Chapter...Whatever.
****Five hours later***
"Yo-ho, yo-ho," Will sang as he ran after Elizabeth around the large fire they had made out of drift-wood. "A pirate's life for me!"
"We pillage we plunder, we rifle, we loot. Drink up me hearties, yo-ho." Elizabeth continued, still holding the same bottle Will had given her hours earlier.
Will Turner, pirate and one of the pirate pride of the Caribbean, downed a couple more gulps of watered-down cheap rum. Then unceremoniously he dropped to the sand, and lay back laughing. "I love this song." He looked up at Elizabeth, who was standing over him. "I'm gonna tell it to Jack, and then you'll see just badly HE can sing." Will blinked, looking up at the starry heavens. "Oh." He groaned. "Jack is going to kill me for losing his crew." He rubbed his forhead.
Elizabeth glared at him. "Jack Sparrow? And how did a nice boy end up to be with a pirate like him anyway?" She sat down unsteadily next to him.
"Very long story." Will sighed. "Agh. I can usually drink better than this. It must be because of that nasty bump I got on my noggin."
"Well, what is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's right there." Will rubbed the back of his head.
"No, I mean the story!" Elizabeth insisted.
Will swayed. "Oh." He laughed. "When I was a boy, I came looking for my father after my mother died. Pirates sunk the ship I was on, and I was left adrift. That's when Jack showed up. He took me under his wing, and later I became his first mate."
Elizabeth laid back against the sand. "It sounds so simple."
"It wasn't." Will replied. "It turned out I had the last piece of cursed Aztec gold. My father had been one who was cursed also along with Jack's mutinous crew. They needed my blood and that lost piece to lift the curse."
Elizabeth sat up. "I hardly believe in ghost stories, but what kind of curse was this?"
Will looked her in the eyes. "A most terrible curse. They were living but dead, and couldn't feel any of the pleasures in life." He paused, wondering weather Elizabeth believed him or not. It was clear that she didn't. "But what was most interesting was that they'd turn into skeletons in the moonlight." He smiled, and then flicked his hand in the air. A curious smile crossed Elizabeth's face. It was a cross between scorn and laughter. "I have to admit, you are a good one at telling stories."
Will rolled his eyes, looking away. "It taint stories love. I've felt that curse me self, and it aint nice."
"What do you mean you've 'felt it'. Only a moron would curse himself." Elizabeth retorted.
"I was a boy of ten. What did I know of that?"
Elizabeth paused. "You were only ten?"
"Maybe eleven." Will rubbed his forehead. "My mind is groggy."
"Well, since we're outside in the moonlight, and you aren't transparent, it seems the curse was lifted." Elizabeth reasoned.
"Yep." Will chuckled, "A quick blood-letting at the hand and the return of the stolen piece meant I was free. It left a strange scar though."
"And what about that P. On your wrist?" Elizabeth asked, coking her head to the side.
Will sat his bottle in the sand next to him, and rolled up his sleeve. "P." He smiled. "For pirate."
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. "I could have guessed that. But how did you get the brand?"
Will sat up unsteadily. "That brand, is what you get when you're caught by the East India Trading Company. Before they leave you in one of those black prison ships to rot in a hellish grave."
Elizabeth tried not to look surprised, but she did anyway. "You were caught?"
Will took another gulp of the rum. "Yup. Me and Jack. He came back after me, when I was left by his crew. But I had already been captured, so it wasn't any use anyway." He swayed in close to her, trying to look serious, but laughing anyway.
"How did you escape?" She asked.
"Ack." Will shrugged. "Nasty memory. I was small enough that I could swim through one of the sewage holes, and then out. Later I got Jack's friends, raided the prison ship, and set all free." He smiled. "But from then on I was officially a member of the crew, and the men treated me like it."There was a little bit of pride in his voice, and his dark eyes looked at her quietly.
"Small enough?" Elizabeth looked at him. "How old were you then?"
Will paused, trying to remember through the bottles of rum he had just downed. "Fourteen. Maybe."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "They branded a fourteen year old?"
Will shrugged. "Well, when they caught me I had already mowed through a large percent of their men. So they weren't exactly eyeing me as a kiddie."
