Disclaimer: Don't own.

A/N: Wow…chapter 31.

"I'm getting married in three days?" Will asked, genuinely shocked. Taeryn's husband, Jahar, had just left the bachelor's tent that Will had been sharing with Jack and Gibbs for his time on the island. The chief had also come in to explain the situation, and Will was left staring at the red sash that Christina had bound his arm with after he had been grazed by the bullet.

"Seems so, mate," Jack said, stepping out of the tent. Will sat in shock, wondering over the many strange events that had taken place in the course of one day. Gibbs snorted and rolled over, intent on ignoring both Jack and Will and getting some shut-eye. He didn't particularly like this island - a great many bad things had happened since they came here, and seeing Commodore Norrington again wasn't something Gibbs had been looking forward too since becoming a recognized member of Jack Sparrow's crew.

Thankfully, the Commodore hadn't seen Gibbs long enough or scrutinized him hard enough to recognize that he used to sail under Norrington, when Norrington had been a captain on the crossing from England. And Gibbs desired to keep it that way, no matter how distracted the Commodore seemed to be with the little red-haired bint, Mary Pearl.

"Aha! I knew these island hoppers had to have some drinkable form of alcohol around here," Jack said triumphantly, stumbling his way back into the tent. He had two bottles in each hand, and gave one each to Will and Gibbs. It was not lost on Will that Jack kept two for himself.

"You're going to drink yourself to death," Will grumbled, popping the cork out of his own bottle and downing a rather large amount in one gulp. Jack grinned crookedly, "All in moderation, my boy. And it looks as if ye do not be a stranger to the bottle, either. Yer not having second thoughts, are ye, boy? Because if ye are…" Jack tucked on bottle in the corner of the tent and began to nurse the other, all the while managing to look vaguely threatening.

"No! Of course not! But blast it all - three days? And an island wedding, for God's sake! I'm sure Christina is going to have my head for this…"

"Look at that, Gibbsie, the boy already knows his place in the marriage," Jack crowed, and Gibbs chuckled darkly to himself. "I hope you know what yer getting yourself into, lad," Gibbs grunted. "Wives are never a good thing. 'S why I live on Tortuga. A man can live contented and never have to hear about it in the morning…"

"Shut yer hole, Gibbs. It's taken the chit long enough to agree to marry him, it wont do any good if ye scare the boy from going through with it," Jack warned. Will glowered, not aware of the fact that he had already drunk half of the bottle and was set on continuing. The liquid was clear and sharp, but Will noticed neither the texture nor taste. "I am not afraid," he said stoutly.

"Then yer a braver man than I am, William. Yer like yer father, I suppose. He was better man than Gibbs or I," Jack said solemnly. "I've the feeling yer gonna make a damn fine husband to that girl…but it's rare a man gets a second chance, and it's a rare woman to forgive a man after what ye did. Aye, a rare woman indeed…" Jack trailed off, preoccupied. Will sighed. "Yes, I know…I don't deserve her, that's plain enough to see. But I don't know the first bloody thing about being a husband. I'm just a blacksmith." Will wished he hadn't drank so fast, the alcohol was surely loosening his tongue, and while Jack and Gibbs were good friends, Will wasn't eager to share his insecurities with them. Or with anyone, for that matter. The last thing he needed was for it to get back to Christina.

"Jack and I are the worst men to ask how to be a good husband, boy," Gibbs snapped. "Aye," Jack said suddenly, coming out of whatever reverie he had elapsed into. "But then, Christina hardly knows how to be a wife, either. Ye shouldn't worry, William, it's just something ye'll both have to grow into. And ye just stay away from that sister of hers, mind. I'm no faithful lover myself, Laurelyn's reminded me of that often enough -" Regret laced its way into Jack's voice for a moment, but he shook himself out of it. "- but I do know that yer sister-in-law is definitely off-limits to ye now," he finished, reaching for the second bottle that had been so temporarily hidden.

"I know that," Will huffed, a dull pounding behind his eyes beginning to emerge. He hoped he'd be asleep before it erupted fully, but he knew he was in for a rough morning either way. "But three days…bloody hell!"

1.

