Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter 1

Elizabeth

The year was 1727 that fateful day, the day that would mark the beginning of the end for Elizabeth Swann’s easy life as a governor’s daughter. Nothing would change for many more years, but nonetheless, today was the day.

She was not yet thirteen and already beloved by all of Port Royal for her uncommon beauty (as the commoners said) and gentle mannerisms. Her skin was ivory, her hair the rich color of summer acorns. And though her father doted endlessly upon her, she never succumbed to the spoiled nature of a typical governess. In fact, she would sometimes grow tired of all of the useless gifts and pruning servants in their constant swarms, and in the secrets of her own mind, dream of scandalous adventure.

And today, aboard The Dauntless, was starting to feel like an adventure. A thick fog had rolled over the ocean, so thick that she could barely see the sails looming overhead, their white fabric lost and soundless in the sky above her. They were returning from their recent crossing to England, and it seemed like the entire party of Port Royal had accompanied them.

There was her father, of course. Governor Weatherby Swann of Port Royal, who was just as beloved by the city as she was, perhaps even more.

Then there was Lieutenant James Norrington, a talented and well-bred boy of maybe eight years her senior. He was the youngest man in Port Royal history to have the title of lieutenant, and he held onto it tightly.

And of course, there was Mr. Gibbs. She had never learned his first name, as she had never heard anyone say it. He was her father’s favorite; a skilled, weathered seaman who would always accompany them on ocean voyages, despite how superstitious the man was.

Then there were the soldiers under the command of James Norrington, the seasoned seamen, the seamen in training, the cooks, the deck-hands, the cabin boys (one of these boys in particular had been slipping her extra apples for most of the journey), and the Captain.

And as she stared out at the grey sky and deep waters below her, she indeed felt like she was a part of some great adventure. She thought about pirates, and wondered if they enjoyed being pirates.

Then she began to hum softly to herself, for the song she hummed was a pirate tune. “Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate’s life for me.” She began softly, staring at the waves and letting her imagination run loose. “We extort, we pilfer, we filch, we sack, Drink up- Oh!”

A large hand grabbed her by the shoulder and she quickly shut her mouth and spun around, startled.

“Be quiet, missy.” Mr. Gibbs hissed, his eyes darting around nervously. “Cursed pirates sail these waters. You don’t want to bring them down on us now, do you?” He squeezed her shoulder until it began to hurt.

“Mr. Gibbs, that will do.” A steady, commanding voice rang out, and Mr. Gibbs released her to face the lieutenant.

“She was singing about pirates!” Gibbs said, pointing an accusatory finger at her. Elizabeth wrung her hands together and tried her best to look innocent as James’ eyes fell to her. “Bad luck to be singing about pirates with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words.” Gibbs continued.

James nodded slowly, his focus returning to Gibbs. “Consider them marked.” He said, his tone dismissive. “On your way.”

Gibbs hesitated only a moment before scrambling off to a different part of the ship, and Elizabeth briefly wondered how he felt taking commands from a boy half his age. “It’s bad luck to have a woman aboard, too.” Gibbs grumbled to himself as he passed. “Even a miniature one.”

She watched Gibbs take out his favorite doe-skinned flask from his pocket and take a deep drink. “I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate.” Elizabeth piped in, turning back to the lieutenant.

James gave her a humored smile as he observed her. He was known for being rather serious, but he always smiled at her.

Then after a pause, he shook his head. “Think again, miss Swann. Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them.” Then he walked over to the railing and stood beside her, his calm, watchful eyes staring at the sea. She watched his silly dark wig (much like her fathers) ruffle in the sodden wind. When he spoke again, his voice took a harder tone. “I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves.” He nodded, almost to himself.

