Disclaimer- I'm not making any money off of this and I don't own any of it….too bad…I wouldn't mind owning Jack ;)
Title- Reflections on unrequited love
Summary: OK, I'm not a huge Norrington fan, in fact I'm not really a Norrington fan at all, but I was thinking that there aren't that many fics about him. So this is a one-shot where he reflects (His POV) on Jack's hanging read and review…please!
Well, this is it. I'll finally be rid of Jack Sparrow once and for all. Now, let's see, where did I put that list of all his wrongdoings and evil deeds?
Flashback
"Commodore, I really must protest. Pirate or not this man saved my life!"
"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness!"
That scene had flashed back into my mind a lot during the past few days. I will not be swayed by what others say, I'm bound by the law and to my King as well.
But I just can't stop thinking about the scene that plays back into my mind as well, the one when we were coming back to Port Royal.
Flashback
We were finally going back. We had Turner, Elizabeth and…Sparrow. I was searching through some papers after telling Sparrow to stay with me. I then decided it would be for the best if Sparrow could stay with Murtogg and Mullroy.
"Come in." I had said to the person who knocked at my cabin door. It was Elizabeth. I smiled warmly at my fiancé.
"Commodore, I've come to discuss the matter of Jack's hanging with you."
"What's there to discuss? He'll be hung just like any other pirate."
I had said this while looking down, I did not want Elizabeth to see my face which would have given away my true thoughts. I did not want to Sparrow hung, he had saved the women I loved.
In fact, I did not want to see Sparrow at 'tall. This whole matter could have easily been cleared up had he sailed away on his bloody ship. But, no, those bloody pirates had to take it and leave me stuck with him!
"Commodore…" Elizabeth had started to say but I held up my hand to correct her and said, "Please, call me James."
"James, Jack isn't just another pirate. He's saved my life, twice!"
"Two good deeds are not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness. I do believe I've said that before.
Besides, Sparrow's hanging has been postponed for far too long.
Now, I have lots to do and I would appreciate it if you left me alone. Good night darling."
I had said all that kindly, at least I thought I did. But Elizabeth just said, "Commodore, it's Captain Sparrow, if you please." And then she was gone. Why did she always have to side with that pirate? I knew she always had a certain fascination with pirates and I've tried to tell her what they're really like, but she just won't listen.
End flashback
Well, I can't think on past events, after this morning, it will all be over with. I hope. Look at the time, I'd better be going.
Fort Charles"Jack Sparrow, let it be known…"
So far, so good, nothing has happened, yet I can't shake this feeling of dread that something will happen.
"For your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most dangerous of these to be cited herewith—piracy, smuggling…"
Elizabeth spoke, not to me of course, I was hanging her precious pirate. She said it to her father and I heard every word clearly, knowing it was really meant for me.
"This is wrong."
Fortunately for me Governor Swan spoke and came to my defense.
"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law. As are we all."
"…Impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England…"
I can't believe it; Sparrow is actually smiling at all this. Elizabeth should see now that her precious pirate is not that precious.
"…Sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul.
Good, put the noose around his neck please. Oh, no, Turner is here and he walking this way. This is going to be a bad day. Well, Elizabeth proclaimed her love for me and she is going to marry me. That's that.
"Governor Swan. Commodore. Elizabeth. I should have told you every day from the moment I met you. I love you."
What? He loves her? No, this cannot do. I love her! She knows that; how dare he come up to her and say that in front of me. He can't love her, he's such a commoner, a mare blacksmith.
"I can't breathe."
"Elizabeth?" I heard the Governor say. Oh, no, Elizabeth! I have to help her. I rush to her side to help her up when I notice Turner running towards the gallows. Elizabeth sits straight up and I know she's all right.
"Marines!" I shouted. They certainly don't move fast. I ran and as soon as I got to the gallows, I look up and see the executioner falling, and at the angle at which he was coming, he was going to fall on me.
"Look out!" I yelled. Oww, this man weighs a ton. Turner, Sparrow, where are they? Ah, there.
I caught up to them and drew my sword. "I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt, but not from you." I said menacingly while pointing my sword at Turner.
"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!"
