Captain Turner's Love Letter

A "Pirates of the Caribbean" Fanfiction

Lieutenant Fredrick Holmes of the Royal Navy felt a piece of paper being shoved into the deep gash that used to resemble his shoulder. The slowly rocking motion of the ship was making the pain a little less intolerable, making him fade off into sleep. No, I can't go to sleep, with my injuries I might not wake up, he thought at the very back of his mind. So he slammed his eyelids open.

Standing over him was the man that had killed him; a very unusual man at that. He was short and had long brown hair bleached by the constant exposure to the Caribbean sun. His body was slight, even under his heavy leather coat he could see that the man had a strangely tiny waist between fuller chest and hips. This man was a pirate; one of the worst in the Caribbean Sea, if not the entire Atlantic. This pirate had raided ship after ship belonging to the East India Trading Company. The pirate quickly stepped out of view, leaving Lieutenant Holmes staring directly at the sun. It was too bright for him. He had to close his eyes, but even then, the light crept through.

Then all was dark.

When Lieutenant Holmes opened his eyes, he was on a single person boat, drifting along in a dark and endless sea. Approaching him swiftly was a ship; a magnificent ship unlike any he had ever seen. It was moving so fast- if it wanted to it could likely outrace any ship in the Caribbean- even the fabled Black Pearl. Then he remembered where he was, what had happened to him. They had been on a mission to capture one of the accomplices of Jack Sparrow; someone who might know where he had went after his slip through the Navy's fingers in Florida last summer.

It should have been easy. Elizabeth Swan was pardoned three years ago after the mysterious return of Jack Sparrow after his alleged death. She lived on a little cottage by the sea, unmarried, and raising an illegitimate child. Once the daughter of the governor of Port Royal, she now seemed content to live what must be a penniless existence- none of their spies could figure out how acquired to money to feed herself and her child much less any of the other necessities they seemed to have sufficiently.

But, then they saw the red sails, The Artemis' Wrath, the most feared ship in the Caribbean captained by the evil Captain Eturner. And it was after them. There hadn't been any time to think. They hadn't expected a fight. The men were expecting to quietly kidnap a woman who was a former 'friend' of Sparrow. Then it passed too quickly. They were shot at, boarded, and before he could even think Holmes was attacked by what seemed to be Eturner himself.

"Hop aboard young sir," a kind voice yelled to him from the ship. While he was reliving the events it had pulled along side him. Now a man with black hair tossed a rope down to him. "I'll take you to wear you want to go." Instinctively Holmes grabbed the rope and came about the ship.

"Welcome to The Flying Dutchman." The man said, putting his hand out. Holmes shook it. "I'm Captain William Turner."

"Where am I? What am I doing here?" Holmes asked. He looked around. Several of his shipmates were already aboard; all were looking with reverence at Captain Turner.

"You're dead. Have you never heard of The Flying Dutchman? I ferry souls lost at sea to the afterlife. You're welcome to join my crew, but few choose such," Captain Turner explained seriously. He now stood with one hand casually on the wheel, steering the ship in a direction impossible to tell. Somehow the ship still moved faster than any mortal ship, but there were neither waves nor wind.

"No, I shall... go on," Holmes told the captain bleakly. It all made sense now. Then he noticed something different, something very much out of place. Embedded in his shoulder was a letter. It was half sticking out. He could make out a wax seal and some writing in an elegant hand. He tugged at the letter and in a few tries it came out clean with no discernable mark on himself. On the back of the letter, the lettering said "Captain W. Turner."

"Did you say your name was William Turner?"

"Yes," the captain turned for a moment and then saw the letter in Holmes' hand. He completely abandoned the wheel and tore the letter away from Holmes. Captain Turner practically ran below the deck into his quarters. As he left he yelled "Mr. Turner, take the wheel." This left Holmes very confused. He wasn't aware that Turner was such a common name, or course in a place such as this…

"Aye, aye son," an older man in a blue coat with very little hair responded, coming down from the crow's nest to keep hold of the mysterious still wheel. Unseen by anyone else on the ship, Captain Turner's eyes already had tears. When he was sure he was completely alone in his he tore open the wax seal and read the letter.

My Dearest Will,

Since my last letter much has happened. Billy has learned to talk fluently now and I never cease to hear for his fascination about pirates. Frankly it worries me. My hope was that he would escape our less than legal life; but unfortunately he will never be a blacksmith like his poor, dead papa (or at least he believes that he has a dead blacksmith father).Alas, Piracy is in his blood. But at the tender age of two there is still much time for his mother to encourage him otherwise.

It has been too long since I last wrote. We have more than we need, or will ever need; so I only bring the Artemis out when self defense requires it. To be quite honest, I don't know if these letters even reach you- and even if they do what is left of my moral compass cannot bring myself to dispatch messengers for the sole cause of being messengers.

I am afraid, there is little news worth noting. I've only escaped capture twice in the past year, and the noose only once; but you've already heard of that; my letters are not that infrequent. Jack and Barbossa still live and still pirate. Gibbs is off with one of them doing something. Since I've last wrote I've taken three of the East Indian Trading Company's ships, but not any messengers. I'm not getting into too much danger and like to stay around home. Billy grows more like you everyday. I long for a little girl with your eyes and laughable sense of honor.

I count the days since I last saw your face and get to see you again, but yet still it is too far away for me to bear. Come sunset I am always standing on the cliff next to our house, watching and hoping the days have flown by quicker than I can count. Your heart lies safe with me and mine with you.

I love you. Always have and always will.

Your forever and eternally,

Elizabeth

Captain E. Turner of the Artemis' Wrath