Tale of Two Swans

Headaches

I gave my men a final once over as we pull into the docks of Port Royal. It was a relatively new town, and we were lucky to meet William Turner during our first visit here. He had a son, he had said, and he intended to build a future for him here. I rather thought he'd make an excellent pirate, and told him as such, but he disagreed. He'd do anything for his family- and right now, all he had was his son.

Nonetheless, we managed to come to an agreement. He said that he felt we were the "good kind" of pirates, whatever that meant, and agreed to help us get in and restock our supplies so long as we left the town alone. I agreed and joked away his "good pirates" comment as we left, telling him that the next time I visited I'd be paying him for that tattoo he had mentioned. And now we were finally back.

I looked down at the heavy skirts and petticoats I was wearing, hissing in annoyance as they snagged on the wooden floor. This town was high on propriety, and I promised Mr.Turner that we'd draw no attention and cause no problems. Of course, this meant that I had the hard part. Fanciful dresses and a weak demeanor were to be my disguise while I was here, and I despised it. I had already threatened my crew with my full wrath if they ever gave me any lip about the subject. Of course, a few of them from before the incident knew that I wasn't entirely serious. But the new dogs that had joined the crew weren't aware of that.

Rufio, who I had placed at the helm in my place, winked at me as he heard my grumbling. I flicked him off out of view of the men at the docks as he pulled in and dropped the anchor. Soon it was time to file off the ship, and Rufio came down to escort me. 

"Good morning gentlemen, lady." The man said, bowing politely. Rufio and I both dipped our heads, "Good morning sir! My name is Rob, and this is my wife Annie."

I gave a small smile, giving a small curtsy and putting on my best Atlantic accent. "How do you do?" 

The man nodded, "Pleasured to meet you both. How long do you plan on staying in Port Royal?" He asked, flipping open a worn leather journal and pulling a piece of charcoal from his pocket. "Just a night," Rufio glanced at me, and I gave him a discreet nod. "We'll be gone before noon tomorrow. Or at least, we will be so long as this towns charm doesn't get to my dear Annie." 

My eye twitched as I put on a school girls smile, "Oh Rob! Don't call me out so! You know I like just about every place we visit." I giggled, pinching the arm that held mine. He winced but chuckled along as the man smiled between us. 

"Right then! 10 coins it'll be then, good sir."

Rufio and I huffed slightly in sync at the price gouge but said nothing.

Not long after we were walking Port Royal, and we all paused in front of a smattering of shops. "Alright men, you know your duties. Attend to those first then have fun with the time you have left, savvy?" They all nodded or mumbled agreements. "Aye, then scatter." And soon it was just me and Rufio. 

"Would you accompany me into this shop, my dear Annie?" 

I turned and smiled at the sight of the shop he was gesturing towards. "Of course Rob, I'd love to!" I gushed, the Atlantic accent strong. He chuckled and lead me by the waist to the door, entering with a quick glance over his shoulder.

The door opened and closed with a small tinkling of a bell, and our shoulders eased as we found no customers to be inside. A familiar voice called to us from up a set of stairs, and Rufio and I shared an amused glance at the frantic footsteps above us. "No need to waste a frantic pace over us, dear William, I'm merely here to take you up on your offer."

There was a pause before hearty laughter filled our ears and the rushing of footsteps came from the stairwell. "Jack! I didn't realize you were coming back so soon!" I laughed with him as he pulled me into a strong hug. "I don't know that I'd call this visit soon Turner, It's been nearly six months!" I smiled as he and Rufio hugged, patting each others backs firmly. I eyed the man as they greeted each other curiously. "What news do you have to share, Turner? You rather look as though you've been anticipating us for a while."