A/N
Hey guys! So, of you've ever read my stories, then you'd know that I have tried writing a fanfic for Once Upon A Time before, but deleted the story. I did because I didn't really like the chapters I had been writing and felt it needed some work. I'm going with the same theme, so don't worry about that. I have finished watching the last season and I hope you enjoy reading this! And also, please review. If you don't tell me how you like my story, I won't continue it 0_0 Also, when Killian explains the sword fight, I don't own what he says. It does NOT belong to me.
Chapter #1: And it started with Naveen...
A young teenage girl the age of 13 walked along the top of the bow of her father's ship. Who was this girl? Naveen Jones. Yes, you may ask: her father is Killian Jones? And that would also be correct as well.
Her mother had been a princess, Princess Nadia. Her brother had been Prince Charming, her father, a king. Her father didn't like the fact that Nadia was in love with a pirate, and it outraged him when he found out about their daughter, Naveen. To punish his daughter, he sent out an armada to kill the beautiful Nadia. Naveen had seen her mother killed in front of her doe-like eyes at the age of 4, and Naveen had never recovered. She still had her father, yes, but he acted like he didn't care about her anymore. And sadly, Naveen knew this.
Naveen was the only female among the Jolly Roger, well, she never used to be alone. There used to be another woman among the ship, but she was killed by Rumpledstiltskin. Naveen never really did like her, but of course, she acknowledged her father's "woman". Naveen was also called a nickname instead of Naveen, which was Rapunzel. The reason? Naveen, or Rapunzel, had long, very long, brown hair. Her hair was the length of her body now, and it kept growing more and more. She always kept her hair braided back, only taking it out sometimes. Her eyes were just like her father's; a creamy blue color, with an icy depth. Her features were soft, along with her skin. Naveen wore an all black outfit, like her father, and the outfit consisted of a jacket with chrome buttons on the sides, a corset with a belt over a red vest, and a skirt made of leather over a pair of black tights. Her black pirate boots were molded to her feet and went to her ankles.
She continued walking along the ship, her boots clicking, when she noticed an island coming into view. Interested in it, she ran over to the helm of the ship, where her father was steering the ship.
" Captain," she said in soft voice. He turned around.
" I told you, you don't have to call me that," Hook replied, turning back to the wheel. She ignored his remark.
" Where are we headed?" she asked.
" Neverland," he said simply. Rapunzel gasped softly.
" But that's where Baelfire was taken..." she trailed off. Killian turned around and replied," I know."
She shut her mouth and stood beside him. " You never did teach me how to steer the ship," she mumbled. He snorted a laugh.
" You? Drive the Jolly Roger? I don't think so," Killian laughed.
" Come on! You told me you'd teach me how! You taught Baelfire..." Rapunzel mumbled, running her fingers over the marks Killian had made when he had shown Baelfire how to steer the ship. He sighed.
" You're just like your mother. Very demanding," Killian said, looking at his daughter. Rapunzel was happy she was talking to her dad, since he never really talked to her a lot.
" Come on. You promised. And I know you; you are a man of your word," Rapunzel stated, placing her hands on her hips," If you don't keep that promise, I will add another marking to the bowsprit."
His face dropped slightly." You wouldn't."
" My name is already carved on it," Rapunzel smirked.
" Fine. But no more vandalizing the Jolly roger." Rapunzel smiled at her success and Killian moved over so she could also guide the ship. Killian used his hook to carve an "S" and "N" onto the wood by the helm. He also added an "E" and "W", and Rapunzel knew it was a compass.
" The trick is to follow north at all times. Guiding a ship isn't very hard, Naveen. Make sure to make wide turns and don't turn the wheel completely around. And always pay attention to what's in front of you," Killian explained," Now try to turn North-East towards Neverland."
Naveen placed her hands onto the top of the helm and made a wide turn. The ship turned with ease closer towards the island.
" See? It's not hard. You have a lot more to learn, dearie," Killian said, patting her shoulder. Rapunzel smiled. She could tell her father was having a good day.
" Smee," Killian called," come guide the ship for me. I need to teach Naveen how to do something."
" Yes captain," Smee replied, running over and steering the ship. Killian turned to Rapunzel.
" I'm going to teach you how to sword fight," Killian stated more as a fact than an opinion.
" Finally," Rapunzel replied," I've been waiting for five years to learn!"
Killian smiled and guided the way down to the main deck, grabbing two swords along the way. He handed one to Rapunzel and stood in front of her.
" We will be setting foot on Neverland soon. You know what that place is like. It's horrible. So, if trouble stands in your way, you will need to know how to fight off anybody," Killian explained. Rapunzel nodded, leaning against her sword.
