A Pirate's Fairytale

Chapter 9

As they got closer, they could hear the chanting better. Yet all Jack could think of was how beautiful the cave was becoming. It seemed to glow the same silver color as Selene's eyes, yet this light was bright enough to illuminate. Selene had gone quiet, and he wasn't too sure how to get her out of it. Hell, he wasn't too sure about what was happening right now. Something wasn't right, he knew that much, but what was it? Was it the chanting? The weird silver light? Selene's silence that was wasn't sure how to break? What the fuck.

"What are you confused about Jack?" her voice was soft, it seemed like she was trying to not draw attention to them just yet.

Jack picked his head up, "Sorry love, didn't realize I said that out loud."

She chuckled. "I know it's a strange situation we're in right now, but bear with me. The goal of this is for you to drink out of the immortality fountain and get out of here in one piece."

"You would think there would be a better name for it than immortality fountain."

A snort of contained laughter. "Shut up before whoever is chanting hears us."

"Too late." The voice was sinister.

Jack looked past Selene and made eye contact with the man who had been chanting and now stood illuminated by the light of the immortality fountain. To say he was crazed would be an understatement. Jack had seen men who had lost their minds before, men so lost in hate that they forgot everything else. Yet this man had reached a whole new level. His hair was long and matted and looked as though it hadn't had any kind of care in years and his beard looked nearly the same. His eyes were sunken deep into his face and his skin was so pale it looked as though the man hadn't seen any sunlight in who knows how long. Despite everything, there was an unshakable familiarity around him.

"Father, how nice to see that you're just as crazed as the rumors said."

"You reached whore, you're the reason I'm like this! When John brought you in on that ship, he brought my downfall with him. No one would dare ship through my company again for fear the pirates would go out of their way to rob them. Not to mention how badly I fell out of society because of you. No one would have my company or my business and I fell into disgrace like no other man has ever fallen!"

Jack watched in disgust as spittle flew out of his mouth during his rant.

"So while I was falling out of society, I started my research. I looked up every reason why you could've survived that poison, and why it took your mother instead. I finally found my answers. Witchcraft! You're mother and that pirate took you to see a witch, but she couldn't cure you. She could only give it to someone else and instead of letting that pirate die! Your mother chose to take it instead. A man can recover from losing a child, especially one of you're age. I could've blamed it on any number of illnesses, but your mother couldn't be explained away so easily. What could cause a healthy woman to start rapidly declining in health? And for it to only happen once I returned from my trip? The rumors and my downfall started there.

"You were so beautiful though, and had so much popularity within society. You were able to bring me back from the pit. All those balls and beautiful gowns, finally you were making yourself worth something. Then you just had to be caught at sea leading a pirate ship! All the reputation I had rebuilt was gone in seconds once the news broke. High society wouldn't even look me in the face! I started my planning then child. I learned of the deal, then I learned that there was no way around the deal, and then again I learned that you had made another deal. The power to control the sea, at the cost of becoming a sea creature yourself when you die. Do you think you'll be lucky and perhaps turn into a mermaid? That would be a wonderful thing. I could hunt you down a second time."

"What will you do Father? Kill me here and now? You're a crazed old man as well as outnumbered 2 to 1."

"Aye mate and I've been told I've got one hell of an ability with a sword." Jack had to say something, to listen to this man speak of and at Selene with such hate and little regard boiled his blood in a way he never thought possible.

"Butt out pirate. You're nothing more than fish bait." He sneered at Jack. "You ruined my plans, you horrible child! I was supposed to become the hand of the king and you ruined all of it and now you must DIE!"

Jack wasn't sure what was said after that, it certainly wasn't in any language he knew, but suddenly the ground trembled and a crack appeared. From that crack climbed the ugliest thing Jack had ever seen. Its skin looked as though it was boiling water, constantly rolling and steam came off its sheets that covered the cave in fog.

"That's your great plan? Summon a demon to kill me? A water demon at that. I knew you had lost your mind, but this is an entirely new level of crazy."

With that said, Selene reached out her hand and with a soft tilt of her head seemed to take control of the demon. A rumbling noise came from her throat, and Jack watched in awe as the demon stopped walking towards them. It turned with speed Jack had only seen in the crew of Davy Jones and latched itself onto Selene's father. They went down, rolling off into the water and her father made terrifying noises Jack was certain would haunt his dreams for some time. Jack took his eyes off the attack for a second to look at Selene and was surprised to see the amount of strain on her face and the sweat already rolling down her temple. She had only been controlling the demon for a small moment, yet it seemed to be taking every ounce of energy she had.

