Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The gaols at Fort Charles were cold and dank, especially at night. The cells stank with the smell of stagnant water, urine, and unwashed bodies. Those unwashed bodies were currently pressing themselves against the iron bars of their shared cell, desperately reaching for the only washed body in the prison. She, on the other hand, was sitting as far away from them as she could, and shivering with cold and fear.

"Lord" Cutler Beckett had interrupted Elizabeth Swann's marriage, and now her fiancé, Will, was on a potentially fruitless search for Captain Jack Sparrow and his compass. Elizabeth was forced to stay behind and suffer the…pleasures…of Beckett himself. If Will knew, or even her father… she sighed. It wouldn't matter anyways, her father no longer had any authority.

Her musings were disturbed by the sound of boots stomping down the stone stairs. Was it that time already? Of course it was. The only time Naval guards came down to the cells was to bring food, or bring up a prisoner, and dinner – such as it was – had already been served. Sure enough, two guards arrived at her cell door. One trained his musket's bayonet on Elizabeth while the other opened the door. As with every time before this, Elizabeth turned her gaze to the stone wall she was leaning against. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw one of the guards roll his eyes at the other and enter her cell. He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her out of the cell.

Thankfully for her shins, Elizabeth's wedding dress protected her legs from the stairs as her unresisting legs hit each and every step. It was a routine that had been repeated every night in the last six days since Will had left her in her cell. From the cells the guards would drag her to Beckett's quarters in the Fort. Once there, she would suffer Beckett's pleasures until he was satisfied. He would ask questions regarding Jack's whereabouts, which she honestly didn't know, have Mr. Mercer beat her for the answers, then send her back to her cell. Elizabeth was sure this would be no different.

As the doors to Beckett's quarters were thrown open, Elizabeth adopted as blank a face as she could manage. Beckett terrified her, but there was no way she was going to let him know that if she could help it. The blank face was gone as she registered a familiar figure in the room.

"Father!" She gasped in shock. Elizabeth tried to run to him, but the two guards halted her progress.

"I don't think so, Miss Swann," Beckett said as he stepped from the shadows beside the fireplace. "Your father is not here to give comfort."

"Then why is he here? I rather doubt it's to witness your normal routine," Elizabeth said sarcastically.

Beckett looked amused, "Hardly. You see, your father is here to witness either a very happy event, or a rather upsetting one, depending on you."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed, "Me?"

"You have two options, Miss Swann. The first option will ensure you a life as you've always know it. A life of luxury." Beckett turned to face the fireplace, "The second option will have decidedly less pleasurable outcomes."

Elizabeth was skeptical, "Meaning?"

Beckett spun around to face her, "Your eventual death, Miss Swann."

"Elizabeth, I beg you, just listen to Lord Beckett's proposal." Governor Swann pleaded.

"Proposal," Elizabeth looked suspiciously from her father to Beckett, "Surely you don't mean –"

"Yes, Miss Swann," Beckett interrupted with a triumphant smile. "I asked for, and received, your father's permission for your hand in marriage, so long as these," he held up the arrest papers, "were dropped."

"You must be joking," Elizabeth spat, "In case you have somehow forgotten, I'm already engaged to Will!"

"Mr. Turner is not here to protect you, nor is he likely to be," her father said with some asperity, "Mr. Sparrow is not going to help anyone but himself, he is a pirate after all. And I sincerely doubt Mr. Turner will return without the compass."

Elizabeth stared in stunned silence at her father, "Did you even try to get to know Will this past year, father? He's a better man than you give him credit for. So is Jack, for that matter." She turned her gaze to glare insolently at Beckett, "What is my second option?"

He smiled at her sadistically, "You will be branded as a pirate and hung within the week."

It took Elizabeth no time at all to make her decision. "Thank you. But I would rather hang as a pirate than spend even a second as your wife." Beckett blinked in confusion. His stunned face told Elizabeth that he had not expected her negative answer.

