A/N- Thank you for all the kind reviews! It is so encouraging to hear that you guys are enjoying it! This chapter will hopefully be as good as the previous ones as well. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

Constance shielded her eyes at the unruly sun and couldn't help but wish she had not given the Captain his jacket earlier in the morning as there was a slight breeze in the air which made her hairs stand on edge. As she waited for the Captain, she was able to see land in the distance and felt her heart fall as she realised that she was nearing the end of her brilliant adventure. True, there had been times she would not like to re-live again, such as being kidnapped by pirates, watching the young boy being killed so brutally in the water and then nearly being pushed over deck. But at the same time, she didn't regret anything from her time being on the Silent Mary. After more than a week of being with the crew, she had spent some of her spare time talking to the officers and they now greeted her far more fondly as they passed by. One had asked her what on earth she was doing so early in the morning and when she told him that she was going to learn to sword fight, she was amazed when he wished her luck rather than laughing at her.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Lieutenant Lasero approached her and she noticed he had two swords in his hands. He passed her one and by now, quite a few officers looked as though they were taking a break as they sat around the side of the ships, watching them. She took the sword gently and realised it had been the very one that she had taken from the young officer who had died. She tried not to think too much about that fact and she began to furrow her brow as she got the distinct feeling that the Captain may not be teaching her after all.

"Erm…Lieutenant I was under the impression that Captain Salazar was teaching me". She stated, hoping that her disappointment wasn't too obvious. Apparently, it was.

"Don't look so sad. He will teach later on, we are near land and he wishes to attend to some documents that will be needed later. He sends his apologies and should join later. In the meantime, you will be trained by me and perhaps some others". He looked irritated at the last part and she followed his eyes as he was glaring at Santos and Magda who looked sheepishly away. She had the feeling that they may have asked to help out as well.

The training started off slowly and Constance soon felt as though sword fighting wasn't that hard after all. She had managed to deflect a few of the Lieutenant's swings and she couldn't help but smile as she lifted up her sword again to stop an incoming hit. Lesaro then signalled that he was to stop and he came behind her to readjust her grip on the sword. Now that she was holding it the way he wanted, she went through another series of movements. Feeling content, she turned around and gave both Santos and Magda a thumbs up to which they chuckled slightly in reply.

"Now that you have learnt to hold the sword-" Lesaro began , but was cut off by Constance.

"What?! This was just holding the sword!" She exclaimed. She thought that she had been doing amazing but apparently this was not even the beginning of learning to fight. She gave a huff and nearly laughed at Lesaro's expression which clearly said that she was an idiot.

"Correct. Now you can hold the sword properly, we can move onto defence".

"I thought I was blocking your hits though". She replied, confused already.

"I was making sure you had a firm grip of the sword" He sighed. "Now Magda will demonstrate some defence moves and you are to imitate him". And so it began.

For what seemed like hours she mimicked the grinning Magda and both laughed and squealed a few times at the sight of Lesaro and Magda fighting. Considering the last fight she had been in was one for her life, she had barely been able to consider anyone else but herself. Now as she watched the officers fight she was entranced and found the whole thing entertaining. She understood why they enjoyed it so much.

As she tried to block the swings from Lesaro he suddenly called for Magda to join in and she had no idea how on earth she did it, but she managed to block them both repeatedly. She could feel the adrenaline rush through her veins and she had to keep focused as she was very aware from being cut last time that swords did indeed hurt. Soon enough she was allowed a small break and several officers approached her to give her their own tips and experiences with a sword. All in all, despite being tired she was enjoying herself immensely. Lesaro was a hard worker and she had scarcely a chance to rest when he was making her come back up to show her how to attack.

She came to the conclusion as the morning went on that sword fighting was very hard and very tiring. Her attempts at hitting Lesaro all failed and he blocked her effortlessly. She managed to hold her complaints in about him being too hard as she tried to tell herself that when people were fighting for their lives, no one went easy on the other person.

She didn't know how much time had gone by, but eventually she was managing to nearly hit the Lieutenant. Santos was trying to give her the occasional piece of advice from the side but it caused her to laugh more than anything. As after all shouting 'just throw it at him' was not that helpful. She was sure that Lesaro would be having some strong words with him later.

She was just about to ask if she could stop when Lesaro stopped himself from swinging his sword at her. She turned around to see Captain Salazar who was leaning rather casually against his sword and she was taken back at how attractive he looked. He was wearing his coat and although his hair was perfectly tied up a few strands had got free and stroked his face against the breeze. She couldn't help but admire his presence and she was woken from her thoughts as he gestured for her to move aside.

She watched as he spoke to Lesaro in Spanish and seconds later the Lieutenant had bowed his head slowly and moved into the position to fight. The officers all cheered for the Captain and she smiled as the sun warmed her face. She was stood between Magda and Santos and they helped her up onto a barrel to sit and watch.

"Have they ever fought before?" She whispered to Santos who nodded his head.

