The pirate closes the door behind them, all the while keeping her mouth covered. He drops her to the ground and Catherine opens her mouth to yell. The pirate sinks down to her level and grabs her chin. "Keep quiet and I'll let you go" he says.
Catherine turns her head away. It is the word of pirate and for that reason she does not trust it. Her eyes scan the blacksmith shop but there is no sign of Will. In the corner is Mr. Black but he is unconscious with a bottle in his hand and no use to her. She turns back to the pirate with no choice but to accept his word, for the moment.
He nods with a smirk and tugs her to her feet. She follows with her head down. For a moment he hesitates as his eyes roam the area. He had not expected the extra baggage. She's is proving more of a hassle and the necklace does not seem at all worth the time she is taking away from his escape. Then he notices the man in the corner. He drops the girl again and slowly approaches the blacksmith. As a second thought, he picks up a hammer.
After a slight tap and a scream, the pirate comes to the conclusion that the man is irrevocably unconscious. He turns back to see the girl attempting escape.
"No, no" he says and draws his sword. Catherine freezes with her hand on the door. "Can't have you running to your soldiers." Her heart beats furiously as she turns around, half expecting him to kill her on the spot. He doesn't, however, but this time takes the precaution and ties her hands to a support.
Without having to worry about either the girl or the man, the pirate begins to deal with the next problem: the irons on his wrists. The hammer is no good and only crushes the links. But the gears above free him.
Just in time for the door to open and the young Will Turner to enter his shop.
Will smiles sadly at Mr. Brown. "Right where I left you" he says and makes his way to the worktable. Catherine shakes as a gun is pressed against her head, preventing her from shouting out to Will.
Will notices the hammer placed precariously on the anvil. "Not where I left you" he says with confusion. Then his eyes land on the hat.
"Will!"
The shout is desperate and filled with fear. It chills him to the bone. But before he can turn to see who made the pitiful noise, his hand is slapped by a sword.
"You! You're the pirate they're hunting!" he says.
Catherine's eyes widen as Will grabs a sword and stands in front of the pirate almost in a challenge. She shakes her head and fights against the rope binding her hands. There are hundreds of swords all throughout the shop but not one is within her reach. Figures.
Her eyes snap back to Will when she hears a strange echo noise. It is the result of Will throwing his sword at the door to keep the pirate within. "That is a lovely trick" the pirate says and Will smirks slightly. Catherine frowns as he approaches menacingly and points his sword at Will. She struggles even more but it only causes the ropes to tear at her wrists. "But once again you are between me and my way out. And now you have no weapon."
"Will!" Catherine shouts but he's already had the same thought as her. He reaches into the flames and pulls out a white-hot poker, a much better weapon that causes the pirate's smirk to drop.
Once again they are fighting. "You need to find yourself a girl, mate." Catherine's ears perk up at this. "Or perhaps the reason you practice three hours a day is because you have already found one but are otherwise incapable of wooing said maiden."
Will becomes infuriated. It is clear exactly who he is thinking of. "I practice so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it!" he shouts.
The pirate ducks one of Will's blows and laughs brutally. "Perhaps the brunette over there?" He continues to tease Will, knowing it distracts him.
"Ignore him!" Catherine shouts before Will can answer. He had almost lost a part of his shoulder after that question.
Catherine jumps to her feet, desperate to help Will. She braces her feet against the ground and grabs the rope in each hand. Gritting her teeth, she pulls, hoping that the support will cut the rope. She can see her wrists turn red but doesn't let up as the men have somehow moved to the rafters.
Will and the pirate fall from the rafters and Catherine screams when Will's sword is lost in the fall. She thrashes against the rope and swings her leg out to kick the pirate. He only stops for a moment because Will is back on his feet.
The world freezes when the gun is moved to Will's face. "No!" she shouts.
"You cheated" Will mutters.
His only answer is "Pirate".
Catherine wants to push Will when he refuses to budge and let the pirate leave. She wills him to move or for the pirate to shove him out of the way. For a moment she is terrified that she is going to see her friend killed in front of her. She closes her eyes in horror.
The shot never happens. Rather, the pirate is on the ground and Will is unharmed. Their eyes meet and she visibly relaxes when she lets out the breath she did not know she had been holding in. He smiles at her for comfort.
His shoulders slump when once again Mr. Black obtains credit for his work. All he does is swing his bottle drunkenly and he is proclaimed a hero. Whereas Will fought nearly to the death against this pirate and would have won if he had kept to the code of conduct in a fair fight.
"Commodore" Catherine says bravely before realizing her mistake. She bows her head and Will shakes his head. She does not need to tell him the truth. It would not make any difference anyway.
Norrington picks up the dropped necklace at the door. He wipes away the dirt and looks around for Catherine. When he spots her tied to the beam, his eyes flash with forgiveness where before she would have been dead under his gaze.
"Mr. Turner" he says as the pirate called Jack Sparrow is carried out of the blacksmith shop. "See to it that Ms. Miller is untied." And with that the shop returns to its normal calm.
Will wipes the dust from his eyes before taking another sword and cutting the rope where it attaches to the beam. "Are you alright?" he asks and pulls the rope from her wrists.
Catherine winces slightly and Will catches the grimace on her face. He takes her wrists in his hands gingerly and turns them over to see ugly, red burns running across them. He growls a sigh and Catherine tries to smile.
"It's alright, Will. I'm fine" she attempts to reassure him.
"Did he harm you in any way?" he demands.
Catherine is caught off guard by this. She has never seen Will act this way, not towards her at least. She shakes her head no. "I'm sorry I did not get to you sooner" he apologizes and wipes more dust from his face with the sleeve of his shirt.
