Disclaimer – Disney owns the entire franchise of Pirates of the Caribbean.
I am pooling my responses to the challenges on the Black Pearl Forum into one fic. Prompt – hesitation
Hesitation
He felt silly standing in the street outside the grand house, with a bouquet of wild hibiscus and passionflowers in hand. "Gurv'nors' daughters dinae care for penniless 'prentices," his master had chided him when he caught on to why young Will Turner was always so eager to be calling at Governor Swann's mansion. Those words still haunted him. Heart pounding in chest, the youth reached for the doorbell before letting his hand drop to his side.
Mister Jeeves the butler would probably direct him to the kitchen door where the servants and tradespeople called. Elizabeth rode her pony over to the forge to have Will shoe her steed once in a while. She would chat with him as he worked. Somehow he had fallen in love. Will, you romantic fool…
Feeling awkward but reluctant to leave just yet, Will Turner strolled over to the side of the house where the Swanns' parlour window looked out onto the gardens. Perhaps Elizabeth would be reading in the parlour, like he had seen her do on occasion. He froze when a familiar voice came to his ears.
"James, how sweet… They are lovely. Thank you…"
The dogs had been in the flowerbed below the window, leaving behind gaping holes and trampled flowers. Standing on tiptoe in a not-so-manicured flowerbed, Will peered within. A smartly-dressed young man in a naval uniform stood with his back to Will. A smiling Elizabeth held a bouquet of red roses and snowy lilies as her father watched on benignly. Governor Swann beckoned for the navy man to follow him to the study off the parlour for a drink. Meanwhile, his daughter set about putting the flowers in a vase. James' flowers were pretty enough for the parlour's table. Suddenly, Elizabeth looked up and saw him.
"Will?" She walked over to the window.
Unable to speak from the sudden tightness in his throat, Will faltered.
"Stop 'ere, ye rascal! What hav ye dun to me flowers!" the Swanns' gardener came running with rake a-waving. Will decided retreat was the better part of valour in that second. He thrust the hibiscus and passionflowers through the window into Elizabeth's arms and fled with the burly gardener in hot pursuit.
Elizabeth looked at the hibiscus and passionflowers in her arms and the roses and lilies in their vase. She smiled quietly and took in the exotic scent of adventure from the blooms she held. She would put Will's flowers upstairs beside her bed in a lovely jug. Perhaps they would bring her dreams of adventure and romance, and of a certain young blacksmith's apprentice. Thank you, Will.
Author's Notes:
In case you are wondering, Will and Lizzie are in their early to mid-teens in this fic. Well before their meeting Jack and company.