A young woman sat on her lay on her bed. Her blond-brown hair fell into
her brown eyes. She was breathing shortly on account of her corset.
"Stupid thing," she muttered.
She could take it off: just for now. No-one would ever know. Sitting up, she fumbled with the buttons of her dress trying to get it off. There was a knock on the door. Elizabeth quickly redid the buttons that she had just undone. Another knock: This one sounded more impatient. "Come in," she called.
One of the menservants in her house opened the door and walked in. "Will Turner has requested to see you, ma'am."
Probably about wedding arrangements. Elizabeth sighed. "Tell him to come up," she told the servant.
"Yes ma'am," he replied and left, closing the door behind him.
Elizabeth watched him go. Will had been here everyday since he had asked her to marry him. It's not as though there were really many more wedding plans to be planned. He just wanted to be with her. Not that she really minded that much. Or did she? She loved Will it was true but it seemed she was always thinking of someone else. A someone with long black hair, black eyes, and a smile.
She didn't know what had gotten into her. She had had a crush on Will since she had first met him. When she was ten years old. She remembered how she had watched over him. She had seen him grow up, from afar as he had her. They had longed to be together but had never told each other their feelings. Then he had come to rescue her from a group of evil pirates. He had risked his life: everything for her. Someone had been with him the whole way, though. He never would have found her if it hadn't been for Jack. Jack was so different from anybody she knew. Despite his disrespect for her as a lady, he had always made her laugh. But he was gone now. Gone and had left her with only Will who didn't seem quite as great now that she had met Jack.
"It never would have worked out," she told herself, "He's a pirate. He would never attach himself to anything. And even if he did, how could I have forgiven him for all the villages he raided and people he's killed."
"He never kills unless he has to," said another side of her brain.
"I have Will, though," she argued with herself "He's the man I've always wished for: the one who loves me. I would break his heart to cancel the wedding now and tell him I love Jack."
She wasn't even sure she loved Jack. She wasn't sure of anything now. Her world was all different now. She was used to suitors but this was different. There was still the Commodore, too. He had said Will could have her but she couldn't quite ignore the looks that he gave her: as though he was undressing her with his eyes. It made he want to run away. Perhaps to Will. He would protect her, he always had. "But can he protect me from a conflict within myself?" she thought.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, sweetly.
Will entered. He was one of the most handsome lads in the village. He caught quite some looks from the girls despite him being a blacksmith. He had a roundish sweet face, framed by light brown hair and had eyes of similar color. He was pretty much clean-shaven except for a mustache and a small goatee that made him look even handsomer. Elizabeth surveyed him for a moment with delight. She had at least managed to pick someone good- looking. "Good afternoon, sweetheart," he said, coming over to her and kissing her quickly on the lips.
"Anything you want?" she asked, as he sat down beside her.
"Always," he answered, his eyes sliding to her breast.
"Stop it, Will," she told him.
It made her uncomfortable when he did that. Other girls would giggle. Elizabeth was stern. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said, quickly.
"I know," she replied, "It just reminds me of Norrington."
"Is that old goat still looking at you?"
"Do you think he'd ever stop?"
Will rolled his eyes. "I don't know why he bothers. He's at least fifteen years older than you."
"What has he got to lose if he were to marry me? Marrying me would have given him more power. Plus he likes my body."
"Has he ever seen it?"
"I don't randomly undress in front of men and you know that, Will," she said coldly.
"I wanted to make sure."
"You can be sure."
He took her hand. They sat in silence for another few minutes until Elizabeth just couldn't stand it anymore. "Heard anything from Jack yet?" she asked, trying to kept her tone causal and not too quick.
"Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain." began Will.
They both laughed. Jack had a habit of saying this. "No, I've heard nothing," said Will, seriously, "I don't know what it is. Jack said he'd send some messages. They're going into rough waters. I've been trying to catch the latest gossip. No pirate attacks anywhere. It's like they disappeared."
Elizabeth's heart sank. The Caribbean Sea wasn't exactly the calmest waters. If the Black Pearl sank..No she refused to even think such a thing. Will saw her anxiety. "Don't worry, Lizzie, Jack knows how to get out of tight spots. He's experienced. He'd never let the crew down."
"He made be good at fighting people, but how do you fight the elements?"
