Pirates Of The Caribbean Fan Fiction ❯ Mirror, Mirror ❯ Acquaintence ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3

The next thing James could recall was the gentle thump of his crate on some kind of surface. A floor, perhaps? He heard unclear voices outside his box, though this time it seemed to be that of a woman. The wood of the crate cracked as the light began to shine in, once again blinding him as it did the first time.

He shielded his eyes but was soon greeted with the visage of a young woman and two other women who appeared to be a maid and some other member of the household.

“Oh! It's beautiful!” she gasped.

The woman began to reach inside as though she were leaning down to kiss him. The French-cut low neckline of her gown gave him a view of the lady's cleavage as she grasped the sides of the mirror and pulled James upright. From what he could see, he was being put up in a bedroom, probably hers.

“Indeed it is beautiful!” the maid commented. “Your father sent it to you?”

“Yes,” she told them as she and the maid mounted the mirror on the wall near the foot of her bed.

“My, your father certainly sent you a lovely gift,” the other girl commented.

“Oh, indeed,” the first girl sighed.

The owner of the glass stood in front it, admiring herself for a moment. She hadn't seen James in the mirror, and little did she know that he was studying her as well. The female had lovely hair that was black as the ace of spades with bright chartreuse eyes that animated when she smiled. She wore a lovely sky blue dress with lace adorning her low collar and sleeves, hanging gracefully over her elbows. She had a lovely curved waistline that flowed beautifully into full skirts swishing handsomely across the floor when she walked. Indeed, she was quite a handsome lady, and Norrington figured that whoever was courting her was a fortunate man.

She turned from the looking glass to the maid. “Eloise, will you please dispose of this crate?”

The maid nodded and began to pick up the remnants of the package in which James had previously resided. The recipient of the looking glass lifted her skirts and left the room along with her companion. Soon after, the servant left as well, leaving James completely by himself in the room.

The Admiral glanced about the room. There was a large four-poster bed just in front of him with some plush pillows and a comfortable looking blanket. Near James's mirror was a small dressing table complete with an oval-shaped mirror, a few bottles of fragrance, and a grooming kit neatly arranged on the top. The last piece of furniture he noticed was the armoire that stood in the corner of the room, the half open door revealing a few of the gowns she possessed. James surmised from the appearance of the woman's quarters that she was a member of a family that was not as well-off as a governor or a lord, but perhaps that of a wealthy merchant, a doctor, lawyer, or some other esteemed profession. James hoped that in the very least he could make contact with the girl since he seemed to `belong' to her now.

James waited for what seemed like hours. The sun had well been set when he finally heard soft footsteps coming down the hallway and toward his room. The door opened, and the raven-haired lady entered the bedchamber, one hand holding up her skirts and the other holding a candle with which to see. She lit another candle next to her bedside table, not having a clue that there was another presence in the room with her.

She placed the candle she was carrying on her dressing table and walked over to James. Turning her back to him, she carefully untied the laces that held her gown together and let the garment fall to the floor.

Oh, dear…I-I cannot watch this…

James swallowed hard but was unable to force himself to respectfully pull his eyes away as the woman continued to remove layers of underclothing beginning with her pockets, corset, petticoats, and continuing until she was left in nothing but her shift and stockings. The lady sat down at the dressing table and pulled off the stockings as well, rubbing her hands over long, lovely legs. She turned to the dressing table's looking glass and peered at her reflection there, reaching her hands around to the back of her head to remove a pin and let her black hair cascade down her back. She brushed her mane several times before standing up from the seat at her table. James expected her to turn down her bedding, but instead, the girl made her way to the armoire, taking out a nightgown and tossing it onto the bed. She grabbed at her shift and began to pull it up over her head.

“Ah-! Whoa!” James interjected, as if she'd hear him anyway.

Much to his surprise, however, the lady's head shot up as she dropped the hemline of her shift. She looked about her room, both startled and confused.

“I-is someone there?”

“Y-you can hear me?!”

“Who's there?!” she demanded.

“Er, over here.”

The female turned around in a circle. “Show yourself!”

“In the looking glass!”

The ebony haired woman turned around and approached the mirror. James suddenly appeared to her, and she could not believe the sight before her. In her very mirror stood a tall gentleman in the unmistakable uniform of the British Royal navy. His face was pale, like that of death, and she could tell from the markings on his coat that he was probably once a commodore or an admiral of some kind. As she looked him over, she noticed the deep crimson stain from where he'd been run through. Her eyes widened in horror, and she opened her mouth.

“No! Please!” James begged, flailing. “I…”

Before he could even finish his sentence, the girl let out a blood curdling shriek, stumbling backward from the mirror and falling back onto her bed.

“No! I won't harm you! Please! Stop screaming!”

The girl heard his words but ran from the room in her panic.

The next thing James knew, the entire household was awake and in her room, including a gentleman who appeared to be the head of the household.

“My God, woman, what ails you?” the man asked.

“I…I saw…” the girl stammered pointing to the reflector.

“You saw what, Cousin?” one of the woman from earlier asked.

“I…I saw…a man!”

“A man?!” the gentleman demanded. “Was he breaking in?”

“N-no! He was…he was in my looking glass!”

Everyone in the room glared at her incredulously.

“The looking glass?”

“Look!”

The gentleman turned to the mirror, finding nothing but his own reflection staring back at him. He turned back to the lady.

“Dear Ayse, I think you just had a bad dream is all. Go back to bed.”

Her name is Ayse… James thought.