The days passed surprisingly quickly after I had been initiated, but I suppose that it was only natural since the only event coming between me and the trip back to Port Royal was my wedding. And of course time would fly - while I was eager to get married, I was also quite terrified. The fact that I hadn't been able to come into contact with Will for the last three days was both a blessing and a curse - I wanted to talk to him, most definitely, but part of me wanted nothing more than to run away again. It didn't stop my wedding day from approaching, or even slowing down, however.

Things weren't made any easier by the fact that Mary was torn between staying with the Commodore and the First Mate, and staying in the tent at the maiden's camp. Eventually the thought of staying alone with too men was far too preposterous for her to handle and so she ended up staying with me. It didn't make her any more eager to talk to me, however. She would stare at me sullenly and disapprovingly, most of the time; otherwise she looked as if she was afraid that Lucifer himself would tear open the ground under my feet and suck me straight down to hell. I saw her staring at they tiny blue tattoo on my shoulder often enough and I was torn between wanting to slap her silly or joining her in prayer to keep my soul from eternal damnation.

I suppose I had Laurelyn to talk to, but Laurelyn and Mary were too huge extremes, and despite myself I found it easier to relate to Mary. No matter how much I rebelled against the social norms I had been raised into, I could not fully regard this island culture as my own. This of course led me to worry endlessly over the post-nuptial activities; namely, my wedding night.

To keep myself from fretting too much over this, I had decided to try and reconcile myself with Mary. The evening before the wedding was to take place (at dawn, again, if you can imagine) I took her away from the firelight where the rest of the camp was dancing and singing happily. It was not lost on either of us that we hadn't joined in the festivities. Mary crossed her arms over her chest skeptically…she had gone back and put on her good Port Royal clothing and didn't seem to mind the disdainful looks from the island women. I didn't mind, so long as she was comfortable. She seemed to despise the thin blue initiate dress that I had been wearing the past two, days however.

"Mary, I know you do not agree with what I did, but I hope you won't let it tear us apart," I said softly, taking her hands. She took a deep breath and sighed. "It isn't that I hate you for it, Christina, if that's what you think. But I am so very homesick, and this place is so far from everything I know…"

"I understand."

"No, I don't think you do. You brought me here, and while I did agree to come with you, I didn't think that I would have to leave everything I knew behind. You are my one link to what life used to be like, what life is supposed to be. And now even you have been taken away from me. It makes being so far from home even more terrible," she said sadly. I stared at her, almost at a loss for words.

"Do you truly believe me changed, then?" I asked. She nodded, reaching up and tracing the blue crescent moon on my shoulder. "What is this? Who are you?" she asked, her voice stronger now, almost angry. I frowned, placing my hand over the tattoo almost protectively. "I am the same girl you grew up knowing, Mary."

"Perhaps that is the problem, then," she answered, looking sad once again. "Perhaps I never knew you."

"Mary -"

"You were always different, Christina; that I could handle. But you were at least from the same place that I was. Now? Do you truly believe you are of this island?" I said nothing, only watched the shapes and shadows caused by the firelight change on the trees and tents surrounding us. "Tomorrow you will be married, and I will be happy for you, make no mistake of that. But tomorrow night, after your wedding, will you be with him even though you did not have a proper wedding? Have you come so far from your home as that?" she asked, reading me more easily that I would have liked to admit.

"Mary, I don't see why it is so important -"

"It is important," she said stiffly. "You told me that we were never different, even though I am a maid and you the Governor's daughter. If you go through with this wedding - all the way through with it - then we will be different, and I do not know if time will mend that."

She turned and walked away into the tent, leaving me shivering away from the fire and very confused.

Later that night, when I lay on my mat with the coarse blanket up to my chin, I turned to Mary, who seemed to be asleep. Laurelyn was no where to be found, and I assumed she had gone somewhere to be with Jack. "Mary?" I whispered, hoping that she was still awake. "Hm?" she murmured, rolling over on her side and facing me. I could only see the outline of her head and shoulders in the darkness, but I was glad that I was not awake alone.

