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The Love of A Dragon

Chapter 2: Falling for Pirates

While Captain Sparrow lit her blood, and the Pearl stole her heart, several years later, Dragon's reactions to both the Black Pearl and Captain Sparrow were trumped.

In the three years since her arrival on the Black Pearl, Dragon had done well to make herself invaluable. She took the time to systematically earn the respect of every member of the crew. She because the ship's cook and general fix it person. She could repair most things, but of course specialized in repairing people. Dragon got in touch with her old weapons teacher, Wan Shen, on one of their trips to Singapore. Cronus had sent him away after her parents died and she had missed his counsel and training deeply. Jack had kindly allowed her to leave the ship for six months to continue her training with him and return to the Pearl. Dragon had brought finest jade pieces back with her as a thank you to Jack. She felt so content with her life on the Pearl, so full of purpose and doing fully the things she wanted to do for the first time. Dragon had even managed to adjust to the effect the Captain had on her hormones. Mostly.

"Anna Maria, I swear I don't know what it is about him." Dragon and Anna Maria were checking supplies in the hold, which was a perfect time for a private conversation. "I've grown up around warriors: gorgeous, ripped Greek gods of men. And yet when I'm around him there are times you'd think I'd never been around an attractive male before."

"Be that as it may, he's a dog to women. A complete scoundrel. And your Captain besides. Getting involved." Anna Maria growled.

Dragon cut her off, choking on her own saliva. "What in seven hells are you talking about? 'get involved' Absolutely not. What are you crazy?"

Anna Maria smiled broadly. "Just so we're clear."

"Like the Caribbean waters. No, I'm just saying it's unnerving is all. If I wanted a good rough and tumble I have other options for that."

"Aye, but Shui an Ning is far away."

"We get there often enough," Dragon argued. "But," She sighed heavily. "It has been awhile."

"At least four months,' Anna Maria agreed.

"So tell me about this old friend of Jack's who's coming on board when we reach Tortuga. Is he like Jack? A devil and a scoundrel?"

Anna Maria laughed. "No. Not at all really. Honestly, I'm surprised he's coming aboard at all. When we last left him, he was happily engaged to be married."

Dragon nodded. "Yes, I remember the story of how you reclaimed the Black Pearl. He was quite a heroic character. Will his beloved fiancée Elizabeth be joining us?"

"No. The way I heard it. Elizabeth is to marry Commodore Norrington after all."

Dragon nodded. "It sounds like those two had feelings for each other all along as well. I can understand better than most how much pressure there is to marry advantageously. I'm sure she didn't make her decision lightly."

"Maybe not," Anna Maria agreed. "But Will's beside himself with mourning and left Port Royal for sailing with us indefinitely. The Captain heard about the broken engagement when we were last borrowing from Port Royal's finest. He stopped into the blacksmith's to check in on Will and heard the news straight from Will. The Captain asked Will if he'd like to escape for awhile and if he did, to meet us in Tortuga in three weeks and now here we all are."

"What the hell is he going to do on board? He can't make swords on a ship." Dragon demanded.

Anna Maria shrugged. "He was always an excellent swordsman and he knows his way around a ship. We could do a lot worse."

Dragon nodded. "As long as he's not looking to replace any of us we could used another good fighter."

"He's not bad to look at either." Anna Maria added with a sly grin.

"Better than the Captain?" Dragon asked snickering.

"Easily comparable, but without the intoxicating thrall." Anna Maria replied fairly.

"We could use some more eye candy around here I suppose." Dragon replied trying to sound reasonable, as if she were discussing that they could use some more food or comfortable mattresses.

"Aye. We could always use more of that." Anna Maria agreed. They laughed companionably and continued their work making dirty jokes and speculations until it was time to make dinner.

Dragon wondered little about their new crew addition in the next few days and by the time they docked in Tortuga, she had heartily forgotten.

