Summary: You know those guards that are patrolling right outside the fort during Norrington's promotion ceremony? This is their story...

Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. I do own, I suppose, Jennings and Williams.

Insignificant

Ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back, turn, ten steps forward, turn, ten steps back, turn...

My name is Jennings. Well, my first name is Charles, but around here everybody calls me Jennings. Being a guard really isn't that much fun, to be honest. When I joined, I thought I was being gallant and brave and honorable, but I wasn't. All I do is patrol, mostly. And today I'm patrolling outside the fort, while Captain Norrington is in there being promoted to Commodore. And I could do all that he could do, if they'd give me a chance.

I've been a guard for a few years. Wearing that glorious red coat and all. It's not really fun, and insignificant people like me get absolutely no recognition. There is another guard that just got put on duty today, I think his name is Williams. My old patrolling partner began patrolling some other place, I believe. And since patrolling outside of this fort is possibly the most boring thing ever, I decided to strike up a conversation...

"Nice day."

Ten steps in one direction, turn, walk back, and there is Williams, replying.

"Is it?"

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"Well, not really. Too hot if you ask me."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"You're right. Say, what do you think of Norrington?"

Ten steps...

"Bloody annoying fellow."

Ten steps, turn...

"I agree."

Ten steps, turn...

"What did he do to get the promotion anyway?"

What a surprising question! Most people don't bother to wonder about those types of things. All we simple-minded men simply do our job, and know that the officers are smarter and better at what they do.

"Oh, he pretty much...sucked up to the Governor, I s'pose." I had just conjured up that theory out of thin air, but it was rather amusing, and, I thought, probably true...

Ten steps...I could hear Williams trying to stifle his laughter.

"Don't you just adore these wigs?"

Ten steps, wondering if Williams is crazy, until I figure out he's being sarcastic. My mother always did say I wasn't the sharpest child...

"Oh, yes. They are very comfortable."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

So the conversation droned on a bit, with us making jokes about our uniforms and other things related to that. Then the conversation turned to Norrington again.

"He has some strange fascination with the Governor's daughter."

Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"What about his rather odd obsession with pirates?"

Ten steps...how to reply to that?

"I always thought he was a bit strange, myself. He's rather paranoid too..."

Williams half-smiled before turning.

"Maybe somebody in his family was a pirate...maybe his mum married a pirate!"

This was such a ridiculous notion that I actually burst out laughing for a moment, before checking myself. Ten steps, turn, ten steps...

"Well, it's possible, isn't it?"

I was, by now, wondering if Williams was quite off his rocker. I hoped not, as we had been having a very interesting conversation. But maybe he had heard something...

"Anything is possible, if you look at it the right way." There! That was an excellent reply, very vague and neutral.

Suddenly we heard somebody shouting, so we ran into the fort. That is practically a forbidden thing, but in the midst of something going on, nobody realizes that petty soldiers are there, and that is practically the only way that we find out about things. I thought, with a touch of regret, that my stimulating conversation with Williams, which had broken the monotonous way that my days usually go, had ended, but perhaps could be started up again later...