Double Drabble: Will You Dance?

[honorat]

by Honorat
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I need to find myself a writing job that pays, mate!

Summary: Set after the movie. Elizabeth finds her old society is not so eager to welcome her home. For the "Drift" challenge at Black Pearl Sails.

* * * * *


They want to despise her, she knows. That or pity. She’s heard the whispers behind fans, counted the decrease in calling cards and rich ivory invitations. What is it that she is supposed to be now? A shameless hussy, wild to a fault, such damaged goods that no man of consequence will have her?

But still they come to the governor’s ball, gawking and gossiping. She tosses her golden-brown head in triumph as she sees the reluctant jealousy in her former friends’ eyes. The music drifts over their heads as Will leads her into the next dance. There is not another young man in the room as beautiful as her blacksmith. He needs no sawdust stuffing to simulate shoulders.

The glittering ballroom, the censorious stares fade as Will guides their steps. No musicians of her father’s hiring can match the powerful symphony Will plays on the orchestra of her flesh with his lightest touch.

She should have known that a man so elegant and graceful in the intimate dance of swords would find his feet on native heath in the measured steps of the waltz.

Comments

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

This was lovely and lyrical, even with the dark undertones. Wonderfully visual, too, and so appropriate to the theme. Great job.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for your kind comments. Someone--I can't remember who--wrote a drabble about Will trying to learn to dance. It was quite lovely. This would be the results of all that practice, I imagine. As Estrella says, "That Will Turner is a fine man, too."

[demishock.livejournal.com]

Very nice. The imagery in this little gem is beautiful. Disney doesn't get into the whole aftermath bit (maybe in the sequels?), but law of the land at that time dictates that the governer's daughter shouldn't be associating herself with such low-class citizens. I love the fact that Elizabeth doesn't care. I just love how she just doesn't DO 'damsel in distress'... unless of course she's faking-out Daddy-dearest. Girl-power! (haha)

I particularly liked this line: He needs no sawdust stuffing to simulate shoulders. Will's a -real- man. Perfect for Elizabeth. None of that fake, prim-and-proper nonsense she grew up with.

*glee* Your fics make me feel all happy and warm inside. * . *;

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the lovely comment. I like your image of Elizabeth. I've always felt that Elizabeth was never too fond of keeping up appearances and Will has learned to follow his heart, so I think they'll be letting the disapproval slide off their backs. That sawdust stuffing has always been a funny part of fashion history. Yes, Will is the real thing. No fops need apply. I can't wait to see the next movie.

[benevolentround.livejournal.com]

Wow. Just...wow.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

*Bows* Thank you very much. *Dances off*

[thekestrel.livejournal.com]

Oh so lovely. And oh so nasty is the natives, of the ton. Just like today always condemning, rarely forgiving. Yet, Will who used to pay attention to such, now cares not one whit. While Elizabeth dances off with her prize, to the envy of all. Yes, this is vary fitting. Your getting better all the time.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you kindly. Yes social expectations change, but woe, in any generation, to the one who flouts their iron law. And yes, Will and Elizabeth have something worth envying. As I've said before, Elizabeth may end up with plainer furniture, but who's going to be looking at the furniture?

[azziria.livejournal.com]

I love the way you've used language in this piece - packing a lot into a few words. (I started to quote my favourite lines but they turned out to be most of it, so I gave up!)

Beautiful. Thank you for posting this :-)

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for dropping by to comment. I'm glad you enjoyed this.

[corrielle.livejournal.com]

I like the imagery of this quite a bit. Especially the line No musicians of her father’s hiring can match the powerful symphony Will plays on the orchestra of her flesh with his lightest touch. That gave me shivers.

Figures Will would be a good dancer too... :-)

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the imagery gave you shivers. That was what I was trying to do. I wanted the thrill of the two of them to quite overwhelm the chill of the company. I don't imagine Will grew up being taught to dance, but someone (I wish I could remember who) wrote about him practicing so he could dance with Elizabeth. I think he would be a quick study at it. Hence this piece. Thannks for commenting.

[hendercats.livejournal.com]

Beautiful response to the challenge as Elizabeth (in Will's arms) drifts sails away from all the whisperers and gawkers!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much. They do have their own little world in this, now that I look at it. And their own music to drift to as they sail away.

[sparky-darky.livejournal.com]

Mmm, some lovely imagery here. Elizabeth is a very Jane Austen/Kate Chopin character, I always thought-- just waiting for her chance to break constraints and act on her own terms.

Like others, I love the comparison of Will as a real man, as compared to the primly dressed, hoity-toity types, as well as that of sword-fighting to dancing.

No musicians of her father’s hiring can match the powerful symphony Will plays on the orchestra of her flesh with his lightest touch. What a sensual description, and perfect in its simplicity and subtle hints.

Liking the 'reluctant jealousy' as well-- after all, no matter what upbringing you have, everybody really yearns for an adventure, to do something so memorable.

I love your drabbles-- you have such insight that it's made it impossible for me to look at the characters the same way!

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Yes, Elizabeth does have that break-away attitude, although I think she'll be more creative about it than Chopin's character in
The Awakening. And she'll get farther than Austen's characters whose lives are so powerfully constrained that just seeking their own happiness is a revolt.

Really, the class distinctions do look ridiculous when one sees Will who is honourable, polite, courageous, skilled at his crafts, and easy to look at. I've always thought that those fights in the movies were like dances with life and death stakes.

I do prefer subtle sensuality for really showing the romance. I'm glad you think I've captured this feeling.

While Elizabeth may have that lure of the "bad girl", she really hasn't done anything wrong even by her society's standards. She's just been improper. I guess in any time appearances matter more than reality. But yes, her adventures do make good stories, even if they can't have been comfortable to go through.

Thank you for your wonderful reviews. You've always got such interesting insights into the characters as well that you help me look at them in new ways too.

[erinya.livejournal.com]

Did I not comment on this? Bad me! As you can probably tell, I'm trying to catch up on my reading and feedback.

The last sentence of this one was my favorite: elegant and graceful in the intimate dance of swords is a sexy turn of phrase. I'm not always a huge Will fan, but you really made me see what Elizabeth (that shameless hussy, LOL) sees in him here.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

I can tell by the number of e-mails I've been getting that this has been a busy night for you. Thanks for dropping by in the rush. I think Will just needs some better authors! Jack is so flamboyant and Elizabeth is such a "shameless hussy" that Will sometimes doesn't get the attention he deserves. I'm glad you found something to like in him here. In case you haven't noticed, I'm foolishly fond of every last one of these characters.

[the-dala.livejournal.com]

I love the whole thing, particularly the idea that Will can dance and this: He needs no sawdust stuffing to simulate shoulders.

[honorat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. A sword fighter should have the timing and grace needed to pick up dancing and of course a blacksmith is not going to be a muscleless fashionable fop. I'm glad you liked this.