"They are both incredibly skilled. When the men's morale is low the Captain sometimes makes us fight to get our spirits up. The Captain fighting the Lieutenant is always the highlight. But don't worry, they never hurt one another". As he spoke she kept her eyes fixated on the captain who carefully unsheathed his sword. It was a beautiful dark colour and she tried not to think of the amount of men he had slain with it. The Captain turned slightly and gave her a small nod and she smiled back in reply.

She suddenly found out why the officers were excited to see their Captain and Lieutenant fight as it was like an intricate dance with a mixture of clashes and smashes from the swords making contact with one another. The Captain was faster than she expected and she watched as Lesaro spun around just in time to avoid a fast blow from Captain Salazar. They fought for a while and she made note of certain moves, hoping that she would get to try them one day. Constance could see why the Captain had gained such a reputation as he fought effortlessly against Lesaro who looked like he was starting to get tired. The Captain seemed to notice this and just as he moved out of the way from Lesaro's sword coming down on him, he moved his arm and manged to capture Lesaro's arm. Twisting the arm, the Captain forced Lesaro to drop the sword and when he let go of the Lieutenant's arm, Lesaro fell to his knees breathing heavily.

The officers cheered and Captain Salazar offered his Lieutenant a hand and pulled the panting man up. Constance found his treatment of his crew very admirable and it was a stark contrast to his treatment of the pirates. After speaking for a few seconds, she watched as Lesaro made his way back to the wheel on the stern deck and she gathered that he was allowed to have a break. She thought that the fighting was over but was surprised when the Captain gestured for her to come near. She gave Santos and Magda a nervous smile, and thanked them as they helped her off the barrel she had been perched on.

"Now, let's see how much you can remember". He smirked and she suddenly felt very anxious. Taking a deep breath, she tried to mentally prepare herself and was thankful that her arm was no longer as painful as it had been. For a second she remembered the Captain's wound but considering he had looked relaxed and healthy when fighting a few moments ago, she told herself not to worry. She stared at the Captain for a few seconds as he waited for her to make a move. She suddenly had an idea and readied herself in the correct position. He seemed happy by her stance and nodded for her to begin.

Constance's first few hits were rather pitiful and they were knocked away effortlessly. Deciding that she was stronger when defending, she managed to deflect the next few hits from the Captain. He started to attack faster and she was slowly being pushed back. Knowing that it wouldn't be too long until she was against the wall, she manged to strike at him and before he had chance to react she used her height against him. Diving on the floor she was amazed her plan worked as she rolled away and attempted to hit him from the back. He seemed slightly surprised at her little display and she saw a genuine smile grace his lips.

However, her mistake was being caught up in her own achievement as suddenly she ended up having to throw herself to the floor when she failed to defend another incoming attack. She rolled to stand up and as she was on her back, she looked up to see the Captain's sword just above her heart. The tip of his sword pressed against her heaving chest and she felt her cheeks flush. The Captain on the other hand was looking rather jovial. His hair had manged to escape the confines of the ribbon which had held it so well together. He was grinning at her from above and she gently let go of her sword and breathed deeply. The officers around her clapped for the Captain and she heard Santos shouting that she did well.

The Captain offered her his hand and as he pulled her up, he made her bow to the officers who whooped and clapped causing her already red cheeks to darken and she laughed merrily.

"Thank you Captain". She said breathlessly.

"You did better than I expected. But always remember, hubris. You would have lasted longer if you had not celebrated". He replied seriously and she nodded her head, keeping that in mind.

"I have something for you. Come". The Captain waved his hand slightly at his crew and sure enough they all got back to work, but they were far happier and seemed to be chatting away enthusiastically.

Constance followed the Captain to his cabin and realized that this would most likely be one of the last times she would be with him as they were nearing land.

"We aren't that far away, are we?" She asked, causing him to turn his head slightly.

"We will make port by the morrow".

She tried not to sigh and took a seat in the chair opposite his desk. He however, did not sit and instead remained standing next to her. Slowly, he placed his gloved hand inside his coat pocket and pulled out the most beautiful dagger she had ever laid her eyes on.

It was made of silver and had a beautiful design of vines running up the blade. She watched it glimmer against the odd bit of daylight shining through the Captain's window and she gave the Captain a confused look.

"A present". He offered and as he passed it her, he gently made contact with her hand, causing him to draw back suddenly and walk away. Standing up, she marvelled at the lightness of the blade and made her way to him.

"But why? I don't deserve this". He didn't look at her as he replied and she wondered if this was a rare occasion for the Captain to be giving away such expensive gifts.

"You lost the bracelet, yes? And that was a gift that had entrapped you. Take this as a gift which will liberate you. Let it always be a reminder that you lived".

His reply made her tear up and she was taken back by his kind words. Very tentatively she placed her hand on his arm and pulled him to make him face her. As he turned, they made eyes contact and she was about to speak when his gloved hand suddenly touched her face, and very carefully wiped away tear that had been tricking down her face. This was the gentlest she had ever seen him and she felt her heart flutter.

His gloved hands suddenly moved to her chin and he tipped her head up just a fraction so she was now looking up at him. She felt her eyes widen as the next thing she knew, she felt the warmth of his lips against her own soft lips.