Hello! Thank you Tam Breo, Alysse, miss-ferret, and bunny-luver for your
reviews! I always like it when people review.
I won't babble on any longer, and get straight to the point.
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"Where?" said Aragorn with a jolt of excitement.
He couldn't believe it. It was going to be so easy to find it? He had thought that it was going to involve some tediously long search to find the gold. But now here was a man who knew where it was.
"Anyhow, if you're serious about getting back to this Middle-earth," said Jack, ignoring Aragorn, "then I suggest we get started straightaway. We'll need a ship, and a crew if possible. Aragorn, seeing as how this whole thing was you're idea, I suppose you can tag along."
He started walking, giving an enormous sway as he started off.
"Are you sure this man can help us?" whispered Aragorn to Will. "I mean, he's seems like a few waves short of a shipwreck to me."
"Well, there's some truth there," said Will, and grinned. Then, serious again, "he was driven half mad about ten years ago, when he was marooned on a tiny island."
"How did he get off?" said Aragorn, interested.
"I don't know," said Will. "You should ask him. But anyway, don't let first impressions get the better of you. He may be slightly mad, but he is one of the cleverest men you'll ever come across."
"Look, am I going to have to do this meself?" said Jack irritably. He was watching them with his arms crossed. "Because I really don't feel like pretending to be Mr Evenstar in this so-called Middle-earth the rest of my life."
"Right, let's go," said Will to Aragorn.
Jack tied his scarf back over his mouth and led them up the sandy slope and onto the dry, wooden dock. Aragorn looked down to the end. Along the sides were various ships and boats. There were about ten fishers on each side of the dock, dangling their feet in the water and either holding rods or watching lobster traps.
"Right, you see that ship there?" said Jack, pointing down the dock.
"Which one?" said Aragorn irritably. "You should be more specific. There are a dozen ships 'there'."
"The one right at the end," said Jack. "We are going to commandeer that ship and take you to your gold. Savvy? Right, let's go or we'll miss the tide."
He started off down the wooden bridge to the lower half of the dock, when Aragorn remembered something.
"Jack - er, ahem, Spack!" said Aragorn. "We cannot go yet. Andúril is still under lock and key!"
"What's still under lock and key?" said Jack, turning around. "Look mate, we've got to hurry. The tide leaves in half an hour."
"We must retrieve Andúril before I return to Middle-earth," said Aragorn flatly. "It is the only one of it's kind; the blade of Isildur re-forged! It must not be lost to us."
"Let's back up, here," said Jack, returning to Aragorn to talk to him. His breath was horrible. "What's this Andúril you're talking about?"
"A powerful sword," said Aragorn. "The greatest of any blade in the world."
"I shouldn't like to have to make Aragorn leave it here," piped up Will.
"I cannot go back without it," said Aragorn.
"You will not go back without it," said Jack, putting extra emphasis on the word 'will'. "But you can. I had a conversation along these lines with Will here once."
"I don't care," said Aragorn through gritted teeth. "I am going to retrieve Andúril now."
Jack rolled his eyes.
"If it's that much to you we'll go get it," he said. "Hurry up, we're on limited time here."
"Alright, Aragorn and I will go and retrieve his sword," said Will. "Jack, you go and get us a ship ready."
"Hold it," said Jack. "I'm captain here, I give orders. Right: Will, you and Aragorn go and retrieve the sword, and I will get us a ship ready."
With that, he walked off down the bridge and on to the dock.
"Right, let's go," said Will. He and Aragorn took off down the cobblestone street and into the town square. Business had resumed as normal, people walking around in and out of various buildings; people talking amongst themselves; vendors selling and trading items to other people.
"Which way was it taken?" said Aragorn.
"Down that way," said Will, pointing down the road which led away from the Eagle's Nest. There was a roman-style arch in the entrance. "It's getting dark, so if we expect to retrieve it today, we'd better hurry."
"Why? Why can't we get it during the night?"
"Well, at night a new watchman goes on duty, Mr Obstinée. He's about the most stubborn and bad-tempered watchman known to mankind. You don't want to get on his bad side; he can make your life hell.
"Let's go before he goes on," said Will, looking up at the sky. They began down the road with the roman-style archway, until they reached an intersection where three roads (not counting the one they just came through) led out at different angles.
"Right, we want to go this way," said Will, and led Aragorn down the road leading to the right, which took them to a marble staircase. They went down this staircase, which took them to a grey brick building with barred windows and an iron door. A black sign with gold lettering beside the door read 'Port Royal Prison'.
