Sparrow's Love

Chapter 11: Family Tree

Will led me into the pub where Jack and Gibbs were. I see Jack tell the landlady something and then she walks towards me and embraces me in a hug.

"Ello Maria, I'm Daphne. Come this way and we'll get some things you'll be needing while travelling with Jack." I follow Daphne into the back; she has a dressing room with loads of dresses. "Well dear, from the looks of it, you'll be needing a couple of dresses and some girly things and probably a sturdy pair of shoes seen as though you're wearing an old man's boot." She laughs and walks towards her dresses.

Daphne's a very thin but beautiful woman; surprisingly, she is very clean. Considering all the other women here have mud or dirt on their face and hands.

"Strip off, lass. Come on, we haven't got all day," she says impatiently. I start to strip off my clothing. "There you go. We'll let you have a nice wash," she says while helping me into a large bathtub.

As soon as I was in the tub, I felt the usual comfort that water brings, but this time I felt a tingle running down my legs and toes. I look down and saw a massive green tail in place of my legs.

The last thing I heard was Daphne saying, "I thought so," before blacking out.

I came to a couple of minutes later, but standing next to Daphne was Jack. He was looking at my tail with a thoughtful look.

"Ello Maria. You just sit up nice and slowly. That's a good lass," Daphne says while helping me sit up in the bathtub.

"What-Why-How-?" I began but found that whatever I was thinking wasn't going to be able to be processed into words quite yet.

"Well dear, when I heard that Jack was in Tortuga with a young lass, I knew there was going to be trouble, so I offered to help you. But when I saw your necklace, I knew that you were a Barbossa, so I knew that you must be the daughter of Rosa," Daphne says with certainty, but how does she know that Barbossa and my mother were together?

"How did you know my mother?" I ask. She looks down at me with a warm smile.

"I'm her sister," Daphne says while helping me out of the tub. Jack just sat in the corner trying to take it all in.

"What!? Didn't her family turn her away? So, you left your sister to die on the streets even though she was pregnant," I ask suddenly realizing what it meant. She was part of the family that disowned my mother. Part of the reason why she isn't alive today.

"I left with Rosa: I was there when you were born; I was there when she cried herself to sleep because she left you, and I was there when she died. I held her and made sure that she was comfortable and pain free. It was one of the most painful things I have ever done, but for her it was the easiest. I promised her I would find you and so I have. So, I must give you the warning: Your father isn't who you think he is, but believe me, he can look after you if you give him a chance," Daphne explains. I saw the tears run down her face as she remembered the death of her sister.

"My father, Barbossa. Is he a mermaid?"

"No, that blood was from our side, not his. My mother was unfaithful to the man who I believed to be my father and the result was me and Rosa. We were twins you see. Anyway, our father found out and that was the main reason why he kicked us out, but Rosa being pregnant just topped it all off for him and made it easier for my mother to turn her back on us," Daphne explains with hatred she felt for her 'parents' in her eyes.

While we had been talking, my tail had disappeared, and Daphne had helped me back into a dress complete with a corset. Yay, not. Jack had his back turned while I had dressed, but he never left the room.

"You can control yourself around humans. You'll only turn into a mermaid when you're in the water. So, you can hide it well. We also find it easy to control water. It's a gift that we are given," Daphne explains.

"I've bathed all my life. So, why is it now that I have turned into a mermaid?" I ask. I was under the water just last week. So, how come I didn't turn then? It would have been easier than walking the length of the ocean. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration. But walking with a boat over your head doesn't give you the safest feeling.

"Since you're only half mermaid, you'll only turn after you've been 18 for a week," Daphne explains with a smile probably laughing at my confused face.

She turns me around to face the mirror. I hear Jack gasp as I was now facing him too. I looked beautiful, like a real lady. I had my hair natural as it dropped in ringlets down to my shoulder blades with a lovely green bow keeping the top half of my hair out of my face. I had a lovely green dress on that hugged my curves perfectly before drifting out due to the underskirts. I looked more womanly than I did a little over a week ago. I looked forward and saw that my cheekbones looked more defined. My lips redder and plumper. My breasts larger and my hips looked more womanly too. It's impossible. I move forward to look at my new face and Daphne smiles.

"It's because you've changed for the first time. Your mer-side is more dominant, and it always will be. But the more you turn, the more you'll notice the differences," she explains. I turn to look at her and see that she has a tear in her eye. "You look just like her, your mother. Yet you're stronger and more determined," she says with a smile and sat down.

Jack had left just after I had turned around. Probably to go and find more crew members, or to tell Will and Gibbs about what just happened.

"Thank you so much, Daphne. I can't believe how much you've been able to help me. You've helped me find who I really am. I'll never be able to repay you for this," I say while kneeling at her feet.

"It's nonsense, my dear. I wanted to help. But you must promise me that you'll return to your life. You can't become a pirate. It's not the life of a young girl. You deserve a decent husband and a beautiful family with a wonderful home that I can come and visit you in. My sister was stupid enough to fall in love with a pirate and it took her life. Please don't do the same," she says while taking my hands and looking at me in the eye.

"I spent my life being the Governor's daughter. I don't want to end up as some stupid lady who can only talk about clothes and fashion. And her only use to her husband is to please him or to pop out his heirs. That isn't what I want. I spent the first 18 years of my life being trapped. And I've spent the last week being free and I know I'll never go back to my old life. It'll kill me," I say while standing up. She stares at me and gives me a weak smile and then embraces me.

"Just like your mother you are."