Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I own nothing related to Pirates of the Caribbean. That belongs to Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, and a bunch of other people. Only original characters and plotlines are mine.

AN: Here's another chapter! Enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Chapter 6: A New Life Aboard Ship:

Looking at my reflection, I tilted my head back and forth, assessing Anna-Maria's work. I saw her image standing slightly behind my own, and noticed the exasperated look on her face.

"I know it isn't as grand as it was before, Marina, but it really is quite nice," she said, rolling her eyes. "Now, come along. It's time to see what you can do for work."

I managed to heave a sigh, one of the few understandable sounds I'd been able to make since the start of my curse. I was able to utter a groan in pain (or annoyance), or a grunt, but anything more than that was not within my power. Anna, however, declared it to be progress, or at least a positive sign that I was mending. It was a good thing she did not know about the curse, or else she wouldn't look so hopeful.

As of this morning, I had been aboard the Pearl for eight days, and had managed to regain most of my strength. In fact, just yesterday I had been introduced to the crew, a number of whom had returned from their time of enjoyment in town. From the looks on their faces, I knew they were surprised and upset that Jack had allowed me to remain onboard, but a few choice words from their Captain (as well as Anna-Maria) had caused them to grudgingly give way and accept my presence onboard.

Today was to be a true test for me. We had pulled out of port some time ago, and Anna-Maria had helped me move my few belongings and clothes to her own cabin, where she said I would be living from now on.

"The Captain would like to have his cabin back at some point," she teased me. "You'll be fine with me, and if needed, I can keep you safe from any teasing or tricks the men might pull on you. I can even teach you a bit about piracy while you get used to life onboard."

It was very kind of her to take me on as her charge, and I'd hugged her tightly in thanks for what she was doing for me. Anna had blushed, and gently put her arms around me to return the hug before pulling back, telling me it was time to change living quarters.

During my move, the men had watched me closely as I managed to hold onto the stack of clothes Anna had gotten for me, my new legs still becoming used to walking. Fortunately, the men believed I was trying to get used to walking on a ship at sea, so I at least had an excuse for my awkward movements.

Jack, meanwhile, had positively been bursting with happiness at getting his rooms returned to him, though he did try not to show it. "Not that I mind a lovely woman in my cabin, but I'd like it to be under different circumstances," he said with a wink that made my cheeks red with embarrassment.

An extra bed had been put together in Anna's room, as well as things called 'furniture,' so that I could store my belongings. It wasn't a large room, but then, closed spaces did not trouble me, not after I had spent centuries sleeping inside of small caves or under the outcrops of rocks. Besides, I probably would only spend my evenings here, as I would undoubtedly be working during the day.

Presently, Anna had just finished pulling my hair back into a weave so that it would remain out of my face while I worked. A strip of cloth called a 'ribbon' was woven through it, adding a touch of color to my dark locks. Anna had been correct –it wasn't as lovely as my pearls were, but it would do.

"Alright then, off to the top deck," she said, motioning me to stand and follow her. "Did you remember to put on some of that lotion? The last thing I need is for you to burn that lovely skin of yours –I mean, even more than it is now. It's already pinker than a Caribbean sunset."

Flushing, I spread a bit of the mixture onto my cheeks, nose, and forehead. Apparently my pale skin allowed me to 'burn,' a she called it, rather quickly, and so Anna had given me some of this concoction to help keep it healthy while I was out in the sun.

Satisfied, Anna nodded. "Alright then; let's go."

Stairs were still a bit difficult for me, but going up was simpler than going down, so I didn't look too foolish as I followed her on deck. The men were all starting their own chores, and as I slowly trailed behind Anna-Maria, I saw that most of them were giving me doubtful looks. She merely glared at them, which sent their gazes elsewhere, at least for a little while, before they came back towards me.

"Now, these ropes all need to be tied securely together," Anna said, taking me over to several huge piles of the stuff. "I'll show you a few ways to do it correctly, so pay attention, Marina."

