Disclaimer: Jack still isn't mine because Disney isn't through with him
yet!
AN: Okay, we all realized that Will is 'gone' but not 'dead,' right? HE'S NOT DEAD! So everybody can chill out, okay? Will lovers can breathe easier knowing he's alright.
Chapter 11: Grief and Wedding Plans:
The rest of the journey to Port Royal was a quiet and grief-stricken one. Elizabeth was shocked into silence, and even Lara was speechless. In less than one day Lara had lost the two men she had loved most in the world: her friend, and her lover. Now all of Lara's problems seemed pale in comparison to Elizabeth's loss.
Thinking to help her friend, Lara went to Elizabeth's cabin and knocked. "Lizzie? May I come in?" There was no answer. Lara tried again. "Lizzie?" Still nothing. Lara quietly opened the door and peeked inside. Elizabeth was lying on the bed, facing the window that overlooked the sea. Lara slipped inside and sat next to her friend, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Lizzie?"
Elizabeth turned to meet her eyes; they were red and puffy from crying, and Lara's heart nearly broke to see her friend in so much pain. Lara instantly lay down beside Elizabeth and the two women wrapped their arms around each other and wept.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It took them two days to reach Port Royal. For the entire voyage, Elizabeth enclosed herself within her cabin, letting no one but Lara come in to speak with her.
Upon their arrival, Lara escorted a pale Elizabeth down the ramp and into her father's hands. During the carriage ride to Swann house, the Governor was shocked to hear about his son-in-law's disappearance, and asked Lara to come work in the Swann mansion to help with Elizabeth. She agreed, but only if a message was delivered to the Worthington estate, informing them of Lara's return to the Swann's employment. The Governor agreed, and within fifteen minutes of their arrival, a message had been sent to the Worthington home.
With that weight off her mind, Lara took the grief-stricken Elizabeth upstairs to her room. After they had entered Elizabeth's old room (left exactly the way it had been when she'd married Will) Lara quietly closed the door behind them. Elizabeth made her way to the bed and sat down. Lara sat next to her. Both women were quiet while Lara thought hopeful thoughts to herself.
'They never found evidence of a sunken ship. The Dove could have been knocked off course during the storm. Will could still be alive!' She kept these thoughts to herself for fear of what those thoughts might do to her depressed friend. Instead, she helped Elizabeth undress and tucked her into bed for an afternoon nap while Lara sat by her side, making sure that she didn't try anything drastically harmful to herself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days passed, and Elizabeth seemed to improve emotionally during that time. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope in her eyes, as though she felt Lara's unspoken thoughts, thoughts that Will was still alive somewhere.
However, as Elizabeth grew better, things got worse for Lara. When Elizabeth had been grief-stricken with Will's disappearance and apparent death, Thomas Pierce had come to the Governor's mansion and asked for Lara's hand in marriage. Considering the Governor was like a father to Lara, it was only right that he ask the Governor for his consent.
At first, the Governor had been surprised at the proposal and at Thomas's timing. With Elizabeth emotionally unfit for a wedding, he had asked Thomas to wait until Elizabeth had improved before thinking about such a thing. Now, with Elizabeth on the mend, Thomas became more and more persistent, and the Governor had little reason to refuse him. Both men agreed that a wedding was exactly what both women needed at this time: a moment of joy during this time of sadness and depression. The wedding would happen in a week.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
An hour after the decision was made, the Governor had summoned Lara to his office and told her the news. She had paled at his words. She couldn't believe it. Thomas had actually convinced the Governor to agree to the marriage, and Lara couldn't refuse it. After all, the Governor was like a father to her, and she couldn't refuse him. She also remembered Thomas's threat: marry him, or Jack, and the rest of the Black Pearl's crew, would loose their lives.
She came back to her senses when the Governor asked her a question.
"I think that Thomas is a very good man, and the two of you make a fine match, don't you think so?"
Lara forced a smile. "Of course he's a wonderful man. He also has a very promising career as well."
The Governor smiled. "Yes, he reminds me of Commodore Norrington when he was a lieutenant. Mr. Pierce promises to be a very fine man, and you will be a very fine wife for him."
Lara kept her forced smile. "I'm sure I will, sir."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was agreed by everyone that the ceremony would be kept small, with only friends and 'family' involved. However, Lara insisted that the staff at the Swann home be invited as guests instead of serving at the reception; she had always thought of them as 'almost family,' just as she thought of the Governor as her father and Elizabeth as her sister.
Along with the staff from the Swann mansion, the Worthington family had also been invited, and Amanda would be the flower girl. The little girl was ecstatic; not only was her friend and former nanny back, but she would also be involved in Lara's wedding.
Both parties had decided that the wedding would be held on the beach near the Swann mansion, and the Governor would be giving Lara away, while Elizabeth would be her maid of honor. The Worthingtons had offered to pay for the honeymoon, while the Governor paid for the wedding itself. Everyone in both families was excited.
