Rose didn't want to go on deck anymore. It was just a reminder of all the potential she was not permitted to have. So she spent the night alone in her room, utterly restless and trying her best to fathom some next plan of action. But everything she came up with was quickly shot down by the notion that no matter what she did, Will would tell her to stop.
She lost track of time as she paced her room, and was only stirred from her thoughts when she felt the entire ship begin to quake. She braced herself against the wall as she felt the ship careen downwards, hearing the walls creak against the pressure of the sea. They were clearly making a return back to Earth, the first time in weeks. Someone ashore must be dying at sea, Rose thought. A few times, Rose would be awake and on deck in the middle of the night after most of the other men had gone to sleep. Souls from Earth who had died that day materialized in boats and began to encircle the ship. Will would be alone, and would take the wheel, steering the ship towards an unmistakeable mist hovering in the distance. The boats would follow, then Will would weigh anchor, letting them float peacefully by and onward into the afterlife. It was stunningly serene to witness, and was one of the many facets of Will's daily job as Captain of the Flying Dutchman. For the ship to be going to Earth, however, was a different matter entirely; Lone souls would come in the boats, not providing a need to leave the Locker. Something significant must be happening on the other side.
Rose waited until she felt the ship soar up and back into Earth waters, then she left her room and raced out to the deck. She was immediately buffeted by harsh winds as she gazed upon gray skies and was met with a forceful patter of rain.
She joined the men as they gazed out towards the eye of a hurricane, which was tossing around a large galleon violently. She filled a space near where Defoe and a man named Srivastav were discussing the sight.
"Shame," Srivastav was saying. "Twenty-nine souls aboard, the Captain says."
"Forget the souls," Defoe said, "Shame about the ship." He clucked his tongue. "I had a ship like that in my day. Tell ya what, if I had that ship…just imagine the damage one could do."
Srivastav looked skeptically at Defoe. "You sayin' that you'd trade the souls aboard for the ship?"
Defoe snorted. "Men are men. They can be replaced."
He then caught Rose's eye, and raised his eyebrows. "Can I help ya?" he snapped, causing her to instantly avert her gaze.
James then joined Rose where she stood, intentionally placing himself between her and Defoe. She looked over at him to acknowledge his presence, but all he did was overlook the morbid scene. Rose was quickly taken aback at how troubled he appeared. After several moments of watching the tempest rage, tossing the ship wildly along the troubled waters, he turned from the scene and walked a few paces to where Will stood at the helm.
"Are we not going to help them?" James shouted up to him.
Will tightened his jaw, preparing for the inevitable verbal sparring that was bound to take place. "It's not our place to interfere. This was predestined."
"Are you daft?" replied James. At this, everyone's attention had fully turned from the dramatics of the hurricane to the quarrel between the Captain and James, who continued his rant. "We're just sitting here watching them perish, when we could go in and stop this! We have the Flying Dutchman, Turner!"
Will turned his full attention on James, his eyes furious. "I am fully aware of which ship I captain, though it appears as though you have forgotten your place in my crew, Norrington," he warned.
"On the contrary, I've tried very hard to forget, yet here we are." He gestured to Rose, protesting, "We have her, why aren't we using her?"
Rose's heart began to race in panic when two dozen eyes all shifted on her. James didn't honestly think that she could possibly stop a hurricane's wrath all on her own, did he?
"Leave Rose out of this," warned Will.
"I've seen what she can do! With her help, there are many lives aboard that vessel that you wouldn't have to ferry across to the other side! Besides ignorance of seasonal patterns, what else is their crime?"
Will walked a few paces to square off with Norrington. "Don't think for a moment that I don't want to help as well. But that's not the job. We don't interfere with matters of life and death. Our job is merely to ferry souls to the other side, is that understood? And while I have heard lore of Rose's abilities, I don't think that she is in any way ready to control them yet. That marks the end of this discussion." Will raised his voice to address the entire crew as he commanded, "We are to wait for the storm to pass, then go in, look for survivors, ferry the dead, and loot whatever's leftover, just like any other mission. Have I made myself clear?"
The men, sans James who only sat there stewing silently, barked in unison, "Aye, Captain!"
"…aye, Captain," Rose murmured after the rest, eyes still fixated on a brooding James, whose gaze was now back on the storm-ridden ship. Her gaze too shifted to the scene when she heard distant screams of the men and a large splash. That was when the crew of the Dutchman watched as the ship was tossed on its side by the uncontrollable waves, jettisoning the men into the churning sea with its rapid motion. Those who stayed afloat desperately rode the waves atop loose barrels, ropes or rogue pieces of the ship that had broken off.
Rose's view of this horrific scene changed however when James briskly approached her, taking her by the arm and leading her below deck, saying under his breath, "Come with me."
In her confusion, she silently obeyed as they disappeared below deck an into the deserted gun deck. James let go of her there and made haste to push aside a starboard cannon from a porthole and opening it, therefore forming a window from which they could look out at the capsized ship from below the main deck.
