Rose of the Sea

A Pirate's Life for Me

Drew's POV:

I pull my hair out of its messy bun and let my natural waves fall on my shoulders. I could honestly stand to cut it, it almost reaches my waist now.

I grab my hat and walk out on deck into the early morning sun. The tropical waters are starting to warm up, filling the breeze with a slightly humid saltiness.

I smile and close my eyes, taking in the moment. Will and I have spent the last few days sailing towards Tortuga with the Dutchman and Pride. Through Mercy, I can sense that Loyalty and the Empress are also sailing that way.

The Dutchman is lazily gliding next to Pride off her starboard side. I spring into the air and a rigging line wraps itself around my forearm so I can swing over to the Dutchman's deck.

Some of the crew members look up at the light thunk of my heels on the deck but quickly get back to their morning routine. I've started learning all their names and they insist on calling me 'Captain Rose' despite my protests to just call me Drew.

I make my way down below to the hold, stopping to say hi to a crewman here and there. In the couple weeks Will has been the Captain of the Dutchman, the layers of crust and barnacles have fallen away, and the decades of pain have been lifted from the crew.

I push open one of the double doors to the hold and make my way through the various crates, barrels, and sacks strewn about. I chuckle at the sight, the crew must be cleaning their way from the top down. One thing I know about William Turner is that he's an insufferable clean freak. He gets his hands dirty when he needs to, but if he has the time, he'll clean anything that could possibly need it.

"Good morning Captain Rose."

I turn around at the voice. "I've told you time and again, it's just- Bootstrap!"

He chuckles and holds his arms wide for a hug, "Hi Bootstrap, I'm William Turner Sr. and I'm the Quartermaster on this ship."

I pull away from him, rolling my eyes. He laughs at his own joke. "So, are you headed to see William?"

I nod, "Why yes I am, We'll hit Tortuga before long and I want to say goodbye. Would you like to come?"

We walk out onto the top deck and he turns to face me. "You can have him to yourself this morning, I get him for the rest of eternity."

I laugh slightly, "I suppose so, thank you Bootstrap. For everything."

He pulls me into a hug. "I should be the one thanking you, Drew. You kept my boy safe and well all these years."

"Well, technically I did a terrible job keeping him safe, seeing as he's technically the undead Captain of the Flying Dutchman." I tease back.

He lets me go and smiles, "Maybe so, but it doesn't matter, you brought him back to me. Now go say goodbye." He turns around and starts climbing the quarterdeck stairs but pauses. "And try not to die again! I don't think I'd be ready to see you taking this ship to the other side just yet!" He calls over his shoulder.

I smile. "I'll do my best, Mr. Turner!"

I make my way into the galley and walk through it to the hallway on the other side. I take a left and keep going until I reach the Captain's quarters. I knock on the door twice and wait a couple seconds.

After a few moments without a reply, I knock again only for the door to whip open, banging me on the nose. I jump back and see Will, standing with his hands on his knees for support, cracking up.

"Ahha, haha, that never gets old! hahaha, ah-ha"

I rub my nose and narrow my eyes. "It wasn't funny the first fifty times you did it to me when we were younger, and it's not funny now William." I say, brushing past him into his cabin