I love writing duels. It's so much fun! But…I hope I'm doing a good job describing everything. You know…you could always let me know in a review ;)

~MisticLight

~.~.~.~.

As soon as the pirate unleashed the first attack, the swords moved as quick as lightening. From my perspective, the pirate seemed to be winning. He was drawing Will closer and closer to the door, and blocking every attack that came his way. When the back of Will's legs ran up against the first, giant step, he did two quick swipes of his sword. The pirate merely stepped away before coming back into his ready stance. Will recomposed himself too and took the lead of the duel.

I watched the entire swordfight from the shadows of the machine. As Will had been pushed back, I followed along with him. I remained parallel to Will until he got the upper hand. That's when I stopped and actually watched the exchange of swords. The pirate was an excellent swordsman, but Will appeared to be just as good. I was amazed by how well Will was doing this far.

Will pushed the pirate all the way back to where we had first encountered him. Will then thrust his sword at the pirate's right leg, but it was easily blocked. The pirate batted away Will's sword as if he were trying to swat a fly from his face. A small change occurred in the pirate's face, almost as if he were preparing to play some sort of joke on Will.

The pirate lowered his sword. "You know what you're doing. I'll give you that...Excellent form..." Will questionably looked back at me. A compliment was the least thing any of us expected to come out of the his mouth. "But how's your footwork?" Cautiously, both swords were raised once more.

"If I step here-" The pirate continued as he stepped around Will. They were circling one another, both striking at the opportune moment. I made sure to follow Will as he walked to the right, all the while keeping my eyes on the pirate. It almost seemed as though he were testing Will.

"Very good! And now I step again." This time the pirate backtracked to the left. I held my position, knowing that their light footsteps would eventually take them elsewhere.

And I was right. The pirate weaved behind Will, bringing his sword down upon Will's head. But a quick behind the head block lured the pirate off. They now stood on opposite sides the shop: Will was closer to the fireplace while the pirate stood closer to the door. They both paused in their little duel…test…thing for a moment. The pirate smiled over at Will before breaking the silence with an easily blocked lunge.

"Ta!" The pirate nodded his head at the two of us before sheathing his sword and hoisting himself onto the bottom step. He was trying to escape. Will looked back at me, even more confusion making its way onto his face. We both knew he was a dangerous pirate...and also a bit unusual. Either way, he couldn't return back to the streets!

In a panic, I grabbed Will's sword and threw it at the door. I don't really know how it happened, but the sword somehow stuck itself in the door right next to the pirate's head. Will looked back at me with another confused expression and, again, the only thing I could offer him was a shrug. Until today, I had never even touched a sword. I suppose luck had finally decided to be on my side for those brief seconds.

Not only had the sword landed awfully close to the pirate's face, but it had also landed just above the door latch. The door couldn't open without the latch moving, and the latch couldn't move unless the sword was removed from the door. The pirate tried to take away the sword, but it wouldn't budge. Behind Will, I confidentially smiled.

The now irritated pirate turned around. His gaze drifted from Will's surprised expression to my sly smile. But that smile didn't last for long as the pirate glared at me. I guess he knew who threw the sword…

"That is a wonderful trick." The pirate said as he advanced towards me. Almost immediately Will threw himself into the pirate's path. He pushed me farther away from the advancing pirate. "Except, once again, you're both between me and my way out." I glanced behind us to see what this pirate was talking about. In the back of the room lay another exit, and, as he said, we were the only obstacle he had to pass. When I spun back around, the pirate had his sword at the ready. He was now looking directly at Will. "And now you have no weapon."

I guess I didn't think about the outcomes when I threw the sword…oops.

Will reached around and pulled a sword out of the fire. His quick motion made me jump a little, especially with the small train of light following after the sword. As soon as the reddened tip of the sword blazed out in the open, the donkey began walking, therefore starting up the machine. I backed up against the opposite side of the fireplace, away from the duel and away from the machine's motions.

Despite the moving contraption, Will and the pirate started fighting in and around it. Every time their swords clashed, sparks flew from the end of Will's sword. The pirate began to get agitated once he noticed that they were equally matched. He forced his sword down upon Will, who, after a bit of a struggle, pushed it away. Will than side swept at the pirate, but the pirate had an unforeseeable weapon. The manacles he wore wrapped around Will's sword. So when the pirate threw his arm back, Will's sword flew out of his grasp.

Once again, Will was without a weapon. He leapt into the machine to avoid any attack from the pirate and quickly picked up another sword. Actually, there were swords everywhere. Even from where I was standing there was a pile of swords. If I could, I'd grab a sword myself and jump in to help. Although I feel as though I'd only get in the way with that option too.

"Who makes all these?" The pirate asked, drawing my attention back to the duel. He was admiring all of the weapons while, at the same time, fighting Will. The pirate had been on the center poll of this mechanism, and now he and Will swapped places.

"I do." Will proudly said before swinging to the other side of the poll to fend off the pirate. "And I practice with them," The pirate threw a hatchet at Will, but Will swung to the other side again "Three hours a day." So that explains the hidden sword fighting skills.

