𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 ▸ W. TURNER

𝟤. 𝑡𝘩𝑒 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛

Lillian's eyes rolled but she still flagged down Niall to retrieve a bottle of rum and two mugs of ale. He brought them out to her with a puzzled look – it seemed the Turner boy hadn't been quite such an easy recognition for him – before returning to his previous spot behind the bar.

With Jack and Gibbs comfortably settled at a table, bottle of rum passing between them at intervals, Lillian finally turned back to Will. He clutched his drink in one hand, the other visibly resting on the pommel of the blade at his belt, and Lillian had to resist the urge to laugh – it was frightfully clear that the years in Port Royal without her had turned him into something of a snob.

"So, Mr Turner, what brings you to Tortuga?" Lillian grinned, leant up against the pillar beside him as she sipped at her ale. She'd expected a laugh, or at least a smile, but Will's mouth was set in a hard line as he turned to reply.

"Pirates sacked Port Royal last night. Miss Swann was kidnapped."

It was only then that Lillian remembered Marin's earlier words – an attack on her former hometown, the merchants sent away until a clean-up effort was arranged. When her friend had explained what she knew of the situation she'd been able to think only of Will, whether he'd survived the attack, but his sudden presence in the tavern had completely distracted her.

"I heard about that." She began, though she couldn't find it in her to meet his eyes anymore. It was becoming increasingly clear that a lot had changed about the two of them since they'd last seen each other – the boy she once would've trusted with her life was practically a stranger now. "Marin – my friend, she's a merchant sailor – said that men down at the docks have been talking about it all morning. I wasn't aware anything had happened to Elizabeth though.."

Elizabeth Swann was the daughter of Port Royal's Governor – a pretty blonde girl who Lillian had often seen passing through the market in the carriage with her father. She'd never really had anything to do with her, after all their families were so very different, the divide between their classes wide as the ocean itself, but she'd never had any reason to resent Elizabeth like some of the other street children did. There had even been a strange moment, one that had stuck with Lillian for months after, when she had been singing the pirate's lullaby whilst walking through town and had suddenly heard another's voice joining her song. As she had turned to look for her duet partner, the Governor's carriage had passed, and though she couldn't hear the girl over the horses hooves pounding the street, Lillian noticed the shape of her lips formed the same as her own as she sang.

It was later that evening, lounged across a rooftop with Will, fresh bread stolen from her mother's kitchen shared between them, that he had first explained to her how he had come to be in Port Royal. And that Elizabeth had been the one to notice him drifting towards their ship, on the verge of a watery grave.

Because of this Lillian had never had any issues with Miss Swann – after all, the girl had brought her the one person she could trust above all others – and despite the many years that had passed since she'd last seen the Governor's daughter, the sudden news of her capture rattled her more than she'd expected.

Elizabeth was not adept with a sword like Will, or fine markswoman like Lillian – Elizabeth Swann had no defence.

"We're going after her."

Lillian almost spat out her ale all over the flagstones. "You're doing what?"

Will gave her a look that dared her to challenge him – it was so much like those he used to give her before a duel that her heart seemed to skip a beat. "Sparrow and I, we're going to track down the Black Pearl and rescue her."

Lillian's eyes shot open and she rounded on him. "The Black Pearl! Have you lost your mind? Have you not heard the stories?"

"Yes. And that's all they are, stories." Will replied harshly. "No matter who's ship it is, we're going to get her. Sparrow's here to gather a crew."

"I know, he told me when the three of you arrived." Lillian spoke quietly, desperate not to incur Will's anger. It was clear this mission was something he was very passionate about it – she did not want to ponder the potential reason why just yet. "I presume you sailed in on the Interceptor?"

Will's brow wrinkled. "How did you know that?"

Lillian couldn't help the laughter that burst from her chest. "You really think the Navy would willingly exchange the bars of Port Royal for...here?" Will gave a heavy sigh but a smile crept it's way onto his lips far too quickly for him to hide it. He shook his head imperceptibly as he looked down at her. Their eyes met for a split second, but even that was too much for Lillian, who instantly took another swig of her ale to quash the moment – William Turner really had become far too attractive for his own good. And she still didn't want to think about why he was so determined to head a suicide mission in order to rescue Elizabeth Swann.

"Plus, I put two and two together as soon as Jack showed up here." Lillian added with a grin. "Because there's no other Captain clever enough to commandeer a Navy ship from their own occupied port, than the infamous Jack Sparrow."  

𝐀 𝐔 𝐓 𝐇 𝐎 𝐑 ' 𝐒   𝐍 𝐎 𝐓 𝐄
Okay so the vast majority of this chapter is dialogue so I'm not a huge fan of it but we had to have the 'oh my god Will is cute but he's turned into a bit of a prick' chat haha! Don't worry, he will of course come to terms with being a pirate and stop hating on Tortuga so much eventually :') I also asked you guys recently what's the best way to go about dealing with Elizabeth's pairing and I have decided to go with an oc! That means James Norrington will also be getting an eventual oc (and I'm changing his character arc slightly so he gets what he deserves I know we all think he was dealt the short straw in this house). I'm super excited to get further into this book as this first part is just setting up the story - the main drama goes down in the DMC storyline :') Either way I hope you enjoyed this even if it is a little short! Much love as always - Vee xx