𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐌𝐀𝐍'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 ▸ W. TURNER

𝟥. 𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎'𝑠 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒

𝐂 𝐇 𝐀 𝐏 𝐓 𝐄 𝐑 𝐓 𝐇 𝐑 𝐄 𝐄

[ 𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑔𝑎 ]

𝑊𝐼𝐿𝐿 𝐶𝑂𝑈𝐿𝐷 𝑆𝑇𝐼𝐿𝐿 𝑅𝐸𝑀𝐸𝑀𝐵𝐸𝑅, 𝐶𝐿𝐸𝐴𝑅 𝐴𝑆 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐶𝐴𝑅𝑅𝐼𝐵𝐸𝐴𝑁 𝑆𝐸𝐴, 𝑇𝐻𝐸 𝐷𝐴𝑌 𝐿𝐼𝐿𝐿𝐼𝐴𝑁 𝐿𝑌𝑆𝐴𝑁𝐷𝐸𝑅 𝐶𝐴𝑀𝐸 𝐻𝑈𝑅𝑇𝐿𝐼𝑁𝐺 𝐼𝑁𝑇𝑂 𝐻𝐼𝑆 𝐿𝐼𝐹𝐸.

It happened quite literally, just after he'd set off from the workshop on an early morning errands run for his master. He'd been turning the corner at the butcher's stall, only a couple of blocks from his intended destination, when he'd collided rather violently with what he had first suspected was a very low brick wall.

It had taken him a moment to realise that it was in fact a person – and a girl at that. She couldn't have been much younger than himself, although she was a little short for her age, but the thing that had stood out to him most was her hair. It was the colour of Autumn, a dark auburn to match the blanket of russet leaves which decorated the streets of London come September, and the rising sun seemed to glint off each individual strand as she'd raised her head to meet his gaze. There had been something wild and decidedly 'other' in that first look. And he'd been fascinated by her ever since.

So much so that by the time she'd been dragged away from Port Royal, almost five years ago, he'd finally come to terms with the fact that perhaps he did favour Lillian Lysander in a way that simply a friend might not. But it had seemed as if fate was to deal him yet another tragedy – clearly it had not been enough that his father had left him for a life at sea, his mother taken from this world far too young. He was to lose Lillian Lysander too.

Of course, he had to admit that Lillian's removal from Port Royal had helped him in ways he could not fault – his position at the workshop was undoubtedly secure, his skills gaining praise from many, of recent. Commodore Norrington's promotion gift had gone down a treat, and he was convinced it was the best blade he'd ever crafted. Port Royal was learning to appreciate Will Turner for the good man he was.

Then of course, there was Elizabeth.

After his friend's departure, the continued business exchanges between Mr Brown and the Navy had often put Will into contact with his former saviour, who had grown into quite the beautiful young lady. Though he was sadly aware of the divide between himself and the Governor's daughter, he could not deny that he had fallen head over heels for her over the past couple of years. Now she was in danger, Will was willing to do anything to get her back – and perhaps be able to show her father that he was worthy enough of her hand, in the process.

Or at least, he had been. Until fate had somehow guided him towards this particular Tortuga bar and back into the path of Lillian Lysander.

Will tried his best to be discreet as he observed her, laughing with Sparrow over mugs of ale at the table beside him - Gibbs had since disappeared from the group to gather men for their upcoming trip, leaving the three of them alone. By the looks of things, Lillian seemed to know the strange pirate Captain rather well. Will wasn't sure whether or not to be unsettled by that fact, but he chose to ignore it in favour of simply watching her instead.

She'd hardly changed a bit, though if anything her spirit seemed to have grown even wilder since Aoife had moved the family to Tortuga. Her fiery waves were longer than he remembered, hanging to her elbows, and the constellation of freckles scattered across her face was even more noticeable. She wore a simple dress of cream muslin, dotted with stains - presumably from working the bar all afternoon – and collection of brown leather straps crisscrossed her waist. At least one of them, Will gathered from her earlier interruption of the drunkards' brawl, held a pistol. A pistol she knew exactly how to use, if her earlier display was anything to go by.