The Story of a Girl

by Satine89

One of Elizabeth's wedding guests seems to be out to kill her... or is she really just looking for something? Oneshot. Find out pairings yourself! Rated K for romance and mild violence.

"Presenting Lord Cutler Beckett!"

A very large collection of lords and ladies were witnessing this promotion ceremony. Elizabeth Swann tittered as she fanned herself off. She hated promotion ceremonies, almost as much as she hated corsets and rum. Promotion ceremonies were like giant ego-inflation rituals. And God knew that was the last thing that Cutler Beckett, leading agent of the Royal Navy and the East India Trading Company, needed.

Elizabeth pulled a curl of brown hair out of her face and looked to her right. There was a woman who looked about seven years older than her fanning herself as well. She was wearing a black dress and appeared to not care a lick about the promotion, either. Elizabeth found both of these things to be curious.

"Aren't you betrothed to Lord Beckett?" Elizabeth asked the woman in the black dress. The woman, who, until about five seconds earlier, was staring at a turret, glanced at Elizabeth out of the corner of her eye.

"Apparently," she answered with a tinge of disgust. "And you're betrothed to Lieutenant Norrington, aren't you, Mistress Swann?"

Elizabeth blinked. "I suppose, Mistress Perap."

Mistress Perap smiled. "You sound just like I did when I was your age."

"You aren't much older than me," Elizabeth protested.

It was at this time that Governor Weatherby Swann put a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.

"I see that you have met Miss Victoria Perap, Elizabeth," Governor Swann smiled. "She's the daughter of the governor of Haven Port – our leading trade partner."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mistress Swann," Victoria curtsied with a small smile. Governor Swann wandered off, allowing Victoria to breathe a sigh of relief. "I hate introductions. So pretentious."

Elizabeth was a bit surprised by how laid-back Victoria was. Victoria, as it were, was now looking at a group of women talking amongst themselves and occasionally looking to Lord Beckett.

Elizabeth noticed this, too. "Aren't you going to do something? You're his intended."

"It isn't like I had any say in it," Victoria retorted. "I would never marry Lord Beckett. Don't tell anyone I said that, but it's true."

Elizabeth blinked in shock.

"You are very unconventional, Mistress Perap," Elizabeth noted.

"So are you, Mistress Swann," Victoria replied. "I hear that you and the blacksmith are very… friendly."

Elizabeth blushed. "William and I are just friends!"

"Hmm," Victoria grinned, fingering a black locket around her neck. She brushed a strand of her short, brown-blonde hair behind her ear. "Can you keep a secret, Mistress Swann?"

"Of course," Elizabeth responded.

I barely know you, Elizabeth thought suddenly. Yet you seem like an old friend…

"The one I truly love gave me this locket," Victoria whispered. "I've told many lies to cover up what it really means to me. But don't cover up your true feelings, Elizabeth."

And with that, Victoria walked away. Lord Beckett was signaling for her, but she didn't look too happy about the arrangements.

-

That was about five years ago, wasn't it?

Elizabeth stared out the window of her bedroom, looking out at Port Royal's seemingly massive harbor. Why she was thinking about Victoria Perap and how weird she was, Elizabeth couldn't quite pin down. Maybe it had something to do with the advice that Victoria had given. Now Elizabeth was betrothed to William Turner, her true love.

But something was still weird about the whole situation. It was as if Victoria knew Elizabeth's deepest, darkest secrets. Elizabeth had never said anything about Will in the conversation until Victoria brought it up.

It was five years ago. Get over it.

Elizabeth smiled. In a week she would be married to Will. Everyone she had ever known would be present – as would a few dignitaries that her father had to invite, for whatever reason. Some from Haven Port were due to arrive that very day.

"Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth whirled around. Her face flushed and her eyes widened happily.

"Will!"

Elizabeth jumped into Will's arms, kissing him longingly. She pulled away and looked into his vibrant brown eyes.

"Elizabeth, there are some people we're supposed to meet," Will murmured uneasily. He never liked the life of a high-ranking official, and everything that came with it. He, like his father, loved the sea, but he was not ready to become like the couple's other friend, Jack Sparrow.

Due to circumstances, Jack would probably not show up to the wedding. Elizabeth figured all the better; Jack was a hopeless drunk that couldn't be trusted to do anything correctly or legally. Will was a little more attached to Jack – Jack, after all, had saved his skin a few times while fighting against the treacherous Hector Barbossa. Barbossa was dead now, but even if he weren't, there would be very little chance of him showing up. He tried to kill not only Elizabeth, but also Will, Jack, and Governor Swann all at different points in time.

Elizabeth shivered thinking about it all. It had been a year since the events that led up to Jack Sparrow's gaining of the Black Pearl, an amazingly fast pirate ship, occurred. Yet unlike Elizabeth's encounter with Victoria Perap, she would never get over some of the things she had seen, particularly the army of undead soldiers at Barbossa's command.

"We should go to greet them, then," Elizabeth nodded, letting go of Will. "They're from Haven Port, aren't they?"

"Yes," Will nodded, observing a dress lying in a box on Elizabeth's dresser. It was a robe of the finest silk, with beautiful patterns and a sheer veil lying on top of it. Elizabeth's wedding dress couldn't have been more perfect, Will reasoned. "There was an older man that Governor Swann told me was the Governor of Haven Port, and there was his wife, and there was a middle-aged woman and her maid. They came for the wedding, I believe."

Elizabeth looked down into the box as well. "I love this dress."

"I'm sure you'll look lovely in it," Will complimented.

"It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride dressed before the wedding," Elizabeth countered anxiously before smiling. "Come on, let's go greet them."

Will and Elizabeth left the room and began to walk cautiously down the amazing main flight of stairs. Elizabeth could hear the doorknob open as she was only halfway down the stairs, but Will was already at the floor. He could walk faster – he wasn't wearing a huge dress.

Will stood at the door as Governor Swann opened it up. Behind him were four figures, just as he had said. There was the older man, who wore a wig similar to Governor Swann's and officious-looking robes; there was his wife, who appeared to be wearing a white wig as well, but with simple, flattering robes of the deepest red; there was the maid, who had greasy-looking black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a simple white dress; and then there was the other woman, with short brown-blonde hair, robes of black velvet, a black locket around her neck, and sharp green eyes. Elizabeth recognized her immediately.

"Mistress Perap?" Elizabeth questioned.

The other woman looked up at Elizabeth and grinned. "Ah, Mistress Swann. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

Will looked from Elizabeth to Victoria – the other woman - confusedly. Governor Swann ushered everyone into the spacious manor.

