FicWad

Tia Dalma

Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney. OCs and plot belong to me. Now, onwards to the chapter. Enjoy!

XXX

Night shrouded the river, which was smothered by a thick fog. Three dinghies travelled the green swamp-like water. The otherworld travellers occupied one of the small boats. Another was occupied by Will, Mr. Gibbs, and the rest of the crew. The last boat, which was leading the other two, was paddled only by Jack.

'So, can someone tell me why we're here?' Sora complained.

'I wish I knew,' Riku responded.

'Why did Jack bring us here? What does he want?'

''That is a question you will never find an answer for,' Sam replied.

'You sound as if you know him,' Riku stated.

'I suppose I do. I ran into the pirate in the past. I was still with the Paramekian Empire then. My emperor wanted his compass.'

'That couldn't have gone well,' Kairi stated.

'No, it didn't.' With that, Sam lifted his shirt enough to reveal his stomach, which was scared with a faded gash.

'Gawrsh, did Jack do that?'

'Indeed,' Sam replied. The scar, though now faded, clearly would have been deep, deep enough to have most likely cut through internal organs.

'You got through that?' Sora questioned.

'What can I say? Paramekians such as you and I are difficult to kill. Though it does not hurt to have an expert white mage on hand.'

'I guess...' Sora replied before his eyes lit up, 'You're a Paramekian? I thought you just worked with them?'

No. I was just one of the many Paramekian descendants scattered throughout the cosmos. As was Squall. As was Laguna. Etcetera.

'Ah, what the heck's a Paramekian?' Donald asked.

'None of your concern. As of yet, anyway,' Sam answered.

'Ah phooey!' Donald exclaimed.

XXX

'Why is Jack afraid of the open ocean?' Will whispered to Mr. Gibbs.

'Well, if you believe such things, there's a beast that does the bidding of Davy Jones. A monstrous creature with giant tentacles that'll suction your face clean off, and drag an entire ship down to the crushing darkness. The Kraken. They say the stench of its breath is...' at that, Gibbs shuddered, 'Imagine, the last thing you know on God's green Earth is the roar of the Kraken and the reeking odour of a thousand rotting corpses.' He fell silent for a while, 'If you believe such things.'

'And the key will spare him that?' Will asked as his memory was suddenly drawn back to the drawing.

'Well, that's the very question Jack wants answered, bad enough even to go visit her.'

'Her?' Will questioned.

'Aye.'

Jack closed in on one of the many shacks the covered the swamp. As he pulled up and came to a halt, so did the other two boats.

'No worries, mates. Tia Dalma and I go way back. Thick as thieves. Nigh inseparable we are...were...have been...before...' Jack called as he jumped out of his boat. Everyone unloaded onto the small dock.

'I'll watch your back,' said Mr. Gibbs.

'It's me front I'm worried about.' Jack replied as he made his way up to the shack followed by Mr. Gibbs.

'I can't believe people live in run-down places like this,' Sora stated.

'Is it so difficult to believe?' Sam replied, 'in a society run by the rich, the poor are bound to live like scurrying rats. So different from Paramekia,' the last part was no more than a whisper. A pain-filled whisper.

'I suppose we should get going,' Riku said as he saw Jack's crew and Will ascend to the shack.

'Yeah, Yeah. Get going already,' stated Relm, who had pulled out a sketchbook and pencil, and was already sketching the surroundings.

'Alright, let's get going,' Sora stated as the three oldest of the Keybearers, and the Disney kingdom travellers made their way to the shack. Sora suddenly stopped as he noticed Sam was not following, 'Aren't you coming?'

'No, I will stay here,' Sam answered.

'Is something wrong,' Sora asked as he noticed the melancholy tone in his voice.

'Do not concern yourself with it. I am perfectly fine,'

'You don't sound like it,' Sora stated, unconvinced, 'I'm your friend. If something is wrong, then you can tell me.'

For a while, Sam was silent, 'Leave me.'

'But Sam-'

'Leave me!'

Sora jumped at the unexpected explosion on Sam's part. Relm nearly dropped her pencil. However, Shadow was unfazed, seemingly excepting the response.

'Fine, I'm going.' Sora conceded as he spun around and rushed after the others.

XXX

Sora caught up to the large group seconds before they entered the shack. Jack opened the door, revealing an extravagant room lined with various artefacts. In the middle of the room sat a woman. Her complexion was similar to that of the natives of the island that they had recently escaped. Unlike them however, her clothing looked like it was made of extravagant material. Her dark hair was styled in dreadlocks. As she looked up, a smile consumed her face. Clearly, this was Tia Dalma. Jack spoke of this woman.

'Jack Sparrow!' Tia exclaimed.

'Tia Dalma.' Jack responded.

'I always knew the wind was going to blow you back to me one day,' Tia said before turning to Will. Immediately, her eyes lit up, 'you, you have a touch of destiny about you, William Turner.'

'You know me?' Will asked bewildered.

'You want to know me?'

'There'll be no knowing here. We came for help and we're not leaving without it. I thought I knew you.' Jack quickly interrupted.

'Not so well as I'd hoped,' Tia replied, her eyes shifting between the new faces, and finally resting on Sora, 'and who might you be?'

'W-who...me? Oh I'm...Sora,' he blurted out. The clumsy sentence made Kairi's face turn a deep red. Tia noticed this and chuckled.

'You are jealous, girl. Do not worry, I do not plan to take him-' suddenly, she stopped as she caught a sight of his necklace, 'Where did you get this?'