"He's been at sea nearly his whole life," Will told her, his arm sliding around her neck, "It will take more than a storm or too to sink his ship."
Elizabeth mouth moved slightly. No words came out. She was just mouthing something. "What are you trying to say?" Will asked.
"Oh nothing," Elizabeth replied, "Just a song. I used to sing it when I was little. It goes:
Yo Ho, Yo Ho
A pirates live for me
Bring me back those old horizons
And really bad eggs
Yo Ho, Yo Ho
A pirates live for me. That's just a verse at the end. I won't sing the whole silly song."
Will smiled, "You have a wonderful voice."
Elizabeth snorted, "I couldn't sing well if my life depended on it."
What she wasn't telling Will was that this was the song she had taught Jack while stuck on an island with him. It brought back fond memories. Both she and Jack had gotten extremely drunk. They had done nothing, though. True, Jack had gotten a little flirty but he had been stopped by himself: drinking so much he passed out.
It had been fun before then. When they had made fire and danced around it singing "Yo Ho." Jack said he would teach the song to the whole crew when they got back. Then she had had to go and signal the Royal Navy. She hated herself for it. They would have hung Jack if they had had a chance. Her Will had stopped them. She really did love Will quite a lot, if not enough to be sure she wanted to go through with the marriage.
"You know, I've been thinking," came Will voice, bringing her back to reality, "When we made the list of who we should invite, we forgot the Markensons. They will be ever so mad if they aren't invited. We need to add them to the list. And a few others too. We've forgotten quite a few."
Elizabeth sighed. "I know you hate this, sweetheart," Will told her, "but soon it will be all over and then we can be together."
It wasn't that exactly. Well, Elizabeth did not get the point of having such a big wedding but it was not what bothered her. What bothered her was that she had been thinking about telling Will she wanted to call off the wedding for several days now. She doubted she would ever have the courage. And why? It wasn't as though Jack was about to come back and sweep her away. He had probably forgotten about her by now. She could tell Will that she was just not ready to be married and have children (the normal expectation from a married couple) but somehow she didn't think he would understand. Any attempt to call it off would hurt Will so badly Elizabeth didn't think she would be able to stand it. She would never want to hurt Will, never.
She was just going to have to live with it. Even if she called it off saying she was not ready, she would have to do it later. As the governor's daughter, she was expected to marry. She was lucky even to have Will. Without him she would be matched up with some boring noble, most likely the commodore. If she just let Will slip away, he would immediately be taken by one of the village girls and then both he and her would live their lives in depression and boredom. "Better to live mostly happy," she thought but the image of a laughing pirate came drifting back into her mind. "You seem really lost in thought today, dear," Will said, making her jump. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"Just thinking about the wedding," she said, untruthfully.
Will seemed to know she wasn't telling the truth. She was a dreadful liar. "You don't have to tell me anything," he told her softly, "but I'd prefer if you didn't lie."
"I have my reasons, sometimes," she said.
"Do you know?"
"No," she lied.
Her answer was short enough for Will to believe her. He laughed, ruffled her hair and then got up. "I must be getting back to the smithy," he explained, "See you tomorrow, dear."
He kissed her and left. "Dear" and "Sweetheart" but never "Love", "Lass" or "Darling." Those were Jack's words for her. He never meant them in any way other than friendship but she longed to hear his voice saying them again. "Elizabeth, darling, it would have never worked out between us. I'm sorry."
The words seemed to hang in the air as she whispered them. Jack had been joking as usual but he seemed so sincere. He always did and then it turned out to be a joke. He had sounded sincere when he was about to tell Will good-bye and then he said "Nice Hat" and that was all. He could never be trusted to tell the complete truth. "After all he's a dishonest man." She smiled, recalling Jack's account of what had happened that night before she had showed up to save Will.
He fingers fumbled with her buttons again and she let her dress fall off her to the ground. Standing up, she watched in the mirror as she untied her corset. What a relief! She could breath right once more. If she was Anna Marie she wouldn't have to wear a corset. She could don men's wear. But she wasn't a woman pirate: she was a governor's daughter. "A governor's daughter with a lot of problems," she thought, wirily.
Throwing her corset aside, Elizabeth lay down on her bed and went to sleep. Maybe sleep would bring the peace she wanted.
