There Will Be No White Flag Above My Door
The bell over the door jangled, an announcement that someone had entered Robert Smith's Pewterers. Mary Windsor was crouched down beneath the counter, rummaging through the crate in front of her. "Hello?" a familiar male voice called into the shop. Mary's heart fluttered and her head popped up above the counter. "Can I help you, Mr. Turner?" Mary asked, standing up, brushing her hands off on the skirt of her plum colored dress, flashing a brilliant smile.
"Oh, Miss Windsor, I didn't see you there," Will Turner sighed, his dark brown eyes meeting her sage green ones.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," Mary said, walking around from behind the counter to stand a few feet from Will. "Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Turner?"
"Oh, yes," Will nodded, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a list, handing it to her.
"The usual, I see. Gold, silver, and pewter. Filigree getting popular in the handles of swords, Mr. Turner?" Mary said, looking up into the dark pools of Will's eyes.
"The way I do it, yes. Just today, I carried an order to Governor Swann's mansion, for Captain Norrington's ceremony today. That had gold filigree laid into the handle."
"Governor Swann? Was his daughter there? I've heard you speak of her before. Eleanor?"
"Elizabeth," Will said on a sigh, a small smile curling up the right hand corner of his mouth.
"Oh, yes. Forgive me. I'm not too good with names," Mary said, her heart stopping for a moment, seeing the smile there.
"Yes, well, when is the earliest I can have the order?" Will asked, the smile disappearing, much to Mary's chagrin.
"Oh, um...let me check," Mary said, walking back around the counter, looking through the book open on the countertop. "It should be within a week or so," She said, looking up at his face.
"That is good news. I should be out within a week and several days. It matters on the orders though," Will said, looking over at the wall, doing the numbers in his head.
"Yes, well..." Mary trailed off, writing the cost onto the order slip and slid it across the counter to Will. "You can pay once we have the order in. All you have to do is sign there," She said, holding out a fountain pen to him.
Will nodded his thanks, taking the pen from her slowly, his fingers brushing against hers, then scribbled his name on the slip, handing both the pen and the order slip back to Mary. "How much time do you have left, Miss Windsor? To work, I mean," Will stammered slightly.
"Oh. Just less than half an hour. Then I shall be free for our lesson," Mary grinned.
"I must protest, Miss Windsor, I really do not know why you wish to continue our lessons, you know almost as much as I do when it comes to sword fighting," Will said, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Ladies do not sword fight."
"Who says I'm a lady, Mr. Turner?" Mary laughed. "I wish to learn to protect myself should anything happen."
"Yes, well, I suppose that's a good reason. I'll see you in a little while," Will said, heading for the door.
"See you then," Mary nodded as he exited the store.
Once the door closed, Mary heaved a big sigh. Why doesn't he see it? Mary thought to herself as she placed his order slip in the package to be sent to one of the bigger ports. How can he not see how much I care for him? Of course, it's just plain cowardice that stops me from telling him. He is one of my only friends I've gotten since I moved here from England four years ago with my mother, God rest her soul. Mr. Smith's voice shook Mary from her mental ramblings, "Miss Windsor, your shift is over, you are free to go for lunch. But be sure to come back in at six, Mr. Vaughan is leaving for America at six-thirty and needs you to take over the rest of his shift."
Mary nodded. "Yes, Mr. Smith," She said, untying the apron from around her waist, setting it in the back room before heading out the back door, walking down the alley to Mr. Brown's smithy. She knocked on the back door, then opened it, stepping inside. She could hear Mr. Brown snoring and she walked past him carefully, then saw Will working on another sword by the hearth. "Yet another sword, Mr. Turner? And is this one for business or for pleasure?" She smirked, startling him.
"Sword fighting is not pleasure, Miss Windsor," Will said, setting the hammer back into the rack.
"We're no longer in public, Mr. Turner, you know to call me Mary," she said, arching an eyebrow.
"I know, Mary. I just..." he sighed, "I just feel odd, calling you by your first name."
