On the night after the Pirate War and after Will vanished into the sea, Elizabeth stood on the edge of the cliff and let the sea air wash across her face. She faced the sea and remembered all that Jack had done, all that Will had done, and all that she had done. All they had done together; Isla de Muerta, the kraken, Calypso, Beckett. The last years had freed her from her restrictions as the governor's daughter and brought her the adventure she'd always wanted. A grin grew across her face as the moon rose and the waves crashed against the sand. In a few weeks, she'd be on the seas again, running up the sails and flying her flag. In six weeks, the Pirate King would sail again.
Four weeks before the Swan's Flight was scheduled to sail, Elizabeth walked in the surf, letting the salt water soak her feet. The maids in her father's house, her maids, hated it when she tracked in the sea. But Elizabeth couldn't keep away. She counted the days until she could once again sail the high seas.
Two weeks before Elizabeth was to sail, she woke sick to her stomach. The day consisted of fighting nausea and choking down food.
One week and three days before departure, the nausea hadn't subsided and her sickness hadn't disappeared. The doctor told Elizabeth she was pregnant.
The day that the Swan's Flight would have sailed, Elizabeth slipped down to the port. She watched the other ships cast off and talked with the sailors. She learned that word had gotten around about the Pirate King's disappearance. They talked about Jack and his new search for the Pearl, and for the Fountain of Youth. Sailors who had told her stories of ghost ships now spoke of the lack of spirits on the waves. That made Elizabeth smile. Then she was whisked her back to bed and a stern lecture on the conduct of a lady expecting.
One month after the failed launch of her ship, Elizabeth's doctor had recommended bed rest and as little work as possible. This drove her mad, and more than once the staff found her out on the veranda watching the sunset or wandering around the grounds. Elizabeth still yearned for the sea, but accepted the fact that it was almost impossible.
After five weeks of on-and-off bed rest, the most trusted maids brought back the gossip of the town. They don't think you have a husband miss, they told her. So Elizabeth spread her own gossip. The staff talked of Miss Elizabeth's husband, Will Turner, and his work in London. But the missus couldn't stay due to her health, you know, they said, doctor told her to come back here. Since they had been engaged before, the townspeople easily bought the half-truth.
At two and a half months pregnant, Elizabeth felt like a prisoner. The doctor wouldn't let her go outside, only allowing the veranda doors to be opened on nice days. So she spent her days staring out the windows at the sea and writing to Master Gibbes, the only one of her friends she knew how to find. It was while she was writing one of these letters, reminiscing about their adventures, that she realized what she had to do. She quickly finished and called for more paper. Elizabeth began to write.
Three months pregnant and no longer bored, Elizabeth wrote feverishly. She spilled out the story of a high born lady bargaining with pirates and the craftsman who loved her enough to turn pirate to find her. She wrote of a pirate captain without a ship and the British officer bent on capturing him. She wrote of curses and caves and treasure beyond imagining.
Three and a half months on bed rest and one month after beginning her writing, Elizabeth told her maid to take down the first section to the city's newspaper. They were to give an assumed name for the author and offer it up as a serial. The editor ate up the idea, bought the story, and didn't ask any questions.
Week after week, T. P. King's Tales from the Sea and Beyond gained popularity among Port Royal's public. They became one of the most read stories in the Caribbean, spreading though honest sailors and pirates alike, though the pirates, especially those who'd been at Shipwreck Cove, knew who the real author was.
Elizabeth wrote well into her pregnancy, often reading her stories aloud to her unborn child. No one noticed that the serial's hiatus occurred in the weeks prior and after William Turner III was born.
Six months after William was born, Elizabeth realized that she wanted to raise him differently than how she had been. Even before her mother died, her parents had always been busy attending some important function or another, so she had been brought up by a nanny. She didn't want that for her son; the distance from her parents, the rare vacation together away from it all. Elizabeth wanted to be a major part of her son's life since his father wouldn't be.
Elizabeth started sending in Tales again, reviving the popularity that had died away during her hiatus. She wrote about a wedding interrupted and the tragic fall of a hero. Her stories struck fear into the hearts of sailors with her description of Davy Jones and the Flying Dutchman and brought tears to the eyes of maids everywhere with the tragic love triangle of the lady, the captain, and the craftsman. And when the stories were published, she read them to Liam as he fell asleep.
