CH 1 – ANOTHER SUITOR
Elizabeth's eyes snapped open, startled wide with fear. Her breath came in short bursts and she lay still for a moment, gathering herself.
Only a dream. It was only a dream, she chanted in her head.
But the image of black sails, fog and flames still burned clear in her mind. And a boy…Will?
Darkness surrounded her and she lay motionless. Was it just a dream?
Or was it a jumbled childhood memory?
Elizabeth sat up slowly and looked around, half expecting to see someone looming over her. She was alone.
From inside a drawer next to her bed, Elizabeth carefully removed a golden medallion with a skull emblazoned on it. She carefully rubbed her thumb over its dusty surface and it thrummed with suppressed menace, glowing harshly in the dim light.
Elizabeth remembered the day she acquired the strange object. It had been the day she met Will.
The tall young woman took a plain gold chain from inside her jewellery box and threaded it through a gap in the gold. Carefully she placed it around her pale neck, marvelling at the glinting evil that resonated from it. Pirates. So barbaric. Violent. Murderous. Rebellious. Lustful…Exciting.
Ever since the day she met William Turner, she had longed with every fibre of her being to break free of her bonds of society and womanhood and become a lawless, savage…
A knock resounded through the room and Elizabeth started out of her happy daydream. The knock sounded again and she reached quickly for her robe, knocking over her chair in the process.
From outside the door her father called out in a worried tone, "Elizabeth? Is everything all right? Are you decent?"
Silly, doting old man. Elizabeth thought fondly as she called back in a flustered yelp.
"Yes - yes."
A short, weather-beaten old man shuffled in, followed by two maids. Governor Swann was in his early seventies and wore a long, white wig. The proper style for his appointed position.
He truly loved his only child and had strived to spoil and coerce his rebel of a daughter into becoming a lady befitting her rank, but he had somewhat failed.
Elizabeth refused to be primped and curled into the 'standard issue' woman an insisted on doing the most unseemly things.
Swann bustled up to his daughter and eyed her closely to make sure she was not hurt. Then he smiled and scolded her gently.
"Still abed at this hour? It's a beautiful day!"
One of the maids pulled back Elizabeth's heavy crimson drapes, revealing, beneath a peacock blue sky, the pretty town of Port Royale, built on a natural harbor and glazed in the mid-morning sunbeams. Light sparkled off the water below and a steady breeze watered through the now open windows, making Elizabeth's thoughts stray once again to sailing, lounging in hammocks and going without washing for days at a time…
"I have a gift for you." Her father said brightly, making Elizabeth jump as she returned her gaze to his creased face. The old man gestured to a large box that the second of the two maids was carrying. Swann lifted off the lid and displays for her a gorgeous velvet dress. Elizabeth pretended to let an admiring gasp escaped her lips.
She hated dresses, but her father meant well and she never wanted to truly hurt the kind soul.
"It's - beautiful. May I inquire as to the occasion?" Elizabeth said, suddenly suspicious. She was a nineteen year old woman and her father had been trying to marry her off for some time. She kept turning down all his suitors and he dutifully agreed every time that: No, that young man was not good enough for my Lizzie.
"Is an occasion necessary for a father to dote upon his daughter with gifts?" Swann said, all innocence and demure adoration. Slightly more satisfied, Elizabeth took the dress out of the box and disappeared behind a screen. The two maids followed.
"Although..." Her father continued, a bright sparkle of scheming slyness entering his pale blue eyes. "I did think you could wear it to the ceremony today."
Elizabeth groaned inwardly, knowing what was to become, but pretended to not understand her father's meaning.
"Ceremony?"
"Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony." Her father said grandly, as if he was sure of her approval. Elizabeth growled and shoved her head round the side of the screen.
"I knew it!" she hissed, glaring at her father, who pretended not to notice her anger.
"Or, rather, Commodore Norrington...a fine gentleman, don't you think?"
Elizabeth just muttered something very unladylike about rum and deck scrubbers. The maids tittered at her obscenity, but her father continued.
"He fancies you, you know."
Behind the screen, Elizabeth gasped as the maid cinches the corset tighter. Swann smiled, taking her gasp as a sign of surprise and approval at Norrington's fancy.