Right then, Jim and a handful of others from Selene's crew burst in. Jim took one look at the situation and ripped off the necklace he had been wearing. Jack watched in surprise as he threw the amulet on the ground and the demon seemed to absorb right into it, no magic words or anything.

Once the demon was entirely sealed away, Selene took a deep breath and fell back into Jack. He just barely managed to catch her before she hit the rocks.
Jack lowered them the rest of the way down, "Selene? What's wrong?"

Selene's smile was relieved, but her words were slow. "This is it, Jack. This is what I've been making my body hold out for. The chance to rid the world of Richard Corkweather. Now that it's done, it's my time to fulfill my end of the bargain."

"You're end of the bargain? I don't understand. We're feet away from the immortality fountain surely you can hold on for just a few more moments." His voice cracked at the end.

"I can't Jack. This is the deal I made with Tia Dalma. I say alive and with my abilities until Richard Corkweather is dead. When that time comes, I will pass on and live out my new life as whatever sea creature I'm reborn as." Her voice was so quiet.

He knew she was trying to be kind to him, but why did she have to leave him so soon? She had just returned.

"Why right after you kill Richard?" He could feel the defeat running through him, and the tears forming in his eyes.

"Tia couldn't take all the poison out of my system all those years ago. She took as much as she could as pushed the rest of it into a really small bubble near my jaw. While I was captured, they hit me there so hard it burst that bubble of poison. Tia was able to make a suppressant to keep its effects at bay until we could get here, but I knew it wouldn't last much longer past that." She stopped there, to cough up blood and for tears to finally fall.

"I wish I could've spent more time with you all, but there's been too much to do. I got pregnant while I was held captive there, and I had to stay hidden until my children were old enough to understand and take care of themselves."

"Why didn't you tell us Capt? We would've loved to help raise some mini-Selene's." Jim's voice broke here as well. No one could handle all the information being given to them.

She smiled the most honest one they had seen since she returned. "Because I couldn't pass up the chance to be the best mother I could. I wanted to spend what limited time I had dedicated solely to them. Please forgive me because it is my biggest regret that you never got to meet them while I'm alive. They aren't hard to find though. They're hiding around Tortuga with Jack's father as a babysitter. They look just like me, silver eyes and black hair.

"Now all of you go, and drink from that fountain and bring some back for the others on The Ghost and any of Jack's crew he thinks will help in the future. You're going to have to seal this cave closed with that spell Tia gave you Jim. With mine and my father's body in here and I don't want to hear any fuss about it. One day this will break because spells don't last forever. When it breaks that demon is going to come from my descendants and it will be the job of all of you to help them defeat it once and for all."

"Selene," Jack's voice cracked again. "What you're asking"

"Is a lot I know," she coughed again and more blood came out. "But it's necessary. You need to know this to be prepared for the future."

More coughing and more blood followed. One of the crew came back with a rum bottle that had been emptied and refilled with the water.

"This will keep you from aging, and you won't catch any diseases or anything of the sort, but if you get shot you will still die. Please always remember that. It's immortality with a twist."

Jack smiled, "I guess immortality with a twist is better than no immortality at all."

Selene coughed out a laugh and more blood, "Exactly Jack. Now go all of you. Explore the world for me, and stay safe."

Anyone who had managed to hold back tears couldn't anymore. Sniffling could be heard all around as they all kneeled down beside her and said their goodbyes. Jim and Jack stayed by here until the very end when everyone else was done.

"You two especially stay safe. I'm counting on you the most to help whatever poor descendant has to fight that demon in the future."

Neither could find any words to say past the tears, they could only nod. Jim rose first and held his hand out to Jack. Jack looked at it and leaned over to give Selene one last kiss on the forehead.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

All three were crying and Jim helped Jack up and out. Selene laid there, looking at the top of the cave. Stars, she couldn't help but think. She closed her eyes the last time with the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star stuck in her head.

Outside, they all finished the last of the chanting and looking around lost.

"What do we do now?" One of the crew asked.

Jack and Jim looked up to the sky.

"We live as she would want us to,"

"Explore the world and try every alcohol there is."

With sad smiles, the crew boarded the boat and set course for Tortuga. They all knew that it would be some time before they met up again. There was heartbreak that needed to be handled and exploring that needed to be done. But in the end, it would work out.

Somewhere in their hearts, they knew they would find her again one day.