"Absolutely out of the question." The admiral narrowed his eyes, pulling Elizabeth around a corner and out of sight. He looked down at her face, her pleading expression, and studied her face carefully before continuing. "Elizabeth, you know I would do anything for you, but this… this asks too much. I cannot provide a weapon to a fugitive from justice. No matter what." He added the last part hastily, steeling himself towards her. He was torn between what was right, and what was proper. He knew how easily Lord Beckett's temper could be tested.
"If I were truly a 'fugitive from justice,' as you put it, why haven't I been arrested yet?" She saw his features soften as he regarded her changing expression. His eyes wandered away from her, and stopped, transfixed on some spot behind her. She turned around, the voice trilling from behind her dripping with smugness.
"Curiosity, Miss Swann. I wonder how useful you can be to the East India Company." Lord Beckett stepped further into the light. A smirk was playing about his lips, his wig looked excessively white, and in his outstretched hand he held a sheathed sword, its hilt glinting in the sunlight that shone dappled through the cracks in the boards of the ship. "I wonder how valuable the information you can provide could be."
Elizabeth took the blade from Beckett without word of thanks, and stalked off to her quarters. As she rounded the corner, James thought he saw her throw a scathing look back to the pair of them, but shrugged it off as a trick played by his mind, and followed Cutler Beckett back to the deck.
XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXxX
"And so you feel you must apologize?" The Lady spoke quietly, the first time she had interrupted him in quite a long time. Will could see her sympathetic gaze in her eyes. He stared at them, the only part of her face he could see. His dark eyes were transfixed on her blue eyes. He stirred,; gazing into her eyes he felt something… different. He felt as if he could hide nothing from her, like she could see into his soul. As she asked this question of him, he realized something about her eyes. They had seen much, from happiness to sorrow. They had seen more of the world than he had ever imagined.
"I feel… I feel that if I can't trust Elizabeth with this plan I can't trust her with anything, nor her me." He thought back to Elizabeth's face after they had left the Pearl. He could see her expression, guarded and hurt. He could only imagine what she was feeling. Sadness? Disappointment? Guilt? "Maybe I can't trust her at all…"
Although he muttered this last part so she couldn't hear, she appeared to know what he said. They sat in silence for a while as she contemplated all he had told her. She thought first about when he felt he had begun to lose Elizabeth, the interrupted wedding. She thought about his time on the Flying Dutchman, about the promise he made to his father. She thought about his plans to save Bootstrap, and how losing the heart had foiled them. Lastly, she thought about what he had told him of his feelings as they abandoned Jack. Finally, she spoke. "If she had loved him, she wouldn't have left him." The Lady stood up, and walked back through the doorway that she had entered from. As soon as she left, he felt more alone than he'd ever felt before. Isolated in this room, alone with his thoughts. He wished she would come back, willed her presence once more. What's wrong with me?
Will turned over, barely noticing when Mina and Noah slipped back into the room. He thought about her words, her strange demeanor. He could vaguely hear the Lady reenter the room to speak with Mina as he let sleep take him.
XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXxX
Elizabeth sat on the bed, staring out the window. She had returned to the room to find her old clothes washed and delivered, so she changed into them, liking them rather more than the clothes that had been provided to her. The sword lay sheathed on the bed in front of her. She heard a knock on the door, and hurriedly pretended to be asleep, pulling the sword up beside her head. She heard someone call her name, followed by the slow creak as they entered the room. She heard the footsteps crossing the room, and the soft swishing of the curtains being drawn. When she was sure she was quite alone again, she reopened the curtain and resumed her position on the bed.
She studied the handle of the sword for a short while before unsheathing the blade. It seemed vaguely familiar. She recognized the shape and style from somewhere, but she couldn't remember where. It wasn't until she tried to find the balance point that she remembered. With the memories, came the guilt, and with the guilt came the pain. She heard a voice from the doorway. "Yes, that sword is the one that Mr. Turner crafted for me." She dropped the sword, startled by the admiral's sudden appearance.
"James! I didn't hear you come in." She looked at him, at the smile on his face. Wondering how long he'd been standing there, she started to talk. "How did you know that's what I--?"
