His Choice Made

By Michael Weyer

I don't own Pirates, Disney does, I'm a long-time Disney fan, LOVED the films, so please don't sue. Just a ditty that hit me and wanted to get out. Hope you enjoy.

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James Norrington had to admit that the irony of the situation was rather unique. Just a day ago, if he'd found himself in Shipwreck Cove, standing at the table with the Brethan Court, the eight most wanted Pirate Lords in the world, he would have a sword and gun out, ready to arrest or kill them all. But circumstances had changed drastically.

He knew it wouldn't be long before anyone recognized him but for right now, they were too focused on Elizabeth Swann declaring herself captain in place of the late Sao Feng. It was still a move he couldn't believe. He'd always known Elizabeth wasn't the typical lady but a pirate captain?

Then again, considering what he had learned of Cutter Beckett's methods, Norrington was starting to think piracy wasn't that bad. Since working with the creatures of the Flying Dutchman, Norrington had seen a darker side to the navy he had devoted his life to. He agreed pirates should be done away with on the oceans but the wholesale slaughter of ships and crew without mercy was not what he wanted. And then, to find out about Governor Swann…

Norrington brushed at his hair, still feeling somewhat odd without his traditional white wig. He had dumped it in the ocean along with his coat after diving in to follow Elizabeth. He glanced at Tai Huang, the Chinese second mate standing tall with arms crossed as he gazed at the other pirates. It cut Norrington deeply that he owed his life to a pirate. But if it hadn't been for Huang hurling a dagger into Bootstrap Bill before he sounded the alarm, Norrington might well be dead now. As it was, he now found himself gazing at the room as the pirates reacted.

"The devil be ye doing here?" Barbossa complained as he waved to Norrington.

"He's with me," Elizabeth stated.

"Oh, lovely, a ship in every port for her!" Jack Sparrow muttered as he waved his arms around.

"Why should we listen to one who allies with a man who has attempted to kill us?" called out the rather hideous looking Mistress Cheng.

"Because if you don't, you're all dead for certain," Elizabeth stated. "We must fight!"

Norrington rubbed his face. "They wouldn't stand a chance."

That got him even more glares. "You doubt our strength?" Gentleman Joucard asked in his deep booming voice.

"Even without the Dutchman," Norrington answered. "Beckett will have an armada before you with every ship he can muster and more. That is a power that you cannot defeat, no matter what you have."

"We have Calypso," Barbossa announced but that just let out a brand new set of arguing and before long fists were being thrown and pirates tossed about on a table. Norrington rolled his eyes. "This is the force that has thrown terror into the hearts of the British navy? I am deeply ashamed."

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Norrington wasn't sure what he had been expecting from the conclave but having Elizabeth named the Pirate King wasn't it. He stepped up the pace to follow her as she made her way back towards their junk. "You can't trust him."

Elizabeth turned to face him. "Excuse me?"

"Sparrow."

She sighed. "James, I know I can't trust him. But he did vote for me as the King. Or Queen, I suppose it should be."

"As much as it seems otherwise, Sparrow does nothing without a reason," Norrington stated. "If he voted for you over himself, he wants something."

"Such as?"

"Parlay."

Elizabeth blinked in confusion. "What?"

Norrington stepped forward. "I looked at that codex while everyone was arguing." He shrugged. "The secret code of the Pirate Lords, how can I resist? Apparently, among his other powers, the Pirate King can call parlay, no matter what the circumstances."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "You think Jack wants me to call a parlay before the battle? Why?"

"I don't know," Norrington said. "But I think we can assume it's not for the best of reasons."

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James Norrington really hated having to be proven right.

That the fleet Beckett had brought to face the pirate armada was twice as large as he expected proved yet again that there was more to Beckett than Norrington had suspected. And as he thought, Sparrow, the one who had encouraged this whole fight in the first place, had called for a parlay.

Norrington adjusted his coat as he followed Sparrow, Barbossa and Elizabeth down the short strand of white beach to the three figures waiting for them. Beckett was impeccable as ever in his coat and wig. Davy Jones was standing in a bucket of water, still held by his curse to not be able to set foot on land more than once a decade. Then there was William Turner, his eyes showing surprise at Norrington but still cool and calm.

They stopped and stared at one another. "Admiral Norrington," Beckett stated in that cool tone of his. "I understand you have been rather derelict in your duties as of late."

"You may consider this my resignation of my commission, sir," Norrington calmly replied.

"A pity," Beckett stated. He glanced to Sparrow. "Well, congratulations, Sparrow. You lived up to your end of the deal."

Barbossa and Elizabeth stared in disbelief at Jack but Norrington just rolled his eyes. "Why am I not bloody surprised? I knew what a dishonest man you were, Sparrow."

"Ah," Sparrow stated. "But a dishonest man can be counted on to be honest about how dishonest he is while an honest man can-----"

"Oh, not that again, ye skall-wagg!" Barbossa snapped as he lashed out with his sword, cutting the coin off of Sparrow's bandanna. Norrington pulled out his own sword, prepared to join in but Will spoke up.

