Different Styles of Persuasion

Chapter 4

"A….challenge? Ummmm….Oh…. no certainly not," Niece stumbled through the words. Hating that she could get apprehensive when as good looking a man as he was suggested something like that. That was why she covered herself with a self assured 'leave me alone' attitude. It worked for her as she usually just sat back and people watched others go through the rituals that males and females go through when they are attracted to someone else.

"Hm, we will see 'Just Niece," He teased.

"Funny, drop the 'Just' Barbossa is the only one allowed to call me that and that is only because he isn't going to stop doing it," Niece put her hands on her hips and stretched as tall as she could to look him back in the eye. She wondered if it was a mistake when he held her gaze. She mentally shook herself when the words to Shania's song about the 'paralyzing eyes' came back to haunt her. She looked away first and then glared at his hearty laugh when she did. She thought, 'I have to stop doing that. I get sucked in every time I look into their damn eyes!'

"All right, Niece where do we begin after I get on Whitney?" Norrington bowed towards the horse in question capturing her gaze again.

"Stop that," she demanded.

"So sorry, I didn't realize I was doing anything," he grinned his cat green eyes sparkling.

"Yes, you do," she snapped.

"Pray tell what is it that you think I am doing?" He walked closer to her then bent over to her height and looked her in the eyes again.

"That… Right there… That thing with your eyes," she stuttered pointing at his eyes.

"Oh that, well you will just have to get used to that," he laughed still bent over looking into her eyes.

"Aghhhh," she stomped her foot as she looked away first because she was also getting warm and could feel a blush coming on. She didn't want him to see that. Before she could speak again Barbossa rescued her from farther scrutiny from those eyes as he walked up to them.

Barbossa gave them a look before called everyone together giving them instructions to keep using their character names so they wouldn't slip after they were back in time. He also explained that since they knew the script and Niece and Lydia didn't that they were to just play along when they were with other characters that weren't here now. He reminded them to try not to use terms or speech that weren't used back then, but to make it easier on the two women that they could have a more educated speech.

Niece gave Norrington instructions and he followed them while Jack did likewise before they practiced a few times together until they had it the way they needed to make sure it would send them back. Everyone else took places on and off the ship in different kinds of fights of their own to make it as close to the way it had been the last time they had been transported in time.

Barbossa stopped next to Niece and Lydia on his way towards the ship that was anchored on the river, "Some words of advice 'Just Niece' remember what Jack said about 'you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest, it's the honest ones that you have to watch out for.'" Niece wondered what he was talking about as he walked off towards the ship, but knew she would remember the advice if that need came up.

Niece and Lydia had their backs to one another and were crossing blades with Pintel and Ragetti. They were all within the circle as Norrington on Whitney and Jack on Buzzard came running towards each other yelling swords ready to clash. When the swords met there was a loud crackling noise like before then sparks of flying metal and a blinding bluish purple light like the flash of a camera. The light took a long time to fade and it took longer for their sight to come back.

When it did Niece and Lydia found themselves not in the pirate camp next to the river in the Pacific Northwest surrounded by mountains, Douglas fir and pine trees in the meadow where the Faire was. Instead they were on a beach with palm trees and tropical plants with The Pearl at their backs in a hidden cove that opened to the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. There were soldiers, pirates and horses every where it seemed like. Everyone else that had already been there was looking around with their swords, pistols or cutlasses at their sides. As soon as they could see their opponents in front of them they took up fighting again. Niece and Lydia were now crossing blades with two soldiers instead of Pintel and Ragetti. Pintel and Ragetti were right next to them fighting two more soldiers of there own.

The soldier fighting with Niece let his guard down and she flicked the tip of her sword under his nose as he backed up, "You are a woman."

"Aye," she wiggled the tip under his nose again.

"I can't fight a woman," he said as he turned to scurry away.

'Well that was easy,' Niece thought.

Pintel bumped into her back and said over his shoulder, "Ye should 'ave run 'im through."

"You mean this is real? There could be pain. Damn, Barbossa for the liar he is!" Niece asked incredulous.

"Aye," Pintel answered as he covered her back. "Ye get stuck and ye gonna be bleedin'."

'Just great,' Niece thought as she looked to Lydia and saw that she was doing all right with Ragetti and Gibbs doing some fairly good swordsmanship protecting her back.

She was brought back to her own problem when another soldier came at her and she took up the fight with him. He was good, she gave him that. He had her more on the defensive than the offensive. He was not concerned with the fact she was a woman like the last soldier had been. She mentally thanked her teachers for the knight re-enactments that she was as good with a sword as she was right now. That was a split second before she let the soldier get passed her guard enough to nick her high on her chest just below her neck where her shirt was left open in a 'V'.

