Her Beginning
 

There was once a young English girl who grew up in the high life. She had all she could have ever wished for; her parents provided everything, she was beautiful, and she now had a handsome, powerful new husband. She did not love him, but she did not care, for he was a Navy Officer, and with that, brought power.

One day, her husband comes into her room where she is reading quietly tales of true love and adventure. He has been ordered to the Caribbean to help deal with the ever growing troubles there with pirates. The girl gets excited, for this may be the adventure she has always secretly hoped for. This may be the adventure she reads about quietly in the night when her husband and all of the servants have gone to sleep. Even though she would have had no choice in the matter anyway, she agrees to come with her husband to the Caribbean.

The journey, however, did not go as planned. The men aboard her ship did not like her presence there with them. They feared that she would bring bad luck, just as all the stories and legends told. Unfortunately for her, they were right. Bad luck did not come to the ship specifically, but came to her, and her alone. When they were almost to the shores of Port Royal, her husband blamed her for betraying him. He believed that she had cheated on him with one of the crewmembers. Despite her begging and pleading, she was immediately thrown into the brig until they could port. Her husband called her a stupid woman, repeating the warnings of bad luck that women bring onto ships. The woman cried that night.

Sometime during the night, the ship docked at a place that was not Port Royal, and she was thrown into a jail cell with only the measly clothes on her back. Her husband abandoned her and she fell into a sleepy haze after she hit her head falling onto the floor of the cell.

She woke up to someone poking her and to some sort of ugly black hair dragging across her face. When she opened her eyes, she found a man staring at her as if she was a curious new species. He warned her that she should get herself together, for there was cannon fire close by. She figured it was her scum husband being shot at by pirates. ‘Good riddance,’ she thought to herself as she brushed herself off. At that moment, she was glad that the pirates were there to help her with her revenge. She wished she could give it herself, but knowing that man was being attacked was good enough for her.

At that moment, she realized what her mindset had become. It was that of her adventure stories, of the things she had always wanted. Well, this hadn’t exactly been the way she had been expecting to gain her dream, but it was good enough. She swore herself against the world that had abandoned her on a scrap of an island. She swore that she would never use the name of that horrible man again. She swore herself to be a pirate. Who was this young woman? The once powerful Lady of England, Katherine Randolph, then became the severe pirate, Kat Crestshot.

Excellent way to set up why your character started in the jail with Jack Sparrow. Love the realism and attention to detail.

Much thanks Tepcat! I'm going to be posting more of the story, on this thread, so if you want to read more, go ahead. However, it is a bit boring the first little bit, because we already know everything, but if you're interested....

Haha, anyway mates, if you read my blog, you've probably seen this story over there. I just went back to post my latest chapter, but it wast too long, so I've reverted back to posting here. I'll get chapters out when I can, so maybe once a week or so. However, the creativity is hitting me hard right now, so who knows? Anyway, continuing from her beginning.....

Her Exploration

The cannons went off again, and the newly formed Kat quickly followed the famed pirate Jack Sparrow out of the grimy cell. She now recognized the face from papers she had read in England. “It’s was the face of a criminal, of a dead man, of a no-good rotten pirate,” people had said. At the moment, she forgot all about those stories in light of the deed he had just done for her. This man had saved her, and she was now in his debt. Of course, being in debt to Jack Sparrow is not a good thing.

Before she could thank him, Jack ran off to fight his own battles, leaving Kat to make her way down a short, unfamiliar path to a small tavern where she found people hiding from the cannon fire. Reluctantly, they gave her a small sea chest for her personal belongings. Apparently, they owed favors to Sparrow as well, which made Kat uneasy for a moment when she heard the woman say that this was the last favor she was ever doing for him.
Kat took the small sea chest in her hands gingerly. This held the only items she had now. All it had was a small map of the seas and a yellow paged, leather bound journal. These things looked very used, not at all what Kat was used to, growing up with brand new things whenever she saw fit. However, now she couldn’t complain. She was lucky she had anything at this point. Kat put the chest in a pocket of her dress and dashed outside at the insistence of the tavern owners. They said they had done their duty to Jack, and she didn’t have to stay a moment longer.

Not sure where to go now, Kat headed further down the path with her new chest tucked safely away in her dress. The cannon fire seemed to be getting even louder, so she hopped into the nearest building. She pressed her back against the door as if it would keep the villains outside. Slowly, she became aware of her surroundings. The building she had recklessly run into was a warehouse of some sort. The building creaked and groaned on its legs as she walked cautiously into the center of the room.

Suddenly, there was a sound of metal against metal as a sword was drawn behind her back. A male voice came from behind her, warning her not to move or face death. Kat stiffened immediately, faced with her first life or death encounter. She felt the sword tip move from behind her back, and she relaxed enough to slowly turn around and face her attacker. The man looked at her in surprise and sheathed his sword. He offered his apologies and gave her the warning about an undead army led by a man called Jolly Roger.

Jolly Roger? The man on the pirate flags? The legend? It couldn’t be possible. She had overheard stories about an eerie presence in the Caribbean from Navy friends of her husband’s that had come back. However, she had always thought they were tall tales made up to scare other Navy away from the Caribbean, where all the assignments of grandeur and catching pirates were. Surely there wasn’t any truth to the stores…

She was brought out of her reverie by the man tossing a sword in her direction. Kat held the rusty piece of metal carefully, cautious of cutting herself on the sharp edge. The man noticed her hesitation. There were some straw stuffed scarecrows with targets on them that he pointed her to. He gave her a quick run through on how to hold the sword and how to move it in a way that wouldn’t cut her. After the first few swings, Kat’s arms began to feel very heavy and her head started spinning. What had happened to her life? Only a few hours ago (was it really a few hours ago?), she was sitting below deck of a marvelous sloop headed for Port Royal with her husband. She didn’t have to worry about carrying a sword or escaping cannon fire. Then, with one simple decision, everything about her life had changed.

The sword clanked to the ground as she it fell from her tired hands. The yet unnamed man rushed to her side as she fell to her knees and cradled her head in her hands. She wasn’t crying, but the shock of the situation seemed to have finally reached her. Nothing about this seemed real. He quickly picked her up off the ground and set her limp body on a box.

“I know this is a lot to take in, but you have to be strong,” he told her. “If you can’t survive handling a cutlass, you can’t defend yourself against the evils that await you in the Caribbean.” He picked the cutlass off the ground and handed it to her with a sheath. “Now take this and attack that dummy again.

Kat picked up the cutlass, weighing it in her hand, before standing up and attacking the doll with all she had. This was her life now. This was how she had to live. She hacked at the dummy, imagining her husband in its place. This doll was the object of her abandonment. She attacked it with a vengeance before finally knocking it onto the ground.

She walked back to the man, breathing heavily. He congratulated her on her skills for one that had never picked a cutlass up before. As he smiled at her, but as he did so, a green mist came up from the floor behind him. He saw her scared face and looked behind him where undead skeletons were forming. Quickly, he pushed her out of the building, telling her that she didn’t need to worry about herself, for it was him they were after. After Kat ran out of the building, she heard swords clanging and clashing with each other behind the closed doors.

Kat had a mind to go in and help the kind stranger, but she knew it would be no good. It was likely she would only get in the way with her measly skills. She had felt the raw power behind the sword when it had been held to her back, and she knew that he would be ok. Before she could give it another thought, she ran down the hillside to a waiting ship, not noticing that the cannons had stopped.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Yes, we all know this part of the story, but I'm seeing it as a necessary filler before we get to the good stuff. Next chapter will be more of the same, but I ask that you stay on. I have a whole, big story planned out that I hope you'll enjoy that is NOT all about what we know in the game. In fact, since I've never gotten past Hendry Cutts, I can't tell that story, so it's guaranteed it won't be the same. Anyway, questions, comments, concerns, things that make you nervous? Constructive criticism is welcome. Thanks for reading mates!

-Kat Crestshot

Edit: Disclaimer: I do not own the story or any rights to Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This story is merely for fun and an outlet for my imagination. Thank you.

Awesome Story Crestshot! I really enjoyed the story!

Her Meeting
 

Disclaimer: I do not own the story or any rights to Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This story is merely for fun and an outlet for my imagination. Thank you.

Next part: Her Meeting. Enjoy!

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

In the eerie silence, Kat ran up the dock to a small ship positioned there. A portly little man almost ran off the edge of the boat in his haste to speak to her. “Come aboard!” he called to her. The man was sweating profusely, and seemed to be in dire need of getting off the tiny scrap of an island they were on. Kat climbed aboard the small sloop.

As she got on, the man unconsciously told her his name of Bo Beck, along with another warning of Jolly Roger. Kat still didn’t fully believe that there was a skeletal man coming after them, but she listened politely as Beck ranted about Jack Sparrow. It seemed the man had people doing favors for him left and right, land and sea. The rather irritated Beck here had apparently been charged with taking Sparrow to Port Royal, but put Kat in his place on the ship. Just another reason to not believe he’s a completely bad man, Kat thought shrewdly. However, her upbringing made her want to believe that he was, in fact, a bad man. Only time would tell, she supposed.

Beck ordered her to grab cannon, and Kat walked up to the large, clunky piece of metal sitting on the deck of the ship. She touched it awkwardly and found some cannonballs and gunpowder to use for it. Thankfully, she had figured out some ways of a ship on her brief journey from England to here, so she wasn’t completely unaware of what she was doing. She still had Beck yell at her that she was doing it wrong though, as he glanced quickly away from the sea in front of them.

She finally figured it out as a broken, moss covered ship came into view. It had scraps for sails and what appeared to be no person on the deck. There was still an eerie presence to it as she noticed the flickering lights in the small, swirling cloud above it. It was an odd thing for her to see, for she had never seen a storm so condensed before. Shrugging, she shot a cannon ball at it for a bit of target practice. A gaping hole appeared in the side of the already broken hull, from which a ghostly green mist rose from. With a few more shots and an unnerving amount of green mist, Beck gave a brief compliment to her shooting skills, making Kat feel like she may actually survive this experience. However, not a moment later, Beck yelled in a high voice to hold fire.

Kat saw more of the unnatural green mist in the air in front of them, and watched as a similar ship to that she had just shot at came bursting out of it. She and Beck stood dazed, merely watching the barnacled ship come onto their bow side. An unnaturally loud voice hollered out into the darkness. “SPAAARROW!!!” Beck got some of his bearings together and pushed Kat a little further back into the ship, telling her he’d handle it. Still dazed, Kat let him push her and watched as what could be considered a man appeared on deck from more green mist.

The skeletal specter in front of her was like nothing she had ever seen or heard about. It was like something from her worst nightmares. She wasn’t sure if it qualified as a man or as a monster. Certainly it was animated, but it was completely unreal, like something from one of her adventure books. With empty eye sockets, a skeletal peg leg, and a terrifyingly large gun for a hand, he bore down on Bo Beck. The tattered, sea worn clothes he wore flapped in a nonexistent wind and the stout man stuttered his way through an explanation.

On his way through his explanation, Beck’s voice seemed to get stronger with Roger’s increasing silence. When he finally felt the need to get a bit angry, that was his last mistake. Roger’s hand rose, and with a burst of green smoke, Beck rose into the air and transformed before Kat’s very eyes. He quickly turned into the very thing that Roger was made of, and tossed to the side.

Roger made a move towards Kat next, and, startled, she slowly backed up, as if he was a savage animal that would strike if she moved too fast. Standing almost twice as tall as her, a prominent figure, Roger spoke to her in his deep, throaty voice. For a moment, Kat felt as if this was one encounter she would not escape alive. Perhaps her luck had finally run out, and she would finally meet her maker with the cold feel and rotting stench of Jolly Roger’s being.

She opened her eyes to see that Roger had backed off after relaying a warning to Jack Sparrow. Kat couldn’t believe it. She was still alive! It’s possible that she could have cheered if not for the fact that Jolly Roger was still staring at her with angry, empty eyes. However, a spark of hope lit up in her own eyes now; that she could possibly live to see another sunrise, or merely feel the sureness of land again.

Before she could really register it, she had been pushed to the tip of the plank by Roger. Apparently she wasn’t going to be getting off that easily. The hope dimmed once more.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Yup, yup, still seen this part, but don't worry, next chapter is going to be more interesting. Next chapter is the one I couldn't post on my blog because it was too long. We definitely have a break from the norm there. I'll probably post it on Monday. Constructive criticism is welcome! Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Her Rescuer
 

Disclaimer: I do not own the story or any rights to Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This story is merely for fun and an outlet for my imagination. Thank you.


Ahoy mates! Kat Crestshot here again. Got a brand new chapter here, and this is the chapter I originally tried posting on my blog, but couldn't because it was too long, making me revert back to posting on here. Since it is much longer than the previous chapters, I'd like to believe it's more interesting and has more detail. But, hey, I'm biased. :pirate81: Haha, anyway mates, here you go, the next chapter about the story of Kat Crestshot.

Her Rescuer

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Perhaps it was bad luck for her to be on a boat. At the poking and prodding of Jolly Roger at her back, Kat leapt into the cold, dark waters of the Caribbean. Roger had said something about sharks, but luckily she didn’t see any near her. However, all she had was the light of the moon, so she swam carefully yet quickly away from Bo Beck’s sinking ship. She was just glad that she knew how to swim, being as how in any other case she would be persecuted as a witch just for floating. Silently, she thanked her younger brother for insisting that she know how to swim before heading out with her husband.

She almost drifted off thinking about her family in the cold, unforgiving waters of the Caribbean. It was only the evil cackle of Jolly Roger finally sailing away that brought her back from floating to her death. With new strength, she pummeled through the water, heading for the distant land in front of a rising sun.

Too soon, her strength began to weaken. First it was that her strokes merely got slower, but as time progressed, she was left floating, trying to pull from her reserves of strength to paddle just once more, and then once more again. At long last, she tiredly grabbed onto a plank of wood that was still left from the remnants of Beck’s ship. At this point, she couldn’t push herself any more. In the sun that had risen in the time she had been swimming, Kat lay her head down and closed her eyes.

They didn’t stay closed for long. Not even a minute passed before she opened her eyes again to the sound of laughter. With squinting eyes from the salty sea, Kat raised her head wearily to see a ship approaching her. She tried to cry out for some help, but only ended up croaking. The water had come into her throat, making it scratchy and raw. The salt infected her vocal chords, making it so that when she spoke, it was nothing more than a whisper or a croak. As she tried again, the rushing sounds of the waves covered up her measly attempt of speaking. She laid her head back down on the plank of wood, about to give up.

