Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Pirates of the Caribbean. I have made no money off the writing and publication of this fic.
As Long as We Both Shall Live
Chapter 1
Broken wreckage strewn across the rolling waves of the sea… a half-dead boy floating in the water… a gold pirate medallion… black sails in the distance…
Elizabeth woke from the dream with a start, hand coming to her chest as she took in deep gulping breaths, trying to dispel the last remnants of the old nightmare. Still caught up in the memories, her eyes flicked instinctively over to the bedside table where the coin resided, hidden away in a drawer beneath a loose panel. But the table her gaze fell on wasn't the one from her girlhood bedroom- this one was made from a darker wood and set at a different height.
The difference in what she saw compared to what she expected was jarring and it took her a moment to recognise the room she had spent most of her nights for the last year. It had been a few years since she had slept in that old bedroom and the pirate coin now resided somewhere else, tucked secretly away underneath a floorboard she had loosened in the adjoining chambers.
She made to get up, suddenly overcome with a need to see the medallion again and remind herself that her dream had been real, but she only managed to sit up before the arm around her waist pulled her back down against a warm chest. A sleepy rumble of protest sounded from behind her on the bed, discontent at the disturbance.
Turning her head to look at her husband, Elizabeth was unable to hold back a fond smile. It was a rare but pleasant occurrence for her to wake up before James. His face was unguarded and relaxed in sleep, a few strands of dark hair coming loose and falling across his eyes. She made another concerted attempt to escape, this time with more success as she carefully disentangled their bodies. Her actions elicited another grumpy grumble but no further restriction of her movements.
Her morning gown was draped over the back of a chair, she slipped it on and padded quietly to the door that connected her and James's bedchambers. Remembering belatedly that the maid had shut the curtains the night before, she cursed under her breath and held a hand out as she stumbled around, trying to feel for furniture. After finally reaching the window to give herself some light, she was able to guide herself to the hiding place she had found on the night of her wedding. Knocking her way along the floor, she waited until she heard the faint change in tone indicative of a hollow space and carefully wedged up the floorboard.
Inside she had hidden a dozen childhood mementos, little things she had not the will to give up entirely nor were they appropriate to keep anywhere a curious servant or husband might spot them. Notes she had exchanged with Will over the years, her girlhood diary, a misshapen metal boat Will had made for her in the first weeks of his apprenticeship. The medallion lay on top of the diary, covered in a light coat of dust. It had not been disturbed since she had placed it there.
Picking it up, she paid no mind to the dirt that transferred on to her fingers. It seemed to call to her, just as it had in her dream, and she was so intently fixed on it that she nearly missed the sound of footsteps approaching the room. Acting quickly, she pushed the floorboard back into position only to realise the medallion was still in her hand. She threw the chain around her neck and tucked the medallion into the front of her nightdress just as the door creaked open.
"Ah you're awake, ma'am." The housemaid observed, putting down the basket laden with logs for the fire. "Shall I get your lady's maid?"
"Yes, thank you." Elizabeth said, pretending as though she had not just been frantically hiding things. "I would like a bath to be run this morning as well." She added.
"Very good, ma'am."
She occupied herself with a book while she waited for the bath to be prepared but try as she might she could not keep her thoughts focussed on the story. Once the bath was ready, she settled into the warm water with a content sigh. Alone again, she took the medallion out to inspect it again, as she had so many times before. Running a finger over the carved grooves that made up the geometrical design, she again wondered where the piece had originally come from. Was it the only one of its kind or was it part of a set?
A knock on the door interrupted Elizabeth's musings. "Come in." She called out absently, assuming it was the maid returning with a clean towel and shift. Instead James entered, looking far more awake and alert than when she had left him earlier. He was only partly dressed, still missing his coat and wig, but his fine dark hair was neatly tied back and the dusting of stubble across his jaw had been freshly shaved off.
He drew closer and lowered himself to kneel on the floor beside the bath so he wasn't looming over her, something she had often complained about in the early days of their marriage where he was still being so stiff and formal and seemed to fear being too close to her, as though she might bite him. Whatever he was about to say however was forgotten as he noticed the chain she was idly winding about her hands.
"That's unusual." He commented before she had a chance to hide it from his view. "I don't think I've seen it before, is it new?"
"Ah no…" she answered awkwardly, "I've had it a while."
He picked up the medallion and scrutinised it closely. "It looks antique. Is it Aztec or from one of the other indigenous groups?"
"I thought because of the skull…" Elizabeth flushed. "Isn't it a pirate coin?"
"Pirates tend to steal coin, not mint it." He said with an amused smile. It was only because she had grown to know him that she realised he was teasing and not lecturing. "Where did you get it?"
"I stole it." She admitted shamefacedly. At his sharp look, she hastily explained further. "From Will. Years ago. When we found him and the shipwreck on the voyage from England."
James shot her a disapproving look. "I thought it was proof that he was a pirate!" She protested. "It has a skull! How was I supposed to know it was an antique? If anything, it's your fault for making me think you were going to have him hanged over a stupid coin."
