Fic: "Contradictions 4: Win" (Part 6)
Jun. 1st, 2011 07:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
veronica_richThis is a continuation of a POTC fic. See Part 1 for disclaimers, etc.
2 Days to Departure (Saying One Thing and Meaning A Lover)
“Keep that blade up.” Will tapped the flat of his sword against David’s, and the boy nearly lost hold on its hilt, bringing his other small hand up to grab, hold it in place.
“Sorry, Will.”
“You’ve got to keep your blade up and at the ready at all times,” Will insisted, shaking his head. “Otherwise, it won’t matter how sorry you are, because you’ll be dead.”
“Right. Right.”
Will stepped back and eyed the nervous boy. David had walked out on Will’s solo fencing practice in the back yard, and the blacksmith had seen an opportunity to begin showing the boy the ropes of swordsmanship. After all, Will himself had been not much older when he’d begun lessons under the tutelage of Teddy Groves, who at the time had been one of the older lads in Port Royale bucking for a naval academy appointment. He’d taken on young Turner in an effort to curry favor with Governor Swann, seeking the politician’s letter of recommendation, since his own father was a merchant and not terribly influential in the higher circles of Britain.
“En garde.” David snapped to and held aloft his weapon, first in both hands, then one, the blade trembling a bit. Will had hunted down the lightest saber he could find, which wasn’t saying much, since he’d had to settle for swiping one Jack had recently purchased and its weight was considered light only in experienced hands.
Will squeezed his eyes shut briefly and winced at the mental image Jack’s hands brought up. And that’s not even considering the imagery his “sword” brings to mind. He ground his teeth and opened his eyes, trying to focus on the lesson before him; he really didn’t need the distraction of Jack and sex right now, especially not in the same breath. “Remember, keep it up!” he admonished David in rather a harsh tone, then briefly chastised himself for that unfortunate phrasing, as well. Oh, hell. Is nothing safe from my dirty mind anymore?
“Yes, sir. I’m trying – it’s kind of heavy.” David frowned, biting his lower lip in concentration.
“Well, use both hands if you have to. Get a good grip.” Good Christ, Turner!
Will swung lightly, and David brought up his blade, blocking it. He carried through on a few more basic moves, pleased to note the boy was a quick study, having paid attention to the lesson over the past forty-five minutes – better than Will had, at any rate, his mind constantly distracted by the dream from nearly two nights before. “Remember,” he spoke between clashes, “you want to defend yourself, but you have to be in an attack position. Mostly as a bluff; if you look like you know what you’re doing, without actually initiating the fight, you might not even have to fight if the other person is sufficiently intimidated.”
David nodded, circling carefully, his steps mirroring Will’s as the two moved around, constantly changing positions relative to one another.
“You two look entertained.” Will ignored the voice until he’d finished his last few practice parries, then nodded at David that this particular lesson was through. Turning, he saw Elizabeth in the same breeches and shirt she’d worn on their excursion to the cemetery a few nights before – except it was the middle of the day, and her hair was pulled back. She held a light blade of her own, tip down and pressed into the veranda planks. “Is it my turn?”
Will and David exchanged a glance, the boy obviously fighting not to laugh. Elizabeth must have picked up on their silent thread, for she interrupted. “What?” she demanded. “You think a woman can’t fence?”
“It’s not necessarily a common thing,” Will answered diplomatically.
“Only because the male-run world has taken it upon itself to keep girls ignorant and in the dark about anything that has nothing to do with keeping a house tidy or a stitch from being dropped,” she sniffed. “I’m just as capable of learning how to handle a sword as an eleven-year-old.”
Will couldn’t very well argue that point – to do so would imply a whole other world of insult he didn’t wish to inflict, especially upon Elizabeth. “Well … I suppose,” he agreed hesitantly. “I mean, if you really want to learn-”
She was down the steps before he could finish his thought, circling around to his back side. “Get out of the way,” Will told David, nodding toward the veranda. “Off the grass.”
Since he hadn’t expressly been told to leave, David ran to the steps and sat at the top of them, sword in both hands, down between his small feet. Wonderful; now I’m instructor AND entertainment, Will thought. He was about to turn around when he felt a slight poke between his shoulder blades. “Oh, come on, Will,” she taunted, and the sharp point disappeared. “You’d be dead by now if this weren’t practice.”
Very slowly, accompanied by David’s laughter, he turned to face Elizabeth. “Do you think this is a humorous subject, Miss Swann?”
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a forced frown and a quick military snap of her heels. “No sir, Mr. Turner, SIR!”
He sighed. “All right.” In an instant, he had his sword up, lunging – he wasn’t going to get his blade anywhere near her, but just frighten her a bit. Talk about your dirty-mind imagery; that whole sentence just went straight to hell, he chided himself. Instead of falling back, though, Elizabeth blocked the first parry, then stepped back, circled a bit, dodging. She was untrained, but not inattentive – she had the basics in mind, probably from having grown up around military officers and watching them practice.
“What do you think, Mr. Turner?” she was teasing again, though still circling, not wanting to get too close to his light parries.
“It can use improvement,” he advised. “You obviously know what to do with a sword – just need some refinement and practice.” Will felt the blood suffuse his cheeks at more unfortunate phrasing. I give up. I should simply be quiet from now on and whack people with swords, be done with it. No more social life for Will Turner. If she notices me blushing, I’ve hit my low point for the day. I really couldn’t go much-
“Ah, so that’s where me sword got off to!”
