Chapter 41:  King

 

Norrington opened his eyes.  His vision was blurry and his body ached.  Where am I?  He flexed his hand and felt something soft.  He then became aware that he was laying on something that was quite comfortable.  A bed, he supposed.  Norrington blinked a few times, trying to clear his vision.  He was staring up at a wooden ceiling, which was partially covered with thin cloth hanging down from it and making the ceiling appear less plain.

He sat up against the wall behind him, trying to ignore the pain that was shooting through his body.  He was lying in a large bed and covered with a sheet of what appeared to be Chinese silk.  The room itself was lavish, but the décor was peculiar.  Everything appeared to be of a different style or land.

Norrington turned to the door of the room when he heard a lock click.  He did not have a chance to lie back down before the door opened.  The woman who had entered locked the door before turning to him.

“Jacqueline!” Norrington gasped.  She was wearing her pirate garb, which momentarily confused Norrington, for he had not seen her in such clothing since their time aboard the Flying Dutchman.  But she was just as beautiful as ever.

Jacqueline smiled, her blue eyes twinkling as she walked over to the bed.  “Good, you’re awake.”  She gazed at him for a few moments, almost appearing to wonder how she should react.  “I’m so glad that you’re alive.  How are you feeling?”

Norrington quickly made certain that every part of him was at least functioning and was shocked when he realized that, underneath the sheets on the bed, he was completely naked.  “I’m…all right, considering.”  Jacqueline took out a roll of parchment and began reading over it.  “Um…”  Norrington shifted, suddenly feeling extremely awkward.  “Is there…?”  Jacqueline turned to him, arching an eyebrow, and Norrington felt as though he was not covered by the sheet at all as her eyes swept quickly over his body.  “Is there a reason why I’m not…wearing anything?” Norrington asked hesitantly, pulling the sheets self-consciously up over his chest.

Jacqueline smirked and appeared to be attempting to keep herself from laughing.  “You have a problem with that?” she asked, her eyes glinting in a manner Norrington had never seen, and he was not certain what it meant.  Norrington watched Jacqueline carefully as she walked to the foot of the bed.  “Your uniform was…well, pretty much destroyed, except your hat.”  She bent down and picked up a small bundle of clothes from the floor.  “Here.”  She tossed it to him.  “I know they aren’t necessarily as becoming as a military uniform,” she commented.  “But they’ll have to do.”

Norrington was not sure if Jacqueline was being sarcastic or not as he unfolded the clothing.  He sighed—he had hoped that he would never be dressed like this again.  At least, he thought he hoped that, but memories of his too tight and itchy uniform made him reconsider.  Norrington glanced up at Jacqueline.  “Um…could you leave, please?”  Jacqueline raised her eyebrows.  “Or turn around, at least?” Norrington amended.

Jacqueline smirked again, slowly turning her back on him.  “It isn’t as though you have anything that I haven’t seen already.”

Norrington stared at her back, eyes wide with mortification.  “What?” he exclaimed after a moment.

“Well, me, Lizzie, and half of Shipwreck Cove,” Jacqueline added, examining her fingernails.

“What?” Norrington repeated, his voice unintentionally high-pitched.

“Your clothes were little more than scraps of cloth after…after what my father did.  They weren’t exactly covering anything.”  Norrington felt his entire body go red as Jacqueline slowly turned to him with an evil grin.

“You’re joking,” Norrington said, desperately hoping that he was right.

“Shipwreck Cove saw nothing,” Jacqueline said.  Norrington opened his mouth again, but Jacqueline raised a hand to silence him.  “And neither did your dear Lizzie.”

“She’s not my dear—.”  Norrington froze.  He gulped before speaking.  “I notice that you didn’t…um…”  Jacqueline arched an eyebrow again, but said nothing.  “You’re joking,” he repeated.

“I might be.”

Norrington turned his eyes away from Jacqueline’s.  “You are cruel, you know that?”

Jacqueline laughed darkly.  “I’m surprised you can call me cruel, after what my father did to you.”  Her smile faded instantly and her eyes grew cold.  “You do know that you deserved it, don’t you?”

