A Mermaid and a Commodore || James Norrington ||
A/n: I got more stuff for him 😏
The first time James Norrington saw you, he thought you had stepped straight out of a dream.
It was nearing dusk in Port Royal, the sun sinking low enough to turn the harbor into molten gold. The docks were beginning to quiet, merchants packing away the rest of their wares while sailors staggered toward taverns in search of ale and company. James had just finished overseeing the unloading of supplies from the Dauntless and was making his way back toward the governor’s residence when he noticed you.
You stood at the very end of the pier, your back to him, staring out at the sea.
There was something strange about you. Your dress, though lovely, seemed as though it had been put on by someone who had never worn one before. You had no shoes despite the rough wooden planks beneath your feet, and your head tilted ever so slightly as though you were listening to something only you could hear.
A breeze lifted your hair, and you smiled toward the horizon as your eyes closed.
It was such a soft, wistful smile that he found himself stopping.
Then, to his horror, you stepped backward.
You vanished into the water with a splash.
James dropped his hat and rushed forward, already shrugging out his coat. He reached the edge and peered down into the harbor.
No sign of you at all, one the harsh waves that splashed against the dock.
His heart gave an unpleasant jolt. Had you drowned already? The man was already thinking of how to save you, his fingers on the buttons of his coat.
Then, a few feet away, your head broke the surface.
You looked perfectly fine.
More than fine, actually.
“Why are you shouting?” you called out.
James blinked.“You....you fell into the harbor.”
You glanced down at the water surrounding you and then back up at him. “Yes.”
You frowned as though he had asked whether you knew how to breathe. “Of course I can swim.”
For a long moment, neither of you spoke. Then you smiled. A bright, radiant thing that seemed entirely too cheerful for someone who had just fallen off a dock.
“Oh,” you said, as a laugh escaped your lips. “You thought I was dying.”
He stared at you, like you grew an extra head as you continued to laugh to his utter mortification.
“You are very strange,” you informed him.
“I might say the same of you.”
That only made you laugh harder.
After that, he began seeing you everywhere.
You appeared in the marketplace examining seashell necklaces with immense concentration.
You sat on the beach for hours, letting waves wash over your feet.
You spent an alarming amount of time feeding crumbs to seagulls.
No one seemed to know where you had come from.
Whenever he asked, you simply smiled and said, "The sea."
It became a sort of game between you.
“The sea.” A smile was on your lips, your eyes were shinning.
“How did you arrive in Port Royal?”
After the fifth such answer, James pinched the bridge of his nose. “You are intentionally being difficult.”
You looked offended. “I am being truthful.”
He sighed then, despite himself, he smiled.
You were unlike anyone he had ever met.There was no ambition in you, no interest in titles or wealth. You marveled at simple things, the shape of clouds, the warmth of tea, the sound of church bells.
You once spent nearly an hour watching a cat sleep.
Another time, he caught you staring at the Dauntless.
“It is beautiful,” you said softly.
You looked at him as though he were the ridiculous one. “Of course.”
“You’ve never seen a ship before?”
You paused. “…Not from this angle.”
He frowned at that, though before he could ask what on earth you meant, you had already changed the subject.
Little by little, he found himself seeking your company and little by little, he began to care for you.
One evening, you sat together upon the beach. The moon hung low and silver above the water.
You looked different in its light.
James had noticed it before, though tonight it seemed more pronounced. Your skin gleamed softly, and your eyes reflected the moon like pieces of the sea itself.
“You love the ocean,” he said quietly.
You smiled. “More than anything.”
Your expression softened. "For now."
There was something in your voice that made his chest tighten.
As though you belonged elsewhere.
As though one day you would leave.
“You speak of the sea as if it were a person.”
He chuckled softly then he looked at you.Truly looked at you.
At the way the moonlight painted your features.
At the gentle curve of your smile.
At the way your eyes held a sadness he couldn’t explain.
Without thinking, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear.
You froze, your breath hitched and the entire world seemed to still.
“You are very beautiful,” he said softly.
Warmth spread across your cheeks, you lowered your gaze.
And for reasons he couldn’t explain, his heart began to race.
Several nights later, James awoke from an uneasy sleep.
Something had drawn him outside.
Perhaps instinct, perhaps it was curiosity or the memory of your smile.
Standing at the water’s edge.Moonlight bathed you in silver.
Slowly, you stepped into the sea.The water climbed your ankles, your knees, your waist and you dove.
A moment later, something enormous moved beneath the surface.
A shimmering tail broke through the water.Silver and blue, glowing beneath the moon.
The creature rose from the sea.
Your hair floated around you like silk.
And where your legs should have been was the tail of a mermaid.
For one long, terrible moment, neither of you moved.
You looked just as shocked as he was. "James…" you whispered.
The Mermaids of Whitecap Bay.
Beautiful monsters that lured men to their deaths.
Fear flickered across your face. “I wanted to tell you.”
“You…” His voice was barely a whisper. “You’re a mermaid.”
You nodded once. "Yes..."
Silence stretched between you.Then your expression crumpled.
“I understand if you are frightened.”
He should have been.Every sensible part of him told him to run.
Instead, he looked at you.
At the woman who fed seagulls and watched sleeping cats.
The woman who smiled at sunsets and loved ships.
The woman who had somehow stolen his heart.
And all he could think was...It’s still you.
You looked ready to disappear beneath the waves, and he knew if he did not stop you then you'll never come back.
Slowly, he stepped into the water.
Your eyes widened. “James?”
“You could have harmed me countless times.”
You swallowed. “But I never would.”
Tears shimmered in your eyes.
He stopped only a few feet away. “You are still the woman I know.”
A tear slipped down your cheek. “You are not afraid?”
He smiled softly, water at his hips. “I confess, I am surprised.”
A small laugh escaped you.
“But no.” He reached out carefully, gently brushing his fingers against your cheek as his thumb brushed your tears away. “I do not fear you.”
You looked at him as though he had handed you the stars.
For a long moment, neither of you spoke.
Then, very softly, you leaned into his hand and beneath the glow of the moon, with the waves lapping around, Commodore James Norrington realized he had fallen in love with a creature from legend.
A monster, according to every story ever told.Yet he had never seen anything more beautiful.
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