"No, you don't. You just like having me remind you incessantly. You know how it bothers me," Mary smirked.
Will grinned. "Can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I?" He said, walking over to a pile and picked up a pair of breeches, a loose top, and a pair of brown boots. "The dress you have on, as lovely as it is on you, isn't right for the lesson," He said, handing her the clothes. Mary's heart jumped as he said those words and took the clothes.
"Shall I change in the office?" She asked, pointing towards the door that was slightly ajar, near the back door.
"Well, we can't have you change out here, can we?" Will smiled, nodding at the door.
Mary smiled, heading back for the office, closing the door behind her. She changed quickly into the breeches and loose top, suddenly drenched in Will's scent. She took the collar in her hand, lifting it to her nose, inhaling deeply, until his scent filled her lungs. She exhaled slowly, exiting the office to see Will waving a sword around absently, waiting for her. Clearing her throat, Mary laughed when she saw Will drop the sword, jumping so it didn't land on either of his feet. Will rolled his eyes, picking up the sword, tossing her another one, which she caught deftly. "Shall we?" He said, beginning to circle her.
"Do lets..." She smirked, coming forward with her sword.
The half-hour passed quickly and soon both Mary and Will broke out into a slight sweat. "Enough," Will said, lowering his blade. Mary did the same, handing her sword to him. Mary panted slightly, grinning.
"That was fun," Mary said before heading back to the office to change back into more proper clothing.
She kicked the boots off as she slid the top over her head. She pulled the dress on over her head, sliding her arms through the cap sleeves. The bottom hem barely brushed the floor and Mary hiked up her skirt, undoing the breeches, sliding those down her legs. She kicked them off, setting them with the top and boots. She slid her feet into her shoes and reached for her cross necklace, carrying it with her out into the main room where Will was waiting. She set the necklace on the stone counter by the hearth so she could smooth the wrinkles on her dress. Before she could say goodbye, she heard gunshots in the distance. "What on earth?" She whispered softly, looking in the direction the sounds came from, then at Will.
Once their eyes met, Will stood, reaching forward, grabbing her hand, saying how he was going to walk her back to her home just incase. She nodded, lifting the front of her skirt so she could walk quickly behind him, out of the blacksmith's and down the street to Mr. Smith's store, where she lived above the shop. There was more gunfire and Mary's heart fluttered in her chest as Will moved forward, blocking her body with his own, looking around them. "I'm gonna go see what's going on. You go inside," Will said, his dark eyes meeting her green ones, his face inches from hers.
"Okay," She nodded slowly, opening the door to the shop, stepping inside. "Be careful, Will," She said, wetting her lips nervously.
"I will, Mary," He promised, closing the door behind her and strode off.
Mary walked deeper into the shop, heading up the stairs to her room, closing the door behind her, walking over to her bed, collapsing onto it, staring up at the ceiling, a small smile gracing her features as she closed her eyes.
Several hours later, she woke up, not having realized that she had drifted off to sleep. Climbing to her feet, she walked over to the small mirror by the door, checking her appearance and headed back down the stairs to relieve Zachary Vaughan of his duties.
After closing time, Mary was cleaning up the shop, dusting the objects in the display cases when she heard the faint sound of cannonball fire. More cannonball fire followed the first and she walked over to the front door, making sure it was locked. Mr. Smith had already headed home for the night, leaving her alone in the building. Sooner than she'd hoped, she heard gunfire and the screams of civilians. She gasped, turning in the direction that the cannonball fire was coming from, her eyes widening. Running up to her room, she threw open the chest at the foot of her bed, digging through the dresses to find the weapons Will had given her. Pulling the two pistols, sword and hatchet from the chest, she set them aside as she pulled out the belt that he had made for her to hold the weapons. Slipping on the belt, she sheathed the sword into the scabbard, then hooked the hatchet onto the belt, carrying the guns, the bullets and extra powder swinging from two little bags on the belt.