She could take it off: just for now. No-one would ever know. Sitting up, she fumbled with the buttons of her dress trying to get it off. There was a knock on the door. Elizabeth quickly redid the buttons that she had just undone. Another knock: This one sounded more impatient. "Come in," she called.
One of the menservants in her house opened the door and walked in. "Will Turner has requested to see you, ma'am."
Probably about wedding arrangements. Elizabeth sighed. "Tell him to come up," she told the servant.
"Yes ma'am," he replied and left, closing the door behind him.
Elizabeth watched him go. Will had been here everyday since he had asked her to marry him. It's not as though there were really many more wedding plans to be planned. He just wanted to be with her. Not that she really minded that much. Or did she? She loved Will it was true but it seemed she was always thinking of someone else. A someone with long black hair, black eyes, and a smile.
She didn't know what had gotten into her. She had had a crush on Will since she had first met him. When she was ten years old. She remembered how she had watched over him. She had seen him grow up, from afar as he had her. They had longed to be together but had never told each other their feelings. Then he had come to rescue her from a group of evil pirates. He had risked his life: everything for her. Someone had been with him the whole way, though. He never would have found her if it hadn't been for Jack. Jack was so different from anybody she knew. Despite his disrespect for her as a lady, he had always made her laugh. But he was gone now. Gone and had left her with only Will who didn't seem quite as great now that she had met Jack.
"It never would have worked out," she told herself, "He's a pirate. He would never attach himself to anything. And even if he did, how could I have forgiven him for all the villages he raided and people he's killed."
"He never kills unless he has to," said another side of her brain.
"I have Will, though," she argued with herself "He's the man I've always wished for: the one who loves me. I would break his heart to cancel the wedding now and tell him I love Jack."
She wasn't even sure she loved Jack. She wasn't sure of anything now. Her world was all different now. She was used to suitors but this was different. There was still the Commodore, too. He had said Will could have her but she couldn't quite ignore the looks that he gave her: as though he was undressing her with his eyes. It made he want to run away. Perhaps to Will. He would protect her, he always had. "But can he protect me from a conflict within myself?" she thought.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in," she called, sweetly.
Will entered. He was one of the most handsome lads in the village. He caught quite some looks from the girls despite him being a blacksmith. He had a roundish sweet face, framed by light brown hair and had eyes of similar color. He was pretty much clean-shaven except for a mustache and a small goatee that made him look even handsomer. Elizabeth surveyed him for a moment with delight. She had at least managed to pick someone good- looking. "Good afternoon, sweetheart," he said, coming over to her and kissing her quickly on the lips.
"Anything you want?" she asked, as he sat down beside her.
"Always," he answered, his eyes sliding to her breast.
"Stop it, Will," she told him.
It made her uncomfortable when he did that. Other girls would giggle. Elizabeth was stern. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said, quickly.
"I know," she replied, "It just reminds me of Norrington."
"Is that old goat still looking at you?"
"Do you think he'd ever stop?"
Will rolled his eyes. "I don't know why he bothers. He's at least fifteen years older than you."
"What has he got to lose if he were to marry me? Marrying me would have given him more power. Plus he likes my body."
"Has he ever seen it?"
"I don't randomly undress in front of men and you know that, Will," she said coldly.
"I wanted to make sure."
"You can be sure."
He took her hand. They sat in silence for another few minutes until Elizabeth just couldn't stand it anymore. "Heard anything from Jack yet?" she asked, trying to kept her tone causal and not too quick.
"Captain Jack Sparrow, Captain." began Will.
They both laughed. Jack had a habit of saying this. "No, I've heard nothing," said Will, seriously, "I don't know what it is. Jack said he'd send some messages. They're going into rough waters. I've been trying to catch the latest gossip. No pirate attacks anywhere. It's like they disappeared."
Elizabeth's heart sank. The Caribbean Sea wasn't exactly the calmest waters. If the Black Pearl sank..No she refused to even think such a thing. Will saw her anxiety. "Don't worry, Lizzie, Jack knows how to get out of tight spots. He's experienced. He'd never let the crew down."
"He made be good at fighting people, but how do you fight the elements?"
