Romancing the Wind
Pirates of the Caribbean: A New Generation
By: Tabitha Sly
Written: 08.21.03
Chapter Two: Steel on Steel
Tabitha stared forlornly out her window. Tara McClay sat at her side some random needle point in her hands. The rain lashed the glass and the wind howled out side. Tabitha longed to be out of her room, out of the house. It was quiet and far too large. She longed for the drafty smithy where her father was hammering out swords. She longed for his company days like this. She growled and shoved herself to her feet. Sweeping out of the room Tabitha pulled on her heavy cloak and, ignoring protests from Tara, hurried out the door. The rain beat down on her and the wind tore at her but it was not very far to the smithy and she made it there before she was too wet. As she opened the door and stepped inside she was greeted by the sound of steel on steel. Dorian, now a strapping sixteen with soft blonde hair and kind blue eyes, and her father were sparing. Dorian was good but William would always be better. The boy was too intense, too straight backed. Tabitha sighed and sank into the seat that was near the shuttered window.
Her father would never let her learn to fight, something she rather lamented. If her father was so good why couldn't she be? Because you're a girl, part of her sneered. She folded her hands in her lap and resigned herself to watching William and Dorian. She had watched her father enough to know that if only Dorian would loosen up he would do better. However the boy would do no such thing and it was for this reason that when Commodore Christopher [1] Norrington and his son Tybalt entered the smithy Dorian was weaponless, Will's sword not far from his throat. Dorian and William straightened and Tabitha stood slowly. The last time they'd seen Commodore Norrington it had been at a party at Elisa's.
"Mr. Turner" Norrington's voice was clipped. Tabitha had never actually seen the Commodore's son before. He wasn't difficult to look at, that was for sure. He glanced at Tabitha and raised an eyebrow. William returned his sword to the wall and turned his full attention to the Commodore. Dorian noticed Tybalt's wandering gaze and came to stand possessively at Tabitha's side. She sighed heavily they would never let her live her own life "I need a sword for my son"
"Of course Commodore" William nodded "What did you have in mind?"
"I'm Tabitha Turner" the girl introduced with a smiled, extending her hand to Tybalt much to Dorian's disgust.
"Tylbalt Norrignton" The boy answered, his voice just as concise and clipped as his father's. She swallowed heavily, his hand enveloped her own and his grip was firm.
"Dorian Lace" The boy muttered. Tabitha smiled at Tybalt. Why estrange the boy? He returned her smile with a curt nod and turned his attention to their fathers. William was demonstrating a sword to Norrington. The man shook his head and his gaze came to rest on a slender sword on the back wall.
"That one" The Commodore stated calmly. William's face grew grave.
"I'm sorry Commodore that one I'm not selling"
"And why in the heavens not?"
"It is for my daughter" William replied calmly. Tabitha gasped. He had made her a sword? The Commodore snorted but did not press the matter.
Eventually he walked out with a fine sword for his son and left William with a good deal of money in his wallet. Tabitha turned to stare at her father. He smiled at her and took the sword of the wall. He held it out to her and she wrapped her hand around the hilt.
"Oh father" she whispered. Dorian reached over and adjusted her hand on the hilt, a gentle touch of his hand straightened her back and with a brush of his fingers he brought her arm down to where it should be. William smiled happily "But why?"
"Because" Began William, drawing a sword for himself "A girl needs to know how to handle herself if ever under attack. Remember this is only the basics, just to hold them off until someone else can take over the fight"
Tabitha rolled her eyes and made a silent reminder to con Dorian into teaching her everything he knew.
"Right. Now the stance . . ."
~*~
Tabitha's first lesson ended with sore muscles in her legs and blisters on her hands. Her father rubbed some of Tara's salve on the blisters and Tara drew a hot bath to relax her muscles. Tabitha sighed unhappily as she sank into the bath. She had only learned to hold the weapon right and to parry a little and yet she ached. She nearly gave up but the sight of her sword on her table forced her out of bed the next morning.