“A short drop and a sudden stop.” The lieutenant turned to her and smiled, as if he had just said something very funny. But Elizabeth didn’t understand, so she turned to Gibbs, who always helped her understand things little girls shouldn’t understand. She watched as her father's favorite seaman grabbed onto his disheveled tie and held it up like a noose, and suddenly, she understood. She swallowed nervously and looked back at the lieutenant with concern. He was still smiling at her, his green eyes flashing. And for a moment, he didn’t look like lieutenant Norrington of Port Royal. He was just James, a boy too young for his station and with a lot to prove.

But then suddenly her father was there, and James was once more lieutenant, snapping to quick attention. “Lieutenant Norrington, I appreciate your fervor.” Her father said slowly, coming to stand by Elizabeth and placing a soft, protective hand on her. “But I’m concerned about the effect this subject will have upon my daughter.”

The lieutenant looked sheepish, so Elizabeth jumped in to save him. “Actually, I find it all fascinating!”

Her father gave her an uncomfortable look, and James shifted in place. “Yes. That’s what concerns me.” He said to her.

And soon they were both gone, leaving Elizabeth to stare mindlessly at the ocean once more, although now her thoughts were filled with captured pirates. The ship sailed on in silence through the thick fog, and the crew was hushed with an uneasiness she didn’t understand. Surely the fog couldn’t be that dangerous, she thought, because she didn’t think they were anywhere near land yet. But she was only a little girl, so what did she know about fog anyway?

But as she continued to watch the waves in silence, something quite strange appeared. It was a little white dot amongst the dark waters, not belonging at all, and not nearly close enough to make out. She stared at it with curiosity until the object floated closer and closer…

An umbrella? She squinted at it in confusion as it twirled along The Dauntless’ painted hull. Where would an umbrella have come from? She walked slowly around the ship, following the path it took, all the while puzzling her brain over where it could have come from and how long it must have been floating. The crew paid her no mind, suspecting that she was simply doing little-girl things.

But another object soon caught her attention. It was drifting over to her just like the umbrella had, and from the same direction. She lost interest in the umbrella and ran back to her original spot on the railing, and leaned over to get a better view.

Her heart started pounding before her brain could even make sense of what she was seeing. She opened her mouth and stuttered out a few incomprehensible syllables before finally shouting, “Look! A boy! There’s a boy in the water!”

The crew, sluggish at first, soon jumped into action when they realized that the boy floating on a hunk of shipwreck debris wasn’t the invention of a child’s overactive imagination. James, as always, was the first to take action. He jumped onto the rope wall to get a better view before shouting. “Man overboard!” He roared. “Man the ropes! Fetch the hook! Haul him aboard!”

The crew scrambled to obey, and soon the whole ship was filled with the yelling of men and the heavy drumming of boots racing back and forth. The fog was still thick enough to blind, so her father quickly located where she stood, frozen in place, and wrapped protective arms around her shoulders as she watched in horrified fascination as the half-drowned boy was dragged on deck. When he was laid on his back, Elizabeth slipped out of her fathers grip and dashed forward, ignoring his frantic calls for her to return.

She watched in anticipation, biting her fingernails, as James put his ear to the boy’s chest and listened. When he lifted his head back up, his eyes were wide. “He’s still breathing.” He announced, his own voice tinged with surprise. But before Elizabeth could feel any sort of relief, she heard Gibb’s voice behind her.

“Mary, mother of god.” He whispered, and soon the entire crew was behind her as well, staring off into the distance at something far more interesting than the boy.

Flames, hot and wild, sent embers on the wind. Elizabeth could feel the heat from where she stood, and soon the entire sky was lit in blazing red as the light of the fire caught onto the heavy fog. Her breathing came in fast as she backed away from the sight of the burning ship, even as men from all angles ran past her to witness the horror themselves. She could hear the terrible creaking and moaning as large pieces of ship snapped and crumbled like dust under the flames.

“What happened here?” Her father was suddenly next to her, grabbing her and forcing her still. She quickly took his hand.

