Chapter 17: Time passes.
Two glorious weeks had passed. All of Arianne's wounds had healed, as had most of her bruises, and those that hadn't were barely noticeable on her newly tanned skin. She regularly sat watch in the crow's nest now, and she had acquired a respectable tan. The sun bleached her burnished gold hair to a brighter gold, and her blue eyes shone with health and happiness where before they had held only fear and pain.
There was one slight problem, however. Will had yet to make the slightest sign that he was attracted to her physically. As happy as she was, this threw a dark shadow over all of the good things. The times she had a chance to really talk to him, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt, or to ask him how he felt about her. Being in the same cabin as he only made her ache all the more. The only time she didn't hurt inside when she was with him was when they were sparring.
The clash of metal on metal rang out on the deck that bright morning. Arianne reveled in the feel of the sword in her hand, the sun beating down and making both her and her partner work up a sweat. As it was, she couldn't help but admire him. As he had been sparring with her for the better part of an hour, his hair had slowly come undone from its ponytail, and tendrils were plastered to his forehead with sweat.
"You're distracted! Concentrate!" he said breathlessly as he slapped her leg with the flat of his blade. In truth, he had much more difficulty scoring hits on her now that she was near his own skill (which had admittedly dropped as he had more and more work to do at the shop).
Seeing the opening he had left as he went in to hit her, she took advantage of it and scored her very first hit. She crowed with delight as he dropped his sword, cursing at the pain in his right wrist. He stopped short when she held the tip of her blade under his chin.
"Yield?" she asked, still grinning.
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He looked up at her, shocked that she had defeated him. Not only had she done so, she did it while he remonstrated her for not concentrating! He wasn't angry, however, because he'd been beaten fairly and was man enough to know it. Also, how could he be angry when she was so happy? She had progressed very well indeed these past two weeks, especially since she could move more freely now that most of the bruises and all the cuts were gone. He was proud of her, and tried to make sure she knew it.
"Well?" she asked impatiently, her eyes still sparkling with glee.
"I yield!" he said laughingly, and she took the blade away from his throat. "Great job on that, by the way, hitting me when I was concentrating least!"
She beamed, pushing stray bits of hair away from her sweaty face. He stared at her in admiration and with more than a little lust in his heart. It was so hard to hold himself back, it had been what seemed like forever since he had had a woman, but it was different with her. She was willing to get her hands dirty and take her share of the work more often than not, and when she didn't, it was because she was overly exhausted and not just because she didn't want to. She seemed glad to take her share of the work on the ship. Also, she was willing to speak her mind more than Elizabeth ever had. She had relaxed more as the days passed, and he knew she would never willingly go back to being the ladylike woman she had been back in Port Royal.
She seemed not to notice his stare as she cleaned her sword and stuck it through the blue sash wrapped around her waist, and trotted off with a smile and wave of farewell to take her shift in the nest.
He watched her go, and then shook himself out of it and cleaned his own blade before putting it away. As he didn't have any work to do for another couple hours, he went off to find Jack, who had fortunately (though whether it was fortunate for Will or Jack would be hard to say) decided not to make Will clean the latrines again.
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Arianne stood in the nest, checking to make sure nothing was closing in on them, be it ships or ominous clouds. She had learned the hard way that a storm quite a ways off could be on them in a matter of minutes. Luckily she had only had to weather three squalls, and those had apparently been nothing to some of the storms the rest of the crew had seen. During the first of these, she had been very, very violently sick. It had seemed that anything she had eaten back to when she was five years old had revisited her. After that, she had slept for a good fourteen hours. The next time she weathered it slightly better, though she was still sick, and the one after that she hadn't been sick at all.
Seeing nothing-not even the wispy clouds that painted the very highest point of the sky-she relaxed a little and went into her state of thought. This job was wonderful for one who had much to think about. She was so very thrilled that she had finally scored on Will. Not only had she scored on him, but she had actually beaten him! She smiled widely. She had been afraid at first that Will would have been angry with her, but instead he had smiled and congratulated her. If only he would smile and say he loved her, life would be perfect.
