Not All Treasure is Silver and Gold...

Chapter 3

I slept through the whole day quite accidentally, and was awoken early the next morning by a strange sound; the sound of metal crashing onto metal. I brushed my fair curls out of my eyes and dressed quickly, hurrying outside, curiosity getting the better of me as it always had. There was a large crowd gathered around Jack and an unfamiliar dark-haired, dark-eyed boy. They stood clutching swords and facing each other, their stances ready for attack. I hurried over anxiously. Jack glanced up at me and smiled sweetly, shooting me a little nod in greeting.

"Rose...did you sleep okay?" he asked, dodging the other boy's sword with ease as he lunged at him.

"Um...yes, very well, thank you...what exactly are you doing?" I asked, crinkling my noise in confusion as I observed the two men.

"Sword fighting, love," Jack replied calmly, frowning in concentration. The other man lowered his sword and turned to me.

"You must be Rose. I'm William Turner," he smiled kindly, holding out his hand for me to shake. I did so, smiling sincerely at him. He was quite tall and lean, with fawn-coloured skin and floppy, tousled hair that flicked into his kind brown eyes. His face was also boyish and clean-shaven, and generally clean in comparison with Jack's combination of deep suntan and smudgy, outlined eyes.

"Um...so why are you sword fighting?" I asked, and Jack shot me a patronising look, as if the answer was entirely obvious.

"Well, we have to practice Miss Callaway," Will grinned, pushing his hair out of his eyes, only for it to fall straight back into them. "This is practically the only sport you can do aboard a ship," he mumbled, sliding skilfully out of the way of Jack's sword. I decided to simply remain silent in fear of distracting them, and stepped back into the crowd and watched them fight for a while. For some reason, the battle seemed to have got more intense since I had got here. They were steadily making their way across the deck, swords flashing in the morning sunlight. Practically the whole crew were crowding around now, watching eagerly.

Will and Jack were up against the edge of the ship now, completely focused on their battle. Suddenly, just for a split second, Will glanced over at me and Jack seized the opportunity. He pointed his sword at Will who backed into the edge, leaning over the thrashing blue waves of the sea dangerously.

"Surrender?" Jack smirked, knowing he had won. Will glanced over his shoulder and then nodded somewhat reluctantly, replacing his sword. Jack glanced around, a satisfied smile playing at his lips and paced along the crowd cockily, looking into each face in an attempt to intimidate us all.

"Anyone else?" Jack raised his hands, spreading his palms innocently. There were a few gruff snorts of "No!" and the crowd shuffled backwards, no-one daring to accept his challenge.

I guess no-one expected me to pipe up, "I'll have a go!"

Jack's eyes widened in utter bewilderment as I stepped out in front of him, my expression one of grim determination.

"Erm...what?" He asked stupidly, clearly thinking he had misheard me.

"I said I'll have a go," I repeated quietly. Jack observed me for a few moments, seemingly sizing me up with his deep, dark eyes.

"Don't let her Jack! She's a woman!" Someone in the crowd shouted. This was followed by loud applause. Jack said nothing. He appeared to be thinking hard. I felt a sudden rush of anger.

"Yes, I am a woman, marvellous observation skills!" I said mockingly. A couple of people laughed appreciatively. "And," I continued, "it's widely acknowledged that women can do just as much as men, if not more! We're just not given the opportunities! And-" but I was drowned out by roars of laughter. My shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. This was so unfair.