Prologue: The Wish

Enchanted forest. 300 years in the past

The air was very humid, due to the threat of rain in the pitch, black sky. The observer on the docks frowned at the display. Normally, it would have rained by now. The man's thoughts drifted from nature to his own. Recently, he was finding it hard to occupy his mind so that his own turmoil wouldn't show. His distress was for his brother, Killian Jones.

Liam Jones joined King George's navy as a means to support himself after his father's abandonment. Shortly after, he got swiftly promoted to the rank of captain. Many years at sea allowed his thoughts to drift towards his younger brother. Killian didn't deserve to grow up alone and without a father figure in his life. So, he took it upon himself to raise his brother on his own. The years were blissful watching his brother grow into a man he was proud of-full of honor and good form. Despite the good way his lieutenant brother had turned out from his guidance, he could not help but frown at his brother's ambition.

His brother looked to him as a role model and placed him on a high pedestal. Liam was honored that Killian looked to him as a father figure, but he often wondered whether he was holding him back from living his life. Liam himself loved the sea more and a woman would be a second thought. On the other hand, he didn't know if Killian considered the possibility of starting a family. Liam didn't want to take that choice from him. He couldn't help but sigh at the thought. He loved his brother dearly, but he felt that it was necessary to get Killian out of his shadow.

"You look troubled, ser." A shrill voice broke Liam from his thoughts. He turned his attention to the direction of the voice. Standing before him was a hooded figure hunched, covered in sackcloth.

"I'm alright, milady. Excuse this captain with his troubled thoughts. " Propriety wouldn't allow him to tell this woman to bugger off. Hopefully, she would be kind enough to not bother him.

"You're troubled with thoughts of family. I have something that might interest, ya." This port was known for bad people, and Liam wasn't really surprised by the woman's behavior. He must have stood out here for hours, and it was due time for him to be approached.

He absently guarded his coin purse at the thought of being conned for money. The thought of walking away was tempting and the merchant could tell.

"I know you would like nothing more than to walk away from me. What do you have to lose to listen to me?" Her crooked smile revealed missing teeth as she reached into one of her deep pockets of her cloak to pull out a pendant with an emerald fitted in the middle. Diamonds surrounded the emerald like sunrays.

"It's a pendant. What interest would I have in jewelry?" He chuckled. The pendant was nice enough if he was courting a lady, but he had no use for jewelry.

"Dear sailor,"- she clicked her tongue against her teeth , shaking her head at his lack of knowledge- "this belongs on the crown of the goddess Calypso."

His eyes narrowed and supposed when the pendant got removed from the chain, it was small enough to be a setting for a crown, but the claim that the jewel belonged to a goddess was crazy. It was best if he took his leave.

"A goddess…" He repeated, fighting the urge to shake his head. Even if the lady was crazy, it would be bad form to offend her in any way. "Thank you for your time," he dismissed, making his way towards the gangplank.

"What if I told you that it grants wishes." He couldn't see the woman, but her voice sounded smug. Did she know what he was thinking? He turned around, facing the woman's toothy grin.

"If that were true, why haven't you made any wishes?" He looked at the woman skeptically, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. He didn't know why he was even bothering. He wished nothing more than to dismiss the woman so he could safely hide himself on the Jewel. The men still had a few hours till they had to leave port. Then he realized that in his heart, he was hoping that the woman's words were true.

"I heard stories of men who wished on the pendant. Once the goddess was summoned, she killed them." She looked at her crooked, frayed fingernails in disinterest.

"Why would I risk my life attempting to use that stone?" He admitted, crossing his arms in disbelief. He would be a fool to put his men in danger.

"Calypso is the patron goddess of pirates; however..."- she drawled as her face turned into a knowing smirk before she continued- "she has a soft spot for true love and selfless deeds.'"

"So you're saying, if I wish for love for my brother then it will work?" He asked to make sure he got his facts straight.

The woman ignored his disbelief and his question as she looked over the sea. "At high tide, hold the stone out when the moon is full. The sky will turn green and you will hear singing. When the melody fills your ears, make a wish."

"What will happen?"

"She will either grant your wish or send your vessel to Davey Jones's locker if your intentions aren't pure," she answered and held out the chain of the pendant for him to take.

Out of sick curiosity he wanted to take the pendant, but if he got scammed out of his gold, he wouldn't hear the end of it from Killian.

The woman ignored his hesitation as she strode forward. Her fingers closed around his, placing the pendant in his hands.

