Anchors away! It's our first sequel Sue!

[araeph]

TITLE: To Love a Pirate
CULPRIT: Neseve Sedai
SUMMARY: Why does Commodore Norrington hate pirates so much? This starts when James Norrington is still a common soldier in the Navy. He meets a woman who will change his life forever. NorringtonOC. Rating will go up in later chapters. Please review!

BEST LINE: “You’re from Ireland, aren’t you?” his voice broke into her thoughts, “You said Irish.” Ladies and gentlemen: a demonstration of Norrington’s cranial capacity in this fic.

VERDICT:

NAME: Isobel “Smith” Bryant
HAIR: “Long red ringlets framed a delicate heart-shaped face with full pink lips.”
EYES: “Her large round eyes were a bright shade of green that he had never seen before.”
DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: “For a split second he was stunned by her beauty.” “She had pale ivory skin.” “full lips” “He hadn’t noticed before that she was wearing men’s clothing. The tight breeches and tunic showed off her body well. He berated himself for having the audacity to stare at her lovely curves.” Wow. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Sue had attractive nose hair.
OH SO SPESHUL POSSESSIONS: Men’s clothing that somehow fits her perfectly. Um, as someone commented on an earlier post, clothes were tailored to fit each individual. Either she found a tailor who would put men’s clothes on her, or there’s one mightily feminine-looking guy out there who’s wondering who stole his outfit.
OBNOXIOUS AND/OR IMPLAUSIBLE ORIGIN: It’s mysterious…to Norrington, anyway. Actually, she’s the daughter of a murdered pirate captain who was killed by an evil pirate who was searching for treasure. Movie plot regurgitation…mmm mmm good.
OBNOXIOUS AND/OR IMPLAUSIBLE CANON CONNECTIONS: Norrington’s One True Love. I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of these, now that Norrington has lost the ice cream wig.
SOOPER SPESHUL ABILITIES: The amazing abilities that many Sues have that allow them, young women, to survive a vicious pirate raid completely unscathed…and with no leverage whatsoever.

TRAGIC PAST: “Her real last name was Bryant. She was the youngest and favorite daughter of the now dead pirate, Patrick Bryant. If she had told them her real last name, someone might have made the connection and then there would be no denying what she was, who she was. A pirate. And then it would be off to the hangman’s noose for her. Thinking of her father made her get teary-eyed. He had died a year ago, killed along with all of his crew but one by the infamous Captain Blackeye. The one surviving crewman, named Jon Harfor, had come to Isobel- her father had left her in Tortuga- and told her what had happened. Blackeye had come seeking the treasure that her father had found a month earlier. It was a huge treasure. Blackeye had murdered her father to get to the gold. Hatred and anger burned in Isobel’s heart. She had sworn that very night to find Blackeye and avenge her father. That was why she was here, looking for him. The pirate ship that had attacked her had not been his. She had not recognized its sails. Luckily for her, the men who had come aboard dismissed her for some serving maid or whore instead of the ship’s captain, and only knocked her out instead of killing her. She had been lucky, but she had still lost her ship, and a good ship it was! Now she was in the hands of the British Navy- as a guest, yes, and not a prisoner, but still- there was no way she would be able to get another ship soon. She felt like crying.”

I may have to start LJ-cutting the tragic pasts.

The “Plot”: Well, here’s the first of what I’m sure will be a barrage of Norrington Sues. For some reason, although the Sues themselves are always sparkling and shining clean, they seem to like grubbiness in their lust objects. Ah, well. This is a rarely-seen type of Suefic: one that focuses on Norrington’s younger days. Apparently, when Norrington was 22, he was just another clone of Will Turner, complete with hot-headedness and the special kind of fic-induced stupidity that, before Dead Man’s Chest, belonged to Will alone. Norrington is playing Heroic Swashbuckler by rescuing Isobel Smith, who is actually the survivor of a pirate attack that killed her father. The villain pirate’s name is Blackeye (maybe he got into a tavern brawl once too often), and he has treasure of some sort. She has sworn revenge. But all of these boring adventure subplots are mere trifles compared to the GREAT ROMANTIC LURVE between Sue and her beau. This includes period-inappropriate snogging that would make Will and Elizabeth’s kiss appear to be a chaste and distant expression of affection. I don’t have to read very far in, because hey, the Suethor has already outlined the plot and brought the romance to a head in the first three chapters. I don’t really need to read any more of it to see, in detail, how it’s going to go.

