Pirate Gold
By Romania Black and Auzzie K
Hey all! Hope 2006 is treatin' you good and all!
Anywhoo, here is Chapter Thirteen! Last Chapter was a fun one for us to do, and this one was as well. When we last left the battle on Black Rock, Danny had saved Vardahir and earned the trust of Audyaveil, meanwhile, Eldarion had finally found the leader of the Mordor pirates, Captain Rupus Clavehorn, who was about to get his hands on Brandybuck, who if we remember, was unconscious in the Captain's Quarters. We left as Eldarion and Rupus started the final battle of the Black Rock, but not before Brandy suddenly woke up! But in all the confusion, she managed to catch fire to the curtains of the captain's room and a fire broke out on the ship...
Now we find out the fate of our heroes!
Romania Black and Auzzie K!
By the way, we own nothing of J.R.R. Tolkein, may he rest in peace...
Eldarion swerved to miss Rupus' lunge just in time to see smoke rising in the room. The scene was a very confusing one. There was Brandybuck, rubbing her head as if she had hit it on something, flames rising up a large curtain beside the Captain's bed, smoke coming from the flame, and the large pirate in front of him staring at the scene with the same look of bewilderment as Eldarion.
"Brandy!" Eldarion cried out with relief that she was okay, only a moment before he realized that she was in a burning cabin with the leader of the Mordorian pirates, which made him suddenly fill up with dread and slight panic. His voice was suddenly tense, "Get out of here! Now!"
Brandy stopped rubbing her head and was now trying the put the fire out, she tried to smother it with her dress, but it was too hot now. She turned to Eldarion, "It's too hot! I can't stop it!"
"Forget about it! Go!" Just then Rupus swung at him, which Eldarion only just dodged.
"Eldarion!" Brandy cried out in shock. The pirate turned to her with rage and greed in his eyes,
"So ye be awake now, eh? What's this? Catching fire to me curtains, are you? 'Lot o' good it'll do ye!" He turned to go after her, but Eldarion lunged out in front of him to block the attack.
"Aren't you still fighting me, Captain?" Eldarion said fiercely, and out of the corner of his eye, turned to Brandy, "Go! Get Vardahir and the others! Don't worry about the fire!"
"But what about--" Brandy stammered.
"Forget it! You're safety is important now, and this is not a safe place to be! Now GO!" He pointed to the door. Brandy hesitated for a second, not wanting to leave Eldarion to the gastly looking fiend. But a split second later, she thought that Eldarion was right, and they did need help and the others, so she raced out the door and left the Prince to his battle.
Brandy opened the door to the cabin and found herself in a state of deja vu.
Bodies were scattered everywhere on the ship. There were more dead below her feet than there was still fighting. Brandy shuffled across the deck, dodging gunfire and swordfights, until she made it to a secluded crate, where no one seemed to be fighting near. She rested her arm on the crate and looked around. There seemed to be more men on her side still in the frey than the enemy, but still the numbers were getting sparce.
Brandy was about to stand up, when a soft hand shoved her back behind the crate. With the twang of a bow, and the firing of another arrow, Brandybuck found herself face to face with Audyaveil.
"Audyaveil, you're still alive!" Brandy smiled at the elf.
"Glad to see that you are as well," The elf smiled back, her long blonde hair still sleek, even during battle.
"Where's Danny?" Brandy blurted out hastily.
"He left my side during the fight and I haven't seen him since," She saw the concern on the Rohan woman's face, "But I am sure that he is fine."
Brandy was not reassured, "How can you know, though? What if he's wounded, or hurt, or even--" She couldn't finish.
"He is fine, my lady," Audyaveil reassured her. "He can handle himself."
"But still, I--"
"FIRE!" A scream pierced the sky and the two companions looked up to see flames engulfing the Captain's Quarters. Brandy jumped to her feet, and Audyaveil stood as well, with a look of mixed curiosity and shock. The pirates on both sides were running madly across the ship, some trying to find bucket to fill with water, others simply yelling.
"Eldarion?" Brandy's eyes widened, "Eldarion's in there!"
