#pirates of the caribbean fanfiction

[socksracoon10]

Hi love here I come with my first spontaneous idea 🩷

Reader is the Commodore's sister but sick of the ways of society. When Jack saves Elisabeth, reader is the one who persuaded James not to kill Jack and also the one he happens to threat in order to escape. She’s somehow drawn to the Captain and later gives Will the keys to the cell to set him free. Jacks thoughts circle around her, too and they reunite when she swings last minute from the Dauntless over to the Interceptor to join the pirates making way❣️

Curious of The Seas

A/N: Literally fell in love with your ask oh my god, couldn't stop thinking about it before I began writing!! Thank you so much for this request! Pairings: Jack Sparrow x F!Reader, Will Turner x F!Reader (Platonic), James Norrington x F!Reader (siblings)

"Don't slouch, stand straight," Commodore Norrington hissed at you. You glared at your brother, curving your lips downward. You hated how strict and loyal he was to the British Crown and how he enforced his rules onto you, despite being his "precious baby sister." 

Your brother didn't hate you, but he sure did a good job of making you hate him. He was pacing his quarters back and forth, rehearsing what he would say to Miss Elizabeth Swann upon meeting her. You rolled your eyes at the pathetic scene, realizing that if your brother were to marry Miss Swann you were next on the list for the most eligible bachelorette in Port Royal. Your body cringed at the thought and you wriggled your back to shake off the eerie feeling crawling down your spine and focused on trying to ease your brother at the moment.

"James, there is no point in stressing over something as simple as this. Tell her you are in love with-" You began but frowned when he interjected,

"Love? Don't be ridiculous!"

"So, you're not in love with her?" You inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"No, no, I very much am in love with her. But it is not proper for a man such as myself to say trivial things to the daughter of the Governor!" Your brother reasoned and you sighed in an exasperated tone, shifting your gaze out the window.

Elizabeth had stared at you with a quizzical look on her face when your brother and you had first approached her. You both shared the same expression of disdain for the situation. It was very clear to see that she was indifferent to your brother and surely was the very last man that she had any interest for. You, on the other hand, dearly loved your brother and wanted to save him from any heartache that she would cause him. You chewed your lip nervously, watching them exchange a few words of greetings before walking away. The commodore glanced over his shoulder, mouthing a few warnings to reign your behavior in for the biggest moment of his life before stalking away.

Huffing in annoyance, you picked the ends of your dress up and marched past the Governor who was just about to start a conversation with you. He awkwardly shut his mouth and watched you walk away to stand on the other corner of the pillar where your brother and Elizabeth stood. He leaned backward to get a good look at you, sending you another glare before returning his full attention to the woman in front of him with a nervous smile. You sighed, gazing out to the sea. Your brother had taken you once beyond Port Royal when you were a little girl and he swore it was something he very much regretted; all you could ever do since then was talk about sailing the seas. You desired to travel across the world, collect artifacts, and live a free life. Your brother scoffed at your desires, stating that he would rather die than see his little sister galloping around like a pirate of all creatures.

As you gazed out into the horizons with a look of yearning, you heard the loudest splash from below. Peering over the edges of the wall, you frowned at the ripples that seemed to bloom near the rocks and you instantly pulled back from your position and walked around to notice your brother screaming Elizabeth's name.

"What did you do?" You exclaimed, resting a hand on his shoulder. He pulled away from your grasp, beginning to take his coat off but you grabbed hold of him,

"The rocks, James! She's lucky that she didn't hit them on her way down! Come, we can reach her at the docks!" You urged him, yanking his arm. He seemed instilled with distraught, at a loss for words, "She must've jumped by your mere presence!"

Your brother sent you a nasty scowl and the playful smirk on your lips faded away instantaneously. You knew this was no joking matter; the poor woman could've died on her way down and she was to be betrothed to him anyway. As your brother scampered off with the rest of the guards, you found your feet rooted to the ground as you stared up at the sky. Something was amiss. The clouds darkened and circled about gravely, and the sea no longer held its silky blue blanket to comfort you. Before you could try and comprehend what must've occurred, you felt an urgent tug around your arms and you sharply turned to find yourself facing the Governor.

"Come now, my dear, you mustn't dawdle around when my daughter's life is in danger!" He exclaimed and you frowned at his words, resisting the urge to roll your eyes at him. Even if you wanted to help Elizabeth, there was surely no way you could swim into the waters with this puffy dress around you. You followed him down to the docks, pushing past the British officers to find yourself facing Elizabeth coughing up heaps of water from her lungs and then... a pirate.

With all the rifles surrounding him, you nearly thought they were aimed at your brother who stood in the way. You could only make out half his face, oblivious to the ensuing conversation that your brother was currently engaged in. You peeked around the Commodore's shoulder, carefully eyeing the strange man in your presence when his eyes flickered over to you for a sharp second before returning to your brother. Your breath hitched at the moment, taking in his disheveled and wet appearance as your brother remained as the shield between the man and you.

"He's a pirate," Your brother growled, his jaw clenching as he barked orders for his arrest. He ignored your gaping stare as he continued, "Sparrow, I assume?"

"Jack Sparrow?" You interjected, your mouth practically on the floor as you stared at him. The corner of the pirate's lips curved into a small smirk,

"It's Captain Jack Sparrow, love," He smiled with a wink. You smiled back before your brother forcefully shoved you behind him once again. He made a mental note to have a discussion with you about your behavior as soon as you returned home. He took the pirate's belongings and derided him for his lack of proper weapons, but it bothered him so deeply that you were so enchanted by the man. It irked him to think that his sister would fall foolish to a PIRATE of all people. He forcefully grabbed onto Jack's arm and began dragging him off before you cut him off,

"James! James!" You cried out, and your brother halted in his tracks and sent you a menacing scowl.

"Not another word from you, (Y/N)." He hissed, and you scoffed before pulling your skirt up ever so slightly to march up to your brother,

"This man, pirate or not, has just saved your betrothed's life! I suggest you at least show some mercy upon him!"

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man's life of wickedness," Your brother corrected you as Jack was being handcuffed by a Redcoat.

"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack added, and you offered him a sympathetic look before turning to your brother with pleading eyes.

"Brother, please. I beg of you, consider an alternative for this man." You prodded him, as your eyes fell onto Elizabeth who smiled softly at your words.

"Please do so," Jack muttered, before dragging his bound hands around your neck. You gasped in response, tugging at the chains as your brother panicked.

"No one shoots!" The Commodore bellowed, holding his hands in the air, "Let go of my sister."

"Only if you return my belongings," Jack taunted with a haughty grin. He leaned closer to lowly utter into your ears, "You must be regretting your kindness, do you not?"

"I don't, but it seems that you'll regret it," You whispered, as you watched the guards hand in his belongings in a bundle. Jack nudged your back with his knee ever so lightly to grab hold of his things and you begrudgingly did so, before sharply turning around to face him.

"Now if you'll do me the pleasure... my, I don't think I know your name..." He said with a sly smirk. You frowned at him,

"It's Miss Norrington to you," You spat, placing his hat on. As you placed his sword, belt, and other personnel around him, you could feel his intense stare burning deep into you. If it was of lust or attraction, you did not know and at the moment did not necessarily care. Your mind was fixated on other things, and your brother was seething in rage as he watched Jack give him a look regarding your body against his that made him want to hurl. To think his sister was so close to a gruesome pirate! It was preposterous!

As you tied the last remaining string of his belt around him, you looked up at him with disgust. Not only was he a pirate, but this would be the talk of the town, and your brother's and your reputation would be spoiled. Your brother could easily regain his good fortune, but you were never as lucky. You hated the way the women would gossip and to think it was all spoiled over one man you decided to be too merciful with because your curiosity could not be controlled made you ready to commit arson.

"Is this how you repay me?" You hissed and the pirate smirked at your words,

"I saved your friend's life, and now you save me. Besides, you did after all wish for me to live. Now, suffer those consequences. When shall a beautiful lady such as yourself realize to never mess with a pirate?" He chuckled, before harshly turning you around with his gun aimed at your head. Your brother flinched at the sudden movement, making sure you were alright. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, you will always remember this as the day you almost caught Jack Sparrow," The pirate's voice boomed from behind you and the very next second you found yourself thrust upon your brother and Elizabeth. As Jack Sparrow hurriedly began his escape, he did not fail to include a personal message from his heart, "Thank you very much, Miss Norrington. I shall not ever forget such kindness!"

And you weren't ready to forget him, either. It would be for another reason. As the night raged on with a surge of pirates infiltrating Port Royal, you felt a growing desire to do something about it. Your brother had joined the Governor for his safety and left you at home to be tended to by the maids. Upon realizing that the front door would burst open regardless of the circumstances, you quietly slipped out the window in your nightly attire and made your way to the blacksmith's quarters where you knew for a fact that your good friend Will Smith would be. Will and you had grown as siblings; he was there for you more than your brother had been. He had anticipated your arrival anyway but found himself in jeopardy when his ears gathered the news that Elizabeth Swann had been abducted by the pirates. He was pacing around when you arrived and he quickly latched onto your shoulders,

"They've taken Elizabeth! I tried my best but-" Will began but you silenced him, bringing a hand to his mouth.

"I know what you must be going through. But there is not enough time. I heard you helped imprison Jack Sparrow." You whispered and he nodded his head, eyes wide as he tried to make the best of the situation, "Come, I have the key with me, we can both interrogate him and seek his help." Your hand fell to his own and led him towards the streets.

"Wait a minute," Will stopped you, and with a glance over your shoulder you already knew what he was about to say. He was going to prevent you from going. "(Y/N), I know you've always wished to escape Port Royal, but I cannot bring harm to you once you step foot onto the waters."

"Will," You chastised him, "I am no longer a little girl. I am very capable of handling my own matters."

"You are inexperienced, that's all I can say." Will rebuked your claim and you gasped at his words, before furrowing your brows,

"So are you!"

"Ah, but I shall be bringing Sparrow with me to help find Elizabeth."

"Oh, don't be so dull! I can help Sparrow and you as well. Do not prevent me from doing so! If it is out of fear that a pirate may do something towards a woman of my status, I assure you that no such thing will occur! If he dares to even look at me, I shall see to it that his eyes are gouged out by his blade!" You reasoned and Will took a step backwards, his lips parting in shock at your words. You had the spirit of a pirate in you that was for sure, and that was exactly what he feared.

"I cannot let you join. Your brother is... already facing loss," He replied in an awkward tone, considering how much he cared about Elizabeth, "He would be devasted to find you gone as well. Just stay put for now. I'm sure there shall be something more exciting for you in Port Royal."

You muttered a few unladylike curses under your breath and reluctantly offered him the key to the jail cell, "At least tell Sparrow that I was... delighted by his presence."

Will raised a suspicious eyebrow at your remark, unsure of how to respond. He nodded his head and then left you alone, as you brought your hands over your arms as your mind wandered towards the sea once again.

To say that Jack Sparrow was surprised by Will's statement regarding you would be an understatement. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that you so willingly offered him the key to his escape, considering how he had humiliated your brother and especially you in front of everyone at the docks earlier in the day. He chewed his lip, his eyes dilating at the thought of you. The way you stared at him in defiance, your temples rising and falling with the way you clenched your jaw. Of course, who could forget the sensation of your fingers pressed up against him as you fastened his belt? As much of the ladies' man that Jack was, there was something different about you. You weren't like Giselle or Scarlet, complaining about superficial things or just merely trying to get into his pants. He could tell there was this curious spirit fighting to break free when he first laid eyes on you. The way you cautiously peered over your brother's shoulder had made him... well, he certainly wouldn't say his heart skipped a beat. He wasn't a silly little boy. He was a man! A grown man, a pirate! CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow, mind you. And yet here he was, trying to justify to himself that what he felt for you was nothing more than just infatuation that would surely pass on.

But it didn't. It never did. While of course, his thoughts about stealing The Interceptor were his priority, he just couldn't stand still without his mind fleeting over to the very image of you, dressed in that regal bright blue gown and your hair all curled and pinned to form the most exquisite portrait of a woman he'd ever seen in his life. He smirked to himself at the thought of you, wondering what you must be doing at Port Royal at the moment. What if your brother had you married off to someone else? What if you were to live the rest of your life as a boring wife to an equally boring officer? He shook his head, wriggling himself free from those imaginative concoctions. He was a pirate, damn it. He had better things to think about than just a woman he had seen days ago.

"You've got to be kidding me," Your brother grumbled as he pushed past you. You had boarded The Interceptor with him, not because you had wanted to - even though you took every chance out on the sea with gratefulness - but because your brother was so worried about the possibility of your abduction that he wished you were beside him at all times. Including those incredibly still moments of him gazing out into the sea. To him, he seemed to have an air of control, all the world's burdens upon his shoulder. This was his duty. When you gazed out into the sea, however, it was a plethora of possibilities. The unmarked territories you could claim, the desire for you to seek out treasure from all corners. You could be free. And no one would stop you. Save your brother, but that was something he'd always do anyway. Your attention focused on The Dauntless a couple hundred meters away as you noticed flocks of the British crew on small boats were paddling towards the ship you were in. Your brother gazed through his telescope and snarled at the sight, hesitantly passing the device for you to see as well. From afar, you saw Will Turner and... Jack Sparrow? The pirate? Both of them were flapping their arms around trying to make use of the mast. You guffawed at the sight, laughing at them. You turned to face your brother who quickly reminded you with his gaze about your behavior and you swallowed the amusement away as fast as you could.

The two ships - The Dauntless and The Interceptor - were locked horns now and your brother ordered you to come with him to board The Dauntless and put an end to Sparrow's madness. You reluctantly agreed, your eyes scanning around to see any sight of the familiar pirate you had so longed to see. 

