~*~

Chapter Twenty-One

No Regrets

~*~

One week later…

~*~

"It's beautiful," said Serenity, reaching out to touch the white fabric dress that Mother was holding up in front of her. It was the wedding dress that she had worn to marry Father, and now Serenity would be wearing it. The dress was plain but it was lovely nonetheless, and Serenity couldn't have asked for anything better to be wed in. "May I?"

               "Go ahead, try it on," Mother urged, handing the dress carefully to her. "I hope it fits you, dear."

               "Me too," agreed Serenity as she went behind the door. She took of her cotton shift that she had been wearing and slipped the gown over her head. To her surprise and delight, it fit almost perfectly, although it was a little tight in the chest area. It'll do fine, Serenity told herself, If Elizabeth and all those other rich girls can wear those awful corsets, I can most certainly wear this! Slowly she opened the door back up and twirled around. Mother clapped her hands together.

               "You look stunning," said Mother, reaching out to touch the fabric. "I'm so glad. It fits you?"

               "Yes, it fits well enough," said Serenity. Mother looked worried for a moment, and Serenity smiled. "I'll be fine, Mother, not to worry." She relaxed a bit and started thinking about the wedding plans again.

               "Now, we can't let Connor see you in this," she said excitedly. "It's bad luck for a groom to see his wife in her wedding dress before the wedding!"

               "Of course," laughed Serenity, walking across the room for a look in the mirror. She didn't look like herself; in her mother's wedding dress she seemed more to look like some kind of stranger. The woman in the mirror also seemed to be prettier than Serenity usually considered herself to be. Self-consciously she reached up and patted her hair flat, but it refused to stay.

               "And we'll have to figure out something to do with your hair," said Mother.

               "Maybe I should just leave it down," said Serenity.

               "It does become you," Mother admitted. "We'll think of something."

               "Alright," Serenity said, once again disappearing behind the door to slip off the dress and fold it back into it's box. As she watched the gown slide lifelessly back into the wooden container, she imagined their wedding. It was going to be a simple wedding, without much ado, and it was going to be held at the small stone chapel near their home. Serenity was glad to be married there, as it was the church she had been attending ever since she came to Port Royale. She sighed and put the lid on the box. Mother took it from the bed and slid it onto the top of her tall bureau.

               "Are you nervous?" asked Mother happily. "I was so nervous before my wedding, I was vomiting into my chamber pot…it was vile, but you have a much stronger temperament than I did. I'm sure you'll be fine."

               "I am a little nervous," said Serenity, "but I know I'm making the right decision."

               "I know too, darling," said Mother as she came over to give Serenity a hug. "You're father and I are so proud of you. We couldn't have hoped for better."

               "Thank you, Mother," whispered Serenity. "I know I won't regret this."

               "In the long run," said Mother as they pulled away, "there will be no regret."

               "No regrets," said Serenity with a small smile on her face. "No regrets."

~*~

               Daniel whooped with happiness and raised his mug in a toast. He had just heard the wonderful news that in a week his ship would be nearing the small smuggling hang where he had been drinking and waiting for news. All that waiting had just paid off. The Vengeance had been delayed for some reason and had not been able to near Port Royale until now, and now Daniel could get his revenge quickly and then leave before the police could catch him. It's foolproof! He thought. There's a bunch of buzz about the wedding, I sneak in, shoot Turner, and the leave before anybody finds out! It's wonderful! He swigged his entire mug down in one gulp and then banged it onto the wooden table, making it shake. I'm going home at last!

~*~

               It was three days before the wedding and Connor stood in his room, listening to a lecture from Serenity's father. Although it was a lecture indeed, Connor was grateful for it as he did not have his own father to talk to three days before he was to be wed to the woman he loved. He had written a letter to his father and mother back in Ireland telling them all about Serenity and how after they were married they would sail to Ireland and visit them. He knew Serenity would like that.

               "Love is always important in a marriage, and I'm sure you and Serenity share a very strong love," Sam Williams prattled on. Connor could tell he was extremely nervous about giving his only daughter away, but it was good that Sam had someone to unload all his unconscious worries onto. "As long as you are faithful to each other, your love will last a lifetime…"

~*~

               Will was busying himself with making the most exquisite sword that he had ever made. The shell sword that he had undertaken months ago laid gathering dust in the corner, next to the conch shell pendant. He hadn't looked at the shells in a while, and their beauty lay forgotten as he worked on laying gold filigree into the hilt of the Commodore Norrington's sword. This sword was perfectly balanced, the hilt was the same weight as the blade itself, and Will wished that he could be there to see the Commodore use it. However, those fancy military to-dos did not welcome peasant blacksmiths such as Will Turner. They were for the rich folk that had connections and corsets.

               Will hefted the unfinished blade and did a few moves with it. It was perfect, outshining every other sword that he had ever made. To test it, he set it onto his palm and watched the hilt be even with the blade. He tossed it into the air and caught it, watching the silver and the gold shimmer in the sunlight that was leaking through the windows. Will was working in frenzy, trying not to think about anything. He put the sword back onto his worktable and picked up one of his own swords and began his three hours with it. They passed quickly and soon Will found himself walking down the road to the beach once more. He avoided the strip of beach where Serenity and Connor had been engaged and instead headed for the sand on the other side of the dock, a place that he didn't usually go. The jetty stretched out into the ocean and Will found himself walking upon it, almost falling several times on the slippery stones.

               "'Ay," someone called from the dock. "You're not allowed ou' on that jetty!"

               Will sighed and made his way back to the shore with nothing to do except think, and he had only one thing to think about.

~*~

               Daniel began excitedly packing his few items of clothing into a small bag that he had got at the general store. He had come off the fishing boat with only the clothes on his back, and he didn't have much more than that now, so it only took him a few minutes to gather his effects. Daniel put his pistol on top of his clothes and then pulled the drawstring tight. His room looked slightly plainer than it had fifteen minutes ago, but Daniel didn't lament the difference. He had only two or three more days before he would be out of Port Royale and back onto his ship. Daniel resisted the urge to shout with happiness again and instead went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. In a few days I won't be eating anything except rats and gruel! He thought happily.