The breeze came in sweeping motions, blowing the woman's hair to the right side and enabling the sails to pick up wind power. Elizabeth Swann leaned against the railing and stared into the clear blue waters, contemplating her recent journey. She abruptly turned around when she felt the presence of another person.
Will Turner strode to a position beside Elizabeth. "Hi," he simply greeted. He joined her at the side and gripped the railing.
Elizabeth swiveled back around to her original position to face the sea. "Hi," she answered in a withdrawn and soft voice. The woman glanced at him out of the corners of her eyes, but his gaze was firm. Even the diminutive silence was deafening. "Do you think he was serious?" Her tone was no longer gentle; it was apprehensive.
Will didn't move. "About what?"
"Calypso. That she is goddess of the sea, but trapped in human form, and soon, it will come time to set her free." She saw his hands shift, rubbing back and forth over the surface, then he held the railing tautly.
"Cursed pirates, Davy Jones, the Kraken, a barnacled-existing father… At this point, Elizabeth, I'd believe almost anything."
She sighed and replied, "You forgot about sailing to the world's end to save Jack Sparrow, who is trapped in Davy Jones' locker. That one may top 'em all." She half-smiled, but then let the grin diminish.
He finally looked at the woman, and his whole bodily expression collapsed. She could feel the confrontation building. "Elizabeth," he took a deep breath as he addressed her, "I know about-"
She interrupted him and swiveled around to stare into his intense brown eyes burning with fury, agony, and passion. "Whenever we were at Tia Dalma's place, were you going to ask me if I could, would I bring Jack back or end things differently?"
"Yes," he responded, never wavering in eye contact, "but Tia Dalma finished for me." Elizabeth nodded in agreement. "I saw you and Jack…" he uttered, his chest shuddering as he took another breath, "I saw you kiss him before you climbed into the long boat. I can't help but feel I'm no longer what you desire."
Her skin crawled with chills, and her face flushed with color. She distressingly said, "Will, I chained him to the mast. I sacrificed Jack to save our lives." Her words were blunt, and he saw the woman wince under the guilty confession.
"You chained him to the mast," he repeated under his breath, disappointed that Elizabeth didn't even bother to defend her stance toward him.
She openly stated, "I told him I wasn't sorry." She whispered to herself the same phrase. "I'm not sorry."
Anger exploded in Will's veins, but he could not fathom the reason for his rage. He almost roared, but brought his tone to a mild rumble. "Were you not sorry for sending Jack to his death, or were you not sorry for kissing him?"
The inevitable question; what was she sorry for? Elizabeth had known it would come to this, but she had no idea his inquiry would be so boldly spoken. The woman's emotions twisted her inside and out. Would he even believe her? "The Kraken would have come after us all," she almost shrieked, but the next part came as a murmur, 'and what else could I do? Temptation was strong… curiosity…"
"What?" He did not hear the last part, and she did not answer his question in the least bit. At the sound of his burdening voice, Elizabeth fled. She ran into the cabin and plastered herself against the door. She did not come to tears, but she ached for the warmth of knowing everything was going to be okay and to know that her conscience could somehow be cleared.
"Elizabeth!" Will's voice rose in the dimming light source, and he could hear the distant calls from Barbossa. The man suddenly felt a chilling hand rest on his shoulder. A dark woman's dress swished loudly, and her beads jangled as she swerved closer to him. With her free hand, Tia Dalma caressed a silver heart shaped locket that hung about her neck.
Tia Dalma lurked in the shadows, listening to the couple's discourse. Although the woman could only hear wisps of the conversation, their stiff body language and Elizabeth's perplexing face gave away every detail. She glided toward the man and placed her hand on Will's shoulder. She saw him twitch from the surprise.
"Hello, William," Tia Dalma acknowledged him first.
"Hello." One eyebrow raised as Will spoke, and he turned his head to look at the Jamaican woman. "How long have you been listening?" Some resentment rang in his voice.
"Long enough to know just as Davy Jones, a woman does vex you. You tink she cares for him." No answer erupted from Will, for her words were a statement not to be challenged. "Jealousy and vengeance can overtake a man, but you are obliged to fulfill your destiny, William Turner. 'Tis not a duty you can refuse."
He squinted in stern recognition of her speech. "What is my destiny?"
Tia Dalma chortled as if mocking Will, and she let her hand drift off his shoulder and down his arm, brushing against his murky red shirt. "Your destiny," she said, removing his hand from the railing and pulling gently on his fingers, "is someting of which I cannot reveal. But, keep a special loved one close, or dat person will succumb to a far greater fate; one fate of which you may not wish upon eder one of dem."
Will shook from ghastly thoughts that Tia Dalma planted in his head. "Who is the person?" he asked urgently. "Is it Elizabeth? My father?"
The dark woman's black lips turned up in a devilish grin, and she tilted her head to one side, fingering the necklace again. She gave him no immediate reply, but stared into his soul.
Will retracted his hand rapidly. Something flooded behind Tia Dalma's eyes and the potion began to transfer into his. "Darkened hearts will not mend, and your destiny is nah-ting like you intend." His body tingled with goosebumps from her words, but he was unable to break her enticing glare. Will began to step backwards. "Touch de ones you value or dey shall live wit-out you." He had never heard her rhyme so wickedly, and her course crackling tone pierced his thoughts.
Tia Dalma did not move, but her dress swirled from side to side when the wind blew harshly. Her duty was completed for now. She dropped the locket and reached out her hand. Her fingers trailed his face, and her fingernails planted something into his flesh. Will closed his eyes in the trance. When his eyes fluttered open, Tia Dalma had disappeared.
Destiny. The word echoed in his mind, along with everything the enchanting woman had said. He inhaled sharply, as if gasping for normal thoughts. His head sagged as he gazed at the closed cabin, knowing his beloved rested in there. A woman vexed him indeed, but it was a woman he loved. "How can I ever resolve this?" He whispered, staring back into the open sea. The place that had caused his family so much pain was now the very location he was confined to.