The festivities in the tavern continued without letup as Scarlett rose from the table. She observed the dancing party one last time and as they heeded no attention to her, she realized their escape would be easy. She began to step away, William watching on and waiting for his cue to follow soon after her but before she could move very far, a voice called out from behind.

"Oi, where're you going?" called out a pirate from the crew.

Scarlett turned around to face him, startled by his raised voice. "I have to attend to a lady's business," she said, nervously spilling out a quick lie.

"You wha'?" he said, squinting.

"I have to relieve myself," she said with a sigh.

"Oh, well you can't be going too far out o' sight. Cap'n's orders. I'll go with you." The pirate began to lift himself up from his seat at the table.

"No," she blurted out. "I would rather have my brother go with me."

The pirate glanced between them with a suspicious gleam in his eye but then slowly nodded his head. "Alright. But be quick 'bout it."

"Right," William said, bolting up from his seat and giving a single nod in the pirate's direction. Then taking a deep breath, he turned to follow his sister, not daring another look back.

They meandered swiftly through the room to a darkened hallway in the back of the pub. Light streamed through a door and resting her hand upon the doorknob, Scarlett quickly opened it and slipped through into the daytime. Only when they had closed it behind them and glanced around the empty alleyway did she give her brother a weary expression.

"That was close," she said. "I didn't think he was going to let us leave."

"Yeah, well only for a few minutes. We don't have much time before they catch on to us."

Without another word, William led the way, rushing from the pub and through alleyways to take them back into the center of the town. Eventually, they stumbled into the marketplace, whose crowd had increased in size underneath the emerging afternoon sun. William glanced nervously behind as they wound their way through vendors towards the docks.

"William, stop fretting. You're making me nervous."

"I'm not fretting. I just didn't like that pirate's suspicions. He's probably telling the Captain right now and they'll come chasing after us."

Scarlett smirked. "Wasn't this your idea in the first place? We aren't prisoners, William, and Alexander has no reason to hunt us down. If we want to go on our way, then so be it. He can't do anything about it."

She straightened her posture with determination and marched further ahead. The harbor was bustling as it was bigger than any others she had seen. Large vessels stood proudly in the water, masts high with rigging reaching to the tops like spiderwebs. Smaller sloops carried cargo to and fro and men swarmed the docks like ants hard at work. Scarlett couldn't count how many there were but the sight increased her hopes of finding passage. At least someone had to be willing.

Scarlett approached the first man before her, feeling familiar once again with bartering. "Excuse me, sir, would you be willing to take two passengers aboard your ship? We are willing to work for our keep."

"Depends," he said in a gruff voice, breathing down through his mustache. "You got any money?"

"Well, no, I'm afraid not. We've lost it."

"Lost it?" He let out a chuckle. "You won't find a ship with that poor tale."

"But we are willing to work during our journey. We just need to get to Plymouth."

He shook his head. "There are hands aplenty on most of these decks, miss, and I'm not going that way." He busied himself again with his work, marking the end of the conversation.

Undeterred, Scarlett and William pushed ahead, approaching anyone they could find. A few gave consideration to their proposition before politely deciding against it while others refused wholeheartedly. They carried on with these same results for a considerable amount of time until gradually, Scarlett began to feel an uneasiness creep upon her. For a moment, she didn't understand why but then she caught the lingering gaze of a man some distance off. She couldn't resist making eye contact with him, scrutinizing him just as well, but this only caused him to tear his eyes away and return to his duties. He was a strongly built man, breaking open a crate of goods to be delivered into town without difficulty. He wore a scruffy dark beard and well-worn sailor's clothing but gave no signs of threat in his countenance. He never looked back up at Scarlett and she reasoned he was likely just a curious onlooker whose attention had been piqued by their meandering among the crowd and asking for passage. Upon reaching this surmise, she brushed it off and said nothing to her brother.

But only a few seconds passed before she caught sight of another man staring at her. His eyes squinted intensely in the sunlight and his brows were furrowed as he observed her. His skin was rough and weathered by a harsh seafaring life and the grim scowl on his face nearly sent a shiver down her spine. Scarlett slipped her arm through her brother's, causing him to question her sudden tension. She began to lean towards him, finding words to bring to her lips to warn him, but they were interrupted before she could speak.

"Pardon me," came a gravelly voice.

They turned to look at the man before them. He stood unassumingly as he glanced between Scarlett and William but slowly a yellow smile crept onto his face. He didn't quite look like a pirate but the belt and pistol on his hip made Scarlett feel otherwise.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion," he continued, "but I couldn't help overhearing. Are you's two looking for passage?"

"Well, yes, we are actually," William replied.

"I may be of service to you, then," the man said. "Eh, pray tell, how much money do you have?"

"Well, I'm afraid we don't have any but we are willing to work."

He squinted inquisitively at William and then glanced at Scarlett. She clasped her hand tighter around her brother's arm but it did little to instigate suspicions in him.

"Hm," the man said, then a grin reappeared on his face. "Looking for passage, has no money...well, well...you're running away, aren't ye?--to get married?"

"No," William refuted. "This is my sister."

"Ah! Just as I thought. You're those two who runs away--or were stolen, so goes the word."

