Well, here's the next chapter. I'm so dead tired, I have nothing to say.
I'm just surprised I managed to have time to write this, finally.
Oh, and a round of applause to Shadow the Tiger, who was the 100th reviewer!
---------
Between Worlds
Ch 11
By Sigil
----------
There was no flash of light this time. No noise. No indication at all that there were now once again four other people in the cavern. Aragorn, Legolas, Will, and Jack quickly bent down to pick up their weapons of choice. Legolas grabbed a pistol, stared at it for a second, then handed it to Jack and picked up a sword.
Aragorn glanced around at the soldiers. "Where's the crew?" The corner where they had been held was empty.
"They can't have gone far." Will gestured to the mouth of the cave, and the four quickly hurried outside. There, they saw a continuation of the battle they had been a part of inside, but it was quite clear that the crew of the Black Pearl was losing – and badly. The tide was coming in, and the waves washed at the feet of the combatants as Aragorn, Legolas, Will, and Jack hurried forward.
It was a relatively short battle. The four had had a brief moment of rest, while their foes had been fighting nonstop. Add in the sheer power of a disgruntled elf and an irritated Ranger, and soon a water-logged Jack was giving his victory yell.
He strode up to Aragorn and Legolas and clapped them on the shoulder. "My thanks to you, lads." Jack's smile threatened to engulf his face. Merrily, he swung back to his crew. "Now, men. To the boats!" He lifted his hands and danced a short jig. "To the Black – " Abruptly, he stopped and grabbed his stomach.
A second later, Aragorn felt it, too. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Legolas and Will doubled up over their stomachs as well. The feeling couldn't necessarily be called pain; it seemed to defy the definition of the word. It was as if his insides were slowly being twisted into knots and then pulled insistently in the direction of the cave.
Vaguely, he realized that Will was currently vomiting into the rising water, but all else seemed beyond him. The world was dissolving, the waves becoming grass, the imposing rocks of the cave becoming towering trees. Aragorn dropped to his knees. At this level, the water almost reached his nose. Voices gabbled irritatingly in the background, and hands plucked at his clothing.
Strong arms lifted him from the water, and then he knew no more.
----------------------
Aragorn awoke to the sound of shouting.
Legolas and Will were on either side of Jack, obviously trying to calm the pirate. Their attempts seemed to go unheeded as Jack continued to hurl obscenities at the pool.
Aragorn stood slowly, surprised at his lack of pain. Quickly, he made his way to his friends. "What's wrong?" he murmured to Legolas.
Jack whirled in anger. "The bloody pool is underwater, that's what's wrong!" He pointed to the surface, which showed a clear view of a water- filled chamber.
"Underwater?" Aragorn blinked. "But if it's made of water......won't it be destroyed?"
"It's not water." Legolas murmured.
Aragorn looked at him closely. "How do you know?"
"I couldn't drink it. I wanted to see if it tasted like water, but I couldn't swallow."
Jack smacked his forehead. "You tried to drink from the pool?" He rolled his eyes. "Rule 13 of the Pirate's Code: Never attempt to disturb any magical object not made of a precious substance."
Will frowned. "You made that up."
"Of course I didn't." Jack looked wounded. "No pirate would willingly incur a curse unless gold or jewels were involved."
"As we were saying," Aragorn said loudly, "Legolas, you mean the pool isn't made of water?"
Legolas nodded.
"Well, in that case," Jack bent over the surface and stared intently down into the depths, then reached out to touch the surface.
Instantly, he went sailing backwards. The other three stared after him, bemused. They had felt nothing.
Awkwardly, Jack got to his feet. "Any other ideas?"
Aragorn massaged his forehead slowly. "You cannot rearrange the stones if the pool will not let you touch it, so you cannot return until the water lowers. As it is, your bodies would apparently still be trapped here whether you went through or not." He turned to Legolas. "Your father is closest. Would he help us?"
Legolas stared meaningfully at Jack, then shook his head. "No. He could not help us if he wanted to. Lord Elrond would be better able to deal with this."
Aragorn winced. "I was afraid you would say that."
Legolas smiled wickedly. "Better your home than mine."
Will's head moved back and forth to follow the exchange. "So. Where are going?"
Aragorn smiled bravely. "To Rivendell."
---------
TBC
---------
Well, I finally had the time to write responses. Here they are:
Rachel13: I'm not entirely sure I need ideas right now, but knowing me I will soon. I have a tendency to get flashes of insight into my stories, and then they only last for one chapter. That's why it takes me so long to update. Ideas only come when I'm least expecting them. If you want to send me ideas, though, they would be more than welcome.