"Hurry, he'll be on soon," said Will. They hastened down the stone steps and to the door. Will reached for the brass doorknob, when it turned and the door opened with a *creeeeaaaak*. In the doorframe stood Becket and Ives, musketless this time, and not wearing their tricorns or redcoats. Instead they were wearing white waistcoats and brown shirts, and nothing on their heads.
"Mr Turner!" said Ives, who had spiky black hair with a bald patch in the middle. "And Mr Turner! Didn't 'spect to see you of all people 'ere."
"Is there something wrong?" said Becket. He was completely bald.
"No," said Aragorn. "I was just wondering whether I could have my sword back."
"Ohh, good luck with that," said Ives. "We're not on duty anymore so we're legally speaking not auth'rized to get your sword for you. Const'ble Obstinée's on duty now. I don't think you're going to have much luck asking him to give it to you."
"Blast," said Aragorn. "Well, when are you on duty then?"
"Not until the day after tomorrow," said Ives apologetically. "Constable Obstinée's taking a full shift tomorrow."
"Well it's worth a try," said Will. "Let's go, James."
"Good luck," said Becket as they entered the dingy prison building and shut the door behind them. In front of them nothing but a narrow staircase leading down, presumably to where the prisoners were.
"Come on," said Will, and led Aragorn down the steps into a long room lined with prison cells. It was dimly lit; the torches had not yet been set and the only light (dim evening light, at that) was coming from the barred prison windows.
"I think I'd prefer to live in the Eagle's Nest," said Aragorn in matter-of- fact tones, grimacing around the room.
Each cell was just large enough to accommodate four people (most of them had five inside, though). Beside the stairwell they just came from was a shaggy, scruffy brown dog which held a keyring in its mouth. Most of the prisoners seemed to be attempting to goad the dog into coming over.
"This way," said Will, cocking his head to the left. Aragorn followed him down the long room, past the deranged, stupefied, or otherwise mad prisoners to an iron door down on the opposing wall. To their left was a long, wide corridor, which couldn't be seen down because it was hidden in shadows.
"This is the room where confiscated possessions are kept," Will explained to Aragorn, beckoning towards the door.
There was no one there.
"Isn't Mr Obstinée supposed to be on guard?" said Aragorn.
"Yes, he is," said Will, furrowing his brow and looking around him. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Perhaps we should knock," he said and reached out his hand. He rapped his knuckles on the iron door.
Nothing happened. Will knocked again.
For a moment, nothing happened again. Then a sinisterly suspicious voice came from beside them, making them both jump.
"Yessss?" it said.
Out of the shadows of the corridor to their left came the man Aragorn supposed was Mr Obstinée, walking with great strides and his hands tight behind his back. He wasn't wearing a redcoat and tricorn as Becket and Ives had been. Instead he wore a blue jacket over a white coat, and wore a bicorn. He wasn't carrying a musket, but had a flintlock pistol tucked into his belt. He had granite-grey eyes.
"Ah, good evening, Mr Obstinée," said Will, and smiled falsely.
"Constable Obstinée, if you don't mind," snapped the man. He had a slightly thinned French accent.
"Sorry, Constable Obstinée," said Will apologetically.
"That's alright Mr Turner," said Obstinée irritably. Then he rounded on Aragorn. "And who is your - filthy - friend here?"
"This is my cousin, sir," said Will. "James Turner. He's visiting Port Royal for a few days."
Obstinée reached into his pocket and extracted a black leather glove, which he put on his hand before holding it out to shake Aragorn's.
"Constable Jacques Obstinée, monsieur Turner," said Obstinée. Aragorn took his hand, which squeezed his with pincer-like power. But before he even had time to start speaking, Obstinée had cut him off. "I run this Caribbean fishing village. Pathetic though the law enforcement here nearly always turns out to be, I require their aid to do so. Many foreigners come here to live, and without me to control them, they would probably revolt against us.
"During your stay, you will find me a reasonable man. Play fair by me, you will enjoy your stay here. Cross me and discover the consequences, which are dire," he added with a malicious glint in his eye. Aragorn could see this was not a man to get on the bad side of.
"Thank you, Constable Obstinée," said Aragorn, and Obstinée finally released his hand, which had begun to lose feeling.
"Now, what would you two gentlemen be doing in the prison, of all places?" said Obstinée suspiciously, narrowing his grey eyes to slits. "Was there something you wished to ask me?"
"Yes, there was, Constable Obstinée," said Will.
"Well?" said the constable impatiently.
"Well, you see, my cousin here is leaving tomorrow morning, and he wants to know if he could have his sword back," said Will. "It was confiscated earlier today."
The colour seemed to drain from Obstinée's face. Then it came back, but got redder until it looked on the verge of explosion.
