Sparrow's Revenge

1

I was 15 when I arrived in Port Royal and I soon learned that life on this quaint little island was anything but exciting. Upon my arrival I was met at the dock by a man, I believed his name to be Lieutenant Norrington, a relatively young man with an authoritative voice. He took me to the governors house where I was acquainted with his daughter Elizabeth, a young lady who was only six months older than myself. Upon seeing our close bond within the minutes we had seen each other, Governor Swann took it upon himself to adopt me and treat me as one of his own. I was grateful for the act of kindness but life was dull, all dresses and escorts, no danger or adventure. Well, that was until the ceremony of Norrington's promotion and the appearance of an infamous pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow.

*

The time was 08:30 when I was rudely awoken by a knocking at my door. I was never a morning person, even more so when I was made to get up even earlier in order to look 'presentable' for the ceremony that was to take place. I responded to the knock with a loud and obnoxious groan and pulled my covers over my head. The door opened and in walked my father and presumably a maid or two.

"Still in bed at this hour?" I could here the laughter in his voice and I groaned again. He chuckled. "Your dress is on your bed, Rosetta will help you dress." He stated before I heard his footsteps leave the room and close the door. 

I noticed the cold before anything else and Rosetta had a wide smirk on her face and my covers in her hands. "No time to dawdle, Miss, it's a big day and I've been given strict instructions to make sure you dress accordingly." She explained to me. I rolled my eyes but swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up none the less. I took the dress out of its box and there was no denying it beauty. Dark shade of silver with beautiful embroidery on the bodice, long sleeves to break the chill of the breeze rolling in off the sea. It was beautiful no doubt, but I was never one for dresses and the thought of wearing a dress so heavy for hours on end was not my idea of fun.

I put on some heels that matched the dress and then Rosetta put some natural make up on my face, just enough to enhance my features, then took half of my dark coloured hair and pulled into an intricately braided bun, leaving the rest to hang straight down my back. I always looked different with so much done, it was nice different but it wasn't me.

I exited my chambers after consuming a pastry to keep my going until lunch and made my way down the stairs. My shoes clicked against the marble floor and all of a sudden I felt several pairs of eyes on me. Elizabeth had beaten me in the race to get dressed and had a wide smile on her face as she watched me hoist up my skirt and begin my descent. The second set of eyes were my father who had a smile of approval on his face when he saw my appearance. The third pair of eyes took me longer to notice but they were the dark chocolate eyes of Will Turner, the apprentice of the blacksmith. I blushed slightly as our eyes met and ended up looking down, trying my hardest not to fall. Not only would it be mildly embarrassing but it would hurt too.

"Good morning Elizabeth, Mr Turner." I smiled as I approached. I knew formalities were necessary, I didn't like it but it was part of the society we were in and I did anything I could to fit in. Will nodded his head, a small smile still on his face as he returned the greeting. Before we had time to engage in any sort of small talk we were ushered out of the house by the Governor and into the carriage to the main event.

*

As the ceremony took place I was positioned next to Elizabeth Swann who looked like she was having a hard time breathing. She held her hand to her stomach and constantly waved her fan to cool herself from the burning heat that no one expected. I found it hard enough with long sleeves but her corset looked significantly tighter than my own, I couldn't imagine how she was feeling. I frequently whispered to her, starting off by asking if she was ok and then attempting to distract her but nothing seemed to work.