"Well, it would seem that Miss Victoria and Elizabeth know each other," Governor Swann told Will, who nodded his head and said nothing. "This, William, is Governor Arnold Perap."

The old man gave Will a small smile and shook his hand. "Very nice to meet you, William."

"And his wife here is Governess Irma Perap…"

The woman with the white wig curtsied slightly. "Hello."

"Their daughter, Victoria…"

Victoria curtsied deeply to Will. "A pleasure, Mister Turner."

Will was about to question how Victoria knew his last name, but Governor Swann cut him off.

"And this is Victoria's handmaiden, Diedre Hanabi."

Diedre nodded gracefully, her eyes not leaving Will's forehead. It was rather creepy, actually.

Governor Swann turned to Governor and Governess Perap with a slight smile. "Now, then, Governor, Governess, I shall show you your rooms. Elizabeth and Will can direct Miss Victoria and Miss Diedre to their rooms."

The three Governors walked out of the main hall, leaving the four children there. Diedre watched Governor Swann out of the corner of her eye for a brief period as Victoria talked.

"I hate introductions," Victoria admitted with a laugh. "So forced - and amazingly uncomfortable. I get so bored."

"You are quite crazy, Victoria," Diedre said plainly. Her voice was rather light for someone with such a focused physique.

"So… should I show you your rooms?" Elizabeth offered quickly. She was clearly a little nervous. Will didn't blame her. Victoria's first impression was awfully different than that of her parents. Diedre's was spot on – plain and loyal. Victoria… she would be hard to pinpoint.

Victoria shrugged. "If that's what you feel comfortable doing, Mistress Swann. Don't feel pressured to put up a front just because we are guests."

Elizabeth wasn't quite sure what to do at first, but then came to her senses. "Well, I should show you your rooms. Just so you know where they are…"

"Thank you, Mistress Swann," Victoria bowed. Her bow was a lot more sincere than her curtsy, Elizabeth noticed.

Victoria turned to Will with a smile. "So… you're Elizabeth's intended, then?"

Will blinked. "Yes, I am…"

"I knew she would never marry Commodore Norrington," Victoria spat at Diedre.

"Elizabeth is more like you than I thought," Diedre countered bluntly. "When you said you liked her, I knew there was a reason."

Elizabeth and Will looked at each other confusedly. Diedre turned to Will, her face blank as ever but her eyes friendly and warm.

"Victoria is very flighty," Diedre informed Will and Elizabeth. Victoria laughed nervously.

"Thanks, Diedre…"

Will raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you Miss Perap's handmaiden? Why are you so critical of her?"

"I'm not critical, just truthful," Diedre answered calmly.

"She's my best friend," Victoria clarified as they rounded a corner and walked down a hallway. "She knows everything about me, and I know everything about her. We've been together since birth."

"And Victoria needs to be yanked off of Cloud Nine every once in a while," Diedre added under her breath.

Elizabeth turned her head slightly. "…Here's your room, Miss Hanabi –"

"Please, call me Diedre," Diedre pleaded. "Here in private, anyway. Formalities are overrated."

Miss Perap and Miss Hanabi are more alike than they want to admit, Will thought with a smile.

"Diedre," Elizabeth grinned. "And across the hall –" Elizabeth gestured three feet away, " – is Victoria's room. I trust you will be comfortable here."

"Oh, yes," Diedre responded swiftly.

"We've been to Tortuga," Victoria explained. "A manor of the Governor is… much more than satisfactory, Elizabeth, William."

Will and Elizabeth said nothing (polite silence is always best) and watched as Victoria tested her doorknob.

"Is there… a lock on this door, by any chance?" Victoria asked nervously.

"Yes, of course," Elizabeth answered, dumbfounded by the simple request.

"Are you concerned about something?" Will inquired, now a little worried.

A cloud formed over Victoria's eyes, and Diedre bit her lip. Elizabeth glanced at Will timidly. Will frowned. He had feared that he would make a bad impression on Governor Swann's guests.

"I'm sorry if I hit a sore spot –" Will frantically apologized, but Diedre cut him off.

"You have no way of knowing, Master Turner," Diedre stated. "A few years back, Victoria was attacked in the middle of the night by pirates."

"I just want to be safe," Victoria said weakly. She gave a wavering smile, but was clearly perturbed by old memories. Elizabeth looked to the floor. Will looked at the ceiling. Diedre looked at Victoria. Victoria looked down at her locket. There was an awkward silence, broken by the entrance of the three Governors.

"Ah! Elizabeth, Will! There you are," Governor Swann declared. "I wanted to show the Perap family around Port Royal."

"That sounds lovely, Governor Swann," Victoria said.

"Excellent! Now, if you would kindly follow me…"

As the group walked, Victoria and Diedre both smiled and nodded at Will and Elizabeth. It was clear that all was forgiven.

-

Elizabeth pulled her hair out of its elegant ribbons, readying herself for bed. It had been a long day, what with the touring and the polite conversation and the surreal attitudes of both Victoria and Diedre. For members of the royal court, they sure had interesting opinions on the world.

As Elizabeth was about to pull her bed robes over her under-dress, she caught sight of something glistening in her mirror behind her. She whipped around to see a gun barrel aimed at her forehead.

"Hello again, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth groped around her dresser, trying to find the candlestick.

"By all means, take your time. I can wait. Just don't go doing anything rash, like calling for William. He won't be able to help me – or you."

Elizabeth closed her fingers around the candlestick and shoved it forward. The glow of the fire illuminated the feminine face in front of Elizabeth.

"Victoria…?!" Elizabeth gasped. "What are you -?! And that gun -?!"

"It's very ironic that my room has a lock and yours doesn't," Victoria noted. "Diedre found that particularly humorous. Don't you worry about what's outside of this house…? What can come in…?"

"Victoria, why are you here? And what is the point of that gun?" Elizabeth demanded. Victoria's eyes were hard as stone.

"All right, I know you have information I want," Victoria said quickly, holding the gun to Elizabeth all the while. She sat down in a chair on the opposite side of the room. "You know where my betrothed is."

Elizabeth was pretty astonished before, but now she was just plain thunderstruck at Victoria's insanity.

"Lord Beckett?! Is that what this is all about?!" Elizabeth cried out.

Victoria rolled her eyes and cocked the gun. "No, not Beckett, you twit. I have no positive feelings for that man. He's a monster. I know perfectly well where he is. I'm talking about my true fiancé."

"True fiancé…?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Ugh," Victoria buried her face in her free hand. "I don't have time to bicker with you all night."

Suddenly, Victoria kicked Elizabeth in the shoulder and swiftly felled her. Elizabeth looked up in shock.

"Who is this true fiancé of yours…?" Elizabeth tried to ask.