"You need to find yourself a girl mate." The pirate cockily announced. He swung at Will a couple more times before backing up towards the entrance again. On his way, the pirate grabbed a hatchet and threw it at the oncoming Will. Will quickly ducked down to dodge the flying object, picked up a sword, and faced the pirate again. He crossed his two swords above his head, catching the pirate's single sword at the top. The pirate took this as an opportune moment to speak. "Or maybe the reason you practice three hours a day is that you already found one, and are otherwise incapable of wooing said strumpet." The pirate's eyes searched the room until they met mine. He nodded my way, a very untoward glint in his eyes, but then his face became twisted. Almost as if he was going to be sick. "You're not a eunuch, are you?" If my own face scrunched up at that statement, there's no telling what Will's expression was like.

"I practice three hours a day so that when I meet a pirate, I can kill it." Will spat back before aggressively swinging at the pirate, who backed up onto the ramp. As Will leapt onto this ramp, the logs keeping it in place broke. The ramp began to move, but, surprisingly, both men were able to keep their balance and fight the other. And the more they fought, the farther the ramp moved. I inched closer to the battle. This was going to end badly.

Eventually, Will was able to use the pirate's manacles against him. He wrapped one of his swords around the chain and thrust the weapon upwards into the ceiling. The pirate, with one hand forcibly in the air, continued to swing at Will, but missed every time. Obviously this was getting him nowhere. The pirate looked down at the wooden ramp, stepped on a loose board, and sent Will flying backwards.

As I rushed over to Will, I took quick notice of the pirate. His legs were pushing down from the rafters above him in an attempt to free his hand. "Are you-?"

"I'm fine." Will interrupted me with a shake to his head. I helped him to his feet and then backed up so I was once again out of the way. Will walked right back onto the ramp just as the pirate freed his arm. His body came slamming down onto one side of the ramp, making the other side shoot up. And guess who got launched up because of it?

I emerged from the shadows to see where Will had landed. I squinted up into the rafters until I realized something rather terrifying: I was now alone…with an armed pirate…

My breathing picked up once this notion crossed my mind. I darted my eyes around the room as a means to find some way of protecting myself. The only plan I could come up with was to lead the pirate back to where Will's boss was…sleeping. Once we were close enough, I'd grab the man's bottle and use that. It was much more complex than just grabbing a sword, but I honestly didn't know the first step of handling a blade.

I looked back at the pirate to see if he had recovered from his fall. He had, but he wasn't the least bit interested in me. His eyes were scanning the rafters, looking for Will. I let out a slow breath in order to calm down a little bit. Well as calm as someone could get in the presence of a pirate. Suddenly a huge weight fell from the ceiling and landed on the ramp. My nervous instantly skyrocketed back up at the sound of the collision. So much for calming down…

The weight had surprised me, but not nearly as much as it surprised the pirate. The sudden shift in weight had caused the pirate to be lifted up into the rafters, just as Will had been. I watched the two men jump across a pair of beams until Will picked up the pattern and halted. Their duel quickly picked up from where it left off, except this time from amongst the beams. To my greatest pleasure, Will was able to make the pirate's sword come clattering to the ground. I quickly ran over the weapon and stashed it near the pirate's hat. The hiding place was so obvious that it would be difficult to find.

Immediately after it was hidden, I heard something plop in front of me. I knew who the pair of boots standing before belonged to even before I looked into the owners face. Terror spread across my body as he looked down upon me. A small shiver was sent down my spine as I began to move away from him. This was hastened by Will grabbing me by the elbow and pushing me to his right on his charge towards the pirate.

Everything happened so fast after that. The pirate grabbed a bag near him and squeezed some of the powder out just before Will could reach him. This powder temporarily blinded Will, giving the pirate the advantage. He kicked Will's sword across the room and jumped down onto the ground level. Will was able to find another tool to defend himself with just as the pirate whipped out his pistol. I rush forward to try and offer some sort of help, but Will's sidelong gaze stopped me. He wanted me to stay put, and, even though it was against my current mindset, I followed his silent directions.

"You cheated." Will said as soon as his eyes locked with the pirate once more.

"Pirate." The pirate stated matter-of-factly.

The front door of the shop unexpectedly jolted forward. Grunts of men trying to break in could be heard on the other side of the doorframe. Now the military decides to show up.

The pirate looked over his shoulder in alarm. His wide eyes swooped past my face on their journey back to the only exit left in the shop. And he would have bolted straight for the door, had Will not placed himself into the pirate's way. "Move away." The pirate demanded.

"No." Will said, his eyes flickering between the pirate, the door, and myself.

"Please move."

"No!" Will firmly shouted. He was brave, I'll give him that "I cannot just step aside and let you escape."

The pirate readied his pistol, causing my blood to run cold. "This shot was not meant for you." Will, in a state of confusion, tilted his head to the side.

He may not be able to step aside and let the pirate escape, but I can't just stand here and let him die. I didn't care if the entire town of Port Royal got upset with me for letting the pirate escape; I was going to take charge. I full on sprinted at Will and tackled him to the ground. When the dust cleared, the pirate lied before us, out cold. Behind him stood a short, ugly man; Will's boss no doubt. In his hands…a broken bottle.

