Pirate Gold

By Romania Black and Auzzie K

Hey all! Chapter 16 is up now! Well, if you're just joining us, and haven't read the other chapters yet, Brandybuck and Danny were heading back to Rohan, when Brandy found an injured boy, Thelion, and ended up knocked out. She wakes up to find that her and Thelion are in Rohan now, but they were kidnapped by her brother Eomin. And now, on with the story!

by the way, ...blah blah blah... means that a flashback is going on. K?

Romania Black and Auzzie K

By the way, we own nothing of JRR Tolkien's. None of his characters, or language. nothing. Just wanted to clear that up. Thanks!

Sitting in the room, now with the lights burning, Brandy sat at her bed crying. She couldn't believe that her own flesh and blood took her from the one person that meant so much to her. True, Eomin and Brandybuck had never been on the best of terms, but still. Her own flesh and blood! Her own brother! How could he?

She glanced over to the window, remembering the first time she ever saw him, his face smiling up at her from the balcony...

"Who are you?" Brandy had asked.

"Name's Daniel Turner, my lady."

"Danny, eh?" Brandy smirked, and giggled, playing with the balcony drapes.

"Well," Danny blushed a tiny bit as he climbed up to her balcony, "I guess if you wish to call me that, you may. I'm not fond of Daniel, anyhow."

"But why are you here, Danny? Are you a friend of my father's?"

Danny smiled with a slightly evil grin, "You could say that," as he climbed into her room.

His soft voice, calming her when she was most frightened of the world...

Brandy was crying on Danny's shoulder, her tears falling onto his jacket. "I thought the fighting was supposed to stop when the ring was destroyed!" She sobbed. Danny took her face in his hands and raised her cheek to look him in the face.

"The large war is done, but now, smaller brushfires are breaking out. We are men, perfection is not to be achieved by our like. It is only sometimes achieved with elves!" He kissed her softly and she embraced him against the backdrop of the perfect moon.

His firm loyalty and strength, keeping her safe from all the evil of the world...

"I was so worried Danny! You could've been killed!" Brandy examined a wound on his shoulder.

Danny smiled, "Just doing what was necessary to protect you."

Brandy gave him a sideways look, "Since when do pirates protect princesses?"

Danny smiled, revealing a bloody grin. "Since now I suppose."

Brandybuck found herself crying even harder onto her pillow. Then the door cracked open; Brandybuck quickly tried to wipe away the tears. Thelion stood in the door way. Brandy smiled and held out her hand. He looked much better off than he had been; his head was bandaged and the blood was cleaned from his face and arms.

"Come here, dear," she said softly.The boy walked over to her and hugged her.

"Where's Danny?" Thalion asked. Brandy was suprised.

Brandybuck gave the boy a startled look, "How do you know his name?" she asked him.

"I was a member of Captain Danny's crew. My father's ship was burnt by the Mordor pirates. My father or mother didn't survive, so Danny took me in as his own. Before he came to Rohan to see you, he dropped me off at Minas Tirith, and had a man named Delvir watch over me. I was told a few days ago to go and get the horses prepared because you were heading off. That's when someone snuck upon me and hit me over the head. I started bleeding alot, and the stranger ran off. That's when you found me. I was scared that you would hurt me, but you didn't. That's when the strange man came back." He paused and stared at Brandy.

"What?"

"He loved you alot." the boy said wisely. Brandy was shocked. That was the last thing she expected. "Just thought I'd tell you," The boy turned and started to walk outside the room, "Do you want to follow me? The man said you can come out if you want." But she shook her head.

"No, you go on," She uttered softly. The boy nodded sadly and walked out of the room. Brandy was now crying more than before. She laid down on her bed plowing her head in her pillow.

"Eowera?" a voice came to the door again.

"What, Eomin?" she said bitterly.

"How did you know it was me?" Eomin came into the room.

"Only you and father has ever called me that," Brandy snapped. "You know I hate it."

"Hate it or not, it is your real name. Eowera Brandybuck, daughter of Eomer and Athena of Rohan. That is who you are." He sat next to her on the bed, placing a hand on her leg.

Brandy just pushed away form him, "Don't touch me!" she said angrily. She moved closer to the front of the bed, away from him.

