Title: Sail Away
Mar. 13th, 2011 05:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cosmic_tuesdaysTitle: Sail Away
Author: Hannah R. Orlove
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Rating: G
Pairing: Jack Sparrow/James Norrington.
Notes: This owes its existence to the book The Wreck of the Zephyr.
James groaned softly, shifting around slightly, not wanting to leave his dream just yet. He blinked a couple of times when he realized he wasn’t on a bed. It was not his own, which he had imagined, or one in a brig, which he had been expecting.
He woke up completely when he saw he was in a ship surrounded by fog. He knew better than to sit up quickly, especially because he didn’t know where he was or who was with him.
It was a small ship, he could tell that much. It looked about as wide as he was tall, and probably twice that long. The single white sail overhead was billowing in the wind. Even in the night’s darkness, he could see how white it was.
Quite relieved to find his person intact, shackles gone, and breeches present, he slowly sat up. He didn’t want to rock the boat any more than it was already – though it wasn’t rocking as far as he could tell, which was one of the strangest things he’d ever felt. Ships rocked when they moved.
The fog was all around, muting the moonlight, but when James looked at the stern, nothing could dim the brilliance of Jack’s smile.
“I was wondering when you’d be waking up.” He was working the ship alone, which could be done with something this small.
“Why – ?” There were at least a half-dozen ways to finish the question. Jack chose one of the more obvious ones to answer.
“Couldn’t well leave you captive, could I?” Jack smiled again, softer this time. “Sorry for all the fuss, but it was hard enough for us to find you, let alone spring you from your trap.”
James tried but couldn’t recall much of the recent past. Loud, sharp noises, brief blasts of cannons, shouting, something pressed to his mouth, and nothing else that clear. Before that, his memories were vivid enough – his nearly-raw wrists were enough of a reminder of that.
Jack said nothing else, turning his attention back to the rudder and sail. James turned to the bow, trying to see what was ahead of them.
A moment later, their small ship exited the fog – no, not fog, James corrected himself, part of his mind gibbering and part remaining lucid. Clouds.
They had been sailing in clouds.
The stars were pinpricks against the rest of the sky, shifting ever so slightly as they always did. The moon was nearly full and waning – it had been nearly three weeks since he’d seen it but he never forgot what phase it was passing through.
Looking behind, he saw the cloud he had mistaken as fog fast disappearing behind him. Ahead was a clear sky as far as he could see. He didn’t risk a glance to see what was below. He was having a hard enough time accepting where he was.
He was grateful to Jack for freeing him from his time as a prisoner of war, but to take him here?
The wind whipped through his hair, running its fingers over his scalp. He shivered.
“Here.” He turned and took the proffered blanket from Jack’s hand. He wrapped himself in it and slowly began to feel warm again. Though not all of his coldness was because of the temperature.
He had no place here. This was not his world. This strange magic world belonged to Jack alone – mystic, wild Jack. Fey, his grandmother would have called him.
Looking at Jack in the moonlight, sailing their ship on nothing but air, he could believe her.
It took him a moment to hear Jack speak, he was so tangled in his thoughts.
“…Don’t know how they make them like this.” He pointed at the sail with a tip of his head and a corner of his hat. “I’ve seen them made – nothing fancy in ’em but a bit of silk to make the patterns.” He smiled. “But who’s to care how it’s made so long as it works?”
James peered at the sail, trying to find the aforementioned pattern. Perhaps it was the angle or the light, but it eluded him.
He looked out at the stars instead. He could pick out the constellations easy enough, perhaps more easily now because they were closer. The thought made him shudder a bit, but not as much as it would have if he had been here alone. Jack never meant him any harm and had earned every bit of trust James had given to him, and never gave away any reason to violate that trust.
“It’s so still,” he whispered, not knowing what to say. “It’s all so still.”
He heard Jack chuckle, and turned to look at him. Still fey in the moonlight, smiling once again. “That it is.”
He watched Jack as he worked the rudder and sail. Quiet. Concentrating. He gave off such an air of mystery and mischief it was hard to forget how focused he could be on the task at hand.
He had no wish to distract Jack.
James remained silent as the trip progressed, gaining some courage to look down as they sailed on. They passed over the land, hills appearing quickly and sliding away just as fast, slowly giving way to mountains. Those, too, were passed, dropping down to plains, which turned into foothills.
They began to descend, and Jack managed to maneuver their ship close enough to a tree for James to climb onto a branch.
“There’s a town a bit of a walk from here. You’ll be in contact with the Navy soon enough.”
James met Jack’s eyes, matching his tone. “You stay safe. I don’t think I can sail one of these.”
He waited, watching him sail off, the memory of Jack’s lips on his own remaining. A good-bye kiss, the most bittersweet kind.
If he looked, he thought he could see the sail’s pattern now, even as it drifted away to the approaching clouds. A sparrow in flight, just like on Jack’s arm.