"Had you not shown up I don't know what would have happened. Thank you."
He smiles a genuine smile and helps her up. "Anytime, Catherine" he laughs.
Will walks her to the door and holds it open for her. "I will see you soon" she says. "And thank you again."
"Stay safe" he calls as she begins the walk back to the Governor's mansion.
The second she steps foot in the Governor's household Catherine is put to work. Elizabeth has been brought home and cleaned up in the time it took her to walk back. "Catherine" Mary calls when she catches sight of the girl. Catherine turns and heads toward the kitchen where the woman is waiting. She wraps her arm around the girl's shoulder and ushers her in. "Would you please finish with these potatoes? I'm to check on Elizabeth and see how she's fairing" Mary says with a slight scowl. Elizabeth has never sat very high in Mary's eyes.
"Of course" Catherine says and takes a seat on the wooden bench on the table. She plucks Mary's knife off the table and gets to work pealing the potatoes. Every stroke she catches sight of the red marks on her wrists and shivers. Only an hour ago she'd been so close to that pirate and death. And yet he did not kill her. It would have been much easier for him to get away if he had. And with Will. He had a gun the entire time and yet chose to duel rather than kill him immediately. It almost seems wrong for a pirate who did not kill to be in jail. It is after all a rarity.
Once nearly two dozen are smooth, Catherine drops them into the boiling water over the fire. She peers around the kitchen and tries to guess what Mary was preparing. The pot has carrots and potatoes but that is most likely a stew of sorts for the servants. The Governor and his daughter will be having something more regal. When she finds no clues, she decides it would be better to take over Mary's duties.
Upstairs, Elizabeth is lying on her bed and the door is slightly ajar. Catherine knocks twice and waits for a reply. Mary swings the door open looking somewhat annoyed. "I have finished" Catherine says cryptically. Maids are not to speak of their duties around the Swan family or other guests.
Mary nods before turning to Elizabeth. "I am needed in the kitchen. Catherine will keep you company until I return." She gives Catherine a looks before hurrying out the door.
Catherine stands awkwardly with her hands together behind her back, waiting to see what Elizabeth needs. When she is not given any instruction, she moves to the window to close the drapes as the sky is darkening. "Catherine" Elizabeth calls. She motions for Catherine to sit on the bed with her.
Catherine sits but her back remains stiff and she feels awkward in the room. This is Elizabeth's world, not Catherine's. "The Commodore proposed" Elizabeth begins.
"That's a smart match" Catherine comments politely.
"He's wonderful" Elizabeth swoons and completely loses all grace and regality. "He's a man of status and incredible bravery."
Catherine smiles politely as Elizabeth continues to compliment the Commodore. It takes nearly half an hour before Mary returns with the announcement that dinner is ready. Elizabeth stands and straightens the folds in her dress. Once she leaves the room, Catherine sits back down on the bed. For just a second she closes her eyes and pretends that this is her bed rather than the cot downstairs. The blankets are heavy and warm on her cool skin and she smiles.
She stands up immediately knowing it's no good to torment herself that way. The cot will be her bed for the rest of her life. It's not good to pretend any otherwise. It's unfair to herself. She leaves Elizabeth's room quickly.
"So you were attacked?" Samson asks at the table. He's a lanky young boy who spends nearly all day in the stables. The only time anyone actually sees him is for meals.
Catherine nods and takes another sip of her drink.
"How awful" Mary cries.
"What did he want?" Sampson says, eyes alight.
"Elizabeth's necklace I believe" Catherine answers and lifts her spoon to her mouth.
"How exciting" the boy says. His eyes are lost in space, thinking about the adventures to be had with a pirate. Mary smacks the boy on the head and smiles softly at Catherine.
"Are you alright dear?"
Catherine seems startled by this. Why wouldn't she be alright? She was not physically harmed. He hadn't tried anything. She was completely safe and in good hands the majority of the time. Before she can ask, Mary explains, "You see, Elizabeth was a little shaken by the whole incident. She was also threatened by the pirate." So she is to be compared to Elizabeth then.
Catherine holds her head a little higher and reinforces the fact that she is completely fine.
Dinner finishes without any other talk. Mary clears the table and Catherine straightens her skirt before making her way into the dining room to clear the Swan's table. Elizabeth and her father have retired to their rooms. Catherine nods to Gregory who smiles at her and nods to her to hurry over.
"Are you alright?" he whispers knowing they will both be in trouble should the Governor return. Catherine nods and he continues. "I heard about the incident with the pirate. Such dreadfulness over a silly necklace the Commodore could have delivered on his own."
"Hush" Catherine scolds although the doorman is much her elder. "I am all right so there is no need to speak that way."
He nods and Catherine hurries to finish with the table. Once Elizabeth and the Governor retire, the servants are left to their own. However, as is the case with Catherine, they are often too tired to do anything but sleep. She collapses onto her cot, making sure to keep quiet because Mary is already asleep.
Catherine pulls an itchy wool blanket up over her shoulders and tries to get comfortable. Yet an hour later she is still awake and staring out the window. Her body is tired and she wants nothing more than to close her eyes but she simply cannot fall asleep. So instead, she turns so that she can see the moon. It is covered by a string of clouds and Catherine shivers.
She sits up suddenly hearing a mess of screaming. Catherine kneels on her cot and peers out the window. Where Port Royal is usually dark in the night, there is the burning red and orange of fire. A strange boat is harbored and from it she can see dark shadows running.
Catherine gasps. "Mary!"