"Alexander!"

"You put up a hard fight, love," he said, rubbing his shoulder before taking a knife and cutting the rope around her wrists.

"I can't believe it's you."

She placed her hands on his chest, as if feeling him would convince her that he was real. So many times had she imagined embracing him again that it was almost hard to believe now that she was experiencing it. She melted into his arms, cupping his face with her hands and brushing back his tousled hair.

"What are you doing here?" she added.

"I'd like to ask you the same thing," the Captain said. "Come on, we don't have time to talk. We need to get out of here."

Before she could protest, he grabbed her wrist and began to pull her down the alley away from the public house.

"No, wait!" she said, yanking away from his grasp to break free. "We can't."

"What are you talking about?"

"My brother is back there."

"Your brother? You never said your brother was with you."

"You didn't give me a chance," she said. "Oh Alex, I'm so stupid. I should have never brought him with me. I should have never left home."

"Now calm down, what is going on?"

"It's a long story. We just need to save him."

The Captain sighed heavily as he brought a hand to his forehead. "Okay but we need to be careful."

He led the way back to the pub, stomping over the cobblestones until they approached closer. Scarlett ran after him and waited by his side as he scanned the door they had just escaped from.

"Now stay here."

"No, I'm going with you."

"No, you are not," he said forcefully. "I'm not letting you get into this mess again. I'm going back in that way. I'll get your brother the same way I got you."

Scarlett nodded and the Captain took off, slipping back through the door. Feeling helpless and vulnerable in the open air, Scarlett ducked under the eaves of another doorway. All she could do was wait. She wrung her hands as a distraction and watched her breath create a fog in the faint lantern lights. It was eerily quiet, leaving her to imagine her brother being shipped off as a soldier, scared and alone. What if he was already gone?

Then suddenly, she heard voices and they sounded close by. She jumped for the door the Captain had disappeared behind and ducked in. Getting a sense of the dark room again, she felt along the wall with her hands until she reached the other door, now left ajar. She gasped as she peered through at the bartering room. Blackbeard sat with Bastian at a table, their men mingling as well as they drank to their hearts' delights. Her brother, however, was nowhere to be seen and neither was the Captain. Then suddenly, a quick shush came from across the room.

"I told you to stay outside," came a whisper.

She snuck over to the Captain's side. "I heard voices outside. Besides, I can't just leave my brother without helping him."

"Well, what do you think I'm doing here?"

"Where is he?"

"I don't know. I'm waiting to hear something."

"Do you think he was taken a different way?"

"No, Bastian always has his slaves escorted through this hallway. It avoids a scandal in the pub with the locals." The Captain rustled for something on his side and then grasped Scarlett's hand, placing what felt like a knife in her palm. "Take this in case you need to protect yourself and if you do, make sure you do it quietly."

Her eyes widened, as she wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the knife. "I'm supposed to kill someone?"

"Wouldn't you if someone attacked you? My dear Scarlett, you've softened."

"I haven't softened."

"Then act like a pirate."

"But I'm not a pirate."

He chuckled. "Now I'm going to sneak into that room in my disguise. You stay here and if anything happens, use the knife."

Scarlett obeyed reluctantly and he took off, slipping through the door into the bartering room. She stood still, hidden in the corner, and strained to hear the faint voices and laughter of pirates who had just made a hefty deal. It sickened her as she waited anxiously for the sight of her brother.

However, the moment arrived sooner than she expected. Light poured into the room as the door opened and William stepped in, his hands still tied behind his back as he was escorted by a pirate. But it wasn't the Captain. Scarlett jumped, clenching the knife in her hands defensively.

"Oi, what're you still doing 'ere?" the pirate said. "What's all this?"

Immediately, he dove for her, releasing his grip from William. Taking advantage of the distraction, William jumped through his bound hands and swung them at the pirate as best as he could. Adrenaline pumped through Scarlett's heart as she struggled with the man, who seemed unfazed by William's throwing punch. Still grasping the knife in her hand, Scarlett aimed for the pirate's leg, driving it in with one swift movement. He yelped and collapsed to the floor, grasping the weapon as blood oozed from his hands.

"You bloody wench!" he yelled.

