Chapter 3
For
over an hour, Elizabeth sat, watching Will skillfully
craft a few
pieces of iron into perfect horse shoes. As he worked,
Will hardly
even noticed that she was in the room. He was bent over
his tiny
table, banging away. Then he would stick the iron in the
hot coals
to shape it every so often. Sure enough, whenever he lit
the shoe
on fire, Pepper went mad, rearing on his hind legs and
squealing
in terror. "Calm down," Elizabeth soothed, climbing
into
the paddock to grab Pepper's harness. The donkey nearly
knocked her
down again, but she managed to slide out of his way
just in
time. "It's not going to hurt you…see how far away
it is?" Elizabeth
asked, as the animal pranced around in a
circle, his great tail
swishing back and forth. Eventually
Elizabeth managed to calm the
donkey, and gave him a few sugar
cubes that Will stored in a
container on one of the tables.
"You
should get out of there before you ruin your gown," Will
told
her smiling as he continued banging the hammer against the
iron.
Elizabeth did as she was told, though she could have cared
less about
getting her dress dirty. When she told him this, Will
shook his head
with a smirk. "Are you purposely trying to get
me into trouble?"
She kissed him. "No." Then
she placed one of her hands on top
of his, smiling. "Can I
try?" she whispered. Will hesitated. He
wanted to get these
shoes to Mrs. Barton before she had a fit, and
gave him a bad
reputation to the rest of the town. Still, he decided
he could
always fix it back into shape if for some crazy reason
Elizabeth
messed up the iron.
"All right, but please be careful…"
Will handed her the
hammer, and stepped aside so she could take
his place. He folded his
arms and watched as she firmly tapped the
half-finished horse shoe,
gasping as the sound of the clang made
her body tremble. She was
beaming as she repeated the gesture,
holding onto one end of the shoe
tightly so she would not cause it
to flip up into the air and smack
her on the forehead. Will hated
to admit it, but that had happened to
him more than once before,
and had caused quite a few nasty bruises
to form.
"That
is different," Elizabeth announced, once she'd had
enough and
handed the hammer back to him. "Thank you…I've always
wanted
to see how it felt to be a blacksmith…"
Will laughed. "It's not all fun and games, My Lady…"
Elizabeth
put her hands on her hips. "I hate it when you call
me that…"
She sighed. Will laughed and shook his head.
"Call you what?"
"You know what."
He smirked.
"Well I promise that I will not do such a thing
again, then."
He went to smack the hammer against the shoe again when
sure
enough, missed. Elizabeth covered her mouth with her hands as
the
iron flew up and smacked him right in the forehead, and she
watched
in shock as he quickly dropped his tool and placed his hand
against
the tender spot, cursing. "Damn it!" Luckily the cool end
of
the metal had whacked him, or it would have caused more
damage.
Elizabeth burst out laughing, and rushed over to
him,
carefully pulling his hand away and examining the bruise that
was
starting to appear. He cried out when she touched it gently
with her
fingertips, and she clucked her tongue. "Let me get
you a compress
for that…at least it will help somewhat,"
she said through her
giggles.
"I am so glad you find
this funny," Will grumbled as she lead
him over to a chair so
he could sit down.
"You will too, afterwards," she
told him as she went to fetch
a cloth. "I'll use the water
pump out back to soak this," she added,
and he nodded,
closing his eyes tightly as pain seared through his
head.
Elizabeth went outside and around the back of the shop, over to
the
water pump, soaked the cloth, and squeezed out excess droplets
before
going back inside again. Will gasped as she pressed the folded
cloth
against the bruise, but she placed her free hand on his
shoulder.
"Just calm down for a moment and it will be all right,"
she
soothed.
"Let us hope that this welt goes away
before our wedding,"
Will sighed.
"I would not
worry so much," Elizabeth insisted. "No one will
care…"
"I
will." Will muttered. "Of course, everything always
happens
to me, doesn't it? Only every so often do I have a stroke of
good
luck…" he grinned at her, and laughed when he saw her
blushing.