The sound of alarmed yelling from the ship caused her to look up again. A young man was hanging off of the side of the ship, crying out in her direction. She saw him waving inside the ship and yelling something incoherent. With her ears filled with water, all she heard was some weird bubbly sloshing in place of his speech.

More men came to the side of the ship to see for themselves the woman floating in the sea. A few of them ran back into the boat and grabbed some ropes, throwing them over the side of the ship so she could reach for them, yelling at her to reach. Kat was so close to the brink of unconsciousness though, she could barely keep her head up to look at what the men were doing. As the men saw that she wasn’t reaching for the ropes, the man who originally saw her started lowering the dingy on the side of the ship. Once the rest of them saw what he was doing, the grabbed a hold of the ropes for him and began lowering it as well while he jumped into the dingy.

The small boat hit the water with a loud splash and a wave of water that hit Kat directly in the face. Her eyes reflexively closed and she spluttered a bit to get the water out of her mouth. When her eyes opened again, the man was sitting in the boat right in front of him, offering his hand. Kat gingerly took it, and he pulled her nearly dead weight into the dingy with her. She plopped into the craft and lay down, closing her eyes and somehow finding herself able to breathe easier. The stranger rowed back to the larger vessel, where the rest of the crew pulled the two up to the ship.

When the dingy reached the deck, the man picked her up and placed her in the arms of a different man. Vaguely, she heard a man yell with authority to take her to his cabin. She was carried across the shifting ship and heard a door open. Shade was brought to her aching face and she was placed on something soft. She gave a small sigh of content and shifted a bit, almost not believing the comfort she had. Her eyes opened slightly at the sound of the men silencing outside of the cabin as the man who had ordered she be put in the cabin spoke above the others.

“Now listen, crew,” he said with authority. “I know she’s a lady and all, but no barging in on her. She’s to be treated as a guest. None of you scoundrels are to be bugging her. You got me?”

“Aye captain,” murmured the rest of the men.

“Good,” said the captain. “Now back to your duties. We have to make haste for Port Royal.”

Kat smiled as she heard she wouldn’t be bothered. Company was the last thing she wanted at the moment. After all she had been through, all she wanted to do was sleep for a bit of time, and hope no nightmares came from her experiences of the past 24 hours. Her eyes closed again, and she fell asleep.

She woke a bit later to a muttered conversation happening at the door of the cabin. Her eyes opened to see a tall, fat man at the door of the cabin, conversing with someone on the outside of it. Kat moved her head a bit to see around the wide man and saw her rescuer. He seemed to be a bit annoyed at the man blocking the door.

“C’mon mate, I only want to see her for a moment,” he told the man.

“I told you, Captain said no,” the man said aggressively. “She ain’t to be having no visitors till we be reaching port.”

“Ah, come on Marcus, be a good lad,” said her rescuer good naturedly. “I am the one who rescued her, am I not? Don’t I deserve to just see her?”

The man, Marcus, seemed to battle with himself for a moment. It seemed that her rescuer was only a little bit away from getting into the cabin to see her. If Kat was telling the truth, she wouldn’t mind him coming in. She wanted to see the man that had rescued her. However, she let the men continue their little quarrel, not wanting to get in the way of a captain’s orders.

Marcus seemed to finally give in. “All right, you can go in and see her,” he muttered. “But mind you, if the captain find out, it’ll be both our heads, savvy?” he told her rescuer gruffly. He moved to the side a bit so her rescuer could get in.

“Don’t worry about it Marcus,” he responded, slapping the man on the arm on his way past good naturedly. “I wouldn’t harm a hair on her head. What would have been the point in rescuing her then?” He smiled.

Her rescuer walked into the room. He was thin, but he seemed to be strong and with muscle. Kat supposed working on a ship would do that to you. He had red hair that seemed to jut out sharply in the front and went past his ears in the back. On top of his hair perched a rather worn looking brown hat. There was also a thin mustache that just danced on the top of his lip, and a short beard that didn’t fall around his chin like some men did. His skin was well tanned, probably from working the deck of the ship, and he wore a tight fitting, light blue tank top with a pair of baggy, light blue pants and what seemed to be a pair of worn but sturdy pair of brown boots on his feet.

He walked up to her with confidence, and smiled when he saw she was awake, obviously pleased. “Hello my lady,” he said, bowing graciously. “It is good to see you awake, especially after the rough ride you went through in the ocean.” Her rescuer stared at her for a moment, seemingly captivated by her, before glancing down at the bundle in his hands. “Um, I hope you don’t mind, but I brought you some new clothes.” He set the bundle down on the table next to her head before backing away quickly. “Perhaps they aren’t exactly befitting a woman, they’re pants and such, but it will be better than that dress likely ruined by saltwater.” There was another silence where he seemed to expect her to say something. Kat said nothing, merely studying her rescuer curiously. He had the most vivid green eyes…

He seemed to feel a bit awkward, so he turned and began to walk toward the cabin door, saying, “I’ll just leave you to your rest then-”

“Who are you?” she called before he could leave. Her rescuer turned away from the door with a smile. He was silhouetted in the sun from the window behind him. Kat was enchanted.

“Lawrence,” her rescuer replied. “My name is merely Lawrence ma’am. And if I may be so bold, what is yours?”

“Kath-” She almost said Katherine before remembering that wasn’t her name any more. “My name is Kat. Kat Crestshot.”

“Well, it is very nice to meet you, Mrs. Crestshot,” he replied before exiting the cabin.

Mrs. Crestshot? Kat thought. Where had Lawrence gotten the Mrs. from? She glanced down at her left hand where it rested on the bed sheets. Her wedding band sparkled up at her. Oh. Now she knew.

She rotated her hand, admiring the ring as if she had just received it. It was such a pretty item of something that reminded her of such an ugly man. Perhaps she could sell it. The ring was very nice, well crafted with some diamonds in it, and she would need money when she reached Port Royal. Yes, she would sell it. The sooner it was off her finger, the better.

Now she viewed the clothes Lawrence had brought her. It was unfathomably kind of him to give them away, especially since he had already saved her life. Gingerly, she sat up and swung her legs out of the bed, feeling the protest from her sea-worn muscles. She reached for the clothes, the rough texture moving underneath her fingers. These definitely weren’t the types of clothes she was used to. For one, she had worn dresses her entire life, and what she had in her hands were definitely pants. Second, these were heavy clothes, made for hard work on stormy waters. These were completely different from anything she had worn before, but perhaps it was for the better. Perhaps now she had to change every aspect of her life, including her clothes.

She stepped out of her salt soiled dress and let it drop to the floor and slipped out of the dainty little shoes she had worn since England. She wasn’t worried about anyone walking in on her, what with the man named Marcus guarding the door. With little hesitation, she stepped into the light tan pants that Lawrence had brought her, finding them surprisingly snug about her legs, but not her waist. There was a baggy, dark green shirt as well that she slipped on, with a tan colored vest put over that. There was a dark brown belt that held her pants up at the waist. Her feet slipped into a pair of heavy brown boots that were a bit too big, but were strong. A long, dark mossy green coat went over the entire entourage, piecing it together quite nicely.

At the moment she slipped the jacket on, there was a knock on the door, and the voice she had identified earlier with the captain called inside, asking if it was alright if he came in. Kat slipped underneath the covers of the bed again, taking her dress with her and hiding the clothes she wore. She didn’t want Lawrence to get in trouble for seeing her and the captain would certainly inquire as to where her clothes had come from. Once she got herself situated, she called out that it was fine if he came in. The moment the captain stepped through the door, Kat feigned drowsiness, hoping the man would not bother her too much if he saw she was still resting.

The captain walked in, nearly blocking the light from the doorway with his girth. It wasn’t that the man was fat, but that he was tall, with large muscles, much like her bodyguard. He looked like a man who had worked hard to get to where he was, perhaps not entirely by reasonable means. He had a large, graying beard and small, sharp eyes. This was not a man Kat would like to mess with. She burrowed a little deeper into the sheets as he stepped into the small cabin, not wanting him to see her body with his piercing gaze.

The captain stepped toward the bed. “Hello Miss,” he said gruffly. “My name is Captain James Donaldson.” He stepped forward and bowed shortly, seemingly more of a formality than a force of habit. “You had a right fall miss, but we’re headed for Port Royal now, so we can drop you off there while we drop cargo as well.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness,” Kat said meekly. “If you’d like, I can pay you once we reach port. Surely with all the trouble you have gone through-”

“Nonsense,” said Donaldson, cutting across her speech. “It’s a pleasure to help a fine young lass like yourself out of a rough spot. All I ask is that you stay on Port Royal and not come further with us. I’m afraid I have a few superstitious men aboard my ship that don’t take kindly to the presence of a woman.”

That superstition again! From the looks of it, the captain was one of those superstitious men who didn’t want her aboard the boat. She sighed internally. Perhaps it was for the best if she just stayed on land. Surely the sea wasn’t for her.

“Very well captain.” Kat agreed. “I shall not follow you from Port Royal once we dock.” The captain looked pleased at this news.

“Excellent. Now, if you’ll excuse me miss, my crew needs attending to. We’ll be arriving at Port Royal shortly.” The captain beat a hasty retreat out of the cabin, and she heard him begin to bark at the crew.

Kat busied herself with her thoughts while the crew worked to make haste toward Port Royal. It wasn’t too long. Only about three hours passed before she heard the men yelling about land and getting ready to dock. Kat braced herself for stepping outside of the cabin and onto the dock of Port Royal. She had things to do.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Well, what do you think? A bit of a break from the norm, aye? Anyway, constructive criticism is welcome. I'll probably try to get the next chapter up Thursday or Friday. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Awesome storyline, great descriptive qualities...keep the chapters coming, Kat C!

Her New World
 

Thanks for the praise Lizzy!

Ok, it's on to chapter....5? I don't know, don't really keep chapter numbers with these things. Yah, it's five. Anyway. Here's the most recent chapter. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the story or any rights to Pirates of the Caribbean Online. This story is merely for fun and an outlet for my imagination. Thank you

Her New World

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Before she could step out of the cabin, Lawrence walked into the small room. “Captain says I’m to-” he started before looking at her clothes. “Well Mrs. Crestshot, those clothes seem to fit you very well,” he said, staring at her body.


Kat turned away, blushing. “Thank you Lawrence.” It was truly flattering to her, for she hadn’t had anyone compliment her like that since she had been courted. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to correct you on one thing though,” she told him.

“And what would that be ma’am?” he asked her politely, not worried at all that he was about to be reprimanded. If it was from such a beautiful woman as Kat, he wouldn’t mind anything she said to him. It was too bad for him that she was already taken.

“I am not a Mrs., Lawrence,” she told him, walking up to him and getting very close. “I am merely a Miss. There is no need to go around calling me Mrs. Crestshot when it is, in fact, not true.” She smiled at him from where she was merely a few inches away from him. What was she doing? It was indecent for her to be this close to him. Yet, she didn’t mind it. She minded it a lot less than she had when her husband had courted her.

Lawrence seemed confused at her confession. “But, the ring on your finger-” he began.

“-is from my marriage, yes,” Kat admitted. “However, I no longer have any association with that man I called my husband. Now I am merely Kat Crestshot, and I shall make my own way.” She walked away from Lawrence and towards the door of the cabin, looking out at Port Royal. “To start my own way I must sell this ring. It no longer has any importance to me, and quite frankly I need money. Hopefully I can get what I need and be on my way.”

Lawrence studied the woman facing away from him. There was something different about her, something that made Lawrence want to be even closer to her, to help her, to make sure she was alright, such as when he had rescued her from the ocean. She was unlike the fine women of Port Royal, the baggage of Tortuga, or the hard ones that occupied Padres del Fuego. She was somewhere in between. It was something completely new for Lawrence to see or experience.

“Would you like some help then, Ms. Crestshot?” Lawrence asked, wanting to spend more time with her.

Kat gave a small smile. “You can just call me Kat, Lawrence. And yes, if you know where there is a good jeweler that I can go to, it would be much obliged.”
Lawrence was about to respond when someone from outside the cabin yelled at him. “Oi, Lawrence, you done in there yet mate? We need to get everything unloaded!” Lawrence rolled his eyes and walked over to the door, yelling out of it. “I’ll be right there James, just hold it!” He turned back to Kat. “My apologies. I have to go. I can show you the way to Jeweler Smitty’s later though. Captain usually lets us have a bit of time on land to do what we want before we head back out.”

“Oh, of course, you have to do your work,” Kat replied. “Don’t worry; I’ll wait for you on the dock until you can show me.” She smiled at him once more as he walked away.

Once he had begun working, Kat went out onto the deck of the boat and down the ramp that lead her to the dock. She decided that she could look around a bit, explore what she could for the time being until Lawrence was ready to meet up with her. On the dock, she saw a man with blonde hair and a searching expression. Curious, she went over to him, wondering what could be causing such a look.

“Hello,” she said pleasantly as she walked up to the man. “Ahoy,” he said in return, eyeing her critically. He seemed to see what he wanted, because he motioned for her to come closer, away from the men of the ship. “You match the description of someone a Mr. Sparrow was telling me about. Tell me, you haven’t been in contact with him lately, have you?” He looked at her as if she already knew the answer.

So, Sparrow had gone ahead of her and warned this man of her. Apparently he had connections all over the Caribbean, and wanted to keep track of her. Before she would give this man an answer though…”Who wants to know?” she said defiantly.

The blonde man smiled. “Smart. Very good. I have nothing to hide. My name is Sam Seabones, an acquaintance of Mr. Jack Sparrow. He told me to keep watch for a little piece of flotsam he freed from a jail. Apparently he wants a bit of help with something and believes you’re the right one to grant him that help.”

“What does he want help with?” Kat asked. She had seen the favors Bo Beck and the people in the tavern had owed, and how that had affected them. Jack’s thumb is not something she was looking forward to being under.

The man shrugged at her answer. “With Jack Sparrow, I can’t be sure. He just asked me to pass along a message…that is, if you are said piece of flotsam from a jail.” He grinned, knowing how he was provoking her.

Provoking her he was. Kat crossed her arms and said, “Yes, Jack Sparrow did free me from jail. Now, what is his message?”