"Search every cabin, every hull," Your brother barked, before turning back to you, "And you stay close to me. Do not go wandering about like a fool like you always do." 

You glowered at him, electing not to anger him any further as you stood on the deck. You watched him disappear among the surge of officers onto The Dauntless. You sighed, pacing back and forth when you noticed two men swing over to The Interceptor. It was Will and Jack.

Eyes widening in surprise, you tried to call attention to the situation but your cries fell on deaf ears. You stomped your foot and watched Jack cut off the rope ties, one by one. His gaze was fixed downwards until he looked up momentarily, and there you stood. He stood there for a few more seconds, completely surprised by your presence. Deep down, as much as he hated to admit it, he feared that he would never see you again.

"What are you doing? Cut the rope!" Will cried out in confusion before he followed Jack's eyes to you. Jack looked upwards at the rope still connecting the two boats before turning back to you,

"Jump, Miss Norrington!" He instructed, and you stepped forward, holding onto a long piece of rope. Upon hearing your name, your brother rushed out of the Captain's Quarters, pushing past his men.

"(Y/N)!" He yelled, his eyes daring you to make another move. Realizing that this was the only opportunity to acquire what you had spent so long yearning for; the deep blue seas, the adventure, and the whimsical treasures, you sent him one final glance before running off the deck of The Dauntless and swinging onto The Interceptor. With the final rope now gone, and the ship sailing forward at full speed your brother looked at you as if you were dead to him.

When The Dauntless was far behind and there seemed to be no danger at the present moment, you walked towards your friend Will and the pirate beside him. Will seemed elated that you were there, and he hugged you so warmly that you nearly forgot that he was not related to you by blood. Releasing you from his arms, he sheepishly stepped aside as Jack Sparrow stepped forward.

"Miss Norrington, it is a pleasure to have you on board with us. I almost feared you might not have the guts to swing over," He teased, his hand graciously wrapping around your own as he kissed your fingers with such gentleness that it surprised you. You cracked half a smile at him, narrowing your eyes, before responding,

"You may call me (Y/N), and please, I never turn down an opportunity for adventure."

#writing #fanfiction #fanfic #potc #pirates of the caribbean #will turner #jack sparrow #captain jack sparrow #jack sparrow x reader #captain jack sparrow x reader #cheetos answers #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean fanfic #pirates of the caribbean x reader #jack sparrow x you #jack sparrow x y/n #will turner x reader platonic #will turner x y/n #will turner x reader #james norrington x reader #james norrington x reader platonic #POTC #POTC fanfic #POTC fanfiction #POTC x reader #POTC x you #POTC x y/n

[hannaswritingblog]

Imagine: Jack Sparrow and James Norrington getting jealous of you

Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean

Suggested by anon [x] – I really hope that this imagine is at least close to what you had in mind and that you like it! And if you have any other suggestions, my inbox is always open. 😊

You're walking down a pier in the Port Royal harbour, trying to clear your mind. Everyone's been waiting for James Norrington to be promoted to Commodore for a while now and today, on a day of the official ceremony, the area is buzzing with excitement.

Being a part of James's immediate circle, you should feel that excitement too. Deep in your heart you certainly do. But at the same time you can't help but wonder how your life would've gone if you didn't abandon your life at sea. Your life as a pirate...

Lost in your thoughts, you don't realise you're not alone anymore until you feel a tap on your shoulder, forcing you to turn around only to see the soon-to-be Commodore next to you.

"Is something bothering you, Y/N?" Norrington says, smiling softly.

"Oh, it's... nothing, James. Nothing's bothering me. I was just thinking about... my past."

His smile immediately fades away, but he manages to keep his composure as he tells you:

"You don't have to worry about your past. Nobody around knows that you were a pirate except me, and I intend on keeping your secret safe, just as I promised."

"Thank you. But... you know who was my captain during my time as a pirate, right?"

A solemn expression crosses his face before he says:

"Yes. Yes, I know. And it doesn't change a thing."

Deep down you know it changes a lot, but neither of you is going to admit it. But even though his pride must be hurt, you appreciate that James is steady in his promise.

"I'm glad. If you could give me one more minute alone though. I'll join you soon."

"Of course."

He bows to you slightly and walks away. You wait for Norrington to be gone from your sight before reluctantly following him.

On your way out of the harbour you pass a familiar figure. It takes you a second to realise where you know the person from, but once you do, you can't help but turn around and call out:

"Jack!"

"Oh. So it really is you, Y/N," Jack Sparrow says, walking back to you. "Didn't expect to see you around, sweetie."

"As if it wasn't where you dropped me off last time we saw each other," you respond.

"Okay, so maybe I knew I'd find you here. But not in the company of an officer of the Royal Navy, for sure."

"Oh, Norrington? He's just a..." You stop for a second when you notice that Jack's usual sly smile is now gone. "Wait... are you jealous?"

"What, me? Jealous? Of some officer? Never." Only when you raise an eyebrow at him, he admits: "Okay. I might be just a little jealous. But if this is how you live now..."

"Yes. I believe it is."

"...then I won't try to change your mind."

Something in your heart stings, as if you wanted him to try. You almost ask him to, but instead you catch yourself saying:

"Thank you. I still hope you'll stick around; Norrington is promoted to Commodore today, it's a chance to have some fun."

"You should stop tempting me, Y/N. A chance to have a good time and be in your presence? I reckon I shall stick around."

Jack sends you a smile before you part ways. And that smile is how you know he's back to his usual self and besides the fun, you can definitely expect some trouble.

#hanna's writing #hannaswritingblog #fanfiction #imagine #gif imagine #pirates of the caribbean #potc #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #potc fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean imagine #potc imagine #jack sparrow #jack sparrow fanfiction #jack sparrow imagine #jack sparrow x reader #james norrington #james norrington fanfiction #james norrington imagine #james norrington x reader #reader insert #gender neutral reader #jealousy #suggested #anon suggestion

[ghostofskywalker]

Where You're Meant to Be - 1

Will Turner/Fem!Reader

Words: 1,928

Summary: After being taken prisoner aboard the Flying Dutchman, you resent the men who have accepted your soul as repayment of another's debt, especially the Captain. It doesn't matter one bit that he's the most attractive man you've ever seen, not at all.

Flower and Meaning: frangipani || the strength to withstand tough challenges

Chapters: one || two || three || four

Note: my august work for the @yearofcreation2023 :) pirates of the caribbean have completely taken over my brain at present so this was so much fun to write!!

Year of Flowers Masterlist • Will Turner Masterlist

The ship was an ugly thing, if you did say so yourself. Now of course anyone would be critical of a ship they were currently being tied to the central mast of, but this one was especially unappealing. The sails looked to be made of woven seaweed, rotting as it hung limply from barnacle-encrusted masts, and the dreariness of the boat was only surpassed by the terrifying nature of its crew. There was an emptiness to the men’s eyes that you couldn’t describe, and although your captors were no longer part of the sea by their appearance, you could feel the strength of their rage with every rock of the boat. 

You had heard the stories, you knew what this vessel did and who its previous master was, but you couldn’t bring yourself to hold too much sympathy for the men who were tying you to the mast of their ship. They may also be trapped here, but at least they were able to move freely around the deck, while you were essentially nothing but a decoration against the wood.

You also held a special contempt for the crew because they were the reason you were here. While your life was nothing special and you worked in a nearby saloon serving beer and rum to all the questionable men the traversed through the doors, you enjoyed the fact that you resided on dry land. Now, your latest whirlwind romance had been nothing but a trick, and you were traded away to settle a debt with the devil that kept this ship moving. You hadn’t even met the current captain, and you had quite the barrage of insults planned for when you did. What kind of lowly piece of scum accepts another’s soul in place of the one that made the deal in the first place?

You could feel the ropes around your wrists tighten as you heard the sound of heavy footsteps echo across the floor, and the mysterious captain of the Flying Dutchman was revealed. Unfortunately for you, words of battle had already left your mouth before you got a chance to see how attractive he was. “I demand you free me this instant, you arrogant swine!” 

And by heavens was he attractive. With long hair that was kept out of his face by a gray piece of fabric, a single gold earring that shimmered in the moonlight and the bone structure that could only be described as beautiful, you suddenly weren’t feeling as combative as you were before. How dare he not be the grizzled, old, and decaying figure you were imagining from the moment you set foot on this boat? How dare the man who makes all the decisions around here, the one who had very clearly ruined your life, be so attractive? This just simply wasn’t fair. 

The captain let out a short laugh, and your eyes searched his face, taking in the way his hair fell across his shoulders and trying not to let that change your opinion of him. “And why the hell would I do that?” 

“Because you took an deceitful deal, and I was caught in the crossfires,” you responded sharply, refusing to let him intimidate you. “If there was any heart left in your chest, you would be searching for the man who tricked you into wiping his debt clean, not lashing me to this post and moving on with your life!” 

Another laugh, and this time the crew members on board joined in. “You see dearie, Will Turner ain’t got no heart,” one of the men said as he stepped up closer to you, and the pungent smell of his breath was enough to make you gag. “Not anymore at least.”

The captain, whose name you now knew, spoke before you had a chance to respond to the crewman’s strange comment. “It doesn’t matter,” he said sharply. “The deal’s been done, and that’s it.”

The conversation was done after that, it was clear that this man did not have any patience for you, and he moved along the ship. You however, did not take the affront lying down, and you continued to spit insults at every passing sailor, including the (unfairly) handsome captain. They all ignored you, and you were starting to wonder how on earth you were going to get out of this, because you had no intention of spending the rest of your life in what could only be described as hell. 

After a while, your anger morphed into a refusal to speak to anyone. When the captain offered you food, you took the bare minimum, the entire time wondering where exactly you stood in the cycle of life. If the stories were to be believed, all of these men were dead, condemned to crew the decaying corpse of the Flying Dutchman as she sailed the seas for eternity, but you weren’t dead (well, as far as you were aware). And yet you seemed to be protected, and when the boat fell beneath the waves, you could breathe. You refused to believe that it could be anything else but the heart of the ship itself, because there was no love lost between you and the Captain. 

Will Turner may be devastatingly handsome, but the two of you traded insults every time you spoke. You didn’t expect him to try to be your friend, but you would prefer it if you were allowed to walk free on the ship for more than just a few moments each day. The ship was nowhere near land, where were you going to go? Even if you did manage to make an escape without anyone realizing, you would only be dooming yourself, and then you would end up tethered here for real, the very thing you wanted to avoid at all costs. 

***

It felt like weeks had passed since you were first brought aboard, but the reality of the situation was that it had barely been three days. The sharp claws of final judgment had not yet sunk into your flesh, even though you felt like you should be dead by now. Each day you watched as the creaking ship supervised the movement of departed souls between the realms of the living and the dead, looking empty and lost as they boarded small boats of their own and joined the procession alongside those who died on land. 

At night, the ship traveled the seas, and sometimes you were able to make yourself believe that this voyage was normal, and that you weren’t trapped here, serving as collateral on a ship of the damned in the place of a man who did nothing but lie to you from the moment he first said hello. The stars that twinkled above you were a reminder of the good and beauty in the world, and even though you knew little of the constellations an d their meanings, you picked out shapes yourself, assigning them whatever significances happened to catch your mind at the time. 

It was during one of your heavenly searches that you were surprised to hear footsteps coming towards you. It seemed that the Dutchman never needed a crew member to keep watch at night, because in all the time you spent here, you had never seen another vessel (even the vessel that had brought you here was a crewman’s lifeboat). There must have been someone at the wheel, but you were facing away from that area of the ship, and had no way to know whether or not anyone was there. 

Annoyed that someone was interrupting your time alone, you looked down from the skies and glared right at the Captain. “What are you doing here?” you asked, a biting tone to your voice that he must have known all too well by now. 

But instead of the usual retort, Will Turner smiled. “I couldn’t sleep. What about you?” 

“Very funny,” you deadpanned, nodding down to your tied wrists. “I think you already know the answer.” 

“I could untie you,” he said, seemingly out of nowhere. 

You almost burst out laughing. “Wow, I didn’t know you had a sense of humor, I almost believe you.” 

“Do you really think so little of me?” Now his voice had a tinge of sadness to it, and you genuinely wondered if something was wrong, because this did not seem like the same man who had traded insults with you every time he passed, that had allowed for another man’s debt to be paid with your soul. 

“Do you really expect anything more?” you asked. “Or have you forgotten the entire reason I am here?”

There was a stretch of silence before he responded. “I suppose you’re right,” he said. “But I would like to make it clear that it wasn’t I who chose to accept the deal, but a member of the crew in my place.” 

“But surely you could have sent me back.” 

The ropes holding you to the mast of the ship fell away as he untied them, and then he responded. “That’s what I had every intention of doing,” he said. “Until you yelled at me the first time we met.” 

“So?” 

“Clearly you’re not a pirate, because then you would know that no self-respecting captain would allow his reputation to be called into question the way you did to me.” 

“You’re right, I am not a pirate,” you huffed, sitting down on top of a crate. “And I would like to return to land, Captain.”

“Very well,” he said. “But please, call me Will.” 

Deep down, you expected more of a fight, and it seemed almost too good to be true. “Why the change of heart?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’ve been stuck on this ship for days, we’ve been nothing but rude to each other, and all the sudden you’re untying me and telling me I can leave? It seems odd, that’s all.”

He sat down on a crate across from you, and you were able to look at him again. “I know what it’s like to be trapped on this ship, and I never intended for that to be your fate. No debt has been paid, and eventually I will claim the soul of the man who thought he could cheat death by sending another in his place.” 

There was a genuine emotion to his voice, and you actually believed in what he was saying. “Thank you,” you said, a smile crossing your face.

The two of you sat in silence for a few minutes before Will got up. “Why don’t you go get some sleep? I have a room separate from the others.” You stared at him with a confused look on your face, and he laughed. “I feel bad enough for trapping you here, the least I can do is offer you a bed to rest in. I don’t use it all too much anyway.”

