((A/N: Here we go. Past the first introduction fic and into those promised adventures. Here is a tale that's been brewing for almost a year now….finally good to be able to get it started. As always I don't own Jack or the Disney pirates. But Trynity and the names you don't recognize are all mine. Reviews craved…Enjoy!!))
The streets were flooded with people.
Men and women. Pirates and merchants. Women of the night and tavern wenches. All at one point of either getting drunk, being drunk, or unconscious from drinking. The howling and caterwauling and gunfire was nothing new to the quartet walking along the streets as the clock in the church tower chimed off half past 11 pm. The four stopped and watched for a minute or two. Two men, a teenage girl and a large shaggy brown dog.
A pirate in his late sixties – musta been – staggered past the four and raised a bottle of whiskey for a drink but in the middle of that drink from the skyward tipped bottle, the old man passed out and fell backwards causing the four to step back.
"Might remind ya of somewheres, aye?" Joshamee Gibbs said with a smirk to the man beside him.
"Just the smell alone…" Trynity Sparrow – the teenager- said, with a soft snort.
The man between the two of them studied the way ahead for another good minute before his hand on the girl's shoulder patted her softly, then fingers tightened on it. "What say you and your friend head on back to the Pearl, love," the man said with a gentle voice. He finally turned his chocolate brown gaze down to the girl and a gentle smile. "This shouldn't take long and we'll be on our way come the dawn, hm?"
Trynity looked up at her father and locked onto his gaze for a moment and then a nod. "Sure, dad." Then a hug and kiss to her father and she turned her attention down to the dog. "C'mon, Keys….let's go." A pat to her leg and she and the dog turned a 180 and headed back the direction they'd all just come from.
Captain Jack Sparrow watched his daughter head off and a grin. She was something he'd always wished for in a woman. She was smart, funny, strong and brave. And she was turning out to be the best pirate under his tutelage. Her mother had died when Trynity was 12 and the girl's pluckiness and hardheadedness drove her to track down her father on the dangerous island of Tortuga. That alone caught Jack's attention and when she told him the story of her mother – the woman Jack had fallen in love with before he even became a true pirate – and how she had been murdered by one, Lord Cutler Beckett, Jack took her along with him on his boat, the Black Pearl. Adventures ensued – even where Trynity had helped free her father from Davy Jones' Locker – and they'd been currently searching for Jack's ultimate treasure.
The search for Immortality.
The search for the Fountain of Youth.
Jack had always dreamed of being the "last pirate". Never fearing death. Living forever. Raising his daughter and being able to teach her everything. Keeping his precious boat and not letting it fall into anyone else's hands.
So the race to the Fountain was on. Was a race since another infamous and devious pirate – Jack's old first mate and lifelong enemy – Captain Hector Barbossa – was also looking for the fountain. This was going to be a fight, folks.
Gibbs, Jack's current first mate and his best friend, slapped Jack on the shoulder. "She'll be fine, Cap'n. Let's go." And the older man headed off into the melee of drunkenness to the nearest tavern and inside, followed by the captain soon after.
Trynity raised a hand and sifted blonde bangs through her fingers as she stopped at the corner. Well…to the left was the road back to the docks. To the right was the road into the heart of New Orleans. A look down at the dog and a grin. "Whadaya say?" she asked with a playful wink at the mutt. Long blonde hair falling into curls .at the middle of her back usually tied in a ponytail and the deepest brown eyes. Her father's eyes, her mother would often say. Slim build but wiry, and a small splash of sun-kissed freckled across the bridge of her nose and one helluva will to be the best pirate this world has ever known. Of course second only to her father.