When her son turned two, Elizabeth bought him his first toy sailboat. She showed him how to work it and they played with it in the small pond on the grounds for hours. While he sailed it around and around, Elizabeth described the different kind of ships she'd seen. During his afternoon nap, she slipped down to the docks disguised to meet with Gibbes and get news from the sailors there. She heard the rumors of the Fountain of Youth and the whispers that one of their own had turned privateer. Their stories appeared in T. P. King's Tales, modified just enough to seem unreal.
When Liam was three, he began to ask questions about his father; where he was, what he did. At first, Elizabeth told him the story that circulated through the town. It never sat well with her, lying to her son, but she wanted him to understand. Also, if he started spouting about how his father wasn't in London but really was immortal on the seven seas, the populace would question his legitimacy and shun them. Elizabeth wanted to protect him for a little longer.
By the time he was five, Liam was spending more time in the town under Elizabeth's watchful eye. He especially loved watching the blacksmiths at work, sometimes even convincing them to show him some of the trade. Some of them had known Will when he'd been an apprentice and shared stories of his young exploits. It made Elizabeth smile to see her son follow his father and always wore the lopsided charm he had made her. Sometimes, when he was in town, they would sneak down to the docks in the evenings and meet Mr. Gibbes, who agreed to teach the boy to sail.
But when Liam was six and a half, he came home after playing with some of the older boys with a black eye and in tears. Elizabeth looked up from her writing and rushed to her son. What happened? He sniffed the boys said I didn't have a father. Elizabeth held him close and told him the truth. She told him about her adventures and how a lot of the stories they heard on the docks were based in truth. She assured him that she and his father were married, but that he couldn't be around because of a promise he'd made. And his father always kept his promises. After her son went to bed, Elizabeth summoned her staff and told them to re enforce their initial story about Will. She would not have her son being harassed in the streets. From that day forward, if the older boys had a problem with Liam, they had to answer to his mother. After that, they didn't bother him anymore.
Then came the fateful year Elizabeth had been pretending not to be waiting for. Liam's tenth birthday was a few months away when she told him the complete truth about Jack Sparrow, his father, and herself. While he had known that his mother was T. P. King, Liam never would have guessed that his grounded and high born mother would ever had thrown in her lot with pirates. Once he'd gotten over the shock however, the thought of his mother as the Pirate King made some sense to the boy. And he'd taken the fact that his father was immortal much better than Elizabeth had thought he would. But what he didn't understand was why she had given it all up for so long. Because of you, Liam she told him, you were my next adventure.
Liam excitedly counted down the days until he could finally meet his father. When the night finally came, Liam practically dragged Elizabeth out to the cliffs. He rambled on and on about his questions and kept thinking he'd seen the green flash. Be patient Elizabeth told him he'll be here. What she didn't tell him was how much she'd missed the ocean. In the ten years of raising him and writing the Tales, she'd barely had time to even walk in the surf and feel the salt on her skin. Then the flash appeared and Liam practically jumped out of his skin.
A ship appeared on the horizon and it would have been impossible to tell who ran faster down to the beach, the mother or the son. A male figure emerged from the waves, threw down his effects and swept Elizabeth into his arms. They embraced for a long time before Will noticed the boy standing a few feet away from them. Is this my son? He asked, Elizabeth, is this our son? Yes Will. This is Liam.
For all his excitement prior to the moment of meeting, Liam was stone still when who he assumed was his father looked at him. He'd imagined the moment for months and now that it was really happening, it was all too surreal. The man knelt before him and introduced himself, treating the boy like an adult. But when the man started to cry, Liam couldn't keep it in any longer. He rushed into this man's-no, his father's arms and wept like he was six years old again. Elizabeth sank into the sand and held her husband and son as the family was reunited at last.
Will told them stories, stories of mermaids-good and bad, sea monsters, ghosts, and his encounters with Calypso. She checks in from time to time he said, casually dropping the fact that he was on speaking terms with a goddess. He told them of good men gone too soon and bad men gone too late. The fire Liam had built on the beach had sputtered into embers by the time Will had run out of tales to tell. Elizabeth then told him their story. Her's was one of a story weaving lady with an entrepreneur husband in England. She spoke of an enterprising young son with an affinity for the smithy and showed him the charm she wore. Will held his son closer as he heard about his promising start as a blacksmith and practically glowed with pride.
