Disclaimer: Pirates? Not mine.
Author's Note: Many thanks to Rei for the beta, and Osaka and Acchan for the readings and encouragement.
One - Chance Meeting
A boy stood alone on the docks. Behind him, the familiar bulk of his ship loomed close to her berth. Before him spread the city of Bombay in all of her Eastern glory. The boy, one James Norrington by name, was anxious to explore. He felt a little sad that he had no one to share his adventures. The captain had, of course, told the other midshipmen to look after him. However, when the older boys had set off intent on a day of whoring and drinking, neither of which appealed to twelve-year-old James, he had quietly slipped away with no one the wiser. He took careful note of where his ship was moored and set out for the city proper. The headquarters of the East India Company, a most impressive edifice, sat near the water's edge several ship-lengths down the docks, and James dutifully stopped for a moment to contemplate this monument to Britain's entrepreneurial might.
James' stomach growled. Though it had not been very long since he had eaten, he had done hard work since then, and finding something good to eat seemed like a capital idea. The harbor smelled of rotting fish and several other foul things James did not care to put a name to. However, there were some wonderfully tantalizing smells mixed in with the unsavory ones.
James followed the crowd down the main thoroughfare and found himself in a large open market. He wandered through the stalls, running his hands over bolts of silk and testing the heft of an ivory handled knife. All around him, great masses of people talked and laughed, bought and sold in a language he did not understand. It made him feel very small and unimportant, and he was still hungry. He saw venders selling unfamiliar foods, but he did not know what Indian dish would suit his taste, and he did not have the coin to make a wrong guess. He sat down on a squat barrel in order to think through his situation.
Without warning, an orange landed in his lap. James put his hands around it before it could roll onto the ground and looked up to see who had thrown it. Another boy a few years James' senior leaned against a wall a few feet away, grinning widely. He was a sailor, by the look of him. He wore a shabby brown coat that was several sizes too large for his lanky frame, his long dark hair was unkempt, and he had the scraggly beginnings of a goatee. James looked at the orange in his hand again and wondered if it was safe to trust a gift that had come from such a person.
"You looked hungry," the other boy said. He sauntered over and sat next to James. "You wouldn't happen to be lost, would you, lad?"
"I'm not lost," James insisted. He began to peel the orange, dropping the skin onto the ground near his feet. "I'm just trying to decide what to do next. But I'm not quite sure what I that is, since I've never been here before." He broke off a piece of the orange and bit into it. After weeks of hardtack and salted pork, the sweet, juicy taste was heaven.
"That's the case then, is it? Well, you are in luck. I am something of an expert on Bombay and would be wiling to show you what there is to be seen, if you'd like."
"Yes, please. That's very generous of you," James said between bites. "And my thanks for the fruit, as well."
The other boy shrugged. "I know how it is, just coming into port with naught but the taste of sailor's fare between your teeth… Now then, what's your name, boy?"
James stood up and drew himself to his full height. He was tall for his age, or so everyone told him, and he intended to show his new companion that he was no child. "I'm James Norrington, Midshipman of His Majesty's Navy," he said. "What's yours?"
"I'm Jack Sparrow." He put out a hand, and James shook it.
"Pleased to meet you, Jack," James said.
"Seems you've got some manners, I'll give you that," Jack said, laughing.
"My mother made sure of it," James said seriously.
Jack chuckled again. "I've no doubt she did…" he agreed. "Come on, let's get going."
James followed Jack Sparrow around Bombay for the rest of the morning and into the afternoon. Jack showed him temples and palaces that had been standing since before the first European ever came to India. He showed him fine new mansions that the British had built to remind them of home. James saw parrots and monkeys and peacocks, and Jack even acquired one of the peacock's tail feathers for him as a souvenir.
They both grew hungry again, and Jack had James buy a piece of flat bread and dish of meat in sauce so spicy that James felt as if his tongue were on fire. Jack ran about like a madman looking for water for James to drink, which James found quite comical even in his distress. In the end, Jack let him have a drink from the flask he kept in his coat pocket. James choked a little at the strength of the liquor, but recovered quickly.
"Fine sailor's drink, rum is," Jack explained. "Good for pretty much everything."
James had to admit that he agreed.
When James first saw an elephant lumbering down the street toward them, he grasped Jack's arm.
"Is that an elephant?" he asked. His eyes were large as he stared at the monstrous grey creature.
Jack looked at him a little strangely. "It is…" he said.
"Oh. It's just… I've never seen one before. Except for pictures in books, that is. I didn't expect it to be so big." Fear had faded to curiosity, and James moved to follow the elephant and its driver.
"You want to ride it?" Jack asked suddenly.
"What?" James said, alarmed. Looking was one thing, but riding such an enormous creature was quite another.
"Just wait here. Don't go anywhere." Jack grinned and ran over to the driver and got his attention. After speaking to the man for a while in his native language, Jack beckoned James over. "He says it's fine. Come on!"
James cautiously stepped closer as the elephant knelt on down so that the boys could get on its back. Jack climbed up first then helped James to scramble up and sit in front of him. When their mount rose to its feet, James tensed. Jack put his hands on the younger boy's shoulders.
"I've got you, Jamie. I won't let you fall."
James forced himself to relax. "I'm fine, really I am," he assured Jack.
And he was fine, once he became convinced that he was not going to fall off and be trampled to death. Being so high up was rather exhilarating, and James felt as if he were king of all he surveyed. As they rode, Jack taught James to say some very rude things in Hindi and told him stories of rajahs and courtesans and Hindu gods.
When Jack was quiet for a moment, James turned around and said, "It's very kind of you to pay me so much mind… I mean, you've got your own shipmates, don't you? I'd imagine… they'd be a lot more fun than I am."
"Aye, they're around here somewhere," Jack said. "Probably deep in their cups by now. Drink's a fine thing to be sure, but when I put into harbor I'd rather have a look around than head straight for the bottle. You meet more interesting folk that way." He winked at James and started off on another tale.
When the eastern sky began to grow dark, the two boys hurried back to the docks.
"That's my ship," James said resignedly, pointing at an imposing third-rate. "The Prosperity."
Jack's sharp, appraising eye ran over the Prosperity, and he nodded. "She looks like a fine old girl," he said.
"Quicker than you'd think, too," James said proudly. "How about you? Where's your ship, Jack?"
Jack looked to the west and the dying light. "We've got a bit of time before the sun sets. Come with me and I'll show you, but let's be quick about it!"
The two of them raced down the docks until Jack came to an abrupt halt and James nearly ran into the back of him.
"There she is!" Jack made a grand sweeping gesture at a trim little ship docked nearby. "That's my Lady Fair."
"I'll bet she's fast," James said, true admiration in his voice.
"She is," Jack told him. Then, he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "But not as fast as the ship I'm going to have. Someday, I'll be Captain Jack Sparrow. And I'll captain the fastest ship the seas have ever seen. You, lucky man, will be able to say you've heard of me!"
"I can do better than that! Just think, I've actually met you!" James said, playing along.
A ship's bell rang somewhere in the distance, bringing the boys back to the present.
"I have to go back now," James said quietly. "Today was… a good day. I thank you for that." Again, he felt small, sad, and very alone.
Jack slung his arm around James' shoulders and ruffled his hair affectionately with his other hand.
"No long face, now," Jack said. "Who knows? We might meet again someday. 'Til then, take care of yourself, Jamie."
"Godspeed, Jack," James said.
As the last light of the sun hit the rooftops of the city, the two boys parted, each one going his own way.