Corsets and Fighting
Author: immortal_jedi aka jedipati
Disclaimer: I don't own POTC, and I don't own the characters mentioned here.
Characters: OMC Narrator, Will/Elizabeth, surprises
Rating: PG-13
Summary: The ship that is ferrying the newly married Turners to England is attacked by pirates. Mrs. Turner shows that it is possible to fight in a corset. Post COTBP AU, ignoring the other movies.
Author's note: This was written for pktaxwench over on livejournal, who spent a good part of her spring weekends sword fighting in a corset and hoopskirt. No, seriously. So, in part to commemorate that, I've written this story, showing how Elizabeth might fight in a corset (no hoopskirt, because that wouldn't quite be period accurate). So, pktaxwench, this one's for you!
Captain Ian O'Callaghan pursed his lips as he watched his passengers enjoy the fair weather as they sailed toward England. This wasn't as bad as he'd been expecting.
When he'd been contracted to ferry the daughter and son-in-law of the governor of Port Royal to England, he'd been expecting a spoiled, demanding couple. However, while the couple looked like young aristocrats and dressed very well indeed, they were unfailingly polite to O'Callaghan and his men.
Even now, Mr. Turner had made sure that they were not obstructing the crew as both of them enjoyed the sunlight.
O'Callaghan smiled. Mrs. Turner hadn't even complained about the fact that she wasn't able to take her entire wardrobe with her, and that most of what she did bring was down in the hold.
She'd simply smiled and mentioned that she'd dealt with worse situations. O'Callaghan was still surprised about that.
And Mrs. Turner still managed to look lovely, even with a limited wardrobe. The dress she was wearing today was one that had been the fashion in London the last time O'Callaghan had been in England, six months ago. She was…
O'Callaghan looked up as the lookout shouted down at him. "Sail ho, Captain! Coming up fast from port-stern!"
O'Callaghan pulled out his spyglass to take a look. Odds were that it was harmless, but he had to check. He found the ship after a moment, and frowned. They were still too far away for him to be certain.
He kept his gaze trained on it, until he could make out the color of the flag it was flying. Black. "Pirates," he muttered.
He looked at his crew. "Full canvas!" he shouted. "Make ready! Smith, Johnson, run out the stern chasers!"
He turned to give more orders. He watched as the Turners both stood up and moved so they were standing at the port rail, watching the approaching ship.
"Pirates?" Mr. Turner asked as O'Callaghan approached them.
"Yes," O'Callaghan said. "I'm not sure who they are yet, but they are flying a black flag."
O'Callaghan had expected the Turners to pale, perhaps for Mrs. Turner to faint, so he was mildly impressed when all Mr. Turner did was straighten slightly, and Mrs. Turner nodded grimly. She headed down to the cabin they were using.
"Can we outrun them?" Mr. Turner asked.
"We're going to try," O'Callaghan said. "My crew will be readying themselves for a fight regardless. Would you care for a sword if it comes to that?"
"Thank you, but no," Mr. Turner said. "I brought my own."
As he spoke, Mrs. Turner returned, holding a long, slender case. Mr. Turner smiled as she set it down on a nearby crate. O'Callaghan was curious. He wanted to see if this young gentleman had actually brought a sword suitable for a sea battle, so he leaned over to watch as Mr. Turner opened the case.
Nestled inside the case were two absolutely magnificent swords, one slightly smaller and apparently lighter then the other.
They were both perfect for a shipboard fight.
Mrs. Turner selected the smaller sword. It fit her grip perfectly. O'Callaghan gaped at her for a moment.
Mr. Turner smiled before picking up the larger sword, which fit his grip perfectly as well. He also pulled out the small boarding hatchet which had been secreted in the box's lid.
Mr. Turner slid the hatchet and sword into his belt and closed the box. Mrs. Turner rested her sword against the side of the ship for a moment.
"I'm glad you insisted I learn how to fight in a dress," Mrs. Turner said. "Since my practice clothes are down in the hold."
"I knew, with our luck, something like this might happen, and I wanted you to be prepared," Mr. Turner replied.
"You encourage her to fight?" O'Callaghan asked.
Mr. Turner nodded. "We had a… run in with pirates a little over a year ago. I knew that if I got the chance, I needed to teach her how to defend herself. Luckily, her father agreed."
O'Callaghan frowned and shrugged. He'd been under the impression that the upper class kept their ladies from doing anything approaching fighting.
Mrs. Turner smiled. "Father knew that I got lucky, Will."
"Yes, there is that," Mr. Turner said. "And I'm sure you did nothing to point that out to him."
O'Callaghan shook his head and broke in. "I would like it if the two of you would go to your cabin. With luck, we'll outrun them and you won't need to fight. But just in case, I don't want them to see that we have rich passengers, if we can help it."
Mr. Turner nodded and picked up the sword case. Mrs. Turner picked up her sword again, and they headed down below.
