Two Blades for Hire

[Envin]

Thorongil smiled, and shrugged his cloak from his shoulders, and to the surprise of all present he sat himself down upon a barrel hard by. Settling himself, he heard the barrel rock a bit, and, reaching inside, he pulled forth two large bottles of rum and tossed one to Ash. Taking a hefty pull at his jug he said this:

"Now, pirates ye may be, but I'll gi' ye that ye're no fools. It won't do to be killin' me, nary it won't. Think ye on't: how many a ship does Gondor boast, and ye are but one! Not that I be makin' bluff - honest truth! Now, we are strong Man and hardy Elf, and though the shore is but barely in sight, I feel confident that we could swim the distance, for oft were the days I spent in the Grey Havens in my youth, and Alagos here has swum in the Anduin since thou've been born. So here's me proposition fer ye: thou shalt have gold in aplenty if thou shalt only sail us where we wish to go. If not, then we jump ship and swim 'neath the wave away from thy arrows and make shore, thou profit naught, and I return with twelve ships and blast this hulk into oblivion. Choice seems obvious enow to me."

He and Ash smashed their rum bottles on the deck, and quick as lightning stood upon the prow, ready to dive.

"Ye're choice, cap'n!" called the King. "Profit my us, air be blasted! I shall not wait long!"

[Idrial]

Idrial watched the entire scene take place from a mere short distance away. At the mention of the King of Gondor, she glanced toward Thorongil in surprise. Only...he wasn't Thorongil. They'd decieved her. She scoffed...such must be the ways of the 'Honorable High King'. He obviously had no honor.

The maiden pushed her way through the throng and jumped up as well. "I'm going with you." She said to Thorongil and the elf. There was no way she was going to be left behind...she would have vengence yet.

[Envin]

"Well," said this dishonorable High King, "If ye'll be a'comin along, ye'd better know how ter tread ye sim water, but ye'll be a'needin' a bit o' th' rum ter begin with." He gestured at the barrel hard by. "Seems ter me 'at yer firs' mate 'ere's los' 'im a frien'. She'll be a'coming with us, swim or nay, and, cap'n, [here he winked at Curtus and smiled] we'll o' cairse up the pot a bit fer her passage as well, enow ter sate 'at gold tooth o' your'n. What'll it be, gents? Shall ye have us, me hearties? Or shall we swim it and return with fire?[/i]"

[Marcus]

Marcus pointeid his blade to the plank. "Ye been told 'at a price be. A cap'n says he wants six ship an 'at'll be what a cap'n gets." Marcus looked out over the water and smiled, "An if ye thinks ye can swim a hunrerd leagues, 'en be my guest." Marcus looked at the girl as she made her way to the soggy pair. "An no doubt she be goin with ye. Enough a 'er lip I listened to, she fits in well with the two of ya. Now, make up yer mind, yer 'highness'...... and I don't intend to be wait'n long."

[Envin]

"Ah, but it ain't ter be my mind as needs the makin'. 'Twill be ye cap'n's. Master cap'n, sir - think ye it wise ter kill us, when at our backs stand the full might o' Gondor and Lorien? Nay, methinks difrent. I says take what ye'll get from me, and that be much, much gold, mair'n ye'll think sooth. And it be not a hundred leagues, ye blind rat - look ye there! 'Tis distant, sure, but swimmable, nonetheless, and I fear not we'll be up ter the task. Thy choice, cap'n. Gold, air none. Those be ye choices, seems to his 'highness.'"

[Curtus]

he thought on this for a moment, then sadi "Ill take yer offer, it be the best ill get out of ye,now were you men be goin? and when ill be getting this gold?" then he noticed something, all the damage to the ship they had done, and said "ill need you to fix the damage ye did to me ship afore we go anywere!"

[Marcus]

Marcus put away his sword and scowled at the King. "'ell, looks like you get it your way, ye slimey dog." He spat on the King's boot and snatched the bottle of rum Aragorn held in his hand befor he turned and walked away, remarking as he left. "Ye'll be regretting it if ye dinnae keep yer word about this gold." Marcus headed towards the bow of the ship and sat atop a crate, leaning his back against the forward mast as he drank from the bottle of rum.

[Faron]

"Our destination is Umbar, on the coast of Haradwraith. Now, about the damage to the ship, you have a crew sitting idle, and their not paying for the privalage of riding in this ship." After saying this, Ash whispered to Aragorn, "Are you sure about taking the girl," he pointed towards Idrial, "With us? Our journey is dangerous enough as it is already, and with only the two of us."

[Idrial]

Idrial was by now close enough that she could hear the conversation taking place between them. Though she was a bit offended at the possibility of being left behind, she said nothing of it. "'Course he's sure." She stated simply, gripping a dangling rope and spinning herself around to face them. "And 'course I can swim." She replied in answer to Aragorn's question...or statement rather.

[Curtus]

"but they didnt do the damage, now did they? and i thinks you two should repair them."

[Faron]

"And I think I can see a Gondorian patrol ship on the horizon that I could call over here to arrest all of you pirates. Therefore, I don't really feel like repairing this boat." Then Ashuron turned to Idrial. "And you, are starting to annoy me. You shouldn't listen to conversations that don't include you. It's considered rude."

[Curtus]

"well we aint movin till ye fix the dammage ye did!"

[Idrial]

Idrial cocked her head at the elf's words and placed a hand over her mouth in mock surprise. "I am annoying? Please forgive me." She glanced back and forth between the elf and the captain as they exchanged words, but she said no more. While she did not show it outwardly, she was somewhat dissapointed that she was annoying to the other two. She hadn't meant to be.

[Marcus]

Marcus having had enough of hearing cocky elf's lip had a detail of crewmen repair the sails and mast so they could be underway and soon rid of the lot of them. The crew soon had the sails and mast mended, a job Marcus doubted the elf could have accomplished anyhow. After things were complete, he turned to Curtus. "We kin be off now 'at things have had a proper fix'in, a task 'ese two couldnae handled anyway."

[Faron]

"Just as a point of interest, there's a Gondorian ship there," he pointed to his left, "And one there," and then he pointed right, "But I guess that with your eyesight not being as keen as that of an elf such as myself, you wouldn't have seen them. Now, if we could get moving, we're already behind schedule as it is."