There were parts of her that would always remain untameable, messy and reckless, but she refused to apologise for it.
~●~○~●~
The next morning, Narissa woke up early. Her body was used to wake up just before break of dawn. Ever since she could remember, she would get up in time to see the sun raising on the horizon each morning. She thought it was one of the most breathtaking views that existed, and she felt sorry for all those people who missed such a spectacle every day because they were sleeping.
She sat on the wooden railing, not afraid of falling into the sea; the Interceptor was docked anyway. She waited patiently for the sun to illuminate the world. A weak light was starting to raise above the water, tainting the morning sky with an orange glow. As half of the sun kept hidden, its reflection formed a golden path on the water. The sun raised higher and higher, ruling the sky, its orange rays mixed with the blue sky, creating a beautiful shade of pink.
When the sun finally settled proudly above the sea, Narissa smiled. She had never seen two equal dawns, every morning had a different detail, a new shade of some colour. It was as satisfying, like watching an artist create a masterpiece on the canvas of the sky.
She heard footsteps approaching her. "Y'know if you keep sitting there, you'll end up falling. And I don't know if I want to rescue you again," Jack's voice reached her ears.
She chuckled, remembering the incident at Port Royal without taking her eyes from the sky. "I don't make the same mistake twice, captain." Maybe she was only referring to the accident, but Jack understood that she was also talking about letting her father deceive her. Narissa stood on the deck and faced him. "Why are you up so early, captain? I thought Mr. Gibbs wouldn't be here until midday."
"That's true, but I think I should enjoy the wonderful world that is Tortuga before we leave," he explained, making weird gestures with his hands.
"Which means that you're going to visit Scarlett and Giselle, am I wrong?" She laughed, and Jack thought it was a sound more beautiful than any mermaid's song.
"I never make the same mistake twice, dear," he repeated her words with his famous smirk, showing one of his golden teeth. Turning around, the charming captain left the ship to enjoy a few last hours in Tortuga.
Narissa shook her head and tried to ignore the warm sensation in her stomach as she remembered their conversation from the previous night. He had forgiven her; she couldn't express her happines, but she knew her feelings for him were returning and she couldn't do anything about it.
Some minutes later, Will arrived at the deck with a sleepy face, narrowing his eyes at the blinding sunlight. He scanned the ship, looking for his friend, and found her sitting on the stairs that led to the quarterdeck. She was building a house of cards; she did that often to kill boredom back home. When the figure collapsed because of the slow rocking of the ship, she groaned "This is impossible!"
Her friend laughed behind her, causing her to turn around. "Good morning, William! Came to see my architectural skills?"
"What made you think that you could do that on a ship?" he teased her.
She smiled. "Oh, I knew I couldn't, but it's worth a try, right? There's no much thing to do on a docked ship. I was bored and I had these cards I found yesterday at the town... And well, I can't play alone."
"Alone? Where is Sparrow?" Will asked, looking around.
While she retrieved the fallen cards, she spoke "He went back to Tortuga. Probably getting drunk or looking for female company. Or both things," she said uninterested. "Anyway, you're here! Wanna play?" she offered with a smile.
They played for some hours. Will was very good at it, since Narissa had taught him. However, she would cheat from time to time; normally, he wouldn't catch her, but when he did, he would get very annoyed and Narissa would chuckle joke about his obsession with rules.
At some point, Will asked her "What happened between you and Sparrow?" She lifted her gaze from the cards in her hand to her friend, taken aback by his question. He explained "I know you knew each other, he told me he was your captain and you said he hates you. What happened?"
She sighed, focusing her eyes back on the cards "We were... close friends."
"How close?" Will insisted. He had noticed the glances that she sent the pirate sometimes.
"Almost inseparable. I did something wrong, very wrong, and... Well, I felt so guilty that I left the crew."
"That doesn't explain much, Narissa."
"You'll find out with time. It's really hard for me to talk about it, specially to you." She still couldn't tell him about her father. After a silent moment, she continued. "Jack forgave me yesterday, anyway, so we're fine now."