Unwittingly, she fell into a fantasy where Will took her into his arms and kissed her passionately, and then.well, better not to think of "then," she thought to herself and sighed forlornly. It wouldn't happen unless she tricked him into it, it seemed. But how could she do that? She racked her brain and came up with one name: Jack. Jack would help her. He had already helped her greatly by practicing sword work with her after her shifts in the nest while Will did whatever he had been assigned. She was grateful to Jack for scheduling Will for work right after she was replaced. He had done that at her request. She owed so much to Jack, and had no idea how she could possibly repay him.
Idly, she wondered what Will was like when he was drunk. Was he one of those whose tongue and inhibitions loosened? She decided to ask for a couple flasks of rum from Jack. She knew only too well that he had plenty of booze. He didn't seem able to survive without it, and rarely got drunk no matter how much he imbibed. Will, however.he didn't drink much, she knew this. She grinned, hoping that this would work.
********************************
Jack laughed uproariously when Arianne told him of her plan. He gladly obliged, even gave her three flasks. He knew that Will seemed to be having difficulties getting over the fact that he was still married, even if he and Elizabeth had agreed that it was alright, and he knew that Will was being terribly tortured by Arianne's close presence in the cabin with him. Jack hadn't expected that Will would be quite so virtuous, had in fact hoped that he wouldn't be, due to Arianne's being ready and willing to be everything he would ever want. Will loved Arianne, Arianne loved will, and he had expected that the expected would have happened by now.
He told Arianne that Will became very relaxed when he was drunk, and she would likely be able to get anything out of him. He also warned her to be careful how much she drank, as she had never really drunk much alcohol in her life. If she got Will thoroughly inebriated, he would open up to her, it was a sure thing. He told her that they should also take dinner in their own cabin this evening; it would be easier to get him to start drinking that way.
As she left to make the preparations, Jack smiled to himself. Now that was a girl who knew what she wanted and would do what it took to get it. He was half in love with her himself, but knew he couldn't do anything about it. She was Will's. He would have to settle for the only other woman that would take him for who he was, the one he had wanted ever since a certain island escapade... He was so tired of the one-night stands, the slaps he received every time he went into a city. He was so tired of being alone.
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AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Will Arianne's plan work?! Will Will finally succumb to his desires?! Find out! On the next episode of Arianne! Or not, who knows? I might write about what's going on back with Elizabeth! *breaks into evil laughter* *chokes on saliva* *dies*
Two glorious weeks had passed. All of Arianne's wounds had healed, as had most of her bruises, and those that hadn't were barely noticeable on her newly tanned skin. She regularly sat watch in the crow's nest now, and she had acquired a respectable tan. The sun bleached her burnished gold hair to a brighter gold, and her blue eyes shone with health and happiness where before they had held only fear and pain.
There was one slight problem, however. Will had yet to make the slightest sign that he was attracted to her physically. As happy as she was, this threw a dark shadow over all of the good things. The times she had a chance to really talk to him, she couldn't bring herself to tell him how she felt, or to ask him how he felt about her. Being in the same cabin as he only made her ache all the more. The only time she didn't hurt inside when she was with him was when they were sparring.
The clash of metal on metal rang out on the deck that bright morning. Arianne reveled in the feel of the sword in her hand, the sun beating down and making both her and her partner work up a sweat. As it was, she couldn't help but admire him. As he had been sparring with her for the better part of an hour, his hair had slowly come undone from its ponytail, and tendrils were plastered to his forehead with sweat.
"You're distracted! Concentrate!" he said breathlessly as he slapped her leg with the flat of his blade. In truth, he had much more difficulty scoring hits on her now that she was near his own skill (which had admittedly dropped as he had more and more work to do at the shop).
Seeing the opening he had left as he went in to hit her, she took advantage of it and scored her very first hit. She crowed with delight as he dropped his sword, cursing at the pain in his right wrist. He stopped short when she held the tip of her blade under his chin.
"Yield?" she asked, still grinning.
********************************
He looked up at her, shocked that she had defeated him. Not only had she done so, she did it while he remonstrated her for not concentrating! He wasn't angry, however, because he'd been beaten fairly and was man enough to know it. Also, how could he be angry when she was so happy? She had progressed very well indeed these past two weeks, especially since she could move more freely now that most of the bruises and all the cuts were gone. He was proud of her, and tried to make sure she knew it.
"Well?" she asked impatiently, her eyes still sparkling with glee.
"I yield!" he said laughingly, and she took the blade away from his throat. "Great job on that, by the way, hitting me when I was concentrating least!"
