Chapter 26: A Ship Crash
[Still Will's POV
It was a tempting offer, to give up my son in exchange for freedom after ten years of servitude, but I couldn't do it. I wouldn't. Eternity was long. Life was awful, but no, I could not live with that guilt.
I almost felt like crying, but I would not. I would keep the tears in no matter what it took. For some reason, I felt that I had to remain strong.
I knew the sacrifice I'd be making to keep my son in good hands was a huge one, but no, I would not give in to her demands. Calypso wouldn't win this one, no matter what it meant for me.
"I won't do it," I said to Calypso.
"Ya making a big sacrifice, William. Eternity... tis a long time."
"So be it."
"William," my father argued, "You barely even know the boy."
I could not believe my own father was saying such a thing. No matter how hard I tried to avoid the facts, my father still was a pirate. The stubborn man. I know he just wanted a better fate for me, but what about my son?
"Yer father make a good point," Calypso argued, "Tink William all dat ya could loose."
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," I said, my mind already made up.
"Nevah seeing Elizabeth again?" Calypso asked.
"I'll see her once every ten years."
"But only fer one day, William, and only if ya do yer duty."
"Then I'll do my duty."
"And for 'ow many of dese ten years do ya tink she'll be alive?" she asked.
Calypso made a good point. Seeing Elizabeth for only one day every ten years would probably only give me two or possibly three chances to see her before Elizabeth would no longer be alive, but I'd still be there. I'd be stuck between the land of the living and the dead for all eternity, or at least until someone stabbed my own heart. This still wasn't enough to change my mind, however. I would not sacrifice my son.
"I doesn't matter, Calypso," I argued, "You can't win."
"And 'ow do ya tink Elizabeth feels about tis?"
I had no response for this. There was nothing I could say. I didn't know how Elizabeth would react, but I could imagine it wouldn't be pretty.
"Let us find out shall we?" Calypso asked.
The moment those words left her mouth the whole ship began to shake. I worried about what Calypso could possibly be doing, when suddenly a member of the crew ran into the room panicking.
"Captain!" he yelled, "A ship hit the Dutchman!"
"What?" I asked. That was something that definitely hadn't happened before.
"Shall we go out ta da deck, William?" Calypso asked and not knowing what else to do I followed her as she lead me to the deck of the ship.
What I saw out there was surprising. The ship that had hit the Dutchman wasn't just any old ship. It was Elizabeth's.
"Elizabeth!" I yelled, worried.
"Will!" she yelled back.
I ran over to her and embraced her, careful not to crush Willy who she was carefully holding in her arms.
"What's happening?" she asked.
"Are you alright?" I asked, not really knowing how, or wanting to, answer her question.
"Yes, I'm fine."
I sighed, relieved.
"I'll have you know that it was not my steering that landed us here," Jack stated.
"No," Calypso agreed, "Tis da sea's doing."
"Did you really have to ruin me ship in the process!?" he asked.
"Do not question da sea. 'er ways are unknown ta man."
"Calypso," Elizabeth questioned, "Why did you bring us here?"
"Do not question da sea," Calypso repeated.
Elizabeth handed Willy to me and steeped forwards towards Calypso. "I'll have you know that I don't take orders from anyone!"
"Ya don't know what yer messing wit, child."
"And I don't believe you know what you're messing with either, Calypso."
I was proud of my wife for her courage, but at the same time I also feared that it would get her into even more trouble than we were already in.
"Perhaps yer husband should tell ya what e's done," Calypso suggested.
Elizabeth looked at me with shock. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to tell her.
"Will, you didn't," she said.
At first I had no idea how she knew, when suddenly it hit me. She didn't know. She probably thought I'd betrayed her.
"Elizabeth," I said.
"Tell me you didn't, Will."
"Elizabeth, I didn't."
I saw relief in her eyes and it made me overjoyed. It was times like that that I remembered just how much I loved her and it was also times likes this when I realized just how well we understood each other.
I felt Elizabeth leaning in to kiss me, but Calypso didn't let it happen.
"Perhaps ya should tell 'er what ya did do," Calypso stated.
"Elizabeth," I said, ready to tell her the truth, but no words would come out. I could not break this news to her. I knew it would hurt her and I didn't want to.
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A/N:
Well there's another chapter. Technically, it could really be combined into one with the next chapter, but the next one is super long as is.
Anyway, Review please, guys. Next chapter will be posted um... let's say the moment the story review count hits 220. It's at 213 now, so that shouldn't be so hard.
Thanks for reading!