Only the ones who knew the truth were dreading the wedding: Lara and Elizabeth.
Four days before the wedding, Lara was standing in her room in her wedding gown while Elizabeth stitched it together. It was a beautiful ivory white with lace at the wrists and neckline. There was also a string of white pearls in a box on the dresser, a wedding gift from Thomas. How fitting that he would give her white pearls when the man she loved always thought of black ones. Lara inwardly sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Lizzie, how am I going to get out of this wedding?" Lara quietly asked.
Elizabeth stopped sewing and looked up at her. "I don't think there's a way for you to get out of this, other than dying." She smiled thinly at her friend, who looked like a ghost in her wedding gown.
Lara looked down at her, seriousness showing in her eyes. "I think that, if I go through with this wedding, I may just do that, Lizzie," she whispered quietly.
Elizabeth looked at her friend in shock. "Lara, you can't mean that! What if Jack comes back for you? Do you know what your death could do to him?"
Lara sighed. "I know. The only reason that I'm doing this is to save Jack from death, but I don't know if I can survive without him."
'Or without freedom,' Lara privately thought. She sighed aloud. 'Remember, you're doing this for Jack, even if he is an odd-swaying, bandana-wearing pirate.' Her mouth twitched as she remembered Jack's walk and the way he'd smiled at her. She looked down at her wrist. She was lucky that she had been wearing the bracelet Jack had given her when Thomas had shown up to take her back to Port Royal. It was the only thing she had left to remind her of him. She sighed again.
Elizabeth looked up from another stitch. "What are you sighing about, Lara?"
Lara smiled for the first time in days. "Nothing; I'm just thinking about a Sparrow, that's all." She smiled again as Elizabeth chuckled at her before returning to her stitching.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*
Two days before the wedding, Lara and Elizabeth were in Lara's bedroom, adjusting Lara's wedding dress, when the door to her room sprang open, revealing a shocked and pale maid.
"Mistress! Miss Lara! Downstairs, quickly!" Without another word, she ran out the door. Both women looked at each other in bafflement before racing downstairs. When they reached the landing before the stairwell, both girls stopped in their tracks in shock.
There, standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face, was William Turner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*
AN: There, you see? He's fine! Now everyone can rest easy knowing that Will Turner/Orlando Bloom is living and breathing. Anyway, now that you know everything is fine, please leave a nice review by pushing the little grey button at the bottom of the screen. Thank you!
AN: Okay, we all realized that Will is 'gone' but not 'dead,' right? HE'S NOT DEAD! So everybody can chill out, okay? Will lovers can breathe easier knowing he's alright.
Chapter 11: Grief and Wedding Plans:
The rest of the journey to Port Royal was a quiet and grief-stricken one. Elizabeth was shocked into silence, and even Lara was speechless. In less than one day Lara had lost the two men she had loved most in the world: her friend, and her lover. Now all of Lara's problems seemed pale in comparison to Elizabeth's loss.
Thinking to help her friend, Lara went to Elizabeth's cabin and knocked. "Lizzie? May I come in?" There was no answer. Lara tried again. "Lizzie?" Still nothing. Lara quietly opened the door and peeked inside. Elizabeth was lying on the bed, facing the window that overlooked the sea. Lara slipped inside and sat next to her friend, putting her hand on her shoulder. "Lizzie?"
Elizabeth turned to meet her eyes; they were red and puffy from crying, and Lara's heart nearly broke to see her friend in so much pain. Lara instantly lay down beside Elizabeth and the two women wrapped their arms around each other and wept.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It took them two days to reach Port Royal. For the entire voyage, Elizabeth enclosed herself within her cabin, letting no one but Lara come in to speak with her.
Upon their arrival, Lara escorted a pale Elizabeth down the ramp and into her father's hands. During the carriage ride to Swann house, the Governor was shocked to hear about his son-in-law's disappearance, and asked Lara to come work in the Swann mansion to help with Elizabeth. She agreed, but only if a message was delivered to the Worthington estate, informing them of Lara's return to the Swann's employment. The Governor agreed, and within fifteen minutes of their arrival, a message had been sent to the Worthington home.
With that weight off her mind, Lara took the grief-stricken Elizabeth upstairs to her room. After they had entered Elizabeth's old room (left exactly the way it had been when she'd married Will) Lara quietly closed the door behind them. Elizabeth made her way to the bed and sat down. Lara sat next to her. Both women were quiet while Lara thought hopeful thoughts to herself.
'They never found evidence of a sunken ship. The Dove could have been knocked off course during the storm. Will could still be alive!' She kept these thoughts to herself for fear of what those thoughts might do to her depressed friend. Instead, she helped Elizabeth undress and tucked her into bed for an afternoon nap while Lara sat by her side, making sure that she didn't try anything drastically harmful to herself.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Three days passed, and Elizabeth seemed to improve emotionally during that time. There seemed to be a glimmer of hope in her eyes, as though she felt Lara's unspoken thoughts, thoughts that Will was still alive somewhere.
