Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom

had the eunuch demonstrate his favorite moves, and began practicing
with them, introducing them into his fencing repertoire.
Ayisha was puzzled as she watched Jack practice. In stark
contrast to his usual blithe insouciance, Jack was honing his fencing
skills unrelentingly, almost grimly. When he had no one to practice with,
he drilled by himself, using assorted targets he set up, repeating each
move until he could do it perfectly.
One day, when he finished a session, he half-collapsed onto the
bottom step of the ladder leading up to the quarterdeck, puffing like an
overridden horse. As his breathing eased, he sat there, staring
gloomily at nothing, swigging thirstily from the canteen he’d brought
with him. Concerned, Ayisha picked up her mending and made her
way across the deck to sit down near him, tucking the skirts of her only
dress neatly around her bare feet.
She pointed to the canteen. “I’m thirsty. Will you share?”
Jack came out of his brooding reverie with a start, as though he
hadn’t seen her approach. “Sure, love,” he said, passing it over.
Ayisha took a gulp, finding that it was watered ale. “You have
been practicing hard, Jack.”
He nodded.
“Do you practice like this with the sword during every voyage?”
Jack shrugged. “I try to keep in practice,” he said, “but no, I don’t
practice every day.”
“Then why now? What is different?”
He gave her a somber glance. “Just restless, I suppose.” His
mouth tightened. “I want to be ready…just in case.”
Picking up her mending, she set to work again, making small,
even stitches with the ease of long practice. “Just in case? Jack, do
you believe you will need to fight, in order to rescue my brother?”
“No,” he replied. “Whenever possible, I prefer not to use brute
force, love. Trickery is smarter and works better.” He took another swig
from the canteen. “Armed assaults tend to be messy, and are often illconceived
and poorly executed.” He gave an exaggerated shudder.
“All that blood and…stuff. Me, I’ll take intelligent cowardice over
foolhardy bravery any day.”
“I agree,” Ayisha said, with a faint smile. “I suppose it’s most likely