FrodoBaggins87: Glad you're liking it! I know this has been done millions of times, but most of the ones I've read are really silly. I've always liked serious time-travel stories, so I just decided to write one.
Ainu Laire: I'll probably have them travel through M-E later, since that's what I intended from the beginning. *guilty laugh* Yes, my A/N was a little strange. It was late, and my brain was sending random messages. The endangered green bunny population of M-E was only one possibility that ran through my head as I banged my head on the keyboard during a prolonged bout of writer's block.
Espel: That's pretty much what I'm thinking. Jack Sparrow and the Elves? Chaos ensues!
Lindaleriel: Yep, Leggy-boy and the gun is so far my favorite part of this story. I could just imagine how strange he could think it was that something so tiny could make such a loud noise.
LalaithoftheBruinen: Nope, not forensics as in debate, though I am involved in that as well. I don't belong to the NFL, but I wish I did. Good job on the membership!
LegolasGreenleafGil-Estel: Yes, now that I've written that down, it's starting to attack me, too. As if I don't have enough on my hands, now I keep thinking about cute little green bunnies......If you want to write that story, you're more than welcome to. I don't think I'll ever get around to it.
Charis-1974: There is a lot of opportunity for great dialogue, and dialogue is what I like to write. Happy that you're loving it!
Applesauce and Chocolate: Love the name! Shortness is driving me crazy, too. No matter how hard I try, I can't for the life of me write a long chapter. I just keep running out of ideas a page or two into it. As for your questions, those will be answered soon.
Lady Starlight2: AAHHHH!!!! *runs from Evil!LS with a hammer* I'm trying! *sees LS join Evil!LS* Not TWO of you! Alright, alright, I'll get going!
Eamane-elf: Thanks! Yes, most of my summaries do end up sounding like bored stories. I am the Queen of Bad Summaries. Can't write one to save my life. And no, I don't love Legolas or Will, but I don't hate them either. I just like to write them.
*sigh* I just know I forgot someone......
OK, now I'd like to ask you guys something. I'm thinking about making a series out of this. I'm getting major Star Wars, Robin Hood, Batman, and Peter Pan plot bunnies (among others) and I love cross-overs, so I'm considering writing sequels where these four go to those places – and others if you have fandoms you like. It's kind of up in the air right now, but I've started getting ideas, so I was wondering what you'd think. I'll probably end up writing them; I just wanted to know if you'd read them.
Oh, and a round of applause to Shadow the Tiger, who was the 100th reviewer!
---------
Between Worlds
Ch 11
By Sigil
----------
There was no flash of light this time. No noise. No indication at all that there were now once again four other people in the cavern. Aragorn, Legolas, Will, and Jack quickly bent down to pick up their weapons of choice. Legolas grabbed a pistol, stared at it for a second, then handed it to Jack and picked up a sword.
Aragorn glanced around at the soldiers. "Where's the crew?" The corner where they had been held was empty.
"They can't have gone far." Will gestured to the mouth of the cave, and the four quickly hurried outside. There, they saw a continuation of the battle they had been a part of inside, but it was quite clear that the crew of the Black Pearl was losing – and badly. The tide was coming in, and the waves washed at the feet of the combatants as Aragorn, Legolas, Will, and Jack hurried forward.
It was a relatively short battle. The four had had a brief moment of rest, while their foes had been fighting nonstop. Add in the sheer power of a disgruntled elf and an irritated Ranger, and soon a water-logged Jack was giving his victory yell.
He strode up to Aragorn and Legolas and clapped them on the shoulder. "My thanks to you, lads." Jack's smile threatened to engulf his face. Merrily, he swung back to his crew. "Now, men. To the boats!" He lifted his hands and danced a short jig. "To the Black – " Abruptly, he stopped and grabbed his stomach.
A second later, Aragorn felt it, too. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Legolas and Will doubled up over their stomachs as well. The feeling couldn't necessarily be called pain; it seemed to defy the definition of the word. It was as if his insides were slowly being twisted into knots and then pulled insistently in the direction of the cave.
Vaguely, he realized that Will was currently vomiting into the rising water, but all else seemed beyond him. The world was dissolving, the waves becoming grass, the imposing rocks of the cave becoming towering trees. Aragorn dropped to his knees. At this level, the water almost reached his nose. Voices gabbled irritatingly in the background, and hands plucked at his clothing.
Strong arms lifted him from the water, and then he knew no more.
----------------------
Aragorn awoke to the sound of shouting.
Legolas and Will were on either side of Jack, obviously trying to calm the pirate. Their attempts seemed to go unheeded as Jack continued to hurl obscenities at the pool.
