Pirates of the Caribbean Imagines and One Shots

Falling is freedom - Will Turner

She watched him fall in love with someone that wasn't her, every second of their time they spent together filled her with aching, but an even deeper love. Reading books on the hillside, him stroking her hair behind her hair, watching her with awe and wonder, thinking how it would feel to be her... Elizabeth. As some perspective, they had known each other a few days less than Elizabeth had known Will as children. His childhood was spent mastering a trade to provide for himself as he got older, since the Swann household didn't always help out in keeping his wellbeing going. Until, they came across each other as youths, from the moment they laid eyes on each other and spoke there was an immediate connection, making them inseparable. 

The more time they spent together, the closer they had become. Until now, it was purely friendship. Then one moment changed her world. 

Sitting on the side of the docks, dangling there legs over the edge, dipping their toes into the cool water. He placed his hand on top of hers pressed against the wood under her fingertips, she interlaced her hands with his, butterflies echoing through her stomach, goosebumps flooding her skin. She knew she liked him, but to the point his touch now made her nervous was a new level. He gently caressed the side of her face with his finger, turning her head around to meet his eyes, she smiled gently, he smiled back, watching the little crease in her cheek as she smiled. One small peck of the lips, a hand on her thigh, and her world was changed forever. Friendship was a thing of the passed, her love was now a new ventured level she was yet to understand. There was no guidance to help her, not that she needed it, but the pain she was not warned off. 

Will wasn't a cheater, he never wanted to hurt you. They were never his intentions, but he was led to where his heart desired. So, when she was taken captive, his ever growing love for her burned inside him so great he could no longer ignore now she had gone. The protection and offering of safety she had given to him was something he was forever grateful for. And so, whilst he was away with no given notice, she assumed it was down to the fact he felt he owed her protection too. 

That was until he returned... many years later. He was different, someone else. He was stronger, but he was also deeply in love with someone that wasn't her. Instead, betrothed to Elizabeth set to be married. Seeing him, seeing her, seeing them as one pierced her soul so deep she felt the world wouldn't stop spinning, spinning with needles punching through her skin. 

Upon his return, she returned to where he had often completed his work as a Blacksmith seeing him hammering away at a sword. He hadn't lost his skills, maybe sight, that's all. 

"Will," she opened the door slowly peeking to see his face, shooting up, lighting up and falling in guilt. "It's okay. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," he laid down his tools, walked over to her and grabbed her waist round his arms, spinning her around. "I've really missed you. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," she echoed his words, and sighed, being in his arms again, feeling her throat tighten and swell, her eyes welling up. 

"How's things been here? You know I've missed you, right?" he held her face in her hands, watching as the small tear dripped down her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you not happy?"

"I'm happy you're alive, yes, of course I'm happy," she began to sob, his eyes still intently fixed on her redened cheeks, sniffling away until she broke away from his hands. 

"You're not happy, I know that's not happy tears," Will spoke, stroking her hair behind her face as she softly sobbed. 

Her arms tightly wound around him, crying into his shoulder, grabbing his clothes in her hands with all the strength in her body. Grabbing the back of his hair in her hand. 

"I missed you so much, I never forgot about you, I longed every day for you to come back, and then you did,"

"I missed you too, I never forgot about you either... Please, tell me what's wrong?"

"You did forget about me..." she pulled away from him, turning her back from him, wiping her tears away. "As soon as you left without saying anything you forgot."

"I had no choice..." 

"You did have a choice!" she shouted, her voice silencing him completely. "And, you concretely set that choice in stone, haven't you?"

"I didn't have a choice, and if I did then it would have been you. You know that, don't you?"

"How could I? We've known each other since you set foot on this damned dried land, then we realise after so long we have this whole other connection, of deep rooted love. And, yes... you may say you had no choice, but you did, you could choose whether to tell me, or not. To go or not. To stay with me or not. Or, to marry someone else and not me,"

"You know?"

"Of course I know! Did you not expect everyone to know the rich Swann's daughter is marrying a lower class person, one of us. But, I bet you don't think that's you anymore..."

"I'm still Will, the Will you fell in love with, and you're still that beautiful woman I fell in love with,"

"Then why does it feel like I've fallen and I can't get back up again? They say falling feels like freedom, your powerless, and once your over the edge that's the end of the story because you have no choice. I've fallen, realising love is never enough... I feel powerless, but it doesn't feel like freedom,"

"I can't do anything now, I'm so sorry,"

"I'm going to leave, Will,"

"Do you not want to talk? I don't want to loose you, not permanently, we've known each other for so long,"

"This is what you don't have a choice over, Will. You lost me the minute you left."