Disclaimer: (Looks around) Shh! I'm hunting for Jack Sparrow! This means he's not mine…yet.

AN: Okay, since I don't know much about India, forgive me if anything is wrong. Also, I am open to information from readers, so don't hesitate to help out! Thanks, and please review!

Chapter 7: India:

When the Pearl finally arrived at a small, but wealthy, port in India, the men were ready to leap from the railing and find the nearest inn or eating house. Food had been rationed for the past week, with just barely enough for the three daily meals. No snacking had made for rumbling stomachs, especially with everyone working as hard as they did, and empty stomachs made a very upset crew. Thankfully, the men were all as loyal to Jack as any captain could wish for, and they all knew that Jack would have fed them more if he could, so there was no real fear of mutiny.

At last, after docking was complete, everyone was on the dock, respecting their captain's orders to follow him off the ship. Jack was greeted by an Indian portmaster and paid for his docking there, as well as for a heavy guard to watch the Pearl. Once all of the fees were taken care of, Jack turned around and searched the group, his eyes finally landing on the person he was looking for.

"Rose, luv, come up here!" he said, gesturing.

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My head snapped around towards him. I had been deep in conversation with Mr. Gibbs about the area, and hadn't expected to be singled out. "Aye, sir," I quipped, carefully stepping past several crewmembers. Once I arrived at Jack's side, he slipped an arm around me, drawing me closer to him. I tried to pull away, but a firm look from him stopped me from continuing my escape.

"I need you to stay close, darling," he said with such utter seriousness that it frightened me. "I don't want anyone getting a hold of you in any sort of way, savvy?"

I merely nodded and allowed him to escort me up the dock and into the town. I honestly had no idea that Jack had friends in India, given his run-in with the East India Trading Company. But the more I thought about it, I began to realize that, other than the stories I had heard or read, I knew very little about Captain Jack Sparrow; it shouldn't surprise me that he had friends that I didn't know about.

Keeping that in mind, I turned my attention to my surroundings.

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As he led the way towards Jan's large house further inland, Jack couldn't help but smile at the awed look on Rose's face. She seemed to want to look at everything around her, her brown eyes darting back and forth as she looked at shops, people, and elephants that walked by. It was rather endearing to see her so absorbed in the busy world going on in the port, and Jack found himself eager to show it all to her.

For now, though, it was business before pleasure; they had to get settled in before dark, and if everything worked out the way Jack wanted it to, everything would be in place for a good time before the daylight was gone. Swaggering down the road, Jack kept a tight grip on Rose's waist as he walked up a well-worn road leading towards the edge of the port.

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I could feel Jack's arm around me as he led our odd-looking group down a pathway out of the bustling port. I wanted to stay longer to investigate a small little shop that appeared to sell perfume and to smell the spices being sold, but Jack's grip refused to let me go. Inwardly sighing, I mentally kept a list of places I wanted to see and things I wanted to do before this little adventure was over. Hopefully, we'd be here long enough for me to accomplish everything I had planned!

"Here we are!" Jack announced, hugging me so that my face was practically in his neck.

"Jack!" I snapped, pulling my head away.

He chuckled. "Sorry, luv," he said, winking. "Just got caught up in the moment, aye?"

"Oh, really?" I huffed in annoyance and turned around, my eyes meeting with the most glorious sight I had ever seen.

It was a true Indian palace, the kind I had seen in books about the country. The wall surrounding it was made of white stone of some sort, polished smooth and reflecting light in an enchanting manner. Beyond the wall and through the wrought-iron, the gardens were lush and filled with flowers and birds of every hue I could ever imagine, and there were people drifting in and out of the huge building, all of them richly garbed as colorful as the birds fluttering around them.

"Like it, luv?" Jack whispered into my ear. I nodded, completely speechless. "Good, since it'll be our home for the next few weeks."

This last sentence was said louder than the first, and it caught the attention of every man in the crew. For a moment, there was silence, the only sounds coming from the wildlife around us. Then, suddenly, the whole crew let up a cheer as Jack led us forwards to the front gate. There we were stopped by guards that appeared out of nowhere, but one look at Jack's infamous 'flying sparrow' tattoo, and we were allowed into what I could only define as Paradise.

