Whee second chapter. I've never attempted a multi-chapter fic before, due to my laziness *cough* But I'll keep kicking myself in the ass to get this one updated a lot. Promise. Cross my heart stick a sword in my eye.
OtterMoon - Thanks for the review, here's the update :)
orli*N*keira - I tried portraying Elizabeth like in the movie...I never thought she was very ladylike to begin with. So I just went on that. I'm glad you liked it.
TortillaInLuv - Whee, thanks :) I'm planning on having a few unsuspected twists, so I hope that's what you like?
----------------------------------------------
"Caroline? Cari, where are you?" Elizabeth tried not to let the worry stab at her chest as she looked for her daughter. The sun was just setting behind the rocky cliffs, making the house darker than usual; not very good conditions for child-hunting. A giggle behind her caught her attention and she whirled around to see the ends of a girl's skirts whip around the corner. Elizabeth pursed her lips at the child's antics as she stalked to where Caroline had dissapeared into the master bedroom. Poking her head through the doorway there was no impression that a mini-tornado had torn through the room. Everything was neat and kept, and not a noise came from under the bed or the closet.
Elizabeth smirked as she started to waltz slowly down the hallway, and she said in a singsong voice, "Oh well, I guess I will just have to eat that lovely chocolate cake the cook made all by myself if I have no one to enjoy it with..."A head peered out into the hall at her mother and Elizabeth quickly reacted before the child could.
"Mother! You tricked me!" Six year old Caroline Turner huffed and crossed her arms as Elizabeth carried her child to the bathroom.
"Well, how else am I supposed to get you into the bathtub? You haven't had one today, and you're filthy!" Elizabeth glances hapazardly in case anyone was around to hear, and she whispered to her daughter. "Plus, I'm sure your father will take you to the shop later today, okay? So come on!" She knew Caroline liked to frequent the blacksmith's shop with her father, and wanted to be skilled with a sword. If only society would allow it, for she only wanted her daughter to be happy even if she weren't her birth mother.
Caroline's face lit up as her auburn curls fell into her face. "Okay, okay I'll take a bloody bath if you would loosen up on my waist a little bit!" Elizabeth set her daughter down on the plush carpet and Caroline ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Elizabeth wiped her hands on the front of her plain dress as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled and leaned back into Will as he held her.
"Why does that child seem to be so intent on staying filthy?"
"Give her a break, Liz, she's just a kid. Kids get dirty."
"Yes, but then the filthy kids can't stay filthy. What would my father say if his granddaughter wandered up to her house with snails in her pockets and mud on her face?"
Will rolled his eyes and planted a light kiss on his wife's neck and wandered down the hall to assist his daughter in getting clean. A loud shout, a shriek, and a splash of water later Elizabeth was down the hall and in the bathroom. A very wet, and slightly frusterated Will was attempting to catch his slippery daughter and put her back in the bathtub. Caroline attempted to push past her mother but Elizabeth scooped up her naked and wet daughter with a stern look and replaced her back in the tub. Caroline took one look at her mother's face and she sat still in the tub and allowed her hair to be washed, and her body scrubbed.
Will scratched his head as he watched his wife and daughter as they finished. "How do you do that?"
Elizabeth smiled and gave Will a quick kiss before walking into the next room to dress Caroline. "It's a motherly thing."
Will smirked. "Apparently I have a lot to learn."
Caroline gazed out the window as Elizabeth finished dressing her. An unidentifiable man stood in the gardens below; she could only tell the man had on a hat, coat, and had rather long, shaggy hair. Caroline opened her mouth to tell her mother, knowing the mansion's grounds were off limits to civilians, but as soon as she looked away the man had dissapeared.
"Cari?" Elizabeth looked at her daughter, and Caroline snapped out of her trance and smiled at her mother. "What's out there? Did you see someone?"
Caroline stuttered for the right words, but eventually waved it off as it being simply a squirrel that caught her attention. "I'm gonna go see if Cook wants me to help him get dinner ready."
"Alright, just try not to make too much of a mess. The maids don't like that." Elizabeth gave her daughter a quick peck on the forehead as she ran off to the kitchens. Will sat on the plush bed beside his wife and peered out the window. "You don't think she was telling the truth either?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "She earned her bad lying skills from you, Will." She smiled as Will gave her a playful kiss. "But I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."
Will sat back on the bed with a pensive expression on his face. "I was thinking that maybe Cari's old enough to know where she's from, now. I mean, it's better for her to know earlier, isn't it?"
Elizabeth frowned. "But we don't even know where she's from. All I saw was the outline of a woman running across the lawn with Caroline in her arms, I never even saw her real mother's face! I don't want her to be wondering all of her life." Will enveloped Elizabeth in her arms.
"I know that we haven't been able to have kids, and when one just happened to pop up on our doorstep you vowed never to let anything bad happen to her, but you've got to lighten up a little. She's growing up and you're either watching her every second of the day or you're doing anything for her that's the least bit challenging." He squeezed her shoulder a little bit in a comforting manner. "She's learning, let her experience life."
Elizabeth smiled as Will gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and he left to see what kind of tornado Caroline left for the maids to clean. She sighed and leaned back against the fluffy pillows, intent on taking a short nap before dinner. Outside, the wind ruffled through the trees as night began to fall again upon Port Royale. A dark figure made his way down the sloping lawns of the property, and slipped through the bars of the gates unnoticed. He looked back to the mansion, and smiled a knowing grin, the light catching upon a few golden teeth in the man's mouth.
-------------------------------------------------------
So? So? :) If you can't guess who the mystery man is I think you need someone to examine your head. Next chapter coming really soon, sorry for the delay!