The Turners sat there on the sand, under the moon, next to the sea, for hours. But the night proved too late for Liam. He fell asleep just as the tide was crawling in. Will scooped him up into his arms and carried him up to the house. After tucking their son in, Elizabeth and Will stood on the cliff and talked; how long could he stay, how she'd fought to be believed about her marriage. Upon hearing her struggle, Will offered to make an appearance in town, just to quiet any lasting murmurs.
The next evening, after Will had put any rumors to rest, Liam stood with his parents on the edge of the surf. He knew that very soon his father would be gone again for another ten years. Determined not to cry again, he stood very stiff and waited until it was over. But as his father said good bye and his mother's tears flowed, Liam let his guard down. He hugged his father one last time before Will walked out into the sea. But when the green flash came and his father once again gone, Liam felt something in his hand. He showed it to his mother. It was a simple, dirty knife.
This sight of the knife brought tears to Elizabeth's eyes and a smile to her lips. Mama Liam asked why did he give me a knife? Elizabeth crouched to her son's level and held the knife up. He made a promise to his father with this knife. Now I think he's making one to you. Liam nodded and took the knife back. I don't want to wait ten years to see him again Mama. She gathered her son in her arms. Neither do I.
One week after she and Will were reunited, Elizabeth disguised herself as a sailor and made her way to the docks. There she met with an older, more weathered Mr. Gibbes. She told him her plan. I want to sail again. Liam is old enough, he'll want to come with me. Can you get my ship in order? Gibbes agreed. Three months he told her, three months and she could sail again. Then let it be known that the Pirate King is in need of a crew.
Two months before the scheduled departure of the Swan's Flight, Liam had to be dragged away from watching the ship being refurbished and updated. To keep him occupied, Elizabeth took him into the ballroom of their manor, put a wood sword in his hand, and starting teaching him the basics of swordplay. She knew it would take longer than the time she had for him to get any good, but she did what she could, kicking herself all the while for not teaching him sooner. They practiced every day until the day before the ship was to sail.
The day the Swan's Flight pulled off the docks was also the day the last installment of Tales from the Sea and Beyond was published. Elizabeth stood at the stern of her ship and watched Port Royal shrink into the horizon. She knew the merchant ships would spread the word that the Pirate King had returned. She knew the pirate ships would pull themselves in line lest they be inspected by Her Majesty. She knew the immortal ship would hear that its captain wouldn't have to wait any longer. Her navigator, a feisty women with coarse dark hair covered by a wide brimmed straw hat, asked for a heading. Elizabeth grinned. Tortuga, Anna-Maria. Tortuga.
Three months after the king's return, Elizabeth finally found the Dutchman. She and Liam spent a week aboard, causing confusion as there was now a third Mr. Turner on deck. He kept out of trouble and bonded with his grandfather while Will ran the ship. When they finally returned to their own ship, Liam wouldn't stop talking about how he wanted to be just like them, doing good deeds no matter who for. His words made Elizabeth nervous. He sounded as though he wanted to follow in more than his father's blacksmithing footsteps. But she put it out of her mind and they sailed on, promising to see Will again.
It took longer to find Jack. He was as flighty as always and refused to be tied down. Eventually he found them. He came aboard with great panache and bowed after enduring a quick glare from the navigator. When he got a glimpse of Liam, he looked the boy over. Scrawny, Liam bristled at that but Jack continued, but so was Will. Honestly still kind of is. Jack didn't say much else to the boy, but he seemed to approve of him, even offering to take him as a cabin boy if Elizabeth ever got tired of him. But after a hearty meal and a spot of rum, he was gone.
Elizabeth and Liam spent the next five years roaming the sea and enforcing the Pirate Code. They used the Swan's Flight as a flagship when taking down slavers with the Pearl and the Dutchman on either side. But mostly they sailed alone, making stops at different ports to resupply and hear the latest from the land. The pirate community learned quickly to keep in line, or else the King and her mostly female crew would unleash quick and total punishment.
