Disclaimer: I've been doing this for five years and, as always, I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Done. End of story.
So, its been awhile hasn't it? This is a bit of a challenge from the new Hide the Rum 2.0 over on livejournal which actually existed a couple of years ago on the old site where there's a list of words and you can write any story you want about it. This time around, I've chosen the word 'Cold' and this was the most fun I've had writing in a little while. Not that what's written here is fun. Angst abounds. This takes place during AWE while they're sailing through the arctic. I hope you enjoy it.
Cold could not even begin to describe what Elizabeth felt at this very moment. It wasn't just a word to describe the air, land and water surrounding the crew. This cold was a feeling she carried inside of her very soul and it was unrelenting and cruel, day and night. Here they were, all of them, on this diminutive ship searching for the now deceased Captain Jack Sparrow. A fool's errand if there ever was one.
And here she was, surrounded by men who didn't even know what horrors she, the former Governor's daughter whom no one had ever looked twice upon!, had committed to a man she considered a former role model - maybe even a friend. This chill was definitely a feeling she would never forget even after this quest was accomplished. If it was able to be accomplished...
And what of her beloved Will? What of the man to whom she had promised her hand and heart?
What she wouldn't give for him to come to her even on this ship, late in the night, and light the fire that had been dampened by her feelings of disgrace and guilt. Guilt for all she had done. Disgrace for actually disposing of a man in such gruesome, ghastly fashion. And as she stared out onto the bleak horizon…a large cloth of some kind was gently, almost caringly, wrapped around her shivering form. She could barely see in the sparse light- but it was some sort of blanket and Elizabeth turned slowly to find Will, beloved, noble Will, standing with his hands just ever so slightly touching the cloth and she wished in this very moment that all was as it should be and that he was, instead, touching her.
"You looked…chilled," he murmured, his eyes boring intently into hers, trying to gauge some sort of reaction.
"I was, er – I mean, I am," she said back before whispering a quiet "thank you."
He looked like he wanted to say something else but instead he took a deep breath and left, vanished into the shadows. Elizabeth walked forward a few feet and took a seat and cried silently to herself, hoping her tears would not become frozen and praying that she and the others would make it safely through a night such as this, in a task that had the smallest chance of succeeding. And, after searching the deck for Will once more, for a beginning that she believed to now be nonexistent.
Thank you very much for reading. Drop a review please if you'd be so kind. And to any former members of HTR that didn't know - there is a bit of an effort to create a new place where former members can hang out and it's called Hide the Rum 2.0. Please check out my profile for the link. We'd love to hear from you all again. Anyway, thank you again for reading. :)