Sorry about the delay...with the play, my original stories to work on, spring break, homework and my awesome bf i've been completely swamped. If you don't like that...well tough. Anywho forgive me if Norrington seems out of character, i just tried to make it as evident as possible that he doesn't like pirates, or Swimmer in particular. And forgive me if the duel isn't up to your standards, i tried honestly i did.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of The Caribbean or the characters in it bla bla bla you get the point. I do own swimmer, mac, skip, captain riley and whoever else might pop up.

So i'm gonna stop talking now and let you read...

Chapter 4: Duel

Swimmer stepped to the edge of the crowd that lined the walls of the square. She expertly squeezed through the people, restraining the urge to grab some fast change, making her way almost to the front of the crowd and found herself standing close to a young couple. Swimmer arched her neck to see around the people in front of her and glimpsed an older man who had to be the governor standing on a podium at the other end of the courtyard. Swimmer looked to her left and saw a line of soldiers dressed in red coats, and a man wearing a white wig and a blue jacket with gold brocade on the shoulders standing at the front of them, walking past the crowd toward the podium.

Swimmer watched him walk until she heard loud voices from behind her, she looked over her shoulder and felt her body freeze as she recognized the soldiers who were looking through the crowd. One of them caught site of her and called to the others. Swimmer tried to walk away, but stumbled and fell out of the crowd and into the man in the blue jacket.

A hush fell over the crowd as Swimmer scrambled to get up and put a few feet between her and the soldiers who had broken out of the crowd. The man in the blue coat was also standing, brushing off his clothes, and giving Swimmer a look that made her anger crawl on her skin.

The man in the blue coat gave the young soldiers exasperated looks. "What are you doing?" He questioned, as the crowd and other soldiers watched with interest.

"Trying to catch her." One of the soldier's pointed at Swimmer and she edged away a little. "She was swimming in the port."

"When the ships were around." Added another of them. Swimmer snorted at him and the man in the blue coat looked at her warily.

"Really." He said, as though contemplating.

"Yes sir, and then we said we'd have to bring her in or it would mean she was an evader of the law, or a pirate. And then she said that she was already a pirate, and then she ran off and we tried to catch her, but she sort of…well…escaped."

"Apparently." The man replied, looking at Swimmer now. "A pirate."

"Actually….I didn't say pirate." Swimmer said, fake smiling. "I said parakeet."

The man in the blue coat cocked an eye. "A…parakeet? You may be dressed as some sort of animal, but you are no bird."

Swimmer shrugged at him. "Birds come in all shapes and sizes, Commodore." He has to be Commodore Norrington, Swimmer thought to herself, for one he's the only one dressed in blue, and seemed to be getting the most respect of any of the soldiers.

The man cocked his other eye at her and Swimmer knew she'd guessed right. "As do pirates, miss…?"

"Swimmer." Swimmer bowed, arms spread wide. "At your service."

"Indeed you are." The Commodore replied, icily. "You, miss, are under arrest by the British Royal Navy."

Swimmer smiled a little. "Now where have I heard that before." She murmured to him. Two soldiers came at her and Swimmer dodged them and managed to find herself back where she'd started, her back to the crowd of people.

"Don't resist arrest or you will be taken forcibly." Commodore Norrington warned her stepping near her.

"Seems like I'm going to be taken by force even if I resist or not." Swimmer informed him. She saw the soldiers standing behind Norrington. Norrington drew his sword, pointing it at her. Swimmer narrowed her eyes at the silent challenge and snaked her hand near a man standing nearby. She felt the cold grip of his sword hilt and quickly yanked it out and in front of her. The man stood startled and she moved away from him and the soldiers, keeping her eyes on Norrington.

"Put that down." He ordered her.

"Make me." She challenged, pointing the sword at him. "You may have the title as Commodore, but you've yet to prove to me that you deserve it." She smirked at him. "Besides, in all that fancy golden rope I wouldn't think it possible for you to move at all."

Norrington lunged at her and their swords met and clashed, pressed between them. "I can keep up with you any sunrise or sunset." He told her.

