I have returned! Sorry for taking a long time, I've been busy with school and other stories. But I'm back! Thanks to AnakinandPadmesgalaxy (Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!) and Guest (I can understand why you would, however, I hope your opinion doesn't stop you from reading! I won't disrespect you or your ship, I promise, and, besides, ships won't be a big role until the second movie. Development must come first, after all! Thank you for reviewing, I hope you enjoy!) for reviewing along with all 16 followers and 10 favorites along with all 112 readers! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, since Rosamund's development is now being started, or at least the groundwork for it. For the record, there's a part here that is simply Rosamund's thoughts translated into her narration, that's why it's a bit weird. Anyway, enjoy!
Rosamund wasn't sure what she was expecting to hear when she ventured out into Port Royal a time after the ceremony had completed.
However, learning that Captain Jack Sparrow had been arrested was either the highest or the lowest item on that list. Actually…it was both.
Of course, Rosamund knew she couldn't just run off to talk to the captain, what business did she have there, after all. However, as soon as she had the chance, just before evening hit and a while before her adopted parents were to return, as she insisted they take the night to themselves, she made her way to where the prisoners were held.
Once there, the soldiers stopped her instantly.
"What business do you have here?" One demanded.
"I would like to visit Captain Sparrow, if I may." Rosamund quietly answered, bowing her head as a show of meekness. "His was one of the ships that chased my family before we were attacked, after all."
"Very well. Make it quick." The soldiers conceded after some quiet deliberation.
"Thank you, kind sirs." Rosamund curtsied before she carefully walked down to the cell where she knew Jack would be.
It was strange, to Rosamund, to be walking down to these cells. She'd spent the last ten years hearing about them, about how dangerous pirates were kept in them until their executions, and yet she had never imagined them.
Of course, now that she was here, she wasn't exactly expecting to see a dog, let alone one holding the keys.
"What're ya doing here, lassie?" One of the dirty pirates who was whistling for the dog demanded. He smiled a toothless, yellow smile that, for any other young lady, would inspire disgust.
Rosamund didn't even flinch as she walked past the cell and stopped in front of Jack's.
"Captain Jack Sparrow." She greeted, her voice monotone.
"Never thought I'd see you again." Jack commented. "How have ye been?"
"…Ten years and that is all you have to say to me?" Rosamund demanded as her eyes sharpened to a glare while she looked down at the pirate captain.
"What else is there to say?" Jack waved his hand. "You and I cut ties ten years ago and that's that. Savvy?"
"How can you say that, knowing-" Rosamund began.
"I can say that because of what I know." Jack cut her off with a lazy tone. Rosamund bowed her head at his words.
"Of course, how could I have forgotten?" She asked herself before she looked directly into Jack's eyes. "You are Captain Jack Sparrow, after all."
With a nod, the black haired woman turned around and began to make her way out of the dank and awful dungeon.
"Hey, lass! Give us the key!"
"Let us out! Help us!"
"We won't hurt you, lassie! Just let us out!"
The pirates called after her, obviously desperate to escape.
"My apologies, but I am neither a lass nor a lassie." Rosamund stated as she finally left the cells behind.
As she walked back to her home, only one thought was on her mind.
I am not the least bit surprised Will beat him.
That night, as Will was preparing to return to the smithy, Thomas and Sarah joined Rosamund, as they usually did, in trying to convince the young man to stay.
"Really, it's no trouble at all." Sarah insisted, a kind motherly smile adorning her features. "We'd be more than willing to have you stay the night."
"Thank you, but I should return. Without me, who knows what would happen to Mr. Brown." Will shook his head with a small smile.
"Brown could use a night or two to get himself back in order. He used to be a good smith until he started drinking himself into a stupor." Thomas huffed.
"Come on, Will. It wouldn't hurt for one night, would it?" Rosamund asked.
Though they had had this argument many times before, neither party ever truly won. Will always returned to the smithy and the Overlands would simply ask him many times to return to their home the next night. It was an endless cycle, honestly.
"I really hate to deny you all, but I need to make sure Mr. Brown is alright. I promise I will return by morning." Will vowed as he shook Thomas' hand and kissed both Sarah and Rosamund goodnight on the cheek. "Thank you for your hospitality."
Without another word, despite the protests behind him, Will left the warm Overland home to return to the smithy.
"Ugh! He's so stubborn!" Rosamund groaned. The young man was an idiot sometimes!
