- The Empress -

- Just off the Coast of Singapore -

"Well, it could be worse."

"Please inform me how it could be worse, because I am dying to know." Her voice was laced with that trademark Sparrow sarcasm as she crained her neck to try and look back at him. Seeing as they were tied to a mast, it was really stupid of her. Will was tied in the middle with Jack and Lila on either side of him. And honestly? He felt like the luckiest bloody man in the whole Spanish Main.

"Well, we could be dead."

"Shut up, Sparrow, or you will be dead."

"Belay tha'."

"Don't tell me to belay that You Royal Pain in the As-"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!" Will screamed, getting fed up with it. The three of them had only been tied up to the mast for about an hour, and already he felt like they had been there for years. Jack? He could deal with by himself. And of course he knew how to deal with Lila. But together? Well, that was just a hell waiting to happen. Will groaned and put his head back against the mast. The two Sparrows were silent for a moment, before Jack said, "Well, I'll shu' up when she shu's up and she'll never shu' up, so I won't shu' up-"

"-Grant-"

"-Lila-"

"-Will-"

"-Lila-"

All three of them were silenced when the door to the cabin opened. Jack turned his neck rather quickly, but soon realized that he shouldn't have done that when a pain shot through his neck. Will rolled his eyes at this, and glanced over to see Mercer walking out. Saphira was trailing closely behind him, causing Jack to make a disapproving sound under his breath.

One look over at Lila told Will that she was trying her hardest not to say some snappy remark worthy of the infamous Captain Sparrow himself. And the sad thing was, he couldn't even see her face. He just knew.

"I told you, darling. We're getting off at England." Mercer was telling Saphira. Will watched her closely. He felt familar feelings shoot though him when he saw this. Saphira had always been like his sister. He almost smiled when he remembered the time when they were younger how Lila often mistaked his feelings for Saphira. It was then, he almost knew how Jack felt about Lila..

..well, no. Jack was too 'charming' around Lila for his own good. But still. Jack and Lila were practically siblings. And he almost felt the same way when he looked at Saphira. He knew how Mercer was. How he really was. He knew that not only did he kill Lila's mother, but he was pretty sure that he had killed his own as well.

"That's nowhere near Atlantis. You framed Jack. Lila's not dead-"

"-yet." Mercer said with a smile, cutting off the girl that he believed to be his daughter. Both Will and Jack looked up at that comment. Lila, much to Will's amazement, was quiet. She never was quiet. Jack was apparently thinking the same thing, since Will heard him groan. She was up to something.

"Dad." Will noticed how much struggle it took Saphie to call Mercer that. "Lila-"

"-will pay for what her father has done-"

"-my father did not do a thing, you dried up fruit." Will smirked. Lila cracked. He knew she had been trying this whole time not to, since he firmly told her that she needed to think ten times before she spoke. And apparently, she had. But she couldn't keep it in any longer.

Mercer's cold, almost now, silver eyes darted in the young queen's direction. He rolled his eyes, and said in a mocking voice, "Would you like to speak, Your Majesty?"

"I think that's why I just did." Lila shot back at him, causing his eyes to narrow even further. Mercer took a warning step towards the mast. Not fully remembering that he was tied to a mast, Will made a point to try and step in front of Lila as he always did when someone threatened her. One step, and he slammed back into the mast, causing Jack to burst into a fit of laughter.

"Shut it, Sparrow." Will hissed at him. Jack was smirking, as he replied, "Once again-"

"-shut up."

"-make me-"

"-BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP! And you-" Mercer pointed in Lila's direction. Lila watched him walk closer to her with a bored look on her face. He jabbed his finger in her face and said, "You need to find your place-"

"-apparently it's tied to the mast on the Empress-"

"-if you don't shut the hell up, I swear you'll be the first to do-"

"-I. Dare.You." Lila said slowly, emphasizing each word as she said it. Mercer's lips twitched as he stood in front of her and said, "That's it." He jabbed his finger in her face, causing Lila to do the only thing she could think of. She bit him. And that made Jack laugh so hard, Will and Saphira were suprised that he could even breathe.

"You witch!" Mercer yelled at Lila, pulling his finger back. Lila only smirked up at him and said to him, "Sticks and stones, love." Which caused Jack to laugh even more. Will smirked and rested his head against the mast, as Saphira looked on with a mild look of horror. That made Will stop smirking.

Mercer then walked into his cabin, and of all the bloody things, he threw an orange at Lila. Lila's smirk was immediatley wiped off her face, as she looked up at Mercer with a look of confusion. Now, even Will was laughing. "Where the bloody hell did you get an orange?"

Mercer walked back over to Saphira, and hissed, "I've had just about enough of you."