The walk through the large gardens was something I took care to etch into my memory. Little birds redder than the deepest ruby landed on my shoulder to chirp a song before flying off, and I was finally able to see a true, living peacock, brilliant in blue and with its tail trailing behind it. I stopped for a moment to look, and to my surprise, it opened its jewel-like feathered train and showed me its glory. I knew that I gasped, my hand going to my mouth in awe of the sight. I wanted to stand there forever and stare at it, but Jack's insistent hand pulled me away.

Finally, we were in the house, and I nearly fell over. The gardens had been like Eden, but the inside of the house was like something out of a tale in a fairy story! Intricate designs covered the pillars, walls, floor, even the ceiling! I craned my neck to get a better look up at the huge dome-like structure above my head and almost fell backwards doing so. Jack chuckled at my attempts, his hand reaching up to grab my chin and force my gaze down to meet his.

"You can stare at the pretty things later," he said, smiling at me. "I'll show you every room of this house, but only after we meet our host and his family, savvy?"

I nodded and let him turn my head towards an elegant marble staircase that came down and ended ten feet away from our group. Down the left side came a man and a woman with white hair and incredibly beautiful clothing. The man's dark-skinned face was lined with several wrinkles, though he was still quite handsome, and the wrinkles only made him look dignified. His outfit was all white, but was heavily embroidered with gold designs. The woman appeared at least ten years his junior, and her outfit was a white dress with a red toga-like overrobe, also embroidered with gold. Her forehead bore a strange red dot, which seemed to suit her and her kind, smiling face, making her quite lovely.

Just as I was getting over the beauty of the two people in front of me, a young woman followed close behind them. She was dressed like the older woman, and even though I could not see her face, I could only guess that she was her daughter. She had a diminutive air about her, and the way she looked at me and seemed to smile at me with her eyes made me like her immediately.

Finally, all three stopped before us, and Jack gave a formal bow to them. He had barely stood up before he was embraced not only by the man, but also by the older woman!

"Jack!" the man cried in a booming voice. "You no-good Englishman, how could you wait so long to come and see us? Look, little Padma is all grown up now, and soon to be married, so long have you been gone!"

"Yes, Jack, shame on you!" the older woman chided him, though in a much gentler manner. "And look at you and your crewmembers, all so thin." She made a 'tsk-tsk' sound with her tongue. "Come, you must eat and tell us everything that's happened to you since you left us!"

Before I knew what was happening, we were all in a dining area and being seated at a huge wood table. Food was brought out, and all of it smelled so delightful I wanted a helping of everything. However, I knew that foods from India could burn the tongue, so I was careful to take a tiny bit of each dish and a large helping of some sort of flat bread that smelled divine. I tried to learn how to eat in their ways and decided to watch how Jack ate his food, since he was friends with them.

Much to my dismay, the pirate captain sitting across from me merely shoveled food into his mouth, acting as though it were going to vanish from in front of him the moment he looked away. I winced at the manners of the other men as well, and decided to ignore them; I would eat my meal in a proper and non-animalistic way, thank you very much! I picked up a fork from beside my plate and began to eat the food in front of me.

"You have very polite manners," said a voice down the table.

I looked up and spotted the Indian gentleman gazing at me with curiosity in his dark eyes. I swallowed my food before speaking. "I was taught strict manners by my mother, sir," I replied with a smile before taking another bite of food. It was spicy, but not overly so, and tasted quite lovely.

"You are a woman!" he exclaimed, though there was no anger in his voice, merely disbelief. "I never would have guessed from your outfit! Jack, you let a woman onboard your ship!"

Jack managed to somehow swallow down his huge mouthful of food. "Aye, Jan," he said, wiping his mouth sloppily with his napkin, making me wince slightly. "Her name is Rose. I saw the poor girl in a tavern one night, trying to get one last night of freedom fourteen days before her wedding to a British lord. I took her back to the ship for a few tales, and after two weeks of getting to know her, I offered her a place on the Pearl."

"Excellent," the older woman said, smiling at both me and Jack. "She must be a good worker for you to keep her on the ship you love so much."

"Oh, aye, Nidhi, she's a good one," Jack said, looking over at me with a smile as I blushed.

The rest of the meal was spent in good conversation about Jack's numerous adventures since he'd last left India, much of which I had never heard before. Once the food was gone and everyone was practically falling asleep in their chairs, our hosts (who were to be called Jan, Nidhi and Padma, as we could not pronounce their last names) had us escorted to our rooms, where I promptly fell asleep in a soft bed of feathers and silk.

