4 W/E Drabbles for BP Library Challenges

[dwgm]

kahva , friend, Orlando Bloom fan, and the esteemed captain of Black Pearl Library, has been posting drabble challenges over the last weeks -- 'Blue' , 'Red', 'Gold', and 'Green' -- and I've finally come up with some replies, a series of W/E drabbles for her, 150 words apiece. Many thanks to hereswith for beta reading.

Caribbean Blue

The unnatural fog and smoke of destruction lay far behind by the next morning. Will had recovered from his ordeal enough to be allowed on deck, and he picked his way forward to where Miss Swann was standing by the rail in the sun.

She turned to him, her smile wide. "Will!"

It wasn't the sun that made his cheeks burn, and he swallowed hard at the thrill of… something that went straight through him. "Good morning, Miss Swann," he managed.

"I'm so glad you're better. Look!" Her arm swept outward. "Father says we're well into the Caribbean now. Have you ever in your life seen such a beautiful blue?"

Will glanced at the sparkling sea, but his eyes were drawn irresistibly back to his companion's face, and the lace and azure satin of her gown. "Never," he assured her, and smiled himself, for the first time in many hours.

*

Blood Red

They'd hardly spoken during the voyage back from the Isla de Muerta, but finally Will could bear it no longer, and came to her, as he'd done that first morning, came to her where she stood at the rail, the horizon fading from blood red to their final night.

"We'll be home tomorrow," she said, without preamble.

Her tone was so wistful, so determined, that he felt suddenly ashamed of his resentments. She had saved him, and with the only currency she could call her own.

He saw her wince, after she gripped the rail unthinking. "Does your hand still hurt?" he asked, quickly.

She turned it over, and the slash looked raw. He was moved to do the same, setting his own hand beside hers, not touching. He said, slowly, "You, and me. And Jack."

"Pirates!" she whispered, and her eyes told him the rest, before she walked away.

*

Precious Gold

After the gray of the last months, when horror, suspicion, and fear had lain so often like a weight upon their souls, there was this one day, their One Day, and Calypso blessed it with a beauty that freed them and made them whole again. He was no heartless immortal. She was no pirate king. Only a man and a woman, tied by vows, by love, the sins of the past as dust, the promise of the future a dream.

Though others had imparted knowledge, those moments were their own, innocence and flesh, laughter and tears, theirs alone, beneath the sun. The very sand and stone of that place, the very air of it was gold, and gold they were themselves, skin of satin, hair of silk, eyes with depths that spoke truths and made promises that could not be doubted, and would keep them for the years to come.

*


Fiddler's Green

The Dutchman was gone, and Elizabeth, Will, and Jamie walked in silence across the fields, the three of them holding hands, a family, complete. Elizabeth smiled to see their son so subdued, and would warn Will later that this was hardly Jamie's usual way. But Will didn't seem to mind, striding with measured steps, taking time to savor each touch of foot to earth.

When they reached the top of the slope at last, Jamie broke his silence. "See, Father? There it is: Home!"

They all stopped, and Elizabeth watched Will, wondering what he was thinking. It had been so long, and so much had happened. Family and friends might not be enough. But his face was alight as he faced that new horizon, alight with a promise fulfilled.

He said to them, "It looks like Heaven to me, from here." And his crooked smile told her it would be.


~.~

Comments

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

I like the way you've picked up on the dance they've had going for all these years, and translated it into colors of their lives - they truly have found color with one another, as well as with other people they've met through each other. Very nice.

(Now you writing Willabeth, this is like an historic moment. *G*)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

I have written Willabeth before, just not lately. *g* But I've actually had a One Day piece on my mind and desktop for a while -- 'Precious Gold' is sort of a distillation of it.

I'm so glad you liked these! I was hoping you would. :))

[djarum99.livejournal.com]

A lovely set of drabbles, all their history condensed in brilliant color. Beautiful work ♥

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I'm very happy you liked these.

[salr323.livejournal.com]

A great little story, in short chapters! Very nice. I love the theme of the colours running through it all.

He said to them, "It looks like Heaven to me, from here." And his crooked smile told her it would be.

That's a perfect last line. :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was fun using the different color themes to make a series of related snippets. I'm glad you enjoyed them!

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

That was wonderful. Absolutly wonderful. Liked how they flowed into each other like that. :-)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[jenthegypsy.livejournal.com]

Lovely, one and all.

*nudges long sleeping pirate muse*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Oh, it would be fabulous if you would write even a drabble or two.

*tempts you with pretty pirates*

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Ah! I love the two of them together. You capture their journey together from the igniting of the infant flame, through the conflagrations and ashes of their conflicts with others and each other, to an older, wiser love. Now they know that Heaven is what they make of it and love is a choice, not an emotion. Beautifully done. I love the colours suffused over them all, but the Gold is the best :D So gorgeous and sensuous. *does a happy dance for W/E fic*

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!! I'm so happy you enjoyed these. Jack is always first in my affections, but I dearly love Elizabeth and Will, too. I'm glad you liked the Gold one -- the scene's been sitting on my desktop for some time, and though this is shorter and less graphic than the original, it pretty much says what I wanted it to say.

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

These were wonderful! Thanks for sharing them.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

You're welcome!

[kahva.livejournal.com]

I've thanked you at the Library (and I'll be honest here, I was beginning to think that nobody was ever going to answer one of the color prompts) and I simply must thank you here as well for four wonderful, excellent, absolutely lovely drabbles. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!! :) :) :)

{Showers you with sexy piractical blacksmiths} :) :) :) :)

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. I had a lot of fun writing these, and I'm glad you thought they turned out well. Thank you for commenting both here and at BP Library!