Ah, yes. He’d forgotten about Jack not being out here with the merry bunch. Until now. Will squared his shoulders and decided he had the perfect excuse to ignore the man right before him. “Stop dancing, Elizabeth,” he told his newest student, who was moving slightly from side to side, awaiting a parry. “Stand still; we’ll start at the beginning.”
From behind, Will could hear Jack’s lowered voice asking David what he’d missed so far, and the boy giving him a full report. He blocked it out, concentrating on showing Elizabeth how to wield her sword, beginning with having her imitate his stance and hold, then how to block basic thrusts, just as he’d spent nearly an hour teaching David. Occasionally the pair of them would circle and he’d catch a glimpse of the man and boy out of the corner of his eye, but Will was a master of being aware of his surroundings without being distracted by them during fencing. Groves had praised him early in their tutelage as a natural with the sword, one of the few things Will had ever allowed himself to be proud of in his young life.
Which is why, when he heard a light swish behind him some time later, he spun immediately, sword up, body tensed. The flat of his blade struck another, and Jack was grinning from behind the crossed swords. “Up for a real challenge, mate, or jus’ keepin’ company with women an’ children today?”
“You’re interrupting Elizabeth’s lesson,” Will gritted, forcing Jack’s sword aside and down. “I don’t think she appreciates that.”
“Oh, I can watch,” he heard the feminine voice reassure him from behind. “I might even learn something – go on.”
Will was thoroughly annoyed. He’d managed to avoid Jack altogether yesterday, making the excuse of accompanying Elizabeth and David to an afternoon tea party in which he’d had no genuine interest other than escaping his captain. Now, however, he was being forced into facing the object of a rather … pleasant, fantasy, and all he could think was how convenient it would be to run his sword through the man right about now. There’s that sword imagery again, old chap, his mind taunted.
“Yes, she can watch,” Jack reiterated. “Lot t’ be learned from experienced fellows such as us.” His dark eyes bore in, unblinking, focused, and Will had the uneasy feeling they could read his mind.
Which was silly, once he thought about it. Jack was just being Jack – there was no possible way he could know what went on behind the face of a simple blacksmith. For all he knew, Will only ate, breathed, and slept sword-crafting and tying knots. Which I do, his mind stubbornly insisted. It was a damn fluke – too much being around him all the time, and not around Elizabeth as much as I used to be! “Fine.” Will stepped back a couple of paces, bringing his sword up to level at Jack, much as he had that very first time.
“Still crossin’ blades with pirates, I see,” Jack murmured, raising his sword to rest against the flat tip of Will’s. “Not any wiser in all this time, are we?”
“The blood, Captain,” Will parried, both verbally and physically, whipping his blade around and away from Jack’s, bringing it back to another threatening position. Of course, it wasn’t terribly threatening, since on the Pearl the two of them practiced together quite often and knew nearly all of each other’s moves, including the “surprise” parries.
“Ah. Yours or mine?”
“It’s in mine.” Will braced himself for the first lunge, metal clashing, as he held his stance, not backing up. “Said so yourself.”
“We’ll see how good it works for ye.” With that, Jack danced forward a couple of steps, forcing Will to fall back and push with the sword near its hilt to get Jack to back off. “How’d you end up in th’ teachin’ business, anyhow?” he tilted his head in the general direction of the veranda and the two people watching.
“Let’s see – I believe it was you, making me work with the crew, the ones who needed more experience.”
“The boy, I can see; good cabin boy needs t’ keep hisself from gettin’ killed,” Jack nodded, as casually as if they were eating supper instead of lunging, blocking, circling, and otherwise engaged in a rather intense workout with sharp, heavy blades at the moment. “But what’s ‘Lizbeth gon’ do – resolve a deadlock in diplomatic talks by duelin’ the stubborn bastards?”
“Never hurts to know how to defend oneself.” Will was breathing hard, now; he’d practiced for more than an hour before David had showed up; besides, he’d been lax in his daily practice since escaping the Versailles, and his tiring muscles showed the morning’s strain.
“S’pose not.” Will was comforted to see the older man was a bit out of breath himself, apparently suffering from the same lack of practice. “Though I think me idea’s better.”
“What, running someone through because they don’t agree with you right away?”
“No … runnin’ ‘em through if they don’t end up agreein’ eventually.” Jack spun away, bringing his sword low to bear as he turned back toward Will, and the blacksmith barely managed to avoid the sharp tip, dropping his own sword to knock it away.
“That’s tripe,” Will declared, shaking his head as he brought their parries back to chest level. “I’ve never seen you run anyone through yet, unless you had to.”
“Because they usually end up agreein’ with me.”
“Because they get tired of hearing your mouth run,” Will protested.
“I think you’re confusin’ verbosity with charm,” Jack countered, grinning.
“And I think you’re confusing charm with you liking to hear the sound of your own voice.”
“You’re gon’ learn very few people don‘t, mate.” With that, Jack pressed an advantage, getting in past Will’s tight defense, and slapped the flat of his blade against the smith’s forearm in a harmless simulation of attack. “First blood; I win.”
It rarely happened, with Jack or anyone else. Will sighed, then nodded, reaching up with the heel of his other hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Too out of practice,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“Ah, tell yourself what ye need to,” Jack teased, withdrawing his sword. “But ye may be right; neither one of us has been gettin’ th’ practice we need. Gettin’ soft, we are; startin’ tomorrow, both of us, back to daily practices. Savvy?” Will nodded, and Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “Exc’lent.”