"I will tell you later," Victoria answered. "That kick I just gave you hit one of the key nerves leading to your brain. You will be knocked unconscious in about fifteen seconds, and awaken in about an hour. Then we will talk – me and you and Diedre."

Elizabeth's eyes flittered closed.

-

Elizabeth's eyes opened rapidly. Where was Victoria? Where was Diedre? And the other Peraps? …Where was she?

The floor was rocking back and forth ominously. A woman that looked like Victoria had her back to Elizabeth, looking out of a window and muttering to herself. She was wearing a white pirate's tunic, a black skirt, brown pants underneath, and high boots.

Elizabeth looked down. She was tied to a chair behind a desk. Cluttered all over this desk were maps of various islands. A mug of tea found its way beneath Elizabeth's face, its steam rising up and warming her face.

Elizabeth looked up. Diedre was handing her some tea.

"Diedre!" Elizabeth screeched. "Where am I? Is this a ship? It's rocking; it must be a ship! Why are we on a ship? Will someone tell me what is going on?!"

"Be quiet, please, Miss Swann," Diedre asked politely. The fact that Elizabeth was in such dire straits seemed to perturb Diedre very much. She turned to the girl who looked like Victoria.

"I can't believe you used that attack on Miss Swann, Victoria," Diedre scolded.

"Well, she didn't die," Victoria shrugged, still looking out the window. "The crew will be happy."

"Crew?!" Elizabeth shrieked.

"That attack felled Jack Sparrow," Diedre reminded Victoria.

Victoria grunted. "I had to do it to her. Didn't want to."

"Wait. Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth called.

"Captain," Victoria corrected nonchalantly.

"You know Jack Sparrow?" Elizabeth asked.

Victoria, for the first time, turned to face Elizabeth. Her hair, which had been sleek and tamed earlier, was a messy mop-top of nothingness now. Her eyes were just as hard as they had been earlier, and around her waist was a holster holding two pistols.

"Know him?" Victoria spat. "He did this to me."

Victoria pulled her hair away from the side of her right ear, revealing that half of her right ear was not there and had formed a warped sort of appendage.

Elizabeth recoiled. "…He cut off your ear?"

"He was drunk," Victoria explained. "As always."

"Is he your fiancé?" Elizabeth asked furtively.

"Never," Diedre yelled out a little too fast. She covered her mouth and turned back to Elizabeth's bonds, loosening them surreptitiously.

Victoria smirked before turning back to Elizabeth. "Now, first things first."

Victoria drew her pistol again. In proper light, Elizabeth could see that it had a black handle with white embossing on it. She gasped.

"…No. No, you can't be," Elizabeth stammered.

"Yes, I am the notorious female pirate Black Shroud," Victoria said earnestly. "Welcome aboard my ship. Just don't tell my mother, she doesn't quite know."

"And your father?" Elizabeth asked.

"I don't sack his beloved port because of it; he's fine." Victoria wrinkled her nose and beamed. "We're about thirteen nautical miles from the mainland, just so you know. We'll return you to land as soon as I know everything I need to."

"This is crazy," Diedre complained, crossing her arms. "I doubt Miss Swann knows anything important about your fiancé. None of your hunches have."

"You've done this more than once?" Elizabeth inquired incredulously.

"Ever since he disappeared a year ago," Victoria replied. "All of my searches led me to Port Royal… and who should I find here but you? I really do like you, Elizabeth… you are quite like myself, marrying outside of your class…"

Diedre sighed. "You do know that William Turner is one of the most accomplished swordfighters this side of the ocean, right, Victoria?"

Victoria's confidence fell down a few notches.

"What?"

Diedre and Elizabeth stared at her.

"…I'm going up to the bridge!"

Victoria ran out of the cabin. Elizabeth's shoulders dropped as she turned to Diedre.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?" Elizabeth asked.

"I will do that," Diedre nodded. "But first, tell me… how much do you know about the Black Pearl?"

-

"My daughter is missing, Governor Perap!" Governor Swann cried.

Will, in the middle of the town square, was frantic. Now was not a good time for Elizabeth to go missing. Not only that, Victoria and Diedre were nowhere to be found. Despite all of that, Governor Perap seemed unworried about it.

"She's fine, Governor Swann," Governor Perap said calmly.

Will frowned. "Governor Perap… this may sound rude, but how can you say such a thing? My bride is missing."

Governor Perap looked out at the brilliant ocean. Beneath the full moon, one could see the beautiful ships in port. One was curiously missing, however.

"Where's your ship, Governor?" William asked confusedly.

"That is why I ask not to worry," Governor Perap replied. "Chances are that Victoria took it out to sea, with Miss Diedre and Miss Elizabeth."

"In the middle of the night?" Governor Swann exclaimed.

"Unprotected?!" Will added.

Governor Perap turned to Will with a grin. "They are far from unprotected, Mister Turner."

Will looked confused.

"My daughter is a world-class marksman," Governor Perap explained. "Victoria could kill you from fifty paces away with her gun."

"Your daughter… is a gunsmith?" Governor Swann summarized cautiously.

"And she has been for fourteen years," Governor Perap included. "Ever since she was sixteen years old. Victoria's a valuable asset to Haven Port, actually. Not many marauding pirates think much of a woman, so to have such a powerful one is important. And ever since she was attacked four years ago, she became dedicated to all kinds of protective forms. She learned how to work a ship and how to use a sword…"

"Your daughter sounds like a very accomplished warrior," Will said with a smile.

"Well, of course," Governor Perap answered. "She's a pirate."

Will and Governor Swann gaped at him.

"…What?" Governor Swann blurted out.

"She is an interesting one, though," Governor Perap admitted. "Victoria and her crew have one sole goal – to infiltrate existing pirate groups and steal their treasure. She never sacks ports, or cities… quite the odd one."

"And… you know about this?" Will asked.

"Of course!" Governor Perap responded. "I would have to be completely daft to not know! Victoria's never been one for stealth – that's more of Miss Diedre's forte, if you don't mind me saying." Governor Perap's previously content expression disappeared quickly, melting into one of worry. "But I get the feeling that… maybe Victoria has another goal. One I don't know about."

Will stared out at the ocean. "Victoria… she won't kill Elizabeth, will she?"

"Heavens, no," Governor Perap responded. "If Elizabeth is out on that ship, she's perfectly safe. Victoria probably just wants to know about one ship. She's been after it for quite some time, actually… the Black Pearl?"

Will and Governor Swann gulped.

"Elizabeth knows quite a bit about the Black Pearl," Governor Swann clarified.

"That's an understatement," Will moaned under his breath.