"I was hoping you'd come up with a way to
weasel out of that
statement," Elizabeth laughed also as she
sat down on his lap,
putting her free arm around his shoulders.
"And Madame Barton will be
satisfied by your horseshoes…they
look fantastic already and you've
not even finished!" She
planted a kiss on top of his head. "Now how
does it feel?"
she asked, removing the compress.
"Much better, thank
you…" Will wrapped his arms around her
waist. "Madame
Barton can wait, I think," he whispered into her
ear. "Let
us get out and take a walk and maybe find a place to have a
small
picnic?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I am sure Father will
not mind sparing a
bit of food, so we'll have to go back to my
house then." She stood
up, helping Will to his feet, trying
not to laugh again at his
injury. Will made sure to clean
everything up, putting his tools away
and the iron horse shoes in
a safe place, before saying goodbye to
Pepper.
"Mind the place now," Will warned.
"Heehaw!" Pepper
replied, bobbing his head, reaching out his
neck to Elizabeth
again, who stroked him one last time.
"Come on then."
Will took her hand and the two of them left
the shop. Elizabeth
waited until Will locked the door before lacing
her fingers
through his again while they started to walk down the
street. It
had grown incredibly warm, and Elizabeth found it rather
difficult
to breathe properly in the stuffy air.
The two made their way
down the street, talking to each
other, neither caring about the
odd looks they were receiving.
Certainly no one had expected
Elizabeth Swann to marry a poor
blacksmith. Everyone expected her
to accept Commodore Norrington's
proposal, in what would
supposedly be a "fine match". Elizabeth
agreed
wholeheartedly…the commodore was a good man, just not a man
she
wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She remembered the
sour
expression on his face at breakfast, and grinned as she
continued
to hold hands with Will. He was very jealous, she could
tell. I'd
rather follow my heart than my Father's,' she thought with
a quiet
sigh as she glanced up at Will, feeling laughter bubble
inside of
her again when she noticed how dark his bruise had
become.
"Goodness, could it be any warmer outside?"
she asked,
fanning herself with her silk fan that she had luckily
brought with
her. Will smiled.
"Aye it could, Love."
He replied as they walked up the steps
to the Governor's mansion,
and Elizabeth opened the door. Kati,
Elizabeth's maid, was busy
dusting in the front hallway, and had her
back turned to them as
she worked on a painting that hung on the wall
by the bottom of
the stairs.
"Kati, is Father about?" Elizabeth
spoke up, and the maid
gasped, whirling around.
"Ah,
Miss…I did not hear you come in!" When she saw Will come
out
from behind Elizabeth, a slight blush crept into her tanned
cheeks,
and she hid the feather duster behind her back, grinning
nervously.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Turner…nice to see you again…"
Will nodded respectfully. "And the same to you, Ma'am."
"Your
Father is out for the afternoon…he had to take care of
some
business or other with the navy men… Is there something I could
get
for you, Miss?"
Elizabeth nodded. "As a matter of
fact, yes you could," she replied
thoughtfully. "
Will
and I were thinking about going on a picnic, but of course we
didn't
decide until the last minute and we had no food with us…"
"Of
course, Miss, of course! I'll fix up something real nice
for
you…"
Elizabeth grinned. "Fix it for three, Kati…"
"Three, Miss? Are you expecting another guest?" She asked.
"You of course!" Elizabeth replied.
Kati's eyes grew very large and she stepped back a
pace. "Oh
now Miss, that would not be proper, no…what would
your Father say if
he saw me with you?"
Elizabeth
chuckled. "He'd think it was delightful. You work
very hard,
Kati, and deserve an afternoon off."
Kati turned to Will. "Won't you join us?" he added.
