Chapter Three- Broken Hearts
Ingrid waited with Arjana, as Bujune and Ray went to scout ahead the trail they were going to pick to start their journey. Ingrid had her compass in her right hand, and whenever it led them down a new, unfamiliar path Bujune and Ray would go ahead first. It had been like this since they left the jungle several weeks ago.
This journey to find Phillip was a long one, but they were nearly there. It's just that this was an area full of trolls, and other creatures of ill intent that they'd had to dodge.
Arjana would often ask Ingrid to tell them stories of the Savior from the book she had about this figure to pass the time in the evening. Bujune would always be right next to Ingrid in his wolf form like a big black shadow.
It was a clear evening, and they were looking for a good place to rest for the night. For some reason, the Tiger had not been pursuing them. Bujune suggested that maybe because they left through the other entrance, perhaps Sher Khan believed she was still in the realm of the Wolves. Not to mention, Ingrid was wearing one of his mother's cloaks which had powerful magic in it.
Either way, Ingrid was grateful for the reprieve. Even if it was only until Sher Khan realized she was no longer there.
"There's a place up ahead where we can rest." Ray said as he and Bujune came back.
So the group went to a clearing in the pine trees where they gathered wood for a fire- which Ingrid lit carefully with magic.
"No offense, but I am grateful to be out of that jungle. It felt like I was never going to be able to find my way out." Ingrid confided.
"No offense taken. We know to a non-native that it can seem like an endless labyrinth." Ray sat down next to the warm fire.
Bujune in his wolf form plopped himself down next to Ingrid- who had now grown accustomed to this side of him.
When their journey continued, they walked along the path in the pine tree forests in the Enchanted Realm after breakfast the next morning.
"Be cautious… There are Trolls in this region." Bujune muttered after sniffing the air.
They covered their heads with the hoods of their cloaks while Ingrid stayed in the middle of the group with her right hand gripping the compass which was leading them to where this Phillip figure was.
"How far off from meeting him are we?" Asked Ingrid.
"It should be any day now." Replied Ray as a group of people passed them on the trail.
"Let's just keep moving," Bujune glanced back at the people that passed them.
"Come on, we don't need anyone attacked when we're this close." Arjana warned her brother with a hand on his arm. "All they did was pass us by."
"Right." Muttered Bujune.
Ingrid caught some words that were being said by this group.
"Come on, we found our family before. Many times. We can do this again." One of the women was saying before they went off into the distance.
She wondered briefly to herself what kind of drama was enveloping them before Arjana pushed her lightly forward. It pushed the encounter out of her mind completely, being made to go on.
Later that evening when they were just starting to talk about where to set up camp, there was a low rumble in the far distance.
"What was that?" Muttered Ingrid quietly. Her friends had taught her how to speak in whispers so as not to reveal their location while they traveled.
Arjana took Ingrid by the arm to lead her away from Ray and Bujune as she felt the rumbles on the ground.
"I don't think we wanna stick around to find out." Bujune said.
"Quick, over there-!" Ray led them to a massive blue spruce tree where they all hid behind as the huge foot steps shook the ground like an earthquake.
"Shhh-!" Whispered Arjana as she and her brothers took to their wolf forms and seemed to disappear.
Ingrid made sure she had her hood over her head as she hid in a crook of this tree trunk.
There was cracking and breaking of branches approaching, and a huge mountain ogre emerged into the clearing they'd been thinking about camping out in. She took a sharp intake of breath at the sight of it silhouetted by the evening sunlight. The ogre grunted and snorted as two more appeared around it. Her heart was racing in her chest as the trolls passed. The wolves were hunkered down and hidden, making sure the ogres went by without noticing them.
Ingrid moved her arm on the tree, and one of the ogres caught this movement and let out a roar, turning around. She could feel the huge tree bending and cracking, when Arjana in her wolf form barked out loudly, Bujune moved her away from the tree. They were forced into the open with the ripping up of the blue spruce like it was a twig.
