Title: Farewell and Adieu
Summary: When Norrington sets out in the HMS Dauntless to rescue Elizabeth and capture Jack, he doesn't go after Will. This changes everything. TCotBP AU
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Elizabeth Swann had been determined that she was not going to die with a mad pirate on a rum laden island somewhere in the middle of the Caribbean. She was not. Thus, she had been a woman on a mission. Her actions would have seen them either off the island or dead faster, and she had begun to not care which at the time. Neither option would have left her time to despair, and that was just as well. She had to be strong like all of the heroines she had ever read about.
"But why is the rum gone?" the despairing voice of her companion had asked.
That right there was one good reason. Rum was a vile drink. Will was another. She had to get back to Will.
Once aboard the HMS Dauntless, Elizabeth was certain that James would agree to help her by going after him. Elizabeth couldn't bear the thought of Will dying if she could help prevent it. Unfortunately, things didn't seem to be going her way at all. She had begged, she had pleaded, she had bargained, but it was all to no avail.
Even Jack Sparrow had made a convincing argument that fell on deaf ears.
"Norrington, think about it ... the Black Pearl, its captain and crew ... the last pirate threat in the Caribbean. How can you pass that up?" Jack had reasoned.
However, the Commodore had to forgo chasing pirates for something he deemed more important- his duty.
"By remembering that I serve others, not only myself," James responded righteously, but completely sincerely.
The thing was, Elizabeth could hardly be angry with him over it, for hadn't she given her own self-righteous speech regarding rum and rescuing by the Royal Navy on the island to Captain Jack Sparrow? She had to respect that. However, she wasn't nearly as selfless as the Commodore.
"Commodore, I beg you—please do this…for me. As a wedding gift."
Begging yes, but also a manipulation she had no intention of honoring. Jack had looked at her knowingly. He had understood. She had no obligation to duty and honor in the same way a man of the Royal Navy did. She was not obligated in the way men were to hold to such notions so tightly.
To his credit, James Norrington looked truly regretful at having to turn down her offer, disingenuous though it was.
"Elizabeth, I am sorry. However, now that we have found you, we must be on our way to St. Augustine. We were intercepted and given new orders—"
Really, there was nothing Elizabeth could say to that. The English were at war with the Spanish, and that took precedence over pirates. Will Turner's fate was now in his own hands.
Governor Oglethorpe of Georgia had launched an overland attack and every available vessel of the Royal Navy was needed for a blockade to prevent supplies from reaching the settlement of St. Augustine. If they failed, then the siege would fail, and the English colonies could expect a Spanish assault in retaliation. They were calling it the War of Jenkins' Ear.
Even Elizabeth Swann in all of her selfishness understood that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. She felt great shame when she realized that Will Turner would gladly give his life for such a cause, and that she looked like nothing more than a spoiled child in comparison. He was certainly too honorable, just like James. Nobody faulted her when she had locked herself in the Commodore's quarters and cried herself to sleep.
Her time had been interspersed with fits of crying, sleeping, eating, and speaking to her father, and had passed her by in a daze. So, when Elizabeth woke one morning to the sound of the Boatswain's whistle and a cool breeze, she had been informed that it had taken them roughly two days and ten hours to reach St. Augustine at seven knots. She decided to do the math herself. She was approximately four-hundred-and-six Nautical Miles away from Will Turner.
It was the sound of cannon fire that drew Elizabeth out of the cabin, and it was then that she got her first view of St. Augustine. The breeze was cool, and the sun was sparkling off the water. She could see many other ships of the Royal Navy around them, and in the distance, what looked to be a castle. She rested her hands on the railing to get a better a look.
"They call it the Castillo de San Marcos, but it's really just a siege fortress. It's made of coquina, which is, apparently, a very sturdy material."
It was the Commodore. He struck a fine figure next to her, Elizabeth had to admit, and she could only wonder how things would have been had she fancied him as she did Will. He was a good man.
"Commodore," she asked softly. "What are we really going to be doing here?"