"Elizabeth," her father protested, "please be reasonable. There is no need for you to die for a blacksmith and a pirate."

"I wouldn't be dying for a blacksmith, nor a pirate. I would be dying for my dignity. What?" she spat out at Beckett, unable to contain her hatred, "Did you really think I would voluntarily marry my rapist?"

"Rapist? What?" Her father looked so confused.

"Oh. He didn't tell you?" She hated to do this to her father, but he needed to know, "Ever since Will left, Beckett has been forcing me into his bed."

Governor Swann sputtered in indignation, "He most certainly did not! Elizabeth," he turned to look into her eyes, "you must know I would never have given my blessing if I had known." He turned to Beckett, "How dare you?" He shouted.

Beckett rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Mr. Mercer came out of the shadows to hold a pistol against Governor Swann's head, "Kindly be silent Mr. Swann, your input is no longer needed." Beckett continued to stare at Elizabeth, "Is that truly your decision?"

Elizabeth raised her head in defiance, "It is."

This time, his smile was cold, "So be it." He addressed Elizabeth's guards, "Hold her."

Their grip on Elizabeth's shoulders tightened as Beckett grabbed something out of the fire. It was a long iron rod with a red-hot "P" at the end. Elizabeth felt the blood drain from her face, and she swayed on her feet a little bit. There was an eager look on Beckett's face, and she realized that he looked forward to the pain he was going to inflict on her person. In that moment, she vowed not to make a sound when he branded her. She wouldn't beg, plead, cry, or struggle when the time came, which was now.

Ever so slowly, the glowing "P" came down towards her arm. It stopped a hair's breadth from her skin. She could feel the penetrating heat of the iron, and could smell the small hairs on her arm burning from it. Distantly, she could hear her father pleading with Beckett not to do this, not to resign her to a death sentence. Grimly, she met Beckett's eyes as he pressed the branding iron against her arm.

It felt cold at first, an icy flash that was followed immediately by an intense heat that drowned out all feeling. All her senses zeroed in on the mind-numbing pain that seared through her small frame. Instinctively, Elizabeth's body tried to escape the pain, and her body pressed backwards against the soldiers that held her in place. A roaring sound filled her ears, followed by the feeling that she was underwater. Her knees threatened to give out, but she stubbornly locked them in place. Her wide eyes continued to meet Beckett's as he held the iron to her skin. It felt like hours had passed since the pain had started, but it had only been around five seconds. Finally, Beckett pulled the iron away, and she could breathe again.

After a few more seconds, Elizabeth's senses returned to her. She could smell the sickeningly sweet smell of burnt flesh in the air, and could see smoke rising from her throbbing arm. The sound of her own heavy breathing was joined by the quiet sobs of her father. When she tasted copper in her mouth, Elizabeth realized that she had bitten her lip in order to stay silent.

Beckett was also breathing heavily, she realized. He was staring at her with a curious mix of anger and amazement. "Only one other man has managed to not scream when I branded him," he muttered as he continued to stare at Elizabeth.

"Anyone I know?" She rasped out in question.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you do." He stared off into the distance, reliving some not-so-forgotten memory. Beckett visibly came back to himself, "It was Jack Sparrow."

Something in Elizabeth snapped, and she started laughing uncontrollably. She was laughing so hard that she started crying.

Disturbed by her laughter, Beckett backhanded Elizabeth, ignoring the protests of her father, "Why are you laughing, wench?"

Her laughing slowed enough for her to answer, "If I had to pick someone to emulate after being branded a pirate, I couldn't have picked anyone better than Captain Jack Sparrow!"

Beckett's face turned red with fury and hatred, and he could no longer control himself. He punched her in the jaw, the stomach, and the ribs, hitting her all over her body until his anger wore itself out. Elizabeth was barely conscious, but was able to keep a bloody grin on her face as he yelled for the guards to take her back to her cell.

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