Last night I told Gail to wake me up early like at 6:00 since the ceremony starts at 8:00.
I woke up to Gail shaking me.
"Come on, Maria. You need to get ready for Elizabeth's wedding," she says.
I sit up and stretch my limbs and then get up from the bed and walk into the washroom with Gail following. I strip my clothing and wait for Gail to fill up the bathtub. I get into the bathtub and feel the familiar tingles up my legs. I let Gail help me wash up. Once I'm all done, Gail helps me out and sets me on a bench and waits for my legs to dry. Once I'm all dried and my legs have returned, Gail dresses me in a underdress, corset, and many underskirts. She then led me into the bedroom and hands me some shoes and stockings. I put them on and then she helps me into my bridesmaid dress. She then helps me with my hair and makeup. She also helps me put on the necklace that Beckett gave me for my birthday. Once I'm all done, I walk to the full-length mirror.
"You look beautiful, Maria," Gail says.
I look myself up and down and I agree. I do look beautiful. Especially with how dominate my mermaid features look.
"I agree. I do look beautiful," I say. She chuckles.
"Come on. Let's get some breakfast in your belly," she says. I chuckle.
I follow Gail into the dining room, and she tells me to sit down. I do as I'm told which is kind of hard with the many underskirts. She walks into the kitchen then comes back moments later with a tray of food and sets it down in front of me.
Once I've finished eating, Gail takes the tray. Then all of the sudden Groves walks into the room.
"It's time to go," he says. I get up and follow him out.
The second I stepped out of the house; I noticed it was raining. Oh great! Just when I thought the day was going to be perfect. I just hope it will stop before the ceremony.
Groves and I were in a carriage on our way to a church about a block away from the battlefront where Elizabeth will be getting ready.
We were now arriving in front of the church. Before I got out, Groves stops me.
"What do you want?" I ask in annoyance.
"I have some business to attend to, so I won't be with you," he says. I nod in reply.
I get out of the carriage and run to the entrance of the church because it was still raining. Once I got into the church, Father came running up to me.
"Maria! Elizabeth is missing!" He says panicking.
"What?! How!?" I ask panicking.
"About five minutes ago she ran out upset," he says.
"Don't worry. I'll go look for her," I say.
Before he could protest, I run out the church doors. I run all the way to the battlefront.
I walk up the aisle to see the area deserted, apart from Elizabeth, who's kneeling at the alter facing the ocean with a bouquet of flowers in her hands. It's raining heavily and Elizabeth is soaked to the bone. Her wedding dress is ruined and so is my bridesmaid dress.
"Elizabeth, we must go. They're coming for us," I say trying to pull her to her feet.
Elizabeth drops the bouquet of flowers, and we rush off just in time. Soon after I can hear the pounding of soldier's feet against the once beautifully decorated aisle. We keep running until we meet Will. I stand back and keep an eye on the guards. I look up and see that Will is dressed in his wedding suit but is surrounded by East India Trading Company soldiers and has his hands clasped in irons.
"Will. Why is this happening?" Elizabeth asks as she strokes his face in a loving manner.
"I don't know," Will says sadly and glances at me before staring deeply into the eyes of his true love. "You look beautiful," he says with a sad smile.
"I think it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding," I say and managed to get a soft chuckle out of both of them.
Father comes up shouting and two soldiers stop his path from us by crossing their spears together which just makes him angrier.
"Make way! Let me through! How dare you! Stand your men down at once! Do you hear me?"
A man turns around and I see that it's my husband, Cutler Beckett.
"You bastard!!! You were planning this the whole time, weren't you?!" I shout lunging at him, but the soldiers hold me back. Now I know why he was smirking more than usual. Beckett gives me an evil smirk then turns to my father ignoring me completely.
"Governor Weatherby Swann, it's been too long. I never did send my thanks for letting me marry your daughter," he says with a smirk.
"Cutler Beckett." Father nods his head in recognition of the greeting.
"It's Lord now, actually," he says taking a hold of my arm and pulls me to him. I yank it out of his grasp, but this just makes him hold tightly to my waist.
"Lord or not, you have no reason and no authority to arrest this man," Father says while motioning to Will.
"In fact, I do. Mr. Mercer?" Mr. Mercer brings forward a folder. Beckett pulls out a piece of parchment. "The warrant for the arrest of one William Turner," Beckett says while handing the parchment to my father.
Father looks at it and says with a cry, "This warrant is for Elizabeth Swann."
"Oh, is it? That's annoying. My mistake. Arrest her," Beckett says snatching the parchment back as I move to help Elizabeth as the soldiers grab her.
"On what charges?" I shout as Beckett pulls me into his chest.
I kick and punch out, but a grown man is no match for a 19-year-old girl. I managed to get my arm free and swing at his face landing a full-blown punch to the side of his head. Soldiers then move around me and lift me away from Beckett. They hold me back as they clasp irons on Elizabeth. Will moves to stop them.
"No!" Will cries, but all his efforts are in vain.
I see Beckett rub the spot where I punched him and then angrily walks up to me and grabs my chin forcefully and pulls me to look into his eye.
"You will not hit me, do you understand?! You are my wife! You will follow my rules, and do as I say, is that clear?!" Beckett yells. I managed to spit into his face which earns me a backhand across my right cheek. Everyone protests, even Father is held by the soldiers. Beckett wipes his face off and then says in a soft angry voice as I hold my cheek, "You will learn to respect me, Maria." He turns away from me and looks at everyone else. "Now, where were we? Aha. Here's the one for William Turner. And I have another one for a Mr. James Norrington. Is he present?" He continues as if nothing has happened holding up the warrants.
"What are the charges?" Elizabeth shouts, but she was ignored.
"Commodore Norrington resigned his commission some months ago," Father says with a murderous look in his eyes. This man was threatening the lives of both his daughters. There is no way he will take this on the chin.
"I don't believe that was the answer to the question I asked," Beckett says to my father with a sly grin.
"Lord Beckett. In the category of questions not answered...," Will begins. But Elizabeth soon interrupts.
"We are under the jurisdiction of the king's governor of Port Royal, and you will tell us what we are charged with," she demands.
"The charge... is conspiring to set free a man convicted of crimes against the Crown and Empire and condemned to death, for which the...," Father begins, but soon drowns out as it comes to reading out their punishment.
"For which the punishment, regrettably, is also death," Beckett says with a smirk. "Perhaps you remember a certain pirate named Jack Sparrow," he continues and starts to taunt Will by moving up in his face.
"Captain!" Will, Elizabeth, and I shout forcefully at the same time.
"Captain Jack Sparrow," I say while emphasizing the captain.
"Captain Jack Sparrow. Yes, I thought you might," he says with a sly grin.
"Why am I not being charged when Will and Elizabeth are? I helped free the man as much as I did in fact love Captain Jack Sparrow. And I'd rather be his wife as I feel disgusted at the thought of being married to you," I say with disgust at the mention of being married to such an evil creature. Beckett walks up to me and puts his hand behind my head.
"You, my love, will have the best punishment ever. You will be in my command. And you will have to do as I say, when I say," he whispers into my ear. He pulls back and plants a kiss to my lips before ordering a few soldiers to bring me back home.