Will walked swiftly along the road, clutching the long wooden box. Frowning, he glanced at his pocket watch. He promised to be at the Coleville's home before four and it was already ten to. Will took his job very seriously and had decided early on to build a reputation for perfection. So far, he had achieved his goal for Master Brown had been the top blacksmith in Port Royal for over four years now, due largely to Will's skill. He kept his dark eyes focused on the ground in front of him, unwilling to allow a stone or hole to trip him and delay him from his task. He was determined to be on time, to let nothing distract him. Unfortunately, out of the corner of his eye he saw the Governor's mansion and his head immediately snapped up to see... to see if he could catch a glimpse of her.
His steady pace dramatically slowed down until he found himself frozen in front of the massive iron gate, his unblinking eyes searching the grounds. He had tried to not think of her for months now but naturally whatever he tried not to think about was exactly where his thoughts centered, as much as he tried to fight it. He had hoped by immersing himself in his apprenticeship and in the studying of swordplay he could forget her and find a new love in steel... one that didn't need to return his affection. He had failed miserably.
William Turner was the boy that everyone pitied. He was found nearly drowned by the remains of a burning ship nearly seven years ago. Will never remembered fully what had happened that day except for a few blurred faces and a great deal of shouting. The only detail he remembered with perfect clarity was that this had been the day he met Miss Elizabeth Swan. Being the daughter of the new Governor of Port Royal, she was on that ship with her father coming from England to the Caribbean. She had been only ten years old and Will only twelve. A faint smile came across Will's face as he remembered his surprise when he woke up and saw her young face rather than the gruff looking men he had grown accustomed to seeing.
Will's mother had died when he was eleven. His father was a man of the sea and rarely visited England. Will remembered his father faintly. All he really knew of William Turner Senior was what his mother told him: he was a mariner involved in trade and that he was a good up-standing man. Will was on that boat in search of his father.
The Governor's ship brought him to Port Royal and Governor Swann saw to it that Will receive proper care, primarily because Elizabeth insisted it must be done. Once he was recovered, Will had the option of returning to the sea to try again to search out his father. However he stayed. Though he did not know why at the time, he realized now that Elizabeth had a great deal to do with it. Childish crushes are no reason to change your life's course but he had seen in her a kindness he found matched no others. He would rather stay in a place where that sort of kindness existed rather than on a filthy boat as a cabin boy. Again due to Elizabeth's urging, Governor Swann arranged for Will's apprenticeship with Master Brown and gave him a small purse of shillings to get him on his way.
That was years ago and Will was now a young man of nineteen. His boyishness was gone and he was in no way the scrawny half-starved creature he had once been. He worked as a blacksmith now and handled most of the clients' orders while Mr. Brown lay in a drunken slumber. He had been a fast learner and picked up skills in a matter of weeks most men took years to learn and then went beyond Mr. Brown's knowledge by reading countless books, heightening his skill to exceed his teacher.
Will had only been taught to read and write and a small amount of mathematics by his mother. She could not afford to send him to a proper school. But with the money he earned from Brown, Will began purchasing books. After his fifth trip to the Bookkeeper, the owner Mr. Watkins had motioned for Will to come in the back room.
"Turner," he began, "You are unlike any twelve-year-old I have known save one. Myself. So I will make you a deal, but one that must be kept a secret." Will nodded solemnly. "I don't want to spending your hard earned money on my books. You save that money. You may borrow any book in my store so long as you return it just as well as when you found it. In turn, I may ask for your help around here from time to time." A wide grin spread across Will's face as he nodded enthusiastically.
Will was smart. He knew he was smart. But he was a simple blacksmith. And although he was thankful for that position he hoped to prove himself to the town so that perhaps Elizabeth would notice him as more than just a boy she knew as a child.
Elizabeth Swann was the most beautiful girl Will knew. He rarely saw her because he was so often working, practicing the sword, or reading but when he did, he felt as though he were underwater, unable to breathe. Elizabeth was always kind to Will but she was too often surrounded by friends- noblemen's daughters who knew just how to act. Will had always believed that Elizabeth was nothing like those girls oozing with propriety and manners. Not that Elizabeth was improper in any way but he knew she had a longing for adventure and a love for the sea.
One day three years ago, he had seen her with her hair down and her shoes off, sitting on the beach staring out at the ocean when she thought no one was looking. Had any of her "friends" seen her windblown with sand in her petticoats, they would have turned up their noses and flounced away but Will remembered that this was the first time he realized that he loved her. She was everything he wanted yet he knew that there was no way he could raise himself from his lower-class status unless he became so magnificent, such an expert in one area of his life that the whole town raved about him. Thus his devotion to the blade. It was all for her.
Movement caught Will's eye suddenly. Elizabeth was at an upstairs window looking at him curiously. He drew in a sharp breath and shut his eyes. He realized what a fool he must seem staring at a house with a dazed expression. He pretended he had not seen her and continued on his way down the road.
