James woke early the next morning to a sight quite unlike anything he had seen before. Synnove's pale face was close to his, her head turned to the side. Her eyes were closed with her dark eyelashes framing them as she continued to sleep. Her soft lips were slightly parted, inviting James to move forwards and kiss her, but he restrained himself, not wanting to wake the sleeping beauty beside him. His eyes widened as he remembered that his hand was still resting on the bare skin on her waist, amazed that she had not politely shaken him off when he was asleep. Her skin was warm and soft, just like her lips and again James found himself fighting the urge to press his lips to hers.
Their peace was not to last long for as a stray paw thumped down on James' shoulder. The dog had moved sometime during the night and now he was curled into James' back. Keys had somehow spotted that James was awake and as usual, he decided that it was time to play. James tried to ignore the dog and go back to sleep, but Keys would not be ignored this time. He continued to thump his paws against James and wag his until James gave in and stroked the dog. James hoped that stroking Keys would calm him down and send him off to sleep, but again the dog had other ideas. Seeing James' hand coming towards him Keys rolled onto his back and began kicking at the hand. James rolled his eyes and continued to pet the dog, hoping that the beast would get bored and settle back down soon.
Synnove woke up to the sound of Keys bouncing around the bed and James quietly scolding him. She giggled at the sight and kissed James on the check, effectively alerting him to the fact that she was awake.
"I am so sorry Synnove, I tried to keep him quiet, but the beast refused to obey me," James apologised.
"That is alright darling," Synnove said smiling at the pair. "Good morning!"
"It was before the beast woke up," James said with a roll of his eyes. "Good morning my love," he added.
"Good morning Keys," Synnove said waving her arm in the air so that the dog would notice her and leave James alone instead.
According to plan the dog jumped at Synnove, standing over James in order to do so. He pawed at her until her hands came alive and played with him. James grunted at being stuck on his stomach and crushed under the weight of the dog, but he could not bring himself to complain when Synnove and Keys both looked so happy. After a few minutes Keys appeared to tire of his game with Synnove and turned around, climbing back over James and settling at the foot of the bed.
James groaned and shuffled closer to Synnove, nuzzled his face back into her neck and closing his eyes. It was still far too early for him to need to get up and fulfil his duties on the ship, he could afford to go back to sleep for a good hour or two. Synnove ran her fingertips through his hair, playing with the long brown strands and curling them around her fingers.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Synnove asked breaking the silence.
"I feel utterly amazing!" James declared. He rubbed his hand against the warm patch of Synnove's flesh that his hand was still touching.
"I am glad," Synnove said. "How are your wounds healing? I know that I should have asked earlier, but I could not force myself to ask when we were separated."
James smiled at Synnove and rolled onto his side, his hand never leaving Synnove's body. "I honestly do not know how it is healing. I did not trust any of the pirates enough to ask them to look at my wounds for me," he admitted.
"You mean that you have not changed your bandages since Mr. Gibbs sewed you up?" Synnove asked.
"Unfortunately yes," James said, bracing himself for Synnove to scold him.
"James Norrington! You know very well that neglecting your health could have serious consequences. Although I do not doubt Mr. Gibbs' ability as ship's doctor, that does not mean that you can neglect yourself!" Synnove raised her voice. She shook her head at James, but she was not as angry with him as James expected that she would be. "It is settled then, in an hour or so when the time is more appropriate I will seek out Mr. Gibbs."
"Does that mean that you will have to move from this space?" James asked.
"Not for another hour at least," Synnove replied. She shuffled closer to James and turned on her side so that they were facing one another. She set her hand down on the side of his face, running her fingers over his cheek. There was a strange look in James' eyes, one Synnove could not place, it looked like a combination of longing, happiness and gratitude all mixed together. "You should try and go back to sleep, you will have a long day on the top deck when it comes time for you to rise."
"I can hardly wait for that," he said, his voice dripping with unhidden sarcasm.