The boy wanted more answers, he wanted to know more about her so he could understand her, but she never wanted to talk about her past. He accepted this; if it was difficult for her, he wouldn't force her to talk. "Whatever you did to him, I am glad you did it."
She glared at him. "Why? Because it made me leave piracy?! William, I'm getting tired of your comme-"
"Because I met you," he interrupted, making her shut her mouth immediately. "If you hadn't left, you wouldn't have found me and who knows where I would be now?" His words came directly from his heart. Meeting Narissa was the best thing that had ever happened to him, not just because she gave him a home and food, but also because she was always there to support him. She cared for him and had showed him love.
"That's..." She couldn't find words to express her emotions at that moment. "That's really sweet." She also was glad that they had met. Without him, all those years in Port Royal would have felt awfully lonely. William made her forget about her past and her mistakes and he brought her happiness in the worst time of her life.
Since her words couldn't describe her feelings, Narissa threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. The cards flew out from their hands into the air, some of them ended up into the water because of the breeze. Will responded embracing her, not too strongly. He didn't want to hurt her, although she was squeezing the air out of his lungs.
"How emotional!" a sarcastic voice said, making them break their embrace.
Narissa turned around to find Jack looking down at them. "Didn't expect you here so soon, captain. Were the brothels still closed or have you been kicked out of every tavern already?"
"Or both things?" Will added and Narissa nodded.
"Very funny," he commented sarcastically glaring at the boy. "Mr. Turner, go find Mr. Gibbs. He should be on his way already." The young man obeyed and walked away, leaving the ship. Jack continued talking to Narissa. "The truth is I haven't visited any brothel and the taverns are all open for me."
She stood up from the stairs and faced him. "I can hardly believe you when you say 'the truth is'. No offence, captain."
"None taken, dear. However, I'm afraid that you're wrong. I was in fact looking for something for you." He pointed at her with his forefinger.
"For me?" Narissa said, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms, containing a smile that was threatening to escape. "What have you stolen?"
Jack shook his head. "You know me really well, but once again: you're wrong. I bought it, used my own money."
"And said money was indeed stolen, am I wrong this time?"
He shrugged and smiled. "I'm a pirate after all." She laughed at this. "I couldn't help but notice you're lacking of something considerably important for a pirate." He reached into his belt, taking a pistol, but it was not his. He handed it to her. "Can't 'ave you getting hurt, aye?"
With wide opened eyes, Narissa reached out to hold the bronze coloured pistol. It had been so long since the last time she had held one that her hands were trembling slightly. As the cold metal made contact with her skin, she examined the engravings in form of waves that decorated the grip and the barrel of the pistol. She noticed it was smaller than most pistols she had seen. Extending her arm, she pointed it at nowhere in particular, closing one eye to check that the aim was straight. She decided it was in perfect conditions. The captain looked intently at her, focusing on her reaction and hoping that she liked his gift. He smiled proudly at her; she looked great holding a pistol: A real pirate. That's what she was born to be, like him.
"It's very light," she commented with a slight smile, almost unnoticeable.
He nodded. "When I saw it, it immediately reminded me of you, y'know?" She raised her eyebrows at this. "It's small and very beautiful, but deadly. Suits you perfectly, savvy?"
She felt her heart flutter, hoping that she wasn't blushing and, if she was, she prayed that her tanned skin would hide it. "Thank you, captain."
"Call me Jack, dear, but not in front of the crew! I think we know each other well enough."
Settling her new pistol into her own belt, she said "Well, Jack, remind me to repay you for this gift."
"I won't forget, Nari." He winked at her.
~●~○~●~
At midday, some sailors were aligned on the dock waiting next to Mr. Gibbs. When Jack, Will and Narissa left the ship to meet the new crew, Gibbs told Jack "Feast your eyes, Captain. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot."