The dog looked up and grumbled, not liking the idea at all. He was a garden variety mutt, with shaggy brown fur and a good three feet tall at the shoulder. He'd gotten his name Keys from Trynity when time after time the mutt had appeared in the most unlikely of times with the Black Pearl's adventures. The first time she'd heard of him, Jack had told her he was the dog in the Port Royal fort jail and was in charge of guarding the keys from prisoners. Then she saw the dog on the island of the Peligosos during a hasty escape and finally at the meeting of the Pirate Lords when he carried the keys for the Pirate Code book. Released from service by Trynity's grandfather – Jack's dad – Captain Teague, the dog wound up on the Pearl once again and he was unceremoniously adopted as the ship's mascot. At least to Jack the dog was a far cry better than that damned monkey she'd grown a fondness for. Since then, Keys and Trynity had become inseparable, the mutt tagging along no matter where she went.
"That's what I thought you'd say….c'mon." she said with a laugh and bounced off the curb and headed to the right. Keys snorted and barked again but followed anyway. That was NOT what he said, but he also knew it was fruitless to argue with the girl.
Heading on into the less *enthusiastic* part of the city, but still it was alive with activity, Trynity felt Keys press against her leg as they walked along, and one hand dropped to scratch at the dog's ears. They passed by numerous street vendors hawking different wares…none of which really she'd seen being sold in any of the port towns that the Pearl had stoppe din to take on supplies before. There were some rather scary looking people selling shrunken heads (no big. Hell, her own grandmother was dangling from her father's belt), different sorts of animals, chickens and goats, along with a small stand with all sorts of different vials and bottles containing things like bat wings and newt eyes. It was all completely fascinating to her as she walked along, not stopping for long at any one stand. Wishing she'd found someone selling some apples or oranges, her stomach rumbled at the thought of food and she crossed the street to watch some people as they danced and tried to entice new 'believers' into their rituals for their 'religions'.
Waving off an invite to some limbo-ish looking dance and scampered on down the street a bit further. As she walked along, the festivities were fewer in between and eventually it was only her and Keys on a dark street. Trynity looked back over her shoulder and finally a sigh. "Well guess we can head on back. Doesn't seem like New Orleans is any better really than Tortuga. Just….bigger."
A ruffle to Keys' ears and she turned to head back to the docks. "Well, at least we can get something to eat, huh, boy?" And a grin when the dog barked in agreement.
As they headed back along one of the side streets, there was a sudden breeze off of the sea, and Trynity stopped in mid step. "What…." She mumbled softly and when Keys saw she wasn't beside him any longer, the dog stopped and looked back at her. Head cocked to one side and a questioning bark, he turned and padded back up to her, sitting down.
The girl looked over her shoulder and shivered as another breeze floated over them, and the voice came again.
"Heeeeeeere…."
"Did…." She gulped and looked down at the dog. "Y-you heard that…right?" she asked, quietly.
Keys heard it, all right. And he looked around at all the darkened shop fronts and snorted as he stood and turned to head back to the docks once more, a bark at the girl to follow him.
Trynity would have loved to do just that, and as she began to oblige the canine, they passed by an open door and another breeze rustled the black curtains that were in lace of the door. They both jumped and looked at the curtains and the girl frowned. But then another quiet beckoning on the breeze and she headed for the doorway.
Keys stopped again and watched her and when she get to the open door, he barked loudly and she waved him off. She pushed aside the curtains and walked in, Keys right on her heels now.
Once inside the small room, the pair stood and looked around at the doodads and items all over. It seemed like a mess, but a controlled mess. There were only two paintings on the walls, one of an old man in some ceremonial African head dress and robes and then across the room on the opposite wall one of a young lady in something like that same head dress and robes. Whereas the old man looked frightening, the young lady seemed to at least be not as threatening.
The room was lit by only a few candles keeping most of it in the dark, but the shelves were filled with books and some stuffed animals. Small creatures, mostly. There was even a cage near the back of the room with a couple of bats in it and a perch with a large black raven on it. The raven cawed loudly at her, flapping his wings, but he never left his perch and Keys only offered a snort at the bird.
"Behave!" Trynity scolded the dog softly.
"No need t'be harsh t'de animal, dear," a crackly voice offered, coming from the back of the shop.
"Who are….you?" Trynity said, brown eyes narrowing at the shadows.
"Names be not import'nt, child…." And this time the form which the voice belonged to came forward. A short old black woman, dressed in a brightly colored sort of mumu-ish type dress but also having all sorts of trinkets in necklaces around her neck. "Wot be important is why you have come t'see me?"