"I'm frightened," I told her, thinking about what she had said, and how far we had come since leaving home. "Me too," she replied, stretching and sitting up. "I am going to go through with the wedding tomorrow," I said quietly. She stiffened and laid back down. "I see," she said lowly, disappointment evident in her voice. I decided to ignore it. "I know you don't think I should, but I feel like if I don't marry him now, I may never get the chance to. And I want to, Mary, I desperately want to be his wife…" That I would never admit to Will, though. It would swell his head to bursting, in all likelihood.

"Christina, that is a very stupid reason to marry him on an island with people we hardly know."

"I know…but I think…tomorrow night I am going to tell him that we must wait until we get back to the Port before we…" I felt my face get hot and was glad for the darkness and cool night air, even in the tent. I heard Mary give a satisfied sigh. "That is the best idea you've had since leaving home," she said happily. I frowned, a bit perturbed at her sudden change in mood. Once again I decided to ignore it, simply grateful that she was once again on speaking terms with me.

1.

I woke up earlier than necessary, my whole body humming with anxiety. I didn't know what to expect for this island wedding, only that…well…I would essentially become Christina Turner today. I stepped out of the tent wrapped in my blanket, and Mary emerged and put her arm around my shoulders. "Don't be nervous," she said, evidently choosing to egg me on now that I told her I wouldn't be sleeping with Will tonight. I grinned, "If there's a part for Maid of Honor in island weddings, I would have no other Maid of Honor than you," I said. She smiled back and hugged me. "I'm sorry I've been so awful lately," she whispered. I finally relaxed and hugged her back, "It's forgotten. I know you've been through a lot." It was odd how simple forgiving Mary turned out to be, when it took me two weeks longer than forever to forgive Will. Such is life, I suppose, and didn't spend any more time dwelling on it, turning my thoughts again to my impending wedding.

It wasn't long before Naneth walked up to me and took my hands, leading me to the center of the camp. I saw that everyone had come to watch, each carrying garlands of flowers, sashes, necklaces of sea shells or jewelry of some sort. Naneth was the first to face me, wrapping around my waist a belt of tiny seashells. She kissed me on both cheeks and stepped away. Maurya came next, placing a necklace of miniature tiger lilies over my head and pulling my hair back. Naneth stepped behind me and began to braid my hair and twist it until it was completely off my neck. The other girls came up to me as she did this, placing bracelets on both or my arms. Some of the bracelets had chains attached to rings, and it got to be the point where if I moved my arms at all I would be met with chimes; a chorus of sound. Everyone who came up to me kissed me on both cheeks. Taeryn came up last, her heavy belly making it difficult for her to get close to me. On my forehead she placed a tiny chain with an aquamarine gemstone in the middle, its chain fastening around my head where Naneth had woven in flowers.

"I do wish you the best of luck," Taeryn said, before turning and standing in line with everyone else.

"Today you will be bonded," Naneth said, and I found it hard to keep myself from bolting. She smiled at me as if she knew what I was thinking, and pressed two fingers against my shoulder where the blue crescent moon was inked. I took a deep breath to calm down. "You will go into the forest and find your man. This is your first task. Bonding with a man is not a lifetime of ease and pleasure -"

"Although it's not half bad," Taeryn said thoughtfully, her hand resting on her belly. Everyone laughed, even Mary, who seemed to like Taeryn most out of everyone she'd met. Naneth's lips quirked in a smile, but she went on in a loud voice over the laughter.

"After today you will not only have to take care of yourself, but of your man too. Taeryn will tell you that is do not be an easy job, but as women we were made to care for them and they do seem to need it." I grinned at this, thinking about what Will would say if I told him he couldn't possibly function without me. Likely he'd challenge me to a duel, and then I'd have to soundly beat him to prove my point.

"After you do find him, you must lead him to the ocean. This is your second task. It is in the sea that your wedding will commence. Go now," Naneth said, a very unceremonious ending to her speech. I blinked. "Pardon me? Go now? Go…where?" I asked. Taeryn smiled fondly, taking me by the hand and pushing me towards the forest. "In there?" I asked, my voice sounding younger to my ears. "You will find him, Princess. We always do," Taeryn said. And so I took a step forward.

1.