He turned then, gesturing Elizabeth out onto the grass with a flick of his sword. “Come along, missy – if you’re gon’ learn swords, ye might as well learn all th’ dirty tricks Mr. Honest ain’t about to show ye.”
*****
1 Day to Departure
“I don’t appreciate being left behind when my responsibility is to be learning what you do.” Elizabeth’s loud, clear voice could be heard all the way upstairs and around the corner, where Will found Jack and David sitting on the floor, their backs against the wall, heads turned so their ears were pressed to it. “With all due respect, Mr. Shelton – I’d almost think you’re trying to hide something from me.”
“Aye, that’s it, give him hell, Lizzie,” Jack muttered, nudging David’s shoulder as he spoke. The boy nodded eagerly, never taking his ear from the wall.
“What are you two doing eavesdropping?” Will demanded, frowning over the captain and his cabin boy.
“Not eavesdroppin’,” Jack answered, shaking his head just enough to keep his ear to the wall, flicking his eyes up at Will briefly to acknowledge him. “Checking on her, is all.”
“From up here? While she’s having a personal conversation?”
Jack rolled his eyes and gestured with one hand as he spoke. “I gave her a bit of advice, an’ I’m jus’ seein’ how she handles it; David here was with me when I told her. Ask her yourself, ye don’ believe us.” The boy nodded, his eyes on Will; the blacksmith doubted David would lie, not to someone he seemed to practically worship such as himself.
Still skeptical, Will hunkered down on one knee and lowered his voice. “What advice could you give Elizabeth that she’d take, Jack?”
The pirate actually looked wounded. “You act like I ain’ got th’ wisdom to impart to th’ younger generation,” he frowned. “I jus’ told her she was havin’ so many problems with this character, she ought t’ speak up more about it – make a threat or somethin’.”
“You seem to treat me as though I’m a nobody, but I assure you, my family’s opinion still carries some weight with His Majesty,” Elizabeth warned the man, her tone remarkably even for a tone so strident it was still reaching the upstairs unmuffled. “If he’s given to believe you’re engaging in your own pleasurable pursuits, rather than doing your job – well, let’s just say your position might not last much longer, sir.”
“THAT’S what you taught her? To dig herself in with her own boss?”
Jack was grinning, though. “No, I simply told her to stand up for herself.”
“She already knows how to do that, trust me.”
“Well, her way wasn’t getting her ver’ far, mate. Shh.” Jack put a forefinger to his lips and patted the spot on the floor behind him, gesturing for Will to move away from the banister, where he could be seen. Will shook his head, but crawled over and took the seat, turning his own ear to the wall against his better judgment.
“Are you threatening me, Miss Swann?”
“I’m merely saying you enjoy your job, and certain privileges as part of that position. I am expected to give reports on my experience here, and if my reports do not favorably reflect my time here … well, I can’t be held liable for telling the truth, sir. I can’t imagine you would suggest otherwise of my responsibilities.” She sounded a bit pained.
“Oh, she’s good,” Jack commented.
“She used to do the same thing when we were children,” Will whispered back. “If one of the others wouldn’t listen to her, she’d threaten to tell their parents about some transgression or other.”
“Blackmail’s really th’ best way for those with no other power t’ get things,” Jack agreed.
Will hesitated. Then: “What did you tell her, exactly?”
Jack shifted until he faced forward and could turn his head to address Will. “I told her tha’ nobody’s gon’ give a woman more of a chance than they have to, and if she wants anythin’ out of life, she’s gon’ occasionally have t’ take th’ bull by th’ horns an’ plow her own field.” A quick nod from David on Jack’s other side, who had also turned to listen to the discussion, confirmed as much.
Will digested this. “Did you butcher that many metaphors when you were actually preaching to her? I mean, I hope she didn’t think you were trying to talk her into taking up farming, instead.” It was his turn to smirk at Jack, who raised his eyebrows at the smith in deadpan expression.
“Are you all spying on me?”
Three male heads swiveled guiltily to face Elizabeth, who was standing near the top of the banister, hands on her hips. Her face was in shadow, impossible to read, but her tone was stern. “They were,” Will spoke up, pointing to his compatriots. “I’ve only been here for a minute or two, telling Jack he should be ashamed of himself.”
“Aye, and to tell stories on how ye used t’ blackmail your little playmates as a child,” Jack interjected smoothly. “So what happened, missy?”
“I’m going to the club this time, thank you.” Her tone sounded much more at ease as she dropped her stern act. “As you’d know if you were proper eavesdroppers, instead of sitting up here quarreling among yourselves.”
“I wasn’t quarreling, Miss!” David protested, shaking his head quickly.
“I wasn’t quarreling,” Jack added in a more even tone.
Will lifted his hand into the air after a moment of silence. “I was probably quarreling a little bit,” he admitted sheepishly. “They were eavesdropping quite well before I happened by.”
“Well, I want all three of you cleaned up and dressed in your best by the time I get back,” she ordered. “We’re going to eat somewhere nice tonight before I see you off on the ship tomorrow. I do hope you haven’t forgotten how to use utensils in your time on the Black Pearl,” she directed at Will, and he could definitely detect the sarcasm in her tone.