She rushed downstairs just as a large keg crashed through the front window. Suppressing the urge to scream, she fired off two shots, one from each gun into the faces of the pirates coming in through the front window. Not slowing down, they came at her, murderous, possibly lustful intent in their eyes. "Oh God..." she muttered as she turned, running from the store, heading out the back door, running around the side, being almost knocked over by a large woman being chased by another pirate, whose beard was smoking. A pirate was about to run over a little girl and she ran forward, shooting the pirate and grabbing the little girl around the waist, pulling her out of harm's way.
"I want my mommy!" The little girl cried into her shoulder.
"I know you do..." Mary said, trying to console the girl as she looked around for the child's mother.
She found her, lying on the ground beneath an overturned wagon. "Ah, God..." she muttered, turning the little girl away. Setting the girl on the ground, she turned the girl to face her. "Darling, I need you to do something for me. I need you to run to the fort, where the soldiers are. They'll keep you safe until your mommy comes..." Mary said, not having the heart to tell the girl her mother was dead. "Can you do that for me?" The girl nodded, then ran off in the direction of the fort, weaving in and out between people. A cannonball hit the ground by Mary a few feet to her left, causing her to let out a surprised scream. Stumbling to her feet, she ran for the blacksmith's shop, seeing the door open and the building empty. "Will...where are you?" She whispered, grabbing a second sword, taking it with her.
Several pirates attempted to harm her, but she fought them off, using both swords. She faintly heard Will shout for someone named Elizabeth and turned, seeing Will just as a pirate ran by and hit him upside the head with a candle holder. "Will!" She shouted, running over to him. Kneeling beside him, she shook his shoulders. "Will, wake up. Please wake up, Will...please," she said as she shook his shoulders. She looked up, hearing several evil chuckles, seeing the pirates that she shot at earlier, looking down at her.
"Disarm her, boys..." The tallest one said, as the other two rushed forward, grabbing her, pulling the belt off roughly, causing her to cry out in pain. "Let's take the poppet on a ride," He said, turning towards the direction of the harbor, motioning for the pirates to take her along with them.
"No! Will! Will, please help!" She screamed, turning to see Will stir slightly. "Will! Help me! Help!" She screamed more, seeing him sit up and see her being dragged off.
She saw him mouth her name and his eyes widen. "Mary!" He shouted, climbing to his feet, reaching for the weapons the pirates had stripped her of. Before he could take two steps, a cannon hit the building above him, sending a sign down on his head, knocking him unconscious once more. "No! William!" She shouted before the pirate pulled off a bandana, placing it in her mouth, tying it around the back of her head.
She fought as much as she could before the pirate to her left picked her up, shouldering her and carried her back to the boats they used to come ashore. She kicked at her kidnappers, but they tied her hands and feet together, threatening to shoot her if she didn't quiet down. She whimpered softly, squeezing her eyes closed, trying to block out the visual if she couldn't block out the sounds.
After a few minutes of rowing, she felt the rowboat lifted into the air. Opening sage green eyes, she saw a whole deck full of dirty, smelly pirates. The pirates that pulled her out of the boat, cut the ropes around her ankles, letting her walk on her own as he led her to the man wearing the extravagant, if not worn-looking, hat. "Captain Barbossa," The pirate leading her said to the man in the hat, who looked at Mary with mild annoyance.
"This one ask for Parley too?" The man asked in a rough voice.
"No, sir. We took her. Little wench tried to stop us from looting her shop. Shot at a couple of us," The pirate replied, gripping her by the hair and jerked her head, making her cry out.
"So you took offense to the thought of a mere girl no more than sixteen--"
"I'm eighteen!" She shouted around the gag.
"You'll speak when spoken to," the pirate said, jerking her head again, causing her to cry out again.
"I was mistaken, my humble apologies, miss," Barbossa bowed mockingly. "You took offense to the thought of a girl no more than eighteen, killing you? Such stupid men. Take her below to the brig. We'll figure out what to do with her later."