"No training today" William told her on the third morning "You need to let your muscles heal and the blisters harden, we'll work again tomorrow"
Tabitha spent the day in her room a book in her lap and her mind in the clouds. She wanted to be learning. But the next day she was taught again and she found she could work longer and hurt less. This became the pattern of the next months; two days of training one day of rest. Eventually she began to use her day of rest to train in secret with Dorian, her logic was that she might need to hold someone off for too long to only know the basics. When that didn't work on swaying Dorian she reminded him of their childhood together and held out her pinky. He glared at her but linked his finger through hers. She smiled and kissed the gap presented by her thumb and forefinger curling into the fist. Dorian copied the action and sealed himself to helping her. Whenever either needed it that small motion forced the other to comply or loose the friendship. Dorian was a good teacher, patient and calm he went over it and over it and over it with her until she had each parry, block and stroke down by heart. He coached her endlessly on her foot work until it was right. She ached from his teaching more than from her father's but she benefited. She learned. She was good. Good for a girl anyway. Eventually, by the time she was almost sixteen, Dorian was loosing almost as much as he was winning against Tabitha. Almost. His strength was still an advantage she could not negate with her grace.
One dreary day while the two were practicing in her yard her father came home early. They didn't notice the man standing in an arch of roses as their blades met, parted and met again. Dorian eventually did come out on top and dry clapping drew their attention to William standing not far from them. They both flushed and stammered.
"Stop" Protested William "I don't want to hear it. You've been teaching my daughter behind my back" Dorian looked sick "You've done a brilliant job. I get it. She deserves to be taught it all"
"You mean it father?" Tabitha beamed and William nodded.
"Tomorrow you come in together" From then on Tabitha and Dorian learned together, William taught Dorian how to anticipate a smaller opponent's movement by their foot work and he showed Tabitha how to use her size to her greatest advantage. Neither child could beat William. Thomas began to join them for training and they learned new technique. They practiced constantly, Tabitha's hands were as calloused as Dorian's. Tara would bring down a plate of sandwiches and a pitcher of ale or wine for them on hot summer afternoons.
One cool Autumn afternoon Tabitha and Dorian were sitting on his poor drinking cordial and conversing about the local gossip. Commodore Norrington strode up the path and both teens looked on in interest as Thomas met him on the terrace bellow them.
"The Black Pearl has been sighted in our waters" Norrington's voice was clear. Tabitha and Dorian exchanged a look. "You must be sure to tell me if your wife has any contact with shady characters"
"Of course" Thomas nodded. The conversation became mundane and the two didn't care to listen any longer. They had long forgotten the Black Pearl as childhood flights of fancy but when drug to the surface they remembered the story with alarming clarity.
"I should go home" Tabitha murmured.
"Let me walk you" Dorian's eyes flashed with something Tabi couldn't place and they headed for her home. He hung back at the door and gripped her arm "What if Captain Sparrow drops in on his old friends?"
"Not a word to the Commodore is what" Tabitha answered furiously. Dorian nodded and kissed her knuckles promising to see her again the next day for practice. Tabitha hurried inside and up to her room. She pulled her quilt off of her chair and held the last patch in her hands. A skull over two crossed sabers. The red of the bandana had not faded with time and her fingers stroked it gently. That night at dinner she only picked at her kidney pie.
"Tabitha what's wrong?" William sounded worried and she smiled up at her father.
"Aye lass, ye dunna look well" Tara agreed, resting her hand on Tabi's forehead as if to check for a temperature "Are ye ill? Or did the faeries git ye?"
"No Tara it wasn't faeries" Tabitha grinned. Ever since she was small she had refused to be sick so they always blamed it on the faeries. "I heard the Commodore talking to Dorian's father. The Black Pearl has been seen near here"
"The Pearl?" William mused, his eyes glowing like they had when he'd first told her the story of the Pearl and her crew. Tabitha nodded "Well keep your sword at hand tonight darling"
"Yes father" Tabitha did exactly that. Her sword lay on her bedside table for a long week. Tabitha eventually thought the hope had passed but as her hand rested on the sword she decided against returning it to the armory. She slipped under her covers and fell asleep to the sound of the wind in the trees. [2]
[1] I took liberties. I'm sorry.
[2] I think this is all going too quickly, tell me what you think
[shout outs]
Keza][ darling. Amusing musies. Amusing musies. Amusing musies. Amusing musies. Amusing musies. ~sticks out tongue~
Keza][ yes well I had to not get them married or there would only be two families. That would be boring.
Rumor][ ~beams~ yes I quite like Tara. She's spiffy. Whipped!Will amuses me to no end. He's all sexy and submissive. Off to write chapter THREE.