Sam brought his mouth close to her ear in a whisper. Kat was ready to shy away from his closeness, but knew she needed to hear this message. Who knows what would happen to her otherwise. “Go visit Tia Dalma,” he whispered above the noise the seamen were making around them by unloading the boat. “Apparently, he feels you have a need for her…special services.” He backed off.

Kat got closer to him again, knowing that this conversation would have to be kept quiet. “Where exactly would I find Tia Dalma?” she asked. “You’re aware that I just got here, yes? Can’t find my way at all.”

Sam sighed, as if this was a much larger job than he had asked for. He grasped her shoulders and turned her in the direction of the town. “Go that way, past the entrance to the fort and through the graveyard, into the entrance through the tree. That’s called King’s Run. It’s where you’ll find Tia Dalma…for now at least. She’s not exactly comfortable here on Port Royal, so you best get there quick, savvy?” Kat nodded her assent. Sam continued. “Oh, and while you’re passing through the graveyard, you wouldn’t mind killing two or so skeletons for me, will you? If you do, I’ll give you a pretty penny for it. You see, they’re an infestation to this island, and every little bit counts.”

Kill a skeleton? How do you kill a skeleton? How would she do that if it was already dead and buried? Then it occurred to her. Sam probably meant one of Jolly’s skeletons. Kat gulped. This was something she wasn’t looking forward to.

As she was contemplating her fate, she heard Lawrence’s voice calling to her. “Kat!” he called over the din of the men working. Sam Seabones let go of her shoulders with a whisper of, “Remember about the skeletons, aye?” before disappearing into town.

Lawrence ran up to her with a smile on his face. “Hey Kat, I’m going to be out of here in just a few more moments. Want to head to jeweler Smitty’s then?” Kat nodded and smiled weakly, making Lawrence worried. “Is everything alright? Did that man do something to you?” he asked venomously. She saw him searching the crowd for Sam.

“No Lawrence, no.” she said, putting her hand on his arm to calm him down. “Everything is fine. We were just having a friendly chat is all; you know, I told him it was my first time in Port Royal and he welcomed me. That sort of thing.” She smiled at him, stronger this time. He seemed pleased with that, brightening up a bit himself. “Ok, just let me know if something is bothering you, ok?” he said before getting back to work.

Soon enough, Lawrence finished unloading the ship and the captain said that the crew was free to do as they liked until morning. He walked up to where Kat was sitting on a box, lost in the thoughts of what she had to do. “You ready to go?” he asked her, offering his arm. Kat smiled at his gentlemanly behavior. It was so different than what her husband had always done. He had always done it because it was expected of him, but Lawrence seemed to do it just because he felt like it was an honor to offer his arm. Kat graciously took his arm and said, "That I am Lawrence. That I am.”

The two walked down the dock and into the town. Lawrence led her past the fort and a mansion on the hill to a walkway surrounded by small businesses and houses. There were some people in the street, like a gypsy making something in a pot, and an old, bent over man flipping a coin next to a grapevine. She smiled at the life the town had as Lawrence led her to a small tavern with the name “Royal Anchor” swinging in the wind above it. Lawrence looked at her sheepishly. “I was thinking that before I took you to jeweler Smitty, we could have a drink or a meal here at the Royal Anchor. I know the owner, and she’s very nice, and has some great food. Is that ok?”

At that moment, Kat’s stomach rumbled loudly. She blushed and said, “I suppose that’s my stomach’s way of telling me yes.” Lawrence chuckled at her and led her in through the doors of the tavern.

When they walked in, Kat was assaulted by the sound of a flute and a guitar playing a cheery song, and the chatter of a few men at a small round table playing cards. Lawrence led her over to the counter where a redheaded woman was standing chatting with a man in a uniform and sweeping behind the bar. Lawrence let go of her arm with a promise to be right back, leaving her standing next to the table playing cards.

“Hello Josie,” he said with a smile, walking up to the redhead behind the bar.

“Lawrence!” she cried, reaching over the counter to give him a short hug. “How have you been?” she asked him excitedly.

“Never better, Josie, never better,” he said with a large grin at her enthusiasm. Josie glanced behind him to where Kat was standing, paying attention to the game of cards going on. She smiled knowingly. “Could it have anything to do with that pretty girl over there Lawrence?” she asked, nodding her head in Kat’s direction.

Lawrence looked behind his shoulder at Kat, who wasn’t paying any attention to their conversation, absorbed in the card game. His eyes zoned out for a moment as he said, “Perhaps.”

Josie looked at him with a playful glint in her eye. “Well Lawrence,” she said, bringing him back to the present, “what is it you need?”

Lawrence continued looking at Kat as he said, “A few drinks and a meal Josie. And, perhaps, a room for the lady here.” He turned back to her with puppy dog eyes, the eyes that always got Josie to do what he wanted. Josie rolled her eyes at him. “The drinks and meal I can do, but the room I’ll do under one condition,” she told him.

“What would that be?” Lawrence asked, confused. It wasn’t like Josie to deny a patron a room.

“I get to meet her first you silly! Honestly, the horizon be as empty as your head.” She smacked him playfully in the side of the head. Lawrence grinned back at his old friend. Then he turned and called Kat over to the bar. She turned form the card game and walked over to Lawrence, nervous about meeting Josie, for reasons unknown. Maybe it was just her day to get embarrassed over everything.

As Kat walked up, Josie offered her hand. “Josie McReedy, owner of this establishment,” she said, cutting right to the chase. “You would be?” Kat put her hand out and shook with Josie. “I’m Kat Crestshot. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You as well Kat,” Josie replied. She glanced down at Kat’s left hand and saw the ring sparkling there. “Goodness Lawrence!” she cried, her hand flying to her heart. “Have you gone to get engaged and didn’t tell me?”

Kat quickly looked down at her left ring finger to see her wedding band sparkling back up again. She covered it up with her right hand. “No, um, no, that’s- that’s not from Lawrence,” she stammered. “Um…” she blushed profusely.

“I’m just helping Kat look for a place to sell it, that’s all Josie,” Lawrence said, equally embarrassed. “I haven’t gone and gotten engaged while I was away, don’t worry,” he told her. Josie looked relieved and a bit depressed at that. Lawrence deserved a nice girl, one who knew how to take care of herself as well, and Kat seemed to hold that standard. However, she would have been surprised to see Lawrence get engaged so quickly. He’d only been away for a few months, and as far as she knew, most of that time had been at sea, with the occasional port here and there.

“Very well then, Lawrence,” she said. “Now, how’s about that meal?”

Kat and Lawrence had a very nice time chatting during their meal. Lawrence laughed at her reaction when she tried rum for the first time. Kat then proceeded to smack him in the stomach, causing him to keel over in a mockery of pain. Overall, they had a very good time just talking and laughing with each other. To them, it felt like they hadn’t just met earlier in the day, when Lawrence had rescued her. They had an easy way, like they had known each other for years, just without knowing each others story.

After they finished eating, they left the tavern with a promise to Josie to return later, after they had bartered the ring. Lawrence led her out on his arm again and led her up a flight of steps outside to a small smattering of shops. He led her into a building with a picture of a ring hanging on the outside with the title “Smitty’s Jewelry Shoppe” underneath. They walked inside and met with Sarah, the business side of the shop.

Kat offered the ring to Sarah, watching her examine it closely with a magnifying glass to determine its worth. She eyed the diamonds embedded in the metal and ran her finger along the edges, as if looking for imperfections. When she finished examining it, she placed it on the counter and turned back to Kat and Lawrence. “Why are you selling this ring?” she asked. “It’s in a very fine condition, and it seems like you need it.” She looked pointedly at Lawrence.

Kat and Lawrence glanced at each other. “Oh, no, we’re not engaged,” Kat explained hurriedly for the second time that day. “Um, look, can you please just tell me how much I can get for it?” she asked, not wanting to go into detail about the situation.

Sarah looked down at the ring again. “Well, with the condition it’s in, and it’s in a rather fine condition, I can offer you…perhaps 50 gold for it,” she said.

“50 gold?” Lawrence asked incredulously. “That’s ridiculous. A ring like that should be at least 100.” Kat put her hand on Lawrence’s arm to try to calm him down a bit and get him to back off. She didn’t want him to make Sarah lower the price.

Sarah raised her eyebrows at Lawrence coolly. “Are you suggesting that my price is unreasonable?” she asked him with a businesslike air. Kat stepped in front of Lawrence, who seemed like he was about to argue and said, “He’s not saying that at all. However, perhaps you could raise the price a bit. I could use all the help I could get.” There she was, playing the poor card. Lawrence looked at her with a bit of admiration. It took guts to do that. He turned back to Sarah, who sighed.

“Perhaps I can increase it to 75,” she said, thinking. “But that is my last offer! The ring isn’t just-crafted, so I can’t offer what I would sell for a brand new one.”

“It is done then,” Kat agreed, shaking her hand. The pair got the gold from Sarah and made their way back to the Royal Anchor in the setting sun.

“Thank you for trying to defend me back there,” Kat said softly, still holding the bag of gold Sarah had given her. “In fact, thank you for everything you’ve done for me so far, starting with rescuing me.” Kat had been humbled by Lawrence’s action the past day. It made her realize that the world was different than the people always trying to get ahead, always thinking about themselves; the world she had grown up in as a high class lady.

“It is nothing, Kat,” Lawrence replied, just as softly. Their words were spoken in such a way that they seemed almost scared of someone hearing their conversation, even though there was nobody around. “I want to help you. It makes me feel good, like I’ve done something decent for someone who deserves it.”

Kat secretly believed that she didn’t deserve it, but she decided not to tell Lawrence that. “Well, thank you for everything Lawrence. Look, here’s something for you.” She opened up the bag and took out a few pieces of gold and put it in the palm of his hand. “For all of your trouble,” she told him. Lawrence looked down at the gold in his palm with disbelief.

“No, Kat, I can’t take this, there was no trouble,” he told her, dropping the coins back into the open bag. “You’re going to need that later, trust me. The Caribbean runs off of money. The less you have, the less you are.”

“Lawrence, I’m insisting you accept this!” she told him stubbornly. Why couldn’t she just give him the gold and he accept it? That’s what her husband would have done, and done it gladly.

Then it occurred to Kat again. Lawrence and Gregory weren’t the same person. That’s why she was so drawn to him in the first place. That’s why she felt no guilt in giving him money, no shame when she was close to him. It was the reason she felt like she could tell him anything, and he would just accept it. He wouldn’t criticize her about it or anything. He would just listen and be there, with no reservations. He could be noble enough to not accept something of importance, like money, because he felt that letting her have money was more important.

“Kat, I refuse to take this now,” he said, equally stubborn. “Perhaps later, when you have gotten further along on starting your own way, you can pay me back. But you need this now, more than I do. So,” he said, closing the bag tight with the drawstring. “Keep it.”

When he reached over to put the money back in the bag, Lawrence unknowingly got closer to her. He felt himself get even closer, as if drawn to her by a magnetic force. Kat felt the same attraction, and their lips almost touched before Kat closed her eyes and backed away.

“We should get back to Josie. She’s probably worried that we’ve taken so long,” she said softly, her eyes turned to the ground.

“Very well then,” Lawrence said, disappointed. He knew that the time wasn’t right though. Perhaps another time. He would get his chance someday. For now, he was content with leading Kat back to the Royal Anchor on his arm. For now, he could take her back to Josie and make sure she was well taken care of before he went back out to sea the next day.


:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Haha, Sam Seabones is one of my favorite characters. Can't explain why, but I felt the need to include him. Josie McReedy as well. Royal Anchor is one of my favorite places to hang out, and Josie and Captain Job keep my basic self busy a lot of the time.

Anyway, did you enjoy it? For any guys out there reading it, don't gag at Kat and Lawrence. I'm a girl, and a hopeless romantic, so if there was no romance in this story, it wouldn't qualify as one of my stories. Besides, we'll get to the action later. Course, I'm still writing those parts, so we'll see how this works....

So, constructive criticism is invited and welcomed into this whole party. Open invitation, bring your friends, the like...should have the next chapter up sometime next week.

Ok, I am way too tired, I should not be typing things that people should see, so I'm going to stop ranting now. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Amazing story. :) And for the record, I don't mind the romance one bit. ;)

...so, Crest.......when you get published and sell your first book(and I think if you haven't , ye could)....be sure you invite us to the rum party!!:)

Wow this is cool!

Wow Kat.. just.. wow!

Her Dance
 

Wow guys, thank you so much for the response for the last chapter! I am quite honestly astounded by it! I was going to wait to post this chapter until tomorrow or Thursday, but when I saw what everyone had posted...thank you so much. So, chapter 6!

Her Dance

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

The pair entered the Royal Anchor in silence, quite unlike the playful chatter they’d had going on when they had left. Josie noticed the change in demeanor and walked out from behind the bar to talk to them. She figured something had gone bad at jeweler Smitty’s. She’d had experience with Sarah firsthand, and knew the woman wasn’t the most approachable, or the most yielding.

“Welcome back,” she said, greeting them where they had sat in front of the fire. “Everything go alright with Jeweler Smitty up there? You got your money’s worth, right?” She was trying to get the pair to speak up. Their melancholy air was quite unnerving.

“Yes,” Kat replied softly, staring into the fire. She didn’t feel up to talking to Josie about what had happened at the moment.

Josie seemed to sense that this wasn’t the right time to pry. It would likely only make things worse for the girl. So, instead of delving into places she shouldn’t, she went over to the men playing music in the corner. She whispered something in their ears before going back to where Lawrence and Kat were sitting.

Lawrence was merely sitting there staring at Kat. He wanted to know so much, but he too was honed onto Kat’s emotions and just sat there quietly. While he stared at her, he admired her face in the firelight. Her profile was accentuated by the flickering light, and he admired the straight shape of her nose, her full lips, and the way her chin jutted out just a bit, as if she was challenging the world. He admired her long neck, and found his eyes drifting even more when both were startled by jumpy music being played in the corner by Sean Tones and Christopher Scott.

Josie came up to where the pair was trying to recover from the sudden burst of liveliness. “Come on and dance!” she told them, pulling them up. She was honestly trying to get them to wake up from the sudden melancholy. Lawrence shrugged and took Kat’s hand. “A dance for a poor sailor miss?” he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Kat smiled at his antics. “I suppose I can spare a dance or two good sir,” she said playfully. The two walked out to the small, open area between the tables. Lawrence began dancing in a way that was completely foreign to Kat. It was a weird sort of jig where he spun around in a circle, tapping his toes and the heels of his feet. Kat looked at him strangely. “What are you doing?”

