"Lily, would you get me those fabric swatches...thank you."
Lily stayed diligently by Mrs. James Norrington. She had promoted over the past three years to Blanche LeFleur's personal servant, her "lady-in-waiting", as Blanche liked to say. Lily appreciated the fact that she made a little money from this job from tips from running errands and helping fit dresses and doing instant "touch-ups" on her hair and clothing, but she despised Blanche with a passion.
Lily handed her the swatches and watched her flip through them.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something..." Blanche said, her eyes wandering over the fabric. "Oh, yes, of course, how could I not recall?"
Lily looked at her.
"Happy birthday, Lily! How old are you now?"
"I'm thirteen, m'lady."
Not to mention the fact my brithday was a week ago, Lily thought.
"Here, take a few gold coins and get yourself something nice." Blanche said, and handed her a small purse of money.
"Thank you, m'lady." Lily said, and put the purse in the pocket of her apron. She fingered it, counting how many coins were in the bag.
Six.
Lily smiled politely.
"Lily, what color do you think is nicer, blue or tan?" Blanche held up two swatches.
"I would have to know what the fabric was to be used for, m'lady."
"I'm getting a new dress for the ball celebrating the birth of baby James."
Lily tried hard not to roll her eyes.
You're using your son as another chance to make the high-class citizens of Port Royal think you're better than them? You awful, awful woman!
"I believe the blue would be best, m'lady. It brings out your eyes."
I cannot believe I just said that.
"Really? I like the tan."
What was the point of that conversation?!
"Can you get Isabel for me? I need to inform her of my decision."
"Yes, m'lady." Lily said, glad for a chance to be away from her mistress.
............................................................................
"I hate that woman!" Lily spat vehemently to Isabel and the seamstresses, sitting on a table with stacks upon stacks of nightdresses on it.
"You're not the only one, Lily." Isabel said. "She can never make up her mind."
Lily nodded, nibbling at a roll from a basket that the cooks has sent over as a gesture of thanks for their new, linen uniforms that kept them much cooler than the old wool outfits they had used before.
"Oh, the reson she sent me down here was to tell you she wants this fabric." Lily said, holding up the swatch Blanche had chosen.
Isabel took it from her and shook her head in anger. "I think she purposely chooses the most expensive, hard-to-find fabrics."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
Fiona came over to her and handed her something wrapped in a scrap of an old shawl.
"I know it's late, but we wanted to get you something anyway, since this is your thirteenth birthday, and thirteen is an important age for a young girl."
Lily took the parcel and unwrapped it slowly. "You know you didn't have to get me anyth-" She stopped as she saw what it was.
"We all pitched in and made it."
Lily unfolded the present.
"It's wonderful." she said, a tear running down her cheek.
It was a small quilt, with a lovingly stictched blend of fabrics forming a ship tossing away on a stormy sea, and on the deck of the ship, you could see a small female figure at the helm with long, golden-blonde hair.
"Since you talk about the sea so much..."Elinor said, tucking a wispy blonde curl behind her ear.
"And if you look really close, that pirate you talk about so much, Captain Jack Sparrow, he's in the cabin. I looked up a picture of him in the Commodore's library." Frances said, looking very proud of herself.
"And we even included the Turners." Isabel said. "I'm surprised you took so well to your captors. You talk about them as if they were your parents."
"And we figured you'd want to be at the helm of the ship." Fiona said with a smile.
"Thank you so much. I love it." Lily smiled. "If only they let women be in the Navy."
If only they let women be pirates.....
If only he let me be a pirate.
.......................................................
It wasn't too long, only another year, before Blanche became tired of Lily and sent her back to the sewing room. This made Lily extremely happy, as she had only grown to dislike Blanche even more over those twelve months of pure, unadulterated torture.
And that's when the news came.
"Lily, Lily, you won't believe!" Maragaret yelled, running in to the sewing room.
"What, Meg?"
"Captain Jack Sparrow is in Port Royal!"
Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
"WHAT?!" she said, her scream ringing throughout the large room.
"Calm down! You'll start a ruckus!"
Lily stood up and ran to the door.
"I need to get to the docks!" she exclaimed, and turned to Isabel.
"Isabel, if you would do me the biggest favor..."
"What, Lily?"
"I need to go accomplish my dreams. Cover for me?"
Isabel laughed a little and then nodded. "Of course."
Lily ran out of the room, out the back door, to the stables and jumped into a carriage.
"Jon, if you have any love of heaven, you will take me to the docks."
Jon smiled at her as he cracked the reins and they traveled down the road. "I see Meg told you the news."
"Yes, yes, now hurry."
"She even told me to wait for you." he said, glancing back at her.
"They understand that I'm meant for the sea." Lily said. "Especially Meg and Fiona."
Jon nodded as they pulled up to the docks and Lily jumped out.
She saw the ratty black sails, the rotting wood of the ship, and she saw Jack Sparrow at the helm, guiding it away.
"He's gone. The Pearl is gone."
Lily looked back at Jon, a tear streaming down her cheek.
"Why does this always happen?!" she screamed, and most of the street turned to look at her.
Jon stepped out and patted her on the back, guiding her to the carriage once again to bring her back to the manor.
.............................................
Lily tucked into her bed that night, clutching the small quilt the seamstresses had made her a year before. Jack Sparrow had left.
He was gone.
She would probably never see her again.
What was it Captain Turner had said?
"Lily...you're a strong, smart little girl...You'll find a way to be whatever you want to be."
But what will I do now, Captain? My one way out is gone. He left me here. Not that he knew I was here, but he still left me here, stranded, in a vat full of nobles.
.................................................
Lily worked silently on her mending and sewing for the rest of the week.
Finally, she said one thing to the seamstresses as she walked into their chambers on the last night of the week.
"Do you think I could be a pirate?"
The seamstresses looked anxiously at each other, mentally wringing their hands.
Elinor down at Lily gently. "Do really want to be one?"
Meg nodded. "It's dangerous out there. Here, you can't get hurt."
"The sea isn't meant for a lady."
As soon as Lily heard that, something in her snapped.
"Why not?" she said, a little angry.
"It's not lady-like. To be doing all that work and everyone being so dirty and salty and getting drunk so often."
"It's a bad name. Ladies aren't supposed to get bad names."
Lily bit down hard so as not to say something harsh and got into bed.
"Lily, we know you love the sea, but why don't you stay here with us? We all love you."
"We don't want to see you hurt or dead or slandered..."
Lily looked up at them, this time a little sad.
"I'm not asking if I should do it."
The seasmtresses looked confused.
"I'm asking if you think I could do it."
"You definitely could, Lily." Meg said.
"You love the sea, the sailing, the ship." Fiona said, sitting next to Lily on the bed. "You'd be the best bloody pirate there ever was." Fiona smiled at her and stroked her hair gently. "But for now, just stay here. Get a little older, a little wiser. Maybe a little more intune with what you want to do. Then decide."
Lily nodded and snuggled into the covers to sleep.
