ericadawn16 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ericadawn16) wrote2011-03-04 02:10 pm
ericadawn16) wrote2011-03-04 02:10 pm
The Dog Star
Title: A Loss of Time and Place
Author: Ericadawn16
Characters: James, Elizabeth, Weatherby, Will, Gibbs, James/Elizabeth, Will/Elizabeth
Rated: PG-13 ANGST AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Elizabeth doesn't get much sleep.
Author's Note: I started writing this right after Curse of the Black Pearl came out. It was so long ago that I didn't know James was James yet. I changed things as the other movies came out, but the majority of the story remains the same and has very little to do with the sequels.
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/210874.html
Previous Chapter: The Multiplying Villainies of Nature
The Dog Star
Why had James done that? Why had he helped to escalate the fight? He knew that there were issues that had never been resolved with the way the engagement was broken, but James hadn’t known how raw the wounds still were. If they had married, they could have had one or two babies by now. One would be a girl who took after her mother and the other would be a boy to keep them company while duty kept James away.
Yet would they really have been happy? Elizabeth had proved over the last year that she needed more than James could provide. She’d needed a pirate; the very thing that he had always hunted down. Of course, her particular pirate had a name; William Turner which was a name she now shared. They had happiness and he didn’t. They had the beautiful wedding and he had snickers and gossip that followed him throughout town. He had to get over it and make his peace, but the loneliness didn’t help in that regard.
***********************************************************
“Mummy!” screamed a small voice. Elizabeth ran through the dark bedroom and opened the door where she continued onto the beach. The fire that was consuming the rum lay off to the right of her.
“Mummy!” cried the voice again, but Elizabeth was unable to see the child anywhere. Running led her to the water’s edge. The sea was calm and serene and Elizabeth was staring at the blue-green water. Wind tickled at her back and she looked up to see black clouds that had suddenly picked up. Then, a hand grabbed her ankle. The hand belonged to a rotting corpse that she recognized as Barbossa’s.
“We not be finished with you yet, Missy!” he rasped and pulled her in. The young woman struggled and struggled, but she was dragged deeper and deeper. She started to scream, but salty brine dripped down her throat.
“Mummy!”
Involuntarily, Elizabeth began swallowing the water and it burned as it entered her nose. Then, everything was black.
The screaming didn’t end when Elizabeth woke up in the strange room until she saw Will beside her. It was all just a nightmare. Will opened his eyes and asked, “Was that you?”
Elizabeth nodded and added, “It was a momentary fright, you should rest.”
Her husband was still concerned, but she kissed him on his lips and held him close until his breathing was steady. She saw no hope of dreamless sleep so she moved to a wicker chair near the window. It wasn’t strictly the appearance of the pirates who had held her captive that had caused Elizabeth to think of Barbossa, the man responsible for her meeting Will and later marrying him. Will should be told and she was looking forward to telling him…under her terms. She’d prefer to tell him after a private dinner which had no possibility of happening until they were safely back in Port Royal. The stars shone brightly especially Sirius.
“The dog star,” described the young man as Elizabeth stood beside him on the deck in her memory.
“Elizabeth, here you are, did I not send you to your bed?” asked her father, walking up.
“Father, Lieutenant Norrington was teaching me the stars,” said Elizabeth when she was still a child. The elder Swann wore weariness on his face and responded, “The Lieutenant must have other things to do.”
“On the contrary, I enjoy Miss Swann’s company, but I do regret any aide I gave her in disobeying you,” apologised James and she knew the fun was over. Looking back with a cynical view, most would think that James befriended her in order to become closer to her father, but she knew better. James didn’t have an insincere bone in his body. If only he hadn’t proposed, perhaps things could have remained the same and she wouldn’t have lost a friend. She wondered whether they could ever be friends again. It seemed utterly without merit, but she hoped so.
Will woke wearily when the sky was very pink and new and Elizabeth had remained awake the entire time.
“Today, I wish you to tell them that I was taken ill and couldn’t accompany you,” she told him in a slightly hoarse voice.
“That’s not too far off,” said Will, remarking at her recent behaviour, “but what do you plan to be doing?”
“I’d like to take in a sight and perhaps call on an old friend,” she said, looking out the window at the ships docked. A blue butterfly flew past.