The pirate aye-aye'd and grabbed Mary's arms roughly. She stumbled slightly as he practically dragged her down below, throwing her into one of the holding cells, closing and locking the cage door behind him. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she sat on the bench, looking at the wall across from her, her bottom lip trembling.
The hours all blended together, as she had no way of telling time. The sun rose and set once before the pirates dropped anchor. There was a big racket above deck and Mary leaned against the wall, frowning slightly, wondering what it could be. After about fifteen minutes of quiet, Mary climbed to her feet, walking over to the cage, rattling the door loudly, screaming for help. She heard footsteps come down the stairs and one of the more vile-smelling pirates walked down to her. "Quiet, poppet. Or I'll use that pretty mouth of yours for other reasons than hollering," He warned, eyeing her lustfully. She shrank back against the wall and was quiet for the rest of the time.
The pirates returned a little while later, many of them shouting and cursing. Another hour or so later, two of the pirates came down the stairs with a prisoner, and locked him in the cell across from her. After a short while, he noticed her and smiled, his kohl lined eyes meeting hers. "'Ello, luv. Barbossa didn't say he had other guests..." He said, sending her a crooked grin, the trinkets in his hair tinkling slightly with his unsteady movement.
"I would hardly call this the guest quarters," Mary scoffed, frowning slightly.
"You look familiar, have I robbed you before?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.
Mary's brow furrowed slightly, thinking. Her eyes widened as she realized who he was. "Pastor Robin?" She asked, shocked. A grin crossed his features.
"Ah, you must have been in London five years ago..." he said, leaning against the bars of the cage. "Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service darling."
"You weren't really a pastor?" Mary asked, surprised. "You're a pirate?"
"'Fraid so, luv. Didn't burst your bubble, did I?" He asked, his dark eyes roving over her.
"No...it was just surprising, that's all."
"Betcha still want me in that cleric's uniform, don't you, darling?" Jack smirked.
"Not particularly. How were you captured by Barbossa?" She asked, changing the subject.
"That whelp Turner did something incredibly stupid," Jack replied, rolling his eyes, falling back onto the bench, his boots still in the ankle-deep water.
"Turner?" Mary frowned slightly. No, It's not possible... she trailed off mentally.
"You know him? Will Turner, blacksmith-turned-pirate-in-training?" Jack said, seeing the look on her face.
"I-I know him," she nodded slowly. "Is he okay? What happened to him?" She asked, hoisting her skirt up and placed her bare feet in the water, walking across the floor to the bars of the cage.
"You know him well, then..." Jack observed, noticing her concern for the darkhaired youth.
"Yes. Please tell me how he is," Mary begged, her sage green eyes meeting his.
"Last I knew of him, the whelp knocked me unconscious to save his lady fair, the young Miss Swann," Jack replied, gauging her reaction to the news to see how much she knew Will.
Mary's face fell and she turned away, walking back over to the bench. She sat down, facing away from Jack. "I see," she said quietly, propping her feet up on the bench. Jack stood up, walking, but it was more like teetering, over to the door of the cell, watching her carefully.
"He's willing to die for her, you see. That's how much he cares for her. But she doesn't seem to notice. At least he says she doesn't. Pity isn't it? Loving someone...that doesn't love you back?" Jack said, watching her face with rapt attention.
"Would you please, sir, shut up?" Mary said through gritted teeth, her heart slowly breaking.
"'Shut up'? That's not something a lady would say..." Jack smirked, seeing how much she cared for Bootstrap's son.
Mary turned angry eyes to the eccentric pirate, climbing to her feet, the hem of her dress, slipping two inches under the water as she walked over to the door of her cage. She gripped the iron bars and glared at Jack. "Who even said I was a lady? I'm not. Not like the governor's daughter. I never said I was. And I don't want to be. Now, if you please, sir, shut up," She rambled angrily, tears burning at her eyes.
"What do you want to do to me right now?" Jack smiled, loving it when women got mad but were unable to do anything about it.