"One day soon when we are home you can forget about the pirates and what they put you through."
"That is a day that I can hardly wait for," James said. Despite his earlier words James felt his eyes beginning to drift closed. Synnove's fingers continued to caress his cheek and her warm, soft female body was pressed tightly against his own. Before he knew it, James had fallen back to sleep, safe in the knowledge that Synnove would not leave him.
"Shall I find Mr. Gibbs and ask him to take a look at your injuries?" Synnove asked as she watched James awaken from his slumber.
"I would prefer it if you did it rather than Mr. Gibbs. I do not like the idea of the pirate knowing how vulnerable I am when I am injured." James smiled weakly at Synnove, still groggy from sleep.
Synnove nodded understanding what James meant, "then I shall simply tell him that your bandages need changing and offer to do it myself. I do not think that he will have a problem with that."
"Hopefully he will not," James said.
"I suppose that I should get up now," Synnove said, though she did not move.
"I suppose that you should," James replied. His grip on Synnove's waist did not loosen, nor did he move away from her. In fact, James nuzzled his face into her hair and kissed the side of her neck in a show of wordless affection.
"But I really do not feel like moving," Synnove said. She giggled at the feeling of James' rough beard scraping against her skin, it was a feeling that she had become used to very quickly. "Must you be so comfortable?"
"So it is my fault that you do not want to move?" James questioned, moving his face away from her neck so that he could watch her.
"Of course, that is another thing that you will learn," Synnove said. "You have already come to terms with the fact that I am always correct."
"Perhaps," James replied simply. "I would offer to go and get the bandages, but I am injured as you have already pointed out so I fear that task must fall to you." He smirked wickedly as he said this to Synnove.
"Well I would not want you to strain yourself my darling," she said. She threw back the covers away from her body, hoping that doing so would provide her with the motivation to move. It only made her feel cold. Synnove fought the urge to roll closer to James and instead began to wriggle away from him. Slowly she extracted herself from the bed, stretching and putting her corset back on with her back facing James. She turned to him and smiled, "a kiss before I go?" she requested.
James sat up and opened his arms to Synnove, inviting her back to his embrace. Synnove knelt on the bed and leant over James, bending down to place a gentle kiss on his lips. She went to pull away but James wound his fingers into her hair and held her in place, kissing her lips over and over again. Each kiss was soft and gentle, as James always was with her, James broke away. "Come back to me soon my love," he said. "Be careful around the pirates. Do you have your knife that I gave you?"
"Of course," she answered. Synnove reached her hand down to her boot and pulled out the blade, giving him proof that she had the weapon. "I will return soon."
Synnove found Mr. Gibbs easily and asked him for the help that she required. Mr. Gibbs was more than willing to comply because it meant that he would not have to check on Norrington's wounds.
"Just remove the bandages, give the wounds a wash with these," Mr. Gibbs said pushing a bowl of water and an assortment of cloths into Synnove's hands. "Then when you are done with that use these bandages to cover up the still healing wounds," Mr. Gibbs passed Synnove a large roll of clean white bandage and a pin to hold it in place.
"Thank you Mr. Gibbs," she said.
"Yer welcome lassie, take good care of yer man."
"I will!" Synnove replied turning on her heel and exiting the room.
Carefully she made her way down the stairs and back to her room, trying her best not to lose any water out of the bowl as the ship pitched and rolled beneath her feet. The bedroom door was closed much to her annoyance and when she called out to James to open it she received no response. Instantly Synnove began to panic, if James could not hear her something might be drastically wrong. He could have developed a fever and fallen into unconsciousness in a matter of minutes. She bit her bottom lip and raised her leg to kick at the door open when she heard footsteps behind her. Before she could whirl around to ask the person behind her for help, their hand turned to doorknob and pushed the door open for her.
