Fic: Ambarussa (SIL/LOTR/POTC crossover), M, Erestor/Glorfindel, Gillette (of sorts)/Norrington (compl.)
Demasted in a hurricane after a battle with pirates, HMS Dauntless has entered unchartered waters in the west. The crew is dying, and all hope seems lost when an unknown ship approaches the Dauntless – unknown to all but Lt. Gillette, James Norrington's redheaded first lieutenant.
AMBARUSSA Chapters 3 - 11/11
(Link goes to AO3)
Warnings for angst, hurt/comfort and life aboard a 18th century ship not being particularly fluffy, especially in battle.
When I started writing this tale back in 2013, it was supposed to be my farewell-gift to my two fandoms, LOTR and RNOTC (an offspring of POTC). Specifically a small "thank you" to those who had always begged me to write at least once "sons of Fëanor who are not crows". But then "Ambarussa" was lost along with parts of my website. I have now managed to restore the first five chapters and rewrote the last two, so here it is. It was great fun stretching my sea legs once more.
A word of caution for my LOTR readers: while it says Erestor/Glorfindel in the tags, this is not the Erestor you are used to from my other tales.
Short explanation for non-LOTR readers regarding the who is who (LOTR experts, you really do want to skip this!) can be found in the notes at the end of the first chapter.
Well, it's just a rumor, and it's a rumor I'm having trouble finding another source outside of IMDB for, at that. And I'm not usually one to spread rumors on purpose, but I figured I'd make an exception for that one. And I heard another one a while back about "a ghost with a military background who has a score to settle with Jack Sparrow" a while back, and I ran around our small apartment going, "Naaaaaaaavy ghoooooooooost" until I realized how ridiculous I probably looked.
Seriously, though... I'm not thrilled with how James ended in AWE, and I'm sad he didn't get any scenes with Jack in the 3rd movie, so the idea of him coming back and HAUNTING Jack appeals to me very much. (Groves and Gillette should come too... it's all I ever wanted... three navy ghosts haunting Jack... or anyone really. I just want all three of them in the same scenes a lot with tons of lines for all of them. Ok so what I really want is a Royal Navy of the Caribbean movie, but I'm not going to get that.)
Hello, I was wondering if you had an opinion about something. I know your a Norrington and Groves fan, but are you a Gillette fan?? And if so do you have an opinion and what his first name is?? Some say Andrew, others say Phillip, I want to know what you think.
I'm very much a Gillette fan! I have to admit, he was the last one of the Navy boys I fell in love with, but I really do adore him now. (It was the "little mermaid flopped up on deck" line that did it.)
I know we don't have a canon first name for him, but I usually go with Andrew when I write/tag because a lot of the fic writers I ran into first who wrote fics that were really formative when it comes to my head-canon/characterization for him used Andrew. But I've seen Phillip, and I think I know of one writer who always uses Thomas. To each their own...
Author's Notes: This is complete and utter crack. And it totally should have happened just this way. James Norrington tries to leave on his hunt for Jack Sparrow, but he's going to have company.
Lieutenants Andrew Gillette and Theodore Groves both stood just inside the door to former commodore James Norrington's cabin. Andrew, who had forgotten that James was no longer his superior officer, stood ramrod straight, though this might also have been his resting posture. No one was quite sure. Groves, however, was basking in the freedom of not having to salute James every time he so much as blinked, and so he lounged indolently against the wall.
"Where will you go?" Groves asked.
James smoothed the wrinkles out of the two clean shirts he had just put in his sea chest.
"Wherever I think Jack Sparrow might be found. I know the pirate ports well enough, though I expect I'll end up finding him in Tortuga," James said.
"Tortuga, you say?" Theodore rubbed his hands together. "Well, that settles it... We're coming with you."
"You are?" James asked.
"We are?" Andrew asked at the same time. Theodore was always springing unpleasant, life-changing surprises on him. If they were both going to run off half-cocked after James, Theo should have at least had the decency to warn him first.
"Of course we are!" Theo said. "We're friends, are we not?"
"Now and always," James agreed.
"And always will be a lot longer with the two of us watching your back," Theo said.
"He's right, you know," Andrew said. "You'll need us."
"And besides... just think of it! The three of us! In Tortuga!" Groves said.
Andrew was trying quite hard NOT to think of it, but Groves persisted.
"Perhaps we can all get eye-patches..."
"No, Theodore..."Andrew murmured.
"Can we at least drink rum?"
"Probably safer than the water..." James said. He seemed to be warming to the idea of company on this mad chase of his.
"And there will be wenches!" Theo said.
"And the clap..." Andrew added.
"And ale!"
"Which will probably taste like piss..."
"And PIRATES!" Theodore's eyes gleamed with an unhealthy amount of admiration as he said it.
"Who will try to killall of usif they find out we're from the Royal Navy!" Andrew reminded him.
"Good thing I'll have the two of you along, then," James said.
"I'm off to pack!" Theo said, and hurried from the cabin.
Andrew sighed. "I'm off to pack as well, I suppose... and to make sure Theodore remembers things like... socks. You know how he gets when he's excited."
James laughed because hedidknow.
"You don't have to do this, you know," James said. "My resignation leaves a vacancy, and 'Commodore Gillette' has a certain ring to it."
"Oh, but I do," Andrew said. "Have to make sure that Theo keeps his head on his shoulders, and that you don't get a knife between the ribs."
And, he thought, perhaps with the two of them along, James' soul would retain something of its former shape.
On the downside, I just sat around and drank coffee while watching the most painful part of On Stranger Tides. (I can watch it without having a total breakdown now that I have headcanon that fixes it.) Yes, there were fun Jack and Barbossa buddy moments, and the fountain looks beautiful, and Jack calls Blackbeard "Mr. Beard," which is endlessly amusing, and Theo looks SUPER badass in the background of the fight between Team Barbossa and Team Blackbeard, but darn it Ted and Terry, stop putting holes in my navy.
On the upside, this may get me to write the "Theodore Groves gets to fanboy over Jack in person" fic that's been swimming around in my skull for the past year.
