DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the Pirates of the Caribbean story or characters.

All right. Now it's getting a little bit better in this chapter. By the end you'll see how the story might change a bit. I'm making Will the hero. Yay. But don't worry, the infamous Jack Sparrow WILL come in eventually!! ^__^ Tell me how you like it!! Please R&R.





Chapter 3

Will Turner stood alone in the foyer of the eloquently furnished mansion. He knew he looked very out of place in such a richly decorated environment, but he tried to keep what confidence was left in him for his presentation. He tried to polish the toes of his blacksmith's boots on the back of his calves, but it didn't help.

He drew his attention towards a rather intricately designed sconce hanging from the wall. His finger traced the gold lining one of the handles, but one of the candles suddenly broke off. He quickly shoved it into a nearby vase containing canes and umbrellas. The Governor suddenly appeared in the doorway; with embarrasment, he brushed the pieces of broken wax off of his shirt.

"Ah, Mr. Turner. Good to see you again,"

"Good day, sir. I have your order," he cleared his throat as he opened the case and pulled out the sword. He handed it to the Governor as he inspected it, seeming to be quite pleased with the fine craftsmanship.

"The blade is folded steel. That's gold filigree laid into the handle," he said as the Governor continued to examine the meticulous design of the gold that swirled around the hilt of the sword. Will held out his hand, "If I may?"

He took the sword and placed his forefinger and balanced it between the helm and the blade.

"Perfectly balanced. The tang is nearly the full width of the blade."

The sword jumped from his finger into the air, catching a reflection of light. In a flash it flipped in midair as Will gracefully caught it at its hilt and presented it to the Governor.

"Impressive! Very impressive," he laughed, "Ah, now, Commodore Norrington is going to be very pleased with this," he said as he smoothed the blade with his fingers. Will felt a small tinge of anger let out in his veins. The Governor continued, "Do pass my compliments to your master, hm?"

His master? He didn't do a bit of work ever since he could remember… all he did all day was slump in his chair drinking rum while he made Will do all the work. He felt his heart sink deeper into shame, but did not show it in his voice.

"I shall. A craftsman is always pleased to hear his work is appreciated,"

Suddenly, he felt the anger and indignity vent out of him by some unusual influence. He suddenly smelled an appealing fragrance as it entered through the air. His eyes slowly turned towards the source of this sudden feeling of serenity. An angelic figure gracefully came down the staircase, her dress spilling down the steps behind her.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you look absolutely stunning," Governor Swann stated with the outmost truth. Will paid no attention to him as he watched Elizabeth make her way down into the foyer. She was wearing a velvet red dress, lined with black and twisted gold arabesque, dropping down below her delicate ankles. Her long flowling hair had been put up into an elaborate hair style, but some odd strands that had escaped still fell onto her neck. Her earrings were decorated with white pearls that dangled below her ears. Will also caught sight of a thin chain from some sort of gold necklace that was hidden under her dress. He felt his muscles tense as she got closer and closer to him. Her eyes finally spotted him, and her whole face seemed to light up.

"Will! It's so good to see you," she said. Will stared blankly as she spoke. "You know… I had a dream about you last night,"

"About me?" he said, puzzled; though he knew that he had dreamt of her every minute of his life.

"Elizabeth, this is hardly the proper time to---"

"About the day we met… do you remember?" Elizabeth said, smiling. Inwardly, she felt stupid for blurting out such a random thing… why would she tell him that? Of all things to bring this up... but suddenly, she felt as if she could actually breathe again, even with wearing her corset. That's what Will gave her.... a new sense of life. It was something unexplainable, but she liked it that way.

"How could I forget, Miss Swan?" he grinned back at her.

"Will, how many more times must I ask you to call me Elizabeth?" she laughed.

"At least once more, Miss Swan, as always," he grinned wider as Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"There. See? At least the boy has a sense of propriety. Now, we really must be going," the Governor said as he handed a parasol to Elizabeth. "There you are,"

"Good day, Mr. Turner," her smile dropped to a serious matter-of-fact look.

"Come along," said her father. A butler helped Elizabeth into the horse wagon.

"Good day… Elizabeth…" Will watched as the buggy went off into the busy streets of Port Royal. There she goes, off to the ceremony of Commodore Norrington, he thought. And then he asks her the notorious question, proposes, and then she's gone... and I lose her. The thought suddenly occurred to him. He would lose her to Norrington. She would marry, be prosperous… have children…

Will felt himself twitch at the thought of her future with the Commodore. No, she couldn't be happy with him… and he knew it. He had heard Norrington say that he loved her, many times, at least. But he knew that he didn't mean it; at least, not as much as Will meant it. And he knew that she didn't love him at all. He saw the way she looked at him when she had left… he knew she didn't want to go. She knew as well as he did what was going to happen. He had to stop it… somehow, he couldn't let this happen.

Will decided that he was going to go to the ceremony as well.




It was short, again, I know. Hmm, I'm just growing a little impatient with these chapters now, aren't I?? LOL. Well, the fourth one will hopefully be the one to break the pattern of the original story plot. I hope you like it. If you do, please R&R. If you hate it, please R&R. I accept flames and compliments, as well as suggestions on where I should take this story further. Comments appreciated!! ^_^

** Please R & R, and let me know how you like it so far. **