That was not the first time Kara found herself on the floor. The wood beneath her was mildly damp, the air more so from the festering fog. It reminded her of the dense fog that constantly encompassed England. The railing against her back dug in all the wrong places but it was either the deck's railing of the ridge covered wallpaper that decorated the interior of the ship. The galleon below was beautiful and powerful and she felt the strength of the wood as it pushed through the water at a steady pace; her eyes fluttered open for the briefest moment. There she sat, her legs crossed in front of her and her arms behind her head as she stretched. The only thing ruining her relaxation was the damned fog that stuck to her hair and clothes. She frowned as her shirt stuck to her back and she opened her eyes once more to stare up at the Governor's daughter, Miss Elizabeth Swan, who was four years younger at the age of twelve.

The younger girl had dirty blonde hair formed into large ringlets, her face was covered in freckles and she wore a powder blue dress, that which signified her higher status than Kara and many of the crew. Kara couldn't help but shove her own dark locks away from her face as she looked at Elizabeth. She had been assigned to the Governor's household a month after she was accepted into the guard unit after months of persuasion. The men in the unit were gob-smacked that she even entertained the idea but once she proved her worth, the only thing that stood in her way was the fact she was female. It was only after Governor Swan stepped forward and demanded she take the role of his daughter's protector did the men admit her into their unit.

A small smile lifted Kara's lips as she thought of James Norrington's face when the Governor informed him of the situation. The Lieutenant was five years older than herself and she supposed he was good-looking and also fun to talk to when he was not busy commanding a ship, or working with his men, or talking with the Governor; maybe he was not the greatest conversationalist but Kara knew he was good at his job and cared for both the Governor and his daughter.

"... Drink up me hearties yo ho. Yo ho, yo ho, a Pirate's life for me," Elizabeth's sweet voice filtered through the air.

She scoffed at the young girl's choice of song and folded her arms over her chest, but not before a sweep of the deck. Mr Gibbs strode toward them, his brows furrowed but one hand laid slack in his pocket, his other at his side so Kara let him be, not bothering to make a scene against one of the crew members. She only encountered Mr Gibbs once she boarded the ship, and all she knew was that he was a plump man who was very aware of his surroundings despite the flask that hung on his belt. She was brought from her thoughts to watch Elizabeth whirl around to face Mr Gibbs who seemed less than enthused. Perhaps she ought to have made a scene.

"Careful Missy, cursed pirates sail these waters; you don't want to bring them down on us, do ya?"

Elizabeth looked concerned but far from frightened as the man leaned forward. Kara took that as her queue to stand up and watch from a more respectable height. Norrington and the Governor stood a few feet away, just in sight of her peripheral vision and she couldn't help but sigh. Nobody on the ship wore a smile or semblance of happiness: only frowns and furrowed brows. Her frown only deepened when Norrington scolded Mr Gibbs for his warning. She thought it was a fair warning, knowing none of the men aboard would be able to take on the pirates no matter what they believed. Plus, it's bad luck to sing about pirates, a fact that Mr Gibbs gladly told the Lieutenant. Said Lieutenant turned his face to look at her, his eyes tired but filled with authority as he narrowed them. She smirked at him but returned her attention to Mr Gibbs.

She knew Norrington meant well, at least when it came to his men. That was why he kept such a close eye on her, his knowledge of her old affiliations causing his guard to be up and a sharp eye kept on her. He scanned her for a moment: the uniform the Navy gifted her was slightly too big, her hair was pulled behind her in a braid but loose strands stuck to her face. She was shorter than he was but not dramatically so. The sword that hung at her side matched his own, an offering of peace; despite the offering he didn't entirely trust her, not yet at least. She was skilled with a sword and followed orders remarkably well, a model Naval Guard, but there was something behind her dark blue eyes that she knew made him wary.

Next to the Lieutenant she noticed Gibbs began to walk away, muttering about miniature women and how they were ad luck.

"Mr Gibbs," Kara called out with a smirk, "I believe that rum is more bad luck for a person than any woman, big or small."

He did not bother to turn around but began spouting profanities as walked further away. A chuckle escaped Kara and Elizabeth smiled warmly at her. However, both Norrington and the Governor did not seem impressed. Elizabeth, noticing the tension between the adults and her best friend, held her hands behind her back and took a step forward.

"I think it would be rather exciting to meet a pirate."

Norrington made his way close to her, Kara's own feet moving closer.

"Think again Miss Swan, vile and dissolute creatures the lot of them," Kara watched the man through narrowed eyes, "I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag or wears a pirate brand gets what he deserves, a short drop and a sudden stop," as he spoke he glanced down at Elizabeth.

Though he was talking to Elizabeth Kara knew that he was trying to place a dig at her. Old affiliations be damned, she was a member of the King's Navy and he should recognise that. Her frustration dissipated as the blonde girl looked at her in bewilderment. Kara shrugged and used her neck tie as a noose and stuck her tongue out. A gasp echoed across the deck as Elizabeth stared at Norrington in horror. It was at that moment that the Governor stepped in. He was worried about the subject matter and as silly as Kara thought that sounded she refrained from uttering a comment against him. With the same thought, Norrington apologised and walked away dutifully. Yet, instead of walking away as he did, Kara leaned her forearms on the helm of the ship and stared at the never-ending fog.

"Actually I find it all fascinating."

"Yes, that's what concerns me."