I sat down next to her on the smooth wood of the deck and watched closely, intent on learning without intruding on her mind. It was difficult, but I managed to keep out nearly all thoughts around me, except for the angry, confused, and frustrated ones of men around us. I knew that they disliked my being here, but I could sense that some of them felt pity for me, the Captain's foundling from the beach. Those few kind men would not openly show their understanding and willingness to help, but I knew that they would do so when the time was right.

Focusing on Anna's hands, I saw her fingers slowly and nimbly take the ends of two different ropes and fasten them together, her actual words flowing into my head as she explained why tying things one way worked, while another didn't. It was quite fascinating to watch, and to learn from.

When it came my turn to tie the rope, I slowly and carefully copied her movements, working with complete focus on the task. When I finished, I had a rope that was close to what Anna had showed me, but not exact. However, she was patient with me, and showed me several more times how to do it. After some time of practicing under her watchful eye, all of my studying and hard work resulted in me finally copying her knots exactly.

"Excellent," Anna said with a nod of approval. "Normally, I'd set you straight to tying ropes, but for right now, let's see what else you can do, since we can't have you doing nothing after all the ropes that need to be knotted have been done."

Someone close by snorted, catching my attention. I turned in time to see one man jab an elbow into the side of another while a third slapped the elbowed man in the back of the head. I worried about someone becoming hurt, but Anna simply grasped my arm, pulled me to my feet, and hauled me towards the steps that led downwards, which I had to struggle to master at the speed we were going.

The place she brought me to had all sorts of odd instruments, and I was immediately confused as to what this place was. I saw blades, ranging from long to short, and all sorts of odd metal objects, some of which looked like giant bowls and others plates far larger than anything I had eaten food off of. It wasn't very tidy, but it was still in good order.

"This is the galley, which is where the meals for the crew are cooked," she explained. "It takes a lot to feed a crew two or three times a day, so we do our best to get our meals from the sea. It gets us fresh food, and keeps us from going through the supplies too fast."

I immediately felt myself straighten where I stood. If there was one thing I could help with, it was finding food in the sea!

Anna noticed that I was looking excited. "Care to help with the fishing?" she asked hesitantly. "You don't seem like the sort who would know much about fish, but why don't we go out and see what kind of catch is being brought up today?"

She hesitated. "I should probably give you something, if you're going to be working around near the nets," she said. "Wait here."

I waited patiently while she vanished out the door for several moments, and returned with my blade in her hand. Surprised, I reached out and grabbed it, holding it firmly in my right hand. The weight was heavier than I remembered, as the water of the sea no longer bolstered the heft of it, but my arms, I had learned, were stronger than a normal woman's, possibly from living in the dense water of the sea.

"It's a fantastic blade, Marina," Anna said. "It's a perfect weight and tang that runs the length of the blade, and the hilt is perfect for knocking a fellow out without being too heavy to handle. The Captain wanted to sell it, since it would fetch a good price, but I knew you would need it, if only to protect yourself with and to use on deck. Any decent sailor has a sharp blade handy, in case they need to cut a rope or tie in a hurry."

She pulled something from behind her back. "You didn't have a sheath for it, so I found one that would fit it in the armory. It'll protect it and keep it from cutting through your belt."

I smiled my thanks and watched as she tucked the knife into the sheath, then attached it to my belt. I had wanted to use my gold chain, but it was tucked away in the cabin I shared with Anna, as were the other treasures Jack had permitted me to keep. Apparently gold chain belts were not acceptable.

She nodded her satisfaction. "Done, then. Now, let's go see today's catch!"

My hands shaking slightly with nervousness, I followed her.

Hefting a net of fish aboard, Joshamee Gibbs dropped the full thing onto the deck and sighed. It was full, but the question was whether what they'd caught was eatable or not. It was his (as well as a few other men's) job to sort through stuff and decide what to throw back and what to keep to eat.

As he made ready to untangle the mess of netting, Anna-Maria appeared, her silent little shadow trailing behind her. Gibbs bit back a sigh, and merely pasted on a smile. The poor lass, whom Jack had dubbed 'Marina,' was a subject that all the men tip-toed around. If they'd had their way, the lass would have been tossed off before they'd left port -and if it hadn't been for her becoming a favorite with Anna-Maria and the Captain, that's exactly what would have happened.