Thank you Governor. He needed to be told that.
"And a good man. If all I have achieved here is that the hangman wears two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."
What? A good man? I looked straight at him. I really didn't want to hang Sparrow, everything Elizabeth had said was once again flashing in my mind. Perhaps Sparrow was truly a good man. But I'm a Commodore, I can't be swayed by emotions.
If that's the case, then why do I feel so wrong about hanging this pirate?
I looked at him and said, "You forget your place, Turner."
There that should settle it, I can't side with a pirate, it's an order. No matter how much that pirate has done for me, saving the love of my life, I mean. I didn't expect the response I got from him, nor the response Elizabeth gave me.
"It's right here, between you and Jack." Turner said returning my glare.
"As is mine." Elizabeth ran into the middle of the group and grabbed his hand.
No, no, it's not; your place is with me, not with a blacksmith and a pirate. I love you Elizabeth. Could you at least try to love me back? I looked at her and said, "So this is where your heart truly lies then?"
"It is." She said.
I will not, shall not, break down in front of everyone. This is too much. How could she do this to me, in front of everyone, including a bloody pirate?
This is the biggest letdown in my life. A thousand promotions could not erase the hurt I feel by being rejected by the woman I love, who doesn't love me in return.
I was brought out of my thoughts as Sparrow said, "Well! I'm acutally feeling rather good about all this."
Of course he was, he's still alive. He walked in that annoying swaying manner over to Govenor Swan and countined, "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually…Ecumenically…Grammatically?"
"Ugh!" Spoke Governor Swan. He was now walking to me and I don't care what he says to me.
"I was rooting for you, mate. Know that."
What? Oh, please…as if I really believe that.
"Elizabeth…it never would have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry"
He said that very regretfully. Nothing had happened between them…but they were on that island for a night…could something have happened?
"Will…nice hat."
His hat wasn't nice, it was big and had feathers on it…I could have thrown it into the ocean, of course at the moment I could have thrown him into the ocean.
"Friends! This is the day that you will always remember as the day that…"
He never got to finish. He fell over the wall, thank goodness, I'm rid of him as well. I wonder how well he fared though, considering the rocks and all…I rushed to the edge to look. No he made it.
"Idiot! He has nowhere to go but back to the noose." Gillette said.
He doesn't know Sparrow too well. I doubt he'll ever be back at a noose again.
A sentry then yelled, "Sail ho!"
Yes, I was right, Sparrow will sail off and won't be at a noose again.
"What's your plan of action, sir?"
The question was asked to me, but I didn't want to answer it. Had it been any other situation and any other day, I would have a foolproof plan of action. That's why I'm Commodore. But today I didn't know what to do.
"Perhaps on the rare occasion pursing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course." Swan said to me.
It looks like Elizabeth persuaded him as well. He felt the same as I, but like myself, felt it should not be spoken. Until now. Sparrow can wait, I don't really care anymore, and the one person I cared about more than anything doesn't care about me now. It doesn't matter.
But there was one more matter at hand I had to address before I could leave.
"Mr. Turner!" I ordered. I wanted to make it known to him that he had better take good care of her.
He turned to Elizabeth and said, "I will accept the consequences of my actions."
How brave, does he think I'm going to shoot him or something? I pulled out my sword. He stood in front of me. I simply said, " This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life."
Hopefully he didn't need more than that. My face showed what I truly meant. I knew he had made the swords. You would have to be dense not to know that. Mr. Brown could never make anything like the sword I held in my hand.
I decided that I should leave; Turner said, "Thank you." Yes, I did get my point across.
"Commodore! What about Sparrow?" Gillette asked me.
Great, Sparrow is the least of my worries…I can't let them know that though.
So hopefully this answer will suffice, "I think we can afford to give him one day's head start."
They looked at me as if I had gone mad. Let them think what they want. I left my one true love on the top of Fort Charles, the place where I declared my love for her and proposed.
Now she had someone else…I do hope she's happy with him. I guess she deserves him.
I walked home with the thoughts of unrequited love floating in my head. There's nothing I can do about it now; I might as well pick up the pieces and move on. At least I still have the Dauntless.
