Later that night, some prisoners were whistling for the prison dog holding the keys in its mouth.
"Can you smell it, boy?" A dwarf said.
"Come here." A Man said.
"It's marrowbone." The dwarf said.
"Come here." Another Man said.
"Want a nice, juicy bone?" An Elf said.
"Come here." Another dwarf said.
"Come here, boy." A hobbit said.
"Come on." Another hobbit said.
"You can keep doing that forever." Aragorn said in irritation, leaning against the cell wall with his hat over his eyes. "The dog is never going to move."
"Oh, excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet." A hobbit snapped. Aragorn gave a smile, halfway between a smile and a smirk, before turning away.
At the governor's mansion inside Boromir's room, a maid put some coals inside a bed pan and put it in the foot of Boromir's bed.
"There you go, mister." The maid said as she smoothed the sheets down. "It was a difficult day for you, I'm sure."
"I suspected Commodore Haldir would propose." Boromir said as he read his book without looking up. "But, I must admit, I wasn't entirely prepared for it." Boromir looked at the maid.
"I mean you being threatened by that pirate! Sounds terrifying." The maid responed.
"Oh." Boromir looked back at his book then back to the maid. "Yes, it was terrifying." Boromir said unconvincingly.
"But, the commodore proposed. Fancy that." the maid smiled. "Now that's a smart match, mister, if it's not to bold to say."
"It is a smart match." Boromir sighed. "He's a fine Elf. He's what any person should dream of marrying."
"Well, that Legolas Greenleaf." The maid said. "He's a fine Elf, too."
"That is too bold." Boromir scolded.
"Well, begging your pardon, mister. It was not my place." The maid said. She left the room and Boromir sighed and looked down. Boromir grabbed the medallion and watched as the lamp was extinguished by a wind.
Legolas pounded a glowing blade as the wind howled. Legolas stopped, walked over to the window, opened it, and stuck his head out of it. A cat ran down the alleyway and around the corner.
A pirate ship approached the port.
"Has my son given you a answer yet?" Denethor asked Haldir as they walked along the battlements of the Fort.
"No, he hasn't." Haldir replied.
"Well, he has had a very trying day." Denethor said. "Ghastly weather, don't you think?"
"Bleak, very bleak," Haldir replied. There was a distant thud.
"What's that?" Denethor asked. Haldir looked to his side.
"Cannon fire!" Haldir shouted as he ran and pulled Denethor to the ground just before a cannon ball hit the wall where he had just been standing. "Return Fire!" he ordered.
"I know those guns." Aragorn said as he stood up and ran to the barred window in his cell.
"Men to Arms!" Haldir shouted from above Aragorn. Aragorn looked at the pirate ship with black sails in the port.
"It's the Pearl." Aragorn smiled.
"The Black Pearl?" a hobbit asked as he walked as close to Aragorn as the cell wall would allow. "I've heard stories. She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors."
"No survivors?" Aragorn looked at the hobbit. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?" Aragorn looked back towards the window.
The pirate ship was firing its cannons without mercy, and on the shore was taking a big hit. There were people being thrown off of balconies, people being crushed with debris, and even children being separated from their parents. The ship sent members of its crew onto land.
"Coming through!" one member shouted. Elladan and Elohir grinned at each other evilly. One crew member threw bombs into windows and at people.
Legolas grabbed an axe and his sword and ran out into the street. He imbedded his axe into the dwarf that was throwing the bombs and chasing a Woman. Legolas ran, grabbed his axe without stopping, and jumped into the fray. A pirate attempted to kill him, but Legolas killed it instead. Soldiers grabbed their guns and charged into the fray. A cannonball destroyed the gallows.
"Sight the muzzle flash!" Haldir ordered.
"Aim for the flashes." A Man said.
"I need a full strike, fore and aft. Mr. Stephens, more cartridges." Haldir shouted. "Governor, barricade yourself in my office." Haldir said to Denethor. Denethor didn't move. "That's an order." Haldir replied.
Boromir ran out onto his balcony. He watched as a group of pirates ran for the door to the mansion. Eyes wide, he ran back inside. There was banging on the door. A servant walked towards it.
"No! Don't!" Boromir tried to yell at the servant. The servant opened the door.
"Hello, chum." Elladan said as he pulled out a pistol and shot the servant in the head. Boromir screamed as the servant fell backwards.
"Up there!" Elohir pointed at Boromir. Boromir ran as fast as his legs could carry him into the next room. He locked the door and nearly screamed when a maid grabbed him by the shoulders.