"I am sorry Synnove, I just had to step out for a minute and get some air otherwise I would have opened the door for you when you called," James said. He took the bowl of water from her hands and followed behind her, placing the bowl on the table.
"That is alright," she said. "I was just beginning to worry that you had fallen ill whilst I was gone."
"You need not worry," James said turning his back to Synnove. He took of his coat and placed it on the bed before turning back to Synnove and smiling. "You will not get rid of me so easily my love," he said.
"I was not planning on it," she replied, sharing his wide smile."Would you like to sit down while I take care of your wounds, or do you mind standing?"
"I will stand if it makes it easier for you," James smirked knowing that that was not the answer Synnove was looking for.
She raised an eyebrow at him and batted at his chest with her hand, but did not say a word. Slowly her hands moved towards the top button of his shirt. James blushed as he felt her soft fingers trail down his body as she undid each button. He knew that he should be the one to undo his own buttons and undress himself, but he could not find the voice to tell Synnove so, nor did he particularly want to tell her either. Truth be told he enjoyed been taken care of in such a way, Synnove was gentle and attentive to his every need, acting more like a wife each day she spent with him. That was of course the next thing on James' list, to make Synnove Nordenburg into Synnove Norrington. However, that would take time and careful planning, the way he asked had to be perfect for Synnove deserved no less. Until that time, he was happy just being with her the way that he was.
James was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not noticed when Synnove was finished unbuttoning his shirt. Her soft fingers sliding up to his neck and pulling his shirt from his shoulders was the only thing that brought him out of his apparent daze. Synnove's face was tinted red with the telltale signs of a blush as her fingers fought against the urge to trail his exposed body. James watched on as Synnove undid the pin holding his bandages together and in place. One hand stayed on his chest while the other began to unwind the bandages, dropping the material covered in dried blood onto the floor. Without a word she slipped behind him and began to wash the blood from his back. Synnove took much longer than necessary to tend to his healing wounds, but James did not say a word against it. Synnove seemed to enjoy taking care of him, and he was more than happy to let her do as she pleased. Several times James winched in pain as Synnove trailed over a particularly sore wound with her cloth, he did not say anything or complain though, knowing that she was not doing so deliberately. James might have been able to relax enough to fall asleep if it wasn't for the undeniable pain Synnove's task was creating.
"I think that you should let the air get to your wounds, it will help them heal faster," Synnove suggested. She placed the bloodied cloth in the bowl of water, inspecting her work on James' back. The smaller cuts had scabbed over nicely indicating that it would not be much longer until they were gone. The larger slashes Stefan had inflicted still had a while to go before they healed over properly. Mr. Gibbs' intricate black stitching was amazingly done for a man who spent a lot of time in the company of a bottle of rum.
"I have a while yet before either Captain will notice the lack of my presence on deck," James said.
"James?"
"Yes."
"Will you teach me to fight with a sword?" Synnove asked. She knew that James' answer would be a resounding and definite 'no', but she also knew what to say to convince him otherwise.
"Most certainly not," he said as predicted. "You are a woman and as such you should never have to wield a sword. I have already seen your hands sullied by a weapon once and I will not stand to see it again." James turned away from Synnove, he could not look at her eyes and say no to her at the same time.
"While I agree that you do have a good point my darling, I must counter it with one of my own." Synnove put her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back around to face her.
"And what would that point be?"
"You are strong and proficient with a sword because you wish to protect the ones you care about, yes?" Synnove asked. James nodded in reply, but said nothing. "When Stefan had you locked in the brig, defenceless and powerless to do anything, you felt bad yes?"
"I felt much worse that bad Synnove. I failed to protect you; I failed to do the one thing that I promised to." James was still upset by the mere mention of Stefan.
"Now imagine how I feel every time I see you lift a sword to defend me from harm. Each and every time I see you fighting to keep me safe I feel powerless. My love for you makes me want to protect you, as your love for me does the same. Do you understand what I mean James?"