-

"You were taken hostage by the crew?" Diedre repeated incredulously. Elizabeth nodded heartily. The entire story of the Black Pearl, and Barbossa's death, had been laid bare for Diedre.

"Wow," was all Diedre could say. "I knew Barbossa had been killed, but… by Captain Jack Sparrow and Mister Turner? And you? That's… quite extraordinary…"

"Now that all of your questions are answered, Diedre," Elizabeth began, wasting no time, "please answer mine."

Diedre was still in shock. "You… wow. So… do you have any idea where the Black Pearl is now?"

"None in the slightest," Elizabeth shrugged. She was still tied to the chair, but movement wasn't too limited. "But, please tell me, who is Victoria's fiancé? I can't help her if I don't know who he is…"

"Ah, yes," Diedre sighed, shaking her head. "First of all, I'm sorry about how blunt Victoria is. She tends to forget that not everyone is 100 clear on her story. Actually, no one but the crew and I know about it."

"It's all right."

"Second… do you know a man named Ragetti?"

Elizabeth thought for a second. "…False eye? Blonde hair?"

"That's him," Diedre nodded.

Elizabeth laughed. "Okay, who's he related to?"

Diedre frowned awkwardly. "Uh… actually, no one we're concerned with. That's who Victoria's engaged to."

Elizabeth kept laughing. "You're pretty good at joking, Diedre."

"I'm serious," Diedre assured Elizabeth. "Victoria is engaged to Ragetti."

"…No." Elizabeth's eyes widened. "That's… what?!"

"That's exactly what I said," Diedre admitted sheepishly. "Except I think I punched Victoria after I found out. She's so impulsive."

"Obviously!" Elizabeth spluttered. "Ragetti… he's… really strange…"

Diedre nodded emphatically. "Well, if Victoria's happy. And I can't say that I'm any better; I'm in love with a pirate, too."

"Not his friend," Elizabeth begged.

"Not his 'friend'," Diedre repeated. "Jack Sparrow."

"Oh." Elizabeth twiddled her thumbs uncomfortably. "Well… I don't mean to be rude, but he's not the committed type, Diedre."

"I know," Diedre responded. "But I can't help it. I guess that's how Victoria feels about Ragetti…"

"But… how? When I met him, he was… undead."

Diedre sighed. "Okay. First, a question. How old do you think Victoria is, Miss Swann?"

"Uh…" Elizabeth looked skyward. "Twenty-two?"

"Thirty on the dot," Diedre corrected. "For more than twenty of those years, she's known Ragetti. The only people she's known longer are her own family and I."

"…Childhood friends, then?"

"I suppose you could say that. Although Victoria always seemed to walk by at inopportune moments…"

Elizabeth didn't ask.

"Maybe I should start at the beginning. You see, I was only separated from Victoria for one year of my life, when I was seven. I came to live at Haven Port for a year before Victoria and Governess Perap came over from England…"

-

"Welcome to Haven Port, Victoria," Diedre greeted as Victoria got off of the ship. She wobbled a little on the pier.

"I hate that feeling you get when you step back on dry land after you've been on water for ages, you know?" Victoria, age eight, murmured to Diedre. Diedre played with a strand of black hair and smiled.

"Victoria, you haven't changed at all," Diedre said.

"Nor have you, Diedre," Victoria replied. "Now, I want to see everything there is to see here!"

"There's not much; it's a port town," Diedre informed her.

"I don't care! I want to see my new home!" Victoria cried happily.

Diedre rolled her eyes and grabbed Victoria's hand. "Okay, but first you should get settled into the manor…"

"Are you taking me there? Because I can walk, Diedre, no offense…"

"I just don't want you getting lost. You do that sometimes."

"I said I was sorry for the London Fair thing, Diedre…"

"Your mom never forgave me," Diedre sighed. "Your mom is a stick-in-the-mud anyway, but… Lord, don't get her on her bad side, whatever you do, Victoria…"

"She's my mom," Victoria shrugged. "I think I can -!"

A boy ran right in front of Diedre and Victoria, carrying a chicken and laughing. However, this boy was so preoccupied with the chicken that he slammed directly into a wall. He dropped the chicken, which ran away quickly.

"Bugger -!" the boy spat, rubbing his head. "That blasted chicken…!"

"Are you all right?" Victoria called at the boy.

The boy looked up at Victoria. At first he wasn't sure what to do; his features said that much. Diedre looked from Victoria to the boy restlessly, obviously knowing something neither of them did.

"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine, I thinks…" the boy turned to Victoria with an easygoing smile. "I don't think I've ever seen you around Haven Port before. I'm Ragetti."

"I'm Victoria," Victoria greeted with a small bow. Diedre bit her tongue. "I'm going to be living here now."

"Well, there's not much to do here, so… eh… keep yourself entertained… or something…"

Victoria laughed, but Diedre couldn't take it anymore. "We really should get to the house, Victoria." Diedre grabbed Victoria's hand again and began dragging her through the cobblestone streets.

"Bye!" Victoria called to Ragetti. A few feet away, Diedre finally let go of Victoria and rounded on her.

"Okay, Victoria, you know how you can't just go talking to anyone in London?" Diedre asked harshly.

"Obviously," Victoria said. "How dim-witted do you think I -?"

"Same goes here," Diedre interrupted. "That boy, Ragetti? He's the son of a prostitute."

Victoria was silent for a very long time.

"…What's that?" she finally asked.

Diedre blinked. "What's what?"

"A prostitute – what's that?"

Diedre sighed. "It… it's a bad thing. Never mind. You'll figure it out someday, Victoria. Just… you're the daughter of the Governor. There are people you can and can't talk to."

"Why is it always like that, Diedre?" Victoria suddenly asked. Diedre was caught aback.

"What?"

"It's always like that. There's people I can and can't talk to, because of my status. I didn't ask for my status. I really didn't. You didn't ask for yours, either. It makes me sad."

Diedre let go of Victoria's hand and looked sadly at her. "It's life. I'm destined to be your handmaiden for life. You're going to be a noblewoman. You just can't change those things."

"I suppose," Victoria responded wearily, following Diedre to the Perap manor.

-

"That was the first time they met," Diedre finished. "Despite all of my warnings and teachings to the contrary, it wasn't the last time Victoria talked to him. They actually became rather good friends."
"But how do you know all these things about Victoria?" Elizabeth asked, rather off-topically.

"My job is to follow her around incessantly," Diedre answered in a deadpan fashion. "I usually just sit in the background and watch her talk. But…" Diedre's voice lowered to a whisper. "When… it happened… I wasn't there…"

-

"You can't die, Diedre!" Victoria, age twelve, cried out, frightened and crying. Her eyes were puffy and red, and her hair was limp.

