Avast means a command to stop or desist. Derived from the Italian word 'Basta' meaning stop.

Eight Years Later.

The face of the man that the crew of HMS Challenger who had rescued, jolted Charlotte awake from her peaceful slumber. Her room was dark, the curtains had been drawn which made the room pitch dark except for a candle that stood on the dressing table next to Charlotte's bed.

Charlotte was breathing heavily, the dream about the day that Jack Sparrow had told her about the meaning of the song Hoist the Colours had an effect on her. She also dreamed about how she had helped rescue the man who then told her that he was a pirate.

Piracy had fascinated her but Charlotte knew that a sensible lady like herself shouldn't be curious about piracy. She resigned herself to her fate that her father Cutler Beckett was going to marry her off to the son of a wealthy merchant. However, Charlotte always wondered about what happened to the crew member that was a brother to her after he had mysteriously disappeared. Jack Sparrow was never far from the young lady's mind as well as the pirate that she had rescued on the day that Jack told her about Hoist the Colours.

A knock on the bedroom door shook Charlotte out of her reverie before she heard the smooth voice of her father.

"Woman, are you up and decent?" came the pompous voice of Cutler Beckett from behind the door.

Charlotte quickly got up and grabbed her robe before answering to her father's question. The young lady did not appreciate her father barging on top of her when she was waking up but never complained about it.

"Yes, father!"

Then, Cutler and two maids came into the room and one of the maids abruptly opened the curtain, causing Charlotte to squint when the sunlight spilled into the room. She hated this time of the day, she just wanted to be left in peace and wake up as she pleases.

"My sweetheart, today is a big day." Cutler said proudly but a bit too proudly, it was true that he liked to show off his beautiful daughter to potential suitors at court. Charlotte knew she had the Beckett genes but she did not want to be sold off soon, she just wanted to live her life before she settled down. Today was a possibility that Cutler had found a suitor for his daughter.

"Why is today important, father?" Charlotte feigned to not have an idea about what her father was talking about.

"I would like you to meet Nigel Penwallow. He is the son of my good friend Lord Penwallow." Cutler smiled gently at his daughter, he had loved his daughter but due to his status, he had to marry her off to a reputable man. However, Charlotte knew who Lord Penwallow was, he had been the superior man that worked above her own father but it did not stop her from loathing the stern-looking man. On the other hand, Nigel Penwallow was no better than his own father. The young man had a reputation for being a ladies' man and liked to hike up women's skirts while maintaining his presence at the court in Port Royal along with his father Lord Penwallow. Nigel's activities did leave a foul taste in Charlotte Beckett's mouth as she thought of him, the thought of being betrothed to Nigel had horrified her. She could never understand why her father seemed to like the leech who mingled in the court and he had liked to hike up the skirts of unsuspecting ladies.

Charlotte fought back an eye roll, she did not want to marry at the age of twenty years old. Instead, she wanted to find Jack Sparrow and spend her life on the seas. When Charlotte was just shy of turning fourteen years old, Jack Sparrow mysteriously disappeared from the crew. She tried to ask her father but she was met with reasons like "Jack went to England." or "Jack married a lady and went off to Carolinas." The young girl never believed her father since she knew that he was capable of such destruction like killing off men of the sea after she witnessed a hanging of a pirate. However, the blonde-haired girl had suspicions that Cutler had something to do with Jack's disappearance.

"Alright Father, I will meet him." Charlotte said in a caustic manner that she made it obvious to her father. Her father detected it in her voice, he began to wag his finger at her with a tut-tut in his voice.

"As your loving father, I am warning you to be nice to Mr Nigel Penwallow once you meet him for lunch at my office. You will like him." Cutler said in a pompous tone which was all too familiar for young Charlotte.

"Fine. I will be nice to him (!)" Charlotte again said in a caustic tone which Cutler ignored before he walked away to leave the maids tend to his daughter. The maids hurriedly went around Charlotte and ushered her into the wash room.

The maids undressed Charlotte before they helped her wash herself. Charlotte hated this time of the day, she preferred to do it by herself but her always overbearing father would of course tell the maids that Charlotte needed help with her washing.

The washing went normally without a hitch until one of the maids had slapped a wet cloth across Charlotte's bare bottom. She yelped in surprise and anger before she turned around and kicked the maids out of the wash room in anger before she finished washing herself up.

Once Charlotte had calmed down, she let the maids back in after she'd apologised to them for lashing out at them. They went to dressing her up with the latest fashion that had come in from London by ship. The corset was one of those items Charlotte had heard about the contraptions but never realised that Cutler had already ordered her one. Cutler just simply spoiled his daughter with the delights of the female fashion trends that came out of London.

The corset came onto Charlotte and the maid was tightening it. Strangulated gasps were coming out of Charlotte as the maid yanked a lace tighter, Charlotte was now struggling to breathe in the damned contraption. She was going to have a talk to her father about the damned contraptions once he'd see what it did to his daughter.

"Oh my, you are most dashing in that beautiful dress!" Cutler lit up as he saw Charlotte going down the stairs in the dress that had just come in from London the previous day, the young lady was obviously struggling to breathe in the fucking dress.

Charlotte gave her father a painful smile, she felt the oxygen levels in her brain were being depleted by the second as she wore the corset. Stars were beginning to appear in Charlotte's vision as she forcefully drew in air into her lungs. Charlotte was going to pass out by the second in the dress.

"Thank you, Father." She croaked out painfully, Cutler was oblivious to the fact that he was currently suffocating his daughter by making her wear the fucking corset.

Cutler's right-hand man was standing nearby, Charlotte hated Mercer with a fiery passion in her. The man terrified her after the incident of her talking about Jack Sparrow and pirates and he'd take out his dagger in front of her face. Mercer had told her in a raspy tone that'd terrify the daylights out of Lord Beckett's only child, "Have you ever heard the crack of a pirate's neck as he drops?"

