For Fair Winds and Following Seas
A 'Pirates of the Caribbean' fanfiction
By: Anjirika
A/N- Hello gang- I'm sure that you thought I was all dead or that I had at the very least forgotten about this story but that's not true. It's a new year, and one of my resolutions was to finish EVERY (or at least, almost every) story that I had started last year and had put up on Thus 'FFWAFS' has been re-written. As always, the characters do not belong to me as I am only borrowing them from the geniuses at Disney and yet the plot (that what it is) does belong to me.
'For Fair Winds and Following Seas' is the continuing story from the last scene in At World's End; it is a search by the Turner clan and their beloved pirate friends for the source of all immortality. Their search will take them from the shoes of the 'land of youth' to the 'garden of the golden apples' and many, many places in between. The question is will they like what they find? And more importantly, how will they deal when they are confronted with faces from the past and the other new evils that arise. What will they do when they find out that their preconceived notions of the immortal beings are wrong and that the gods and other mystical beings that they meet have more power then they ever could have imagined. How will their journey- which takes them from the seas of the Caribbean to the far reaches of the world and off the map-change them? And in the end, will any of the characters ever be the same again?
Continue reading to find out... (and drop a review if you have the time)
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Chapter 1: Hope Renewed for Winds Eternal
It was exactly ten years to the day that Elizabeth Turner had bid farewell to her husband and the love of her life and as the sun set on the horizon she and her son watched. The glowing orb that marked the days soon set and they saw what they had been waiting for, that flash of green light signalling the return of a soul from the other side. The Flying Dutchman appeared and Elizabeth could see, hanging from the rigging, the man that she had been yearning for, and dreaming of for the past decade. He was her husband, William Turner and she was so happy to have him back- if only for a day.
Not wanting to waste anytime, Elizabeth took her son's hand and led him down to the shore where Will was already coming onto. In that moment she let go of her son's hand and ran to her husband. Will in turn, ran to her and they met on the edge of the sea in almost the same spot that they had bid farewell. Both relieved and thrilled to see each other again after ten years Elizabeth launched herself into his arms and Will caught her, kissing his beloved wife with all his might.
Young Liam Turned looked upon his parents with a sense of awe and excitement. He was a strapping young lad of almost ten years and as long as he could remember his mother had told him stories of his father and the adventures that they had been on when they had been younger. Elizabeth had told him of how William had become a pirate and how he had become the captain of the Flying Dutchman.
'He would have never wanted to be parted from us dear Liam,' she had told him one night. 'He loves me and he will love you too when he returns.'
'But Ma-' young Liam had began. '-why does he have to sail the seas for ten years?'
'It 'tis the way things are.' Elizabeth answered sadly. 'The Dutchman must always have a captain, and your father stabbed the heart of Davy Jones- thus making him captain.' At the sight of her sons confused face, Elizabeth explained a little more. 'There are some things in this world that are beyond our control Liam, there are magics that can help us or hinder us and while your father's predicament may seem like a curse you must be thankful that he is still alive out there and not completely gone like my father.'
After that Liam had understood and as he stared upon his parents in the darkening light he could hear their voices being carried on the sea wind.
"Lizabeth," Will breathed as he kissed his wife's cheek. "you waited for me."
"Of course I waited for you," Elizabeth answered hugging her husband tightly. "I am the keeper of your heart...did you not think that I would wait for you?"
"I knew that you would," Will assured with a small smile. "But there was always a part of me that-"
"You never should have feared," Elizabeth stated as she hugged him tighter. "I would have waited for all eternity if I had too...but ten years is far too long a time as it is to be away from you..."
"...and I from you," Will replied as he buried his head in Elizabeth's shoulder. "Every soul that I ferried brought me a little closer to you, it has been torture with my memories as the only reminder of you and-"
"-and I have more than just memories for these past ten years," Elizabeth interrupted with a loving voice as she pulled away and allowed Will to gaze upon the boy behind her. She could feel her husband tense up for a moment, but then as she looked at him, Elizabeth knew that Will was realising that he was looking in a mirror. She motioned the boy to come over and smiled. "Captain Turner," Elizabeth began in an oddly formal voice. "I would like you to meet young Liam Turner...your son."
"My son..." Will breathed as he took a few haggard steps away from Elizabeth before falling to his knees in the sand, his face inches away from the boy. "...Liam?"
"It's short for William." Liam announced proudly as he gazed upon the face of his father for the first time. "I am William Weatherby James Turner, the Third."
"James?" Will asked more to Elizabeth than to his son. "Weatherby?"
"Weatherby after my father," Elizabeth answered sadly, thinking back to that day in the waters between the worlds where she had seen her father for the last time. "And James after Commodore James Norrington..."
"Norrington?" Will asked, confused for a moment until he remembered what Elizabeth had told him ten years previously. "He did save your life, I guess it is only fitting that you name our son after him."
