Chapter 14

Elizabeth had fought Will before, but those circumstances were ones of practice and couldn't even begin to measure up to the grueling and emotional duel that husband and wife were currently engaged in. The two of them were both expert handlers of the sword, so them fighting each other yielded some truly interesting results. Neither Will nor Elizabeth showed any signs of faltering or fatigue; on the contrary, with each swing of the sword and clash of the blade, they seemed to grow more adept to the predicament.

Rather than practicing the more conservative moves Will had taught her all those years ago, Elizabeth was forced to use more dirty and piratical tactics in dueling her haunted husband. As Will brought his blade down hard from an overhead swing, Elizabeth blocked the blow by thrusting her sword straight up in front of her and steeled her arm muscles firmly as Will began to exert powerful pressure upon his own sword. Finally, when Elizabeth's strength seemed ready to give out, she used the last of it to shove Will away a few steps so she could dart off to the side to temporarily get rejuvenated.

But, as usual, Will wasn't so easily fazed. He immediately jumped back into the action and lunged with his blade in an upward arc. Elizabeth was able to parry it with a sharp jab to the steel and spun to the right at the same time. However, Will was upon her again in under three seconds. Roughly thirty seconds passed with Will and Elizabeth merely making various shapes in the air with each spot their blades clashed in the air. When the swords connected with each other hard, both Will and Elizabeth spun them around in a circle in an attempt to slide their opponent's weapon from their hand; it didn't work, but at least the swords were free again.

Will lunged again, missed, but expertly twisted his sword behind him to get in a clash as he turned around.

It was hard for Elizabeth not to use any physical violence in order to gain the upper hand, mainly because it was Will who was on the receiving end of all her blows this time around. However, if this duel continued on this way much longer, Elizabeth would have no choice but to throw in a few punches or kicks.

Elizabeth need not have worried about that, however, because during the moments when she had become distracted by her thoughts, Will had taken the opportunity to shove Elizabeth roughly against the round table. The chairs behind Elizabeth either skidded away a few inches or fell to the floor when Elizabeth's body came into contact with them. Elizabeth herself fell back against the table but managed to hold onto her footing.

Will lashed out as he had shifted his hold on his sword so that the blade was pointing down lethally. He violently lunged at Elizabeth, who successfully rolled out of the way in time so that the tip of Will's sword became lodged in the wooden surface of the table and became stuck. Deciding to return the favor, Elizabeth delivered a kick to Will's gut that sent him stumbling backwards and eventually knocked him off his feet.

While Will was, for the moment incapacitated, Elizabeth stood over the still open vault and swiftly retrieved the Essence. She acutely noticed that there was a small chain that linked through a tiny hole of the glass vial and she placed the Essence around her neck so that it wouldn't keep her free hand hindered. But the moment her arms fell back to her sides, the sleeve covering Elizabeth's right arm as well as the skin of her arm was cut by the tip of a blade. But before Elizabeth had time to register the sharp jolt of pain that accompanied the sudden action, she was shoved to the ground and she watched as Will stepped back up to the table and firmly yanked his sword free with a loud and forceful grunt.

Elizabeth jumped back on her feet as soon as Will resumed their duel and when their swords clashed for the umpteenth time that night, Elizabeth twirled around and grabbed hold of the wrist of Will's dueling arm. Of course, Will would have none of this, so he pushed his momentum into his right side so that both he and Elizabeth crashed against the far wall as both their hands smashed through the window that was already in the wall. Making sure to keep Will's hand through the window, Elizabeth ducked underneath his arm and positioned herself so that she could pry his fingers off the sword. What Elizabeth didn't expect was for Will to grab a handful of her hair and yank her backwards. Elizabeth stumbled to the ground as Will removed his forearm from the broken window.

Thinking fast, Elizabeth rolled sideways so that she was lying beside one of the chairs that had been shoved aside earlier. She got back to her feet, grabbed the back of the chair and heaved it up, blocking Will's latest lunge. Will agitatedly grabbed the chair too and the two of them struggled over control of it for a few seconds before finally, Will managed to toss it aside; Elizabeth backed up a few steps, prepared for whatever Will might do next.

Will leapt at her with great agility, thrusting his sword out in front of him. The weapon came within inches of sinking through Elizabeth's stomach; she had managed to evade it by contracting her stomach in and flexing her arms out in front of her. While the close call distracted her, Will managed to land a sharp jab to the left side of Elizabeth's face, namely the cheek, and he did so with the back of his left hand so that the wedding ring which was still on it left a small bloody cut on her cheek. It wasn't so serious, but it was deep enough to leave a mark over time.