However, when Will Turner, appeared on the gang plank ranting to Jack about Elizabeth leaving him for someone or other, Dragon's attention gravitated towards him immediately. He was quite the picture full of passion and fury, his leather jacket and long, dark walnut colored hair, flapping angrily behind him. His blood red shirt revealing itself in bright flashes of color as his jacket's edges flapped to and fro in the wind. There was an aura of a warrior like the ones she admired from home. Like her father had been. There was something more about him too; something visceral and primal that called to the warrior within herself.

Dragon was utterly captivated, speechless, and for the first time, useless. Dragon forgot how to breathe and promptly fell right off the edge of the boat and into the water. Sputtering and cursing, she scurried out of the water as gracefully as she could manage muttering something about being too hot and needing a good swim.

'I don't know what Anna Maria was talking about,' Dragon growled in her thoughts as she washed dishes in the kitchen. She had dropped half a dozen dirty bowls while cleaning up from dinner when Will entered the mess hall. It was more than she could bear this ridiculous clumsiness. 'He's got at least four times the effect the Captain has and he bathes regularly. I am in such trouble.'

The following day, when Will graced the crew with his presence on deck, Dragon was climbing the rigging. She caught sight of him and fell again straight into the water again. Fortunately, they were anchored off Tortuga at the time. As she hoisted herself back into the ship yet again, Captain Sparrow muttered something to Will about the women always falling for him.

When dinner came later that second day, Dragon was pleased to be sitting when Will came into sight and much to Dragon's shock, he sat down beside her.

"You're Dragon, right?" Will asked, with the tone of someone who knew the answer.

"And you're William Turner." Dragon replied amused.

"Will, please." He replied, smiling.

"I'm still Dragon, thanks." She eyed him carefully before returning to her soup.

"Doing better I see." He began.

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about" Dragon replied.

"Not falling into the water. I think this is the first time I've seen you dry since I got here"

'Trust me, I'm not dry anymore', Dragon snickered in her head. "Well it's not so warm now."

He took a spoonful of stew and chewed on it thoughtfully, studying her. "For a cool evening, you seem to be quite flushed."

"Sunburn," She replied, eyes never leaving her stew.

"Good stew." Will complimented quietly. Something about her made him nervous as hell, but women in general did that.

"Thanks," Dragon replied neutrally.

"Our Captain tells me you are the new cook, lookout, doctor on board." Will commented, trying to be friendly.

"That's right," Dragon replied evenly.

"Is it strange being one of only two women on board? Aren't you worried about some member of the crew taking advantage of you?" He asked curiously.

"No, should I be worried now that you're here?" Dragon replied roguishly.

Now he blushed. "No, that's not where I was going at all. I just mean that you don't seem as hardened as say Anna Maria."

That was quite the wrong thing to say. "Well I'm certainly not some useless governor's daughter if that's what you're asking! If you're looking for a bit of warm comfort, you've come to quite the wrong place!" Dragon shot back, getting up. She shoved her now empty stew bowl at his feet and swung up onto the rigging to get to the crow's nest. "You there at the top, come down and get some stew, it's your turn," Dragon barked.

Will just sat there stupidly, feeling stunned and quite angry with himself. He really was quite useless around women. Jack walked by with his usual swagger and leaned down to sit. His hat and coat were retired for the evening meal and he leaned back against the solid wood of his ship not looking at Will, just smiling to himself as if in midst of some great game.

"Well that went well dear William. I think you will in fact be sleeping on deck then. I dare say she'll be disinclined to acquiesce to your request to lend a hand in her ship's work.

"I'm not sure quite where that conversation fell apart." Will conceded sheepishly. "I never even got to talking to her about quarters or work. I was trying to ease into it, but, well you heard the rest.' He made hand motions and a sound imitating a cannon going off.

"Well, you began with something she was embarrassed about and segued right into telling her she was weak in your eyes. A word of advice mate. There is never an opportune moment to tell a pirate lass that you think she is weak and needs your protection. Never. She nearly had me neutered when I mentioned that she would be under my personal protection as a member of my crew. She seemed to think she would be obligated to me in some disreputable way. I don't know where she would have gotten that impression." he muttered cluelessly as he wandered back out of the room and began his rounds of the ship before retiring to his maps and rum.