“Most likely a malfunction of the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed.” James said, backtracking from the ship’s edge to stand next to her father. His voice was steady, but she could see the tremble in his hand before he stuffed it in his breeches. She looked back at the ship, now completely consumed within the fire. There was so much smoke now that the ship had almost completely vanished within it.

Gibbs sauntered up to the three of them, taking a large draught from his flask. “Lot of good it did them.” He shook his head before his gaze landed on her. He narrowed his eyes. “Everyone’s thinking it, I’m just saying it - pirates.”

Elizabeth covered her mouth with her free hand, but her father jumped in quickly with a nervous laugh. “There’s no proof of that,” He interjected quickly, looking to the lieutenant for confirmation. “It was probably an accident.”

But the lieutenant only hardened his jaw and remained silent, and the three of them were so tense that no one noticed when she slipped away to go check on the boy.

She could hear James behind her yelling more orders about rousing the captain and sending out a rescue boat, but she tuned it all out as she stared down at the unconscious boy’s face. Then she knelt to get a closer look.

He had sun-tanned skin with a few tiny freckles dotting his nose, much different than her own complexion, and reached out a gentle hand to brush the rich brown hair from his face. But the boy suddenly woke, as if from a nightmare, and lurched upright to grab her wrist and stare at her with the widest, most beautiful brown eyes she had ever seen. His breathing came in great gasps as he stared at her in confusion and terror.

It startled her, of course, but she composed herself almost immediately. “It’s okay,” She said quickly, in the most gentle voice she could muster. “My name’s Elizabeth Swann.”

The boy stared at her for a long time before finally stuttering out a response. “W-Will Turner.” He said, his eyes unfocusing as his grip on her wrist began to slip.

She only brushed the hair from his face again and smiled reassuringly. “I’m watching over you, Will.” She said, and hoped it was enough to calm him. It must have been, because after a few more quick breaths, the boy’s eyelids shuttered and closed, and his hand fell from hers. Elizabeth stared at his sleeping face for a moment longer before noticing something gleaming and mostly hidden underneath his tunic. She carefully pulled it out, hoping not to wake him, and held the object flat in her palm.

Her eyes went wide at what she held. The necklace wasn’t just gold - it was pure gold, and glittered like a thousand suns, even in the overcast sky. It was formed into the shape of a skull, and she found herself entranced in its beauty. She heard the echoed whispers in her head for only a moment before panic woke her from the strange entrancement. She quickly jerked her eyes away, breathing quickly.

She looked past the medallion to the sleeping boy, eyes wide with shock. “You’re a pirate!” She stammered, still clutching the strange gold tightly in her hand.

“Has he said anything?” James’ words startled her and she quickly jerked the medallion from the boy’s neck, snapping the thin chain and hiding it in her gown before turning around to face him. James looked tired and wary, his face splashed with soot.

She hated hiding things from him, but she knew she had to. Especially after what he had told her earlier that day. “His name is William Turner,” She said simply and formally, and hoped she wasn’t visibly shaken. “That’s what I found out.”

But the lieutenant only nodded and turned to his men. “Take him below.” Was all he said before leaving again towards the fiery ship and waiting chaos. She was pushed aside as two men came and picked William up to take him away.

She stood there for a long moment, the pirate medallion still hidden tightly in the folds of her dress, before she decided to run off to the emptiest part of the ship, which happened to be the stern.

And once she was there, she took out the necklace once again to admire it. She wondered how a boy that young, barely older than herself, found himself roped up in piracy. She wondered if he wanted to be a pirate, and if his mother and father were pirates.

But as she stared at the dark ocean, clutching the gold tightly in her hand, something appeared in the distance.

It was a ship, its sails black and torn, barely visible through the thick fog. It was turning away from them, sailing back out towards the open ocean. And at the very top of the crows nest, barely visible, was a flag bearing the mark of a skull crossed by two swords.

And then it was gone as if never there, and Elizabeth, eyes large and mouth wide open, wasn’t even sure if she had seen it at all.