"Trust me Captain there is no way I'm breaking these bottles," Westley said as he gently set the crates in the cellar.

There was no way he was going to risk having to go back to Burich to get more. They had already spent more than enough time there and now had a debt of three hundred doubloons to pay off before they were killed. killed was probably an exaggeration, however, they would definitely be used as slaves. There were too many terrible possibilities when it came to Clayland. Westley had seen up close and personal what happened to some of the people who were in debt to him. Westley shivered at the thought, he really needed a good stiff drink later to calm his nerves. 

"What in the bloody hell is that?" Erick asked as something scuttered behind one of the crates.

"Honestly probably another giant rat. They've been down here quite often recently." Westley sighed at the thought of having to clear out the giant rodents.

"I-I'll have you know I-I am no rat!" A little girl said as she meekly popped her head out from behind the crate.

Her wide doe-like hazel eyes latched onto Westley's as she quickly realized what she just did and she coward behind the create once again.

"We know your back there, and I'll have you know I take very kindly to stowaways," Erick said as Westley smiled and shook his head. 

It was the truth, Erick had helped every stowaway that ever set foot on his ship. Westley himself was the first of them.  Unless Erick really didn't like their personality or the reason they were running away they were welcome on the Sea's Treasure. They were always grateful and did their share around the ship, but nobody ever liked it enough to stay. Westley himself was one of the only ones to stay long term, he couldnt bring himself to go.

"what's your name kiddo?" Westley asked as he gently held his hand out to the little girl cowering behind the boxes.

"M-my names Norah Cromwell." The girl said as she was still cowering away from his hand. 

However, she had at least revealed herself to them. Her strawberry blond hair curled elegantly against her face, freckles sweetly sprinkled across her face exaggerating her doe-like hazel eyes. She was adorable and proper, she didn't belong on a ship like this in the slightest. 

"Well I'm Westley and this is.." Westley began as Erick swiftly interrupted him. 

"Captian Erick Ashrock at your service young lady." Erick chuckled as he drunkenly tipped his hat at Norah.

"I've heard of you!" Norah gasped as her eyes lit up with the recognition of his name. 

"Captian Ashrock, The bravest and mightiest pirate to ever sail the seven seas!" Norah said excitedly as she moved out from behind the boxes and in front of them. 

"See the kid knows what a great pirate I am," Erick said his pride swelling as he drunkenly stumbled into a box.

Westley rolled his eyes "Or she's heard the wrong stories." He mumbled under his breath as Norah stared at Erick with awe. 

"you can help me! Some terrible men are after me and I had to get on the ship to escape them you see. I was gonna leave as soon as I thought it was safe I swear on Daveyjones locker!" Norah said with a giant smile on her face as Westley gasped.

"Young girls like you should not be swearing by Daveyjones!" Westley scolded her as she quickly continued her frantic speech.

"I thought this ship was abandoned. I didn't realize that it belonged to you, sir. but now you can help me!" Norah said as Erick glared at her.

 "I'll have you know young lady, The Sea's Treasure is one of the best ships out upon the seven seas. and she does not look abandoned, we take very good care of her." Erick said proudly as he gently tapped on the wood of the ship causing parts to crumble around his feet.

"Not important, what is important is why is a young sweet girl like you doing in a place like The Burich Islands?" Westley said drawing the focus back to Norah and not the condition of their ship.

"I'm not as young as you think I am sir, I'm ten, I'll be eleven after the next solstice. mother says I'm almost a lady. well, they used to say that anyway." Norah said as she regained her proper and elegant manners. 

Westley was almost stunned, Norah must have been raised in an extremely proper and rich Nobel house. When he was ten he was working the farmlands of his old home and playing with the other kids around the town, but that was only on good days. days his father was out selling their wares. Norah was a completely different kind of kid. they might as well have been dealing with an actual woman and not a child. 

"Even as that may be ten is still too young to be considered a woman. Believe me, young lady you can have a much better life if you live in the moment instead of trying to be what you'll eventually become. just sit back and let the ocean of life take you to where you're supposed to be." Erick said as he gently pat the curls on Norah's head. 

"As much as I would love that captain I can not do so. I am now the only surviving heir of the Cromwell line. It's up to me to withhold the standards of my family's young age or not." Norah said as Erick nodded his head.

"hmm, I like this one. let's keep her." Erick chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. 

Westley sighed he was the only one being rational in this situation. He was not against having Norah on the ship however, she was running from something and whatever she was running from she was brought onto the ship with her. Unlike Erick, he wanted to be ready for what they were getting into.

"You mentioned someone was after you, and that you're the last of your bloodline?" Westley asked turning his attention away from Erick.

