Disclaimer: The characters and concepts in this story are the property of the Walt Disney Corporation. This is an amateur writing effort meant for entertainment purposes only.

Chapter Seven: What Can Go Wrong…

Governor Swann's sword collection, as it turned out, had about as much Mister Brown as it did Andrew. Will remembered making every single one of them to commemorate some momentous occasion in the Governor's reign over Port Royal, and the ones he couldn't recall clearly were indicated by cheesy paintings the Governor had funded.

"I'm looking for something light, but durable," Sir Andrew explained. "I travel so often, and the Caribbean is quite the rugged terrain, wouldn't you say so?"

"I would have to," Will agreed with a slight grin, enjoying the company as he so infrequently did these days. Andrew was courteous and respondent to courtesy; he was well spoken and eloquent, but did not bombard William with over intelligent conversation to show off. He was approachable, a polar opposite to the Swann family behaviour.

"They say you've got pirates galore down here," he said. "Surely that isn't true."

"Certainly no more than London," Will replied.

"Oh, please. London has no pirates, merely a growing number of uncivilized sailors." The humour was evident in the statement and both men were laughing together at once. Sir Andrew however stopped suddenly and looked to the swords on the wall.

"See something you like?" Will asked curiously, turning his sights in the direction Andrew had. Three blades hung in his line of vision, and it wasn't until Andrew pointed to the bottom most weapon that Will knew which one he was interested in.

It had not been his best work. The sword was a replica of one of the better looking blades he had seen once on a ship long ago, as far back as Will could remember. Even after countless hours spent taming the steel, drawing diagrams, and reworking past failures, Will still found himself unable to re-forge it accurately.

Still, his attempt was worthy enough to make the Governor's wall of fame, amidst blades of both English and French descent, though this sword was neither. It was single sided with a slight curve to the blade, not at all the elegant and flexible rapier or the dual sided, straight bladed broad sword. The metal appeared delicate, but Will knew it to be the strongest on the planet when seen in combat. Also, the handle was longer than most, stretching out from under the crossguard several inches more than on traditional weaponry.

"I have only ever seen such a sword once before," Sir Andrew stated, taking the sword from the wall without awaiting permission from the Governor. It was as if there were two starkly different Andrew's all of a sudden. The first had been the well-mannered socialite, charming Governor Swann. Now there was a determined, curious Andrew Morgan, one which hid quite well beneath the mask of London aristocrat. This one was impatient, awaiting an answer. "Not in London though. This design hails from the East, does it not?"

"I don't know. I only saw it once as well, when I was a child."

"These aren't common in the Caribbean."

"I grew up in London," Will corrected him.

"Oh, sorry," Sir Andrew replied. "I did not mean to judge. I hope I have not offended you."

"No offense taken," Will said with a small laugh. In fact out of everything that had been presumed about him recently, Sir Andrew's was a minor infraction.

Sliding the sword from its sheath, Sir Andrew stared at the blade with a look of awe on his face. All his attention was focused on the sword, knowing it from some distant memory but unable to place where on earth he had seen it.

Will however, knew all to well where he had seen it. When he was a boy of five, possibly six, his father had sailed out of his life on a new adventure, this time taking along a crew of varying nationalities. Along with them, a sailor had carried such a sword. And he had wielded it so beautifully Will wanted to remember it always. Unlike the other swords which were constant reminders of the Governor's history, this one was purely William's.

However, he did not tell this to Sir Andrew.

"En garde," Sir Andrew said suddenly, tossing the weapon to Will.

"Excuse me?" Will asked, catching it in his hands. Sir Andrew reached for another and tossed the scabbard aside, handling the weapon expertly.

"I am no fool, Will Turner. The Governor would not feel so threatened of a mere blacksmith," he said, about-facing the wall. "I have orders to seduce your future bride, Master Turner, and that fact alone should infuriate you enough to attack."

His eyes narrowed. The thought hurt, but was unsurprising nonetheless. He knew the Governor was planning something such as this, but never expected to hear about it. He cast a longing glance out the door, knowing that the Governor would not be pleased to see his collection being disturbed.

But William's rage would not be released so quickly. And even if Weatherby disapproved, his behaviour with Elizabeth was far worse than his with a sword.

So he tossed off the scabbard and backed into the room.

