Disclaimer: I own Drika, Seth, and Jim. Disney owns the rest
It's been two weeks since I saw Will last. A week and a half since I've lost hope. Anyway, that's not the important thing here. The important matter for today is finding somewhere to sleep. And finding food. That's always helpful. I decide to spend what little money I have left on a decent meal and a room at the inn, so I walk over towards the pub. I walk inside and go over to the bar. My friend Jim is behind the counter. "Ah, Miss Turner. Back again?" I nod. "Has Will come home yet?" I shake my head. "Not in the mood for talking?" Again, I shake my head. "Is something bothering you?" I don't answer. Yeah, something's bothering me. But why does Jim suddenly ask about that kind of thing? He's Will's friend, not mine. Yeah, I know I said he is, but he's my "adoptive brother's" friend. You know how it is. I ask for a glass of water, which he gets. I sit there for a few minutes, drinking and thinking, and then I ask him something. "You asked me how I was cause there's someone here to see me, right?" Jim sighed. "You pirates know everything, don't you?" "Jim, I'm not a pirate anymore. My name is Drika and I want you to call me by my name." "Yes Miss Turner." "Drika," I correct. "Yes Drika." "So who is he?" "Who's who?" he asked, momentarily confused. "The man here to see me." "What makes you think it's a man?" "Since when do other women come here?" He grinned. "Good point." He turned away from me. "Oy! Seth! Come ere!" A boy who looks about 19 walked over to us. "Seth, this is Miss Tur- er - Miss Alexandra. Drika, this is Vandrieseth." I try not to laugh. "Vandrieseth," I say, grinning. He smiled shyly. "Yeah. Seth Alkenshire." We shake hands. "Well, I'll leave you to it Seth," Jim says. He turns to another customer. "So . . . Seth," I say, "what can I do for you?" "You're the blacksmith's sister?" "Adoptive sister, yes." I pause. "Is there something . . . wrong with Will?" He looks away at this and he refused to meet my eyes. "He sent a message." "Yes?" He sighed. "He isn't coming home to Port Royal. He wants you to take over as the blacksmith because his former master won't do it." I stare into my drink. "Drika?" "Yes?" I ask with no emotion in my voice. "Are you . . . Ok?" "Yeah . . . I . . . I'm fine." He stood up to leave. He put his hand on my shoulder. "You'll be alright. Will would come back if he thought you couldn't make it on your own." "I know." "It was - er - nice . . talking to you," he said. I just nod and stare some more. Will? Gone? Forever? I couldn't imagine it.
After I leave, I go over to the shop. No one's inside. I open the door and step away from the night's chill into the warm shop. Word has spread that Will's former master was driven mad from all the drinking he did and he ran off. Mostly good came from this. One, I can sleep in the shop again and can save my remaining money. Two, it won't smell as bad anymore. Three, I don't have to give up the large portion of my earnings like I used to. The down side is . . . wait. There is no downside. I know how to run things and for the last few weeks I've been doing so anyways. I open the door and step inside. Everything is how it should be. But then I hear a creak from above me. I look up. A shadow passes over me, nothing more. "Hello?" I call. Another creak. "Is someone here?" I hear something fall gently to the floor behind me. Instead of turning around, I unsheathe my sword, knowing all too well that the person behind me couldn't see it. "Drika?" a voice whispers. "Drika, is that you?" I drop the sword as he spins me around. "Will! You shouldn't be here. You've been banished!" He puts his finger over his lips and pulls me into the far corner. "I know," he hissed. "But I need your help." "Why? What's happened?" "It's Elizabeth." "What about her?" "She says she needs to talk to you as soon as possible." "Me? Why me?" "I don't know, but she sounds desperate." "Where is she?" "I can't say, for her safety. Can I bring her here?" "Yes. Go get her. No one comes this late." "What about-?" "He's gone. Went mad and ran off." Will cocked an eyebrow. "It was the drinking." He smiled. "Ah. So that's why Jack's the way he is." I smile back, but it quickly fades away. "Go now, Will. Bring her here quickly." "You know the back roads, right?" he asks suddenly. "Yes, of course. I'm a former street rat." "Then I need you to help me get her here." "Where should I meet you?" "Behind the pub. Jim and Seth with meet you there. Wait for me, and if I'm not there in five minutes, come back here. I can't risk all of us being caught." "But Will, I haven't done anything wrong." "I know, but you're suspected of . . . of witchcraft." "What?!" "Yeah. They think YOU made our old master go mad so you could have a better life for yourself." I sigh and rub my eyes. "Alright. We'll deal with this later. You go get Jack and Elizabeth." "How did you know Jack is coming?" "I'm a pirate. I know everything." He smiled. Then he went to the back door and silently slipped into the night. I gathered up my sword and Will's old one and I headed out of a side door, keeping my eyes and - especially - ears out for any sign of The Watch.
