Chapter 6: Out to Sea

Despite the short amount of sleep, Alice awoke feeling fully refreshed before Estrella had even come to rouse her. The maid entered carrying a carefully folded gown, and she beamed at Alice.

"Well, this is quite a surprise, miss! I was half expecting to be dragging you out of bed," she playfully chided. "All went well, then?"

"Wonderfully," Alice smiled as she stretched her arms upward, her back popping in several places. "I think that may have been one of the best nights of sleep I have had in entirely too long!"

"You'll be nice and refreshed for the big ceremony today, then," she smiled and opened the curtains to let in the soft light of the early day. Martha, one of the other maids in the house, entered after a moment, and they helped Alice into the soft pink and cream brocade gown. Its weight surprised Alice, and she wondered how long it would be before she was worn out from walking in it. They carefully powdered her face and made it up softly before working her hair into an updo that was more elaborate to create than its appearance belied. Sadly, it was mostly hidden underneath a simple yet sizeable hat, which was secured in place with a ribbon that tied under her hair. When they left to rouse Elizabeth, Alice spent some time admiring herself in the mirror before heading downstairs to wait in the garden. She passed a young man in the foyer; though his dress was a little worn, he quickly stood in relatively perfect poise when he saw her. Alice could tell he was no stranger to the mansion, though she had never met him before.

"Good day, miss," he greeted her with a small bow, and a soft and gentle smile, and she greeted him in kind before stepping outside the large front doors. A carriage was already waiting there, and she smiled at the stiff man who quickly moved to open the door for her. She stopped him, saying that she was still waiting for the others, and he nodded with a polite smile. She asked if she could pet the horses, and he looked nervously at the carriage driver, who kindly smiled and allowed her to do so. The two mares were ornately decorated to match the carriage, and the driver told Alice that they were twins, named Stella and Starla. She had always been fascinated by horses, but she had never gotten to be around very many. The driver found it endearing as she talked to them and patted them softly, until the governor and Elizabeth stepped outside. She climbed into the carriage after Elizabeth, followed by Governor Swann, and they made their way to Fort Charles.

Memories from the previous night filled Alice as they approached the fort, and she wondered how Norrington was feeling today. Did he regret last night? She sincerely hoped not. Her lust temporarily sated, she felt much more clear-headed in regards to the captain. She realized that she did care for him, though not romantically, and she felt she had genuinely made a friend in him. They arrived at a set of steep stairs and climbed out of the carriage, making their way up long flight. The weight of the dress was bothering Alice by the time they reached the top, and she felt slightly winded. She had to give credit to the women of this century for putting up with it all, and she felt sorry for Elizabeth who was tightly laced into a corset. Alice almost let out an annoyed grumble when they arrived at their post for the ceremony; of course there was no seating. She sighed and tried not to lock her knees as they stood there for what seemed like an eternity. The heat was more oppressive than usual, and Alice felt like someone had placed a humidifier under her skirt. She took out the fan that Elizabeth had given her in the carriage, and the pair stood there fanning themselves as frantically as they could without looking insane.

"This is such a load of bollocks," Elizabeth whispered to Alice and she snickered quietly, surprised to hear the other girl use such language.

"How long are we to stand here and endure this?" Alice asked wishing she could throw off the dress.

"Too long, if you ask me. Such pointless frivolity…"

"They're British! Couldn't they just serve tea, and be done with it?" Elizabeth snickered at this loud enough for her father to hear her, and he gave her a stern look. She pursed her lips to try to conceal her smile, and Alice hid her grin behind the fan. Orders were loudly announced shortly after that, and the military display began. Elizabeth paid almost no attention to what was going on; instead she wriggled uncomfortably in her corset, trying to breath. Alice watched raptly, but her thoughts were mostly focused on the heat. She glanced around at the various women there several times, wondering which one Norrington had his sights set on. She was fascinated by him wielding the elaborate sword that was presented to him as part of the promotion, and she was even more excited by the damn ceremony finally being over with. Of course, now they had to socialize. Alice heaved a sigh and made her way to the ramparts to look out over the sea with Elizabeth.

