Into The Horizon
Dusk was perhaps James Norrington's favorite time of day. It was an opportunity to reflect on the day gone by and prepare for the day to come. There was a sort of serenity that accompanied the soft hues in the sky. A brilliant array of oranges and pinks painted the horizon out before him like oil on a canvas. The sun hung low in the sky, lingering for one last glimpse of the world out before her.
Through it all blew a sweet sea breeze whose rich scent filled the air and the gallants of the HMS Dauntless. Her white canvas ruffled in the gentle wind, pulling her on her way into the golden scene waiting ahead. Her crew walked along her weather deck, some in shoes, others barefoot. Marines looked on at attention in their scarlet uniforms while top men climbed through the rigging above.
The Dauntless's bow cut through the water effortlessly, sending bow waves off to either side of her. The ocean seemed to embrace the ship as it flowed around her, across her beam, and finally behind her as she made her way. It was the soft disturbance in the water that drew Commodore Norrington's eyes down as he leaned against the taff rail, seemingly lost in deep thought. He watched quietly as the waves embraced the smooth lines of the vessel as she passed, allowing the gentle roll and soft slapping of the water against her hull to lull him even deeper into contemplation. Eventually James moved over to the starboard rail and spread his hands along the carved wood as he continued to look out to sea.
He had much to reflect upon. It had been nearly a year since Katherine had died. James had experienced a long list of emotions in that time, but most recently he felt at peace. Through the strife, self-destruction, despair and sadness finally emerged a sense of calm. Katherine's death ripped the heart out of his chest and threatened to destroy him, but he finally recognized that though she had been taken from this world, Katherine's legacy had not. Indeed it seemed that he had to lose her before her message could get through to his very being. Tragic though her final moments may have been, her words were not lost upon her brother. Never in a thousand lifetimes would he ever forget what she tried to say.
James let out a near inaudible chuckle and smirked at the memory of his sister. Her smile and her ridiculous persistence always were the first things he thought of when remembering Katherine. His thoughts would then move to the type of person she was, what she believed in, what she had brought into his life and the lives of those around her. James visited her grave once a week without fail and spent much time talking to the wind and bringing an arrangement of wildflowers or other things he found along the way. Initially he diligently removed the moss that was creeping in on the headstone and kept it clean, but he soon thought better of it. Katherine was loved by many. James for better or worse had always considered himself a rolling stone with only the slightest bit of moss, but Katherine made an impression wherever she went. He would let the moss grow from now on.
How happy James had been when he stood before Katherine's grave and told her of his plans to marry Melissa! There was a sort of fluttering within him that he could not ignore. He recalled to Katherine the events of that day. Months had passed since he confessed his love for Miss Reynolds, and the time passed with the courting rituals, dinner engagements, long walks and rides to more of the remote parts of the island. The high society of Port Royale gawked and whispered to each other over such a hasty interest by the Commodore, but to him there was nothing rushed about it. He had loved Melissa since the first day he saw her, and as he came to know her better, came to admire her quiet strength and character that was not outwardly visible to the rest of the world. The entire time he had only been repressing his true feelings.
James waited nearly a week for the right moment to propose to her. The rain which plagued the days before had finally broken, leaving him with a sunny opportunity to ask Melissa for her hand. The picnic he had planned was pleasant with the exception of the damp grass that soaked their blanket and had done a fine job on their clothing. It was truly a laughing matter, however, and once she had regained her composure, James looked over to her and removed the ring from his pocket. Melissa's hand lowered slowly from her face to her chest as she could only manage a stare in strict disbelief. They were silent for a moment before James mustered up the courage. He took her joyful tears and throwing herself at him hard enough to send them both backward into the bread as an acceptance of his proposal.
The wedding was intended to be a smallish affair yet still managed to attract the whole upper society of Port Royale. Ladies with their fans and men in their wigs and walking sticks mingled about, filling the air with gossip and the occasional deep laugh. James had spent the majority of the morning being a wreck with nerves and anticipation. Matthieu counted the 12 times the Commodore had checked his uniform in the mirror and the relentless tapping of his fingers upon the table when he finally did sit down.
Melissa, too, had spent her morning trying to occupy her mind. As she sat and looked at herself in the mirror, her thoughts turned to her mother who was no longer with her and her father who would not be there to walk her down the aisle. She hoped beyond all hope that at the very least they could see her on this day and were smiling from above. Delicately and with a sense of reverence she fingered the gold necklace that hung about her neck as she studied herself in the mirror. She traced her left brow with her finger, down along her face and finally covering her lips softly and closing her eyes to her reflection.
"I should not have it any other way!" Katherine's words resounded in Melissa's head. Her impossible enthusiasm and smile, her wit and cunning, and her satisfaction all seemed to be embodied in those few words. Melissa could only see Katherine's broad grin when she confessed her fancy for James. As she sat there alone in her dressing room reflecting upon the past, Melissa choked back a quick sob that threatened to shake her body and her composure. She opened her eyes after a moment and settled herself once more. She would not allow herself to be undone. She thought of her honest love for James and Katherine's enthusiasm toward the two of them, and found strength in that memory. She took a stronger hold of the angel about her neck and whispered, "It will be so."
