My Treasure (Norman Reedus Pirate)

Five: Swords

(Pic of him in a movie called The Conspirator. ^^^)

Norman led me along the deck, gesturing to random things. Several men were bustling around, going to different stations. They'd nod their heads to me, which was a pleasant change rather than bowing to me. I would nod back, and glanced around the deck. Whatever Norman was saying didn't capture my interest.

Suddenly, I heard the clanking of metal. Moving my attention to the noise, I saw two pirates sword fighting. They had scowls on their faces as they swung their long, sharp swords at each other.

"Won't they get hurt?" I asked, cutting Norman off of what he was saying. He glanced at the pirates.

"Nah. They're trained." He stated.

"When am I gonna train?" I demanded. Norman glanced down at me like I had just grown a tail. "If I'm going to be a pirate, I may as well learn how to wield a sword."

"No. Yer not a pirate." Norman declared, starting to walk away.

"Then what the hell am I?" I demanded. "Am I just going to be a lazy maid who does nothing but sit and read?"

"Yes. Now let's go." He muttered without turning around.

Growling, I glanced at the two sword fighting men. They had stopped and were watching us intently. I stormed over to them. Before they could say anything, I ripped a sword out of one of their hands. It was heavier then I anticipated, and I nearly dropped it. The men growled at me, but made no attempt in retrieving their sword. I turned to Norman, who looked fairly pissed.

"Teach me to fight." I ordered.

"Learn by yourself." He snapped back.

"Very well." I turned to the remaining pirate with a sword. "Fight me."

He lifted his sword, and I lifted mine. He brought his down at lightning speed, and I jumped away automatically, shrieking a little.

"Enough!" Norman shouted. Storming up to us, he yanked the sword out of my hand. Then he handed the sword back to the pirate. "If ya wanna fight, ya learn with me. Using fake swords." He grumbled, grabbing my hand roughly and leading me away. Pleased, I followed.

Norman led me over to a desolate area on the deck. Then he reached into a barrel, pulling out two long wooden sticks. He tossed me one. I barely caught it, but I stood up tall. Norman stood in front of me, his stick by his side.

"Ya wanna learn to fight, yer gonna fight with me." He declared. I nodded, and stood back. "First, ya hold the sword with two hands. Yer weak, so you can't hold it with one hand yet." He stated, transferring his "sword" to both of his hands. I nodded, and imitated him. Then he swung the sword at my waist. I expected him to be gentle with training, but once the wooden stick hit my side, a searing pain shot through it.

"Ouch!" I yelped, jumping away.

"Block the blow!  I ain't gonna be gentle about it!" He snapped.

"What ever happened to 'Don't lay a finger on me'?" I demanded, rubbing my side. I could feel the bruise already forming.

"Ya said ya didn't want to be treated like the princess you are." He countered. "Now, block the blow."

"How?"

"Use your sword." Right after he said that, he swung the sword at my other side. This time, I used the sword to block it. The wood clashed together, and I just about dropped it again. Norman nodded slightly. Then he lifted it above his head. He brought it down, and I quickly lifted my sword with both hands. Both hands on both ends, I managed to keep his sword away.

"If ya do that in a real fight, make sure that the flat end is on your palm and not the blade. Otherwise you'll loose the hand." Norman explained. I nodded, and he stepped back. "Try to hit me."

I immediately jabbed the stick at his chest, and he sidestepped it just as quickly. I tried stabbing again, only to fail. "Don't stab. Slice." He corrected. I swung the stick at him. He countered with his sword, and easily blocked it. I swung the other way, but my hands slipped, and sent the stick flying across the deck. I did manage to hit someone in the head with it. I cringed.

"Sorry!" I called. Norman shook his head.

"Bring it back." He called to the pirate I accidentally threw my stick at. He turned to me. "You gotta learn control."

I nodded, and the pirate brought the stick back, muttering something under his breath. "Sorry." I apologized again. He grumbled something again, and handed me the stick again. He turned around to leave.

"Hold on." Norman called. The guy stopped, and Norman walked up behind me. "C'mere." He ordered. The man turned around, while Norman wrapped his arms around me. He grabbed my hands in his, and held the sword with me. "Alright, now you have to control your swings. Don't let go." He explained, his breath hitting me on the shoulder. I nodded, and let him guide me through the movements. He slowly swung left to right, keeping our bodies in sync. I nodded, keeping every move in mind. With his hard chest pressing against my back, and his arms covering mine, it was difficult to break away from him. The smell of whiskey, cigars, and sea water came from him. It was a pleasant change, and I liked the smell.

Suddenly, Norman tilted the sword so that it was aimed at me. He gently brought it down onto my stomach. "Well, now ya killed yourself. Don't do that." He joked. I turned my head to face him.

"I didn't kill myself. You killed me." I retorted, a small smile on my lips.

"You were in control of the sword. Therefore, you killed yourself." He stated. I saw a playful glint in his eyes.

"Alright. Let's try that again." I said, turning around. He went back to where he was previously, and we walked forward to the man.

"Hold still." He ordered the man. "Alright, now you gently hit him. Not rival pirates. You beat the shit out of rival pirates." He explained. I nodded, and let him guide me in the movements of hitting the man.

After a while, Norman let me go. "Alright. Do it yourself." He ordered. I nodded, and gently swung the stick at the man. I managed to hit him in the side. He didn't move, just stared boredly out into the ocean. I continued swinging and hitting his sides, but he never showed any caring.

"Alright, do it with em. Get back to work, Jack." Norman ordered. I turned to face Norman, my sword ready. Norman prepared his stick, and nodded. I swung at him, and he blocked it. I swung on the opposite side, and gain, he blocked it. I continued this for several moments until bringing the sword up. Bringing it down, Norman blocked like I suspected. Although this time, I tilted the stick to the side, and it zoomed down his stick. He hissed in pain as the stick hit his finger tips. I took the distraction and shoved him back. He stumbled into a wooden beam, and I lunged forward. Aiming the stick at his neck, I placed my forearm on his chest to keep him still. I was panting from a mixture of the sun and swinging a sword back and forth.

"I win." I declared. He smirked at me.

"That you do." He stated. I stepped back, smiling. "You did good. Now, try again. This time, I'll be doing more than just blocking."

Norman and I sword fought for hours. Norman beat me, unsurprisingly. But I wasn't the only one walking away with bruises. I managed to land a few good blows on Norman. By sunset, Norman and I were both panting. Most would've hated the feeling of exhaustion. But I relished it. I loved feeling exhausted. Feeling the blood running through my veins. My muscles screamed in delicious pain. Norman's face was also slightly red, and sweat made his skin shine in the fading sunlight.

"Thank you for the lessons, Captain." I thanked him.

"No problem." He muttered. I nodded, and turned back around. "Wait, Isabelle." He called. I paused, and turned to him. "Would you like to accompany me for dinner?" He asked, then glanced away awkwardly. I was a bit surprised, seeing as how Norman didn't seem like the one to ask me to dinner.

"Sure." I answered. I was curious to know him better.

"Meet me in the captains cabin in a little bit." He ordered, and with that, he turned away and headed into what I assumed was the captains cabin.

Shrugging, I made my way back to my cell. I smiled the whole way. I was having dinner with Captain Reedus.