"I'm not talking to you anymore," Mary said in a huff, walking back over to the bench, sitting down, crossing her arms beneath her chest, looking at a far wall, her teeth clenched to stop herself from crying.
"I remember something, about old Will. When we entered the cave...he wondered where you were," Jack said, his tone serious.
"Don't know why...there's probably not a reward for me like the governor's daughter," Mary sneered quietly. "And you're probably lying. Just to get a rise out of me," She added softly.
"I do lie. Often. Just...not now. Your name's 'Mary' isn't it?" Jack replied, tilting his head to the side.
Mary nodded, saying nothing. "Then he did wonder about you. He asked, 'Where's Mary? Where do they have Mary? Where do you think they have her, Jack?' It was quite pathetic really. I've not seen a man go to rescue one woman, while thinking about another."
"I was rude about it, but please be quiet. I want to be able to hear my heart break in peace..." Mary said quietly, drawing her knees up to her chest, resting her head on the tops of her knees.
The ship pitched suddenly and Mary fell to the floor, her dress getting soaked in places. "Damn..." Mary muttered, climbing to her feet slowly. "What's happening?" She asked Jack, who moved to the wall of the ship, looking out a small hole.
"We must have caught up with the Interceptor. And my crew's probably making one last stand," Jack said right before the rest of his words were drowned out by cannon fire.
Jack ducked to the side as a large hole, twice the size of his head was blown into the side of the ship. Mary dropped to the floor, the front of her dress getting soaked clean through as she avoided getting hit. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack shouted from the floor of his cell.
"Oh, I'm sure they're gonna listen to you," Mary scoffed, looking at the front of her dress, grimacing at the wetness.
Jack climbed to his feet slowly, then noticed that the lock on his door was blown off. He smiled, stumbling out of his cell, stopping at Mary's. Mary climbed to her feet slowly, the majority of her dress darker than the rest, due to the water. "I'd help, luv," Jack said, stroking the back of his index and middle finger down her cheek, "but I don't have a key." He said apologetically, moving away from the door.
"Jack! No! Jack, please!" Mary shouted, but was drowned out by the cannons.
Jack disappeared from sight and Mary was forced to dodge silverware by curling up in a far corner of her cell, making as small a target as possible. Gunfire joined cannon fire and Mary closed her eyes, praying that Will would make it.
Eventually the firing ceased and Mary heard numerous, more than just the pirates, footsteps overhead, and some shouting right before she heard a large explosion. "Oh God, oh God..." Mary whispered quietly, hoping that Will had made it off the other ship before it exploded.
A half-hour later, the pirates brought down another group of people, but Jack wasn't with them. They must have been the crew from the Interceptor. Mary searched the faces, then saw Will, dripping wet, being pushed into a cell by himself, while the rest of the crew was shoved into a cell together. Mary climbed to her feet, walking over to the cage wall that separated the two of them. "Will! William!" Mary exclaimed, holding one of the bars with one hand, reaching out for Will with the other. Will turned to face Mary. His features, which held extreme sadness, brightened slightly when he saw her. He moved over to the cell wall that separated the two, and one of his hands covered her hand that gripped the iron bar, the other reaching through the bars, touching her face lightly.
"Oh, God...I was so worried about you..." He trailed off, his eyes meeting hers.
"Oh, Will..." Mary trailed off, then realized the reason he was sad was because Miss Swann was nowhere to be seen. "Where's the governor's daughter? And Jack? Where's Jack?" Mary asked.
"Barbossa made them walk the plank. They had to swim to a nearby island," Will replied quietly.
"I see," Mary nodded slowly.
"Wait, how do you know Jack and Elizabeth were on the Black Pearl?" Will asked, his brow furrowing slightly with confusion.
"Jack was down here. In the cell across from me. And he told me that Barbossa had Miss Swann," Mary replied, not wanting to say the girl's name.