"Yes! I'm hiding from the monster. It chased me onto a big scary ship that brought me here! I couldnt stand that ship any longer so I ran onto yours. Gran-Gran used to tell me stories of long ago. In the old day's my great great great grandmother and her husband had a very bad debt. Her husband was taken from her and she had to scrounge and scrape for scraps. After a few years when her husband still hadn't returned she assumed he was dead and she remarried, she married her rich cousin. which in my opinion was disgusting, at least all my cousins are dead and I won't have to marry any of them." Norah said crinkling her nose in disgust as she returned to her story.

"It's how most families keep their bloodline pure," Westley explained as Norah stuck her tongue out at the thought. 

"The young ladies right, besides all my cousin's look like a growth on a barnacles backside," Erick said as he shuddered at the thought. 

"Ew! How can they all look that bad when you look like a prince?" Norah asked confused by his statement.

"I get my gene's from my father's side. My mother's side was a purebred family, I'm lucky she didn't marry her sibling or cousin." Erick chuckled, clearly pleased that Norah thought he was handsome. 

Westley rolled his eyes, he wasn't going to get his point across with these two. He gave up and just motioned for Norah to continue her story. 

"However her husband was alive and had paid off his debt and was able to buy a ship to support them both. He returned to find her married and about to have her fourth child. Her husband was blinded by rage and loss that she had not waited for him. In that rage, he turned into a monster. fearing for her and her children's lives she quickly retreated into the forest to hide until he calmed down. While hiding she encountered a witch who gave her a very powerful curse. " Norah said her story completely captivating Erick's attention.

"Why didn't she just wait for him if she loved him so much? and why didn't she explain why she did what she did?" Westley asked as Erick hushed him for interrupting. 

"She was dying and back then she was a widow and poor, nobody else wanted her and she was being treated like dirt. when her cousin asked for her hand in marriage it was her chance to never be treated like dirt again, an easy and rich life." Norah explained.

Westley nodded his head, it made sense. After living like a pig your entire life you wouldn't want to give up such a luxury to go back to living like a pig.

"Hush Wes! What about the curse! Back to the curse, the witch gave her!" Erick said as he slid down a crate and sat on the floor. 

Norah giggled and continued her story. "Well the curse the witch gave her was a very strong one. It would keep the monster that was her husband from harming her and her children. The curse made it so that the monster couldn't leave his ship or the sight of the water. However there was a catch to the curse, it could be broken if she so wished however only the youngest child of the bloodline could break the curse. she gladly accepted knowing she would never change her mind and the monster was banished to his ship. however the monster had plans of his own, he met a beautiful siren who gave him his own gift. the gift the siren gave him was that he would live long enough to break the curse put on him and earn his revenge against my bloodline. My ancestor is long gone yet her monster remains. He wears a piece of the ship around his neck so he can leave the ship, he also keeps his hair slick with ocean water so he always has sight of the ocean. He found my family, he took all of their lives. none were spared." Norah said quietly as tears filled her eyes at the memory.

"Mama, Papa, Edmund, and sweet Charlie. He killed them all." Norah sniffed as tears began to flow from her eyes.

"hush now, it's alright your safe with us," Westley said as he gently pulled Norah into his embrace. 

"Ironic that the person who placed the curse would make sure the children had to suffer," Erick said as he took another swig of rum from his bottle.

"Well back in the day the Cromwell's were a huge family, they were all over the place. I remember in my old town we had about six Cromwell families. besides, it's a curse it's not supposed to be pleasant for either party involved." Westley said as he comforted Norah.

"Unless you're the one who placed the curse," Erick said slightly slurring his words.

"Everything with a curse comes at a price." Westley huffed. 

Erick was getting too caught up in this. After all, there might have been no curse at all.

"Yeah, but what about unbreakable curses?" Erick said as he slumped forward a little.

"This isn't the time for this conversation. It's late and you must have had a very long day." Westley said turning his attention back to Norah.

"let's get you out of this dark musty cellar and into the crew's quarters. It's not much but you can have one of the extra hammocks we have in there." Westley said as he gently took Norah's hand and led her to the crew's quarters.

"Rest well little lady" Erick slurred as he slummped back against the crate, knocking his hat from his head.

Westley would return and help him up after he got Norah settled. He felt bad they didn't have better accommodations for her but then again, she probably picked the most rundown ship to stow away on. She was sadly going to have to make do with what they could give her. He did his best to set her up a space just for her so sh could have some privacy.

"Is Captian Ashrock alright? He doesn't seem well." Norah said as she meekly followed Westley.

"Don't you worry about him, miss. That's my job." Westley said as he helped her into one of the hammocks oh her side of the crews quarters.

"You and Captian Ashrock will keep me safe right?" Norah asked her voice full of fear as she quickly grabbed onto Westley's sleeve to keep him from leaving.

"I promise you, Norah, no harm will come to you while your aboard The sea's treasure."