The corner's of Swimmer's mouth twisted upward. "Then prove it." She dared and pushed him away. He brought his sword down and they met again. He feigned left and then went right, where she met him with ease. Swimmer tried to hook his sword but he wriggled it free, thrusting out toward her with the point as Swimmer jumped to the side.

"You're fast, Commodore." She admitted as he met her shoulder to shoulder. "But not as fast as me." She threw him off and dodged around the soldiers to meet him again.

Norrington pushed with the sword and Swimmer felt her feet want to stumble. No, she ordered them, and fell to the left as Norrington stumbled where she had been. She ran and jumped on the platform, sending the people on it scattering. Norrington followed her and they clashed swords again, moving up and down the podium like dancers. Norrington advanced on her and hooked her sword, sending it fly into the dirt. Swimmer ducked his blow and did a flip off the platform, skidded in the dirt, and picked up her sword. She turned to face him, a smile on her face. Norrington stepped off the platform.

"You enjoy showing off, don't you?" He asked blandly.

Swimmer smirked. "Don't you?"

"Not particularly." Swimmer lunged and caught his sword, to the left, then the right, then the left again. Back and forth they went, making patterns in the dirt where they trod. Swimmer felt the sweat roll off her forehead and tried to keep her mind on the sword coming at her. She stumbled and fell on her back, then rolled as the sword came near her. She rolled up on her feet and found a sword at her chest. A murmur ran through the on looking crowd. Swimmer looked up at Norrington, and thought she could detect the slightest smirk on his face. Swimmer narrowed her eyes and then felt something come up her leg, onto her shoulder and leap at Norrington, sharp teeth bared. Norrington dropped his sword to catch the flying creature and Swimmer kicked his sword far into the dust and raised her own at his chest. She whistled and Skip jumped on her shoulder, keeping it's eyes on Norrington. Good old Skip, Swimmer thought, grinning at Norrington's angry, red face. He must've snuck out of my shirt before the fight and I never realized.

"You cheated." Norrington's growl was low.

Swimmer shook her head. "No…I improvised. There's a difference. And technically he improvised. Not me." She nodded at Skip.

"What are you going to do, pirate? Kill me?" Questioned the Commodore.

"It crossed my mind." Swimmer admitted.

"You wouldn't walk a foot before every soldier here shot you down." The Commodore hissed. Swimmer blinked at him. He had a point. She'd beaten him, but she wasn't good enough to beat at least twenty other soldiers, at the same time. And if she did kill him, the soldiers would shoot her.

"I'm not stupid enough to kill you in front of all these people, Commodore." She told him. "If I wanted to kill you I'd get you in a dark alley."

The Commodore looked at her. "Then what are you going to do? Stand there and get shot? Or kill me and then get shot?"

"I didn't beat you for nothing." Swimmer replied angrily. "I want a free walk out of this rock prison."

"I don't give free walks to pirates."

"Well what did you give Jack when he escaped the hanging?" Questioned Swimmer. "A free walk? Or are you that pathetic that you couldn't catch him? And what about Will Turner? You let him go after he helped Jack."

Norrington glared at her, and Swimmer felt her hatred for the man grow in the pit of her stomach. "One word from me and your dead." He reminded her softly. "And we all know how pirates boast about their bravery and evil deeds. But when faced with true death, they turn into cowardly fish. See I've realized that pirates may want a lot of things, but what they don't want is to die, to have their pillaging career cut short. Swimmer stared at him, her face white under the tan. She heard the guns of the other soldiers cock behind her. I can't die today, she thought to herself. Not just yet.

"You win." She whispered, spitting out the words like poison from her mouth. She let the sword drop on the ground. "For now, Commodore." Almost instantly she felt her arms grabbed and cold iron chains clapped on her wrists. They pushed her toward the exit of the courtyard and a woman and man stepped up near Norrington. The man took his sword back from where Swimmer had dropped it and the woman gently picked up Skip, who had jumped off Swimmer's shoulders as she was taken away. Skip looked at the strange new female, but didn't fight her.

"She knew Jack." Whispered the man.

"And she knew you." The woman said slowly, stroking the otter's head. "I wonder how."

So what do you think? Read and Review pretty please. Oh and don't worry, Mac's coming back and Mr. Turner and Miss Swann are going to be making their lovely debues, so you don't have to just read about my boring characters. :)