Notes: The grammar and logic aren’t as bad as in most Suefics. In fact, if you took the Sue out, you might have a decent story. More’s the pity.


Norrington is impulsive. And horny.

Chapter One

James Norrington leaned over the railing of Seaspray and breathed in the salty sea air. This was his first real assignment as a soldier in the Port Royal's Navy. He was only 22 and had just enlisted last year. He loved the sea. That was why he had known since he was a boy that he wanted to be part of the navy. It was his calling. He would defend Port Royal against all odds, maybe even become Commodore one day. Now, he along with the other crewmen on Seaspray, were to travel these waters searching for any threats to Port Royal. He thought it would probably be a simple matter. They hadn’t seen any sign of life since they left the port four days ago.

His thoughts were interrupted when he saw something floating in the distance.

“What’s that?” he asked Jonathan Blake anther low ranking soldier standing with him. He gestured to the floating object.

Blake shaded his eyes from the sun and squinted. “I don’t know,” he said slowly, “Piece of drift wood? Ah, no, I was mistaken. It’s a piece of recycled plot, instead.”

James nodded his agreement and turned to peer off into the other direction. He whirled around when he heard Jonathan’s shout. “It’s a woman!”

It was. The wood she was sprawled out on had drifted closer, giving them a better view. She seemed to be unconscious. Immediately, James removed his coat and boots. It only took him a few seconds, and he was already in the water before any of the other men could move. When he came up for air the first time, a wave hit him in the face, causing him to choke on the salty sea water. He coughed and spluttered, but kept moving. He knew that if he wanted to reach the woman in time, he could not stop. He began to swim faster than he had ever swum in his life. Since ships tend to, y’know, move around, it might be a good idea to grab hold of a rope before doing that. After what seemed like an eternity, he reached the piece of wood that the woman was laying on. For a split second he was stunned by her beauty. All that effort to get to her quickly, and now he stops and stares instead of rescuing her? Long red ringlets framed a delicate heart-shaped face with full pink lips. She had pale ivory skin. He shook his head and mentally berated himself for wasting time. He could marvel over her beauty later. Right now her life was at stake. And his. He gathered her into his arms and began kicking furiously back to the boat. It seemed miles away, and it might as well have been. He could feel his strength leaving him. The woman wasn’t heavy by any means, but carrying her had taken what little strength he had left from the swim out to her. His kicks became more feeble. He looked at the unconscious woman with sorrow. It was a pity that she was so close to salvation, and he had to give out. He tried to kick harder, but it was no use. His strength was gone. You know, I seem to remember something about Norrington being averse to rash action. Guess I went to the wrong movie. A wave came over his head, and as he thrust her up to keep her from inhaling the water, he went under. Just when he thought that his life was over, he felt the young woman’s weight lifted from his hands, and someone grabbed him. He looked up into Jonathan Blake’s face as he was pulled into the lifeboat. Jonathan pushed him onto his back and pressed on his chest. He thought he coughed up more water than was in the whole sea.

He lay there for a moment in a daze, staring up at the blue sky, and just breathing. Air had never tasted so good. Then realization hit him. He bolted up from where he was laying in the small boat. Where was the woman? He saw her just as the thought came to him. She was sitting up coughing water out of her throat just as he had been a moment ago. She drew a shuddering deep breath and looked around.

“You’re the British Navy?” she sounded a little scared. He wondered why. She also sounded dehydrated. He would have to get her some water when they got to the ship. Her accent was definitely Irish. He had never been to Ireland before, but he had met an Irishman once. What would an Irish woman be doing alone all the way out here.