"We can't force him to stay, Rosamund." Sarah sighed sadly.
"I know, I just feel so bad for him, all alone in the smithy every night." Rosamund sighed, folding her hands together sadly.
"It'll be okay, we'll convince the boy next time." Thomas grinned.
"You say that every time, dear." Sarah chuckled. Rosamund joined her adopted mother when she noticed the sun was slowly sinking below the horizon.
"I'll go to the market, I need some supplies for tomorrow." She said, gathering some money and a cloak for warmth.
"Do be careful, dear." Thomas called.
"And come back soon." Sarah added as she kissed her daughter on the cheek.
"I will." Rosamund smiled before she left, calling an 'I love you' behind her.
Rosamund soon found herself happily walking through the still open stalls at the market only to freeze when her eyes caught the horizon.
There…on the water, with the very limited light available…she could just the tiniest bit make out…
"No…" She whispered, shocked as she saw the sails. Only one ship had those sails. "No!" Frantically, Rosamund shook her head before she dropped her basket and began running all the way to the dungeon.
The alarm went off just as she started to run.
When Rosamund reached the dungeon, the guards had left, obviously going to fend off them.
Without a second thought, Rosamund tore down the stairs and ran all the way to Jack's cell.
"Jack!" She shouted, falling onto her knees in front of his cell and gripping the bars with her hands. She didn't care if the other pirates knew, she didn't care if she ruined her dress…
She needed him right now.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked, his voice containing a hint of worry in its lazy tone.
"Th-they're here…The Black Pearl is here!" Rosamund managed to sputter out.
Just then, the sound of canon fire erupted. Jack and the other pirates turned to watch as much as they could while Rosamund clung to the bars so tightly, she thought her nails would draw blood.
She didn't hear anything over the canon fire, didn't even feel the moonlight on her. All she could see and hear was that night.
The rocking of the sea, the whispered warnings in her ear, the promise that he would be alright only for her to turn and watch as the ship lit up and the mutiny began…
It was all rushing back too fast, way too fast. She couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't feel. She couldn't she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't
She couldn't
She couldn't
She couldn't
She couldn't
She
Couldn't…
Do…
Anything…
She was so weak, back then and now as well. No wonder she fit into the role she played so easily, she was so perfectly weak for it. She could never be strong, never say her name with pride.
She…
She could…
She could never be…
A…
A…
"Hide!" Jack suddenly hissed and threw her off to the side, snapping her out of her thoughts as she made sure to be hidden down the stairs that led to more cells.
As she sat there, hidden from view, Rosamund took deep breaths, trying to calm down. She had to remain calm, calm was all she had left.
If she couldn't stay calm, then…she'd be no worse than a damn civilian! And she wasn't a civilian, even if she was playing one. Yes, that's all it is, she's playing a role, it's not who she is.
"Get back here!" Jack hissed from his cell and Rosamund quickly ran up to him again, kneeling at his cell as he joined her. "What's the problem, I've been trying to calm you down for ten minutes!"
"You have?" Rosamund repeated. She hadn't heard him at all. "Sorry…I couldn't control it…"
"Now stop that, that ain't you." Jack rebuffed as he took her bleeding hand in his own dirty one, as if he was studying the differences between their hands alone. "You sure have changed."
"Ten years is a long time." Rosamund stated.
"No kiddin'." Jack snorted. "But the Pearl…we've finally found her again, all we've gotta do is get her back."
"How? I can't even get you out of this cell without getting caught." Rosamund scoffed.
"Are you sure?" Jack questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not an idiot, Jack. If I helped you, they'd be onto me immediately. I showed up in 'boy's' clothes, after all." Rosamund argued, rolling her eyes.
"Huh…true." Jack sighed, disappointed. "We'll just have to wait then. Say I took you prisoner and blackmail whoever comes to rescue me."
"And who would buy that?" Rosamund asked disbelievingly.
"You'd be surprised." Jack grinned.
A grin Rosamund found herself slowly returning, feeling more like herself than she had in a while.
It was a good feeling.
The down side to Jack's plan, sadly, was that Rosamund was stuck in the disgusting dungeon while they waited.
"You know, my entire goal was to never end up here." Rosamund commented as morning came.
"You think this was my plan?" Jack asked, incredulous.
"I'm not saying you're strange…actually, no, that's exactly what I'm saying!" Rosamund grinned cheekily.
"Brat." Jack grunted, causing Rosamund to stick her tongue out at him in jest.
