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

IX - A Way Back

James Norrrington POV
To my luck, I had washed up at the lawless island of Tortuga, where I wait for the bloody pirate that cost me my everything.. for several months, I waited.. and for several months, I've grown insane from the vile drink of rum that I can't help but be addicted to.. Women threw themselves at me but I would always brush them off or throw them to the hands of a filthy, lusty pirate that seems to want them.. there's only one woman I have in my heart.. and that woman is the only one I would ever connect lips with and ravish.. no one else.. All these months, she never left my mind.. she's always there.. and like when I come back from a voyage while I still had my position, she would be there.. waiting for me at the docks with a warm welcome, bright smile and sweet gift. Even in my poisoned and drunken state, she would always be the one in my mind.. and each time I woke in sober, I would glaze to the horizon and tell her I would my way back to her..

"Did ya hear?" "hear what?" "Dere be a captain by the name of Jack Sparrow at the pub, recruiting sailors for the Black Pearl." I snapped my head at the person who said the scoundrel's name. I made way to the pub with my insane and nearly drunken state. When I arrive, there was a rather small line of sailors, thieves, scoundrels, and pirates a-like in front of a table where I see an old familiar face of Joshamee Gibbs.. their interviews are rather short and all of them gained a post for the ship. "Next!" he called for the person in front of me. "Ever since I was a little lad, I've always wanted to sail the seas. forever." he says "sooner than you think. sigh the roster!" Mr. Gibbs says "thank you very much!" with that, he signed and went away. "How we going?" Sparrow asks, not looking at our direction, and more focused on that useless compass of his.. "Including those 4? that gives us - 4!" Mr. Gibbs answers and I stepped forward, gaining his attention. "and what's your story?" he asks "My story... it's exactly the same as your story, just one chapter behind. I chase a man across the Seven Seas. The pursuit cost me my commission, my life, my love and my everything.." I said and took his bottle of rum and drank from it. "Commodore?" Mr. Gibbs asks "No, not anymore, weren't you listening? I nearly had you all, off Tripoli. I would have boarded and take over your bloody ship, single-handed.. if not for the.... hurricane." Mr. Gibbs nervous grin falls "Lord... You didn't try to sail through it?" he questions but I ignore it "So do I make your crew, or not? You haven't said where you're going." I advance to his face and he grew nervous. from the corner of my eye, I noticed Sparrow trying to escape with a branch full of leaves at his face. "Somewhere nice!" I flipped the table and the music stops as a woman shrieks. I waltz to the center, where all eyes are on me. "So am I worthy to serve under Captain Jack Sparrow?" I took my pistol and point it at Sparrow, who was sneaking off with the branch. "Or should I just kill you now?" I ask him. He starts to duck back and forth behind both sides of a large post, but my pistol follows where he's at. "You're hired." he says but I think not.. "sorry.. old habits and all that." I nearly pulled the trigger when someone deflects my pistol and I fired it upwards. Next thing I know I was fighting a whole lot and drinking rum at the same time. "Come on, men! Who wants some? Form an orderly line, I'll have you all one by one. Come on, who's first?!" I taunt but then the bottle from my hand was taken and my world went black.

I woke at the pig's den with a woman dressed as a young man speaks "James Norrington.. what has the world done to you?" she spoke in a voice I recognized "Elizabeth?" I got up "What are you doing here? ...Maria.. where is she? is she safe?!" I question as she helps me stand. "my sister is still back at Port Royal.. she's safe, for now.. she confessed that she manipulated you to freeing Jack and Will told me that her life may be in danger." that snapped me out of my drunken state, like a bucket of cold sea water to the face. "what?! no.. no No NO! she's got nothing to do with my decision, that was of my own free will." I protest "James! please! snap out of it! for now, I need your help. Help me find Will and he can negotiate with Jack into giving him the compass to Lord Beckett.. that way, we will be pardoned and she will be safe!" she says ".....fine.. I'll cooperate.." I agree and before we head to the docks she stops me. "wait..." she says and I turn to her direction only to be slapped extremely hard. "That's for leaving my sister!" Another hard slap. "that one was for making her miserable!" and then another one. "That one.. because I felt like hitting you one more time─ but for my sister's sake!" she says then walks off. I follow slowly behind with my hand on one of my cheek that probably already bruised from her powerful slaps. 'I can't even imagine what my love would do to me when I come back to her... would she be angry? hell, if she is, then she might murder me in my sleep..'