Author's Note: Sorry about the delay people but I'm promise I will try and be quicker from now on. Thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 3: A New Forge and a New Identity
It had now been four days since Will had parted from the crew of the Black Pearl.
After he had given Gibbs his final farewell the other night and left the bar, he had wandered aimlessly through the town. After a couple of days he had decided that he still had a life to attend to and needed a job.
If he wasn't going to be a pirate the natural career path for one of his ability was a blacksmith. He had asked a few villagers and there were several blacksmiths in Tortuga but none in the neighboring town of Corgula. It was a half a days walk from the outskirts of Tortuga but Will had left immediately.
So there he was, in a town he had never been in before, homeless, friendless
and nursing a broken heart.
Corgula, he noted almost immediately was not much like Tortuga, but more like Port Royal. Drunks with guns and prostitutes did not line the streets, but families and shops and houses. It reminded Will of his home.
Will scuffed his feet, hands in his pockets as he wandered down the street. It was approaching dark and he would need somewhere to stay. He began looking for a lodge of some kind. Suddenly Will heard a voice.
"Not lost are you dear?" Will turned to face a woman of about 50. She was standing in the doorway of a nice looking house.
"Not really," he mumbled, kicking a stray stone.
"It's just I haven't seen you around here before and Madam Roosh knows everybody in Corgula." Will sighed and decided to bite the bullet.
"You don't know a place I could stay by any chance, do you?" he asked. The woman beckoned him in.
"Come inside dear. This is a motel I'm sure I can find you a room." Will thanked her and stepped inside, taking off his boots.
"Would you like some tea dear?" she asked. Will nodded and looked around. The house wasn't lavish in any respects but it had a homey feel about it. Will turned to look out an open window. Night had now fallen and the full moon was reflecting onto the sea, giving the moving water a supernatural feeling. Will looked up at the moon and thought of Elizabeth. He felt incredibly bad that because of him she was married to someone she hated and forced to spend her life with that man. But for the moment there was nothing he could do.
*
Elizabeth sat in a chair, arms rested on the windowsill gazing at the sea. She sighed, remembering her high sea adventures of a couple of weeks ago. The always drunk Captain of the Black Pearl, Barbossa and his wretched little monkey, the crew of pirates, the Aztec gold. And of course, Will. Elizabeth sometimes wondered if it had been worth realizing she was in love with Will. If she hadn't then she wouldn't be suffering such a heartache right now.
She shook her head. That was ridiculous. As many people had said it was better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. But on the other hand, those who have never tasted honey did not have the memory of it to haunt them. Elizabeth sighed. It was all too confusing.
One thing that was for sure was the fact that Norrington seemed not to have noticed Elizabeth's negative disposition towards their marriage. He had even tried to get her to sleep with him last night.
~*~*~Flashback~*~*
"Elizabeth? Are you coming to bed?" Norrington asked. The man was topless in bed and Elizabeth had taken her nightly position on a chair at the window over looking the ocean. She sighed and obliged her husband, climbing into the other side of the bed. She turned her back to Norrington but stiffened as she felt his hand slide over her side to rest on her stomach. The Commodore turned her around to face him.
"Are you alright?" he asked. Elizabeth nodded. She wished she didn't have to share his bed but they were married so she had no excuse. He didn't force her, but everyone else did.
Norrington moved closer to Elizabeth and kissed her softly on the lips. His hand snaked over her back.
Elizabeth tried to respond, she
really did. This man was her husband, so she technically should be enjoying the
romance, but all the while it was happening she couldn't help feeling that she
was cheating on Will by doing it.
Elizabeth broke away from the kiss,
tears in her eyes.
"I-I-I-I'm really sorry. I can't do this yet," she whispered. The Commodore
nodded.
"I understand. When you're ready Elizabeth."
They both slipped under the covers and slept.
*~*~End Flashback~*~*~
Elizabeth really
did respect the Commodore for not forcing her to do anything. He could easily
have done so. He really was a good man but not matter how hard she tried she
couldn't seem to love him. Will had taken her heart and she knew that no matter
how hard she tried he would always have it.
*
"So what's your name dear?" Madam Roosh asked. She and Will were sitting at a table in the main lounge. Will drank from the cup and then set it down on the dented wooden table.
"I don't know you very well but I get a good vibe from you. If I ask you, will you keep my real name a secret. I plan to start with a new identity here," he told her. Madam Roosh frowned and moved a little further away. Will gave a small smile, his first in a long time. Madam Roosh thought he was a murderer or something.
"Why are you changing your name?" she asked. Her tone was quite different than
before.
"My name is Will Turner I-"
"Will Turner? The boy who was engaged to Elizabeth Swann?" Madam Roosh asked. Will smiled sadly.
