I'm not sorry, I'm not sorry. Elizabeth kept repeating these words in her head, the ones she said to Jack right after handcuffing him to the mast. It was the only way. I did the right thing. I'm not sorry. Oh, but why could she not stop crying? Everything would be fine. They would all go to the locker of Davy Jones, and return Captain Sparrow to the land of the living. She figured once he was rescued, then they would be square.
Granted, Jack never killed her, but- no, no. She didn't kill him. The Kraken did. No matter what, that monster would have gotten Jack eventually. There was no doubt about it. Plus, he deserved it for taking off in the only long boat as the Kraken was attacking his beloved ship. Didn't he? He did come back after all, and ordered everyone into the long boat, so he wasn't all bad. All right, she forgave him for that. Elizabeth wasn't lying when she called Jack a good man for she knew he was. He did send Will over to Davy Jones unprepared. No. Jack surely would have went back for him. He did come back to the Pearl when it was in dire peril, after all. Elizabeth couldn't bring herself to tell Will, the man she loved, what she did.
Will would think her horrible. No better than Davy Jones, himself. Someone who couldn't be trusted. He would probably say, What kind of a person would do something like that? Well, Jack had answered that one. Pirate. He was right. She was a pirate. Someone who would deceive someone with a kiss, and leave them at the mercy of a giant sea monster was no better than a pirate.
Elizabeth looked over and saw Will sound asleep. Poor Will. He had been through so much the past few weeks. She had to stifle a gasp when he rolled over, and she saw his back. He had taken his shirt off to dry, and she saw a bunch of red lash marks on his back. What happened while he was on the Dutchman? Did Davy Jones do that?!
Oh, she had such a horrible headache. Will had went through so much pain just for her, and she couldn't bring herself to tell him of what she did. She owed him that much. Maybe she was wrong about Jack. He's not the coward, I am. Oh, poor Will. He deserved so much better than she. They all did. She hurt every man that had showed any romantic interests to her. James, Jack, and Will. Elizabeth wasn't sorry for chaining Jack to the mast, but she was sorry it had to be done. She wasn't sorry for saving Will, and Gibbs, and the others, as well as herself, but she was sorry she couldn't save Jack. She was sorry for not telling Will. They were due to be married, and shouldn't keep secrets, especially secrets as big as this one, from her fiance. Elizabeth would have chained anyone to the mast as Kraken bait if it meant protecting Will. Had the beast been after Will, she knew that Will would have forced everyone off the ship and said, "I'm staying behind." She would go down with him.
Now, Barbossa was back from the dead, and she had no idea why he would want to help Jack. They all had their reasons for going, she knew. She figured Barbossa was doing it because he owed Tia Dalma for restoring his life, and Tia Dalma was going because she fancied Jack. Will was going because he was a good man. Jack's crew was going because they deep down, really cared about him, and she was going because she owed it to him for what she did. If Elizabeth had to do it all over again, she probably wouldn't, but she still wasn't sorry. She was brought out of her thoughts by a voice.
"Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth looked over and saw that Will was awake. He cringed as he sat up because of the markings on his back.
"Why aren't you asleep?"
"Couldn't sleep. I'm just thinking about the trip. Will, do you think we'll find him?"
Will sighed, put on his shirt, and walked over to her, sitting in the seat next to her.
"Elizabeth, I wasn't going to say anything, but I can't help myself. I saw you kissing Jack before the Kraken took him."
Elizabeth's eyes widened at this. "You- you did?"
"Yes. Do you love him, Elizabeth?"
Elizabeth's jaw dropped at hearing this. "Goodness, no, Will! It wasn't what it looked like. I- I kissed him to distract him so I could handcuff him to the mast for the Kraken."
Now it was Will's eyes that widened. This he was most definitely not expecting.
"Why?"
"It was only after him. I did it to save all of us. I'm not sorry."
"Out of all of us, Elizabeth, I figured you would be the last person to do something like that. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was scared, Will! Scared of how you would take it. I thought you would think me a wretched person, and no longer want to be with me. I love you, Will. Nothing's ever going to change that."
Will sighed, and pulled Elizabeth into a hug. Elizabeth started to cry. She had been crying silently, while they all sat in Tia Dalma's hut before Barbossa came down the stairs, and now she was really letting it all out. It felt good letting it all out.
"You're not wretched, Elizabeth. I do not agree with what you did, but I know why you did it. I love you. It's going to be all right, I promise."
"Thank you, Will. I saw your back. What happened?"
Will hesitated. He had hoped Elizabeth wouldn't see it. He had tried to keep his back closer to the wall so she wouldn't notice, but, he must have rolled over.
"It happened while I was on the Dutchman. They're all right now, though. My father tended to them before I escaped."
"Good. I'm sorry you had to go through that, Will."
"I'll survive. Come on, let's get some sleep. We have to be up early."