William clasped his hands around the man's mouth, stifling the screams and insults and reducing them to an angry mumble. William and Scarlett looked at each other, unsure of their next move, when the Captain burst into the room. He jumped into action and retrieved the pistol from his belt. Then, pushing William aside, he whacked the pirate on the head with the butt of his gun. The man fell limp and tumbled backwards into a black sleep.

"Don't just stand there," the Captain said, ushering them towards the door emphatically as William grasped for the knife. "Let's get out of here."

They rushed out into the open air, shouts following close behind as their crime had been discovered. Already panting from their fight with the pirate, the trio ran as quickly as their feet could take them, winding through the streets into the center of the town and down to the harbor. Their shoes pounded over the boardwalk as the Captain led them through the fleet of merchant ships in dock. Finally, they reached a small jolly boat and jumped in. Alexander picked up the oars and set off, while Scarlett and William could only watch the shore they left behind. Tiny figures emerged hurriedly from the direction they had come.

William turned away and gazed at Scarlett, fear shining in his eyes as he panted heavily from their exertion. She watched her brother glance warily at the Captain and noticed his expression change as he understood their situation. Scarlett remained silent though, the terror still rushing through her body preventing any words of defense to leave her tongue.

Knife still in hand, William offered it to his sister, who began cutting through the thick rope around his wrists. By the time she finished, they reached the ship and the Captain stood to shout overhead.

"Leslie!" he said, as his quartermaster immediately appeared over the bulwark at his captain's summoning. "Lower the ladder and get this boat up!"

"Aye, Cap'n," he replied, leaving for a moment before returning with a flimsy ladder and throwing it down.

The Captain urged his new passengers to climb while he tied rigging to the boat. They followed his orders, scaling the ladder and clambering over the bulwark with Leslie's assistance. Once on deck, they helped Alexander up as well while two other men attended to raising the boat from the sea.

Scarlett glanced around at the crew. They all stood still, gaping at them as they realized who the Captain had brought aboard. Some began to smile while others appeared worried, likely caused by their captain's urgency.

"Come, men, we've no time to waste!" he shouted, bypassing Leslie, who stood by anxiously awaiting orders. "Anchors aweigh and hoist the sails! Quickly, now. Blackbeard will be upon us."

Immediately, they broke into action, springing off their feet to climb the shrouds or pull the halyards to release the sails. Leslie jumped to the stern deck to man the helm while the remaining crew scurried under deck to prepare the cannons, just in case.

The Captain, however, stood in place to catch his breath. Scarlett felt light in her head as well, her stays constricting every breath as she pulled at the strings and leaned against the bulwark. She gazed wearily back at the town, unable to resist searching in the fog for any signs of life chasing after them.

"You!" came William's voice behind her. "You're the pirate that took my sister!"

Scarlett spun around to see her brother holding the Captain's knife and pointing it at Alexander's throat. The Captain stood defensively, his hands raised in surrender as he glanced nervously at Scarlett.

"William!" she said. "What are you doing?"

"This is Captain Jones, is it not? The man that captured my sister and took her from us."

"William, I am sorry--" Alexander began.

"Shut your mouth, pirate," William said, inching the knife closer to his throat. Blood still coated the blade from the pirate's leg.

"William, this man just saved our lives," Scarlett said, stepping in between them. "He is not to be feared. I trust him."

"I know you do but he's as much of a pirate as the others. Think of the things he did to you, Scarlett."

"William, there are worse people following close behind us--much worse. We need to get away from here and this man can help us escape Blackbeard. He will protect us. It's our only option right now."

William shifted his weight, swallowing nervously as he caught the glint of weapons being unsheathed around him.

"I don't expect you to understand," Scarlett continued, "or to trust him but I do. Will you trust me?"

Slowly, William lowered the knife. The Captain relaxed beside Scarlett, as she took the knife from her brother's hand and gave it back to him. He put it back in its sheath on his belt and hid it underneath his long coat.

"I think we all should talk," Alexander said. He glanced around the ship, whose crew had resumed their duties to maneuver the ship into the bay. Seeing as they were nearly underway to set course, the Captain marched to his cabin. With his commanding presence, there was no need for him to urge Scarlett and William to follow obediently.