"Oh Miss, I don't know what to say…"
Elizabeth grinned. "I
know what you could say," she
began, "You can say
Elizabeth instead of Miss if you will…"
Kati blushed
again. "Yes Miss…Elizabeth. I'll start fixing us
something
real nice to eat straight away…just have a seat and make
yourselves
comfortable while you wait," she announced, and bustled
into
the kitchen. Will sat down on the chair by the front door,
and
Elizabeth sat down on his lap, causing him to grunt for a
moment.
Once he managed to steady her, he glanced up at the candle
sticks by
the doorframe, and smirked.
"Dear, might I ask you something?" Will asked.
"What?"
"Why
do those candlesticks make such a loud echo when you
take them
out?"
Elizabeth laughed. "It's Father's idea of a
door knocker.
Connected to the end of that candle stick on the
outside of the house
are two rocks, and a trigger sets them off
every time someone takes
one out. Watch…" Elizabeth slid
off of his lap and went over to the
candlesticks, lifting one from
it's holder, and an echoing knock
sounded through the house. Will
nodded. He had done that before, but
had been so startled by the
loud noise it caused that he had dumped
the candlestick into the
umbrella bin.
The two of them sat together, glad that the
Governor had gone
out and could not see them like this, waiting
for Kati to come back
with a picnic basket. Will leaned his
forehead on the back of
Elizabeth's head, touching the back of her
neck with his fingertips.
His hands slid up under her hair, which
felt so soft and silky.
Elizabeth closed her eyes as she felt Will
massage the back of her
neck, and she wrapped her legs around his
so she would not fall off
of his lap.
Kati soon came back
with a large basket, and stopped
short. "Oh…" she
whispered, and Will immediately lowered his hands
and Elizabeth's
head shot up.
"Thank you, Kati," Elizabeth told her
maid, hopping off of
Will's lap yet again. "Now go and change
so you'll be more
comfortable."
"But Elizabeth,
all I have are maid's gowns and one evening
gown."
"Hmm…well,
all right…I suppose that will have to do. At least
take off your
bonnet."
Kati was beaming as she did as she was told, and
she stood
with Will, waiting for Elizabeth to scribble a note to
her Father,
telling him of Kati's whereabouts.
"I
can't thank you enough," Kati told Elizabeth as they
went
outside, locking the door behind them. Elizabeth smiled as
they
headed in the direction of the park by the water. They found
a nice,
lush patch to sit upon, and Elizabeth helped Kati set up
the picnic
blanket. Will unpacked the food basket, taking a great
breath of the
fresh salt air that wafted from the bay. Elizabeth
sat right beside
Will, smiling as he unwrapped the sandwiches, and
handed one to Kati
first.
"It feels so very nice to be
out in the fresh air," Kati told
them.
Elizabeth
laughed. "Fresh air?" She took a deep breath of
the
humidity and pretended to gag, fainting jokingly across Will's
lap.
He smirked, and bent over to kiss her forehead. She struggled
to sit
up again, giggling as Will pulled her to him. Kati
chuckled.
"You are both going to look so handsome at your
wedding," she
announced. "It seems like ages
away…"
Elizabeth nodded. "Thank you, Kati. Would
you believe Father
had the nerve to mention wedding gowns at
breakfast this morning? I
honestly thought I would die!"
Will
snorted. "I'm flattered that he's willing to provide an
outfit
for me…"
Elizabeth smiled. "Well, that was very
kind of him at least…
it's just…wedding garments are not to be
discussed…"
Will touched his fingers to her lips. "At the table, I know."
Kati raised her eyes as she sat
munching on her portion of
the food, eventually reaching for the
bowl of freshly cut fruit.
Peaches, pears, apples and oranges were
the variety she had chosen…
Elizabeth's favorites. For a few
moments, the three of them were more
intent on eating their meal
than they were in chatting, until Kati
spoke up. "So, what
are you two going to do on your wedding night?
Are you going to
carry her away like in the fairy tales?"
Elizabeth nearly
choked on her glass of milk. "Kati! That is
too bold!"
she gasped.