With raised eyebrows, Narissa looked at the line of pirates one by one. There were all kind of persons there, of all races, all ages, and all sizes; literally, there was a bald dwarf between them. This was one of the things she loved most about piracy: No matter what colour your skin was, what gender you were born, what happened in your past or what kind of physical problem you had, everyone had a place in the crew, a task to complete on the ship, something to help.
"So this is your able-bodied crew?" Will whispered behind Jack, not amazed at all.
"Honestly, I've seen worse sailors than this," Narissa added.
"That's the attitude, dear! Learn from her, Will," said the captain.
They introduced themselves to the crew, composed by twelve sailors. There was an old man who didn't have a tongue and whose colourful parrot talked for him. A black woman named Ana María slapped Jack and accused him of stealing his ship, to which both Will and Narissa laughed; he promised he'd give her the Interceptor.
The crew headed to the ship. Narissa, Will and Jack stayed at the dock while the crew got ready to set sail.
Gibbs approached them, seemingly shaken. "No, no, no, no, no! It's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. Let alone two! Specially her," he said pointing at Narissa, knowing who was her father.
The woman crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her hip. "Joshamee, you're hurting my feelings," she pretended to be offended. "Having me aboard is possibly the best thing that could ever happen to you!" She sent him a joking smile and Gibbs shook his head.
"It'd be far worse not to have them, specially Nari. We need a first mate, after all," Jack said wrapping an arm around her shoulders and directing his gaze to the clouds above him. She stared at him, shocked. Jack turned around with Narissa under his grip and together, they walked towards the ship. Gibbs and Will were left behind looking at the sky in confusion.
"First mate?" she asked as they climbed aboard the ship. She couldn't believe that Jack trusted her enough to be his first mate, she had thought he'd choose Gibbs.
"Aye. Who could be better than you?" he asked, setting foot onto the deck. He extended a hand to help her and she accepted it.
"What about Joshamee?" she suggested once she stood on the deck.
"Gibbs is a good sailor and a better friend, but I'm afraid having that authority would allow him to drink all of our rum." He glanced down at his old friend, who was now climbing the ship.
"And that's your job," she said with a smile.
"Exactly," Jack concluded.
Once everyone was on deck, Narissa asked "Captain, do we have a heading?"
The pirate reached for his compass hanging on his belt, already suspecting what would happen. As soon as he opened it, he saw the needle pointing from one direction to the other. He raised a finger to her and said "Give me a moment!" Then, he closed his eyes, focusing on his compass while thinking "When I get the Pearl, she can go sailing with me."
Hesitantly, Jack opened one eye. A huge smile formed on his face when he noticed that the needle had finally stopped. Furthermore, it wasn't pointing at his new first mate.
"Miss Narissa!" He shouted and she looked at him from the distance. "We have our heading!"
~●~○~●~
A storm had broken upon the Interceptor in the middle of the night. On board, the new crew members worked along with Will and Narissa to keep the ship afloat, pulling lines and trimming sails. Thick drops of rain fell onto their faces. Meanwhile, the captain stood by the wheel, his right hand steering and his left one holding the compass, which was pointing to the correct direction.
Between the loud sounds of thunder and waves, Narissa could hear Mr. Gibbs at her right side shouting at her "I warned him that you'd bring us bad luck!" She simply laughed, focused on her task.
The wind raised waves that rocked the ship forcefully. A huge wave covered the ship, pushing some of the crewmen onto the deck, including Narissa, but she got up in no time. Jack noticed this and called her name, shouting so his voice could reach her ears between the thunders.
She climbed up the stairs, pushing wet locks of hair away from her face. The rain, the movements of the ship below her feet and the angry wind made walking steady a difficult task. "Aye, captain?" He could barely be seen, only the flashes of lightning allowed her to see his face.
"Stay in my cabin," he demanded. He wouldn't risk having her falling overboard.
She shook her head. "I'm not doing that," she shouted back stubbornly. Did he think she was not skilled enough? She was probably one of the best sailors in that ship. She felt quite offended by his command.
