So I've never written PotC fanfiction before. I like the movies reasonably much but I've never felt close enough to them to actually find something worth writing about. But then today I saw Salazar's revenge in cinema and honestly it was amazing - the best one in the saga in my opinion. And was there anyone not affected by THAT ending? Well, I was anyway. I was so full of feels when I got home I just had to let them out in some way and usually fanfiction writing is the best way to remedy that. This is about the Turner family that was torn apart from the start, the wife who waited, the son who longed for a father and the awaited reunion. Covers lots of thoughts and feelings from Elizabeth.
Obvious spoiler for PotC 5 is obvious. I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean.
It had been twenty years since the day a curse of the sea had taken her husband. In its mercy she had been allowed to see him once, the one day he had been allowed to set foot on soil after serving the oceans for a decade. That's when she had told him that they had a son, whom she had named Henry Turner. Her husband had laughed and told her that he had been aware for some time due to the fact that their little daredevil more than once had tried to drown himself in his search for the Dutchman, paying regular visits to the ship vowing to find a way to break the curse of his father and save him from the duties of the sea. Elizabeth and Will had both gone silent for a moment, not being able to stop themselves from smiling. It reminded them so much of the old days and another young Turner being stubborn and courageous enough to go out on a journey to save a father he had never known but yet loved with his entire heart. It was that laugh of her husband, still etched on her retina, that stopped her from holding him back when her son nine years later had told her he would leave the safe haven of the old Swann mansion located by the coast of England, which had been called their home since Henry had been born.
When he told her he had signed up for work in the royal navy all the way over in the Caribbean she knew what he was up to, and even though the worry gnawed at her insides she knew she had to let him go. Her boy had always been brave, clever and knew how to look after himself and if anyone could find and save Captain William Turner from his fate it would be Henry. Another small part of her was excited at that fact, because a piece of her heart hoped with all its might that soon she may get to see her husband again. But please, don't let it be at the expense of Henry, she prayed.
After months, just when her worries had taken over every waking hour of her days due to the lack of correspondence from her beloved boy she got a letter. It was signed with an obscure seal, that she however recognised. It was a simple HB adorned with intricate decoration. Barbossa? Why in the world would the old pirate captain send a letter to her now? The content of her stomach churned while she opened it and she braced herself for bad news. On the sheet of paper there was a small, familiar scribble, hardly readable for someone not used to it.
"Dear mother. Sorry for making you worry. I have broken the curse, mother. Father is free! The Dutchman is a regular ship now; I just saw it in the horizon. I think he will come to us in England as soon as he has settled everything. He will come back to us, I know it. I am returning as well, I have probably already left the Caribbean when this letter arrives to you. An old friend of yours promised to give me passage to England on his ship. He says he hasn't seen that part of the world for a long time. But he can't stop and say hello though. The Pearl is too big to hide from the British army for too long. He sends his regards however. I'll see you soon.
Love, Henry."
Elizabeth Turner released a breath she didn't know she had been holding. She sunk down on the kitchen chair, letting out all the tears that had been prickling behind her eyes lately. She was so relieved. Both of her boys would be back home soon, safe and warm. Still looking for an explanation for the unexpected seal she scanned the sheet again and realised there was another scribble at the bottom.
"PS. I'm bringing someone.. someone who helped me save father. Someone I care about very much. Her name is Carina Barbossa, and she lent me her father's signet to seal this letter. Do with that information what you will."
Barbossa..? Barbossa fathered a... child? That was unexpected, she thought for a moment. After pondering it for a while though she realised it probably wasn't. With the way most male pirates lived it was strange that they didn't have dozens of children each, all over the world. She chuckled. She had not been thinking in those lines for many years. Even though William had been gone for almost two decades she had never once thought of betraying him. She had sworn her love and loyalty to him the day they had married and she had never thought of being with another man in his absence. But oh, how she longed to have him next to her in bed again. And her son had found a woman to care about while searching for his father, in involvement with pirates. It reminded her very much of her and William's beginnings.
When the two young people arrived on her doorstep a few days later she pulled them both into a tight hug, being so relieved to see her most beloved son again, along with the woman who helped free her husband. When she took a good look at the dark haired woman she was surprised. Captain Barbossa could have never been considered anything close to a beauty, and yet his offspring standing in front of her was harmony to anyone's eyes. Although that was not what touched her mother's heart the most, but the way the young woman threw adoring glances at her son when he wasn't looking. Maybe a Turner needed an adventure to find the right partner for them, after all. Elizabeth knew just by looking that her son had chosen right. The two young people moved around each other in perfect synchronisation. They finished each other's sentences and they were both too clever and stubborn for their own good. When her son looked at Carina he appeared as if he had seen the sun for the first time.
It was a sunny morning when the three had breakfast together in the kitchen. It and been a habit for Elizabeth and Henry since his childhood to have their meals there. They rarely had visitors so neither of them found it necessary to eat in the dining room. Suddenly Carina shot up from her chair, her flowery dress crinkling while doing so. "Is that a ship?!" She exclaimed, running over to the window to confirm the sight. And certainly there was a ship. At a safe distance from the rocks by the hillside, it sat still and bright in the calm waters, the white sails reflecting the rays of sun shining upon them. The three inhabitants rushed out of the country kitchen. Elizabeth stopped by the front gate, knowing she had to calm herself before being able to greet her missed husband properly. The young ones continued on through the door and down the grass clad hillside leading towards the water.
After some minutes had passed Elizabeth took a deep breath and carried on the same way the children had gone. Once she reached the top of the hill and could see the view down to the water in perfect clarity she saw him. It was as if the piece of her heart that had been missing for almost twenty years had returned to her in the shape of her long lost husband and she felt a completion she hadn't felt in decades. William, she thought. Oh my William. The words echoed in her head as she increased her pace to try to get to her husband as quickly as possible. The distance was not close enough. She had to get closer. Not even when his muscled arms embraced her firmly she felt like he was close enough. Oh my William, she thought again. He was really there… with her… at their estate. Far away from all the pirates of the Caribbean, relieved of the curse that had kept the two lovers apart for too long. And yet he looked at her the same way as he did the first time their destinies had become entwined. Their feelings were like they had never been apart for even a minute. All those feelings were let loose when they kissed. It was as if the world around them was transparent and nothing in the entire universe existed but them.
At a distance stood their son, watching a reunion of the two parents he had never seen together. He smiled at the scene. Perhaps they could finally be a proper family again and get some peace and quiet. He softly grabbed the hand of the woman by his side, thinking that perhaps, one day, they too might have a family of their own and he could be the first Turner father in generations to see his child grow up.