Norrington shifted uncomfortably, trying to put on the trousers Jacqueline had given him while keeping himself hidden under the sheets.  “Yes,” he said quietly.  “I know.”  He felt much more comfortable as he finally succeeded in getting the trousers on.  He watched as Jacqueline walked around to the side of the bed; he found that he was afraid of her.  Norrington was no fool—he knew that Jacqueline, particularly when angry, could be very dangerous.  He remembered when she had put his own penknife to his throat and pinned him to his bed…not that he had really minded her being on top of him, of course, but he could not really enjoy it at the time, but looking back…

“Are you all right?” Jacqueline asked, breaking Norrington from his progressively sinful thoughts.  “I mean…you know, better than before?”  Norrington nodded.  “You won’t suddenly drop dead or anything?”

“Um…I don’t think so,” he said with a slight smile.

“Good.”

But something about the smile she gave him was fake, and the way her hand flexed made Norrington believe that she desperately wanted to strike him.  However, if she did, she managed to keep herself from doing so as she walked around to the other side of the bed.  She glanced at Norrington and then quickly away as she began to pace.

“Jacqueline?”

She looked over at him again, her usual emotionless mask replaced with a look of pure confusion.  “What?”

“Are you…all right?”

Swallowing hard, Jacqueline said, “I…no.  I’m not.”  She sat on the bed and put a hand to her forehead.  “James, is this…is this going to keep up?  You and my father?”  Without allowing Norrington to answer, she continued, “Believing horrible lies about the other and taking it upon yourself to have vengeance?”  She turned and hid her face from him.  “And it’s all my fault.”

Norrington shook his head, gently taking one of Jacqueline’s hands in his own.  “All—what?  How is any of this your fault?” Norrington asked.

“You did it for me because you believed my father responsible for my death,” Jacqueline said quietly.  “And my father…because you did that to him…and because he believed you…used me.”

“Used you?” Norrington repeated in confusion.  “Never!  I’m not like Lord Beckett, I wouldn’t manipulate you like that.”

Jacqueline coughed and turned to Norrington.  “That’s…that’s not exactly what I meant,” she said, her cheeks tinting.  “But you didn’t.”

“Or did you rape her?”

Norrington winced as he remembered Jack’s horrid accusation.  “I see.”

“I’m sorry.”

Norrington gazed at Jacqueline incredulously.  “What are you apologizing for?” he asked, stroking her cheek.  “It isn’t your fault.”

“I should never have allowed you to care for me.”

“Wha—Jacqueline, neither of us had a choice in that.  And don’t talk like that.  My life is nothing without you.”  Jacqueline shyly raised her eyes to his, and Norrington was startled by the sadness behind them.  It was inhuman sorrow, so deep and strong that surely the worries of ten thousand men were being reflected at him.

Then she blinked, and the look was gone.

“James, when you…well…you said that Cutler was dead.  Who killed him?”

Norrington stared at her blankly, startled by the change of subject, and finally shook his head.  “I…what?”  He searched his memory and could find nothing suggesting that Lord Beckett was dead.  He then abruptly realized that he could not remember how he had got to Shipwreck Cove, nor why he was there.

“You…”  Jacqueline gazed at him worriedly. “You don’t remember?”

Norrington shook his head again.  “I don’t know how I got here, either…”

“What do you remember?” Jacqueline asked, now appearing deeply worried.

Norrington ran a hand across one of the many gashes on his chest and flinched.  “I remember what Jack did,” he said, allowing more malice into his voice than he had intended.  “But I don’t remember before that.  I mean, I do, but not recently before that…does that make any sense?” Norrington said, beginning to panic as he realized the great gap in his memory.  “What happened?” he said, putting his hands in his hands.

“James, it’s fine,” Jacqueline said.  “I mean…it’ll come back.”

“You sound doubtful.”

“Damn him,” Jacqueline muttered.  “Jack is such a fool; he knew that you would have information we could use, and yet he did not even bother to try and get it out of you.”

