Author's Note: What, no reviews for chapter three?

Chapter Four

My life seemed to have taken a turn for the better. I was still poor, but I was able to earn a tiny bit more money than before, all of which I meticulously hoarded - though the reason I did so wasn't at all clear to me then. I finally felt as if I was getting past the terrible events of three years ago; I was finally able to truly enjoy my trips to the docks - the sun upon my face, the sounds of the water. And, though in truth I was much happier now, I still yearned for the sea. And so it was that I heard, with a dawning hope in my heart, the most outrageous plan I believe I will ever hear.

Andrew Tennington, a brash, bold young man of twenty-nine, had suddenly taken it into his head to outfit a ship for the purpose of ridding the waters of pirates. When the first rumors began to spread, it was taken as a hoax by most of the civilians. Who would be that foolish? Leave the pirates to be dealt with by the Navy. But the rumors became more frequent, and soon it became common knowledge that the wealthy lunatic had bought a large ship, the Aegis, and was decking it out with guns and provisions.

I knew he would be in desperate need of crewmen. I was sure that not many men would follow him - and that most of them would be no more than mere boys, thirsty for adventure. My heart beat faster in anticipation. My chance had come.

I hurried home, uncovered my secret hiding place, and removed all the money. I then walked - no, ran - to a little clothes merchant I had worked for many times.

"May I help you, Miss Hunter?" I was grateful, as always, for his respectful address of me.

I hesitated a second. "I - I need to buy a man's work outfit."

He looked at me queerly, but showed me his small selection.

I chose something practical, inexpensive, and above all, extremely commonplace. I must not be recognised. My entire, meager savings was just barely enough to cover the bill.

"Thank you, sir."

"Thank you," he replied, always gracious. "Come back soon."

I had been hurrying out the door, but I stopped and looked around me. The merchant's kind words had brought with them a realization that it was very likely I would never see this place again. I didn't intend to return to Port Royal, ever. A thin veil of sadness crept over me; I brushed it away, smiled at my friend, and walked out more slowly.

I entered my room and donned the strange new uniform. Then I went to the moldy drawer and removed the sword Will Turner had wrought for me. That seemed so long ago now. I took a brick and sharpened it to a razor edge. Finally, slowly, I untied the huge knot of raven hair at the back of my head. I brushed it all out, long and fine - and I took the little sword and chopped it all off at shoulder-length. With my hair, I cut away the last vestiges of my old life. Life was beginning anew.

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"I'm looking to join the crew of the Aegis." I had spent hours trying to find Tennington, and had found him in the bar poring over some maps. I tried to make my voice as low as possible.

"Really? That's wonderful!" He seemed almost boyish in his exuberance. Not at all what I had expected.

Gaining a bit of professionalism, he produced a pen and a list of names, longer than I had imagined.

"What's your name?"

"John Hunter. Junior, sir."

He noted it down.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen." That part at least was true.

"What is your purpose joining the Aegis?"

"Pirates killed my family, sir. I want to see justice done." Not exactly accurate, but close enough.

"Ah." He took a swallow of ale. "Welcome to the Aegis, lad!" He then proceeded to ignore my existence. I waited. Eventually he realized he had forgotten something. "Report for duty at...ah...on the morning of the twenty-first! Here, have some ale!"

I took a tentative sip, and made a face. He looked a bit uncertain, so I forced myself to drink another swallow and handed the mug back to him. Tennington smiled and became reabsorbed in his drinking and map-reading. I left the bar quickly, with mixed emotions.

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The morning of May twenty-first came too quickly, yet seemed to take forever. I was up at the crack of dawn, leaving a quick note of apology to my boarder and my employer, rushing to the docks as fast as my legs would carry me with only my sword wrapped in a blanket as luggage.

The Aegis was docked a short distance away from the other ships, and I could see the flurry of activity surrounding it while I was still far away. As I had surmised, most of the crew were very young men in common work clothes. I would fit in just fine. A couple of them I recognised from the city, but I didn't dare show signs of it. A few boys nodded to me as I walked by.

Finally I found Tennington. To my great relief, this morning he was not drunk.

"Reporting for duty, sir."

"Ah, young Hunter."

I was slightly annoyed at his patronizing attitude towards me. After all, he was only nine years older than I - hardly a greybeard. But I smiled anyway. "Yes, sir. That's me."

"How does helm duty suit you?"

"Very well, sir!" I conveniently neglected to mention that I had never steered a ship before. I was sure I could do it passably, and the helm seemed an ideal position. I would be on deck most of the time.

"You're chief helmsman, then." And he promptly ignored me again and began talking to a young man with a bright red hat.

Even my inexperienced eyes could see that Tennington didn't know much about running a ship. Handing out positions without any questions; hiring an entire crew of novices. The fact that he intended to captain the Aegis himself made me slightly ill. But what was I to do? Soon I would be on the open sea with these people, and if we didn't sink the ship ourselves in an accident, we would be going into battle. I thought briefly about backing out, but dismissed the notion. I couldn't go on the way I had. If it turned out as badly as I expected, and if I survived, I would try to find another position when we reached the first port.

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For the first time in my life, I stood on the deck of a ship, watching Port Royal fade into nothingness. The sun beat down on me, the wind blew directly into my face, and the wheel was much harder to turn than I had hoped. At night I was to sleep in a hammock, in a room with thirteen young men who most probably snored. Tennington - no, Captain Tennington was what he insisted upon being called - barked out orders to his crew on every opportunity; since the orders themselves were irrelevant, I had to assume he was only doing it for the novelty. I had every reason to believe that the food aboard the Aegis would be absolutely horrendous.

For the first time in my life, I felt free.