Chapter Thirteen: And Your Name Is...?
She found herself involuntarily moving back, away from the gigantic paw that reached for her. As her mind raced with endless possibilities, she finally landed on one that should stall them enough that she could move around them into the open.
"And just who might you gentlemen be?" she asked, ceasing to back away from the huge man. His hand stopped moving forward and she took a deep breath of relief.
"'Oo we are ain't important, litt' missy," one of the other men said. "What's important is that ye've caused some trouble fer our friend down in the House o' Rum. Seein' as ye're new an' all, we thought we'd come and make yer acquaintance and give ye a proper greetin'."
"Ah," Reanna replied. Thinking she saw how she might get through them, she reached out and shook the hand that still hung before her. "Well it's lovely to meet you, I'm Reanna. I really am new here, and it's so nice of you boys to come and give me a proper welcome."
By the time she had finished her little speech, she had moved to the last man in the group and smoothly slipped by him, waving a farewell as she walked away. She was going to head back to the Pearl, thinking that she might have actually gotten away with it, but before she even reached the end of the street, she heard several people shouting in indignation behind her as the six brutes pushed past them to get to her.
She loosened her sword in her scabbard, praying that it was as reliable as all of Will Turner's other swords were. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and drew her sword in one fluid motion, seeming to surprise the few sober people on the street as well as the men that were hurrying to catch up to her. They stopped just out of her reach, glancing warily from her to her blade. They carried no weapons save their hands, and they knew that if they decided to close that more than one of them was going to get hurt, if not killed.
And, as this was Tortuga, the woman would get away with it if she killed one or more of them here.
Reanna registered their every expression, carefully watched their every move. She did not wish to be caught off guard, for that would mean certain defeat--as she had learned at the hands of Will Turner--who had forged her sword--her father, and her mother. All three were expert swordsmen (except for Arianne, who was a woman), and Jack had much experience using anything and everything that could possibly help in the fight. Reanna hadn't grown nearly as proficient as her father in that area, but she could fend off most things and if she had no choice she would take up whatever she could find to defend herself.
She watched as the men conferred with each other, realizing that they were indeed slightly smarter than she would have taken them for. She cursed under her breath when two of the men went inside the nearest bar, coming out with mostly cudgels and a couple of swords. Now the fight clearly favored them, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, it seemed.
Well, she thought, if she was going to fight an obviosly unfair fight, then she would do it on her own ground. She pivoted on one foot and then ran towards one of the most central parts of Tortuga, thinking that it would be the best place for her to get a slight advantage over these hulking brutes. Reanna heard the men behind her cursing as they ran, trying rather unsuccessfully to keep up with the faster long-legged woman.
Apparently she hadn't paying enough attention to which way she was running, as she found out to her utter despair when she nearly ran into a solid brick wall. "Damn!" she shouted in frustration. She turned to run another direction, but had nowhere to go as the group closed in on her. If she had been the praying type, she might have done so right then, but she instead took a deep breath and slowed her breathing, bringing her heart rate back to a more normal pace. She faced the oncoming men and raised her sword, calculating where best to strike first.
She stood perfectly still while they circled around her warily, wondering why this strange person would flee only to run to a dead end and then offer no fight. One man could finally stand it no longer and charged Reanna from behind, his cudgel raised for a fatal blow to her head.
He was more than a little startled when she wasn't there when he swung his weapon down, and so it hit the ground with a resounding smack, leaving him bent and vulnerable to an attack. He didn't even know what had hit him when her sword--edge first--slammed down on the back of his neck, snapping his spine and killing him instantly.
The other men stood stock-still, staring in shock at their dead companion as their quarry wiped the blood on her sword on her shirt. They realized that they should probably flee, but the sight of their companion's corpse infuriated them to a point that their fear fled and all they could think about was killing the woman for what she had done. Sure, their companion had been aiming to kill her, but that was no excuse for killing him so quickly!
