Aztecs' Curse

Chapter 2

     Victoria was quick to leave her father in her room, wanting to go to Elizabeth before anyone else did, and she swiftly made it to her room--moving quickly despite the tight dress and high heels--and as she silently shut the door behind her, she paused to adjust to the dimness of the room, which was just barely lit by an oil lamp beside the bed, and she spotted Elizabeth still asleep in that bed. That, of course, was always the number one difference between them--that being Victoria always woke up early. By that time, however, it was late morning, and Victoria was sure that the sun had completely risen beyond the thick curtains that hung in front of her sister's windows.
     Before she moved, however, a cold feeling washed over her, and she shuddered. At that exact moment, her sister quickly turned over in her spot, very much as if she expected someone to be there. Had she sensed Victoria? She highly doubted it; but then, her sister and her seemed to just know when one another was in the same room.
     As Elizabeth sat up and turned up the flame on the oil lamp beside her, she seemed to catch sight of her sister, and gasped as she looked her way, eyes closing to show visible relief before she said, "I didn't think anyone was in here."
     "You didn't seem to think the same when you spun on your bed just now," came Victoria's reply, and she rushed over to her, keen to tell her about her dreams. "Do you remember when we first met Will-"
     "So, you dreamt of it too," Elizabeth whispered, her eyes widening as her sister nodded. "Do you remember-"
     "The flag," Victoria finished, still nodding. "And the skull-" She cut off, her head tilting ever so slightly. "And the medallion--I have not seen it in ages... You still have it, do you not?"
     Elizabeth rose to her feet with a nod, grabbing the oil lamp and leading her sister across the room to her dressing table, where she sat, and Victoria stood behind her as she pulled open one of the small drawers and hesitantly pulled out the unmistakable gold piece. Victoria remained silent as she stared at the necklace, her lips pursing in response to the same sense of dread she felt during her discussion with her father dwelling at the pits of her stomach, and she bent down ever-so-slightly until her face was right beside her little sister's, admiring the Aztec design as she did.
     Suddenly, a booming knock echoed across the room, making both of the girls jump, and Elizabeth knocked over her chair as she stood, the sisters exchanging wide-eyed expressions.
     "Elizabeth?" their father's voice called out from behind the door. "Is everything alright? Are you decent?"
     Victoria frantically began gesturing at the necklace, throwing her arms too and fro, hissing a quick, "Hide that thing!"
     "Yes!" Elizabeth called back just as her sister spoke, and she quickly threw the necklace around her neck and rushed over to where a dressing gown lay wait for her, which she put on as well, and Victoria helped fluff her hair up a bit. "Yes!"
     At that precise moment, the governor entered, carrying a large box, followed by maids. "Still abed at this hour?" He frowned at Victoria before smiling. "I was wondering where you had gone--was afraid you had run off some place."
     "Sounds like me," Victoria muttered too quietly for anyone aside from her sister to hear.
     "It's a beautiful day!" their father continued just as one of the maids yanked the curtains open, which made both sisters blink at the sudden burst of light.
     Absently, Victoria paced towards the window, gazing out at the blue sky and the town of Port Royal, her eyes immediately snapping to the ocean she could make out in the small distance.
     Behind her, Elizabeth made a notable sound, and her sister glanced from the view to her. "That dress is beautiful!" She strode up to Victoria, fingers brushing the fabric of the satin blue she wore. "Victoria, you look absolutely stunning!"
     Her cheeks flushed, having had always enjoyed such compliments from her sister, and she did a small twirl. "It was a gift--from father." Though she still smiled, her expression became somewhat tight as she gazed over at the governor. "He wishes me to wear it for Norrington."
     Elizabeth's grin faltered, knowing her sister's back and forth feelings for the man, and she resisted looking at her father, whom she knew would catch her uncertain expression, instead keeping her eyes on Victoria. "Is that so?"
     "Yes, yes," their father said absently, and he held out the box to Elizabeth. "I've brought you a gift as well." He pulled the box open, displaying a velvet dress, and both girls let out gasps of admiration.
     "Oh, it's-" She cut off as she grabbed the dress, pulling it out only a little to peek at it. "-beautiful." She hesitated, giving Victoria a glance, before looking at her father. "Might I inquire as to the occasion?"
     "Is an occasion necessary for a father to dote upon his daughter with gifts?" he asked as Elizabeth took the dress with a smile and disappeared behind her dressing screen with a couple of maids, cringing when Victoria scowled at him. When his daughter gave him eyes that warned him to speak the truth, he hesitated, then said, "Although...I did think you could wear it to the ceremony today."