“Yes, William,” Jack mocked, swiveling his head to face Will again, gesturing with exaggerated daintiness in mid-air, his knobby fingers splayed delicately. “Remember – th’ inside knife’s for your meat, an’ th’ outside one’s for stabbin’ blokes.”
“I remember, now,” Will nodded, playing along. “But what of the forks?”
“Glad I didn‘t plan a dinner party,” Elizabeth mumbled, shaking her head and descending the stairs, adding something along the way about “bad influence.”
Jack couldn’t have resisted if he’d tried. “That’s REALLY bad eggs!” he called after the retreating woman.
*****
Day of Departure
“Did you get-”
“I packed it, trust me. Whatever it is,” Will reassured Elizabeth as the carriage pulled to a stop half a mile from the docks.
“I’m just trying to make sure you’re not leaving anything important behind,” she protested.
“If I have, I’m certain you’ll be responsible enough to make sure it gets to me, somehow,” he countered, the first out of the carriage. He turned to offer his hand; Elizabeth took it, but hiked her skirt a bit with her other one, and hopped lightly out onto the ground instead of stepping down. “Not that many black ships with black sails-”
Elizabeth interrupted him. “-Crewed by the damned, and captained by a man-”
“-So evil that Hell itself spat him back out!” they finished in unison, remembering how Jack had related the tale as set forth by lieutenants Murtogg and Mullroy.
“Aye, that’s me.” Jack exited after Elizabeth, stepping aside so David could jump out, fairly bouncing with the anticipation of another trip. Will knew he hadn’t slept much the night before, because the boy had been in Will’s room peppering him and Jack with questions about England.
“I don’t think it’s supposed to be you, Captain,” Elizabeth disagreed.
“Don’t mess with me legend,” Jack warned. “Gets me an’ Pearl in where we need t’ be, most times, an’ with a minimum of fuss.”
“Oh, Charlie,” Elizabeth turned and tilted her head back to address the driver, “take their trunks on down and have them loaded, would you? Meet me back here in half an hour?”
“Aye, Miss.” Charlie clicked his tongue at the horses, slapped the reins, and was off.
Will offered his arm to Elizabeth, but she simply smiled and stepped in to embrace him instead. “I’m going to send you on to the Trumpet; take David with you. I need to talk to Jack a bit by myself … about something we were discussing the other evening. A Christmas gift for Father.”
Will thought to call her on the fabrication – after all, he wasn’t stupid. If it were something that simple, she wouldn’t mind discussing it in front of him. But she phrased it sweetly, and she smelled so wonderful, and he found himself nodding as he hugged her back. “All right.”
As she pulled back, she pecked him on the cheek. “I shall miss you,” she sighed, bringing a hand up to cup his jaw briefly. “I want you to be careful, as much as you can be – savvy?” she smiled up at him with a wink.
“Aye, I savvy.” They both glanced at Sparrow, who was studiously looking away, scanning the skies. For relatives, perhaps? Will mused. Turning back to Elizabeth, he said, “And don’t let that Shelton walk all over you. Jack’s right – you can get further if you keep reminding him, and people like him, what you’re supposed to be doing.”
“I know,” she reassured him. “Now, get going – we won’t be far behind. You don’t want to miss your bon voyage..”
Will gave her another quick, impulsive hug, then pulled away, backing up a few steps to look at her a bit longer. When David finished receiving his hug and came around behind Will, pulling at the cuff of his new dark green coat, he turned, and let the boy practically pull him to the docks, past the vendors, shouting crewmen, singing sailors, carts of fish, and the multitude of colorful characters, some of whom he was able to peg immediately as pirates by their bearing, furtive or cocky mannerisms, and appearance. None of them have Jack’s panache, that’s for sure, he observed, following David as the boy searched for Gabriel‘s Trumpet.
“Here she is!” David ran for the plank. Will followed, putting his arms out as he stepped onto the deck of the chartered boat which would be ferrying them along the river to the coast and then across the sea to London, the slight bobbing throwing him off-balance – he’d grown used to land again over the past few weeks. As he moved, though, he lowered his hands to his sides, his legs “remembering” their hard-won seaworthiness and compensating with a slightly rolling gait as he approached the rail.
Lifting one hand, he rested his palm on the flat of the wood, and closed his eyes as a wash of emotion swept over him. I belong here, his soul hummed. I belong on the water, on a ship, in this life. Oh, I missed it so much … Will swallowed around the lump in his throat, feeling moisture prick the back of his eyelids – all thoughts of Elizabeth, Jack, any regrets he might still have harbored about abandoning his former life in Port Royale, swept away. How could I ever have imagined being anywhere else for very long?
So long did he stay like that that he didn’t realize time had actually passed until Elizabeth’s loud voice stirred him back to awareness. “For heaven’s sakes, you win, Jack!”
Will took a moment to compose himself, reaching up to scrub his eyes with the heels of his hands, surprised to feel trace moisture on his cheeks. He widened his eyes, breathed in deeply of the water‘s scent, and shook his head to clear it of melancholy musings. When he turned to look for Elizabeth, he noticed her and Jack finishing their conversation, nodding to one another, and going their separate ways.
As Jack spoke with one of the boat's crew on the dock, Elizabeth raised a hand to wave at Will, and he saluted her in return. Maybe someday, he thought. If you’re ever ready and I can get the salt out of my blood.
