Author's Note: Thank you very much to TheHollister for your review! And
to Kayleigh-talitha, well, a fanfic without Jack wouldn't be much fun. And
don't worry about the hair; I have an idea for that in a later chapter.
So, here's the next chapter, with more to come in the next few days!
In the cabin, Mariana had soon given up on shouting at the departed pirates and calling for help. She stood up, and walked around the cabin, her hands still bound behind her back, but she knew how to change that. She went over to a mirror in the room, and put her back to it, turning her head so she could see the knot in the rope. Slowly and with difficulty, she eased the badly tied knot apart, and slipped her thin hands from the bonds, which fell to the floor.
Mariana quickly opened the window to see that they were already far from the shore of Port Royale, and cursed under her breath, looking around the room, wondering what she could do now. As she scanned the room, she caught a glint of something in the corner of her eye. As she walked towards the bed where it lay, she saw that it was her sword, the one that her father had given her not a day before. Apparently, Jack had taken a liking to it, and had decided to take that as well. Next to it, some clothes were laid out; a loose white shirt and a pair of long breeches. Not exactly her style, but she decided that they would have to do.
Glancing towards the door every now and again, Mariana took off her white nightgown, and quickly dressed in the shirt and breeches before finding a brown scarf, which she used to secure her sword to her waist. She found a green scrap of material, and used it to tie her long golden hair back, leaving two unruly strands out at the front. After looking through the cupboards, she found a pair of soft leather boots. They were a little too big, but they would do.
She made her way to the door, passing a full-length mirror. You look exactly like a pirate, she thought in complete disgust. Surely Jack was lying about her parents. She could hardly imagine William Turner, the most honourable and noble sort of person you could find would engage in piracy, and that her mother, the noble Lady Elizabeth, daughter of the old Governor would be able to fend for herself among such scum. Of course, both of them could hold their own, but Mariana still couldn't and wouldn't believe the things Jack had said. After all, why should she?
Tentatively, she pushed open the door of the cabin, and saw the men doing their duties on deck. Everyone seemed to be very concentrated on the task they were performing, and so Mariana slipped out of the cabin. She took two small steps forward, staying in the shadow cast by the cabin.
"Hello, Maria, luv," a Jack's voice called from above. She straightened and turned to see the pirate leaning over the railings and scowled. "How did you get yourself out here?"
"My name is Mariana, and do not call me 'luv'," she answered angrily.
"Alright, alright," Jack said, putting his hands up in defeat. "Mariana. Nice to see you up on deck. Can't say I wasn't expecting you soon."
"Then why didn't you just untie me?" Mariana asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Because, I wanted to prove my point."
"What point?"
"The point that pirate is in your blood, just as it is in mine, and Will's, and his father's," Jack explained, moving down the steps and standing next to her. Mariana gave an exasperated sigh, and started to move away, but Jack caught a hold of her arm, stopping her from going any further. Mariana just stared back at him, completely unafraid; though she knew all of her friends would have fainted by now. "Face it. You slipped out of your bonds; something that no Lady would ever even think of being able to do, let alone succeed, stole some clothes and shoes, took back what I took from you, and crept out. That's what pirates do, lass, and it's in your blood. Just give it three days, Mariana. Three days on this ship, with this freedom. I know you better than you think. You crave freedom, to be able to ignore your Lady's status and be who you want to be. I know that more than anything you want to sail the sea, get a feeling of what it is like to be truly free."
Mariana looked hard at the man before her, searching his eyes, wondering how he could possibly know so much about her.
"If you don't like it, we'll have you back in Port Royale by the third sunrise. I promise," Jack finished. For all she knew him, Mariana felt that she could trust this man to keep his word. Her eyes darted around, wondering if she should take this chance that she had always wished for, and that was now being offered to her so freely. All that she'd ever been taught was telling her that she should refuse this offer, and demand to be taken back immediately, but all that she truly was inside was screaming to her that she should take this one chance, before it was gone, and she was forced to live like a true Lady forevermore.
