Pirates of the Caribbean: Shadows of Destiny

6. 'Wounded heart.'

Jack found himself next to Barbossa, who was handling the wheel. Barbossa glanced over and exclaimed, "Aye, she brought along another woman on the ship."

Jack, scanning the area, adds, "And the brother," looking for Killian.

Suddenly, Killian emerged from behind them, nonchalantly shouting, "Here!"

Both Jack and Barbossa let out an unexpected scream in surprise.

"So, what makes a lady like you be on a ship with pirates?" Selene questions, showing a curious glance at Elizabeth.

"Oh, it's a long story, and you've probably heard it before, but there was this cursed necklace," Elizabeth begins, her gaze distant for a moment as she recalls the past. "Somehow, I found myself intertwined in the world of the sea, and, well, here I am, still on the ship," she jokes.

Selene glances at Elizabeth with a reflective expression, "Have ye ever thought of going back?" she asks.

Elizabeth's eyes soften, 'To Port Royal? Oh, I'm not sure I'm quite still welcome there, but yes, I've thought about just starting my own life somewhere,' she admits. 'But that was before Will passed,' she adds, casting a furtive glance at Selene's brother.

Selene quietly observes Elizabeth's gaze towards her brother but decides not to say anything about it. Instead, she simply smirks and smoothly walks away, leaving the unspoken curiosity in the air.

Killian shouts for help as he struggles with tying a knot in the rope that connects to the sail. Elizabeth quickly runs to help him, her hands cleverly working on the knot, and subtly strokes his hand. As she does, their eyes lock for a brief but intense moment.

Just as the moment prolongs, Selene calls Elizabeth's name from a distance, breaking the spell. Elizabeth unwillingly pulls her hand back, turning to respond to Selene. In the background, Jack casually walks over.

"Be careful, mate," Jack states to Killian with a grin, "she's a smart one, our Elizabeth." He adds as he goes back to where he came from, leaving a baffled Killian behind him.

While Elizabeth and Selene talk, Selene raises an eyebrow, interrupting their conversation with a playful smirk. "Okay, stop, ye've looked at my brother like 15 times by now. Is there somethin'?"

Elizabeth, caught off guard, blushes slightly but can't help but smile. "I.. I just find him very interesting," she confesses with a soft smile. Covering her mouth for a slight moment, she adds, "I hope this doesn't make things weird."

Selene bursts into laughter, "Oh, please! You're not the first, and definitely won't be the last. Killian does have a way of drawing attention." She elbows Elizabeth playfully. Elizabeth awkwardly chuckles as she gets elbowed, a shy smile showing across her face.

In the silence of the night, Elizabeth lays on her bed, thoughts of Killian spiraling through her mind. A longing filled her, but she couldn't shake the ghost of her past love, Will. She gets up from her bed, looking over at the nightstand with a framed photo of Will, turns it face down, thinking about the wounds in her heart that still remained.

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed through the ship. Startled Elizabeth made her way outside, only to find Jack flattened at the foot of the stairs, a big wooden splinter impaled in his arm, staining the deck with blood.

Elizabeth rushed to Jack's side, concern showing across her face. "Jack! What happened?" In the dim moonlight, Elizabeth quickly grabbed a nearby cloth and dressed Jack's wound. The bandage absorbed the blood, a temporary solution to the unexpected injury. Jack flinched as she worked, "Well, love, seems like I took a rather unforeseen tumble down the stairs. No need to fret; it's just a scratch."

Elizabeth gave him a skeptical look. "A scratch? Jack, you're practically spilling all over the deck."

He chuckled, flinching again as she tightened the bandage. "Just adds a bit of character, savvy?"

Despite the urgency of the moment, a subtle harmony formed between them. They exchanged quick glances, acknowledging the unspoken connection that had developed amidst the chaos.

As Elizabeth helped Jack up, he recoiled at the pain but managed to put on a playfull grin, and with a twinkle in his eye, remarked, "You and that Killian, how's that, eh?"

Elizabeth, with an abashed wave of her hand, responds, "Oh, that's nothing, really."

Jack squinted his eyes mischievously and said, "You know he reminds me of someone," clearly hinting towards her deceased husband Will. Elizabeth watched his mouth as he spoke.

"My eyes are up here, my dear," Jack teased as Elizabeth straightened her posture. She mumbled something in response, then walked away. Jack, left alone, turned around and saw a shadow figure that resembled Will but quickly blurred away.

"I really should go to sleep," Jack muttered to himself, feeling a twinge of something unsettling in the air.