Red Velvet Skies (POTC 1)

Chapter 1: Aboard the Interceptor

1728
Annette's POV

The salty sea air and the wind blowing in my face was a feeling I never planned to let go of. The sense of adventure at every corner and the adrenaline that raced through my veins every day satisfied me, but I was always yearning for more.

I was leaning against the taffrail of Le Victorieux, watching the calm cyan seas ahead. The light that shined on the sea was blinding, but the line where the sky meets the sea was a symbol of hope and adventure.

I was sucking on mint leaves to aid in freshening my breath as I took off my leather tricorne hat to avoid it from falling into the ocean, and my long dark golden hair fell and started blowing in my face. I pushed my tousled hair back, and faced the wind. I had just applied some black kohl around my eyes to shield them from the bright sun rays, as I did practically every day. It also helps keep dust and dirt out of my eyes, and protects against infection. A lot of pirates wear it, but I learned about it's benefits when I visited the Nabatean Kingdom years ago. It serves not only as a cosmetic, but it is also a medicine for the eyes so I wear it every day.

I heard the same voices everyday, and the same view of the sun setting every night along the line where the sky meets the sea. Over a decade on the same ship and the same crew could be enough to stir anyone crazy. Plundering coasts, and sinking ships from the North Pole down to the south. We were truly Kings of the Sea, and our power was built on blood. I wish this was enough for me, but I come back to the endless horizon no matter how hard I try to ignore it. Everything leads me back to wondering how much more there is out there for me to experience. As long as I can remember, I have always known that there was something else waiting for me... I'm just not quite sure what it is. If I go, I may never come back.

My first memory was on this ship. My father had told me the story of how he found me eleven years ago on the shores of the New World, but I still have no memory of anything before then. Occasionally, I will hear a song or a particular smell will remind me of something that I almost remember. I figure that it is my brain trying to help me recall an event from my youth, but it still comes up empty. Sometimes I can see figures that dance gracefully across my memory, and glows dimly in my heart. Things that it used to know, and yearns to remember.

Le Victorieux was the only home I had ever known. I look up and see the white sail emblazoned with a distinctive jet black skeleton and I know that I am home. The only thing I have that links me to my inexplicable past is a dark ruby ring. The gold band is engraved with beautiful and unique details. I've had it since my shipwreck, and my father believes it was made sometime in the 1500's. My hand has grown into it, and it now has a home on my left middle finger.

My life had become repetitive and aimless, suffocated by my father who has only wanted to keep me safe. His pirating ways have always been quite extreme and negative. He has a hunger for the fight, while I find the approach of mercy and generosity to suffice but my father is quite stubborn. Someday, I am supposed to be Captain of this ship and everyone expects me to be exactly like my father: merciless, and cruel. I know that I can lead with pride and strengthen this ship. Being a captain is every pirates dream, so is there something wrong with me if that doesn't satisfy this feeling I have inside? I was restless on Le Victorieux, hoping for something new to happen.

It started out in the distance, but a shock wave rippled and pulsed through the sea, causing the ship to sway significantly. I have given my soul to these waves, so I knew that this was unusual. My heart thumped in my chest, like it was calling out to me. I furrowed my eyebrows together, unaware of the meaning to that phenomenon. My hair blew in my face again, so I looked up at the sails to see the notable change in wind direction.