Elizabeth nodded quietly, turning her a third empty rum bottle over in her hands. "So that's how it is, is it?"
Will shrugged. "I guess so." He looked around at the small island. "But you know, I don't always intend to be first mate to Jack always."
"You don't, huh?" Elizabeth muttered.
"No." Will slurred. "One day, I want a ship of me own." He swayed. "It doesn't have to be as fast as the Pearl, or as huge as a battleship. Just something small to start myself out on. Then, I'll build with it. Then, I'll eventually have my own fleet." He looked away, smiling quietly.
"And you will be the most notorious pirate of the Caribbean." Elizabeth added.
Will smiled at her. "Not jist the Caribbean. The entire world." He laughed. "I already am famous in the Caribbean." He glanced at her. "And if you haven't married Port Royal's Commodore, and had three little soldiers by then, you could come with me if you want."
Elizabeth laughed. "Where would we go?"
Will motioned out toward the endless sea. "Anywhere! Love. Wherever you want to go. Spain, France, Italy." He leaned close. "Whatever you want, wherever you want. That's what a ship is. Total and absolute freedom." He whispered.
Elizabeth looked at him. So this is who Will Turner was. Pirate, seaman, and fighter. She had to admit, he wasn't so bad as pirates went.
Will laughed, taking up his bottle again. "If you did come with me, just think about the fun we'd have, eh Miss Swan?"
"Oh yes." Elizabeth looked around the tiny island. "Lots of fun."
Will took a couple of gulps and sighed, laying back down. "I-" he rubbed his head. "Think I've had enough rum for now."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "After three bottles of watered down anything, I would think you would have had-" She paused, looking down at where he lay on his back in the sand, asleep and dead drunk.
Elizabeth looked at the fire not too far off, and then at the bottle of rum in her hand. Her original idea would have worked. But that would place Will Turner at the mercy of Commodore Norrington, who hated pirates with a passion. For the moment, she didn't want to see this particular pirate at the hangman's noose. No, she would let her plan go. Perhaps he had something up his sleeve she didn't know about anyway.
-To Be Continued
(A.N. Yes. Will does have something up his sleeve...but can ye guess what it is?)
****Five hours later***
"Yo-ho, yo-ho," Will sang as he ran after Elizabeth around the large fire they had made out of drift-wood. "A pirate's life for me!"
"We pillage we plunder, we rifle, we loot. Drink up me hearties, yo-ho." Elizabeth continued, still holding the same bottle Will had given her hours earlier.
Will Turner, pirate and one of the pirate pride of the Caribbean, downed a couple more gulps of watered-down cheap rum. Then unceremoniously he dropped to the sand, and lay back laughing. "I love this song." He looked up at Elizabeth, who was standing over him. "I'm gonna tell it to Jack, and then you'll see just badly HE can sing." Will blinked, looking up at the starry heavens. "Oh." He groaned. "Jack is going to kill me for losing his crew." He rubbed his forhead.
Elizabeth glared at him. "Jack Sparrow? And how did a nice boy end up to be with a pirate like him anyway?" She sat down unsteadily next to him.
"Very long story." Will sighed. "Agh. I can usually drink better than this. It must be because of that nasty bump I got on my noggin."
"Well, what is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's right there." Will rubbed the back of his head.
"No, I mean the story!" Elizabeth insisted.
Will swayed. "Oh." He laughed. "When I was a boy, I came looking for my father after my mother died. Pirates sunk the ship I was on, and I was left adrift. That's when Jack showed up. He took me under his wing, and later I became his first mate."
Elizabeth laid back against the sand. "It sounds so simple."
"It wasn't." Will replied. "It turned out I had the last piece of cursed Aztec gold. My father had been one who was cursed also along with Jack's mutinous crew. They needed my blood and that lost piece to lift the curse."
Elizabeth sat up. "I hardly believe in ghost stories, but what kind of curse was this?"
Will looked her in the eyes. "A most terrible curse. They were living but dead, and couldn't feel any of the pleasures in life." He paused, wondering weather Elizabeth believed him or not. It was clear that she didn't. "But what was most interesting was that they'd turn into skeletons in the moonlight." He smiled, and then flicked his hand in the air. A curious smile crossed Elizabeth's face. It was a cross between scorn and laughter. "I have to admit, you are a good one at telling stories."