Lawrence stopped dancing and turned to Kat. “You can’t tell me you’ve never seen that before!” he said disbelievingly. “It’s got to be the most popular dance in the Caribbean!”

Kat rolled her eyes at him. “Lawrence, I'm brand new here. I don't know these things like you do.” Lawrence shook his head at her playfully. “Well then, I suppose I’m just going to have to teach you,” he grinned at her and started dancing again.

Kat scowled at him. “Lawrence, I don’t think that’s helping,” she told him, a bit annoyed. He grinned at her. “Can’t you watch and learn? Come on now, it’s merely step and tap and kick and tap.” He danced a little slower so that she could see what he was doing. Tentatively, Kat began to imitate Lawrence’s moves.

“Haha, there, you’ve got it!” Lawrence exclaimed. She spun about a little faster and moved her feet a bit quicker at his encouragement. Lawrence stopped dancing to watch her move. Kat was really getting into the dance now, smiling and spinning at an intense rate. Suddenly, she tripped, and began to fall over with a small yelp. Quickly, Lawrence reached out and caught her in his arms just before she hit the ground.

He grinned at her from where she lay in his arms. “Will I have to get used to rescuing you Kat?” he asked her playfully. Kat couldn’t speak from where she was positioned in his arms, terribly close to him again. Before she could do anything herself, however, she felt herself being righted and put back to balance on her own feet.

Lawrence had decided that he didn’t want to act upon his feelings at the moment. He sensed there was something in Kat’s past that wouldn’t let him get through all the way, not right now at least. If he had acted, things wouldn’t go the right way later, and for some reason, he wanted the opportunity for things to go the right way later. At this point, he held himself back, knowing that waiting was better. The turtle did beat the fox after all.

Lawrence took her hand. “How about you try that dance again…only, go a bit slower this time.” He gave her a smile, but Kat felt like he was holding something back. She knew though, like Josie and Lawrence himself, that now wasn’t the time to pry. She figured she could just enjoy herself for the time being before tomorrow, where everything would perhaps fall into place for her.

After she had gotten the hang of the jig, the music changed dramatically. It turned into a small ballad, not something to be dancing a jig to at all. The pair looked at each other oddly, and from the corner of his eye, Lawrence saw Josie wink at the musicians. So that was what was going on. Josie was trying to push the two of them together, making them dance and get closer. He sighed internally. He would have to fill her in later, if he had time.

Lawrence turned to Kat and offered his hand. “A final dance? This is probably more your style anyway,” he smiled. Kat took the offered hand and Lawrence pulled her in to him, putting his hand at her waist, with Kat placing her other hand lightly on his shoulder. Then, Lawrence began leading her through a slow, almost formal dance. He kept her closer to him than would usually be practiced in the high class parties of England, but Kat didn’t mind. The only people that could see them were the musicians and the smiling Josie from behind the bar.

The pair danced in silence for a few moments. Lawrence slowed them down and leaned to speak into Kat’s ear. “Kat, you know I’m leaving first thing tomorrow, yes?” he murmured breathily into her ear. Kat almost felt her knees buckle as his breath swept past her ear. “Yes,” she said just as quietly, nodding as well to show her confirmation.

Lawrence stopped their dancing. “I want to thank you Kat. This has been the most amazing day of my entire life.” He pulled away from her ear and looked her in the eyes. “Even with saving you,” he grinned.

Kat wasn’t completely getting what Lawrence was telling her. “Lawrence…you’re thanking me for your saving me?” she asked, confused. Being rescued isn’t something that’s commonly thanked for by the rescuer. In fact, the way she had seen it, it had always been a burden for the rescuer, not a shining light. Perhaps getting recognition is what would make the rescue better, but for Lawrence, there was some other happiness lighting up his face. It was just one more new experience for Kat that day.

He smiled at her and shook his head. “It’s almost like that Kat. It’s more like I’m thanking you for being here. I’m thanking you for walking into my life at this time when I felt like there was no purpose. Just thank you.” He pulled her into an embrace. Kat stiffened, her years of training in boarding and finishing schools kicking in. Then she figured that it didn’t mattered, and wrapped her arms around him as well, resting her head on his shoulder.

Josie looked upon the pair for a moment before turning away. This was their time, not hers. There’s no need for her to be a voyeur, intruding on something that was as peaceful as that. She stepped into the back room, the place where she slept at night, and considered the couple out in her bar. They looked so perfect together, but Josie knew that nothing would happen between them- not tonight anyway. Perhaps someday in the future, they could find each other again and find a way to beat the rest of the world together. Josie smiled a bit. She could definitely see them doing that. What a pair they would be, taking on the Caribbean side by side, with only the thoughts of the other’s safety. She chuckled a bit before setting her broom down in the corner and waited a decent amount of time before she intruded on Kat and Lawrence once more.

Back in the main room of the tavern, Kat and Lawrence finally broke apart. Lawrence stared at her almost sadly, as if trying to memorize her face. “I have to go now,” he told her in the same quiet voice as before. “I need to get some sleep before setting out tomorrow.” He glanced towards the back room where Josie was situated. “I arranged for a room here for you with Josie earlier. She’ll make sure you’re taken care of. Don’t worry about paying her though. I took care of that.”

Kat gave him a small glare. “Lawrence, you didn’t have to do that. I’m perfectly fine of taking care of myself. I can pay-” She stopped when Lawrence put one of his large hands over her mouth. “I told you not to worry about it. She knows your situation and she’ll take care of you accordingly.”

Kat moved his hand from her mouth and took it in her own. “How did you manage that anyway?” she asked, thinking she wouldn’t like the answer.

Lawrence smirked at her. “Let’s just say I owe Josie a favor or two now,” he said slyly. “Now shush, or I’ll never get out of here.” He took the hand that was holding his and brought it up to his lips. Gently, he brushed his lips across the back of her hand, the way a gentleman would. “Until next time Kat Crestshot,” he murmured against her hand.

“Until next time Lawrence,” she said, just as soft. He let go of her hand and it fell to her side. She watched him go into the back room to say goodbye to Josie and watched him come back out to walk through the front door of the tavern. As he opened the door, he glanced back at her, catching her staring at him. He shot her a smile and then he was off into the night.

Kat watched him leave while unconsciously rubbing the place he had kissed her hand. Josie had come out when Lawrence had left and saw the young woman standing there, staring at the door. She had seen what was between Lawrence and Kat, but decided not to say anything.

“Kat,” she called out, pulling the young woman out of her reverie. Kat turned around sharply to see Josie standing there. “I’ve got a room for you if you were planning on sleeping tonight,” Josie told her. She turned and walked to a door next to where the musicians had recently been, expecting Kat to follow. Tentatively, she did, pursuing Josie through the door and up the stairs that lead to a few small rooms. Josie was waiting at the end of the hall next to an open door.

When Kat reached her, Josie led her into the room. “This is yours for as long as you need it,” Josie told Kat, her arm sweeping across the small quarters. There was a single cot in the corner of the room, along with a mirror and a small desk next to it. There were a few drawers for clothes and such, but other than that, the room was very sparse. It was probably only 12 by 14 feet is what Kat was guessing, with a window on the wall at the foot of the bed. She nodded to herself. It would do for now. She had to get herself situated somehow.

Josie watched Kat eye the room critically. She got the feeling that it wasn’t at all what the girl was used to. However, she noted Kat’s nod and felt content with it. She was aware of how little Kat had, so she figured she could let her slide on payment for a few days while Kat got on her feet. Besides, she must have been blind to not see how captivated Lawrence was with her, and that added with Lawrence’s request to take care of her, Josie figured it her duty to her old friend.

Kat finally turned to Josie after her assessment of the room. “Thank you very much Josie. I can pay you now if you’d like…” Kat reached for the bag of gold in her jacket pocket. Josie leaned over before Kat could pull it out, pushing her hand gently away from the jacket opening.

“There’s no need to pay me Kat,” she said kindly. “I want to help you out, to get back on your feet. If providing a room is a small part of that, I’m glad to be of help.” Josie smiled at her. “Now, go ahead and sleep. After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you need some.” She backed out of the door and closed it behind her, leaving Kat in the room alone.

Kat sighed and felt her shoulders slump. She truly was tired. The drawers were right in front of her, so she took the gold and the chest out of her jacket and set it down in the top drawer. Her rusty little cutlass was unclipped from her belt and set on top of them, and Kat finally took of her thick coat and laid it over it all, closing the drawer with a small thud.

She walked over to the bed and sat down heavily. The bed wasn’t the most comfortable of things; It was a bit hard and lumpy, and the sheets were coarse, but it was something better than a hard floor in an alley somewhere on the island. Kat slipped off her boots and slid under the thin cover that was provided for a blanket. She tossed and turned restlessly until, finally, she fell asleep.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

It's not really the most fun chapter in my opinion, but I like it well enough. Next chapter we get a little more on track with the game story, but I don't think that will last long. However, I'm still writing it, soo.....

Ok, so if you were tuned into this story before the previous chapter, new chapters will be coming slower than usual. I'm no longer on spring break, so I no longer have unlimited time to write. Also, I have a theater production coming up soon, so that makes even less time while we try and make everything perfect before opening. I will try my best to post once a week though. I think I'm too invested in this story to stop now. :pirate2:

Again, thank you so much for the review last chapter. Please, keep tuned in to this story, because it is going to get past the initial nooby Kat stage. Constructive criticism is welcome and actually invited. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

I absolutely loved this chapter. But honestly, Lawrence is clueless. Why can't he see that they have to be together or they will be miserable? Grr, that's my hopelessly romantic side talking. Either way, I loved it. :D

love the story should be made a movie can't wait for more :)

Her New Morning
 

Ok, next chapter. Why do I always post these at like, midnight? Urgh. Oh well. Quick warning about this chapter: Kat actually fights in it, and there's mentions of blood and what not. I'm just throwing that out there so you know and so that I don't get in trouble later. :)

Also, thank you for the reviews for Her Dance. I really, truly appreciate it. Seriously, you guys have no idea. And yes, Amelia, Lawrence is a bit clueless, but, you know, he has his reasons....kinda....

Anyway, onward we go!

Her New Morning

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

“Throw her in the brig!” he commanded in a harsh voice. His eyes looked cold, and strong hands grasped her arms, dragging her across the deck of the ship.

“No, sweetheart, I swear I didn’t! I would never…I, I couldn’t!” Katherine struggled viciously against her captors, yelling out to her husband. They only held her tighter, not caring about the fact that she was female. That only made them fiercer towards her.

“You think I can believe you?!” her husband thundered. “You are nothing but a stupid, stupid woman! I should have never brought you aboard this ship!” His voice quieted with his next line. “The men were right. A woman on a ship is bad luck.” With that the men dragged a struggling, crying Katherine across the deck and into the dark, dank brig of the ship…

Kat sat up quickly in bed, breathing heavily. Her eyes looked around frantically, and she relaxed a bit when she saw the drawers and desk of her room in the Royal Anchor from the gentle sunlight coming through the window. She fell backwards in the bed with a sigh, trying to get her breathing under control. Her eyes blinked rapidly, as if trying to determine whether the image of the ceiling would suddenly change into the darkness of the brig. When her mind seemed to straighten out, she sat up again and swung out of the bed.

She glanced out the window towards the town. The sun had risen just over the mountains. Kat decided it was time to get up and out. She remembered Sam Seabones’ warning about Tia Dalma leaving soon, so she grabbed her cutlass and clipped it on, and put on her coat, slipping the gold and the chest into the inside pockets again. She put her boots on and went down the stairs to the bar of the Royal Anchor.

Josie was down there, cleaning behind the bar and seemingly getting ready for the day. She noticed Kat walk through the door that leads to the rooms. “Morning Kat,” she said cheerily. “Sleep alright?”

“Yes,” Kat muttered, rubbing at her eyes. Josie noted the light bags under Kat’s eyes, but decided not to mention it. The girl had enough on her mind it seemed. She went over to the coffeepot on the stove and poured a cup for Kat. The young woman sat down heavily at a bench at the bar and graciously accepted the cup of coffee Josie placed in front of her.

Kat glanced at it and picked it up. “Thanks Josie,” she said, taking a sip of the warm brew. Even though she wasn’t much of a coffee drinker- not black anyway- Josie had one of the best coffees she had ever tasted. It made her feel revitalized. She took another sip before saying, “I have things today.”

Josie looked at her in surprise. “Things to do? But you just got here.”

“Um, yes,” Kat responded nervously. “Well, you know, Sam Seabones over at the dock asked a favor of me. Asked me to kill some skeletons.” She didn’t want to reveal to Josie that there was more to it than that. Kat trusted her, but didn’t want to reveal she was going to see Tia Dalma. Something told her that the news wouldn’t be greatly welcomed.

Josie wasn’t too happy with the news of the skeletons either. “That Seabones, always trying to do things he’s perfectly capable of doing himself.” She sighed. “Just be careful, alright? Those skeletons are nasty when provoked.” Josie wasn’t really certain about Kat going and doing favors for Sam, especially defeating skeletons, but she knew he paid well for so little work. He really wanted those pesky skeletons gone, and he recruited all the help he could from newcomers at the dock, hoping that it would bring more people to the fight for the Caribbean.

Kat saw the conflict and Josie’s eyes and nodded her consent. “Don’t worry Josie, I’ll always be careful.” The two sat in silence for a little while, Josie making her bar ready for patrons and Kat sipping her coffee, until Kat decided it was finally time to leave. She gave Josie back the empty coffee cup and bid her goodbye, leaving out the front door with her cutlass at her side.

She walked through the town and back to the place Sam Seabones had pointed her to when she had arrived yesterday. She crept through an archway into a small graveyard. What she saw there chilled her to her very alive bones.

There were skeletons there, at least ten, and probably more, just standing there or digging through the ground with their bony claws. They were just out in the open, apparently not caring who saw them. It seemed Jolly Roger wasn’t exactly keen on the secrecy of his presence.

She slowly snuck towards the one closest to her. When she was only a few feet away, she drew her cutlass, ready to strike. The skeleton heard her, though it didn’t appear to have any ears. It drew a small dagger and lurched toward her, shouting “Trespasser!”