"Three days, Jack," Mariana said at last. "Then you take me home."
Instead of saying 'thank you', shaking her hand or clapping her on the back, Jack made a slight bowing gesture, as though thanking her for her answer.
"Right, Maria, luv," Jack said, gesturing to the mast with the crow's nest high above them. "Climb up there, say your goodbyes to port Royale, then look out to your freedom."
Without telling him her name, or not to call her luv, Mariana ran over to the rigging, and began to climb it confidently, as though she had been doing it all of her life. Jack watched with something similar to pride shining in his eyes before he was disturbed.
"Jack," Gibbs began slowly. "Has anyone ever told you that it's bad luck to 'ave one woman on board, let alone two?"
Jack turned to face the old man.
"I've told you before that it would be far worse not to have Anamaria aboard," Jack explained.
"Aye, and what about the little one?" Gibbs enquired.
"It's lucky for her that she's on board," Jack answered, turning back to watch Mariana just as she reached the crow's nest high above.
Mariana climbed into the crow's nest high above the deck of the Black Pearl, and saw that Anamaria was up there also.
"He convinced you to stay, then?" Anamaria asked without looking away from the ocean.
"Yes," Mariana said as she glanced back at the last traces of Port Royale as they disappeared into the distance. "But why did he take me?"
"Who knows?" Anamaria asked as she turned to face the young girl. "Jack follows his own rules, has his own way of life. After nearly twenty years of sailing with him, I still don't understand him completely. Personally, I think he's gone mad from all the rum."
"You mean to say that we are sailing under a mad and drunk captain pirate?" Mariana asked in disbelief. "A mad drunk man cannot captain a ship!"
"But that's were you're wrong, lass. He can captain this ship," Anamaria returned. "And I have no doubt that it's only because of his mad ways that we've stayed alive and afloat this long. Some, or even most of the things that he does don't seem to make sense. But he's kept us out of trouble for this long, so I'll trust his judgement for a few years more."
Mariana nodded and looked out across the ocean. Her whole life she'd dreamed of doing just this; of sailing the high seas with no one to give a damn about who she was, and just accept her for the person she truly wanted to be.
"How did you come to be here?" she asked at last. "Did Jack come after you as well?"
"No," Anamaria replied with a slight smirk. "I came after Jack."
"Why?" Mariana asked, a curious look on her face.
"He stole my boat," Anamaria answered. "He stole it from me then got it sunk. I sailed with him and your father to rescue Elizabeth with the promise that I would receive the Interceptor. But that was sunk too, so I decided to sail with Jack as his first mate."
Mariana looked down to the deck, where most of the men were milling around. Jack was at the helm, and Gibbs was standing near, looking up at the two women in the crow's nest, a disapproving frown on his face.
"I don't think Gibbs wants me here," Mariana said as she studied the old man.
"He's just very superstitious. He doesn't like me bein' here either, but he'll sail under Jack's orders, and not argue," Anamaria explained as she followed Mariana's gaze down to Gibbs. When he saw both of them, watching him, he looked down and went back to his duties.
"Did he try to talk Jack out of bringing me on board?"
"None of us knew Jack was bringing you, lass. I dare say he's been planning it for ages, but he didn't breath a word of it," Anamaria answered, glancing back in the direction of Port Royale to make sure they weren't being followed. "Coming to think of it, he must have been planning it for years. He'd keep insisting we came back to Port Royale about once every few months. All of us thought it must just have become one of his mad habits, but I guess now that he'd been planning," Anamaria said with a shrug.
As she spoke, Mariana felt a wave of realisation sweep across her. She decided that she would speak to Jack about things later, when she could talk to him alone.
"Here, make yourself useful," Anamaria said, pulling Mariana from her thoughts. "Climb out on the rigging and make sure all of the sail ropes are taught and secure."
