Chapter Text
I follow Governor Swann and the Lady’s Maid, Estrella, down the winding halls of the mansion. My hands are full with a large box, delivered straight from London by express order. A dress, no doubt. I wince as we turn a sharp corner. My feet are pinched into tight leather shoes that scrape the back of my heel. Governor Swann itches his white, powdered wig. It’s a hideous, preposterous thing that sits atop his head. I swear it wobbles when he walks. I suppress an eye roll at the theater of it all; the performance, the procedures, the etiquette, the shiny leather shoes, the pristine maids uniform we are made to wear, the wigs, and lace-lined shirts. I’ve been here for nearly three months, and I have yet to find myself used to this sort of life. I could hardly imagine ever getting used to this sort of life.
As we pass a window, I glance out to see the view. The mansion sits atop a cliff side, offering a perfect view of the glittering coast line, the sea stretching past the horizon. I long for the days when I used to be out on the water. I miss my father, God rest his soul. How we used to sail, far from the confinements of land. I was only a child then. Some part of me even misses dressing as a boy, the freedom it brought me. And now, here I am, stuck on land as a maid. Is it fate or just bad luck? I close my eyes and think of how I miss the ocean, the wind, the storms, and by God do I miss wearing boots instead of these stupid, ugly, little pieces of-
“Do hurry along, girls, it’s an important day!” The Governor says brightly. My train of thought is cut off. Estrella and I struggle to keep up with Governor Swann’s hurried pace. “My daughter- Soon to be wife to a Commador.” He mumbles excitedly - mostly to himself. Estrella shoots me an exasperated look. I shrug.
Knock, knock, knock. The Governor knocks on the door.
“Elizabeth?”
Thunk. A small crash.
“Is everything alright? Are you decent?” The Governor asks more urgently.
“Yes -- yes.” A breathless voice comes from inside.
The door swings open. Elizabeth is standing by her bed, making a piss-poor attempt at looking innocent. I give her an odd look. We’ve become friendly over the short time I’ve been at the mansion. She chews her lip. The Governor doesn’t seem to notice.
“Still in bed at this hour? It’s a beautiful day!” He beams. Estrella sweeps across the room and pulls the curtains open. Sunlight streaks through the window, illuminating the room with pale morning light.
“I have a gift for you.” The Governor waggles his eyebrows. I hold up the box for him to reveal the dress. It’s gorgeous and made of velvet. Elizabeth gasps.
“It’s…beautiful. May I inquire as to the occasion?” Elizabeth asks.
I frown a little. Has the Governor not told her?
“Does a father need an occasion to dote upon his daughter?”
Elizabeth picks up the dress from the box and carries it behind a screened-off dressing area. I follow.
“Actually,” The Governor continues. “I had hoped you could wear it to the ceremony today.”
“Ceremony?” Elizabeth asks, shooting me a questioning look.
‘Norrington’ I mouth back to her. I pretend to gag. She smiles a little.
“Captain Norrington’s promotion ceremony.” The Governor answers.
“I knew it.” Elizabeth snaps.
“Commodore Norrington, as he’s about to become. A fine gentleman don’t you think?”
Elizabeth grimaces. I snicker quietly as I lace up her dress.
“He fancies you, you know.” He adds. I can hear the smirk in his voice.
Elizabeth is about to reply with something far too sarcastic so I yank the ribbons of her corset tight. She gasps and gives me a sharp look. I make a face as if to say ‘It’s the dress, not me.’
“Elizabeth? How’s it coming?” The Governor asks, concerned that his daughter must look her best.
“It’s difficult to say...” Elizabeth grits out.
“I’m told it’s the latest fashion in London.”
“Well, women in London must have learnt not to breathe.”
I give Elizabeth a sympathetic look. It really is a tiny corset, hardly practical at all. As to why it's become the latest fashion trend is lost on me, though I suppose that London doesn’t nearly get as hot as it does out here. I help her pull up the outer skirt and secure it off with a bow, careful not to make it any tighter than it already is.
Footsteps approach the room.