Sir Andrew did not appear to be built for swordplay at first glance. He was first and foremost a scholar as indicated by his small frame. But Will took notice of the gentleman's excellent form as he took on an offensive position. Whoever had taught him, trained him well, till his form was near perfect. Will tried to forget how sloppy his technique must have seemed to a man of the court, but Andrew only seemed more pleased that he was being humoured. The smirk that overtook his features caused every klaxon in Will's body to flare into allertness at the sight, cautious of Sir Andrew's intentions. Was he really just trying to be playful? Or was he just another sinister aristocrat sent to sabotage the wedding? And if he was, why would he reveal his intentions?

Such thoughts were forced quickly from Will's mind, seeing as how Sir Andrew advanced quickly and swung quickly toward the young blacksmith's head. Relying on his agility and height for advantage, Will parried and lashed outward, knocking the small scholar back towards the wall from whence he came. Their sword clashed in a flurry of sparks, blades striking with so much force Will's overtaxed biceps shivered. Yet the harder he pressed towards Will, the more strength pushed backwards from the smaller man. Whatever physical prowess the man hid, it was enough, for the time being, to toss Will's weapon back from him.

With footwork that would make even Jack Sparrow green with envy, the aristocrat spun round, moving into a lunge. Will had precious little time to evade, taking several steps back from his opponent. Even still, he was forced to bend back in order to avoid being impaled by the sword tip.

Sir Andrew's fingers twitched suddenly on the sword hilt. His weapon was unfamiliar to Will, but the cold sound of a, "Snap!" jogged his memory a little. Though it was not his work, the design was undeniable. It was a snake sword, something he would have liked to know at the beginning of their melee.

He twisted out of the way, just as the blade lurched forward into the space where his chest had once been. Sir Andrew swung the whip around twice before retracting it and advanced once more, forced to take a defensive position by the rampaging Will, who had the aristocrat forced against the wall in only several steps.

"You're disregarding the rules of engagement," he snapped suddenly.

"Come now, Will. It was only a bit of fun. Feel free to improvise as you please," Sir Andrew urged. Will's eyes narrowed, unamused. Still, he found himself humouring the aristocrat nonetheless and reaching for another sword, this time of English design and his own make. It would be easier to handle than the foreign sword Sir Andrew had chosen for him.

The two moved into the center of the room again, their swords crossed menacingly. Will was no longer so concerned with the differences between their stature. He was set upon winning now, a fitting way to prove himself a worthy match for Elizabeth. Even if Sir Andrew had no interest in her, the snake sword had been a rather nasty trick, and Will resented ever agreeing to dual. But he couldn't very well leave a coward, and with his own honour at stake, he found himself engaged in one of the most fast paced battles of his life.

Sparks scattered across the floor from the blades swinging madly through the air. Silver burned into their eyes as the three weapons slashed, parried, thrust, and retracted. All their while their bearers attempted to outdo one another with techniques of their own. Will's footwork was smooth and elegant, giving him ample opportunity to show off with several twists and turns. His coat spun outward, the dull brown fabric flaring outward behind him on the air. Not to be outdone, Sir Andrew also entertained the blacksmith with several moves of his own. He seemed to treat their duel as a dance of sorts, his footwork always timed and true. His speed was a force to be reconned with, seeing as how he could turn on a dime, whipping his sword back and forth expertly. Will had a sudden advantage though, now that he wielded two blades.

Aggravated with their progress, Sir Andrew unleashed his snake sword once more, this time holding his finger down hard on the trigger for the sword to whip outward again. Flicking his wrist, the limp fragments of the blade clashed with his, winding around his weapons and pulling them sharply from his grasp. Will, however, was not going to be outdone by a obviously cheap maneuver, and gave one last pull on his swords before releasing them, taking a moment to aim them in Sir Andrew's direction.

The gentleman was blindsided by the flat side of the blade, knocked back. Will rushed for the wall and reached for another sword.

Suddenly there was a loud explosion from far off on the shoreline. Outside, one of the lookouts shouted, "PIRATES IN THE COVE! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"

Reviews

Ailidh: I'm so happy to read that you're enjoying it! And I highly recommend the trailer for the sequel, although it's fairly short. It does contain some great CGI though, and the storyline seems impressive so far, so naturally I'm excited. But it's Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom, so I'm pretty much excited anyways, lol.

Notes: Even if you don't like what you're reading, I thrive off of feedback. So please, review!