He took his eyes away from the ocean and glanced at her for a second. "Narissa, please!"
"No way!" she denied and he groaned. She didn't want to hear him insist, so she simply went back to the deck to keep on working alongside her mates. How could she leave her companions, who were working hard during such a heavy thunderstorm, while she stayed safe in the cabin? It wasn't right to her.
"How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" Will asked Gibbs loudly.
"Aye, the compass doesn't point north but we're not trying to find north, are we?" he answered with a knowing smile. This only made Narissa even more curious about the damn compass. Gibbs walked towards Jack with difficulty. "We should drop canvas, sir."
"She can hold a bit longer!" the captain replied with a huge smile on his face. His eyes were fixed on the sea, almost hungrily, knowing that they had to be close to his beloved ship, his treasure.
"What's in your head that's put you in such a fine mood, captain?"
"We're catching up." His face, illuminated by the lightnings, made him look like a mad man.
~●~○~●~
About two hours later, the storm finally stopped and the sea was calmed again. The rocking of the ship was soft now and, although some small drops of rain were still falling on them, it was nothing compared to the storm.
Narissa sat on the stairs, squeezing her shoulder-length hair to soak the water out of it. She took off her boots and held them upside down as some more water streamed out of them. She was tired and her muscles were sore, but she had to admit she had enjoyed it. It had been so long since her last real thunderstorm. She had missed the cold rain on her face, the waves soaking her, the strong wind running through her hair and reaching her bones... From time to time, there were thunderstorms in Port Royal, but not as dangerous and thrilling as the ones at open sea.
As she put on her boots again, Jack stood before her. She raised her head and looked at him. "My cabin. Now." His voice held a strict tone. He stormed off to the cabin and she followed after him, knowing that he would want to talk about her not leaving when he told her to.
Once inside, she closed the wooden door behind her. He took off his brown hat to hang it. He didn't look at her, the scowl on his expression made her nervous.
After a sigh, Narissa started "Jac-"
"I told you to stay in 'ere!" he raised his voice, not letting her start her explanation.
She crossed her arms over her chest. "You wanted me to stay here doing nothing while the crew risked their lives out there, in that terrible storm?!" Her own voice sounded angry now, but she kept her tone low; she hadn't come with the intention to argue.
He stayed silent for a few seconds, noticing how stupid his idea sounded coming from her mouth. "...Yes."
She scoffed, frowning. "Well, that's not right and that's not how I work."
He got tired of her attitude and took large steps towards. "Those were captain's orders and you disobeyed them!" His tone got louder with every word.
"Maybe if the captain's orders made sense, I would obey." She still didn't raise her voice, she would let him shout as much as he wanted if that's what his ego needed.
"They made sense, I didn't want you to fall overboard." He said, still walking towards her until they were so close that she had to walk backwards. Her back made contact with the door and she was pressed between it and the captain.
"Jack, we both know I am as capable as them, even more than many of them. You can't tell me to stay here and do nothing," she tried to reason with a soft voice, but this didn't calm him down at all.
"I can because I am the captain!" he shouted while slamming his hand on the door, right next to her head. She stiffened at his sudden action and the loud banging on the wood.
She gulped, but didn't show fear; she raised her chin and stood proud in front of him instead. "And what about your crew? You don't care about what happens to them? Why telling me to stay safe and not William? He's the one you need." She was now wondering if he was actually going to use her to get the Black Pearl.
His voice softened, his eyes were fixed on the floor. "I can't let you drown, Nari."
That was it. He was going to sell her to his father. She pushed him away pressing her hands on his chest, but he only moved a small step backwards. "Why?! Why do you care so much?!" She was yelling this time; she wanted him to admit his intentions.
