Rose maneuvered through the busy streets of Tripoli towards docks as fast as her legs would carry her. She dodged overloaded carts, dove beneath cloth canopies, and nearly careened into several merchants and their wares, but ultimately made it unscathed back to the docks, right back to where her boat…should have been tied up.

Rose looked around in alarm. There was only one boat here, and it was being loaded by two locals. Rose took another look around as some of the other nearby docks, but clearly recalled tying off the boat to this particular dock. All of a sudden she realized who primarily operated this port—pirates. These men were stealing her boat.

Instantly, Rose's hand quivered over her cutlass. There was only one thing to do; Defend what was hers. With Jack's random fighting maneuvers racing through her mind, she marched straight for the men. They both looked up at her as she approached, sword drawn, then turned to each other and laughed. They then proceeded to taunt her in a language she couldn't understand.

"Step away from the boat, gentlemen," Rose ordered, although she knew that her language was probably lost on them.

The men did step away from the boat. However, this meant them drawing swords of their own and coming straight for her on the dock.

"Alright, if that's the way it's going to be…" Rose whispered. She made the first swipe, then quickly dodged both of their swords as they came slicing down towards her. She wasn't so much good at fighting as she was dodging, and she made it look like an art. Whereas the men's moves were largely offensive, hers were defensive. At one point, she blocked both blades with hers, and was able to duck down and kick one man in the shin. A dirty move, but at this moment, Rose cared not for honest fight etiquette; She had her brother to rescue…again. This kick allowed her to push the man into the seawater below them, then turn and swipe at the other man until he lost his balance off the dock on the opposite side. Rose then leapt into the boat and made off with the loot they had already managed to pack aboard.

By this point, the first man she had shoved off the deck had regained his bearings, had swum straight to the boat and was now attempting to topple the boat over with Rose inside of it. She grabbed an oar and knocked him upside the head, then rowed harder then she had ever rowed in her life. Finally, she realized that the cargo was slowing her escape, then stopped rowing to toss it overboard without a second thought. Even this temporary pause, however, allowed enough time for these men and a few colleagues of theirs to commandeer more boats and dinghies and make their way quickly towards her. These fellows no longer cared about her tiny boat, nor regaining the cargo that Rose had thrown to the depths. These men were now out for revenge on her, and their boats had the power of several people, not just one, and so Rose was quickly losing the distance she had managed to make at the start of her getaway. To make matters worse, the Pearl was nowhere in sight, so she was rowing blindly without much of a destination into open ocean.

A shadow soon fell upon Rose as she rowed with all her might away from the boats who grew ever closer. Rose glanced up and felt her stomach drop when she saw that a mighty ship was about to run her down. Somehow, these men had employed a massive vessel to impede her progress. This fight was most certainly going to end in her doom, but still she endured despite the odds. She had to get back to the Pearl; It was the only chance of Jack being saved from the Turkish Prison!

Rose nearly leapt out of the boat in alarm when the end of a rope fell seemingly out of the heavens and across the boat. She looked up to see that it had come from the deck of the ship flanking her starboard side.

"ROSE!" she heard Ben cry from above. "Grab hold and leave the boat!"

Rose sighed in relief and eagerly obeyed, securing the rope around her waist and grabbing onto it tightly. Suddenly, the rope jerked and sent her careening upwards and onto the deck, just as the first shots her fired right where she would have been sitting just moments earlier.

Now safe on deck and out of range of the attackers' pistols, Rose toppled onto the main deck and loosened her rope harness. Only upon being helped to her feet by Ben did she see a crew of completely unfamiliar faces and Anamaria, standing at her usual place at the quarter deck. Rose rushed up to her side.

"Thanks for the rescue!" she cried.

"No Jack?" Anamaria asked, spinning the wheel madly to turn out of the Tripoli harbor. "SLACK THE WINDWARD BRACE AND SLEET, YOU MANGY BILGE RATS!" she then shouted to the men on deck, who were rapidly scurrying to and fro to complete her orders.

"No," Rose replied to both Ben and Anamaria. "I must get the Pearl to Turkey."

"Turkey?" Ben asked.

"It's not far from here. He was arrested."

Anamaria snorted. "Typical. Looks like Jack needed rescuing from me even sooner than he anticipated."

Rose grinned. "Will you help us? You've got a hold of an impressive ship and crew. And so soon, too!"

Anamaria smiled sadly. "My guidance ends here, I'm afraid. I'll get you and Ben back to the Pearl, but then I'm off. I only got this ship with lofty promises of riches beyond anything they've ever seen. I intend to keep that promise, unlike certain others I could mention…"

She was clearly referencing Jack's less-than-quality leadership skills, but Rose waved it off. "I'm thankful even for that much, Anamaria. I am extremely indebted to you."

Anamaria nodded, her eyes still distant, as her mind was racing with more commands to make her steady escape from Tripoli. "You and Ben grab a rope and be ready to swing. We're coming on the Pearl now, and I don't intend to slow my pace."