She rushed forward, but the elf grabbed her arm, "NO! You musn't go in there! It's pointless!"
"But, Eldarion is in there!" No sooner had she said this, than the walls of the cabin crumbled and flames erupted onto the deck. Brandy raised a hand to her mouth in horror, and let out a soft gasp. Audyaveil even paled slightly.
Suddenly, two figures rose from the rubble. Brandy rushed forward, with Audyaveil hot on her heels. The first figure stumbled out of the smoke; it was Captain Clavehorn. Brandy stopped dead in her tracks. The Captain stumbled forward, and as the smoke started to rise, Brandy saw that a sword was embedded in his chest. The pirate swayed for a second and then with tremendous force, crashed onto the deck of the burning ship. Audyaveil stared at the limp body of the pirate leader as Brandy looked onward toward the second figure.
His face was cut, blood stained his now filthy clothes, but none the less, it was Eldarion. He took a gasp of air and coughed, then found himself in Brandy's embrace.
"Eldarion! You're alive!" Brandy squeezed him.
Audyaveil bowed beside him, "Your highness." She said softly.
Eldarion released himself from BrandyBuck's embrace. "Audyaveil," he nodded back. He raised his sword into the flaming light of the burning ship and stared out at those enemy pirates that were still standing. All fighting seemed to have momentarily stopped, as the king spoke.
"Pirates of Mordor, you are conquered! Your captain is defeated!" He pointed to the dead body of Clavehorn. "You will now either come with us as prisoners to the King of Gondor, or you shall be vanquished! What say you?"
The pirates looked at each other a moment, then to the pirates of Captain Danny, and then to the Prince. All at once, they dropped their swords. The Prince smiled and turned to Audyaveil, "Get everyone off of the ship before the flames reach the powder magazine and this ship blows apart. Understood?"
"Of course, my leige," the elf bowed and started yelling orders to the crew and captured pirates. Brandy turned to face Eldarion, but said nothing. The Prince met her gaze and gave her a small smile and the nod of his head.
Danny had rejoined Vardahir on the other side of the pirate ship and helped her to fend of a group of Mordor pirates when he heard the cry of fire spread through the ship.
"Fire?" The Princess of Gondor tilted her head. "Isn't there a powder magazine on this ship?"
The two looked at each other and the same expression of fear rose to their faces. With a burst of speed the two raced to the front of the ship. As they sprinted towards the front deck, a sickening thought twisted its way into Danny's mind.
What if Brandy's still in the captain's cabin?
He stopped short of Vardahir as they approached the front of the ship. The Captain's quarters were on fire, and Danny's worst fears were realized.
NO! BrandyBuck is in there! Dear God, what have I done?
It was Vardahir that pulled him backwards and to the ground.
"What are you doing? Brandy's still in there!" He tried to stand up again, but Vardahir drew her sword out.
"NO, she's not. Look," She pointed to the cabin again, as she helped Danny up.
Sure enough, there was Brandy, who looked a little pale, but no worse for wear than anyone else on the ship. Danny's gaze turned to the man next to her, Eldarion. The prince looked singed and battered, but still he seemed of regalty as he announced the death of the Mordor pirate captain. Danny was about to run towards Brandy, when he saw the prince smile at her and raise his hand to cup her face in his palm. A stinging sensation ran down his neck and into his stomach as a slight hottness seared his heart. Was this jealousy? Danny thought. He'd never been jealous of anyone until this moment.
"Danny?" The pirate spun his gaze around. It was Vardahir, who looked at him with a concerned eye. "Are you alright? They want us to get on the escape boats. The ship is about to burn up!"
Danny thought about returning to Brandy's side, but thought that this wasn't the appropriate moment, while his heart still burned.
With a heavy heart, Danny followed Vardahir to the escape boats. "As you wish, my lady, let's get off this ship."
How was it? We've been taking a break from writing, so this was a good refresher to start again on! LOL Well, gotta run! Stay tuned for the next chapter! Adios!
Romania Black and Auzzie K