He didn’t take no for an answer, and soon you were stepping into a small room below the deck of the ship. You could hear the cacophony of snores that signaled where the rest of the crew slept, but this room was completely empty, except for a decent sized cot, a small desk, and a couple bottles of rum in the corner. Compared to rough wood the ship was made of, the slightly scratchy bedding felt as if you were falling asleep on a cloud, and soon you had drifted off to dreamland, wondering whether or not this was all a dream. 

If it was, you didn’t really want to wake up.

- end of part one -

Series Taglist: N/A

if you want to know when i post a new fic, follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library!

#where you’re meant to be fic #will turner #will turner x reader #will turner x you #pirates of the carribean x reader #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #orlando bloom x reader

[quillofspirit]

2023 fic recs

If there's one thing to know about me, is that I love to read! and I love to share the good fics, so I figured I would put them all on one list💚

pssst! it's my first time doing anything like this, so if you have recommendations for the format, please do leave them in the comments or drop me a message! thanks xx

Key 🍬 fluff 🧯 spicy 🌡️ smut ⛈️ angst 🌪️ all

For people I have tagged, please let me know if there is anything you’d like me to add or remove — like a link to another account. It’ll be my pleasure☺️

Lord of the Rings (and related)

⛈️🧯Fuck the Forbidden pt. 1 by @entishramblings

Boromir x mermaidfem!oc Teens and Up but read the warnings carefully 9,500 words

Now I want mermaids in everything. why aren’t there mermaids in everything? The descriptions are so well done, everything is so vividly easy to visualize, oh I just loved it.

I am so hyped for pt 2!!

🍬⛈️ Healing Touch by @ass-deep-in-demons

Boromir x fem!oc Teens and Up 4,350 words

My film studies degree was very happy about the descriptions of movement in this one - it’s a little specific but hear me out. It’s much easier to see the actors playing the scene when it’s described this well! THAT ENDING, I have to say I joined Legolas, and I don’t have excuses.

I cannot wait to read the rest of the adventures of Joanna!

🍬 I Might Need to Kiss You by @fizzyxcustard

Thorin Oakenshield x fem!reader 400 words

I was squealing, this is so sweet. like the perfect little pick me up when you need a reminder, and Thorin is nothing if not a good king to his subjects 😇

🍬 Sweet Conversations by @glassgulls

Haldir x fem!reader Teens and Up 5,360 words

did I almost break my mouse when I clicked on this? noooo

Would I do it again? approximately 5 times since ☺️

Who doesn’t love sneaking around and kissing pretty elves, especially when they propose the idea so nicely… Just read it, you’re welcome

⛈️🧯Transformed by @sotwk

Thranduil’s son OC x fem!reader Teens and Up 2,400 words

There are at least two werewolves! When I tell you I read it three nights in a row, just to truly catch all the little things that made me go absolutely feral this so lovely to read. Yes, there’s gore (only a little bit) and there’s angst, but there’s also dialogue that would be made into gifs were it a movie.

Pirates of the Caribbeans

🌪️Catch the Wind by eriathiel (@esta-elavaris)

James Norrington x fem!oc Explicit 418,000 words

101 chapters of epic, pirates, and sweetness. The definition of you will suffer and you will like it. I finished this in like two days, because I couldn’t put it down, like a child on Halloween night going through their whole bag of candy.

⛈️🍬 Fallen Through Time by eriathiel (@esta-elavaris)

Catch the Wind AU Mature Ongoing; 34,000 words

12 Chapters so far, but it’s probably going to make me want to read everything about Theodora again. I am very normal about this character. 😌

Other fandoms

🌡️One of Those days by @capricornafterdark

Jason Todd x fem!reader Explicit 750 words

Sometimes you need to be taken care of, and sometimes its easier to take care of others.

🍬Patience by @velvetcloxds

Charlie Swan x fem!reader Just straight cuteness 600 words

A cute yet serious conversation with Charlie

🌡️That Takes Trust Darlin by @capricornafterdark

Jason Todd x transmasc!reader Explicit 1,950 words

It takes a lot of trust to tell a person about your desires, and even more when you spend your time catching villains.

🌪️ What Happens After You? by StrengthBeforeWeakness

Ominis Gaunt x fem!oc Mature 219,000 words

A badass Ravenclaw, sweet sweet Garreth, and dark!Sebastian. I am tempted to say it’s almost a Hogwarts Legacy AU because the lore in this fic is so incredible, it feels new again.

These are my headers and dividers, please do not use them.

#fic rec #lotr #lord of the rings #haldir #haldir x reader #lotr fanfic #Lord of the rings fanfiction #haldir fanfiction #gelir thranduilion #sotwk oc #gelir x reader #the hobbit #Thorin Oakenshield #Thorin x reader #Thorin x fem!reader #Thorin Oakenshield x Fem!Reader #potc #pirates of the caribbean #potc fanfic #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #James Norrington #James Norrington x fem!oc #charlie swan #charlie swan x reader #charlie swan fanfiction #charlie swan fic #jason todd #red hood #red hood smut #jason todd x reader

[esta-elavaris]

Part Thirteen [4,751 words] ~ James Norrington/OC

An AU of my completed, 400k+ word fanfic Catch the Wind [AO3], in which Elizabeth, not James, is the one to discover Theodora Byrne after she crash-lands into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Page breaks by cafekitsune.

Also now on AO3 and FF.net.

Masterpost - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - *Part Thirteen* [you're here!]

Tag list [let me know if you want to be added!]: @teawithshakespeare @missfronkensteen @dancerinthestorm

A/N: At this point, my approach to this fic is “what if POTC was an Austen novel?” and we just need to live with the consequences xoxo

“Is this not a bit much?” Theo asked doubtfully, scrutinising her reflection.

“My dearest darling Theodora, that is the point,” Elizabeth replied simply.

Both of them had already been dressed by the maids, and now they were resorting to a bit of primping as they waited for the appropriate time to head downstairs.

“I’m not opposed to a bit of glam, but this is…you’ve got me looking like Marie Antoinette.”

“Who?”

Whoops. At least making slips like that with Elizabeth wasn’t quite as disastrous as it might’ve been with anybody else.

“An extravagant French queen.”

“The goal was more fierce ancient warrior goddess attends a ball in her free time.”

“You need your head examined.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

“I expect you’re rather more affectionate towards our dear captain, to have captivated him so.”

“Ugh.”

“Then again, perhaps it’s the muttered fieriness that has captured his heart so.”

“Ugh.”

“I heard that the first time.”

“And you’ll hear it again, at this rate.”

“Too right, save your charm for its most fervent applicant.”

Theo then unleashed a third, hearty ugh at her friend – but Elizabeth anticipated it and uttered a matching one in unison at the exact same time, and both of them dissolved into very immature laughter. It was much too difficult to get too annoyed at her friend. Mostly because she seemed to delight in it.

Their looks were not quite matching, but certainly themed alongside one another, and it had all started when Theo gave Elizabeth her gift.

Having never been one for big heartfelt emotional gestures, she felt like her insides were eating themselves as she sat with Elizabeth in the drawing room after dinner. It wasn’t like she never did anything nice for people, she wasn’t a feral animal, but…well. The Irish had a way of doing these things. Usually by offering forth whatever the warm gesture was, along with a (loving) insult and a refusal to make a big deal about it after the fact. That, she suspected, wasn’t the way of things here. And to be honest, she didn’t even consider that fact a bad thing – she certainly wouldn’t judge Elizabeth for being warm and sincere, but she just had little idea of how to respond to it. Maybe it wasn’t even just an Irish thing, maybe it was a product of being raised by a guy, amongst guys.

Combined with the time period disparity, she was left with hopelessly little idea of how to be a woman in the expected manner in these parts. Usually, Elizabeth found that equal parts amusing and charming, likely because Theo didn’t eschew traditionally “girly” stuff. She wasn’t about to stamp her feet at the sight of anything pink and frilly. But the fact remained, that she didn’t want this to be amusing or awkward, or whatever else it was she managed to be here. The last thing she wanted was to put a dampener on this.

So, resisting the strong urge to simply chuck necklace into Elizabeth’s lap and call it a day, she cleared her throat and straightened, taking a sip of her wine in an attempt to appear casual.

“So…I have a present for you,” she began.

Elizabeth’s dark eyes lit up with curiosity and excitement both, one eyebrow arching a little. That was fair. Not because Theo was the ungenerous sort, but because she didn’t exactly have a whole lot to be generous with around here, other than her time. And she had that in spades, which made it lose its lustre a bit.

“I know how much you like my necklace,” she said, reaching up to tug at it where it sat between her collarbones, “and I was half-tempted to just give you it, because it’s the only thing I really can offer, with the way things are right here. Y’know, other than my dazzling personality.”

Huffing a laugh at her remark, Elizabeth’s brow furrowed as she shook her head.

“Theo, I could never accept such a gift-”

“Which was why I didn’t try,” she nodded, “Bit of a crap gift if it just makes you feel bad. But…well. I worked my wiles, and I got a bit of advice, and then I found just the right craftsman for the job.”

Something glimmered in her eyes, and Theo knew then that she’d caught the hint of who exactly had been involved in the making of the necklace.

Presenting the pouch, she pinched the drawstrings between her thumb and forefinger, and then offered it to Elizabeth. Finally, she did a passable job at not appearing as awkward as she felt while she watched her open it, tipping the contents out into her palm. That awkwardness disappeared the moment Elizabeth grinned, and was forgotten entirely when she dragged her into a hug that was more tight than she would’ve thought the younger woman capable of.

If there’d been any small doubt in her mind that she was only pretending to like the necklace – which had been a real fear, given the many fine jewels that she had in her jewellery boxes upstairs – it would’ve been erased by Elizabeth’s sunny disposition in the following days. In fact, whenever they encountered others, servants or friends both, she began each conversation with ‘have you seen what Theodora has given me?’ while Theo flushed under the sheer weight of her enthusiasm.

Yes, she’d done well. She’d have to thank Norrington. Although she suspected he’d have the same dislike for accepting profuse thanks that she did, but that might double the fun. Still, Elizabeth had decided that the necklace should be the focal point of her get-up for the men’s going-away dinner, so no doubt he’d see that, and the hand he’d had in it, as thanks enough – at least once he saw her enthusiasm for it.

“I have to wear silver to accentuate my lovely new necklace, so it only makes sense that you wear gold.”

“My necklace also silver, so shouldn’t we both be wearing that colour?”

“Heavens, no. There’s a fine line that separates what we’re doing, and being a couple of strange old spinsters who wear identical garb and speak in tongues.”

“I already do the latter, depending on who you ask.”

“All the more reason not to partake in the former,” Elizabeth teased. “In any case, that is why you shall borrow one of my necklaces tonight.”

She might’ve disliked being dressed up like a doll, were Elizabeth’s tastes not so damn good. That was the thing with Elizabeth, she never tried to dress her up like her. Everything she flung at her managed to have Theo’s own feel to it, and the garments that did not were artfully styled so that they would once the look was complete. And how many modern women ever had a chance like this? It was like being on a period drama set, without the ordeal of having to learn lines. Fibs about her origins aside…and more concerns over potential lead poisoning. But Elizabeth wasn’t one for powdered faces, however much she was determined to induce a powdered wig fetish in Theo.

Her hair had been wrestled into a voluminous updo, with swooping curls defying gravity pinned up at the back, and one lone crimson ringlet left to fall at her collarbone, ending a good few inches above where the neckline of the gown began.

The necklines here took a bit of getting used to. The way the gowns shoved whatever a woman had in the chest department entirely up, and making even one like herself who was rather un-blessed in the chest suddenly appear busty. Sure, she hadn’t been averse to showing off her figure back home, but it turned out she’d thought the Georgians distinctly less free with that kind of thing than they actually were. For a time that she’d gone into thinking of as very buttoned up, she’d quickly realised how wrong she was when Elizabeth had giggled at her (albeit kindly) for asking if putting so much chest on display wasn’t a bit scandalous.  

It turned out she’d arrived a bit early, if she expected people to faint over the notion of a woman having breasts.

And anyway, the gown was gorgeous. Gleaming gold damask that caught the light of any and every candle in the room, making it appear almost liquid rather than just mere fabric. The sleeves ended with ruffles at her elbows, and there was a minimal amount of bows and frills and lace, so there was no worry that she’d feel like she’d be better suited atop a wedding cake than sitting having drinks with her new friends, and…uh…”friends”.

The sad fact of this impending departure that it was taking half of her allies with it, and Elizabeth had proven the only woman around here who was inclined to take a shine to her. Unless they could start dragging the maids along with them to afternoon tea.

Elizabeth’s gown was similar to hers, although not quite an exact replica. It had more of a floral motif, in shades of silver and dotted here and there with pearls. She looked like some sort of wintry queen when all was said and done – although the coldness of the look ended the moment she smiled. As breathtaking as she was, it was a wonder the other women didn’t hate her and not just Theodora. But in their minds, any positive attributes Elizabeth held were likely just expected. They were correct.

In truth, Theo didn’t envy her. When she met expectations, she’d receive little recognition for it. When Theo showed any fine qualities, it was a pleasant surprise to those inclined to like her, and infuriating for those who did not. The former was nice enough, the latter was funny.

Which made Amelia’s impression of a bulldog chewing a wasp while Elizabeth delighted over her gift during the gathering downright hysterical.

Theo couldn’t tell if the brunette knew she could hear her or not. She stood some ways away, speaking in a little circle with Norrington, Lieutenant Groves, and a handful of other ladies, while Theo mingled with those who had not chosen to snub her. That number was growing, she noted, but there was still something about their smiles that disconcerted her. A tenseness, and an analytical look hidden in their eyes, like they were turning over and over every word she spoke to find some hidden meaning.