Elizabeth gingerly touched her left index finger to the cut and it came away dotted with fresh blood. Will and Elizabeth continued on with their duel, a wave of emotions now building up inside of Elizabeth. She now incorporated a bit more rage into her blows, but it didn't seem to faze Will in the slightest.

But Elizabeth's blind rage eventually started to work against her, because while she was busy slashing away, Will was presented with the chance to easily knock her blade away and that's precisely what he did. Elizabeth's sword clattered to the ground a bit to the left of their current position. Now, completely free to do whatever he wished, Will roughly grabbed Elizabeth by the throat and shoved her backwards until her back slammed against the wall.

As Will continued to apply gradually increasing pressure to Elizabeth's throat, Elizabeth flailed her arms wildly in a vain effort to suck in air. When she was sure Will wouldn't relent his grasp, Elizabeth carried out her only option: she slammed her elbow down upon Will's arm joint, which left him with no choice other than to release Elizabeth. Once he did, Elizabeth slid down to the floor, gratefully gulping in the air that had been so mercilessly denied from her only seconds before. As Will shook off the pain in his arm, Elizabeth eyed her discarded sword, which lay a short distance away from her.

Without giving it a second thought, Elizabeth dived across the floor and slid steadily until she was able to snatch up her sword by the hilt. As she turned over, Elizabeth brought the sword up in time to meet Will's. Elizabeth, surprised by her sudden renewal of strength, was then able to shove Will back a few inches in order to allow herself to stand up. As she twirled to her feet, Elizabeth both parried yet another sword swipe and swiftly landed a jab of her own to Will's right cheek. Just like Will, Elizabeth used her left hand so that her wedding ring left a mark of its own on Will's face. Tit for tat.

Will allowed himself no more than two seconds to reel from the blow and was upon Elizabeth again as if nothing had happened.

Now the stakes had been raised, and Will was intent on drawing more blood from his opponent than that of a mere cut. He had no intention of letting Elizabeth get in any more blows, and his renewed anger clearly showed that. As Will kept clanging his sword against Elizabeth's, he surreptitiously slid his foot behind Elizabeth's leg and brought it forward so that Elizabeth fell backwards…again. But before she did, the chain of the Essence got caught around Will's blade and it broke, sending the Essence flying through the air and skittering across the floor, now well out of Elizabeth's reach.

Elizabeth then saw that her sword far reached her grasp again. She had no hope of defending herself in time to block Will's next move, which was only seconds away.

Indeed, Will towered over her dauntingly, his figure vastly imposing and his eyes blaring. He tossed his sword up in the air slightly in order to get a better grip on the hilt. To Elizabeth, the action seemed to occur in slow motion.

Upon seeing the pure remorselessness that was etched into Will's facial features, Elizabeth felt infinitely and helplessly weak. She knew right then and there that this was the moment in which to act, no question about it. Will was already going in for the kill when Elizabeth desperately screamed.

"STOP!"

The sudden outburst actually did cause Will to halt momentarily. Once he did, Elizabeth plowed on.

"I know you're in there. I know that the man I love is still alive inside, fighting to get to the surface…you just need a little help."

"Your pathetic little attempts to stall your death are pointless." Will started to plunge his sword down again, but Elizabeth's voice stopped him once more.

"You're Will! Will Turner! Will! Turner!" Elizabeth's voice contained a heartfelt sincerity that was infallible. "Your mother died when you were young and your father was banished to a fate worse than death. You're a kind, loving man who always puts the welfare of those close to you first, no matter what it may mean for you. You've loved me ever since you first laid eyes on me and we have a son named Michael. And I know you would never…never do anything to harm either of us." Elizabeth paused, seeing the hatred in Will's eyes slowly turn into confused compassion. "And I love you," she finished softly.

Those words seemed to trigger something inside of Will that Elizabeth could not completely explain. Will dropped his sword and gasped, whether in pain or shock Elizabeth couldn't tell. He backed away, grabbing his head and sinking to his knees.

The reason for this was the flood of memories that was currently sweeping through Will's mind…

Will was standing outside the battalion in Port Royal at sunset, kissing Elizabeth for the first time.