"QUICK!" Shouted Ray. Ingrid hopped onto the wolf's back, grabbing around his neck.
The massive tree was being swung into the air as the wolves ran, with Ingrid on Ray's back.
She glanced behind seeing what was happening and her blue eyes were wide with terror. With her left hand she reached out, praying that her unsteady magic would be enough. She willed the tree to transform into a sapling, vanishing from the ogre's hands before it could be used like a fly swatter against the pesky wolves and human.
The ogre's hands instead smashed hard into the ground sending the earth trembling around them as the wolves fled.
"It's eyes," Bujune gasped, running next to Ray and Ingrid.
"Huh?" Ingrid blinked.
"It's eyes are one of the few weak points. Aim a sharp projectile at it's eyes, quickly!" Bujune instructed.
Ingrid glanced back at the ogre that was quickly gaining speed on them. There was no time to think. She saw an already dead tree and supposed that counted as a sharp object. With her magic again thankfully working, the dead tree was ripped from the ground and flung right where Bujune told her. There was an awful cry, and she didn't look to see. She just knew she'd been successful.
"There's still two more of them!" Arjana said, her ears twitching as she heard the ogre fall back dead.
The ground was trembling, the ogres yelling out in rage as they jumped in front of the wolves now eager for blood. One ogre in front of them, the other behind. The four were trapped. Arjana stood behind Ray, Bujune in front taking to their human forms drawing out their swords.
One of the Ogres had a giant club and swung it at them causing the ground to rise up around them, and Ray to loose his footing. The other ogre swung his own hand at the four of them sending them flying into trees, knocking the three wolves unconscious. Ingrid's back slammed hard on a large pine, and one of the ogres turned to her as she pressed against the tree, trapped and terrified.
She reached out with her right hand to use her magic to stop the ogre in its tracks.
"Stop! Stop! STOP! Why aren't you stopping?" She said desperately. "C'mon magic… You were working just a bit ago…"
With a last burst of all she had she sent her hands forward to make the ogre's stop attacking her and her friends.
And miraculously, it worked.
Or, it seemed to.
The ogres were stopped dead in their tracks. Yet it wasn't her magic. This was someone else's magic aura.
"Pathetic. Can't even control the magic she was gifted with yet." A man's slightly annoyed voice said.
A hooded and cloaked figure stepped into the clearing with his right hand raised. In flashes of light, the ogres turned to ash without effort by his command.
Ingrid's heart was still pounding.
"Who are you?" She asked, not moving.
"Just a passerby." Grumbled the man, lowering his hand. "You should revive your friends and get moving. This area isn't safe here at night." He strode past her.
"Thank you for helping us," She said. "But why are you out here right now if it's so dangerous?"
"Humph." Was his response at first, and he paused walking. "I heard a commotion on my way back to my camp is all."
"Wait… You have a camp?" Ingrid inquire. "If it's alright, can we please go with you? We literally have no where to stay tonight in these woods that's safe, if those ogres are any indication."
The man turned and gave her a sharp look from under his hooded cloak.
"Only if you can revive your friends using your weak magic." He said.
"But… I can't always control it. You just saw-" She replied, feeling put on the spot.
"Then you lot won't have a place to stay tonight with me. Revive your friends, or stay out here in these ogre infested woods. Your choice." The man shrugged.
Ingrid felt really annoyed with this man and his high-and-mighty attitude towards someone he didn't even know. But she walked over to Bujune, sighed, closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down and focus. She felt a spark of magic, but nothing happened. Another spark. Finally, giving it all she had she directed it towards willing Bujune to wake and she heard a groan from the forest ground. Opening her eyes, she knelt down.
"Are you alright?" She asked, containing her excitement that her magic had worked finally.
"I should be asking that to you. What happened?" Bujune stood up, rubbing the back of his head.
"We were saved," She replied.
"By who?" He asked, immediately suspicious.
"Easy," she put a hand on Bujune's shoulder and looked over at the mysterious figure who stood watching. She could feel Bujune bristling with mistrust. "I need to wake the others. Hold on."
