Title: Blacksmiths, Bravery and Benevolence

Author: tarotgal

Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Rating: G

Spoilers: This is all pre-movie. So really, nothing the trailers don't give away

Disclaimer: Disney owns the concept and the PotC movie, and its characters, etc. I own nothing.

Summary: A story basically in two parts. Part 1 deals with Will returning with the governor and Elizabeth, then becoming a blacksmith's apprentice. Part 2 follows him on one atypical day as a blacksmith's apprentice with a head cold. The two parts really do go together in spirit, I promise. But they are very different.

Notes: I'm so sorry about the title. I can't write titles to save my life. This one is based off a paper I wrote about 'Great Expectations' in the 9^th grade entitled 'The Benevolent Blacksmith'. Oddly enough, a friend helped me name that paper, too. See? I really can't do titles. On a completely unrelated subject, I already have another story in mind which is based off this one. And as a third note, just wanted to say that the horse stalls are huge, so don't worry about the fact that the horses didn't get any exercise in part 2. I promise they're all right. And Will will, er, clean out their stalls when the fic is over or something. So no worries.

Feedback: I'd love some :-)

Blacksmiths, Bravery and Benevolence

Part 1

     It had been like waking up to an angel, having just escaped the fires of hell. The only problem was, that he did not deserve to have such an angel watching over him.

     The seas had been calm the day before, the view clear, and the skies bright. But the sky had been red that morning, and by mid-day the fog set in. Will had stayed in the cabin most of the morning with his mother, playing cards with her and one of the sailors for amusement. The three of them did not hear the danger until it was too late. There were pirates, at least two dozen of them, maybe more. They were there to loot the ship's cargo by the look of it though were doing a reckless job of it, pushing half the things on deck into the water. Will's mother forced him down below, though he begged and pleaded to stay with her. In the end, she left him shut up in the cabin and that was the last he ever saw of her. The sound of heavy boots overhead, of yelling in pain, of splashes of blood, swishes of swords, grunts of death and every other nasty sound imaginable made him seek safer cover in the cargo hold, behind a stack of large crates. But the pirates came down there as well, as though seeking him out and, frightened, Will accidentally upset a lamp on the wall. He managed to scramble up the rear stairs and grab hold to the hatch as the fire spread across the hold to the barrels of ammunition. The whole ship exploded, tossing him out into the waters before he knew what was happening. He was knocked out by the blast, though still managing to cling to the hatch door as he floated away from the burning ship. His only consolation was that the pirates who had attacked them were dead as well.

     But the explosion had been his fault entirely, the deaths of all those people were on his hands. He could not bear to tell the truth when he awoke and found the crew and captain of a new ship hovering over him. They took him in, got him into dry clothes, and decided to take him home with them. And all the time, the young and beautiful Elizabeth stayed by his side, making sure he was all right. She comforted him though they sat in silence most of the time. Perhaps it was the fact that she did not press him for information in the first place which was so comforting. Somehow she sensed that he did not want to talk about his past. When they had come to port, she had even patted his hand and told him everything would be all right in this new place. He did not know why, but he found himself believing her and bravely following as her father, the governor, led the way to the carriage that would take them home.

     Young Will gripped the side of his seat so hard his knuckles went white. He had never before ridden in a carriage, and this particular ride made him wish to never be in one again. The ride was terribly bumpy, and it was his arse that the full effects of it. But aside from being bumped up and down, he was also being jostled around from side to side- first against the side of the carriage, then against the Governor himself. Will's body went stiff as he tried to keep from moving around so much, but fighting the bumps and jolts only seemed to make it worse. Though he had never felt seasick in the least, he presumed that this must be what it was like.

     "First time in a carriage, Will?"

     He looked up and to the side to see Elizabeth there, leaning forward to look at him past her father, who sat between the two children. Will nodded, trying to look brave about the whole situation. Truth was, he was sick of being brave. He was sick of keeping quiet with his feelings. "IHtchh! ih-HIHtchhh!" And he was just plain sick. He rubbed the unbuttoned cuff of his shirt against his nose, sniffling.

     "Yer all right, Lad?" asked the Governor, looking down at Will. Will did not give the most convincing of smiles, but looked polite in answer nonetheless.

     "All right," the young boy confirmed, his voice a little higher than normal, showing his nervousness. He cleared his throat softly and tried again. "Just a little sniffle."

"Not surprising, what with being in that cold water and with all the rest you've been through," said Governor Swann, and patted Will on the head. "Well, don't you worry. A strong boy like you. Someone is bound to take you in. But you can stay in the mansion tonight, as it's so late."

     Will nodded. "Thank you, Sir." He felt awful to inconvenience the governor, but if he had to take a carriage ride at all, at least it was one with Elizabeth. "IHtchh! ihshh! ihhchuhh!" He sniffled and rubbed his nose on his cuff again. "Excuse me."

Elizabeth leaned forward once more, managing to move around just fine without bouncing off the seat. Apparently she had learned how to balance herself in carriages. Her beautiful brown ringlets bounced on her shoulders, though. There was the sound of clinking metal, then Elizabeth pulled a fine lace-trimmed handkerchief from her bodice. She extended her arm past her father, offering the handkerchief to Will. Will looked reluctant to take it, knowing what he had was much more of a head cold than just the sniffle he pretended it was. But something in her eyes told him that she understood this. So he reached in front of the governor and took the handkerchief with a grateful nod.

     The carriage stopped abruptly, and Will was tossed to the floor along with several bags from the overhead racks. The governor laughed, Elizabeth smiled, and Will tried to ignore the resulting pain in his arm he found when he had picked himself up. The door to the carriage opened for them, and Elizabeth was ushered out first, followed by Will and the governor in turn. In the next moment, Will received his first glimpse of the mansion, and it was more spectacular than he could have imagined. Multiple stories, real tinted glass in each window, and a coat of colored paint that made the whole thing glow in the moonlight. Breathless, he stopped still to admire it, though could not do so for long.

