Annabelle returned to the smithy, passing Mr. Brown with only a glance. She continued on until she found her favorite sword. Taking it in hand, she whipped it through the air, delighted with the sound. This was one of the few swords she had made herself. Done while Will had to be somewhere else and finished as quickly and perfectly as possible. She loved her own creations the best.
Balanced perfectly and just the right weight for someone of her size. The blade was sharp enough to cut almost anything worth cutting and wasn't overly extravagant. The hilt was simple and comfortable in the hand, just the way she liked it. She toyed with it for a while, enjoying the feel of it in her hand and the fluidity of her footwork.
It was like a dance; the sword is both her partner, an extension of herself. The dance was deadly, but beautiful, as she knew. Her frustrations successfully drawn out of her body, she relaxed against a crate, absentmindedly stroking the mule that was connected to the gears above her. She was just about to go back to sleep in the loft up the stairs and in the back of the building, when the door creaked open. She looked up, expecting Will, but was met with a surprise.
Jack Sparrow stood before her, still in chains and looking only slightly out of breath. He sauntered into the smithy and looked around. Upon spotting her, he jumped and shook himself. "Why are you always wherever I am?" he asked, almost to himself.
"I happen to live here, thank you," she answered sarcastically. She stood up wearily, her eyes lingering on the chains. "I suppose you'd like to get out of those."
"You suppose correctly," he answered with a charming smile. She gave a small smirk back.
"If Will finds out, he'll kill me," she whispered to herself.
"Who's Will, love?" he asked, looking at her curiously.
"Hmm? He's my brother in all but blood," she gave the same explanation she always gave. "Not fond of pirates, though."
"I can't imagine why, we are a colorful group of people," he said with a wink. She found herself blushing and pushing it down hastily. She turned her back and coaxed the mule into moving, causing the gears overhead to turn.
"Put your chains up there, and they should snap," she ordered, pointing to the gears. Jack did as she said and hung from the machinery.
"So you live here?" he asked, looking around at the straw-covered floor and heavy machinery.
"Yes. The Governor offered to take me in when they found Will and I after a pirate attack, but I refused," she said offhandedly, as if it happened everyday.
"Why would you do that, love?" he asked, still hanging.
"I couldn't leave Will. He'd been traumatized by the whole thing."
"You seem to be awfully caring about him," he observed.
"A good friend of mine asked me to look after him. And I will," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. Finally the chains snapped and Jack dropped to the floor.
"Would that be one of the friends which was dispatched by the Pearl?" he asked, moving closer to her. He set his hat down in order to see her better in the light.
"Yes, it was. He was the Captain," she said softly. "That's why I called you Captain, you know," she informed him. He looked confused so she continued. "He loved his ship like a child, and loved his title just as much. Never introduced himself any different. I figured you were the same way."
"That is very kind of you. Most people never acknowledge it," he said with something close to sincerity. She was about to respond when the door creaked. Jack slid easily into the shadows, indiscernible form the rest of the smithy. Annabelle leaned comfortably against her barrel and resumes petting the now stopped mule. She looked up and smiled at Will as he enters the shop.
"There you are Annie! I was worried about you," he said in his usual soft voice. She was about to answer when he cut her off. "There's a pirate on the loose, you know."
"I know," she responded easily. "I met him on the docks."
"You what?" asked Will. His voice was shocked and appalled. She didn't have a chance to answer as he caught sight of the hat. He reached out to grab it when his hand was tapped with the flat of Jack's sword. He stepped back and glared at Jack, who simply looked offended by the very idea that someone such as Will would dare touch his hat. "You're the one they're hunting. The pirate," Will spat. Jack tilted his head and eyed the boy. He looked strangely familiar to the Captain and Jack was hardly one to forget a face.
"You look somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?" he asked, walking further away from the shadows.
"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates," Will responded coldly. Annabelle sighed deeply, he was really too quick to judge. She herself found nothing wrong with Jack. In fact, he was fascinating. And she did love to be fascinated.
"Ah, well, it'd be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So if you'll excuse me," he answered easily, walking past Will. He certainly had mastered control of language, Annabelle thought. She didn't doubt his ability to talk himself out of almost anything.
Will turned and grabbed a sword, pointing it at the still swaggering pirate. His face was firm and unyielding, and Annabelle found herself wishing that Jack would just run free. Odd thought to say the least. What would James say?
"You think that wise, boy? Crossing blades with a pirate?" Jack asked, drawing his own and turning to his opponent.