OtterMoon - Thanks for the review, here's the update :)
orli*N*keira - I tried portraying Elizabeth like in the movie...I never thought she was very ladylike to begin with. So I just went on that. I'm glad you liked it.
TortillaInLuv - Whee, thanks :) I'm planning on having a few unsuspected twists, so I hope that's what you like?
----------------------------------------------
"Caroline? Cari, where are you?" Elizabeth tried not to let the worry stab at her chest as she looked for her daughter. The sun was just setting behind the rocky cliffs, making the house darker than usual; not very good conditions for child-hunting. A giggle behind her caught her attention and she whirled around to see the ends of a girl's skirts whip around the corner. Elizabeth pursed her lips at the child's antics as she stalked to where Caroline had dissapeared into the master bedroom. Poking her head through the doorway there was no impression that a mini-tornado had torn through the room. Everything was neat and kept, and not a noise came from under the bed or the closet.
Elizabeth smirked as she started to waltz slowly down the hallway, and she said in a singsong voice, "Oh well, I guess I will just have to eat that lovely chocolate cake the cook made all by myself if I have no one to enjoy it with..."A head peered out into the hall at her mother and Elizabeth quickly reacted before the child could.
"Mother! You tricked me!" Six year old Caroline Turner huffed and crossed her arms as Elizabeth carried her child to the bathroom.
"Well, how else am I supposed to get you into the bathtub? You haven't had one today, and you're filthy!" Elizabeth glances hapazardly in case anyone was around to hear, and she whispered to her daughter. "Plus, I'm sure your father will take you to the shop later today, okay? So come on!" She knew Caroline liked to frequent the blacksmith's shop with her father, and wanted to be skilled with a sword. If only society would allow it, for she only wanted her daughter to be happy even if she weren't her birth mother.
Caroline's face lit up as her auburn curls fell into her face. "Okay, okay I'll take a bloody bath if you would loosen up on my waist a little bit!" Elizabeth set her daughter down on the plush carpet and Caroline ran off in the direction of the bathroom. Elizabeth wiped her hands on the front of her plain dress as a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. She smiled and leaned back into Will as he held her.
"Why does that child seem to be so intent on staying filthy?"
"Give her a break, Liz, she's just a kid. Kids get dirty."
"Yes, but then the filthy kids can't stay filthy. What would my father say if his granddaughter wandered up to her house with snails in her pockets and mud on her face?"
Will rolled his eyes and planted a light kiss on his wife's neck and wandered down the hall to assist his daughter in getting clean. A loud shout, a shriek, and a splash of water later Elizabeth was down the hall and in the bathroom. A very wet, and slightly frusterated Will was attempting to catch his slippery daughter and put her back in the bathtub. Caroline attempted to push past her mother but Elizabeth scooped up her naked and wet daughter with a stern look and replaced her back in the tub. Caroline took one look at her mother's face and she sat still in the tub and allowed her hair to be washed, and her body scrubbed.
Will scratched his head as he watched his wife and daughter as they finished. "How do you do that?"
Elizabeth smiled and gave Will a quick kiss before walking into the next room to dress Caroline. "It's a motherly thing."
Will smirked. "Apparently I have a lot to learn."
Caroline gazed out the window as Elizabeth finished dressing her. An unidentifiable man stood in the gardens below; she could only tell the man had on a hat, coat, and had rather long, shaggy hair. Caroline opened her mouth to tell her mother, knowing the mansion's grounds were off limits to civilians, but as soon as she looked away the man had dissapeared.
"Cari?" Elizabeth looked at her daughter, and Caroline snapped out of her trance and smiled at her mother. "What's out there? Did you see someone?"
Caroline stuttered for the right words, but eventually waved it off as it being simply a squirrel that caught her attention. "I'm gonna go see if Cook wants me to help him get dinner ready."
"Alright, just try not to make too much of a mess. The maids don't like that." Elizabeth gave her daughter a quick peck on the forehead as she ran off to the kitchens. Will sat on the plush bed beside his wife and peered out the window. "You don't think she was telling the truth either?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "She earned her bad lying skills from you, Will." She smiled as Will gave her a playful kiss. "But I'm sure it was nothing to worry about."
Will sat back on the bed with a pensive expression on his face. "I was thinking that maybe Cari's old enough to know where she's from, now. I mean, it's better for her to know earlier, isn't it?"
Elizabeth frowned. "But we don't even know where she's from. All I saw was the outline of a woman running across the lawn with Caroline in her arms, I never even saw her real mother's face! I don't want her to be wondering all of her life." Will enveloped Elizabeth in her arms.
"I know that we haven't been able to have kids, and when one just happened to pop up on our doorstep you vowed never to let anything bad happen to her, but you've got to lighten up a little. She's growing up and you're either watching her every second of the day or you're doing anything for her that's the least bit challenging." He squeezed her shoulder a little bit in a comforting manner. "She's learning, let her experience life."
Elizabeth smiled as Will gave her a tender kiss on the forehead and he left to see what kind of tornado Caroline left for the maids to clean. She sighed and leaned back against the fluffy pillows, intent on taking a short nap before dinner. Outside, the wind ruffled through the trees as night began to fall again upon Port Royale. A dark figure made his way down the sloping lawns of the property, and slipped through the bars of the gates unnoticed. He looked back to the mansion, and smiled a knowing grin, the light catching upon a few golden teeth in the man's mouth.
-------------------------------------------------------
So? So? :) If you can't guess who the mystery man is I think you need someone to examine your head. Next chapter coming really soon, sorry for the delay!