“But-! It wasn't a dream!” Ayse protested.

“Cousin, it was all in your head, no matter how real it seemed. Go to bed and get a good night's sleep,” the woman scoffed.

They left the room and closed the door, leaving Ayse alone - for the most part. James hesitated to speak to her, for fear she would run off on him again. Yet, he had to try. She was the first person with whom he'd made contact since he left the Flying Dutchman.

She had sat down on her bed, her head bowed and face furrowed in thought. James cautiously lifted his head and glanced at her.

“Miss…?” he hesitated.

The girl's head shot up and looked at him clearly apprehensive toward him. Of course, James could understand that the sight of a pale, dead Admiral in one's mirror would certainly be cause for alarm.

This time, he tried to be gentler about it. “I apologize for frightening you so. I won't harm you.”

She hesitated, as though she wanted to reply to him, but refrained.

James searched for something to say to her to ease her nerves if only a little. “May I at least have a name?”

The lady stood up, her long black hair falling down her backside. “Ayse. Miss Ayse Thomas.”

James ventured a smile. “Ayse…That's an unusual name but a lovely one.”

“It's Turkish.”

“I see.”

She stood awkwardly in front of James, not knowing what she could possibly discuss with a spirit, and of course, the Admiral was just as at a loss for words as she was.

“Well, now you know my name,” Ayse finally said, breaking the silence. “What is yours, or do you have a name still?”

James smiled a little. “I most certainly do have a name. James.”

“James what?”

“Norrington.”

Ayse smiled shyly for a moment. “James is a good name, too. It's strong.”

He responded with a slight snicker, closing his eyes against his cheeks and shaking his head a little. “Thank you - I think.”

Ayse ventured a nervous giggle. “I - I never met a spirit with a sense of humor before, or even a spirit for that matter.” She paused, the smile disappearing from her face as she looked curiously up at the man in her mirror yet still keeping her distance. “Pray tell, how did you wind up there?”

“`Tis a long story,” he told her, “but to make it short, I was killed saving the life of someone very important to me and to the person who put me here.”

“Oh,” she said. “How noble.”

Ayse sat at the end of her bed with her feet pulled up to her knees. She studied James a little, and concluded that he did not seem as threatening as she had previously thought. The man in the looking glass looked to have a gentle face and probably a good heart to go with it - if a spirit could have a heart. He must have been rather tall when he was alive with straight posture, indicating that he was a nobleman. He seemed so well-groomed and pristine that it was a shame that he had a large bloodstain on his uniform to tarnish the image.

“Were you an Admiral or at least a Commodore in Her Majesty's Navy?”

“Yes, I was. I was an Admiral, actually.”

“You look young to be an Admiral.”

James laughed a little, and a bit nervously at that. “Well, I did move through the ranks rather quickly.”

Actually, the truth was that he didn't earn his Admiral rank at all, and he was bold-faced lying to the girl, but he was so ashamed of how he'd attained that position that he could not bear to tell her the truth as she may not be willing to help him if she knew he selfishly bartered with the equivalent of the devil for his honor.

“So…why were you put here if you saved someone important to someone else?” Ayse asked.

“Well…I…” James began. Honestly, he had no idea how he would explain his story to the girl. If he told her the truth, there was a good chance she wouldn't believe him. He had to choose his words wisely. “It was a way of gratitude.”

Ayse nodded. “Gratitude? So trapping your soul into a mirror is gratitude? How are you going to get out?”

Now that, James hadn't yet figured out. “I haven't a clue. All I know is that I must somehow find Calypso so that she may help me.”

The woman's eyebrows went up. “Calypso? The sea goddess?”

James looked down grimly. It was an impossible task. “Y-Yes.” He looked up. “Wait, you know of Calypso?”

Ayse nodded. “My father is a merchant trader - a wealthy one. When I was a child, he used to tell me stories of the sea when he came home, and she was in many of them.”

“Oh.”

Ayse stood up taking a housecoat that hung from one of the posts of her bed and wrapped it around her. “Is Calypso supposed to unite you with your body or something?”

“Yes, but unfortunately, I have no idea how I will complete such an impossible task.”

Ayse looked thoughtful. “It does seem impossible, does it not? Perhaps when my father comes to visit again, I can ask him to tell me more about her.”

“How long until your father returns?”

Ayse thought for a moment. “I don't believe he is due back for another six months. Sometimes, I don't see him for up to a year.”

“I don't think I can wait that long, Miss,” James told her.

Ayse shrugged. “You may have to, Admiral.”

James shook his head. “No need to use formalities with me. You can call me by my first name if you wish.”

“Well, alright…James,” she said. “And you are welcome to address me by mine. I was never one for formalities, to tell you the truth.”

James smiled. “It is agreed, then.”

Ayse suddenly yawned. “My, I'm a bit fatigued as of this hour.”

“Please, don't let me keep you awake,” James said. “We can talk more tomorrow if you like.”

The lady stood up and began to turn down her bed sheets. “Now that I know you will not harm me, it will take quite a bit of getting used to you.”

“I have much to get used to as well,” James admitted. “I suppose it will prove to be a learning experience for the both of us.”

“Indeed,” Ayse agreed. “I beg your pardon, but I must retire for the night. However, I look forward to future conversations with you.” She smiled as she climbed into bed and placed her lantern on her table. “It isn't everyday I get a friendly spirit in a mirror.”

James ventured a slight grin and looked down toward his feet. She returned the gesture and blew out the lantern. Tomorrow would be another day.