     "Go on, Lad!" the governor said, pushing him up the walk. Some of the house servants collected the bags from the carriage and walked behind them, while others walked beside, escorting them with lanterns to light their way.

     The bags were taken straight up to the governor's and Elizabeth's rooms. The servants who were not carrying their luggage lined up obediently in the entryway, awaiting orders and politely greeting their homecoming with pleasant smiles. The entrance hall was just as grand to the young boy as the outside of the house. It seemed to tower over him in regality and size. Will's head swam with it all, and he found himself passing out right then and there.

     Several of the servants were startled and started forward, but it was Elizabeth who bent down beside Will first, pulling his head onto her bent knees and wiping a gentle hand across his forehead. "It is all right," she informed them, even as one of the women felt the boy's forehead and cheeks with the back of her hand as well. "He is not feverish, simply exhausted."

     "He has been through quite an ordeal," the governor added, as Mara, one of servants, lifted the boy into her arms. "Please see that he gets something to eat and drink tonight if he wakes."

     Mara nodded. "Of course, Sir." Then, looking down at Elizabeth, added, "I will take very good care of him, Miss."

Elizabeth smiled. "I know. Thank you." Mara always took such good care of her, after all. Still, Elizabeth felt she should go along as Mara carefully carried him up the first flight of stairs towards one of the guest rooms. Elizabeth followed them with her eyes, not wanting to relinquish her caring for Will until absolutely impossible to do otherwise. But the door to the room closed, and she could only whisper, "Good night, Will Turner," after him. Then she was shuffled off to be cleaned up before a late dinner and bed.

     Will woke with a start, not long after he had been tucked beneath the covers of the bed that was not his. Feeling hot and confined, he pushed the blankets down immediately. But the room, which had no fireplace, was cold and a harsh shiver ran through him.

"Now, now, Young Master. You need to stay warm." Mara had been sitting by his side in a chair, waiting patiently for him to awaken. She now pulled several of the blankets back up, tucking them warmly around him. She had a kind face, and a kinder touch, and made Will think immediately of his mother.

     Without wishing to, his bravery melted away and his feelings burst out in a flood of tears and sniffles. His body shook as he sobbed unrestrainedly.

     "Oh, there now..." She moved from the chair to the edge of his bed, taking him up in her arms, pressing his small head against her chest. "I'm sure you've been through a lot. But you're safe and sound now." She gently stroked the back of his head, the strands of brown hair thick with salt water still.

     He cried into her shirt, with no thought but to get it all out now while he still could. His mother. The pirates. The fire. He hadn't meant to do it. He had been scared. But still, it had happened and he was the only one who had escaped, barely alive. He had thought at the time that nothing could make him feel worse, but then the sickness came over him as well and he found himself much mistaken. Even now his nose tickled madly and he found he could no longer fight against it. But he tensed up and sneezed before he could pull back. "IHHSchhhh!" And as she loosened her embrace in surprise, he pulled away, embarrassed. "Excuse me," he whispered, going red in the cheeks.

     "Not to worry," Mara said with a smile, patting his head. "I've been through twelve children now, three of them my own."

     Will smiled meekly, then pulled out the handkerchief Elizabeth had given him. He brought it to his nose just in time. "ihschhh! IHSchikshhh!" Then he wiped it against his nose with a strong sniff.

     "Have a bit of a cold in your nose, do you?" She stood and opened the top drawer of the dresser to pull out two large handkerchiefs. "There's more in there if you need them." She handed over one of them, setting the other on the nightstand for him, and made to take his other away, which was too small, delicate, used, and crumpled. But Will pulled it away from her, clutching it tightly. "All right then," she said softly with understanding as she recognized whose handkerchief it was. "Then how about some nice warm dinner before you get to sleep?"

     Will shook his head. While a meal or two of ship's rations had not been very satisfying, he wasn't feeling hungry in the least. "I think I would just like to sleep." He sniffled and rubbed his nose with the new handkerchief, to great relief, though kept the other tightly clenched in his fist.

     "Would you like me to stay until you fell asleep?" Mara asked kindly, plumping the pillow a little, tugging the covers up around him more. Will nodded, giving her a very grateful look. So she settled down on the side of the bed once again and put a warm arm around the young boy. She stroked his head gently, singing softly to soothe him. Will was very glad, as he drifted off to his nightmares, that she did not sing one word in her lullaby about the sea or pirates.

     He was shaken awake quite early the next morning. In fact it was still partially dark outside when he opened his eyes and looked out the window. The bed was empty apart from him, Mara having left him sometime in the middle of the night. There was a man in the room though, pulling down his covers. The man put out the clothes he had been wearing for three days on top of his long shirt which was all he wore now. "Up, up!" came the man's dreadfully cheerful voice. "The master wishes you to be washed and dressed immediately."

     Will rubbed at his eyes. They felt heavy and sore. "Where is..." but before he could think about what her name might be, if she had ever told him at all, the man interrupted.

     "Miss Mara's making the breakfast. If you're quick and cooperate like a good boy, maybe you'll have time to have some before you leave." He grabbed Will's hand and pulled him out of bed. Will coughed and sniffled, rubbing a finger against the side of his nose, but allowed the man to pull him over to the washroom for a hot bath.

     Much to Will's disappointment, the bath had been anything but hot. To even call it lukewarm was being generous. Will shivered dreadfully as he dressed, holding his shoe with shaking hands as he aimed and stuck his foot in. He tucked a fresh handkerchief into his pocket, though it was so large for so small a pocket that the bulge looked quite improper. Elizabeth's small handkerchief went into his breast pocket for safe-keeping.

