Aztecs' Curse

Chapter 4

     Victoria's concerned eyes remained on her sister, whom fanned herself rather weakly and panted softly under the heat of the sun as well as the strain of her corset. Though Victoria felt just as uncomfortable in her own dress, she was faring rather well with the lack of breath, having had trained herself to be able to survive with very little whenever she snuck away from her father for self-taught swimming lessons in the oceans as she grew up. Her attention, however, was pulled away from her sister as Norrington strolled up, and she stared flatly at him, though her expression was soft, as if to let him know that though she had very little patience at the moment she wouldn't argue upon being spoken to.
     "May I...have a moment?" he asked her, extending an arm as he did.
     She stared at his arm for a moment, then his eyes, before she took it, bringing herself rather close to him, arm wrapped through his, and hand on his bicep, which seemed to surprise him as he kept his eyes on hers for a long moment before leading the way away from the party and towards the parapet. Behind them, Elizabeth followed, keeping up with them, though she remained a few feet away. Victoria eyed Elizabeth wearily when she stepped up to the edge, where the ocean lay far below, and herself and Norrington remained a couple of yards away.
     Surprisingly, Norrington remained quiet for a few moments as he stared out over the sea, his handsome eyes seeming to observe the view admiringly. During this time, Victoria took her time to observe him instead of the sea, her own eyes taking in his chiseled jaw, though dismissing the white wig he wore beneath his uniform hat, of which she had never seen him without. She assumed he had dark brown hair, since his eyebrows were so--but then, she could've been wrong. He was, indeed, one of the most attractive men she had ever set eyes on--aside from Will, that was. And, his personality was equally so, even if he was far more proper and proud than herself. But, she supposed, there were qualities about him that she fancied, both physically as well as internally. So, perhaps there was some way she could find herself to love him.
     "You look lovely, Victoria," Norrington blurted, looking down at her.
     Victoria opened her mouth to speak, but caught movement out of the corner of her eyes--Elizabeth swaying, it looked like--and frowned instead, her concern for her sister only growing. Was she about to pass out?
     Norrington seemed to have misread her expression, drawing her attention as he quickly said, "I apologize if I seem forward--but I must speak my mind."
     "I like forward," Victoria quickly said, which seemed to startle him, though he offered her a relieved smile of his own as she smiled politely up at him. Then, she looked over at the sea again, watching Elizabeth out of the corners of her eyes.
     After a moment, he said, "This promotion confirms that I have accomplished the goals I set for myself in my career. But it also casts into sharp relief that which I have not achieved. The thing all men most require: a marriage to a fine woman."
     Victoria stiffened, her fingers on his bicep twitching the slightest bit, and her eyes were on his again. Though she had barely moved, Norrington noticed, looking down at her hand before grabbing it and taking it in both of his.
     "You have become a fine woman, Victoria," he said, eyes gazing at her adoringly, voice surprisingly soft.
     In response, Victoria hesitated, having second thoughts as to her own feelings, wondering if she should--actually--say yes instead of just asking to think upon the proposal, for a split second adoring such a look he was giving her. Her cheeks even reddened, and she knew it wasn't from the heat.
     Suddenly, Elizabeth blurted out, "I can't breathe."
     Victoria's eyes were suddenly on her sister.
     "I'm a bit nervous myself," Norrington said, looking from Elizabeth to Victoria as he smiled shyly before looking away from the woman and stepping more towards the edge of the cliff, opening his mouth to say more. He didn't have the chance to.
     Just as Victoria started towards Elizabeth, she lost her balance, and Victoria watched helplessly as Elizabeth began to fall, picking up her dress and racing towards her as fast as she could before snagging out a hand and missing her, crying out as her little sister disappeared down into the ocean. "Elizabeth!" she shrieked. Then, she dove down, hardly thinking about the rocks down below, thoughts on her sister and her alone.
     "Victoria!" Norrington roared from atop the parapet, leaning over the edge as he watched Elizabeth and Victoria fall into the waters below. Just as he leapt up, prepared to dive, a lieutenant grabbed his arm, his hand only tightening when Norrington tried to shake him off.
     "The rocks, sir!" the lieutenant exclaimed. "It's a miracle they missed them!"
     Norrington looked down at the ocean again, visibly upset when he noticed that neither of the girls had surfaced, eyeing all of the surrounding rocks warily, then turned around and ran off, desperate to get down to the docks.