"James, what is this?" Rose asked, approaching where he stood peering out at the sight. "Why are we here?"
His brow was furrowed with intense concentration. "This isn't irreversible," he muttered, mostly to himself. "If there was a break in the storm for just a moment, even…and a strong westerly wave…"
Suddenly, Rose realized why James had taken her down here by herself; he had gone rogue, deliberately disobeying Will's orders in favor of trying to save the crew of the capsized vessel. "Oh no!" she exclaimed. "Absolutely not! I am not going to go against the Captain's orders and risk being sent to the Locker over what ultimately is the fates of a few men. Innocent men, I'll admit, but men who were destined to die this day."
"First of all, Will would never send you to the Locker," James countered. "If anyone would see that wrath, we both know it would and shall be me. Secondly, we have the resources to save lives! Why wouldn't we?"
Rose scoffed. "Because one of those 'resources,' is me! What you saw the other day was merely a few splashes of seawater on a deck! I am nowhere near ready to make any sort of significant impact with my powers at this time, let alone attempting to control a hurricane!"
"Another point in which he's wrong," James argued once more. "With my guidance and your powers, we could change all of this! Just the two of us!"
"No, James. I'm not ready."
"Don't allow the opinions of one man discourage you!"
"A man who just so happens to be a captain!"
"As was I!" James stated, rendering Rose silent. "I was a lieutenant, a captain, a commodore, and an admiral… I've had many more years on the sea than he ever has, and I subsequently feel certain in my discretion; You can do this."
Rose was still unconvinced. "Why does this matter so much to you?" she asked. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she instantly knew the answer and simultaneously wished that she could have taken the inquiry back. James's guilt-ridden expression confirmed her suspicions; He was so impassioned by this particular scene and determined to save the crew in order to atone for a similar act of belligerence years ago that cost him his crew, his ship, and his dignity. In pursuit of the Pearl, he had made a rash decision to sail through a hurricane rather than around it in attempts to catch up to Jack. He washed up on shore alone days later, with the deaths of honorable, loyal men on his hands. By saving this crew, he was honoring the men whose lives he had ended prematurely.
After a moment, James only said, "None of them deserve to die. Perhaps the fool who ordered them into the hurricane, but otherwise…" His voice trailed off. He looked back at her, pleading, "Please help me. The only way that we can accomplish this is if we do it together."
Though still uncertain, Rose finally consented. "I'm not sure how much I can do," she said. "I don't control elements of the air, only the water."
They both peered out of the porthole. "Alright," James calculated. "It's the wind that's causing the waves. Do you think that you can resist it? Hold the waters back against the wind?"
Rose gulped. "I can try…" She stretched her hands outward, gazing down at the waves immediately below them. She first wanted to run a test to ensure that she at least had enough control over herself to actually perform any of her powers even in their most minor form. When she was successful, she took a deep breath and moved her focus toward the churning waters before them. Once she had connected with the waves, however, every nerve in her forearms jolted as though she had been struck by lightning. She let out a cry and leapt backwards, losing her focus.
She rubbed her wrists, wincing, "It's too strong. I'm not strong enough to hold the waves back!"
James placed a steady hand on her back. "You have never experienced anything like this before. Now you know what to expect. Try again!"
Though his tone was encouraging, Rose's mouth fell agape that he honestly still expected her to battle a hurricane despite seeing the immense pain it had just caused her.
James noticed her reluctance and turned to face her. "Look, I won't do anything to hurt you, I promise. We have to give this our best shot, though! Please try once more."
Rose nodded in agreement, saying, "You need to be prepared for failure, James. This might not be possible."
"Well, then, we at least will know that we did all we could."
Rose took a deep breath, then pulled her focus to the focal point of the hurricane once more. Her body connected with the waves again, and the pain caused her arms to shake. She endured it, crying out in pain once again, but this time maintaining her hold on the waters. However, her arms shook so wildly that she was doing nothing to brace the sea against the wind; she was merely along for the ride.
James noticed this too. "Steady…" he said carefully.
Then he placed his hand on her back once more, and that somehow drew Rose away from the pain. Her focus was evermore sharp, and though still she trembled, her arms ceased their terrible shaking and the waters grew far more still.
"Excellent, excellent," said James quietly yet intensely. He took a moment to evaluate, then found the next action to take. He turned to her first, asking, "Are you alright?"
"Quite," Rose replied breathily.
"Do you think that you could hold with one hand and push a wave to the starboard side of their vessel?"
With her gaze unwavering, Rose growled through gritted teeth, "So you want me to control a hurricane with one hand when I can barely manage the deed with two?"
He grew closer to her, whispering, "Come on, you can do this!"
Rose took another large intake of breath, and pulled her left hand from its outstretched position. Her right arm once again began to shake violently with the intensity of holding the force of the water all on its own. The shooting pain began again, and Rose yelled in agony. James was quick to respond, pulling her back into his chest as he used his own right arm to steady hers.