     Will was ushered downstairs quickly and was told to wait in the entryway for the governor. The hall seemed larger than it had been the night before, somehow. The ceiling was tall enough to reach the third story of the mansion. It stretched from a sitting room far on his left to a hallway far on his right, the end of which was so far off that he could not see it. He suddenly felt dizzy again, but another violent shiver kept him from passing out this time. He longed to leave that place and find the kitchens. He wanted to thank the woman for consoling him the night before. And he wanted to find Elizabeth, though he was not exactly sure why. All he knew was that he wanted to see her.

But before he could even think about setting off, the Governor came strolling in from outside. "Ah, young Will! You're up and dressed I see?" Will nodded. "And had a spot of breakfast? All set to go?" Will did not nod, but it made no difference as the governor was not looking at him. Instead, the man continued without pause. "Good show. All right then, come with me." He put a heavy hand on Will's shoulder and pushed him towards the door. "We've managed to find you a suitable new home."

     Will coughed and stopped in protest. "Sir... might I see Elizabeth a moment at least, before I go?"

     Governor Swann shook his head. "I'm afraid not. It is early and she is still asleep. Come along, My Boy." And he pushed Will forward and out the open door. It wasn't as though Will was being taken away for good; he was sure to see Elizabeth again some time. But he had wanted to at least see her before he left. To say 'goodbye.' To say 'thank you.' To say 'I think love you.'

     At the end of the walkway from the mansion, and clearly noticeable in the morning light, was the carriage. For one terrifying moment, Will thought they meant to climb back in for another ride. But instead, the Governor led him around it and out onto the streets. It was a reasonably long walk, considering how tired Will felt and how short his legs were. And it seemed as though it were already noon by the time they had wound their way into the heart of the town and down yet another cobblestone street.

     The walk gave Will the opportunity to see a bit of the town that he was now to call his own. It was nothing at all like the town he had grown up in thus far. People seemed more wary of him, and only smiled politely at the governor as they passed. There were shops of all sorts, though most had not yet opened for the morning to sell their wares. There were small bakeries where the smell of bread wafted out, tempting Will's very empty stomach. There were chandler shops, sporting all sorts of colored candles in the windows. There were shops selling clothes, others selling food and ship supplies, even a cooper's shop which, though it had barrels that would hold gunpowder or food, looked like it specialized in barrels for ale. But the governor led him past all of these, until he came to the blacksmith's shop in the middle of the town. At it, the governor opened the door and went in, with Will following right behind.

     There was a middle-aged man sitting in a chair, feet propped up on a barrel, which looked like the sort that held ale. On his rather formidable stomach rested a few breakfast biscuits and some links of sausage. He raised a hand in greeting to see them, and his jaw moved quickly to chew and swallow his current mouthful. "Ah! Hello there."

     "Mr. Brown," the governor said, touching the tip of his hat to return the greeting. "I have brought the boy along, as discussed. This is young Mr. Will Turner."

     The blacksmith raised one eyebrow. He gave a single laugh which sounded more like a cough. "Who is?"

     "Why..." the governor looked around, finding that Will was half hiding behind him, hesitantly. He put his hand on Will's shoulder again and directed him out in front. "This is."

     The blacksmith grunted, gathered the remains of his breakfast in one large, worn hand, and stood. He came closer, and Will could smell the familiar stench of drunkenness upon him. "Ah, yes." The man looked him over, from toe to head and back to toe again. Then the blacksmith stuck out a finger and poked Will in the stomach, then the arm, then his side where the bulge of handkerchief made him look like he had a dislocated hip. "Rather small. Looks a bit of a weakling, if you ask me--"

     With terrible timing, Will's nose not only began to tickle, but made him full-out sneeze. "ihSchhhh! Shikshhh!" He pulled out the handkerchief and blew his nose lightly, rubbing through the cloth. "Excuse me," he remembered, before folding the handkerchief and stuffing it back into his pocket.

     Mr. Brown, the blacksmith, sighed and shook his head. "I can't use this boy."

     The governor looked nervous, wringed his hands, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Ah..."

     Understanding that there was really nowhere else for him to go, and preferring a blacksmith's life to an orphan's, Will coughed to clear his throat. "Please, Sir. I am a very hard worker. And much stronger and faster than I appear right... right now." He pulled out the handkerchief again, quickly. "ihhKushhh! ihktchhhh!" He blew his nose and looked down at the ground. "Excuse me. I just have a bit of a sniffle is all."

     "The boy has been through quite a lot, as I have explained," said the governor.

     Finally, the blacksmith nodded. "All right, then." He waved a hand towards the back of the shop. "Go out and tend to the donkey and horses. You'll be sleeping out there in the empty stall until I can better figure out what to do with you."

     Will nodded and rubbed the handkerchief at his nose. "Yes, Sir." He gave the governor a nod of thanks, and quickly obeyed the order before the blacksmith could change his mind.

* * *

Part 2

     One of these days, he was going to find and strangle that rooster. Opening his eyes to the morning sun, Will lifted his head, and scratched at his cheek where the pieces of hay had dug into it while he slept. There was a scratchy sort of sound as he did so, where his fingernails scraped against stubble, and he smiled. Partially in an attempt to look more than his nineteen years of age, and partly just because he could, he had decided to start growing a beard. Perhaps not a full-out bushy sort of thing like many of the men had, but something interesting and defining. The sort of thing that would make him stand out in a crowd. Or at least stand out in a different way than the smell of the blacksmith's stables currently made him. And hopefully stand out in a way that would get him noticed by the governor's daughter. The rooster crowed again, and he pulled himself up to his feet tiredly. "All right, all right," he muttered. "I'm up." He coughed into one fist while he reached out with the other and steadied himself using the divider between stalls. "Can't a guy at least sleep in on his sick day?" The rooster crowed a third time and Will rolled his eyes as he headed out of the stall which was his.