"I'm not going to die," Diedre protested weakly from within the covers of her bed. "It's just a little fever. The apothecary should have the herbs ready by now. I'll be fine in a day or two, Victoria."

"But you're lying in bed… not doing anything…!" Victoria pointed out.

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," Diedre snapped. "Victoria, just trust me about this. I will be fine."

Just then, Victoria's mother, Irma, entered the room. She wasn't wearing a wig, but her hair was visibly thinning. Victoria turned her miserable-looking face to Irma.

"Mother… Diedre says she'll be fine, but she has a fever!"

Irma giggled lightly. "She will be fine, Victoria, dear. Why don't you go get the herbs that Miss Diedre needs to recover?"

A fire suddenly lit itself in Victoria's eyes. "I shall go!"

Victoria, now completely fired up, ran down the stairs, laced up some shoes, and ran to the apothecary. As Victoria ran by, various villagers looked at her with smiles. She was, after all, the Governor's daughter. But had they looked closely, they would have seen the tears streaming from Victoria's eyes.

Victoria slammed the door of the apothecary open. It was a cluttered shop, with jars and boxes piled to the ceiling everywhere around Victoria. A small desk sat at the other side of the building, where the old apothecary manager sat. He had gray hair and watery gray eyes to match.

"How can I help you, Mistress Perap?" the manager asked.

"I'm here to pick up the herbs for Miss Diedre Hanabi…" Victoria murmured. More tears trickled down her cheek. The apothecary manager noticed this and smiled widely.

"Cheer up, Mistress Perap," he advised. "Mistress Hanabi will be fine. It's only a mild fever."

The door opened behind Victoria, but she didn't hear it.

"But Diedre is my best friend," Victoria sniffled as the manager got a jar of green herbs and spices out from under the desk. "Every time something happens to her, I get so worried I can barely do anything. When we're separated, I cannot function… it's so… frightening…"

"Are you all right, Miss Perap?" a voice from behind Victoria asked. She turned around.

Ragetti was standing behind her, arms crossed, and one eye strangely out of focus.

"Ragetti," Victoria smiled. She wiped a tear away from her eye. "Not really. Diedre is sick…"

"It's only a minor fever," the manager insisted. "And here are the herbs."

The manager handed the large jar of green sage over to Victoria. She cradled it in her arms.

"Do you need help?" Ragetti asked hurriedly.

"No, I'm good, thank you," Victoria answered.

"Mix a teaspoon of that with a cup of boiling water," the apothecary manager ordered, "and then let it sit for five minutes. Have Mistress Hanabi drink it. You should do this once today, but twice tomorrow."

"All right, Mister Pearson," Victoria nodded. She turned to walk out of the apothecary, but then looked at Ragetti gleefully. "When did you get back? You've been gone for months! I missed you."

Ragetti froze uneasily, still not looking upward. "…I just got back, Miss Perap."

Mister Pearson, sly man that he was, ignored the two smitten preteens and went back to his inventory.

"…Why aren't you looking at me?"

"It's nothing, Miss Perap –"

"It's obviously something!" Victoria cried. She kneeled down upon the floor. Victoria peered up at Ragetti's face and inhaled sharply. "…Your eye?"

"It… eh…" Ragetti finally looked up. "It's wooden, yeah."

"But… how?" Victoria asked worriedly.

Ragetti looked around at his surroundings, finally. His shoulders sank dejectedly.

"Do you… want to take a walk?" Ragetti randomly asked.

"…Of course," Victoria replied eagerly. The two of them wandered out of the store and into the cobblestone streets of Haven Port. In the main square, people clustered around various stores and talked in clumps in the shadows. Someone like Ragetti wasn't out of place, but Victoria always got the feeling that she was never welcome.

"So what happened to your eye?" Victoria asked nervously.

"My uncle – Pintel – he took me to Tortuga," Ragetti began. His working eye was looking at Victoria, but his wooden one was just… kind of there. It was a little unsettling for Victoria, but she willed herself to ignore it. It wasn't that big a deal.

"He's a pirate, and that's probably what I'll end up doing too," Ragetti sighed. "But anyways, we were there to try and buy a sword. The blacksmith here is no good – no offense, Miss Perap, but he's always drunk…"

"None taken," Victoria responded.

"But Pintel and I got mixed up in this awful bar fight, and… a sword missed its mark and went straight through my eye –"

"Lord!" Victoria shrieked. "That's horrible!"

Ragetti looked down at Victoria - he was easily six inches taller than her, though they were the same age – and saw that her eyes were not only completely red from crying over Diedre, but that they were lining up with tears again.

"Absolutely ghastly!" Victoria added, shivering apprehensively. Ragetti wasn't too concerned with himself anymore, though.

"Your eyes are all red," Ragetti noticed suddenly. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Oh, what, this?" Victoria wiped her eyes. "Well, you heard what Mister Pearson said. Diedre has a low fever." Victoria's grip on the herb jar tightened. "But… every time something like this happens, I become depressed and anxious. Whenever someone I like a lot gets hurt, or is ill, or anything like that –" Victoria stared at Ragetti. " – Am I crazy? For overreacting like that, I mean?"

Ragetti didn't know how to answer. "Well… erm…" He looked away, face reddening. "Well, it shows that you like them a lot, I suppose…"

Realization dawned on Victoria, and a huge grin grew on her face. "Good! For a second, I thought I was insane…"

"Insane…?" Ragetti murmured, remembering some of the weirder types of people in Tortuga. "No, you aren't insane. Far from it, actually."

Victoria was a great deal happier afterward. Ragetti bit his lip, glancing over at her every so often, before he cleared his throat.

"Um… Miss Perap, you seem… very smart," Ragetti started.

"I can't read."

"What?"

"I can't read."

"Neither can I, but what does that have to do with anything?" Ragetti asked.

"You said you though I was very smart," Victoria answered. "But no matter, keep going."

"Okay… anyway, I was wondering…" Ragetti peeked upward, at the pristine blue sky. "…When a boy really likes a girl, what happens?"

"That's an odd question," Victoria commented.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Oh, I don't care," Victoria responded. "…Well, my mother and father kiss each other, so I suppose that's what a boy would do if he really liked a girl. Or something like that. You'd be better off asking Diedre – she knows all kinds of important things like that."

Ragetti shrugged. "Just thought I should ask."

This made Victoria curious. "…Why?"

She blinked, wanting to know more. Ragetti sighed, gave Victoria a small sort of half-smirk, and leaned over to kiss her. And he did. It was very fleeting, and he pulled away quickly, clearly nerve-wracked.

But it wasn't like Victoria knew what to do, either. She slapped him.