She wished them luck with it – for while she had her secrets, there’d be no guessing them for any folk here. It was amidst one of Mrs Spencer’s speeches, during which she listed every fish known to man and whether she liked it or not, and which was the best cooking method if she did, that she caught wind of Amelia’s snide comments, floating airily across the room.

“I confess, she could personally hand me the Crown Jewels and it still would give me no notion of what she’s attempting to say when she speaks, more often than not. It seems a strange consolation prize for Miss Swann.”

Theo stifled an eyeroll, for fear that Mrs Spencer would think she was levelling it at her.

“I find Miss Byrne’s manner of speaking charming. It’s clever,” Groves said, visibly uncaring that Amelia very much did not want to hear that.

“In its own way, no doubt,” she replied boredly.

“No, in the true sense of the term.”

A break in Mrs Spencer’s list (during which she debated whether she preferred crab or lobster) allowed Theo to chime in. Mostly because she couldn’t help herself.

“I’m very beautiful, too – talk about that next,” Theo called over, leaving no doubt as to the fact that she’d heard every word.

Groves grinned and then laughed, “What was it you said the other day? About an old colleague of your father’s – a lanky fellow? Built like a…”

“Built like the side of a bank note.”

“Yes! That’s the one. I confess, I’ve been laughing at that ever since you said it.”

Beside him, Norrington’s lips thinned, and he gazed down into his wine glass as if in disapproval.

Was Groves being inappropriate, or did he just disagree with his opinion? Considering she couldn’t much imagine the former, that only left the latter. Didn’t it?

“Well, to your discerning ear, Lieutenant,” she offered a smile and raised her glass.

Groves mirrored the gesture, and even Mrs Spencer gave a trickling laugh and sipped from her own, but Amelia scoffed. And Norrington? Norrington took a long drink from his own glass that seemed to have little to do with the toast. All while not looking at her.

At some point as the night wore on, Theo excused herself to seek the night air. It was a cloudy night, which kept the stifling heat of the day trapped down upon them, and with all of the bodies and the revelry inside, it soon grew stifling. The saving grace – out here, at least – was that it had begun to drizzle. It was refreshing, even if it would work a few questionable waves into her carefully primped hair.

That didn’t bother her, though. Everybody here was even drunker than she was, and those who gave a toss about what her hair looked like were those who already searched for reasons to dislike her. They could crack on. Walking quietly over to a stone bench in the middle of the patio, she sank down upon it and breathed deeply. She’d need to sober up a little before going back in. All right, she wasn’t exactly shit-faced – there’d be no risk of her climbing up onto a table and belting out ABBA’s greatest hits – but she didn’t like to be much beyond mildly tipsy around this lot.

Most of this lot.

It wouldn’t do to grow too comfortable, but she was at least pleased to find that the list of those she didn’t feel like she had to be permanently on her complete and total guard around had grown more than she ever could’ve hoped. Elizabeth had been the first to occupy it. Then Governor Swann, even if she was never destined to be the best of friends with him. Then Groves, and now – most surprisingly, and in the biggest U-turn of all – Captain Norrington.

“I see we both had the same idea.”

Norrington’s voice was distinct and instantly recognisable from where it sounded behind her. Maybe she’s summoned him with her thoughts.

“Would I be imposing if I joined you?” he hedged.

“Not at all,” she offered a smile, “but I haven’t got any books on me for us to discuss, so we’ll need to find another way to play nice.”

He offered a low huff of a laugh. “I’m optimistic about our changes.”

To her relief, his earlier questionable mood seemed a thing of the past. As he spoke, she scooted along to the left side of the bench and he took a seat to her right, uncaring for the raindrops that had gathered atop it.

“Mm. We’re the capable sort, I think,” she replied. “Speaking of, I’d ask you if you’re prepared for tomorrow, but I’m worried you’d take it as an insult.”

“Once, from you, perhaps. But no longer.”

Was she mistaken, or was humour creeping into his tone? He continued before she could dwell on it – and this time, he was definitely teasing her.

“I am well prepared, or else I should not be here. Shall you miss me?” he asked drily.

“Mm. If, on a scale from one to ten, one is being delighted to see the back of you and hoping you never return-”

“I rather regret asking now.”

“Let me finish - and if ten is I won’t eat or sleep ‘til he’s back, I’d give you…a solid…seven.”

“Seven?” he seemed surprised.

“And a half. Maybe even an eight, in your warm and fuzzy moments.”

“I’m not sure I have any warm and fuzzy moments.”

“I don’t believe that. You’re not half as scary as you’d have people think.”

“Scary?” he echoed with a snort. “Did you find me so fearsome when we first met?”

“On a scale of one to ten?”

“No. Truly.”

When she realised how sincere his question was, she gave it the thought it deserved before answering.

“Okay, scary was the wrong word. Not just because I don’t frighten that easily.”

He chuckled quietly, “I can believe that.”

“But…intimidating, maybe that’s the word. That’s your job, though, isn’t it?”

“And we did not have the most harmonious of introductions.”

“Memorable, though.”

That earned her another laugh.

“Certainly memorable, yes,” he hesitated then for a moment and then finally asked. “I must ask – do I intimidate you now, still?”

“No,” she admitted. “If I’m being honest, and I’m only being honest because of the Governor’s very good, very strong, wine…I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong about a first impression.”

Before they could linger too long on something that was just a touch too close to sincerity – and before she could overthink the way his entire face seemed to soften in response to her words – she pressed on.

“What about you? Do you still think I’m the mad malevolent influence I appeared to be in the beginning?”

“Mad, perhaps,” he teased drily. “But not malevolent.”

“However…?” she sensed the continuation in his tone.

“However,” he conceded, “I do think there is much you are not telling me.”

“Well. Have to save something for my biography.”

He didn’t appear to find that as amusing as she’d hoped.

“Look…anything I’m not telling you…it can’t harm anybody here. Truly. If it would, I’d leave.”

“I believe that. Once I may not have, but I do now.”

“Good.”

“Could it harm you?”

Theo didn’t respond.

“Miss Byrne- Theodora. You can tell me.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters a great deal!”

“I don’t understand how we got here,” she fretted with a tired laugh, “we were just joking on.”

“We were just about to discuss something frankly, for perhaps the first time.”

“For the first time? What are you talking about, we speak all the time. Are you…are you saying you think I’m usually lying?”

“No, I do not, but we have never gotten anywhere before now.”

The words hit some alarming note deep within her.

“Gotten anywhere? What do you mean gotten anywhere? I don’t…”

Theo trailed off. Because she’d been about to say that she didn’t understand, but as her mind worked through the fog of the alcohol, the heat, and the panic, she suddenly found herself understanding all too well.

Whether her dawning realisation showed on her face, or Norrington could simply guess the natural route her thoughts were taking, she didn’t know – but he quickly tried to intercede.

“Theodora, I did not mean-”

“Have you…” the prospect seemed too ridiculous to be true – to voice – and it had her feeling sick to her stomach, but it was all that made sense, and the panic in his widening eyes only seemed to confirm it.

Because James Norrington did not panic.

“Have you only been speaking to me to try to get somewhere?” she asked. “The books, the lunches, the long conversations…has it…has it all been to get me to lower my guard? Have you just been biding your time, the whole time, hoping I might slip up? And…and what? Admit that I’m secretly a pirate? That I’m here to rob everybody and run?”

“Of course not,” he insisted intently, eyes boring into hers as though force of eye contact alone could force her to believe him. “I said I believe you mean no harm, and I spoke truly. I have come to believe that.”

Theo did not respond. Because there was more he wasn’t saying.

“I…I merely hoped that if you came to trust me, that you might…be willing to reveal whatever it is you have not.”

She felt sick. Physically sick. Or like she’d been punched in the chest. Both at once, really. This whole time. This whole time. Every conversation, every book, every lunch, every joke, every smile…it had never been because he’d just wanted to spend time with her, or even wanted to make things right. He’d been playing the long game.

And sure, she hadn’t thought the sudden U-turn had been a miraculous change in his opinion of her. She thought it had started off as a desire to keep Elizabeth happy by being amicable with her friend, but…but that it had morphed into…

God, she was an idiot. Exactly what she thought it had morphed into, or was morphing into, hadn’t been clear to her until now, upon being shown how wrong she was. Christ, she’d watched three very long movies of the guy mooning over Elizabeth, and she’d really thought that a couple of jokes and a fucking sandwich from her would change that? Even a little bit?

How many of their conversations had he endured rather that enjoyed? Listening to her prattle on the same way she listened to Mrs Spencer, waiting either for her to slip up, or shut up, only presence out of duty? Out of protectiveness towards the Swanns?

How stupid could she get?

Several half-baked words of parting flitted through her mind. Some of them were even vaguely clever. But she had neither the heart nor voice to actually say any of them. So instead, she rose to her feet – though she could hardly feel them beneath her.

“Theodora,” he faltered and tried to reach for her hand, but she yanked it back and took her leave.

Amelia was at the piano when she moved inside. That was good. Not just because she was a fantastic player – which she was – but because Theo knew by now that the night would soon draw to a close. A few more would play, the drinks would be finished, and the guests would trickle out.

While there was nothing she wanted to do more than race upstairs, get into her nightgown and hide from the world beneath the covers, she refused to do that. Not just out of pride, but because she felt numb, bereft, and mortified, all in one. And that was paralysing.

The song drew to a close as she walked in and moved to stand at the side of the room, but Amelia’s dark eyes found her the moment she was finished playing.

“Miss Byrne! You next!”

Norrington returned to the room as she spoke, but Theo didn’t look at him.

“I can’t play,” she said.

“Oh, but you must be able to play something. Anything! We aren’t snobs here,” no, just vipers, “we’ll admire a good effort if nothing else.”

“I agree,” Norrington intoned.

If Amelia looked delighted at that, Theo felt the exact opposite – and she saw her own horror reflected in Elizabeth’s reaction, from where she sat by her father.

“I will take a tu-” the blonde’s attempt to rescue her was interceded by her father.

The Governor, deep in his cups by the flush on his face, chuckled and interrupted Elizabeth.

“Come now, Elizabeth, you’ve already played twice. Give Miss Byrne her chance to shine – I’m sure you know something worthwhile, my girl, and none of us here are renowned composers. It is for novelty only, I assure you! You are among friends.”

He wouldn’t have insisted, had Norrington not encouraged Amelia’s spite.

And she couldn’t refuse, could she? Not now that the man who was housing her had bid it. He’d meant no harm, he had no way of knowing about the wound he was in the process of packing salt into, but Theo felt her nausea increase tenfold.

The drizzle outside had set into her hair and set it askew, and what remained of the damp on her skin and dress both quickly warmed in the head of the room until she felt like she was stepping into a sauna. It was suffocating, and only added to her discomfort.

Walking numbly to the piano felt like being trapped in a nightmare – the sort where you turned up to an exam you hadn’t studied for. Naked. She knew some things. Mostly from pissing about on friends’ keyboards, or from music classes in high school – a decade ago. Nothing compared to what people here knew. And nothing well. Chopsticks, the first two seconds of Für Elise, and the song from the sodding Titanic movie.

The final option was the one she knew the most, but that only spoke for how little she knew the others.

Sitting down at the piano, she didn’t meet Elizabeth’s gaze – because she knew the sympathy she’d see there would crack whatever composure she’d plastered on as she left the gardens. It took a bit of plodding to find the first note she was looking for (the ones in her old music classroom had the keys labelled with stickers and/or sharpie, but there was no such help here), and even that drew a muffled snicker from somewhere behind her.

The rest was no better. Halting and awkward, as she hit wrong notes and either had to muddle through it, or pause and find the right key. At first, she thought nothing could be worse than the silence behind her – because she’d never heard such a large crowd be so, so silent. But then another snicker followed. As well as a few coughs, whether from second-hand embarrassment or as an attempt to disguise yet more laughter.

And she didn’t take herself seriously. Anybody who met her knew that. Back home, this wouldn’t be embarrassing at all. Among friends. How many times had she sat in a friend’s bedroom, a joint between her lips as she muddled through Paint It Black, laughing at her own mistakes and leaning into it before handing the instrument to someone who actually knew what they were doing? But she was not among friends here. The conversation she’d just had proved that to her.

It was all she could think of, and it had her wanting to crawl out of her skin.

She ended after the first verse, utterly unable to bear trying to go on (ironic, considering the song choice), and the Governor began to clap. To give him credit, he wasn’t even being an ass.

“A valiant effort, Miss Byrne! A valiant effort!”

A few murmurs joined in, Groves insisting he should go next – no doubt a kind-hearted attempt to make whatever she’d just tried to play look good in comparison. Theo brushed by him, and then took her leave of the room entirely. That meant going by Norrington, but the night couldn’t get any worse anyway. And if she didn’t leave soon, she’d cry in front of everybody. She refused to do that.

She made it as far as the stairs before he caught up to her.

“Theo- Miss Byrne, I did not mean to-”

Whirling, she found he did indeed look horrified. Apparently his victory had not tasted as sweet as he’d thought. Something about that only made it worse.

“Do you realise, Captain, that every time you’re kind to me, it only lasts so long as it takes my guard to drop, and then you’re cruel again? Then you embarrass me, again?” her voice came perilously close to breaking and she took a moment, inhaled deeply and fixed her eyes at some point above his head rather than at him. “So, at what point do I become the idiot for falling for it?”

“I did not-”

“Just leave me alone. That’s all I ask. Leave me be. You’ll be rid of me soon enough.”

She turned and began to ascend the stairs before he could reply, but he – thankfully – made no move to call after her.

James watched Theodora ascend the stairs in the Governor’s mansion feeling positively nauseous with regret. Not only at what had transpired in the gardens, but at how gloriously his half-baked in-the-moment plan had backfired thereafter.