“My Lord, you have a visitor.” I hear the butler, Amos, say.
“Thank you. Elizabeth, I shall see you down in the foyer when you are dressed. See to it you are on your best behaviour, you understand, my girl? It’s vitally important.” The Governor chides gently as he strides out of the room.
I wait until I can hear his footsteps fade away.
“It’s quite a big day for you, Miss Swann.” I say quietly as Estrella and I do up her hair.
“Don’t remind me. I have enough pressure as it is.” Elizabeth sighs, shifting uncomfortably in her dress. “Norrington…”
“There! How does it look, Miss Swann?” Estrella exclaims as she pins the bonnet into place.
Elizabeth looks at herself in the mirror for a moment. She looks every bit like the perfect daughter, a flower ready to be plucked and taken, but her eyes look sad. I feel sorry for her. What a role she must play, marry who is ‘suitable’, say what is ‘right’. The Elizabeth I have come to know is far different from what her birth right forces her to be. Perhaps in another life, she’d have made different choices for herself.
“Let’s get this over with, shall we, girls?” Elizabeth gives Estrella and I a tight smile. We dip our heads slightly and follow her out of the room.
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
From the top of the stairs, we can hear a conversation. Elizabeth, Estrella and I pause to listen. The metal clink of a sword echoes up the stairs.
“The blade is folded steel. Gold filigree is laid into the handle.” A familiar voice is heard; Will Turner, the black smith’s apprentice. Though, he’s hardly an apprentice and more like the master himself. I can see Elizabeth brighten immediately. I nudge her with my elbow teasingly. She smiles sheepishly.
“Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade.”
“Impressive…very impressive.” We hear Governor Swann say. “ Commodore Norrington is going to be very pleased with this. Do pass my compliments to your master.”
“I shall. A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated-” Will cuts himself off as Elizabeth descends the stairs, closely followed by myself and Estrella. The stars in his eyes as he lays eyes on her is almost comical.
“Elizabeth! You look absolutely stunning!” Governor Swann smiles warmly.
“Will! It’s so good to see you!” Elizabeth says excitedly. “I had a dream about you last night.”
Will’s eyes nearly bulge out of his head. I bite my cheek to prevent myself from laughing. Watching these two is simultaneously amusing and torturous, like watching a clown drown.
“Really?” Will says breathlessly.
“Elizabeth, is that entirely proper for you to-” Governor Swann tries to interject.
“About the day we met.” Elizabeth ignores her father. “Do you remember?”
“How could I forget, Miss Swann?”
“Will, how many times must I ask you to call me ‘Elizabeth’?”
Will hesitates for a moment, glancing at the Governor. “At least once more, Miss Swann. As always.”
Elizabeth’s face falls.
“There, see? At least the boy has a sense of propriety.” The Governor nods. “Now, we really must be going.” He collects the box that contains the sword and heads out.
“Good day, Mr Turner.” Elizabeth says flatly.
Will’s eyes follow her out of the door and into the carriage. I join him by the door to watch as the carriage rides away.
“Mr. Turner.” I greet him, a joking lilt to my voice as I see that he doesn’t tear his eyes away from Elizabeth’s carriage. “Watching the ceremony today?”
“Miss Goldfinch. Good day.” Will sighs wistfully, evidently still thinking of Elizabeth. He really is a bit pathetic. “Only from the back. I should hardly think Captain - no, Commodore Norrington should want me at the front of the audience. I think he finds me rather annoying.”
“You are rather annoying.” I nod.
“You have no sense of propriety.” Will glares at me.
“I’ve only been here three months. I have yet to pick up the nuance of high society.”
“I rather think it’s a lack of respect. But who am I to say? I am not your employer.”
“Quite right. Now, shall we walk down? Miss Swann expects me there.”
⋆༺𓆩⚔𓆪༻⋆
Will and I arrive just in time to see the last portion of the ceremony. The sound of drums and applause can be heard as we turn into the alley that leads to the back of the fort. I bid Will goodbye as he heads down a different street to join the public audience. I pass by stone walls and armed guards until I reach the back of where all the dignitaries, merchants, and other rich and important people are sitting.