Mariana nodded and ducked out of the crow's nest, climbing down the rigging a little before crawling along the wooden beams above the sails, checking each of the ropes as she went by giving them a firm tug.
Anamaria watched for a moment, then looked down to Jack and motioned to the girl. Jack looked up and grinned. Mariana was moving with such ease and comfort on the beams high above the deck that it looked as though she had been doing it for all of her life.
"Look at that," Jack mumbled to himself, unheard by Gibbs or any of the crew. "Pirate blood is hard lost, no matter what they try."
Mariana had soon checked all of the sails, and sat at the end of the foremost beam of the ship's sails. It was a wonderful feeling, the salty air rushing around her face and through her hair, making her loose clothes blow about. Her feet were dangled over the edge of the beam, and one hand held a rope, just in case she should loose her balance.
She gazed out at the sea, the sun glinting brightly off every wave as the ship cut through the ocean. At the front of the ship, dolphins were swimming in the water, jumping up above the waves every now and again. As she watched them, Mariana wondered what it would be like to be out there with them.
Anamaria saw her gazing at the prow, and called out to her.
"Go and explore the ship! Just be careful."
Mariana nodded, smiling and crawled back along the beam to the rigging, which she climbed down with speed and grace. Once on deck, she raced to the prow, climbing up onto the small beam that was directly above the dolphins, jutting out into the sea like a compass pointing out the direction they were bound. Slowly, she inched her way out, stopping near the very tip of the beam. She lay down on the beam, her ankles tightly crossed and hooked onto it so she could keep her balance.
Just a few feet below her, a school of dolphins swam, racing on the ship's current and breaking the surface very now and then. Mariana smiled down at them, and then looked out in the direction they were heading. To her, there seemed to be nothing but blue waters and freedom ahead. But for the first time, Mariana thought about her parents. Would Jack have left them a clue that he had taken her, or wouldn't he have thought to do that? Would they come after them? For a moment, Mariana missed them terribly, and wished she could let them know that she was unharmed and wanted to go, but that thought was washed away as one of the dolphins leapt high out of the water, splashing Mariana with ocean spray.
In the cabin, Mariana had soon given up on shouting at the departed pirates and calling for help. She stood up, and walked around the cabin, her hands still bound behind her back, but she knew how to change that. She went over to a mirror in the room, and put her back to it, turning her head so she could see the knot in the rope. Slowly and with difficulty, she eased the badly tied knot apart, and slipped her thin hands from the bonds, which fell to the floor.
Mariana quickly opened the window to see that they were already far from the shore of Port Royale, and cursed under her breath, looking around the room, wondering what she could do now. As she scanned the room, she caught a glint of something in the corner of her eye. As she walked towards the bed where it lay, she saw that it was her sword, the one that her father had given her not a day before. Apparently, Jack had taken a liking to it, and had decided to take that as well. Next to it, some clothes were laid out; a loose white shirt and a pair of long breeches. Not exactly her style, but she decided that they would have to do.
Glancing towards the door every now and again, Mariana took off her white nightgown, and quickly dressed in the shirt and breeches before finding a brown scarf, which she used to secure her sword to her waist. She found a green scrap of material, and used it to tie her long golden hair back, leaving two unruly strands out at the front. After looking through the cupboards, she found a pair of soft leather boots. They were a little too big, but they would do.
She made her way to the door, passing a full-length mirror. You look exactly like a pirate, she thought in complete disgust. Surely Jack was lying about her parents. She could hardly imagine William Turner, the most honourable and noble sort of person you could find would engage in piracy, and that her mother, the noble Lady Elizabeth, daughter of the old Governor would be able to fend for herself among such scum. Of course, both of them could hold their own, but Mariana still couldn't and wouldn't believe the things Jack had said. After all, why should she?
Tentatively, she pushed open the door of the cabin, and saw the men doing their duties on deck. Everyone seemed to be very concentrated on the task they were performing, and so Mariana slipped out of the cabin. She took two small steps forward, staying in the shadow cast by the cabin.
