His Pirate Bride

Her first few days back at sea had been an adjustment for Elizabeth but it wasn’t long before she had gotten her second wind, her sea legs returning. All the things she had loved but forgotten about the sea was quickly coming back to her, each day rediscovering something new that made her feel more alive. The sun shining on her face, the smell of the salt in the air, the constant breeze through her tresses, all these simple pleasures bringing her happiness. Her anger at the Captain for his aggressive handling of things was slowly being forgotten. It seemed his hasty decision to make her stay on board had been a blessing in disguise. She could no longer see herself alone in the inn anymore, closed off from the open world and the adventures that it held. No, on a ship there seemed to be endless opportunities, a world of unknown possibilities, uncharted territories, and undiscovered treasures.



Sailing with him was much different now than it had been. There was no sense of grave urgency like their had been the last time she sailed under him. Yes, this time was different, their were no curses to be lifted, no persons to be rescued, just a Captain and his crew and his one true love, his ship. From time to time Elizabeth found herself watching him, his larger than life presence making everything around him seem small and insignificant. She could always tell when he was near. Everything seemed a little more hurried and a little less idle when he was around. The mindless chit chat and boisterous ranting’s were ceased when the heavy stride of his footsteps drew near. She studied him intently whenever she could. She watched as he paced along the deck, the swagger in his walk reminding all of his authority. She listened intently as he gave his orders, bellowing them out as if they were miles away. From time to time she would hear the hoarse sounds of his laugh as he indulged in the smutty jokes of the crew. If she had ever had any doubts before they had surely been put to rest, he was unquestionably the Captain of the Black Pearl, and rightfully so. This was his world, she and the rest just lived in it.



. He had been a gentlemen it would seem, her request of discretion had been granted, an unexpected side to his character. She had envisioned much boasting to the crew by him followed by laughter and lewd remarks. He could have easily bragged and revealed in the crews praises but he didn’t. Elizabeth wondered why he had played nice but was grateful for it, regardless of his motives, but then again she realized maybe it wasn’t so surprising after all. His unpredictable nature was always attractive to her. The idea of never knowing what to expect from him was so much different than what she had felt with Will. His moodiness and intense nature only drew her to him even more. They had kept their distances since their new voyage, only a few necessary words exchanged here and there. It seemed her preoccupation with her husband had left a bad taste in his mouth, now it seemed as if he were purposefully avoiding her. It was strange it seemed, this man that she had taken as her lover, the only other one she had known in this way, now seemed as distant to her as her husband. She had only known passion two times in her life and both times had left her lonely. She tried to forget these things. Life on board the ship had given her plenty of things to keep her occupied with but still there was that constant gnawing inside. She thought her submission to him would some how calm her feelings of longing, make her remember her real priorities. But it wasn’t Will’s face she saw when she closed her eyes at night or his form she would see hovering over her. It wasn’t the feel of his hands that she remembered squirming under nor the pain and pleasure of his hardness engulfing her. It was his. She fought to keep it locked away, tried hard to forget the memory of that night, but she couldn’t.



The Captain and she had never discussed what her role on the Pearl would be. For now she was content with just being a part of the crew again, reliving the camaraderie of it all. She enjoyed the every day tasks of life on a ship, took pride in everything she done. She was content for now just helping out wherever she could, familiarizing herself with the ship again, getting to know the newer crew members. Every now and then she would catch him looking at her, his eyes cutting a path to her likeness, watching her as she worked. She wondered what it was he was thinking , if only she could look into his mind, explore the depths of his thoughts, know the secrets that it held. He seemed on the edge of late, his patience always at their limits. He kept himself occupied as usual but seemed distracted most of the time. His irritability was nothing new to the crew but it was in rare form even for him. The sight of the Captain lately made even the most hardened of sailors dread his presence, yelling and embarrassing them at the simplest of mistakes. Not surprisingly, Elizabeth had been warned by some of the other crew members to keep her distance. “Don’t go near Cap’n Barbossa less ya wanna feel his wrath,” warned Ragetti. “Haven’t seen him quiet like this since the days of the curse were upon us,” he spoke. So it was no surprise to Elizabeth when the Captain demanded that the deck be swabbed yet again by the poor sailor who had just cleaned it. “Don’t fret over it Tommy, Elizabeth spoke, “ I’ll help you get it done and over,” she assured the shaken young boy. “Thank you Miss Turner,” he gratefully answered as they started the task ahead, but suddenly felt the dark presence of Barbossa looming upon them. “Jest what is it that ye think your doin Miss Turner,” he loudly announced. “Yer not the swabbie on this ship, get up!” Elizabeth balked at his demanding tone even though it was the first words he had spoken to her in a long while. “Captain I’m merely helping the young man redo something that was done perfectly fine the first time,” she retorted, as she stood straight, staring at him. Barossa pretended not to notice the sudden quietness among the stunned crew. “Pintel,” he barked, “get over here.” “Yes Captain,” he answered, hurrying toward him. “Pintel,” he loudly barked, “do ye remember me askin Miss Turner’s opinion about the ships deck.” Pintel’s eyes widened as he looked helplessly at Elizabeth. “Were waitin,” Barobssa yelled . “No Cap’n, I didn’t,” he answered helplessly. Barbossa eyed Elizabeth as she stood stunned at his theatrical performance. “Thank you Pintel,” he grinned “ye can go now.” Pintel turned to shuffle away but not before looking at Elizabeth and shrugging his shoulders and mouthing the word “Sorry.” Elizabeth stood defiantly staring into his eyes. She wondered how many men had looked into their fury before their last breathe. It had not escaped the Captain that Elizabeth was in fact a former Captain herself, and the so called elected Pirate King. “Return to yer duties boy,” he growled, “if yer bored Miss Turner, I’ll give ye somethin to do.” Barbossa watched in amusement as Elizabeth huffed at his comment before turning to follow him..