"He's been at sea nearly his whole life," Will told her, his arm sliding around her neck, "It will take more than a storm or too to sink his ship."
Elizabeth mouth moved slightly. No words came out. She was just mouthing something. "What are you trying to say?" Will asked.
"Oh nothing," Elizabeth replied, "Just a song. I used to sing it when I was little. It goes:
Yo Ho, Yo Ho
A pirates live for me
Bring me back those old horizons
And really bad eggs
Yo Ho, Yo Ho
A pirates live for me. That's just a verse at the end. I won't sing the whole silly song."
Will smiled, "You have a wonderful voice."
Elizabeth snorted, "I couldn't sing well if my life depended on it."
What she wasn't telling Will was that this was the song she had taught Jack while stuck on an island with him. It brought back fond memories. Both she and Jack had gotten extremely drunk. They had done nothing, though. True, Jack had gotten a little flirty but he had been stopped by himself: drinking so much he passed out.
It had been fun before then. When they had made fire and danced around it singing "Yo Ho." Jack said he would teach the song to the whole crew when they got back. Then she had had to go and signal the Royal Navy. She hated herself for it. They would have hung Jack if they had had a chance. Her Will had stopped them. She really did love Will quite a lot, if not enough to be sure she wanted to go through with the marriage.
"You know, I've been thinking," came Will voice, bringing her back to reality, "When we made the list of who we should invite, we forgot the Markensons. They will be ever so mad if they aren't invited. We need to add them to the list. And a few others too. We've forgotten quite a few."
Elizabeth sighed. "I know you hate this, sweetheart," Will told her, "but soon it will be all over and then we can be together."
It wasn't that exactly. Well, Elizabeth did not get the point of having such a big wedding but it was not what bothered her. What bothered her was that she had been thinking about telling Will she wanted to call off the wedding for several days now. She doubted she would ever have the courage. And why? It wasn't as though Jack was about to come back and sweep her away. He had probably forgotten about her by now. She could tell Will that she was just not ready to be married and have children (the normal expectation from a married couple) but somehow she didn't think he would understand. Any attempt to call it off would hurt Will so badly Elizabeth didn't think she would be able to stand it. She would never want to hurt Will, never.
She was just going to have to live with it. Even if she called it off saying she was not ready, she would have to do it later. As the governor's daughter, she was expected to marry. She was lucky even to have Will. Without him she would be matched up with some boring noble, most likely the commodore. If she just let Will slip away, he would immediately be taken by one of the village girls and then both he and her would live their lives in depression and boredom. "Better to live mostly happy," she thought but the image of a laughing pirate came drifting back into her mind. "You seem really lost in thought today, dear," Will said, making her jump. She had almost forgotten he was there.
"Just thinking about the wedding," she said, untruthfully.
Will seemed to know she wasn't telling the truth. She was a dreadful liar. "You don't have to tell me anything," he told her softly, "but I'd prefer if you didn't lie."
"I have my reasons, sometimes," she said.
"Do you know?"
"No," she lied.
Her answer was short enough for Will to believe her. He laughed, ruffled her hair and then got up. "I must be getting back to the smithy," he explained, "See you tomorrow, dear."
He kissed her and left. "Dear" and "Sweetheart" but never "Love", "Lass" or "Darling." Those were Jack's words for her. He never meant them in any way other than friendship but she longed to hear his voice saying them again. "Elizabeth, darling, it would have never worked out between us. I'm sorry."
The words seemed to hang in the air as she whispered them. Jack had been joking as usual but he seemed so sincere. He always did and then it turned out to be a joke. He had sounded sincere when he was about to tell Will good-bye and then he said "Nice Hat" and that was all. He could never be trusted to tell the complete truth. "After all he's a dishonest man." She smiled, recalling Jack's account of what had happened that night before she had showed up to save Will.
He fingers fumbled with her buttons again and she let her dress fall off her to the ground. Standing up, she watched in the mirror as she untied her corset. What a relief! She could breath right once more. If she was Anna Marie she wouldn't have to wear a corset. She could don men's wear. But she wasn't a woman pirate: she was a governor's daughter. "A governor's daughter with a lot of problems," she thought, wirily.
Throwing her corset aside, Elizabeth lay down on her bed and went to sleep. Maybe sleep would bring the peace she wanted.