The Price of Freedom

0. A Pirates Song

- DARK WAVES lapped at the sides of the HMS Dauntless as it silently glided through the thick fog that hung heavy in the air, the prospect of not knowing what could be lurking through the impenetrable wall almost maddening to the sailors aboard. But one young girl, Marina Albrecht, whose heartbeat with the craving for adventure, watched everything with fascination. She stared into the fog, attempting to spot another ship, or maybe a monster, one that her mind had cooked up to repel the boredom that had taken hold of her.

After standing at the rail for a few more seconds, she finally stepped away. She walked towards the bow of the ship, where the figure of Elizabeth Swann, another young girl, stood barely visible through the heavy fog that dampened Marina's hair. As she came closer, the sounds of a song broke the still silence, one Marina recognised.

"...Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me...

We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot.

Drink up me 'earties yo ho! We kidnap and

ravage and don't give a hoot. Drink up, me

'earties yo ho! Yo ho yo ho a pirate's life

for me. We extort, we pilfer, we filch and

sack. Drink up-"

She flinched in surprise as a hand suddenly made contact with her shoulder, the noise leaving her mouth and causing Elizabeth to halt her song and whip around. Looking up, she immediately recognized the weathered face of Joshamee Gibbs, a worker aboard the Dauntless.

"Quite missy!' Gibbs warned quietly, "Cursed pirates sail these waters. You don't want to bring them down on us now, do you?" He questioned, his gaze shifting between the two wide-eyed girls.

"Mr Gibbs," The voice of James Norrington intervened, Marina immediately tensed as she saw her older cousin approaching the three of them, Elizabeth's father, Governor Weatherby Swann, trailing after him. "That will do." He stated, fixing the older man with an authoritative gaze.

"She was singing about pirates," Mr Gibbs stated, turning to the two other men, "Bad luck to be singing about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog - mark my words." He warned, his eyes glancing around to the edges of the ship before looking back to the Lieutenant.

"Consider them marked," the taller man replied, "On your way."

"Aye, Lieutenant," Gibbs sighed, nodding his head as he moved past the group, briefly glancing back at the girls, "Bad luck to have women on board, too. Even mini'ture ones." He muttered under his breath, before anxiously taking a sip from the flask tied around his neck.

"I think it'd be rather exciting to meet a pirate." Elizabeth suddenly announced, causing Marina to snap her eyes up to the girl. She frowned, staying silent as she looked towards her cousin, who had an incredulous look on his face, before quickly collecting himself.

"Think again, Miss Swann." The Lieutenant said as he moved closer to the two girls, standing between them as he peered out into the fog. "Vile and dissolute creatures, the lot of them. I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag, or wears a pirate brand, gets what he deserves," Marina looked up to her cousin, meeting his gaze as a clipped smile formed on his lips, " A short drop and a sudden stop."

Confused she broke the eye contact with her brother, glancing to Elizabeth before her gaze landed on Mr Gibbs, who stood a ways behind them taking another sip of his flask. Upon seeing the girls staring at him, he helpfully mimed a man being hung, pulling his kerchief up as he rolled his eyes back and stuck his tongue out. Marina recoiled slightly, nose scrunching in horror as she shared a wide-eyed look with Elizabeth.