Promises (Pirates of the Caribbean/James Norrington Love Story)

VII - Perfect

Maria Swann POV
I nearly passed out from being exposed to the sun for a long time.. luckily, James had pulled my hood back on as soon as he noticed. He told me to stay in the captain's cabin while he keeps an eye on the pirate, and I did as he told me. Night came and the ship had come to a stop. I stayed in the cabin the whole time, reading Macbeth until I was interrupted by Elizabeth, being dragged in Gillette and another officer "Elizabeth! you are wearing trousers!" I exclaimed as I saw her appearance. "Yes, I am. You really need to tell that new fiancee of yours to stop stopping me from helping to save Will." she says, rather pissed off.. I close my book and open a window.. "Elizabeth.. I don't think it was James's decision to keep you here.. rather, he was told by father to keep you here .. to keep you safe.." I say as I watched the long-boats at the distance. "even so! I want to help save Will... I'm--.. I'm in love with him.." she says as she sat down on a chair. I look at her with a smile.. "and women in love have an amazing ability to accomplish things.. especially if it's something they would do for their love..." I tell her and she looks at me confused "what are you saying?" she asks "If you really love Mr. Turner like you say you do, then.. why don't you go save him yourself? you can't let these men have their way and prevent you from doing what you want to do." I start to tie cloths from inside the cabin together to form a makeshift rope. Elizabeth runs and hugs me, "Thank you! you're the best sister ever!" she exclaims and I shush her before anyone can hear us. I look out the window and saw a long boat nearby the rudder chain that was below us.. "how fortunate.. there's a longboat not far from here.. you just need to swing a little and land on it.. the officers that came back must have forgotten to rope it and left it to drift.." I say "you know, you act older than I do.. you should have been my older sister." she giggles "well.. you could say I'm a bit more mature than you." she slaps my arm slightly "how dare you!" she mocked a gasp. We share a laugh before I hushed her to go before anyone else found out she left. "Maria, darling?" I heard father call from the other side of the doors. "yes, father?" I ask then whisper to Elizabeth. "you don't have a lot of time to escape.. go! I'll distract them.." I whisper and she nods and went on her way, while father just kept talking. "Maria? Are you listening?" father asks "um.. yes, father! I just got lost in reading again.." I said as I hurriedly close the window my sister had escaped from. The door then opens and father enters the cabin, leaving the door open behind him. "always getting lost in your boo--.. where's your sister?" he cut himself off and started to look around for Elizabeth. "..I let her go.." I confessed and father looks at me surprised "what? .. Maria.. you--... you just placed your sister in danger! ho-..." father raged and scolded me for the first time.. he could barely form words, but anger was there.. I merely bowed my head in shame but then I heard a soft thud from the deck and when I looked over father's shoulder, I saw strange skeleton pirates.. and they were silently killing our men! I gasp and looked around for a weapon.. and found a sword right next to me. "Maria! what has gotten into you?!" father asks as I took the sword in hand.. "Father, lock yourself in here.. the ship is under attack." and with that, I ran out of the cabin and attacked a skeleton pirate. "Lieutenant! what are you doing?! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!!" I yell at Gillette as I kicked a pirate's sword in the air and caught it with my free hand. "Men! Swords and pistols!" Gillette orders.

James Norrington POV
I wait at the boats with several navy men when we spotted a boat with women.. 'that's rather odd to see women at a place like this...' I thought as a few pointed their guns at the females. "Hold fire." I commanded and they put their guns away.. after a while, I heard a commotion back at the ship.. not long after, I hear the bell tolling, signalling the ship to be under attack. "Maria... MAKE FOR THE SHIP!! MOVE!!" I order and they slightly yelped at the volume of my voice.. inside, I panicked at the thoughts that entered my mind. 'Maria.. I should have never left her side.. She could be hurt.. captured! .. even worse.. killed.. no .. no No NO! This is all my fault! I promised her I would never leave her and yet again, I did!' I grew angry at myself as more hateful thoughts entered my mind.. then my thoughts went to my beloved.. 'I had just asked for her hand.. and she accepted it.. we were to be married.. but now.. she could be..' I shake my head to get rid of the negative thoughts and climb the ladder to the deck.. to where I thought there would be chaos.. but then I saw her... alive and fighting.. her moves were flawless, agile, precise, quick, graceful, and most of all, beautiful. she had seriousness all over her face.. especially with her beautiful, narrowed.. blue? eyes.. that sparked with a fire I've never seen in her before.. I find myself in awe as I watch her fight, but then a pirate popped out of nowhere in front of me and by instincts, I went into combat.. But as I fight, my eyes would drift to Maria and see how she was doing. "JAMES!" I hear her call my name then she appears like an angel, using a filthy cursed pirate as a boost as she was up in the air and descends in front of me and thrust into a cursed pirate that was merely inches until I would have been stabbed. "I must ask, where on earth did you ever learn to do that?" I ask as a smile made its way to my lips. I parried and thrust at the cursed pirate before me as my back was against Maria's.. "Do I honestly have to answer that now, James?" she questions back with amusement in her voice. I chuckle and answer "we'll have plenty of time to ask and answer questions once we reclaim our ship.. I was merely curious, love." I notice a cursed pirate about to strike her but I deflected that attack with my sword, and she seemed to have blocked an attack that was on my blind side.. "To be perfectly honest, this is the first time I've dual-wielded swords and battled strange dead.. but undead pirates. I haven't touched a blade since my duel with Mr. Turner." she confesses then she spun, decapitating a few cursed pirates near her.. I scowled at the mention of another man's name leaving her lips and decapitating a couple of cursed pirates in rage. "you have quite the talent in fighting. I wouldn't want to be at the wrong end of the blade if you are the one wielding it." I say "better not anger me then.." she whispers right next to my ear then I felt her lips on my cheek for a mere second.