Kat threw herself to the side, avoiding the dirty, pointy piece of metal. She took only a second to try and get herself together, remembering what the man in the warehouse had told her. Her eyes narrowed in determination as she hacked the skeleton, then coming across its middle with a slash. She gathered her energy and swept through it in a huge arc. The skeleton fell to the ground and disappeared in a green glow, its soul freed from the clutches of Jolly Roger.

Kat watched the disappearance of the skeleton with disbelief. Had she really just done that? The skeleton wasn’t technically alive, but…she had killed it. Destroyed it. She looked at the cutlass in her hand. This was her life now. Now, it truly occurred to her that she definitely wasn’t in the tea parties and formal balls of high class England anymore. It was time to fight for her place in this world. She had to make this world her own. Her eyes hardened. She grasped the handle of the cutlass so hard her knuckles turned white. Her hazel eyes turned upwards, away from the cutlass towards the next skeleton.

Without warning, she charged at it, not giving it a single chance to fight back. It was down before it had even raised its tiny dagger. She went onto the next one, and the next one, getting each skeleton she saw in the graveyard, knocking them down and freeing them from Jolly Roger’s clutches. When she finished, she was breathing heavily and her eyes softened once again, but not all the way back to where they had been. With the annihilation of all of these skeletons, she had changed. She sheathed her cutlass and walked through the tunnel made from a tree, just like Sam Seabones had told her to do.

She came out the other side of the path and came face to face with a woman with red and orange streaks in her hair, earthy clothes, and a piercing look. Kat stopped dead in her tracks at the sight. The woman seemed to be waiting for her. “Tia Dalma?” Kat asked hesitantly.

“Aye,” said the woman. “And you are Kat Crestshot, formerly Katherine Randolph, no?” Tia Dalma gave her a small smile that held the hint of more knowledge than the woman was letting on. To say that Kat was creeped out would be an understatement. The woman knew more about her than Josie and Lawrence combined, the only two people she had really interacted with in her time here. There was something about the woman that rubbed Kat the wrong way, but she ignored it as the woman swept towards a pair of tree stumps, picking up some crab claws as she sat down on the smaller stump.

Tia Dalma shook the claws in her hand, throwing them down on the larger stump. She observed them for a moment before speaking to Kat again. “The claws lie true. There is a touch of destiny in you.”

Destiny? There was no such thing as destiny. Such a thing was only created by fools who wanted to believe that the things that went on in their small lives actually meant something. It was something that was created to make people believe that there was no other way, and that you could not escape the inevitable. Kat did not believe in destiny.

This woman though, this Tia Dalma…she had a way of speaking that swayed Kat a little from this steadfast opinion. It made Kat think that perhaps there was more than this. Was there a touch of destiny in her? No, Kat thought. There is no such thing as destiny. She turned back into what Tia Dalma was saying, shaking destiny from her mind.

She spoke, just like all the other odd people she had encountered, of Jolly Roger’s army. However, a new threat was brought to her attention as Tia Dalma went into an odd trance, bringing images from her hands as she spoke to Kat. She spoke of the Black Guard, the henchmen of Lord Cutler Beckett and the EITC. The powers of both parties were growing, and growing immensely from the shuddering way Tia Dalma spoke of them.

Then Tia got up, walking toward her in a non-threatening manner, but Kat still backed up a bit. She spoke more of the part Kat must play in helping Jack Sparrow recover the Black Pearl. Kat wondered if the voodoo woman meant more of destiny

Tia Dalma granted Kat with a gift: a small, worn compass. She was told that it would help her find the way. Kat wasn’t entirely sure on that point; the compass wasn’t even pointing north. It was pointing toward the tunnel entrance. Before Kat could investigate the compass further, Tia Dalma spoke once more about destiny, about it whispering, before ordering Kat to leave.

Kat turned and fled the presence of the voodoo mistress. As…interesting as she found Tia Dalma, there was an eeriness to her that disturbed Kat. She shuddered a bit as she exited the tree tunnel.

Clearing her thoughts of the mysterious mystic, Kat glanced down at the compass she still held. Odd, the arrow had changed direction. Now it was pointing towards the governor’s mansion, and staying steady. This is no ordinary broken compass, Kat thought, following where the arrow was pointing. She went back through the archway of the graveyard and up to the entryway of the mansion lawn. The compass pointed her in the direction of a Navy Cadet (that is, if she remembered her ranks correctly).

At the sight of the military uniform, Kat felt something in her chest tighten. Her teeth clenched together, her eyes narrowed, and she felt her cutlass heavy at her side. Almost on instinct, she drew it, as if only lightening the weight from her belt, but she clutched it in an offensive direction. Without looking, she slipped the compass into her coat and began walking towards the Cadet.

The Cadet turned around and saw Kat standing there with her sword drawn. “A pirate!” he cried, placing his bayonet in the offensive fighting position. He didn’t get far before Kat struck, her cutlass swinging down onto his shoulder. Kat swung her sword once more into his stomach, and he fell to the ground. While he was falling, a small, formal looking sheet of paper fell out of his jacket onto the grass.

Kat drew her sword away from the dying man lying on the ground. Her expression suddenly changed, becoming softer, much like it had earlier after she had destroyed the skeleton. However, the expression changed to one of horror as she noticed the blood on her sword. Her mouth agape, she stared at the boy on the ground, his eyes open in death. Shakily, Kat knelt down on her knees and closed his eyes.

She brought a trembling hand to her temple, trying to massage away the headache that had just started pounding on her brain. Her own eyes closed, blocking out the light of this horrible day.

When they opened again, her eyes fell upon the piece of paper that had fallen out of the Cadet’s uniform. Her fingers still shaking, she picked it up and opened it. At the top of the page, she noticed the title “Black Pearl Release Orders.” That was all she needed to see. She folded the orders back up and put them in one of her many coat pockets.

She pulled the compass out of a different pocket, seeing what direction she had to go now. It pointed her up the hill towards the front doors of the mansion. She sheathed her sword and tried to avoid any more conflicts with Cadets as she snuck up towards the doors. As she walked in, she encountered a woman in a fine dress, not unlike the ones she used to wear in England. She assumed this was the governor’s daughter. Just as she was about to turn around and run back out the doors, the girl turned around and spotted her.

Kat felt herself freeze as she felt the governor’s daughter’s eyes on her, sizing her up. She grinned a little. “So, you’re Jack Sparrow’s newest protégé, hmm?” Kat couldn’t respond. She was in shock. The governor’s daughter was in league with the pirates? What a world this Caribbean was, where everybody had a little bit of a difference in them than they appeared.

The daughter spoke of the trouble Jack was in, and more warnings of Jolly Roger and Lord Beckett. She also said that Jack would need Kat’s help with recovering the Black Pearl. At this point, Kat remembered the sheet of paper hidden inside of her coat. She pulled it out and handed it to the fine lady. She took it with a small gasp of shock. “Release orders for the Pearl?” she asked, apparently astounded. “I can see why Jack has taken a liking to you!”

Yes, he had taken a liking to her because she was ruthless, willing to kill in cold blood. He had taken a liking to her because she had nothing left, and would take anything to giver he life meaning. He had taken a liking to her because she was a pretty face that had been abandoned, and he had taken advantage of her vulnerability. That was the only reason he had taken a liking to her.

The daughter handed her back the orders with the governor’s seal decorating the edge. She warned her not to get caught with them, or else the Navy would give her no trial, so she should make to Tortuga, the pirate town. Kat nodded her consent, understanding the “without trial” part completely. The daughter wished she could follow, but was awaiting the return of the governor. Kat found it odd how the girl apparently lived two lives: one, the life of the good daughter, the fine lady, raised in the upper class ways; the other, that of a pirate, a sneaky one at that, granting people what they needed to make their way through the Caribbean, and she seemed to have a soft spot for Jack Sparrow. Before she could question the daughter on it, Kat was told to leave quickly, and that a boat would be arranged for her at Darby Drydock’s.

Kat rushed back through the front doors of the mansion, avoiding the military uniforms, afraid of another confontation. With all of her things placed safely in her pockets, she made her way quickly back to the Royal Anchor and Josie McReedy. She burst through the front doors of the tavern, breathing heavily, much to the shock of Josie. She came from her perch behind the bar to Kat’s side.

“Kat, you look like you’ve just been chased by the ghost of Captain Blackbeard himself!” she cried out. “What in the name of mother and child happened? The skeletons didn’t get you, did they?” Josie sounded worried, as if she was a mother hen watching after her young chickadee that had just wandered out of the nest. She leaned over Kat and brought her over to a stool at the bar, trying to get her to sit down, but Kat wouldn’t have any of that.

“I don’t have time Josie,” she told the barkeep quickly. “I have to get out of here, and soon. There’s a boat waiting for me at the docks that I have to catch.” Kat took Josie’s hand and gripped it tightly. “Thank you so much Josie, for everything,” Kat reached into an inside pocket of her jacket and grabbed a few coins, throwing them on the counter. “It’s not enough for what you’ve done for me, and Lawrence said you wouldn’t take payment, but I refuse to take it back,” she told her.

Josie looked down at the coins on the bar. Kat truly was something else. If she was trying to be a pirate, she was going about it the wrong way. All the pirates she had met did anything they could to take what they could for the least amount. Josie picked up the coins and tried putting them back into Kat’s hand. “Kat, I can’t-”

“Josie, I don’t have time,” Kat said impatiently, keeping her fists tightly closed off from the coins. “I have to go now.” With that, Kat gave her hand a small squeeze and ran towards the front doors almost as fast as she had appeared.

"Be careful!" Josie cried out to the woman before she could exit the tavern.

Kat turned back towards Josie with a grin on her face. "I promise Josie, I always will be." Kat turned away, shouting a quick "Goodbye!" as she left.

“Goodbye,” Josie said quietly, even though Kat wasn’t there to hear it. She clutched the coins in her hand tightly. Yes, that Kat Crestshot was something else.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

So, you know, kind of working with the game story here, but I tried adding my own little twist. Again, not the most exciting chapter, but I promise you it will come! I have my own little (big) outline that I'm trying (kinda) to follow, but the whole creativity thing gets in the way, you know....

Haha, next chapter is going to be a bit of the same, with the whole game story going, but I'm gonna try and get as far as possible with that part of the story there in the next chapter so we can get into the whole meat and beans originality nonsense. Again, I'll try and post once a week, but I have tests and Heck Week for theater coming up soon (if you're in theater, you know what I mean) and........yah. Don't be afraid to review! Good, bad, never want me to write again, just make it along the lines of the whole "Constructive Criticism" thing. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Nice job Crestshot.

...I'll say it again Crest...love it! you are a writer, thru and thru...good luck on tests btw.:)

i saw the new chapter this morning but had to wrok :( so when it was time to go i flew home so i could read this :D awesome job im lovin it

I'm loving it! Great job, Crestshot.

I am going to disagree with you;-) It may not be all action, but it is still exciting the way you are weaving the thoughts and feelings of your character into the action of the POTCO plot. I am thoroughly enjoying another viewpoint on the happenings and possible other meanings of events that I just more or less took at face value. This is a very well written story though you might want to do a bit of editing on the above chapter............a few words were left out. For example:


Minor issue and doesn't matter, but did slow me down a bit while reading and I really, REALLY wanted to read fast.

Her Setting Sail
 

More midnight-like posting. Hmm....I really shouldn't make a habit of this....haha.

Alright mates, I've got another chapter lined up for you right here! Sorry it took a bit of time; Real life and all that. However, I have a lot of time to write this weekend, so I'll probably knock a few chapters out that I can post once a week, even if things get more hectic than they are now. Thank you so much for the reviews for the last chapter! I tried going over it a little bit closer so there wouldn't be any odd errors, like Tepcat mentioned, but I'm the only one actually looking at this before posting, so forgive my transgressions, haha. So, with that note, let us begin!

Her Setting Sail

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Once Kat was outside the Royal Anchor, she took her compass out to consult it. She still didn’t know where Darby Drydock was after all. To her surprise, she followed the compass to a small beach area, not far from the Anchor. She made her way up to a half of a ship embedded in the sand at the edge of the beach, where a man stood behind a counter.

Kat walked up to the grumpy looking man cautiously, remembering all of her other encounters. She wondered if she would get yet another lecture about the dangers of Jolly Roger and his various minions. Quickly, she explained the situation to the man, and he told her that Elizabeth Swan had already contacted him. He seemed reluctant to help her, but gave her a ship. However, he insisted that it be renamed, so it wouldn’t be traced back to him. He gave her a list of common ship name combinations, telling her to pick one. When Kat chose the name of her new ship, Drydock handed her some forged papers for it before sending her on her way, telling her that she could launch from one of the dingys on the beach, but warning her that a free ship would not come her way again, so she’d best take care of the one she had now.

Kat walked the few steps over to the dingy, looking at the small boat with nervousness. So far, she hadn’t had good luck with ships, except for when she was picked up by Lawrence’s. Sucking in a breath, pushed the small boat into the water and stepped into it, rowing for the ship not too far from the shore.

She reached her new ship and pushed the dingy back to shore once she was surely on the rope ladder on the side of the boat. When she made it onto the deck, she made a cursory examination of her newest property. It was a rather simple ship, a mere sloop. There was a small cabin in the back that she gave a glance into. It was sparsely furnished, with just a cot, a small table, and a small stove, all bolted into the floor in case of rough waters. She pulled her head out of the cabin and walked to the center of the deck, where there was a door in the floor that led to the underbelly of the ship. Kat made her way down there, looking at the 6 cannons, three on each side of the ship. Those could come in handy, but Kat figured she wouldn’t be much for sailing. Besides, she had nobody to man them. She sighed and went back on top of the deck. There really wasn’t anything too interesting on the ship to be honest. She made her way back up onto the top deck and looked at the status of her sails.

Well, sail she supposed. This was a very small sloop, much smaller than she had ever even seen. There was only one mast with three small sails, but, despite its small size, it made everything much easier for her. She released the sails from its ties and it flew free for a moment until Kat tied it down again on the side of the boat. With that, she grabbed hold of the wheel, taking a moment to look at her compass so she could acquire her heading.

With a grunt of effort, she turned the wheel in the direction the compass was pointing her to, away from Port Royal. Never had she realized just how much strength and effort it took to operate a ship, even just the wheel. Now, she felt more appreciation for those men like Lawrence, who had worked so hard to provide her with a smooth journey every time she set sail. She bumpily shot across the blue ocean in her crudely made ship. Destination: Tortuga.