James' face scrunched up as he thought over her reasoning, "I understand what you mean Synnove. But – "
Synnove cut James off by placing her finger on his lips, "I wish to stand by your side at all times James, I cannot do that if I cannot fight. I do not like feeling so helpless, if you were hurt I could do nothing."
James took Synnove's finger from his lip, lacing the fingers of his hand through hers. "I will never let anyone get the best of me like that again. I have learnt my lesson Synnove, I will protect you always. You need not learnt to fight," he was firm in his resolve, nothing could change that.
"Please James," Synnove whispered.
All at once his firm resolve slipped away. It was a combination of Synnove whispering tones and her swirling blue eyes the colour of a calm ocean that caused James to crumble. James had to admit that her reasoning was completely sound, he wanted to protect her, so it was obvious that she wanted to protect him. He let out a defeated sigh, "Alright."
"Really James, you mean it?" Synnove asked, not believing that it had been so easy to change his mind.
"Yes my love, I mean it. I will teach you how to fight with a sword, in the hopes that you never have to use such a skill."
"Hooray!" Synnove exclaimed. She stood on her tiptoes and threw her arms around his neck, lightly kissing him on the lips. "I honestly did not expect you to give in so easily," she admitted.
"It is hard to say no to such a beautiful face."
"And here I was thinking that my logic had persuaded you rather than my face," Synnove said. She pouted up at James.
"I could have said no to your logic, but one look into those eyes of your and I crumble. They truly are a powerful weapon."
Before Synnove could say anything in reply, there was a loud knock on their cabin door signalling that it was time for James to leave and begin his work on deck. With only a word of goodbye James pulled his shirt back on and made his way out of the room.
Synnove watched as he left, staying in the doorway until he was long gone. She heard the clomping of boots against the wooden floor and turned around in time to see Gillette making his way to the deck as well.
"Gillette!" Synnove cried pouncing on the man she had come to think of as a brother. Her arms wrapped tightly around him, trapping his arms by his side as she squeezed a hold of him. Gillette raised an eyebrow as he looked down at Miss Synnove. When he saw the large beaming smile on her face he could not help but smile back at her.
"Shall I take it from the large smile on your face that you and Norrington have reconciled your differences?" Gillette asked.
"Yes!" Synnove exclaimed. She squeezed her arms around Gillette tighter, making it harder for him to breathe. "Last night he apologised and I have not been able to stop smiling since then."
"I am glad he finally came to his senses Miss Synnove, but do you mind releasing me so that I may breathe properly again?"
"Oh I am sorry Gillette! I did not mean to hurt you, I am just so happy." Synnove released her constrictor-like grip on her friend.
Gillette took an over dramatic gasp of air, bent over from the waist and his hand over his heart, "I think I just saw my life pass before my very eyes Miss Synnove." He rose back up to his full height and squeezed her upper arm, "you certainly are strong for such a small woman."
"I have five brothers and no sisters; I was never going to be weak after dealing with them," Synnove said. "I did not hurt you did I?"
"A few broken ribs never killed a man like me!" Gillette said smirking down at Synnove.
Synnove laughed at his words, "you must be as fragile as a newborn then! No wonder you are always sent up to the crow's nest."
"I am sent to the crow's nest because the pirates fail to understand my style of humour," Gillette replied scowling. He truly did hate been sent up to the crow's nest, it was far less interesting than the name suggested.
"Is that what it is called?" Synnove asked with a smirk.
"Very funny Miss Synnove," he replied. "I must say that it is wonderful to see you smiling again. I had begun to fear that your sad blue eyes would never perk up," he added changing the subject.
"I was beginning to worry about the same thing."
"How did he win your affection back?" Gillette asked. "I must say that if I was a woman in your position I would have demanded a large bouquet of flowers and a fancy box of chocolates. Anything expensive, and I would most certainly not share the chocolates."
"I did not think for a moment that you would," Synnove replied. "As much as your suggestions do appeal to me, I have already taken James back and I would not trade that for anything."