     He wore only his long shirt when he slept, and stumbled across the back area to the chest where his things were. But instead pulling out a fresh change of clothes, he instead knelt and dunked his whole head into one of the horses' water troughs. The two horses whinnied, as he threw his hair back, flicking water back against them. The donkey didn't do much, but she never did very much unless she had to.

     Will coughed and scrubbed his now wet nose with the back of his hand. Sick or not, the animals needed to be fed. Feeling an impending sneeze, he turned his head. "IHHHshhhhh! IHHKtchhh!" sneezing downward. One of the horses seemed startled and nervous at the sudden noise, bucking in its stall. Will walked over, placing a hand on its almost velvet-like nose. "There now, calm down." The horse obeyed. "I know they were sudden, but you really are going to have to get used to them. I cannot keep holding them back like I did... yesterday..." his voice trailed off, and he backed up. His eyes closed, his hand came to his nose, and his head snapped forward at the force. "ihshh! ihtch!" He looked up, rubbing his nose on his sleeve, to see that the horse had not been startled that time. He sniffed hard and moved his jaw back and forth. Containing the sneezes even that much had made one of his ears pop. "I really cannot keep holding them in," he tried to explain to the horse. Luckily, the horse's shoes had been finished yesterday, and the owner would be back in town this day to collect it. Will filled their buckets with oats, transferred some water from the main trough over to the ones in each stall, to top them off, and he made sure they all had enough fresh hay, especially the donkey who was particular about those sorts of things. "Everyone satisfied?" he asked, though none of them looked up from their food to answer. "Good," he said, and flopped back down onto his pile of hay to sleep for the morning.

     He could not possibly have been asleep more than an hour before Mr. Brown opened the door so hard it slammed back against the side of the building. Both that noise and the blacksmith's yells woke Will from his sleep. And though the pain and congestion in his head returned immediately, he was glad to be away from his nightmare about pirates. Will sat up, feeling wobbly and slightly disoriented. Then he stood, again using the divider between stalls to keep from leaning too far in one direction or another and toppling over. "Yes, Sir?" he inquired at the look of his master's face. "Good morning, Sir?"

     Mr. Brown suppressed a burp and shook his head. "Not a good morning. Why aren't you in there working already?"

     Will sighed and rubbed the back of his hand against his nose. "I told you yesterday when I was coming down sick." He coughed and sniffled. "So I'm taking the day off. You said that was all right." Then he rubbed at the back of his neck. His pillow of hay wasn't exactly the softest, and apparently he had been sleeping on it awkwardly. Or perhaps it was just part of the rest of his body's aches.

     "But the work--"

     "It's all right." He sniffed strongly and cupped a hand at his nose and mouth. "hih...ihhhChhhh! ihhTchhhh!" The same nervous horse whinnied and pounded once against the door to the stall. Will reached over from where he was and patted the horse's back soothingly to calm it. "I can afford to take a sick day," said Will.

     "Maybe you can afford it, but I'm the one who pays for you to sleep and eat and--"

     "Master Brown, we are ahead of schedule. Besides, I sleep out with the horses and I eat much less than you do." He sniffed hard and rubbed his sleeve beneath his nose. "Now if you will excuse me... ihhChuhhh! ehhChahh! ihChushhh! Uh...I'm going back to bed." He swayed and allowed himself to collapse back against the pile of hay. He reached over and pulled a blanket up and around himself as much as possible. "iihhKshhh! Ihkschhhh!" He rubbed the corner of the blanket at his nose, then sniffled and coughed until falling back to sleep. As his master did and said nothing else, he took it to mean he was excused.

     Will woke sometime in the late morning to the sound of a set of approaching footsteps on the padded ground between the door and the stables. He looked up to see Mr. Merrywhether, the owner of nervous horse. "Mr. Brown asleep inside, you asleep outside... it's a miracle any work gets done here at all. I suppose you have not even fitted my horse for shoes yet?"

     "On the contrary," said Will, pulling on a pair of pants he'd been wearing for a number of days. They were wrinkled and covered in bits of hay, but certainly better than approaching a client half naked. "We finished the job yesterday. I replaced the back two as well, no extra cost of course. But best to have, er, an even footing." He walked over to the horse and pulled on its rope bridle. Taking the lead in one hand, he swung the door of its stall open and guided it out. He handed the rope over to Mr. Merrywhether and then ran his hand down each of the horse's legs until it raised that foot. He started from the back on one side, and circled around the front, showing the owner the set of beautiful new horseshoes.

     "Very nice work," Mr. Merrywhether said, nodding. "I will leave a few extra coins with your master for the additional work, it was only a matter of time before those wore as well so this saves me a lot of trouble."

     Will ran a hand through his hair to toss it into place. "Thank you very much, Sir." Then he patted the horse on the side of its face gently. "Take care, now..." he pulled his hand back, cupping it over his nose and mouth. He backed up and turned away, hanging his head and trying to keep his sneezes quiet this time. "ehtchh! ektchuhh!" The horse gave a bit of a start, but seemed to be getting used to his sneezing now that it was about to leave. Just his luck. "Excuse me," Will said, rubbing his nose on his cuff and raising both eyebrows briefly as he did. "I'm a bit under the weather."

     Mr. Merrywhether nodded and led the horse out, and Will flopped back down onto his bed of hay in a fit of coughs. He shivered and pulled the blanket back around himself, feeling that calling himself a bit under the weather was too much of an understatement to be considered the truth. His head pounded and felt as though however much sleep he got, it wouldn't be enough. His throat was sore and he could have used some water but did not have the energy to get up for some. "ih-ehtchhh! iktshhh!" And his nose was bothering him more than ever.