"Now that's not fair."
Elizabeth cleared her throat and with an eye roll spoke in an exaggeratedly deep voice "I intend to see to it that any man who sails under a pirate flag…" she parroted mockingly and was gratified to see James turn pink with embarrassment as she quoted his own words back at him. It was strange to think he had only been 19 at the time, bold and brash and full of youthful arrogance. With the benefit of a decade of hindsight, he no doubt regretted his boastful words.
"Alright, I see your point." He conceded. "But even then, the medallion on its own wouldn't be nearly enough to condemn Mr Turner. It's not illegal to own pirate treasure." He shifted the object in question over in his hands, as though trying to judge the weight. "Bearing that in mind, if this coin is made of real gold, it would be worth a lot more to him than it would to you. Should you not give it back?" He handed it to her and sat back to await her decision.
That was certainly true, she realised, suddenly feeling a little guilty. She had kept it from Will all these years, thinking that she was protecting him but instead had been withholding a valuable possession that he could have sold and used the money to improve his situation.
"You're right. I should return it." Elizabeth said, a little regretfully. It felt strange to give up an item that had been in her possession, even wrongly, for so long. But then she winced. "Perhaps it might be better if you return it."
She remembered what had happened the last time she had stopped by the blacksmiths to pay Will a visit. Three straight months of Port Royal society gossiping over the encounter, speculating over imaginary salacious details in hushed voices just loud enough for her to overhear, dragging up every instance of her past impropriety as evidence against her. She wouldn't have cared if the criticism had only been directed at her, but it hadn't been. "The poor Commodore," they bemoaned in voices completely devoid of sympathy, "he should have known better to pick her over one of the more refined ladies." "I blame her father; he has always indulged her so."
It had still been early in her and James's marriage and she had feared how he might react. To her surprise, he had mostly ignored the comments. He had not questioned her as to the reason for her visiting a man she was not related to, nor had he banned her from making any further visits, which was the least she had expected. One of the first instances where she had realised her perception of him was not quite accurate.
"That might be best." James agreed.
Elizabeth moved to hand the medallion back over to him, but her fingers were slick from the soapy water and the coin slipped out of her grip and fell with a splash into the water of the bath. For the briefest moment, she felt a strange pulse in the water and her eyebrows drew together in a frown as she tried to make sense of it.
The pulse was immediately forgotten as James's hand reached into the water, brushing over the bare skin of her hip as he searched for the coin. Elizabeth bit her lip as a flare of heat rose up her cheeks. He eventually found what he was looking for and retrieved the medallion from the water, cleaning it off with the cuff of his shirt before tucking it carefully into his pocket.
Her gaze was still trained on the pocket the medallion had disappeared to, when his hand came up to cup her face, thumb lightly brushing over her pink cheekbone.
"Do you have to leave now?" She asked, leaning into his touch and laying her hand over his. "Will has been missing the coin for years now, surely a few more hours won't make a difference?" She contemplated adjusting her position in the water slightly, tilting up to reveal another inch or two of skin above the cloudy and concealing waterline.
Much to her gratification, James looked torn. "I'm due at the fort." He admitted regretfully. "I thought I might drop off the medallion on the way home."
"I thought your leave started today?"
"Tomorrow," he corrected lightly, "we have the anniversary to attend today, remember? Speaking of which, your father has gifted you a new dress."
Elizabeth groaned and dropped her head back against the bath. "I had forgotten about that." It was the anniversary of the founding of Port Royal, a pompous self-congratulatory day of celebration that both she and James would be expected to attend. A boring day among boring people, beneath the unforgiving summer sun. Drowning in the bathtub sounded more appealing. And yet…
"A new dress?"
"Yes, he had it sent over this morning." A small smile turned up the corners of his lips. "It is rather inconsiderate of him. How am I supposed to spoil you when he's always sending you presents?"
Elizabeth smirked as she leaned up and out of the bath to press a lingering kiss to his lips. "I'm sure you'll find a way." She sank back into the bath slowly, watching his gaze follow her slender curves as they disappeared back beneath the water.
Purposefully ignoring the tortured look on his face, she turned her attention to her pruning fingers and huffed as she realised that at some point in the course of her conversation with James, the temperature of the water had shifted from comfortably warm to slightly chilly.
"Weren't you heading to the fort?" She asked innocently. "I suppose I'll see you at the midday ceremony." Her father was due to give a speech and while she wasn't overly interested in hearing his carefully crafted political statement, she had no wish to embarrass him by her absence.
"Go on," she made a dismissive shooing gesture when James made no move to leave, "I need to get ready, and you'll just get in the way."
He caught her shooing hand and laid a quick kiss to her knuckles before getting to his feet and departing the room.
His exit was promptly followed by the entry of Estrella and another maid, who presumably had been waiting outside until their discussion was over, having long ago learned that entering without knocking a room that James and Elizabeth had been left alone in came with a hefty chance of seeing something inappropriate. The two of them were cooing over the gown, admiring the stylish cut and embroidery.
