're going too fast!" My sister puffed, I slowed down a little, letting her catch up before returning to my original pace. We had to get out of here and get back to the manor.
"Come on, Elizabeth!" I said, scanning the streets for a carriage. My hair was messed up, my dress was damp and tatty, my makeup was smudged and my face, pale. Elizabeth wasn't much better-looking herself.
"Look! A carriage!" Elizabeth cried. I stopped and glanced at where she was pointing, it was true there was a carriage not to far away, but it was moving.
"Hurry, we've got catch up to it." I said, pulling her towards it. I wasn't a very fast runner, as I hadn't had much practise but I still ran as fast as I could to the carriage. Luckily, the carriage was moving rather slow because of the mayhem, so Elizabeth and I were able to catch up to it in a few minutes.
"Excuse me," I said, running alongside it, "Please, sir, we need a ride." The man didn't seem to of heard me over the noise.
"Excuse me!" I shout louder. This time the carriage driver glanced down at me and Elizabeth.
"Sir, would you be so kind as to give my sister and I a ride?" I said.
"Ah, yes. The money?" He asked, I hand him the money and we climb aboard.
"Where to, Miss's?"
"Swann Manor, please, sir." Elizabeth answered. At last we were on our way, I sighed and sat there catching my breath. We passed the town center, and were only about five minutes away from the manor when I heard familiar voices and the clashing of swords coming from inside a small building. I read the sign hanging from the building and was surprised to see it read Brown with pictures of blacksmith tools. This was where Will worked.
"Elizabeth, carry on to the manor. I'll be there soon" I whispered to her.
"Where are you going?"
"Please, don't follow me. Once you get to the manor stay there," I pleaded, hoping that she'd listen.
"But where are you going, Rosabelle?" Elizabeth asked, "Father, told us both to go home."
"I'll see you again soon, ok?" And with that being said I jumped from the carriage without the driver noticing and went to the Blacksmith door, pressing my ear against it. I knew I should have listened to my father but I had to find out what was happening inside. What if somebody was in trouble. Suddenly, I heard a sharp thud against the door, what was that? I thought before plucking up courage and pushing open the door. But it didn't budge. Taking a step back, I flung myself at the door, trying to get through but again it stayed put. Then I heard a voice, a familiar one
"That is a wonderful trick… Except, once again you are between me and my way out. And now you have no weapon." Fed up with being unable to help, I yelled to whoever was inside.
"Will, are you in there? Are you okay? " I heard more clashes of swords before a voice answered.
"Rosabelle, is that you?" It was the voice of Will.
"Yes," I cried, "Will, what's happening? Are you alright?" A few moments passed before I got another answer.
"Not exactly. It's the pirate, Rosabelle."
I gasped and took a step back. Jack Sparrow was in there, with Will, fighting him. I had to get help and fast, and as though he was reading my mind Will shouted.
"You must get help! Quickly, the royal navy's almost everywhere. Find someone and tell them where Sparrow is, alright?" I nodded and then remembered Will couldn't see me.
"Okay!" I replied before running back through the streets of Port Royal. It wasn't long until I spotted Commodore Norrington yelling orders to his men.
"Commodore," I panted, coming up to him. "The pirate, Jack Sparrow. He's in the Blacksmith with William Turner."
"This way men!" He called, and waved his men over then half walked half ran back down the street. As I watched them go down the street, the excitement of the day finally washed through me and I felt exhausted. Swann manor wasn't far from where I was so I began to walk home.
"I'll just put this here, Miss. It's been a big day for you I'm sure." My maid said, putting a bed warmer inside my sheets. The night was cold, almost unnatural and I was lying on my bed staring out my open window into the harbor, it's boats still and silent. A chill drifted through the window making goosebumps appear on my skin.
"Yes, it was indeed tiring," I replied smiling back at her. The Commodore proposed. I was still processing the thought through my mind. It's not like I didn't like the Commodore, he was indeed a fine gentleman, but he just wasn't right for me.
"But you getting threatened by that pirate. Sounds terrifying!" Sarah exclaimed. The event that afternoon felt as though it had happened days ago not hours. My memory was slightly fuzzy when remembering the incident with the pirate although it had all been a dream… or perhaps a nightmare. But strangely enough, this afternoon I felt scared, confused and angry with meeting Jack Sparrow but now since I was supposedly safe in bed I felt completely fascinated by it all. I suppose though I should agree.
"Oh, yes, it was terrifying."
"But the Commodore proposed. Fancy that. Now, that's a smart match, Miss, if it's not to bold to say." Sarah said.
"It is a smart match." I began, it was true, Norrington was very high up in the Government, he would give me a comfortable and admirable life. But did I want that? I didn't know. "He's a fine man; he's what any woman should dream of marrying."
"Well, if you're comfortable, Miss, I'll be leaving now."
"Yes, thank you." I said while Sarah shutted the window, pulled the curtains over it and left the room. I lay awake for a while, or maybe I was dozing, listening to the soft almost silent call of the ocean before fully drifting to sleep.
I jerked awake. Cannons sounded from the harbour waking me from my slumber. It was still pitch-black lit only by the flaming torches below and the dim twinkle of the stars, I must only of slept for an hour. I tumbled out of bed and grabbed my dressing gown before rushing from my room. My heart was pounding in my chest. What was happening? Are we under attack? Questions jumbled through my mind. Darkness surrounded me as I headed to my sisters bedroom, deciding to wake her up. Screams echo from the lower town and shouts grow louder. Dashing into Elizabeth's room, I found her asleep and unknowing of the danger outside, I shook her awake. She groaned but carried on sleeping, I shook her again harder.
