First Breath
James Norrington had never feared death before this day.
Cannons had roared in his ears, shrapnel had been fired, slicing skin and bone, and yet he had not flinched. He had stood proudly, his sabre held high, commanding his men forward with tenacity and defiance.
Not tonight.
Above him spread the inky blackness of the Caribbean night sky, sparkling with sharp white stars. A cool breeze blew from the east, gently caressing his face; the white wisps of his wig, so immaculately arranged, brushing his cheeks affectionately. It was the last touch he would know, he realized.
Davy Jones had walked away with his sabre embedded in his aqueous chest. Extracting it, Davy had noticed how there was no scarlet drop of blood to be seen. Norrington knew, however, that his own chest was sodden with it. It was his own blood, warm, sticking to the fibres of his jacket, to the fine gold brocade.
He had just been made an Admiral. He remembered the lavish ceremony, the marble floors and exotic plants, the crisp wines and fine cuisine, the respectful glances he earned from Admirals much more experienced than he. Of course, everyone had heard of his ill-fated journey into a ravaging hurricane. His entire fleet had perished, every good soul he'd had under his command. He was certainly stronger than the average Commodore.
What would they think of him now? Sprawled on a pirate deck, his white stockings ripped and stained, his black, buckle shoes dangling off of his feet, his hat and wig askew? He was not the image of a man to be revered. He was a man to be pitied.
" JAMES!"
Elizabeth's scream had echoed across the water to him, even over the sounds of struggle and swords clashing. Her cry had been quickly followed by several other screams and a splash.
Then silence.
His heart pounded furiously as he realized that even in his last moments, he could not save her, could not even save himself. He was held fast, a piece of the deck driven through just below his sternum. Every breath was a searing gasp, every heartbeat a tormenting wave of nausea and dizzying agony. His fingers clenched in a spasm as his heart rate increased.
Panic had set in.
He felt his face break into a cold sweat, dampening his brow, lighting his eyes with fire. He licked his lips, cool and dry. Trying to swallow, he whispered hoarsely, but nothing would come out. Gathering his courage, aware of the repercussions, he stammered, weakly," H-Help m-m-me…"
He raised a trembling, pure-white, hand to his chest, feeling around the wound. " Oh, G-God…" he whispered. He felt incredibly ill. He licked his lips again.
And tasted blood.
Raising his hand to his face, he wiped at his lips. Thick crimson rivulets coursed between his thumb and index finger, sluicing onto his palm.
Removing his hat, he laid it beside him, flattening the edges, making it crisper, cleaner. He adjusted his vestments. Preparing himself for his own death.
Sobbing suddenly, he cried out, " Please! Oh, God…I can't die like this…don't…" He began wheezing, breathing erratically, then coughing up blood.
Blood spattered his hands and jacket, staining his stockings further. He gasped for air.
" Ohh, no…not this…." He coughed again. Swiping angrily at his face, he left faux gashes on his pale skin, which was slick with sweat, and pale. His lips were tinged blue.
Summoning up the last of his strength, he fell onto his side, using his bloody hands to grasp at the deck. Dragging himself forward, he slid along the deck, leaving horrendous crimson streaks. He rounded a corner, then came face to face with Davy Jones.
" So, yer alive, eh?"
Norrington coughed feebly. " Your man didn't know what he was doing…he…"
Davy knelt and gripped Norrington by the throat. Norrington gasped for air, his face light blue. " Ye were letting them go free," Davy hissed.
" I did…what I thought…was best…for the woman I loved," Norrington managed. He set his jaw defiantly, his dark brown eyes fiery despite his pain.
As if on a whim, Davy released him.
Norrington fell to the deck, his entire body quivering. " Is there a doctor aboard?"
" Mercy is not in my nature."
Norrington pressed his face to the cool deck, which was damp with saltwater. He breathed slowly. " Is this what it feels like…" he gasped, " …to die?"
Davy's crustaceous leg hit the deck with a deafening force. Norrington struggled to raise his head.
" If you're going to kill me…please, do it in a proper, timely manner." Norrington kept his eyes open. If there was one thing he didn't want circulated among the waves regarding his memory, it was that he died with his eyes closed; a coward's death.
Davy burbled a watery sigh. " I won't let ye die, James Norrington. Not fer long."
" I…I beg your pardon?"
Davy said angrily, " Fer the sea goddess ter release ye, ye must be dead. No beatin' of yer heart. No breath in yer lungs." He sliced the air with his claw. " Not a glimmerin' thought of life."
" How…how can I be sure you will convince her to…"
" Ye had my heart, and ye didn't kill me," Davy said quietly. " A man who can hold another's life in his hands and dares not vanquish it is worthy of another chance. I may murder other men, James Norrington, but only when they deserve it."
Norrington gasped, " Oh, thank you…th…" He suddenly became too weak to speak.
" Now descends that blackest of veils, James Norrington…"
Norrington forced his eyes to stay open. But each breath was shorter, each beating of his heart followed the previous at a much slower rate.
"…take the final breath, drink it in…'tis all ye'll have ter remember…until the first moment…when ye open yer eyes…"
He could feel the blood slowing in his veins.
He could hear one final heartbeat.
He exhaled his last.
Darkness fell, upon a man whose eyes had not closed.
--
Blinding white light. The scent of the sea, the soft, lulling crash of waves on a sandy shore.
No more pain.
A woman's voice intoned softly, "Dum vivimus, vivamus…A mari usque ad mar…Ad lucem…ad vitam…Aut viam inveniam aut faciam…Mare clausum ad mare liberum….Mirabile visu…memento mori, James Norrington…"
The voice cried triumphantly, "Redivivus!"
James Norrington tried to take a breath. He could not.