“Yes,” Jonathan answered her before James could open his mouth. He sounded proud. Then Jonathan turned to him. “This, milady, is your rescuer.”

When she turned to look at him, his breath caught in his throat. She was even more beautiful than he had thought. Her large round eyes were a bright shade of green that he had never seen before. He hadn’t noticed before that she was wearing men’s clothing. In that time and place, and after noting that she didn’t weigh a lot (whereas heavy skirts would have weighed her down)? Oh, yeah, it’d be really easy to ignore a woman dressed like that. The tight breeches and tunic showed off her body well. He berated himself for having the audacity to stare at her lovely curves. Her full lips curved up in a slow small smile. “Thank you,” she said, even though her voice was a little raspy from thirst it still sounded like music, “For saving my life. May I ask your name?”

He gaped at her for a moment before returning her small. “James Norrington, milady. This is the second time we’ve seen that word. Jack used it once in the entire movie…and he was being sardonic. And yours?”

She hesitated for a moment, and bit her bottom lip. “Isobel,” she said after a moment, “Isobel Smith. And please don’t call me milady. I am nothing but a common woman.”

James nodded. He wondered why she had hesitated about her name. What could she have to hide? He thought she might be lying about her name, her last name anyway. If she was she must be very nervous, everyone knew that Smith wasn’t an Irish name. None of the other men made a move to accuse her of lying though, and he certainly wasn’t going to.

“And what are you doing way out here in the middle of the ocean?” One of the other men asked. James thought his name was Nathaniel. He was a few years older than himself. The way he looked her up and down as he spoke made James’s face heat up. Did the man have no manners? But that’s just what Norrington himself was doing two seconds ago!

Isobel just eyed him coolly until his eyes rested on her face. She gave him a look that said not to do that again. “I was on a ship headed for Port Royal. We were attacked by pirates. Someone hit me in the head, and that is all I remember.”

“You are in luck,” James said. When her eyes turned back to him they regained their warmth, “We are from Port Royal. I am sure we can have you there soon.”

The other men looked at him, obviously surprised at him telling her something that only the captain could. Wha…? Did the rest of them have speech impediments? They truly weren’t supposed to be back in Port Royal for another ten days. She nodded and smiled at him again. “Thank you for you kindness.”

By that time they had reached the ship. Someone threw down a rope ladder for them to climb up on. James rushed up beside Isobel so that he would be the man to hand her up. She smiled as she took his hand. Her hand was soft and felt strangely small in his. Was it just him or did she let it linger before letting go?



True Love in four days. How come it’s not this easy for the rest of us?

There’s no commentary on this excerpt, except to say that Norrington would have been brought to refrain from so much as holding her hand. A simple kiss, without being betrothed is scandalous enough. This…well, see for yourself.

“Good afternoon, Isobel.” She smiled and her bright green eyes twinkled with happiness. To his surprise- and great pleasure- she did not let go of his hand. She wiggled in closer to him and rested her head on his chest. He wondered how he managed to breathe.

“What’s Port Royal like?” she asked suddenly looking up at him.

He cleared his throat. “It’s like any other city, I guess,” he said, “I really don’t have much to compare it to. I really haven’t been to that many places.”

She nodded and laid her head back on his chest. They just stood there like that for a while. James heard a sniff and looked down. Isobel clung to his shirt with one hand, and with the other she was wiping tears off her cheeks.

He tipped her chin up so he could look at her eyes. She squeezed them shut and tried to turn her face away. He kept a gentle, but firm hold on her chin keeping her face tipped up to his. “Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked feeling confused and concerned. Only moments ago, she had been fine. What could be the matter now?

She blinked back more tears that were welling up in her eyes. She shook her head. “It is nothing.” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m just emotional that’s all, but I’m fine now. Please let me go.” She looked up into his eyes expectantly, but he kept her face in his hand. “Please?”

“I would,” he said as he brushed away a stray tear that was rolling down her cheek, “But I don’t believe you. Something else is wrong. Tell me.”