Will rolled his eyes, looking away. "It taint stories love. I've felt that curse me self, and it aint nice."
"What do you mean you've 'felt it'. Only a moron would curse himself." Elizabeth retorted.
"I was a boy of ten. What did I know of that?"
Elizabeth paused. "You were only ten?"
"Maybe eleven." Will rubbed his forehead. "My mind is groggy."
"Well, since we're outside in the moonlight, and you aren't transparent, it seems the curse was lifted." Elizabeth reasoned.
"Yep." Will chuckled, "A quick blood-letting at the hand and the return of the stolen piece meant I was free. It left a strange scar though."
"And what about that P. On your wrist?" Elizabeth asked, coking her head to the side.
Will sat his bottle in the sand next to him, and rolled up his sleeve. "P." He smiled. "For pirate."
Elizabeth lifted an eyebrow. "I could have guessed that. But how did you get the brand?"
Will sat up unsteadily. "That brand, is what you get when you're caught by the East India Trading Company. Before they leave you in one of those black prison ships to rot in a hellish grave."
Elizabeth tried not to look surprised, but she did anyway. "You were caught?"
Will took another gulp of the rum. "Yup. Me and Jack. He came back after me, when I was left by his crew. But I had already been captured, so it wasn't any use anyway." He swayed in close to her, trying to look serious, but laughing anyway.
"How did you escape?" She asked.
"Ack." Will shrugged. "Nasty memory. I was small enough that I could swim through one of the sewage holes, and then out. Later I got Jack's friends, raided the prison ship, and set all free." He smiled. "But from then on I was officially a member of the crew, and the men treated me like it."There was a little bit of pride in his voice, and his dark eyes looked at her quietly.
"Small enough?" Elizabeth looked at him. "How old were you then?"
Will paused, trying to remember through the bottles of rum he had just downed. "Fourteen. Maybe."
Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "They branded a fourteen year old?"
Will shrugged. "Well, when they caught me I had already mowed through a large percent of their men. So they weren't exactly eyeing me as a kiddie."
Elizabeth nodded quietly, turning her a third empty rum bottle over in her hands. "So that's how it is, is it?"
Will shrugged. "I guess so." He looked around at the small island. "But you know, I don't always intend to be first mate to Jack always."
"You don't, huh?" Elizabeth muttered.
"No." Will slurred. "One day, I want a ship of me own." He swayed. "It doesn't have to be as fast as the Pearl, or as huge as a battleship. Just something small to start myself out on. Then, I'll build with it. Then, I'll eventually have my own fleet." He looked away, smiling quietly.
"And you will be the most notorious pirate of the Caribbean." Elizabeth added.
Will smiled at her. "Not jist the Caribbean. The entire world." He laughed. "I already am famous in the Caribbean." He glanced at her. "And if you haven't married Port Royal's Commodore, and had three little soldiers by then, you could come with me if you want."
Elizabeth laughed. "Where would we go?"
Will motioned out toward the endless sea. "Anywhere! Love. Wherever you want to go. Spain, France, Italy." He leaned close. "Whatever you want, wherever you want. That's what a ship is. Total and absolute freedom." He whispered.
Elizabeth looked at him. So this is who Will Turner was. Pirate, seaman, and fighter. She had to admit, he wasn't so bad as pirates went.
Will laughed, taking up his bottle again. "If you did come with me, just think about the fun we'd have, eh Miss Swan?"
"Oh yes." Elizabeth looked around the tiny island. "Lots of fun."
Will took a couple of gulps and sighed, laying back down. "I-" he rubbed his head. "Think I've had enough rum for now."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "After three bottles of watered down anything, I would think you would have had-" She paused, looking down at where he lay on his back in the sand, asleep and dead drunk.
Elizabeth looked at the fire not too far off, and then at the bottle of rum in her hand. Her original idea would have worked. But that would place Will Turner at the mercy of Commodore Norrington, who hated pirates with a passion. For the moment, she didn't want to see this particular pirate at the hangman's noose. No, she would let her plan go. Perhaps he had something up his sleeve she didn't know about anyway.
-To Be Continued
(A.N. Yes. Will does have something up his sleeve...but can ye guess what it is?)