She was out of sight by the time he was aware of Groves’ approach, his lieutenant moving silently to stand by him.

“May I ask you a question from one man to another, and not as a Lieutenant to his superior?” he asked quietly.

“Fine,” James replied flatly.

“…What was your thought process behind that? Back there in the sitting room?”

The question cut more deeply than any admonishment might’ve.  

#catch the wind #ctw #james/theodora #fallen through time esta-elavaris #ftt #james norrington/oc #james norrington x oc #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean fanfic #potcfic #james norrington fanfiction #james norrington fanfic

[justafairytailofinnocence]

Hii!! Could you pls write a James Norrington x Swann!reader where the reader is Elizabeth’s older sister who loves/fancies James Norrington but he doesn’t know that she loves him so the reader pretends to pass out but he catches her and carries her to her bedroom and waits for her to wake up and the he finally tells her that he loves her too and they get married at the end. (You can add what you like) thank you 😊 :)

Hello dear💖, thanks for your request.

James Norrington x Swann reader⚔🦢

A reconsidered proposal👰

On this day was the ceremonial promotion of James Norrington, a man who served in the naval army for a long time. He served the Swann family. James was always by their side, he viewed us like family although—there was but one inharmonious part—the day the commodore had planned to propose to Elizabeth Swann. The commodore had always been close to Elizabeth although, before Elizabeth was born there was another, a girl who was bright and bold who had grown up with Norrington since they were younger. Y/n Swann. A fine woman who protected her sister from the beginning since the tragedy of their mother’s passing. The two sisters were opposites: one fantasying about pirates and the other fantasying of marriage. Y/n sided with her father and the commodore; she was set to be a lady. Though, since y/n was younger she had known the commodore more than Elizabeth. She had been their during his downfalls, worries and woes while spending her time making him fall high in laughter and joy. The commodore protected the family with honour and respect, the soon to be admiral will choose a betrothal to a fine woman.

Governor Swann had bid Elizabeth farewell to accept the commodores proposal. He turned to y/n wearing a gown with a fine layer of skirtings. She placed her hands together in a ladylike manner approaching her father. “Tis be quite a tremendous day y/n, Elizabeth will accept the commodores proposal and she will wed” Y/n’s father smiled.

“Indeed, though I can’t help but feel—rather—” y/n muttered although her father ended the sentence for her. “Happy for your sister’s occasion” he concluded.

The truth is, y/n didn’t exactly feel tremendous joy for her sister. It was hard to explain but, she had hoped the commodore would betroth her to his hand in marriage.

The Governor accompanied his daughter inside the manor, her heels clicked as she headed up the stairs into her bedroom. Only, at the door there was a knock. The servant opened the door to greet a commoner, he was smaller in height and his clothes weren’t of riches. His brown hair was tied back as his eyes were soft in expression. “Have you seen Elizabeth” the man asked. It was Will, the blacksmith. “No, Miss Swann had just left Sir, I suggest you leave your request with Governor Swann if you insist to visit her” the servant informed Will.

Y/n called out to Will “Blacksmith, I assume your work is going well?”.

Will turned his head up the stairs to see a woman in a dashing, fine silk gown. “Miss y/n, yes, indeed, I thought I would’ve caught Mrs Swann just in time”.

“Please Will, you know how many times Elizabeth told you to call her by her first name” y/n smiled kindly.

“Uh, yes but, perhaps there is a way you can pass my regards to Elizabeth for me” Will requested. “Certainly, Sir William” y/n politely curtsied.

Will was more acquainted with Elizabeth then y/n, the two had known each other since childhood. The blacksmiths past is rather a mystery, no one knew who or where he came from. The boy was caught adrift in a sea wreckage, he was taken in by a rather older gent who knew about the works of swords. Will had been accustomed to the family, every day he would pass by just to see Elizabeth. Their meetings were always rather short but, y/n knew, the blacksmith had feelings for her sister, even more, her sister had grown closer to the blacksmith. The commodore didn’t know, Liz always dismissed it. Will was a rather humble and kind gent, more than any other man y/n knew.

“I shall inform her once I see her, Sir William” y/n promised.

In the distance a carriage pulled up rather earlier than expected, out of the entry door, Elizabeth and the commodore climbed out. Y/n quickly rushed down the stairs, grabbing her skirtings to see what happened. “Elizabeth, dear God, what happened”. Elizabeth was dripping with water as her hair was soaking, the commodore accompanied her inside. “Get her warmed up and keep an eye on her” the commodore ordered the maid. “Yes sir” the maid helped Elizabeth to warm her up in any way she could. “Commodore, what happened, is Elizabeth alright” the Governor rushed out to find his daughter soaking wet.

“Indeed, we’ve just encountered a scoundrel, a pirate” the commodore informed y/n’s father.

“A pirate?” he questioned.

“Yes Sir, a no-good buccaneer of the seas, we gave chase and the pirate shall be set to hang” the commodore said proudly.

A pirate? A pirate? here in port royal? Oh no this is terrible news, if it weren’t for the navy, who knew what kinds of terrible things would’ve happened to poor Elizabeth. “I-I thank you commodore for saving my dear sister” y/n shyly showed her gratitude. “Fret not lady y/n, your sister is safe, we shall purge that pirate for his no-good deeds” the commodore stated.

Y/n fancied him, she always has, it was only a matter of time before she could tell him. “Commodore, I-“ y/n stuttered. James turned with curiosity, his face, holding a stern expression.

“I, I, I” y/n began to close her eyes as her body collapsed. James coming into action took y/n in his arms. “Y/n” the Governor had noticed his eldest daughter had fainted. The commodore informed her father that he will bring her up to her bedroom, even if it was inappropriate, he felt the need to protect the woman who had been there for him, for all those years. The commodore carried the woman’s body up the stairs into what looked like a white, elegant room. James placed y/n in her bed, he felt her forehead to make sure she wasn’t burning up whilst watching her chest move up and down. Now, it might’ve been selfish but, y/n hadn’t intended to use this action, rather, it was to gain the commodores attention. The bed was soft; the sheets made of cotton and silk; feathers filled the pillow. The commodore intently watched as y/n flickered her eyes open.

“Commodore, oh, forgive me” y/n muttered out.

“Lady y/n don’t burden your forgiveness on something you had no control of doing” James furrowed his brows. “I’m just glad your well” he addressed.

Y/n grabbed his hand, she wanted to tell him, all these years of growing together, spending time, and enjoying each other’s company. The commodore had always been protective of her and her sister. “I want to inform you of something—you see my mind was set on Elizabeth’s betrothal that, that I never knew” he paused.

“I had been paying my affections toward the wrong person” he looked into y/n’s eyes.

“Elizabeth is a fine woman but” James smiled. “You are, such a remarkable lady”.

“I must re-consider my proposal; would you wed me” James asked.

Y/n smiled as her eyes were full of happiness “Oh, James of course I will”.

Norrington smiled with genuine emotion, something he had only done when around her family. Y/n leaned forward from her bed, not caring if her hair was messy from the pillow. She leaned forward and embraced James in a kiss. He was caught off guard but leaned into it.

The commodore had potentially nearly made a mistake that caused him misery, he was engaged to y/n, a woman who had known him far longer. He had informed Governor Swann that his proposal was to be reconsidered, Mr Swann was rather hesitant thinking Elizabeth would be heart broken. However, she granted her blessings as she had fancied William.

On the middle hour, on the day of June, the commodore had awaited at the arch as many gathered. Y/n had said her vows as James spoke his and the rest you can say was history.

On this day, Y/n Swann was known as Y/n Norrington. The Commodores wife.

anyways that's all I have for now:

Ta Ta ✨

#pirates of the caribbean #potc #James Norrington x reader #James Norrington #Potc x reader #Norrington x reader #pirates of the caribbean x reader #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean fic #pirates of the caribbean imagine #pirates of the caribbean oneshot #pirates of the caribbean x fem reader #james norrington fic #james norrington oneshot #james norrington headcanon

[mimilind]

The Stowaway Passenger - Part 1

Pairing: Will Turner x Reader

Rating: T

Chapter Word Count: 1950

Parts: [ Next Part > ] [ Masterlist ]

Full story: [ AO3 ]

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

1. Stowaway

It was only the first day after you left Port Royal, and you had never felt this sick in your life. The smell had much to do with it, closely followed by the torturous heat, the rolling motions of the ship and the pitch darkness in the cargo hold. Had you known the stout freight ship you had chosen for your escape would carry salted fish, you may have thought twice about boarding it, but there was no going back now. 

If you survived this, you would be free at last; that was worth any discomfort. And at least you had not thrown up – yet.

You heard a squeaking sound and the hatch opened above you. Cowering behind a crate, you tried to make yourself as tiny as possible, holding your breath.

A tendril of light illuminated your surroundings slightly, and you heard steps on the ladder. A loud, rough voice called down: “Move all the crates from that side to the other. And get on with it, or I’ll make the boatswain whip yer. Lazy bilgerat!” 

The hatch shut with a loud wham, and darkness returned. No, not quite. Whomever had been sent down the ladder carried a lantern. You could hear them swear under their breath, obviously annoyed at getting such a meaningless task. 

Then it struck you that their task would put you in danger of discovery, and with a pounding heart you hoped they would refuse doing it. 

Sadly, you had no such luck. Within moments, you heard grunts and ragged panting as the unlucky sailor began to push the boxes over the wooden deck.

If only you could fit inside one of the crates! But they were nailed firmly shut.

The sounds grew closer as the sailor worked their way towards you, and the light brighter. A whiff of musk hit your nose. To your surprise, it smelled pleasant. Being brought up in a fine home, you had never been this close to a working man, and in other circumstances it might have made you curious. 

Not now, however. You were too afraid. Any moment now they would find you, and drag you up to the captain, and what would he do then? Beat you? Keelhaul you? Or… maybe he would force you to walk the plank – pushing you off the ship, bound hands and feet.

Probably not the latter, you thought. You were too easily recognizable as a rich person in your fine clothes, and the captain would realize your family might pay him to get you back in one piece. 

Your father would pay, you knew that. If it became known what you had done, it would ruin your family’s status in society forever. Especially considering how long and hard he had worked to procure your marriage.

That marriage… Just the thought of your intended made bile rise in your throat. Going back was not an option. If you were discovered, you must make sure this sailor helped you remain hidden at any cost!

The crate you were hiding behind moved, and you heard a breathless voice: “What the heck?” 

His lantern blinded you, so you could not see what he looked like, but you prayed inwardly he was a kind man.

“Shh,” you whispered, a finger against your lips. “Please…”

He moved the lantern closer, moving it up and down as he regarded you. “Who are you?” he murmured after what felt like an eternity, and thank goodness, he kept his voice down! 

“I’m someone who needs to escape,” you pleaded. “Can you pretend you never saw me?”

“What’s the point? We’ll make land soon, picking up more cargo. You’ll be found then, if not sooner.” 

Darn. Darn darn darn! 

“I thought this ship was heading for Europe!” you hissed, despair filling you.

“It is, eventually. But not until the hold’s full.” The sailor placed the lantern on a crate, and for the first time you could see his face. He was a handsome, youngish looking man, a little over twenty-five perhaps. But what caught you off guard was the fact that he only wore a pair of short, cotton breeches. 

You tried hard not to stare at his exposed chest, but could not avoid noticing how muscular he was, and how the moisture from his previous exertion made his tanned skin almost glow in the lamplight.

“I’m screwed,” you muttered. 

“What are you running from?” he asked curiously.

“Marriage,” you admitted. “My father found a spouse for me. Rich and important. But I just…” You sighed. “I just couldn’t. Not without love.”

“I understand.”

“You do?”

He nodded. “I’m kind of running away too… I was engaged to the woman I had pined after since childhood, but once it was settled, I realized I’d grown out of love. Somehow, by all the hardship we endured to get each other, we had changed.” His dark eyes filled with sadness. Then he straightened up. “I must continue working, or the captain will have my hide.”

“Need help?” you heard yourself offer, though you had not done an honest day’s work in your life before.

The sailor looked at your clean, smooth hands and embroidered clothes, and his lips twitched. “Sure.” He held out a dirty fist to you. “I’m Will, by the way. Will Turner.”

His hand was warm and felt strong when you shook it and told him your name. 

Hearing your surname, Will whistled silently. “Good Lord. I imagine there’s quite a bounty to be had, if the captain brings you back to Port Royal.”

You stared at him, bitterly regretting exposing yourself. “Please…” you whispered, earnestly shaking your head.

“No worries.” His grip on your hand hardened. “Even if I were that cruel, I’d not give the captain the satisfaction. He’s probably the worst captain I’ve known. I hate his guts, but sadly this was the only ship hiring, and I just had to get out of there.”

Breathing out in relief, you pressed his hand in return. “Thank you. I mean it.” 

Your eyes met, and suddenly the air felt even hotter than before. You found it hard to breathe and quickly dropped your gaze. “Let’s work then,” you said lamely.

The crates were ridiculously heavy, but by the time you had managed to push one to the other side, Will had already moved three of them. 

“How can you do it so fast?” you panted, feeling every muscle in your body protest as you began on another crate.

“I used to be a blacksmith.” He smirked.

No wonder he was so fit, you thought, appreciatively glancing at his broad shoulders when he had his back turned. You felt a flutter of excitement deep within.

When the work was done, you were exhausted and flopped down on a box with shaking arms and legs.

“Thanks for the assistance,” said Will, though he obviously knew you had not done much to ease his task. “I like your spirit. Perhaps I should help you in return.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! But how?”

“I think you could pass as a deckhand, if you borrow some spare clothes from me. The captain is a lazy lout, and can hardly write. He doesn’t know the names of half the crew he hired.”

“But don’t you think my name would give me away? What if he’s heard of me before?”