Will had be walking around in the forest for what had to be at least three quarters of an hour, and there was still no sign of his would-be wife. If she ran away again, I may just give up, he thought but quickly admonished himself. He hadn't been able to sleep much the night before - well, that was a lie. Jack kept conjuring up liquor out of nowhere, and last night Will was so piss drunk that he couldn't have stayed awake to form a coherent thought if he'd wanted to. Which, given the state his nerves were in, he didn't.

So Will wondered pretty much aimlessly through the forest, vaguely paying attention to the chatter of birds and buzz of insects surrounding him. He found himself thinking, understandably, of Christina. He didn't know how the island people expected him to marry her when he hadn't had a chance to talk to her in the past three days, but then again he'd known her all his life.

Will stopped in his tracks.

He'd known Christina all his life - what if they got married today, and had nothing more to say to each other? Would he be married to a woman for the rest of his life and never say two words to her from the point they said "I do"? Assuming that they would say "I do," - the specifics of the island wedding were not made known to him.

Will shook his head and continued walking, stepping lightly over roots and shrubs, slapping at the irritating biting flies that hummed in his ear and around his neck. He was twenty years old and about to get married, walking in the forest on some island whose name he didn't know, searching for his wife-to-be in a cool, dark forest. Why was he sweating so much? And where was that blasted woman?

He found himself thinking of the wedding night, wondering if it would be taking place this night. Will felt a heat start to build around his neck, thinking about Christina that way. He was certain that she'd never been with a man before - they were best friends, for God's sake, she would have told him if she had…or would she? It wasn't something men and women talked openly about, after all. And she was quite unlike any other woman on Port Royal…what if she had been with a man before? What if she was expecting more than he could deliver? Pirate for a father or not, Will wasn't a rogue with the women, although there had been one or two. Or three.

"Nonsense," Will though, thinking about Christina again. Chances were, she'd have him wait until they got back to Port Royal before…Will grunted, stubbing his toe against a root. That bloody woman would be the death of him, he just knew it.

Will thought of his mother and father, and about the rare occasions that he'd seen them together. Bill Turner had been away more often than not, but when he was with Isabelle, she was the happiest woman alive. Will thought when he was child that there would be no woman more beautiful than his mother, and no two people more in love than his parents. Isabelle had been gone a long time, but Will still remembered her clearly. How funny it seemed to him now that she wouldn't be with him to see him get married. It made him a little sad, actually. Neither of his parents would see him marry. It wasn't something he had thought about before; Will was hardly such a sentimental type. Daydreams about marriage were for women, after all. He wondered if Christina had spent much time wondering about her own marriage. He doubted it; she was far more likely to daydreams about pirates and adventures, and they'd both had their share of that.

Children…What about children? Will had never thought about being a father before - he had always more or less lived in the present, spending time from day to day, working on whatever orders came into the shop. I am only a blacksmith - we have no home on Port Royal to return to. And she is from such an upbringing, she will expect the best…I don't even have a home for her! Will thought, cursing himself and feeling more nervous than ever. Where would they return to, once they got to Port Royal? Granted, there was the deed to the smithy, which he supposed he now owned…but that was no place to live! Not even in the loft, not if they were to have children. Will's hands felt cold all of a sudden - how could he hope to explain to Christina that she was marrying a man who could not even begin to provide for her?

Will was about to turn around and run out of the forest; he wanted to stay away from her, he could not be a husband. It was one thing to have to provide only for himself…but for a wife as well? There was no way he was ready for this marriage.

A rustling from the bushes ahead of him caught his attention, and Christina stumbled before him garlanded in flowers and seashells before he could move. He found himself thinking vaguely of the nymphs in stories that his father used to bring home with him. Will raised his eyes to meet the troubled eyes of his wife.

1.

"Will!" I gasped, holding my arms out to steady myself; I had been caught on a vine or some sort of root. It was exactly how I wanted my soon-to-be-husband to see me, stumbling through a forest with the flowers in my hair lopsided and most likely wilting. I felt his eyes pass over me slowly, and I crossed my arms over my chest, hugging myself tightly. To say that I was nervous would be just a tad larger than the biggest understatement of my life. I wondered desperately what was going through his mind; he looked so very confused.