" Draw your sword before you engage. It takes longer to draw a sword than it does to get hit. On the other hand, if your sword and scabbard are suitable for a quick draw, and you practice, this can be a great surprise attack," Killian began," Balance, keep your body balanced so you can strike or parry without being hit. Always have your feet shoulder wide and when you move, move so your legs spread apart. Never have your feet close to each other. Hold your sword so you can handle it with ease. Watch your opponent's movements and learn when he moves in to attack and launch a preemptive strike. Be quick. When you parry you keep the blade close to you so you don't stretch out to block and always try to counter your opponents attack. Your footing and proper foot placement is key for balance. The more of the sole of your foot touches the ground the more grounded you are giving you greater strength in your attacks. To keep your balance try to slide your feet rather then lift them up and stepping. Leaning forward lifting up your heel also reduces your grounding so be cautious with how your feet are placed and used during each strike because you give great opportunity for your opponent to knock you over. Keep your posture straight and your chest and torso forward which will keep you from losing your balance during your swings and allows you to avoid with a simple twist any blows with ease rather then having your torso turned sideways locking yourself to only be able to evade an attack in only one direction."
Rapunzel nodded, trying to soak everything in. " Also, engage with care. If you charge in recklessly, especially against a trained fighter, he may just wait and let you impale yourself on his sword. By engaging carefully, you are able to maintain control and focus at all times. This also will allow your best defense which most of the time is just sidestepping your opponents attack potentially saving your life and allowing the opening for your winning blow. Dodging works extremely well in a open space or if you're quick, an indoor area."
Rapunzel was paying close attention to how his example went. "Make sure to have a strong defense. Missing one block or parry can be fatal, so protect yourself well. Maintain your sword in a position that runs from the bottom of your torso to the top of your head. This is a middle position, suitable for any skill level, that will enable you to respond to an attack with reasonable speed, and also gives you many angles for your own strikes. ALWAYS keep your weapon ready. Generally, your sword should be extended a comfortable distance away from your body, and toward your opponent's throat, or perhaps his eye. This is referred to as putting him "on point". It serves as a ward against an opponent and can be quite intimidating, especially to an inexperienced fighter.
" Keep your elbows bent, and close to your body. An inexperienced fighter tends to stretch out his arms in order to keep his opponent further off, but this will hurt your ability to thrust and parry quickly. Extend your sword towards your opponent, not your arms," Killian explained, looking to see if his daughter was listening. He chuckled when he saw her doing a karate-type move with the sword.
" Naveen," he said. She froze in mid-slash, looking at him. " Never loose your attention on your opponent. It's a good way to lose a battle." She flushed and settled down.
" But anyways, remain calm and confident. Poise can decide a fight as surely as the sword, and is an effective stratagem. If you are nervous or frightened, your opponent may try to take advantage of your lack of confidence and attempt to goad you into making a fatal mistake. Cool warriors tend to make others wary, or even unsettled. You may also choose to show aggressiveness and intimidate your opponent instead, or even pretend to be scared, in the hope of lulling your enemy into making a fatal error. The most important thing once the fight begins is to find the flow of battle and attempt to control it. This is just a fancy way of summing everything else in this article up in one sentence but its very important in it's own right too. If you succeed in finding the flow and controlling it you have a very good chance of almost directly influencing the entire fight directly through you actions. It is a difficult concept to grasp but try the next time you spar during practice. Find the patterns and flow from one move to the next and try to control your opponent. It takes many years and lots of practice to accomplish this but if you do this then the battle is already half use unnecessary flourishes simply for effect for example do not spin in a circle as this leaves your back open to blows. Unless you are dueling a novice, such moves serve no practical purpose. Against a novice however, flourishes can be used only from a distance for intimidation," he finished," Now, here's the fun part. Let's duel."
Rapunzel gulped. She knew her father was known for winning many sword fights. Rapunzel took a nice stance with her feet shoulder wide, feet balanced carefully. She drew her sword from her side and relaxed her arms and kept calm, just as Killian had told her. Killian did the same and held his sword out. Naveen did the same.
" And...begin!" Killian yelled. In a flash, clanking metal was sounding throughout the deck along with the grunts of Naveen trying to win the battle. Most of the crew came to watch their duel, and so far, Killian was winning. Naveen was strong to last a long fight, but Killian was smarter than Naveen.
He used the sword to trip her feet, and she fell with a yelp to the ground. She looked up at Killian, who was smirking with pride.
" You'll get better," he said, " You may be like your mother, but you have my fighting skills." And with that, he walked off.
