Power of the Ocean

Part Two of the Astrid Series

Full Summary: Astrid and Roland are finally out to sea to find Captain Jack Sparrow. The duo has enlisted on board a King's warship, Roland as a midshipman and Astrid as a ship's boy. But when she is discovered, she and Roland find themselves dumped onto the Black Pearl, but the captain is no longer Jack and brother and sister are separated. Without a ship or friend, Astrid stumbles upon a child with a secret to a hidden treasure… and also to her father. And as the winds change, powerful Astrid soon finds herself hauled into an adventure of mystery, revenge, and an insatiable thirst to defeat the power of the ocean.

Chapter One: Hostilities Against Port Royal

She'll look to the sea
For every escape,
And fly she would,
On the Blue Main.

The fire in her heart,
The call for adventure,
Alone would her sea
Allow to tame.

Wishes goodbye,
Love, be gone.
She has a love for the sea.
And there she'll fore'er remain
'Til she's seen what she's wanted to see.

A thunderous boom whistled loudly across the black water, shooting a visible line directly into the concretion of fog. The break in the haze instantly reassembled, and I was trapped in the miasma. Another clap of thunder roared from a gun on the Pearl, and I ducked and lied atop the sandy ground.

"Roland!" I cried, finding it safe to get up again; but the fog still confused my already weak sense of direction. Without wasting another second, I fastened my sea bag over my shoulder and ran aimlessly towards the fort.

Another excruciating bang shrieked towards town, and I heard it grow tremendously louder by the second. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rushing black sphere, and I lurched forward and fell to the ground again, my hands covering my ringing ears. With the high-pitched whistle gone, I cautiously looked up and was able to see a break in the mist. The ball of iron had crashed directly into a wall of familiar grey stones.

I had finally made it to the fort.

"Roland!" I shouted again, getting up and racing quickly to the entrance of the stronghold.

Cannon fire ensued once again, and I only managed to catch a faint, "Astrid!" in the discordant mess of blasts.

"Roland!"

I caught sight of an advancing black top hat, which I knew to be Roland's, and hailed him.

"For God's sake, where the hell have you been?" I demanded, giving him a well-deserved push. "I had to dodge about a million blows in order to find my way through the blasted fog!"

"As much as I admire your effort to arise those complaints to me, good sir," replied Roland, perhaps too much like a proper naval officer, "I must ask that you leave the firing area and find refuge in the center of the fort until our intruder has stepped foot on land."

"I can help," I insisted. I bolted my feet firmly to the stone surface.

"Brother," said Roland, remembering to keep my true identity veiled from the ears of the officers. "This is the wisest choice you could possibly make to save yourself. Now, hurry to the center of the fort where you shall be protected from certain death."

"Midshipman Turner!" came a cry.

It was Lieutenant Dyer.

"Take a group of men and file into town. Do not make any noise whatsoever. No talking, shouting—Nothing, understand?"

"Aye, sir," replied Roland.

"Lead any other civilians who are carrying out their civic duty in this town. The pirates have reached shore and scouts have informed us that their intent is to raid the city for weapons and treasure. Stop them."

"Aye, sir," saluted Roland, before he grabbed my arm and hauled me to the armory.

He spent less than a minute handing muskets and bayonets to the soldiers following his command, and although I was quite lost in all the commotion, I drew my sword and waited for Roland to issue the next order.

"We're ready. Now, what do we do?" I asked, unimpressed with the ordeal. Roland's face pinched in a scowl, and he replied to my mockery with sheer seriousness.

"This is not the time to be inappropriately sarcastic, sir," he said, taking a pistol and stuffing it into his belt. "Follow my lead and do not say a word—and those, dear brother, are orders."

As much as I wanted to dispose of time-consuming orders, I found myself complying to his directions; and with a strange feeling of eagerness sparking inside me, I followed him out of the fort and to the possible battle waiting in town.

Not a man said a word, and the only sound they gave off was the soft tap of their shoes against the gravel. Orders were to keep our mouths shut, but as soon as we reached shore, I would have no idea of what to do.

"Roland," I whispered.

"You call me 'Sir'," he corrected. "I am sorry if I seem rather supercilious, but these men around you can have you punished if they knew that you were addressing me without my title. You say 'Sir,' or 'Mister Turner.' It is rare that our common names are used on a ship, and therefore you must learn how to speak to the elite."