He kneeled down in front of Elizabeth on the beach in the moonlight, proposing marriage to her in front of countless of Governor Swann's socialites.

He was kneeling down in front of Elizabeth, her fingers reaching out and gently stroking his cheek through the jail bars that separated them. "If it weren't for these bars, I'd have you already," echoed Elizabeth's voice.

He kissed Elizabeth passionately in front of Jack and Norrington.

Will and Elizabeth shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Will, now on his back, convulsed violently, screaming in desperation. Elizabeth carefully approached him and kneeled down beside him.

Will was overjoyed upon hearing of Elizabeth's pregnancy.

They were in bed, reveling in each other's presence.

Will was holding his son for the first time…

…consoling Elizabeth about her terrible dream.

"Elizabeth…Elizabeth…"

"I'm here, Will," she said, "right here."

Will was in front of a mirror. Reflected in it were all the horrible things he'd done over the past few days. Will began to smash the mirror and each time he did, he received a flash of a random happy memory he had with Elizabeth. As the mirror gradually fell apart, one more image appeared in its fractured surface: Calypso's sneering face.

"Don't be a fool. You will lose…everything."

With one final blow, Will shattered the mirror, his left hand bloody from the sharp pieces of glass that had broken away from the mirror.

A white light enveloped Will, filling both his sight and his consciousness.

Will opened his eyes to see Elizabeth's scared, tear-streaked face looking down at him. "I love you, too," he said simply.

Without saying a word, Will sat up and hugged Elizabeth as tightly as he could, never wanting to let go. And before he knew it, Will was sobbing into Elizabeth's shoulder.

"Those things I did…I killed Gibbs…"

"Sssshh, it's over."

"I slaughtered the crew…killed an innocent man."

"Will, you're not a killer."

Will held on tighter and Elizabeth let him get it all out.

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Just outside the Court, behind the door on the opposite side of the room, Calypso and her men were assembled with their weapons out. They had brought numerous barrels of gunpowder ashore and at the moment, those barrels were stacked in front of the closed and locked door. The barrels were connected by a stringed fuse that webbed into each wooden crate.

Calypso inclined her head slightly toward one of her henchmen, who stood at the end of the fuse with his pistol in hand. He was waiting for Calypso to give him the signal to ignite the fuse, which she did with a curt nod and a steely expression. Not wasting any time, the pirate placed his gun down upon the fuse and ignited it by firing.

"Take cover," Calypso said calmly. She indifferently backed away toward the corner of the Court; her crew followed suit.

The flaming fuse sparkled bright in the black night sky, the sizzling sound that accompanied it as audible to Calypso and her crew as cannonfire. Within a few seconds, the fuse had burned down to the barrels and a split-second later, a massive yet contained explosion rocked the area and blew the door inward.

Calypso turned to her men. "Let's pay a visit, shall we?"

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The explosion threw Will and Elizabeth, who had still been embracing each other, back against the far wall. Once the shockwave subsided, Will and Elizabeth slumped down to the floor and groaned in pain before grabbing each other's hands in a reassuring, loving squeeze. As they shook their heads to clear their vision, Will and Elizabeth saw through the lingering smoke figures carrying rifles, swords and pistols step through the open doorway.

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At the same time, Jack led his new companions through the doorway Elizabeth had used earlier, their own weapons in the air. By the time everybody was inside, everyone had their guns aimed steadily at each other; hardly anyone wasn't staring down the barrel of a gun and an unrelenting chorus of assertive shouts filled the air as everybody attempted to make themselves heard. But the one constant phrase that was heard amidst the ruckus was "Put down your guns!"

Finally, after several long moments of this, Jack whistled loudly and when everybody had settled down, he spoke calmly and casually. "Why don't we all put our pistols down, savvy?"

It took a while for everyone to comply with the proposal, but eventually they did and every gun now hanged loosely at the sides of their owners.

"Unless, of course, any of us are secretly conspiring to shoot anyway."

That caused everyone to instantly point their guns upward again, every pair of eyes staring into the soul of someone in an attempt to see the intentions of the individual that ran through their mind.

"Enough with the petty games," said Calypso. "You're not what we came for, Sparrow."

"And what, pray tell, might that be?"

"Step over to the table and find out."

Jack's curious eyes lingered for a little while longer on Calypso before he cautiously lowered his rifle and deliberately made his way over to the table used for the Brethren to gather around and peered into the open vault that was built into it. Jack saw the only thing that remained inside of it: the Hurricane's Eye.