Unfortunately, when Anna-Maria wanted something, she tended to get her way. Every member of the crew knew what would happen once she was angered, and they all liked having all of their limbs intact, thank you very much! Besides, the lass had washed up with a small bit of swag that Jack had sold off to purchase more supplies and new equipment for the Pearl, which they hadn't been able to afford until now.

However, the men did not like having a young woman aboard, particularly when she wasn't likely to be able to earn her keep. She had soft hands, which meant she wasn't a working type, but Gibbs had noticed that they were oddly callused, which meant that she was used to doing things with her hands, but not much. It baffled him a little, but perhaps the source of those rough patches on her fingers would come to light, eventually.

"Good day to you Anna, and Miss Marina," Gibbs greeted them. "Care to see the catch of the day?"

Marina smiled excitedly and motioned for him to hurry. Puzzled, he looked over at Anna-Maria, who smiled. "Apparently she's eager to help with the sorting," Anna explained. "Since this is the most excited I've seen her yet, I figured it'd do no harm."

Shrugging, Gibbs hoisted the last of the net onboard and motioned for Marina to join him. "So, Miss Marina, our job is to make sure that nothing poisonous gets tossed into the seafood soups and stews meant for our meals. We can't risk the men getting sick, so we've got to be very careful. When you find a fish that's eatable, you toss it in one of the buckets to be gutted and prepared for later. Understand?"

She nodded and watched carefully as he untangled the net and let the contents flow onto the deck. To the shock of everyone, Marina gingerly picked up a fish with black-and-white stripes and looked at it carefully. Her blue eyes looked over the entire fish, and when she was done, she dropped it into the bucket, causing everyone to gasp.

"Marina, that was a poisonous fish," Anna said, turning pale.

Marina, however, shook her head and picked up the fish again, carefully avoiding the spines that held deadly poison. Through hand motions, she showed that, if they removed the spines and peeled back the skin, they could eat the meat inside. The men, obviously, didn't believe her, and all shook their heads at her foolishness.

Apparently frustrated with their lack of faith in her, Marina drew her knife, and, her face full of concentration, expertly removed the head of the fish, the fins, and the skin without blinking twice. She then proceeded to gut the creature, and toss the entrails overboard.

Then, as the men watched, Marina dropped delicate white meat into the bucket, looking very pleased with herself.

Gibbs swallowed as she bent and picked up another fish, which she tossed back into the sea with a shake of her head before picking up another. In no time, she had thrown back half of the catch, and the other half was either gutted right there on deck, or tossed into a bucket, whole.

Satisfied with her work, Marina washed the blade in a nearby bucket of water, shook the last droplets off of it, and tucked the knife back into its sheath. There were a few moments of silence as the crew stood and stared at her, but once Gibbs managed to bring himself back around, he cleared his throat and gathered up the empty net.

"Well, I'd best see to getting another catch, if we're going to have enough to feed the whole crew," he said, hurriedly tossing the netting overboard. "Care to help with the sorting again, Marina?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "Not now," she said, beckoning her friend over to her. "I need to show her the galley. When you're done, bring down what you've got, and we'll see what we can whip up."

Then the two women were gone, leaving the men to wonder what on earth had just happened.

"You sure showed them, Marina," Anna said, chuckling as she led me back to the galley. "Now that I know where your strength is, I'll help you learn the basics of cooking, and that'll be your task from now on."

Apparently the morning meal was whatever the crew could find, namely bread and fruit, both of which I had been exposed to by Anna-Maria. Fruit was my favorite, as it was sweet and refreshing to the senses, and somewhat reminded me of the life in the sea I had left behind. I liked vegetables, too, though they did not taste as good as fruit did. The meat and bread they served was far too heavy for me, and tended to make me feel rather tired, but I suspected that I would adjust to eating them after a while.

My friend was still talking, even though my thoughts had been elsewhere. "After Gibbs and the others haul in their catches, you'll be the one to sort them out, gut them, clean and skin them, then cook them for later on."