"Are you alright?" I asked, cursing how tiny my voice sounded. He met my eyes slowly, taking in the aquamarine on my forehead. I suddenly felt like a fool, dressed up in all these flowers and seashells, jingling with every movement I made. I would have given anything for a good white shirt and trousers, or even a shift - hell, even one of Elizabeth's poofy dresses. Anything other than this translucent blue wedding dress that the island women made me wear. Against my will I thought of Elizabeth, and how much more appropriate it would be if she stood here instead of me even with the ridiculous island get-up I was in.

"I'm fine," he said quietly, his eyes never leaving mine. I felt the strong urge to tear my eyes away and go running off in whatever direction that had the least amount of roots - those buggers were treacherous. But strangely, the urge to stay was even stronger. I smiled weakly, wondering if my legs were shaking in time to my heart beat and why the butterflies in my stomach were so intent on making me throw up. Wouldn't that be a sight to see, eh?

I wanted very much to take a step towards him, to hold out my hand and bring him with me to the sea where Naneth said I would marry him…but I couldn't bring myself to take that first step. It was my choice to make, to go through with marrying him. Being on this island was so odd, it turned Port Royal's rules right on their head. I wondered if Jack knew when he brought me here. Looking back, this island was exactly what I needed. It was time away from a world ruled by men. It was time for me to make my own decisions. If I were to marry Will, it would be because I made the first step. My choice. Will and I would come to see this much later, and we would begin to admire Jack for the wisdom that currently we weren't able to grasp.

I don't know how long Will and I stood looking at each other, the forest noises all but silenced around us. Nor to this day do I know which of us smiled first, but as soon as I saw his lips tugging upwards I was running to him and throwing my arms around his neck. I know Naneth said that we wouldn't be married until we reached the sea, but as soon as my lips touched his in that forest I knew I would never love another man for the rest of my life.

1.

The island people, Jack's crew and Laurelyn, Mary, the Commodore and First Mate Gillette were all organized haphazardly by the shore, awaiting the arrival of Will and myself. Almost everyone looked nervous, except for Naneth and Taeryn. Mary was ringing her hands and hopping from foot to foot, the Commodore was looking warily at the island people, but only Jahar among them noticed this. If he found it disconcerting, he didn't let on. First Mate Gillette had opted to look relaxed but his eyes were scanning the forest as anxiously as if he were my father.

Jack muttered under his breath about beating 'the boy' if he dared hide somewhere in the forest, and Laurelyn was trying, and failing, to sooth him. She kept running her hand nervously through her long blond hair and biting her lip, smacking Jack repeatedly for making her giddy. Anamaria watched this cooly with one eyebrow raised, pressing a finger to her red tattoo almost regrettably, and then pacing away from Jack with a disgusted look on her face.

That was the scene that met us when Will and I emerged from the forest, hand in hand. We walked over to Naneth, stopping randomly and stumbling when I leaned up to kiss him on the cheek or he to kiss me full on the lips. I didn't care that we hadn't reach the sea yet, or that each time Will kissed me, Jack would roar with laughter and Laurelyn would shriek something belonging more to ears fostered at Tortuga. Mary alternated between looking joyful and scandalized that Will would dare to kiss him so openly in front of so many people. I was elated and also, admittedly, very relieved to have finally come so far as to marry Will, although we would of course be having our 'official' wedding back at Port Royal.

Naneth led us down to where the waves where tumbling in and easing back, until the water was up to my thighs. She took my hands and placed them over Will's, our fingers locked and intertwined. I could barely hear the words she shouted as yet another garland of flowers was placed - this time big enough to fit over both Will and myself. I couldn't stop smiling, glad for the spray of salt-water on my face lest he see that I might have been crying too, and misunderstand. I stared up at Will, who had been for the longest time my best friend and from now on would be my husband as well.

Naneth backed away slowly, her white hair whipping all around her has her wrinkled hands passed over her eyes, wiping away her own tears. Will and I stood alone as the waves crashed in and out, and I flung my arms around him again to share my first kiss with my husband. Together we tumbled into a warm island sea.

1.

A/N: Damn. Here's another update for you - I am on a roll this weekend. Hope you enjoy it! Review, please!