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The next morning, after a good breakfast and friendly conversation with our hosts, the crew drifted off on their own business, leaving me alone in the house. Jack had been one of the last to leave, and seeing that I didn't know the town or its people, he gave me a look of sympathy before he left. I saw him talking to Jan, and assumed that it was business-talk, so I decided to spend a bit of time in the gardens.

Once the men were gone, I took some Indian bread with me and, after asking a passing servant if it was alright, I began to feed the birds. Never before had I seen such a wonderful mixture of color and sounds. Before our arrival here, the only truly exotic bird that I had ever seen had been Mr. Cotton's parrot, which was currently out with its owner; now that I was in India, I had every intention of seeing as much of the local animals, culture, and people as I could!

I had just finished dusting the last bit of crumbs from my hands when the sound of polite coughing caught my attention. Turning around, I saw Jan's daughter, Padma, standing behind me, her veil removed and a sweet smile on her face. She was quite lovely, her complexion dark, smooth, and flawless. She wore a full red ensemble today, and had the traditional red dot on her forehead. Her arms were covered with gold bracelets and jewelry, and she looked so lovely and sweet that I couldn't hold back a sigh of envy.

She laughed as she came to stand beside me. "Ah, it is envy that makes you sigh so," Padma said, winking as she approached me. "I can tell you truly that in twenty years, I will be as wrinkled and old as my mother, have no fear."

Unable to hold back, I laughed as well. "I'm sorry," I said after my laughter had died down. "It's just that you really are lovely, and your outfit is so colorful that I couldn't help it."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling. "Actually, it is because of clothing that I came to speak with you."

"What about clothing?" I asked, puzzled.

"Last night, my mother and I saw the way you admired our clothes, and we believe that some of the materials in our house would flatter you in ways it would not with us," Padma replied, holding out a bejeweled hand. "Come, we will see what we have for you in our stores."

Despite my doubts about looking as lovely as my two hostesses, I took Padma's hand and followed her inside. We went up the large marble stairway, down a long corridor, and stopped before a doorway that was covered by a white curtain. Padma pulled back the material to reveal a jungle of cloth, each a different color and each with a different sort of design embroidered into it. My breath stopped in my throat as I looked at it, and when Padma nudged me forward, I raised a careful hand to gently run a finger down each fabric that I passed by.

"Choose a few," she ordered.

"Oh, I couldn't," I whispered as I touched a bolt of blue silk with silver designs stitched into it. "All this must cost a fortune!"

Behind me, Padma chuckled. "Jack helped my father become a very wealthy man," she said. "The least we could do is clothe you as is proper in our country."

I turned and looked at her. "Are you sure?" I asked, still uncertain. "Outfits of this sort could feed a family in my homeland for several months. Are you sure you want to give me something so valuable?"

Padma walked up beside me and pulled out the blue-and-silver material that I had been lingering over. "Come, we will start with this first and see where it takes us," she said, wrapping an arm around me as she led me through the doorway. "Then my mother and I will help you choose a few other colors."

My only reaction was a mindless nod as I was ushered into another room, immediately becoming fussed over and chattered at by a dozen Indian seamstresses. I had become used to such a thing back home whenever Mother wanted to buy me a new gown, but here it seemed very different. For one thing, there were no corsets involved, for which I was very thankful! Also, Indian clothing wasn't as restricting as the dresses Father had always ordered for me from town, and was much more colorful, which was one of the reasons why I loved it so. At home, I had always been forced to wear pale colors, as was expected of an upper-class, unmarried woman, but here I could wear any color I liked!

The fitting process was shorter than I thought, and within half an hour, Padma pushed me out of the room so that she could help sew my outfit. I was then instructed by the seamstresses to go have something to eat as I was 'too skinny.' I did as I was told, and discovered that most of the crew was still out and about in town. Mr. Cotton had returned, though, so I was able to feed Dusty the Parrot and tell them both about my day. Cotton merely nodded and smiled at me as I talked, Dusty squawking all the while, and when our little meal was over, we separated.

I was in the gardens again when Padma came for me later in the afternoon. She smiled and told me that my first outfit was ready and that I was to come upstairs and try it on. Excited, I followed her up to my room, where I was presented with the most beautiful outfit I had ever seen. The material had been divided into three parts of the outfit: the top section, the skirt, and what I could only interpret as a shawl of some sort that trailed behind the skirt. Eager to try it on, I undressed quickly.