************************************************************
Downstairs, Norrington was just finishing up his breakfast when Will sat down. There was an awkward silence before the Commodore asked, “Where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’s not well today,” replied Will, “She’s resting.”
“As she should, the whole inn was woken up as was the ship the night before. If it’s not improper for my asking, do these night terrors strike often?”
“She slept soundly before the last two nights,” said Will, firmly and there was discomfort on the other man’s face. The cross words that his wife had shared with the man across the table from him were still ringing in Will’s ears. A servant girl came over and set a glass before the new arrival, filling it with tea.
“Rookwood is taking us to the crew of the H.M.S. Charles today,” Norrington informed him, changing the subject.
**************************************************
Elizabeth watched them leave from the window and then stole away to the docks.
**********************************************************
Gibbs looked through the spyglass and watched intently. Being a pirate was what came naturally and every time he had tried for an honest profession, like serving alongside Norrington; he had ended up deserting his post to return to the familiar. Then the man took the cylinder away from his weathered face quickly and furrowed his brow. Another glance yielded the same results and he set it down again. He rubbed the whiskers spread across his chin and shook his flask. It was nearly full and didn’t account for the unexplainable sight.
“I must have drank too much seawater,” he finally concluded and decided not to tell the captain of the discovery. Jack had been acting strange-er of late.
********************************************************
Rookwood led Will and Norrington to a mid-sized British ship with not so busy sailors about. They were all on deck. They were waiting.
“Well, as Governor Grant said, this will be very short,” said Rookwood who seemed apologetic.
“We’re not talking,” said the largest of the men.
“Perhaps longer,” added Rookwood.
Norrington turned to William.
“Follow my lead on this. I’ve had far more experience in this area than you have. I don’t want you to do something without thinking that jeopardizes this entire operation. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” said Will with his hands behind his back.
Norrington faced the men and drew himself up to his full height, which was several inches taller than Will, trying to look as important as possible.
“Retell exactly what happened the day in which Commodore Marley was murdered,” James ordered.
“No,” said a man who had at least a dozen scars.
“No?” asked Norrington. This was not a proper answer.
“We don’t tell others our business,” said the scarred man, “Now I’ll be leaving for errands in town.”
He left despite Norrington wanting all witnesses to stay on ship and barking after him. Will took that opportune moment to look over the ship.
“Surely, you don’t all feel this way?”
“We haven’t told a soul what happened and you’re not to be the first.”
“You’re sailors of the King’s Navy!” cried Norrington, getting annoyed. He didn’t feel that he should need to prove himself to them with some display of sword work or wit.
“Of the moment, that is true, but it wasn’t always,” said the large man, walking his fingers up and down the mast.
“Have you no respect for the crown which you serve?”
“The crown is thousands of kilometers away and what he don’t know, can’t harm him,” spat the so-called leader of the group. Then, a dagger flew into the mast that the man was leaning against.
“What you can’t see or don’t utter, may hurt you,” said Will.
“Him, we like. We’ll only speak with the younger one,” decided the large man and James wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed at Will’s intrusion or grateful for his help. It was a decision that could wait until the matter was formerly settled.
**********************************************************
Elizabeth rowed close to the ship and climbed up. She expected Jack to be more careful than that. She was in the process of climbing over the ship wall when an unfamiliar voice cried, “Halt!”
Author: Ericadawn16
Characters: James, Elizabeth, Weatherby, Will, Gibbs, James/Elizabeth, Will/Elizabeth
Rated: PG-13 ANGST AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: Elizabeth doesn't get much sleep.
Author's Note: I started writing this right after Curse of the Black Pearl came out. It was so long ago that I didn't know James was James yet. I changed things as the other movies came out, but the majority of the story remains the same and has very little to do with the sequels.
Masterlist: http://ericadawn16.livejournal.com/210874.html
Previous Chapter: The Multiplying Villainies of Nature
The Dog Star
Why had James done that? Why had he helped to escalate the fight? He knew that there were issues that had never been resolved with the way the engagement was broken, but James hadn’t known how raw the wounds still were. If they had married, they could have had one or two babies by now. One would be a girl who took after her mother and the other would be a boy to keep them company while duty kept James away.