"Ah, I see. The world's greatest power is literally at your fingertips."

"Indeed. And I'm not about to let any misguided idealists stand in my way." Calypso then eyed the Essence, which was still in the same spot it had been when it was pushed from Elizabeth's grasp. "In any capacity." She walked over to the glass vial, lifted her foot and brought it down hard enough so that it smashed the vial, spilling the green liquid all over the floor. A few seconds later, the Essence dissolved into nothingness, leaving no trace of itself behind whatsoever. Calypso looked back up and gazed around at the faces of Jack's crew. She stopped when her eyes fell on Andrew as she clearly recognized him. "Ah…Andrew Rawlins. Aren't you the one whom the Brethren Court hired to reclaim the Hurricane's Eye? Well, there it is, mere inches from where you stand. What's to stop you from grabbing it now?"

Andrew stared at Calypso coldly, his gaze unwavering. "You and I both know that if I tried to, you'd no doubt find a unique way to kill me."

Calypso smiled. "You are rather clever, aren't you?

"I'm modest, too."

As Andrew and Calypso were engaged in their exchange, Jack regarded Andrew with a look that showed his surprise upon discovering that the Hurricane's Eye was the artifact Andrew had been contracted to find years ago.

"Well, then," Calypso carried on, "I have no intention of prolonging this little stand-off, so I'll just take what I came for and be on my way."

As one of Calypso's crew members went over and collected the Hurricane's Eye from the concealed vault, the sea goddess herself crossed the room to stand in front of Will and Elizabeth, who by now had stood up and were still holding each other's hand.

"You should have listened when I told you that you would lose everything."

Just then, two of her henchmen came up and grabbed Will, proceeding to drag him away. Will held onto Elizabeth's hand for as long as he could before their fingers could no longer reach one another.

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

With a wave of Calypso's hand, Elizabeth was shoved hard against the wall, held there firmly by a strong invisible force. Elizabeth struggled with all her strength, but it was of no use.

Meanwhile, Jack took aim with his rifle and fired off a shot into the left temple of the pirate on Will's right; the pirate went down like a sack of potatoes after a spurt of blood escaped from the wound. However, that was all Jack was able to do, because Calypso wasted no time in doing the same to him and the others as she had to Elizabeth. Everyone who had previously been in a position to help Will was now utterly useless.

By this time, another one of Calypso's men had taken the place of the one who had just been shot.

Calypso approached her former ally while she reached into her pocket and pulled out a completely black knife which had a jagged edge on the left. The knife hanged loosely but menacingly by her side as she drew nearer. When Calypso was mere inches away from Will, she glared with fury into his eyes. She held up the knife.

"Know what this is? It's a weapon that when used to kill somebody, automatically sends their soul to the Underworld. And, seeing as how I already promised my brother Hades your soul without your knowledge, I believe now is the best time to make good on that deal. Goodbye, William Turner."

"No! NOOOO!"

Elizabeth's outcry did nothing to stop Calypso as she plunged the knife deep into Will's chest, directly above the heart.

A shocked, pained expression swept over Will's face as the life quickly began to drain from every inch of his body. Calypso released the handle the knife at the same time her henchmen released their hold on Will's arms. Will stumbled forward feebly a few steps before Calypso knocked him backwards on his back, a loud thump reverberating from the walls the instant Will's body hit the floor.

"Time to go," Calypso told her crew members. It took only a few seconds for her and her associates to clear out, leaving Elizabeth and everybody else that had been held against the wall to fall roughly to the ground.

In a stupor that combined both disbelief and utter sadness, Elizabeth crawled over to Will, whose movements were now strained and almost nonexistent. She pulled his head gingerly into lap, cradling his face as if she were afraid it would crumble to pieces at any minute. Tears poured down from her eyes at a pace comparable to that of a waterfall and she bent down, beginning to trail heartfelt kisses down his face.

"No, please no. Don't die, don't leave me. It's not fair. You can't die, no no no! I love you."

Will's mouth weakly worked and the last sounds he uttered were "I l-l-lov…y…" before he closed his eyes and fell into an eternal sleep.

Will was dead.

As Elizabeth completely broke down on the spot, Jack quietly waked away a few feet and then finally slumped against a wall, his face contorted in restrained sadness. He cradled his head in his hands before looking at Will's body one last time, his eyes becoming more moist by the second.