True Love: Forever Reunited

Chapter 17: A Mutinous Evening

The rest of Elizabeth's birthday went smoothly; it was an excellent opportunity for everyone to relax and spend time together after all of the tension and chaos. The day had passed quickly, and night fell, giving Will and Elizabeth a chance to be alone for a short while. The recently reunited couple walked hand in hand along the water's edge by the docks, the stars twinkling overhead. It would have been perfectly romantic, if it were not for the loud, raucous noise that was Tortuga, but Will and Elizabeth made the best of it. Willy, Charles, and Anna were with Norrington, Groves, Estrella, Andrew and Amelia, who were regaling them with stories. Jack and Ana Maria had been with the group originally, but last Will and Elizabeth had seen them, they had been sitting in a corner by themselves and talking. Will and Elizabeth had even seen them share a kiss or two.

"So," said Will after a few minutes, "Did you enjoy your birthday, love?"

"It was lovely," answered Elizabeth, squeezing his hand. "I had nearly forgotten about it myself, what with everything that's been going on. But you've never forgotten my birthday Will, not since we were twelve years old." She smiled up at him, her eyes alight with happiness, and feeling more content that she could remember feeling in quite some time.

"How could I ever forget the day the love of my life was born?" questioned Will. "That would be bloody rude of me! And besides, you deserved it. It wasn't quite up to par with the big to do parties your father used to throw for you in Port Royal…" he said cheekily.

"Will Turner!!!" interjected Elizabeth with a mock frown, interrupting her husband, "As much as I enjoyed the large parties my father used to throw for me, I adored this one even more. Care to know why?"

"Go on then, why?" asked Will, raising his eyebrows playfully.

"Because it was full of people that I love and care about," said Elizabeth. "And you all put effort into it, just for me. At the parties in Port Royal I had to spend half the time schmoozing people I didn't even care to be around."

"Well, at any rate, I'm glad you liked it," said Will, his thumb making soft circles on Elizabeth's hand as they walked. "I just hope that we can all get out of this situation with the Company relatively unscathed. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you, or Willy, or any of our friends." He stopped, his eyes looking faraway.

Elizabeth couldn't bear to see him so upset; she knew he was trying to hide it from everyone just how worried he was, but that was the advantage of being someone's soul mate, you could nearly always tell what they were thinking and how they were feeling.

"Don't think in such a negative fashion Will," she said softly, stopping in her tracks. "I have a feeling that we will get out of this; I can't explain it. Perhaps it's just intuition, but we can only hope for the best."

"You're right," he answered with a small smile, fingering something in his pocket. "We should just trust, and fight our hardest against the Company, and not assume the worst will happen."

"What's that in your pocket?" asked Elizabeth curiously, eyeing it.

"Oh," said Will, pulling, out what appeared to be a long string of beads that resembled a necklace, "It's a rosary. I found it among the items that Andrew and Amelia salvaged from my house in Port Royal. It belonged to my mother," he said, fingering it gently. "I figured, what with the dangerous situation, a little more prayer couldn't hurt."

"You're right," said Elizabeth, kissing his forehead. "It wouldn't. I think it's an excellent idea."

It went quiet between them for a moment, as the usual merry jig from the pub reached their ears. The couple stared up at the starry sky and the full moon, both contemplating the future, but trying hard to live in the moment.

"Mrs. Turner," said Will suddenly, his voice sly, "Would you like to dance? That merry jig coming from Tortuga is very tempting."

Elizabeth chuckled, a grin sliding onto her features as she curtseyed. "Why I would love to dance good sir! Thank you for asking."

"Anything for you my lady," responded Will, returning her grin and bowing, before he placed one of his hands in hers, and put the other on her waist, and began to waltz under the moonlight.

Elizabeth laughed merrily as he twirled her about, her soul filling with the pure joy of the moment. She rested her head against his muscled chest, her nose filling with his scent, which smelled like a mixture of the sea and the old, but pleasantly familiar smells of his old smithy. She reached a hand back and toyed with one of his curls that hung under his bandanna. She felt him pull her closer, almost into an embrace, as they danced on. It felt so right, to be here with Will now. She contemplated all the things they had been through, and thought about the first time she had met her husband, and how he had transformed from a shy little boy to the man he was now. But soon, their lovely moment was broken, as the wind suddenly picked up at such a fast pace that it nearly knocked them off their feet. It whipped through the town and the trees, making a rather loud noise. Thunder crashed above them. A blinding light appeared, and Calypso stepped out of the oddly calm sea nearby, looking murderous. The disturbance had caused many to come running from the pub, Jack, Gibbs, Ana, Norrington, Willy, the Rileys, Groves, Estrella, Barbossa, Captain Teague, and the Brethren Court among them.

"Calypso," said Will, completely shocked. His hand gripped Elizabeth's tightly, and he beckoned Willy towards him, placing a protective arm around his shoulder. "To what do we owe your visit?"

"You, William," she began without hesitation, "Nearly gave away how to bind me!!! I told you that severe consequences would follow if you did so!"