He knew it wasn’t likely to happen either way.
2 Days to Departure (Saying One Thing and Meaning A Lover)
“Keep that blade up.” Will tapped the flat of his sword against David’s, and the boy nearly lost hold on its hilt, bringing his other small hand up to grab, hold it in place.
“Sorry, Will.”
“You’ve got to keep your blade up and at the ready at all times,” Will insisted, shaking his head. “Otherwise, it won’t matter how sorry you are, because you’ll be dead.”
“Right. Right.”
Will stepped back and eyed the nervous boy. David had walked out on Will’s solo fencing practice in the back yard, and the blacksmith had seen an opportunity to begin showing the boy the ropes of swordsmanship. After all, Will himself had been not much older when he’d begun lessons under the tutelage of Teddy Groves, who at the time had been one of the older lads in Port Royale bucking for a naval academy appointment. He’d taken on young Turner in an effort to curry favor with Governor Swann, seeking the politician’s letter of recommendation, since his own father was a merchant and not terribly influential in the higher circles of Britain.
“En garde.” David snapped to and held aloft his weapon, first in both hands, then one, the blade trembling a bit. Will had hunted down the lightest saber he could find, which wasn’t saying much, since he’d had to settle for swiping one Jack had recently purchased and its weight was considered light only in experienced hands.
Will squeezed his eyes shut briefly and winced at the mental image Jack’s hands brought up. And that’s not even considering the imagery his “sword” brings to mind. He ground his teeth and opened his eyes, trying to focus on the lesson before him; he really didn’t need the distraction of Jack and sex right now, especially not in the same breath. “Remember, keep it up!” he admonished David in rather a harsh tone, then briefly chastised himself for that unfortunate phrasing, as well. Oh, hell. Is nothing safe from my dirty mind anymore?
“Yes, sir. I’m trying – it’s kind of heavy.” David frowned, biting his lower lip in concentration.
“Well, use both hands if you have to. Get a good grip.” Good Christ, Turner!
Will swung lightly, and David brought up his blade, blocking it. He carried through on a few more basic moves, pleased to note the boy was a quick study, having paid attention to the lesson over the past forty-five minutes – better than Will had, at any rate, his mind constantly distracted by the dream from nearly two nights before. “Remember,” he spoke between clashes, “you want to defend yourself, but you have to be in an attack position. Mostly as a bluff; if you look like you know what you’re doing, without actually initiating the fight, you might not even have to fight if the other person is sufficiently intimidated.”
David nodded, circling carefully, his steps mirroring Will’s as the two moved around, constantly changing positions relative to one another.
“You two look entertained.” Will ignored the voice until he’d finished his last few practice parries, then nodded at David that this particular lesson was through. Turning, he saw Elizabeth in the same breeches and shirt she’d worn on their excursion to the cemetery a few nights before – except it was the middle of the day, and her hair was pulled back. She held a light blade of her own, tip down and pressed into the veranda planks. “Is it my turn?”
Will and David exchanged a glance, the boy obviously fighting not to laugh. Elizabeth must have picked up on their silent thread, for she interrupted. “What?” she demanded. “You think a woman can’t fence?”
“It’s not necessarily a common thing,” Will answered diplomatically.
“Only because the male-run world has taken it upon itself to keep girls ignorant and in the dark about anything that has nothing to do with keeping a house tidy or a stitch from being dropped,” she sniffed. “I’m just as capable of learning how to handle a sword as an eleven-year-old.”
Will couldn’t very well argue that point – to do so would imply a whole other world of insult he didn’t wish to inflict, especially upon Elizabeth. “Well … I suppose,” he agreed hesitantly. “I mean, if you really want to learn-”
She was down the steps before he could finish his thought, circling around to his back side. “Get out of the way,” Will told David, nodding toward the veranda. “Off the grass.”
Since he hadn’t expressly been told to leave, David ran to the steps and sat at the top of them, sword in both hands, down between his small feet. Wonderful; now I’m instructor AND entertainment, Will thought. He was about to turn around when he felt a slight poke between his shoulder blades. “Oh, come on, Will,” she taunted, and the sharp point disappeared. “You’d be dead by now if this weren’t practice.”
Very slowly, accompanied by David’s laughter, he turned to face Elizabeth. “Do you think this is a humorous subject, Miss Swann?”
Her smile disappeared, replaced by a forced frown and a quick military snap of her heels. “No sir, Mr. Turner, SIR!”
He sighed. “All right.” In an instant, he had his sword up, lunging – he wasn’t going to get his blade anywhere near her, but just frighten her a bit. Talk about your dirty-mind imagery; that whole sentence just went straight to hell, he chided himself. Instead of falling back, though, Elizabeth blocked the first parry, then stepped back, circled a bit, dodging. She was untrained, but not inattentive – she had the basics in mind, probably from having grown up around military officers and watching them practice.
“What do you think, Mr. Turner?” she was teasing again, though still circling, not wanting to get too close to his light parries.
“It can use improvement,” he advised. “You obviously know what to do with a sword – just need some refinement and practice.” Will felt the blood suffuse his cheeks at more unfortunate phrasing. I give up. I should simply be quiet from now on and whack people with swords, be done with it. No more social life for Will Turner. If she notices me blushing, I’ve hit my low point for the day. I really couldn’t go much-
“Ah, so that’s where me sword got off to!”