Everything is in perfect order. Soldiers stand in perfect lines, with perfect uniforms and perfect hair. And behind them sits perfect rows of a perfect audience with all their fancy outfits which have, naturally, been polished and steamed to perfection. And behind all of that, the maids and ladies in waiting, standing in yet more perfect rows, their heads dipped perfectly in obedience. It gives me a bit of a headache.
I remain partially hidden by a stone pillar as I watch Norrington flourish the sword with practiced precision. It’s all choreographed and theatrical, and it makes me wonder how long he must have practiced it in his room before today. The image of him flailing around with a sword in his underwear makes me want to laugh.
As the ceremony comes to a close, I join Elizabeth where she is standing off to the side looking quite worse for wear.
“Miss Swann, are you alright?” I approach, brow furrowed with concern.
“Hot.” Elizabeth says, voice quiet.
I take her paper fan from her and begin to fan her myself. She closes her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. She looks pale and damp with perspiration. The small breeze from the fan does little to relieve her condition.
“May I have a moment?” Commodore Norrington interrupts. He extends his hand. I glance at Elizabeth, worried about her condition, but I am in no place to speak up. I place the fan back into her hand as Norrington leads her away to speak privately. They stand out by the edge of the fort. It’s a beautiful, hot, sunny day. The view looks out to the sea below, where jagged rocks frame the docks.
I try to hover close by, keeping a watchful eye on Elizabeth who looks like she’s about to keel over. Honestly, tiny corsets in this heat? The Governor must be mad.
“You look lovely, Elizabeth.” I hear Norrington say.
Elizabeth doesn’t respond, fanning herself harder.
“I apologise if I seem forward, but I must speak my mind.” He starts, turning to look over the edge of where they are standing out into the sea. He puts his foot up against a rock as if he’s posing for a portrait. He squints against the sun rays. “This promotion confirms that I have accomplished the goals I set for myself in my career. But it also casts into sharp relief that which I have not achieved. The thing most men require: a marriage to a fine woman.”
He pauses for dramatic effect. I cringe at the theatrics.
“You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth.”
“I can’t breathe.” Elizabeth says suddenly, voice weak.
My eyes dart to her. I hardly have time to step forward before she’s already losing her balance and is falling over the edge towards the sea.
“Elizabeth!” I yell. Commodore Norrington’s eyes snap to me, then back to where Elizabeth was standing only to find she’s gone. I don’t take notice of what he’s doing next as I sprint towards the stairs that lead down to the docks from the fort. I hear a shout and a commotion of footsteps and swords clanking behind me.
Blast these stupid heels and blast these petticoats, I think to myself as I nearly trip down the uneven stone stairs that wind down through the cliffs to sea level. My feet thump against the hard rock sending shocks of pain through my shins. I know it’s only a matter of time before her dress weighs her down and pulls her into the depths.
Finally, I round the corner to the docks and make a mad dash towards where she fell. I barrel past guards and civilians alike, uncaring of my dishevelled appearance. I arrive just in time to see a man pull her out of the water. Two guards help pull her and the man ashore and deposit her onto the dock.
I rush over and push them aside to inspect Elizabeth. As I kneel beside her, her soaking wet dress starts to wet my own. I can feel the water soak into my stockings. I put my ear to her chest.
“Not breathing.” I say in a panicked voice.
“Move.” The man shoulders me aside and flicks out a knife. He slits the corset down the middle and rips it away. It’s discarded unceremoniously in a heap. If I were a more prudish woman, perhaps I would have protested. Elizabeth remains still for just a moment before turning to her side and coughing up water. She gasps for air in shaky breaths.
“Oh, thank God.” I mutter as I collect her in my arms and pat her back hard, helping her get all the water out of her lungs. Relief floods my system and I can feel the tension leave me.
“I never would have thought of that.” I hear the guard behind me say.
“Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore.” The man mutters. The unexpected jest makes me snort. The euphoria of seeing Elizabeth alive and breathing overshadows any sense of decorum. I look up from Elizabeth to finally take in her rescuer, just as he looks up to see who laughed.
