Pairing: Elizabeth, Jack, mention of Will
Word Count: 320
Prompt: Guest
Senescent
---
For years Elizabeth had let wind and weather do their worst, aging her bronzed skin with wrinkles from the sun. Most women of her age were apt to measure time by a number. Though, she was never inclined in doing so, and it made her no less beautiful.
It was a gusty and tempestuous night; she shuddered involuntarily at the dreary sound of the wind and rain beating against the outer door. The turn in weather signaled a bitter end to her dinner party, leaving her to spend the rest of the evening alone in reflection.
Her thoughts quickly turned to Will. Six days had come and gone since her lover's departure, another ten years to go. If he had remained, her faithful husband would have emerged from a side passage and into the hall to begin busying himself with letting out their guests. He would have already taken his mental inventory of those people. She'd imagined it to be an unshakable habit of his trade.
"Always punctual to dinner, but never exactly punctual about finding their way out," he would have said. If it were left up to his choosing, he would have rather spent the evening alone with his wife instead of frittering away time at a party.
Time was so precious to him.
A knock at the door; a familiar jingle accompanied the dull thud. An unexpected guest had rounded his hips to a halt outside.
Pirates were never punctual to dinner, but always found their way when necessary.
"Have you changed your mind yet, your Majesty?" He jiggled an object that sounded like a vile. "Those quiet uneventful nights would be all that's left of you, love."
She smiled at Jack's determination. It was the second time that year and probably the fiftieth in the past thirty.
But Will already told her that she was beautiful and that they would grow old together one day.
"No."
---