"That's what I thought." Elizabeth agreed a tear coming to her eye for the dear friend that she had lost. "He saved my life doing the right thing in the end..."
"...and it be time dat de right ding be done again..."
The voice came down from on high and the peaceful night grew darker as a wave descended upon the sea and materialized into the form of a woman. She had black hair, brown skin and her eyes were as wild and dark as the sea. Both Elizabeth and Will knew who she was the moment she appeared, yet both had no idea why she was there before them.
"Tia Dalma..." Elizabeth breathed out in shock and worry as she took her place beside her husband and in front of her son.
"Calypso," Will corrected as he too stood up beside his wife and turned his attention to the sea goddess that had pulled him and Elizabeth into her own plans so long ago. "What are you doing here?"
"I am 'ere to set dings right." Calypso answered cryptically.
"What are you talking about?" Will asked, not sure what the wilful goddess had up her sleeve.
"What I am talking about is de promise dat I made so long ago," Calypso began with a rueful smile as she took a couple of steps towards Will, Elizabeth and Liam who was peering out behind his parents at the goddess. "When I turned me love Davy Jones immortal, I knew in me 'eart of 'earts dat if our love 'ad been pure den I would 'ave been able to be wit 'im forever..."
"...but your nature," Elizabeth interrupted, prompting the goddess to continue.
"Because of me nature as a sea goddess, 'e did not love me pure," Calypso agreed a tear coming to her eye. "And even dough 'e promised 'is 'eart to me, I could not love 'im in return and thus I caused 'im to become the monster dat he was in de end." She paused and turned to Will, smiling truly. "Yet for you William Turner, your love 'as remained true and you 'ave remained true to 'er in ways dat you did not know until now, derefore you 'eart id no longer 'ers to keep. Your 'eart must be shared with both your wife and son and dat can only be done on land."
"What...what are you saying Calypso?" Will asked taking his wife's hand as hope fluttered in the empty hole where his heart used to be.
"I am saying dat your duty to de Flying Dutchman is done."
In the dark, Will could hardly contain his surprise. "But the ship must always have a captain." Will looked from Calypso to Elizabeth to his son, realising that his one day on land was turning out to be more than he had hoped for and more like what he had long yearned for and dreamed for. "Doesn't it?" he continued. "I mean-"
"Dat it does William Turner," Calypso interrupted with a smile. "And it will 'ave a captain yet. De captain will be someone who 'as always yearned for immortality, if ye can 'elp 'im find de source of what 'e 'as been searching for all these years."
"Source?" Will asked. "Source of what?"
"De source of all immortality," Calypso answered. "De source of what all other sources come from..."
"You must mean the Fountain of Youth, the Aqua de Vidas." Elizabeth answered, not noticing that Calypso did make a motion to whether she was right or not. "Jack came by, years ago- he wanted me to help him find it because he felt guilty for taking you away from me and I from you...but I was with child and didn't want to..." Elizabeth paused and turned to Calypso. "Are you telling us that the great Captain Jack Sparrow has been unable to find the Fountain of Youth?"
"To find de source one must 'ave a ship worth taking to de edges of de world." Calpyso stated, clearly keeping something from them. "Jack did not 'ave such a ship when 'e set out. Captain Barbossa is still in possession of de Black Pearland witty Jack 'as found 'imself in a more permanent but not as eternal position."
"So we find Jack and then the pearl," Will began as he took Elizabeth's hands within his. "And then we can be together."
"And you can be free." Elizabeth stated with a smile. "Free to be with Liam and-"
"And what about me Ma?" young Liam asked as he tugged on his mother's skirt. "Can I come with you?"
"Oh Liam I-"
"If ye are to search for da Fountain of Youth, ye must take de boy with ya." Calypso interrupted. "De search is one for de entire Turner clan, and de boy will 'ave 'is part to play."
"Alright," Will confirmed taking his wife and son by the hands. "Then we all go, as a family."
"As a family..." Elizabeth echoed with a smile before turning to Calypso. "Tia Dalma...Calypso, where might we find the Black Pearl?"
"De Black Pearl be in a place dat is not a place," Calypso began quietly as she started to dissolve into water. "and dey be in a time dat is not a time, in a world filled with what dier 'earts sought out most...yet to find dem you must find witty Jack, and Jack be on de shores of Tír na nÓg and the shores of Tír na nÓg be on the waters of world's end."
And with that, Calypso was gone leaving the Turner family alone on the beach with her voice echoing in their minds. "William Turner," her voice whispered. "For de duration of your quest, your duties as de ferryman of de seas are suspended. I will take de souls of the dead to where dey need to go, you find Jack and find de Pearl to find de source and be free of the curse dat was cast upon ya."
"Well...that's that then," Will stated firmly as he looked from his wife to his son and then to the Flying Dutchman as it sat off shore. "We go to world's end, again."