Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean in any way, shape, or form.
Author's Note: Okay, well this is definitely a one-shot only. I have made this in favor of vampygurl402 for arashi wolf prince's birthday on August 30th, so let me just say Happy Early Birthday! I sincerely hope you have a great day on your birthday, and I hope you thoroughly enjoy what I have written. This is for you.
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I Must Confess
She could feel it the moment she first laid eyes on him; he was different. Different how? Not in the complicated sense, as though there was some magical force hidden behind that young exterior of a boy. No. She could just sense that there was something simply different.
Elizabeth could still remember the day they rescued him from the salty depths of the sea. The way his small form laid practically lifeless, barely afloat on the sodden piece of driftwood. With baited breath, she waited. Waited as the loyal men aboard the ship immediately followed her father's harsh commands, given the second he heard and seen what his precious daughter had also spotted.
It had only taken mere moments, as those who were not actively searching the water for any other survivors, worked quickly to rouse the boy. Efforts not being wasted at all, the boy sputtered out garbled words, as he forced out the little bits of water that had invaded his lungs. She barely heard the words her father spoke from next to her, her eyes focused on the young boy, the words only registering after the small crowd surrounding the boy disappeared. He was to be left under her charge for the remainder of the voyage.
And it was then while she kneeled by his side, that she noticed it. A small, delicate chain. The sun glinted off of it, catching her attention even through the fog surrounding the ship's deck. Her dainty hand reached forward, grasping the thin metal links between her fingers, pulling only enough to see what was attached.
What was brought forward she recognized as easily as she did her father's voice calling out to her from behind. If they were to see the medallion, more so if they were able to see what was etched upon its cool smooth surface that was plain as day… She shuddered, thinking about what they would do to the poor thing, if they discovered any connection between the boy and the groups of men haunting the passing waters.
She faltered, as indecision racked her being. Was she supposed to report the discovery? But they would surely hang the boy, if she did. In the midst of her mental debate, as she went to pull the chain from around his neck, the boy stirred; his chilled hand shooting out to roughly grasped the wrist of the arm closest to him.
"I-It's alright! M-my name's Elizabeth, you're safe now.." She spoke in hushed tones, speaking to the boy as though she would a frightened animal.
The distraught child, calmed considerably, quickly taking in his foreign surroundings. As she watched an array of emotions cross his features, exhaustion came out as the dominant one, his body going as limp as it was when they had first rescued him from the water. His clammy hand never leaving her wrist, as though it was the only thing anchoring him to the safe, new reality. Before he had the chance to pass back out, it occurred to her that she ought to ask his name; she might never have the chance to ask again, once they made it back to Port Royal.
His body was wracked with heaving shudders then, and she reached for the thick wool blanket that had been laid down close by, one of the sailors taking into careful account that it would be needed. Leaning over the boy, draping the fabric over his thin form, she eyed him as she spoke her next words.
"Boy. I wish to know your name, what is it?" His features were softened, finally relaxed enough from his ordeal to reveal small freckles, barely noticeable across the planes of his rounded cheeks. Now, only slightly dampened, strands of dark brown hair hung loosely in front of his hooded eyes. His eyes, she noticed, were brown as well; hints of gold barely showing through.
"M-My name's W-will. Will T-turner.." his voice murmured, fading as exhaustion finally won its battle.
A few days after the daring rescue, they made anchor at Port Royal. It was decided upon arrival, that the boy would be taking temporary residence at the barracks until more permanent lodgings could be acquired. It would be months more before young Elizabeth, while accompanying her father into the town square (with the appropriate guards, mind you), would spot the young boy again. And these sightings would continue randomly, throughout the years; every time she would spot him, or he would spot her, they would glance at each other quickly. Each time with batting eyelashes, and fleeting smiles.
They soon became the best of friends, meeting each other in secret when time would allow. Silenced words and hushed laughter held beneath the docks in the middle of the night, joining hands and walking barefoot along the highlighted shore, even tossing pebbles out to sea, taunting each other to see who can throw the farthest. It was all quite innocent, as innocent as children can be in their adolescent years. And it was within those innocent gestures, within the simplest of touches, that it grew.
It was one of those things that spiralled way out of control, similar to the way flames would lick up firewood that had been dried out by the salt of the sea. It was that certain sparkle that grows in one's eyes, as though the joy of the forbidden knowledge brought excitement all on its own. It was everything a first love could be, the main thing that brought them together was their thirst for freedom which was easily found through each other.
Unbeknownst to them, the feelings between the two grew, climaxing and coming to a standstill on a hot and humid night in the middle of summer. Her night shift skirts swished about, the ends hitting her ankles as she frantically paced to and fro; the candle's flame casting dimmed lights upon her form, from where it sat atop the windowsill. Her mind raced as she thought of the events that had taken place somewhat earlier in the evening.
She was to be sent away, not as punishment, but to receive the education a lady of her status would require; in her mind, to prepare her to be the prim and proper housewife. To say she was simply scared would be an extreme understatement; petrified would be more suitable. To be forced into a mundane way of life, to lose that part of herself that yearned to stay a pixie-like child, that sense of freedom that could only be found while truly being one's self; that is what she feared. She would be losing her sense of adventure, forced to conform to the practicality of the everyday homestead. This was not something she wanted.