"For you, love,"- She gently squeezed his hand before finishing- "it's free." She cackled as she hobbled away, her silhouette blending in the darkness as she disappeared.

Liam stared at the jewel loosely hanging from the chains on his fingers as he boarded the Jewel of the Realm. He nodded to some of the crewmen as he approached the mast.

"Let's set sail, gents!" He ordered.

Hours passed by since he talked with the old woman. The waves hitting the ship calmed him. The destination to the next port was a straight sail and it would take days to reach their destination. He wearily rubbed his eyes as sleep was approaching him. He still had an hour until Killian was to relieve him from his watch. When he removed his hand, a soft light caught his eye. From his vantage point, he could see the moon reflecting from the sea. The sight before him was odd because he was sure that it was going to rain the next day. How was the sky suddenly clear? The woman's voice replayed in his ears.

"At the high tide, hold the stone out when the moon is full."

"Am I considering this?" He couldn't help but chuckle to himself at this farfetched idea. What do I have to lose? Here goes nothing.

Liam held the pendant over the sea and the sky turned green.

"It's actually working," he whispered with awe and flinched in fright when he heard an aria sound in the distance until he remembered the woman's words.

"The sky will turn green and you will hear singing."

I am the voice that calls your name

I am searching for you, love

I am searching for you .

The song sounded sad, but he couldn't believe the woman's words were coming true.

"When the melody fills your ears make a wish."

With a determined nod, he made a wish. "Goddess Calypso, I know that I will not be in my brother's life forever, nor can he always follow in my shadow. I wish that Killian finds his soul mate- someone who will always be a light in his life. I do hope to meet her before I die."

As soon as he made his wish, the pendant and chain disappeared from his hand.

"It worked." He couldn't believe that the woman was telling the truth.

"A fine night, brother." A voice cheerfully broke him out of his musings.

"Killian, what are you doing here? Your watch isn't until another hour."

"Can't I spend time with my favorite brother," he teased with a smirk.

"I guess the bar is low if I happen to be you favorite brother," he jested, lightly pushing Killian in the arm. How-" He could not finish his thought. The serene night became cloudy and a mighty wind blew.

"This isn't possible! How is there a storm within minutes?" Killian questioned.

After he made a wish with the damn pendant, he caused the storm to happen. Maybe, his wish wasn't pure enough. His heart began to be filled with dread at the thought.

"We have to move away from the storm!" Liam yelled over the roaring winds. The rain was beating on them hard. He met strong resistance on his way towards the ship wheel.

The ship was heading towards a whirlpool. At the rate they were going, they would get sucked into the swirling vortex. The moment the storm began, it ended.

"Bloody hell, what was that?" Killian panted, fighting the aftermath of the storm.

Liam had to grip the wheel hard to try and calm his heavily beating heart. "It was a storm, but it appears that we suffered the worst of it."

"No, I swore I heard a woman's laugh in the gale. The sound made my blood run cold." Liam's jaw tightened as he saw the look of fear in his brother's eyes.

"I think it was the stress of the moment that caused you to hear things, dear brother," he said, patting Killian's back, hopefully in a calming manner. Suddenly, Killian jumped leaving his hand hovering in the air.

Killian pulled out his spyglass and peered across the ocean. Liam's eyes followed the direction his brother was looking and could see dark matter floating in the water. As the Jewel continued to cruise, they could see wood in the ocean, likely from a shipwreck.

"There! A survivor," Killian yelled, running to the ropes securing the rowboats on the side of the ship. He didn't waste any time to shift into lieutenant mode while he issued orders to the crewmen to lower them down onto the ocean with the boat.

When the boat touched the ocean, the captain immediately took the oars and began rowing to the destruction.

"This is no shipwreck. It looks like the planks of wood came from a destroyed dock," Liam observed. He thought it odd to see the remains of a dock this far out in the ocean. Was a port destroyed recently?

Killian seemed to not hear him. His thoughts were occupied on finding the person he located. "I remember seeing the body somewhere…" He mused until his body shot up quickly rocking the boat. " There!" Killian pointed and Liam rowed in the direction as quickly as possible.

The lieutenant took the initiative to place the person, who was holding onto a piece of driftwood, gently onto the boat. He seemed almost entranced by the person he rescued. The captain wondered what caught his brother's attention.

In the moonlight, Liam could see long, blonde hair. As he continued his observations, he could see soft facial features, and he realized they rescued a girl.

Little did Liam know that this girl's fate would be tied to his brother for centuries.