Author: Hannah R. Orlove
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Rating: G
Pairing: Jack Sparrow/James Norrington.
Notes: This owes its existence to the book The Wreck of the Zephyr.
James groaned softly, shifting around slightly, not wanting to leave his dream just yet. He blinked a couple of times when he realized he wasn’t on a bed. It was not his own, which he had imagined, or one in a brig, which he had been expecting.
He woke up completely when he saw he was in a ship surrounded by fog. He knew better than to sit up quickly, especially because he didn’t know where he was or who was with him.
It was a small ship, he could tell that much. It looked about as wide as he was tall, and probably twice that long. The single white sail overhead was billowing in the wind. Even in the night’s darkness, he could see how white it was.
Quite relieved to find his person intact, shackles gone, and breeches present, he slowly sat up. He didn’t want to rock the boat any more than it was already – though it wasn’t rocking as far as he could tell, which was one of the strangest things he’d ever felt. Ships rocked when they moved.
The fog was all around, muting the moonlight, but when James looked at the stern, nothing could dim the brilliance of Jack’s smile.
“I was wondering when you’d be waking up.” He was working the ship alone, which could be done with something this small.
“Why – ?” There were at least a half-dozen ways to finish the question. Jack chose one of the more obvious ones to answer.
“Couldn’t well leave you captive, could I?” Jack smiled again, softer this time. “Sorry for all the fuss, but it was hard enough for us to find you, let alone spring you from your trap.”
James tried but couldn’t recall much of the recent past. Loud, sharp noises, brief blasts of cannons, shouting, something pressed to his mouth, and nothing else that clear. Before that, his memories were vivid enough – his nearly-raw wrists were enough of a reminder of that.
Jack said nothing else, turning his attention back to the rudder and sail. James turned to the bow, trying to see what was ahead of them.
A moment later, their small ship exited the fog – no, not fog, James corrected himself, part of his mind gibbering and part remaining lucid. Clouds.
They had been sailing in clouds.
The stars were pinpricks against the rest of the sky, shifting ever so slightly as they always did. The moon was nearly full and waning – it had been nearly three weeks since he’d seen it but he never forgot what phase it was passing through.
Looking behind, he saw the cloud he had mistaken as fog fast disappearing behind him. Ahead was a clear sky as far as he could see. He didn’t risk a glance to see what was below. He was having a hard enough time accepting where he was.
He was grateful to Jack for freeing him from his time as a prisoner of war, but to take him here?
The wind whipped through his hair, running its fingers over his scalp. He shivered.
“Here.” He turned and took the proffered blanket from Jack’s hand. He wrapped himself in it and slowly began to feel warm again. Though not all of his coldness was because of the temperature.
He had no place here. This was not his world. This strange magic world belonged to Jack alone – mystic, wild Jack. Fey, his grandmother would have called him.
Looking at Jack in the moonlight, sailing their ship on nothing but air, he could believe her.
It took him a moment to hear Jack speak, he was so tangled in his thoughts.
“…Don’t know how they make them like this.” He pointed at the sail with a tip of his head and a corner of his hat. “I’ve seen them made – nothing fancy in ’em but a bit of silk to make the patterns.” He smiled. “But who’s to care how it’s made so long as it works?”
James peered at the sail, trying to find the aforementioned pattern. Perhaps it was the angle or the light, but it eluded him.
He looked out at the stars instead. He could pick out the constellations easy enough, perhaps more easily now because they were closer. The thought made him shudder a bit, but not as much as it would have if he had been here alone. Jack never meant him any harm and had earned every bit of trust James had given to him, and never gave away any reason to violate that trust.
“It’s so still,” he whispered, not knowing what to say. “It’s all so still.”
He heard Jack chuckle, and turned to look at him. Still fey in the moonlight, smiling once again. “That it is.”
He watched Jack as he worked the rudder and sail. Quiet. Concentrating. He gave off such an air of mystery and mischief it was hard to forget how focused he could be on the task at hand.
He had no wish to distract Jack.
James remained silent as the trip progressed, gaining some courage to look down as they sailed on. They passed over the land, hills appearing quickly and sliding away just as fast, slowly giving way to mountains. Those, too, were passed, dropping down to plains, which turned into foothills.
They began to descend, and Jack managed to maneuver their ship close enough to a tree for James to climb onto a branch.
“There’s a town a bit of a walk from here. You’ll be in contact with the Navy soon enough.”
James met Jack’s eyes, matching his tone. “You stay safe. I don’t think I can sail one of these.”
He waited, watching him sail off, the memory of Jack’s lips on his own remaining. A good-bye kiss, the most bittersweet kind.
If he looked, he thought he could see the sail’s pattern now, even as it drifted away to the approaching clouds. A sparrow in flight, just like on Jack’s arm.
