Four
Aragorn was irritated to discover himself once more awake on the ship. Was he never going to get a full night's sleep? It was strange to think that only seconds ago he had been home, yet now he was fully rested in another world. It seemed he didn't need to sleep in order to be rested, but it would have been nice to get away for a while.
Apparently no one was allowed time to think on this ship. No sooner had he begun to wish for sleep than his door burst open and a boy rushed in. An eye patch covered his left eye, and unruly blonde hair flopped around his face.
"Cap'n wants you on deck." The boy announced dramatically.
Aragorn muttered elvish curses under his breath. "Why? And who are you?"
The boy shrugged. "Don't know, and the name's Blink." He grinned. "Could be because of the ship coming up on us."
Aragorn struggled to his feet. "Ship? Is it pirates?"
Blink laughed. "Pirates?" He started to say more, then stopped. "That's for the cap'n to tell ya, I guess."
"What's for the cap'n to tell?"
Blink rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go! I want to fight. The cap'n said I could, this time." The boy bounced out the door he had come through.
Aragorn hurried after him. "Fight? Who are we fighting?" He emerged into the sunlight on deck.
Jack Sparrow's voice rang out to answer his question. "We're pirates, mate. Who do you think we're fighting?"
Aragorn looked up to see the captain pointing off the port bow. The man who was not Legolas was whispering urgently in his ear. Elf-trained ears barely picked it up.
"We're on our honeymoon, Jack! We do not need the law after us!" Will growled.
"Come now, young Turner. Ye don't think I'd give up a prize like this, do ye?" The pirate grinned. "A fat pig like this comes once in a lifetime."
"Exactly!" Will hissed. "What are the chances that a rich merchant vessel will have no guns? Or at least an escort!" He paused. "Don't you think they respect you more than that?"
"Nonsense. I've been away a while. They've forgotten." Jack turned his back to Will and shouted down at Aragorn. "Will ye fight with us, boy?"
Aragorn smiled humorlessly. Boy? "You fight for riches, glory."
Jack grinned. "That we do, mate. So will you join us?"
"Le - Will is right. It is a trap. And I will not fight for glory."
Jack seemed surprised. "Ye heard - What will ye fight for, then?"
"Nothing you would understand." Aragorn turned away, but Will's voice called him back.
"Will you take Elizabeth below? I don't want her on deck for this."
Aragorn faced the man. "You will fight?"
Will looked abashed. "He's my friend." He glanced at the captain, then back down at Aragorn. "I can't let him walk into a trap alone."
"I understand. I will make sure your woman stays below decks." Aragorn turned and almost ran into Elizabeth.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
"Come below, milady." Aragorn said firmly. "You don't want to go up there."
"Is Jack attacking someone?" She asked, furious. "We told him not to!" She tried to push past, but Aragorn held her back.
"Don't, milady." He said softly.
Elizabeth glared as a cannon boomed overhead.
--------------------------
Things were not going well for Captain Jack Sparrow. He HATED it when he was wrong. He especially hated it when Will was right and he was wrong. Add certain death to the mix, and Jack was one unhappy pirate.
The pirate's prey was not at all what it seemed. As soon as the Black Pearl fired on her, the other ship responded by slowing down and raising a flag of surrender. Will didn't like it, but Jack was more than happy. Not only was it a rich merchant, it was rich, stupid merchant!
However, as soon as they pulled up alongside their quarry, men spilled from the hatches and overran the pirate ship. Jack didn't like merchants touching his ship. It made him angry. Very angry.
Unfortunately, anger has never been proven to stand up to numbers. And in this case, the other side had all the numbers. They won without firing a shot, though they did have to restrain a very disturbed Jack Sparrow. Will was knocked out in the first rush, and the rest of the pirate crew was quickly overcome.
No one noticed a boy darting down the hatch.
--------------------------
Aragorn was nearly bowled over as a small body slammed into his in the darkness of the hold. Elizabeth managed to jerk back in time to avoid joining Blink and Aragorn in an undignified pile on the floor. She glared down at the two.
"Now will you let me go up?" she asked hotly. "Arguing is clearly not working, so stop trying to stop me!" She brushed past them onto the deck.
Aragorn shoved Blink off of him and raced after her.
Neither of them expected what they saw.