"Where did you hear that? I don't know what you're talking about." William put his hands up dismissively but he only appeared as if trying to protect himself.

"Sure enough," the man said, releasing a cackle from his throat. "Oh, wait until I tell the lads!"

"William," Scarlett said, pulling him away from the man.

This prompted the man to turn his attention onto her. "And is this the little lady who's been the talk o' the town? You've been causing quite a fuss but I can see why." He approached her, his breath pungent in the air. "Does a man by the name's of Bastian De Leon sound familiar to you?"

Scarlett's heart leapt. She jerked away instinctively but the man was too quick to snatch her in his grasp. William dove between them instantly and pried at the man's hands but his strength was no match for his opponent's. He pushed William off and with one easy swoop, he pummeled his fist into the boy's jaw.

"William!" Scarlett screamed, as she watched her brother nearly tumble to the ground.

William steadied himself on his feet, the shock of pain radiating in his jaw as he wiped the blood from his lip. Finding his bearings again, he threw a punch back at the man's face. The attack came quickly and taken by surprise, the man stumbled backwards. He clung to Scarlett's arms but the impact was just enough for her to free herself. She began to set off but her brother seemed frozen in place as if stunned by his own act of strength.

"Let's get out of here!" she said, grabbing his hand and urging for him to follow.

The dumbfounded expression on his face disappeared at his sister's bidding and they took off, narrowly escaping the man's grip. Running as fast as they could, they darted in between people and weaved through the crowds. Women screamed as another man caught Scarlett's skirt in his hands. She turned to peer into his eyes--the same eyes belonging to one of the men who had been watching her. Suddenly, she realized their first attacker wasn't working alone.

She tore her skirts away with all her might and took off again into the marketplace. The flurry caused her to lose sight of her brother up ahead but she followed through the alleyways and up the cobblestones that wound through the town like a labyrinth. She didn't dare look behind but she knew the men were close on their trail.

However, as she ran further away, her surroundings grew quiet. Scarlett's lungs felt ready to burst from within her stays and she paused to catch her breath, leaning wearily against a cold stone wall. She listened attentively to any sounds but heard nothing and saw no one around. Uneasiness crept into her stomach at the absence of her brother and then panic quickly followed. She ran back the way she had come, peeking her head around the corner of the wall but the roads were empty.

"Looking for something?" came that gravelly voice.

Scarlett jumped in fright, gasping as she spun around to see the man with William standing in front of him. Her brother cowered underneath a dagger at his throat.

"No," Scarlett said, putting her hands out defensively. "Please don't hurt him."

"Aw, how sweet," the man said. "She begs when brother dear is in trouble."

"We don't want any trouble--please."

"No but I want money--good, plentiful reward money. Now, your brother doesn't have to die if you just come with me. But if you run..." He trailed off, running the flat end of the blade against William's neck.

William flinched, his eyes pleading desperately for help but Scarlett didn't know what to do. The man urged her for an answer and as she watched the knife dig into the tender skin of her brother's neck, she realized she had only one choice to save him. Scarlett lifted her hands in surrender and was about to give herself up when suddenly, a knife came around and pushed against her throat as well. She froze, feeling the grasp of a man's arm around her waist. Her heartbeat quickened and she swallowed hard but she didn't dare move against the blade. She searched the faces of the man and her brother across from her but they showed only fear.

"Drop the knife or the girl dies, too," came the voice beside her ear.

Scarlett knew that voice. It was the Captain. She tried to turn to face him but he kept his grip strong. All she could do was look ahead at their opponent.

The man faltered for a second, as if recognizing the Captain's face but then he gathered an ounce of courage. "And what of it? I still got the lad. He's still worth quite a bit."

"But she's worth more."

The man licked his lips nervously. "Well, you don't win them all. She means nothing to me, anyway." He strengthened his hold on William and moved back a step.

Suddenly, Alexander released his grasp from Scarlett and pulled a pistol from his hip. He pointed the barrel at the man's face. "Then perhaps your own life does," he said. "Give me the lad or I will fire."

The man's face went pale and he stumbled backwards, William staggering with him as he held onto the man's arm across his chest. "You won't shoot! Not as long as I'm holding the boy."

"You'd be surprised."

He didn't respond but swallowed hard, glancing wildly between the Captain and Scarlett and fumbling with the dagger in his hand.

"I don't have all day," Alexander said. "I'm only giving you one more chance."

"Okay, okay," the man blurted out.

Hesitantly, he released William and pushed him forward. The Captain slowly lowered his pistol but stood guarded as Scarlett embraced her brother with a cry of relief.

"But don't think Bastian De Leon won't hear about this," the man added, backing away as he wagged the blade at them. "He'll come after you for this!"

"Indeed, he will," the Captain said, unfazed. "You go tell him I send my greetings."

Without another word, the man darted around the corner of the alleyway and disappeared from sight. The sound of his footsteps faded quickly into the distance until all fell silent once again. The trio stood awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze, noticing for the first time the golden rays of a nearing sunset as their reality began to settle in around them. Scarlett snuck a wary glance at the Captain, who only sighed as he looked between her and William.

"Come, we should go," he said but then he turned to Scarlett directly and lowered his voice. "You are in big trouble."