Chapter 5: The Jewel of Niel
Aku's magic was crushing Jack's skull. He felt like he was falling. This was it; he knew he was going to die. He looked at Jill one last time, fearful that she would be hurt. In terror and sorrow, she reached out her pudgy hand to him and screamed, "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
Jack gaped at Jill in surprise. He didn't understand how, but that one word somehow broke Aku's spell. He caught Jill as she fell and landed safely. Jill was shaking in his arms, her eyes filled with tears.
Aku stared at them in disbelief. "What? How can this be?"
Jack glared at him. "Your evil has no power over this young one's innocence. Her heart has no bounds, for in reasons even I cannot understand, she loves you."
"You do not know her, samurai."
"I know her much better than you do. She is afraid of you, but she loves you. She cares about you. It makes her sad to see such evil."
"She is no person, merely a possession. A very valued possession."
"More value than you will understand. You will never comprehend love."
"Love?!?" Aku face twisted in fury. "I do not have time to listen to such ridiculous notions! I will meet both of you again!" With that, he disappeared.
Jack put the still shuddering Jill down. "Did you see your father?"
Jill shook her head.
Jack understood. "You thought I was your father?"
Jill burst into tears. "I didn't mean to, it was an accident, it just slipped out, I'm sorry!"
Jack put his hands on her shoulders. "In all my life, no one has done a kinder thing to me."
"Really?" She hugged him one more time.
"I was very wrong, Jill. You are beautiful."
Jill giggled.
"Come on. Let's take you home."
As Jill had conjectured, home was just down the hill. "Mommy!" Jill ran into a young woman's arms right away.
"Jill! You're alive!" She picked her up and hugged her. Then she looked up and saw Jack. "Who's this, Honey?"
"Mommy, this is Jack! He came and found me and sent me home, just like you said he would!"
The mother put Jill down and met Jack. "I believe I heard a little about you. Please to meet you, Jack."
Jack bowed. "I am honored. You have raised a very respectable child."
The mother turned to Jill. "Could you wait here a moment, Jill? I need to talk to Jack for a moment."
"OK, Mommy."
The mother led him out of her house. "I am grateful you took care of her. She wouldn't have been safer with anyone else."
"I am not sure about that. It seemed as though she could not be harmed."
"That's the thing about her. Jill doesn't know this yet. She's not a normal girl. She's a spirit."
Jack was surprised. "Jill's a ghost?"
"Not a ghost. A magic spirit, like a fairy or a sorceress. In prophecies, she is known as the Jewel of Niel. She represents love, trust, and innocence. She is Aku's foil."
"I gathered that. This is why Aku wants her so badly?"
"Yes. It is why he cut off our trade route. He wanted us to hand her over." The mother wiped away a tear. "Sorry. We found her father last night. Aku's blast killed him. I don't know how I'm going to tell her."
"One way or another, she will understand. She is wise for her age, and I believe you and her father taught her to be so. But how will your town thrive without the trade route?"
"As long as we have the Jewel of Niel, we will be ok."
The mother fed Jack a good meal, and then Jack said he had to leave. Jill cried and pulled Jack's robes. "Don't leave. Stay with us, please! You can be like a daddy to me!"
"No Jill. Remember that I want to go home too."
"But, but I'll miss you so much!"
"And I will miss you, too. I will never forget you."
"Maybe Jack could write to you, Sweetheart," the mother said. "Would you like that?"
"Oh yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" Jill cried.
"Perhaps I can do that," Jack nodded.
Suddenly, Jill looked up in shock and ran back into the house. She came back out with several lunch bags and a glass bottle with a clear liquid. "Jack, you're gonna need these when you get home."
Jack was confused. "What for?"
"I dunno, but when you get home you have to put them on your head."
"All right, I will. Thank you."
Jill and her mother watched as he walked off into the sun. "What was that for, Honey?" the mother asked.
"It's just like the rhyme, Mommy! 'Up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he could caper. Went to bed and covered his head in vinegar and brown paper!'"