"Don't you know? That's my job!" She teased.
"I thought your job was-"
Suddenly, the door to the dungeons opened and…
"Will?!" Rosamund cried in shock as she mimed being captured while Jack fell back, as if he was bored and doing nothing.
"Rosamund! You're the hostage?!" Will cried, shocked.
"Gee, what was your first hint?" Rosamund mumbled under her breath sarcastically before asking aloud, "Are you here to rescue me?"
"I came to ask Sparrow about that ship, the Black Pearl." Will admitted. "Nobody mentioned you were the hostage, your parents are worried sick."
"Why do you want to know about the Pearl?" Jack asked, feigning disinterest.
"Where does it make buff?" Will demanded.
"Are you planning on finding it?" Rosamund asked, surprised.
"They took Miss. Swann." Will admitted.
"What? But why?" Rosamund demanded.
"I don't know, but I'm going to rescue her." Will vowed.
"Ah! So, it is about a lass!" Jack said.
"You plan to find the Black Pearl?" Rosamund questioned, looking at Will through her eyelashes.
"If Sparrow here will help me, yes." Will nodded.
"Well then, I don't see a point in this charade anymore then." Rosamund nodded to herself as she stood up and dusted her dress off. "What do you say, Jack?"
"If you're intending to brave all and hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart, you'll have to do it alone. I see no profit in it for me." Jack stated, distracting Will from Rosamund.
"I can get you out of here." Will offered.
"How? The key's run off." Jack said.
"I helped build these cells. Those are hook-and-ring hinges. The proper application of strength, the door'll lift free." As he spoke, Will prepared to do exactly that.
"What's your name?" Jack asked, curious.
"Will Turner." Will answered.
"That would be short for William, I imagine." Jack said as he sat up. Rosamund smirked from her place behind Will as she watched Jack piece it all together. "Good strong name. No doubt, named for your father, eh?"
"Yes." Will confirmed, unsure why this was important. Jack sat for a moment before he began to stand.
"Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind." Jack smiled. "If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death that I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" Jack offered his hand.
With little hesitation, Will took the captain's hand in his own.
"Agreed." He stated.
"Agreed." Jack crowed. "And now, for the big reveal." Jack waved his hand towards Rosamund.
"I suppose if we're joining you, then I have no choice." Rosamund nodded. "I've actually wanted to do this for a long time."
"Do what?" Will questioned.
Silently, Rosamund pushed the right sleeve of her dress, revealing a tattoo of a sparrow flying with a rose curling around it.
"You're…" Will started in surprise.
"I'm not Rosamund Smith." Rosamund confirmed. "My name is Rosamund Sparrow, Ro for short. Jack here is my older brother and…I'm a pirate."
Needless to say, once Jack was freed and they were a safe enough distance away from any prying ears, Will exploded.
"You're what?!" He shouted.
"Not so loud!" Rosamund, or rather, Ro hissed. "Look, I haven't been a pirate in ten years and nothing I've told you was a lie. Pirates did attack my family, just…not in the usual sense."
"That's still a lie!" Will hissed at her angrily.
"Yes, but what choice did I have? I was fourteen, Will! I needed to try to live a normal life after what happened!" Ro explained.
"Why'd you become a pirate in the first place then?!" Will demanded.
"I was born into it! It was all I knew for fourteen years, dammit!" Ro argued.
"So, was everything a lie?" Will asked, hurt more than anything else.
"Of course not! I'm your friend, Will, I never lied about that!" Ro protested.
"Just your name and former occupation." Will stated.
"That's not important, I never planned to go back!" Ro argued.
"If you two are done bickering like an old married couple, we have work to do." Jack, forgotten by the arguing duo, said.
"Shut up, Jack!"
"Shut up, Sparrow!"
The two shouted in unison before they met each other's eyes and looked away, deferring to Jack.
"So, what do we do?" Will asked, crossing his arms.
"We need a ship." Jack grinned gleefully.
"Here we go." Ro smiled, excitement rushing through her veins as Jack took out a dark red ribbon from his pocket and passed it to her. She used it to tie her hair in a low ponytail for now before she followed Jack and Will to the shore.
And that was how it all began.
Well, what did you guys think? I hope everyone seems in character, especially Jack. He's a lot harder to write in relation to having a sister than I thought he'd be…if there's a better way you think I can write him, please let me know! Leave a review to let me know what you think, and I'll see you all again soon! Later!