However, as Elizabeth grew better, things got worse for Lara. When Elizabeth had been grief-stricken with Will's disappearance and apparent death, Thomas Pierce had come to the Governor's mansion and asked for Lara's hand in marriage. Considering the Governor was like a father to Lara, it was only right that he ask the Governor for his consent.
At first, the Governor had been surprised at the proposal and at Thomas's timing. With Elizabeth emotionally unfit for a wedding, he had asked Thomas to wait until Elizabeth had improved before thinking about such a thing. Now, with Elizabeth on the mend, Thomas became more and more persistent, and the Governor had little reason to refuse him. Both men agreed that a wedding was exactly what both women needed at this time: a moment of joy during this time of sadness and depression. The wedding would happen in a week.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*
An hour after the decision was made, the Governor had summoned Lara to his office and told her the news. She had paled at his words. She couldn't believe it. Thomas had actually convinced the Governor to agree to the marriage, and Lara couldn't refuse it. After all, the Governor was like a father to her, and she couldn't refuse him. She also remembered Thomas's threat: marry him, or Jack, and the rest of the Black Pearl's crew, would loose their lives.
She came back to her senses when the Governor asked her a question.
"I think that Thomas is a very good man, and the two of you make a fine match, don't you think so?"
Lara forced a smile. "Of course he's a wonderful man. He also has a very promising career as well."
The Governor smiled. "Yes, he reminds me of Commodore Norrington when he was a lieutenant. Mr. Pierce promises to be a very fine man, and you will be a very fine wife for him."
Lara kept her forced smile. "I'm sure I will, sir."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was agreed by everyone that the ceremony would be kept small, with only friends and 'family' involved. However, Lara insisted that the staff at the Swann home be invited as guests instead of serving at the reception; she had always thought of them as 'almost family,' just as she thought of the Governor as her father and Elizabeth as her sister.
Along with the staff from the Swann mansion, the Worthington family had also been invited, and Amanda would be the flower girl. The little girl was ecstatic; not only was her friend and former nanny back, but she would also be involved in Lara's wedding.
Both parties had decided that the wedding would be held on the beach near the Swann mansion, and the Governor would be giving Lara away, while Elizabeth would be her maid of honor. The Worthingtons had offered to pay for the honeymoon, while the Governor paid for the wedding itself. Everyone in both families was excited.
Only the ones who knew the truth were dreading the wedding: Lara and Elizabeth.
Four days before the wedding, Lara was standing in her room in her wedding gown while Elizabeth stitched it together. It was a beautiful ivory white with lace at the wrists and neckline. There was also a string of white pearls in a box on the dresser, a wedding gift from Thomas. How fitting that he would give her white pearls when the man she loved always thought of black ones. Lara inwardly sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"Lizzie, how am I going to get out of this wedding?" Lara quietly asked.
Elizabeth stopped sewing and looked up at her. "I don't think there's a way for you to get out of this, other than dying." She smiled thinly at her friend, who looked like a ghost in her wedding gown.
Lara looked down at her, seriousness showing in her eyes. "I think that, if I go through with this wedding, I may just do that, Lizzie," she whispered quietly.
Elizabeth looked at her friend in shock. "Lara, you can't mean that! What if Jack comes back for you? Do you know what your death could do to him?"
Lara sighed. "I know. The only reason that I'm doing this is to save Jack from death, but I don't know if I can survive without him."
'Or without freedom,' Lara privately thought. She sighed aloud. 'Remember, you're doing this for Jack, even if he is an odd-swaying, bandana-wearing pirate.' Her mouth twitched as she remembered Jack's walk and the way he'd smiled at her. She looked down at her wrist. She was lucky that she had been wearing the bracelet Jack had given her when Thomas had shown up to take her back to Port Royal. It was the only thing she had left to remind her of him. She sighed again.
Elizabeth looked up from another stitch. "What are you sighing about, Lara?"
Lara smiled for the first time in days. "Nothing; I'm just thinking about a Sparrow, that's all." She smiled again as Elizabeth chuckled at her before returning to her stitching.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*
Two days before the wedding, Lara and Elizabeth were in Lara's bedroom, adjusting Lara's wedding dress, when the door to her room sprang open, revealing a shocked and pale maid.
"Mistress! Miss Lara! Downstairs, quickly!" Without another word, she ran out the door. Both women looked at each other in bafflement before racing downstairs. When they reached the landing before the stairwell, both girls stopped in their tracks in shock.
There, standing in the doorway, his arms crossed and a calm expression on his face, was William Turner.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*
AN: There, you see? He's fine! Now everyone can rest easy knowing that Will Turner/Orlando Bloom is living and breathing. Anyway, now that you know everything is fine, please leave a nice review by pushing the little grey button at the bottom of the screen. Thank you!