"It won't be too much longer," Elizabeth assured her with a wry but pained smile.

"Are you alright, Elizabeth?"

"I feel like I can't breathe in this thing. I don't know whether it's the heat, or the constriction…" Her speech was laboured, as were her breaths.

"They probably laced it too tight," Alice reasoned.

"You both look lovely today," Norrington's voice came from behind them. Alice turned around and greeted him with a smile, but Elizabeth merely glanced over and gave him a quick smile before turning back.

"Congratulations, Commodore Norrington," Alice beamed at him.

"Thank you, Princess," he gave her a small bow. He gestured toward Elizabeth. "May I have a moment?"

"Of course," Alice shot Elizabeth a small smile, gave Norrington a small nod, and slowly wandered away. She didn't go too far, as she didn't know many of the people here, but she moved far enough away to give the illusion of privacy.

"You really do look lovely, Elizabeth," she could hear Norrington say. His voice was a bit muffled by the din of the music and chattering people, as well as the soft sea breeze. "I apologize if I seem forward, but I must speak my mind." Alice listened to him ramble a bit, and then felt a chill run through her body. Was Elizabeth the woman he was going to ask to marry him?! "…a marriage to a fine woman," she heard him say. "You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth." Alice whipped around, eyes wide in shock. She heard Elizabeth say something, and made out 'can't breathe', and Norrington turned away in time to miss Elizabeth fainting and falling off the rampart.

Alice's mind was numb to the shock of what she heard, but her instinct to react to Elizabeth pushed her into action. She reached the edge as Norrington was screaming for his intended, readying to jump in after her. She saw the rocks as a soldier warned him he wouldn't make it, and the waves pulled Elizabeth out into the water. Alice turned and ran, joined by Norrington, several officers, and the governor. They ran down the steep stone stairway to the shoreline, ready to go in after her. A shout came from above that someone from onboard the Interceptor had dove in and was swimming toward her. They saw a head surface several times before swimming for the dock; the person was dragging Elizabeth along with them, but she did not seem to be moving. Alice ran with the others to the dock. They arrived in time to see Elizabeth sputtering for air, now clad in only her soaking wet shift, as a man with dreadlocks stooped over her, examining something in his hand. Norrington had his sword out immediately.

Alice watched the man stand and thought he looked remarkably piratical in appearance. This was confirmed a moment later by Norrington, who interrogated him lightly. They called for his execution, but Elizabeth loudly protested, seeing as he was the one who saved her life. The man was shackled and, as Elizabeth distracted the naval men with arguing on his behalf, he threw the chain connecting his shackles around her neck, taking her hostage. Alice gasped and watched the quick bargain take place, followed by Elizabeth – being held at pistol point - outfitting him with the items they had confiscated. They had a small exchange and the man made a witty comment, identifying himself as 'Captain Jack Sparrow', before he made his elaborate getaway. Alice couldn't help but snicker at the inability of the soldiers to take him out, and she found herself rooting for him in the end.

Elizabeth was very shaken and Alice and the governor comforted her, along with Norrington. Norrington caught Alice's eye and she glared at him; he shook his head almost imperceptibly, unsure of what to say. They made their way from the dock back to shore, and one of the soldiers went to fetch them a carriage while everyone fussed over Elizabeth, who was now wearing her father's coat. When the carriage arrived they got her inside quickly and headed back to the mansion. Her father kept asking her if she was alright, and muttered about the horror of pirates and how he hoped they caught the man soon. The girls were dropped at the mansion, and the governor stepped inside momentarily to resume possession of his coat before he was off again to assist Norrington.

Alice and Estrella helped Elizabeth to her room. Alice asked her if she wanted company, but Elizabeth wished to be left alone for a time, so Alice returned to her room and sat on the bed. Norrington had asked Elizabeth to marry him. She was not bothered by him proposing; she was bothered by the fact that it was to Elizabeth, a girl who seemed to not give a damn about him. Why had he asked her? Was it because she was the governor's daughter? Why hadn't he told her? She reasoned that he had probably not told her because he did not want Elizabeth to find out prematurely. Alice closed her eyes in annoyance. Now that she was positive she did not have romantic feelings for the man, she viewed him as a friend and, as she would for any friend in a similar situation, she cursed his stupidity. Estrella came in to help her undress, and she was grateful to get out of the heavy attire.

