True Love

Chapter 21: Understanding

A month passed, and it marked the sixth month anniversary since Will and Elizabeth's return from their grand adventure with Captain Jack Sparrow. It also marked six months since they had declared their love for each other. Since the incident with Gillette and the pirate attack, Will's wound had healed slowly but surely. Because treatment had been delayed while he had been unjustly thrown in jail, the infection had take it's toll, leaving him feverish for most of the past four weeks. The wound had healed nicely, leaving only a scar; but it was a scar that would forever remain in Will's memory. Doctor Sullivan had insisted that Will take one more week of rest at the Governor's home before he moved back to his home at the smithy and went back to work. It was on the first day of this week that Will woke with a start and sat up. Knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, he slid off his bed in the guest room and pulled on a loose white shirt over his sleeping pants before padding silently down the stairs. It was still quite early; the sun was just barely peeking over the treetops.

Because it was so early, Will had not expected anyone to be up. He was surprised however, that when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he came face to face with his future father in law, who appeared to be just coming out of his office.

"Good morning Will," said Governor Swann with a slightly sleepy smile. "I say you are up early."

"I know," said Will, returning the smile. "I just woke up all of a sudden, and once I wake up I'm hard pressed to be able to be able to go back to sleep."

"Yes," answered Governor Swann. "That can sometimes happen. Tell me, how are you feeling this morning? You look much less drawn than you have in past days."

"I'm feeling much better actually," said Will with a yawn. "I'm really ready to get back to work and back to my life."

"Well, you've only a week more. I'm sure this last week will get you back to your former state of good health," said Governor Swann with the air of one who has something on their mind. "I'm actually glad you awoke early William; there is something I would like to talk to you about."

"Is there?" asked Will nervously. "Ask away sir."

Will looked up at the Governor, and wondered why he seemed so hesitant to say what was on his mind. Will felt his muscles tense at the momentary silence.

"Will," said the Governor uneasily. "I know this may be awkward, but would you mind telling me about your father?"

Will stiffened. This was something that was still a tough subject for him. He wasn't sure why Governor Swann was asking this, but he decided to be respectful and tell the story as best he could.

"There's not very much to tell," admitted Will. "I only saw him a few times when I was a boy, maybe once a year or so. I remember him, but there are only a few clear memories. My mum died when I was eleven, almost twelve years old, so I left London to go and search for my father out on the sea. My mum had always told me he was a merchant sailor."

"But he wasn't," said Governor Swann quietly. "As Sparrow informed you."

"No," said Will, a bitterness in his tone. "He wasn't. I never suspected that the medallion he sent me was a pirate medallion. I was shocked when Jack told me of my father's true profession. Apparently he was a long time crew member and friend of Jack."

"Do you know what has become of him?" asked the Governor carefully.

"After Jack's crew mutinied on him over ten years ago, my father stood up to Captain Barbossa, saying what they had done was wrong," said Will slowly, feeling the deep emotional pain that had hit him when he had first heard this story. "They strapped him to a canon and dropped him to the bottom of the ocean. But he was unable to die of course, so he was just left there. After that, I don't know what has become of him. If he escaped, if he is still alive even after the curse was lifted, or if he is dead." He stopped, having nothing more to say.

Governor Swann sighed. "I'm terribly sorry about all of that Will," he said sincerely. "And I apologize for how I reacted when you told me the news a few days ago; I was just surprised is all."

"It's all right Governor Swann," said Will quietly. "I was quite shocked when I found out about it; it isn't easy to swallow the fact that the picture you had painted of your father for your entire life was a lie. But I know my mother had no other choice. Somehow she saw the good in my father despite his pirate ways."

"I imagine that's where you get it from," said Governor Swann slyly, a small grin on his wrinkled features.

"I guess so," responded Will. "And I know it has caused a lot of trouble recently, but I cannot help but follow my conscience. People aren't always black and white, even pirates like my father and Jack Sparrow."

"You are right about that Will," answered the governor. "People are not black and white. It seems to me that you've been saving quite a few lives lately you know," he commented. "Sparrow's, Elizabeth's, mine. I've arranged for a ceremony to be held in your honor, Will, in front of the town."