"Mister Boromir, they've come to kidnap you." The maid said.
"What?" Boromir asked.
"You're the Governor's son." The maid replied.
"In here!" a pirate yelled from outside the door.
"Listen, they haven't seen you. Hide and the first chance you get, run to the fort." Boromir said as he ran and grabbed the bedpan and waited for the pirates to get in. Elladan and Elohir ran into the room. Elladan was hit in the face with the bedpan. The maid ran out of the room and Elladan fell backwards.
"Gotcha." Elohir laughed as he grabbed the bedpan's handle. Boromir struggled to get it out of the Elf's grasp. Elohir started barking at Boromir. Boromir smirked and pulled a lever on the bedpan, causing the still burning coals to fall on Elohir.
"No! No! No! It's hot!" Elohir let go and started to try to get the coals off of him "You burned me!" Elladan stood up as Boromir ran into the hallway.
"Come on!" Elladan yelled as he chased the Human. Elladan chased Boromir down the stairs, while Elohir jumped off of them in front of Boromir. A cannonball blasted through the house, distracting the Elves long enough for Boromir to dash off. Closing the door and putting a candleholder on the doorknobs to lock them, Boromir ran and tried to get a sword out of an ornamental shield. The sword was stuck, forcing Boromir to forget it and hide.
"We know you're here, poppet." Elladan called.
"poppet." Elohir echoed.
"Come out and we promise we won't hurt you." Elladan said.
"Eh?" Elohir said.
"We will find you poppet." Elladan smirked. Boromir watched through a crack in the door of the closet he was hiding in. "You've got something of ours, and it calls to us." Elladan said. The pirates noticed a corner of the rug in front of Boromir's hiding place had been turned over. "The gold calls to us."
"Gold." Elohir echoed. Boromir looked at the medallion around his neck.
"'Ello poppet." Elladan said looking through the crack in the door before flinging it open.
"Parlay." Boromir said as Elladan pointed a gun at him.
"What?" Elladan blinked.
"Parley." Boromir breathed heavily. "I invoke the right of parley." Elohir looked at Elladan. "According to the Code of the Brethren set down by the pirates Isildur and Gil-Galhad, you have to take me to your captain."
"I know the Code." Elladan growled.
"If an adversary demands parley, you can do them no harm until the parley is complete." Boromir said.
"To blazes with the Code!" Elohir growled as he pointed his sword at Boromir.
"He wants to be taken to the captain." Elladan snapped. "And he'll go without a fuss." They grinned evilly. "We must honor the Code."
A pirate threw a barrel through a window. A pirate swung his sword at Legolas, who blocked it. The pirate grabbed Legolas with an anchor like thing around his neck, pulled him close, and held up a hatchet.
"Say goodbye." The pirate growled. A sign came swinging down and hit the pirate, sending him crashing through a window and freeing Legolas.
"Goodbye." Legolas chirped and ran back into the fight. He stopped in his tracks as he saw pirates running off with Boromir.
"Legolas!" Boromir whispered as he saw the blonde Elf.
"Come on!" Elladan shouted.
"Boromir." Legolas said. He started to run after them. The bomb-throwing pirate stood in his way.
"Hello." The pirate smiled and waved. Legolas looked at him with a didn't-I-just-kill-you look on his face. The pirate looked at Legolas' feet. Legolas looked down and saw a bomb. He took a step back as the fuse ran out, but nothing happened, it was a dud, a flop. Legolas looked up at the pirate with a look half way between a glare and a really? look.
"Out of my way scum!" a pirate yelled as he banged Legolas on the back of his head with a metal vase. The bomb pirate laughed as Legolas fell backwards unconscious.
Aragorn's eyes widened as a cannonball hit the jail, on the cell right beside his no less.
"My sympathies, friend." A Man said. "You've no manner of luck at all." He said before exiting the hole. Aragorn looked sadly out of the tiny hole that the cannonball made on his own cell. The clouds rolled back to reveal the moon as Aragorn picked up a bone. Sticking his hand through the door and whistling, Aragorn attempted to lure the dog out of hiding.