It's been two weeks since I saw Will last. A week and a half since I've lost hope. Anyway, that's not the important thing here. The important matter for today is finding somewhere to sleep. And finding food. That's always helpful. I decide to spend what little money I have left on a decent meal and a room at the inn, so I walk over towards the pub. I walk inside and go over to the bar. My friend Jim is behind the counter. "Ah, Miss Turner. Back again?" I nod. "Has Will come home yet?" I shake my head. "Not in the mood for talking?" Again, I shake my head. "Is something bothering you?" I don't answer. Yeah, something's bothering me. But why does Jim suddenly ask about that kind of thing? He's Will's friend, not mine. Yeah, I know I said he is, but he's my "adoptive brother's" friend. You know how it is. I ask for a glass of water, which he gets. I sit there for a few minutes, drinking and thinking, and then I ask him something. "You asked me how I was cause there's someone here to see me, right?" Jim sighed. "You pirates know everything, don't you?" "Jim, I'm not a pirate anymore. My name is Drika and I want you to call me by my name." "Yes Miss Turner." "Drika," I correct. "Yes Drika." "So who is he?" "Who's who?" he asked, momentarily confused. "The man here to see me." "What makes you think it's a man?" "Since when do other women come here?" He grinned. "Good point." He turned away from me. "Oy! Seth! Come ere!" A boy who looks about 19 walked over to us. "Seth, this is Miss Tur- er - Miss Alexandra. Drika, this is Vandrieseth." I try not to laugh. "Vandrieseth," I say, grinning. He smiled shyly. "Yeah. Seth Alkenshire." We shake hands. "Well, I'll leave you to it Seth," Jim says. He turns to another customer. "So . . . Seth," I say, "what can I do for you?" "You're the blacksmith's sister?" "Adoptive sister, yes." I pause. "Is there something . . . wrong with Will?" He looks away at this and he refused to meet my eyes. "He sent a message." "Yes?" He sighed. "He isn't coming home to Port Royal. He wants you to take over as the blacksmith because his former master won't do it." I stare into my drink. "Drika?" "Yes?" I ask with no emotion in my voice. "Are you . . . Ok?" "Yeah . . . I . . . I'm fine." He stood up to leave. He put his hand on my shoulder. "You'll be alright. Will would come back if he thought you couldn't make it on your own." "I know." "It was - er - nice . . talking to you," he said. I just nod and stare some more. Will? Gone? Forever? I couldn't imagine it.
After I leave, I go over to the shop. No one's inside. I open the door and step away from the night's chill into the warm shop. Word has spread that Will's former master was driven mad from all the drinking he did and he ran off. Mostly good came from this. One, I can sleep in the shop again and can save my remaining money. Two, it won't smell as bad anymore. Three, I don't have to give up the large portion of my earnings like I used to. The down side is . . . wait. There is no downside. I know how to run things and for the last few weeks I've been doing so anyways. I open the door and step inside. Everything is how it should be. But then I hear a creak from above me. I look up. A shadow passes over me, nothing more. "Hello?" I call. Another creak. "Is someone here?" I hear something fall gently to the floor behind me. Instead of turning around, I unsheathe my sword, knowing all too well that the person behind me couldn't see it. "Drika?" a voice whispers. "Drika, is that you?" I drop the sword as he spins me around. "Will! You shouldn't be here. You've been banished!" He puts his finger over his lips and pulls me into the far corner. "I know," he hissed. "But I need your help." "Why? What's happened?" "It's Elizabeth." "What about her?" "She says she needs to talk to you as soon as possible." "Me? Why me?" "I don't know, but she sounds desperate." "Where is she?" "I can't say, for her safety. Can I bring her here?" "Yes. Go get her. No one comes this late." "What about-?" "He's gone. Went mad and ran off." Will cocked an eyebrow. "It was the drinking." He smiled. "Ah. So that's why Jack's the way he is." I smile back, but it quickly fades away. "Go now, Will. Bring her here quickly." "You know the back roads, right?" he asks suddenly. "Yes, of course. I'm a former street rat." "Then I need you to help me get her here." "Where should I meet you?" "Behind the pub. Jim and Seth with meet you there. Wait for me, and if I'm not there in five minutes, come back here. I can't risk all of us being caught." "But Will, I haven't done anything wrong." "I know, but you're suspected of . . . of witchcraft." "What?!" "Yeah. They think YOU made our old master go mad so you could have a better life for yourself." I sigh and rub my eyes. "Alright. We'll deal with this later. You go get Jack and Elizabeth." "How did you know Jack is coming?" "I'm a pirate. I know everything." He smiled. Then he went to the back door and silently slipped into the night. I gathered up my sword and Will's old one and I headed out of a side door, keeping my eyes and - especially - ears out for any sign of The Watch.