Will's eyes widened. "Governor Swann, you really shouldn't," he protested. "You are already throwing Elizabeth and me an engagement ball. And besides, I don't deserve….."

"Don't deserve!" interrupted Governor Swann. "You certainly do! You deserve to be publicly rewarded for your efforts in that battle and for saving mine and my daughter's lives."

"I did what was right," said Will humbly. "Anyone would have done it."

"I hardly think just anyone would have taken the brave actions you took William," said the governor. "No more of this; it shall be arranged for next week."

"Well, if you insist sir," said Will. "Thank you."

"I do insist," responded Governor Swann, rising from his seat and clapping Will on the shoulder. "And now I am going to see about breakfast." He walked towards the kitchen and suddenly turned around. "Oh, and Will?"

"Yes, Governor Swann?" answered Will, unsure of what the man might say next.

"Good show on teaching Elizabeth how to handle a sword. She's quite good." With that, the kind man turned and went in the direction of the kitchen, where the smell of food cooking was wafting through. Will stared after him, until a grin came slowly onto his face; perhaps Governor Swann liked him more than he had thought.

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The rest of the morning passed normally and after breakfast Governor Swann left the house on some business or the other, leaving Elizabeth and Will alone. They retired to the drawing room, where Will told Elizabeth of his conversation with her father that morning.

"He asked you about your father?" asked Elizabeth, surprise in her tone. "Really?"

"Really," responded Will, still slightly bewildered at the fact. "I'd rather thought that he would never bring up the subject again."

"Something struck him when you saved his life Will," said Elizabeth quietly. "It changed something in him. He felt badly about his reaction to the news about your father, and I think he really wants to get to know you better."

"It seems so," answered Will, looking up at Elizabeth. "I'm glad of it. You're rather lucky to have such a father my love," remarked Will. "He loves you so." Elizabeth could tell there was a distant longing in his voice, a longing for a father that he hardly knew and one that he missed.

Before she could respond however, there was a knock at the door from the butler, who held in his hand a letter for Will. The young man took it, wondering who it could possibly be from. Elizabeth moved over closer to him so that she could read along. Will slit open the envelope.

"It's from a relative of Mr. Brown's," said Will, raising his eyebrows. "I wonder what they could want of me." He read along a few lines and felt his heart sink a little.

"What is it Will?" questioned Elizabeth with a worried glance. "Is something wrong?"

"Mr. Brown has passed away," he said softly. Granted the man had been quite the drunkard, especially in later years, but when he was away from the bottle he was a decent man, and had given Will a home. Will wasn't heartbroken, but the news did make his heart heavy, and he felt a bit sad.

"Oh," said Elizabeth, who did not have the kindest feelings towards Mr. Brown, though she did feel sorry for the man's death. "That is ill news. Are you all right?" she asked as she placed hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be fine," said Will. "But it is distressing. He wasn't the best of men, but he did take me in and taught me my craft. He could be kind at times, in his own right." His brown eyes read the spidery handwriting along the rest of the page, but once he reached the bottom, they widened slightly.

"Oh my," he said. "That's unexpected…." He commented, his deep voice trailing off, knowing that Elizabeth's curiosity was killing her.

"What is it?" asked Elizabeth, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Do you know that house that Mr. Brown kept, the one near the shore, just outside of town?" asked Will.

"The white wooden one with the wraparound porch?" responded Elizabeth. "What of it?"

"He has apparently left to me," answered Will, a smile creeping onto his features. "There is some work to be done on it, but think of it Lizzie, my own house!"

"And just a few months from now, it will be our house!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. "I've always admired that house, it's so sweet and romantic looking!!"

Will chuckled at her excitement and he squeezed her tightly to him. "Indeed it will be our house soon enough. It seems everything is falling into place for us, isn't it? Even after all that dreadful business with Gillette."

"Yes," said Elizabeth, as she traced his cheek lovingly with her finger. "Everything does seem to be working out rather well. When will you move in?"

"As soon as I am well," said Will in an eager tone. "That way I can start making the repairs and things like that."

