POTC drabble: "The Duty of Swine"

[veronica_rich]

Title: “The Duty of Swine”
Characters: Norrington, Elizabeth
Rating: PG for language
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, nor do I earn a profit from their depiction or usage.
Summary: Norrington hits his rock bottom – at least for this part of DMC, before he learns hell has lower levels. Written late for the “Rebirth” challenge at potc100.
Feedback: Yes, please.


“James Norrington,” Elizabeth sighed, bending to help him out of the slop. “What has the world done to you?”

He stood carefully, swaying a little. Without meeting her eyes, he admitted, “Nothing I didn’t deserve.”

She frowned, trying to shake the vile excrement from his ruined coat – since her hands were already covered, she figured she might as well help. “The commodore I knew did not deserve this.”

He glanced sharply at her, as she involuntarily wrinkled her nose against the stench. “A pig can expect no better than falling in his own shit,” he grumbled, adjusting his befouled wig.

Comments

[mamazano.livejournal.com]

Excellent! And the fact that Norrington had not even sunk as low as he could.

For all his self righteousness, polished brass and powdered wig, the Norrington of AWE was worse than the poor sot wallowing in pig shit.

At least that Norrington admitted to what he'd become.

[yoiebear.livejournal.com]

Ohhh! Spot-on characterization of Norrington.

[immortal-jedi.livejournal.com]

very true to Norrington's character.

[kseenaa.livejournal.com]

Poor Norry. Thats what I saw there to. One of those that say the man looked much nicer drunken and shaggy then all polished up.

[sammistarr.livejournal.com]

This is great and I agree with previous comments--this is a dead-on assessment of Norrington at that time. Very well done.

[danglingdingle.livejournal.com]

...all I want is to clean poor Norrie up, wash his wig and send him off to a nice AU where he can have the respect he's earned through trials and tribulations and with the sweat of his brow.

Great moment, very emotionally stirring.

[sharklady35.livejournal.com]

> ...all I want is to clean poor Norrie up, wash his wig and send him off to a nice AU where he can have the respect he's earned through trials and tribulations and with the sweat of his brow. <

I know the feeling. And there's no regulation against more than one writer doing this.

Very in-character (if rather painful-to-read) drabble.

[were-lemur.livejournal.com]

Oh, ouch. *huggles Norry carefully* Painful as this was to read, the fact that he's at least honest enough with himself to know it is the most heartbreaking bit of all.

You should post this over at one_norrington.

[alilacia.livejournal.com]

Norrington's one of the few men who is honest to himself about what he has become and so it's a shame things ended up how they did. *wants to take him somewhere safe away from the whole thing too*

Lovely characterisation and a good continuation of that scene.

[a-silver-rose.livejournal.com]

Likes it, I do. :)

[idle-curiosity.livejournal.com]

I always felt that there are some people who derive their identity or their character from the job they do, or the life they carve out for themselves.

It's the ones who can keep their character when the job goes away, or the life deteriorates, that have what it takes.

Norrington, I think, lost his identity when he lost his job and his standing and his reputation. And while he sacrificed himself in the end to save Elizabeth, I'm not sure that it wasn't out of some leftover love, instead of digging deep to find that character again.

That, for me anyway, is the mystery of Norrington.