Brains But No Polish

Canon Base: Duchess And The Devil, but in 1705 – 1708
Age: 19-22
Corresponds With: To Free The Sea Of Piracy

Sent to Florida to aid the province of Carolina by means of keeping Spanish supports from reaching their colonies in Florida, the Indefatigable becomes a formidable force in the Bahamas and along the Cuban and Floridian coastlines.

During a stay in the Caicos Islands, Captain Pellew is charged with returning an English noblewoman back to the country – and in turn sends Horatio, recently in charge of a Spanish prize ship – to attend to it. Along their journey however, Horatio and his crew end up surrounded by the Spanish fleet and arrested. 

Taken to a prison in Havana, Horatio seeks to find a means of saving his crew and returning them to the war while learning to play at diplomacy and politics with his captor, and pick up Spanish through a copy of Don Quixote afforded him by the noblewoman – who turns out to not be who she claimed, though instrumental all the same.

Upon earning his release and that of his men through an act of bravery and an incredible display of honor, Horatio is informed that through the last dispatches, his examination for lieutenant had been reviewed once again and an exception was made. No longer acting lieutenant, Horatio rises the ranks officially as third lieutenant aboard the Indy.

Amaze And Astonish

Canon Base: Examination For Lieutenant, but in 1704 – 1705
Age: 18-19
Corresponds With: To Free The Sea Of Piracy

The Indefatigable remains engaged in the European theater when an attack on the supply line forces Captain Pellew to engage in political affairs in order to obtain much needed materials for the fleet. Horatio is sent ashore with an ambassador to negotiate for food, only for he and his men to be exposed to the plague. Rather than risk losing the supplies and surrender himself and his men to the defeat of certain death, Horatio convinced Pellew to surrender a prize ship to the potentially infected crew to stand quarantine in along with the supplies until such a time as it would be declared they were in no danger. This proved to be a wise course of action on Horatio’s part – though a confrontation with another captain who opted to steal supplies while quarantine was still underway was perhaps less so.

In the wake of this venture, Pellew returns the Indy to an English port for a time to receive new orders and send men in for their lieutenant examinations. It is as Horatio is fumbling through his – as a result of finding one of his examiners to be that very same, reckless thief of a captain – that cannonade distracts from the proceedings. Flying off with captains Foster and Hammond and managing to board their longboat with a slight trick by feigning to trip, Horatio witnesses a fireship heading for the Indy and convinces Foster to let him board it in order to steer it clear of his ship. In this manner, he is able to save the fleet proper by clearing the fireship from the ability to set off any powder stores – and even saves Foster, who boarded along with him to direct his work – while he is at it.

Though he failed his examination, Horatio remained acting lieutenant aboard the Indy in recognition of his service in saving her – and Pellew had obtained their new orders, which would take them out of the European theater and into the blistering heat of the Florida coast.

Young Scrappy And Hungry

Canon Base: The Even Chance, but in 1702 – 1703
Age: 17-18 ( DOB: 1685 )
Corresponds With: To Free The Sea Of Piracy

Horatio joins the Navy as a midshipman aboard the Justinian. Captain Keene owed a great debt to Horatio’s father, a doctor who was holding mum on a long string of poisonings and murder attempts upon the captain that had yet to provide a culprit who could be justifiably accused, which afforded Horatio a commission despite his lack of seaworthy experiences. Raised primarily by an Irish nurse who spoke often of the magic in the world and the respect due to the spirits and the fae, Horatio has an open mind toward the supernatural as well as an extensive knowledge and familiarity with battle wounds and other illnesses as a result of serving as something of an assistant in his father’s practice.

Neither of these things help him when it comes to facing up against his first true adversary, a senior midshipman by name of Jack Simpson. When exposed long enough to the depths of Simpson’s cruelties, Horatio finds a means to challenge him to a duel. On the day of, Horatio was struck down by another midshipman – one Abraham Clayton – who stood in his stead during the duel and was shot most grievously. Before Horatio had full chance to absorb what had happened, great cries filled the streets – for Queen Anne had declared war upon Spain, and the navy would no longer be idle and escort to the EITC but wholly engaged in the theater of battle.

