In the Hands of Fate I: Curse of the Black Pearl

Chapter seven

Chapter seven

I was in some corner below deck, sopping wet from my surprise swim. My knees were pulled up to my chest, my bare arms holding them close. I was sobbing uncontrollably for my mother.

"You! Girl! What are you doing on me father's ship?"

I looked up to see a boy not much older than I. Fourteen at the most. "It's not like I asked to be sent on a pirate ship." I wiped the few remaining tears from my eyes.

"That don't answer my question."

"I ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage and to find my real father," I sneered.

He looked at me suspiciously, "You're hardly seven and yet you're arranged to be married? Ha! Thought you could pull one over on Jack Sparrow did ye?"

"Well, Jack Sparrow, for your information I'm nine, and as per Romani tradition any boy from my caravan from the ages nine to twelve can choose me to be his wife," I sneered.

Jack Sparrow squinted at me before he broke into a smile, "I like you. What's your name?"

"Luna. Luna Petu-" I stopped and thought for a second. That wasn't me anymore. I wasn't the well-behaved Gypsy girl. I was the daughter of a fearsome pirate. "Luna Barbossa," I told him using my father's last name.

"Luna Barbossa, eh? Nice name. I think we can find a place on this ship for you after all, savvy?" he winked at me as he helped me up.

...

When I woke, it wasn't without discipline. I had a raging headache and my back was sore.

Jack was already up and stumbling about. I tried to follow him without much avail.

We managed to make our way back to the boats, only to be stopped by the crew of the Black Pearl.

"You two," Ragetti pointed to us in disbelief.

"You're supposed to be dead," Pintel snapped.

Jack turned to me. "Am I not?" I shrugged as we stumbled back the way we came, only to be blocked by another group of crewmembers.

Both groups drew their pistols forcing us to stay where we were.

I sighed heavily as Jack tried to figure something out in his drunken state.

"Palulay. Palu-li-la-la-lulu. Parlili. Parsnip, parsley, partner, partner. Howdy partner. Howdy do partner? Howdy do partner," Jack mumbles.

"Parley?" I offer.

"That's the one! Parley! Parley!"

"Parley? Damn to the depths whatever man that thought up 'parley'!" Pintel said through his teeth.

Jack put his fingers on the barrels of Pintel gun and moves it from pointing at his face. "That would be the French. Latin based, of course. Inventors of mayonnaise."

"I like mayonnaise," Pintel says.

"A shame about the French. Obsessed with raisins. Humiliated grapes really. Think about it."

I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle the laugh begging to be free.

"Don't know," Pintel said.

"Terrific singers, the French," I added.

Jack halfheartedly whistled. "Eunuchs, all of them."

"That's not right", one pirate spoke up.

"I used to date a eunuch," Pintel told us.