"…What was that for?" Ragetti asked angrily.

Victoria's eyes were bubbling with tears again. "I don't know! I… I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do!"

"What?!" Ragetti yelled.

"I love you, but what am I supposed to do now?" Victoria demanded. "I know nothing about these things! I get confused easily! I have no way of… you know what, just… argh! I don't know!"

While Ragetti was trying to formulate some sort of response, Victoria tromped off, red and breathing heavily. "I need to get this home anyway."

- -

"Here you go, Diedre," Victoria said tentatively, handing the herbal water mixture to her. Diedre smiled.

"Thank you, Victoria," Diedre answered shakily. She raised her sharp eyes to face Victoria. "Now what happened?"

"What do you mean?" Victoria asked.

"Something happened. You're being very quiet, and you aren't bawling anymore. It's an improvement, granted, but not a very uplifting one." Diedre sipped the herbal mix. "So tell me."

Victoria opened her mouth to protest, but then thought against it. "…He kissed me."

"Ragetti?" Diedre asked. Victoria nodded.

"Well, what did you do?" Diedre inquired.

"…I hit him," Victoria answered.

Diedre shook her head. "WHY would you do that?"

"I don't know," Victoria replied. "I really don't. What should I have done? What should I do now? Diedre… I just don't know."
Diedre drank from the water again. "Look, Victoria, you like Ragetti very much. I know you do. If you didn't, you would have stopped talking to him when I told you to. So… go find him and kiss him back."

"…Isn't that improper?" Victoria asked.

Diedre narrowed her eyes. "Who cares at this point?"

Victoria's eyes darted around the room before she stood up hurriedly and began to leave.

"And pick some flowers for me, please!" Diedre pleaded. "This room is so drab…"

- -

"Ragetti!" Victoria yelled.

It was sheer chance that Victoria had seen him so quickly. He was walking back to the apothecary. He obviously had some business there. Probably something to do with the loss of his eye and the pain connected with that, Victoria realized with a pang.

Ragetti turned but shuttered when he saw Victoria. "…Miss Perap, I –"

"Don't say anything!" Victoria shouted, skidding to a halt in front of Ragetti. She panted for a few seconds before turning back to Ragetti. "Look, I'm sorry about what I did just now –"

"But I was –"

"Hush!" Victoria ordered. "What I did just now… I didn't know what to do, but now, now I think I do!"

Victoria kissed Ragetti, but unlike their first kiss, it was inviting and seemingly never-ending. When Victoria finally did pull away, she was completely flustered and all smiles.

"So… does that mean you love me, too?" Victoria asked, unable to look Ragetti in the eye. He fingered her chin delicately and moved it towards him.

"…Yes."

Victoria's eyes met Ragetti's one. They pulled away quickly, realizing that they were very much in public.

"…I need to pick some flowers for Diedre," Victoria admitted.

"…I can help you with that," Ragetti responded.

"It would be nice to have company."

As the two began to walk away from the apothecary, Ragetti suddenly stopped.

"Where are we going to find flowers?"

-

Victoria was never more at home than when she was handling the steering wheel of a ship and watching the bridge. It was a cold, brisk night, but then again, so was every night at sea.

A small deckhand girl was looking over the edge of the ship and humming a lullaby to herself. Victoria noticed this and laughed.

"Don't fall asleep on me, Tabitha," Victoria called.

Tabitha sighed, ruffling her auburn hair. "Miss Victoria, if you don't mind me asking, why are we still looking for the Black Pearl? Barbossa is dead. The Black Pearl isn't a threat to Haven Port any more."

"That's where you'd be wrong," Victoria grinned, "because the Black Pearl is, first and foremost, a pirate ship. And no pirate ship ever falls into disuse. Actually, I know who's captaining it now… and I have a few questions for him…"

"You are quite dedicated," Tabitha said before staring back into the vast expanse of ocean below. Her eyes clouded over. "Most of the crew is asleep. Miss Diedre is down below with Miss Elizabeth, and you're up here on the bridge. Do you ever sleep, Miss Victoria?"

"That's an odd question," Victoria commented before she flushed.

Ragetti asked a lot of odd questions, didn't he? Victoria thought wistfully. Victoria veered slightly starboard, still paying attention to Tabitha. "Yes, sometimes I sleep. But sometimes I don't sleep at all. I lie in bed, but I can't bring myself to close my eyes."

"My father has trouble sleeping, too," Tabitha admitted. "Mister Pearson, as you call him. He says that he's seen too many bad things happen in that apothecary. But…"

Victoria let go of the steering temporarily. "But what?"

Tabitha smiled. "He said that despite all those bad things, he'd always remember that day when you were crying because you thought Diedre was going to die and a young boy cheered you up. He always thought that you two would end up together… what was his name again?"

Victoria fingered the locket around her neck and looked out to the moon. But her eyes widened as she saw what was closing in fast on her small vessel.

"Ragetti," Victoria gasped.

"Yeah," Tabitha snapped her fingers. Victoria grabbed the steering wheel again and swerved it hard right. "…I wonder what became of –"

"Tabitha, now's not a good time!" Victoria suddenly yelled. "Go get Diedre! An unfriendly shipis approaching us fast, and I want her up here when it arrive!"
Tabitha looked out where Victoria's eyes were fixated. She clasped her hands to her mouth and dashed over to Victoria's side.

"Tabitha! Go get Diedre!" Victoria barked.

"What about the rest of the crew?" Tabitha whimpered.

Victoria froze. What about the rest of the crew?

"Don't wake them. This won't end in a fight," Victoria predicted. "And if they try, I'll shoot every last one of them."

Victoria's hand strayed to her pistol as Tabitha dashed down to the captain's cabin.

-

"As far as I know, both Pintel and Ragetti were arrested a year ago. They're in prison back in Port Royal," Elizabeth explained.

Diedre rolled her eyes. "I knew it. But Victoria, oh no, Victoria wanted to go with this plan. She's so dumb sometimes."

"She's in love," Elizabeth corrected.

"What?" Diedre moaned.

"Victoria isn't foolish; she's in love," Elizabeth whispered. "And… and she's quite brave, to defy both her parents and one of the most powerful men in the world."

"You are a lot like her, Miss Elizabeth," Diedre stated calmly before chuckling. "They're in jail, are they…? I'd shoot Ragetti for making Victoria worry like this, but he wouldn't recover… he's already lost his eye…"

"Was he really only twelve?" Elizabeth asked.

"Oh yes. And…"

Diedre leaned in closer to Elizabeth. "…those two really are engaged."

Elizabeth nodded. "I wouldn't doubt it. They're both mental."

"And utterly reckless."