"The sword?" spat Obstinée, his eyes widening and his mouth thinning in an expression of absolute fury. "This ruffian wants to have a sword placed in his hands?'
"Well, it is mine after all," said Aragorn loudly, but this was a mistake. Obstinée reared up to Uruk-hai height, making himself look positively fearsome. He didn't seem to be able to get words out properly.
"You dare - how dare you -" he spluttered, "GET OUT!"
"Let's go," Will advised Aragorn, and tugged him by his sleeve away from the roaring constable. They ran to the staircase, Obstinée throwing chunks of broken brick and rock at them until they reached the top, and then threw themselves out the door and slammed it.
"Well, that didn't work very well," said Will.
Aragorn was pleased to see that Becket and Ives had gone.
"What do we do now?" said Aragorn. He had to get the sword back.
"Well, I suppose now Obstinée's on we've got to wait until tomorrow, when Becket and Ives are."
"Becket and Ives aren't on tomorrow, remember?" Aragorn remembered them saying Obstinée was taking the shift tomorrow.
"Well, we'll try again tomorrow."
"Jack wanted to leave today."
"Doesn't matter, the tide's left."
Jack had come down the stone steps to them while they were talking.
"Tide's gone. We can't leave today. We'll have to wait till tomorrow."
"Well that's alright then. Aragorn and I didn't manage to get his sword back."
"No?"
"No, Obstinée's still got it," muttered Aragorn angrily.
"Well, we'll have to try again, won't we?" said Jack.
"Yes," said Will. "Aragorn and I are going to try again tomorrow. Perhaps he'll be in a better mood."
"No point in that, he's not going to give it to you. I suggest either breaking in and taking the sword yourself, or lie low until he's off duty and then get someone else to give it to you."
"I suppose the latter is a more sensible course of action," said Aragorn.
"Yes, you're right," said Will, nodding his head. "Perhaps tomorrow, come down to where I live, and we'll think up a plan. I'm too tired at the moment."
Aragorn nodded his head in agreement.
"Right, we'll all sleep on this one," said Jack. "Meet tomorrow at Will's place. And do not forget to call me 'Spack' whilst we are there."
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Whew! Chapter 5 for you. That's the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyway, please review!
While you're waiting for Chapter 6 to come out, I suggest these stories: Harry Potter and the Legacy of the Ring by Fyre; and The Order of the Phoenix: My Way by bunny-luver. They're very good.
I won't babble on any longer, and get straight to the point.
----------------------
"Where?" said Aragorn with a jolt of excitement.
He couldn't believe it. It was going to be so easy to find it? He had thought that it was going to involve some tediously long search to find the gold. But now here was a man who knew where it was.
"Anyhow, if you're serious about getting back to this Middle-earth," said Jack, ignoring Aragorn, "then I suggest we get started straightaway. We'll need a ship, and a crew if possible. Aragorn, seeing as how this whole thing was you're idea, I suppose you can tag along."
He started walking, giving an enormous sway as he started off.
"Are you sure this man can help us?" whispered Aragorn to Will. "I mean, he's seems like a few waves short of a shipwreck to me."
"Well, there's some truth there," said Will, and grinned. Then, serious again, "he was driven half mad about ten years ago, when he was marooned on a tiny island."
"How did he get off?" said Aragorn, interested.
"I don't know," said Will. "You should ask him. But anyway, don't let first impressions get the better of you. He may be slightly mad, but he is one of the cleverest men you'll ever come across."
"Look, am I going to have to do this meself?" said Jack irritably. He was watching them with his arms crossed. "Because I really don't feel like pretending to be Mr Evenstar in this so-called Middle-earth the rest of my life."
"Right, let's go," said Will to Aragorn.
Jack tied his scarf back over his mouth and led them up the sandy slope and onto the dry, wooden dock. Aragorn looked down to the end. Along the sides were various ships and boats. There were about ten fishers on each side of the dock, dangling their feet in the water and either holding rods or watching lobster traps.
"Right, you see that ship there?" said Jack, pointing down the dock.
"Which one?" said Aragorn irritably. "You should be more specific. There are a dozen ships 'there'."
"The one right at the end," said Jack. "We are going to commandeer that ship and take you to your gold. Savvy? Right, let's go or we'll miss the tide."
He started off down the wooden bridge to the lower half of the dock, when Aragorn remembered something.
"Jack - er, ahem, Spack!" said Aragorn. "We cannot go yet. Andúril is still under lock and key!"
"What's still under lock and key?" said Jack, turning around. "Look mate, we've got to hurry. The tide leaves in half an hour."
"We must retrieve Andúril before I return to Middle-earth," said Aragorn flatly. "It is the only one of it's kind; the blade of Isildur re-forged! It must not be lost to us."