     He sniffled wetly and rubbed his other sleeve cuff against his nose. Will wasn't one to fall ill too often, in fact he could barely remember the last time, though knew it had happened after the incident at sea, when he had come to be the blacksmith's apprentice. "IHchuhh! ihhTchhuhh!" So as such, he was not very used to having to take care of himself. This cold had made him throw his daily routine out completely, so that now all he could think to do was try to get some sleep. "ihhChuhhh! Hihshehhhh!" And that was easier thought than done. "hutchahh! ihhchuhh!" Will resigned himself to simply lying there, keeping warm, and wiping his nose as often as he needed to.

     It was early afternoon when Will woke, only then realizing that he had been able to fall asleep in the first place. He wasn't sure if it was the noise coming from the blacksmith's shop or the pain in his throat that had woken him, but either way, he pulled himself up and stumbled over. Will opened the door, directing a sneeze into his shoulder as he did so, with marvelously bad timing. "ehh-IHshuhhh!"

     Will looked up with a sniffle to see a man standing in the middle of the shop, a hand resting on one of the newly-made swords that sat in a barrel. The man, who Will was sure had never set a foot inside the shop before, was tall, dirty, and had a distinctively piratey look to him which made Will uneasy. The man smiled, missing half his teeth, and nodded his head to Will. "And who might you be?"

     "Turner," Will said, following it with a hard sniff that cleared the congestion from his speech a bit. "Will Turner. And yourself, Sir?"

     The pirate's eyebrows lifted, and he seemed to stare harder at Will than before. "Turner... that's a good name. But it's not the name above the door to this shop, now is it?"

     "No." Will ran his wrist beneath his nose as it ran. "I'm Mr. Brown's apprentice. So what are you here for?"

     But the man did not answer this question either. "A blacksmith's apprentice, is it? Well that's lucky of you."

     Luck did not exactly enter into it. "May I help you with something?" Will tried again, his voice stronger. "Or may I show you to the door?"

     The man grinned again briefly, and Will tried not to wince at the squinty-eyed, wrinkled face that went along with it. "Well that all depends." His hand closed around the butt of a sword, spinning it on its point while it was still in the barrel. "You see, I'm in need of some fine weapons for my crew." He cocked his head and raised one side of his lip. "And I cannot seem to find many in the village who would talk to me. Certainly none who wanted to engage me in this much of a conversation."

Will bit his tongue rather than spitting out some terrible comment about pirates. "So you saw these and thought you might buy them?"

     The man shrugged and pulled one out of the barrel. He ran a hand down the blade, then stroked the hilt. "I said we needed weapons. But I said nothing about paying for them."

     In one swift movement, Will twirled around on the spot, grabbing a sword from the rack behind him. It was golden studded and strong, the metal in the blade having been folded and evened out again many times. "You pirates think you can swagger into this town and take what you like?" He pointed the sword straight at the man. "I'll not have my swords added to your plunder!"

     The pirate raised the sword in his hand towards Will, a nasty snarl on his face. "And what is a young blacksmith's apprentice going to do about it, hmm?"

     "Well, for starters..." His heart sank as he felt the urge to sneeze overpower him. He lifted his other arm, burying his head in the crook. "ihhhShhhhh! ehtchuhhh! ihShuhhhh! ihkSchhhhhh!" His head spun with the force of the sneezes, and Will wished he had just stayed in bed. Will felt the sword he still had raised knocked to the side, and a blade tip pointing into his chest. He took a deep gulp of air and closed his eyes, preparing for the blow.

     But the pirate laughed heartily then lowered his sword rather than running Will through. He quickly pulled out the dozen swords and bunched them under his arm. "Take care of that cold, ye land-lover. Next time I see ya, I'll be wanting a proper fight wi' a man, not a sick wee lad." He nodded his head again. "My compliments to the swordmaker. And good day."

     Before Will could overcome his bout of coughing, the man was gone, and the swords along with him. Will staggered back weakly, dropping the sword which had taken nearly all his energy to hold up. He would have lost miserably in a fight, even though he did practice an hour a day at sword fighting.

     He sniffled wetly into the cuff of his sleeve and waved his hand dismissively at the door his master had left not only unlocked but wide open. "The joke's on you," he muttered, putting the sword he had used back in its place. "Those weren't finished yet. They'll last through a few hours of battle then fall to pieces, or just snap at the hilt if you're lucky." He grinned, glad that the pirate had selected those swords and not any of the others. "But it's no better than pirates deserve."

     Coughing again, he went over to the door, hung a closed sign on the front, pulled it shut, and latched it firmly. Mr. Brown was passed out in his chair by the fire, a bottle still in one hand. "Thanks for the help. I suppose you'll still dock my pathetically meager wages for the lost metal any... way..." his face fell, and he brought his arm back up to cover his sneeze with. "ihShuhhh! Ihkshhhhh!"

     Feeling too sick and useless not to go back to sleep, he headed out back and crawled back between the hay and blanket. And though his nose ran and tickled something terrible, the encounter tired him out enough to put him right to sleep. But not before he'd decided to step up his practicing to two hours a day.

     Off and on he slept all afternoon, drifting off to sleep and back awake again. Snoring, sniffling, sneezing. For a while he couldn't get comfortable again, and then when he finally did, he couldn't stop sneezing long enough to fall asleep. The coughing made his throat ache, though that was nothing at all compared to the ache in his head which pounded so much it hurt to open his eyes. His nose was sore from so much rubbing against his sleeve but he couldn't do anything about it but lie there in misery. First hot, then cold, then both at the same time. And the sneezes came regardless, sometimes in two's or three's and sometimes in larger fits that could be stopped if he were to give his nose a few good blows. But his whole body ached so much he couldn't think about moving, let along standing and walking. He was just about to resort to hitting himself over the head with a hammer when everything went dizzy, spun around him, and caused him to pass out anyway.