"Crazy."

"Careless."

Both Elizabeth and Diedre laughed before a thought struck Elizabeth.

"You said that Victoria was attacked by pirates a few years ago," Elizabeth said. "…They weren't on the Black Pearl too, were they?"

Diedre became oddly rigid. Her hands clenched up into balls. "…No, they weren't from the Black Pearl. I'm not entirely sure if they were even pirates. All I know is that Victoria shot them once – just once. There was only one gunshot sound."

Elizabeth was thoroughly frightened by the suddenly serious change in tone. As if accompanying the story, the candles inside the cabin blew out.

"Fat lot of good Ragetti did her!" Diedre abruptly burst out. "He leaves thirteen years ago to serve aboard that cursed wreck of a ship, and she only sees him once since then! It's madness!"

"Only once?" Elizabeth sighed. "…At least they had that once, right?"

Diedre cocked an eyebrow. "You are quite strange, Miss Elizabeth. No, I'm not glad that they even had that once, and I think that it will be better if I never see his miserable hide again. The last time I saw him, I cracked his skull open, and if I was to see him now, I'd probably kill him."

"…Why?" Elizabeth inquired nervously.

"Because he was a zombie! For TEN YEARS!" Diedre cried.

"Oh. Yeah. That."

"And there was no way that he could… do a thing to help her… Lord… Victoria gets herself mixed up in more trouble than I care to think about," Diedre finally settled on. "Why couldn't she have just been okay with marrying Lord Beckett and forgotten about Ragetti…?"

"Because Lord Beckett is evil, and Miss Victoria needs you up on the bridge."

Diedre whipped around. Tabitha was standing in the doorway, presumably since the candles blew out.

"Miss Tabitha?" Diedre mused.

"There's a ship coming near us. The Black Pearl," Tabitha informed them.

"The Black Pearl?" Elizabeth and Diedre repeated, astonished.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" Diedre asked hurriedly.

"Miss Victoria told me not to wake them," Tabitha answered. "You should hurry -!"
Diedre ran out of the captain's quarters, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "That fool!" Tabitha took a fleeting look at Elizabeth and scowled.

"How are normal people like me and Diedre supposed to compete with you?" Tabitha wondered.

"What do you mean, compete?" Elizabeth asked.

"Look at you!" Tabitha groaned. "You have a beautiful figure… lovely hair… stunning eyes…" Tabitha looked down at her own scrawny frame. "Guys would rather have someone like you more than me."

"What makes you say that…?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"Because Miss Diedre likes Jack Sparrow very much, but rumor has it that you were involved with him, Miss Elizabeth…"

Tabitha walked out of the captain's quarters in disgust. Elizabeth looked at the floor, trying to work out what had just happened. And she was still chained to that cursed chair.

-

"It's the Black Pearl, all right," Diedre confirmed. It wasn't that hard to confirm, because the ship was only about three feet away. Mr. Cotton waved to Tabitha. Tabitha waved back.

"Hi, Mister Cotton!" Tabitha yelled. Victoria put a hand on her head.

"Now is not a good time, Tabitha," Victoria clarified. "Something very important is at stake –"

"If it isn't Miss Vicky!" a voice from inside the ship yelled.

Victoria's eye twitched as she looked out at the figure stumbling around on the bridge of the Black Pearl. "Hello, Captain Sparrow. I see that you haven't changed… at all…"

"You're a stiff," Jack countered childishly. Tabitha looked up at Diedre confusedly.

"That's Captain Jack Sparrow?" Tabitha mused.

Diedre pressed her hands together timidly. "Yes, that's him."

Victoria appeared to have absolutely no patience for Jack Sparrow and his ataxic ramblings. She crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed to slits.

Victoria fingered the steering wheel of her ship. "Listen, Captain Sparrow, I have no time for this. I've finally found your miserable wreck of a ship, and now -!"
"This is about that stupid sod of a fiancé of yours, isn't it?" Jack groaned. "You're an idiot, Vicky."
A vein throbbed in Victoria's head. "Don't call him that."

"Why not?"

"Victoria," Diedre whispered urgently. "There's something you should -!"

"Please, Diedre," Victoria frowned. Diedre could see that her eyes were welling up with tears. Diedre bit her lip. Victoria thought she was so close, yet her goal was going to slip through her fingers once again. It always happened like that.

Tabitha got bored and started playing with dust bunnies lying on the ship's railings.

"Vicky –"

"Don't call me that."

Jack sighed. "Why can't you be like every other normal being on the face of this earth and… let go of that?"

Victoria gritted her teeth. "You know, I never forgave you for my ear."

"Are you still on about that, too?" Jack asked wearily.

Tabitha saw Anamaria and waved to her. Anamaria waved back.

"Victoria, you're going to be searching for him for the rest of your life," Jack guessed, "and you will never find him, because you are so impulsive that any advantage you possessed in the beginning of this search will be useless in the endgame. You're out of opportune moments, my dear…"
"What's all this yelling, Captain?"

Joshamee Gibbs drank quickly from his flask and looked over at the three women on the other ship.

"Oh, it's Miss Victoria," Mr. Gibbs nodded. He put his flask away and turned to Diedre. "You're still following her around?"

"Unfortunately," Diedre responded.

"Look, where is Ragetti?" Victoria asked bluntly. "I have to get back to Port Royal in…"

Tabitha looked at a pocket watch. "Three hours, seventeen minutes, Miss Victoria…"
"Yes!" Victoria called. "I have to be back in port before then!"

Diedre glanced at Victoria, and then to Jack, who was busy not paying any attention.

Victoria may think that she and Elizabeth are alike, Diedre thought, but her and Captain Jack share just as many similarities.

Mr. Gibbs thought, his lip curling oddly. "I think that… he's in jail, isn't he? Back at Port Royal?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Jack cleared up. "But what was the real reason you came here…?"

Jack smiled seductively. Victoria spat in his face and turned to Diedre.

"Well, thanks for telling me about that," Victoria murmured.

"I tried!" Diedre protested. "You wouldn't let me say a word!"

"I bet you just wanted to see Jack, didn't you?"

Diedre turned a bright red and grimaced. "Victoria, I hate you sometimes."

"Hi Mister Gibbs!" Tabitha called from where she stood. "Hi Captain Jack!"
"Hi!" Mr. Gibbs called back. "How goes life at sea, Miss Pearson?"

"All right. We have a guest on board right now… but her fiancé isn't going to be happy that we kidnapped her. But it's obvious why Diedre is jealous of her; she's so pretty and –"

"TABITHA! GET US BACK INTO PORT!"