The man is clearly a pirate, plain as day, if his outfit is anything to go by. His eyes are smudged with kohl, his dreads that are decorated with charms, beads, and is that a bone? Water drips off his bandana and runs across his face and off his beard onto the wood of the deck below. He narrows his eyes at me for a moment before turning his attention back to Elizabeth. A glint of gold catching our attention.
“Where did you get that?” The pirate mumbles.
I recognise the item, a piece of Aztec gold. It’s hung around her neck by a piece of cord. My eyebrows raise in surprise. Where on Earth did she get that? I try to school my face from shock into neutral but it’s too late. The pirate has noticed my reaction. He tilts his head, suspicious. It lasts only a second but there is a tense stand off where neither of us move a muscle. The moment is broken, thankfully, by a sword being thrust into view. The tip of it grazes the pirate’s neck.
“On your feet.” Norrington snarls.
The pirate looks at the sword and follows the line of it back up to Norrington, who is surrounded by his men. The Governor barrels through the crowd of guards to get to Elizabeth.
“Elizabeth! Are you alright?!” Governor Swann rushes over. I help Elizabeth stand and the Governor drapes his jacket around her shoulders, immediately fussing over her.
The pirate stands slowly, hands raised in a lazy surrender.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine.” Elizabeth says quickly.
The pirate looks at Elizabeth, eyes tracing over her now slightly undressed figure. His eyes dance with mirth.
“Shoot him!” The Governor says.
“Father!” Elizabeth snaps. I step back behind Elizabeth, watching the exchange with interest, still careful to keep my face impassive. She turns her eyes to Norrington. “Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?” She implores.
Norrington falters for a moment. The pirate smiles tightly. Norrington sheaths his sword, though his men keep theirs out, and extends his hand.
“I believe thanks are in order.”
The pirate looks down at Norrington’s hand, then back up at his face, then back down to his hand again. He takes it gingerly, like one would touch a soiled handkerchief. Norrington tightens his grip and yanks the pirate’s arm closer. The pirate stumbles forward. Norrington shoves the sleeve of the pirate’s shirt up. Raised skin in the shape of a ‘P’ is exposed. It only confirms what I had already deduced; a pirate. The lines of the scar are jagged and cruel. The gaggle of guards grip their weapons tighter.
“Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, did we, pirate?” Norrington says mockingly. I stiffen. This is how my Father died. He got caught and then he was-
“Hang him!” Governor Swann says smugly.
“Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons.” Norrington smirks. A man in the back moves off to go fetch cuffs.
Norrington yanks the sleeve up further. A tattoo of a sparrow over water sits just above the scar. “Well, well…Jack Sparrow, is it?”
“Captian Jack Sparrow. If you please.” The pirate, Jack, drawls. He seems completely unphased. I raise an eyebrow at his blasé attitude. Jack smirks at me.
Norrington looks out at the bay. “I don’t see your ship, ‘Captain.’” He says mockingly.
“I’m in the market, as it were.” Jack replies.
“He says he’d come to commandeer one.” One of the guards interjects. “These are his, sir.” He holds out a belt, a pistol, and a sword. Norrington takes it to examine it.
“No additional shot, nor powder.” Norrington observes. He inspects a black box that’s attached to the belt and opens it. “A compass that doesn’t point north.”
Jack shrugs. I frown. This man is entirely odd.
Norrington unsheathes the sword. It’s old, but still sharp. “And I half expected it to be made of wood.” He snorts. He slides it back into the scabbard and hands it off to a guard.
“You are without doubt the worst pirate I’ve ever heard of.”
“Ah, but you have heard of me.” Jack says smugly. He moves as if he’s incredibly proud of himself. Or perhaps a bit drunk.
I scoff and disguise it as a cough. Elizabeth elbows me in the ribs.
Norrington grabs Jack and starts to drag him away. Elizabeth chases after them, shrugging off her father’s jacket. I walk alongside her, confused as to where this is going.