     "Will?"

     His head pounded as the sound of his name echoed through his head. Assuming it was another customer or Mr. Brown or even another bloody pirate, he did not bother to get up this time. He felt absolutely horrible now and swore to himself that if he were ever sick again, he would find someplace much more private than the back stall of a backyard stable in which to sleep. Shivering, he pulled the blanket tighter around himself. "Go away!" he called miserably, his nose already tickling. "Do you realize how log it took be to... to fidally... wait..." his breath caught and he pressed his nose into the blanket from beneath it. "ihkschhhhhh! Kshushhhh! Sniff sniff... to fidally get sobe sleeb," he finished. "Just go away." His voice was thick with congestion, but he preferred to go back to sleep rather than getting up and finding something to blow his nose on.

     There was silence for a moment, then a soft, sweet, "All right, if that's what you want..."

     Will went stiff and looked up, biting his lip. Elizabeth Swann's face looked down at him with concern. "Biss Swad!" She looked gorgeous, hair done up in curls, eyes sparkling, dress hanging off her in just the perfect way. Whereas he looked somewhat less perfect at the moment. He coughed at the congestion but sprang to his feet. He tucked his shirt into his pants and stumbled over to the trunk, pulling out a proper shirt and vest to pull on over that. Looking much more presentable but feeling faint again, he quickly sat down on the trunk. "I'b so sorry."

     "Will..." She spoke softly again, looking him over as though she could not trust her eyes. "You look absolutely awful!"

     He sniffed hard and rubbed the cuff of his sleeve against his nose. "Thags for doticig." Will wished she hadn't, especially the way she was looking at him now. He tried to reassure her, "Odly a little sdiffle." He coughed again, remembering to cover his mouth politely in her presence. "Though I'b sorry for you to see be like this, Biss Swad."

     "Elizabeth!" she scolded, bending down, grabbing him by his arm at the elbow, and pulling him to his feet. "And whatever it is that you have is certainly much more than a little sniffle." She pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. "Mmm..." Then she eased his jaw open with a touch on the chin and peered into his mouth. "Mmmhmm..." She took in the pink nose and tired but over-bright eyes. "Hmph." At this sound, he looked at her imploringly. "You, Will Turner, are sick."

     Will managed a chuckle, and remained on his feet as she left him to retrieve his blanket. She wrapped it around his shoulders, tugging the ends into place against his chest, then rubbing her hands up and down his arms. He sniffled wetly and gave her a weak smile. "Yeah... I dew that." He sniffed again and bowed his head and raised a hand from beneath the blanket, rubbing his nose against the fabric. "But I dod't dow what you're doig here."

     "I came because I think I might need some work done, or some help, or something..." she trailed off, shrugging and looking down in uncertainty. Anyway I thought we might take a walk and discuss it. But I see now that you're in no condition for a walk. How about taking some tea with me instead?"

     "I would like that very buch." Will nodded and sniffed again. "I have sobe idside." His hand came out from beneath the blanket and gestured over to the door to motion that they should head that way. But the tickle in his nose returned quickly and before he could even take a step towards the shop, he bent forward, sneezing, with his hand to his nose. "ehhTChuhhhh! ihhChutchhhh! Ihktchhhh!"

     "God bless you!" Elizabeth exclaimed, having jumped back a little at the first. As she watched Will sniffle and rub his nose on a corner of the blanket, she began to understand why his nose looked so pink. "Haven't you got a handkerchief?" she asked.

     Will shook his head. He had one, all right. But it was too small and too special for him to actually use in such a manor. He kept it at the bottom of his trunk, in the corner where he kept his most precious possessions.

     "Well, you cannot possibly do without one in the state you're in. Here, take mine for now." She pulled one out from the top of her dress and Will could only guess at where exactly it had been stashed. She thrust it at him and prodded him with it until he accepted it. It was much bigger than the other one, but still thin and dainty. And it still bore an 'E.S.' in curly script in one corner. When he lifted it to his nose, even through his congestion he detected her familiar and intoxicating scent. He dared not use up the handkerchief with a blow, but did find great relief as the beautifully soft fabric rubbed against the bottom of his nose.

     He sniffed again and lowered his hand, giving her a smile. "Thak you." He took her arm and walked with her back into the shop. It was dark and deserted and looked very unlike itself. Mr. Brown had apparently gone home for the day already, which gave them some privacy. He dragged two barrels over and turned them upside down around a small table that was currently covered in tools and malformed pieces of iron. "It's dot as dice as the badsiod, I ab sure," he said softly, looking a bit ashamed at the appearance of the place. He hadn't really bothered to clean up after his work yesterday, choosing instead to go straight to bed afterwards. Now he regretted that decision. He left the blanket and handkerchief on one barrel and helped Elizabeth to sit on the other. Then he darted around the place, lighting lamps to give the place light and starting the fire. "I keep ad ebergedcy stash of food here," he mumbled, pulling a small box out from the bottom of the shelves where the other tools were so carefully arranged. "I thig I have sobe... here it is..." he pulled out two mugs and a small canister of tea. "Should be just edough... ehhh..." he set the items down on the dirt floor and cupped both hands to his face to cover as much of the sight of him sneezing as possible. "ehhTchhhh! ihhTSCHHHH!"

     "Goodness! God bless!" Elizabeth gathered up the layers of her skirts, snatched the handkerchief from where he had left it, and crossed the room to him quickly. In a very unladylike move, she squatted down in front of him. She placed one hand on his shoulder, and pushed past his hands with the other to give his nose a good rubbing with the handkerchief. "There now. Better?"