He looked at her. "Did you ever think that MAYBE I STILL HAVE FEELINGS FOR YOU?!" He shouted, his voice getting louder than she'd ever heard him. Jack saw a trace of fear hidden behind the surprise in her blue eyes. Immediately he lowered his voice to say "Sorry." He didn't want to scare her. He wasn't angry at her, although he didn't like her disobeying his orders. He was angry at himself because he hated having this weakness, because his mind couldn't focus on anything but her, because he didn't know how to deal with these emotions.
Narissa could hear her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't expecting those words. Even though he had forgiven her and admitted that he used to love her, she didn't think that he'd feel something for her again. "Feelings? Does Captain Jack Sparrow have those?"
He nodded and his eyes were fixed on the floor again. He seemed... Embarrassed? "I never hated you, no matter how hard I tried to. I couldn't. And I thought I had forgotten you." He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, a small smile playing on his lips. "But suddenly you showed up and you're messing with my mind again. I don't understand what I am doing." He approached her, he caressed her cheek softly with the knuckles of his right hand. "You're even more beautiful than before. And stronger, I like that. But still as stubborn as a goat."
Narissa didn't know what to say. He never hated her? He still felt something for her? "Ten years ago I would have killed to hear those words from you." He chuckled at her words. Locked between him and the door, she rested both hands on his shoulders. Lifting her head in order to look at him, she added "If things had been different, I would have spent that night with you. I would have let you be my first, Jack."
He smiled fondly. He would have loved that to happen. "I suppose I'm a bit late to be your first now," he said with a raised eyebrow.
She laughed while nodding. "Very late, indeed."
"Maybe we could do some catching up and you show me what you've learned." A suggestive smirk grew on both pirates' faces as he talked.
She considered it for a moment, a hand rubbing her chin in thought. "A tempting offer, that's for sure. But what do I get in exchange?"
He took a step backwards. "A night with captain Jack Sparrow." He made extravagant gestures with his hands, extending his arms.
"Is that enough? I mean, you would spend a night with Narissa Barbossa." Her right hand trailed from her neck to her waist, following her own curves, making Jack follow her movements with his eyes. "I don't think it's a fair exchange."
Jack groaned in annoyance. If she wanted to negotiate, that was fine with him, he was a master of negotiations. "What else do you want?"
She smiled proudly at herself; she had him wrapped around her finger. "Tell me what is so special about your compass." She glanced at the small object that hanged from his belt. "You never
told me and I'm very curious about this little secret of yours."
He cocked his head to one side and frowned. "Is that all I have to do to get you into bed?"
"Into bed, on the desk, on the floor, standing by the wall... That depends on my mood," she told him with a smirk. He licked his lips as the different images formed in his mind; his pupils widened, making his eyes impossibly darker.
Reaching for his compass, he got closer to her again. His low velvety voice said "My compass points to the thing you want most in this world."
She raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you lying?"
"Absolutely not," he said shaking his head, the beads hanging from his hair making tingling sounds.
Narissa's curiosity grew with every second. "Where does it point for you?"
"Don't you know already?"
"The Pearl?" she guessed.
"Yes, sometimes. But some other times, and God, I hate when this happens, it points to something else." He leaned into her ear and whispered. "To someone..."
She separated their heads and stared at him with a fake shocked expression. "To Mr. Gibbs? I knew there was something between you two!" she joked, failing at containing her laugh.
He groaned again, this woman loved getting on his nerves. "You are going to make me change my mind about tonight."
She stopped laughing and said "Oh, I don't think so."
"And why is that, love?" he whispered. Love, he hadn't called her that since before the mutiny, and hearing him pronounce that word again made her shiver. His left hand travelled to her waist, enjoying the closeness between them.
Looking at him with seductive blue eyes, she reached for the hand in which he held the compass and opened its lid slowly. She didn't need to look at the needle. A smirk grew on her face. "Because your compass is not the only thing pointing to me right now, Jacky."
~●~○~●~
Hello, mates!
Things are about to get steamy, just saying... So if you don't feel comfortable reading that kind of stuff, skip the next chapter.
Thanks for reading! Hope you liked this. Make my day by leaving a vote and a comment :3
D.Xx