O'Callaghan dismissed them from his thoughts for the moment. He had more important things to worry about, like the pirate ship still gaining on them, and the dark smudge in the distance behind the pirate ship.
The real problem was that the Dolphin was not a very fast ship. She was a solid ship and got people where they needed to go, but she couldn't outrun a pirate ship.
O'Callaghan had been paid extra by the governor to make sure that his daughter was not captured by pirates, which meant they would have to fight.
The pirates came up fast, and even the Dolphin's stern chasers couldn't dissuade them. O'Callaghan cursed as he realized what that dark smudge was- another ship, a pirate ship he recognized.
They were all dead. His crew knew it too, though they were disciplined enough to keep preparing for the coming hand to hand fight, or to try to keep that fight from happening.
The first pirate ship overtook them and began firing salvo after salvo at their port side. Then the second ship, traveling much faster, caught up and began raking the Dolphin on the other side.
O'Callaghan closed his eyes for a moment. His ship was done for- but he could not surrender. Not to these ships. The first one, O'Callaghan didn't know, but if they were working with a ship with as evil a reputation as the dark one off to starboard, then it didn't matter. Better to go down fighting then to be slaughtered. And he didn't have to worry about Mrs. Turner- she'd fight too.
The first ship's crew began throwing grapples. As fast as they swung over, O'Callaghan's crew was there to meet them. Then the other ship's crew began to swing over, and the Dolphin's crew was overrun.
O'Callaghan caught a glimpse of the first ship's captain (a tall man with long dark hair) before he found himself fighting for his life against two pirates.
Then salvation came, in an unexpected form. Mrs. Turner appeared behind the shorter pirate as if by magic, and quickly dispatched him. "Captain O'Callaghan," she said with a quick nod at him.
She held her sword in one hand, while the other held her skirts up and out of her way.
She parried a third pirate's blade and spun around to deal with yet others.
O'Callaghan and his remaining opponent watched her fight for a long moment.
She seemed just as capable as any man fighting on the ship, and better then most.
Then O'Callaghan remembered where he was and returned his attention to his opponent. He kept one eye on Mrs. Turner, who was having no problems dealing with the pirates who tried to attack her. Mr. Turner was, if anything, doing even better, as he fought back to back with his wife.
O'Callaghan finally freed himself from his opponent and made his way to their side. "Captain, we need to surrender!" Mr. Turner yelled. O'Callaghan absently noted that Mr. Turner had shed his coat sometime between when O'Callaghan had sent them below and now.
"NO!" O'Callaghan shouted. "Better we die fighting then be slaughtered."
"What?" Mrs. Turner asked, shocked.
O'Callaghan snorted. They'd found a calm moment in the fighting, so he looked at her. "That ship over there is the most notorious pirate ship in the world. The crew of the Black Pearl never leaves survivors. And I shudder to think what such evil men would do to you, Mrs. Turner."
The Turners exchanged incredulous looks, but before they could say anything, a pirate rushed up to them.
O'Callaghan dealt with him, but while he was, the Turners got caught in their own fights.
Then the captain of the first ship made his way toward them. The Turners were back to back as the captain stopped just out of their range.
"Not often ye see a lady fightin'," the captain said. He grinned. Mr. Turner glanced back at him and his wife. Mrs. Turner nodded once.
"Let's see how good you really are, lass," the pirate captain said.
O'Callaghan saw Mrs. Turner's fierce grin, and winced. He knew this wasn't going to end well. No lady, not even one as competent as Mrs. Turner, was a match for a pirate captain.
Mrs. Turner chanced a look back at her husband. "Try to get Jack over here. Maybe he can stop this madness," she said before turning to face her opponent.
Mr. Turner snorted. "You'll be fine?"
She eyed the pirate captain. "I don't think he wants me dead," she said grimly.
O'Callaghan, just the like the rest of the men on board, pirate or sailor, had forgotten his fight to watch Mrs. Turner's.
So, when a pirate grabbed him and disarmed him, he was stunned. All he could do now was watch as Mrs. Turner defended herself against a clearly depraved pirate.
She was handling herself well, O'Callaghan had to admit. He saw Mr. Turner, similarly restrained, watching closely, though he didn't appear to be too worried.
O'Callaghan couldn't help but wonder about this rich young couple.
The pirate captain laughed in delight as Mrs. Turner managed a deft parry. "I've not seen a move like that in a while," he said happily.
Mrs. Turner merely grinned and went on the offensive.
The pirates were cheering the fight on, and O'Callaghan caught glimpses of money changing hands as Mrs. Turner forced the pirate back.
She was standing slightly oddly, but O'Callaghan supposed that was just because she was in a dress, and the accompanying garments that a dress always seemed to require.
Still, she was quite capably holding her own. O'Callaghan winced as the pirate locked their blades together. "The only reason my crew hasn't captured you yet is because I want to continue this fight," the pirate said.