She beamed, pushing stray bits of hair away from her sweaty face. He stared at her in admiration and with more than a little lust in his heart. It was so hard to hold himself back, it had been what seemed like forever since he had had a woman, but it was different with her. She was willing to get her hands dirty and take her share of the work more often than not, and when she didn't, it was because she was overly exhausted and not just because she didn't want to. She seemed glad to take her share of the work on the ship. Also, she was willing to speak her mind more than Elizabeth ever had. She had relaxed more as the days passed, and he knew she would never willingly go back to being the ladylike woman she had been back in Port Royal.
She seemed not to notice his stare as she cleaned her sword and stuck it through the blue sash wrapped around her waist, and trotted off with a smile and wave of farewell to take her shift in the nest.
He watched her go, and then shook himself out of it and cleaned his own blade before putting it away. As he didn't have any work to do for another couple hours, he went off to find Jack, who had fortunately (though whether it was fortunate for Will or Jack would be hard to say) decided not to make Will clean the latrines again.
********************************
Arianne stood in the nest, checking to make sure nothing was closing in on them, be it ships or ominous clouds. She had learned the hard way that a storm quite a ways off could be on them in a matter of minutes. Luckily she had only had to weather three squalls, and those had apparently been nothing to some of the storms the rest of the crew had seen. During the first of these, she had been very, very violently sick. It had seemed that anything she had eaten back to when she was five years old had revisited her. After that, she had slept for a good fourteen hours. The next time she weathered it slightly better, though she was still sick, and the one after that she hadn't been sick at all.
Seeing nothing-not even the wispy clouds that painted the very highest point of the sky-she relaxed a little and went into her state of thought. This job was wonderful for one who had much to think about. She was so very thrilled that she had finally scored on Will. Not only had she scored on him, but she had actually beaten him! She smiled widely. She had been afraid at first that Will would have been angry with her, but instead he had smiled and congratulated her. If only he would smile and say he loved her, life would be perfect.
Unwittingly, she fell into a fantasy where Will took her into his arms and kissed her passionately, and then.well, better not to think of "then," she thought to herself and sighed forlornly. It wouldn't happen unless she tricked him into it, it seemed. But how could she do that? She racked her brain and came up with one name: Jack. Jack would help her. He had already helped her greatly by practicing sword work with her after her shifts in the nest while Will did whatever he had been assigned. She was grateful to Jack for scheduling Will for work right after she was replaced. He had done that at her request. She owed so much to Jack, and had no idea how she could possibly repay him.
Idly, she wondered what Will was like when he was drunk. Was he one of those whose tongue and inhibitions loosened? She decided to ask for a couple flasks of rum from Jack. She knew only too well that he had plenty of booze. He didn't seem able to survive without it, and rarely got drunk no matter how much he imbibed. Will, however.he didn't drink much, she knew this. She grinned, hoping that this would work.
********************************
Jack laughed uproariously when Arianne told him of her plan. He gladly obliged, even gave her three flasks. He knew that Will seemed to be having difficulties getting over the fact that he was still married, even if he and Elizabeth had agreed that it was alright, and he knew that Will was being terribly tortured by Arianne's close presence in the cabin with him. Jack hadn't expected that Will would be quite so virtuous, had in fact hoped that he wouldn't be, due to Arianne's being ready and willing to be everything he would ever want. Will loved Arianne, Arianne loved will, and he had expected that the expected would have happened by now.
He told Arianne that Will became very relaxed when he was drunk, and she would likely be able to get anything out of him. He also warned her to be careful how much she drank, as she had never really drunk much alcohol in her life. If she got Will thoroughly inebriated, he would open up to her, it was a sure thing. He told her that they should also take dinner in their own cabin this evening; it would be easier to get him to start drinking that way.
As she left to make the preparations, Jack smiled to himself. Now that was a girl who knew what she wanted and would do what it took to get it. He was half in love with her himself, but knew he couldn't do anything about it. She was Will's. He would have to settle for the only other woman that would take him for who he was, the one he had wanted ever since a certain island escapade... He was so tired of the one-night stands, the slaps he received every time he went into a city. He was so tired of being alone.
************************************************************************
AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Will Arianne's plan work?! Will Will finally succumb to his desires?! Find out! On the next episode of Arianne! Or not, who knows? I might write about what's going on back with Elizabeth! *breaks into evil laughter* *chokes on saliva* *dies*