Fury flooded Elizabeth at this statement; one minute Calypso was friendly to them, and the next she was threatening them? "He only did that because Clinton was about to murder our son!!" she said, her voice raised, though she tried her best to keep her calm.

"You swore to remain on our side unless we gave up the information," interjected Will firmly, "We were saved from doing so. Therefore, you should have no quarrel with us."

"Really, Calypso, love," said Jack with a slight slur, "Don't be so uptight; whose side would you really rather be on anyway, ours, or that bunch of stiff East India agents?"

Calypso, however, did not find this the least bit charming, and shot the pirate captain a death glare for the ages. She turned her attention back to Will. "You are dangerously close to danger William Turner. If you give up the information, not only will I destroy the Company, but I will destroy the pirates and your family as well. So remember that, and keep the information to yourself." She gave him a sly smile that was slightly reminiscent of the first time she had met him, in the form of Tia Dalma. She was much less volatile and irritable then; when she didn't have access to all of her powers.

"I have every intention of keeping it to myself Calypso," answered Will. "I do not wish for the Company to have that information; it would bode ill for you and for all of us gathered here. But if my son's life is threatened, then I will have no choice. That goes for all of my loved ones." She stared him down, and he stared back, not nearly as intimidated by her as he had been during his first weeks as Captain of the Dutchman.

"You should all be careful in the face of the Company," warned Calypso in a rather cryptic tone, as though she suddenly wanted to be helpful. "Clinton will be upset that you have thwarted him. But all of you should be warned; do not trifle with me. I am on your side because you are preventing the Company from binding me, but if Mr. Turner gives up the information, I may cease to favor you. And," she said, glancing over at the Brethren, who were standing a little ways off, "You might want to know that your King nearly gave away your location to Clinton." With that, she smirked and disappeared in a ball of water.

Their was a rather nasty silence for several minutes after the temperamental goddess disappeared back into the sea, and Elizabeth could feel the eyes of the Brethren Court upon her; she had hoped that they would never have to find out that she had nearly given up their location. But they would understand wouldn't they? Her son's life had been at risk, after all. Of course they wouldn't, she thought, they were pirates.

"Is what Calypso said true?" asked Mistress Ching, her voice dangerously low, "Did you nearly give up our location, Captain Swann?"

"Yes," said Elizabeth without hesitation, "Will and I were nearly forced to give up the information on Calypso and the Court, because our son's life was at stake; Clinton had a knife at his throat!" She squeezed Will's hand as she spoke, feeling more secure with him at her side.

"Betrayer!!!!" cried Gentlemen Jocard, pointing his finger at Elizabeth, "Our King nearly betrayed us; who is to say she will not do so in the future! And that goes for Mr. Turner as well!"

"Mates!!!" said Jack stepping up, his face looking serious, "We're pirates; we always betray each other!!! Willy was about to be killed; you can't honestly blame Lizzie and William!"

"Actually Sparrow," spat Captain Chevalle, "We can blame them; especially Swann. Ten years ago, she was telling us to band together and fight against the Company, and it worked!! Now, she was willing to betray our location to the same enemy?"

"Don't you understand?" shouted Will, "Our son's life was in danger!! And by being willing to give up the Brethren Court, Elizabeth was ready to give up herself as well; do you forget she is part of the Court!!!"

"Master Turner is right," replied Barbossa calmly, "He and the little missy were willing not just to give up you, but themselves as well, and they never would have done so if their nine year old son's life hadn't been at risk. They are as loyal a pirate as any, and probably much more so than any of you mangy curs!!! So shut your traps!" He gazed around menacingly at them all.

"Never the less," prompted Armand the Corsair, "They were willing to betray us, and help us be captured by the Company and lose Calypso's favor! Is that not more important than one boy's life?"

"Are you really that bloody heartless?," interjected Jack, "They were saved from having to relay the information; so there is really no need to quarrel. William and Elizabeth are the only reason any of the rest of us know what the Company is up to, or did you forget that?"

Elizabeth shot Jack a smile, in thanks for his assistance. Then she turned to face her furious fellow pirates. "Betraying the lot of you was the last thing that I wanted to do," she said firmly, "But Will and I would do anything to save our son's life. There is nothing else I can say on the subject."

"Well," said Mistress Ching, "There is something we can say."

With that, all of the Court, save Barbossa, Jack, and Elizabeth drew their swords and advanced towards Will, Elizabeth and Willy. Elizabeth and Will drew their swords in response, and stood in front of Willy, who had drawn the little wooden sword his father had made for him. Jack, Barbossa, Norrington, Groves, Ana, and Andrew joined the Turners, each drawing their weapons.

"Is this what you resort too?" said Will angrily, his sword poised for battle. "If we fight each other there is not a possibility of defeating our enemy?"

"Will is right," came the long silent voice of Captain Teague, "We are not going to fight each other." He stepped in between the two advancing groups. He pulled out his pistol, aiming it at the mutinous Brethren Court. "You lot will leave the Turners alone, or face the wrath of my pistol." His face was set into an insane sort of expression, and each of the Court slowly lowered their weapons.