"You threatened Miss Swann," Will answered, still ready. Annabelle sighed again. Of course that's what it was. Elizabeth managed to wrap every boy around her finger, even if she didn't mean to -. Jack seemed to spot the deflation in the girl who was still seated by the mule. He sent her an unreadable look before turning back to his opponent.
"Only a little," he said in his charming tone, while running his sword up and down Will's.
"After he saved her life," Annabelle piped up from where she was. Jack again gave her a motion somewhere in-between a bow and a salute. Will glared at her and she shrugged. "It isn't fair to condemn a man for self-preservation after he saved a life," she said matter-of-factly.
"You see there. That is the sort of attitude you should take in all this," Jack commended, smiling at Annabelle. "What's your name, love?" He asked while Will remained slightly dumbfounded.
"Annabelle Wesson, but you can call me Anna or Annie if you like," she answered with a smile.
"You never let people call you that," Will said in shocked and almost hurt tone. Jack looked questioningly at her and she shrugged.
"He's rather fascinating," she replied, as if that answered everything. To her it did. He was the exception to the rules, as was Will. Will was the only other one still in Port Royal that called her anything but her name, even James didn't. Though, that was more from propriety than anything. He was very strict.
"Thanks, love," Jack said with a charming smile. He suddenly turned to Will and began to parry him, while she watched with interested eyes. She couldn't help but notice that it seemed like Jack was toying with him. "You know what you're doing, I'll give you that," he said in a voice much like a school teachers. "But how's your footwork?" there was a challenge in his voice. "If I step here… very good. Now, I step again," he preformed an almost dance-like turn while parrying Will's blows and found himself right where he wanted to be. "Ta."
"Goodbye Captain," Annabelle said waving. He smiled back and climbed up to the door. Just before he could open it, Will threw his sword with perfect accuracy. It embedded itself into the door inches from Jack's face. He looked at it and attempted to pull it out by the hilt.
"That is a wonderful trick, except now you are once again between me and my way out," he started walking, taking out his sword again. "And now, you have no weapon."
Will looked around for a moment before turning suddenly and yanking a sword out of the fire, the tip still a glowing red. Jack's eyes widened and he sent a slew of curses through his head. Annabelle curled into a tight ball almost immediately, the thick scars on her leg and arms seeming to come alive. She couldn't hold back the slight whimper that broke through her as the swords clashed in a shower of sparks.
"Who makes all these?" Jack asked, looking pointedly at the swords around them.
"We do! And we practice with them, three hours a day!" Will shouted. Jack sent her a look and she nodded in confirmation.
"You need to find yourself a girl, mate," he said to Will. A sudden move brought them face to face. "Or perhaps the reason why you practice three hours a day is because you've already found one. And are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet. You're not a eunuch are you?" he asked with a disgusted look on his face. Annabelle giggled softly to herself and sat up slightly straighter.
"I practice three hours a day, so that when I meet a pirate…I can kill it!" Will shouted. Doubling his efforts with a new sword as the other was knocked from his hand.
"And you?" Jack asked, easily deflecting the new attacks.
"It's a fascinating art," she answered simply. He smiled and went back to fighting. Annabelle watched with interest as they somehow ended up in the rafters. They struggled to retain balance, but the blows were vicious none the less. Jack's sword was knocked to the ground and he quickly swung to the floor. Will followed with more grace and prepared to continue. Suddenly Jack's sword caught a bag of red sand and he turned it on Will. It emptied in his face with a 'whoosh' and Jack took the opportunity to knock Will's sword away from him.
Will grabbed a tool as a weapon and prepared to jump back into the fight when he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. Jack looked like he almost regretted doing this, but he could hear the many stomping feet of Marines and knew he had to leave.
"You cheated," Will said in much the same manner of a child who didn't get a new toy.
"Pirate," he reminded, as though it was obvious. Annabelle stood up abruptly. She was fine with all of this, up until he directly threatened Will. No one hurt Will while she was there. She snuck to the still sleeping Mr. Brown and grabbed the glass bottle from his hand. She took careful steps to him, feeling guilt weigh her down. She really didn't want to do this, she wanted him to get away. But Will was too stubborn to move and she wouldn't let him be shot.
"This shot is not meant for you," Jack almost begged. Clearly he didn't want to shoot Will either, but he wanted to die even less. Will looked up at her with confusion as she swung the bottle onto the back of Jack's head. He dropped unceremoniously to the floor and Annabelle sunk with him to catch him. She didn't want to further injure him. She heard the Marines breaking in and stood hastily, looking at Will with accusation. To him it was clear she hadn't wanted to do it, and he couldn't understand why. She had seen the brunt of pirates just as he had, why did she like this one?