I didn't reply, and he interpreted my silence for a lack of comprehension.

"One must learn to communicate smoothly with both sailors and officers if orders are to be executed swiftly and efficiently," he clarified. He paused and with a silent gesture of his hand, halted his men. "Draw weapons," he commanded, his voice dropping to a whisper. Oddly enough, I could not hear any pirates running wildly onto shore waving their cutlasses about and screaming the whole town awake.

"Sir," I said, tugging on his sleeve. "I hear nothing."

"I believe your orders were not to speak," replied Roland. I shut up at that. "Hold fast, men," he said. "On my order, shoot, and then charge forward. For those without guns, stick with me."

That meant only one person: me.

Anxiously I waited for the enemy to finally show their faces in the fog. I was even jumping at the anticipation, and I had the urge to finally put my fencing lessons to the test. To my luck, I did not have to wait much longer. We heard a few satisfied snickers in the fog and Roland's eyes narrowed to make his aim precise. Then came the rattle of cutlasses and other metal items in the mist, mingled with the heavy footsteps of a fairly large group of men. I was about to die from the delay.

"Steady, men," whispered Roland. "On my word…"

Words, smords. Show me some bloody pirates!

"Aim… Fire!" The men fired their guns in unison and caught me completely by surprise. The blast seemed to make me deaf for a few moments, and the smoke from the shots found its way into my lungs, making me hack briefly. I wasn't sure if someone had called my name, for before I knew it, a sooty and sweaty man was charging straight at me, an axe raised to kill.

"Sword!" yelled someone distantly. My left hand tightened its grip on the hilt of my weapon, and I dodged the slow and heavy swing of the pirate who growled in response.

"C'mere, ya bloody—" A single shot rang out amidst the clamor of disorganized fighting and struck the pirate directly in the head. Shocked, the man fell to his knees and his head collapsed at my feet, his eyes rolling lifelessly.

"Well," I said, examining the dead pirate corpse. "That's... interesting." A firm hand seized the back of my shirt and pulled me away from the dead man. It was Roland, muttering something to me that I was too occupied to listen to.

"Don't hesitate to kill, Astrid," he said, calling me by my name for the first time since he was given orders. "That man would have chopped you in half were it not for me. I know this is new to you, but—" He paused, and, readying his pistol, shot a lethal blow to a rampaging pirate headed straight for us. "—this is war, and you must choose between mere entertainment or loyalty to your country. Therefore, next time a pirate is coming straight at you, skewer him."

Men. Such bloodthirsty hounds they were, but it was true. I had been too drenched in politesse to have the nerve to kill a man, but I knew I'd have to eventually. It was his life, or mine; but my hand was not familiar with savagery.

"Aye, sir," I answered complacently.

"Stick close to me."

"All right. But no shooting down my pirates. I can take care of myself," I said defiantly. Roland gave a huff and headed away from the shore and towards town, his pistol raised in the air.

As we continued running forward, the fog seemed to darken, changing from a pale grey to almost the color of ash. A familiar smell came along with the shift in hue, irritating my nose and making my eyes water. It was strong and heavy, and I knew it to be none other than the smell of smoke.

"They've set fire to the town, sir!" cried a man as he ran to Roland, his face perspiring and covered with filth. "Mainly to the shops, and some have spread to the houses!" Roland nodded repeatedly before thanking the man for the news and with one look at me, he grinned.

"Off we go, sister!" he cheered, and he sprinted forward like a mad man through the smoke, and blindly, I ran after him.

With one hand, I covered my mouth from the smog, and with the other, I held my sword steadfastly, ready to puncture human flesh at any moment. Unfortunately, the thought of piercing human skin and being responsible for the death of a man sent an unwanted shiver up my spine. Hold fast, Astrid. These are evil men. They've come to destroy your home and everyone you love. Think of Mum and Dad and Adam…and oh yes, Roland.

That managed to get me thinking more clearly, and my mind was coming together to focus on my duty as a civilian of Port Royal. Kill pirates… as long as they are not Jack. I nodded my head in agreement with myself, but I was not composed enough to leave my thoughts at that. But what if one is Jack and I don't see it and I kill him?

"Arrr!" came a growl through the smoke. I saw a pirate running from a house with gold and jewels in his hands.

I braced myself.