“True. Then let’s call you…” He glanced at the crates and grinned. “Casey. Or Carter?”

“Casey Carter sounds good.” You grinned back. 

You hid behind the crates again while Will climbed back up, promising to return at night with clothes you could borrow. It would be easier for you to sneak out unnoticed in the protection of darkness.

While waiting, you thought about what you were about to do, and slowly the courage left you. You were a rich brat, with a weak body and no experience of hard labor, and suddenly you felt sure the other sailors would see through your cover immediately and call you out. And what about your seasickness? If you threw up in front of a bunch of rowdy seamen you would probably die of shame. And then you would die again when the captain tossed you overboard.

When Will returned after a few hours, you had bit your nails down to the quick and was a nervous wreck.

“I’m not sure I can do this,” you whispered shakily.

“No worries. I’ll look out for you.” He smiled encouragingly. Such an attractive smile he had!

“Why are you so kind to a stranger?” you asked. 

“I told you. I like your spirit.” He squeezed your shoulder.

The clothes Will had brought were a typical sailor’s outfit with breeches, an offwhite shirt and a vest, and a scarf to tie back your hair with. You changed behind the crates, though you told yourself you were being silly, really – your underwear covered almost all of you, and besides, had he not exposed his bare chest to you before? Soon you would share living quarters with the rest of the crew, and you would have to get used to showing a little skin. 

The clothes were not too dirty, but not freshly laundered either like you were used to. You did not mind; on the contrary, you liked the exotic, masculine scent impregnated in the garments. You knew Will had worn them.

When you returned to the circle of lamplight, you looked down at yourself critically, thankful the shirt was loose with long sleeves and covered your body effectively. You hoped it was not too obvious you were no real sailor.

There was a glint in Will’s eyes as he regarded you. “Looking good.”

Before you left the cargo hold, he explained to you the work you would do as a deckhand; mostly cleaning the deck and performing lesser chores, and when the ship reached the next port, help carry goods aboard. Will would make sure you were not assigned complicated tasks such as raising sails or climbing the rigging.

You went up the ladder, Will first and you closely behind. He cautiously peeked out before allowing you up. 

“Coast is clear,” he whispered, taking your hand to help you.

You drew in a deep breath of the cool night air. How wonderful to be out of that horrible hole!

Will did not release your hand. With you in tow he sneaked over the deserted deck until you came to another hatch, which led to the sleeping quarters. You descended a new ladder, and your stomach sank as you realized the respite from the stuffy, stinking cargo hold had been short lived; here it was almost equally bad, although the stench of salted fish was replaced with that of unwashed humans. 

The area was crammed with sleeping people, snoring away in hammocks hanging from the low ceiling. The floor underneath was no less crowded; littered with seaman’s chests, bags, used clothes and, in a corner, a stinking bucket which you suspected you as a deckhand would be assigned to empty. 

“Where do I sleep?” you breathed in Will’s ear. 

Instead of replying, he pulled you with him to one side, where two empty hammocks hung very close together. “It will be a bit tight, but there was not much room left.” His breath tickled your neck when he whispered.

You nodded, and gratefully accepted his offer to help you get up. He placed his hands on your waist and promptly lifted you onto the swinging bed, as if you weighed hardly anything.

The hammocks were so close you could feel his body heat next to yours when he lay down, but in this strange and frightening situation, that only made you feel safe.

⚔ ⚔ ⚔

Parts: [ Next Part > ] [ Masterlist ]

Full story: [ AO3 ]

#will turner #will turner x reader #will turner x you #will turner fanfic #pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #potc fanfic #potc fanfiction #potc #The Stowaway Passenger

[no-damsel]

Poisoned love

#pirates of the Caribbean #will turner #will turner x reader #will turner x you #elizabeth swann #Elizabeth Swann x sister #elizabeth swann x reader #caption Jack sparrow #will turner smut #pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the Caribbean fandom #william turner #will turner/you #will turner/reader

[swannposting]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Jack Sparrow/Elizabeth Swann Characters: Jack Sparrow, Elizabeth Swann, Cutler Beckett, Estrella (Pirates of the Caribbean) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, post awe, Murder, Assassination, Revenge, Blood and Violence, Friends With Benefits, Friends with detriments, Pirate King Elizabeth Swann, Bloodlust, Submissive Jack Sparrow, Angst, Grief/Mourning, Guilt, Infidelity, Mild Sexual Content, Hurt/Comfort, mentions of Elizabeth/Will, POV Alternating, Not Beta Read Summary:

By some unforeseen and highly unlikely circumstance, Cutler Beckett survived the destruction of the Endeavour. Jack wants revenge, but he cannot do it alone. Luckily, he knows someone who hates Beckett as much as he does.

#finally finished my rewrite of this old WIP #sparrabeth #potc fanfic #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #jack sparrow x elizabeth swann #rat's fic

[wanderdreamer]

so ... i did something that made a younger version of myself very happy recently. i began to write. i was never sure how to start and not even sure where it would go, but i decided to enjoy what it would feel like for the time being. to give a lil mini proper go of it. and what better way to flex my creative muscles than to tackle something i truly, truly love: pirates of the caribbean. you got that right folks, i am now a fanfic writer (can i call myself that yet ...? *do* i call myself that ...?). anyways, i just wanted to voice it into this here void, to not only force myself to have pride in what i’m attempting, but also in case anyone stumbled across it and it happens to make them smile. so without further ado, the beginning to something new. here goes nothing.

#pirates of the caribbean #potc #james norrington #in madness with the rest of the world #madness #imwtrotw #james norrington/oc #james norrington x oc #james norrington / original female character #james norrington x original female character #pirates of the caribbean fanfic #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean ff #potc fanfic #potc fanfiction #potc ff #i’m most definitely overdoing it with the tags but i’m trying my best😭

[alwritey-aphrodite]

Back in my Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann era…

So many ideas…

#will turner #will turner x reader #will turner x you #elizabeth swann #elizabeth swann x reader #elizabeth swann x you #pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction

[inej-ruination-ghafa]

champagne problems - J.N

evermore masterlist | willow | gold rush

Warnings: mentions of abuse, marriage, rejection, heartbreak, angst, 1700's views on women and their place in society, piracy

Pairing: James Norrington x Fem!Reader

Summary: James loved you but your heart belonged with the sea and one night, you had to make the choice between two different paths, being a well mannered woman or being a woman on the lamb

Wordcount: 1.8k

You could have spent forever in his arms, his soft touch making you feel like you're floating as the two of you waltzed across the floor. 

You may have hated this high society life of big ballgowns and parties and castles but as long as you had James, you knew that none of that mattered. 

Your real dream was to sail the seven seas, to be free as a pirate where nobody could tell you what to do, not the Navy, not your mother, not the governor, you decided your own fate. 

But it was a fantasy that you knew you couldn't never achieve, not just because you were a girl but because you felt guilty even thinking about leaving James. 

When he smiled down at you, you smiled back, his smile infectious to you. He never smiled because he was so serious and high strung so when he did, you treasured the moments. 

James looked at you the same way as you looked at him, both of you totally in love with one another. 

He loved you more than anything else in the world, more than his job. The weight of the ring in his pocket was heavy and he knew that tonight was going to be the night that he was going to propose. 

Whenever he imagined his future, he imagined it with you. 

He imagined 2, maybe 3 small children running around a nice house near the beach. He would stop sailing the seas and maybe come back to work for the governor. You'd be at home for him when he got back every day from working with the governor and it would be perfect. 

"Are you alright James? You seem to be in another world," you asked with a chuckle as you danced round the room, following his footsteps. 

He smiled, "Of course darling," he said, his hand tight in yours, the other one placed on your hip. 

He was hesitant and he could feel his palms becoming slick with sweat as he realised that he was going to have to propose soon. It was nerve wracking but he was ready. 

"Do you want to go to the balcony? Get some fresh air?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky, "I need to talk to you," 

You let go of his hand, freezing in your spot as you realised he was going to propose to you or at least ask you to make your relationship official in terms of courting. 

"You okay my love?" He asked, reaching back down for your hand as people danced around the two of you. 

You put on a fake smile, "Yes, yes, of course I am," you tried to hide the shake in your voice, "Lets go," 

You had to ignore the sinking in your stomach. He could change your life forever.

You stood on the terrace, staring out at the stars, hoping that it was all going to end up well and you would leave within a week to sail into a new future. 

You hated this life and you were going to run away months ago but James kept asking you on the promenades and you couldn't turn him down. 

You were falling in love with him but your heart longed for the sea and your mother was so controlling that just being around her made you sick.

He looked at you, wiping his palms on his trousers as he approached you, the nerves becoming too much to bear. 

He said your name softly and you turned around, noticing how nervous he appeared to be. 

"I love you and I have for the last few months but I'd like to make it official between us, to be able to share our love forever; if you'd let me," he said and you were shaking. 

You couldn't believe this was happening. A life with James seemed perfect to you and you didn't want to leave but it was suffocating and you could already feel your throat closing up at the idea. 

He took a deep breath before getting on one knee, fishing his mothers ring out of his pocket and holding it out to you, a scared smile on his face. 

"Will you marry me?" He asked, his voice slightly shaky but he was composed like always. 

You began to tear up, your eyes burning and you didn't know what to say. 

You felt guilty for ruining everything but you had to follow your heart and though it told you to go to James, it also told you that you belonged with the sea. 

"I can't," you said and he looked up at you, blinking a few times in disbelief. 

For the first time in his life he was speechless as you rejected him, crushing any hopes.

"Is it because we're not courting because I don't mind waiting, I'd wait forever for you," he rambled, getting back onto his feet, the ring heavy in his hand. 

"I can't," you repeated, unable to say anything else. 

You watched the moment that his heart shattered as if it were in slow motion and you didn't know what to say to him. 

You were both frozen in time, neither of you sure what to say to one another, the silence uncomfortable. 

"I'm sorry James," you said, your voice shaky as hot tears welled up in your eye, making your vision blurry. 

"Why?" He asked, heartbroken.

You couldn't give him a reason why you wanted to leave, the words getting caught in your throat as you choked on your emotions. 

The tears began to stream down your face and you ran out, unable to look at him anymore without knowing how much you'd ruined things for both of you by turning him down. 

You didn't want to look into his eyes anymore and see the heartbreak from your rejection. You couldn't bear it. 

As he watched you run through the doors, he remembered meeting you for the first time when you were 16 and he was 20. You had been with your father and he hadn't seen you for long but the mischievous glint in your eyes had drawn him to you instantly like a midas touch. 

The next time he saw you was when you were 18 and you came back from finishing school and he fell for the beautiful and elegant person you had grown into. 

From then on you two had become friends but after you had admitted your feelings to him, he knew he'd never think of you as that again. 

For months the two of you had been stealing conversations and smiles from across rooms but now he was ready to make it official. 

But you had turned him down and he didn't know what to do. 

All of his dreams about the two of you at your wedding, dancing across the floor with you in a white dress and him in his navy apparel. It was perfect. 

He pushed his shoulder back, his head held high as he began to walk out of the room, trying to ignore the burning behind his eyes as he nursed his heart from your rejection. 

Maybe he had read it wrong, that you were just playing around. 

"James, where did she go?" His older sister asked as she spotted him in the ball. 

She had just watched you run out of the ballroom, tears streaming down your face as you tried to escape the pressures of the life you had been thrust into. 

"I don't know," he said, his voice heavy with heartbreak as he walked out of the room. 

He had told his sister because he needed his mother's ring. He wanted to propose to you in the most perfect way but he had never expected you to refuse. He thought you loved him. 

You stood at the docks, hands clasped in front of you as you talked to the man on the plank of the ship as you tried to barter your way on. 

He called your name and you turned around before looking back at the pirate, holding your money out. The man nodded, holding his hand out and gesturing for you to come onto the ship. 

You didn't look back at James Norrington again. You couldn't bear to look back at him and see the heartbreak in his eyes. 

You just listened as he yelled out your name into the distance, the sound a half sob and a half angry yell. 

Two years later, you stood at the docks of the same port you had left from years ago as you watched your captain, Jack Sparrow, have a run in with the law. 

You stayed hidden, knowing he was going to make his escape but you froze as you saw him there. 

He looked no different then before and your heart skipped a beat as you remembered that day you had left him. 

You thought back to the moment you dropped his hand, leaving him out on the balcony on his own. 

He had given you his heart that day and you had dropped it, watching as it shattered like glass on the floor in front of you and you had acted like you hadn't cared. 

You wanted to talk to him again, explain it all. Explain why you had to get away from the suffocating life but you froze when you saw him wrap his arm around Elizabeth Swann. 

She was two years younger than you and you couldn't believe that he would ever date her. He had never shown interest in her when you wet around and you assumed they had an almost familial bond. 

You could only assume what the town had said about you once you had left, that you would have been a lovely bride if you hadn't left, that you were delusional, that you were a criminal, that your mother had beaten you. 

You just hoped that Elizabeth could give him what you couldn't, that she could fix the broken pieces of him in the way that you had. 

With a heavy heart, you turned away, knowing that Elizabeth would never refuse his proposal or break his heart in the same way that you had. 

He noticed you in that moment, his heart sinking as he realised that you were with Jack, that you'd really chosen that pirating life. 

You thought he wouldn't remember you but he did and he longed to reach for you but as you walked away, you both knew it wouldn't be right to deal with all the champagne problems. 

#james norrington #james norrington x reader #james norrington x you #james norrington fanfic #james norrington fanfiction #commodore norrington #commodore norrington x reader #norrington #mj writes nonsense #evermore celebration #jack davenport #potc #potc fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the carribean: dead men tell no tales #pirates of the carribean x reader #pirates of the Caribbean fanfiction #mj 500 followers evermore celebration #mj 500 followers celebration

[duckingwriting]

trick or treat!! ✨ ~ @alesseia

Have some candy 🍫 from my Sparrington fic! Fingers cross I'll finish it before the end of the year.