The voice whispered, "Spiritus lenis…"
He parted his lips, allowing cool air to slide between them. They were parched and cracked. He licked them quickly.
"Animadverto…"
His eyes snapped open, unbidden, staring into an inky night sky, devoid of stars. He could not move his body, could not think. He simply stared.
"Ego tribuo vos novus vita…"
He felt a tingling in his fingertips, spreading to his arms, his chest, his legs…he could feel his own blood flowing through his body once more.
"Pro ego sum dea of profundum!"
In a flash of white light, a woman appeared, tall and made of what appeared to be pure water. It slowly solidified into a human being, with pale skin and long, flowing black hair. She wore black robes, and extended a thin, cool hand to his own.
" James Norrington…" her voice said softly, though her lips did not move.
Norrington blinked, trying to comprehend. He opened his mouth.
The woman moved forward, placing a single finger on his lips. " Do not speak," she said comfortingly. " You have experienced what many mortals have never seen. You have faced eternity and emerged fully alive."
Norrington looked down at himself. His vestments were clean and crisp, his attire perfectly rearranged. Even his powdered wig was set properly atop his head, which was swimming with confusion and nausea. " I…"
The woman smiled, her bright green eyes alive with mischief. " I am Calypso, James Norrington…goddess of the sea and waves, keeper of all that dwells, and dies, within my realm." She held his hand. " You have been given a second chance, James."
" Th…thank you," he murmured. He didn't know how to respond. Everything in his mind was completely blank, stark and crystalline.
" Your memories will return," Calypso whispered. " When you are strong enough to withstand the brutality of the world you have just left. It will only be mere moments before you awake, perfectly healthy, perfectly unchanged from the man you were."
Norrington felt a tear pricking at his eye. " Oh, I…I don't…"
Calypso smiled. " Please, James. Do not fret over how best to thank a goddess. You have made a sacrifice for the greater good. Is that not all I may ask?" She turned away suddenly, looking into some distant point that Norrington could not discern. " The time has almost come," she said slowly, turning to look at him again.
Norrington whispered, his breath weak and trembling, " Dum…vita …est spes…est."
Calypso leaned in to kiss his forehead. Immediately, he felt his nausea drain out of him like a cool liquid, to be replaced by a warm sense of contentment and lethargy.
" That is very true, James Norrington." Calypso kissed both of his hands, then turned them over, palm-side facing upward. She traced the lines of his hands, her eyes closed.
Norrington closed his eyes as well, feeling the pulsing energy, like waves on the sea, as it passed between them.
" You will awake…safely, soundly…it has been some time since I was released…It has taken many a tide to recover my strength fully, but I do believe that you will not be disappointed with the gift I have given you…"
Norrington murmured, his lips barely moving, " I am eternally grateful."
Calypso smiled, sliding a hand across his pale cheek. He kept his eyes closed. " You must respect the sea, James Norrington…you must respect the powers the earth has given to humanity…the powers I have given you."
" Yes…"
She opened her eyes, and at once, he opened his own. " You will live a blessed life, James Norrington. Your troubles have been washed away. You are cleansed. You are pure." She touched his forehead, and dissolved into thousands of droplets of water.
Norrington fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
--
He opened his eyes, fully expecting to see the Black Pearl or the Flying Dutchman looming above him.
What he saw was far grander.
He took his first breath.
It tasted sweet, pure, elemental. It was life itself, and he was drinking it in.
He was in his small cabin aboard the Flying Dutchman, though he could hear no voices, nor the clashing of weapons or the explosion of gunfire.
He stood lethargically, blinking slowly. His very eyes were absorbing the air, the life, of the moment.
Warily, he stood on weak legs, trembling as he reached for the side of the bed. Pulling himself upright, he staggered to the open door. Shakily, he whispered, " Hello?"
He walked slowly down the corridor, peering into rooms. There was no one.
He ascended a set of stairs, and heard the creaking of mooring ropes and the cry of seagulls. The sting of salty air and water gripped him. The ship was docked.
He arrived on the deck, trembling and pale. Calypso had promised him health, but she had not promised this.
Elizabeth stood at the far end of the ship, gazing out at the sunset. He coughed lightly.
She turned, her eyes alight. " Oh, James!" She ran forward, embracing him, kissing his cheek gently. " Oh…oh, they've told me…they've told me how you've…Oh, you're alive!" She smiled at him, sweetly, protectively.
Norrington nodded, silently. After a moment he whispered, " I am." Words were no longer necessary. " I am returning to Port Royal, Elizabeth. If you should care to join me, your presence would be considered a gift. If not, I shall see you when our paths cross again."
Elizabeth said softly, " Haven't you learned to never tempt fate, James?"
Norrington smiled wistfully. " Fate has its own plans for me, Elizabeth. I am simply carried by the tide." He lifted her hand elegantly and kissed it tenderly. " Until we meet again, adieu."
Elizabeth curtsied. " Be well, James."
He turned, walking down the gangplank. It seemed as though the movement of bodies, the sounds, the music, the scent of humanity in the air, was too much. A tear trickled down his face. He wiped it away.
It was as though he was seeing life for the first time.
He whispered, " Is this what it feels like…to live?"
It was as though he had taken his first breath.
Thank you for reading! The quotes are in Latin and mean, as follows, and in order:
1.) While we live, let us live
2.) From sea to sea
3.) Toward the light
4.) For life
5.) I will either find a way or make one
6.) A closed sea to an open sea
7.) Wonderful to behold
8.) Remember that you must die
9.) Come back to life!
10.) Smooth breathing
11.) See, observe, look
12.) I give you new life
13.) For I am the goddess of the sea
14.) Where there is life, there is hope