Ah, yes. He’d forgotten about Jack not being out here with the merry bunch. Until now. Will squared his shoulders and decided he had the perfect excuse to ignore the man right before him. “Stop dancing, Elizabeth,” he told his newest student, who was moving slightly from side to side, awaiting a parry. “Stand still; we’ll start at the beginning.”
From behind, Will could hear Jack’s lowered voice asking David what he’d missed so far, and the boy giving him a full report. He blocked it out, concentrating on showing Elizabeth how to wield her sword, beginning with having her imitate his stance and hold, then how to block basic thrusts, just as he’d spent nearly an hour teaching David. Occasionally the pair of them would circle and he’d catch a glimpse of the man and boy out of the corner of his eye, but Will was a master of being aware of his surroundings without being distracted by them during fencing. Groves had praised him early in their tutelage as a natural with the sword, one of the few things Will had ever allowed himself to be proud of in his young life.
Which is why, when he heard a light swish behind him some time later, he spun immediately, sword up, body tensed. The flat of his blade struck another, and Jack was grinning from behind the crossed swords. “Up for a real challenge, mate, or jus’ keepin’ company with women an’ children today?”
“You’re interrupting Elizabeth’s lesson,” Will gritted, forcing Jack’s sword aside and down. “I don’t think she appreciates that.”
“Oh, I can watch,” he heard the feminine voice reassure him from behind. “I might even learn something – go on.”
Will was thoroughly annoyed. He’d managed to avoid Jack altogether yesterday, making the excuse of accompanying Elizabeth and David to an afternoon tea party in which he’d had no genuine interest other than escaping his captain. Now, however, he was being forced into facing the object of a rather … pleasant, fantasy, and all he could think was how convenient it would be to run his sword through the man right about now. There’s that sword imagery again, old chap, his mind taunted.
“Yes, she can watch,” Jack reiterated. “Lot t’ be learned from experienced fellows such as us.” His dark eyes bore in, unblinking, focused, and Will had the uneasy feeling they could read his mind.
Which was silly, once he thought about it. Jack was just being Jack – there was no possible way he could know what went on behind the face of a simple blacksmith. For all he knew, Will only ate, breathed, and slept sword-crafting and tying knots. Which I do, his mind stubbornly insisted. It was a damn fluke – too much being around him all the time, and not around Elizabeth as much as I used to be! “Fine.” Will stepped back a couple of paces, bringing his sword up to level at Jack, much as he had that very first time.
“Still crossin’ blades with pirates, I see,” Jack murmured, raising his sword to rest against the flat tip of Will’s. “Not any wiser in all this time, are we?”
“The blood, Captain,” Will parried, both verbally and physically, whipping his blade around and away from Jack’s, bringing it back to another threatening position. Of course, it wasn’t terribly threatening, since on the Pearl the two of them practiced together quite often and knew nearly all of each other’s moves, including the “surprise” parries.
“Ah. Yours or mine?”
“It’s in mine.” Will braced himself for the first lunge, metal clashing, as he held his stance, not backing up. “Said so yourself.”
“We’ll see how good it works for ye.” With that, Jack danced forward a couple of steps, forcing Will to fall back and push with the sword near its hilt to get Jack to back off. “How’d you end up in th’ teachin’ business, anyhow?” he tilted his head in the general direction of the veranda and the two people watching.
“Let’s see – I believe it was you, making me work with the crew, the ones who needed more experience.”
“The boy, I can see; good cabin boy needs t’ keep hisself from gettin’ killed,” Jack nodded, as casually as if they were eating supper instead of lunging, blocking, circling, and otherwise engaged in a rather intense workout with sharp, heavy blades at the moment. “But what’s ‘Lizbeth gon’ do – resolve a deadlock in diplomatic talks by duelin’ the stubborn bastards?”
“Never hurts to know how to defend oneself.” Will was breathing hard, now; he’d practiced for more than an hour before David had showed up; besides, he’d been lax in his daily practice since escaping the Versailles, and his tiring muscles showed the morning’s strain.
“S’pose not.” Will was comforted to see the older man was a bit out of breath himself, apparently suffering from the same lack of practice. “Though I think me idea’s better.”
“What, running someone through because they don’t agree with you right away?”
“No … runnin’ ‘em through if they don’t end up agreein’ eventually.” Jack spun away, bringing his sword low to bear as he turned back toward Will, and the blacksmith barely managed to avoid the sharp tip, dropping his own sword to knock it away.
“That’s tripe,” Will declared, shaking his head as he brought their parries back to chest level. “I’ve never seen you run anyone through yet, unless you had to.”
“Because they usually end up agreein’ with me.”
“Because they get tired of hearing your mouth run,” Will protested.
“I think you’re confusin’ verbosity with charm,” Jack countered, grinning.
“And I think you’re confusing charm with you liking to hear the sound of your own voice.”
“You’re gon’ learn very few people don‘t, mate.” With that, Jack pressed an advantage, getting in past Will’s tight defense, and slapped the flat of his blade against the smith’s forearm in a harmless simulation of attack. “First blood; I win.”
It rarely happened, with Jack or anyone else. Will sighed, then nodded, reaching up with the heel of his other hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead. “Too out of practice,” he mumbled, shaking his head.
