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Chapter 4

Surprise!

With his hand, Jack shielded his eyes for the sun. Looking to the starboard side he whimpered. No, this couldn't be happening! His keen Elven-eyes took hold of an elegant grey ship. It was half the size of his Pearl and was more slender. And it was grey. Grey! Out of all the colours it could have been, it must be grey! Ow, how Jack hated this. He knew only one kind of ships that were grey. Elven-ships! And the form also spoke for itself.

"Gibbs, spy-glass!"

Gibbs handed the captain the spy-glass and Jack sought for a banner.

"Bloody hell!"

He lowered the spy-glass and confusion was written all over Jack's whole face.

"O.K. That's something I didn't expect." He thought.

He HAD found a banner, but it wasn't a normal flag from Spain or England, not that he'd expected that, but neither was it from one of the Elven-realms. Instead it was dark bleu and had a crown, seven stars and a white tree… Wasn't that the white tree of… Gondor? Digging in his memories it only confirmed Jack more. Yep, now he remembered it from the Gondorian banners he had seen when he had lived in Middle-Earth. But what was that banner doing on what was clearly an Elven-ship? The captain looked on his compass( the one that did point north) and noticed that they were still sailing East, North- East.

"What do we do, captain?"

It was silent for a couple of moments until Jack seemed to make a decision.

"Load the guns, everyone takes their positions, prepare for battle."

"Aye, captain!"

"But do not fire yet. Nobody looses a shot till I give permission to do so, savvy?"

"Aye. Prepare for battle, no shooting."

"Yet."

"Yet, got it."

"Allright then, off you go."

Gibbs went as fast as he could to the gally to get the men (and woman) ready. The captain walked to the wheel and steered the Black Pearl a bit starboard so she was sailing right into the other ship. And whole the time Jack was muttering curses under his breath.

"Bloody ships… all the fault of that fucking storm… I won't be surprised if my freaking father has something to do with it… God damnnit!..."

People could say he wasn't in the best of moods. About half an hour later the Pearl and her crew were ready to fight. The other ship had noticed them too and they were sailing throughout each other. Yet another hour later they were both flouting at hearing distance beside one another.

"Friend or foe?" came a harsh voice from the grey ship, named 'The Evenstar'.

"Friend," Jack called back, "We got lost in a storm and we're looking for bearings!"

The people aboard The Evenstar were debating a couple of minutes while Jack was furiously trying to see who was aboard. But the sails and ropes were sure not to let him so.

Then the voice came again: "Permission to come aboard!"

"Granted!"

The gangplank was lowered so three men could come over from The Evenstar too The Pearl. Jack went off the stairs to the helm and a few moment later the others came into view. And so did he, because one of the three stopped death in his tracks, wide-eyed. The other two would have noticed something was wrong and they were asking what it was with him, while Jack approached them warily, eyeing the guy who was openly staring at him from tip to toe.

"O… Oropher?"

Jack grimaced. At that the man smiled broadly.

"Oropher!" He yelled and jumped on the unprepared pirate.

"Aaaah! Captain under attack!"

Jack was lying on deck and really got himself squished to death. Everyone was too surprised to even help him.

"Legolas, get off me now! I know I'm irresistibly attractive, but you're nearly choking me!"

"Oropher! You've come back! How I missed you! Why did you left? Where did you go! You're back! Thank the Valar!"

Legolas was still lying on top of his older brother, tightly hugging him, while Jack tried to wriggle himself out of the other's arms. But even with all his Elven and pirate abilities he didn't succeed. There was no way he could get out of this alone.

"Gibbs, Anamaria, Cotton! Don't just stand there! Help your captain out of here!"

But even when those three pulled, Legolas was still attached to Jack like superglue.

"Don't just pull, bloody idiots." Jack commanded, "you need to tickle him, he can't stand that."

"He can't?" one of the men from The Evenstar said questionately, "That something I have to remember."

Anamaria reached her hands out and tickled the blond elf between the ribs. Legolas giggled hysterically and squinted away from Ana's hands and thus also Jack.

"Finally," Jack sighed, still lying breathless on his back," pfew! You still squeak like a girl."

"Oh shut up." His brother replied playfully.

"Sorry to interrupt your true emotional moments, but… WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"

Everybody was shocked about what was going on although only one man from 'The Evenstar' had shown it. By screaming.

"Easy, Estel, let me explain it." Legolas replied quite calm.

"Well someone has better!"