Hey guys! Long time no see, or hear, or whatever. I had an absolutely great vacation. I thank you all sooooo much for understanding. I needed the break. Please forgive me for not updating before I left, but…I'm back. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, no matter how much I wish I did. Oh well, no matter, I can still write about it. Don't sue me, I don't own it.

Chapter 4: A Blacksmith's Life

Will took Danielle through the streets of Port Royal, leading her to the blacksmith shop. He made sure to walk beside her, as to not leave her behind and to keep her safe from town scoundrels. He pointed out the different buildings: inns, bars, shops. The blacksmith shop was not too far from the bakery, so the walk was relatively short. Once they reached the shop, Will pulled out a large, old key from him pocket. When the door was open, he gestured politely for Danielle to go in first. The blacksmith shop was dark, even during the bright light of the morning. Will quickly walked from window to window, opening a few to bring in some light to the dim place. He turned to Danielle who stood in the shop looking at the various swords.

"Well, I usually start working right away," he said, catching Danielle's attention so she looked at him. She nodded in understanding. "Are you sure you want to stay and just watch me work?" he asked.

"Of course. It seems interesting and perhaps during your lunch break you could teach me some moves with a blade." He chuckled, then said,

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten I said I'd help you. Well, alright, I'll get to work on the Governor's blade and try to finish early so we can practice." Danielle shook her head in amusement, then watched him as he removed an unfinished blade from a nearby rack. She observed as Will stuck the blade into the furnace fire, allowing the metal to heat up and become red. He removed the blade, and pounded firmly onto the hot metal, bending it to the shape he wanted. Once he had placed the blade in the appropriate shape, he quickly threw it into a bucket of water, cooling the blade almost instantly. The handle had already been made, but Will was keen on detail and therefore melted some gold and carefully placed it into the handle, adding to the sword's beauty. The blade was obviously made with much care and attention. Danielle watched his nimble fingers in awe at the work he was doing. The heat of the furnace caused him to shine and shimmer with sweat as he pounded onto the metal. His muscular arm flexed as the hammer made contact with the blade placed upon the anvil. He picked up the sword slowly and placed it on a nearby table to cool. It had been hours since their arrival to the blacksmith's shop, but the fascination and beauty of Will's work kept Danielle on her toes and in awe. Will picked up a rag and wiped his brow and hands before turning to Danielle and smiling. Danielle had a dazed look about her, not because of Will, but because of what he just did.

"That was absolutely breathtaking, Will," she said awestruck. "How closely you paid attention to detail…. You turned a scrap of metal into a completely superb sword. How did you learn to work like that?" He laughed as he continued to wipe his hands with the rag.

"Many, many years of practice. I think of that knife I made you those years ago and am just amazed at how far I've come in being a blacksmith." He paused for a moment, then set down the rag and walked to Danielle. "Well, I've finished the sword, all it has to do is cool, so if you'd like, I could teach you some moves." Danielle smiled brightly, then said,

"I'd like that a lot." Will nodded once, then turned and looked over the various blades before choosing one that he liked and removing it from its rack. He walked back to Danielle, sword pointed downward.

"Alright," he said. "First, unsheathe your blade and I'll tell you some basics about swordsmanship." Danielle looked at the sheath around her waist and grabbed the hilt of the handle before removing her sword. Will lifted his blade up, allowing Danielle to look at it. "If you look at the sword, you see that there is a blunt end and sharp end." He turned the blade, showing Danielle what he was speaking of. She nodded and he continued. "You attack with the sharp end and parry, or block, with the blunt end, so you are continually turning you blade. If I were to parry with the sharp end, most likely the blade would break." He paused then moved into the fighting stance. "Can you stand like this?" he asked. Danielle looked at him, then attempted to copy the stance he was in. She was a little wrong with her footing because of her disability, but good enough. Will nodded at her stance, then said, "I'm going to try to attack you, and you try to parry my blow with the bunt end of the sword." Danielle nodded and in less than a second later, Will had lunged forward. Danielle quickly moved her wrist, twisting the blade so the blunt end faced Will's oncoming blow. A clash of metal was heard as the attempt was blocked. Will smiled slightly and nodded.