Yet would they really have been happy? Elizabeth had proved over the last year that she needed more than James could provide. She’d needed a pirate; the very thing that he had always hunted down. Of course, her particular pirate had a name; William Turner which was a name she now shared. They had happiness and he didn’t. They had the beautiful wedding and he had snickers and gossip that followed him throughout town. He had to get over it and make his peace, but the loneliness didn’t help in that regard.
***********************************************************
“Mummy!” screamed a small voice. Elizabeth ran through the dark bedroom and opened the door where she continued onto the beach. The fire that was consuming the rum lay off to the right of her.
“Mummy!” cried the voice again, but Elizabeth was unable to see the child anywhere. Running led her to the water’s edge. The sea was calm and serene and Elizabeth was staring at the blue-green water. Wind tickled at her back and she looked up to see black clouds that had suddenly picked up. Then, a hand grabbed her ankle. The hand belonged to a rotting corpse that she recognized as Barbossa’s.
“We not be finished with you yet, Missy!” he rasped and pulled her in. The young woman struggled and struggled, but she was dragged deeper and deeper. She started to scream, but salty brine dripped down her throat.
“Mummy!”
Involuntarily, Elizabeth began swallowing the water and it burned as it entered her nose. Then, everything was black.
The screaming didn’t end when Elizabeth woke up in the strange room until she saw Will beside her. It was all just a nightmare. Will opened his eyes and asked, “Was that you?”
Elizabeth nodded and added, “It was a momentary fright, you should rest.”
Her husband was still concerned, but she kissed him on his lips and held him close until his breathing was steady. She saw no hope of dreamless sleep so she moved to a wicker chair near the window. It wasn’t strictly the appearance of the pirates who had held her captive that had caused Elizabeth to think of Barbossa, the man responsible for her meeting Will and later marrying him. Will should be told and she was looking forward to telling him…under her terms. She’d prefer to tell him after a private dinner which had no possibility of happening until they were safely back in Port Royal. The stars shone brightly especially Sirius.
“The dog star,” described the young man as Elizabeth stood beside him on the deck in her memory.
“Elizabeth, here you are, did I not send you to your bed?” asked her father, walking up.
“Father, Lieutenant Norrington was teaching me the stars,” said Elizabeth when she was still a child. The elder Swann wore weariness on his face and responded, “The Lieutenant must have other things to do.”
“On the contrary, I enjoy Miss Swann’s company, but I do regret any aide I gave her in disobeying you,” apologised James and she knew the fun was over. Looking back with a cynical view, most would think that James befriended her in order to become closer to her father, but she knew better. James didn’t have an insincere bone in his body. If only he hadn’t proposed, perhaps things could have remained the same and she wouldn’t have lost a friend. She wondered whether they could ever be friends again. It seemed utterly without merit, but she hoped so.
Will woke wearily when the sky was very pink and new and Elizabeth had remained awake the entire time.
“Today, I wish you to tell them that I was taken ill and couldn’t accompany you,” she told him in a slightly hoarse voice.
“That’s not too far off,” said Will, remarking at her recent behaviour, “but what do you plan to be doing?”
“I’d like to take in a sight and perhaps call on an old friend,” she said, looking out the window at the ships docked. A blue butterfly flew past.
************************************************************
Downstairs, Norrington was just finishing up his breakfast when Will sat down. There was an awkward silence before the Commodore asked, “Where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’s not well today,” replied Will, “She’s resting.”
“As she should, the whole inn was woken up as was the ship the night before. If it’s not improper for my asking, do these night terrors strike often?”
“She slept soundly before the last two nights,” said Will, firmly and there was discomfort on the other man’s face. The cross words that his wife had shared with the man across the table from him were still ringing in Will’s ears. A servant girl came over and set a glass before the new arrival, filling it with tea.
“Rookwood is taking us to the crew of the H.M.S. Charles today,” Norrington informed him, changing the subject.
**************************************************
Elizabeth watched them leave from the window and then stole away to the docks.
**********************************************************
Gibbs looked through the spyglass and watched intently. Being a pirate was what came naturally and every time he had tried for an honest profession, like serving alongside Norrington; he had ended up deserting his post to return to the familiar. Then the man took the cylinder away from his weathered face quickly and furrowed his brow. Another glance yielded the same results and he set it down again. He rubbed the whiskers spread across his chin and shook his flask. It was nearly full and didn’t account for the unexplainable sight.