"The look in your eyes. The same look when he was mentioned earlier." He watched as she sat back down on the bed. He stood in front of her for a moment, then brought up the chair from the corner and sat down. "I came to make sure you're all right… What happened? Really?" He stressed the last word, adamant that she tell the truth. "Elizabeth…"
"I don't… I think… Will thinks he can't trust me anymore. Not really." She trailed off, looking down at the sheets. James put one finger under her chin, drawing her face up so she looked him in the eye. "I… I killed Jack. I kissed him so I could chain him to the Pearl and leave him to the Kraken. It was only so that we could escape. I had no choice! And… I think Will suspects something, but I can't… I can't tell him. " She felt the tears coming forward, felt the guilt burning inside her. What's wrong with me? She'd started to tell him what happened, she couldn't stop now.
XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXx XxXxXxX
'If she had loved him, she wouldn't have left him.' Over and over again Will heard these words play in his mind. I was so simple, it had to be true, he knew it. But what of the kiss, and why wouldn't she say anything? If she didn't love him—If she loves me—Why didn't she tell me what happened? He could see the sunlight pouring through the break in the curtains, and got out of bed. He tore the pieces of cloth away from the window, letting in the light. The pain in his leg was minimal, so he went off to find Noah.
The building was much larger than it had appeared from outside. He walked through winding halls and eventually found himself in what appeared to be the entrance. He could see the ocean outside, feel the salty spray as it splashed through the open door. He could hear Noah and Mina's voices in the room to the right, so he went in. It appeared to be some sort of store room. There was food on many shelves to his left, items of a miscellaneous nature (ranging from seemingly valuable trinkets to swords and guns) on shelves ahead of him, and clothing and medicines to his right. He found the two of them sitting at a small table in the middle of the room, illuminated by the bright sunlight. With them was a woman who appeared to be about his age. He knew they could not see him from the angle at which he stood, so he entered quietly.
Will could see the woman was beautiful. She was wearing a silvery white dress, her brown hair tumbling around her shoulders. Her smile was entrancing. Framed as she was by the light against the dark backdrop of the walls, she looked an angel. He took one step towards them, and silently cursed to himself when the boards creaked. Mina and Noah appeared not to have heard anything, but the woman's eyes darted up towards where he stood. They did not linger long, and Will was safe with his belief that she hadn't seen him.
A short while later, after Noah and Mina had left the woman sitting there alone, he made his presence known. He introduced himself to her, and she merely smiled back. He stared at her smile, at her beautiful crystal blue eyes, maybe a moment too long. This… this is the Lady of the Sea. He looked again upon her face, saw the smile fade. She looked into his eyes and understood. "So, you've figured out who I am then." She turned away and walked over to the window. He went over to her, put a hand on her shoulder.
"Am I not supposed to know? Would you bid me forget?" She looked into his eyes again. What's wrong with me? Again, he felt that something different. She tried to smile, but was unable. She broke eye contact, and walked once more across the room. She couldn't bear to stand with him. She knew how he felt about everything.
"We have much in common, Mr. Turner." She looked upon him again, and he moved over to her once more. If I can't hide anything from her, why is she trying to hide from me?
"You can call me Will." In that one sentence, he realized how Elizabeth must have felt for most of the time they had known each other. He now knew what it was like to be rejected the one small courtesy of being addressed by your name. His perspective on Elizabeth changed, as it had when the Lady had given him advice. "And what may I call you?"
She avoided the subject. "Yes, much in common Will. You have loved, and lost. I had loved… once. Do not give up hope on Elizabeth." His eyes stared back into hers. She couldn't go without giving her name. Without telling him all he wished to know. He wouldn't let her. She sank onto the bench, and looked up at him.
"What," he repeated, more forcefully, "may I call you?" She looked at him, but not at his eyes. She wouldn't make eye contact again, he realized.
"You may call me by my name, but I shan't speak it here." She got up to go, but he held fast to her arm, pulling her back. She felt something when he grabbed her arm. Something she hadn't felt in a long time. Automatically, without any conscious thought, she let her name slide through her lips. "Cassandra. My name is Cassandra." She tried to leave, but Will held even tighter to her arm. She turned around to face him. They were only a foot away now. He caught her gaze with his. He wouldn't let her go anywhere.
"Why does it worry you? What's so wrong about me knowing your name? Seeing your face?" He demanded this of her. He felt strange. He had never felt like this before, save for when he was with Elizabeth. What's wrong with me?
"Faces and names have more power than you could imagine, Will." She felt it too. "Never forget hope. Never forget Elizabeth. Don't let her go." He relinquished his grip, and she left him to his thoughts once again. What's wrong with me?