"You!" I shouted, running up to him. "Drop the booty and surrender!"

"And who be you?" the pirate said in disgust, his pruned face struck with amazement. "Yer nottin' but a lad! I oughta kill ya now for challengin' me." He dropped the loot clamorously onto the ground and drew out a rusted cutlass.

For a very brief second, I regretted challenging him. My heart sank into my stomach like an anchor. Keeping one eye on his feet, I scurried forward and thrust my blade at his abdomen. He backed away, missing it by a hair and rushed at me with brute force, swashing his sword crazily. He pushed his blade forward, and I stepped to the side and on instinct, drove my sword straight between his ribs. While he gasped from the pain, I gulped at the reality that I just wounded and possibly killed a man.

"God, forgive me," I sighed, shaking my head as the man lost consciousness and fell to the ground, leaving his crimson mark on my blade.

Shaking inside, I ran off to ward away more of the intruders. It was a hectic situation, for it was hard to tell friend from foe when the men fighting each other looked just as dirty as their enemy. Stupidly, I stood for a moment wondering what to do. A sharp object scraped my side, and I turned swiftly around and saw a sword piercing my shirt. The tip had grazed my skin, but I pulled away in time before the pirate could have pushed his blade any deeper into my flesh.

While he was amused with the false thought of actually puncturing my flesh, I whacked his face with the side of my sword, leaving a long red line on his face. He growled, and with blood in his eye, muttered a few curses towards me before revealing his other weapon: a grappling hook already caked in blood.

Christ!

He swung his sword low, and I averted my eyes to my feet and swerved away from the cut, but he took the opportunity to use his grappling hook and trapped my neck with it.

"Got you now," he cackled. While he raised his sword near my throat, my mind raced with thoughts. Astrid, you are going to die and you haven't found Jack yet! You barely left your home and now you are going to die! Stupid girl!

A call rang out.

"Astrid!"

I ducked my head, freeing it from the hook, and kicked the pirate with all my might between the legs. With a moan, he fell to his knees and with the mind of a savage, I speared his abdomen.

"Dear God!"

I looked up, my sword still stuck in the dying man and saw the face of my Adam. He was grinning from shock, and casually, I kicked the lifeless body of the men aside, freeing my sword from yet another victim.

"Hullo, Adam!" I chimed. "Is your neighborhood all right?"

"Yes, very fine. Everyone's fighting in their nightclothes for God's sake, but it doesn't really matter at the moment, now does it?"

"No, I suppose not. Have you seen Roland?" He shook his head and I walked forward and grabbed his hand. "Come on, love. We're going to find him."

On the search to find little brother Roland, Adam and I encountered quite a few more pirate provokers and each one was dying for a fight, and so that was exactly what they did. They died. Adam, however, was not like Roland, and he did not shoot down every pirate before we were even ten feet from them. He even gave me the honor of taking the first hit at times, and if I became trapped in a tight spot, he got me out of it. It was difficult to do the same for him because he seemed to swat these pirates with ease and he never required additional help from anyone, least of all me. The boy was doing quite well on his own, but I guess that was because he had the experience.

Fighting alongside him also lifted some of the guilt I had developed from killing men. The majority of them left their mark on me, whether it was a scratch on the face or another hole in my shirt. One of them even managed to puncture my hat, the bastard, but most of them ended up dying at Adam's hand. He did not seem to care that he was ending life. His mind was too focused on his duty to consider the morality of his actions. Though, I couldn't say the same about myself. I was always very self-conscious of what I did, especially after my ill-fated incidents with Griffith and Stephen, and killing a man still made me feel like an awful murderer.

On one instance, Adam and I were fighting off a band of pirates. They outnumbered us greatly, but the young lieutenant believed that we could take them, and so I believed him and was now trapped in the arms of a blasted pirate, with a sword being raised to my throat.

I cried out to my love.

"Ad—"

The pirate's hand covered my mouth and it already stank badly of grime and other disgusting muck. I looked frantically at Adam who was being overwhelmed by the attacks. I feared for his life, but no amount of struggling, cursing or kicking would make the giant pirate let me go.

Adam let out a cry as he fell to the ground, his hands pressed against his side. A storm brewed in me and I only thrashed about more fiercely. I'd even bite the pirate's hand if that was what it took to free me. The pirates began closing in around Adam, snickering amongst themselves at his pain. From what I saw, his hands were now stained with his own blood and I grew all the more frantic.