Land wasn’t far off. She had only been sailing for an hour (by her estimation) before she came upon an oddly shaped island that did not look inhabited at all. Kat got the feeling this was not Tortuga. For the first time, she pulled out her map that she had gained with her sea chest. From what she could tell, she was going in the general direction of Tortuga, but there was a small island that got in the way. For a fleeting moment, Kat considered avoiding the island, but the compass was still pointing surely in that direction, so she decided to trust it.

Carefully, the ship was guided to shore, the wheel released and the anchor dropped down into the ocean before Kat tied the sails back up. The dingy was released and Kat rowed to shore.

When she got to the beach, Kat found that there was no place to tie up her small boat. Being intuitive, she pushed one of the oars deep into the sand, tying the dingy to that instead. Satisfied, she turned around to find a giant scorpion sitting there, just staring at her. Kat froze in her tracks as the scorpion flexed its long stinger menacingly. She attempted to sneak past it, but the moment she moved, the scorpion struck, flinging venom from its tail, barely missing her arm. In a beat, Kat drew her cutlass and struck the animal, stabbing it through its center before she was attacked again.

The animal twitched a few times while the sword was embedded in it, and then went still. Kat slowly drew her sword back and out, staring at the creature on the ground. She felt no remorse for killing it. It was about to kill her in turn, and she only did it in self defense. Besides, it was only an animal. She stepped around the exoskeleton and walked further up the beach.

This time, she decided to not refer to her compass. She looked around the island a bit, noticing the emptiness, with only a few trees, crabs, and more scorpions inhabiting it. The crabs and scorpions didn’t look like the friendliest of creatures, so she gave them a wide berth as she wandered, despite the small size of the crabs. Even so, she kept her cutlass out, just in case. There was a giant rock formation sticking out from the beach that Kat had to stretch her neck to see the top of. It was green with moss, and its corners jutted out sharply in a way that would surely cut a person if they were able to reach the top of it.

Near the end of the beach, Kat encountered a small cave that seemed like it had been made from waves rushing up onto the shore, eroding the rock away in this specific spot. It was lit with a few torches, which Kat found odd, seeing as how she hadn’t encountered anyone yet on the island. Curious, she wandered into the cave.

Coming out of the other side, she was assaulted by the glinting of gold, shining off of more lit torches that were glowing in a deep grotto. Kat stared in wonder at the treasures around her. There must be more gold here than she had ever seen. She was tempted to take a handful of it and put it in her pockets to help her out a bit. The gold glittered up at her as she reached for it.

A deep voice suddenly came from the other side of the cavern. Kat jumped, pulling her hand quickly away from the pile of riches she had been stretching out towards. She saw a man with a monkey on his shoulder raise his head and look at her with a pair of piercing blue eyes. He was dressed in dark clothes, and had a few age scars on his face. His chin was covered with a brown, mangled beard, and the back of his hair was long. The giant hat on his head gave the impression that he had been in a better place at one point in time. He was overall an intimidating figure.

“This here’s a dark place,” the man murmured in a gravelly voice. “You’ll need more than that cutlass if you’re to get out of here with your skin.” Kat crept closer to him, walking around small puddles and piles of treasure. The man tossed her a small pistol and she caught it quickly, not wanting it to hit the ground and go off. She studied it as the man told her to shoot “the cursed simian.” The monkey jumped off the man’s shoulder and stood, docile, in the center of the cavern.

Kat felt hesitant about shooting the creature. This wasn’t like the scorpion outside, who had attacked her. The monkey was just standing there, waiting for her shot. However, the man seemed to believe the monkey would be fine, so Kat checked the barrel of the gun to see if it had ammunition, raised and aimed it at the monkey, and pulled the trigger.

Her arm jerked back from the recoil. The simian gave a shriek as the piece of lead passed through him, but no blood pooled, and the monkey was still very active. He crawled closer to her and brushed against her leg as he made his was back up to his master’s shoulder. The dark man gave a chuckle. “Little wretch had it coming,” he said, patting the monkey on the head. He proceeded to warn her about the pirates code, assisted by the monkey, which said she was not allowed to go blasting about at anything she so chose. There was to be no shooting of other people, even Navy or EITC. Kat agreed with this, remembering the young Cadet from earlier that day, bleeding on the ground.

There was a loophole to the rules that the man made her aware of. The cursed pirates of Jolly Roger’s army didn’t fall under the same guidelines. With that final word of the ability to shoot skeletons, the man sent her on her way, tossing her some bullets and gunpowder on her way out.

After exiting the grotto, Kat was accosted by a small crab. It came up next to her and raked its claws across a bit of exposed leg. She gave a small hiss and aimed her pistol at the crab, shooting through its tough outer shell. The animal jerked back from the force of the shot. When it was still, Kat poked it with her shoe. It didn’t move. An idea came to her as her stomach rumbled. She could eat this crab if she found a way to cook it. Gingerly, she picked it up, watching for the still sharp claws. She carried it back to her dingy, setting the crab and pistol on the seat of the boat. The oar was wrenched out of the sand where she had left it and Kat made her way steadily back to her tiny sloop.

To climb back up the rope ladder at the ship, she put her pistol in her shoe (without any ammo in it), and climbed up the ladder, gripping the crab tightly in one hand. When she got on deck, she made her way into her cabin and searched for something to light her stove with. Her hunger spurred her on as she raided the cabinet above the stove, finding a small box with about ten matches in it. It wasn’t quite as much as she had been hoping for, but Kat shrugged, figuring she could make do.

Kat set the crab and matches down next to the stove and went into the belly of the ship, looking for a pot. She found a large metal one with a dent in the side, and some rope. The rope was tied around the handles of the pot so that she could dip it into the sea for some water to boil. When she got back up on deck, she noticed how the sky was beginning to turn red and pink, bringing on the night. She sighed. If it was getting dark, she wanted to get to Tortuga. Reading the stars was something she had never done well. She put the pot down on the deck, off to the side, and proceeded to work on getting the ship ready to go.

With a huge amount of effort, she heaved the anchor back up and locked it up. Panting after the , she released the sails and took the wheel once more. This time, she referred to her map and her compass, checking to see if they were both pointing in the same direction. As far as she could tell, they were, so Kat pointed her ship in the correct direction, hoping that she could make it to Tortuga by nightfall.

The winds were on her side that colorful dusk. It wasn’t long before she reached the green, mountainous island. The sun had almost fallen out of the sky and into the ocean when she made her way to the dock. She dropped her anchor again and tied up the sails. The plank was dropped down to the dock and Kat relished the sight of civilization after that barren ship and the wild island. There were some people running around on the beach, singing and drinking rum. A few, Kat noticed, had a small arsenal adorning their bodies, ones that made Kat’s one barreled pistol and rusty little cutlass feel inadequate. She made a mental note to get some new weapons once she got the chance.

She walked away from her ship, double checking to see that it was tied up correctly, into the madness and party that seemed to be Tortuga. This was definitely a pirate’s island. Her compass was clipped safely at her side, away from any sticky fingers. Glancing down at it, she walked up a path towards a tavern with a broken sign proclaiming it as “The Faithful Bride.” With a deep breath, Kat stepped inside, ready to find Jack Sparrow once more.

At her first step inside, Kat was flooded by the noise of people talking and music playing and a strong smell of rum. She was taken aback for a moment before walking further into the madhouse. Scanning the bar, Kat noticed a familiar figure with dreadlocks and a scraggly blue vest, along with a rather fine hat perched upon the head. Kat walked towards the man, overhearing a conversation about Singapore with the barkeep.

Without warning, the man turned around, startling her back a few steps. “You wouldn’t happen to have a lovely sister named Ethel, would you?”Kat shook her head slowly, which apparently pleased Sparrow. He then proceeded to welcome her to Tortuga, and truly introduced himself for the first time. When the introductions were over, he turned back to the bartender, ready for a new drink, not acknowledging he knew her at all past the previous thirty seconds.

Kat felt herself bristle. He didn’t remember her? Well, that freed her from any obligation she had after he had released her from jail. Just as she was about to walk out, ready to not be under the thumb of Jack Sparrow, the man turned around, suddenly remembering her. Kat gave a silent curse.

Sparrow mentioned the favor she owed him, making Kat irritated more. He truly did remember her. Sparrow leaned in close, whispering, “We’re going after the Black Pearl, mate. Savvy?” Kat was already aware of this, after what Tia Dalma and Elizabeth Swan had told her, but she still felt a small jolt of surprise hearing it from the man who was structuring the recovery himself. He told her to find Joshamee Gibbs before stumbling off with his drink.

Kat shook her head at Sparrow’s antics and turned to the bartender (James, or whatever his name was). “You wouldn’t happen to know where Joshamee Gibbs is, would you?” she asked him with a sweet, but strained smile.

James (or was it John?) pointed to a man in the corner playing cards. “That bloke over there, with the grey sideburns,” he told her, and then went back to wiping his bar. Kat made her way over to the card playing man. She tapped him on the shoulder, saying, “Joshamee Gibbs?”

“Not now, I’m busy,” he muttered, not turning away from his card game. Kat rolled her eyes and tapped the shoulder again. “Jack Sparrow sent me,” she told him boldly. The entire table stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her. Gibbs looked nervous. “I fold, blokes,” he said apprehensively, tossing his cards back to the dealer.

“So, Captain Jack Sparrow told ye we’re going after the Pearl, did he?” Kat nodded at him, unsure of his prying. “Well, I’m not sayin’ we is… and I’m not sayin’ we isn’t. Ol’ Jack has earned many enemies over the years, as ye probably gathered by the reaction of those blokes,” he told her, pointing to the men at the poker table. “But I like the cut of yer jib, so I’ll let ye prove yer trustworthiness.” Gibbs pulled her closer and murmured in her ear. “Go kill a few Navy Cadets, and sink one of them light sloops the Navy has while you’re out as well, will you? One of them Ferrets? Make sure you bring back something to prove it as well, aye?” He patted her on the back while she stood there frozen. “Good, lass,” he told her, going back to his poker game.

Kat stood there frozen. Kill Navy Cadets and sink their ships? She remembered the body of the boy she had killed back in Port Royal on the Governor’s front lawn. Tremors wracked her body at the memory’s image. How badly did she really want to help Jack Sparrow?

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

So, that's that for you. I wanted to get the final part of the beginning of the storyline out of the way in this chapter, and I managed to do that. Yes! As I said before, I have a lot of time this weekend to write, so I'll probably keep cranking out the chapters, but still only post once a week. I know this one was late, and I'm sorry, but, you know, there's that whole real world issue...yah....

Anyway. Constructive criticism is welcome and accepted in this area. Thank you for reviewing the last chapter. You seriously have no idea how much I appreciate it. I have the next chapter (kind of) laid out, so that one shouldn't take a lot of time. If you have any questions about the story, don't hesitate to ask, and I'll answer (within reason. Can't just go giving away the plot, you know? :)). And....that's it with my rambling I think. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Nicely written, I am impressed, I can't even do that good! o.o

That was amazing! I could never write that well, I'm not very good at making details :D I do like how you get the littlest of details in which I think makes it much more interesting.

way to go :D thats so cool ur great at this! :D

I really enjoyed that chapter. You have a great skill at writing.

Her Epiphany
 

First off, I am so so so so so so so so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, but we all understand real life. Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter though! Hopefully you guys are still watching for this...hahaha. This chapter is a little shorter than the past few, but it gets the point across I think. And, also, I am about halfway through the next chapter (probably a little less) because I had a HUGE epiphany earlier today. And, speaking of epiphany, I give you.....

Her Epiphany

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Kat walked out of the tavern and back to her ship in a daze. She took the plank off of the dock so nobody would board the ship without her permission. Her crab was still sitting on the counter where she had left it, but she paid it no attention to. She was busy thinking about the task Gibbs had burdened her with. It had shaken her enough to kill one Cadet, and that was in an almost unconscious rage kill. How could she knowingly and willingly do it again… and again and again? Is this what her life would become? Would she do nothing but kill in cold blood, just become a thoughtless, insensitive killing machine? She pulled out her compass, hoping it would point her towards the right decision. The needle was spinning wildly, unsure for the first time. Her stomach grumbled suddenly, and the needle stood still, pointing to the crab on her counter.

Kat gave a weak chuckle. It seemed the universe had a sense of humor. Kat walked over and picked up the crab, eying it to make sure it was still good to eat. It may taste a bit odd, but it would do for now. She went to grab the pot and used the ropes she had tied to the handles earlier to lower it into the sea, catching some water that she could boil. The pot was hauled back up, and Kat brought the saltwater over to her humble stove. She lit a match to set the stove up, put the pot on it, and began waiting for the water to boil.

While she passed the time, Kat decided to explore her cabin more thoroughly. There was a small cupboard under the cot that Kat had missed on her initial inspection of the ship. She opened it up to find a note there. Sitting on her cot, she read the small letter while waiting for the water to boil. It said this:

To the new owner of this ship,

Hello. I’m hoping that you find this at a decent time. If you have this ship from Mr. Drydock on Port Royal, I’m going to assume you’ve turned to pirating, and you’re rather new at it. No experienced pirate that I know would get a crummy, old light sloop, nor would any merchant ship want a thing with such little cargo room. In any case, keep good care of my Banshee. She brought me out of more than a few tight spots.

I’ll also assume that if you are new to pirating, you have no idea what it truly entails. Listen, and listen closely mate: It’s not all about the gold and the riches, although some will tell you that it is. Those who believe that don’t realize the entirety of it. Pirating is about being free. When you feel the wind whipping at your hair and the smell of the salty ocean and know that you control your fate, it’s the greatest feeling in the world, and it belongs to only you. Not belonging to one of the snobs of England, or the controlling ways of the Navy, East India Trading Company, or Jolly Roger’s army…it makes you appreciate what you have, and it makes you want to keep it.

What you are charged with though, if you want to stay a pirate, is keeping that freedom. You must do anything within your power to keep the seas exempt from the control of anyone. The people of the Caribbean must be able to live as they see fit. If this means you must kill, you must kill. You will fight among your fellow pirates, all of which are charged with the same thing. They may not have a letter such as this to tell them, but they feel it in their bones. The Code is only there for guidelines mate; it allows for freedom, unlike the iron fist of everyone else scrambling for the ownership of all they touch. You must fight.

