Subsist
By Suslin
Elizabeth Swann's father has forced her to marry Commodore Norrington instead of Will and the young lovers are heartbroken. How will each survive in their new situation? Will Elizabeth find love in the serious commodore? Is Will destined to be alone?
OMG! Guys, you are so great! Thank you so much for reviewing!!!! Here's another chapter. Hope you like it.
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Elizabeth had never seen the commodore looking so giddy and boyish. In fact, until this day she had barely even seen him smile, let alone laugh and joke. He was happy, Elizabeth thought. At least someone was.
"Darling, it's time to cut the cake," He murmured into her ear. Elizabeth felt like swatting him away and telling him not to breathe warm air into her ear. He was trying her patience with his constant and inconspicuous displays of affection. Elizabeth sidestepped away from him, then gave a small curtsy to the two guests she had been speaking to.
"It was so nice to meet you and thank you so much for coming. Now, if you'd care to join us cut the cake…" Elizabeth motioned towards the large tent that had been erected in the middle of the green. The top of a large wedding cake could be seen over the heads of the guests who were already under the tent. The couple nodded excitedly and hurried towards the tent, eager to get a good view of the cake cutting. Edward bowed to her in an overly extravagant manner, then straightened and offered her the crook of his arm. Elizabeth took it hesitantly, not sure whether to be annoyed or exasperated. He led her towards the tent, a glint in his eye and a bounce in his step.
At the edge of the tent, the crowd parted like the Red Sea at Moses' command. As the people parted a way for them, Elizabeth saw that her father was waiting by the table. She stopped dead in her tracks. He was smiling at her in an overly self-satisfied manner and it suddenly hit her. He didn't care a bucketful of spit how she felt. Elizabeth clutched Edward's arm tightly, but still he led her forward. She stared wide-eyed at her father, her revelation slowly sinking in. He had her marry Edward to save his own reputation. If she had married Will, the people of Port Royal and other politically-inclined persons might think less of him. Will was nobody to them. Edward was somebody. It was a marriage of convenience.
Elizabeth tore her gaze from her father and she numbly took up the knife. Edward put his hand over hers and he guided her hand to the cake.
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Will took the sword from the oven, then set it down on the stone edge of the forge. He set up the sanding wheel, then fitted it with the 50 grit wheel. When the metal had cooled, he started spinning the wheel with a foot pedal. He ran the blade across the surface of the wheel, sanding it into the exact shape he wanted. Every once in a while he changed wheels, working his way from the rough 50 grit wheel to the smooth 120 grit wheel. With each wheel, the metal became smoother and sharper. After two hours of sanding the blade, he whet the cutting edge to a blood-drawing finish and gave the piece a fine polish. He put the blade down, then got out a light acid for the acid wash. Pouring a generous amount into a wooden tub, he slipped the metal into the tub. He would leave the metal in the liquid overnight, letting the acid eat away at the softer metal.
He sighed and rubbed at his puffy eyes with the heels of his palms, since they were the only parts of his hands untouched by soot and dirt.
"You've worked hard all day, lad. Why don't you go down to the pub and get yourself some food?" Will looked up, startled. He had been working so intently on his sword that he had completely forgotten about the other occupant of the blacksmith's shop. Master Brown was standing in the doorway that led into sanded alleyway where, in addition to making the shoes for horses, he also shod them. Will nodded.
"Thank you." Will bowed his head, then went over to a dusty chair in the corner of the room and he picked up his brown leather vest. He headed towards the door, but stopped when his master spoke again.
"Will, here. Take this." Will looked up and reacted just in time to catch a coin that tumbled through the air, shimming silver. Go buy yourself a drink. You look like you need it."
"Yes, I think I do. Thank you very much." Will slipped the coin out of his pocket, then went out the door. He stepped outside, the warm Jamaican evening, embracing him. He closed the door behind him, then sagged against it.
"Oh, god, Elizabeth. How could you do this to me?" Will closed his eyes and slowly sank to the ground. He put his hand over his mouth. He felt nauseous and when the night wind blew across him, chilling him, he was sent into alternating waves of hot and cold. He looked up, the moon's light reflecting off the tears that spilled down his cheeks. He put his hand down on the stone stair beside him, but he drew it back sharply. He looked down at what had pricked him. It was a white rose, withered and dirty, with a white lace glove tied around it.
He heard something hit the door and he ran to the window and opened the wooden shutters. Will unknotted the glove from the flower and looked at it. On the inside wrist, the Letters EMS were embroidered in carnation pink thread. She raised an ungloved hand to him and her eyes glinted unnaturally with unshed tears. Elizabeth. Will pressed the lace glove to his cheek, his tears soaking it. He couldn't live without her. It just wasn't possible. He lurched to his feet. He knew what he had to do. He had to go to her.
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Elizabeth chewed on the piece of cake that Edward had put in her mouth. She didn't taste anything, she didn't hear anything. She only saw her father, whom she now hated with a vengeance.