'My mother gave it to me when I was little. I've had it my whole life,' Sora responded.

'This is the crest of the Basileum clan, of the Paramekian royal family. You are Sora Paramekia;' Tia stepped back, 'your family is responsible for unleashing a great evil upon the cosmos. Hundreds of billions of lives cut short because of their conquest. Nevertheless, I can see you are different. Your eyes say one-thousand words, boy. I trust that you did not come here for that. So what service may I do you? You know I demand payment.' The last sentence was aimed at Jack.

'I brought payment.' Jack stated. From out of the group stepped Pintel who was carrying a cage covered with a brown sheet. Jack removed the sheet, revealing the screaming form of Jack the monkey, 'look!' at that, Jack the pirate drew a pistil, positioned it, and fired at the monkey. Even after being shot, the monkey was still standing. Standing and screeching, 'an un-dead monkey. Beat that!'

Tia examined the cage before taking it and placing it upon her table. Shortly after, she unlocked it.

'No!' Mr. Gibbs exclaimed, but it was too late. Jack the Monkey had already pushed the cage door open, and was now jumping about the shack in excitement, 'You've no idea how long it took us to catch that.'

'The payment is fair.' Tia stated.

'We're looking for this,' Will stated as he pulled out the image of the key and placed it down on the table, 'and to where it goes.'

'The compass you bartered from me. It cannot lead you to this?'

'Bartered?' Sora questioned, 'I always wandered where you got that thing.'

'Maybe, why?' Jack stated, ignoring Sora completely.

'Ah, Jack Sparrow does not know what he wants!' Tia stated in amusement, 'Or do you know, but are loathe to claim it as your own? Your key go to a chest. A chest even a Keyblade cannot open, unless the wielder know of the magic used to lock it. And it's what lay inside the chest you seek. Don't it?'

'What's inside,' Kairi asked curiously.

'Gold? Jewels? Unclaimed properties of a valuable nature?' Pintel asked anxiously.

'Nothing bad, I hope.' Ragetti stated as he looked about the many artefacts, mostly on a jar of human eyeballs.

'You know of Davy Jones, yes? A man of the sea, a great sailor. Till he run afoul of that which vex all men?' Tia began.

'So, what vexes all men,' Riku asked.

'What indeed,' Tia replied.

'Well, the sea.' Mr. Gibbs suggested.

'Sums.' Added Pintel

'The dichotomy of good and evil.' Ragetti added.

'A woman.' Jack finally announced.

'A woman,' Tia repeated, 'He fell in love.'

No, no, no, no, I heard it was the sea he fell in love with.' Gibbs stated.

'Same story, different versions, and all are true.'

'What's this got to do with that key,' Donald questioned.

Tia continued, 'It was a woman as changing, harsh, and untameable as the sea. Him never stop loving her. But the pain it cause him was too much to live with, but not enough to cause him to die.'

Sora could not help but pity the man as he heard this.

'What exactly did he put into the chest?' asked Will.

'Him heart.' Tia answered.

You mean he cut out his heart?' Goofy asked.

'He couldn't literally put his heart in a chest,' Pintel laughed, but quickly stopped and turned to face Tia, 'could he?'

'It was not worth feeling what small, fleeting joy life brings, and so him carve out him heart, lock it away in a chest, and hide the chest from the world. The key, he keep with him at all times.'

'That seems kind of drastic,' Kairi stated, 'and sad.'

After taking this in, Will turned to Jack, 'You knew this?'

'I did not. I didn't know where the key was, but now we do. So all that's left is to climb aboard the Flying Dutchman, grab the key, you go back to Port Royal and save your bonnie lass, eh?' Jack responded.

'Let me see your hand.' Tia demanded, cutting Jack off. Reluctantly he obeyed and approached Tia. She grabbed his hand, and unwrapped the material that covered it, revealing a large black spot.

'The black spot!' Gibbs shouted

'Black spot!' both Ragetti and Pintel exclaimed. While the commotion went on, Tia disappeared into the back of the shack.

'My eyesight's good as ever, just so you know.' Jack stated.

'What's the big deal?' Sora questioned.

'He who wears the black spot,' Mr. Gibbs began, 'shall be the next to be claimed by Davy Jones.'

Tia mumbled as she rummaged through her possessions. Jack eyed a ring on the table sitting next to a heart-shaped locket. Quickly, he pocketed it.

'I still don't get it. Who is Davey Jones?' Sora asked.

'He who guides those who die at sea to the other side,' Mr. Gibbs elaborated.

Before Sora could continue, Tia returned holding a jar filled with dirt.

'Davy Jones cannot make port, cannot step on land but once every ten years. Land is where you are safe, Jack Sparrow, so you will carry land with you,' Tia explained.

'Dirt. This is a jar of dirt.' Jack observed as he took the Jar into his hands.

'Yes.'

'Is the jar of dirt going to help?'

'If you don't want it, give it back.'

'No!' Jack quickly replied as he embraced it to himself protectively.

'Then it helps,' Tia finished.

'It seems we have a need to find the Flying Dutchman.' Will stated.

'A touch of destiny...' Tia said once more, this time throwing crab-claws on her table.

XXX

As Sam heard footsteps approaching, he spun around to see those who had entered the shack return. As they began to fill the boats, he approached Sora.

'I take it that you found what you sought.'

'Yeah,' Sora responded.

'And?'

'We need to find a ship. The Flying Dutchman.

XXX