"How's it coming?" he asked finally, after a few more painful seconds on Elizabeth's part.
"Difficult... to say." Gasped Elizabeth, wincing as she tried to breath.
"I'm told that dress is the very latest fashion in London." Swann said, a little worried by his daughters strangled gasps.
"Well, Women in London must have learned to not breathe! Oooh! Scum sucking, mother fucking codfish that is tight!" she yelped and the three other people in the room gasped at her burst of severe foul mouthed curses.
"Elizabeth Swann! You will watch you ungodly mouth this instant and remember propriety and your place!" Her father said, acting more shock by her outburst for the maid's sakes than he really was.
Elizabeth had been cursing like a sailor since she was nine and he was used to it. But he did try to stop it, for Elizabeth's sake.
A butler appeared in the doorway, politely shielding his eyes in case he was interrupting any nakedness on Lizzie's part.
"Governor? A caller is here for you."
Her father disappeared down stairs and a few moments later Lizzie heard Will's voice and her face broke out in an evil, roughish grin.
It was unbelievably obvious that Will Turner was head over heels in love with Elizabeth Swann and Lizzie, who did not by any means reciprocate the pathetic boy's affections, delighted in toying with him and pretending to have feelings for him.
She knew it was cruel and ungodly, but she enjoyed it. It was the only way she could be a pirate. By breaking and torturing hearts, instead of bones.
She made up her face quickly and hurriedly looked herself up and down in the mirror. She muttered a string of belligerent curses as she clawed uselessly at the strangling tight corset. She knew she didn't have to try to look nice; almost every man in Port Royale drooled over her. Even the married ones.
Lizzie hurried down the hall and paused at the top of the stairs. Will, a handsome young man with a watchful demeanour, stood next to her father holding a sword. Just as he placed it back in its case he spotted Lizzie.
Her father seeing Will's transfixed gaze, turned.
"Elizabeth! You look stunning!" he said reverently, looking proudly at his daughter as she elegantly descended the marble stairs. Will tried to speak, but he could not. He gave up and simply nodded emphatically.
Lizzie smirked at the lump that had risen in Will's tight breeches.
Down boy.
She thought slyly, trying to resist laughing out loud at his pain.
"Will! It's so good to see you!" she said, rushing forward and enveloping will in a tight hug. She subtly rubbed her breasts against his taught chest and lifted one knee under the dress to press into his growing erection.
She pulled back slightly, standing in front of Will so that her father could not see Will's swollen package.
"I dreamt about you last night." She said sensually, casually licking her top lip, eyes half lidded.
Will, desperately trying to cover himself, finally found his voice and blurted with surprise: "Really?"
"Elizabeth, this is hardly appropriate –" Swann began, starting to mistrust the situation. Lizzie ignored her father and continued.
"About the day we met. Do you remember?" Will gulped and took a deep breath before answering.
"I could never forget it, Miss Swann." Damn right, boy. Thought Lizzie, with devilish glee. Go on drool.
"Will, how many times must I ask you to call me 'Elizabeth'?" she purred softly, putting on her sweetest face and leaning into Will slightly so her nipples grazed his chest.
"At least once more, Miss Swann. As always." The last sentence was almost a yelp, as the boy fought against his own animal instincts.
Elizabeth pretended to be disappointed and hurt by his response. And draws back, leaving Will to vainly attempt to shield himself from Swann.
Luckily for him, Swann's eyes were not so good anymore and the only reaction he got was from a maid who walked past, glanced down and clapped a hand to her mouth, to keep from laughing.
"Well said! There's a boy who understands propriety, you should take lessons from him. Now, we must be going." Swann said, bustling out of the door and climbing into the carriage. Lizzie muttered, Bitch…Please, under her breath, straightened her back, gathered up her skirts and stalked out of the house after her father.
"Good day, Mr Turner." She said curtly, before entering the carriage and shutting the door smartly.
Swann glowered at his daughter and she raised a querying eyebrow.
"Lizzie, I do hope you demonstrate a bit more decorum in front of Commodore Norrington. After all, it is only through his efforts that Port Royal has become at all civilized."
"Big fucking deal." Said Lizzie loudly and proceeded to ignore her father for the rest of the journey.