Song of the Sea

Chapter One: The Black Pearl

"Get up, child. You're not trying hard enough," said the cold voice of Diane's father as he released his daughter from the Imperius Curse. The young woman scowled, but said nothing as she prepared for another assault on her mind. "You need to learn to fight this, you need to learn."

"I know, Father," said Diane wearily. She'd been subjected to the curse for nearly half an hour now and was aching from her efforts to throw it off.

"Then prove it--Imperio!"

For the umpteenth time, Diane felt the sensation that all her head had been wiped of any conscious thought or memory. She heard her father's voice in the back of her empty mind. "Raise your wand..." Obediently, not providing any resistance to the curse, Diane reached for her wand inside her dress. "Good, now, set fire to the floor..."

Set fire to the floor? What the hell was this guy playing at? That's something a pirate would do...

With a sudden jolt, the curse lifted and the empty feeling in her head dissipated. She was still standing there, with her wand in her hand, but her father was livid. "Where, may I ask, did pirates come into this?"

"Sorry, Father, the thought just occurred--"

"It should not have occurred. You are not a pirate, nor will you ever have anything to do with pirates. Do I make myself clear, Diane?" said Peter in a deadly voice.

"Yes, Father, crystal clear."

"Good. Now, get out of my sight, girl. I have more important things to attend to."

Resisting the almost overwhelming urge to throw a dirty look at her father, Diane left the room. Stinking vermin, all he ever cared about was magic, spells, potions. He never acknowledged the Muggles in the tiny Caribbean town where they lived. He never bothered to know Diane either, seeing her only as a passing on of his filthy blood. Damn bastard that he was.

"Magic is power, girl. Remember that. Magic is what sets us apart."

"Magic is power, huh? Magic is what sets us apart," mocked Diane under her breath. She smirked as she remembered his vehement opposition to pirates, mainly because although very few pirates were also wizards, they could outwit even the best mages at times. She chuckled to herself as she imagined Peter begging for mercy at the hands of a pirate. Pity that she would never live to see that day---there were so few real pirate threats left these days.

Diane opened the doors of the house(almost a manor) and walked out into the streets of the little village. She could see why Peter had chosen this place to reside--no military, no official government, just a small settlement where gold was power. Not that she had problems with the ordinary townsfolk, she actually got on quite well with most of them. But something seemed to be amiss as she left the secluded manor grounds and stepped onto the main road. People were screaming, running, carrying only hastily wrapped bundles of treasured possessions. Small children were crying, held by fearful mothers, who were staring in absolute petrifaction in the direction of the tiny dock.

"What is it? What's wrong?" she asked hurriedly to a lady who was frozen with shock. "What's happening?"

The lady didn't reply. Diane gritted her teeth and began a fierce fight between her common sense and curiosity. The latter won, but before she could run for the dock, a flash of light, followed by a deafening boom shook the town. The street exploded with screams, and, a split second later, with fire.

"Aquatis!" said Diane, and sent a stream of water gushing out of her wand. Cannons...in the evening...could only mean one thing...pirates! Still pouring water, she dashed off to the docks. It would be a simple matter to cast a fire spell upon the ship and destroy it...but at the same time as this heroic thought occurred, a reckless desire to parlay with the captain also seized her. She never had time to argue with herself, because at that precise moment, she arrived at the docks and knew she'd made an awful mistake coming here.

The ship was already docked, and it wasn't any ship. A black ship with tattered black sails...the Black Pearl. Almost all of the pirates had left the ship and entered the village, immune to the pleading screams. One of the pirates spotted Diane and made for her, but she darted away through the crowd, heart pounding. The pirate was too fast, and she dared not use magic. She could hear his ragged breathing behind her, and almost feel the pounding of his feet. At the very last of her energy, the pirate grabbed her wrists and spun her around.

"Err, now wha's a fair lass like yerself doin' out here, all alone?" he said, revealing a distinct lack of teeth. Diane leaned back from him as he reached out a filthy hand to her neckline.

"I want to speak to your captain!" she said, but the pirate merely grinned at her, pulling her to him. Diane's mind was racing as his thick fingers closed around her neck. What was that word again...par-something...

"Parlay! I demand to speak to the captain of your ship!" she choked. He stopped dead and scowled at her, but had no choice but to comply with the code. It was all Diane could do to keep her knees from giving way as the pirate tied her wrists behind her back and marched her up to the ship. As they walked, the pirate was muttering to himself.

"Yer wanna see Jack, huh, Miss? You'll see 'im alright. You'll see..." With that, he pulled Diane over to the skeletal black ship, away from his looting and hollering comrades. The rope was so tight that she was losing feeling in her hands, but she bit her lip and said nothing. He was about to push her onto the ship when a slightly slurred voice called out.

"Hey! Why are you headed back to my ship?" Diane and the pirate whirled around. A man was walking toward them, swaying slightly as he made for them. "What's that girl doing here?"

"Parlay, Cap'n Sparrow. The little whore invoked parlay," growled the pirate.

"Then you'll not call her a whore and you'll untie her wrists," said Sparrow severely, now circling Diane and the pirate. With another growl, the pirate complied, untying her wrists, She winced as feeling rushed back into her arms. The captain was circling so closely that Diane could smell a whiff of stale drink on his clothing. She met his eyes, expecting them to be bloodshot--but they were bright, sharp, like a pair of keen brown lances.

