I Am William Turner

Disclaimer: William Turner belongs to Disney, or does he belong to Elizabeth? Maybe he belongs to the sea. Well all I know he does not belong to me. Sob.

Chapter Three: LIFE ON THE SEA

The first day out was glorious as the ship rode the tide. There were sailor's way up in the rigging letting out sails and some were on deck hauling on ropes. The officers were shouting all sorts of strange orders. It was like another language to Will.

Will marveled at the newness of it all and at the smell of the air, which didn't reek of sewers or rubbish or horses any more. Sea monsters, cannibals or pirates may get him in the end, but at least now he knew the plaque would not.

Will felt everything was going to be fine until the second day when the waters got rough. When the ship hit the open ocean she leaned sickeningly on her side and slipped and fell down into the waves only to shoot up as another one crested.

The motion of the ship made Will and the other boys queasy. The captain took pity on them and told them all to go down to the gun deck and sleep between the massive guns. He told them to pile up blankets and lay down. He guaranteed them their stomachs would be feeling better.

The next three days were not any better. The winds and the seas got even rougher and the boat danced through the waves, which were now like mountains. Will and the other boys crept and crawled to the head to spew up vile juices from there guts. Occasionally Will never made it to the head and it made him even sicker to have to clean it up.

After being out on sea for a week, the captain announced it was time for the boys to start their duties. The chores varied according to the situation and what was going on. They were to clean the decks, polish the copper and brass, and help the cook with the food and the clean up. When and if they ever went into battle, they would become powder monkeys and run the heavy sacks of gunpowder to the guns. There were drills to practice this, for there was always talk of pirates just waiting to attack.

In addition to Will's daily duties he would have to stand watch. The watches would rotate from eight in the evening to midnight. The next night would be midnight to four in the morning and the next four to eight. Will stood his watch back by the quarterdeck and would fetch coffee and food for the officer on the watch or wake people when needed. He also would run any errands that needed to be run. There were some times, however, when Will was asked to climb up to the crow's nest and stand for hours just gazing out over the sea, looking for pirates and such.

As Will stood in the crow's nest one early morning he could not believe his eyes. He yelled out to the men below: "I see a ship off our starboard; it is much smaller than us with two masts and big swooping sails rigged fore and aft. She is on fire."

The Captain was called from his slumber and as he stumbled out onto the deck he pulled his spy glass to gaze upon what Will had spotted. Sure enough, there was a burning hulk of ship. Pirates had evidently plundered it and left it glowing in the dark. It glowed for a long time as they approached the ruins and searched for survivors.

The captain pulled his hat off and held it to his chest in respect for the dead as they drifted closer to the sinking hull. "The poor sods are all dead or drowned by now. I suspect the pirate ship is long gone, but we must keep a wary eye. Call all men to quarters and have the guns ready."

As the captain gave his orders and the men dispersed, Will looked at the burning ship. The ship gave off an eerie light and as he turned to go back to his duties a stiff breeze whipped around him. Will felt as if someone were pushing him and then he felt something cold on his chest. He reached down but the only thing he found was the gold medallion his mother had given him. The medallion glowed in the firelight as the ship gave off one last flare before all went dark. The air was thick and a heavy fog was moving in. Will looked around, thinking that he had heard someone calling his name, over and over again. "TURNER…TURNER…TURNER…"

Will's watch was over and he was now allowed to go to bed. He was told to sleep in the sailors hammocks since the guns were being prepared for battle. He had troubles falling asleep but he finally fell into an unfruitful slumber.

As he slept, he tossed and turned. He heard voices yelling and he felt as if he was on a run away horse. He woke up when he hit the floor and he could hear the Captain yelling from up above. "It won't work, we cannot outrun the pirates! Let's have all she'll give us!"

"Aye, Sir!" Will heard men bellowing at the top of their lungs. He realized they were under siege. He looked up to see the hammocks swinging as the ship lurched; he shook his head and pulled himself to his feet.

"All men aloft to make sail, hurry unfurl them! She is coming closer," the captain yelled in a panicked voice. "My God NO!! She is the ship we have been warned about. She is the ship with black sails. She is THE BLACK –"

BANG! Will was knocked off his feet again and did not hear the ships name.

"Captain, we cannot hold her off, she is coming forward ever so fast in hot pursuit. Captain, she is already in full sail and they have a line of loaded guns aimed at us. Maybe we should surrender."

"NEVER!" The Captain yelled.

Hearing this, Will pulled himself up off the floor once more and ran to the upper deck. As he reached the deck he heard a boom roll across the water and he felt the ship rock.

"Pull out the long guns!" The Captain pointed at Will. "Turner, grab a bag of power. Hurry, reload the guns." The Captain was yelling out orders and the men were scrambling everywhere to carry them out.

As Will ran to get the powder, a ball smashed into the ship. The pirates fired again and the cannon balls whistled over Will's head. Will's eyes opened wide as fear filled his heart. This was not fun, this was serious. People were shooting at him.

Will's legs began to feel like jelly and he couldn't move. "The Star" was beginning to turn and the captain yelled over and over again: "FIRE!"

Will heard the hammering of the guns and the awful crash as "The Star" took another blow and keeled over. There were cheers, but they were not coming from "The Star". It was coming from the black ominous looking pirate ship.

The Captain looked at his crew and ordered them to cut away the huge sails that were now lying in the water and bringing them to a crawl. As the captain yelled out his orders, Will heard the pirate captain yelling at his crew.

"Hold fire, fire only on my order. Remember, we want to be taking the ship, not sinking it. You must remember what we are after unless you all intend on swimming."

Then there was a splintering crash as the black ship hit them broadside. The pirate captain yelled out, "Get the nets and the hooks across. Grab your cutlasses and pistols. Find the treasure and leave no survivors."

As the pirates boarded "The Star" they were howling like demons. Will grabbed a cutlass but it felt too heavy in his hand. He was hoping he would not have to use it, but he wanted be prepared.

His mind was reeling. "I'm only a boy. I should let the men deal with this." Will was about to turn and run when he saw a cocked pistol in his face. He stumbled back slightly, raising the sword at his opponent. As he wielded the weapon he slipped on the blood that was now covering the deck. The pirate shot the gun but missed Will due to his fall. Will, out of shear fear, dropped his sword, scrambled to his feet and ran.

As he ran, he felt the ship tremble. He looked about only to see that most of the people around him were dead. He knew most of them were his mates. As he made his way toward the hatch, he heard the pirate captain yell. "Blow 'em up! I see no point in playing games any more. Let's take what we can and be done with these bilge rats."

There was a crash and Will flew up in the air and flat on his back which knocked out most of his senses. As he tried to get back on his feet there was another blast. Will was plummeted into the cold ocean water and as he fell he felt the heat of the now burning ship on his back.

The ship blew up behind him. There was so much smoke and flames that he couldn't see but he could hear screaming and crying as he pulled himself onto a piece of wood. Will looked back up at his burning home. He knew the pirates had won and they would probably leave him alone to be food for the sharks. After all, he was only a ship's boy. What would pirates want with him? He laid himself down on the wood, placed his hand on his necklace and then all became dark and silent.

When Will opened his eyes again, he found himself looking up at a beautiful young girl with soft brown eyes, auburn curls and freckles across her nose.

"Hello, my name is Elizabeth Swann."

He managed to mutter "Will Turner" and then he fell unconscious once more.

YOU ALL KNOW THE REST OF THE STORY

A/N Thank you for the wonderful reviews. Now that summer is here I hope to write some more. I have to say I loved the 3rd pirate movie and if you have not seen it yet, you better. Will and Elizabeth rock!

LIZZY