"You were out late again," Elizabeth commented. She pulled her daughter's hair tight as she twisted it into a braid.

Willow winced as her mother pulled at her hair. "I was with Daniel," she muttered.

Her mother relaxed. "Ah," she said calmly. "I'm glad to hear that. I was worried."

"Worried?" Willow asked between short breaths as she pitifully tried to loosen the tight blue corset wrapped around her waist.

Her mother was quiet for a moment, letting the girl's hair fall against her back. She placed her hands on Willow's shoulders, catching her eye in the mirror they stood before. "There's been talk around the town. The sea is getting rough. The tides are changing," she sighed. "What do you mean?" Willow asked, turning to face her mother.

"Things are getting dangerous out there. For everyone. More ships are going missing, more sailors lost at sea. Someone - or something - is waging a war." She paused for a moment. "I always fear that you'll be caught up in it."

"Do you think they're pirates?" The words flew out of Willow's mouth before she could stop them.

Elizabeth inhaled sharply and closed her eyes. "Yes, I do," she said after a moment.

The words of the strange man she had met the previous night rang in Willow's mind: Pirating is in your blood, Miss Turner.

"Have you ever met one?" Willow asked quietly. The look on her mother's face told her she already knew the answer.

"A long time ago," Elizabeth replied. Her gaze seemed to trail off far away. Before Willow could ask any more questions, her mother reached out to cup her cheek. "Please, just stay away from the harbour. You don't know what's out there. It's a different world on the ocean. A dangerous one."

Willow nodded, but once again couldn't shake the feeling that her place was on the sea.

"I just don't understand it," Willow huffed, pacing back and forth along the rocky shoreline. "He was right here! What did he mean, 'pirating is in your blood'?"

"I don't know," Daniel responded, watching the girl as she paced. He fiddled with the buttons on his suit and glanced around. "Maybe he's just a crazy old man? Did you ever think of that?"

"He knew my name!" Willow retorted, kicking at a stone.

Daniel shrugged. "Your mother's probably right though," he added. "You should stay away from the harbour. It's dangerous."

Willow whipped around to face the boy. "You're on her side?"

"I'm not on anyone's side," he replied. "I just know things are happening out there, and-"

"What do you mean 'things are happening'? Why has everyone been saying that? What is happening?"

Daniel sighed and took a deep breath. He brushed his hand over the back of his neck as he thought. "All I know is that there's a fleet. They're taking out all of our ships. They get closer every day."

"What do they want?" Willow asked.

"We don't know. They won't speak with us. All they do is kill our men, destroy our ships, and steal our goods. That's why…" He trailed off for a moment, averting his gaze. "That's why I'm leaving. They need me out there."

Willow was quiet for a moment. She knew it would happen, but never realized it would come so soon. "When?" she asked quietly.

"One week," he responded solemnly. Sensing her concern, he playfully hit her shoulder. "Hey, come on, you didn't think I joined the navy just to sit here and gab with you all day, did you?"

Willow smiled faintly. "No. This is what you need to do." She tucked a loose strand of hair back into her braid. "I just wish there was more I could do. I feel… helpless."

Daniel lightly touched the girl's arm. "You can help by keeping yourself safe," he noted. "You're my best friend, Willow. I want to know you'll still be here when I return."

Willow nodded. "Just get back safe, okay? That suit wouldn't look as nice on a corpse."

Daniel laughed.

They sat in silence for a while. There was nothing left to be said.