"I've got you," he said. "Now, with the left, send a wave starboard."
Rose looked out at the scene of the hurricane again, and furrowed her brow in concentration. She moved her left hand outwards, but nothing moved. They both realized that it was because half of her body was holding the sea back while the other half was trying to make it move.
"Alright, release your hold," James ordered gently.
Rose flexed her right hand, letting the waves go and quickly swiping her left hand, sending a wave to the ship and its shipwrecked crew.
"Now hold again…"
Rose put her right arm out again and took an intake of breath when the pain came back, but held it steady.
"That wasn't enough to push it upright," he noted. "Send another."
She did.
"Now hold."
And she did.
"Another.
"Hold…
"Another…
"Hold!
"One more! Yes, that's it!
"Hold!
"Great, Rose, just one more! Now all of it! Give it everything you've got!"
Rose let out a war cry, taking both of her arms and pushing them outwards. Together, they had caused the ship to rock, and with her last effort, the capsized vessel was pushed back upwards. True, its mast was lost to the depths, but Rose watched as the tiny specks that were the men originally aboard her scrambled to climb back on deck. She noticed that a few men had been tossed astray by the storm, and gave another push of the waters to guide them back to the ship, but was careful to stop its progress before it rocked the vessel too roughly.
James still had his arms around her as they together watched the last of the men climb aboard their tattered ship.
Out of breath, Rose noted, "The storm. It's clearing!"
James too examined this, and he broke into a elated grin. Releasing her, together they celebrated in wild laughter. So thrilled was James, that it was awhile before he noticed that Rose had stopped celebrating and was sitting crouched against the Dutchman's walls, clutching her right arm. He quickly rushed to her side, sitting opposite her and reaching out to take the arm she was nursing.
"My word, are you hurt? What is it?"
Rose didn't respond immediately, but slowly murmured, "I did it. I can control my powers!"
James smiled. "I never doubted you could." He looked about ready to say something else, but just then they were interrupted.
"Norrington," Will said sternly. "Come with me."
James and Rose looked across the deck to the doorway where their Captain stood, face hardened with anger. They had disobeyed his command, which was in turn the command of fate. They both quickly rose to their feet, and James obediently walked to where Will was, but Rose interrupted, saying, "It was just as much me as it was him, Will. I could have resisted, but I didn't."
James looked back at her, shaking his head, "No. This was all me. She was merely the tool of my plans."
Will said nothing, simply turning and walking back up the ladder back towards his quarters. James followed wordlessly as well, leaving Rose feeling just as hollow and empty as the room which she now found herself alone in.
Rose paced her room, restless. Would Will send for her himself after he was done reprimanding James? What would James's punishment be? It had been hours since the incident, and she found herself concerned that he would be sent back to where he came from in the Locker. Will couldn't afford an insubordinate colleague, so it was entirely within the scope of possibility that James could already be banished.
Her mind raced through every possible scenario when she heard a knock at her door. She took a deep breath; This was either Will coming after her for her mistake, or James reporting what was sure to be the worst. Finally, she opened the door, revealing a forlorn-looking James.
She opened the door wider to him, to welcome him in. His gaze travelled around the room, as it was his first time inside of it.
After several moments of silence, Rose couldn't take it any longer. "Well?" she asked, ringing her hands. "What did Will have to say?"
Quietly, James said, "He emphasized why we cannot reverse the hands of fate. There are matters that are out of our hands. We cannot undo every hurricane, reverse every tragedy. Things must run their course, and we are but fate's servants."
"But what of you?" she asked. "You're…alright? You're still here, I mean…"
He snorted, eyes averted. Bitterly, he muttered, "Aye. I'm most definitely still here."
Rose furrowed her brow. "That's all?"
James still wouldn't look up at her, taking a deep breath before stating plainly, "I think it's best if we keep away from each other."
"Ah," she realized. "So that wasn't all. He told you to keep your distance from me, is that it?"
"It's something I've been rationalizing for awhile now, actually." His eyes remained downcast as he said, almost as though reciting a line of prewritten words, "I have 96 years of servitude left, and I would just like to get through them quickly and quietly. This is already painful enough as it is."
Rose was at a loss for words. She didn't understand if these words were influenced with pressure put upon by Will, or if James really meant what he was saying. "Painful?" she managed to squeak out. "What do you mean, 'painful?'"
He dodged her question and instead stating as he turned away from her, "Turner wishes to see you as well. Best step-to."
As he turned to leave, Rose followed him. "James, please. I don't understand…"
James took a deep breath, then after a moment spun around, quipping, "What's there to misunderstand?" Rose recoiled, not feeling this amount of irritability radiating from James since her days as his prisoner on Port Royal. He continued, "Let's just keep our distance, alright? How did you put it? 'This was all just a misunderstanding and a mistake,' correct?"
"James…"
He sidestepped her to leave the room, stating simply, "As I said, Turner awaits."