Will grew quiet and he pulled away, his hand leaving her cheek and her hand. He sat down on the bench in his cell, sighing heavily, closing his eyes. Mary's dress stuck to her like a second skin as she moved to her bench, sitting to the cage wall that separated the two of them. Leaning her heard back against the wall behind her, Mary drew her knees up to her chest, her soaked dress sticking to her legs. Not wanting to say anything to Will in front of the others at the moment, Mary exhaled slowly, concentrating on trying to sleep.
Mary had managed to fall asleep, but was roused by one of the Pearl's pirates getting angry at the other while he was trying to tell a story. She inhaled slowly, grunting softly as she stretched. Turning in the direction of Will's cell, Mary saw the look of disdain for the pirates on his handsome face. "Will," Mary said softly, feeling the ship slow to a stop. Will turned to face her, his dark eyes meeting her. Suddenly she was drowning. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think. All there was, was William Turner. Noticing her uneasy silence, Will moved over to her side of the cell, sitting on the bench, reaching through and taking her hand.
"What's the matter, Mary?" Will asked softly.
"I'm afraid..." Mary whispered, looking down at his hand.
"Of what? The pirates? They're fools. All of them," He said in a low voice.
"No. Of what might happen to you. I heard the end of the story that short, stocky pirate was telling. They need your blood to end their curse. And knowing pirates, they're going to want to drain every last drop to make sure..." Mary said, loud enough for only Will to hear.
"They had only cut Elizabeth's palm. You needn't worry about me..." Will said reassuringly, even though he doubted his own words.
Before Mary could reply, Barbossa came down into the brig, ordering a couple of the pirates to bring Will with them. Mary's heart pounded rapidly in her chest, and she feared that this would be the last time she saw the love of her life. As the pirates moved forward, Mary reached through the bars, grasping Will's other hand, gripping the one she held on her side of the bars. "Will, if I never see you again, I want you to know this: I've loved you since the moment I met you. I know you care for Elizabeth and will probably wed her, but I want you to know...I love you..." Mary babbled quietly, her worried sage eyes meeting his surprised chocolate ones.
Will was quiet for a moment as they unlocked the door of his cell. He met her gaze evenly, then looked away when the pirates grabbed his arms, hauling him from his cell. Mary pulled her arm back over onto her side and stood, walking to the door of her cell, watching them drag him up the stairs and out of sight. Once she could no longer see him, she felt oddly calm. She had told him how she'd felt about him and now he knew. There was nothing more for her to do. Moving away from the door, she sat back down, leaning against the wall, looking to her right, away from the Interceptor's crew.
It could have been no more than twenty minutes later, when Mary heard light footsteps on the deck of the Pearl. She heard two pirates storming up the stairs to see what was up on deck a few moments before a young woman with medium brown hair came down the stairs in a solider's uniform that was several sizes too big. Greeting the crew, she found the keys and unlocked their cell door, letting them out. Mary climbed to her feet, walking over to the door of her cage, rattling it slightly to get the young woman's attention. "Excuse me, excuse me!" Mary said quickly, getting the brunette to look her way. "Please release me," Mary asked, meeting the girl's chestnut brown eyes.
"Do I know you?" The girl asked, walking over to Mary's cell.
"I work at Robert Smith's Pewterers. I've accompanied several shipments to the Governor's mansion," Mary replied, realizing that this was Elizabeth. Will's Elizabeth.
"Oh, yes," Elizabeth nodded, unlocking the door, swinging it open.
"Thank you," Mary said, exiting the cage, heading towards the crew's quarters, looking for more suitable clothes for fighting.
She found a pair of ratty breeches and a dingy white undershirt and changed quickly. Running up the stairs barefoot, Mary saw that they were already starting to sail away from the Isla de Muerta. Mary shouted for the crew to stop, but they wouldn't listen. "Bloody pirates..." she muttered as she ran across to the railing, diving over the side and into the water. Surfacing, she began swimming back towards the island as fast as she could.
Reaching the island, she rushed into the cave, hearing several people inside. "I'm here, Will!" Mary shouted, picking up a sword on the way in, brandishing it wildly before dropping her arm to her side, witnessing the sight before her wide, green eyes. Jack was searching through treasure, Barbossa lying dead a few feet away. Will and Elizabeth were standing but a foot apart, looking deeply into each other's eyes. Jack looked up, seeing Mary.