"Good," he said. "Now, you try to hit me and I'll block." Danielle did so, and Will blocked the blade with ease and grace. He relaxed his shoulders and lowered his sword; Danielle did the same. "Now comes the difficult part, moving while fighting." He reassumed his fighting stance and showed her how to move about. "You sort of slide forwards and backwards…with an occasional step," he said as he moved about, attacking imaginary victims. He relaxed again, then turned to Danielle. "Now you try." Danielle assumed her fighting stance and attempted to move about as Will had. It was difficult for her to keep her balance and she was much more clumsy and slow. Will stood to the side, watching her as she moved. She seems to be having trouble, as I thought she would because of her legs, he thought. She will be able to hold off an attacker, but not for long. I wonder…. He smiled to himself at this thought. Danielle stumbled about as she practiced, her teeth clenched in determination, but swordsmanship was proving to not be for her. It was much too hard. She could manage to block and attack alright, even though her stance wasn't completely right, but moving…she couldn't really do. Will smiled knowingly at her. He, of course, knew it was difficult for her, but it was for her safety. He was glad he had thought of a backup plan. It would be better for her.

"That's enough for today, Danielle," he said. She stopped moving and lowered her blade, panting as she looked at Will. He laughed at her disheveled state. "I think you'll fit into the Caribbean perfectly," he said. She mock glared at him.

"Thanks. I needed the reassurance," she said sarcastically. Will walked over to a nearby table and grabbed a rag, then tossed it over to her. Danielle caught the rag and sheathed her sword before wiping her brow.

"How about we have some lunch, then I can show you how I fight. I usually practice about three hours a day to keep fit." He walked over to the table and picked up a small loaf of bread. "Mrs. Williams gave us some bread for lunch. She usually does. It's not much, but I hope it'll do."

"It's fine, Will," Danielle replied as she walked over to the table and took a seat in one of the few chairs in the shop. Will ripped off a chunk of bread and handed it to her, then ripped off a piece for himself. They talked more about swordplay as they ate. Will explained about his training as a blacksmith, saying that when he first started, Brown did make the swords and teach Will, but as he got older, he became a drunk and Will ended up having to run the business even though he was still an apprentice. He asked if Portsmouth had changed much and she replied it hadn't, although, the docks did get redone. Once Will had finished eating, he sat back in his chair and looked off into space, his eyes glazing over.

"I can't believe it's been eight years. I haven't seen you for eight years," He looked at her and shook his head in disbelief, "and now you're here." Danielle smiled slightly and looked down at her shoes, not wanting to look into his eyes; it made her uncomfortable for some peculiar reason. "I missed you," Will said quietly. Danielle's head shot up in surprise and she looked deep into Will's eyes. He smiled sincerely at her, then reached out and gently placed his hand on hers. "You have no idea of how happy seeing you makes me feel." In his eyes, you could tell he spoke the truth. His eyes held it all. Danielle felt something stroke her hand to see it was Will. He held her hand in his own and stroked it gently with his thumb. Danielle suddenly felt self-conscious and uneasy. This was Will, her best friend of about twelve years. She cast her eyes downward and spoke meekly.

"Will…" she said, then slowly looked up. His eyes were glazed over, but they then came into focus. He started, as if coming out of a trance and his gaze immediately went to his hand, lying upon Danielle's. He quickly drew his hand back and placed on the table before him. Danielle pulled her own hand back and set it on her lap. Will sat quietly and rubbed the back of his neck in his embarrassment.

"Uh…," he coughed, "sorry, Danielle," he said. "I don't know what I was doing." He looked at her apologetically and attempted to smile, showing he was being sincere.

"It's alright, Will," she responded uneasily. It was alright; they were friends after all, but the situation had just made her uncomfortable. A pause of heavy silence followed. Eventually Will stood and cleaned off the table, having to do or say something, not sit in such a tense position. He walked over to the Governor's sword to see if it was cooling well. He picked up the blade and did a quick inspection of it. It seemed in good condition to him; he turned to Danielle, still sitting at the table. Should he try to lift the tension created by his foolishness, or should he leave her be? He wanted to be on good terms with her and not have her feel afraid or uneasy with him, so he walked forward slowly.

"It seems the Governor's blade is finished," he said. Danielle turned to look at him. She did not look at him in the eyes, but looked at the blade he carried in his hands. She remained seated as he held out the sword, allowing her to take it. She took it in her hands and was amazed, not just at the beauty, but also at how light yet firm the blade was. She looked him in the eyes and saw he still felt bad about what happened.

"I still can't believe you make such beautiful things," she said, smiling up at him and handing back the blade. He smiled in return, realizing that she had forgiven him.

