Disclaimer: I don't own "Pirates of the Caribbean" or anything associated with it.
The Flying Dutchman was burned into Elizabeth's eyes by the flash of green, so that its ghostly afterimage continued to play across her field of vision as she stared out over the horizon.
This isn't the end, she tried reassuring herself. He'll return when his sentence is up, and really, ten years isn't that long a time.
When the last flicker of sunset faded, she at last tore her eyes away from the ocean. Her body--so recently burned by the passion of William's love--was now numb and leaden. She clumsily waded through the dusty sand to reach the rocks where she had placed the Dead Man's Chest. She rested her head against the worn wooden box, listening to the echo of Will's heartbeat within.
At least I have some small part of my husband with me, she told herself, trying not dwell on how macabre the whole concept was. Yet even that was only temporary. Every pirate and sailor who had been at that memorable sea battle knew that Elizabeth was the keeper of the heart of Davy Jones's successor. Even the title of Pirate King would not dissuade them from coming after her in the hopes of capturing the Chest.
She would have to hide the box. Bringing it onto the Empress was out of the question.
Elizabeth glanced back up at the ocean, wondering if her crew would even come back for her. Jack and Barbossa--knowing the risks of being marooned--had purposefully selected an inhabited island for her honeymoon. A small town lay about a mile to the north, and she would head that way first thing in the morning if there was no sign of her ship. But she likewise could not afford the risk of being seen carrying the Chest with her there.
She reluctantly peeled herself away from Will's heart and began to explore the beach for a good hiding place. After a half-hour of searching in the twilight darkness, she at last found a mound of large rocks that would be easy to identify. Any pirate worth their salt would check there first, of course, but then Elizabeth was only using it as a marker. Taking fifteen steps north, towards the village, she came to a small stream. She followed the stream into the jungle, where it twisted through the thick vegetation. At last Elizabeth reached the water's source--a freshwater spring that bubbled out of another cluster of rocks. This was more promising. She followed her footsteps back the way she came and gathered the Chest in one arm and a boat oar in the other. When she reached the spring again, she found the nearest tree and engraved a tiny 'x' into the trunk where it would only be visible if one knew just where to look. She then put down the chest, took up the oar, and began to shovel out the moist black earth.
After making a sizeable hole, Elizabeth leaned against the oar and contemplated the small wooden box.
I am about to bury the only thing I have left of my husband, she realized in sudden dread. I am leaving behind both our hearts in that chest.
Yet what choice did she have? This was the path that fate had cruelly chosen for them. Elizabeth's twisted life had begun the moment she had taken Will's pirate medallion and seen the Black Pearl sail away into the mists.
That damn coin... she silently swore. Bootstrap had suffered its original curse, but Elizabeth suffered in her own way as well. She had lost her heritage and nobility as the Governor's daughter; lost her dear father after getting him involved in her troubles; and lost her husband on the very day they were married. Now Bootstrap was at last reunited with his son, while Elizabeth herself-
No, don't think that way, she scolded herself. He and Will have been apart since he was born; they deserve to be together. You only joined his family this morning.
She let the tears roll freely down her cheeks as she tenderly lifted the box and placed it in the center of the hole. Her fingers stroked the old wood as she sent her blessings and prayers to the owner of the heart inside. Elizabeth then averted her gaze from the box as she dropped the first shovel-full of dirt on top of it, afraid that if watched it slowly vanish beneath the earth, she might lose her nerve.
When the task was done, she hastily scattered dirt and leaves over the pile, raking the ground with her oar to mask the signs of her passing. She then followed her footprints back to the beach, erasing them as she went. Only when the oar was rinsed and all marks of her nightly activities hidden did she allow herself to break down and scream.
o-o-o
Her tears were almost all spent when Elizabeth heard a voice call out to her. Wiping her eyes with her sleeve, she thought she could make out a small light bobbing up and down in the darkness, coming from the ocean.
A dinghy. The Empress had actually come back for her.
Elizabeth fumed in anger, causing the pirates around her to bow low and mumble excuses about their duties before scurrying away quickly from her sight.
Only the female bodyguards stayed faithfully at her sides. Some of them had been pregnant before, and sympathetically endured the worst of her mood swings.
She now bitterly laughed to think that she had once lamented burying the last thing she had left of Will. Only later did she realize that he had left her something far more precious. Elizabeth still hadn't decided which token of her husband's love was the harder one to bear.
"Your highness," greeted her advisor smoothly as Elizabeth stormed into the bathhouse. "You honor us with your visit."
She tried not to flash her teeth in a snarl as she slowly bobbed her head in acknowledgement. They were surrounded by men--her men, supposedly--yet if it came to a fight, she suspected that most of them would side with Pai Huang. His younger brother Tai had been a popular leader among Sao Feng's pirates, but he had preferred to sail under Barbossa and Jack to a female captain. Elizabeth had initially wondered why Pai and some of the rest of Feng's old crew choose to come back for her on that island. Pai had then revealed to Elizabeth her true value to Sao Feng's empire--with the Pirate King as their leader, they were automatically awarded the final say in any argument, and given the right to sail and pillage on any of the seven seas without begging the permission of each respective Pirate Lord.
