the salt wind cuts sharp across the stone battlements of fort charles, carrying the smell of sea spray and burning tar.

the crowd below roars, loud and unforgiving, packed tight along the cobblestones to watch the execution.

lexa kom trikru stands there, hands bound loosely behind her back, head held high. she wears dark leather and worn fabric.

only minutes before, she had pulled you from the waves. you had fallen from the fort’s highest cliff, caused by the discomfort of her corset, which was too tight. causing her to lose consciousness.

and she had dived straight in after you without hesitation. she had hauled you onto the boat, cut off your corset, pressed water from your lungs, and stayed until you breathed steady again.

you stand beside governor swann and commodore norrington, your hands clenched tight at your sides, your throat tight with protest.

"she saved my life," you say again, voice sharp and clear, looking between them. "you cannot hang her, pirate or not, this woman saved my life."

norrington only shakes his head, his face stiff and unbending. "the law is clear. a pirate is a pirate, regardless of what she did today."

then everything happens at once.

in one smooth, calculated motion she slips out the ropes, crosses the space between you in two strides, and pulls your back tight against her chest.

one arm wraps firm and secure around your shoulders and upper body, holding you right in front of her, her back pressed against the stone wall behind her.

her grip is strong but not rough, careful enough that you know she will not hurt you, only use you as a barrier. you can feel her breath near your ear, steady and calm, no trace of panic in her at all.

"hold your fire," she calls out, her voice loud, clear, and authoritative, ringing over the noise of the crowd.

she tilts her chin up just so, that familiar confident tilt you have seen a hundred times when she stands before her people. "don't shoot. i have something very valuable here with me."

her tone shifts then, sharp and dry, laced with that playful, mocking edge she picks up from time to time, the same way jack would twist words to sting and confuse.

she nods her head toward norrington, a faint smirk touching the corner of her mouth.

"or should i say, i have the commodore’s most prized possession right here. i’d hate to see anything happen to such fine property."

norrington’s face goes red with anger and frustration. he shouts orders but no one moves. no one dares fire, no one dares step closer, because one wrong move means a bullet or a blade could hit you instead of her.

she begins to move backward slowly, step by careful step, keeping you pressed close against her front, her eyes never leaving the soldiers in front of her.

"careful now," she adds, her voice lower, quieter, only for them but loud enough you hear it too, that smirk still playing on her lips. "you wouldn’t want to damage the goods, would you? such a rare, fine thing, too."

she backs you both all the way to the very edge of the stone ramparts, right above the water. below, far down near the harbor, you catch sight of a small longboat waiting, its crew hidden in shadow, ready to pull away at a moment’s notice.

lexa leans in closer to you then, her voice dropping so only you hear it, low and steady and familiar, no mockery left in it at all. "stay close, and do not fear. i will not let you fall."

in one quick motion she releases you, guiding you gently aside so you stand safe and clear of the edge, then she steps back herself..

before anyone can rush forward, she leans back and drops straight off the cliff, falling fast through the air and splashing down into the water below.

by the time the soldiers run to the edge and aim their muskets, she is already climbing into the boat, already pulling away, already safe.