Far away from the tropical waters of the Caribbean, our heroes found their way on their latest ship as it travelled between pieces of ice. The temperatures were so low, that a man from Sao Feng's crew tried to warm his feet, only for his big finger to break away.
Everyone was covered with a thin blanket and was shivering from the cold. Pieces of snow and cold could be seen on their hair and beards. Even the monkey, Jack, was shivering and was rubbing his tiny hands around his body, trying to remain warm but failing miserably.
"No one said anything about cold" Pintel whined as his teeth clattered against each other.
"There must be a good reason for our suffering" Raggetti added, in no better condition.
"Why don't that Obeah woman bring back Jack, the same way she brought back Barbossa?"
Their little discussion which was mostly taken as whining, was heard by the other members on top of the ship. One of them was Tia Dalma herself, who chose to enlighten the two pirates since they so openly accused her as if they knew her crafts and her abilities.
"Because Barbossa was only dead" she started to explain. "Jack Sparrow is taken, body and soul, to a place not of death, but punishment. The worst fate a person can bring upon himself. Stretching on forever. That's what awaits at Davy Jones' locker"
After her explanation, Tia Dalma searched the small ship before finding the person she was looking for.
"I knew there was a good reason" Raggetti commented as the woman left them.
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Artemis was standing at the far back of the boat, her eyes locked on the sea they were leaving behind. She was shivering and the sound of her teeth could be slightly heard. She held the end of the blanket closer to her chest to keep her body warm, her fingers feeling numb, as did most parts of her body.
She had never faced such cold before and she knew she did not like it. She would choose the heat and the sun any day over that cold. She could sense that someone was by her side and she quickly noticed whom, yet she said nothing as her mind was too messy with thoughts.
She recognised Beckett's little lap dog back at the bathhouse and she was certain that he recognised her too. That meant that he knew she was there and most likely had a basic idea of what would happen next if that little spy of theirs survived the attack.
Her stomach turned at any idea or thought she had about that man, scenes replaying in her mind of a time not so long ago when they first met. She shook her head, closing her eyes for a moment to push and lock those memories away before she decided to focus on something else; for the sake of her sanity.
"Tia Dalma..." she started, doing her best to find the strength to speak through her quivering lips. "... you said you knew me... back at the hut... How?" she asked, breaking the silence and looking at the older woman.
"You do not remember? Do you?" the older woman asked, looking back at her with the same hurt expression she had when they first met at her hut.
It was the expression of betrayal but also disappointment, a look Artemis did not get often. She could not help but feel guilty, feeling she had actually harmed the woman with her words but she could not lie to her; knowing it was not right..and it just did not feel right.
"If I did, I wouldn't have asked you," she said, not truly wanting to sound sarcastic but she could not fully help it.
The two women looked at each other and Tia Dalma opened the shell necklace she wore. The sound of a melody echoed through the silence, its soft tune mimicking that of a lullaby.
Artemis found herself looking at it, her shaking hand holding it up as the melody seemed familiar in her mind. Like before with the coin, she fell into some sort of trance only that this seemed to be powered by something more...a memory.
"...You will find the keys to my heart, will never be apart..." The lyrics came from her mouth without her realising it, her mind somehow remembering it and her mouth was letting them out; without any of them to process it first.
It shocked her but she did it rather well. Yet as the melody kept playing, she could not truly focus; as if some part of her was fighting to be awakened. She closed the trinket, putting an end to the beautiful sound that felt as if it was haunting her and honestly; Artemis did not know how or why.
"See... You remember" Tia Dalma said with a smile, a glimmer of hope evident in her dark eyes.
She gently took the necklace back and let it hang around her neck, as she always had for all those years; too many to count.
Artemis focused back on the present and shook her head faintly, something she did when she was trying to clear her head. "That is nothing... it was a song my mom used to sing to me-"
"No!" Tia interrupted her, her change of tone shocking the Redhead. "It was not your mom"
Before Artemis could ask anything else, she felt two hands cupping her cold face in a mothering way. She looked into the brown eyes of the woman, who lifted the black eyepatch. The redhead did not stop her and simply stood there, as her palms covered her eyes.
Suddenly, everything turned black and she was brought back to a time she had long forgotten. A memory long buried, started to reply in her mind.
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A 5-year-old Artemis was sitting on a wooden chair, surrounded by different items and jars that decorated and occupied most space in the little hut. Behind her, sat Tia Dalma, who was brushing her long red hair. The little girl had her eyes on the same music box in the shape of a shell.
It was open, the music echoing throughout the hut as the little girl was singing and swinging her legs back and forth. All the while Tia Dalma kept brushing her hair, looking with pride at the little girl as she recited the song.
The scene changed slightly. Now, Artemis had grown by 5 years and was sitting in front of the fire. Heavy rain and a strong wind could be heard outside. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders and Tia Dalma took the seat next to her.
The child had a smile on her face and was drinking something from a cup, eyes half open in a relaxed manner as she felt the soothing flames warming up her body.
Suddenly, the door was kicked open and her father entered. He was soaking wet, his clothes feeling heavy from all the water and his boots were muddy. His face showed pure anger and betrayal, black circles under his eyes indicated lack of sleep and his red hair, while wet seemed to be more messy than usual.
"You witch! It is all your fault" he accused, pointing a finger at Tia Dalma as the wind howled behind him.
The two women rose quickly on their feet and faced him, Artemis being the most shocked to see her father in such a state. "Dad?" she called him, not sure what was going on and yet she took a few steps towards her dear father.
"We are leaving Artemis. Stay away from the monster!" he said as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards the door, putting more distance between her and the powerful woman.