"Fire!" came a shout. Blasts rang in the air, leaving behind trails of grey smoke. Some of the pirates fell to the ground moaning, including mine, and I pulled his damn arms away from me and stuck my sword in his gut just to make sure he was dead.

"Adam!" I yelled, rushing to his side and propping his head up with my hands. "Are you all right? Please tell me you are all right."

"I'm fine," he winced, pressing harder onto his wound. "I think I can walk."

"Astrid!"

I turned my head and found Roland walking towards us, his firing crew following him.

"It's about time you got here, God dammit!" I shrieked. "Adam's hurt—"

"Yes, I know. If it were not for me and my men, he and you would have both been killed, so I believe thanks are in order?" He grinned at me and I glared at him in return. Out of all times to come, he always managed to come at the opportune moment. "Take Lieutenant Locke to the Fort," he ordered his men. "A surgeon is there. I'm sure he will be able to treat the wound. Was it through bullet or blade?" he asked Adam, kneeling down and inspecting his friend's wound while I let Adam rest his head on my blood-stained lap.

"Blade," answered Adam, grimacing again.

"All right. I'm sure it will be treatable. Take him away." Two soldiers bent down on opposite sides around Adam and hauled him up. "And Adam," he added, patting his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "Do you know of any ship that may be leaving tomorrow morning?"

"Why?" croaked my love.

"Astrid and I must leave Port Royal. We cannot enlist here or our parents will be sure to find us. I need to find a ship that will take us to another British port that may have a ship fitting our needs. Do you know of one?" Adam thought for a moment, his eyes wandering and searching for answers that he visualized in his head.

"Yes," he said. "A small merchant ship is headed to St. Vincent. It is called the S.S. Amelia. Captained by John Wagnalls and managed by a crew of about thirty. It is not a big ship at all. If you intend on boarding a passage from it, then you should hide yourselves with the cargo. It leaves precisely at dawn, if I'm not mistaken, unless it is damaged by the fighting tonight." Roland nodded in thanks and sent Adam off with the soldiers. Feeling tears well up in my eyes but swallowing them down, I cried out to him one last time.

"Take good care of him!" I shouted at the soldiers as they marched away. "Or I'll see to it that you share his fate!"

"Aye!" they replied, and Roland gave my shoulder a good rub.

"Come, Sister. We have to find that ship."

"But… Jack," I stammered. "Whoever took his ship. I'm going to find him and kill him." Roland didn't heed my words and dragged me through the town, his eyes focused on keeping us away from any attack.

"Now is not the time for revenge. You could very well get killed yourself if we don't get out of here," he advised. With a huff, I pulled my arm out of his grasp and stomped my foot on the ground.

"I am not going to that ship until I see…"

Something caught my eye.

A large band of pirates was heading towards us, but most intriguing was a fellow in the middle of them all, donned in finer clothing and a hat brimmed with feathers. It was the dreaded captain of my ol' Jack's ship! I felt it in my bones.

"Roland! It's him!"

"Astrid, don't!" yelled Roland, but it was too late. Revenge was on my mind. I rushed forward, pounding my feet into the ground as I headed straight for the bastard.

Stopping just a few feet before the approaching band of pirates, I clutched the hilt of my blade and prepared to chuck it directly at the captain's face. Bracing my self, I took a step forward and was about to throw it when the captain turned to me and at his face, I realized it was not a he, but a she.

"What have we here, gentlemen?" she snickered, pointing a finger at my frozen self.

Jack has left the Pearl to this whore? I thought.

"You look familiar," she said before snapping her fingers. At the sound, a few of her men trudged forward. "Kill them," she said. She took one last look at me, but her interest was suddenly caught by Roland who grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back.

"She's just a stupid girl," he said to the captain. "Half-mad, she is. Pay no attention to her."

"Roland!" I hissed. He only gripped harder on my shoulder.

"You are a wise young man," said the captain-whore. "What is your name?" She took a step forward, eyeing Roland with an inquisitive stare.

"Turner," he said simply, pulling me farther away from the advancing pirate crew.

"Let them go," said the captain, suddenly changing her mind. A few mutters of disagreement rumbled amongst her men but she silenced them with a bark. "Let them go, you idiots!"

And we were allowed to go.