The End
Aku's magic was crushing Jack's skull. He felt like he was falling. This was it; he knew he was going to die. He looked at Jill one last time, fearful that she would be hurt. In terror and sorrow, she reached out her pudgy hand to him and screamed, "DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!"
Jack gaped at Jill in surprise. He didn't understand how, but that one word somehow broke Aku's spell. He caught Jill as she fell and landed safely. Jill was shaking in his arms, her eyes filled with tears.
Aku stared at them in disbelief. "What? How can this be?"
Jack glared at him. "Your evil has no power over this young one's innocence. Her heart has no bounds, for in reasons even I cannot understand, she loves you."
"You do not know her, samurai."
"I know her much better than you do. She is afraid of you, but she loves you. She cares about you. It makes her sad to see such evil."
"She is no person, merely a possession. A very valued possession."
"More value than you will understand. You will never comprehend love."
"Love?!?" Aku face twisted in fury. "I do not have time to listen to such ridiculous notions! I will meet both of you again!" With that, he disappeared.
Jack put the still shuddering Jill down. "Did you see your father?"
Jill shook her head.
Jack understood. "You thought I was your father?"
Jill burst into tears. "I didn't mean to, it was an accident, it just slipped out, I'm sorry!"
Jack put his hands on her shoulders. "In all my life, no one has done a kinder thing to me."
"Really?" She hugged him one more time.
"I was very wrong, Jill. You are beautiful."
Jill giggled.
"Come on. Let's take you home."
As Jill had conjectured, home was just down the hill. "Mommy!" Jill ran into a young woman's arms right away.
"Jill! You're alive!" She picked her up and hugged her. Then she looked up and saw Jack. "Who's this, Honey?"
"Mommy, this is Jack! He came and found me and sent me home, just like you said he would!"
The mother put Jill down and met Jack. "I believe I heard a little about you. Please to meet you, Jack."
Jack bowed. "I am honored. You have raised a very respectable child."
The mother turned to Jill. "Could you wait here a moment, Jill? I need to talk to Jack for a moment."
"OK, Mommy."
The mother led him out of her house. "I am grateful you took care of her. She wouldn't have been safer with anyone else."
"I am not sure about that. It seemed as though she could not be harmed."
"That's the thing about her. Jill doesn't know this yet. She's not a normal girl. She's a spirit."
Jack was surprised. "Jill's a ghost?"
"Not a ghost. A magic spirit, like a fairy or a sorceress. In prophecies, she is known as the Jewel of Niel. She represents love, trust, and innocence. She is Aku's foil."
"I gathered that. This is why Aku wants her so badly?"
"Yes. It is why he cut off our trade route. He wanted us to hand her over." The mother wiped away a tear. "Sorry. We found her father last night. Aku's blast killed him. I don't know how I'm going to tell her."
"One way or another, she will understand. She is wise for her age, and I believe you and her father taught her to be so. But how will your town thrive without the trade route?"
"As long as we have the Jewel of Niel, we will be ok."
The mother fed Jack a good meal, and then Jack said he had to leave. Jill cried and pulled Jack's robes. "Don't leave. Stay with us, please! You can be like a daddy to me!"
"No Jill. Remember that I want to go home too."
"But, but I'll miss you so much!"
"And I will miss you, too. I will never forget you."
"Maybe Jack could write to you, Sweetheart," the mother said. "Would you like that?"
"Oh yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" Jill cried.
"Perhaps I can do that," Jack nodded.
Suddenly, Jill looked up in shock and ran back into the house. She came back out with several lunch bags and a glass bottle with a clear liquid. "Jack, you're gonna need these when you get home."
Jack was confused. "What for?"
"I dunno, but when you get home you have to put them on your head."
"All right, I will. Thank you."
Jill and her mother watched as he walked off into the sun. "What was that for, Honey?" the mother asked.
"It's just like the rhyme, Mommy! 'Up Jack got and home did trot as fast as he could caper. Went to bed and covered his head in vinegar and brown paper!'"
The End