"We had a deal," Tia Dalma said, anger flashing in her brown orbs as she walked towards them.
Her father glared daggers at her. "The deal is off... You took her from me... you...you witch! You took her from me! I won't allow you to take Artemis as well!" he shouted and rushed outside, pulling Artemis along with him.
The little girl was shocked and scared, letting her father pull her further and further away without any true explanation. She did not know what had taken place or why her father was acting that way, and she never asked. When she found out that her mother had passed that day, her memories were subconsciously locked away.
Yet now, she could remember Tia Dalma shouting in a different language as the sky above them flashed white with lightning, the rain now coming down on them heavier than before.
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Artemis gasped and she took a step forward, her vision adjusting back to normal. She was back on the ship, in the cold and harsh weather and Tia Dalma stood in front of her. Since that day, Tia Dalma seemed to have remained the same; as if the passing years did not dare to touch her, in fear of her wrath.
Her hands held the blanket for deal life, knuckles aching but she paid them no mind as she tried to make sense out of everything. Faintly she could remember details from those times she spent in the hut with the dark-skinned woman, doing all kinds of things; some feeling so bizarre to her adult mind but seemed to make so much sense when she was younger.
"This... is this real... but how... you?" she asked between pants, the cold once again getting to her.
Tia Dalma offered a sad smile, taking a step to be closer to the redhead. "Your mother was my best and only student...your father visited me many years ago and soon took her with him across the sea... they loved each other truly but your mother... she could bear no child... so they came to me. I gave them something that would help and as payment, they had to leave you with me... 5 years on the sea, 1 year with me" she explained.
The redhead took her time, processing the information as pieces of those locked away years started to resurface in her mind; bits by bits. She felt the same stinging sensation at the back of her head and she tried not to wince at it. Instead, she focused on the present and the woman next to her.
"I... I remember... the day we lost mom...that's why I forgot" she confessed, some things finally making sense.
She had long wondered about her childhood, always having blanks in her memory when asked about her past as a child. At least now, she knew why but there were still so many unanswered questions and she was not even sure if she would ever get answers for all of them.
She sat down on a barrel, her mind trying to process everything. Tia Dalma sat next to her, waiting patiently and giving her time. She did not pressure her but she seemed pleased that Artemis had started to remember again, for she knew it was a key thing to do so; for her to move forward as she was destined to do.
"The pirates... and the incident... was it punishment cause he broke the deal?" Artemis asked although she was not sure what she wanted to hear.
It was clear that Tia Dalma was a powerful woman, with many skills and knowledge. Deals were sacred to her, especially those who requested to pull almost the impossible. Like in her case, help her infertile mother to stay pregnant.
"The Sea takes everything when the time is right. She cannot be stopped. She is meant to be free and wild. That is her curse and her blessing" Tia told her, passively giving her a piece of advice.
Artemis realised that she would take no direct answer, so she let it go. She took a moment to gather her thoughts. There were other things, more important things to worry about. She stood up and started to walk away but came to a halt and turned to look at the older woman.
"When this is all over, maybe... we can catch up on all those years," she said with a small smile.
The dark-skinned woman was the closest she could have to a mother now, and it was clear that they shared many things in common. The most important thing was merely the fact that she had answers.
If her mother was a student of the woman, it was logical to the redhead why she seemed to have these odd sensations or those peculiar dreams...like the one of Beckett. It was also clear as day that Tia Dalma truly had answers and could help her understand better, train even.
Tia Dalma stood up and smiled. Her smile showed neither happiness nor sadness. "Only time will tell... but...maybe"
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Night had fallen and nothing had changed much. The ice had been left behind, but the weather was still much colder than what they had gotten used to. The waters were almost as black as the sky above them, and there was no bird or life form in sight. It was a dead place with no land or stars, only nothingness and the faint glow of the moon.
Will asked, "When will we rescue Jack?" Artemis and Tia Dalma approached, but Elizabeth stormed off, showing that their previous conversation about Jack did not end well.
Tia Dalma explained, "For what we want most, there is a cost that must be paid in the end," and Will's eyes widened as he realized something.
"Aye, we're good and lost now," the Captain said, calm and with a grin on his face.
"Lost?" Elizabeth repeated.
"For certain you have to be lost to find the places that can't be found. Else ways, everyone would know where it was," Tia Dalma explained as if it was an obvious thing to do.
Suddenly, they felt the speed of the boat changing, as if some sudden current had chosen to carry them faster than it should be possible unless...
"We're gaining speed!" Gibbs informed them, going as far as to glance down at the waters beneath them.
Barbossa did not seem surprised as he held the wheel. "Aye."
Will did not wish to find out what would come next and started to shout orders. "To stations! All hands, to stations! Hard to port, gather way!"
"Nay! Belay that! Let her run straight and true!"
"Blimey!" Pintel commented as a huge waterfall was finally visible.
Just a giant fall and nothing else.
"You've doomed us all!" Elizabeth shouted at Barbossa as she rushed to help Will.
"Don't be so unkind. You may not survive to pass this way again, and these are the last friendly words you'll hear."
"Tie her off!" Will ordered as everyone rushed to stop the boat from falling, all but two.
Artemis just stood at the very edge of the boat, seeing the waterfall approaching but not doing anything, and Tia Dalma, who was mumbling in some unknown language while throwing crab claws on the sea.
"Hard to port!"
"Hold on!"
Elizabeth and Will shouted, and Barbossa laughed as the ship was getting closer and closer to the fall. Nothing was stopping it.
"This is it... The end of the world," Artemis muttered as the ship turned and fell backwards.
EDITED: 9/3/2024