"I heard that Norrington proposed to Miss Swann," Estrella noted aloud. Alice sighed and closed her eyes.

"Has she said anything about it to you?"

"Just that she was surprised, even though she expected it."

"Does she even care for him at all?"

"It's not my place to say, miss," she said simply. Alice turned and looked at her doubtingly. Estrella heaved a small sigh. "I'm not sure her true feelings, but it has always been my impression that she doesn't care much for him," she whispered.

"I thought the same," Alice said with a sad smile. She sighed and stood up. "I think I could go for a nice night out. Would you care to join me?" The maid smiled and curtseyed, but shook her head.

"I've got much to do around here tonight, miss, but I thank you kindly for the offer. Be extra careful out there – where there's one pirate, there's bound to be many more," she warned gently. Alice thanked her and she exited the room, shutting the door softly behind her. With everything else going on Alice hadn't considered that; the thought made her even more excited to leave. She changed into her street clothes, but decided to wait a while longer before heading out so she would not accidentally run into the governor while leaving the grounds. She could hear noise from outside and she peered out the window; were those screams she was hearing? And all that smoke – were there fires in the town? She decided to ask Elizabeth. Grabbing her satchel she ran out of the room, reaching Elizabeth's door just as the other girl was opening it.

"What is all that noise?"

"I think we're under attack! And there's a ship in the harbor that seems to be firing on us!" They ran inside the room and to Elizabeth's window to survey the scene. Elizabeth looked down and grabbed Alice, pointing to the shadows of two men approaching the house. They ran out of Elizabeth's door in time to hear someone knocking at the front. Mr. Glass swiftly walked over to answer it, and the girls both screamed for him not to, but it was too late; he was greeted by a pistol blast to the face. Two pirates entered and pointed at them, and the girls gasped and ran into Elizabeth's room. As they locked the door, they turned around in time to see Estrella run out from the washroom, startling them.

"Hide, miss, before they kidnap you!" she said to Elizabeth.

"Kidnap me?"

"You're the governor's daughter!" This made sense, at the time, and they looked around frantically. Elizabeth told Estrella to hide and to escape first chance she got, and then she pushed the maid into a cove between a wardrobe and the wall. The pirates broke through the door within seconds and the door hit the wardrobe; preoccupied with Elizabeth, the pirates did not see Estrella escape. Elizabeth and Alice had run into the washroom, Elizabeth grabbing something along the way. When the shorter of the two ran in there he was met with a metal bed warmer to the face, which dazed him. Elizabeth grappled with the second one, releasing the coals from the bed warmer onto him. As he fought with the burns, the pair rushed past him. They fled down the stairs and into the drawing room, where they slammed the door and fixed it closed with an upturned candelabrum.

"What the hell do we do?!" Alice asked, looking around frantically. She noticed Elizabeth's gaze fix on something and she turned to see a plaque mounted on the wall with two decorative swords run through it. By the time she processed what it was, Elizabeth was already grabbing it down, but she immediately found that the swords were stuck fast. The pirates were at the door. Alice looked around again and then grabbed Elizabeth by the wrist, dragging her into a small closet. They barely got the door closed before the pirates broke inside the room. The two men looked around the room for a moment before speaking.

"We know you're 'ere, poppet," the short one sing-songed. "Come out, come out wherever you are." The girls looked at each other, trying their hardest to barely even breath as they peered through the crack in the door. "You've got something of ours, and it calls to us," the pirate continued and then stopped and looked at the floor. He looked their way and paused. "The gold calls to us," he said ominously. Alice looked over to see Elizabeth looking at a gold coin that was on a chain around her neck. The other girl looked at it and recognized it as being Aztec in design. A shadow fell over it and they both peered up to see a haunting eye gazing at them through the crack: they had been found.