"These next few months will be quite busy won't they?" said Elizabeth, her eyes aglow. "House repairs, wedding plans, engagement balls, award ceremonies, buying my wedding dress."

Will grinned. "I'm sure that you already have that wedding dress pictured in your head."

Elizabeth blushed slightly. "I do, but can you blame me? I may hate corsets, be fascinated with pirates and be good with a sword, but I'm still a woman," she said, a pout on her lovely face.

"Oh, I'm quite aware of that," said Will in a low tone as he captured her lips with his own. She grinned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Will's neck. Their embrace was interrupted however, when the doorbell rang, and it was announced that Andrew and Amelia were present.

The two entered the room, happiness on their faces as they loosely held hands. They looked like they had a secret to share, and both Will and Elizabeth took notice of it. Andrew clapped Will carefully on the shoulder and Amelia gave Elizabeth a warm hug.

"How are you feeling today mate?" asked Andrew of Will as he sat down.

"I'm feeling much better," said Will with a yawn. "Just a bit tired is all."

"How much longer did Doctor Sullivan say that you needed to heal?" asked Amelia with an anxious look.

"Just a week more," said Will in a relieved tone. "Then I can get back to work."

"I know you'll be looking forward to that," said Andrew. "You don't take well to sitting around."

"No he doesn't," chimed in Elizabeth. "He gets so antsy. I think he's read half of our library since being here. Oh, tell them the news Will," she continued, unable to stop herself.

Andrew and Amelia looked over at Will, interested.

"I got a letter from Mr. Brown's family today," began Will. "Sadly, the man has passed away. But in his will he apparently left me that house of his here in Port Royal."

"That is quite unfortunate that he died," said Amelia, twirling her raven hair around her finger. "But it's quite nice that he left you the house, how lovely!"

Will looked over at Andrew, who had a frown on his face. "It is awful when anyone dies," he started in a firm tone. "But truth be told I never cared much for the man. He didn't always treat you kindly Will. He probably realized that, so I'm glad that he gave you that house."

"So am I," said Will. "So what brings you two here today?"

"Besides coming to check on you?" asked Andrew slyly.

"Yes," said Will in mock irritation. "Besides that. You two came in here looking quite pleased."

"Well," said Amelia, a slight blush entering her cheeks. "Something quite wonderful has happened."

Elizabeth raised her eyebrows, a smile lighting up her features. "What is it Amelia? Do tell."

"Andrew and I are engaged!" she exclaimed happily. "It happened just last night."

At this Elizabeth jumped up most rapidly from her perch next to Will and ran over to give her friend an ecstatic embrace. Will and Andrew watched in amusement as the two women began chatting animatedly about it all.

"Congratulations my friend," said Will with a warm smile that reached all the way to his eyes. "I'm happy for you. And to think, just a short time ago we both wondered if we were doomed to be bachelors forever."

Andrew laughed heartily. "Thing have changed haven't they? You're to be married in just under six months, and I shall be married in just under a year. You've got your own shop and I'm soon to inherit my father's due to his retirement. And that's not to mention the fact that you have gone off on a bloody pirate adventure."

Will chuckled and watched happy scene before him. Yes, he thought, things had changed; but all for the better.

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It was a week later when the award ceremony took place. Will was, thankfully enough, completely healed now. The color was back in face and his exhaustion and fever had left him. He still felt a bit of a twinge where the healed wound from the bullet was, but Doctor Sullivan assured him that that would go away in a short time. Will's stomach was filled with butterflies as he approached the fort, where Governor Swann had arranged for the event to be held. It looked like the entire town was present; rich and poor, young and old, male and female. Will hadn't expected this, although maybe he should have. Governor Swann was quite well liked by the majority of Port Royal due to his rather amiable nature, and many were thankful that Will has saved his life.

"Why are there so many people here?" questioned Will in a nervous whisper to Elizabeth.

"Because," said Elizabeth in a matter of fact tone. "They are intrigued by you."

"What?" asked Will incredulously. "That's ridiculous."

