Alfred opened the door quietly and entered the blacksmith's shop hanging his coat up in the door was shocked to see the donkey attached to the cog wheel mechansism walking around the pole rather fast. He jogged down the few stairs that led to the main part of the shop and grabbed the donkey's head petting it's coarse fur gently soothing the animal. Once he'd done that he took a few steps forward and peered to his left. There was his employer sat against a crate with a large bottle of rum clutched in his hand. Alfred grinned pushing his glasses up.
"Right where I left you."
He straightened out his shirt and looked over to the right where all the hammers and clamps were hung on the wall. He looked down to the work station and frowned as he walked over.
"But not where I left you." He lifted up a stray hammer from the work table and placed it back on the wall.
Alfred paced around a little more and stopped in front of a weight. There, hanging on the edge of the heavy metal chunk was a large feather hat. Alfred frowned a little and stretched out his hand and barely touched the feather before a sword tip tapped his hand away.
Alfred froze and looked at the man who emerged from the shadows with the sword tip pointed directly at his main artery. His short blond hair was messy with a few short braids with beads in them and his piercing green eyes glared daggers at Alfred. His white shirt had a bright green gem around the collar held there by a gold chain and around his waist was a dark green silk sash, his baggy bottoms were made from thick cotton and were black, and the stranger's feet were adorned with very dark brown, leather boots.
Alfred's eyes widened in realisation.
"You're the one they're hunting. The pirate." He got a nod in reply. With a scrutinising look the man lifted the sword slightly.
"You look familiar, have I threatened you before?" Alfred frowned.
"I try to avoid familiarity with pirates." The man nodded sheathing his sword.
"Well it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. Now, if you'll excuse me." Alfred watched as the man walked to the door and before the pirate could react had the sword in hand from the grindstone near the exit. The pirate only gave him a smug smirk.
"You think it's wise boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?" Alfred gritted his teeth and pointed the blade directly at the man's neck.
"You threatened Mr. Honda." The pirate's smirk became larger.
"Only a little."
Alfred scowled assuming the en garde position. The pirate scowled and walked forward with his sword pointing much like Alfred's. He seemed unhappy that Alfred had predicted what he was up to and jumped down the steps landing in front of him. Like lightening the pirate attacked, to which Alfred gave some quick parries. The pirate's smirk quickly appeared on his face again and he spoke grandly.
"You know what you're doing... I'll give you that, but how's your footwork?"
The pirate tapped Alfred's sword and the two clashed again letting few techniques go unused. The pirate wore the smirk all the way through until he spoke again.
"Very good boy. And if I step again.. you step again." Alfred gave him a triumphant look stepping the other way. " And so we circle, circle, like dogs we circle." Alfred realised they were exactly where they started and then gave a look to the pirate who grinned. "Ta!" The pirate then made a run for the door and Alfred growled throwing the sword in his hand at the door's latch. The sword barely missed the pirate who looked at the sword and frowned gripping the handle. With a few failed attempts of shaking the sword loose the pirate sighed turning around.
Arthur cursed under his breath. What rotten luck. Well, he'd have to fight his way out of this one. He turned around with a pleasant smile and pointed his sword at the door.
"Nice trick, but once again, you are between me and my way out boy... And you now have no sword." The blacksmith boy simply looked at him through his slightly steamy glasses and grabbed the sword form
the fire he had used on the poor donkey. The donkey beside him snorted and began walking around the pole before the boy came at him with the red hot sword.
Their swords clashed and Arthur moved behind another pole parrying the boy's attacks. Arthur swung the chain at the blacksmith. The boy promptly ducked but gasped a little as his sword was hit and was flung across the room. After recovering he simply grabbed another and Arthur stared around the room in awe at all the weapons.
"Who makes all these?!" The boy snorted.
"I do dude! And I practice with them for three hours a day." Arthur smirked.
"Seems like you need to find yourself someone lad." The boys jaw set and Arthur intended for the hurt to go even further. " Or maybe you have and practice three hours a day because you are simply incapable of wooing them?" Arthur landed a direct hit and the boy coiled in anger.
The boy let out sudden slashes with the sword.
"No! I practice with them three hours a day so I can kill filthy pirates like you!" Arthur stumbled slightly as the boy kicked a rack near him and caught another sword along with his other. He then ran at Arthur with his swords flashing as they collided. Arthur wrapped his chain around one of the boy's swords but was out witted as the boy twisted the handle and shoved it into the wooden beam above his head. Arthur hissed and shook the chains before he slammed his feet onto the bellows sending a shower of sparks into the boy's face. He then clambered up a little pulling and yanking on the sword trying to free it from the beam.