"Hello, Maria, luv," a Jack's voice called from above. She straightened and turned to see the pirate leaning over the railings and scowled. "How did you get yourself out here?"
"My name is Mariana, and do not call me 'luv'," she answered angrily.
"Alright, alright," Jack said, putting his hands up in defeat. "Mariana. Nice to see you up on deck. Can't say I wasn't expecting you soon."
"Then why didn't you just untie me?" Mariana asked, a hint of impatience in her voice.
"Because, I wanted to prove my point."
"What point?"
"The point that pirate is in your blood, just as it is in mine, and Will's, and his father's," Jack explained, moving down the steps and standing next to her. Mariana gave an exasperated sigh, and started to move away, but Jack caught a hold of her arm, stopping her from going any further. Mariana just stared back at him, completely unafraid; though she knew all of her friends would have fainted by now. "Face it. You slipped out of your bonds; something that no Lady would ever even think of being able to do, let alone succeed, stole some clothes and shoes, took back what I took from you, and crept out. That's what pirates do, lass, and it's in your blood. Just give it three days, Mariana. Three days on this ship, with this freedom. I know you better than you think. You crave freedom, to be able to ignore your Lady's status and be who you want to be. I know that more than anything you want to sail the sea, get a feeling of what it is like to be truly free."
Mariana looked hard at the man before her, searching his eyes, wondering how he could possibly know so much about her.
"If you don't like it, we'll have you back in Port Royale by the third sunrise. I promise," Jack finished. For all she knew him, Mariana felt that she could trust this man to keep his word. Her eyes darted around, wondering if she should take this chance that she had always wished for, and that was now being offered to her so freely. All that she'd ever been taught was telling her that she should refuse this offer, and demand to be taken back immediately, but all that she truly was inside was screaming to her that she should take this one chance, before it was gone, and she was forced to live like a true Lady forevermore.
"Three days, Jack," Mariana said at last. "Then you take me home."
Instead of saying 'thank you', shaking her hand or clapping her on the back, Jack made a slight bowing gesture, as though thanking her for her answer.
"Right, Maria, luv," Jack said, gesturing to the mast with the crow's nest high above them. "Climb up there, say your goodbyes to port Royale, then look out to your freedom."
Without telling him her name, or not to call her luv, Mariana ran over to the rigging, and began to climb it confidently, as though she had been doing it all of her life. Jack watched with something similar to pride shining in his eyes before he was disturbed.
"Jack," Gibbs began slowly. "Has anyone ever told you that it's bad luck to 'ave one woman on board, let alone two?"
Jack turned to face the old man.
"I've told you before that it would be far worse not to have Anamaria aboard," Jack explained.
"Aye, and what about the little one?" Gibbs enquired.
"It's lucky for her that she's on board," Jack answered, turning back to watch Mariana just as she reached the crow's nest high above.
Mariana climbed into the crow's nest high above the deck of the Black Pearl, and saw that Anamaria was up there also.
"He convinced you to stay, then?" Anamaria asked without looking away from the ocean.
"Yes," Mariana said as she glanced back at the last traces of Port Royale as they disappeared into the distance. "But why did he take me?"
"Who knows?" Anamaria asked as she turned to face the young girl. "Jack follows his own rules, has his own way of life. After nearly twenty years of sailing with him, I still don't understand him completely. Personally, I think he's gone mad from all the rum."
"You mean to say that we are sailing under a mad and drunk captain pirate?" Mariana asked in disbelief. "A mad drunk man cannot captain a ship!"
"But that's were you're wrong, lass. He can captain this ship," Anamaria returned. "And I have no doubt that it's only because of his mad ways that we've stayed alive and afloat this long. Some, or even most of the things that he does don't seem to make sense. But he's kept us out of trouble for this long, so I'll trust his judgement for a few years more."