“I must have drank too much seawater,” he finally concluded and decided not to tell the captain of the discovery. Jack had been acting strange-er of late.
********************************************************
Rookwood led Will and Norrington to a mid-sized British ship with not so busy sailors about. They were all on deck. They were waiting.
“Well, as Governor Grant said, this will be very short,” said Rookwood who seemed apologetic.
“We’re not talking,” said the largest of the men.
“Perhaps longer,” added Rookwood.
Norrington turned to William.
“Follow my lead on this. I’ve had far more experience in this area than you have. I don’t want you to do something without thinking that jeopardizes this entire operation. Is that clear?”
“Yes,” said Will with his hands behind his back.
Norrington faced the men and drew himself up to his full height, which was several inches taller than Will, trying to look as important as possible.
“Retell exactly what happened the day in which Commodore Marley was murdered,” James ordered.
“No,” said a man who had at least a dozen scars.
“No?” asked Norrington. This was not a proper answer.
“We don’t tell others our business,” said the scarred man, “Now I’ll be leaving for errands in town.”
He left despite Norrington wanting all witnesses to stay on ship and barking after him. Will took that opportune moment to look over the ship.
“Surely, you don’t all feel this way?”
“We haven’t told a soul what happened and you’re not to be the first.”
“You’re sailors of the King’s Navy!” cried Norrington, getting annoyed. He didn’t feel that he should need to prove himself to them with some display of sword work or wit.
“Of the moment, that is true, but it wasn’t always,” said the large man, walking his fingers up and down the mast.
“Have you no respect for the crown which you serve?”
“The crown is thousands of kilometers away and what he don’t know, can’t harm him,” spat the so-called leader of the group. Then, a dagger flew into the mast that the man was leaning against.
“What you can’t see or don’t utter, may hurt you,” said Will.
“Him, we like. We’ll only speak with the younger one,” decided the large man and James wasn’t sure whether to be annoyed at Will’s intrusion or grateful for his help. It was a decision that could wait until the matter was formerly settled.
**********************************************************
Elizabeth rowed close to the ship and climbed up. She expected Jack to be more careful than that. She was in the process of climbing over the ship wall when an unfamiliar voice cried, “Halt!”
no subject
Well, I must admit I am surprised that Jack saved James’ ship from the other pirates. I didn’t expect that one at all. It was nice that he did it though, especially since he didn’t know that Liz and Will was on board.
And I think the current situation must be very hard on poor James. He is still clearly in love with Elizabeth and being stuck on the same ship as her with Will there must be heartbreaking for him. And the little spat they had was interesting, too. It sort of reminds me of the fight that Bell and Beast had for some reason. And those two did end up together. So maybe the spat means that Liz and James still have some sort of feelings there? Not that I expect an affair or anything, but it must be awkward for both of them and they don’t know how to act. Maybe they could end up being friends again?
And why does Rookwood sound familiar to me?
I sort of remember reading a previous story with a murdered governor, etc. Did you write a prequel to this one? The title is familiar too. Or are you rewriting it, adding James, Will, etc?
That bit of Jack saying “Trust me” made me think of Kaa from Jungle Book. Hadn’t thought of that in years!!! And didn’t Aladdin say “Do you trust me?” …. What is it with Disney characters and trust?
Now why did Elizabeth go to see Jack???? I can’t imagine why, unless it has something to do with her nightmares? Maybe she thinks he has some remedy? Or she think he knows who the murderer is? OH, I know! She wants to thank him / ask him why he saved them earlier???
And how will Will and James get along??? Did they really put it behind them? Of course, I’m sure the two are proper gentlemen and won’t get into a fight over Liz. But what if the pirates kidnap her?
And murder mysteries are good!!! I will have fun trying to guess who the killer is as the clues turn up. But does James have any experience solving a murder? And I wonder how will he react to the fact those people would rather talk to Will than to him? Surely it must sting him a bit? First Will wins in love and now he wins this too. Poor James.
Looking forward to the next chapter!!
no subject
I posted this story on ff.net years ago but I've rewritten it.
The chapter should be up in the next day or so...
:)