--------------------------
"So, this is the infamous Jack Sparrow." A leering voice cut through the crowd on the Black Pearl's decks. "I hardly expected you to fall for such an obvious display."
"That's Captain to you, mate." Jack muttered.
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't hear that. Would you care to repeat it?" There was a short pause. "I thought not. I am Commodore Tarleton. This ship is now under my command." An incredibly short man walked into Jack's field of view. "You should have known you could not escape the law, pirate."
"And I bet ye've always wanted to say that, haven't ye." Jack snorted.
"As a matter of fact, I always have. Thank you very much for being stupid enough to give me the opportunity." Tarleton replied.
Jack saw three figures dart out of the hold and head for his cabin, and had to struggle not to smile. "What happened to Norrington?" he demanded.
"Ah, Norrington." Tarleton smiled. "Once the Crown discovered that he had let a pirate escape the gallows and then not arrested the people that aided him, it was only a matter of time before he was replaced."
A small scuffle directed everyone's attention where Jack's had been all along. A man, a woman, and a boy stood armed and ready.
"I was hoping you would join us, Aragorn!" Jack laughed.
"I am not joining you, Jack. Where is Legolas?" Aragorn had searched for his friend, but couldn't find him.
"You mean Will?" Jack glared at Tarleton. "I don't know."
"So that is where the woman and the boy went." Tarleton smiled. "Our sources were right. I had so hoped to catch the traitors with the pirates." He frowned, and addressed himself to Aragorn. "And who are you, sir? If you are a captive, we can grant you your freedom. You are not one of the ones we are supposed to take with us."
Aragorn glared at him suspiciously. "Where is Legolas?" he repeated. "Where is - " he paused. "Where is Will?"
"Ah, you mean Will Turner." Tarleton gestured. "He tried to resist."
Will was sprawled on the floor, blood covering his forehead. He didn't appear to be breathing. Aragorn felt his blood boil.
"Legolas, what did they do to you?" He whispered in elvish. His fingers clenched the hilt of his sword. He glanced at Elizabeth. Tears were running down her face. She lifted her sword and glared grimly at her enemies.
Jack edged away from Tarleton. "Ye shouldn't have done that."
Jack leapt for his captor's sword as chaos erupted.
Apparently no one was allowed time to think on this ship. No sooner had he begun to wish for sleep than his door burst open and a boy rushed in. An eye patch covered his left eye, and unruly blonde hair flopped around his face.
"Cap'n wants you on deck." The boy announced dramatically.
Aragorn muttered elvish curses under his breath. "Why? And who are you?"
The boy shrugged. "Don't know, and the name's Blink." He grinned. "Could be because of the ship coming up on us."
Aragorn struggled to his feet. "Ship? Is it pirates?"
Blink laughed. "Pirates?" He started to say more, then stopped. "That's for the cap'n to tell ya, I guess."
"What's for the cap'n to tell?"
Blink rolled his eyes. "Come on, let's go! I want to fight. The cap'n said I could, this time." The boy bounced out the door he had come through.
Aragorn hurried after him. "Fight? Who are we fighting?" He emerged into the sunlight on deck.
Jack Sparrow's voice rang out to answer his question. "We're pirates, mate. Who do you think we're fighting?"
Aragorn looked up to see the captain pointing off the port bow. The man who was not Legolas was whispering urgently in his ear. Elf-trained ears barely picked it up.
"We're on our honeymoon, Jack! We do not need the law after us!" Will growled.
"Come now, young Turner. Ye don't think I'd give up a prize like this, do ye?" The pirate grinned. "A fat pig like this comes once in a lifetime."
"Exactly!" Will hissed. "What are the chances that a rich merchant vessel will have no guns? Or at least an escort!" He paused. "Don't you think they respect you more than that?"
"Nonsense. I've been away a while. They've forgotten." Jack turned his back to Will and shouted down at Aragorn. "Will ye fight with us, boy?"
Aragorn smiled humorlessly. Boy? "You fight for riches, glory."
Jack grinned. "That we do, mate. So will you join us?"
"Le - Will is right. It is a trap. And I will not fight for glory."
Jack seemed surprised. "Ye heard - What will ye fight for, then?"
"Nothing you would understand." Aragorn turned away, but Will's voice called him back.
