Pirates' Destiny: In Hazardous Pursuit

Chapter 1: Evie's Pirate (Evie)

Sickening, isn't it? How it's always the royals who are allowed to go on magnificently illegal adventures, then return and end up free as a bird, no repercussions? It's never seemed fair to me; I made clothes. Not even for the governer house. Just clothes, for townsfolk. Port Royal was disturbingly monotonous: each day, it seemed as though each person would ramble about doing the exact same thing they did the day before, and the day before, and the day before.....

Nothing ever truly got done. It was just a cycle of living, and living blandly, I might add. But ever since the pirate had come, the way of life on Port Royal had become exceedingly more unbearable than it had been before. I'd heard the legends and stories about pirates all my life: they were crooks, dealers, thieves, maggots. I should hate the lot of them. That's what my father always said before he passed away.

I possibly should have taken my father's advice, but did I? Allow a moment for me to laugh. My life was boring! I craved the excitement and exhilaration that the life of a pirate surely had. Parents always say that children grow out of some dreams; the dreams that are far too fantastical to pursue. To them, living a life with no limitations seemed too far out of their reach. And they had just about won me over. After twenty six years of my life, I hadn't had an ounce of adventure, and the possibility of it had begun to slip from my mind.

Then he came.

It was like a flash, how he appeared, then disappeared just as quickly. I'd been around the market that day, stocking up on lightly woven material for the summer months ahead. Everyone in Port Royal knew what day it was, whether we lived in the governor's house or not. It was to be the day that the Commodore was to propose to the governor's daughter, Elizabeth.

I'd met Elizabeth once or twice, when I'd been called upon for special occasions to create bonnets and gowns for the maids of the house. It didn't happen all that often, but I was rewarded greatly whenever it did. She seemed to be such a nice girl, however trapped she may have been under the laws of womanhood in a wealthy house.

But I recall, standing outside under the glowering stare of a hot sun, fanning myself profusely with the cloth I'd already picked up from a previous table, inspecting several reels of colorfully dyed ropes to use on a project I'd been thinking about beginning, when I heard an awful commotion coming from the direction of the pavilion close to the square.

I left the table immediately to see what the matter was, and before I realized it, I had run straight into a massive gown. I looked 'round and at last came to an understanding: the governor was holding his pre-engagement party for his daughter here. Now, the true event was James Norrington's promotion to Commodore, but the common folk, though underestimated, were not blind; it was a fair statement to say that Elizabeth would be pledged to marry Norrington by sunset.

"Ahem."

I gazed up slightly to find the woman I'd run into staring down at me, unamused.

"I'm sorry, madam. I wasn't paying attention." I replied, looking at my feet. I scurried away from her quickly; however, not in the direction of the tables I was previously so interested in. I wanted to find the source of the uproar. I watched as people on the outsides of the crowd slowly began to realize where the issue originated, and bustled up their bustles and rushed in that direction.

I followed them silently, attempting to fit in. I almost snorted at the idea; me, in commoner's clothes amidst the royal family and friends. There were people rushing about in every direction, but what caught my attention more were the red coats I saw all hustling towards the look out point. 'This can't be good.' I thought, as a smile crossed my lips.

Ducking underneath bustles, sword sheaths, and coat tails, I made my way to the lookout. The Commodore stood there, looking over the ledge, aghast, and as I watched, the governor made his way up in more bounds than I thought able for his short little legs. With white wigs and white faces, they watched in horror as an animal of some sort pulled a girl out of the water.