A Pirate's Kiss (Wattys Winner 2011)

(21) Hand Fighting and Lady Thighs

Lacy's voice was calm and I wondered again how she had managed not to get frustrated with me yet. Sighing I walked forward to pull the dagger out of the main mast which I had been using as a target for my throwing practice for the last three hours.

It had been almost a week since Lacy had begun to teach me how to fight and I was still horrible at everything except hand fighting, which, if I was honest with myself, wasn't the most ladylike way of fighting, nor the fairest.

I walked back to my line and took a deep breath, shaking my shoulders out and trying to calm my mind. Holding up the dagger, I gripped the handle and eyed my target. Pull arm back, flick of the wrist to add spin, and ... throw.

Thunk

The dagger sank into the wood, just inside the outer ring of the bulls-eye that had been painted on the weathered mast.

"Good job Cee!" Lacy cheered and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Lacy I'm terrible and you know it, so stop acting like I'm doing something right because I'm obviously not." My voice came out sharper than intended and I slapped a hand over my mouth as soon as I had finished. "Lacy I'm sorry!" I blurted, rushing over to give her a hug. "It's just getting so frustrating!"

She laughed and patted my back. "I know, I was the same to start with, it's probably harder for you because you're learning so late." She pulled back from me a little., a mischievous glint in her eye. "At least you are actually hitting the target now." She laughed and I growled, ruffling her hair.

"Quiet you."

She did have a point though, I had improved a tiny amount during the week. I cringed as I remembered my first attempt at throwing a dagger, I had accidently let go of it as I swung it backwards and almost skewered Hobbs in the eye. The look on his face had been priceless but I hadn't been able to stop apologizing. He had just grinned and shaken it off, although I noticed that he now preferred to stand up on the helm with Obsidian, safely out of harms way.

I glanced up there now, studying the silent figure that stood behind the ships wheel, his strong hands on two of the rounded handles as he gently turned the ship every now and then, keeping us on course. Hobbs was standing to the right of the Obsidian, leaning on the railing and looking out to sea. He had his padding back on, to keep up pretenses he told me, and looked the way that he did when I first met him at my Birthday Ball, round and jolly.

I looked at Obsidian again who was still staring straight out in front of him. He hadn't spoken to me since I had changed his bandage, studiously ignoring me whenever I had to walk through his room to get to the outside deck and I had given up trying to figure of what was wrong with him. If he was going to act insist on acting like this then who was I to stand in his way.

As though he had heard my thoughts, his eyes flickered in my direction and he caught my gaze for a split second before his full upper lip curled in a sneer and he looked away, moving back slightly with one hand still on the wheel so he could say something to Hobbs. Hobbs looked to me, smiling slightly before looking out to sea again, replying to Obsidian. I could see his mouth moving but I couldn't make out what he was saying. Where they talking about me?

Frustrated I ran a shaking hand through my hair. I couldn't let him get to me like this.

"Can we try something else for a while?" I asked Lacy, almost desperately. "Please?"

She frowned and opened her mouth but before she could speak, Cobalts smooth voice came from her right.

"She's right Lace," He said, getting to his feet from where he had been sitting, leaning his back on the railing of the deck. "She needs to do something else for a while, there is no point in trying when you're frustrated." He winked at me. "Ready to take me on in some hand fighting?"