Tabitha whirled around quickly. "Yes, Miss Diedre!" Tabitha turned back to Jack and Mr. Gibbs, who were… puzzled.

"Well, until we meet again!" Tabitha smiled before grabbing the steering and directing the ship back towards Port Royal.

Mr. Gibbs looked to Jack bemusedly.

"You know that Miss Victoria is never going to leave us alone until she finds her fiancé, right, Captain?" Mr. Gibbs asked.

"Well, we'll just avoid her," Jack grinned before wandering off to do only God knows what.

-

"Victoria, it's because you're irresponsible," Diedre chastised.

Diedre, Victoria, and Elizabeth were all still in the captain's quarters. Elizabeth couldn't have moved, even if she had wanted to – she was still tied up.

Victoria was sitting behind the map-covered desk, frowning and interlacing her fingers. She was very deep in thought, as it were.

"If you had at least checked around Port Royal – asked someone – we wouldn't have had to do this," Diedre continued. "You know that Governor Swann will have us hanged for this! We can't keep flouting the law and getting away with it! And all this for a man that could be dead, for all you know!"

"He's not dead," Elizabeth suddenly said. "He's just in the jail. He's been there for a year or so. He was there yesterday."

Victoria still said nothing.

"That isn't the point, Miss Elizabeth. The point is, Victoria, if you keep doing foolish things like this for your own selfish reasons, sooner or later something very bad –"

"Do you know what these maps are, Elizabeth?" Victoria suddenly asked. Diedre raised her eyebrows but said nothing.

Elizabeth picked one of the maps up and looked around at it. "It's a map of Haven Port… and the islands around it."

"Very good," Victoria complimented. "Now… many people don't know about the surrounding islands. That's because they're where I store away treasures I find on other pirate ships. It's like my own personal Isla de Muerta, except it's not cursed, you see. But… if I stored my treasure there, why would I put it on a map?"

Elizabeth looked all over the map for some sort of clue as to where this conversation was going. She found one – the logo of the East India Trading Company, in the upper right corner. Elizabeth turned pleadingly to Victoria.

"Beckett forces me to make these maps," Victoria said coldly. "As such, he has me – one of the last remaining pirate threats – right where he wants me. And if he was to somehow wed me… that would be the end of my freedom. That's why I'm still looking for Ragetti. That's why I do these rash, hurried things. If I can find him, I can escape my own unhappy destiny."

Victoria stared Elizabeth right in the eye. "Elizabeth, you are now one of three people on the face of this earth who knows about this. Keep it that way."

Diedre was silent, for once. Elizabeth had many questions, but she knew that answers were not forthcoming. So, instead, she murmured, "Ragetti is in a cell at Port Royal. I can show you in the morning."

Elizabeth became a little more focused on Victoria. With her hands in front of her mouth, Victoria looked pensive on the outside, but her eyes were swimming in bottled-up emotion and fears. Victoria gave a weak smile.

"You really have no idea how much this means, Elizabeth," Victoria gasped. "You really don't."

-

The morning came without much incident. Elizabeth only got about three hours of sleep, but that was to be expected.

She woke up with the first rays of the sun. Lifting her head off of the pillow, Elizabeth quickly peeked out of the window. She saw a small dinghy rowing away from Port Royal, and grander ships mooring to the docks. Elizabeth smiled as she saw Tabitha running around the deck of Victoria's ship, stretching out her legs and getting some much-needed exercise.

Elizabeth had no sooner stepped out of bed than Governor Swann, Governor Perap, and Will slammed her door open.

"Elizabeth, are you all right?" Governor Swann demanded. Elizabeth looked confusedly at them.

"Of course," Elizabeth answered. "Why?"

"You were gone all of last night," Will bemoaned. "I…"

"We figured that Victoria took you somewhere," Governor Perap interrupted, "but Victoria can be very brutal at times."
"Oh, I'm quite fine," Elizabeth assured them. A thought struck Elizabeth quickly as she threw the windows open. "But I would like to take a walk with Victoria, if it's not too much trouble."
Governor Swann frowned. Will shrugged.

"I… I don't mind," Governor Swann admitted. "Miss Perap is downstairs. She's been up since the crack of dawn."
"I don't doubt that," Elizabeth grinned. As she passed Will, she gave him a knowing glance. Will, when he saw this, knew that Elizabeth was very certain of herself and wouldn't back down.

Will wondered what could possibly be so important to check at nine in the morning, though.

-

"What do you mean, I can't get in, Lieutenant Gillette?" Elizabeth asked angrily. Victoria, who was fanning herself off at Elizabeth's side by the cellblocks, was beginning to look worried.

Gillette was stoic. "There's been a break, Miss Swann. We're under lockdown."
"Lockdown…?" Elizabeth questioned.

"A break. A break…?" Victoria repeated to herself. "Who broke out?"

Gillette rolled his eyes.

"Two oddballs, they were," Gillette recalled. "They were aboard the Black Pearl last year… one was gangly, with a false eye – and the other had long scruffy hair…"

"Of course," Victoria muttered under her breath, a tear catching in her eyelashes.

"They aren't of any – any danger, are they?" Elizabeth asked. She really wasn't concerned about that at all; best to sway any suspicions Gillette might have had. Victoria had turned away, seemingly vexed.

"I don't think they're even in Port Royal anymore," Gillette admitted.

"Well… I'll come back later, then."

Elizabeth beckoned for Victoria to follow her. She did so, albeit slowly and in a slightly frightened way.

"…I can't believe it," Victoria finally spat out. "How… how could this have happened?"

"Victoria, I'm sorry…" Elizabeth breathed.

"It's not your fault," Victoria countered. "If anything… it's mine. I should have listened to Diedre; she's always right. I can't believe it…"

Elizabeth saw that Victoria looked even more determined to find Ragetti. Her hand was clenched around her fan, so much so that her knuckles turned white.

"Elizabeth… no matter what happens to you, make sure you stay by Will's side," Victoria advised. "From what I've seen this last day, you two love each other very much. I would hate for something to happen to you two…"

Victoria suddenly swerved around.

"What?"
Victoria pointed out at the ocean. "Do you see that little boat way out there?"

"Yes…"

"Ragetti's on that boat. I know it."

Elizabeth blinked. "How do you -?"
"I just do, Elizabeth," Victoria grinned. She put a hand over her eyes gracefully. "Now… what to do about your wedding…?"

fin

A/N: This is just a retarded little one shot I did shortly after POTC:DMC came out. I was planning it as part of a larger story-line, with many screwed-up noblewoman (a notable one being a sea nymph who seduces Norrington) but in the end I just went with this one lone story.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own POTC. If I did, would I be writing here? (Gareth Keenan-like pause…)

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