William Turner

Port Royal, Valentine's Day morning. Will has been at his forge since dawn, but his mind is elsewhere. On the anvil rests a finely crafted heart-shaped locket, which he has spent weeks perfecting. Inside, he has engraved an inscription: "To Elizabeth, my heart forever." But how to give it to her? Should he wait for tonight's ball? Send it by messenger? Go himself and face his fear? As he hesitates, the forge door bursts open. Jack Sparrow makes his entrance, apparently escaped from some fight, and decides that Will's mission is much more interesting than his own. What begins as a simple love declaration will turn into a day of misunderstandings, disasters, and moments of pure magic.

Scene 1: Jack's "wise" advice

(Jack is sitting on a barrel, drinking a bottle of rum stolen from Will's supply)

Jack : "So, here's the situation. You want to conquer the heart of Elizabeth Swann. Governor's daughter. Beautiful, intelligent, and totally out of your social reach. Perfect. I love challenges."

Will : "That's not reassuring."

Jack : "First piece of advice: be mysterious. Women love mystery. Don't tell her everything you feel at once. Let her guess. Create suspense."

Will : "Suspense? How?"

Jack : "For example, instead of giving her your locket directly, hide it somewhere and leave clues. A romantic treasure hunt!"

Will : "What if someone else finds it?"

Jack : "Impossible. I'll be there to... supervise. Incidentally, I might take the opportunity to check if there are any other treasures around, but that's secondary."

Will : "Jack, I just want to give her a gift. Simply. Without treasure hunt, without suspense, without you."

Jack : "You want to be simple? What a mistake! Women hate simplicity. You need spectacle! Emotion! Risk!"

Will : "I don't want risk. I just want... to tell her I love her."

Jack : (sighing) "Young people today... no sense of drama."

(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡

Scene 2: Will's first attempt

(Will, encouraged by Jack, goes to the governor's house. He holds the locket in his sweaty hand)

Will : (to Jack, who is following at a distance) "Why are you coming with me?"

Jack : "For moral support. And also because I heard the governor has a very nice silver service. But it's to support you, really."

(Will rings the bell. A servant opens)

Will : "Hello. I... I've come to see Miss Swann. To give her... this. It's a gift. From... well, from me."

The servant : "Miss Swann is in the garden, Mr. Turner. I'll inform her of your arrival."

(A few minutes later, Elizabeth appears, radiant)

Elizabeth : "Will! What a surprise!"

Will : (frozen in place) "Uh... hello. I... I have something for you. For Valentine's Day. It's... it's a locket. That I forged. Myself. At the forge. With metal. And a hammer. And... here."

(He holds out the locket, but his hands tremble so much he drops it in a puddle)

Will : "Oh no! Sorry!"

(He dives to retrieve it, stands up covered in mud, the locket dripping)

Elizabeth : (stifling a laugh) "Will... you're soaked."

Will : "It's nothing. The important thing is the locket. It's... well, it was pretty. Before taking a bath."

Elizabeth : (taking the locket delicately) "It's beautiful. Really. You made it yourself?"

Will : "Yes. There's an inscription inside. But with the water, it might have... well, I hope it's still readable."

(Elizabeth opens the locket. The inscription "To Elizabeth, my heart forever" is still visible, slightly faded)

Elizabeth : (moved) "Will..."

Will : "I know, I'm ridiculous. I fall in puddles, I stammer, I... I'm not good enough. But my heart, it doesn't tremble. Well, it does tremble, but not in a bad way. It trembles because... because you're here. And because for me, you are... everything."

Elizabeth : (teary-eyed) "Will Turner... you are the clumsiest and most sincere man I know."

(Behind a bush, Jack watches the scene, a tear rolling down his cheek)

Jack : (murmuring) "Beautiful. The mud, the water, the trembling... it's genius. He should do this more often."

(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡

Scene 3: The disastrous Valentine's Day dinner

(Evening, the governor hosts a Valentine's Day dinner. Will has been invited, at Elizabeth's request. Jack has invited himself, disguised as a French nobleman)

The Governor : "Mr. Turner, I must say I'm surprised to see you at this dinner. Usually, blacksmiths dine... elsewhere."

Will : "Thank you for inviting me, Governor. I'm very honored."

Elizabeth : (to Will, smiling) "You look handsome in that suit."

Will : "It's borrowed. From a guy who's 4 inches shorter. I can't breathe."

(At the other end of the table, Jack, disguised as the "Marquis de la Porte Qui Claque" (The Slammin' Door Marquis), makes faces at Will)

Jack : (loudly) "Ah, this young blacksmith! Such talent! He wields the hammer as others wield the sword! Tell me, my dear sir, is it true you also forge weapons?"

Will : "Uh... yes. Swords, mainly."

Jack : "Magnificent! And these swords, could you... test them on me? Out of friendship? Curiosity? To see if they cut well?"