"Let's back up, here," said Jack, returning to Aragorn to talk to him. His breath was horrible. "What's this Andúril you're talking about?"
"A powerful sword," said Aragorn. "The greatest of any blade in the world."
"I shouldn't like to have to make Aragorn leave it here," piped up Will.
"I cannot go back without it," said Aragorn.
"You will not go back without it," said Jack, putting extra emphasis on the word 'will'. "But you can. I had a conversation along these lines with Will here once."
"I don't care," said Aragorn through gritted teeth. "I am going to retrieve Andúril now."
Jack rolled his eyes.
"If it's that much to you we'll go get it," he said. "Hurry up, we're on limited time here."
"Alright, Aragorn and I will go and retrieve his sword," said Will. "Jack, you go and get us a ship ready."
"Hold it," said Jack. "I'm captain here, I give orders. Right: Will, you and Aragorn go and retrieve the sword, and I will get us a ship ready."
With that, he walked off down the bridge and on to the dock.
"Right, let's go," said Will. He and Aragorn took off down the cobblestone street and into the town square. Business had resumed as normal, people walking around in and out of various buildings; people talking amongst themselves; vendors selling and trading items to other people.
"Which way was it taken?" said Aragorn.
"Down that way," said Will, pointing down the road which led away from the Eagle's Nest. There was a roman-style arch in the entrance. "It's getting dark, so if we expect to retrieve it today, we'd better hurry."
"Why? Why can't we get it during the night?"
"Well, at night a new watchman goes on duty, Mr Obstinée. He's about the most stubborn and bad-tempered watchman known to mankind. You don't want to get on his bad side; he can make your life hell.
"Let's go before he goes on," said Will, looking up at the sky. They began down the road with the roman-style archway, until they reached an intersection where three roads (not counting the one they just came through) led out at different angles.
"Right, we want to go this way," said Will, and led Aragorn down the road leading to the right, which took them to a marble staircase. They went down this staircase, which took them to a grey brick building with barred windows and an iron door. A black sign with gold lettering beside the door read 'Port Royal Prison'.
"Hurry, he'll be on soon," said Will. They hastened down the stone steps and to the door. Will reached for the brass doorknob, when it turned and the door opened with a *creeeeaaaak*. In the doorframe stood Becket and Ives, musketless this time, and not wearing their tricorns or redcoats. Instead they were wearing white waistcoats and brown shirts, and nothing on their heads.
"Mr Turner!" said Ives, who had spiky black hair with a bald patch in the middle. "And Mr Turner! Didn't 'spect to see you of all people 'ere."
"Is there something wrong?" said Becket. He was completely bald.
"No," said Aragorn. "I was just wondering whether I could have my sword back."
"Ohh, good luck with that," said Ives. "We're not on duty anymore so we're legally speaking not auth'rized to get your sword for you. Const'ble Obstinée's on duty now. I don't think you're going to have much luck asking him to give it to you."
"Blast," said Aragorn. "Well, when are you on duty then?"
"Not until the day after tomorrow," said Ives apologetically. "Constable Obstinée's taking a full shift tomorrow."
"Well it's worth a try," said Will. "Let's go, James."
"Good luck," said Becket as they entered the dingy prison building and shut the door behind them. In front of them nothing but a narrow staircase leading down, presumably to where the prisoners were.
"Come on," said Will, and led Aragorn down the steps into a long room lined with prison cells. It was dimly lit; the torches had not yet been set and the only light (dim evening light, at that) was coming from the barred prison windows.
"I think I'd prefer to live in the Eagle's Nest," said Aragorn in matter-of- fact tones, grimacing around the room.
Each cell was just large enough to accommodate four people (most of them had five inside, though). Beside the stairwell they just came from was a shaggy, scruffy brown dog which held a keyring in its mouth. Most of the prisoners seemed to be attempting to goad the dog into coming over.
"This way," said Will, cocking his head to the left. Aragorn followed him down the long room, past the deranged, stupefied, or otherwise mad prisoners to an iron door down on the opposing wall. To their left was a long, wide corridor, which couldn't be seen down because it was hidden in shadows.
"This is the room where confiscated possessions are kept," Will explained to Aragorn, beckoning towards the door.
There was no one there.
"Isn't Mr Obstinée supposed to be on guard?" said Aragorn.
"Yes, he is," said Will, furrowing his brow and looking around him. He was nowhere to be seen.
"Perhaps we should knock," he said and reached out his hand. He rapped his knuckles on the iron door.
Nothing happened. Will knocked again.
For a moment, nothing happened again. Then a sinisterly suspicious voice came from beside them, making them both jump.