Luckily, I knew what cooking was –to a point. In the afternoons and evenings, while I had still been in Jack's cabin, Anna had brought me freshly caught fish, though it did not resemble the fish I normally consumed it. Apparently, humans did not eat their fish raw, so they 'cooked' it over a fire, flavored it with ground up plants called 'spices,' and ate it. I don't know why they insist on ruining the marvelous taste of fresh-caught, freshly killed fish, but I suppose that is something else I must get used to in this new life of mine.

For some time, I watched Anna as she cut vegetables and tossed them into a large object that resembled a deep bowl. After Mr. Gibbs and a few of the men brought down the fish they had cleaned and readied, she added the fish, a great deal of water, and mixed in several spices to complete it.

"There, done," she said. "We cover it with a lid, and let it sit on the stove to cook until a little after noon. The crew then helps themselves to the stew, and once they've all had their fill, you start on another batch for later. In the morning, when you're sorting through the fish up top, make sure there is enough fish for that, so the men won't need to haul up more for later. Do you understand?"

I nodded. Hopefully, my contributing to the ship would help the men to accept me. Anna smiled. "Good. Now, let's practice. I'll test you on what you know, and then, once you've got it, I'll let you go on your own tomorrow."

She picked up a vegetable and my day of learning to cook began.

After several days of practicing, I noticed that cooking was not as simple as I thought, though it seemed not to matter because the men didn't care what was served, as long as it wasn't burned or uneatable. Anna seemed to take care in her preparations, at least when it came to feeding me, but when it came to the men's food, she did not seem to use much effort. All she did was make sure the food was modestly prepared, but no more than that.

Whenever I attempted to serve myself, she added a bit of spice to my bowl, as well as her own. "For flavor," she always explained to me. The images and feelings flowing through her mind were loud enough for me to hear, a clear message that the men were simple fellows when it came to the food served on the ship. The only time they expected truly well-made food was on land, where the people who cooked for a living took their task seriously.

This proved quite helpful to me, as I chose to try and make food they would like, and hopefully win them over by proving I could work hard.

Observing Anna very carefully, I learned where she stored the spices she added to the stews and soups, and what they tasted and smelled like. It was astounding how just a little bit of the correct spice mixed with the right fish could make my mouth feel so delightful, and I hoped that using that technique would help the men feel the same way whenever they ate what I prepared.

Which was why, whenever Anna left me alone in the kitchen after we had prepared the day's afternoon and evening meals, I added just a touch of the spices I thought would make things taste nice.

For a week I did this, without being found out. I think Anna suspected what I was doing, since she gave me knowing looks after she had helped herself to the bubbling pot, but she never said anything. The men never seemed to notice either –they did appear to enjoy their food a bit more, and seemed a bit happier, but perhaps it was just my mind playing tricks on me. After all, if they liked the food, wouldn't they have said something to me, or to Anna?

Well, sooner or later, my new methods would be found out, but for now, I liked the fact that I was making a quiet change that appeared to be making a positive influence on the men.

Exhausted from a morning at the helm, Jack made his way to the galley, his stomach rumbling. Breakfast had been fruit, some raw vegetables, and a bit of hard tack, all of which had worn off long ago. It was time to see what his fine little chef had come up with for lunch.

To his relief, Marina (or Rina, as the men had taken to secretly calling her) had managed to find something she was good at, namely sorting through everything Gibbs and his men caught in their nets so that no one was poisoned by their lunch.

Because she was better than anyone onboard at this, Marina had been somewhat accepted by the crew, and they no longer resented the poor thing –at least, they didn't resent her as much as before. Had Marina been unable to do anything aboard, Jack would have been forced to leave the mute girl at the nearest port, and that would be a horror to someone who couldn't talk or defend herself. As it was, Anna had set her up in the galley, freeing any of the men from cooking. This, in turn, gave Jack back his second mate, who was presently lecturing a crewman for being lax with his work, and allowed Marina to earn her own way aboard.