Pai Huang had initially presented himself as Elizabeth's faithful servant, teaching her the duties of her new position and dazzling her with the treasures Sao Feng had hidden over the years. He would translate her orders to the crew so that she never needed to learn Chinese, and handpicked her bodyguards himself. The men began to assume that any order given by Pai Huang was a direct order from Elizabeth herself.
She eventually came to realize that he had purposefully made himself invaluable to her, so that she would be unable to run her empire without him. Pai Huang had noticed when this sudden epiphany came to her, and merely cocked an eyebrow at her, waiting to see what she would do. Of course there was nothing she could do. There was no one among her men that she could trust, and no help to be gotten elsewhere. She was a pirate now, easily recognizable to the authorities even before Pai Huang had convinced her to get the dragon tattoo on her right shoulder. Going to them for help would only earn her a trip to the noose.
If only Jack were here, she mused longingly. He could get me out of this mess ...although he'd probably start four or five other messes in the process.
No, she would just have to find some way of dealing with Pai herself. She may have tricked her way into being named Pirate Lord of South China Sea, but she had earned the title of Pirate King. If she could rally the courage of a fleet of cowardly, self-serving sea dogs and convince them to go to war, she could find a way to take back her Empire from Pai.
Batting away the steam with her fan, Elizabeth addressed her advisor coldly, "I dislike coming to the bathhouses, Pai Huang. Sao Feng may have enjoyed ruling from underground, but I prefer the open air and high peaks of his uncle's temple."
Pai's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly, and Elizabeth took pleasure in knowing she had angered him. She suspected the man did not appreciate being reminded that he worked in a sewer.
"Captain Swann, I merely wished for you to see how quickly the reconstruction of your base was progressing-"
Elizabeth interrupted him with the sharp snap of her fan. "My name is Captain Turner, Mister Huang. And you can build bathhouses all you wish, but I will continue to rule from the temple."
The man rushed toward her, abandoning all pretense of servility. Her bodyguards stiffened and reached for their swords, moving forward to shield Elizabeth with their bodies. Elizabeth wasn't sure who looked more surprised--her or Pai.
Well, that's interesting, she thought to herself. Maybe I do have allies here after all.
Pai Huang stopped several feet away from her, nervously eying the swords of her bodyguards. "Your Highness, could we have a word in private, please?"
Elizabeth doubted that many in the room knew enough English to follow their conversation anyway, but Pai's frightened look and tone spoke volumes in any language. Casting a quick look around the room, she noted in satisfaction that everyone's eyes were now on them.
She turned her back to the assembled men, making certain they all saw the dragon that proclaimed her as the Pirate Lord, and strolled out of the room. She would not spoil the effect by looking back to see if Pai followed; she knew that he would anyway.
They reached the stairs leading down to the steam cellar. Elizabeth shook her head as one of her guards looked at her in askance, then the woman nimbly ran down and took a position at the bottom of the steps. Elizabeth understood that the guard was preventing anyone from getting close enough to eavesdrop. Another woman detached herself from the group and ran past Pai, probably to watch the corridor from which they had entered. Elizabeth nodded at the two remaining guards gratefully, then turned a sour glance on her advisor.
"You are being foolish again, Highness," said the man in a mildly disapproving tone, the way a parent might scold a young child. He even had the audacity to smile at her.
So, he wanted to play that game, did he?
"Pray tell, Mister Huang-" Elizabeth said slowly, straightening her back so that she loomed over the old man, "what error do you accuse your Lord Captain of making?"
Pai paused uncomfortably. The way she had phrased the question forced him to choose his next words carefully, or he risked being accused of treason.
"I have only your best interests in mind, my Lord," Pai Huang said humbly, bowing low. "It is my duty to remind you that the transition of leadership has left many of our men uncertain about the future. I know that you are strong, as do the men who served with you on the Empress, but these others only see you as a woman. They would be reassured if you married and could pass the burden of leadership on to another-"
"I am married, Mister Huang, and I already have an heir-" she reminded him flatly, motioning at the swell of her belly, "who I can 'pass the burden to' when I so choose. I do not appreciate you calling me 'Captain Swann' in front of the men, as if implying that I were still available."
"Of course, highness," said Pai reassuringly, giving her another bow. He was about to turn around, thinking the meeting was over, but Elizabeth still something to say.
"Pai," she called out, making him glance up at her in surprise. There was no mistaking the warning look in her eyes.
"Níng wéi tàipíng quǎn, bù zuò luànshì rén," she said in perfect Chinese. It was the only phrase she had ever seen make a man cry, and she had immediately asked for a translation and help speaking the words until she had it down pat.
Pai Huang looked visibly shaken, though whether it was from her curse or the possibility that she knew more Chinese than she let on, Elizabeth couldn't say. The man fled down the corridor as if the kraken itself were after him.
Author's Note: I got the translation from Wikipedia, though apparently there's no authentic source of the Chinese proverb. Still, I like the fact that it's only the first of three curses. Maybe I can find something interesting to write two more chapters on.