     Though he felt quite a bit worse in truth, he still gave her a nod. The way she was staring at him, watching his every move, listening to his every sniffle, made him feel terribly uncomfortable. He saw the concern on her face intensify as his nostrils flared and his jaw dropped open. His eyes squinted, then shut, and he lurched forward, cupping his hands again around nose and mouth and wishing Elizabeth were not there to see him. "IHHTchhhhh! Ehktshhhhh! ihkchhhhh!" Afterwards, he kept his head pointing downwards so she could not see him as he sniffled.

     But Elizabeth reached down and guided his head up with a touch to his chin again. She carefully pulled his hands away, wiped his nose, then wiped his hands dry with the handkerchief. Then she forced the cloth into his hand. "I can tell you're not used to taking care of yourself." She rolled her eyes. "Where you sleep..." She waved her hand towards the back door and stables. "What you eat..." She motioned to the meager amount of food in the box he had extracted. "You push yourself much too hard and get run down. I'm surprised you don't catch cold more often." She grabbed his shirt and tugged him upwards as she straightened up herself. Then she marched him over to a barrel by the table, wrapped the blanket back around his shoulders, and sat him down. "Now stay here while I put some water on for tea. Then I'll be right out to get some things but back before it can boil."

     Will could not reply for his mouth hung half open again. He wanted to tell her he would be all right. He wanted to tell her he could make the tea, that he should serve her properly as a guest in his place. He wanted to tell her not to bother with him and instead explain why she had come. But all he could do was sneeze, this time into the handkerchief. "ihhKuphhh! ihkchphhhh!" He rubbed his nose afterwards, sniffing back the rest of the tickles.

     "God bless you!" She went over to the fire and fumbled around with things while Will coughed. It took a few moments to find a kettle, then longer to discover where the water pump was. But in the end, she had put a pot of hot water on the fire. As Will's coughs died down, she turned back to him, looking pleased. "Good it's decided then. Sit tight." And she tore from the shop before Will could call after her.

     Will leaned over, his side pressing against the wall, head tilted. Every bit of him ached desperately for rest. He pressed the handkerchief to his nose and blew with a sigh at the pressure in his head was elevated a little. "ihKeutchhh! IHKutchuhhh!" Wearily he blew his nose again, though knew he could not keep it up for long. His nose was terribly tickley and runny, and the handkerchief was nearly used up. Wishing that his nose would behave itself and that the world would stop spinning around him before Elizabeth's return, he closed his eyes, still leaning against the wall.

     And this was how Elizabeth found him upon her return. She stopped cold in her tracks, halfway to him. His chest rose and fell regularly, his eyes looked peacefully closed. Once already that day she had woken him, and she did not want to make it twice. Will looked as though he could really use the rest. He certainly must have needed it if he could fall asleep sitting up like that. Arms full, she turned and gently set down the things she bought, and backed away slowly so as not to make any noise.

     But several things happened in the next moment that ruined her quiet exit. First, the kettle over the fire started whistling shrilly. This startled her, second, and made her stumble backwards into a pile of tools and swords and anything else that was sharp and metal and behind her. And third, Will woke with a soft snort and a cough. He sniffled into his sleeve as he sprang to his feet and bolted over to her.

Elizabeth sat on the ground amidst the metal, and winced as she picked up a hand covered in blood. Will knelt on the ground, a hand on her shoulder, his other hand grabbing hers to take a closer look. It seemed she had scraped it gently against a dull sword. The gash was not deep, but would need to be washed and bandaged right away. Forgetting for the moment about his fatigue and congestion, he pulled her to her feet and raced her over to the water pump. As the water rushed over her wound, he searched for some bandages. It was not out of the ordinary to accidentally burn himself and need to cover the area up for a little while as it healed. Just when he had begun debating tearing a piece from his shirt, which was not at all clean enough, he found the small stash. With the blood cleaned away, Will could see that the wound was very minor. She would be fine in no time. Still, he wrapped the bandage around her hand. Elizabeth smiled back at him. "I did not mean to wake you," she said softly, her hand cupped between Will's two rough but tender ones.

"You did't. I wasd't asleeb," he lied. Then he realized he was still holding her hand, and quickly backed away, hoping she would ignore how improper that had been. "How... does your had feel?" he asked.

     She smiled sweetly back, choosing to ignore the lie as well. "Much better now that you have seen to it." She gathered the folds of her skirt and walked over to the kettle, which was still madly whistling. "Now then. Let me see to you." She looked over her shoulder as she saw an exhausted Will take his seat again. "Put that blanket back around yourself this instant, Will Turner," she demanded as she carefully poured the water and stirred the tea leaves around in the cups. She placed the mugs on the small table, then turned away to root through the things she had brought.

     Will quickly switched the mugs, taking the one with the crack in the lip and the broken handle for himself. At the first taste of the tea, he couldn't understand how he had made it through the day without it. He took several long sips then sighed. Smiling over at her, he murmured, "Thak you. This is..." but his mouth hung open, forgetting the rest of the words as his eyes rested on what she was carrying over. She had a small bundle of food in one hand, and several cloth handkerchiefs in the other. He finished, feeling a bit overwhelmed, "...idcredible." He accepted one of the handkerchiefs, finding it a much more suitable fit, and blew his nose hard into it with another thankful sigh. Then a flutter of panic raced through him. "Oh, excuse be!" he breathed and pushed back from the table.

     She smiled and shook her head. "Not at all. That is why I bought them for you."

     He frowned behind its folds, still disappointed in himself, then folded it up and set it on his lap for easy access. "You should dot have sbedt so buch od be," he said softly, feeling a bit awkward. "I will of course bay you back for these id full."