"I've had enough of you, but we can't do anything about that can we?" Lila spat back at him, causing Jack to gasp for breath. Will rolled his eyes, and said, "Darling, I think you should stop." Lila smirked and said, "I would if he gave me the chance-"

"SILENCE!" Mercer yelled, raising his gun up to Lila. That made her shut up. Oh, did that make her shut up. Jack instantly stopped laughing. Saphira looked over at Will to see that familar look that he got in his face more times than he would like. Mercer walked over to the mast and said, as he cocked his gun, "Miss Parrish-"

"-Turner-" Both Will and Lila said at the same time.

"-whatever." Mercer said, rolling his eyes. "I swear I'll finish you off-"

"-you will do no such thing." Will said, causing Saphira to look over at him with that same look. Mercer shot his glare over at Will as he said, "Master Turner...you keep talking like that, and you will give me no choice." He put his hand on Lila's neck, causing Will to look at him with a look of horror. Lila gapped at him and said, "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"Shut up, you wench."

"Only Will's, darling." Jack groaned at that statement, causing Will to slam his head against the mast. Mercer snapped the key off of Lila's neck, causing Lila's eyes to go as wide as cannonballs. "I have the chest-" Lila's face fell. "-and I will do it-"

"-leave Will out of this." Saphira said for Lila, since Lila was a bit too shocked as to what just happened. Will glanced over at Lila to see that she was staring at the ground. He closed his eyes as Saphira said, "He didn't do anything-"

"-he married her-"

"-so what?" Will spat at him, "If you have a problem with me, leave her out of this."

"It's not you he has the problem with." Jack said, finally. That made Lila's head snap up, and she said in a quiet voice, "Darling, what are you talking about? That wasn't your fault-"

"-you were five, Lila. You don't know-"

"-I do know that my cousin is not a murderer." All of them glanced at Lila, reminding her of the man that Jack just killed. "Well...that's not the point. Darling, that wasn't you-"

Mercer laughed a sick, cold laugh as he said, "That's right, Sparrow. Listen to the princess-"

"-Queen-"

"Whatever." Mercer said, throwing a dirty look at the now smirking Will. He stepped towards him and said, "Master Turner, I think that we're going to have a little chat." He took out his sword, and cut Will's ropes free. In a matter of seconds, Will was being restrained by Mercer's men. The ex-Naval officer took another step towards Will and said, "If you so much as try anything, I will kill your wife-"

"-Will-"

"Lila. Do me a favor." Will said to her, as Mercer had one of his men bring out the chest. Lila watched in pure horror as Mercer opened the chest and put his gun to Will's heart. A tear rolled down Lila's cheek as Will said, "Keep a weather eye on the horizon." And with that, Mercer had Will brought into his cabin.

All was silent on the ship when they left. All except for the rain that was now pouring down on the ship. Jack sighed, knowing that Lila couldn't control that, but the more Lila got upset, the more she had to use her powers. And the more she had to use her powers, the quicker it would kill her...and that's when it hit Jack. Maybe that's exactly what Mercer wanted.

"Lila, try to calm down, love." Jack said, staring off at the horizon. Lila was crying on the other side. Even if the rain wasn't falling, he knew she was. She prided herself in saying that being a Sparrow, she had no weakness. But she did. She always had one weakness. And that weakness had a gun to his heart at that very moment. Will had always been Lila's weakness. Even for those years they weren't together.

"I can't." Lila said, between sobs. "It's my fault." Jack sighed again, he knew that he wouldn't be able to calm her down. Really, only one person could...and that person wouldn't be that much of a help. Saphira was standing by the railing, looking down at the ocean. She couldn't do a thing. She herself was being threatened. Her brother and Anamaria were down in the brig...why was he doing this?

"Lila, it's not-"

"-well then who's is it?" Lila spat at him. "It all comes bloody back to me, Jack. All of it." Saphira looked over at Lila to see her in a way she had never seen her before. As much as Lila would deny it. She was so much like Jack. She never wanted to show her emotions. She never showed that she was scared. But now, none of it mattered. It was almost as if Lila was giving up. And if Lila gave up, Saphira thought she might as well give up too.

Lila leaned her head against the mast, thinking of what Will had just said to her. Another tear rolled down her cheek when she realized when the last time she had heard that...she had been the one that had said it to him. Was it a promise? What was Will saying? Lila closed her emerald eyes and said, "I can't do it."

"Lila-"

"-I can't, not without Will."

"Lila, of course you can." Saphie said, walking over to them. If she wouldn't get shot for untying them, she would. But she was, at the moment, being surrounded by Mercer's men. "Lila, me and Jack aren't leaving you. And don't think Will is either." Lila looked up into the face of her best friend, and nodded, though she wasn't sure if she could actually believe that.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon...what the bloody hell?" Lila started crying again, "A lot of bloody good that's done me bloody before...bloody horizon." Saphie sighed and looked up at the sky. Much to Lila's horror, a green flash shot through the early night sky. All the color drained out of Lila's face when that happened. "WILL!" Lila screamed. Saphira, not sure as to what just happened, put her arms around Lila, trying to comfort her.

"Look." Jack whispered. Saphira put her head on top of Lila's and looked out towards the horizon. There, rising out of the ocean, was the Flying Dutchman.