Trynity frowned at the old woman as she walked over to the girl and took her hand. "I came in here because someone called me in here."
"Dat be da forces of fate, young one…" the old woman said and turned Trynity's palm upwards, gently tracing along the lines of her hand.
"I don't believe in fate, old woman," the young pirate snorted.
The old woman chuckled softly and after another minute, turned and led Trynity alone to the small table nearby, sitting her down in one chair and taking a seat herself in the one opposite. "You can't fight da fates, child."
Trynity studied the old woman another minute. She reminded her of…..Tia Dalma. Usually spoke in riddles…expected you to know what she was saying. But then that was the way gods were, apparently. This woman was just….annoying! "So what about my fate?" she said.
"Noooo no, by da gods, no. Not yers, my dear." The old woman went on, a gentle tug at the black cloth over the small table between them and a large glass ball was revealed.
Trynity looked at the glass ball….crystal, dummy! Her mind corrected. "So who's?" and a ruffle of the dog's ears that had sat beside her. "Keys here?"
"No." the old woman said patiently. "Yer fodder…Captain Jack Sparrow."
Trynity froze for a moment and stared at the old woman. "How did you know my—"
"Look!" the woman said, cutting the girl off as her gnarled hands waved over the crystal ball which now was swirling inside with a thick fog. "Your fodder…wants not'ing more dan to be immortal…..de pirate Lord…..de last pirate."
Okay now this was starting to be weird.
"What do you mean….?"
The old woman smiled at the girl over the top of the crystal ball for a minute then sat back and the raven hopped off his perch and landed on the back of her chair. She stroked the brid's chest blankly for a moment. "You don' wan' your fodder to be immor-tal…."
A small snide grin crossed Trynity's lips. "You're wrong, you old hag. I want nothing more than for my father to be immortal. Then we'd be together forever."
The woman reached over to a nearby shelf and picked up a small bottle and set it on the table in vront of the girl and dog. "Dis…..will bring him his wish."
Trynity looked at the small bottle and picked it up carefully. Turning it this way and that to the candlelight as the contents swirled about inside the dark blue glass. "This…." She said softly and then shot a gaze at the woman past the bottle, "Will make him immortal….?"
A nod from the voodoo woman and she drew the black cloth back over the crystal ball. "Dat will give you fodder what he so strongly seeks."
Trynity had to have it. This would be easier than the Fountain. But she also knew things like this came with a prive and her eyes narrowed once more. "How much?"
There was a guttural chuckle from the woman and a wave of her hand. "Sometimes the price of wanting somet'ing so badly is more dan money."
Trynity's gaze moved back to the bottle again.
"Da price, child, is dat should you fodder drink of dis potion….he shall live forever wit' no fear of deat'…..but he shall also forget dem dat he loves most."
Trynity looked at the woman again and back to the bottle. "But he'll be immortal…" she mumbled softly.
The old woman got up from the chair and the Raven returned to his perch again. "Do w'at you t'ink is best, young Trynity. Da fates is in your hands…."
"Isn't there—" she started but the old woman had gone and Trynity looked down at Keys. "Well…let's get back to the ship." She said and stood, hastening out of the shop and breaking into a lope back to the docks and back aboard the Pearl. Once there, she headed to her own cabin next to Jack's and hid the small bottle in the trunk at the end of her bed, under some shirts and such. At least it would be safe. But as she sat down on the bed and Keys jumped up, flopping next to her, dropping his head on her lap, she scratched his ears and thought aloud.
"Well if I give it to him….he'll have what he's always wanted. He doesn't HAVE to remember me….."
Keys studied her face and whined softly. Tryn looked down at the dog and laughed. "Oh don't be such a gloomy gus. It'll be all right. I'll just be part of the crew for all he knows. So will you. He won't do anything like leave us."
Another whine.
"I said don't think of that. He won't do that and you know it. Dad's got….well he's…..I just don't think he'd…." a sigh. "What do I do now?"