James glared at Jack. "Couldn't sleep." "Rum can fix that, Love." Jack held his bottle of run with a crooked grin. He shook the bottle lightly at James encouragingly. James glared for a bit more before reaching out and grabbing the bottle. Jack grinned more, his smile widening like he had just been given the best gift in the world when James tipped the bottle back. James watched when Jack took the bottle back and took a long drink, licking the rim of the bottle with far too much sparkle in his eyes as he stared at James. James narrowed his eyes not sure what the pirate captain thought he was doing.  "Lovely night yes?" Jack slid his arm around James' shoulders and passed the bottle back to him while leading him towards the upper deck. "'Suppose so." James reluctantly agreed feeling shivers along his spine while the scent of sea salt and rum curled around him from the other man.  "Do you know any songs and dances?" Jack grinned pulling James towards where the pirate had tied the wheel to maintain course while he did god only knew what.  "Do I know what?" James snagged the bottle back from the other man. His mind was becoming blessedly foggy

#sparrington #my fanfiction #writblr #dux writing #duxwriting #my writing #ask answered #happy halloween #halloween 2023 #trick or treat #pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction

[ghostofskywalker]

Rescue Mission

Will Turner/Fem!Reader

Fictober Day 26 of 31

Words: 1,238

Summary: When your husband is taken, you very bravely (or very stupidly) go alone to rescue him.

Note: today is actually a double feature of will turner fics, since i promised i would write a request for an anon a little bit ago.

there's some canon divergence in here for dead man's chest i suppose? it doesn't ever specifically follow the movie but it has to do with davy jones and i've just kind of wrote with the general vibe of things.

Will Turner Masterlist

You could hear the sound of Davy Jones’ voice as you crept up the side of the ship, with nothing but a sword at your hip and a wooden lifeboat bobbing behind you in the shallows, an unwavering determined expression on your face.

When Captain Jack Sparrow had returned to shore three weeks ago without your husband with him, you immediately threatened the pirate with certain death if you found out that he had let Will die. Triumphantly, the slightly drunken idiot informed you that Will was not in fact dead, but rather trapped on a ship with a ghost crew and no way out. You kept to your word (and didn’t kill him), but that wasn’t to say that he left the encounter completely unscathed.

So when the Flying Dutchman appeared at the port of Tortuga, you jumped at the chance to fix the mess that Sparrow had created and save your lover from a fate worse than death. You probably had a death wish, to try and go against Jones like this with no backup and no combat experience, but you had to try. You’d been handling a sword since your early teens, so your skill was all you had to rely on.

You climbed through one of the large windows on the lower levels on the ship, thankful for the fact that the rest of the crew was most likely on the deck. It would probably present a bigger problem for you later, but right now it was a good thing.

Keeping your steps as light and gentle as physically possible, you snuck up the stairs and took refuge behind a large pile of crates. You caught a glimpse of Will, with rope around his wrists but otherwise unharmed. You could also see a glimpse of his sword in one corner of the deck, glinting against the old and darkened wood.

But most surprising of all, you didn’t see Davy Jones.

Now, this was not something you were going to question, because you knew that if you could get out of here without ever catching sight of this ship’s captain you had a much higher chance of success. Pulling the sword from its place on your hip, you crept around the ship, keeping yourself out of sight of the two crew members who were standing in the middle of the deck. The rest of the crew must be off somewhere else, you realized, and you definitely didn’t want to still be here when they returned.

As you moved from the crates, you caught Will staring right at you, a completely shocked expression on his face. He seemed to mouth What are you doing here? and you just raised a finger to your lips in response. If even one of the remaining crew members suspected that they weren’t alone on this ship your elaborate rescue mission was toast, and you couldn’t afford to lose right now.

You knew that Will would probably have a lot of questions for you later, and you would answer them in due time, but right now the most important thing was getting him free.

When the crewmen descended to the lower levels of the ship, you knew that was your chance. You immediately began to cut the ropes around your boyfriend’s wrists.

“What are you doing here?” he whispered.

“Rescuing you,” you hissed back. “And we don’t have much time, so you need to listen to me.”

As well as this plan had gone so far, you were not particularly lucky after the ropes fell to the deck of the ship and Will picked up his sword, because the crew of the Dutchman were finally alerted to your presence.

Immediately, one of them lunged at you, and your sword clanged against his. You attempted to stab him in the heart, but he parried and blocked your blow. You could hear what sounded like Will’s voice calling out to you to jump overboard, and you hoped that you heard him correctly.

This crewman (who had what looked like rotting limbs and the head of a shark), made a stab at you, but you managed to dodge it. You were just about to make another move, but the second crew member attacked the first, giving you the chance to pull away.

You looked at the man in confusion, and he nodded at you, his eyes darting to the waters beyond the ship as he parried his crewmate. Not wanting to waste the chance to escape, you quickly sprinted to the edge of the ship, clambering over the edge at the same time as Will, and the two of you reached for each other as you fell into the ocean.

You were worried about slamming into the seafloor as you descended, but thankfully the ship had been anchored in a place where the water was deep enough for you to land without major harm. After a quick breath of air, you ducked back underwater and followed Will to a rocky cave just out of eyesight of the Dutchman. You had thought about swimming for the boat you had taken out here, but it would be too easily seen and generally too risky.

You stepped out of the water, immediately finding yourself wrapped in a hug before Will leaned down to place a kiss on your lips. You hadn’t seen him in so long, and you passionately obliged, wanting to never leave this particular moment. Despite the fact that you were currently sopping wet and were more than likely still in some kind of danger, this fleeting moment was the happiest you’ve felt in a long while.

When you finally had to pull away for air, you looked at Will. “Are you alright?”

He nodded. “We were lucky that Jones was finally using his day on land to hunt down Jack, or we could still be stuck on that boat.”

You nodded. “And we’re also lucky one of the crew let us go.”

His expression changed slightly. “That was my father, Bootstrap Bill,” he said softly, and immediately your heart broke for him. It was in no way his fault and he had no say in the decision, but you knew that he likely felt responsibly for leaving a family member on that ship.

You reached down to take his hand, looking into his eyes as you spoke. “It’s clear that he loves you,” you said. “Do you know if there’s a way to release him from Jones’ crew?”

Will shook his head. “Not without a huge sacrifice on my side,” he said. “And even so, I doubt Jones would be so willing to negotiate now that I’ve run away.”

“Speaking of that,” you said. “Are you still in danger?”

He paused before responding. “Yes. After today, Davy Jones has to wait another ten years before he can set foot on land again, but we would lose that protection on the water.”

You nodded, not sure what to do. “Maybe we can take a few days before going back out there,” you suggested.

Will smiled. “I’ll need to find some kind of crew anyway.”

“Well, you have me for sure,” you said, squeezing his hand.

“I’d never doubt that,” he said, leaning down to steal another kiss from your lips.

You couldn’t help but smile into the kiss. The dangers weren’t over just yet, but at least you had Will by your side once more.  

- the end - 

i no longer have a taglist! if you're interested in being notified when i post, you can follow my library blog @ghostofskywalker-library and turn on notifications!

#ghostofskywalker.fictober #will turner #will turner x reader #will turner x you #will turner x gender neutral reader #pirates of the carribean x reader #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #orlando bloom x reader

[kathaariawrites]

Nights in Cádiz - Armando Salazar x Reader (Chapter 3)

I know I should be ashamed to come back and write another chapter as if nothing happened BUT at least I'm back so yay.

The dress I picture [Y/N] wearing here is this one. Also, because it's mentioned, here's a guide on the language of fans in the 18th century.

As breakfast progressed, with stolen glances and smirks from your part, Armando felt his face flush. It was highly, highly inappropriate for a lady, specially this young, this joyful, to behave like this. He was her father's friend, he left for his last trip when her mom was pregnant. [Y/N] had her whole life ahead and shouldn't be giving her attention to him.

He looked at Lesaro for help but he only shot him knowing glances back and it made him frown. No, this would not do it. He excused himself and stood up, going for a walk outside the house. Fresh air, instead of the suffocating atmosphere inside.

Lesaro found him soon after.

"¿Dónde vás?", his voice made him pause. It was too easy to forget he was a commanding officer too.

"I need fresh air, Gui."

"I can see that. You're troubled today, Armando, and your face is showing it to everyone. ¿Qué pasa?"

Armando turned around then, a loud sigh leaving him. "It's the señorita, Gui. I...Diós."

Guillermo chuckled, approaching him with slow steps. He knew his friend too well, the same good old Armando from the Academy days in front of him now.

He remembers how Armando was, how he always has been. Passionate, intense, a handsome man who always let insecurities get the best of him on these matters. When they were young sailors, it would brew down to him thinking no respectable woman should be with him because of his father's actions. Then, as they rose ranks practically together, it extended to his capabilities, to him being away for too long and not wanting to hold a woman "hostage to his work", as he said.

Armando never planned on being a captain until Guillermo himself vouched for him. He would be a good one, and time proved him right at every possible instance, but at the cost of his own captaincy offer. Guillermo was a man of the crew, Armando was a man of command and it was the way it was supposed to be.

Being on so many different ships together, the deaths, La Maria and the curse, had brought them impossibly close together. They confided everything to each other. The young Armando who relucted in seeking comfort with brothel women in their stops was in front of him again, insecurity and fear shining in his deep eyes and Guillermo almost laughed at how unfitting it seemed to see this man, strong and stubborn, like this.

"What about her, amigo? You seem to be enjoying each other's company enough."

Armando blushed and Lesaro's eyebrows shot up as he said, "She showed up in my dream last night. We talked, Gui. She held my hand, not even flinching at my cursed face."

"Impossible. She never saw us cursed, never even been on La Maria. Armando, are you sure you simply didn't dream her being there?"

He shook his head, "No, ella estaba conmigo. She mentioned it today before breakfast, when I met her at the hall. No sé que hacer."

To say Lesaro was more amused than he should was an understatement, "Perhaps it is a sign, amigo."

Salazar squinted at him, "No te atrevas..."

"A sign your affections are mutual and you need to stop this nonsense and ask Hugo for her hand."

"¡Guillermo Lesaro!", Armando said, eyes going wide and face red. "¡No, absolutamente no!"

"Armando, we got another shot at life to make things right and be happy. If it lies with her, allow yourself to feel it."

"¡No, Guillermo! La señorita is young, I'm an old, seasoned sailor. It is highly inappropriate and wrong to even suggest such a thing."

"A lot of things changed in these years we have been gone, amigo."

Their conversation was cut short by the sound of someone approaching. One look at her and Armando's eyes softened immediately and she gave them a curtsy before looking up at him again. The dress, green skirt and floral overcoat, the hat on top of her head, the way she looked up with the fan in her left hand, open, the message conveyed so elegantly.

"Am I interrupting, ¿almirantes?"

"No, señorita! I was just telling Armando I have something to attend to at the Armada headquarters so if you will excuse me.", Lesaro bowed to them and walked away, a smile on his face at the playful betrayal.

Armando, on the other hand, held her right hand and planted a kiss on it in greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Walk with me, Armando?", she said, smiling. And Armando would not, could not refuse. He offered her his arm, smiling as she took it and they walked towards the gardens.

Spanish translations:

¿Dónde vás? = Where are you going?

¿Qué pasa? = What's going on?

Diós = God

No, ella estaba conmigo = No, she was with me

No sé que hacer = I don't know what to do

Amigo = Friend

No te atrevas... = Don't you dare...

¡No, absolutamente no! = No, absolutely not!

Almirantes = Admirals

Señorita = miss

#captain salazar #armando salazar #captain salazar x reader #captain salazar x you #armando salazar x reader #armando salazar x you #potc #potc fanfiction #potc imagine #pirates of the caribbean #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean imagine #dmtnt #potc dmtnt

[esta-elavaris]

Part Sixteen [3,495 words] ~ James Norrington/OC

An AU of my completed, 400k+ word fanfic Catch the Wind [AO3], in which Elizabeth, not James, is the one to discover Theodora Byrne after she crash-lands into the world of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Page breaks by cafekitsune.

Also now on AO3 and FF.net.

Masterpost - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four - Part Five - Part Six - Part Seven - Part Eight - Part Nine - Part Ten - Part Eleven - Part Twelve - Part Thirteen - Part Fourteen - Part Fifteen - *Part Sixteen*

Tag list [let me know if you want to be added!]: @teawithshakespeare @missfronkensteen @dancerinthestorm

There was fuck all chance of her sleeping that night. Theo felt like she was going mad, Groves' words reeling through her mind over and over – joining with more than one of Elizabeth's many remarks to her over the last few weeks. You're allowing yourself to be defeated.

Did the fact that it bother her so much make it true?

She hoped not. Being one who took things lying down had never been her. She wasn't that pathetic. She wasn't that weak. But what else did anybody here actually expect her to do? Crawl on her hands and knees after a man who had humiliated her? One who was in love with somebody else? And what difference did it even make to her, anyway? Why did she even care? She'd been a bloody idiot for letting herself feel anything towards him to begin with, the way everything had shaken out had been a good thing. Hadn't it?

Waking up in lands that shouldn't exist didn't just happen accidentally. It wasn't like when she'd mistakenly walked into the wrong classroom during her school days. It took a lot for it to happen, and that meant it had to happen for a reason. What sort of power, what sort of force, would send her here just so she could have a cup of tea with Elizabeth Swann, get herself embarrassed, and wander home again?

The sad and terrible truth of the matter was that she had to be here for a reason. And there was a small, even more sad and terrible, possibility that it was something to do with him. The one she'd bonded with, and the one who was destined to meet a fate that, whatever her opinion of him was now, he did not deserve.