Kara snorted into her palm as she stifled her laughter. Some days she regretted telling Elizabeth all ates and haunted ships but the intrigue and joy on her face made Kara's chest fill with warmth so they began to share theories and stories with one another, each revolving around swashbuckling crews. Unfortunately, Kara had to keep her mouth shut about such topics lest she be removed from her position and put on the streets or sent back to her family in England. She remembered the day she told Elizabeth about her run-in with a real-life pirates, the poor girl nearly had a fit from excitement. It was in her father's casino that she met the First-mate of a magnificent ship. She remembered running out the door and instead of meeting the outside she collided with a solid body. She apologised, but he ruffled her hair and told her not to worry, he even offered her an apple. His face remains a fuzzy memory to her but she could remember the abnormally large hat that sat atop his head and the monkey on his shoulder. Kara smiled at the memory but her thoughts were broken by Elizabeth's frightened yell.

"Look, there's a boy, a boy in the water!"

Kara and most of the crew rushed to the starboard side where Elizabeth stood and stared into the water, followed by Norrington's yell of "man overboard!" True enough, a boy around Elizabeth's age lied flat on a slap of wood, his clothes and hair soaked. He was light and from where she stood, Kara couldn't tell if he was breathing. Norrington was barking orders and everyone sprang into action whilst Kara kept a firm arm in front of Elizabeth. She guided her slowly from the edge and from where they stood they had a perfect view of the men lowering the boy to the deck.

"He's still breathing," Norrington stated.

Kara let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looked down at Elizabeth. She was still trying to glimpse more of the boy's face which made Kara curious herself. All they could see through the circle of men was a mop of brown hair.

"Mary mother of god," Gibbs breathed.

At that utterance everyone rushed to the railing only to be met with a disaster. Elizabeth stood still next to her and Kara's eyes widened. Gibbs was as shocked as she was and she slowly glanced up at the older man. She could feel Norrington behind her as he watched the fire engulf what was left of what appeared o be a merchant ship. Debris was scattered below them, some of it on fire and some not but she knew what created the scene in front of them and it made her heartbeat increase.

"What happened here?" The Governor sounded calm.

"It's most likely the powder magazine. Merchant vessels run heavily armed," Norrington replied.

She slowly shook her head, it wasn't just the powder magazine and he knew it. Her heart remained at an accelerated pace and her hand automatically made its way to her sword. She opened her mouth to disagree but Mr Gibbs beat her to it.

"Lot of good it did them. Everyone's thinking it, I'm just saying it. P-"

"Pirates," Kara interrupted.

The Governor laughed nervously and disagreed, claiming she had no proof. She shook her head again. She didn't need proof, she had her gut feeling and by the look on Mr Gibb's face that feeling was exactly right. It was only at that moment that Kara realised Elizabeth wandered away from the fiery scene and over to the unconscious boy. She kept her distance from the young girl and simply watched. She ignored Norrington as he stormed past her yelling more orders. At that point in time Kara was only interested in what was about to unfolded before her. The crew worked frantically around her and the Governor spoke quickly to Elizabeth. She caught a few words such as "you" and "accompany" so when the wig-wearing man looked over his shoulder to nod her way, she nodded back and walked over to where they stood. The boy was lifted from the deck and carried over to a less crowded area. Elizabeth followed but Kara remained at the Governor's side. His face fell to a frown as he watche dhis daughter.

"Sir, why are the men gathering in a boat?"

He looked at her slowly and blinked as if seeing her for the first time.

"To search the wreckage I presume. Miss Warrison, watch after my daughter, please."

With those words he walked over to the other members of the crew discussing who knows what.

"Yes Sir," she whispered after him.

Her eyes drifted to Elizabeth and tilted her head to the side as the blonde's hand stroked hair from the pale boy's face. Kara's body found itself leaned against the ship's mast, her ankles crossed. She continued to glance at the boat out amongst the debris but as soon as the boy gasped and gripped Elizabeth's wrist in his hand her attention was stolen. With a large step, Kara was closer to the two of them.

"It's okay, " Elizabeth soothed, "my name is Elizabeth Swan."

"W-Will Turner."

"I'm watching over you , Will."

Kara raised an eyebrow at how well she handled the strange encounter. Will Turner huh? Sounded like a normal name, and his accent revealed himself to be of English descent but he was anything but normal if the medallion around his neck was anything to go by. Elizabeth seemed to think the same as she tore it from his neck and muttered exactly what Kara though, "you're a... Pirate." The boy fell unconscious moments ago and Kara only hoped he hadn't died.

"Has he said anything?"

As fast as lightning Elizabeth whirled around and hid the amulet behind her back. Kara smirked. The blonde told the Lieutenant the boy's name and rushed out an explanation: it was all he said. Norrington commanded a few crew members take him below which was executed immediately. With that Kara steered Elizabeth back to where they originally rested and stared beyond the helm. Elizabeth stared at the medallion. The older girl's eyes widened at how intricate the design on the coin was, recognition lingering in the back of her mind.

"That was a smart move," she commented.

"You aren't going to tell, are you?"

Kara barked out a laugh and shook her head. Her arms rested on the railing once more. She was going to suggest she take responsibility of the medallion but the look in her friend's eyes stopped that thought short. Also, if it so happened that she was found with the medallion her post would be ripped form under her. Elizabeth was painfully fascinated by pirates, just as she was, and the way she protected the boy despite having no idea who he was said everything she needed to know. Therefore, she kept her mouth shut and smiled instead. Elizabeth stood at her side, both of them staring out at the fog which was broken by the forming of a dark figure... the firgure of a ship with torn, black sails. Kara stood straighter as she pulled herself closer to the rail. Her breath caught at the sight. Teh ship sailed away from them but it was clear as day. Elizabeth gasped and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment as Kara glanced behind them to check if anyone else had witnessed the phenomenon. When they both looked back the ship was gone.