The killing aspect may seem odd to you, but it is necessary. All of the factions trying to bring us under their thumb must see that we shall not stand for anything of the sort. You must be willing; otherwise you shall not last long here. Don’t worry though mate; there’s plenty to help you along the way.

Welcome to the true Caribbean. I hope you’re ready for the battle.

It was unsigned. Kat tried to analyze the handwriting, trying to figure out if it was male or female, but it was so general that she couldn’t tell. She turned it over, looking to see if there was any other writing that could give her a clue, but there wasn’t. Kat sat there contemplating it for a moment until she heard a sizzling sound. Her head jerked towards her pot to see it coming close to boiling over. She ran to it and threw the crab in the water, watching the bubbles go down a bit. The time came to wait again, so Kat busied herself with looking for something she could use to get the crab out of the pot when it was finished cooking. She scrounged the drawers, finally finding a broken, tattered, wooden ladle. With it, she reached into the steam and scooped the crab out, dropping the scalding thing on the counter. Once more, she had to wait, this time for the crab to cool to a decent enough temperature to eat. Her stomach rumbled. She looked down at it. Apparently it wasn’t as patient as she was.

Kat touched the crab gingerly after a few minutes and felt it was cool enough to eat. She tore into it ravenously, not caring about manners as she wrenched the meat from the shell. Manners didn’t matter at this point; her stomach was empty and was calling out to the crab. It was finished almost too quickly for her liking, and Kat wiped the remnants of the juicy crab from the edges of her mouth with her sleeve. Now she could concentrate on the mission Gibbs had given her.

She referenced the compass again, but it was still spinning wildly. Kat put it away. She grabbed the letter that had been left for her and left her cabin to contemplate under the Caribbean night sky. As she exited her door, she noticed the mast standing in front of her, with a crow’s nest at the peak. She gave a small grin. Climbing had always been a passion of hers as a small girl, but it wasn’t accepted for young ladies in England, so she had been forced to stop. Well, she wasn’t in England anymore, so she placed the letter in her pocket and grabbed onto the ropes.

At the top, she fell into the small basket, giggling. She felt exhilarated! The height, the wind whipping through her hair, the unsteadiness of the ropes, threatening to toss her off at any moment; these were all things she had forgotten about that gave her a sudden rush. She stood up and looked at the town of Tortuga, which appeared much smaller from up here. This was the feeling she wanted for the rest of her life.

A realization hit her. This is what she wanted for the rest of her life. Her smile faded slowly. She took the letter from her pocket and skimmed it over.

It’s the greatest feeling in the world, and it belongs to only you.

With a sigh, she looked up at the stars. She knew what she had to do.

Kat gently climbed down from the crow’s nest and headed back into her cabin. She stripped off her coat and vest, unclipped her cutlass, slid her shoes off of her feet, and put them all in the closet. Her bed called to her, and she fell into it, trying to let sleep come to her on the hard, lumpy mattress. She needed her rest. Tomorrow, she had work to do.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

So, Kat has some issues to work through. I will have the next chapter up next week though. If I don't feel free to PM me or post on this board (I get an email as soon as someone posts here, so I'll know) and tell me to get my piratey self moving. Real world is slowing down though, so hopefully more epiphanies will come with it.

Again, thank you for the reviews you left. Constructive criticism always has a home here (but no trolling of course). Oh, also, I was thinking about doing cameos in this story, but I don't want to just name someone, say, Harry Truesteel (I don't know a Harry Truesteel, just throwing out a name) and then have Harry PM me saying "Hey, I never wanted to be in this story!" However, if you want to be included in this story, go ahead and PM me and I will try my best. Ok, that's it for now. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Impressive writing mate! Also a compliment to get this on recent threads, so people can read this!

AWESOME job Kat. Took me a day or 2 to catch up. But it was DEFINITELY worth it. Yer an excellent writer, mate. Keep at it.

Her Wandering
 

Ok mates, it's been 6 days. I think that's enough time to torture you. My epiphany (thankfully) has lasted quite a while, and it's still going, though not as strong as it had been. However, I do have another chapter lined up after this one. I'm just not releasing it immediately. :laughks2: See how I did that? I'm purposely being mean. However, I think a few of you will like a certain something here...or at least one of you will.

And with that little cliffhanger, we'll continue. So, I present to you...

Her Wandering

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

“Throw her into the brig!”
“No, no don’t! Gregory, I didn’t do it!”
“You expect me to believe you? You’re even stupider than I thought! Take her!”
“No, it wasn’t me! Please, I tell the truth!”

Katherine broke free from her captors and chased after her husband. The men that had restrained her followed, and suddenly her cutlass was at her side. She unsheathed it and swung the blade as she turned around. One of the men fell to her sword. Kat looked at him and saw the Cadet from Port Royal, eyes blank and staring up at her while blood pooled around him...

Kat woke in a cold sweat. She breathed in deeply, noting her cabin as she slowly regained consciousness. Her pot was still there, as well as the remnants of her crab from the night before. Kat rubbed her eyes warily, shaking the dream off. She couldn’t afford to have it looming over her today. There was work to be done.

Kat made herself get out of bed and dressed quickly and quietly. Her cutlass was strapped around her waist and her pistol went back into her boot until she could find something better for it. She eyed her moneybag. Certainly she wouldn’t need all of the gold, so she took about twenty pieces out of the bag and placed the rest of it in the cabinet underneath her bed.

Kat made her way off her boat, making sure her cabin was locked up before she left. She decided to head down to the tavern right on the beach for a bite of breakfast before getting on with the serious business of her day. Inside, there wasn’t nearly as much noise as there had been in the Faithful Bride the night before, but Kat assumed that most of the pirates were passed out in ditches and mud holes somewhere.

At the counter, she approached the man there, hoping for the opportunity for some breakfast. For a moment, she wished she was back in the Royal Anchor on Port Royal, sitting across from Josie McReedy, who she knew was completely willing to help her out. She shrugged the memory away and continued to the bar, inquiring about some food. The man there told her that she could get some, but it wouldn’t come free. Kat tossed a few coins on the counter, and the bartender scrambled to get some toast and a piece of ham on a small (and slightly grimy) plate, accompanied with a cup of coffee. She dug in, but not quite as venomously as she had the crab the night before. Within a few minutes, she was finished with her food, and she nursed her coffee for a little bit longer.

She was delaying, and she knew it. There were plenty of other things she would rather be doing than hunting for Navy. For instance, she could go… explore the island more! Or she could go inquire about some different weapons. Yes, that’s what she would do. She tossed the bartender a coin for a tip. He snatched it out of the air and placed it safely in his pocket, putting Kat’s face to memory. Her generous nature would be something he would remember time and time again.

Once she was out the door, Kat pulled out her compass. She knew she was procrastinating, and she wanted to know if she was going in the right direction.

It pointed in the exact opposite direction of the blacksmith’s shop.

Kat sighed and let the compass guide her to a wooded, uninhabited area of the island. She put the compass away, not needing it anymore as she was going to search for the Cadets herself. She stepped around a giant boulder and noticed a flash of red. Quickly, she jumped back behind the boulder, poking her head back around it after a moment, slowly. Standing there, bayonet in ready position, was a Cadet.

Kat drew her sword and stepped from behind the boulder at the turned back of the Cadet. Her steps were heavy and the Cadet turned at the stomping, bayonet at the ready. Kat felt the rage from her abandonment filling her again, overpowering the face of the Cadet from Port Royal. This Cadet tried striking her with his bayonet with a straight stab, but Kat blocked it with her cutlass. He tried again, but Kat dodged it and swung at the Cadet, catching him in the leg. His leg buckled and he tumbled to the ground. “Help! Pirate!” he cried out desperately before Kat stabbed him through his middle. He was quiet then.

“Halt!” she heard from behind her. She turned around slowly with her arms raised, facing two more Cadets standing there, bayonets pointed straight at her. “Come with us,” one of them said severely.

Kat gave a crooked smile. “I’m afraid that’s not an option, gentlemen,” she told them. At that, she moved, making a broad sweep with her cutlass, catching one in the leg and the other in the stomach. The one caught in the stomach fell to the ground immediately, groaning. Kat watched him fall, and the other Cadet took the opportunity to jab at her chest. His aim was hindered by his leg wound, however, and he caught her arm instead. Kat gave a scream of pain as the metal pierced a hole in her bicep. Thankfully, it wasn’t her sword arm, so she came back and thrust her blade through him. The Cadet gasped before crumpling to the ground, pulling the bayonet from her arm as he did so. Kat grunted at the feeling of the sharp object recoiling. She sheathed her blade and pressed her hand to her wound. It came back covered in blood. Kat gasped. She ripped an insignia off of one of the Cadets uniforms and fled the woods. There was a gypsy she had passed last night, so Kat hoped she would have something to help her bleeding. It was unorthodox, and something that she wouldn’t have given a second thought to in England (or a first thought for that matter), but this was the Caribbean, and Kat was already aware that things were much different here, so a doctor wouldn’t be an easy find.

Her had still clutched to her arm, she approached the woman stirring something in a pot outside of her wagon. “Excuse me,” she said with a strained voice, still in severe pain. The gypsy looked up from her pot with large blue eyes. She noticed Kat’s piratey way of dress and then the wound. With a slight nod, she motioned for Kat to stay there while she went into her carriage. There was a slight rustling sound, and then the gypsy came back out with a small bottle and a strip of cloth. “Drink,” she told the young pirate, putting the bottle to Kat’s lips. She drank obediently, trusting that this woman caused her no harm. The liquid was bitter in her mouth, but as it entered her system, Kat felt a tingling in her arm. Her hand was moved gently away from her arm and the gypsy wrapped it with the cloth.

“The tonic shall help your arm heal,” the gypsy told her, tying the cloth off. “In the morning, it should be much better, the flesh restored.” The gypsy handed her the bottle. “Take this for if you get injured again. Try to use it sparingly,” the gypsy said knowingly. “I have others if they become necessary though.”

“Thank you so much,” Kat said gratefully. “How much do I owe you?” She had noticed the small cup of coins on the ground. Her pocket jingled as she reached into her pocket for some money.

“No, no,” the gypsy said, stilling her hand. “This one is free. I can recognize a newcomer to the fight for the Caribbean. Fabiola helps those who are knew here.” Fabiola smiled up at her. “The next one, however, is not so cheap.” Kat smiled back. “Thank you, Fabiola,” she said before heading back in the direction of her ship. She got the feeling she had just made a new friend.

It was only a little past noon, and she was already done with half of her quest. She contemplated going out to get one of the Ferrets for a moment. Her arm gave a sharp twinge at that thought. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time for hard labor, like lifting anchors or tying down sails. Fabiola had said that her arm would be better by morning, which meant it was a quick working tonic. She’d try going out in her ship a little bit later. Now, though, she really was going to inquire about new swords and pistols. She made her way into the town and into a shop with a picture of a pistol hanging on the outside.

Inside, it was dark, probably so the light wouldn’t affect anything delicate that might go off. There was a blonde man working on putting together a single barrel gun at a table on the other side of the store. Kat approached him slowly, not wanting him to make a mistake on the delicate piece of machinery he was operating on. As she stepped up to the man, she heard him grumbling to himself as he put the parts of the pistol together. He noticed the shadow hanging over his table and glanced at her. His chair rattled on the stone floor as he jumped.

“Blimey, do ye have to go sneaking up on people like that?” he barked at her. Kat took a step back at his tone, feeling uneasy. The gunsmith noticed her anxiousness and his demeanor changed immediately.

“My apologies,” he said quickly. He wiped his hand on his pants, getting rid of any lingering gunpowder or grease. “My name is Alexander Thayer, gunsmith.” He held out his hand and Kat shook it quickly. “What can I do ye for?” he asked her, going behind his counter.

Kat followed, standing on the other side of the counter. “I’m in the market for a new pistol,” she told him. “I was wondering if you could help me out.”

Thayer looked at her sharply. “How much money do ye have?” he inquired, not thinking much of the young lady. Kat tallied up how much gold she had already spent in her head. “About 60 pieces of gold. Why?”

Thayer let out a booming laugh. “Ye think I got a good pistol for that little?” He guffawed again. Kat was a little offended. It wasn’t as if she’d had much of an opportunity to go get any money. All she had were the coins from the bartered ring. How was she supposed to get any money?

After Thayer finally stopped chuckling, he turned to her and asked, “Well, what type of pistol do ye have now?” Kat rolled her eyes and bent over, reaching into her boot for her pistol. When she came back up with it, Thayer looked astounded. “Ye keep yer pistol in yer boot?” he asked, incredulous. He was used to seeing pirates pull pistols from their shoes only in extreme situations, such as when a pistol needed to be hidden, but never as casual storage. Thayer shook his head and grabbed something from underneath the counter, throwing it at her.

“Here,” he said gruffly. Kat turned it over in her hands and saw that it was a holster for her gun. She looked at Thayer inquisitively. “I don’t want ye blowing your foot off,” he said. “That costs five gold by the way.” Kat roiled her eyes as she reached in to her pocket. Thayer was annoying, but he was helping her out. She placed the money on the counter and Thayer took it with a nod, placing it in a container underneath his counter.

“So, what’s your cheapest gun?” Kat inquired. Thayer pointed to the gun he had been working on when she walked in. “That’s it, but ye’d be better off with this piece of junk here,” he said, motioning to her gun sitting on the counter. “After that, ye got this other single barrel, which would go for a lil’ over 200 gold, and it’s not much better than what ya have here.” Kat felt her heart sink. 200 gold pieces. Where would she get that kind of money? She sighed and thanked Thayer for his help and left the shop.

She headed to a blacksmith next, hoping for a better experience, but she got much of the same reaction as she had at the gunsmith. The men there laughed at her poor cutlass, but they did give her a cloth so she could polish it. Kat hadn’t even noticed, but the blade was covered in more than the usual rust. It was covered in blood. They helped her wash it off and Kat felt fleeting guilt at the lives that were lost by it, but she closed herself off. She wiped the blood from the metal with a stone face, then sheathed it and headed back to the dock.

At the dock, there was a man standing on boxes, yelling out at a group of people gathered there. "We're headed out soon, but we aren't going far. All we'll do is stick to the waters near Tortuga, looking for some Navy and EITC swine to plunder from. What do you say?" A cheer rose up from the group. Kat crept closer as the man continued with his announcements. "Now, are there any fine sea hands out there willing to come with us?" He looked around at the group assembled and a few people stepped forward. Kat hesitated, and then pushed to the front of the group. The men gathered fell silent as she stepped forward.