Small talk, inconsequential though it was, was a balm to her. Elizabeth needed the distraction. Here, in this moment, she wasn't a pirate, or a girl reveling in unprecedented freedoms that only loose women enjoyed. Here she was a lady and a governor's daughter that was engaged to a commodore. Sometimes, it was all too easy to fall back into what one knew.
"We are to surround them and cut off their line of supplies to starve them out."
"How close are we to shore?"
"About three-and-a-half miles out. Their muzzleloader cannons only have a three-mile limit off shore. We're as close as we dare."
Elizabeth kept her eyes on the Castillo. It did look rather impressive.
"Elizabeth—"
James sounded earnest, and it gave her pause. Did he truly care for her? She had always cared for him as a friend, and he had been a good one to her; as good as a man could be and still be a gentleman. The older she grew, the more polite distance he affected. It was difficult for Elizabeth to discern the mask from the man. She supposed that was why she found Will Turner so appealing. He didn't have the societal expectation to wear a mask, thus his heart was apparent. However, that didn't mean that James Norrington didn't have a heart.
Elizabeth Swann gave James Norrington a genuine- if tentative- smile, and in a surge of boldness she chanced a glance so she could espy him from beneath the flutter of her lashes, only to find his gaze riveted upon hers when she looked up. At this, her very heart caught in her throat and she felt her blood rush to her face. Her boldness quickly fled and she glanced away shyly with a blush, dropping her gaze from his. Not even Will Turner had ever looked at her like that.
Even Elizabeth, as fiery as she was, found herself suffering from a lack of immunity when it came to the attentions of a handsome man. That said man happened to be her fiancé made it worse. She was no shrinking violet, but she did wonder if her heart was inconstant. First Will Turner, then Captain Jack Sparrow, and now James Norrington. Perhaps, the gossips were right, that her father was too soft on her. She was a willful girl, and it was only lucky she hadn't landed in more dire straights than she had. Being kidnapped by pirates and leaving with her virtue intact should have been adventure enough for any woman of quality. She could have been a ruined woman by now and should thank her lucky stars for coming out unscathed.
"You must think me foolish," she stated. "It seems that trouble finds me or I go looking for it."
Elizabeth self-consciously became aware of his eyes on her again. However, she resolutely stared demurely out in the distance, pretending to be absorbed in the goings on of the siege fortress by keeping her eyes trained back on the Castillo.
She could see that there were cannons all over the gun deck in the distance. The Spanish soldiers were wearing their blue and red wool, and she could see five men surrounding a cannon and going through a military formation. '¡Atención!' As their commander called them to attention, they straightened their hats. '¡Sancta Barbara, ora pro nobis!' They crossed themselves in formation. '¡Fuego!' The cannon fired loudly, the echo crackling around them, and she could see the smoke emanating from the cannon in the distance. The splash of the cannon ball was closer to their ship than she would have liked.
Was it her or was James closer to her than before? She didn't spare a glance in his direction. His eyes still hadn't left her. Oh, Lord! She just knew it and her stomach was clenching, and what was he doing to her? She couldn't help but feel his eyes burn into her. Why was it that a person could feel such things? She kept her eyes on the Castillo determinedly. Her heart was beating madly, but surely that was because of the cannon. She told herself it had to be.
"No. I don't find you foolish at all," he responded huskily. "In fact, I quite admire you."
That was rather unexpected to Elizabeth. How dare her insides flutter at such words! It was unacceptable. This was not quite the James Norrington she had come to expect of late. As such, she wasn't exactly certain how to respond to him, but settled on frankness nonetheless.
"It is kind of you to say, but I think I've acted rather spoilt and selfish."
When Elizabeth could stand it no longer, she turned and locked gazes with him. James' eyes intently focused in on hers only to drop to her lips and back up to her eyes just as quickly. It was a look of longing and it was practically overwhelming. James wasn't supposed to be so- so seductive! He was meant to be proper and predictable. She found herself flattered by his attentions. She found herself becoming breathless. It was unexpected.
It was only when someone yelled unexpectedly from the lower deck that Elizabeth realized that she and James had been staring at each other for much longer than was considered decent. She had jumped slightly at the noise and James gave her what surely couldn't have been a rakish smirk that he leveled right at her! James Norrington was no rogue! Surely not!