"What do you want of me, lassie?" asked Sparrow.

She took a deep breath. "My name's Diane Whitten. I am the daughter of a nobleman from England. I offer a deal between us, as I speak for my father."

The captain chuckled. "Answer the question, Miss. I haven't got all night."

"I demand that you and your pirates leave this town. It is unfair to attack us, and we have no nearby defenses against your crimes."

Sparrow laughed even harder. "All the better for us, then, if you've no defenses," he said, still laughing. "But if we were to leave, what then?"

"Gold. Riches for you and your crew. My father is a wealthy man."

"No go. We've all the gold a pirate crew could ever want or need."

"Then why are you here, if not for riches?" asked Diane curiously. Surely there was no point in their plundering if they didn't need money?

"Keep to your point, Miss Whitten. If you cannot offer us something exceptional, we shall not leave," said Sparrow, still with a hint of amusement in his voice. Diane bit her lip again, harder, making it bleed.

"Very well. If you leave these shores, you--you get me. I'll do whatever you wish of me, Captain Jack Sparrow." She carefully avoided his eyes.

"And what makes you so exceptional, miss?" asked Sparrow.

"I can do things that you and your crew would never accomplish in your wildest dreams," hissed Diane. "Now, however, is not the time to demonstrate. Take me on good faith, and I will show you what I'm capable of." It was taking all the lessons in emotional control that she'd ever gotten from Peter to keep her expression neutral.

"On good faith?"

"I haven't plundered, pillaged, looted, or backstabbed. I think that I'm trustworthy," said Diane dryly.

Sparrow laughed again. "Very well, Miss Diane. Get aboard. The captain's quarters are below decks, first door on the right of the first corridor. Clean yourself up in there. I'll be down shortly with your dinner." Diane mutely followed his instructions, walking into the captain's cabin. It was about half the size of her bedroom back in the manor, and rather cozy. Maps were piled everywhere as were odd navigation tools and an alarming assortment of knives and swords adorned one entire wall. There was a washbasin in a small corner and Diane cleaned herself up as best as she could, wincing at the bruises and welts that the rope had left. Her reflection looked even paler that usual, in stark contrast with her vividly copper hair and scared grey eyes. She felt for her wand, making sure that it was still there. The elm wood felt comforting as always under her fingers, and she knew that if Sparrow tried anything on her, she could easily Stun him into oblivion.

The door opened, and said Sparrow walked in, still swaying slightly. He smiled at Diane and said, "You'll be staying in my quarters. The captain's private dining room is just down the corridor. Follow me." She followed him warily, still unsure about this man. She could read most people, but Captain Sparrow just seemed like an amicable drunkard for all she could tell. He bowed her into a small room with a circular table set for two, saying, "Welcome to the Black Pearl."

Diane sat down, avoiding Sparrow's penetrating stare. He sat down opposite, and began helping himself to wine, breads, and all sorts of fruits and meats. As Diane was reaching for a dinner roll, Sparrow noticed her bruises. He raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. Dinner continued in a mutual silence, which she was grateful for. When she'd eaten her fill, she glanced at Sparrow, silently asking permission to leave. He nodded, mouth still full.

Back in the captain's cabin, Diane sat on the bed, fingering her wand. Her plan had seemed easy enough--get the pirates the gold, get them out of the town, and in the process, humiliate Peter. But Sparrow had refused riches, and she'd had no other choice. She didn't care much for her father, but the townspeople were innocent. And now, how was she to get around the deal that essentially made her his slave? She looked down at the wand that she was still holding. It would be easy enough to simply wipe his memory and escape, but that course of action caused a sick feeling in her stomach. That would degrade her to Peter's level.

The doorknob turned and Diane quickly stuffed her wand back into her dress pocket. Sparrow walked in and motioned for her to turn around. As he took off his day clothes, he hummed a pirate tune. Diane gave an inadvertant groan.

"Miss Whitten?" he said. She turned around and treated him to her coldest, most indifferent look. He laughed again. "You've got spirit. I was debating with myself over dinner on what to do with you." He began pacing up and down the cabin floor, his long, beaded hair swinging all over his face. "My crew needs a woman aboard, for obvious reasons. As you are bound to do my bidding, I could have you do this."

"What about Anna Maria?" blurted Diane. Sparrow looked at her with frank astonishment.

"How do you know about Anna?"

"I've heard the stories about her. She does sail under you, doesn't she?"

"Not anymore. I owed her a ship and so I gave her one, as soon as I worked up the gold to do so. She's captain of a different ship now," explained Sparrow. "Now, as I was saying, I could have you fill in a duty to the crew. However, I am tempted to keep you to myself." He carefully placed a hand on her pale cheek, and it took all of Diane's resolve not to slap him. "What say you of this?"

"I am bound to your bidding, am I not?" spat Diane. Sparrow smirked at her tone of voice.

"Ay, you are bound, but you are obviously not happy about it," he said, cocking his head at her. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen last birthday."

"You're far too young for a bunch of old sea dogs like my crew and myself. I will not force you to play the prostitute against your will," he said. "Now, you've had a long day, and I suggest you get some sleep." She didn't bother protesting, but got in the bed, scooted as far away from Sparrow as possible, and curled up to go to sleep.