Journey to Elizabeth

Journey to Elizabeth

I folded the note and handed it to one of the maids to deliver to the governor. She received it rather awkwardly, inquiring if I meant to seal it. Matter-of-factly, I explained that I had nothing with which to seal it. The maid, whom I recognized but failed to remember, suddenly recalled exactly who I was – and still am.

"Kate! Little Miss Katie Marie Stone!" she cried, her eyes sparkling. Several other maids and houseworkers came curiously as she looked me over. "My, how you've grown! Tall, beautiful – "

"Dirty!" a younger maid cut her off. "Don't forget dirty, Mae!"

Then I remembered Mae. Her brown, wavy hair was pinned in a bun, and she was still as tall as ever. She had been Elizabeth's maid from the day Elizabeth was born. Mae became like a mother to Elizabeth – and to me. My parents had been friends with Mae since before I was born. When I was born, five years after Elizabeth, Governor Swann agreed to allow me to stay in his home with Mae when my parents worked. Eventually, Elizabeth and I became as close as sisters. She had introduced me to Will when he arrived in Port Royal, and I had only seen him four times since I met him. He was a wonderful boy and a great blacksmith. About a year before I left Port Royal, he created and presented me a special Christmas gift. To this day, the tiny metal four-leaf clover is chained around my neck; it has never failed me yet. That was the Christmas I gave Elizabeth the bracelet that deprived me of all my money. Elizabeth and I were close indeed.

Mae gestured up the stairs, asking, "Would you like a bath? You could wear some of Elizabeth's old clothes."

I declined, but agreed to view my friend's quarters. Her room had hardly changed since I had seen it last. With permission, I searched her room for miscellaneous items she might like to have salvaged. This added a few pounds to my knapsack , but I was proud to carry the weight.

I was looking through the last drawer when a note caught my eye. It read:

Elizabeth,

Please meet me in the shop Saturday afternoon. I have some swords that my master rejected; we can use them and you may have any you desire. They are kept in the corner of the storage room.

Until Saturday,

Will Turner

So Elizabeth could finally handle a sword. It was something that I had learned long ago. For three years, I had been training myself in the art of sword-handling. I had a little help from some British guards, but none had the kind of skill one required to become a successful pirate. I used a simple old sword I had found in the general store of a ghost town up north. When we were children, Elizabeth and I had secret wishes to become pirates and learn to use a sword. Apparently, we were following the same dream – two different ways.

As soon as I bid the Swann household goodbye, I was over to the blacksmith shop. At first, I did not recognize it; the sign had been removed. On the door was a worn old sign bearing but one word: VACANT. I gently pushed the door open and light gushed into the vast, empty room. Silently, I stepped inside and slid past the abandoned racks and machines to the back of the old shop. Through a door near the back wall, I found Will's room. It was very neat and organized, a place for everything and everything in its place. On his desk, in the door to the right, I noticed a large paper sticking out under a Bible. I gently moved the Bible aside to find underneath it a family tree. I saw Will's name, as well as his parents'. When I looked up to his grandparents' names, I saw something astonishing. There were not one, but two lines leading from Will's grandparents' names. One led to Will's mother, and the other led to… mine. So my mother was really Will's aunt, which made me his cousin! How did Will not know who I was? My question was answered in that my father was not documented on the tree, nor my sister or me. Plus, my mother did not go by her true name, but rather a name she wished she had. Apparently, my mother was trying to hide from the world. Now I truly must go and find Elizabeth, for wherever Elizabeth was, I knew Will – her fiancée… my cousin – wouldn't be far.

I pocketed the family tree and went on my way. My first task was to find my way into the open ocean. I knew from the books that Tortuga would be my best bet to finding a clue as to where Elizabeth was. I made my way to the docks. Along the way, I stopped in an old, hidden alley to visit a friend of mine.

He sat on the doorstep of his back door. His nose was in a thick novel, his consciousness clearly consumed by the plot. As I neared him, he looked up and rose to his feet as he greeted me.

"Kate!"

"John!" I shared his delight.

"That's 'Johnny' to you!" he retorted as we embraced in a brief hug.

As we pulled apart, he questioned my reasons for returning to "this godforsaken town." As shocked as I was to hear about the recent change of governor, my purpose was still solid.

"I'm setting out to find Elizabeth."

"Do you honestly think you have a chance?" John's smile faded.

"I have my ways." I cocked my head for a moment. "Besides, neither Will or Jack should be too far from her. As I understand, all three are key elements in Port Royal's major predicaments at this time. Finding them would be the first step in solving said problems."

John shook his head. "And then what?"

I smiled wistfully. "We'll go from there."

"We?"

"If you'll come with me." Gently, I put my hand on his shoulder.

"Seeing as there's nothing for me here…" he started.

"Go," a new voice prompted from John's door. There stood his husky uncle Sam, John's only living relative. "Your chances are better out there. Make something of yourself. Don't worry about me, either. I'll be here if you youngins ever need anything." With that permission, some provisions, and a final farewell, John joined me on my quest and we departed to the docks.

"Where, may I ask, are we looking to go?" John questioned unsurely.

I turned to him and grinned. "Tortuga."