“Ah, tell yourself what ye need to,” Jack teased, withdrawing his sword. “But ye may be right; neither one of us has been gettin’ th’ practice we need. Gettin’ soft, we are; startin’ tomorrow, both of us, back to daily practices. Savvy?” Will nodded, and Jack clapped him on the shoulder. “Exc’lent.”
He turned then, gesturing Elizabeth out onto the grass with a flick of his sword. “Come along, missy – if you’re gon’ learn swords, ye might as well learn all th’ dirty tricks Mr. Honest ain’t about to show ye.”
*****
1 Day to Departure
“I don’t appreciate being left behind when my responsibility is to be learning what you do.” Elizabeth’s loud, clear voice could be heard all the way upstairs and around the corner, where Will found Jack and David sitting on the floor, their backs against the wall, heads turned so their ears were pressed to it. “With all due respect, Mr. Shelton – I’d almost think you’re trying to hide something from me.”
“Aye, that’s it, give him hell, Lizzie,” Jack muttered, nudging David’s shoulder as he spoke. The boy nodded eagerly, never taking his ear from the wall.
“What are you two doing eavesdropping?” Will demanded, frowning over the captain and his cabin boy.
“Not eavesdroppin’,” Jack answered, shaking his head just enough to keep his ear to the wall, flicking his eyes up at Will briefly to acknowledge him. “Checking on her, is all.”
“From up here? While she’s having a personal conversation?”
Jack rolled his eyes and gestured with one hand as he spoke. “I gave her a bit of advice, an’ I’m jus’ seein’ how she handles it; David here was with me when I told her. Ask her yourself, ye don’ believe us.” The boy nodded, his eyes on Will; the blacksmith doubted David would lie, not to someone he seemed to practically worship such as himself.
Still skeptical, Will hunkered down on one knee and lowered his voice. “What advice could you give Elizabeth that she’d take, Jack?”
The pirate actually looked wounded. “You act like I ain’ got th’ wisdom to impart to th’ younger generation,” he frowned. “I jus’ told her she was havin’ so many problems with this character, she ought t’ speak up more about it – make a threat or somethin’.”
“You seem to treat me as though I’m a nobody, but I assure you, my family’s opinion still carries some weight with His Majesty,” Elizabeth warned the man, her tone remarkably even for a tone so strident it was still reaching the upstairs unmuffled. “If he’s given to believe you’re engaging in your own pleasurable pursuits, rather than doing your job – well, let’s just say your position might not last much longer, sir.”
“THAT’S what you taught her? To dig herself in with her own boss?”
Jack was grinning, though. “No, I simply told her to stand up for herself.”
“She already knows how to do that, trust me.”
“Well, her way wasn’t getting her ver’ far, mate. Shh.” Jack put a forefinger to his lips and patted the spot on the floor behind him, gesturing for Will to move away from the banister, where he could be seen. Will shook his head, but crawled over and took the seat, turning his own ear to the wall against his better judgment.
“Are you threatening me, Miss Swann?”
“I’m merely saying you enjoy your job, and certain privileges as part of that position. I am expected to give reports on my experience here, and if my reports do not favorably reflect my time here … well, I can’t be held liable for telling the truth, sir. I can’t imagine you would suggest otherwise of my responsibilities.” She sounded a bit pained.
“Oh, she’s good,” Jack commented.
“She used to do the same thing when we were children,” Will whispered back. “If one of the others wouldn’t listen to her, she’d threaten to tell their parents about some transgression or other.”
“Blackmail’s really th’ best way for those with no other power t’ get things,” Jack agreed.
Will hesitated. Then: “What did you tell her, exactly?”
Jack shifted until he faced forward and could turn his head to address Will. “I told her tha’ nobody’s gon’ give a woman more of a chance than they have to, and if she wants anythin’ out of life, she’s gon’ occasionally have t’ take th’ bull by th’ horns an’ plow her own field.” A quick nod from David on Jack’s other side, who had also turned to listen to the discussion, confirmed as much.
Will digested this. “Did you butcher that many metaphors when you were actually preaching to her? I mean, I hope she didn’t think you were trying to talk her into taking up farming, instead.” It was his turn to smirk at Jack, who raised his eyebrows at the smith in deadpan expression.
“Are you all spying on me?”
Three male heads swiveled guiltily to face Elizabeth, who was standing near the top of the banister, hands on her hips. Her face was in shadow, impossible to read, but her tone was stern. “They were,” Will spoke up, pointing to his compatriots. “I’ve only been here for a minute or two, telling Jack he should be ashamed of himself.”
“Aye, and to tell stories on how ye used t’ blackmail your little playmates as a child,” Jack interjected smoothly. “So what happened, missy?”
“I’m going to the club this time, thank you.” Her tone sounded much more at ease as she dropped her stern act. “As you’d know if you were proper eavesdroppers, instead of sitting up here quarreling among yourselves.”
“I wasn’t quarreling, Miss!” David protested, shaking his head quickly.
“I wasn’t quarreling,” Jack added in a more even tone.
Will lifted his hand into the air after a moment of silence. “I was probably quarreling a little bit,” he admitted sheepishly. “They were eavesdropping quite well before I happened by.”
“Well, I want all three of you cleaned up and dressed in your best by the time I get back,” she ordered. “We’re going to eat somewhere nice tonight before I see you off on the ship tomorrow. I do hope you haven’t forgotten how to use utensils in your time on the Black Pearl,” she directed at Will, and he could definitely detect the sarcasm in her tone.