He smiled as it came loose but yelped as he fell onto the rack sending the boy up into the air. He barely grabbed onto a wooden beam and Arthur grinned standing up again. He had barely taken one step before multiple sand bags landed on the other end sending him also up into the air. He growled furrowing his large eyebrows before he stood up on the beam and faced the boy. The two jumped from beam to beam before they ended up on the same one. Their swords clashed once again until Arthur slipped making his sword fall from his grip. He cursed and grabbed a rope swinging down to the floor to retrieve his sword. The boy did the same and Arthur growled slashing at the boy with anger.
After another few minutes Arthur grew tired and span around the boy grabbing a bag of sand and chucked the contents all over the blond haired boy. He quickly kicked the sword from the boy's hand and cocked his pistol's only shot pointing it in-between the boy's eyes. The boy grabbed a hammer making Arthur smirk.
Alfred glared daggers at the pirate in front of him holding hammer neck to his head much like a hatchet.
" You cheated." The pirate smiled.
"Pirate." He took a step forward to which Alfred took a step back blocking his exit. The pirate scowled as there was banging on the door. " Move away!" Alfred shook his head at the man.
"No!"
"Move!" Alfred shook his head.
"I can't just stand by and watch you escape dude!" The pirate assessed him making Alfred squirm a little.
"You're lucky boy- this shot's not meant for you." The pirate then uncocked the pistol and stood before him seemingly harmless. That was before his employer slammed the bottle he had drank from on his head. The pirate crumpled to the floor and Mr. Brown snorted mumbling something about idiots before the men burst through the front and back doors.
The men surrounded the pirate on the floor and Commodore Heracles pushed to the front of them smiling at the pirate on the floor.
"Well done Mr. Brown, you've aided in the capture of the dangerous...fugitive Arthur Kirkland." Mr. Brown gave him a drunken smile.
"Just doing my civic duty sir." Alfred rolled his eyes placing the hammer down. Heracles smiled.
"Well men, we'll always remember this day as the day Captain Arthur Kirkland... almost escaped" Arthur, sprawled on the floor, groaned and Alfred watched the men drag him away until his employer scowled at his bottle.
"Stupid nutter's head broke mi' bottle." Alfred could only roll his eyes and shut the door.
Kiku shuddered at the breeze blowing through the room and his maid Estella smiled warmly placing the bed warmer from the fire in-between the sheets at the bottom of his bed. She patted the sheets down again and smiled at him.
"There you go Sir, nice and warm. I heard about you encounter with the pirate, must have been terrifying?!" Kiku looked up from his book a little dazed.
"Oh yes..terrifying.." Estella nodded and stood straight.
"I also heard about the Commodore's proposal. Now that was unexpected right sir, if it's not too bold to say." Kiku nodded and Estella smiled leaving the room shutting the door with a gentle click. The flame on his lamp dims and Kiku frowned a little confused. He looked out of the window to see nothing but fog. Strange. He gripped the medallion around his neck tightly and shuddered.
Alfred wiped his brow as he hammered a flat of steel on the weight. He pulled of his apron and took his shirt off replacing the apron after. He hammered the flat a few more times before he peered out of the shutters. Nothing but thick dense fog. He grabbed the hammer tightly and frowned. That fog was strange.
Arthur groaned as the three men next to him whistled and edged the dog nearby to come closer to them.
"Come 'ere boy. Have a nice bone!" Arthur sighed through his nose with his feathered hat resting on his face.
"Try all you want. That dog is never going to come any bloody closer!" The men turned to look at him with frowns.
"Sorry mate but we haven't given ourselves up to the gallows just yet." Arthur sighed blowing the feathers of his hat from his face in aggravation.
Heracles breathed in the sea air and Yao smiled a little forced from beside him.
"Has Kiku given you a answer yet aru?" Heracles shook his head and rubbed his eyes a little from tiredness.
"No he hasn't..." Yao ringed his hands a little.
"Well...he's had a taxing day. Awful weather we're having aru." Heracles nodded slowly.
"Bleak...Very bleak." A sudden boom sounded through the air and Heracles' olive coloured eyes widened. Yao took a step back.
"What was that aru?!" Heracles listened to a small whistle but jumped pushing Yao out of the way of the wall they were stood behind.
"Cannon fire!"
Right I'm sorry this is late. I've had a lot of family stuff on and when I got in it was really late and I'm not allowed on my laptop that late and I was really tired from being out all day so sorry people really. But thanks for reading :3