You ’re incorrigible,” she spat, as she stood at his desk, watching him nibble on an apple as he leaned back in his chair. “It is utterly unnecessary to continue to demean the crew the way you do,” she continued as she watched waiting for some sort of response. “And the way you bullied that poor young boy, ridiculous!” Barbossa sat silently, watching her as if he didn’t have a care in the world. “As a former Captain myself,” she spoke as Barbossa sighed, “it would be much more effective if you treated your men with a little more generosity and respect.” Barbossa smugly laughed at her suggestion “and I suppose when I found poor Tommy boy sleepin in the corner, I shoulda offered him my pillow, show em my carin side, eh?” Elizabeth winced at his suggestion. “It’s not just one incident Captain, there’s been many, the crew is utterly terrified of you.” She watched as he bit again, deep into his apple, a look of frustration on his face. “Why isn’t their anything to eat on this damn ship,” he barked, as he threw the apple in the trash. “What’s wrong, Captain,” she smugly asked, don’t fancy your apples anymore?” Barbossa slowly stood from his chair, a look of devilish arrogance on his face as began approaching, stopping just in front of her. “Have ye ever noticed Elizabeth,” he growled as he leaned in closely to her, “how ye can wish fer something so badly but once ye’ve had it, it looses it’s appeal?” Elizabeth felt as if a knife had pierced through her, the coldness of his words ringing in her ears. He was just the same as he always was she reasoned and he wasn’t talking about apples at all she realized, as she felt her heart sting from his cruelty. Why did she care, she asked herself. Why did it matter. Was it only her pride, or was their more to it than that. It didn’t matter as soon as they reached their destination she would make her own way. Forget all about this terrible mistake…. but then he reached up to touch her face, turning it gently to face his. His eyes seemed different now, and then he spoke. “but that not always be the case, every now and then something comes along and reminds ye of the true pleasures in life, and what it is ye’ve been missin.” She stood dead still, not able to will herself to move from his grasp. She wished she could fight back against this power of his or maybe just give into it once more, succumb to the inevitable. This weakness of hers could only lead to pain, she felt. “I only speak these things out of concern for you Captain.” She had managed to speak the words as she took a step backwards, slipping out of harms way. She steadied herself, grabbing a hold of the last bit of restraint she had left.



“Miss Turner,” he spoke as he walked back around to the front of his desk “come here.” Elizabeth proceeded with caution as if she feared what would be waiting for her when she did. “What is it Captain,” she spoke hesitantly. His eyes gave nothing away, only his arm stretched out to pull her to him. He positioned her close to him, her back against his chest, his hands resting on her shoulders. Elizabeth mind was racing as she stood above his desk, her heart beating so fast she began to feel faint, wondering what the purpose in all this was. His long arm extending out before him and pointed to the spot on the map. “What do ye see,” he spoke, the sound of his low voice tingling in her ears. “Africa,” she answered puzzled. “below it,” he spoke again as he took her hand, using it to point to the spot. “It says Madagascar,” she spoke, as she slowly turned to look over her shoulder at him, his eyes giving approval. “So that’s our destination,” she wondered aloud. “That it is , Elizabeth,” he responded. Elizabeth, he had spoken, she said to herself, still within his grasp. “More to the point, Libertatia,” he spoke. Elizabeth had read about it in books before, she thought of it only a fable.



“It be a long journey, and will be stopping and makin port before the trips over.” He turned her away from the desk to face him, his hands resting around her arms. She listened intently as he spoke to her, he watched the childlike innocence in her eyes. His eyes filled with sincerity as he spoke again, his voice void of it’s usual boisterous tone. “If ye wish to leave, ye may do so then , but it‘s my hope that you‘ll be stayin.” He lifted his hand and brushed it against her cheek and held it their as he spoke his next words. “I haven’t forgotten what happened in that room the other night, ye may hate yerself for it, but it not be a mistake.” “The act itself merely the result of my affections fer ye, I only wish ye would let yerself say the same.” Elizabeth let out a heavy sigh and closed her eyes as she heard him walk away. Her mind and heart were at odds now, each battling the other, but it was too late, she had made her choice, she would stay.



This would be her chance again, this voyage, here she would remember her purpose again, find out where she belonged, to whom she belonged. The latter thought had frightened her for so long, it was this uncertainty that she had fought for so long. The guilt from it had been almost too much to bear. Jack had been right that day long ago, it was all about freedom, the right to make your own way in life. This time she would be fearless in her search, she would follow on this path, wherever it may lead. Her journey had began, her destiny would be found, this time on her terms.