Backstory Drabbles 1-4
May. 3rd, 2009 06:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dwgmI'm writing drabbles for LJ's hseas_challenge #4: Backstory. Just a hundred words apiece, and they skip around, canon-wise.
1. The English rose – Elizabeth’s childhood in England
"It's my mother," Elizabeth said, showing Jack the miniature.
"Of course it is," he said. A genteel lady with smiling eyes and Elizabeth's mouth. "She looks like you."
Elizabeth gave a sad little laugh. "It's seemed like a dream, but this brings it all back. She was wearing that dress on my sixth birthday. We had dinner in the garden. She was so beautiful." She studied the portrait closely. "So much loss. So much."
Jack slipped an arm about her. "And gained. She'll be proud of you, too, no doubt. Your da will have told her the story by now."
***
2. The man from a faraway land – where does Jack come from?
Elizabeth's mind was not on her prayer book.
Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore.
Singapore!
And where else had he been? As odd as he'd looked, and in spite of the threat that had piqued her fury, it was evident that the assurance and the lithe grace of his escape were no accident. He was a man of experience, capable, sharply intelligent. A man who'd sailed the world.
And he had saved her life at his peril.
James had caught him, but he was not like the others. Jack Sparrow would surely escape, somehow.
Singapore and the world were waiting.
***
3. 'Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore' – kind of self-explanatory *g*
"Jack, what do corsets have to do with Singapore?"
Jack had been on the edge of exhausted and sated sleep, but at this his eyes popped open and slid to meet those of his maddening nemesis. "You're asking now?"
Clearly unsated, she dimpled. "Tai Huang said only Western ladies use them."
"Oh." His eyelids drifted south and he muttered, "Innocent lad's apparently not cognizant of the more adventurous forms of sexual congress practiced in his home port. Corsets're the least of it."
"You're joking!"
"Wouldn't."
"You can't leave it at that! Tell me."
"Later, darlin'. My word as a pirate."
***
4. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – Jack meets Hector Barbossa
Bootstrap trotted off, leaving Jack stinking of bilge and blinking in the sun, the pirates gathering. He tried to look confident and friendly, but with limited success.
"What's this?" A big, narrow-eyed fellow with rusty hair came swaying up. "Oh, for the love— Not another one!" Rusty-hair spat, to general laughter. "Yer a fine young catamite, but it's no use givin' Twigg here the eye. He reckons the ladies."
"I didn't—"
Twigg's blow sent Jack sprawling. Suddenly he was fighting them all, for his dignity at least, until Bootstrap's blessed shout:
“Oi! Leave ‘im be, you dogs! He’s Captain’s!”
TBC
hseas_challenge #4: Backstory. Just a hundred words apiece, and they skip around, canon-wise.1. The English rose – Elizabeth’s childhood in England
"It's my mother," Elizabeth said, showing Jack the miniature.
"Of course it is," he said. A genteel lady with smiling eyes and Elizabeth's mouth. "She looks like you."
Elizabeth gave a sad little laugh. "It's seemed like a dream, but this brings it all back. She was wearing that dress on my sixth birthday. We had dinner in the garden. She was so beautiful." She studied the portrait closely. "So much loss. So much."
Jack slipped an arm about her. "And gained. She'll be proud of you, too, no doubt. Your da will have told her the story by now."
***
2. The man from a faraway land – where does Jack come from?
Elizabeth's mind was not on her prayer book.
Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore.
Singapore!
And where else had he been? As odd as he'd looked, and in spite of the threat that had piqued her fury, it was evident that the assurance and the lithe grace of his escape were no accident. He was a man of experience, capable, sharply intelligent. A man who'd sailed the world.
And he had saved her life at his peril.
James had caught him, but he was not like the others. Jack Sparrow would surely escape, somehow.
Singapore and the world were waiting.
***
3. 'Clearly, you’ve never been to Singapore' – kind of self-explanatory *g*
"Jack, what do corsets have to do with Singapore?"
Jack had been on the edge of exhausted and sated sleep, but at this his eyes popped open and slid to meet those of his maddening nemesis. "You're asking now?"
Clearly unsated, she dimpled. "Tai Huang said only Western ladies use them."
"Oh." His eyelids drifted south and he muttered, "Innocent lad's apparently not cognizant of the more adventurous forms of sexual congress practiced in his home port. Corsets're the least of it."
"You're joking!"
"Wouldn't."
"You can't leave it at that! Tell me."
"Later, darlin'. My word as a pirate."
***
4. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – Jack meets Hector Barbossa
Bootstrap trotted off, leaving Jack stinking of bilge and blinking in the sun, the pirates gathering. He tried to look confident and friendly, but with limited success.
"What's this?" A big, narrow-eyed fellow with rusty hair came swaying up. "Oh, for the love— Not another one!" Rusty-hair spat, to general laughter. "Yer a fine young catamite, but it's no use givin' Twigg here the eye. He reckons the ladies."
"I didn't—"
Twigg's blow sent Jack sprawling. Suddenly he was fighting them all, for his dignity at least, until Bootstrap's blessed shout:
“Oi! Leave ‘im be, you dogs! He’s Captain’s!”
TBC
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no subject
Date: 2009-05-04 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-04 02:07 pm (UTC)Very true! She has a long way to go from there.
I'm glad you enjoyed these -- thank you for letting me know!