I slid the top over my head and blushed when I saw how tight it was, clinging to my body. Also, it didn't cover my arms, but I suppose that's what the shawl-like bit of material was for. Thick silver designs were all along the neckline and the hem of the tight 'shirt,' which also had what appeared to be little silver stars sprinkled across it. Next was the skirt, which lacked the embroidery at the top, but still had it at the very bottom; it, too, was dusted with silver stars. What I thought was a shawl was actually attached to the rear of the skirt and fanned out when I walked, making it look like I had wings. Padma giggled as I twirled around, just to see the loose material fly around me. I had never felt so beautiful in my life! It was amazing how light the material was, and it was so soft and smooth that it glided across my skin. Closing my eyes, I tried to savor this moment, wondering if I would be able to save the outfits given to me for later on in the future.

"Oh, the men will fall out of their seats after they set eyes on you!" Padma said, winking at me. "Now, we will have to add your hairpiece and you will be a sight to be seen!"

"What would I need with a hairpiece?" I asked. "Besides, you've done so much for me already! I couldn't possibly accept anything more than this!"

Padma merely waved a hand at me in dismissal of my words. "No, you will not look proper without a headpiece," she declared, getting up and moving towards a vanity table on the other side of the room.

Once there, she rummaged through the box for several moments, during which time I became more and more nervous. If they kept spoiling me with beautiful things, their debt to Jack will be reversed, and it's likely Jack would have to pay them back for all of this! Just as I was beginning to think I should protest again, Padma finished selecting something from the box and walked over, a broad smile on her face. In her left hand was a brush and in her right dangled a silver chain with a blue jewel at the end.

"Come, it is time to do your hair," she said, motioning me to sit on the bed as she took up a place behind me.

I sighed and obeyed, knowing that doing anything else would be in pointless.

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Whistling as he walked back towards Jan's house, the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow was feeling quite good at that moment. So far, he'd done quite well in exchanging numerous bits of treasure for things that were just as valuable, though it would be worth far more once they returned to the Caribbean.

Spices were the first thing he had bought, both for trading and for keeping in the Pearl's galley. Rose would be able to use the spices in future meals, and for special occasions, which aught to make the crew happy. Jack had also gotten a few ivory pieces, some already carved with native designs and some untouched by cutting instruments. Ivory was like white gold to Westerners, and though he would barter some of it away, he would also have to send a piece or two to Port Royal, if only as a gift for the Turner wedding, whenever that was to happen!

'Yes, a very good day, all in all,' Jack thought to himself as he sashayed up the road, swaying back and forth as he hummed his favorite tune.

But now it was time for a good supper, which he had been looking forward to all day. He could almost taste the curried lamb, potatoes, crisp pickled vegetables, and a good bit of rum that Jan always had on hand, just in case the pirate captain ever showed up unannounced. Rubbing his hands together, Jack entered the house. A servant approached him immediately, informing him that he was the only member of the Pearl to return for supper, and that the rest of the men had gone down to the taverns for the night.

Jack shrugged and allowed the servant to lead him to the dining room. 'Oh, well, more food for me, then!' he thought. 'And since he didn't say anything about Rose being out, I think I'll see what the lass has been up to all day.'

Taking a seat at the table, Jack waited for his hosts to arrive. Jan came in, his lovely Nidhi on his arm. Behind them, Padma seemed to be having an argument with someone who was hidden behind the doorway. Finally, Padma gave the person one last glare and entered, her eyes going to Jack and winking as she jerked her head towards the door. Puzzled, Jack once again looked towards the door…

Just in time to see a vision in blue and silver drift into the room.

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I hadn't wanted to wear my new outfit to dinner, but Padma said it would be rude if I didn't, so I nodded and did so. The jewelry woven into the center of my hairline was slightly painful, but not much. When we approached the dining room, Padma told me that the men were out and only Jack was here to see me, which only made me want to turn around and leave right then and there. After a sound lecture from Padma, though, I gathered my courage and entered the room.

The look of Jack's dropped jaw convinced me that it was worth it.

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AN: Uh, oh, Jack's seen Rose in a new light! Let me know what you think by reviewing!