Disclaimer: Usual stuff, don't own, wish I did. Just borrowing characters and worlds for light-hearted fun.

Getting a bit into the swing of things now the story's going and I have more time on my hands thanks to everyone who has reviewed I am very grateful and I hope I shall not disappoint.

Chapter 5

"But what do we want him for?"

Faramir awoke to the sound of a conversation being conducted over his head. He wisely kept his eyes shut.

In the bowels of the ship, the air was musky and stale. It smelled of death, decay and time passing; Wood and salt water, and the smell of a vessel that even the rats had abandoned. It smelled of a thousand apples that had long ago gone rotten, and were turning slowly to dust.

Pintel chuckled, "this fellow's here for a little word with the Captain," he explained. "Barbossa don't like it when people try to get on his ship without permission…and my bet is that it's something to do with that one-eyed one. The captain ain't going to like this at all."

Ragetti sighed wistfully, "It's been ages since we had a proper drowning, you know. The old plank's been neglected too long." He patted the long plank lovingly, "ever since old 'Bootstrap' bought it."

"Don't you worry, friend," Pintel assured him, smiling nastily, "this one here's for the plank, you mark my words…"

Faramir hear another man enter. His voice was thick with an accent Faramir didn't recognise. "You two, on deck now and make ready the anchor. The captain says we leave with the dawn tide."

"Looks like our drowning won't be tonight then mate, you and old Polly'll have to wait for your fun."

Laughing evilly they left the cabin. Behind his closed eyelids, Faramir heard the door shut, and a key turn in the lock.

In the highest tower in Minas Tirith, The Queen looked out over the kingdom. Her face was pale in the evening light, but still it held a shining light. Not for naught was she called 'Evenstar'. And she was the grand-daughter of Galadriel the fair, who even now was making ready to journey to the west. Also was she the daughter of Elrond, whose sight also passed through space and time. The gifts bestowed upon her as a child of the Eldar had almost passed away, and with the last of her kin, so they would diminish. But still, in this late hour, she sensed the disturbance that was in the air, far away, by the sea. Something had been disturbed. Something was rotten in Gondor…

Jack tried bargaining. This was tricky in most situations, considering he generally had nothing anyone in their right mind would want, and was especially difficult when a sword was pressed against one's throat. If his captor hadn't been so incredibly beautiful he might have minded. But, charming to the last, Jack smiles in what he thought was his most charming way, and began to answer all of her questions as best he could.

"Well, the thing is, miss, that your 'betrothed' and myself were working together on this…Your boy wanted to know what dastardly deeds the crew of this mysterious ship were planning, and so he hired me to so with him."

Eowyn wasn't gullible.

"He hired you?" She said, her voice flat. "He hired you, a pirate a murderous thieving rogue to help him?"

Jack shrugged as much as he dared without actually beheading himself, "When in Rome, love…"

Eowyn narrowed her eyes, and Jack pulled out his trump card.

"Of course, I can't wait until he's back on dry land again…He didn't pay me for a start, but also to make sure his plan worked…"

"Plan?" Eowyn asked, suspiciously, "what plan?"

"Oh well it was his idea, um….sorry, do you mind?" He pushed the sword away with a delicate finger, it moved, but not by much. "His plan was, see, that he should let himself get captured in order to lean of the enemy's plans, which incidentally," he leaned conspiratorially closer, "involve going into Gondong…"

"Gondor?"

"That's the one, and looting everything they find, and trust me…That ship is not going to be beaten lightly. Nasty buggers on there, they are" I know because I hired them…

Behind them, the eastern sky was growing lighter, the moon had gone and dawn was near. Eowyn still looked doubtful. She could imagine Faramir risking his own safety for the good of his country, he had done it before, after all, but the idea of Faramir teaming up with a pirate was just unthinkable. But before she could ask her next question, there was activity on the deck of the Black Pearl, and jack pushed her into the shadows.

They watched the pirates running two and fro like worker ants. Eowyn watched them, her heart beating fast.

"What are they doing?" She asked.

"Making ready the ship," Jack said, grimly. "They're preparing the ship to sail with the next tide." He turned to her. "How fast can we get back to your place to warn them?"

Eowyn thought, "it took me the better part of the night to get here," she said, "and there'll be two of us."

Jack raised his eyebrow, "really?" he oozed, all charm and charisma. Eowyn was far from impressed, however.

"I'm sure you'll ride better with both of your arms, so don't make me remove one."

"Ah…right. I get your point."

They reached the point where Eowyn had left her horse. And then they wandered to the left a bit. And then to the right. When They eventually reached the point at which they had started, Jack said, with as much irritation as he dared show, "Are you certain you left it here?"

Eowyn looked around in annoyance. "I left her right here, I tell you! She was tied securely and besides, she would never leave without me!"

"Right…" Jack rolled his eyes. It was always the same. Why could women never remember where they had left their mode of transport?

"No, Really!" Eowyn cried, desperately, "Look, Faramir's horse was here too, and they're both missing, someone must have taken them!"

"I don't think the horses are the only thing that's missing love…." Jack began, but he was interrupted by an 'ahem' behind them. They turned to see a portly man with a beard like a badger and a certain rosy glow that suggested more than merely fresh air.

"I couldn't but overhear your conversation, and your predicament," he ventured, "And it's frightful bad luck to lose a horse, it is….So could I interest you in one of mine?"

He was holding the reigns of two very familiar horses.

"Those are our horses!" Eowyn shouted.

The man looked over the beasts thoughtfully, "well now, I don't see as how you'd think that….I've had these horses for as long as I can remember, I have."

"Of that I have no doubt," Jack said, solemnly. "What's your name, good sir?"

"Gibbs, sir" The horse dealer smiled amicably, "finest horse dealer in all of Middle-Earth.