Anger flashed across her eyes momentarily, but it disappeared as soon as it had come. She looked down and spoke softly, “It won’t be long before I have to leave Port Royal, either back to Ireland or… somewhere else.” She paused to draw a shuddering breath. “And I won’t… I won’t…” She cut off not able to finish her words.

He finished them for her. “I won’t ever see you again,” he said sadly looking toward the even closer Port Royal. She nodded slowly and buried her face back into his chest. He looked down at her glossy red ringlets as she cried into his shirt. He knew he had to let her know exactly how he felt.

He entwined his fingers in her hair and gently tilted her head back. Her startled eyes were wide. She started to speak, but he cut off her words with his lips. For an instant, she hammered her small fists on his chest and made sounds of frantic protest, but then she wrapped her arms around his neck and was not protesting at all. Her lips parted for his tongue easily, and she sighed against his mouth. Surprisingly to him, her tongue was tentative against his. For some reason, he had thought that she would have had more experience with men, but even though her kiss had his head swimming he knew it was not the kiss of an experienced woman. That made him like it even more. All too soon, he had to break the kiss so they both could catch their breath. To his delight, Isobel did not push away from him like he had expected her to. She leaned against him panting for breath, one hand still wrapped around his neck, the other rested on his heaving chest. After a few moments, she pushed back just enough to look up at him. “I wish you had not done that,” she said breathlessly.

He drew his brows together in confusion. “You didn’t seem to mind when I was doing it.” He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Nails dug into the back of his neck almost painfully. Isobel gave him a dangerous look. “Please don’t be sarcastic with me. Not now.” Her voice sounded hurt.

He nodded. “Of course. I’m sorry. Please tell me.”

She sighed. “I was going to say that you just made things much more complicated.” She turned around and leaned against the railing. He suddenly felt cold. In minutes they would dock.

He came up close behind her and put one of his hands on the small of her back. “What’s complicated about it?” he asked. “Isobel, I love-“

She whirled around and silenced him with a hand on his lips. “Please don’t,” she half moaned in a pleading tone, “Please don’t say that.” He still couldn’t understand.

“Why can’t I say it?” he demanded a little more harshly than he had intended, but he went on. “And even if you don’t want me to say it that does not change how I feel. You are the one who’s complicating things.”

The look of hurt in her eyes made him wish that he could take those last words back. He did not want to hurt her. He just wanted to be with her. Her lips trembled and tears began to well up in her eyes again. “You don’t know me,” she said softly, “If you only knew… then you might understand why this could never be.”

Her words cut at him like a knife. “What is there to know?” he asked just as softly. When she didn’t answer he put both of his arms around her and pulled her closer. “It doesn’t matter,” he murmured against her hair, “I already know all I need to know. Nothing else matters. Nothing.”

She lifted her head to say something, but before she could get a word out someone shouted orders. “All hands on deck. Prepare to dock.” Reluctantly, James released Isobel and began to walk away, but before he was gone he turned back to her.

“Don’t leave,” he said with just a hint of pleading in his voice. He was half afraid that she would disappear before he had the chance to talk to her more. “Stay until I’m finished with my work, and then we’ll talk. Please? Promise me.”

She hesitated a moment and then nodded. “I will wait,” she said, “But, James, what I said was true.” He just looked at her and then turned to go work.

Isobel sat on a crate while she waited for James to finish his work on the boat. It shouldn’t be long now. She didn’t know if she should be happy or upset about that. Occasionally, she had to wipe a tear from her face, and a few passers-by stole glances at her out of the corners of their eyes. She didn’t care. The only thing on her mind was James. He would hate her if he knew that she was a pirate. The British Navy was infamous among pirates for their hangings. They were certainly not known for their tolerance. The British Navy hated pirates. James was in the Navy. She was a pirate. It would never work.

But she felt so right in his arms. The way he kissed her made her feel so alive. She had never felt like this before. Her emotions were so torn. On one hand she wanted to disappear, to run away from him forever. On the other hand she just wanted him to wrap her up in his arms and kiss her until he could not kiss her anymore. But she knew that neither of the options would work. Both of them would end with broken hearts. Part of her wished that they had just let her die that day.