A gray, impenetrable wall of fog covered the sea, from somewhere came the faint sound of a little girl's voice, singing, almost under her breath. "Yo, ho, yo, ho, a pirate's life for me. Yo, ho, yo, ho, it's a pirate's life for me..." Suddenly a massive ship emerged from the grey, the HMS Dauntless as the young girl continued to sing. "Drink up me hearties, yo, ho..." The song was cut off as the girl's shoulder was clutched by an older man, startling her. "Quiet, missy! Cursed pirates sail these waters. You want to call 'em down on us?" The man warned her, Elizabeth stares wide-eyed in fear at him. "Mr. Gibbs" Lieutenant James Norrington, a dashing young man, Royal Navy to the core, glared sternly at Gibbs. Standing beside him was Governor Weatherby Swann, a man of obvious high station, brass buttons on his thick blue jacket. "That will do" the Lieutenant finished. "She was singing about pirates. Bad luck to sing about pirates, with us mired in this unnatural fog, mark my words" Gibbs warned, Norrington replied with no interest whatsoever "consider them marked. On your way" Gibbs moved along muttering about more bad luck as Norrington approached the young girl known as Elizabeth Swann.
"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate" She concurred. "Think again, Miss Swann. 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: a short drop and a sudden stop" he informed the young girl with a smug smile. Elizabeth didn't know what a 'short drop and a sudden stop' meant though Gibbs helpfully mimed a man being hung, causing Elizabeth to let out a frightened gasp which is when her father stepped in. "Lieutenant Norrington...I appreciate your fervor, but I am concerned about the effect this subject will have on my daughter." Norrington apologised and moved along.
After being slightly chatised from her father she was left alone like she was moments ago. The fog still hemmed in the ship; very little of the sea was visible but suddenly, two figured cane into view. A young boy, floating on his back in the otherwise empty water. There was nothing to show where he came from, or how he came to be there. "Look! A boy! There's a boy in the water!" Alerting both Norrington and Swann who spotted the boy almost immediately. "Man overboard!" There was Quick movement and activity on deck, Sailors used a boathook to snag the boy when he passed. Norrington hauled him aboard and laid him on the deck, Elizabeth sidled in for a closer look. "He's still breathing" the Lieutenant noted before Gibbs spotted where the boy had come from. Wreckage from a ship littered the
water along with the bodies of its crew.
What was left of the ship's hull burned, a ragged British flag hung limply from the stern, the H.M.S. Dauntless slipped silently through it all. "What happened here?" Governor Swann questioned "an explosion in the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed" Lieutenant Norrington explained to him and the rest of the crew who merely looked on at the scene. "Lot of good it did them..." Gibbs scoffed before continuing "everyone's thinking it! I'm just saying it! Pirates!" It was then that Lieutenant finally rose to action. "Rouse the Captain, immediately. Coms about and strike the sails! Unlash the boats! Gunnery crew jackets off the cannons!" He ordered, the crew rushed around following the given orders.
Once the remains of the wreckage was searched thoroughly, only one other survivor was found. A girl who appeared to be only a couple years younger than the Lieutenant, she was brought aboard the Dauntless and taken below as was William Turner. Elizabeth Swann had discovered his name after he had waken briefly. Though there was no evidence for what exactly happened to the powder magazine but it did seem to be what had caused the incident. William didn't awaken for the rest of the day but the young girl did. Except from a minor cold from being in the water for so long, neither of them were badly injured. Lieutenant Norrington, under the orders of the Captain, was the first to speak to the young lady. He knocked before entering the room, she was sat up and almost startled upon Norrington's entrance. "My apologies for scaring you. I'm Lieutenant James Norrington, you're currently aboard the HMS Dauntless. We found you and a young boy amongst a wrecked Merchant ship. I was hoping, if you're able of course, if you could tell us what occurred?" She nodded quietly and glanced at him, he certainly was handsome for his age. "My name is Y/N L/N. You have my eternal gratitude for saving me, we were raided by Pirates. A black ship with black sails, it appeared out of nowhere. The crew didn't stand a chance to arm themselves before the attack, there was an explosion and that's all I can remember I'm afraid sir." The Lieutenant gave a curt nod "that alone is most helpful Miss L/N. I shall leave you to rest but if there is anything you should need please come find me. I will be on deck." Y/N went back to resting and was fully recovered by time they reached Port Royal.
Eight years later.
It had been another trying day for the young Miss Y/N. Another day of being touched and grabbed by drunken merchant sailors at one of the local taverns where she worked as a serving girl. The money wasn't much but it was enough to buy the smallest house in Port Royal as well as enough to keep herself alive, when she returned to her humble abode the sun had set and a letter awaited her. After settling down in a chair by the fire, she opened said letter, her face becoming one of confusion. "Dear Y/N L/N, you have been invited to the celebratory ball for Captain, soon to be Commodore, Norrington's promotion. The ball takes place on June 23rd." That was next week, the day before the actual promotion ceremony. She wouldn't be surprised if it was Governor Swann's idea for the day early celebration, regardless none of her dresses were suitable for such an event but she was eager to find out who had invited her and why. "I suppose that money I was saving for a better house will have to go else where" she smiled to herself. A ball, an elegant event was something she'd never thought she'd witness and yet she had been personally invited to one. Her excitement could barely be contained.
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POTC: The Curse of the Black Pearl
FanfictionY/N L/N has lived in Port Royal for eight years. As Governor Swann, his daughter Elizabeth and Lieutenant Norrington were voyaging to Port Royal from London, she was discovered amongst a wreckage alongside one William Turner. She became a normal sta...