Grabbing her dressing robes and quickly donning them, she found herself tiptoeing out of the room, gently sliding the door shut behind her. Her feet carried her down the carpeted hallway and staircases, through the thick wooden door, and finally down towards the beach; just near the docks where she spent most of her childhood.
It only took mere moments for the tears to start, rolling gently down the planes of her cheeks. There she sat, her knees hugged to her chest, the breeze causing some of her hair to be tossed about. A foreign hand caught a few of these strands, twisting them back behind her ear, caressing her cheek as it did so. Deep, brown eyes searched her face, seeking out the hazel ones upon it. They found what she could not say in words, what her mind still could not fully comprehend. She was leaving, for a finishing school an ocean away; that this would be the end.
They could both feel it, the pain of eminent loss. Their minds wanted to reject the possibility that this was all that could ever, or would ever be of them. The sense of freedom that their relationship brought gone, lost forever, the moment she set foot upon carriage that would carry her away from that secret paradise.
His hands sought out hers, his arms pulling her to him in a strong embrace; he too had found out the news just that morning. In a town that small, gossip travelled fast. There was a multitude of emotions flowing through him, only two being having enough effect on him to show clearly upon his face.
Anger. Yes, Will was most definitely angry. Why now? Why when he was just coming to terms on his thoughts- no, his feelings- towards Elizabeth, why was she just now being forced out of his reach? He had not yet been able to explore that second emotion, the strongest of the feelings, the one that practically brought his heart to a stand still.
Love. He loved Elizabeth. Loved her with every fiber of his very being. He didn't know when it had truly started; the late nights had started the most fascinating of friendships. Yet, who knew said friendship would lead to him realizing he was in love with his best friend? Maybe it was the way that no matter what, they always seemed to be on the same wavelength? Or perhaps it was the way she longed for the ability to be her own person, prove her self worth, just as he did. Whatever the reason, may it be one or many, he could not fathom or understand the sense of loss he felt the moment he heard the news.
Her sobs were muffled by the fabric of his shirt, he tried his best to console the crying girl, gently smoothing her hair with one hand and rubbing her shoulders with the other. Elizabeth did not want to let go of him easily, and he pushed her away far enough to look into her eyes once more. "Elizabeth..,wh-"
"Will, I don't want to go..I don't want to be away from Port Royal for so long.."
"Liz', surely it won't be for that long, will it? I'm sure you'll return home in no time."
"...ears-s" she started to mumble, silent sobs beginning to shake her form once more. It took a moment for what she had said to register in his head, and even then he had to ask. "What did you just say?"
"Years, Will! I'll be gone for two years!" she spoke, more in a yell than an overly loud whisper.
His body moved of its own accord, clutching her tightly to his body, refusing to let her move even an inch. "They can't..not when we haven't…...not when I haven't.." Words. He lacked the proper words. He loved her more than anything, more than life itself. He felt the need to do something. Anything. He could try stopping them from taking her, somehow convince her father that this was not right; he couldn't do this to her, to them.
Maybe he could convince her to run away with him; there was a possibility that they could make it out in the world on their own. He could retrieve his secret stash of allowance that he had earned from working for the blacksmith, he could buy her clothes and disguise her as a cabin boy, then they could sneak aboard a merchant's brig and live out on the open waters. But in the back of his mind, a voice told him that this was not possible, that he was of a lower class and she would never run away with such a simple apprenticing blacksmith like himself. Her loyalty to her father would also be a problem, he knew that she wanted nothing more than to live up to her father's expectations.
As he embraced her, he looked over her shoulder, trying to see past the varying highlights of the horizon. A blazing sun, just starting to peek up over that faraway plane, casting hues of orange and yellow across the sky. He found something there, a strange peacefulness, a beautiful place where his longing for something that was more than precious to his heart could lie dormant in wait. Yes, he could wait; he needed to be able to wait.
He realized he had been staring into the distance for quite a while, for when he looked back down he noticed her hazel eyes searching his face. What was she looking for? What did she see, especially in him? "Will…", her voice spoke up questioningly, wondering what exactly it was that caused him to be so distracted. He then focused on her, trying his best to memorize everything that made her uniquely her. The way her brownish-blond locks fanned across the expanse of her brow, some pieces falling messily from the half-hazard bun it was thrown into. How her high cheekbones were easily complimented by her slightly pursed lips. His hand slid down the side of her face, his rough fingertips brushing ever so gently across her skin, just so his thumb could caress said soft lips.
It was in this moment that she realized that she cared more for him, than a friend ever should. That although she might never see this young man ever again, that this was the moment that would consume her every thought throughout the years to come. They said nothing, for nothing needed to be said; their eyes spoke the words that their bodies could not physically release, for fear of ruining the perfectness of it all.
With a small amount of hesitation on his part, more out of fear of rejection than anything else, he searched her eyes once more before leaning in to close the distance between the two. His lips brought to hers a static electricity that pulsed without abandon, the invisible flame between the two bursting to new heights that had never been reached before. It ended as quickly as it started, a chaste first kiss, that was so perfect it would not soon be forgotten.
A smile graced both their faces, both Elizabeth and Will realizing something. They would never forget each other. No. They would be in each other's thoughts, the first person that would come to mind when they would be staring to the sky, daydreaming of better things. This was far from being the end. This was only just the beginning.