Kati grinned mischievously. "Is Will a nice kisser?"
"KATI!"
Will turned to
Elizabeth, grinning as well. "Am I, dearest?"
he asked
in a sweet voice. Elizabeth folded her arms, her cheeks
turning
bright red with embarrassment. She stuck her lower lip out in
a
pout, and glared at him.
"Now this isn't fair!" she snapped.
He laughed, and cupped her face in his hands. "I
might have
to re-think taking you sailing with Jack next time he
comes around,"
he teased, rubbing noses with her.
She
gasped and gave him a playful shove. "Oh no you won't! If
I
have to sneak on that ship I will…"
Will touched the
ends of her hair softly. "You know I would
never leave you
behind…" He turned to Kati with a wink. "Watch and
learn,
My Lady…" He lowered his lips to Elizabeth's, pulling her
into
a tender, loving kiss. Kati nearly dropped her apple in
surprise, and
she placed her hands against the sides of her face,
her mouth falling
open with a gasp before giggling, and covering
her eyes. The kiss
lasted for a full two minutes, before the two
broke apart, taking a
great breath, before beaming.
"Oh
I could melt right here I could!" Kati squealed,
giggling.
"Only five more days…"
"Shhhhh!"
Elizabeth hissed. "Don't make me think about it!"
She
gave Will a joking look of disgust, but he pulled out a handful
of
grass and dumped it on her hair, ruffling what he could of it.
She
shrieked.
"Will, you let go of my hair NOW, or you'll mess it up!!!"
Will couldn't help himself. He
doubled over in roars of
laughter and fell backwards, clutching at
his sides. She put her
hands on her hips. "What's so funny?"
she asked harshly.
"You always s-said that when you were
little," Will gasped
through his chuckles. Elizabeth turned
to Kati, and nodded to her.
Soon both girls attacked and started
to tickle him, Elizabeth on one
side and Kati on the other. Will
curled up into a ball, covering his
head with his arms as they did
so.
"Elizabeth!"
Everyone froze. Elizabeth
very slowly lifted her head, to see
her father standing before
them, an expression of great horror on his
face. Silence filled
the air for a moment or two.
"Father…"
"What
are you thinking, acting in such a manner in public?
And Kati…what
do you think you're…"
"Do not get angry at her,
Father…I invited Kati to come with
us on a picnic,"
Elizabeth insisted. "I did not think you'd mind,
honest!"
Kati
looked near tears as she quickly stood up. She
straightened her
dress, curtsyed with her arms stiffly at her sides,
and bowed her
head. The governor nodded, chewing on his lower lip. "I
just
find it rather rude that you did not include me in the
fun…"
Everyone sighed with relief and laughed.
Elizabeth then
pointed at an empty spot on the blanket. "You
may join us, Father, if
you're not too busy."
The
governor chuckled. "No, no, I have business to take care
of
at the house."
Kati gulped. "I'm…sorry for abandoning my post, sir,"
The governor shook his head.
"Nonsense…everyone deserves a
holiday. Well…carry on,
then…I'll expect you home at a reasonable
hour,
Elizabeth…preferably for supper," He ordered
quietly.
Elizabeth nodded, and waved as he walked away. When
he was
gone, everyone practically sunk back onto the blanket in a
dead faint
with relief. Elizabeth rested her head on Will's
stomach, stroking
his chin, as he kept a strong hand on her back.
Kati relaxed again,
lying down on her side, allowing her mind to
drift away into a
comfortable doze. "Let's all take a…."
Will yawned hugely. "Nap…"
Elizabeth nodded. "Mmm
hmmm." She snuggled against him so she
could find a more
restful position. "Sounds…good…" Soon she started
to
snore quietly, and Will looked down at her with a small smile on
his
face.
"I'll wake you in a bit…just sleep now," he
whispered,
singing softly, "Yo, ho…yo, ho…a pirate's life
for me…"
