14

Peter's eyes finally closed. Ria cried out in terror. Jack dropped the pistol and ran towards his son and held his feet, trying to lift him. The masked man signalled for his men to leave the island, they untied Ria and took her with them; she struggled until the pistol was pointed at her again.

 Eliza rolled over onto her back coughing; she opened her eyes to find her mother gone and her father holding her brother up, still hanging. She twisted out of the now loose binds and pulled the knife out of her boot offering it to her father. Jack looked down to see a pale looking Eliza and a knife. He took it and began sawing at the thick rope.

"Peter! Wake up!" she cried as Jack took him down. He laid him on the sand, Peter's neck was red, and Eliza felt her own neck, also red.

"Pete! Don't scare ye father now no games now, Peter! Peter!" Jack said, pulling off Peter's red bandanna and shaking him awake. Peter frowned, coughing. Jack hugged him tightly with relief. "That's my boy! Never saying die!" pulling Eliza close and stroked her hair.

 They released Gibbs and Cotton. Eliza asked softly, "Where's mother?" Peter tugged at Jack's coat, "Is she going to be alright? Father? Father?" Jack stared at the small looking black ship sailing away, with his love.

"We're gonna to find her, don't worry ye lil' heads."

~

"Tell me sweet cheeks-," the masked man murmured as he licked her lips. Ria spat in his eye; "you shouldn't do that…" he warned and punched her in the face. Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth; the man wiped it away with his 'kerchief. "I apologise."

"Not accepted." She retorted. The masked man acted like she didn't say anything,

"Why do you look familiar… lady pirate?" he asked curiously, "How has it come to Jack Sparrow, now off with a single mate and a family?" Ria didn't speak, "ANSWER ME!" the masked man shouted.

"Could you take off your mask then?" she bargained, he took off his mask, reviling his ugly scar and his piercing black eyes. Ria stared, she never got a good look at the man who killed her parents, she saw the long scar and bit her lip.

"Well, little missy?" he asked, "Do I scare you?" Ria shook her head truthfully.

"No."

"Well, then, talk… tell me about yourself." He poured wine into two goblets,

"My name is Alexandria Robins," she told him. He nodded for her to go on, touching her thigh gently, Ria didn't move, but continued,

"I lived in Port Johnson, ten years ago-"

"But then you decided that a aristocrat life was not for you, and you left to become a pirate!" he carried on, Ria frowned,

"No." she said simply, she turned her wrists, behind her back, around and around, slowly loosening the knot in the rope. She eyed a loaded pistol on the table that was pointed to her before.

"No?"

"No, my mother and father were killed ten years ago, the day before my sixteenth birthday."

"Oh, well I am sorry-" he said without compassion. Ria clenched her fists, even though she was bound to a chair,

"You should be sorry."

"No, really I am!" he put his hand to his chest, with a smile.

"You should be sorry because you killed them." She whispered. The man put his wine down and wiped his lips off the back off his sleeve.

"Really?"

"I asked for your name, you told me you were Jack Sparrow." She said through clenched teeth. The man laughed,

"So I lied." He smiled, "Little… Alexandria, you gave me this scar." He touched his face with his finger. "You were so brave, to ask for my name… yes I do remember, out of the cupboard. Killed one of my good men."

"I said I would kill you for what you did to my family, to me." She stared into his dark black eyes.

"But I didn't kill you." He reminded her, she watched him as he strode to the desk and picked up her small knife. "This is a beautiful blade." He said touching the sharp gently, "Do you suppose you will be missed?" he questioned her. Ria thought of Peter and Eliza, and Jack. "Your little girl-" he continued,

"What about her?" Ria spat,

"Now, now, don't get angry…" he wound her black hair around his fingers and smelt it, "She put up a good fight, killed one of my best men she did. I assume you taught her?" Ria didn't speak, "Such a small girl, imagine if my men could do the same?" he pondered.

"For your information, bastard. For someone to acquire master swordsmanship, intelligence is required. Sadly, your men would be useless." She told him,

"Am I not intelligent?" he whispered into her ear, breathing down her neck. The ropes around her wrists were loose enough to free her.

"No." she whispered and pulled her hands out of the bonds quickly, he was unarmed, to what she could see. She quickly grabbed the pistol and kicked the man into the chair. He eyed the pistol pointed at his face, he flicked Ria's knife into his sleeve and didn't move. "You didn't tie me down very well." She told him with a smile. "My turn to ask the questions, if you call out for your men, you wont live to see them come… to attempt a rescue." She picked up her knife from the desk and slipped it into her boot, pistol still at his face.

"As you wish, Alexandria." He said smiling. Was it just her imagination? He doesn't seem to be afraid. She thought,

"Who are you, what is your name?" she asked, cocking the gun.

"My name is," he chuckled, as if laughing at himself, "I've nearly forgotten! Such a hard question!"

"Answer me!" she shouted angrily,

"Alright, alright! I am William Robins." He smiled as Ria shook her head,

"You lie."

"No it's true, I have a brother, called Henry Robins, who I believe is your father." Ria began to tremble.

"I will kill you as I promised, William."

"Oh no…" he stared straight into her eyes, "Please call me, uncle."

~