"Oh, I see you got out. Good for you," He said, sending her a crooked smile.
"Yes, no thanks to you," Mary said sadly, dropping the sword to the cave floor, watching as Elizabeth and Will grew quiet and Elizabeth turned away, heading back for a rowboat.
Jack walked over to Will saying something about an opportune moment before returning back to the treasure. Mary shrunk into the darkness, not wanting Will to see her. Will walked right past her, heading for a rowboat, pulling Jack along with him who wore a crown and several other baubles he had collected. Mary moved from the darkness, walking over to Barbossa's corpse. He stared up at the ceiling with wide, dead eyes and Mary uttered a 'good riddance' before ripping the silver ring off his left hand, tucking it into her pocket. Turning, she found a spare rowboat and climbed in, heading back for the Dauntless before it sailed for Port Royal. She climbed up the side and landed on the deck, twisting her ankle as she did so. Several of the soldiers heard her fall and turned, aiming their bayonets at her. Holding up her hands, she said, "No, don't shoot! When the Pearl attacked Port Royal, three of the pirates captured me and locked me down in the brig. If it wasn't for Miss Swann, I'd probably still be down there."
Commodore Norrington strode forward, seeing her, filthy and soaking wet, wearing dirty pirate clothing. "Can anyone support your story?" He asked, looking down his nose at her. Mary nodded.
"Miss Swann, Mr. Turner, and Captain Sparrow," Mary rambled, grasping her twisted ankle lightly.
"Someone summon Mr. Turner from my cabin," Norrington said, turning to one of the two soldiers behind him.
The man nodded, turning and heading into the cabin, and moments later, returned with the man that Mary had confessed her love to not hours ago. "Mr. Turner, do you know this woman?" Commodore asked Will, who nodded.
"That's Mary Windsor. She works at Mr. Smith's Pewterers in Port Royal," Will said evenly, looking at Mary for a moment before turning to Norrington.
Commodore Norrington turned to the marine to his left, nodding once. The marine moved forward, reaching down and helping Mary to her feet. She cried out when she placed pressure on her injured ankle. The marine shifted her so her left arm was over his shoulder, and he supported her weight as she limped below deck to get her ankle wrapped.
Reaching Port Royal, Mary's ankle felt a little better, even though the rest of her did not. Will had stayed in Norrington's cabin the entire trip, along with Governor and Miss Swann. Commodore Norrington had one of the marines escort Mary home, and she was soon in her bedroom once more. She sighed heavily. Before she had left the Dauntless, she had heard that they were planning on hanging Jack once they finished rebuilding the gallows. Which could have been twenty-four hours away. Mary bathed and climbed into bed, feeling sorry for Captain Sparrow.
The next morning, as Mary was setting out the sign that Mr. Smith's Pewterers was open, she heard that a pirate was going to be hung within two hours. Mary hurried back into the store, heading up to her room. Mary took a bath and dressed in a short-sleeved green gown, that nearly matched the color of her eyes. She pulled back her dark, curly hair and placed several small throwing daggers on her person. She waited a few minutes, before heading down the back way, walking quickly to the fort.
Captain Sparrow was indeed the pirate that Norrington was intent on hanging. Mary made her way to the front of the crowd, looking up at Jack, who just looked bored. It was if he wasn't even worried about dying. As Captain Sparrow's indiscretions were being read, Mary slipped one of the throwing daggers out of the front of her dress, and held it down by her side. As the executioner threw the lever, Mary heard a ruckus behind her and turned just in time to see Will hurl a sword at the wooden plank that fell, just below Jack's feet, so he could balance on the sword and stop from choking to death. Mary took that as her cue to do something heroic for once in her life and hurled the dagger at the rope above Jack's neck. The dagger sliced clean through and Sparrow fell to the ground, landing on his feet, using the sword to cut the rope around his wrists. Mary slipped deeper into the crowd so none of the marines knew it was her that threw it. She watched as Jack and Will attempted to fight off dozens of marines but to no avail. The fighting came to a standstill and Norrington, Governor and Miss Swann headed over to where Will and Jack were surrounded and there was a heated discussion of sorts and it seemed that Miss Swann had chosen Will over Norrington. Jack had managed to escape, falling over the side of the wall of the fort.
