Drabble: 'Letter of Marque' (Norrington - PG)

[dwgm]

A hundred words for the 'Fall' prompt at blackpearlsails...



~ Letter of Marque ~

Elizabeth's fall had been the beginning of his own, regardless of what he had thought at the time. Jealousy could make a man do strange things. Actions that seemed just and reasonable and necessary in the light of day had motives that became plain at night as the mists of dreams dissolved and one's heart began to ache in the blackness. The unthinkable rendered simple truth.

What was honor? Or duty?

The unexamined life is not worth living. But James wondered about the examined life, pinned to one's bed, the thud of another heart, undead, echoing in one's ears.


~.~

Comments

[whensheflies.livejournal.com]

Oh, Norrie. *cuddles*

This was lovely.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[flyingpigs-live.livejournal.com]

Wow, I quite like this a lot. Especially that first line- it's his character in a nutshell, I think.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[hereswith.livejournal.com]

Hey, you've been writing! Today's words, I assume? :-) I love it, especially the first and last lines, both of which say so much, and so much about him. Poor James, it was a hard fall, and there are a lot of things to haunt him.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Yes, 100 words for mini_nano, though I will soon be sending you more of the Christmas fic, I've been busy! I'm so glad you liked this.

Poor James, it was a hard fall, and there are a lot of things to haunt him.

Amen to that! A virtually endless source of plot bunnies. ;)

Thank you for reading and commenting!

[florencia7.livejournal.com]

You always capture James so well! You should write a longer story about him!

"Actions that seemed just and reasonable and necessary in the light of day had motives that became plain at night as the mists of dreams dissolved and one's heart began to ache in the blackness." - I loved this sentence.

Wonderful drabble!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

James is a great character, so many facets to him. I'm so glad you liked this. Thank you for the wonderful comment!

[compassrose7577.livejournal.com]

Okay, now waaaiiittt a minute!! I smell some insider work here! First you select the prompt, and then by some miracle, you just happen to have a drabble (and a good one at that)on hand? (**G**)

Norrie does seem to be a case of how the mighty has fallen. Was it jealousy, or was it hubris that was his downfall? Maybe it was the hubris that made him think he was immune to all else.

Either way, he's always a fascinating study, one that reminds us all of our fragility.

Good stuff!!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Was it jealousy, or was it hubris that was his downfall?

Both?

I tried, as does trinityday, to pick a prompt that could be taken a number of ways, though Elizabeh falling off the parapet was the first thing that came to mind. The second, though, was Norrington's fall from grace. He's a fascinating character, a good man in so many ways, and all too human.

Thank you for reading and commenting! I'm glad you liked this one!

[sharklady35.livejournal.com]

How true- if Liz hadn't taken that tumble there would have been no story.

The eternal question is, who would have been better or worse off for it?

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

The eternal question, indeed. Much tragedy would have been avoided, but much story, too, as you say. They were all tested, because of that fall.

Thank you for reading, and for your thoughtful comments!

Praise from Willofthewisp

[(Anonymous)]

Ooh, I like that he can (rightly or wrongly) pinpoint the exact day that marked the beginning of the end for him. The rational part of his mind knows Elizabeth would have probably turned him down anyway, that it wasn't an attachment to any particular blacksmith or pirate alone that made her hesitant to accept his proposal.

"...the thud of another heart, undead, echoing in one's ears." This was just beautiful. It's something out of Poe, the guilt manifesting itself and almost taking on a life all its own as that heart. That really was the worst thing James had ever done, God bless him. I still love him, though. I missed him in AWE.

"What was honor? Or duty?" I don't know if you are a Christian or not, but Pontius Pilate asks Jesus "what is truth" when he is questioning him in the Bible and this reminded me of it. It's great how the human mind runs itself in circles when guilt is involved. It's so desperate to justify the person's actions. I can definitely see James losing a lot of sleep over this. Good job.

Re: Praise from Willofthewisp

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

This is, of course, after he's given the heart to Beckett and has seen where honor and duty have led him. We don't see much of him in AWE, it's true, but we can fill in the blanks easily enough, via Jack Davenport's excellent acting.

I'm so glad you found this thought-provoking. Thank you for your comments!

[pearlseed.livejournal.com]

These wonderful characters, all so very connected to one another, intimate in a way I can only gather pieces and parts of. Hard questions that James asks and has to try and answer--What is honor?
A question he has dealt with long years prior and now he has to re-think and make sense of his pain, his ache. Pretty look at a very handsome man, good man, yet sad and yearning.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading, and for your comments, which are always so insightful. James is certainly a good man, in so many ways.

[hope27.livejournal.com]

What a wonderful look into James Norrington's mind. Yes, Lizzie's fall brought many with her. The ripple effects went far and wide, touching Will, her father, Norrington, and even the town of Port Royal itself.

That last line is shudder-worthy. Beautiful and thought provoking.

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

Thank you! James doesn't feel any reluctance to turn the heart over to Beckett in that scene in DMC, but I can imagine he started feeling more conflicted about things petty quickly.

[lilfluffykitten.livejournal.com]

I like your Norrington - angsty little conflicted over-thinker that he is.
Seriously though, good job on the introspection and imagery (they'll linger)!

[geekmama.livejournal.com]

angsty little conflicted over-thinker that he is.

He seems that way in the movie, though he tries not to be in DMC, of course. Thank you for reading and commenting - I'm glad you liked this!