James sat down heavily in the crew quarters recreation area, cup half filled with gin in hand. He was so grateful for his muscle memory and his meticulous training that even in his shock he was able to still perform the necessary tasks and carry out his duties as the state of emergency arrived aboard the Dauntless. He had immediately gone on instinct as soon as Elizabeth spotted Mr Turner, yelling at his men to save the boy.
However his situation allowed him to be more present than before and in the process of saving the boy that would one day grow up to steal, no win, Elizabeth from him he noticed more than he had the first time around.
He observed Elizabeth talk to the boy once he woke but he also observed the girl take something from Will. The glint of gold. The story's of Aztec treasure and his own experiences at Isla De Muerta gave him a good idea of what Elizabeth was now concealing behind her back as he asked her his questions, but he let it go. He had no grounds to demand she reveal what she took but he couldn't help but think that this moment was significant.
Now he looked on as Elizabeth fussed over a distraught looking Will Turner who tried valiantly to engage with the sprightly and energetic girl, but it was obvious that the boy had been through harrowing times and just wanted to rest. The medic on board had advised against him sleeping in regards to him having suffered head injuries so Elizabeth had taken it upon herself to talk his ear off.
Across the large space where many of his fellow crewmen sat eating and drinking he and his future rival met eyes and James nodded once in understanding but also silently beseeched him to indulge her. Turner paused, bowed his head and then actively turned around to actually start listening to Elizabeth instead of just tolerating her presence. Elizabeth was delighted at his sudden attentiveness and he saw her high spirits lift Wills.
James couldn't help but give a smile for the future couple. It was always supposed to be them. He was never supposed to have been a foil to their connection. She had spotted him, taken care of him, befriended him, thought of him more than what his station presented and he in turn saved her life while James bound by his duties and propriety looked on helplessly forlorn.
When he glanced at Elizabeth again, he saw her once again as the Captain of the Empress, as she fell holding to the rope he had severed in the attempt to help them escape and he realised that maybe this is why he was now here. Reliving his life watching this again unfold. He was meant to do something, he was meant to ensure Elizabeth's happiness. At one time he thought he would be the source of that happiness but he had long since disabused himself of that notion with authority.
But looking at the children on the other side of the hall engaged in gleeful banter, he decided then and there, his mission was always the same, just like before. He wanted Elizabeth to be happy. And he would give his life to ensure it be so.
His first order of business was to make sure that Will didn't end up destitute and homeless. Not just for Wills sake but for Elizabeth's future prospects as well. Sentiment was all well and good, but it only extended so far. Could Elizabeth survive being a Blacksmiths wife? He was sure Elizabeth could survive anything, but he knew she would never truly be living. It took him a long time to understand that she would also have not been living being the wife of a Navy officer, expected to uphold societal expectations while her husband remained out at sea more often than not all year round, waiting for news of his return or his demise.
It took him a while to learn that Elizabeth was a force of nature. Domestic bliss, duty and propriety wasn't something she cared about, she wanted to be free. Even the Elizabeth he could observe now was the same. He was a fool to have tried to tame her. She was no one's to tame or subdue. James suspected that even the promise of a future with the man she would eventually grow to truly love would not be enough to calm her want for adventure and exploration.
Which is once again why James had decided to take a much more closer interest in Will Turner. It wasn't his destiny to bring Elizabeth happiness but he could make sure that the man who did would have the best chance at providing that happiness to her. James downed the last remains of gin in his cup scoffing at himself. He reflected on his sad existence, ensuring the future prospect of the woman he loved and the man who would love her like he wasn't allowed to.
He would feel sorry for himself if he didn't think he deserved this existence. He was being truthful with Elizabeth back on the Dutchman, he didn't know about her father's death. But that didn't absolve him of his other sins. Many sins. Closing his eyes he sighed as the familiar images flashed in front of his eyelids.
Shoes, clothes, hats. Piles and piles of it. Lines of people being marched slowly towards the gallows. One pair of shoes he always fixated on. He hadn't been at all the executions but he had been present when the song had been sung. The child was too short to reach the noose. The hangman had provided a barrel for him. The noose was slung around his neck and he began to sing.
The pull of the lever. The trap door opened and his song died in his throat, while still echoing through the voices of the rest of his pirate brethren. That day as he James looked down at the too small shoes of the boy being pulled off his lifeless corpse. His own men tossing the child's body on the cart already filled with bodies he knew he had truly earned his once famed moniker, James Norrington the Scourge of Piracy.
Bringing that heart to Beckett was the single worst thing he had done in his whole life and it seemed that life was determined to take it's toll. This wasn't his second chance. This was his purgatory, to relive and ensure his own personal hell as the woman he loved finds happiness in the arms of another. But he was determined to see it through. James would endure and he would succeed and maybe at the end, this time, he would find absolution.