Whoever thought Commodore Norrington could become such a wreck over something so simple, so true? It involved no cannon, no blades, and no possibility of death. And yet he stood there at the alter calling upon every ounce of composure to simply keep from shaking. He was not a man to become weakened enough for spirits, but at this moment he would have done quite well to have two glasses of wine – one for each hand. He looked through the crowd and tried to keep his composed façade about him. There was Governor Swann, grinning his satisfied little grin amidst his enormous grey wig. He found Elizabeth sitting one row back with Will, who was looking rather uncomfortable in his new suit. Elizabeth, however, appeared glowing as always and glanced back at James with a soft smile. Their eyes locked for a moment as James allowed a thankful smile to creep across his mouth as well.
"You look as if you need a drink," Matthieu said from behind James's left shoulder.
"Whatever do you mean?" James asked in a whisper, still looking from Elizabeth to the surrounding crowd.
"Oh, you know exactly what I mean," Gillette teased as he elbowed his friend playfully.
"Run for a glass of spirits right now and I'll be obliged to knock yer bloomin' teeth out," whispered Quinlan from the other side of Gillette. "And I wouldn't want to be doin' that since you've already spent the mornin' getting' yer uniform so pretty."
"That's quite enough, the both of you," Norrington whispered through his teeth as the quartet filled the air with harmonies and Mr. Meyerson and Melissa appeared from around the corner. James was awestruck. He reminded himself to breathe as she approached him at a painfully slow pace. Her pale blue dress was truly a sight, but in his eyes, it was nothing in comparison to her face. He smiled to himself and to her for she truly was a vision. And as she approached the sun glinted off the jewelry around her neck and James's heart seemed to skip a beat. It was Katherine's angel necklace, the necklace she was holding as she died and the one he had given to Matthieu.
James glanced over his shoulder. Matthieu stared back at him, a slightly pained, but relieved look on his face. That morning he had visited Melissa and given her one of the few things he had to remember Katherine by. But he knew that this small token went far beyond a simple piece of gold. James looked at him now and smiled down at him. Matthieu was healing, and he was thankful, for now another piece of him could heal as well.
The ceremony went without fail. No dropping of rings, forgetting of vows, or unanticipated visits by a certain pirate who had an affection for weddings. Short, simple, and though Norrington was a seasoned officer in the King's Navy, he wished to avoid the pomp and circumstance that surrounded these events. He and Melissa did not need the extra bit of attention that other couples desired. They found Gillette's dancing later that night to be entertainment enough.
Back on the deck of the HMS Dauntless, James still stood along the taff rail, gazing out beyond her sails and into the horizon before him. The sky was now a sort of softening orange with streaks of purple clouds running through it. The sun was sinking ever so cautiously, turning the ocean below into a fiery mix of deepening blue, orange, and pink. The vibrant colors reminded him of the painting hanging in his sitting room at home. Katherine had painted such a scene for James years before, the horizon bright and captivating, surrounding the proud ship sailing off into the horizon.
Into the horizon, indeed. James now looked forward to the horizon and the future his life held with Melissa. Without Katherine constantly poking them, they would have to find their own way together, and it was a journey he was eager to take. His one regret was that his sister was not able to make her own journey. Or perhaps she already had. Perhaps by some unique twist of fate he was her journey. Perhaps her entire reason for coming back into his life was to help him in ways no one else could, and he was thankful for her companionship, her sacrifice, and her forgiveness.
He closed his eyes momentarily as he thought of her, allowing himself to take in the sounds of the wind, waves, and crew working around him.
Despite all that had happened, the ocean still was a means of security for James. It was a place of honor, duty, danger, and wonderful things such as mystery, passion, and escape. It was a bit like love, Norrington thought. It held something different for each person. Interpreting one's feelings for another was not something that could be determined in a book or in the Articles of War. It's meaning was special and unique; it was in its very own way a sort of freedom from the world. Despite all that could happen, a person still had love to carry them through. They could weather the storms and hardships, survive the shipwrecks, ride the tides, and sail through life pushed by the desire to love and be loved by another. Love was an ocean – a deep and timeless sea whose depths provided a wealth of happiness or sorrow. And it was up to the person to discover its treasures.
James breathed deep the sweet sea air. His love for the sea was a different sort of love that surrounded him with satisfaction and meaning. It touched him in ways that no other human being could; it excited his soul and freed his mind. But he did not look at it the same way others did. He remembered how Sparrow glanced across the water and held a sort of gleam in his eye. Norrington now understood how Jack Sparrow love the sea – he loved it as James love Melissa. The Black Pearl was freedom, adventure, and companionship to Sparrow, much like Melissa was to her new husband. James chuckled. And as he looked out across the ocean, he could nearly envision the tall sails and black hull gliding off into the horizon, her master at the helm smiling a clever, golden smile.
THE END.