“Yes, William,” Jack mocked, swiveling his head to face Will again, gesturing with exaggerated daintiness in mid-air, his knobby fingers splayed delicately. “Remember – th’ inside knife’s for your meat, an’ th’ outside one’s for stabbin’ blokes.”
“I remember, now,” Will nodded, playing along. “But what of the forks?”
“Glad I didn‘t plan a dinner party,” Elizabeth mumbled, shaking her head and descending the stairs, adding something along the way about “bad influence.”
Jack couldn’t have resisted if he’d tried. “That’s REALLY bad eggs!” he called after the retreating woman.
*****
Day of Departure
“Did you get-”
“I packed it, trust me. Whatever it is,” Will reassured Elizabeth as the carriage pulled to a stop half a mile from the docks.
“I’m just trying to make sure you’re not leaving anything important behind,” she protested.
“If I have, I’m certain you’ll be responsible enough to make sure it gets to me, somehow,” he countered, the first out of the carriage. He turned to offer his hand; Elizabeth took it, but hiked her skirt a bit with her other one, and hopped lightly out onto the ground instead of stepping down. “Not that many black ships with black sails-”
Elizabeth interrupted him. “-Crewed by the damned, and captained by a man-”
“-So evil that Hell itself spat him back out!” they finished in unison, remembering how Jack had related the tale as set forth by lieutenants Murtogg and Mullroy.
“Aye, that’s me.” Jack exited after Elizabeth, stepping aside so David could jump out, fairly bouncing with the anticipation of another trip. Will knew he hadn’t slept much the night before, because the boy had been in Will’s room peppering him and Jack with questions about England.
“I don’t think it’s supposed to be you, Captain,” Elizabeth disagreed.
“Don’t mess with me legend,” Jack warned. “Gets me an’ Pearl in where we need t’ be, most times, an’ with a minimum of fuss.”
“Oh, Charlie,” Elizabeth turned and tilted her head back to address the driver, “take their trunks on down and have them loaded, would you? Meet me back here in half an hour?”
“Aye, Miss.” Charlie clicked his tongue at the horses, slapped the reins, and was off.
Will offered his arm to Elizabeth, but she simply smiled and stepped in to embrace him instead. “I’m going to send you on to the Trumpet; take David with you. I need to talk to Jack a bit by myself … about something we were discussing the other evening. A Christmas gift for Father.”
Will thought to call her on the fabrication – after all, he wasn’t stupid. If it were something that simple, she wouldn’t mind discussing it in front of him. But she phrased it sweetly, and she smelled so wonderful, and he found himself nodding as he hugged her back. “All right.”
As she pulled back, she pecked him on the cheek. “I shall miss you,” she sighed, bringing a hand up to cup his jaw briefly. “I want you to be careful, as much as you can be – savvy?” she smiled up at him with a wink.
“Aye, I savvy.” They both glanced at Sparrow, who was studiously looking away, scanning the skies. For relatives, perhaps? Will mused. Turning back to Elizabeth, he said, “And don’t let that Shelton walk all over you. Jack’s right – you can get further if you keep reminding him, and people like him, what you’re supposed to be doing.”
“I know,” she reassured him. “Now, get going – we won’t be far behind. You don’t want to miss your bon voyage..”
Will gave her another quick, impulsive hug, then pulled away, backing up a few steps to look at her a bit longer. When David finished receiving his hug and came around behind Will, pulling at the cuff of his new dark green coat, he turned, and let the boy practically pull him to the docks, past the vendors, shouting crewmen, singing sailors, carts of fish, and the multitude of colorful characters, some of whom he was able to peg immediately as pirates by their bearing, furtive or cocky mannerisms, and appearance. None of them have Jack’s panache, that’s for sure, he observed, following David as the boy searched for Gabriel‘s Trumpet.
“Here she is!” David ran for the plank. Will followed, putting his arms out as he stepped onto the deck of the chartered boat which would be ferrying them along the river to the coast and then across the sea to London, the slight bobbing throwing him off-balance – he’d grown used to land again over the past few weeks. As he moved, though, he lowered his hands to his sides, his legs “remembering” their hard-won seaworthiness and compensating with a slightly rolling gait as he approached the rail.
Lifting one hand, he rested his palm on the flat of the wood, and closed his eyes as a wash of emotion swept over him. I belong here, his soul hummed. I belong on the water, on a ship, in this life. Oh, I missed it so much … Will swallowed around the lump in his throat, feeling moisture prick the back of his eyelids – all thoughts of Elizabeth, Jack, any regrets he might still have harbored about abandoning his former life in Port Royale, swept away. How could I ever have imagined being anywhere else for very long?
So long did he stay like that that he didn’t realize time had actually passed until Elizabeth’s loud voice stirred him back to awareness. “For heaven’s sakes, you win, Jack!”
Will took a moment to compose himself, reaching up to scrub his eyes with the heels of his hands, surprised to feel trace moisture on his cheeks. He widened his eyes, breathed in deeply of the water‘s scent, and shook his head to clear it of melancholy musings. When he turned to look for Elizabeth, he noticed her and Jack finishing their conversation, nodding to one another, and going their separate ways.
As Jack spoke with one of the boat's crew on the dock, Elizabeth raised a hand to wave at Will, and he saluted her in return. Maybe someday, he thought. If you’re ever ready and I can get the salt out of my blood.
He knew it wasn’t likely to happen either way.