"No it isn't," responded Elizabeth. "You came to Port Royal after having been found near a pirate shipwreck, then you led the good, quiet life of a blacksmith. Then all of a sudden you went off on this mad adventure with an infamous pirate just to save me. Over the course of this adventure you won my heart completely over and then proceeded to come back here and save Jack's life. Then I broke my engagement with Norrington because I loved you, which shocked many people. Then you broke all the rules of silly society and proposed to me. Then you were caught helping Jack again and were thrown in jail, but in turn you risked your life in battle and saved the life of a most beloved Governor," she said, raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"I thought they all thought me a pirate," said Will, unsure.

"You are a pirate in some ways," said Elizabeth with a sly grin. "But you're also a hero. You're like a good pirate, as much of an oxymoron as that may be. You're the most interesting man in town, and people can't help but like you."

"If you say so love," said Will with a smile as he kissed her cheek. "You're pretty interesting yourself you know. You're not quite like any other girl in town. You gave up an engagement to a Commodore for a simple blacksmith and know how to use a sword quite well. That isn't exactly ordinary."

"No," said Elizabeth in agreement. "We'll just be interesting together."

The chattering of the crowd came to a close at Will and Elizabeth reached the front and walked onto the platform where Governor Swann, Admiral Wolfe, and Lieutenant Groves all stood, smiling broadly; Captain Gillette was conveniently absent from the proceedings. Will twitched uncomfortably in the new clothes he had bought for the occasion; he donned grey trousers, a white shirt, a grey vest, a light blue-grey leather coat, and his black boots, his hair tied back. Since becoming the owner of the shop he a made a good deal more money than he had as just an apprentice. Money had never been a large priority in his life, but he was thankful for the extra money. He was about to be married and hopefully starting a family, after all.

He gulped nervously as he watched Governor Swann step up to give his speech and Elizabeth patted his arm soothingly. He glanced at Elizabeth, admiring just how lovely she looked today; she wore a pale yellow dress, half of her golden brown hair swept up with combs while the rest fell down her shoulders. And as always, she wore the shell necklace that Will had given her all those months ago. Despite what society may have said about public affection, Elizabeth reached out her hand and took Will's loosely in it to calm his nerves; she knew he was terribly nervous about this, but her father had insisted on honoring him publicly.

"Just a month ago," began Governor Swann in a steady voice, "We experienced a horrible and violent attack on our home which we are still recovering from. Many of our good men fought valiantly and we owe them a good deal of gratitude. If not for them, our town would have been overtaken by the pirates."

At this the crowd burst into applause for all the men of Port Royal. Will smiled as he looked around at all the brave men. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, for he knew Governor Swann would soon be beckoning for him to join him where he stood.

"Yes they are to be congratulated," continued Governor Swann with a nod of his head. "And there is one man in particular that I wish to honor today. He is most well known as the town's blacksmith, and more recently as the fiancé of my daughter Elizabeth. Today however, he is to be recognized as a hero and the man who risked his life to save my own. William Turner, will you please join me?"

Will stood up, trying to shake his nerves. He stood tall and walked up to meet the governor with a smile on his face.

"William I give you this medal in honor of what you have done for Port Royal. May it always remind you of your efforts. I thank you," said Governor Swann as he reached out to shake Will's hand.

Will shook it firmly, and the crowd burst into applause. He proceeded to shake both Admiral Wolfe's and Groves' hands. He gave the crowd a friendly nod and waved to Andrew and Amelia. Afterwards there was a long reception outside the fort, and Will was there for many hours, with people of all classes talking with him. Will was honored that Governor Swann had done this for him, but he wasn't used to all the attention, so he was relieved when it was over.

Once he and Elizabeth reached the Swann household he was rather exhausted.

"Goodnight love," he said with a yawn. "I had best get home and get some sleep; I have a good deal of work to catch up on tomorrow, and then I plan to start moving into the house."

"All right," said Elizabeth as she leaned in to give him a kiss on the lips. "Goodnight, my hero. I shall see you tomorrow."

With that, she went inside and once again, all was right in the world of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann.

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AN: I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to update! I had writer's block, which has now been overcome, so the next chapter should be up much sooner than this one hopefully. I hope you enjoyed it and thank you to everyone for all of the reviews!