     Victoria paced towards the edge of the dressing screen, where her sister gave her an uncertain look as she mouthed 'ceremony' to which Victoria nodded at. Then, she asked aloud, "Ceremony?" Her eyes never left Victoria, whose lips were pursing again.
     "Captain Norrington's promotion ceremony," he called over to her, frowning at Victoria, who was nodding at Elizabeth when she silently asked if that's what her gift was for as well.
     In response, Elizabeth peeked around the screen to look at their father. "I knew it." Then, she stepped back, making a face as maids continued helping her with her dress.
     "Or, rather, Commodore Norrington...a fine gentleman, don't you think?" their father continued, his eyes on Victoria, who was resisting an angry look.
     Elizabeth, meanwhile, knew exactly how Victoria felt, and where their father was going with the conversation, mouthing a 'Maybe you'll grow to love him' and offering her an apologetic smile when she shook her head briefly. Of course, she said nothing to her father.
     "There's, actually, a possibility that he will...ask your sister to...take a step up in life with him, if you do catch my meaning."
     Victoria, clasped her hands together, resisting slapping one of them to her own face at even the mere thought of her father thinking she wouldn't catch the meaning herself.
     Still without a response, Elizabeth gasped, drawing Victoria's attention, and the older sister turned to see the maids yanking at the strings on the corset, which made her wince in sympathy, the young woman herself still adjusting to breathing in her own dress.
     "Elizabeth?" their father called, frowning at Victoria uncertainly before looking at the screen. "How's it coming?"
     Victoria's hand then clamped over her mouth in an attempt to keep her laughter silent as one of the maids lifted a foot on her sister's back to help with the tightening of the corset, and eyed the medallion as Elizabeth frantically held her hair out of the way. When Elizabeth caught her sister's expression, she remembered the necklace and quickly grabbed it to hold it out of the way as well.
     Then, in response to the governor, Elizabeth said breathlessly, "Difficult...to say."
     Victoria turned her back to her father at that point, though her face was still visible to Elizabeth, as she mouthed his next words, perfectly in sync, "I'm told that dress is the very latest fashion in London." Victoria's head bobbed the slightest bit at the end, causing a small smile from her sister that was quickly wiped off when her corset was tightened even more.
     "Women in London must have learned not to breathe," Elizabeth managed to chose out, her chest stilling as the dress was finished being put on her, and Victoria offered her another sympathetic smile as well as a chuckle in acknowledgment that the both of them had had the same overall reaction.
     Just as their father opened his mouth to speak, the butler walked to the edge of the room and said, "Governor? A caller is here for you."
     Elizabeth and Victoria exchanged looks as their father turned to the man and said, "Oh--well--very well," and followed after him, though not before giving Victoria something of a stern look, which she reacted with a prim smile of her own.
     As soon as he left the room, she rushed up to her sister, shooing away the maids for the moment. "I think Norrington is going to propose, Elizabeth-"
     "Well of course he is, Victoria," she interrupted with an amused expression that was swiftly cut off with a small sway and intake of air, to which Victoria grabbed her arms at, and she waved her sister away. "I'll be fine. But, Victoria, honestly, would marrying him be so bad?"
     She snorted as she glanced out the window. "You wouldn't be saying that if you were in my position now, would you?"
     When she turned back to her sister, she looked somewhat pained. "I do not know what I would do, or say. But I do know that Norrington is a fine man, and though you two have many differences you can still get along."
     "What if I were to say no?" Victoria asked, her thin brows pinched as she scrutinized her younger sister. "What then?"
     "I-I don't know, Victoria, I... Why wouldn't you say no? It is not as if you love someone else-" She cut off, drawing closer, though she did so stiffly, trying her best to adjust to her dress as she moved. "Do you?"
     "Of course not!" Victoria exclaimed, hushing her voice and stepping closer when a few of the maids looked their way. Her brilliant eyes settled on Elizabeth's dark ones. "I love no one. But, I would wish to marry for love. Is that so hard to understand?"
     "It is not," Elizabeth responded, giving Victoria a sad smile. "But, perhaps, given enough time, you would be capable of falling in love with Norrington?"
     Victoria blinked, giving her the same expression she had given their father in her bedroom, then turned away, striding up to the window, where she watched a few seagulls soar across the sky. "Perhaps," she said, and though she sounded hesitant she was sure that such things were not impossible after all.