Mary physically felt her heart break once more and she turned away before Will kissed Miss Swann. She felt tears pool up in her eyes as she rushed through the crowd, heading back to the shop and up to her room, to sob into her pillow.
Several days later, Mary was up in her room, folding and packing all of her clothing and placing them into a traveling chest. She was dressed in a sleeveless red dress and wore a pair of black walking boots. Her hair was loose about her shoulders; she didn't feel like doing her hair just to have it windblown on the boat ride. There was a knock at the door. Without turning Mary said, "Come in," and continued packing.
"So it's not just a rumor. You really are leaving," The voice that Mary's heart beat faster and slower at the same time said.
"That's right," Mary said coolly, turning to face an impeccably dressed Will Turner. "Can I help you, Mr. Turner?"
"I thought we had said to use our first names, Mary?" Will asked, meeting her gaze.
"It's not polite to be on a first name basis with an engaged man," Mary said, having heard of his engagement to Miss Swann.
"So you know," Will said quietly.
"Oh, yes. Your future father-in-law came into the shop two days ago, registering for a new silverware set. He was quiet ecstatic about the whole thing."
"Right..." Will nodded slowly. "So, you're really leaving?"
"Yes. I'm leaving on the first ship out of Port Royal this afternoon," Mary nodded as she turned back towards the traveling chest, packing in the rest of her things, books and such.
"Where's the boat headed?" Will asked, walking over and sitting on her bed.
"Doesn't really matter, does it? In a few months you'll be happily married and you'll forget all about me," Mary said bitterly, slamming the lid of her trunk closed, locking it.
"So, that's what this is all about. You're upset that I chose Elizabeth over you."
"No, it's not that! It's the fact that when I told you how much I loved you, you didn't say a damn thing! You just stood there! I don't know if it was out of shock or what. I don't know why it should be such a shock! Everything I say and do to you just screams 'I love you, Will Turner!' But you're so..blinded by the radiance of Miss Swann, you can't see it!" Mary shouted at Will, tears filling her eyes. "I would have died for you...I rushed into the cave, swinging, just to make sure you were safe. And you were, safely within kissing distance of the effulgent Miss Swann!"
"Mary, I--"
"It's Miss Windsor!" Mary screamed at Will, balling her hands up into fists. "I know that four years doesn't beat eight, but...I couldn't just stand by and not tell you how I felt. Now you know how much you've broken my heart. Now please leave," Mary said, eerily calm as she pointed towards the door.
Will was shocked at Mary's emotional explosion and took several steps back. "I'm sorry I bothered you, Miss Windsor," Will said quietly before turning and exiting her room, closing the door behind him. Mary sat down on the trunk, her head in her hands, sobbing quietly.
When the time came, Mary boarded the Oasis, which was bound for Tortuga. Mary stood up on deck, looking out at the horizon as the ship sailed across the Caribbean waters, thinking about what the future could mean for her, in a new place, where no one knew her. Not looking behind her, Mary slipped Barbossa's ring out of her pocket and looked down at it, rubbing her thumb over the silver bear head set on the onyx stone before tucking it back into her pocket, planning on getting a pretty penny for the dreaded Captain Barbossa's ring.
Arriving in Tortuga, Mary disembarked, dragging her trunk behind her as she headed for the nearest, least-scary looking inn, and got herself a room. Looking around the small room, she sighed, her mind going over what she was to do after a good night's sleep. "First off, get a job. Possibly at the tavern..." She trailed off, changing into her nightgown and locked her door, climbing into bed.
To be Continued...