Rose hadn't had a nightmare in ages. She was no longer haunted by darkness at night in any way. Her sleep was dreamless and peaceful.

She woke up from one of these restful nights, already hearing the sound of waves lapping the sides of the ship and the creaking floorboards above her balancing the weight of the crisscrossing paths of the men.

She stretched across her bed and adjusted herself cautiously. James was next to her, already awake. He turned to her when he noticed that she too had awakened.

"Been up long?" she asked.

Her heart stirred at the loving way in which he looked at her. "Sadly, yes," he mumbled.

She inched closer to his side and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they together stared at the ceiling as if they could see straight through it.

"Morning or night?" she asked suddenly, which had become their code for, Have we awakened on Earth or in the Locker?

Cannon fire answered her, and they both jumped. From the lack of vibrations on The Dutchmen, they both instantly knew that they had not fired—someone was shooting at them. They exchanged a knowing look, and James leapt up and hastily put on his shirt.

"I'm going to take a stab at it and guess night," James's muffled voice said underneath the fabric. Rose sat up and grabbed his jacket, holding it out to him so that he could easily put it on.

A knock on their door delivered the message: "Master Norrington! You're needed on deck!"

Rose guided James's left arm through the sleeve. "Martin!" She cried to the man outside. "Who's firing at us?"

"A shipwreck off the Ivory Coast, madam. There seem to be a few survivors."

James turned to her. "We must have spooked them." He then called to the door himself. "I'll be right up!"

As he made a few last adjustments, Rose moved to the edge of the bed and reached for her boots.

"I'm not sure I want you out there," James said sternly.

"I can manage!" she protested. "I can turn the tides in our favor. Especially if it's as rough out there as I know it is."

He put his hands on her shoulders. "I'm asking you to stay here for my sake. I need you safe. You need you safe."

She nodded reluctantly. He was right. With his military background at the helm, no one could match their force. Her aid would make the fight far easier, but was not entirely necessary.

He brushed a curl out of her eyes before he turned to go. Her eyes followed him and she watched him open the door and stop sharply.

He looked back at her. "I've been thinking. About what you asked me last night."

"And?" she said, grinning. "Let me guess…Lawrence?"

James looked taken aback. "Absolutely not! I'm not that cruel!"

"Jack, then?"

James pursed his lips. "No."

She gave a faux pout. "Why not? I thought you liked Jack!"

"I tolerate Jack. Never have I liked it."

She smiled wryly. "This is half of my decision, you know..."

He shifted impatiently, but then grew pensive. "No, on the contrary…what about Ben?"

Rose's grin got even wider, and she felt her eyes well up with tears. She knew he could see how happy his words had made her. "Not James?"

He gave a half smile and a laugh. "No. One of those poor wretches is already one too many."

"I respectfully must disagree," she murmured.

After a moment shared between the two of them, James straightened his posture and replied in his typical haughty way, "All I'm saying is, my choice is Ben."

She warmly smiled. "I like that."

He nodded, giving her another gaze that lingered.

Another cannon blast.

"Back in a moment," he said, closing the door behind him.

Alone, she took the time to examine her surroundings. She was sitting in a rich, colorful room ornamented in fineries from other people's stories. She was sitting in a bed still warm from the love of her life. She once was a motherless gypsy with a crippling disability, exiled from her country and separated from her clan. By fate, she crossed paths with her half-brother, and thereby found her father, a pirate in every sense of the word. She grew up on the tail end of society, living amongst men who were scalawags and brutes. She found a childhood love and discovered a life on the seas, meeting a kind father figure in Bootstrap and a constant challenge to her ego in Barbossa. Jack became her confidante, her effervescent hope for adventure and vibrancy in a life where half her world was shrouded in darkness. She found a life she never thought she would live with the sea goddess Calypso, disguised as the ever-entrancing Tia Dalma. Her urge to better herself and never give up was fueled by Angelica, a constant source of competition. Her childhood love returned into her life as little more than a stranger, but led her to the salvation she sought in her brother. Ben left her hopeless, but stronger. Healing Barbossa taught her forgiveness and patience. Jack's demise was the ultimate test of her strength, which she would have failed were it not for James. His sacrifice blew wind into her sails, and taught her to move on, dream again, and find her father. Calypso entrusted her with her powers, which forever marked her as her heir. Suddenly, responsibility to Will, Elizabeth, Henry, and an entire town fell to her shoulders, as she found herself the soothsayer herself. Her guidance was coveted, revered, necessary. Life outwore its usefulness though, and she was finally freed. She was where she belonged—a gypsy of the seas, with the ocean waters in her control, alongside the company she kept, hand in hand with the man she truly belonged with whom she would endure and carry out the duties of Jones's curse together. Her life had always been manipulated by the needs and wants of others, and for the first time in her life, she had all the power in the world.

She grabbed her coat and flung it over her shoulders, tying her hair back with a bandana. Generally, when James concerned himself with giving her orders, Rose learned that it was always better to do the opposite of what he said. He told her to stay out of danger, but she was deciding to carve her own path this time. There were plenty of ways that she could avoid danger while still helping.

She stood slowly, anticipating the strain on her lower back before she actually felt it. She placed a hand over her stomach, feeling the gentle rising and falling of the tiny being inside of her.

Being an immortal among the undead was still something she needed to get used to. It was still so full of mysteries she had yet to uncover. But she felt a sense of comfort in knowing that great beauty and joy could still be born out of death. That had been represented throughout her entire life.

James wanted the name Ben. She agreed that it was a good name from a good source, but she found herself rather thinking that she was carrying a daughter.

And if she was, she would name her...Anna.


Thus marks the end of my written ledger about the legend of Rose Hexfury, heir to the sea goddess Calypso and commander of the seas, daughter of Captain Edward Teague, half-sister to the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow, wife to the potential future Captain James Norrington, and mother to me. This is where her story ends, and where my story begins.

— Anna Jaqueline Norrington