"I propose a trade. I go with them and you get Jack."

"Agreed," Elizabeth said.

"Not agreed!" Jack sputtered.

"You're not in a position to disagree…mate," Norrington snapped at him as he took Sparrow's shoulders and, with more than a modicum of pleasure, thrust him to the waiting Jones.

As Will moved to Elizabeth, Norrington gazed at Beckett carefully. "You killed Governor Swann?" he softly asked.

"He was asking too many questions about the chest," Beckett said, showing no remorse whatsoever. "He was getting in the way of my business."

"Business," Norrington sniffed. "I would imagine the King might have something to say about your business, Beckett."

"Who will tell him?" Beckett said. "For that matter, what can he do? He is far away from here…and of course, let us not forget that England is an island."

Norrington drew back. "What are you saying?"

"With the scourge of piracy struck out," Beckett said. "The seas will be in the Company's control. We will dictate shipping, we shall dictate the rule of those who wish to use our seas and we shall dictate who can and can not hold sway over us."

Norrington stared at him in disbelief. "You would go against the King? Have you no loyalty to your country?"

"Loyalty is a commodity, Norrington," Beckett snapped. "Like any other commodity, its sole existence is to be bought and sold. It's not personal to his Majesty. It's just good business."

Norrington shook his head. "You're mad."

"And you are doomed if you fight," Beckett said. "Do consider that, won't you?"

As the group finally broke apart, Will glanced to Norrington. "I see you have changed sides?"

"It seems to be the sort of thing to do in these parts," Norrington dryly replied. He looked to where Elizabeth was pacing a few steps ahead and lowered his voice. "I once dreamed I would get the smile in her eyes that she gives toward you. She made her choice a long time ago and it was not for me. It was the only choice she could ever make."

Will looked to him and nodded. "Thank you. I suppose you truly are a good man."

Norrington sighed. "A good man would have known his path a long time ago. Now…I have no idea what I'll be after this."

"A survivor?"

Norrington smiled at the young man he once looked down upon. "Why not?"

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Despite all he'd seen, from living skeletons to Davy Jones, Norrington was still not believing this current situation. He'd seen that voodoo witch grow to a massive height and then turn into a legion of crabs. Now, he was fighting it out with the crew of the Dutchmen in a maelstrom unlike anything he'd ever heard of.

He couldn't even tell who was winning as the two ships were now bound by their masts and circling a huge whirlpool. He'd sliced and cut through every opposing soldier he could as he did his best to keep himself alive in the whirling storm.

It was in the midst of this chaos that he'd seen Will and Elizabeth exchanging vows with Barbossa managing to officiate in between killings. Normally, he'd argue that, captain of a ship or not, one couldn't really perform a marriage in the middle of a battle. But then, these were pirates so maybe this was completely normal behavior. He was unsure how it felt seeing the woman he'd once loved marrying another man but he was too busy staying alive to figure it out.

He didn't even know how he'd gotten onto the Dutchmen but he was there, dueling it out with a figure with a shark like head, avoiding his sharp strokes. He could see from the corner of his eye Turner fighting a cloaked figure, yelling out what sounded like "Father!" in the middle of it. Sparrow was loose, Lord only knew how, carrying around a large chest with Jones chasing him. And Elizabeth was now there, fighting to get to Will.

Instinct took over and Norrington ducked to slice his opponent's stomach before racing across to where Elizabeth stood. He saw Jones strike her down and move in but Turner cut him across the back. The squid-headed figure snarled and smacked Turner down, leaning in.

Norrington felt his feet give way under a shaking wave and he slipped across the deck. His feet smacked into Sparrow, who was just opening the chest. With a high-pitched squeal, Sparrow was rolling on the deck as Norrington looked right into the chest and saw the beating heart of Davy Jones.

Over the howl of the wind, he could hear Jones and Sparrow snapping at one another, Jones holding a sword to Turner's chest. Norrington looked at the glint in Jones' eyes, a glint he'd come to recognize and knew what was going to happen. He glanced to Elizabeth, who was lying by the stairs, watching in fear and knew the heartache she would feel if the man she loved was killed before her eyes. He looked down to the object inside the chest.

And he knew what he had to do.

Jones was turning, his sword ready to pierce Turner's heart when he felt a massive pain shake his entire body. He stared at his chest as he saw an oily substance start to flow from it. He turned slowly to see Norrington kneeling on the deck, the tip of his sword slammed into the heart lying on the deck. Norrington's face was cold as the northern seas as he twisted the blade. Jones gasped out loud and stumbled back, grabbing his chest as he keeled over the side.

Elizabeth, Will and Sparrow all stared in varying shades of disbelief at Norrington as he rose up. He glanced over to see the strange half-men of the crew staring in shock at where Jones had gone…then to Norrington. "Part of the ship…" Bill Turner stated as he stumbled forward, a dagger in his hands. "Part of the crew."

Norrington looked to Will. "Get out of here, all of you."