"We were never engaged. Just in love." Will found himself pouring out the entire story of he and Elizabeth,
right from when they met when she rescued him, through the years of calling her
'Miss. Swann', right up to her rescue by Jack Sparrow, then her kidnap by Barbossa
and his crew. He told her about how they believed she had been the person's
whose blood they needed to lift the curse, how he had 'hired' Jack to save her.
Then there was the story of how she had been rescued and of her promised
marriage to Commodore Norrington.
"I came to Tortuga with Jack and the Pearl's crew but I left them. I came here looking for blacksmith's work, for a new life and identity."
"Oh you poor lad. That must have been horrible, losing someone you loved like that."
Madam Roosh seemed to have relaxed now that she knew Will wasn't some deranged mass murderer.
'Of course he's not,' she told herself. 'He's much too nice looking for something like that. Then again you never know.'
"So you came looking for a new identity as a blacksmith?" she asked. Will nodded.
"I am going to change my name to Jack Turner. I'll pretend to be a cousin of Will's." The woman nodded. It seemed a good idea.
"I'll tell you what. My husband died recently. He used to be a blacksmith. His shop is only just down the road here. You are welcome to it. And I promise to keep your identity a secret."
"You're serious?" Will asked, unable to believe it.
"Of course. He has only been gone a few months; his workshop is still in good condition. And you are always welcome here." Will thanked her profusely.
"You can go down in the morning. But right now you need to sleep." Will nodded
and Madam Roosh led him upstairs to a spare bedroom.
Will thanked her, lay on the bed and was almost immediately asleep.
*
Elizabeth swung her legs over the side of the bed, careful not to wake her husband. She quickly and quietly dressed in a corset-less dress and left the mansion.
She walked quickly down the streets of Port Royal making
her way to Smith Blacksmith's. She had been practicing with a sword early in
the mornings recently, so as not to cause a disturbance on her whereabouts.
She reached the forge and let herself in. It had taken her a while to figure out just exactly how she was going to train herself, and she felt incredibly stupid swinging a blade at nothing.
For half an hour she did however, exactly that. When she had finished she had a thing layer of sweat on her forehead.
Elizabeth sighed as she sat on a stool. She hoped she never got into a real fight if it was that exhausting. She looked outside and realized her husband and father would be up soon so she quickly closed up the forge and ran home.
*
When Will awoke in the morning he found breakfast waiting downstairs. Madam Roosh had gone out, but had left directions to her husband's forge. Will hastily ate his breakfast and then made his way to the blacksmith's.
It turned out to be much the same as Smtih's. In fact the lay out and placement of equipment was almost identical. Will felt he would be at home here. Even if Elizabeth wasn't only just up the road.
Will wondered how she was doing. She was probably over it by now. She would be married to the Commodore and soon he would again be 'only a blacksmith'. Will shook his head. No that would never happen. He would always be Will Turner to Elizabeth. Now and forever.
Casting those thoughts aside, Will set about to repair the disarray the workshop was in. he spent the next three hours figuring out how the specific tools operated for some of them were a lot more up to date than Smith's had been.
During the time he was there, Will found the donkey grazing in a paddock out
the back. He had been obviously put to pasture after Madam Roosh's
husband had died. The donkey seemed disgruntled to be going back to work.
"Come on little guy," Will said as he coaxed the stubborn ass along. "I'll treat you kindly I promise." Will squatted down, rubbing the donkey's neck and looking into his eyes. Through wordless communication the animal seemed to understand and submissively followed Will into the forge.
Will sighed. As of now he was Jack Turner, cousin of the deceased Will Turner.
*
3 or so years passed and the blacksmith from Corgula named Jack Turner was making a name for himself. His swords were in high demand from most towns in the Caribbean and it was through the grapevine that Governor Swann learnt about him.
Governor Swann had been very fond of Will Turner's swords. The care that he
took when crafting them had astounded the governor to no end. Maybe this man,
his cousin they said he was, had been blessed with the same ability to craft
beautiful swords.
The Governor promptly ordered one. He had a rather impressive collection of swords but one that Will had been crafting, a fine specimen with a solid gold handle and gems the size of stones encrusted in the hilt had not been finished before Will had done a runner. It was this sword that the Governor ordered.
*
Will received the Governor's ordered by mailman. The oddly dressed man the
delivered the post dropped by the forge early one Monday morning. Will had been
working all night and was getting frustrated with his hair. It was too short to
go into a proper pony tail and some of the fringe bits were flopping in his
face. Twice he had almost ruined the sword he was working on because of it.
Several times, too, he had nearly taken to it with the sword but thought the
better of it.
"Jack? Jack are you there?" came a voice. Will left his work and went over to the window, which he leaned out of.
"I'm here," he said. The postie looked around and then located Jack in the window.
"Er I have an urgent order for Jack Turner. It's from
a Governor Swann." The postie handed him an envelope
with the Governor's seal on the back. Will took it, thanked the postie, and retreated inside.
