𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑆𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑜𝑛-𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒜𝓇𝓉𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝒟ℴ𝒹𝑔ℯ𝓇//ʲᵃᶜᵏ ᵈᵃʷᵏⁱⁿˢ

𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙰𝚁𝚃𝙵𝚄𝙻 𝙳𝙾𝙳𝙶𝙴𝚁

𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘯𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯， 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺， 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥， 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺－𝘕𝘪𝘬𝘪𝘵𝘢 𝘎𝘪𝘭𝘭

SHE WASN'T AS ARTFUL as much as she was cunning. A pick pocket is an understatement for a shadow of the Australian town. She'd lived there her whole life—dodging the heat of the police and avoiding the numerous executions she'd been faced with. She was the only one to be able to, in other words, her family weren't so lucky. The council although supposedly there to help run the project of 'better life', was filled with all the dirty cops and governors you could find, their pockets heavy with the highest pay grades they'd been offered.

The mayor was no help since he'd spent his days travelling, leaving the town of Port Victory in the hands of Governor Fox and his dear Captain Lucien Gaines.

Lucien Gaines is a prick who simply no one in the town liked, he was just as good as a soggy biscuit. Mary rather avoided any contact with him since he was the one who ordered the death warrant upon her father, Rhysand Blackwood for a murder, he didn't commit.

And that's where the thievery started. Her mother wasn't well enough to provide for the family, so it was up to the two eldest children of Eve and Rhysand Blackwood to provide for the now family of six.

Being unable to find a supportive employment, this set her a very interesting routine, scrubbing a self made concoction of water and soda all day to stealing to provide during the night. She earned herself the title of the 'Night Burgler' or occasionally 'The Fox of Port Victor'. It didn't matter what she was called, she was smart, smarter than most, and she was skilled in the years of being on the unfortunate side of town. It wasn't a factor of when or who she stole from, all she knew is that if she didn't make it back, her family surely wouldn't eat.

When her mother's condition deteriorated, Mary Budell was under the pump to supply her family with food and for her mother; medical support. So she once again had to step up the thieving game, she had to think big.

And so she did. If only she'd stopped then, because her next big heist, she'd pick the wrong lock and walk right into the bedroom of Gaines himself. She was lucky though, as stuck up as he is, he doesn't think with his head the same as he does with everything else. So, she hid under the bed, and when the coast was clear, she escaped, only to be caught up in a carriage and thrown around onto the pavement scratching her limbs to oblivion.

When the concussion cleared for a moment, she realised she was at the feet of the Governor himself; and he was sure not pleased to have a petty woman in his way. She was then thrown into a damp dark cell, she was too young to be in this kind of situation, even if it was her fault.

That's when she meets Jack Dawkins, in the prison cell at only the age of fifteen. Then together, they escaped, leaving to join the Navy. Not by choice of course, if Mary-Rose was offered the chance, she would have chosen to stay and provide for her family. But they would be okay, right? Her mother was showing signs of improvement, she could even walk on her own now, they'd be fine, she told herself.

They'd be fine.

And that's where her-story begins.

𝐹𝑂𝑅 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐺𝐼𝑅𝐿𝑆 𝑊𝐻𝑂 𝑊𝐸𝑅𝐸 𝑀𝐼𝑆𝑇𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑇𝐸𝐷 𝐹𝑂𝑅 𝐵𝐸𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐴 𝑊𝑂𝑀𝐴𝑁 𝐹𝑂𝑅 𝐹𝐸𝐴𝑅 𝑂𝐹 𝐵𝐸𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐴 𝐺𝑅𝐸𝐴𝑇 𝑂𝑁𝐸．

𝐴𝑁𝐷 𝐷𝑂𝑁'𝑇 𝐹𝑂𝑅𝐺𝐸𝑇 𝑌𝑂𝑈'𝑅𝐸 𝐴𝑆 𝑃𝑂𝑊𝐸𝑅𝐹𝑈𝐿 𝐴𝑆 𝐴𝑁𝑌 𝑀𝐴𝑁．

~ᖴIᑕTIOᑎᘜIᖇᒪ_1