She winced and clamped her teeth as she fought against the sting and burning of the wound. She could feel the blood trickling down her chest but was also mad at herself for being distracted enough to let him get past her guard. She concentrated harder and parried his every thrust thinking she needed to get on the offensive instead of the defensive end of this fight. They had been fighting for more than several minutes. It had been a long time since morning when they had to do a lot of heavy work to get set up for the Faire, and then the practicing in the afternoon. Even in her good athletic condition she was starting to tire a bit.

Behind the soldier some distance off she saw Whitney and Buzzard milling around with a few other horses where the beach turned into foliage. She also got a glimpse of Jack and Norrington now off the horses on the ground fighting a ways behind the soldier but in front of where the horses were. Jack seemed to be doing all right one on one with Norrington, but Norrington had a longer reach and Jack had to use every trick he knew to fight him.

Barbossa was no where to be seen but she could hear his, "Arrrr," behind her every once in a while. Elizabeth and Will were also no where to be seen. She finally got an opening and felt the blade slip through his guard and into its mark. She cringed as she felt the blade cut through the soft tissue of his shoulder until it hit bone and saw the blood pour from the wound. She watched the soldier as he dropped his sword and clamped his other hand over the wound then half sat and half fell to the ground. She watched to see how much damage she has done. She couldn't think about it now, she would think about it later.

She only got a short breather before another soldier took his place. She slashed his arm right away so she could hope for a few more seconds for her adrenaline to kick in to keep her going. This soldier stumbled away holding his bloody arm as blood gushed around his fingers. She took some deep breaths as she looked around to see how Lydia was doing and saw she was doing fine. She looked to her own wound and saw there was quite a bit of blood soaked into her shirt, but that the bleeding seemed to be slowing. She felt the wound to see how long and how deep it was but it didn't seem to be that bad, it was just bleeding so much because her heart was beating fast because of the activity from the sword play.

As she was looking around to make sure another soldier wasn't hot on the heels of the last one her gaze took her to where Jack and Norrington had been. They were no longer there and were no longer fighting. Jack had moved closer to The Pearl only engaging anyone who tried to stop him from making it to the ship as Norrington ran for the horses.

She could still feel Pintel at her back as he said over his shoulder again, "Get ye scurvy hide back to The Pearl, quick. Follow the Cap'n."

"Why? You need me here," she grunted as another soldier took up the fight with her.

Barbossa came up then and pushed her behind him and took over fighting her soldier as he growled, "Firstly Missy, Pintel here saw how Norrington was watching ye before as did I with me own eyes. Secondly, we all heard that he thought ye were a bit feisty with Jack and he was impressed. Thirdly, he thinks Jack might be smitten with ye. If that be the truth of it, then if he gets his hands on ye he could use ye as leverage against Jack. And lastly, we also heard that he thought ye was challenging him, a man of Norrington's character isn't goin' to let that pass. As we speak he is lookin' fer ye."

"Oh?... Oh, the words of advice," and she made the mistake of turning to see that in fact Norrington had just spotted her instead of running for The Pearl like she should have. She thought, for someone who didn't ride all that well before he sure knew what he was doing now, as he kicked Whitney into a run heading straight for her.

"Aye, the words of advice. Go Missy," Barbossa yelled as he ran the soldier completely through that he was fighting then turned the sword before he pulled it out and turned to meet Norrington charging at them on Whitney.

"Please don't hurt my horse," Niece pleaded as she took off running for the gangplank to The Pearl. She was fast but knew there was way too much space between her and The Pearl for her to outrun her horse to the gangplank. But she might be able to out maneuver her by dodging in and out around people and the supplies to refit The Pearl.

She yelled at Elizabeth and Will as she passed them, "If Norrington catches me find out where I am and get me out."

"I promise," Will yelled back.

Niece pulled a couple of empty rum barrels over, knocked some crates in the path behind her and continued running not looking back as she heard the thundering hoof beats getting nearer to her. She heard Whitney jump over the obstacles in her path and felt that she was going to make it to The Pearl and could hide in safety.

But that didn't happen, just as she was reaching her goal she felt an arm encircling her waist and she was hauled off the ground and dumped face down across the saddle. Her hips and chest came into contact with some very masculine and well muscled thighs. She squealed as she felt a hand slap her rump and cursed Whitney for being such a short horse and he such a tall man with long arms.

She repeatedly hit his thigh and tried to wiggle enough for her to push off and escape but one of those strong arms held her in place against his thighs and lap. The latter which she was much too aware of in her opinion. 'What was she thinking? Probably what every other red blooded woman would think given the same circumstances.' So she opened her mouth and clamped down as hard as she could on his leg hoping to get him to turn loose of her enough so she could slide off.

But instead she received a much harder slap to her posterior that she was sure was going to leave a bruise as Norrington growled, "None of that you're acting too rash and some what like a pirate wench. If that is how you want to be treated, it can be arranged."