"I am quite aware of that," Mrs. Turner said disdainfully.
"So why do you bother t' fight?"
"I should just let you do what you will with me? I don't think so."
Mrs. Turner took two quick steps back to avoid the pirate's blade. Mrs. Turner was fast, O'Callaghan had to acknowledge. She darted in and out, stepping forward to make a quick attack, then backing away to avoid the tall man's reach.
"Watch the rail," Mr. Turner called out before he was pulled back and silenced by the pirate holding him.
Mrs. Turner didn't seem to acknowledge him, but she twisted so that the rail was beside her and not behind her.
The pirate smiled. "Your lover?" he asked, nodding at Mr. Turner.
"My husband," Mrs. Turner responded sharply.
The pirate snorted. "And ye let her fight?" he called out. "And ye obviously even encourage her, since she's practiced recently."
Mr. Turner snorted. "I taught her," he replied.
"Really?" the pirate asked. He had to dodge quickly, for Mrs. Turner took advantage of his distraction and began to press an attack.
Before she could do more then drive him back just a little, another pirate swung over, this one from the Black Pearl. "What's taking so long?"
"Just found a lady who c'n actually fight, Jack," the other pirate said. "You're actually pretty good."
Mrs. Turner didn't respond.
"Well, get on with it, Bootstrap. We have a ship to plunder," "Jack" said.
Mrs. Turner froze for an instant, which allowed "Bootstrap" to disarm her. She just stared at him, wide eyed. "You're Bootstrap?"
"Bootstrap" stared at her oddly. "Yes," he said slowly.
"Jack" made his way around so he was looking at Mrs. Turner.
"He's Bootstrap?" Mrs. Turner asked.
"Jack" eyed her for a moment before grinning widely. "I should have known it was you, Miss Swann. Or is it Mrs. Turner now? Or perhaps Mrs. Norrington? I was rooting for him, after all."
"It's Mrs. Turner, as you very well know, Captain Sparrow," Mrs. Turner said, slightly coldly.
"Actually, it's Commodore Sparrow now," Sparrow said. "Bootstrap's ship, the Revenge, sails with my Pearl. "But where is your Dearly Beloved? I'd think he'd be with you."
O'Callaghan frowned. Did the Turners actually know this pirate? And how would they know a man like the captain of the Black Pearl?
Though, admittedly, he didn't look like a man so evil that hell itself spat him back out.
Sparrow shook his head. "Not important, I suppose. Alright, mates, get into the hold an' take anything that's valuable. You know your business."
A few of the pirates herded the captives together, including the Turners. "Bootstrap" tossed a confused look at Sparrow before shrugging and smile. "Tell me the story later," he said. He turned to supervise the two pirate crews.
Sparrow stopped before the captives. He glanced at O'Callaghan before smiling and focusing on the Turners. "You two are coming with us," he said.
Neither of them looked very surprised.
O'Callaghan choked and closed his eyes. This was exactly what he'd feared as soon as he'd seen the black flag.
Sparrow nodded to two of the men guarding the prisoners, and then at the Turners.
They stepped forward. Mr. Turner reached down and grasped Mrs. Turner's hand. She smiled up at him.
Sparrow grinned. "After all, I'm sure the governor of Port Royal will pay a goodly sum to have you back."
Mr. Turner snorted. "Of course, it's always about money for you pirates."
"Well, that, and it seems Bootstrap has taken an interest in your fighting skills. I'll introduce you to him."
Mr. Turner nodded slowly. "I see," he said.
"No!" O'Callaghan said. "Please, Mr. Turner, don't go with them."
Sparrow laughed. "They don't have a choice, my dear fellow captain," he said. "I'll take them with me. Don't worry, I'll make sure that no harm comes to them, you have my word on that."
Sparrow turned to give orders, including ones that made sure that the Turner's luggage was taken from the Dolphin.
O'Callaghan watched as the young couple was herded into a longboat, along with their luggage.
The pirates left the Dolphin with most of her cargo, and her two passengers. O'Callaghan rushed to the rail and watched as Mr. and Mrs. Turner were helped on board the Black Pearl. They were led into what O'Callaghan could only assume was the captain's cabin, and were quickly joined by the two pirate captains.
O'Callaghan closed his eyes. He hoped that those pirates didn't do anything to harm Mrs. Turner.
Only after both ships were away did he realize that the crew of the Black Pearl did not slaughter his crew.
"That doesn't mean they won't harm Mrs. Turner," he muttered to himself after he gave the order to return to Port Royal.
He had to tell the governor what had happened. He only hoped that somehow, the Turners would be able to escape their captors, and they'd do so before they were harmed.
Of course, we know that "Mr. and Mrs. Turner" are quite safe on the Pearl.
Thanks go to my beta, arquenniel, who as usual, was a great help.
Special thanks go to pktaxwench, for her unknowing inspiration and help- this was why I was asking about fighting in a corset all those weeks ago luv!