"Come on doggy." The dog crawled out from his hiding place. "It's just you and me now." Aragorn smiled. "It's you and old Aragorn. Come on." The dog started to move towards Aragorn. "Come on. That's a boy. Good boy. Come get the bone." The dog continued to move closer. "That's a good boy, come on." The dog was nearly there. "A bit closer. A bit closer." Aragorn said. "That's it. That's it, doggy." The dog was about to grab the bone. "Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cur." The dog ran away as a door opened. "Don't do that. No! No! I didn't mean it!" Aragorn called after the dog. "I didn't." There was a thud, shouting, and a soldier fell down the steps dead.
"This ain't the armory." A pirate said.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Thorin." A second pirate smirked, sheathed his sword, and stalked towards Aragorn. Aragorn glared at the two.
"Captain Aragorn Ellassar." The pirate spat in front of Aragorn.
"Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a Valarforsaken island, shrinking into the distance. His fortunes aren't improved much." Thorin laughed.
"Worry about your own fortunes, gentledwarfs." Aragorn smirked. "The deepest circle in Hell is reserved for betrayers and mutineers." The two dwarfs glared at Aragorn. The second one growled and grabbed Aragorn's throat, Aragorn leaned back and saw that the dwarf's arm had become skeletal in the moonlight.
"So there is a curse." Aragorn muttered. "That's interesting."Aragorn looked back at the dwarfs.
"You know nothing of Hell." The dwarf growled before walking away.
"That's very interesting." Aragorn said as he looked at the bone in his hand and the clouds covered the moon again.
The pirates returned to the ship. Boromir recognized the black sails from eight years ago. There was a monkey chattering as it swung onto a man standing at the stairs.
"I didn't know we was taking on captives." The Bo'sun said as he walked up to Elladan, Elohir, and Boromir.
"He's invoked the right of parley with Captain Saruman.
"I'm here to-" Boromir was cut off as the Bo'sun slapped him.
"You'll speak when spoken to." The Bo'sun said. Boromir held where the Bo'sun slapped him.
"And ye'll not lay a hand on those under the protection of parley." Saruman grabbed the Bo'sun's arm.
"Aye, sir." The Bo'sun jerked his arm away from Saruman.
"My apologies, mister." Saruman looked at Boromir.
"Captain Saruman, I am here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Minas Tirith." Boromir said.
"There were a lot of long words in there, mister. We're naught but humble pirates." Saruman laughed. "What is it that you want?"
"I want you to leave and never come back." Boromir growled. The crew laughed.
"I'm disinclined to acquiesce your request. Means no." Saruman said. Boromir glared at him for a brief second.
"Very well," Boromir grabbed the medallion and strode to the edge of the ship. The crew surged forward a little. Boromir held the medallion over the water. "I'll drop it." Saruman walked forward a little.
"Me holds are burstin with swag." He said. "That bit of shine matters to us?" Saruman looked at his crew. "Why?" Saruman looked at Boromir and demanded. Boromir looked at him with realization written on his face.
"It's what you've been searching for. I recognize this ship." Boromir looked at the crew. "I saw it eight years ago on the crossing from Arnor."
"Did you, now?" Saruman asked.
"Fine. Well, I suppose if it really is worthless, there's no point in me keeping it." Boromir let the medallion slip a little.
"No." Sarunman and the crew surged forward. Boromir smirked and tightened his hold on it. Saruman chuckled and walked forward.
"You have a name, mister?" He asked.
"Boromir Greenleaf." Boromir replied after a slight hesitation. "I'm a servant in the Governor's household." Boromir gathered the medallion in one hand and looked down.
"Mister Greenleaf." Saruman turned to the crew and there were chuckles and murmers.
"Mirkwood." Elladan said. Elohir had recognition written all over his face.
"And how does a servant come to own a trinket such as that?" Saruman asked Boromir. "Family heirloom, perhaps?"
"I didn't steal it, if that's what you mean." Boromir narrowed his eyes.
"Very well. You hand it over and we'll put your town to our rudder and ne'er return." Saruman held out his hand. Boromir put it in his hand. Saruman handed it to his monkey who scampered away.
"Our bargain?" Boromir said. Saruman nodded to the Bo'sun and walked away.
"Still the guns and stow them." The Bo'sun ordered. The crew made ready to sail.
"Wait! You have to take me to shore!" Boromir ran after Saruman. "According to the Code of the Order of the Brethren-"
"First, your return to shore was not part of our negotiations nor our agreement. So I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the Pirate's Code to apply, and you're not. And thirdly, the Code is more what you call guidelines than actual rules." Saruman turned around. "Welcome aboard the Black Pearl, Mister Greenleaf." Saruman walked away as Elladan and Elohir pulled Boromir away.