Now, Jack was a man who enjoyed variety in life, and most would have thought him incapable of eating seafood stew nearly every day, a diet that saved them from going through the supplies too quickly. But since the sea was full of hundreds (if not thousands) of kinds of eatable fish and creatures, the stew rarely contained the exact same mixture twice. And with Anna seasoning the food, the taste and texture was often different as well.

Over the past two weeks, however, he had noticed that the food had slowly begun to change. Not that it was bad –it was just different from the usual grub that came out of the kitchen. Anna sometimes mixed things up a bit, but not more than once a week.

Anna, however, hadn't been alone in the kitchen for a while now, but he wouldn't put the blame on Marina, was probably still as unskilled in cooking as Mr. Cotton's parrot.

'I wouldn't put it past Anna to slip into the galley for a bit of trickery with the spices.'

Marina would have no choice but to let Anna do what she wanted to the food, seeing as the girl was helpless against anything the determined female pirate might throw at her. The gradual change in food might be his second mate's attempt to get the crew to eat whatever she thought of as 'new and different' –Lord knows how often he heard Anna complain that she wanted to change their daily food regime.

'Oh, well; as long as it doesn't poison anyone, I suppose I can let whatever's being done in the galley keep going,' Jack shrugged. 'It's not as if the men are complaining or anything.' Actually, whatever was being done to the meals was lifting morale, which was a blessing to any captain.

Humming his favorite tune, he sauntered into the galley just in time to see Marina sprinkle a few pinches of spice into the pot of bubbling soup. His jaw dropped in shock as she stirred, tasted, looked doubtful for a moment, and tossed a few pinches of another spice into the simmering broth.

"Marina?" he drawled, not sure if he was hallucinating or not.

She started, but smiled when she saw who had come in. As he made his way to the stove, Jack looked into the boiling mass and sniffed. Hmm, it actually smelled rather good! His stomach growled its impatience to be fed, which set Marina to laughing. Well, she couldn't exactly laugh, but he was glad to see her smile –she hadn't done much of that in the time since he'd found her.

Apparently taking pity on her hungry Captain, she handed him a spoon and a bowl, and motioned for him to help himself, which he gladly did. Using the giant ladle, he poured a generous serving into his bowl and went to sit at a small table on the far side of the galley, watching her carefully as she proceeded to begin yet another pot of stew, this one for tonight's supper.

With a dip of his spoon, Jack took a sip of broth, and nearly choked. Marina whirled around, concern and fear on her face. He quickly swallowed the broth in his mouth, and smiled, coughing lightly as he did so.

"No worries, Rina," he wheezed. "It just surprised me." He smiled at her confusion. "The soup is much tastier than what we usually have aboard, that's all. To be honest, it's one of the better soups I've had in a while. Anna-Maria and the others just don't care about cooking anymore, but you obviously do. I think you'll work out just fine."

She smiled and blushed, her pale skin turning a charming rosy-pink. Nodding her thanks, she turned back to her work as Jack finished his meal, the taste of saffron, pepper, and hot chili flakes dancing on his tongue. It was spicy, but not too much so, giving it just the right amount of fire.

When the last spoonful was consumed, he put it and the bowl in the sink. "You haven't been doing dishes as well, have you, Rina?" Jack asked. "Cooking is hard enough; one of the men should be cleaning up after."

Marina smiled and shook her head as she mimicked a man with impressive hair running along the sides of his face. Ah, so Gibbs was helping the little thing out, hmm? Well, if his superstitious first mate could be won over, then the others were sure to follow.

"Excellent," Jack declared, nodding. "By the way, you don't mind if the men call you Rina, do you? Marina is pretty and all, but it would keep the others from mixing and confusing your name with Anna-Maria's."

Again, Marina shook her head, but motioned towards him, seeming to ask what he wanted to call her. "I rather like your full name, but I'll probably use your nickname once in a while," he decided. "That's alright with you, isn't it?"

He received her silent permission, and turned to leave the galley, feeling very pleased with himself and with his charmingly enterprising little cook.

AN: Whew, long chapter this week! I hope that everyone enjoyed themselves and will review. Thanks!