"James…" Elizabeth said, her face white.

"Go, quickly!" Norrington called out.

"Right, heard the man, let's be off!" Sparrow yelled as he raced to the ropes nearby. Elizabeth moved forward, reaching to Norrington but he shook his head.

"Our fates have intersected, Elizabeth…but never been entwined. I made my choice." He looked to where the crew were advancing. "Turner, get her out of here!" He could hear her cries of protest as Jack and Will grabbed her and dragged her to the side. He knew they'd find a way off somehow as he let his sword drop to the deck. As Bootstrap Bill moved in with the dagger, Norrington closed his eyes, taking in a breath of bitter wind and water as he prepared himself for his fate.

He felt a sharp pain and then the darkness of the waters closed in on them all…

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It was, Beckett believed, a quite lovely day for a massacre. Oh, the storm had been bothersome but it was gone. The Dutchman was too but that was of little consequence. Once this last band of pirates was dealt with, there would be no reason for him to keep it any longer. It was rather beneficial to not have to deal with Jones anymore.

He stood at the wheel and smiled as his ship moved in toward the Black Pearl. Its lines of cannons were open and set, ready to destroy it, the signal to the rest of the armada to wipe this pirate fleet out of existence. And with them gone, the oceans would belong to the Company. That was where it belonged, to the merchants, the money men, the ones who really ran the world, not those foppish people on the throne. Kings could come and go, Beckett knew, but money would always be the same.

A blast of water caught his attention and he smiled as he saw the Dutchman explode from the water. "Oh, good, it survived," he said. He raised his glass up to study it. Strange. It seemed that the ship was somehow…brighter than before, not as moldy or falling apart. And the crew…

A chill went down Beckett's spine as he saw scales and barnacles fading away, leaving flesh and bone and clothing behind. The men were as confused as Beckett was, looking at themselves with eyes that showed bright humanity, not the coldness of before. The glass went up and toward the deck as a figure spun around…

Beckett's jaw dropped as he saw James Norrington standing at the wheel. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a bandana over it, his clothing a classic open shirt and pants of a pirate, the shirt open to show a scar around the left part of his chest. His eyes looked out and Beckett realized Norrington could see him in the vast distance. A smile colder and more wicked than Jones could ever muster crossed the former Admiral's lips and despite the distance, Beckett could hear every word just before the order to fire the cannons came.

"It's not business, Beckett. It's purely personal."

And with that word, Cutter Beckett knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the first task of the new captain of the Flying Dutchman was to give Beckett the dubious honor of being the first man to spend eternity in Norrington's Locker.

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"Are you sure…this is what you want?" Elizabeth quietly asked. She and Will were standing on the deck of the Dutchman before Norrington. The rest of the pirates had already spread out to their own territories as the armada of the Company was in full retreat.

"A bit late to reconsider now," Norrington dryly said as he rubbed his chest. "I don't know…only day a decade on dry land…It doesn't sound so bad."

"The ship has a purpose again," Bootstrap Bill said as he stood by him. "And a Captain who knows the way to make it work."

Will smiled at his father. "I kept my word."

Bill smiled. "That ye did, lad. That ye did." He sighed. "I wish I could stay but I did die a long time ago."

"You are free now," Norrington said. "You can go to peace."

Bill shrugged. "I still have a debt to pay. I've spoken to the crew and they all agree. We all have a lot to atone for. So, if it's the same to you, sir…we'll stick around."

Norrington smiled. "Then take the wheel, Mister Turner."

"Aye, Captain," Bootstrap said as he moved toward it.

Norrington turned back to Will and Elizabeth, his smile fading a bit. He paused and then knelt down to lift up the chest and handed it to Elizabeth. "It was always yours," he softly said. "Keep it safe?"

Elizabeth smiled then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."

Norrington turned to Turner. "So, Mr. Turner…How does it feel to be the husband of the Pirate Queen?"

"I'm used to her being commanding," Will lightly said. "It'll make for an interesting marriage to be certain."

Norrington looked toward the horizon. "The sun is almost set. You should go now."

"Good bye, James," Elizabeth said as she and Will backed to their waiting rowboat. Norrington watched them go and sighed deeply.

"It's a hard life ye've chosen, Captain," Turner said as he came up behind him.

Norrington nodded as he moved to the wheel. "I know." He smiled back at the man. "But it's a good choice nonetheless." He turned the wheel around toward the horizon.

From their boat, Elizabeth and Will watched as a flash of green echoed across the horizon and the Flying Dutchmen vanished. Elizabeth sighed and wiped at her eyes. "I still can't believe he did it."

Will leaned in to wipe her face. "He made his choice. We have to honor it." He smiled as he leaned in closer. "Now, my Pirate Queen…how shall we spend our honeymoon?"

Elizabeth giggled before kissing. "To the nearest alcove, Mister Turner."

"Aye aye," he smiled as he kissed deeper and gave silent thanks to the man whose choice had allowed him a lifetime of happiness.