But that only made her feel worse – because sod that. If something…something conscious and coherent had sent her here, and if it had done so in order to offer her up as a consolation prize to a prick who had made it very clear that he didn't even like her…fuck that. Fuck that entirely.

God, but she felt like she was going mad. Never in her life had she been claustrophobic, but on that night she was getting there. A thick layer of clouds hid the mood and kept all of the heat and humidity from the day packed atop them, which did little to help the feeling of being an animal jammed into a cage and prodded at with sticks to see what funny reaction she might have next.

First, she tried to remedy it by getting out of the bed – sprawling out atop the covers, so they were just one less thing weighing down upon her. It didn't work. Neither did opening the windows, or pacing around, or even shirking off her nightgown and donning her clothes from home instead, in an effort to feel somewhat more like herself. Her true self.

Pulling the nightgown back on over them, she raked a hand through her hair, which had long since escaped its plait in all of her activity, and leaned out of the window, staring out at the night, and the coast.

She needed to get out of this house.

James could not find rest. For he had taken Elizabeth's advice – and it had worked. Rather too well. Lying abed that night, he closed his eyes and did all he could to bat out whatever prior plans he had, even going so far as to banish considerations as to what he would have for breakfast the next morning.

It was not easy advice to follow not only for reasons relating to practicality, either, for he couldn't help but wonder if her words had been a roundabout way of rejecting what he knew she must suspect he intended to ask her ere long. But he shoved that away too, and forced himself through the blasted visualisations she'd suggested.

In the first (and he chose the first because it was the easiest) he obeyed Miss Byrne's request to the letter. He kept his distance, he did not speak to her, and she was no longer there – either off to Ireland as she promised, or tucked off with Groves in some corner or another with a blush and a smile on her face. How the rest of the exercise would go should have been clear to him then, based on how the latter of those two prospects made his lip curl.

But the rest of it didn't bring him great distaste. There was just the small matter of the fact that it didn't bring him as much excitement and joy as it once had. The…the satisfaction of having secured a good match, insofar as it checked another box on the list he had that reflected the quality of his life, yes. Alarmingly, though, that was all. Even the knowledge that Elizabeth was a fine and beautiful woman remained, but it did not help. For did she not deserve a man who felt nauseatingly giddy at the prospect of marrying her? As he had, although he'd never had admitted it, only months prior?

When he opened his eyes, he scowled at the ceiling of his bedroom. And he did not proceed to the second bout of play-pretend. Mostly because he had no wish to face what it might foretell.

But sleep would not come.

How long he lay there, he did not know – he only knew that the more time ticked on, the more restless he felt, realising there was no possible way for him to get comfortable. That in itself was infuriating, too, for he was a man of the Royal Navy. Finding it difficult to sleep was not a problem he faced, because he had spent years all but training himself to find rest wherever and whenever he could find it.

This newest problem was a microcosm of greater perils.

Get up.

Shooting up where he'd sprawled atop his bed, he looked about the room. For the voice that had murmured those two words to him was not his own. It was…it was that of a woman. Deep and low, but feminine all the same. But Hattie was abed, no other sound had come from about the house, and there was no possible explanation for it.

Heavens, he truly was losing his mind, and he wondered ruefully to himself if the witch rumours regarding Miss Byrne weren't true after all. But even that joke, and even though it had only been thought to himself, felt cruel after what had transpired between them so recently.

Unease soon overtook the guilt, though, along with a sense of urgency he couldn't place. That he truly should get up – and more than that, he should go out. He tried to return to how he'd reclined before, but found he could not, for the moment he lay back, the urgency increased tenfold, until it had him rolling from the bed and looking for his civilian clothing.

A walk. Perhaps a walk would help. Only to prove to himself that he really was being ridiculous.

Stepping out into the night barely ten minutes later, dressed in his seldom-used civilian clothing, so that any who spotted him might not recognise him and therefore might not speak to him, James allowed his feet to take him wherever they wished to.

As they did so, his mind did the same – towards the line of thinking he'd so steadfastly avoided while in his bed. The other route he might take. Despite the fact that it seemed quite closed off to him now. Despite the fact that it was absurd. Despite the fact that it would have his father turning in his grave, that it made no sense from a logical standpoint, and that he'd resisted the notion so furiously for so long that it took a trudge through the wilds in the wee small hours of the morning for him to even admit that it was tempting.

But all logic, and all denial (for he was at least not so simpleminded that he did not see it for what it was) clouded in comparison to how the prospect seized at his chest. Much his earlier plans had, before Theodora. Before her teasing, and her beauty, and her jokes, and her stubbornness, and her fierce intelligence.

He stepped out of the tree line and realised then just where it was he'd so unwittingly walked to. The small, private beach that the serving classes of Port Royal liked to frequent – and keep hidden from their masters, for the most part. The beach itself was hemmed in by two steep rocky shores, around five or six feet in height at their shallowest portions, curling around the water there in the shape of an open horseshoe, and it was on one of those shores he stood now, affording him a view of the entire beach.

And of the figure swimming in the water.

Now, he wasn't sure she was not a witch. It took a moment of blinking, but it was indeed Theodora Byrne – what little moonlight managed to pierce the thick clouds catching her hair and casting it in shades of deep blood red, and black, at different intervals, where it was scraped back and plastered to her head and neck. What were the chances that he should find her here, like this, as she plagued his very thoughts?

What little light there was illuminated something else, though. Something that had that feeling in his chest he'd utterly refused to label replaced by something far more pressing. Terror.

She could not see it, not from where she swam, and not from her position in the water, the waves bobbing up and down all about her, but a large dark dorsal fin cut through the waves not fifty full feet from where she swam. And it seemed in no hurry to swim away.

Unknowingly, she was swimming with a shark. A very large shark. A tiger shark, if he had to guess. Although he had no wish to.

"Miss Byrne," he called out.

The terror had not had a chance to reach his voice, and he was thankful for that. Stopping, she began to tread water, squinting about her, until she finally spotted him where he stood. She was just close enough that he could see her lips thin, and she smoothed her hair back and called back.

"Leave me alone, Captain."

She made to start swimming again, but he could not allow that. She could not splash. He only hoped she had not done too much of it already. Hurrying to the very edge of the rocks, he leaned out, hoping if he got close enough she might see the urgency on his face.

"Theodora!" his voice was ragged, but it got her attention. "Swim to me."

Outrage filled her expression, and so he continued firmly – desperately – before she could retort.

"Carefully. Do not splash."

In all his life, he had never seen someone's face pale so dramatically, so swiftly. She understood his meaning immediately.

"Are you jo-"

Her head turned a little to the right, and he shouted.

"No! Do not turn. Swim. Swim to me," he extended an arm, as if he would be able to reach far enough to pluck her out of the water.

He did his utmost to use the very same tone he utilised when issuing stern orders to his men – the difference being when he doled out those, his voice did not shake.

For an extended stretch of time – mere seconds that felt like lifetimes – she stared at him, wide-eyed in shock. It was an expression he mirrored, that much he knew, and there was no possible trying not to disguise his horror, not when it ran deep into his bones like this. He knew then that her mind was screaming at her body to push through terror and comply. It was a feeling he knew fine well, from his early days as a soldier. But then, the vaguest hint of a splash sounded behind her, something within her snapped, and she swam.

The fin followed. Fifty feet became forty, and far too quickly at that. Clinging uselessly to the rocks beneath his hands, James watched in terror, the blood draining from his face. He was no stranger to misfortune, nor to danger, nor grief. He had lost men in battle, he had seen the people of Port Royal face all manner of accidents and injury, and yes, even death. And, whatever the rumours were, he was far from unfeeling. Each one pained him.

But nothing – nothing compared to this.

Only her eyes betrayed the true extent of her fear, for while her face was utterly white, she kept control of what she could, funnelling air purposefully in through her nose and out through her mouth, as like to drive off panic than to keep herself moving. All the while, she stared at him, and his outstretched arm.

He could not simply watch. He could not. Refusing to deliberate, for it was not worth deliberation, he shrugged his coat off and tossed it aside – it would only impede him – and the boots followed, for they would do so too. Then, he eased his legs over the edge, and turned, lowering himself slowly down over the stony ledge with his arms, turning one last time before he let go, so that he could take note of where the shark was.

In the water, Theodora's eyes widened.

"No—no! Don't you da-"

However her sentence ended was lost on him, muffled by the water as he slipped into it as seamlessly as he could, body pin-straight to minimise any splashing. The water was cold, but he felt it little and cared even less. It was, however, also black as tar as he plunged beneath the surface, slowly opening one eye and then the other, to minimise the sting and return his sight to him as quickly at possible. That troubled him more. It took only one kick, then another, to surface.

With two in the water, it might consider itself outmatched and leave in search of easier prey. That was the best-case scenario, but he had little control over whether it would happen. What he could control, was his place between it and Theodora.

She was closer when he surfaced, but still out of arm's reach. Face chalk-white, she swam towards him in a breaststroke that was smooth despite how she trembled. The fin was still there behind her – far enough away that one quick lunge wouldn't have her within biting distance, but still far too close for comfort, moving in a slow, lazy circle to take stock of how the situation had changed.

"Go back," she insisted, her voice shaking as much as the rest of her. "Go back now."

James scoffed, and began to swim towards her.

The shore was too far away. If they turned to it, and to more shallow waters, it might sense its prey would soon be lost and act accordingly. No, they would have to reach the rocky shelf, and then climb out. With any luck, it would think they would soon be cornered, and then they would be gone.

So long as the fin remained above the water, that was good. So long as it was there, he knew where it was. He'd have no chance of spotting the beast if he had to stick is face below the waves to look there, not on a night as dark as this. James treaded water the moment he was near enough, and with Theodora's next stroke forward, he clamped a hand about her arm and dragged her towards him, and then behind him, making sure to stay facing the direction she'd come from.

With his left arm out, palm firmly at her back so he knew where she was, he began to swim backwards, kicking his legs as firmly as he could without disturbing the water, his right arm out to the other side to aid him. Beneath his hand, her back shook and gave away the erratic nature of her breathing. Nearer and nearer it drew, until he felt his own limbs threaten to tremble, and he was certain that if it was any closer at all, he'd be able to feel its snout at his legs.

The fin, the size of which he could finally judge at this proximity – much to his dread, for it was a hefty monster indeed, the dorsal fin alone easily bigger than his head – swept to the left and he jolted, ready to reposition himself between it and the woman swimming to his side. But then it rounded again, circling back to face them…and the fin disappeared beneath the water.

He must've made a noise, although he couldn't say what that noise was in his heightened state, and through the hammering of his heart. Without asking what was wrong, Theodora picked up speed, and James followed suit; the hand at her back remained there, but the other began to grope at his belt beneath the water, in search of his knife. It hindered him for only a moment, bobbing, and getting a mouthful of saltwater for his efforts, but then it was in hand.

Every time a wave slapped at him, he braced himself for something more – a stronger, more deadly force to barrel out at him from beneath it. His back met rock, and rather than turning, he sidled leftwards and caged in Theodora with his body.

"Climb," he ordered raggedly.

She obeyed without question, knowing that the situation was too serious to bicker. Thank God. The rocky wall did not make for easy climbing, its ledges too shallow to offer helpful hand and footholds, but she made progress all the same, James reaching blindly behind him to push her upwards and discern her progress, their circumstances too serious for him to afford blushes to propriety when his hands blindly met the smooth, toned flesh of her thighs and calves.

Especially when, at his next kick, his foot struck something solid. In response, the water before him rippled in a way it had not before – a way that was not natural, indicating disturbance below the surface. Water ceased dripping down upon his head, and he knew Theodora had cleared the climb. That, at least, offered relief.

"Grab my hand, James! Grab my hand!" she was screaming down at him.

He looked up and saw her leaning entirely over the ledge from the waist down, arm outstretched to him, eyes wide and desperate. If his heart pounded in his chest anymore, he'd surely have a heart attack. Forcing control upon his breathing, he was already debating whether it would be safe to switch the knife from his right hand to his left, when a splash sounded behind him, and a terrible, gaping and jagged maw was surfacing up through the water and heading straight at him.

Its mistake, had it been capable of reason, was that. For there was no water to slow down his arm. Lashing out with the knife, James slashed strongly and blindly both at its snout. The first slash made little difference, but the returning one he dug in deeper, and aborted the beast's attack at the last possible moment. A hot sensation ran down his arm, but he knew not whether it was his blood or that of the shark's. If the former, he had little time left in this water. It was a miracle he'd survived thus far.

Before it could recover, he spun, and Theodora's hands were grabbing his, clamping around his forearm as he grasped her own. She hadn't backed up an inch when it lunged. With his other hand, he wedged the knife between his teeth, stomach churning at the taste of blood and saltwater as it dripped between his teeth, and yanked himself up, assisted by her tireless, and surprisingly strong pulling.

One more haul – on his part, and on hers – had him clearing the edge, and they fell onto the rocky ground in a tangle of limbs and sodden clothing. The water over the ledge went quiet, as if it had never contained anything at all.

A/N: :^) - no, WAIT…. ~~~~~~~~~^~~~~~~~~~~~\o/~~~~~

Listen, if you know me AT ALL, you know how hard it was for me to keep this under my hat without making any dumb jokes or giving the game away with any hints. (Save for one shark meme that popped up by chance on my dash the other day, because that was just too funny and too perfect.) For months. Especially to the friends I've made through fic writing, who read this. I thought I was going to explode. Fucking hell.

Anyway, my party trick is being able to recite the Indianapolis speech from Jaws perfectly from memory and it shows.

#ctw #catch the wind #ftt #fallen through time esta-elavaris #james/theodora #james x theodora #pirates of the caribbean fanfiction #pirates of the caribbean fanfic #potcfic #james norrington fanfiction #james norrington fanfic #james norrington x oc #james norrington/oc