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Title: The Hanging
Author: Cicero
Fandom: Pirates of the Caribbean
Pairing: None. The main character is a young Norrington.
Rating: R, for graphic violence.
Summary: Norrington's father decides that his son needs to get over his fascination about pirates. Unfortunately, he fails.
Email Address: Cicerothewriter@livejournal.com
Categories: Drama
Feedback notes: Like it? Don't like it? Spelling or Grammar errors? Please let me know.
Warnings: This has a graphic depiction of a hanging, so if you have a weak stomach then don't read this. Also, while there is no slash in this per se, the Norrington that I write about is gay, so that does influence the story a bit.
Notes: This is my first story set in Pirates of the Caribbean, and it is actually set pre-PotC. Robin Alexander is not a real pirate, but information about hanging procedures comes from Under the Black Flag by David Cordingly, which I highly recommend.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney does. I am writing this for fun, not profit.

It started when James L. Norrington was seven years old. His father decided to show his son a hanging after he overheard him romanticizing about the adventures of the pirate, Robin Alexander. His nanny, to whom he had been speaking and who had been encouraging his young dreams, was fired and it was deemed that James should go at once to boarding school.

They traveled to Execution Dock. The area was crowded by gawkers all the way to the edge of the Thames. Norrington, Sr., being more upperclass than the rest of the onlookers, was allowed to move unhindered to the front of the crowd, just to the left of the scaffold.

"What is happening, father?" James asked.

"They are executing a notorious criminal" his father replied, a grim smile on his face. "This creature steals from business men. He murders indiscriminately. He is evil."

"But papa," James started to ask about the pirate's loyalty to his crew and his sharing of loot to the poor, but he was interrupted by his father, face flushed with sudden rage.

"Be quiet, James. You are here because you've harbored ridiculous notions about criminals. They care not for their fellow human beings." His father stopped for a moment, then continued, "And don't address me by that childish title. You are too old now."

The condemned man was brought out. He stepped up the stairs and to the noose with grace and no visible hesitation.

James fancied that Alexander looked like one of the Greek statues in his history book, except that he had long hair like a barbarian's. James had heard that he called himself Robin because of his hair, but still, it was a shock for the young boy to see it: bright red, long, and beautiful. Alexander's face was well proportioned with full lips and dark brows. His body was long, perfectly muscled, but sharp from lack of food.

One officer read out a list of crimes including piracy, murder, assault, robbery, vulgarity, and sodomy. James looked up at his father to ask him what sodomy was, but his father just tightened his hand on his shoulder as a warning to remain silent.

The list of crimes over, the minister called out a prayer for mercy and warning of eternal punishment. Then the officer in charge asked if Alexander had any last words, clearly expecting repentance.

The pirate, noose tight around his neck, merely smiled, shocking the people around him. "I have no regrets," he replied, his voice an interesting blend of lower class simplicity and upper class syllable stresses. It sent a jolt of something through James.

"I took what I saw fit, killed those who deserved it, spent what I wanted, and gave to those who deserved it." For some reason, his eyes drifted to the dark-haired, green-eyed little boy standing fearfully by a man whom Robin assumed to be his father. "I have lived my life to the fullest," he continued, before winking at the boy. He grinned as the boy gasped and the father's face flushed with outrage.

"God will decide my fate, as he will decide all of yours, too. Now, goodbye." Then he became silent, waiting for his death.

For a moment, James thought that the man was calm because he had an escape plan all ready. His mates would rush the crowd, untie him, and bring him to their ship to sail the high seas once more.

The officer in charge pushed the pirate off of the platform. The pirate's body jerked in midair, and their was an awful gulp heard. It meant that the pirate's neck had not snapped.

James watched, head feeling light, as the pirate's legs jerked involuntarily. He heard the wretched gargling. He saw the slow blue tinge mixing with his golden cheeks and the fear in his eyes.

The last thing that Robin Alexander saw before his soul moved on to his next great adventure was that same boy, terrified, with his father now forcing his head to watch the hanging, and he wondered, "What kind of black-hearted creature would make his child watch something so horrible." He tried to smile comfortingly, but was overcome by blissful unconsciousness.

Father and son stayed there, until the pirate was dead, the process hurried by friends who pulled the man's legs. They stayed until the body was limp and natural processes were discharged. They stayed until the body was cut down.

"Where are they taking him, father?" James asked, voice quiet.

"An unmarked grave, son, where he will be buried with the rest of the criminal trash." His father smiled, "He will soon be forgotten," he continued, voice rife with satisfaction.

Even after achieving perfect marks in school and at the university, after joining the Royal Navy and being the youngest man to have risen so far so fast in the ranks, after making his father tear with joy at the achievements of his son before coughing up his own life, James L. Norrington never forgot.



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