They all charged at the same time, but this time Reanna did not dodge- -she simply ducked and skittered out between two of the men while they beat each other with their weapons in their search for her. By the time they realized what she had done, she was moving around them, knocking them one by one on the back of the head so they dropped, unconscious. The five living men lay senseless, a heap of dirty flesh and worn clothes.
He watched from a distance, amazed at the woman's prowess. When she had finished knocking the five living men unconscious, she stared at them for a moment and then walked away, seeming dispassionate for someone who had killed a man. He could tell that she was new to this place, that she was new to killing, but he was pleased by her seeming numbness at the fact that she had just killed a man. He was also immensely pleased by her skill. The woman was fast, faster than anyone he'd seen since the Golden Eagle.
He had been but a small boy of no more than four years when he had first--and last--seen the Golden Eagle fight. She had been amazing in his young eyes, weaving in and out of a group of men, never harming them with anything more than the flat of her sword. But now, twenty years later...this woman--in his mind he nicknamed her the Emerald Raven for her eyes and hair--was very possibly even more skilled than the Eagle had been.
Certainly even more beautiful, though he had thought the Eagle the most beautiful woman he had ever seen until now.
As he mused, she walked right past him, her face completely expressionless, her eyes empty as though she saw nothing before her. He ran to catch up.
"Hey!" she heard behind her, but it seemed to be a very distant thing, all the sounds around her seemed removed in the aftermath of the fight. When someone grabbed her arm, she whirled, her still unsheathed sword swinging just above the offender's head. When she realized that this was no enemy, but was, in fact, a rather handsome man (if not entirely clean) with a friendly smile on his face.
"I saw what happened," he said when she had put her sword away, "and I would like to buy you a drink for your bravery and skill. Might I know your name?"
"Reanna," she replied, coming out of her daze. "And your name is...?"
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Oooh, who is this mysterious man that has come from nowhere? Find out, in the next chapter of Reanna! (Hmm...or perhaps I'll drag this out for a few more chapters, what do you think?) ;) I hope you all enjoyed this, let me know what you thought of the fight scene.
She found herself involuntarily moving back, away from the gigantic paw that reached for her. As her mind raced with endless possibilities, she finally landed on one that should stall them enough that she could move around them into the open.
"And just who might you gentlemen be?" she asked, ceasing to back away from the huge man. His hand stopped moving forward and she took a deep breath of relief.
"'Oo we are ain't important, litt' missy," one of the other men said. "What's important is that ye've caused some trouble fer our friend down in the House o' Rum. Seein' as ye're new an' all, we thought we'd come and make yer acquaintance and give ye a proper greetin'."
"Ah," Reanna replied. Thinking she saw how she might get through them, she reached out and shook the hand that still hung before her. "Well it's lovely to meet you, I'm Reanna. I really am new here, and it's so nice of you boys to come and give me a proper welcome."
By the time she had finished her little speech, she had moved to the last man in the group and smoothly slipped by him, waving a farewell as she walked away. She was going to head back to the Pearl, thinking that she might have actually gotten away with it, but before she even reached the end of the street, she heard several people shouting in indignation behind her as the six brutes pushed past them to get to her.
She loosened her sword in her scabbard, praying that it was as reliable as all of Will Turner's other swords were. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and drew her sword in one fluid motion, seeming to surprise the few sober people on the street as well as the men that were hurrying to catch up to her. They stopped just out of her reach, glancing warily from her to her blade. They carried no weapons save their hands, and they knew that if they decided to close that more than one of them was going to get hurt, if not killed.
And, as this was Tortuga, the woman would get away with it if she killed one or more of them here.
Reanna registered their every expression, carefully watched their every move. She did not wish to be caught off guard, for that would mean certain defeat--as she had learned at the hands of Will Turner--who had forged her sword--her father, and her mother. All three were expert swordsmen (except for Arianne, who was a woman), and Jack had much experience using anything and everything that could possibly help in the fight. Reanna hadn't grown nearly as proficient as her father in that area, but she could fend off most things and if she had no choice she would take up whatever she could find to defend herself.