"Ah that is true," he said pausing. "But you do realise that you have Norrington in the perfect position."
"How so?"
"Say you see something fancy that you like, but it is over the amount Norrington is willing to pay. All you have to do is sigh dramatically, pull a sad face, which I might add is awfully convincing coming from you, and say something along the lines of 'I know that we do not have the money, but it is so exquisitely crafted. I knew that when I said that I would come back to you that I would have to forgo such things and I do not regret it. But sometimes I just wish…' Norrington will feel guilty and before you can close your eyes you will have whatever it is that you want," Gillette explained. "But you will have to use that bargaining chip quickly though, as time passes the guilt will fade and the less likely you will get anything out of it."
Synnove laughed at Gillette's idea, "I could not do that to James. I do not need expensive things to make me happy Gillette," Synnove said. The smile on her face grew even wider as she added, "I just need James."
"He is a very lucky man to have a woman like you."
"Thank you Gillette," she said, her face tinted red with a blush.
"Speaking of love being in the air, have you had a chance to see Groves and Miss Yulia together?"
"No I have not, Antanasia mentioned it last night. What are they like together?"
"Miss Yulia is positively smitten, much like you are with Norrington. She hangs on Groves' every word when they go walking around the top deck. However, I do not think that Groves realises Miss Yulia's feelings for him."
"We will have to do something about that," Synnove said smiling up at Gillette.
Gillette raised his eyebrow at Synnove, "I suppose that we will."
"We will have to get Antanasia in on whatever it is we plan, she does know Yulia the best."
"That is a brilliant idea," Gillette agreed. "I do apologise Miss Synnove but I really must be leaving you now to fulfil my obligations to the pirates."
"Yes, yes of course. I am sorry for keeping you from your duties. If Captain Sparrow has a problem you can blame me completely!"
"I fully intended to do so in the first place," Gillette said. The smirk on his face was wide and he looked rather proud of himself.
"You really are a charmer Gillette," Synnove said sarcastically.
"I aim only to please Miss Synnove."
"Have fun pleasing the pirates with your deck swabbing prowess, I am sure that they will be grateful."
"Oh they well be, but they will not show it," Gillette said his parting words and made his way slowly and very reluctantly up the stairs.
"Have fun," Synnove said waving at Gillette's retreating form. Gillette turned around and glared half heartedly at her before waving back to Synnove and carrying on.
The rest of Synnove's day passed on uneventfully, with James, Gillette and Groves on the top deck working alongside the pirates. She had spent part of the day with Antanasia and Yulia, but Yulia began to feel seasick and Antanasia was rather irritable. Synnove had also attempted to make conversation with the female pirate, Annamaria, but soon found that they had little in common. Keys had followed behind her as he always did, keeping her company when no one else would or could. She had never been allowed a pet dog when she was a child. Dogs were hunting companions or guards, they were not meant to be played with and mollycoddled the way she did with Keys. Synnove however simply could not help herself; she thought that there was no point in having a dog if you did not look after it and in her case spoil it.
Synnove lay sprawled out on the bed with Keys lying beside her, there really was nothing for her to do except lounge around and try to pass time by sleeping. She decided that she would stay there until James came back to get her for dinner, then other men would take over from him and she could spend the rest of the afternoon in his company. Minutes turned into hours as Synnove starred at the wooden ceiling, tracing patterns with her eyes in the wood before she finally fell asleep.
Synnove awoke much later to find that the sun had already gone down. She woke just in time to discover that James had just walked into the room. She opened her mouth to say something, but she was silenced when James spoke first.
"You were asleep and I did not have the heart to wake you," James said smiling down at Synnove.
"So I have missed dinner then?" she asked. Synnove blinked slowly and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She noticed that his hands were held behind his back, but she could not see what it was that he was holding, if anything.
"In a manner of speaking yes," he replied.
