A/n: Hi all! This story takes place in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, sometime during The Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Some events may not be entirely canon.
*Please follow and review if you like the story! :)*
Disclaimer: All of the Pirates of the Caribbean characters are the sole property of The Walt Disney Company. I do not in any way claim ownership of these characters.
"Come on, Willow," Danny whispered urgently. He reached out to the girl in front of him, seizing her arm.
"Give me a minute," the young girl muttered in response, shaking him off. She peered out from behind the wooden crate they used for cover. "Do you think they're really pirates?" she asked with a grin.
"I hope not," Danny replied shakily, swallowing hard. "Pirates are dangerous."
"Sometimes," she breathed, watching the scene intently. The ship was docked only a few yards away. The harbour bustled with people of all kinds, but Willow couldn't keep her eyes off of the massive vessel onto which several disheveled men unloaded heavy crates. "I want to get closer," she whispered.
Danny's eyes widened. "Are you mad?" he whined, gripping her arm again. "What would your mother say?"
The girl whipped around. "She won't know, will she, Danny?" she growled, narrowing her eyes at him.
A distraught look fell upon his face. "I don't want any part of this," he said quietly. "I think I'm going to go back."
"Fine, coward," the girl scoffed, turning away. "Go home to your mum. I'm going to get a better view of the ship."
Danny frowned, but said nothing. He disappeared behind another stack of crates. His friend rolled her eyes. At nine years old, he was six months older than she was, but he was such a baby - and much shorter too. He had no sense of adventure at all. The girl faced the ship again, a gust of warm, salty air caressing her face. On the count of three, she dashed from her hiding spot, lifting her dress and clambering up the ship's ramp.
The ship was even more fascinating than it looked from afar. Willow ducked behind a barrel and watched the men at work. Some moved crates while others scrubbed the deck or fiddled with the rigging. They all seemed to be lost in their work - too lost to notice their tiny stowaway. With excitement welling up in her chest, she crawled away from the barrel and towards the middle of the deck. The wind was strong at that height, causing her hair and dress to fly about. She loved it. She laughed and stretched out her arms, feeling the wind lift her as if it were trying to carry her away.
The sea entranced her. The dark waves that lapped at the sides of the boat seemed to call her toward the railing. She answered the call, leaning over the edge and watching the sun reflect off the water.
Suddenly, a loud noise ripped Willow from her daydreams. She spun around just as the ramp slammed shut. "Anchors aweigh!" someone called.
No, that couldn't be right. They couldn't be leaving yet. At that moment, Willow felt the ship violently shudder. It began to move. The clanking of the anchor's chains had ceased, rendering the ship free to sail.
She wanted to call out to someone, but couldn't risk being caught. She couldn't face the wrath of the crewmen - or worse, her mother. She leaned back over the railing. It was much too high of a drop for her to jump onto the pier. She paced back and forth frantically. Just then, she heard someone shout her name. There on the pier, like a tiny guardian angel, stood Danny. He hadn't left after all.
"Danny!" Willow shouted as quietly as she could, waving her arms above her head. "Help!"
Danny's eyes widened. Willow could tell that he didn't know what to do either. "Jump!" he shouted after a moment. No, she couldn't do that. There was now about twenty yards of water between the dock and the ship. Glancing around one last time, Willow could not see any other way out. She pushed herself up on the railing and swung her legs over, gathering her dress. There was no backing out now. She sucked in as much air as her lungs would allow and let herself fall.
And fall.
And fall.
Just when she was about to open her eyes, she felt her whole body hit the surface. The water was icy cold and the current was strong, dragging her deeper. She kicked her feet and flailed her arms. Everything around her was black. Her lungs burned as she struggled to make it to the surface. Finally, she broke free from the sea's clutches. With a gasp, she raised her head above the waves.
Danny leaned over the edge of the pier. "That was so stupid!" he hissed, throwing down a tattered rope that had been discarded. "You could've gotten yourself killed! And what if you had gotten stuck on the ship? They would have taken you out to sea! You might have never returned!"
"They didn't even notice me," Willow replied, grabbing hold of the rope and allowing him to pull her up on the dock. He was stronger than she had accounted for. She lay down on the warm wood and closed her eyes. Her sopping clothes made her weak body feel like lead. "The ship was so big," she mumbled. Danny ignored her. He held out an arm and waited for her to take it, pulling her to her feet.
The next hour was torture. The pair stumbled home and awaited their punishment. A friend of Willow's mother answered the door. Her jaw dropped when she laid eyes on them. "Elizabeth!" she shrieked. Quick footsteps running towards the door followed her cry.
"What is it?" Willow's mother asked wildly. She fell silent when she saw the children before her. She pursed her lips and waved them inside. Her friends could sense her tension and retreated back to the sitting room. Danny's mother stayed, though she let the girl's mother take the lead. "Would either of you like to explain this to me?" Elizabeth asked calmly, gesturing to the puddle of water that had pooled at Willow's feet.
Willow glanced toward Danny, who was violently shaking his head. With a deep breath, she spoke up. "It was my fault," she began. "We went down to the harbour because I wanted to see the ships." Her mother raised an eyebrow, but allowed her to continue. Danny paled with fear of what she would say. "I thought I saw something shiny in the water, so I leaned over the edge of the dock. Danny told me not to, but I didn't listen. I fell in."
"Willow, how could you be so careless?" her mother scolded.
"And you, Daniel," his mother began, "I don't want you anywhere near the harbour. It is a dangerous place."
"I know, mother," he replied defeatedly.
"Come, then," she continued, taking him by the arm. "I've got to start supper. We best be going." As she led him out the door, Willow waved goodbye. He paid no attention to her.
Her mother spun her around quickly. "The same goes for you, young lady," she said sternly. "I don't want to catch you at the harbour again. If anything were to happen to you…" Her voice trailed off as she embraced her daughter.
"Yes, mother," she whispered quietly. She wanted to please her mother, but there was no way she could stay away from the harbour. She could still hear the call of the crashing waves, and she knew she had to answer.