Norrington had re-entered her life. This was a simple truth Rose had to face, and sadly she had to face and accept it, as she had promised Will she would. But now knowing that the majority of her sentence aboard would be spent in close proximity to someone who hurt her so deeply seemed like an unbearable punishment.
What was her choice, though? Go to Will and complain? James was right, Will would undoubtedly side with her, but to what end? James would be punished unfairly, or worse, even maybe sent to the Locker. Or, at the very least, Rose would appear weak and incapable. The only thing she could do was take Will's advice and stay away from him as best she could.
Therefore, she mostly stuck to the indoors during the day, and came about in the middle of the night when the deck was clear, as most of the men had gone to sleep, no one in sight except for the guard above on the crow's nest. One night, Rose walked up toward the helm and looked over the unnaturally calm ocean. Ever since her sight was restored, Rose relished every moment that she could watch the innumerable stars. Beautiful.
But a firm voice behind her stirred her from her trance. "Incredibly clear, eh?"
She barely glanced behind her, knowing at once who it was. "Christ," she said. "All I ask is for one minute alone, and you materialize." She turned around to James, arms crossed over her chest.
His eyes still glinted playfully. "Still hard feelings then, hmm?" She said nothing and only stared at him. He cleared his throat. "Right. I'll leave you be." She turned back to the stars, shaking her head, but trying to forget that he had been there. She heard him walk away a few paces, but could still tell he stood nearby.
Silence.
And then…
"You can see in the darkness now?"
She gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes."
"So…this is the first time in your life you've seen the stars?"
In spite of her annoyance, she smiled, looking back up at the stars which she found so entrancing. "Aye. They're so much…I don't know…more majestic than I ever expected." She grew pensive, thinking back on the past. "I once made someone describe them for me, and he said that they were only white dots."
James shook his head. "Not for me they aren't. To me, they're safety. They're a sure way home." He walked back a few paces until he was standing right at her side. After a moment, he said softly, "I'm glad you kept the key."
She snorted. "A reminder to never trust anyone, ever."
"A good moral," he reasoned, "But a sad way to live."
Rose rolled her eyes, and huffily turned back to him. "You're forgiven. Now could you please go?"
"I appreciate the heartfelt sentiment, but as I recall," he stated, "This is as much my deck as it is yours. So I can stay here if I please...for the next century, in fact."
She pursed her lips, and said nothing, though her mind was searching for some witty comeback. He beat her to it. "You are quite the swordsman, Miss Hexfury."
She groaned. "Don't patronize me. And call me Rose, for God's sake. We're spending the next hundred years together, it might as well be a cordial time."
"Oh no," James said, leaning up against the railing next to her. "As I recall some of your last words to me included the very specific instructions that I was to call you 'Miss Hexfury.'"
She sighed. "Well, consider it then that we both acted rashly." For awhile they were silent, until Rose said, "How did you even get here, anyway? Elizabeth told me that she had Will look for you after he became the Captain to see if you had elected to join Jones's crew once you were killed, but you weren't to be found."
"I refused," James replied. "Jones offered, but I wasn't about to stoop to his level." He took a deep breath. "I wasn't ferried though. And I'm sure you as well as anyone know where Jones's enemies go."
Rose's eyes went wide. "No," she gasped. "He sent you to the Locker?"
He stared out into the distance, taking a deep breath. "Bootstrap found me after a time as they were charting. He was the one who had killed me, so needless to say, he recognized me. He brought me ashore, I saw that Turner had become the Captain, and he offered me a way out. I took it."
Rose wondered how it must be for James to now have to sail beneath the command of his former rival, but she dared not speak the question aloud. She didn't quite know what to say, so after a time, James continued, "I truly am sorry for leaving you the way I did."
"Lying to me the way you did," Rose corrected gently.
He nodded. "Alright, yes," he responded. "But that last night when you came in so horribly battered by Beckett's men...I swear I had nothing to do with it. My only plan was to get the location of Shipwreck Cove, and I knew I could do it because you trusted me due to the fact that I treated you with kindness."
Rose shook her head and looked straight ahead. "Just to make your life easier. Was it all worth it in the end?"
"No, not just that," he said. "You heard it yourself—none of the men thought I was trustworthy because I was keeping you alive. They were prepared to take us both down and you know that. I had to stay alive by whatever means so that I could ensure—"
"So that you could save Elizabeth." Rose had replayed their days together so many times that she had put together her own idea of what James's motives were many years ago. "My details about the Pearl had given you hope about their survival. You naturally wanted to save her."
"I knew there was no other way." He paused, then changed the subject. "I had already planned the trick with the key," he said, pointing to the now present key hanging around her neck. "After the men took you that night, I went to retrieve it as one of the men on duty was asleep. First thing in the morning, I gave you the bread that I had hidden the key inside, and returned back to my quarters, where there were two or three armed sailors there to escort me to Beckett's ship."
"And you gained control of the Dutchman, as Beckett promised?" Rose finished.
"Yes," he answered. "Or at least, I tried. Clearly, Elizabeth told you how I died that night."
"Aye," Rose said. Taking a deep breath, she admitted, "…only after I returned to Port Royal to find and kill you myself."
He cocked his head to the side. "My, your hatred for me really is deep-seeded isn't it? What is it they say? 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned?'"
Rose pursed her lips. "Well, I suppose you're forgiven now, seeing as I can't very well kill you, especially now knowing what you sacrificed for Elizabeth." She considered for a moment, then added, "And for lying on my behalf in front of the crew. Thank you."
He nodded. "I could see that you wish to not be remembered as the one who nearly gave up the location of Shipwreck Cove."
"Nor as the one who let her emotions get the better of her," she snorted. "Which, I apologize for in retrospect. None of what I was feeling at the time was real."
She saw James slightly draw back from her at this. "What do you mean? The…kiss?"
"All of it," she replied. "I was deeply unhappy and lonesome. Anything I expressed was brought about by trauma alone. It was all a misunderstanding and a mistake."
There was a long pause, wherein neither of them said a word nor made a move. Finally, Rose broke the silence with, "As we've made amends, perhaps we could be friends."
She glanced up at him, the first chance she really had to get a look at him this close. Something had changed in his demeanor. He seemed cold and uncaring, just as he had when they had first met. "Perhaps," he said curtly. He then walked away without another word, leaving her there alone beneath her vast blanket of stars.