"If we go now do you think that there will be any leftovers?"
"No," James said. Synnove's face fell. She was fond of food, perhaps not as fond of it as Gillette was, but still, she did not like the idea of skipping dinner. "Do not look so upset my love, I have brought you your very own plate. I managed to swipe some dinner for you before it all disappeared down Gillette's stomach." James moved the plate of food from behind his back and held it out in front of him, presenting it to Synnove.
Synnove pushed herself upright into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. She took the plate and the fork from his hands and pulled her legs up so that she was sitting cross legged. Keys rolled over and lay beside her, his large brown eyes glued to her plate and his tail wagging in a way that he hoped would make Synnove share her dinner.
"How was dinner?" she asked between mouthfuls of food.
"Mostly uneventful," he said. James moved closer to Synnove and sat by her on the bed. He could smell her food and although he had already had his share, James was still hungry. He was adamant that he was not turning into Gillette, it was just that dinner had not been as substantial as he had hoped it would be.
"Why, what happened?" Synnove asked. She watched James as he followed each spoonful to her mouth, much like Keys was doing. She rolled her eyes at the dog and picked up a piece of meat from her plate and gave it to Keys who ate it so quickly one could question whether he even chewed it. James looked unimpressed as she shared her meal with the dog and watched as she loaded her fork full with food. She opened her mouth wide to take a bite, but then thought better of it. Synnove took the fork away from her mouth and held it out in front of James' instead. "Have some if you wish," she said and offered it to him.
"I could not, I have already had dinner."
"If you keep watching my every mouthful the way Keys does then I will not be able to eat without feeling guilty," Synnove said. "Now open wide and have this spoonful so that I may eat free of guilty."
James frowned at Synnove and attempted to take the spoon from her, she moved her hand away, dodging his grip.
"Must you be so difficult darling?" she asked with a wide smile adorning her face. James could not help but smile in return. He shook his head and opened his mouth, waiting for Synnove to deliver the spoon to his mouth.
"Thank you," James said once he had finished his mouthful. He smiled at her, unable to do anything to wipe it from his face.
"You are welcome, would you like some more?"
James looked guiltily down at the floor, knowing that he should not try to take more of her food, but then again, she was offering. "I should not," he said.
"That was not the answer I was looking for," she said.
"Yes please," he said. "But only after you have had some more," James added.
Synnove had another couple of bites before giving more the Keys and then sharing with James. That pattern continued until there was nothing left on her plate. "You neglected to mention what happened during dinner."
"Captain Barbossa mentioned that food was running low and that we will be making port tomorrow morning to go ashore and collect supplies," James said.
"How could you say that that revelation was not eventful?" Synnove questioned. "I have not been upon shore in what feels like forever. Ah what it would feel like to have solid earth beneath my feet again!" Synnove said, her eyes lighting up at the idea.
"I did not tell you earlier because both Captains have made it perfectly clear that none of the women, apart from Annamaria will be allowed to leave the ship."
"Why?" she asked.
"They have stated that the place where we are making port is no place for women such as yourself and the Osmosechu sisters."
"Is it terribly dangerous for you to be going ashore then?"
"It will undoubtedly be a pirate port," James said. "The same risks we faced in Tortuga will be present.
"What if you are recognised? Will the pirates not attack you?" Synnove asked, her eyes were wide with fear from James' safety.
"I was assigned only the Caribbean and at the moment we are closer to Germany, the likelihood of me being recognised is very slim. That and I do look rather different from when I was an Admiral."
Synnove nodded as she felt her fear decreasing. "You look handsome either way," she told him, watching as he blushed slightly. "Promise me that you will be careful my love," Synnove pleaded.
"I will do my best," James said.
I hoped that you enjoyed this part! Please leave a review - it always makes my day better!
I have an interview for my University Exchange of wednesday and if everything goes well by August I will be off to study in Sweden or The Netherlands. Wish me luck!