Now Elizabeth was worried. Would James misconstrue all of those looks between them? Would her actions only serve to encourage him when she didn't intend to encourage him at all? Who was she kidding though? She knew she was a guilty party, and if James was encouraged, then it was only because he hadn't misconstrued anything that passed between them just now.
The ship swayed from the waves made by the cannon, and Elizabeth found herself losing her equilibrium, especially considering she was back in proper ladies' dress, which was cumbersome at the best of times.
"Be careful."
James' voice literally slid over her, sounding like dark velvet. And since when did James Norrington's voice sound like dark velvet to the likes of Elizabeth Swann? The sound of his voice alone would have made her fall over, but he had caught her securely around the waist with both hands. He slid her back gently against the railing, so that her back was to it and she was facing him.
It occurred to Elizabeth that perhaps his practically whispered warning wasn't for her falling but for another reason. She was all too aware of his hands at her waist still. It wasn't at all proper, but then she had somehow placed her hands on his shoulders to brace herself without having realized it, which wasn't proper either.
"James."
Elizabeth sounded needy to her own ears, but barely had time to contemplate this fact before James was kissing her. His kiss began tentatively and gently until she began kissing him back, with her hands grabbing at him desperately. Then he pulled her flush against him and began kissing her soundly and demandingly. Her knees would have buckled if not for him holding her up and using the railing as leverage.
He broke off the kiss and rested his forehead against hers while staring into her eyes and brought one hand up to cradle her cheek.
"Marry me, Elizabeth," James growled, half demand and half plea.
Elizabeth was dazed and overwhelmed. Their previous bargain had been lacking, and apparently they both knew it.
"You are too bold, Commodore Norrington," she attempted to chide, but it only came off as breathless anticipation.
His response was to kiss her again.
"If you want me to play the scoundrel for you, you need but only to ask, Elizabeth."
Her father had warned her that men only wanted one thing from young women, but he had never told her that young women might want exactly the same thing, when push came to shove.
"Only if you don't mind if I play the pirate with you, James," she retorted, playing the coquette.
He responded this time by trailing kisses down her neck in an entirely inappropriate manner.
"Your pirate. I let him escape. He'll find Will Turner. I'd rather see them both hang, but I find that I can deny you nothing," he confided to her in a whisper. "You have stolen my heart, Elizabeth Swann."
In a world of fantasy, magic, pirates, and adventures with young women protagonists, Elizabeth Swann would have chosen the route of freedom. She would have become a pirate and married the boy who had had a pirate father. However, that old fantasy was becoming marred, and she'd had the notion lately that perhaps it would even have had a bitter ending, with her stuck raising his child, with said pirate boy leaving her for the sea for more years than he would ever be with her. She had always had a vivid imagination.
However, Elizabeth Swann didn't really live in a world of fantasy. She lived in a harsh reality. She may have had limited choices in life, but it appeared she had her choice of men, and she was fortunate in her birth and her station. She was spoilt, she was somewhat selfish, she was naïve, she was intelligent, she had a good heart, and she had the devotion of a good and handsome man of her social class who would do anything for her, all while making her an honest woman. She'd be a fool not to accept him.
"Yes- yes. Of course I'll marry you," she panted, overcome with a sense of giddy excitement.
Possessive hands clutched her even closer, if possible, and James kissed her again. It was all rather exciting and scandalous and they were right there on the deck for anyone to see. Elizabeth loved it.
She heard someone start to sing the forecastle song Spanish Ladies somewhere in the distance. 'Farewell, and adieu—' the voice belted out, and Elizabeth found it fitting. It was only right that she say goodbye to her childhood whims and fancies, and trade them in for those of a woman.
Elizabeth Swann decided that Commodore James Norrington was a fine catch. She could easily come to love this man. She was determined to take what she could, and give nothing back. She pulled him in for another kiss with a smirk on her lips. It seemed she was a pirate after all.
Author's Note: Mostly because I'm not a Will Turner fan, and Elizabeth deserves better than single motherhood and an absent father for her son. The girl made the wrong choice, so I inserted a little reality for her and gave her a chance to make amends and pick the right man. Please read and review.