Those were the last words Rose and Anamaria would ever say to each other, as Anamaria indeed didn't slow for them. Ben and Rose swung individually onto the Pearl's deck, and even then Ben almost fell headfirst into the ocean below. Once safely aboard, Rose only barely got a chance to wave a goodbye to Anamaria, which was returned with a smile as her ship quickly fled into the horizon.

By this time, it was almost dusk, and Rose's eyesight was beginning to fade for the night. She took Gibbs and Ben to Jack's quarters and mapped out a route to get to the Turkish prisons. They would be able to make the journey in three days, which would also allow Jack enough time to get to the prison and find Eddad, Rose thought. As plans progressed, Rose felt elation despite the danger Jack was still very much in— this was the pirate's life, and it suited her well.


The Pearl had arrived in the harbor bordering the Turkish Prison, which was a large, oblong building that stood precariously on a rocky bluff overlooking the sea, a day late. Storms had hit the area, and Rose was terrified that this delay had caused only more troubles for Jack. In order to appease the crew and convince them that their captain was not an imbecile incapable of going a few months without capture, Rose lied, telling them all that Jack was in the prison in search of valuable riches. This wasn't entirely untrue, but she kept her story vague enough so that it could be interpreted in a variety of ways. The crew ultimately decided to wait out the night in the harbor and see what daybreak brought. With the winds and choppy waters, attacking the prison would prove ineffective, as the prison's cannons would be stationary, stable, and far more precise than any of the Pearl's. It was pointless trying to break in to the prison in this weather. They would assess their options in the daylight, then potentially make their attack the following evening.

Rose sat in Jack's chair feeling rather unsettled at all of this, and was trying very hard to not let worry overtake her. She knew she should get sleep for a clear head in the morning, but she was too restless to do so. Suddenly, Rose looked up to find that Ben had entered the room. He had a sheepish look on his face, and had his hands folded in front of him.

"Apologies," he muttered. "I'm…well…many apologies are in order, I'm afraid." He waited for Rose to acknowledge this, but she only raised her eyebrows and leaned forward in interest. He continued, "I…lashed out, that night on the main deck when I was sick. I had been drinking a bit and I shouldn't have treated you so." After a moment, he hesitantly asked, "We could try again with medicine, yes?"

He's only apologizing so I keep helping him, thought Rose. "Sorry, I don't have any," she replied, expressionless.

He walked closer to her. "Look, Rose, said I'm sorry."

But Rose felt used. Jack's words of concern had started to take root in her mind, and she began to also find it oddly convenient that he would only ever make himself available to her whenever he was either incredibly lonesome or saw a means to get ahead. Rose didn't know how to vocalize these thoughts aloud, however, so she instead stated, "Saying that you're sorry and showing it are two separate things."

Ben's expression changed as she said this. He approached her slowly, kneeling down beside her chair and placing a hand atop hers. He then grew very close to her face. Rose saw lust in his eyes, just as she had seen the night they had reunited unknowingly on Shipwreck Island, as he said, "I know a way I can show it."

This led to him kissing her. And Rose once again was thrust into an emotional battle as part of her adamantly wanted him to stop so he wouldn't reap the benefits of his outlandish behavior, while another part of her surrendered to the exhilaration she felt at his touch. This battle raged as he led her into a standing position and began backing her up against a wall.

He began kissing her neck. Breathless, Rose asked, "But you said just the other day that you felt nothing when you were with me…"

"Shh," he whispered. He then kissed her more passionately and held her closer than he ever had before. All thoughts stopped for Rose as raw instinct took over, and it stayed that way for a time until Rose heard him ask her seductively, "Will that apology do?"

Rose immediately snapped back into her logical mind. "…do for what?" she asked, enraged. Ben looked bewildered, brow furrowed in confusion, but suddenly Rose understood. She pushed him away from her. "You thought I was being coy? Do you really think me so base? I don't have anything more to give you, Ben! You think that I would withhold medicine from you for my own purposes?"

"What do you mean?" he asked incredulously. "That's it?!"

Her mouth fell agape in shock. "Unbelievable. You didn't even come here tonight out of love. Once again you only came here to use me for my services. For all of my services!"

"You're honestly telling me that that's all you're willing to do for me?" he spat. "After all that time in that blasted bayou, that witch didn't teach you anything more useful?"

"How dare you. Why are you this way? You blame the drink, but I can clearly see this is just you."

"I'm in hell, Rose. It's because of you I ever met the curse in the first place, and even still the aftereffects remain a prevalent force in my life. I can't shake it and yet you still do nothing to help me!"

Rose ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. "I don't know what else to do, Ben! I'm trying, but you must be patient!"

"I don't see you putting Jack's needs by the wayside. You're something else! You feign love for me. If you really loved me, you'd place me, my health and my safety as a priority."

Shaking in anger, Rose glared at him. "If you really loved me, you wouldn't use me so! What happened to you? This is not the Ben I knew!"

