crack_van | Penance More Will Do by meddow (PG-13)

Fandom: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN
Pairing: None
Author on LJ:

meddow
Author Website: Fanfiction Masterlist on LJ
Why this must be read:
"No oars, no water, no canvas and no idea of how he had gone from a full longboat in a storm to stuck in still water in middle of nowhere with only a frustratingly cryptic pirate for company."
Immediately post-hurricane, James Norrington finds himself travelling between the living world and the afterlife, making various stops in between--or, possibly, he’s having a fever dream (the surrealism and uncertainty of this piece is one of its strengths). Constructing an exceedingly thorough psychological portrait of James,

meddow examines every doubt and fear that likely would have been plaguing the Commodore in the aftermath of the Dauntless’s wreckage.

Taking its title from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," this powerful, disturbing fic also makes excellent use of Barbossa—another man journeying somewhere on the path between life and death. Here, he serves the role of a Shakespearean Fool, as he is the only one willing to speak the harsh truth (although, in true pirate fashion, it’s largely because he just doesn’t care who he offends).

"The man hath penance done,
And Penance More Will Do"