"Will you take Elizabeth below? I don't want her on deck for this."
Aragorn faced the man. "You will fight?"
Will looked abashed. "He's my friend." He glanced at the captain, then back down at Aragorn. "I can't let him walk into a trap alone."
"I understand. I will make sure your woman stays below decks." Aragorn turned and almost ran into Elizabeth.
"What's going on?" she demanded.
"Come below, milady." Aragorn said firmly. "You don't want to go up there."
"Is Jack attacking someone?" She asked, furious. "We told him not to!" She tried to push past, but Aragorn held her back.
"Don't, milady." He said softly.
Elizabeth glared as a cannon boomed overhead.
--------------------------
Things were not going well for Captain Jack Sparrow. He HATED it when he was wrong. He especially hated it when Will was right and he was wrong. Add certain death to the mix, and Jack was one unhappy pirate.
The pirate's prey was not at all what it seemed. As soon as the Black Pearl fired on her, the other ship responded by slowing down and raising a flag of surrender. Will didn't like it, but Jack was more than happy. Not only was it a rich merchant, it was rich, stupid merchant!
However, as soon as they pulled up alongside their quarry, men spilled from the hatches and overran the pirate ship. Jack didn't like merchants touching his ship. It made him angry. Very angry.
Unfortunately, anger has never been proven to stand up to numbers. And in this case, the other side had all the numbers. They won without firing a shot, though they did have to restrain a very disturbed Jack Sparrow. Will was knocked out in the first rush, and the rest of the pirate crew was quickly overcome.
No one noticed a boy darting down the hatch.
--------------------------
Aragorn was nearly bowled over as a small body slammed into his in the darkness of the hold. Elizabeth managed to jerk back in time to avoid joining Blink and Aragorn in an undignified pile on the floor. She glared down at the two.
"Now will you let me go up?" she asked hotly. "Arguing is clearly not working, so stop trying to stop me!" She brushed past them onto the deck.
Aragorn shoved Blink off of him and raced after her.
Neither of them expected what they saw.
--------------------------
"So, this is the infamous Jack Sparrow." A leering voice cut through the crowd on the Black Pearl's decks. "I hardly expected you to fall for such an obvious display."
"That's Captain to you, mate." Jack muttered.
"I'm terribly sorry, I didn't hear that. Would you care to repeat it?" There was a short pause. "I thought not. I am Commodore Tarleton. This ship is now under my command." An incredibly short man walked into Jack's field of view. "You should have known you could not escape the law, pirate."
"And I bet ye've always wanted to say that, haven't ye." Jack snorted.
"As a matter of fact, I always have. Thank you very much for being stupid enough to give me the opportunity." Tarleton replied.
Jack saw three figures dart out of the hold and head for his cabin, and had to struggle not to smile. "What happened to Norrington?" he demanded.
"Ah, Norrington." Tarleton smiled. "Once the Crown discovered that he had let a pirate escape the gallows and then not arrested the people that aided him, it was only a matter of time before he was replaced."
A small scuffle directed everyone's attention where Jack's had been all along. A man, a woman, and a boy stood armed and ready.
"I was hoping you would join us, Aragorn!" Jack laughed.
"I am not joining you, Jack. Where is Legolas?" Aragorn had searched for his friend, but couldn't find him.
"You mean Will?" Jack glared at Tarleton. "I don't know."
"So that is where the woman and the boy went." Tarleton smiled. "Our sources were right. I had so hoped to catch the traitors with the pirates." He frowned, and addressed himself to Aragorn. "And who are you, sir? If you are a captive, we can grant you your freedom. You are not one of the ones we are supposed to take with us."
Aragorn glared at him suspiciously. "Where is Legolas?" he repeated. "Where is - " he paused. "Where is Will?"
"Ah, you mean Will Turner." Tarleton gestured. "He tried to resist."
Will was sprawled on the floor, blood covering his forehead. He didn't appear to be breathing. Aragorn felt his blood boil.
"Legolas, what did they do to you?" He whispered in elvish. His fingers clenched the hilt of his sword. He glanced at Elizabeth. Tears were running down her face. She lifted her sword and glared grimly at her enemies.
Jack edged away from Tarleton. "Ye shouldn't have done that."
Jack leapt for his captor's sword as chaos erupted.