"It's a blacksmith's life," he responded simply.

The day moved by quickly and in no time it was the evening. Will hadn't done much blacksmithing in the afternoon, for there weren't any other orders besides that of the Governor's; he showed Danielle some more moves with a sword and attempted to train her a bit more. As he watched her move about again, he nodded his head in confirmation. He knew of something that would help her. When they had finished their practice, Will began to close the shop and ready for leaving. He placed the Governor's blade on a rack, ready to be retrieved early in the morning and brought to him. Will allowed Danielle to walk out before him and followed her. He turned around and locked the shop with the key he fished out of his pocket. Danielle waited patiently beside him to finish and walked beside him as they went back to the bakery.

"Do you still want to come with me when I go to the Governor's tomorrow?" Will asked, looking at her as best he could in the darkness that surrounded them.

"Of course, Will," she responded.

"Alright," he said. "You have to be up early if you want to come, though. I plan on leaving pretty early. The Governor needs the sword for a ceremony in the morning. I think it's a promotion ceremony for Captain Norrington. He's supposed to become Commodore, I believe."

"I'll be up, Will. Don't worry. I really want to see the Governor."

"And Miss Swann," Will said in a dream-like voice, smiling to himself. Danielle looked at him strangely.

"Will?" she asked in perplexity.

"What—? Oh, sorry," he said hastily, realizing she would not know of whom he spoke. "Miss Swann is the Governor's daughter. I've loved her since the first time I've met her, but I rarely see her and just look at me..." He spread out his arms and looked at his garb. "I'm just…a blacksmith," he ended dejectedly, with a sigh.

"I understand Will," Danielle said, nodding, "but you shouldn't be ashamed of your profession. Look at what you can do! If she doesn't like you just because you're a blacksmith, then I don't think she would ever love you. I mean, you're a great guy and a wonderful friend!" Will raised his eyebrows and looked at her in suspicion. "Will, you know I mean this as a friend, and nothing more," she stated calmly, smiling.

"You're right," he said, smiling in return, a little happier. "Come on," he called as they approached the door to the bakery. "Let's get inside and get some sleep. We have to be up early in the morning." He unlocked the door to the bakery with a key given to him by Mrs. Williams, then held the door, allowing Danielle to enter first. He closed the door, locking it, then followed Danielle up the stairs. "I'm surprisingly tired tonight," he said, yawning, as he reached the top of the stairs. "We don't have much to do tomorrow besides dropping off the sword, so it should be an easy day. Let's get some sleep." Danielle nodded from where she sat on the couch, then said goodnight to Will before walking into his room. Will fell onto the couch and immediately fell asleep from exhaustion. Little did Will and Danielle know, that instead of being an 'easy day' as Will had thought, tomorrow would be the start of the adventure of their lives, because as they slept, Captain Jack Sparrow sailed to the quiet, sleepy town of Port Royal. It would be a rude awakening for them all.

Review Responses:

TeenAnimeLover- Glad to help with answering about Danielle's disability. You will gradually learn what she can and can't do, so just be patient. Try to look at things through her eyes. She can't run, can't jump, has bad balance. It would be a different life.

Incubus2704- I had a great vacation, so thanks to your kind wishes. Hope you liked this chapter and I cannot wait for more from you.

Amber Chase- I'm glad you like this story and Danielle. I hope you enjoy the chapters to come.

immortalwizardpirateelf-fan- Thank you for the compliments. I hope you liked this chapter.

lateBloomer04- Glad you like the idea of having a disabled character. I just thought, people always write about an abused character, why not something different. You don't often find a disabled character.

obliviongates- Glad you liked the last chapter. You will have to wait for next chapter for the Governor's. Hope you like it and I cannot wait for more from you.

Irael- I'm glad that you understand where I am coming from and I completely understood your points. I shall try to fix mistakes and I again thank you for your constructive criticism. That is what truly makes a better writer. Thank you for the assistance.

Candy Quackenbush- CandyQ! I'm glad you liked the past chapters and I hope you read on. I cannot wait to here more from you.

Thanks again for being patient. I hope you liked the chapter. Will was acting strange, wasn't he? Just to let you know, from reading various WillOC stories, I've developed a disliking for Elizabeth, looks at Incubus2704 in mock accusation but...I'll keep her in character; have her be herself and not a jerk. She'll be all pleasant and all. You may learn more about Danielle's disability next chapter, so you'll understand her more. Read and review, please! Thanks!