Eight years passed by in the town of Port Royale, where Elizabeth and her father had made their home. The ambitious lieutenant Norrington was stationed there as well. Over the years he and Elizabeth had many more dealings with each other, and did in fact become friends as she had hoped.

Over the years, he worked his way through the naval ranks, and was always the first among his peers to be recommended for promotions. Since that day aboard the Dauntless, he had achieved the rank of captain, and was actively working towards the next level of naval hierarchy.

But through it all, he always found time for his young friend. He escorted her to her first "grown-up" party, and subsequently, became her "default" escort to many parties afterwards, as well as errands and such about town. He often gave her tours of the ships he ran, making sure to explain every detail of how they operated, knowing how interested she was in anything to do with the sea.

Around her, he showed a side of himself with her that he rarely showed to anyone else. Her free-spirited ways complimented his seriousness, and brought out the best parts of his personality. She never quite outgrew the impertinent nature she had as a child, and while Norrington's decorous nature did not change either, Elizabeth at lest could see that there was also great kindness, and gentleness, and understanding in him as well.

People in the town whispered amongst themselves how the captain and the governor's daughter would make a handsome couple someday, but Elizabeth remained blithely unaware of their remarks, being too taken with the blacksmith's apprentice, Will Turner, to think of noticing anyone else.

Until the ceremony celebrating Norrington's elevation to commodore.

That morning, she was greeted by her father presenting her with a stunning outfit he had imported from London. When asked for the reason behind this gift, he initially denied there being one, but did not keep up the deception for long.

"Actually, I, um..." he started, but hesistated.

Elizabeth had a bad feeling about what he was going to say next.

"I had hoped you would wear it to the ceremony."

Careful not to let on that she knew where he was headed, she innocently asked "The ceremony?"

"Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony," he told her.

"I knew it," she said, poking her head out from behind the screen. Her father had been trying to pair her off with James for years, in spite of her protests and obvious fancy for Will.

"Commodore Norrington, as he's about to become," Governor Swann continued. "He fancies you, you know. A fine gentleman, don't you think?"

She did think he was a fine gentleman, but she certainly did not think he fancied her. The captain was a great friend, and she was fond of him, but they didn't see each other in a romantic light. Elizabeth was, however, unable to tell her father any of this, as Stella and Polly were drawing her corset laces rather roughly...

...The ceremony was over, but Elizabeth hadn't really seen it, being too much in pain from her restrictive clothing. The two maids really had drawn her corset up carelessly, for it was much too tight on her. She regretted that she wasn't able to pay proper attention to the honor being bestowed on her friend, so when he approached her, asking for a moment to speak with her, she consented, despite the pain she was in, feeling she at least owed him that much.

She took his arm, but it was the not friendly arm upon which she had leaned so often before. He was strangely stiff and quiet as he led her to the battlement's edge. Upon reaching it, he released her arm and made up for his lack of words by racing into a speech that seemed to be addressed to the ocean, since he would not look at her.

"I, uh, apologize if I seem forward, but I must speak my mind."

She wondered why he was suddenly acting so formal with her. Since when had anything he did ever been forward? Was it not she who was continually trying to joke and play with him?

"This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet achieved" he continued, but Elizabeth still could not guess what he meant, until he said "A marriage to a fine woman." Now he turned, and faced her for the first time. "You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth was horrorstruck. "Me? A woman that James wants to marry!" she thought in alarm. She never would have believed that her father was right all along, had she not heard it from her friend's own lips.

"But I'm not a...fine woman. I'm just little Lizzy. I'm just - we're just... " She was having trouble thinking straight. She was reeling from the revelation that James had just made, and her too-tight corset was restricting the airflow to her brain.

"I can't breathe," she croaked, unable to think of anything else to say. Nor could she have said anything else, even if she wanted to. Her vision was suddenly swimming in front of her, and was quickly fading to black...

...She lay in bed with a book in hand, but a mind not focusing on it. How could James do that to her? What was he thinking by suggesting they marry? He had caused her what had probably been the most stressful day she had had since moving to the island, and seemed to think nothing of it. Her sentiment was echoed by the maid Stella, as she said;

"It was a difficult day for you, I'm sure."

Elizabeth inwardly groaned. Did the whole world know that she had been proposed to and been caught so off-guard by it that she fell over a hundred foot wall into the ocean? Well, she wasn't going to let this servant know that, in any case. "I suspected Commodore Norrington would propose," she lied, trying to keep her voice cool, but she didn't sound convincing, even to herself, so she added, "But I wasn't entirely prepared for it."

"Well, I meant you being threatened by that pirate," Stella replied. "Sounds terrifying."

"Oh, yes, terrifying." Elizabeth said quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment. How could she not have thought of that first? Of course people would be more scandalized by a pirate than by a simple proposal!

"But the Commodore proposed. Fancy that. Now, that's a smart match, Miss, if it's not too bold to say."

Elizabeth was about to disagree, but her father's voice from that morning repeated itself in her head.

"A fine gentleman, don't you think?"

Followed by James's "You have become a fine woman, Elizabeth."

He was a fine gentleman, and she a fine woman.

"It is a smart match," she said slowly. For the first time, she was seeing their relationship as others did, and was astonished byt he logic of it. "He's a fine man; he's what any woman should dream of marrying."

"Well, that Will Turner, he's a fine man, too," Stella went on to say.

The mention of that name flustered Elizabeth even more. Having James suddenly thrown into "marital prospect" light was confusing enough, but now to have to compare him with Will, who was always a sensitive subject with her, especially now that his blacksmith position seemed especially lowly when compared to James's - well that was really too much to think about for one night.

"That is too bold," she warned the maid, forgetting in her embarassment and confusion that she usually made no effort to hide her preference for Will.

"Well, begging your pardon, Miss. It was not my place." Estrella curtsied and exited the room, leaving her mistress alone with her rattled feelings. She closed her eyes to shut it all out, and drew her comforter around her to shut out the chill of the fog which crept in through her window shutters...