"Sister, quit being unreasonable. I know you're mad, but it's for your own good. Do you really think that you had a chance with that...commoner?" Brandy's head snapped towards him so quickly, Eomin flinched. The look on her face was of pure anger and hate. "He's a pirate for heaven's sake! Eldarion is the one for you. He has always been so." The Prince sat up and moved towards the door. "So to make sure nothing goes wrong, there will have to be measures put in place..." His voice trailed off.

"What do you mean, measures?" Brandy sat up on the bed and looked at Eomin. His face paled. "What are you talking about?"

"Know that this is for your own good! You brought this upon yourself!" Eomin was shaking with what Brandy assumed was fear. He pointed a finger at her and shook it, "You were warned to end the relationship with him a long time ago, before it came to this!"

"What are you going to do?" Brandy said in almost a whisper.

"As of now, Danny's going to be put to death tomorrow morning," Eomin walked swiftly out of the room and slammed the door behind him.

"WHAT?" Brandy shouted as she stormed out the room and up to Eomin. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "You can't do that! You don't have the power to!" she yelled. "Plus,I don't see how you can do that. I'm your sister. Your own flesh and blood. It's not right. None of it. If you do this Eomin...there will be no living with it! I swear to you, I'll never speak to you or any of Rohan ever again. I'll leave, never to return. EVER!" she screamed at him. Eomin didn't even flinch. He looked to his sister and smiled softly. Then he turned around and started walking away as if she'd never said a word to him. All Brandy could do was stand in the hallway, and cry.

The news reached Minas Tirith that Danny was going to be put to death. The Princess was the first of the royal family to hear the news. Vardahir couldn't let this happen. She knew how they cared about each other. She yelled for Berethor and Eldarion. They came to her survice right away.

"Danny's going to be put to death? How can this be?" she asked. Eldarion looked surprised; Berethor merely scowled. "HOW?" she asked him.

"I met Eomin and Eomer not long ago. Eomer talked of how he was saddened that his daughter had taken to a pirate. Eomin was not happy either," Eldarion said, his voice ringing in the throne room. "Father told Eomer that there was nothing that he could do to break the bond of love. Had my father not done that when he married my mother? While Eomer may have left half-heartedly convinced, Eomin was different. He confronted me with a plan. He was to take Brandy back with him, while taking Danny in another cart; both unconscious. I told him I would do anything to marry Brandybuck, to help merge our two kingdoms even further than Farmir and Eowyn the white and fair! He said he could get Danny out of the way. I merely assumed he would banish him or whatnot. I never expected he'd kill him." Eldarion confessed.

Vardahir looked to Berethor in disbelief, but her future husband merely nodded his head. "How could you, Eldarion?" She looked at her brother miserably. "If you loved Brandybuck, you would leave her with Danny as a happy woman, not misserable married to you. If Danny dies," She paused, and her face paled. "Brandy will share his fate. There's no doubt about it."

"What would you have us do?" Eldarion said loudly, his face clouding. "Even if we left now, Danny would be dead by the time we reached him.I am sorry, my sister, but there is nothing I or anyone can do."

Vardahir looked at the two with a hopeless expression on her face, than ran out of the hall, half sobbing.

Eldarion and Berethor looked at each other, but none could think of anything to say.

Back in Edoras, Brandy spied on her brother and the guard, trying to tell where Danny was. As she listened more and more the words began to pour out like she wanted them to.

"He's up tight in the loft of one of the villager's barn," the guard said softly, "I figured it would be the most oblivious place, my liege." Brandy backed away from the door and went out the lower level windows. She ran as hard as she could into the village. There was only one main barn in the village with a loft. She sneaked in behind the barn and found a plank of wood that was out of place. She crawled inside the barn from the awkward plank. There were no guards in the barn. Yet.

"Danny?" she spoke with softness, as not to be heard. She saw straw fall from the cracks in the roof. She found a hole in the roof and she climbed up. Her eyes widened as Danny sat there hopeless. He was bound my the feet, then the rope ran to his arms. "Oh Danny," She leaned on his chest. She could hear him breathing and his heart pounding calmly. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry...please forgive me. I had no idea-"

"Don't worry 'bout it," Danny smiled, despite the nasty bruise on his head. "Everything is going to be fine. You'll see. We'll find a way out of this...we always do," He chuckled, as Brandy started to untie him. "Just like I found a way out of the sinking ship. It's not the end," He whispered, now unbound, drawing her close and kissing her as if he had not seen her in a century.