"Yessss?" it said.
Out of the shadows of the corridor to their left came the man Aragorn supposed was Mr Obstinée, walking with great strides and his hands tight behind his back. He wasn't wearing a redcoat and tricorn as Becket and Ives had been. Instead he wore a blue jacket over a white coat, and wore a bicorn. He wasn't carrying a musket, but had a flintlock pistol tucked into his belt. He had granite-grey eyes.
"Ah, good evening, Mr Obstinée," said Will, and smiled falsely.
"Constable Obstinée, if you don't mind," snapped the man. He had a slightly thinned French accent.
"Sorry, Constable Obstinée," said Will apologetically.
"That's alright Mr Turner," said Obstinée irritably. Then he rounded on Aragorn. "And who is your - filthy - friend here?"
"This is my cousin, sir," said Will. "James Turner. He's visiting Port Royal for a few days."
Obstinée reached into his pocket and extracted a black leather glove, which he put on his hand before holding it out to shake Aragorn's.
"Constable Jacques Obstinée, monsieur Turner," said Obstinée. Aragorn took his hand, which squeezed his with pincer-like power. But before he even had time to start speaking, Obstinée had cut him off. "I run this Caribbean fishing village. Pathetic though the law enforcement here nearly always turns out to be, I require their aid to do so. Many foreigners come here to live, and without me to control them, they would probably revolt against us.
"During your stay, you will find me a reasonable man. Play fair by me, you will enjoy your stay here. Cross me and discover the consequences, which are dire," he added with a malicious glint in his eye. Aragorn could see this was not a man to get on the bad side of.
"Thank you, Constable Obstinée," said Aragorn, and Obstinée finally released his hand, which had begun to lose feeling.
"Now, what would you two gentlemen be doing in the prison, of all places?" said Obstinée suspiciously, narrowing his grey eyes to slits. "Was there something you wished to ask me?"
"Yes, there was, Constable Obstinée," said Will.
"Well?" said the constable impatiently.
"Well, you see, my cousin here is leaving tomorrow morning, and he wants to know if he could have his sword back," said Will. "It was confiscated earlier today."
The colour seemed to drain from Obstinée's face. Then it came back, but got redder until it looked on the verge of explosion.
"The sword?" spat Obstinée, his eyes widening and his mouth thinning in an expression of absolute fury. "This ruffian wants to have a sword placed in his hands?'
"Well, it is mine after all," said Aragorn loudly, but this was a mistake. Obstinée reared up to Uruk-hai height, making himself look positively fearsome. He didn't seem to be able to get words out properly.
"You dare - how dare you -" he spluttered, "GET OUT!"
"Let's go," Will advised Aragorn, and tugged him by his sleeve away from the roaring constable. They ran to the staircase, Obstinée throwing chunks of broken brick and rock at them until they reached the top, and then threw themselves out the door and slammed it.
"Well, that didn't work very well," said Will.
Aragorn was pleased to see that Becket and Ives had gone.
"What do we do now?" said Aragorn. He had to get the sword back.
"Well, I suppose now Obstinée's on we've got to wait until tomorrow, when Becket and Ives are."
"Becket and Ives aren't on tomorrow, remember?" Aragorn remembered them saying Obstinée was taking the shift tomorrow.
"Well, we'll try again tomorrow."
"Jack wanted to leave today."
"Doesn't matter, the tide's left."
Jack had come down the stone steps to them while they were talking.
"Tide's gone. We can't leave today. We'll have to wait till tomorrow."
"Well that's alright then. Aragorn and I didn't manage to get his sword back."
"No?"
"No, Obstinée's still got it," muttered Aragorn angrily.
"Well, we'll have to try again, won't we?" said Jack.
"Yes," said Will. "Aragorn and I are going to try again tomorrow. Perhaps he'll be in a better mood."
"No point in that, he's not going to give it to you. I suggest either breaking in and taking the sword yourself, or lie low until he's off duty and then get someone else to give it to you."
"I suppose the latter is a more sensible course of action," said Aragorn.
"Yes, you're right," said Will, nodding his head. "Perhaps tomorrow, come down to where I live, and we'll think up a plan. I'm too tired at the moment."
Aragorn nodded his head in agreement.
"Right, we'll all sleep on this one," said Jack. "Meet tomorrow at Will's place. And do not forget to call me 'Spack' whilst we are there."
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Whew! Chapter 5 for you. That's the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyway, please review!
While you're waiting for Chapter 6 to come out, I suggest these stories: Harry Potter and the Legacy of the Ring by Fyre; and The Order of the Phoenix: My Way by bunny-luver. They're very good.