Mariana nodded and looked out across the ocean. Her whole life she'd dreamed of doing just this; of sailing the high seas with no one to give a damn about who she was, and just accept her for the person she truly wanted to be.
"How did you come to be here?" she asked at last. "Did Jack come after you as well?"
"No," Anamaria replied with a slight smirk. "I came after Jack."
"Why?" Mariana asked, a curious look on her face.
"He stole my boat," Anamaria answered. "He stole it from me then got it sunk. I sailed with him and your father to rescue Elizabeth with the promise that I would receive the Interceptor. But that was sunk too, so I decided to sail with Jack as his first mate."
Mariana looked down to the deck, where most of the men were milling around. Jack was at the helm, and Gibbs was standing near, looking up at the two women in the crow's nest, a disapproving frown on his face.
"I don't think Gibbs wants me here," Mariana said as she studied the old man.
"He's just very superstitious. He doesn't like me bein' here either, but he'll sail under Jack's orders, and not argue," Anamaria explained as she followed Mariana's gaze down to Gibbs. When he saw both of them, watching him, he looked down and went back to his duties.
"Did he try to talk Jack out of bringing me on board?"
"None of us knew Jack was bringing you, lass. I dare say he's been planning it for ages, but he didn't breath a word of it," Anamaria answered, glancing back in the direction of Port Royale to make sure they weren't being followed. "Coming to think of it, he must have been planning it for years. He'd keep insisting we came back to Port Royale about once every few months. All of us thought it must just have become one of his mad habits, but I guess now that he'd been planning," Anamaria said with a shrug.
As she spoke, Mariana felt a wave of realisation sweep across her. She decided that she would speak to Jack about things later, when she could talk to him alone.
"Here, make yourself useful," Anamaria said, pulling Mariana from her thoughts. "Climb out on the rigging and make sure all of the sail ropes are taught and secure."
Mariana nodded and ducked out of the crow's nest, climbing down the rigging a little before crawling along the wooden beams above the sails, checking each of the ropes as she went by giving them a firm tug.
Anamaria watched for a moment, then looked down to Jack and motioned to the girl. Jack looked up and grinned. Mariana was moving with such ease and comfort on the beams high above the deck that it looked as though she had been doing it for all of her life.
"Look at that," Jack mumbled to himself, unheard by Gibbs or any of the crew. "Pirate blood is hard lost, no matter what they try."
Mariana had soon checked all of the sails, and sat at the end of the foremost beam of the ship's sails. It was a wonderful feeling, the salty air rushing around her face and through her hair, making her loose clothes blow about. Her feet were dangled over the edge of the beam, and one hand held a rope, just in case she should loose her balance.
She gazed out at the sea, the sun glinting brightly off every wave as the ship cut through the ocean. At the front of the ship, dolphins were swimming in the water, jumping up above the waves every now and again. As she watched them, Mariana wondered what it would be like to be out there with them.
Anamaria saw her gazing at the prow, and called out to her.
"Go and explore the ship! Just be careful."
Mariana nodded, smiling and crawled back along the beam to the rigging, which she climbed down with speed and grace. Once on deck, she raced to the prow, climbing up onto the small beam that was directly above the dolphins, jutting out into the sea like a compass pointing out the direction they were bound. Slowly, she inched her way out, stopping near the very tip of the beam. She lay down on the beam, her ankles tightly crossed and hooked onto it so she could keep her balance.
Just a few feet below her, a school of dolphins swam, racing on the ship's current and breaking the surface very now and then. Mariana smiled down at them, and then looked out in the direction they were heading. To her, there seemed to be nothing but blue waters and freedom ahead. But for the first time, Mariana thought about her parents. Would Jack have left them a clue that he had taken her, or wouldn't he have thought to do that? Would they come after them? For a moment, Mariana missed them terribly, and wished she could let them know that she was unharmed and wanted to go, but that thought was washed away as one of the dolphins leapt high out of the water, splashing Mariana with ocean spray.