All a Father Wants
Author's Note: This is just a short vignette describing Governor Swann's thoughts on Will and Elizabeth's relationship. I rather like Governor Swann, I think there are numerous instances in the movie that show he is basically just very concerned for his daughter's welfare. And in his mind, that means marrying her off to Norrington. But at the end, I don't think he seemed too upset when she chose Will. This is short, so please just read and let me know if you liked it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, or the characters. Just having some fun. No harm done.
The day of the wedding was fast approaching. The preparations had been made, the guests invited, decorations chosen. The Governor's mansion had been in a flurry for weeks, the staff carrying out all of the elaborate plans that Elizabeth and her friends came up with. Despite the fact that Will was but a mere blacksmith, the fact that it was the governor's daughter marrying him ensured that their wedding would still be the social event of the season.
Weatherby Swann sat at his desk, looking out at the servants setting up chairs in the garden down below. He was pleased with the way things had turned out. Although he had initially been in favor of a match between his daughter and Commodore James Norrington, all he really wanted was to be assured of his daughter's happiness and security.
He thought back to that day, that horrible day when Port Royal had been attacked. The day James had proposed to Elizabeth. Weatherby had thought it was a perfect match. James had a prestigious career in the Royal Navy, cared very much for Elizabeth, and would take good care of her. True, she had never shown much interest in him, but.......well, she could grow to love him.
Then, that night the world had been turned upside down when those filthy pirates had attacked the town, and absconded with Elizabeth. Weatherby had been filled with worry for his little girl, and rued the day he had ever brought her out to the Caribbean. What had he ever been thinking, bring his child out to such a lawless place, where pirates ran amok! But the Commodore had been confident that they would be able to find her. Weatherby had to lay his hopes on the man. After all James was very capable, and they had the Interceptor, which was (arguably) the fastest ship in the Caribbean.
When young Will Turner had seemingly turned pirate and helped Jack Sparrow commandeer the Interceptor, Weatherby had been sure that the lad had taken complete leave of his senses. The boy had always seemed to have such a good head on his shoulders, he knew his place, he had a sense of propriety that kept him in line even when his own Elizabeth behaved completely improperly, asking him to call her by her first name. Yes, young Turner had always seemed such a sensible lad. This whole piracy thing was quite out of character for him.
So, when Commodore Norrington had set out on the powerful, but not quite-so-fast, Dauntless, Governor Swann had insisted on accompanying them. James had protested, but Weatherby had been quite adamant. It was his daughter's life that was in danger and he was going to be there to look for her. Finally, James had acquiesced, seeing as how it wasn't too smart to keep arguing with the man who was the Governor, and his potential father-in- law.
They had searched for four days before seeing the huge, billowing column of smoke coming from the small island. There they had found Elizabeth, stranded, along with Jack Sparrow, of all people.
That should have been the end of it, but Elizabeth convinced Norrington to go after Will, by accepting his marriage proposal. Weatherby should have been happy about this turn of events, but somehow he wasn't. He had the feeling that Elizabeth was only doing this to get James to save young Turner. Yes, Weatherby wanted her to marry James, but not for love of someone else! He wanted her to marry James for the right reasons.
Concerned, he had tried to talk to her about it. "You know, I think you made a very good decision today. But sometimes, even good decisions, if made for the wrong reasons, can be wrong decisions." Of course, she hadn't been listening. She had been too busy engineering her escape from the Dauntless, haring off by herself to go rescue Will. That girl had always been too headstrong for her own good. It was a miracle she had survived the entire adventure.
Ultimately after the fiasco at Sparrow's hanging, after the pirate had escaped, when she chose Will over the commodore, Weatherby hadn't been too surprised. Pretty much resigned to it, he had asked, just to make sure, "Then, this is the path you have chosen? After all, he is a blacksmith." But he had know what her answer would be.
Then he had left the two young people to have a few minutes alone. Turner was a good lad, and his skill with sword-making would ensure that he would be able to support her. But most importantly, she loved him, and he had certainly proven his love for her. She would be happy with Will Turner, and in the end, isn't that what a father most wants for his daughter?
Returning to the present, bringing his attention back to the piece of paper on the desk in front of him, Weatherby signed his name with a flourish. It was the deed to a moderate-sized cottage in the nicer residential area of Port Royal. While he didn't mind his daughter lowering her station by being the wife of a blacksmith, that didn't mean the newlyweds had to live in squalor. They would start their life out together in a decent abode. Weatherby would see to that.
Setting the paper aside, satisfied that the young couple would have a suitable dwelling place, he stood up and walked to the window. With the wedding tomorrow, he was happy to see clear skies, with nary a cloud in sight. Spotting Will and Elizabeth walking arm-in-arm in the garden, Weatherby smiled. Yes, as long as he didn't spot any black sails on the horizon, Weatherby Swann would be a happy man indeed.
A.N.: Well, there it is. Please review so I know if anyone is even reading this. This is my first POTC fic, and I want to know if I did any good at it.
Oh, and sorry there was no Jack in this story. I myself, mostly like reading stories that have Jack in them. Maybe if I get any reviews for this one, I'll attempt a fic with Jack.
If you're a Roswell fan, please check out some of my other work – they're better than this one!
Thanks for reading, and again, please review – it'll make my day!