Aragorn stood slowly, surprised at his lack of pain. Quickly, he made his way to his friends. "What's wrong?" he murmured to Legolas.
Jack whirled in anger. "The bloody pool is underwater, that's what's wrong!" He pointed to the surface, which showed a clear view of a water- filled chamber.
"Underwater?" Aragorn blinked. "But if it's made of water......won't it be destroyed?"
"It's not water." Legolas murmured.
Aragorn looked at him closely. "How do you know?"
"I couldn't drink it. I wanted to see if it tasted like water, but I couldn't swallow."
Jack smacked his forehead. "You tried to drink from the pool?" He rolled his eyes. "Rule 13 of the Pirate's Code: Never attempt to disturb any magical object not made of a precious substance."
Will frowned. "You made that up."
"Of course I didn't." Jack looked wounded. "No pirate would willingly incur a curse unless gold or jewels were involved."
"As we were saying," Aragorn said loudly, "Legolas, you mean the pool isn't made of water?"
Legolas nodded.
"Well, in that case," Jack bent over the surface and stared intently down into the depths, then reached out to touch the surface.
Instantly, he went sailing backwards. The other three stared after him, bemused. They had felt nothing.
Awkwardly, Jack got to his feet. "Any other ideas?"
Aragorn massaged his forehead slowly. "You cannot rearrange the stones if the pool will not let you touch it, so you cannot return until the water lowers. As it is, your bodies would apparently still be trapped here whether you went through or not." He turned to Legolas. "Your father is closest. Would he help us?"
Legolas stared meaningfully at Jack, then shook his head. "No. He could not help us if he wanted to. Lord Elrond would be better able to deal with this."
Aragorn winced. "I was afraid you would say that."
Legolas smiled wickedly. "Better your home than mine."
Will's head moved back and forth to follow the exchange. "So. Where are going?"
Aragorn smiled bravely. "To Rivendell."
---------
TBC
---------
Well, I finally had the time to write responses. Here they are:
Rachel13: I'm not entirely sure I need ideas right now, but knowing me I will soon. I have a tendency to get flashes of insight into my stories, and then they only last for one chapter. That's why it takes me so long to update. Ideas only come when I'm least expecting them. If you want to send me ideas, though, they would be more than welcome.
FrodoBaggins87: Glad you're liking it! I know this has been done millions of times, but most of the ones I've read are really silly. I've always liked serious time-travel stories, so I just decided to write one.
Ainu Laire: I'll probably have them travel through M-E later, since that's what I intended from the beginning. *guilty laugh* Yes, my A/N was a little strange. It was late, and my brain was sending random messages. The endangered green bunny population of M-E was only one possibility that ran through my head as I banged my head on the keyboard during a prolonged bout of writer's block.
Espel: That's pretty much what I'm thinking. Jack Sparrow and the Elves? Chaos ensues!
Lindaleriel: Yep, Leggy-boy and the gun is so far my favorite part of this story. I could just imagine how strange he could think it was that something so tiny could make such a loud noise.
LalaithoftheBruinen: Nope, not forensics as in debate, though I am involved in that as well. I don't belong to the NFL, but I wish I did. Good job on the membership!
LegolasGreenleafGil-Estel: Yes, now that I've written that down, it's starting to attack me, too. As if I don't have enough on my hands, now I keep thinking about cute little green bunnies......If you want to write that story, you're more than welcome to. I don't think I'll ever get around to it.
Charis-1974: There is a lot of opportunity for great dialogue, and dialogue is what I like to write. Happy that you're loving it!
Applesauce and Chocolate: Love the name! Shortness is driving me crazy, too. No matter how hard I try, I can't for the life of me write a long chapter. I just keep running out of ideas a page or two into it. As for your questions, those will be answered soon.
Lady Starlight2: AAHHHH!!!! *runs from Evil!LS with a hammer* I'm trying! *sees LS join Evil!LS* Not TWO of you! Alright, alright, I'll get going!
Eamane-elf: Thanks! Yes, most of my summaries do end up sounding like bored stories. I am the Queen of Bad Summaries. Can't write one to save my life. And no, I don't love Legolas or Will, but I don't hate them either. I just like to write them.
*sigh* I just know I forgot someone......
OK, now I'd like to ask you guys something. I'm thinking about making a series out of this. I'm getting major Star Wars, Robin Hood, Batman, and Peter Pan plot bunnies (among others) and I love cross-overs, so I'm considering writing sequels where these four go to those places – and others if you have fandoms you like. It's kind of up in the air right now, but I've started getting ideas, so I was wondering what you'd think. I'll probably end up writing them; I just wanted to know if you'd read them.