Those words had ingrained themselves into the mind of Charlotte Beckett ever since, she would attempt to take no heed to them but Ian Mercer would pop up every now and then. Charlotte continuously prayed to God that Ian Mercer did not go near her friend Jack when he mysteriously disappeared.

"Child, get into the carriage. We are going to the court." Cutler said as he grabbed his tricorn hat and cane from the poor servant who looked like he wanted to get out of the Beckett household and do something better.

Charlotte felt sorry for the poor servants who had to work for her Father and herself, she understood that they had to work in order to make ends meet for their own families. Her father wasn't exactly helping in the grand scheme of things in the Beckett household as he would treat the workers poorly. Charlotte wanted to help the workers but she was often told by her father that they were dirt.

Cutler Beckett ushered his daughter into the carriage that would take them to the middle of Port Royal where the court was always held at Fort Charles, Charlotte had a distaste for the court. It was just a place where pompous aristocrats like Cutler Beckett mingled and dragged other people's names through the literal mud with their well-chosen words.

The horse carriage journey took a few seconds and Charlotte found herself inside of the heavily-fortified fort where well-dressed people mingled in the area that overlooked the cliffs. Once Cutler's name was called out by other aristocrats, Charlotte went up to the terrace that the ocean was on the horizon, it was her favourite place to be when she had to be at court with her father.

"My my, you must be Mr Beckett's daughter." Said the lecherous voice of the one and only Nigel Penwallow, the son of Lord Penwallow. Charlotte could swear her insides had shrivelled up and disappeared when she heard Nigel's voice. She fought hard not to turn her nose up at the lecherous voice of the leech who her father was intending to marry her off.

"Yes, I am Charlotte Beckett." Charlotte said in a grated voice which her distaste for Nigel was very present. Nigel leered at her, it made her like a wench in a pirate bar in Tortuga. She also felt cheap.

"I know that, Father tells me that you're interested in being my wife and the bearer to my children." Nigel purred. Charlotte wanted nothing than to retch as she was told that Nigel wanted her pregnant with the spawn of Nigel Penwallow. The rat-like man had made Charlotte taste bile at the back of her throat as Nigel had spoken to her.

"Y-yes." She told Nigel who still had the lecherous smile on his godforsaken face, she wanted to fucking throttle the leech and throw him to the cliffs where the damned rocks were.

"That is good to hear, Charlotte. Matter of factly, it is wonderful to hear that your father has given his blessing for me to marry you." Nigel explained in a leering tone, his remark was it for Charlotte. He had moved dangerously close to the young woman which Charlotte felt violated by his presence and wanted to run as far as she could away from him, So, she picked up her skirt to flitter away from Nigel until a childhood friend bumped into her.

"Miss Beckett!" James Norrington was stunned at how he was bumped into by Charlotte Beckett who he'd hadn't seen since school days in England. Wonderful, Charlotte wanted nothing than be approached by another man after Nigel Penwallow was being sexually suggestive to her a moment ago. Men had made Charlotte feel repulsed everytime they had suggested to do something towards her and Jack Sparrow was an exception as he was like a brother to the blonde.

"Hello!" Charlotte squeaked out in an unladylike manner with an uneasy smile on her face. Being the kind and soft gentleman he was, James Norrington began to get concerned about the welfare of his old school friend that he'd treated her like a sister that he'd never had.

"Charlotte, would you mind telling me why you look so uncomfortable when I said hello to you?" James said in a soft and caring tone which made Charlotte relax. The young navy officer was genuinely concerned why Charlotte was acting strange when he had approached her so he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and whispered, "Did Nigel do something to you?"

Charlotte looked panicked for a second as she looked around before she responded to James's question about Nigel. "Look, can we go somewhere else?" Charlotte leaned in closer to James' ear to whisper in case if the leech Penwallow happened to be nearby to them.

"Of cours-" James proceeded to answer but the posh voice of Penwallow cut him off, Penwallow was furious when he saw his future bride cosying up with Lieutenant Norrington.

"Get away from my wife!" Penwallow shouted in a disgraceful manner which Charlotte wanted again to throttle the human-sized leech. James became furious as well, he marched up to Penwallow's face to attempt to set him straight.

"Listen Mr Penwallow, Miss Beckett is not your 'wife' nor your object so respect the lady please." James said furious at how Nigel was treating poor Charlotte but James remained composed and dignified as he faced the leech. However, Penwallow was not paying attention as he walked away before swinging his arm around to punch the navy office square in the face which Charlotte went to the rescue.

However, she was too late. Penwallow's next swing at James caused Charlotte to lose her balance and fell backwards. Charlotte screamed as she fell at a rapid speed down into the water and the rocks with a loud 'splash'.

It took Penwallow and James a moment to realise that their physical altercation caused Charlotte to fall into the water near to them. James proceeded to take his coat off but navy officers ran to his aid, Penwallow scurried away, not wanting to have some responsibility for the supposed disappearance of his father's friend's daughter at his hands.

As Charlotte came into contact with the water, her dress was rapidly causing her to sink to the bottom of the sea. She was being sent into a dark abyss that met her as her eyes closed and the water went inside of her body.

Charlotte Beckett was snuffed out until now. She remained at the bottom of the water when another person entered the deep water area, he swam down to her but realised that her dress had dragged her down so he took out his knife and ripped the dress away from her body before bringing Charlotte back up to the surface.

A rush of air hit Charlotte like a wave. She started gasping for air but the bloody corset was stopping her from doing so which the person saw that Charlotte was struggling to breath so he plonked her out of the water onto the deck.

That was when Charlotte opened her eyes and saw her rescuer.