Norrington shifted slightly, remembering once again what terrible crime Jack had accused him of.  If anyone found the two on the bed together…  “Is it late?” he suddenly asked, looking toward a small window covered with thin drapes.  “It looks dark.”

Jacqueline nodded.  “Yes—I was just about to turn in for the night.”

“Then, why…is this your room?”  Jacqueline again nodded as she reached over to the bedside table to turn the light of the lantern quite low, causing Norrington to shift a little away from Jacqueline.  “Then shouldn’t I be…elsewhere?” he asked, his voice suddenly rather hard to find as Jacqueline joined him under the sheets.

“This was the only place where you would be safe.  No one would dare come in here, and Jack isn’t the only one in Shipwreck Cove who would like to see you dead.”

“I…I could sleep on the floor, I won’t mind.”

“You’re horribly wounded, James, I can’t let you do that.  Which reminds me…”  Jacqueline reached under one of the pillows and pulled out a small bottle of rum.  “I thought that this would be useful.  You know, to relieve the pain,” she said, handing it to Norrington.

How Jacqueline could be in bed with a half-naked man and not even show the slightest amount of nervousness or awkwardness was beyond Norrington.  He took a drink of rum, watching Jacqueline out of the corner of his eye as she gazed at him.  “Besides, the Pirate King desires that you remain right where you are.”

Norrington wondered if the title “Pirate King” was supposed to mean something to him.  Perhaps this was something else he had forgotten.  “And, um…why would the Pirate King want me to stay here?” Norrington asked hesitantly.

Jacqueline eyed him for a moment, biting her lip.  “Because the Pirate King has discovered that she cannot sleep alone.”

Norrington stared at her silently, his heart pounding.  He had had no idea that what had been keeping him from a good night’s rest was also affecting Jacqueline.  He honestly had never considered it.  He flushed, unsure of how to respond.  “You’re…you’re the Pirate King?” he said finally.  Jacqueline nodded, her face slowly reddening.  “And you…”

“I know, it’s ridiculous,” Jacqueline said with embarrassment.  “I mean, it’s like a I’m a child…”

“But it’s true.”  Norrington took another drink of rum.  “I…I’ve been having the same trouble, actually.”

Jacqueline giggled.  “I think we may have spent a little too much time together aboard the Dutchman.”

“I could never spend too much time with you, Jacqueline,” Norrington said quietly, his mind traveling back to a time when he had said something similar…just before he proposed to her.  He gazed at Jacqueline for a moment, wondering if she remembered that time, back when the two were both happy.  Then Norrington wondered if she had really been happy at all—she had admitted to lying at first, to flirting only to guarantee her safety.  Had life in his manor been like a prison to her?

Jacqueline held out a hand.  “You should save some of the rum for tomorrow morning.  You’ll probably need some then, too.”  Norrington took another swig of rum, hoping that the drink would make the last of the pain in his body go away.  Jacqueline smiled and shook her head.  “That’s an order.”

“And what makes you think you can order me about?” Norrington said with a mischievous smile.

“King.  You have to do everything I say,” Jacqueline said, her eyes twinkling.  “Now give me the rum, James.”  Norrington defiantly held it out of her reach with a grin.  Jacqueline shook her head and giggled.  “Hand it over, James; I’m sure we don’t want to you get drunk.”  Jacqueline suddenly shot out a hand and grabbed the bottle of rum, pulling it away from Norrington; however, the Admiral did not let go.

Norrington heard the bottle crash to the ground and shatter, but he could pay this no mind.  In the teasing battle over the bottle of rum Jacqueline had nearly managed to pull the rum from him, but had fallen back onto her pillow as she did so.  Because Norrington had no let go of the bottle, he had been brought down onto her so he was face to face with her, staring into her eyes.  His breath quickened as Jacqueline flushed.

“Get back to your post,” Jacqueline said, glancing toward the other side of the bed and smiling nervously.  Norrington slowly began lowering his face to hers, ignoring her order.  Jacqueline swallowed and breathed, “This is mutiny.”

“You can punish me later,” Norrington whispered before capturing his love’s lips in his own.