Ben slammed his hands against the wall, causing Rose to start. After a moment, he muttered, "The Ben you knew died. He's gone somewhere on the Isla de Muerta, killed off by the Aztec curse. Blast the day I ever got onboard this bloody vessel!"

"Go ahead, say it," Rose laughed bitterly. "Blame me like you said in your rage on Port Royal. If I'm so horrible, then why did you agree to help me find Jack? Why didn't you stay behind on Port Royal after you said you were going to? All the times I was willing to voyage where you wouldn't go, still you joined me. Why?"

Ben said nothing, and only brooded, his eyes to the ground.
"WHY?" she cried.

"Because I couldn't stand being left alone again!" Rose stood straighter, her jaw tight. He continued,"It's…it's been too bloody long of this. I've had a mind several times to say, 'Blast it all' and go ashore for good. But…for some reason, I can't let myself start all over again. I can't do it alone." Defeated, he looked up at her. "And you've made it perfectly clear you're not leaving Jack…"

"No. And especially not now, I'm not," she replied through gritted teeth. "How could you ever expect me to give everything up for someone who treats me so cruelly?"

Ben had no answer for her. Honestly, no answer would have sufficed. Rose pointed to the door and ordered him to leave her. He obeyed without protest, and once she heard the click of the door shut, she collapsed back into her brother's chair. What had happened to the Ben she knew? There were flashes of the sweet boy she knew from her childhood still inside of him, so she knew he wasn't entirely gone for good. But could she ever find a way to bring that part of him back to the forefront. And even more importantly, was it even worth it?

Rose rested her head against the back of the upholstered chair and closed her eyes, which were now heavy from exhaustion and deep unrest. One thing Ben said absolutely could not be refuted; He was not a priority. Jack was and would forever remain her foremost priority between the two. And right now, she needed to rest to ensure a clear head to plan out his safe return.


Nightmares were nothing foreign to Rose. She had grown to accept their constant appearances during the course of her sleep, though never would she quite get used to them. One recurring nightmare had started to become more and more frequent in her dreams, much to her bewilderment; It was the dream where she would be running as fast as she could away from some unknown danger into the arms of a man whose face she could not make out. The man would hold her, then betray her by thrusting her into a pit where she would wake up upon making contact with the ground. Recently, however, the dream grew longer. There were times when Rose would not wake upon hitting the ground, and instead bathe in the immense pain that surrounded her broken body. Another man would then appear out of the shadows and begin to slowly piece her back together, though she too could not make out his face.

Tonight however, the nightmare caused Rose to wake in a panicked sweat even before the first man had thrust her into the pit. Rose finally saw the man who made the betrayal; His face was Ben's.

As she struggled to catch her breath, she was greeted to the sound of a great commotion on deck. Sleepily, she stumbled to the door, assuming that she had slept the duration of the night. When she opened the door, however, she couldn't see a thing. It was still the same night, and she had only been asleep a few hours at most.

She waited at the door to see what the commotion was about. Her heart raced when she heard Jack's voice. "Set sail in a generalllllllll…that way direction!" She then grimaced. Jack had sent his crew on a mission halfway around the world with little to no payoff, and now was demonstrating his typical, devil-may-care attitude. She only prayed that this trip had been worth the effort.

"Go on! Snap to and make sail! You know how these things work!" he called out. She then heard him approach the doorway where she stood.

"Shoo," he said, motioning her inside.

"Well?" she said, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Jack held up a dirty piece of parchment with some splotched ink across it in her face. Recoiling, she took a look at it from further away and saw that this parchment depicted the shape of a key.

"That's it?"

"'That's it?' What do you mean, 'That's it?!' That," he protested, "Is nearly a week's worth of work, only to discover that Eddad died and was about ready to be cast off to sea. A little pretending I was dead, a little being carried off to the morgue, a little getting cozy with poor ole Eddad, then using his leg as an oar, and voila! I have returned, and you lot never even fired a single cannon! Now we're off for the Caribbean once more. That's it!"

Rose blinked. "We traveled all this way for some rotted parchment."

Jack huffed. "Small-minded. Come now, now we know what it looks like, at least!"

"When Sah Muhsine said that Hadim gave Eddad, 'information,' I…I don't know, expected more."

"Then learn to expect less, love," Jack retorted. "That way you'll always be impressed with the result."

"Jack, what good will knowing what it looks like do us if we don't know where it is?"

Jack shrugged. "At least we know all the keys that it's not, there's that!"

Rose only shook her head in disbelief, then shuffled her way to her bed.

"Wait what's this?" Jack asked as she got into bed. "The night's still young, I'm alive and well, let's celebrate!"

"The way I'm choosing to celebrate is sleeping easy, Jack," Rose said with a yawn. "Wake me when we're back in the Caribbean."

"That'll be weeks away, love."

"…like I said, wake me when we're back in the Caribbean."