“Commodore, I really must protest!” Elizabeth says firmly.
Jack is pulled to the side by a guard and has cuffs slapped onto his wrists. He accepts the chains without a fuss. I narrow my eyes, suspicious of his behaviour. Elizabeth grabs my arm and we stand side by side in between the Commodore and Jack.
“Elizabeth, what are you-” I whisper harshly, completely caught off guard.
“Pirate or not, this man saved my life.” Elizabeth says, sticking her chin up defiantly. Her sense of justice, though admirable, will get her, and apparently me as well, killed one day. I hold her arm tighter regardless.
“One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness.” Norrington states flatly.
“Though it seems enough to condemn him.” Jack quips.
“Indeed.” Norrington gives him a hard stare.
I glance over my shoulder to find Jack already looking back. He winks. I roll my eyes. Who is this pirate? And why is he so lax about being condemned to the noose?
As the guards stow their weapons now that the pirate is cuffed, Jack seems to answer my internal question as he shoves me to the floor. I scrape my hands on the rough wood. I hiss at the sting of it, immediately knowing I’ve drawn blood. Jack wraps the chains of his cuffs around Elizabeth’s neck, the metal pressing into the soft flesh of her throat. Pistols are drawn, but now Elizabeth serves as a human shield. I grit my teeth. Bloody pirate. I push myself up off the floor, wiping my bloodied hands on my dress.
“No! Don’t shoot!” The Governor shouts, clearly panicked.
Norrington raises a cautioning hand to his men.
“Commodore Norrington, my effects, please.” Jack snarls. “And my hat.”
Nobody moves.
“Commodore!” Jack warns, louder now. He tightens the chain around Elizabeth’s neck. She chokes for a breath. I want to step forward but I can't; one of the guards shoulders me aside, glaring down at me.
"Not your place, girl." He snaps quietly.
I turn my head away, ashamed. Finally, Norrington finally relents and holds the items out. His eyes blaze with undisguised fury.
“Elizabeth, it is Elizabeth, isn’t it?” Jack speaks lowly into Elizabeth’s ear, relaxing the chains.
“It’s Miss Swann.” Elizabeth glares back angrily.
“Miss Swann, if you’d be so kind.” He purrs and nudges her towards his effects. “Come, come, dear, we don’t have all day.”
Elizabeth snatches the items and is roughly turned around by Jack. He grabs the pistol from her hand and quick as a flash holds the barrel to her temple. Click. He pulls the safety down and gives her a sly smile. Elizabeth works out what he wants and sets to work putting the belt on him.
“You’re despicable.” I mutter. Jack smirks at me, a sharp, wicked thing.
“Sticks and stones, love.” Jack laughs as Elizabeth roughly shoves Jack’s hat onto his head.
Jack turns his attention back to Elizabeth. “I saved your life; now you’ve saved mine. We’re square.” He backs up, still holding Elizabeth against him until he bumps into the cargo gantry.
“Gentlemen…ladies…” He dips his head as if to bow. “You will always remember this as the day you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!” Jack pushes Elizabeth away, grabs a rope and pulls free a belaying pin. The cannon that was suspended in the air by the rope acts as a counterweight and crashes through the deck, practically crushing two guards. I wince as I swear I hear bone crack. Jack is propelled upwards. He grabs a rope and swings out, away from the docks. I squint and strain my eyes against the sun to watch as he swings wildly around above us.
“Now will you shoot him?!” The Governor yells.
“Open fire!” Norrington shouts.
I cover my ears to muffle the deafening bang of the guns as the guards fire at Jack, who has somehow managed to use his chains as a grip to slide along the ropes and run off. All the men give chase, clumsily shoving past each other to jump over the hole in the dock and rush after Jack. The Governor ushers Elizabeth away, leaving me alone. I can’t help but stand frozen and gape amongst the wrecked wood flooring of the now completely ruined dock as I watch Jack actually manage to escape the guards and dart into the town, disappearing from view. The stinging of my grazed palms from when I fell does little to distract me from my complete bewilderment.