"I'd like to head out with you," she proclaimed boldly. The group was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing. Kat stood her ground, her head held high. The man on the boxes studied her closely.

"What's your name, lass?" he asked her. Kat stared him straight in the eye and said with strength, "My name is Kat Crestshot."

The man looked her up and down. He got off his box and circled her like a hawk, staring her down. Kat didn't even flinch.

"That's quite a wound in your arm you have there, Kat," he noted. "How did you get it?"

"Fighting a group of Cadets in the woods," she said, not backing down before him. The man thought for a moment. "Very well. You're in," he told her, shaking her hand.

The group of men went into a different type of uproar at this. "She's a female!" one of them cried. "She can't be strong enough to help us!" cried another. The men continued with their complaints until her recruiter got back on his box.

"OI!" he shouted over the din. Many of the men quieted. He glared at them. "Now, who's ship are we taking out?" There were murmurs of "yours" permeating from the group. "That's right! It's my ship! Now, if any of you have issues with that, you're free to back out!" None of the men walked away.

"Captain, what about the bad luck?" one of them asked quietly. Kat felt a flicker of fear go through her at this statement, but she stomped it down, not letting the men see.

The captain glared at the man. "It's my ship, so I say I'm willing to take the chance with you superstitious fools! Anything else?" The men were silent once more. "Good! Now, let's head out!" The men headed towards dinghies at the captain's order.

Kat approached the man. "Thank you for that, sir," she told him. "Not a problem at all, Kat. And my name is Nate. Nate Swordwalker."

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Haha! I told you I was offering cameos. Nate PM'd me a few days ago and asked about it, and I told him I'd write him into the next chapter. I needed a captain, what can I say?

So, what did you all think? Fun, not fun, want-to-tear-my-eyeballs-out-it-was-so-terrible? (If you really do think that last one, please word it nicer.) Constructive criticism is welcome. I have the next chapter lined up, but........I'm going to torture you guys and not give it to you yet. MWAHAHAHA! :zix0tl: Thank you, though, for the reviews last chapter. Again, it's so appreciated that I can't even tell you how awesome I think you all are for reviewing.

Again, Cameo spots are open, but if you do PM me about it, it likely won't be in the next chapter like Nate was so lucky to be. I'm getting to the newer chapters though, so, you know, if you want your name in lights...haha. Thanks for reading!

-Kat Crestshot

Woot! Now... what type of ship is it that I be taking out? :D Sounds great Kat, can't wait till the next chapter.

Kat.. I know I've said this before, but this is truly an amazing story. Its captivating, exciting, and well written. I couldn't stop smiling at the scenes with Lawrence. I always love watching the beginnings of a relationship. The little details are what really leave an impression on the reader, and you've played on that perfectly. The story has a nice flow to it too. I can't wait to read your next chapter! All I can say is Bravo Kat! You have a talent for writing.. No doubt about it. :)

OMG GREAT STORYS I JUST STARTED READING UR STORYS ABOUT 3 DAYS AGO i will have to say this is a wonderful story, wonderful plot, and wonderful charaters!

Nice chapters recently, Crestshot. :)

Her Beginning's End
 

Ok mates, I was contemplating holding out for a few more days, but I told Nate that I would get it up when the next next chapter was finished, so, I'm keeping my promise. Besides, the epiphany is still going. I'm kind of surprised it's lasted this long to be honest....

Anywho, presenting!......

Her Beginning's End

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

Kat jumped in a dingy with Nate and they took off for his ship anchored just off the shore. They approached the ship and Kat’s eyes went wide. It was a sloop, much like hers, but it was much larger, with one tall, main mast, and a smaller one on the back, along with four cannons on each side of the upper deck. The belly of the ship held even more cannons, poking out of the hull, making the ship look like some kind of urchin.

Nate noticed her look of awe. He grinned at her. “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” he asked her. “My Lightning King. She's a war sloop.” Kat could merely nod in agreement. So this is what a real pirate was like.

The group of boats reached Nate’s ship, and one by one the group of men and a lone woman climbed up the ladder to the deck. Once they were up, the men scrambled, going to various stations and getting ready to set sail. Some went into the hold to grab cannons there, while others stayed on the top deck, waiting to release the sails and grabbed some cannons of their own. Kat just stood there, unsure of what to do. Nate followed behind her on the ladder. He noticed her hesitation and said, “Come on Kat! You faced this group, intending to set sail, without flinching. Now show them you actually know what you’re doing!” He made his way the wheel of his ship, getting ready to go.

“Hoist anchor!” Nate called out to the crew.

“Aye, aye Captain! Hoist anchor!” another man repeated. A group of men gathered to reel the anchor back from the depths.

“Release the sails!” Nate hollered.

“Aye! Release sails!”

“Let’s get pirating, crew!” Nate cried, and a cheer went up from the crew. Kat smiled and made her way to an open cannon on the deck. The ship made its way into open waters at the strong hand of Nate at the wheel.

It wasn’t too long before a man in the crow’s nest spotted the red and white sails of a Navy ship. It was a small sloop, about the size of Kat’s ship. She figured this was one of the Ferrets Gibbs had talked about.

“Hey, Nate!” she called out.

“Yah, Kat, what do you need?” he yelled back.

“Are we going for that Ferret?” she asked him.

“Aye, that we are,” he told her.

“Excellent,” Kat muttered under her breath. She readied her cannon with cannonballs and some gunpowder. It was time to show the Caribbean what she was made of.

They approached the ship on the port side, where Kat was. “Broadside port!” Nate ordered, and the men below decks fired their shots. Kat released a few shots of her own, attempting to aim for the hull. She overshot and her cannonballs went through the sails, tearing neat, round holes in them. Nate laughed at her. “Aim lower, Kat!” he called out to her.

She reloaded her cannon and took aim again, adjusting the heavy thing with a grunt of effort. When she was reasonably sure the cannon was pointed where she wanted it to, Nate ordered the port side to fire again. Kat let her cannonballs fly, landing them squarely in the center of the deck of the Ferret. Water started pouring into the holes that other crew members had made in the side of the hull. She noticed how some of the water came out of the gaps she had created in the deck.

Kat loaded up her cannon a final time and took closer aim, making her shots fly towards the outer shell of the ship. They connected head-on and more went into the newly created holes. The ship was steadily sinking. A gunner on deck made a desperate attempt to fire at the Lightning King, but it flew well past the bow of the ship.

“Nets!” Nate cried out, and a few men came from below decks with a large net. They threw it over the ship and caught some of the cargo left over from the ship. The boxes were pulled aboard and placed in the hold, left to be investigated later, after they were done plundering. Whatever could be sold when they ported back in Tortuga would be.

Kat reached over in the net and grabbed a scrap of the flag that had fallen into the net. She stuffed it into her pocket before anyone noticed it, not sure how the other crew members would take it. Nate would probably understand if she explained that she needed proof for Gibbs, but the other, more superstitious crew members would probably make up an ulterior motive.

The ship continued like this for a little longer, attacking some Navy and EITC ships that were hounding the area. Once the hold was as full as they could stuff it, they headed back to Tortuga in the setting sun. The ship docked near her poor little sloop and began unloading. One of the men pointed out her Wolf after they had started unloading. “God, look a’ tha’ ship mate! Now wha’ self respectin’ pirate has that?” he said loudly.

Kat felt her face flush and turned away from the men. Nate saw her and came up to her, whispering in her ear. “Don’t mind them. We were all there at some point. It’s a good start.” Kat smiled at him in thanks and kept unloading the ship, her arm twanging from time to time. Nate went off to make business with a man on the docks, arranging for the sale of the items they had plundered. The crew stayed where they were after delivery while a few people looked over their merchandise. Some of it was taken and paid for directly to Nate by way of gold or barter. Others were passed over for the crew to look at later to see if they wanted it.

Once the merchants were finished, Nate went around and handed each member a portion of the profit. Kat counted the gold Nate had placed in her palm- there were a few pieces of gold labeled with a 5 and some ones. All together they totaled up to 50 gold. Kat looked at Nate in astonishment. “This is how much I get?” she asked him, astounded.

“Aye, Kat,” he said, smiling. “You’ve earned it, that’s for sure. You’re quite the gunner. I’ve never seen someone who’s obviously green shoot so well.” He laughed. “Besides, I think you’ve taken some of these blokes down a notch or two. Some of them have heads a bit too big for their bodies, you know?” He laughed again and continued down the line to give the rest of their crew their share.

When he was done, he backed up in front of the line. “Alright mates!” he called out. “Now, some of this stuff wasn’t sold, so go ahead and go over it and take what you want!” The crew rushed forward to check out the goods, Kat right there with them. One crew member called out to her and threw a skirt at her, laughing while they did so. Kat caught it and rolled her eyes, taking note to put it in her closet later. You never knew when you would need a good skirt.

There was a bottle of rum that she grabbed as well, but other than that, none of it seemed appealing. Before she left, she went to Nate and thanked him for all the help.

“It’s not a problem, Kat,” he replied graciously. “I’m always willing to help a strong soul. Just don’t lose that quality, alright?” Kat agreed to those terms and parted with Nate, heading to her own ship to get herself together. She placed the clothes and the bottle of rum in her closet and lay down to rest for a little while, absorbing what had happened that day.

Later that night, Kat headed back to the Faithful Bride to present Joshamee Gibbs with the items she had recovered, proving her trustworthiness. He congratulated her on her good work and told her that they needed to recruit some of Jack’s old crew to get the Pearl back, starting with a man named Carver…


From that point on, Kat began wandering around to all points of the Caribbean, doing favors for various pirates and people across the sea. Once she got to about the third person to recruit, she began complaining about it a little, wondering why Sparrow needed her help so badly, and why he couldn’t just do it himself. Secretly, though, she loved it. Even if she was under the thumb of Jack Sparrow, she was still free to live her own life. Besides, it was a lot better than being controlled by one of the three self-proclaimed powers of the Caribbean.

Eventually, she finally got finished recruiting, still sailing around in her little Cutthroat Wolf. Nobody made fun of her light sloop after that first day of cannoning though. She was a pirate of caliber now, and nobody made fun of her as she walked through the streets of Tortuga or Port Royal. They knew she was a loner, and that’s why she still had her little Wolf. It was easy for her to handle by herself and didn’t require many people, other than the occasional gunner. She had a standing reservation at the docks in Tortuga because of it, but it was her rather… generous nature helped convince the dock workers to leave a spot open. Every once in awhile she would find Nate when he was docked in Tortuga and went sailing with him, leaving her ship for a few days to set sail with him and his crew. Sometimes, Nate tried to convince her to set sail with them full time, telling her he needed her as his head gunner,

At some point, she went back to Thayer’s weapons shop and got the biggest gun he had there with all the riches she had acquired. She also managed to grab a rather fine sword in Port Royal as well, but she never got to meet the blacksmith who welded it. She still kept her original weapons for sentimental reasons though. Her compass led her out of more than a few sticky situations as well, so she didn’t have to fight her way through everything.

Kat and Fabiola ended up becoming great friends, and Kat would sometimes stop by just to chat, although there were some instances where she had to come and get tonics as well after a rather grueling day of pirating. The friendship between the two women didn’t mean that Kat got off free with charges, but it did add an extra scolding to be careful sometimes.

The same went for Josie McReedy. Sometimes Kat had to flee Port Royal quickly whenever the Navy there got wind of her presence, but whenever she could get away with it, Kat saw her and spent some time with her and her fabulous coffee.

There were times when Kat felt guilt over the things she had to do, such as kill Navy and EITC in cold blood, but when it came time to do the deed, she closed herself off from it. Only when she was in the familiarity of her own ship that she let the feelings overtake her. Faces of men she had killed swam in her dreams, and occasionally, the face of her husband would be a part of those. When his face showed, however, all she felt was anger, and she remembered one of the reasons she was doing all of this in the first place.

At the end of recruiting, Kat made her way with Jack Sparrow and the rest of the crew to recover the Black Pearl. They escaped victorious, but not unscathed. The Pearl was damaged in the battle, but Darby Drydock fixed them up quickly and the rest of the crew headed back on their way. They offered for Kat to come with them, but she decided to stay in Tortuga and pirate locally. She was dropped off in Tortuga and watched the Black Pearl sail away into the sunset.

Is this the end? It does seem like it, doesn’t it? Don’t worry though, reader. Kat Crestshot continues. This was merely Her Beginning.

:Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin::Coin:

And so that ends Her Beginning. I'm sure that's NOT what you were expecting, huh? Actually, I didn't tell anyone about that. However, I felt it needed to end there. It's only supposed to be her beginning after all, and making her way down the initial road to pirating. The story is not over though, as it says. There's much more to come, don't you worry. I'll be posting a new thread soon enough with the continuation. Expect that next week. I'm still working through some of it (like a name).

Anyway, any final things to say on this thread? I'll be happy with anything you guys say to me (except for trolling). I'll be waiting, just like you all are for the continuation. Hit me up for cameos too mates! Thanks for reading!

Until next time,

-Kat Crestshot

PS: I totally forgot when posting this the first time to thank you all for reviewing! Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Thank you for the reviews last chapter! They warmed my heart and made me go "Squee!" on the inside and out. That's how much I love you guys! Ok, thanks, bye! See you on the new thread!


Find the sequel to this story here: The Scathed

Another amazing story.. hope this story would go on and on... :p

Bravo! Bravo! Can't get enough. Ye be one of the best author's I know ( the only author i know, in fact ). LOL Keep 'em coming!

I especially like the beginning bit their was a English person in it. If you didnt notice thats where im from! Always nice to be recognised by my fans ;) God save The Queen

What?! It's finished?! Surely you'll be making a sequel, it's too good a plot! :O

Still luvin' it as i said before, the English bit especially

Don't worry, there is a sequel coming up. I should be posting it sometime later this week. I'm building up a vault of chapters so that if I do fall behind on writing, I will still be able to post each week.

Oh, and PJ, when you think about it, most of the characters are English, haha.

Ok mates, the next part of the story of Kat Crestshot is being posted right after I post this! I'm just posting here so you guys know to look there. It is titled The Scathed (thanks to Nate Swordwalker for helping me with that) so go see it! You will be amazed, I promise. :) Well, what are you still reading this for? Go, go, go!

-Kat Crestshot

Woo! Hurry up then with that typing! >:O