She watched as the men conferred with each other, realizing that they were indeed slightly smarter than she would have taken them for. She cursed under her breath when two of the men went inside the nearest bar, coming out with mostly cudgels and a couple of swords. Now the fight clearly favored them, but she didn't have much of a choice in the matter, it seemed.
Well, she thought, if she was going to fight an obviosly unfair fight, then she would do it on her own ground. She pivoted on one foot and then ran towards one of the most central parts of Tortuga, thinking that it would be the best place for her to get a slight advantage over these hulking brutes. Reanna heard the men behind her cursing as they ran, trying rather unsuccessfully to keep up with the faster long-legged woman.
Apparently she hadn't paying enough attention to which way she was running, as she found out to her utter despair when she nearly ran into a solid brick wall. "Damn!" she shouted in frustration. She turned to run another direction, but had nowhere to go as the group closed in on her. If she had been the praying type, she might have done so right then, but she instead took a deep breath and slowed her breathing, bringing her heart rate back to a more normal pace. She faced the oncoming men and raised her sword, calculating where best to strike first.
She stood perfectly still while they circled around her warily, wondering why this strange person would flee only to run to a dead end and then offer no fight. One man could finally stand it no longer and charged Reanna from behind, his cudgel raised for a fatal blow to her head.
He was more than a little startled when she wasn't there when he swung his weapon down, and so it hit the ground with a resounding smack, leaving him bent and vulnerable to an attack. He didn't even know what had hit him when her sword--edge first--slammed down on the back of his neck, snapping his spine and killing him instantly.
The other men stood stock-still, staring in shock at their dead companion as their quarry wiped the blood on her sword on her shirt. They realized that they should probably flee, but the sight of their companion's corpse infuriated them to a point that their fear fled and all they could think about was killing the woman for what she had done. Sure, their companion had been aiming to kill her, but that was no excuse for killing him so quickly!
They all charged at the same time, but this time Reanna did not dodge- -she simply ducked and skittered out between two of the men while they beat each other with their weapons in their search for her. By the time they realized what she had done, she was moving around them, knocking them one by one on the back of the head so they dropped, unconscious. The five living men lay senseless, a heap of dirty flesh and worn clothes.
He watched from a distance, amazed at the woman's prowess. When she had finished knocking the five living men unconscious, she stared at them for a moment and then walked away, seeming dispassionate for someone who had killed a man. He could tell that she was new to this place, that she was new to killing, but he was pleased by her seeming numbness at the fact that she had just killed a man. He was also immensely pleased by her skill. The woman was fast, faster than anyone he'd seen since the Golden Eagle.
He had been but a small boy of no more than four years when he had first--and last--seen the Golden Eagle fight. She had been amazing in his young eyes, weaving in and out of a group of men, never harming them with anything more than the flat of her sword. But now, twenty years later...this woman--in his mind he nicknamed her the Emerald Raven for her eyes and hair--was very possibly even more skilled than the Eagle had been.
Certainly even more beautiful, though he had thought the Eagle the most beautiful woman he had ever seen until now.
As he mused, she walked right past him, her face completely expressionless, her eyes empty as though she saw nothing before her. He ran to catch up.
"Hey!" she heard behind her, but it seemed to be a very distant thing, all the sounds around her seemed removed in the aftermath of the fight. When someone grabbed her arm, she whirled, her still unsheathed sword swinging just above the offender's head. When she realized that this was no enemy, but was, in fact, a rather handsome man (if not entirely clean) with a friendly smile on his face.
"I saw what happened," he said when she had put her sword away, "and I would like to buy you a drink for your bravery and skill. Might I know your name?"
"Reanna," she replied, coming out of her daze. "And your name is...?"
***********************************************************************
Oooh, who is this mysterious man that has come from nowhere? Find out, in the next chapter of Reanna! (Hmm...or perhaps I'll drag this out for a few more chapters, what do you think?) ;) I hope you all enjoyed this, let me know what you thought of the fight scene.