Captain Keene transferred Horatio from the Justinian in the wake of both his duel and the announcement that war had been declared, knowing that the best hope of furthering the boy’s career lay in getting him far clear of Simpson and aboard a ship where his formidable wit could bring itself to bear. Against the boy’s loyal protestations, Keene had him sent to Captain Pellew of the Indefatigable, and unknowingly set Horatio before the one man who could forge within him something greater than England to fight for. Determined to impress Pellew and to succeed beyond his means, Horatio proves himself to be both adept and clever in high pressure scenarios – and a touch devious, when upon claiming an enemy ship, he keeps her flag flying in order to approach from the rear on the enemy engaging the Indy and blow them out of the water.

Despite this war crime, Horatio is raised from midshipman to acting lieutenant, and the dawn of his career truly begins.

I am – going forward – going to make posts when I make new verses, just so that people who are mobile can be sent a link to something directly, and when something new is created, everybody knows.

I will be posting a fair number of them today, as I have recently completed the Hornblower-POTC/Black Sails crossover, in which Horatio was born in the POTC timeline and his stories took place within it. While the larger verses will have their own posts, the short ones will be in a collection to limit dash spam. 

“ The more ignorant they are, the more opinions they have. ” | Edward maybe don’t grumble about the Admiralty under your breath in front of Hume, he’s too sharp not to pick up on that.

{ Iconic Lines }

“My goodness, Captain,” The carefully affected tone gave no true indication of Graham’s own opinion – which, considering the other man’s particular note of complaint might well have been an action born of deliberate wisdom. It came as little surprise to him that a man who had held command as long as Pellew would have his share of malcontent – but as the man was always so carefully circumspect it was unusual to hear him denounce the admiralty quite so thoroughly as this. 

Rather than challenge the man however, Graham simply offered a smile that seemed to indicate he knew full well he likely had not been meant to hear that thought expressed. “I think we could both use some fresh air while we await their deliberations, don’t you?” He suggested, offering the man a literal escape from the frustrations of dealing with the admiralty at least for a time. It would be two hours before they were set to be present – nothing said they had to wait here in the interim. 

☠️ protect my muse | Billy to Charles?

{ Random Acts }

The intervention comes from an unexpected quarter – a clash of metal alerting him even as he struggled to regain his feet, and he watched on in silence as Billy bore the brunt of the assault before lashing out with his foot and hauling his opponent off his own. The finish was quick – efficient and permanent, and their eyes met in the ensuing silence. 

For several moments, the world held its breath as acknowledgement shifted between the two of them. Any doubt that was still harbored that Billy Bones was a man of the Ranger now fell away, as Charles inclined his head and offered his humility in a rare show of gratitude before picking up his sword and striding over. 

“There’s more over the ridge,” The information was offered at close range, their shoulders almost brushing – and with a slight cant, Charles brushed against Billy before leading the way. An unnecessary touch, the claim was as silent as it was absolute – the acceptance entirely complete without a word spoken.

Though an observant sort might recognize that Billy now stood among a select few aboard the Ranger, there were none present to witness the exchange and attest to it. 

🛏️ carry my muse to bed | Joji to Abigail

{ Random Acts }

A smile split across her face as she felt the ground leave, her lover’s firm arms lifting her right out of her chair and causing her to lift her arms on a newly developed instinct, looping them lightly around his shoulders. “I overdid it again, didn’t I?” She guessed, laughter bubbling on her lips as she was settled into their bed with a care. 

He was as gentle as he was immovable sometimes, and it only endeared him to her further. She had said she would be done in another hour – though a glance to the candle told her she had in fact been at it for three. “Whoop,” The small, sheepish sound was followed up by he shifting up so that she could bump his nose with hers. “You really are too good to me,” A soft accusation, sealed with a kiss to his lips before she settled back, arranging herself so that he could join her once he’d set the candle out. 

“Is that my shirt?” William to Horatio

{ Meme } 

“Do forgive me Mister Bush,” Horatio chattered, even as he hauled his lieutenant’s coat tighter around his shoulders, finding that the extra space afforded to the broader man gave the air too much opportunity to chill him. “I am afraid Doughty has my uniform at pr – at present,” Christ he was cold, but there had been nothing for it. 

Someone needed to direct the carpenters and while there were men aboard who could swim, few could do so as well as Horatio and they all knew it. With how cold the water was, they couldn’t take a risk with a weak swimmer – Horatio could not in good conscience allow for it, so despite the fact he had known there would be nothing on deck for him to curl into when he got up again, he had done what he believed necessary. 

“It’s my fault sir,” Matthews chimed in, owning the truth of it, “Figured you wouldn’t mind keeping the captain from catching a chill.” Horatio tilted his head, because in truth he had thought the man had asked, but there was little to be done about it now.