While the maids laced her in, Elizabeth perused the note her father had sent with the dress. It had been specially ordered from London- some up and coming brand new designer that all the upper-class ladies were apparently fawning over. It was certainly beautiful, she was rather looking forward to- she gasped loudly as a sudden sharp tug on the laces of the corset expelled the air from her lungs mid-thought and had her grasping for a bed post blindly to try to keep herself upright.
"Sorry ma'am." Eloise, the newer maid, apologised. "It laces tighter than your other gowns."
"It is quite alright." Elizabeth replied. It was just for one day, she told herself, and surely it couldn't get any tight- several more sharp pulls in quick succession had her vision go black for a half-second.
"All done." Estrella announced cheerfully, tying the loose ribbons into a bow. The corset had gone from uncomfortably tight but bearable, to torturously compressing. She could only take in small shallow breaths, her ribs unable to expand much under the unyielding pressure of the sadistic fashionable instrument.
"Are you sure…" even talking was a struggle, "that this is… the right size? …Perhaps my father… reported my measurements incorrectly?"
"No ma'am." Estrella said. "I wrote your measurements on the order slip myself."
"I see." Elizabeth grasped at the bodice and closed her eyes, trying to will the garment to stretch at least a little, but it remained as unyielding as ever. "Does it at least look nice?"
"Breath-taking ma'am." Eloise reassured her. "You shall be the envy of all of Port Royal. Your husband will be unable to tear his eyes away from you."
"You say that as though it would make a change from normal." Estrella grumbled below her breath.
He might, Elizabeth allowed, but he wouldn't be pleased. James, who she had once thought would be so insistent on appearances and propriety, had rapidly come to the conclusion after seeing the bruises and dark red marks the boning left on her back and sides, that corsets constituted cruel and unusual punishment. After a lengthy discussion, they had come to a mutual agreement that she could update her wardrobe so that all her dresses and gowns were tailored a little looser such that her corsets could be laced much less tightly to fit into them. It had worked out quite well, even if it had earned her a few haughty looks of disapproval. After all, it was not as though she needed to catch herself a husband anymore. James knew her natural shape so well now that he would immediately realise what her unusually tiny waist would signify. She cheered herself with the thought that he would likely come up with some excuse to whisk her home as soon as the ceremony was over.
Putting the dress on, of course, was not the last of her preparations. She fidgeted in her seat as Estrella did her hair and then applied a light dusting of rouge. The overall effect was very pleasing, she had to admit, but not worth the pain.
"You'll need a fan, ma'am." Eloise said, rummaging through a drawer and handing her one. "It's a scorching day outside."
In all the excitement she had forgotten to ask for the carriage to be prepared, which delayed her departure by several minutes. By the time she arrived, she was quite late and met with several disapproving looks. It was too late to join James with the other officers without causing even more of a scene, so she instead moved to stand beside her father.
James was over on the other side of the courtyard, discussing something with Groves, likely the plan for the military demonstration that would be happening later. He looked handsome in his dress uniform; his stiff blue coat decorated with the golden epaulettes representing his station. He would have looked better without the horsehair wig that made him look so much older than his years, but like her corset there were unfortunate concessions to be made in public. Catching sight of her, he gave her a blinding smile that she returned with a coy wave of her fan.
"You look lovely, Elizabeth." Her father said, smiling proudly at her. "Do you like the dress?"
"It's beautiful." She replied diplomatically, turning her attention back the governor and wincing as speaking caused the corset to pinch her slightly. "Perhaps a little tight."
"I'm told it's all the rage in London."
"I'm sure." Women in London must have learned not to breath, she thought uncharitably.
Her father guided her over to the battlements, away from the crowd. "I have been meaning to ask," he began with forced casualness, "you and James have been married quite some time now."
Struggling for breath, Elizabeth could do nothing but wave her fan to encourage air circulation and give a non-comital hum in response.
"I just wondered," he floundered uncomfortably, clearly unsure of how to broach a specific question he obviously had in mind, "I mean, your mother and I, we weren't waiting long before we first received our… happy news."
She hummed again, not paying the slightest bit of attention as dark spots began to swim in her vision. Waving the fan faster, she reached behind her for the column for support.
Oblivious to her struggles, her father clasped his hands behind his back and turned away from her as he continued to speak.
"Of course, we had our difficulties, as you well know. I had hoped you and James would not struggle as we did… and I would so love to have a child in the family again…"
A child?! What was he blathering on about? He was continuing to extoll the joys of parenthood and how much he would enjoy spoiling a grandson or granddaughter when Elizabeth finally lost the fight to stay awake. Her vision darkened, the shape of her father fading away and her grip on the column slackening as she fell back.
Author's Note: I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter of my AU! I've already completed the bulk of the writing for the fic, I'm just editing and trying to improve it now so hopefully won't get abandoned! Should be five chapters in total. I'm planning to post the second chapter next week, on Saturday or Sunday.