"Elizabeth. Wake up!" I heard a soft grumble.
"What is it, Rosabelle? I'm trying to sleep."
"Sorry, but we have to go. We need to find father." Elizabeth sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"Come on!" I urged her. She got of bed and slipped on her slippers and gown.
"This better be good, Rosabelle." She mumbled as we walk to her bedroom window and flung open the curtains and stared outside. People ran in all directions, it was much worse than this afternoon. I wondered what they were running from. But then I saw, and gulped, many shivers slivered up my spine. Pirates. Everywhere, chasing townsfolk with knives, pistols, clubs and grenades and, sitting on the now rough ocean sat a ghost ship with black sails. It was the same ship from my dream, I knew it. Then I saw a group of pirates climbing over the gate and into our property.
"Sorry, Elizabeth," I replied, "But I don't think it is." We hurriedly left the window and scurried downstairs. Elizabeth and I were only halfway down the staircase when we heard a knock on the door. Our eyes widened in fear as the butler walked towards the door about to open it.
"Don't!" Elizabeth cried. But it was too late, the door was opened.
"Hello, Chum." A chubby pirate with wispy grey hair said before he shot the butler. I screamed along with my sister and we rushed back upstairs. The Chamber rooms door was already open so I pulled Elizabeth inside, locking the door behind me. Suddenly I bumped into someone. It was Estrella my sister's maid.
"Miss Swann's, they've come to kidnap you." She said clutching Elizabeth's arms.
"What?" We asked together.
"You're the Governor's daughter's."
I gulped again as Elizabeth said. "They haven't seen you. Hide, and the first chance you get, run to the fort." Estrella nodded and ran out. The pirates knocked the door open as Elizabeth and I sprinted from the room. It was then we noticed a bed warmer which sat on a table, Elizabeth grabbed it and let the hot coal fall onto a skinny, one glass-eyed pirates head.
"It's hot! You burned me!" He cried, Elizabeth and I took this distraction to escape from the room, and proceed downstairs. I was too shocked to do anything much so my sister took charge and pulled me downstairs. We were going fast but the two pirates were catching up. As we got to the bottom of the staircase we were cornered. The pirates edged towards us, getting closer… and closer… and… BOOM! A canon whizzed in and hit the pirate who was stealing treasure, full in the stomach which made him fly out the front door.
"Come on." Elizabeth whispered, and while the pirates were blocked by a fallen chandelier, she dragged me into the dining room. She snatched a candlestick from the mantelpiece and jammed it between the doorknobs, locking the door. The door was rattled and we were running out of time. Then my eyes caught sight of two swords stuck in a solid maybe iron decoration on the wall.
"There," I murmured to Elizabeth and nodded towards the decoration. I went to the mantelpiece and on my tiptoes I grabbed the swords, but the whole decoration came down instead. And it was heavy. As the rattling got harder, Elizabeth helped me with trying to get the swords out. But it was impossible. Giving up, we left the decoration and looked around, searching for a hiding place. We couldn't go onwards to the next room as there was none, we had reached the end of the house. Suddenly the door burst open and we hurried inside a cupboard, and slammed the doors shut just as the two pirates came into the dining room. I heard my heart beating loudly in my chest, and hoped that the pirates couldn't hear it as well.
"We know you're here, Poppets,"
"Poppet's." Echoed another voice. My breathing sped up as I heard the footsteps creep forward.
"Come out… And we promise we won't hurt you." If I wasn't so scared I could probably of scoffed at these words, Not hurt us? Unlikely.
"We will find you Poppet's. You've got something of ours and it calls to us. Gold calls to us." I gulped and looked down at Elizabeth's gold medallion which she was wearing around her neck, she did the same.
"Gold calls…" The footsteps got louder and louder until…
"'Ello, Poppet." A bulging yellow eye peeked through the tiny gap in the door before the doors swung open, revealing the two pirates. The chubby one pointed a gun at us about to shoot.
"Parley!" Elizabeth said suddenly. Of course, parley! Why didn't I remember that! My sister carried on, "Parley. I invoke the right of parley. According to the Code the brethren, set down by the pirates, Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take us to your Captain." I wanted to hug her right now. We were saved, well at least for now.
"I know the Code." The chubby one growled.
"If an adversary demands parley you can do them no harm until the parley is complete." Elizabeth recited from the books she used to read as a child. The skinny pirate looked annoyed and cursed,
"To the blazes with the code."
"She wants to be taken to the Captain!" The Chubby pirate yelled at the other one, revealing scummed and yellowed teeth. "And she'll go without a fuss. We must honor the code."
"Which one has the medallion?" The skinny one asked.
"This one." The fat one grabbed my sister. My breathing sped up again, what were they going to do to her? What were they going to do to me?
"Should we dispose of the other?"
"She's no use to us." The other agreed. I was too shocked to speak.
"No!" Elizabeth screamed, "You're breaking the laws of the Code!" The pirate just smiled,
"You were the one who said parley, not her. We're breaking no bloody code at all!" They laughed as my sister begged,
"Please… please." But they took no notice of her.
"Get rid of her," The chubby pirate said. Then, it all happened so fast, the skinny one grabbed a club and before I could do anything knocked me on the head. I felt dizzy and blackness surrounded me, then I fell to the floor with a thud. The last thing I heard was my sister's screams growing fainter and fainter.