"That's what I thought," said Teague, satisfied.

"I'm taking my crew and leaving," said Mistress Ching. "We will return home. Clinton will never find us there; you lot can fight the EITC yourselves."

Jocard, Chevalle, Armand the Corsair, Villanueva, and Sumbhjee all nodded in agreement and each turned to go back to their ships.

"You can't!" shouted Elizabeth her tone laced with anger, "If we end up in battle with the EITC, we will need all of our combined power to win! And it's safer for all of us if we stay closer together, so as to keep in contact; we all need to know what is going on with the each other if we are to defeat the Company, not spread all over the world!! Clinton will know just where to find you if you go back to your home ports!"

Ana Maria stepped up beside Elizabeth, backing her up. "Listen to her you, scoundrels; leaving will put you in more danger!!!!"

None of them answered either of the female pirates, but merely walked away towards their ships, their crews following close behind them.

"You are all fools!!" Barbossa yelled after them, his eyes ablaze.

Again they didn't answer, and after a few minutes, the shouting of orders could be heard, and anchors were being drawn up, as the majority of the Brethren Court prepared to sail out of Tortuga.

"Well," said Jack, in order to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen like a blanket over all who remained, "That was unexpected."

"How could they do that?" questioned Norrington, obviously disgusted by their behavior. "How could they just leave when they know their help was needed?'

"This isn't the Navy, James," commented Groves, sadness in his tone, and his arm resting around Estrella's shoulder. "No one can make them stay here, and it isn't like they are under threat if they desert us."

"What will we do now?" asked Amelia, who held Charles and Anna close, "Our numbers are less than half of what they were."

"This time," said Elizabeth wearily, "I'm at a loss. They're just making it easier for Clinton to find them. This is terrible!" she continued, slapping a hand to her forehead.

"They were foolish to do what they did," said Andrew furiously, "The Caribbean is covered with EITC ships, and I'll be surprised if they don't get caught. Then all Clinton has to do is come and find us. They've put us into more danger."

"Yes," said Will, "They have. But there is nothing we can do at the moment. I think we should all get some shut eye, and figure this out in the morning; agreed?"

"Agreed," chorused everyone else, as they headed back to their respective ships. Elizabeth silently thanked Will for his intervention; she wanted nothing more than some peace and quiet.

Will, Elizabeth, and Willy headed below deck, and were followed by Andrew, Amelia, Charles, and Anna. The rustle of the rest of the crew getting ready for bed could be heard as they closed the door to Will and Elizabeth's cabin. Norrington's raised voice could be heard over the tumult as he bid Murtogg and Mullroy to stop bickering, so that he could get some sleep.

"Do you think they might come back, Mama?" asked Willy. "Are they really that stubborn?"

"I believe they are son," said Elizabeth with a sigh. "I believe they are. I'm so sorry we got you involved in all of this Andrew and Amelia; we never meant to do so."

"Don't be ridiculous Elizabeth," said Amelia, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "We would much rather be here, fighting the good fight and spending time with all of you, than being trapped in EITC run Port Royal. I've never felt more alive; don't you agree?" she asked, looking round at her husband and children.

"Amelia's right," said Andrew, "Don't fret, Elizabeth, we'll find a way to defeat the Company."

"We will find a way," answered Will, rubbing his temples where his thread had started to throb. "We just have to try and think rationally; and I sincerely hope that Calypso's mood improves, because we could really use her assistance now. She is an awfully moody being."

"She was frightening," admitted Charles, rubbing his eyes, "The way she stirred up that wind, and all."

"I thought she was going to hurt you all," said Anna worriedly, looking over at the Turners with a sleepy expression. "I'm glad everything is all right."

"I think we're going to be needing some more sword fighting lessons," said Willy in a matter of fact tone, "In case anything happens."

"I think you are right," said Will. "I sincerely hope that we will be able to get you three to a safe place each time a battle breaks out, but just in case, it couldn't hurt."

"No harm in being prepared," said Elizabeth, a smile returning to her face as she looked at her son. "Well, I think we should all get to bed; it's been a long day."

Everyone agreed, and after the children had kissed their parents goodnight, they departed to their cabin, and Andrew and Amelia to theirs. Will and Elizabeth climbed into bed, holding each other close. Elizabeth's mind spun with thoughts, and she tried her best to quiet them. Furious could not even begin to cover her feelings towards the Brethren Court; but she also had a feeling that wouldn't be the last she saw of them.

"Are you going to be all right Elizabeth?" asked Will softly, his voice sleepy.

"Of course I will be," said Elizabeth with a small smile. "I'm with you."

17171717171717171717171

AN: Hey everyone!! Sorry for the delay in posting, and sorry for the lax response to reviews. Life is absolutely insane right now, so I apologize. I will be sure to respond to reviews for this chapter, and thank you for leaving me such wonderful ones!!! It's you that keeps me writing!!! I start school next week, so updates will be about once a week. I'll try to update more than that when I can, though. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! I'm dedicating this chapter to all my lovely HTR mates; you guys rock!!!