Elizabeth was quick to answer. "There's really no need..." but understood the look Will was giving her. "But of course. If you insist." She nodded obligingly at will. "However, the snacks are my gift. It is your tea, after all. And it is best to take tea with cookies whenever possible. So this makes us even." She pulled the cloth back from a small basket filled to the brim with shortbread cookies. Even with his stuffy nose, Will caught their aroma. They each helped themselves to one, Will nibbling on his, Elizabeth dunking hers in her tea and taking larger bites of the moist cookie.

     Will's nose began acting up again, despite his new ability to blow his nose. For as much as he rubbed at it, it still tickled. Quickly he finished off the cookie with a hard swallow and set down his mug to take up the handkerchief instead. "ehhhh... ehhhIHKutchhhh! ehtchhhh! Ehitchhhh!" He blew his nose and lowered the handkerchief with another, "Excuse be." Then, before she could discuss his sneezes, he brought up a new subject. "What was that busidess you wished to discuss with be?" He took another sip of the tea, the warmth filling him with soothing warmth and comfort.

     "Oh!" she exclaimed, as though the whole reason for her visit had been taken from her mind and only then put back. "Yes, you see, it's my father's birthday in two weeks. I never know what to get him. But I had a few ideas that require a blacksmith's touch and I thought perhaps you could help me decide?"

     Will nodded and invited her to go on with a wave of his hand, too occupied in drinking more tea to answer.

     "Well I was thinking about a sort of set of goblets or something..." Will made a face. "All right, I agree. Not the best idea." She took another bite of cookie and swallowed. "But then I thought about a crest for the hall. We've lived in the mansion for as long as I can remember but there isn't very much of us in there. I was thinking a family crest on a shield. Something of him to live on as a symbol of his dedication to his office." She smiled, "Father loves that kind of thing."

     "That's a great idea," Will said, already envisioning the grand decorative shield with swords sticking out of it from behind. "I'll get right od it."

Elizabeth shook her head. "When you're feeling better, Will," she insisted.

     Though he would have done anything to start on it right now and show her his dedication and skill, he also didn't want to faint while on the job either. Reluctantly, Will nodded and finished off his tea before picking up the handkerchief again. He took a few deep breaths, then snapped forward with a rather violent sneeze. "heh-EHKushhhh!"

     "God bless you!" chimed Elizabeth, finishing her tea as well. "Look, I didn't mean to stay so long. You're obviously exhausted and feeling worse by the minute. Why don't I see you back to bed?"

     Will looked hesitant, but allowed himself to be steered back outside by Elizabeth. She carried a bundle out under her arm which she set down as Will lay back down on his pile of hay, trying to fit himself beneath the small gray blanket. But before he could manage this nearly impossible task, he felt something heavy fall over him and with it came a rush of warmth. He opened his eyes to find Elizabeth tucking a large blanket around him. "It's down-filled," she told him. "Warmest thing you can find. You're not allergic to feathers, are you?" He shook his head. "That's good. You should start feeling warmer in no time."

     "ihhhh..." he pressed a handkerchief to his face quickly. "ihhhKutchhh! ehhChushhh! uhhTchhuhhh!" And blew his nose to great relief, hardly believing how he could have gone for so long this day without doing that.

     "God bless you," Elizabeth repeated. She reached over and tucked the blanket back around him a little more tightly so his next sneezes could not dislodge it.

     He gave her a weak smile of gratefulness and closed his eyes again. "I did dot want you to see be like this."

     "Silly," she whispered. "Everyone gets sick from time to time."

     "Add I just have bad tibig to be sick today, of all days." First the pirate, now Elizabeth. Why was it that every time he had a run-in with a pirate, Elizabeth somehow turned up afterwards?

     "Do you remember when we met, Will?" Jolted out of thought, Will gazed over at her. How could he possibly forget? "I told you that I'd watch over you." Will nodded. Elizabeth reached over and gently pushed a strand of hair back, curling it behind his ear. "Well, I meant it. If you like, I can stay a little longer. I'm not expected back until just before dinner. Would you like that?"

Will felt something in his chest jump. He longed to ask her to stay, to have her lie beside him and warm him even more. But finally he replied, "It is a bit ibrober, Biss Swad."

     "Let me be the judge of what it too improper for me," she said as she crawled into the stall. "And, please, call me Elizabeth." After a bit of scooting and adjusting, Elizabeth sat with her legs folded beneath her, and her skirts spread out amongst the hay. Will lay, buried beneath the blanket, with his head in her lap. She petted him soothingly to help him fall asleep. First she stroked his head, her fingers raking through his long hair to untangle it. Then her hand went from his shoulder down his arm and side. He could barely feel the touch through the thick blanket, but he knew it was there. She had placed the clean handkerchiefs by his head for easy access, and he had one clutched in his hand as he quickly fell asleep.

     Will woke late into the evening with a sudden, vicious sneeze. "HEHKutchhhhhhh!" He found a handkerchief without much effort and blew his nose a few times before he registered his own situation. He was alone again, head resting on the hay rather than Elizabeth. But though alone, he was still warm and relaxed beneath the thick blanket.

     He rolled over onto his other side, pulling the blanket tighter around himself. He smiled as the warmth went with him, as though trapped around his body by the blanket. Out of his pocket, Will pulled the handkerchief Elizabeth had given him earlier. It was soft and gentle, just like her. Will could hardly remember the time when he did not love her. Nearly everything before the shipwreck was a blur to him, but everything after seemed as vivid as the sparkle in Elizabeth's eyes. And now she was gone as well, off home to the mansion while he slept in a horse stall. Not exactly the high class lifestyle needed to court a Governor's daughter. The only times he ever saw her were when there was a job to be done for the Governor.

     "ihhhhChutchhhh! ehhhTchhhhh! ihktushhh!" With a sigh, he rubbed again at his nose. With the resolve to practice three hours a day in case any pirates came his way again, he fell asleep again, determined to prove his honor and worth to Elizabeth one way or another.