The Governor : "But... who are you, sir?"

Jack : "Marquis de la Porte Qui Claque, delighted. I'm a friend of the family. Very distant. Really very distant. Almost a stranger."

(A server brings the main course. Jack, trying to grab a wine bottle, tips his chair over and falls backward, pulling the tablecloth and all the dishes with him)

CRASH!

Will : "Jack!"

Jack : (getting up, covered in food) "What service! Truly remarkable! The fall, especially. Very theatrical. It's a tradition in my family."

Elizabeth : (laughing heartily) "Will, is that...?"

Will : "No. Well yes. Sorry."

Jack : (bowing with difficulty) "On that note, I must take my leave. An urgent matter of... of a slamming door. Thank you for this delicious meal. Especially the part on my face."

(Jack staggers out, chased by a furious servant)

(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡

Scene 4: The declaration at the port

(After dinner, Will and Elizabeth walk along the port. The moon reflects on the water)

Elizabeth : "Will, I'm sorry about what happened at dinner. Your friend... well, Jack... he's a bit... peculiar."

Will : "He's a walking disaster. But he has some good in him. Somewhere. Very deep. You have to dig."

Elizabeth : (laughing) "Like you. You're clumsy, shy, you blush every time I look at you... but you have a huge heart. And that's what matters."

Will : "Elizabeth... I need to tell you something. Since I was a child, I've thought of you. Every day. Every hour. When I forge, it's your face I see in the metal. When I walk down the street, it's your voice I hear. You are... you are my star. The one that guides me."

Elizabeth : "Will..."

Will : "I know I'm not good enough for you. I know your father wants better. But I love you, Elizabeth. I love you like one loves the sun: without being able to reach it, but being warmed by its light."

Elizabeth : (crying with joy) "Will Turner... you're an idiot."

Will : "I know."

Elizabeth : "An idiot for not telling me this sooner. I was waiting for you, you know. All these years, I was waiting for you to declare yourself."

Will : "You... you were waiting for me?"

Elizabeth : "Of course, you fool."

(They kiss under the moon. Behind a pile of ropes, Jack appears, handkerchief in hand)

Jack : (sniffling) "Beautiful. Truly beautiful. Now, if you could stop kissing and help me escape that servant who wants to kill me, it would be appreciated."

(The servant from dinner arrives running, brandishing a rolling pin)

The Servant : "MARQUIS OF NOTHING! COME BACK HERE!"

Jack : "On that note, I must flee. Happy Valentine's Day, lovebirds!"

(Jack runs off, chased by the servant)

(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡

Scene 5: The next day

(The next morning, Will is at his forge. He hums while working. Jack enters, his face covered in bruises)

Jack : "So, lover boy? Happy with yourself?"

Will : "Jack! You're alive!"

Jack : "Of course I'm alive. That servant ran slower than me. Especially after I poured rum in his eyes. Let's talk about something else. So? Elizabeth?"

Will : "She agreed to be my fiancée."

Jack : "Fiancée? Already? But you only just declared your love!"

Will : "We've loved each other for years, Jack. We didn't want to waste any more time."

Jack : "Young people... always in a hurry. Well, now let's talk business. For the wedding, you need a gift list. And I have exactly what you need: a magical compass."

Will : "Your broken compass?"

Jack : "It's not broken! It points to what you desire. Look."

(Jack takes out his compass. It points to Will)

Will : "Why is it pointing to me?"

Jack : "Because my heart desires... that you buy this compass from me. For a very reasonable price. For you, one hundred gold pieces."

Will : "I don't have one hundred gold pieces."

Jack : "Then I'll keep the compass. But remember: when you're rich, I'll be there. Somewhere. Lurking. Like love. Except love is free. I'm not."

(Jack limps out, chased by his destiny)

Will : (alone, smiling) "Happy Valentine's Day, Will. You survived. And for once, thanks to you, not Jack."

(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡(˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)˚๐*˟♡

Scene 6: Epilogue

(A few days later. Will and Elizabeth are at the port, hand in hand. Jack appears in the distance, on a departing boat)

Jack : (shouting) "WILL! ELIZABETH! I'll never forget what you did for me! Well, I'll probably forget. But it's the thought that counts! Belated Happy Valentine's Day!"

Will : (shouting) "Where are you going, Jack?"

Jack : "To look for new treasure! And avoid servants! It's the same thing, really!"

Elizabeth : "Do you think we'll see him again?"

Will : "Unfortunately, yes. Jack Sparrow is like weeds. Impossible to get rid of."

Elizabeth : (smiling) "Fortunately."

Will : "Fortunately?"

Elizabeth : "Without him, you would never have declared your love."

Will : "That's true. I might owe him a debt of gratitude."

Jack : (in the distance) "I HEARD THAT! YOU OWE ME MONEY, NOT GRATITUDE!"

(The boat disappears over the horizon, carrying Jack off to new adventures)