Wondering what the Governor could want with him he tore open the envelope. It was then he realized that the letter was addressed to Jack Turner not Will Turner. The Governor must have heard about him somehow.
Sure enough when he opened it, he found an order for the exact same sword Will
had been crafting when the pirate escapade had happened. Will sighed. The sword
was back in Port Royal, almost completely finished. Oh
well, he would have to start from scratch. But right now he had two shoeings for horses and a sword lined up. That would take
up a lot of his day and he still had to sleep. He would start the Governor's
sword tomorrow.
*
The ship sailed calmly through the water, so silent it was not heard by the Pearl's watch person in the crow's nest. The sleeping figure of Cotton did not notice it either for obvious reasons. Below deck, the rest of the crew slept, except the drunken captain Jack Sparrow who was sprawled out like a star fish on the deck, just by the wheel of the ship.
The other ship came up next to the Pearl
and several of the crew did awake as loud thuds came to their attention. Gibbs
and Anamaria met in the corridor and hurried
upstairs.
Anamaria dropped her jaw in shock as she realized what
was happening up above.
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!" she yelled. The drunken captain was roused
from his alcohol induced coma and on his feet.
"Who's yellin me name?" he asked. By this time,
Cotton in the crow's nest was awake too. It was then Jack noticed the bunch of
all too familiar pirates on the deck of his ship.
"Wasn't you men supposed to be hanged?" Jack asked as he looked at Barbossa's crew. They all laughed.
"We was hung," said Ragetti as he shoved his eye back
in. "But the old boss's monkey came frough on us," he
laughed. Jack the monkey grinned and tipped his head sideways. In his hand was
a piece of the Aztec treasure.
"Jack! I told you we shoulda sunk the treasure!"
Gibbs yelled. Jack ambled forward, swinging his arms.
"How did you come back?" he asked, still incredibly drunk but a little more
serious than normal.
"The monkey dun it. Apparently we can only die by death in battle or natural causes. Otherwise if one of the used-to-be-cursed ones takes some treasure," Pintel grinned, "we all come back to life." Jack growled.
Gibbs, Cotton and Anamaria had snuck away, rousing the rest of the crew and telling them to take the lifeboats. Barbossa's crew were too many for them to fight. They came back out to find Jack on the edge of his own plank.
"I'd really hoped we were past all this," Jack grinned weakly, having a sense of déjà vu. Bo'sun growled and pushed Jack off the plank. The captain did a few spins and landed with a belly flop in the ocean. Anamaria, seeing sense, had the others help her lower the last life boat down and they climbed in. Whilst Barbossa's dimwitted crew had watched as Jack had been pushed off the plank, the entire Pearl's crew had escaped by lifeboats right behind them. Gibbs, Anamaria, Cotton and his parrot rowed around behind the boat and picked up a disgruntled Jack who was splashing in the water.
"They stole my bloody boat again!" Jack grumped. He wrung out his hat and put the wet item back on his head.
"Don't worry, Jack. We'll get yer boat back," Gibbs
told him.
"I think it's time for us to go see dear William," jack told them. The others
nodded and Gibbs began rowing them in the approximate direction of land. They
needed a boat before they went to see Will.
*
Will looked at the gorgeous sword and closed it in its box. It had taken him only a couple of days to finish. The governor had paid with his order so Will had been able to buy the materials immediately.
Will then sat down at his desk, cleared a space
amongst the tools and found a spare piece of parchment and a pen.
Mrs. Norrington,
Will wrote.
My name is Jack Turner. I am a cousin of Will Turner of whom I believe you were a close acquaintance. I am unsure how you two knew each other but I have some grieving news for you.
A drunken pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow turned up here a few days ago to see me. He took off his hat and said something to the equivalent of this:
"Will told me at some point that you were his last remaining relative and said that if anything ever happened to him that you were to know. I have been given the somber job of telling you that Will was killed in a fight with another crew of pirates whilst sailing on the Black Pearl with my crew and I."
Of course Captain Sparrow's version took fifteen minutes to tell and it was in difficult to understand pirate talk. I have just simplified it for you. I am sorry Mrs. Norrington but Will was brought back here and buried and I saw him with my own eyes.
Sincerest Apologies
Jack Turner
Will looked at the letter feeling slightly guilty but knew it was for the best. If Elizabeth believed him dead she was more likely to move on.
Even now two and a half years later Will couldn't help but feel incomplete. If only Elizabeth were there his life would be complete.
He folded the letter, wrote Elizabeth's name on it and put it inside the box which held the sword. The postie would collect them tomorrow. Will sighed and shut down the forge. He unhitched the donkey and put him in the paddock behind the blacksmith's. Will locked the front door and headed for Madam Roosh's, which he now called home.
*
Next Chapter: Elizabeth receives the letter and blames Norrington.
Author's Note: Not much to say just that I hope you liked it.
Kaibun