Over his time at sea, Liam learned to handle a sword from his parents and Jack and anyone else who wanted to give him some pointers. He learned at least three different techniques and became adept at all of them. Elizabeth watched as her son picked up different languages and skills. She watched him befriend the entire crew and flirt with the girls at all the different ports. She watched her son grow up.
It wasn't until Will met his family off the coast of Florida six years after her return to the sea that he really noticed the differences between them. Though she and Liam had seen him regularly over the years, it had never occurred to Will that he hadn't changed from the first time he walked into the sea sixteen years ago. He hadn't aged, but she had and it frightened him. For the first time, he realized that while he would live forever, those he loved most wouldn't. He told Elizabeth his fear and she smiled reassuringly, I have no intention of dying on land.
Gibbes went first, his drinking finally catching up with him. Will welcomed him aboard the Dutchman and offered him a place on his sparse crew, but Gibbes chose instead to rest in the afterworld. I know when my days are up, Will, but it was good to see you again.
Norrington, with no one to guide him across, had been stuck in the sea for years. Eventually he found the Dutchman. He greeted the captain with a nod. I can't say I'm surprised, Turner. You always seem to make the best of the worst situations. Just before Norrington disembarked to the next life, Will returned something to its rightful owner. It's still a beautiful sword. The commodore and the captain shared a moment of understanding he took it. I hope the man who made it showed the same care and devotion to every aspect of his life. Will smiled. I have. Norrington gave the captain a sad smile. Give my love to Elizabeth, and he was gone.
A pirate women named Angelica swaggered across his deck covered in blood and a sword in her hand. She walked straight into the next life, only giving Will a wink. You should see the other man.
Pintel and Ragetti came across together. Will didn't even have to ask if they wanted to stay on as crew members. The two pirates just fell into place, their usual bickering bringing some life into the ship. I told you you get points for trying! Shut up, you moron, this isn't heaven!
It took a long time for Will to see Barbossa again. The scoundrel stayed on board for three months, criticizing everything Pintel and Ragetti did and recounting his own stories to Will. I still can't believe you became a privateer. Meant nothin' boy. A means to an end. Nothin' more.
Elizabeth and Liam sailed together, with the wind at their backs and their faces to the horizon. The years came and went and they grew older. Liam fell in love with more women than his mother cared to count, and more men than she thought possible. He eventually married the navigator's daughter, a smart mouthed gunner who'd been on the ship for years. Elizabeth officiated their marriage and even Jack made an appearance. By the time they'd made the trip from Tortuga to Singapore, there was a new child, Eliza. A special visit with Will was arranged and the new grandparents spent quality time with the new family.
But as the years dragged on, Elizabeth spent more and more time thinking about her title. She wondered about calling the Brethren Court, but she new most of the Pirate Lords were hard to find at best. Perhaps it would just be best to let the title fade. She'd carried it for over fifteen years, seen the whole world with it. It was starting to weigh more than she wanted to bear.
After eighteen years at sea, Elizabeth turned over the Swan's Flight to her son. She remained on board and was always ready to assist, especially with watching baby Eliza. She served as advisor to Liam on some matter or another and drew her sword when needed, but mostly she wrote. She compiled her experiences into one volume, a final installation of T. P. King's stories. In this novel she described an aging piratess with a loyal crew and a loving family. She wove a story that showed how someone could be a pirate and a good man. But mostly, Elizabeth wrote of love. Her love of the sea, of her son, her husband, her life. She wrote of no regrets. It was published on one of the quick port stops, and spread like wildfire through the islands.
She arrived on the Flying Dutchman to the open arms of her husband. He held her while her wounds faded into nothing and her tears dried. But when they did, Elizabeth looked as she always had to Will, not any older than when he'd left her that first time. Her yearning for Liam never fully subsided, but she knew she would see him again. But until then, she stood at Will's side and ferried the dead to the next life, welcoming members of her crew in time and comforting those in need. And when Liam joined them many years later, the Turners ferried souls across the sea as a family, giving the dead one last farewell.
Oddly enough, through the countless years Will and Elizabeth carried out their duty on the Dutchman, Jack never made an appearance.