"Parley!" Elizabeth yelled as the doors flew open. Alice quickly echoed her.

"What?" the pirate asked in reply. Elizabeth, followed a step behind by Alice, repeated 'parley'. But Elizabeth went on to describe one of the pirate codes, though it was slightly skewed from the one that Alice recalled in her readings. They had a small back and forth, but it resolved quickly. "They demand to see Captain Barbossa," he told his compadre when the tall, skinny man suggested they ignore the code. "'And they'll go without a fuss," he finished, looking at them with a sickening grin.

Alice was terrified, yet excited. After all, wasn't this what she came here for? To meet the pirates she so romanticized? She wasn't sure how she felt about facing the reality of that, but she had no choice but to greet it with excitement.

"Have you any rum?" she asked cheekily, and was met with a small, dusty bottle from the skinny pirate. She downed it without a care.

The pirates led them through the town – Elizabeth fought tooth and nail, and struggled up a storm, calling for help any chance she got. The tall, skinny pirate, however, barely held on to Alice, as she was so excited to be going along with them. Elizabeth continued to scream.

"Noisy one, ain't she?" Alice whispered to the man and he tried to stifle a chuckle.

"They usually are," he whispered to her with amusement and they shared a quiet laugh. The short one glared at them and they tried to hide their grins. They were taken to a small dinghy and rowed out to the large ship. Alice noticed that the sails were a bit tattered, and the entire ship was painted black; even those tattered sails were dyed black! Reaching the side, they were made to climb the ladder up; Alice went first with Elizabeth close at her heels. They were soon on deck, surrounded by yelling and ogling pirates.

A tall black man with tribal scars approached them; he mentioned that they didn't need captives. The short man stated that they had invoked the right to parley with the captain. Elizabeth boldly strode up to him, stating why they were there, but she was quickly cut off by a swift backhand. The man told her that she would speak when spoken to, but Alice's attention was quickly drawn to the man who seemed to appear out of nowhere; he reprimanded the former slave, telling him he was not to lay a hand on them while they negotiated the parley. The man strode up to them; he wore a large hat, with an even larger feather, and he had a monkey on his shoulder that eyed them warily. He apologized for the actions of his crewmate and asked why they were here.

Elizabeth immediately stated why they were, and the captain mocked her, though it was more playful than cruel. She made a bargain with him, using the medallion she wore as leverage. He asked her name and, remembering what Estrella had said, she gave a false name, saying she was a maid. The captain repeated the name, with an emphasis on her last name, and she heard the pirates who had taken them say a different name; she filed that information away for later. Their 'bargain' squared away, the captain turned to Alice.

"And what business do ye have aboard this vessel, hrmmmm? Seeing as we now have what we came for?" Alice's eyes grew wide; she had no idea what to say, and had to think fast.

"I wanted to meet the infamous pirate captain Barbossa," she said lamely.

"And so ye have." He turned to a crewmember. "Send her over." The man went to grab her and she quickly stepped back.

"I want to join your crew!" she tried next.

"I'm afraid we aren't taking on any new crewmembers," he chuckled darkly and turned to walk away as a man grabbed her. Alice was freaking out, her mind racing with what to say.

"You would so anger the heathen gods without hearing the secrets I have for you?" she tried again while being dragged to the ballast. She knew she had chosen the right words when the captain stopped, turning to face her.

"What know ye of angering such gods?" he said looking at her point blank. Alice squinted her eyes at him.

"My secrets stay with me so long as I am not on this ship," she muttered ominously. "Keep me here and I will tell them, but only to you." He stared at her, as though mulling this over. "Your future will be a dark and unsettling one without what I know," she added. His eyes widened just enough for her to notice and he thought this over further. He nodded at the man holding her and, thankfully, the man released his grasp. He nodded to another man who gave the order to sail and Elizabeth took issue with this. She vocalized her concern to the captain, who reprimanded her and mockingly welcomed them aboard the 'Black Pearl'. They were both grabbed and dragged to the captain's quarters, where they were locked away.