"Elizabeth, Elizabeth. Swallow. You've chewed the cake enough." Elizabeth stared at Edward, then swallowed. She bowed her head, pulled a small piece from the from the slice of cake they had already cut, then put it in Edward's mouth, trying her best not to touch him while she did so. She managed, but as she was retracting her hand, he grabbed it and kissed the icing coated fingers.
Elizabeth's finger's twitched in Edward's grasp when her father stepped forward.
"And now, let the festivities begin!" There was cheering, and the music immeadiately started. Without even waiting for Elizabeth to wipe her hands, he twirled her out onto the dance floor. Elizabeth felt sick. She just wanted to go home, collapse in her bed and sleep. But home was no longer home. And home meant being under the same roof as her father. The colors around her blurred and at the first possible chance, she whirled out of his arms and into the nearest chair she could find. She clutched the back of the chair, until the world stopped spinning. She looked up and saw Edward coming over toward her with two bowls. She shook her head. One bowl. He came closer and she saw that there were white lumps of something in the bowl. Edward came and placed the bowl on the table. Elizabeth stared. They were white-chocolate dipped raspberries. Elizabeth fell back into the chair. They were her favorite dessert.
"I was saving this until later, but you looked a bit dizzy. I thought this would make you feel better."
"How did you know?" Elizabeth murmured, dazed. Edward grinned at her
"You had mentioned it once at a dinner party my father hosted," he said, picking up one of the round orbs." I made a point of remembering it. I thought it might come in handy one day." He smiled broadly at her stunned expression, then popped the raspberry into her open mouth. Elizabeth just stared. Edward laughed, then put his fingers on her chin and snapped her mouth shut. Elizabeth chewed and looked down at her hands. A tear fell from her eye, but she quickly wiped it away.
"Thank you."
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Will ran through the city, sorrow giving his feet wings and a dormant memories suddenly resurfacing to show him the way through the labyrinth of streets. Evening gave way to night, wrapping herself in her starry cloak and releasing the gentle night winds. With one last bound, Will burst through the last row of houses, the extensive green opening up before him. He slowed to a brisk walk, his gaze intent on the brightly lit tent from which music and laughter emanated. He had to convince her to come away with him. Neither of them could survive in their new situation. Never.
Will started jogging again, finding the tent wasn't coming closer fast enough. In the dark, he saw a white- clad figure dash from the tent, her veil flowing behind her. Elizabeth. He sped up. She was alone, so he could speak to her at his own leisure. Will reached the rise of a hill, the harbor and the tent suddenly closer than before. He took a step, allowing momentum to carry him forward, but he stumbled as he saw the all too familiar form of Norrington emerge from the tent. He heard him call out Elizabeth's name.
"She doesn't want to be near you, you bastard," Will muttered. "She wants to be with me."
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Elizabeth collapsed on a bench under the shadow of an oak tree, her head in her hands, wondering what on earth she was to do. Her thoughts bled and ran together and ricocheted off the sides of her skull and everything was so muddled, she just couldn't think. She rubbed her pounding temples, and sighed. She had to approach this slowly and rationally, like one of those horrid math problems her tutor made her do when she was younger. She breathed in deeply. Alright. She was a governor's daughter. She had a duty. Her duty was to marry a respectable man, like Commodore Norrington. Edward. She had done that. It was her duty. It was what she had been raised to do. She completed it. She even might learn to love him. So what was wrong?
It was became she loved Will. She had been captured by pirates and then Will had come after her and he was worried about her and he loved her and he saved her and they saved each other and they fell in love and then Edward had given her up and she and Will were going to marry and they were going to be so happy and then and then… Elizabeth shuddered at the memory of the fight that she and her father had. He had refused to let her marry Will… and he had arranged the wedding for the next day.
A shadow slanted across her and Elizabeth looked up. Edward was looking at her but when she raised her head, he shifted his gaze towards the harbor where the black water was dotted with white pearls. The stars were gazing in a vain fashion at their own reflections in the water, shining even more brightly because Edward was looking at them.
"I…was just speaking with your father," he started. Elizabeth noted he sounded tired and defeated. "And he sounded unusually smug and happy. I wasn't sure why. If I might say so, he's usually a pompous ass, please pardon my slander of him, but he never seemed so…" Edward trailed off and he sighed. He turned to her. "I am exceedingly sorry for what you have had to go through today. When I saw you and Will together, so very much in love, I thought it would be best to let you two be together. I was very much torn, for I love you very much, but I also wanted you to be happy. Then, when your father called on me and told me that you had changed your mind, I couldn't help but be overjoyed. In the back of my mind, I doubted his words somewhat, but I didn't think it possible that he would even think of forcing you to marry someone you did not love." He bowed his head. "I am truly sorry and I hope you will forgive the terrible blunder I have committed."
Elizabeth rose and went to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He tasted of white chocolate and raspberries.
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Thank you so much to my seventeen reviewers, I'm glad you liked the first chapter. I hope you liked the second. And guess who's going to be in the next chapter? Yours truly, Cap'n Jack Sparrow.