Perhaps I should have used the bottle when I first thought of it…

As soon as the door was kicked down and the military came storming in, Will stood up. The soldiers quickly surround the pirate, their guns pointed at the unconscious man.

"Excellent work, Mr. Brown." A man in blue told the short man. This officer had a far fancier coat compared to the other officers in blue, and his hat held more feathers. "You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive."

"Just doing my civic duty, sir." Mr. Brown slurred, obviously still drunk. My mouth dropped. It was very unladylike of me, but Mr. Brown was taking all the credit for confining the pirate. I wanted to tell the truth to this high-ranking officer, but I held my tongue. Will hasn't mentioned anything about the battle yet, so why should I?

"Well, I trust this is the day you will always remember as the day Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped." I swore I could see a smile pulling at the corners of this officer's mouth. There was some hidden reference between him, the pirate, and that statement. He quickly turned to his fellow soldiers. "Take him away."

A couple of soldiers lifted the pirate up and dragged him out of the shop. Will showed two other officers to the remainder of the pirate's equipment. But there was one soldier who ignored the whole pirate fiasco in general and, instead, walked over towards me. It wasn't until this officer's hand was sticking out in front of my face that I realized I was still on the ground. Embarrassed, I meekly took the officer's hand and allowed him to hoist me up.

"Thank you, sir." I mumbled before brushing the dust off of my dress. I had been giving my thanks to many people within this last hour.

"Must we always meet this way, Miss. Evelyn?" The officer happily replied. A smile came to my lips as I recognized his voice. "That is to say, you consistently ending up on the floor."

"Mr. Whitaker, it's so good to see you!" I greeted, the relief of this whole ordeal finally sweeping over me.

"As it is with meeting you again, Miss. Evelyn." Whitaker said with a polite nod. "How is it you turn up inside the shop with the pirate?" An amused smile was now planted on his face.

"Just luck, I assume." I shrugged, making Whitaker laugh in the process. I didn't laugh with him. It's not that I found our conversation this far bothersome; I just had other things on my mind. I gazed slightly beyond Whitaker's left arm and made eye contact with Will. His face showed relief, but his eyes held another mood altogether. They looked sad, hurt even. The longer I looked, the more my heart went out to him. Will deserved at least some credit for dealing with the pirate.

"Miss. Evelyn, is something wrong?" I hadn't even noticed that Whitaker had stopped laughing.

"Yes, actually, there is." I said after drawing in a big breath. I began my brief explanation as I led him over towards Will. "You see, Mr. Whitaker, what you partially witnessed upon your entry was only a small portion of what actually took place today. It's true that Mr. Brown was successful in knocking out the pirate, but that was all he did." By now we had reached Will, who was looking down at me with more confusion. That same face was all he seemed to look at me with today. But it's not that awful. Will just hasn't figured me out yet. "It was Mr. Turner here who made sure that pirate—Jack Sparrow was his name?—didn't escape out onto the streets. He risked his life to secure the safety of this town as well as my own."

Whitaker turned towards Will, bafflement written all over his face. "Is that so, Mr. Turner?" Will looked to me first before nodding his head. Whitaker straightened himself up a little more before continuing on. "Then on behalf of Port Royal, I thank you." Either Will was a rather trusting fellow here in this town, or Whitaker already trusted me after only seeing me twice because he didn't ask for any proof to confirm the case I presented.

Will replied with a slight smile and a nod to signal his thanks. I was upset that this was all Will received, but, then again, that was all Mr. Brown had received. And at least someone else now knows what Will did for the town today. I suppose that was an accomplishment within itself.

"There's still orders that have to be filled out." Mr. Brown suddenly called from the back of the shop, signaling that he wanted everyone out. His lack of grammar and length of some words over others proved how drunk he still was. I doubt Mr. Brown would be doing any work today. Once again I looked over to Will, but this time we exchanged small smiles. This was probably the exact same thing Will was laughing about earlier today when I had first laid eyes upon his unconscious boss.

"Come along, Miss. Evelyn." Whitaker motioned as he walked towards the door. "Shall I escort you back to your lodgings?"

"Yes, just wait one moment." I called back, my eyes never leaving Will. I wrapped my arms around him in an embrace. It certainly wasn't the 'proper' thing to do since I had just met him, but I didn't really care. He had protected me, a woman he hardly knew, from a pirate. I really don't think there is a 'proper' way of expressing thanks after something like that happens. "Thank you, Mr. Turner." I whispered before backing up a little, a wide smile on my face. "And make sure to wash up a little before going back to work. You have a little bit of dirt…everywhere."

"As you wish, Miss. Pierce." Will chuckled.

I did a small curtsy before joining up with Whitaker. He escorted me out into the town and began speaking of another pirate encounter he had experienced not so long ago, but I really wasn't paying much attention to it. Instead, I was looking back at the Blacksmith's, trying to catch one last glimpse of Will. To my surprise, he hadn't even moved from the spot I had left him. In fact, he was looking right back at me. We held the others eyes until I rounded a corner. Then I saw him no more.