Bujune watched as she went to wake up Arjana, then at last Ray.
"Ok, I revived them with my magic. Are you going to tell us who you are then?" Ingrid asked, walking up to this man.
"Humph. All I said was that if you could revive them with your magic, I'd give you a place to stay the night, I didn't say anything about revealing my name to you lot." He said. "Now follow me, unless you want to be eaten by ogres before you get to wherever you need to be getting."
"Who said we're going anywhere?" Bujune snapped.
"You were in this forest, when you were attacked, walking towards a destination. Going from one place to another. That's generally how getting somewhere works, isn't it?" The man replied snappily. "Wolves…" He muttered.
"Hey! We can hear you, you know!" Bristled Arjana.
"Calm down, guys… He's offering us a place for the night. Then we can get out of his hair." Ingrid told the three.
Tentatively the four followed the man to his camp where he magicked up four beds around a warm, crackling campfire.
"There, places to sleep away from the ogre infested woods." He said simply.
"Thank you," She told him.
"Humph." Was his response once again.
"Well humph to you too." Snapped Arjana. " ." She added.
Ingrid gave an apologetic look to the man before it was swiftly time to wind down for the night.
"Actually, that's the name of a dwarf." Snorted the man, to which Arjana stuck her tongue out behind his back. "I saw that," He added. In retaliation, a rock was raised with magic and smacked lightly Arjana on the back of her head.
"Hey!" Arjana rubbed her head as Ingrid laughed.
"Are we going to get to bed, or are you going to keep bickering with our salty host?" Asked Ray.
"Lad, you'd be a little salty too if you lived for 500 years." Retorted the man.
"Well, I've been alive for 300. And I'm only highly sarcastic. So I guess age affects everyone's attitude differently." Shrugged Ray, as he got into his bed.
Ingrid was unbraiding her hair as the man exchanged remarks with her friends, and smiling to herself at their antics. Bujune ignored his own bed, transforming into his black wolf form, laying at the side of Ingrid's bed, glancing sideways as she got the last of her braids undone. It seemed to delight Arjana every time Bujune did this.
It was a cloudy, dreary start to the day the next morning, Ingrid was first among her friends to wake to the sounds of chirping birds, squirrel chitters, and other early morning forest noises. She also heard the man muttering to himself.
"I can't believe this is supposed to be the one I'm meant to train? She's so inept, and her confidence is sorely lacking…"
It suddenly clicked in Ingrid's mind who this was.
"You… You're Phillip?" She asked, sitting up, actually managing to startle Bujune who barked as he woke up before calming down.
The man looked over, feigning surprise that she heard him.
"Yeah, I'm Phillip. You can call me Phil for short." He said.
Ingrid looked at him skeptically.
"I saw you do incredible magic back then to save us. You can teach me?" She asked, remembering her vision from weeks ago. And the detail that he was a stubborn man.
"I could. But I'm not sure if I'm going to after all." Phil said with a humph. He was now leaning against a stump.
"Why not?" She asked, standing up fully now.
"You are weak and inept, and don't even know why you need your training." Phillip, who looked young for someone who was supposed to be well over 400 years old, seemed rather grumpy and infuriating at the moment.
"That's why I need the training, to-" Ingrid began, but he cut her off.
"To what? Kill Ogres? Become a hero? Save people? You can find your training somewhere else." He snapped.
"To find out who I really am!" She exclaimed, waking up her other two friends.
"Who you really are, eh? Well a good adventure should prove that to you, now go away." He waved his right hand at them, poofing the group away from his camp.
They wound up in the middle of the woods well away from him.
"Oh no you don't," She said. Her three friends were staring right at her, seeing the spark of stubbornness in her blue eyes.
She poofed all four of them right back, this time standing right in front of the cranky man.
"My magic may not work one hundred percent of the time, Phil, but I can generally rely on it when it really matters." She snapped as the storm clouds above them started swirling. "I was told you were going to train me, for a year."
Phil blinked, momentarily looking startled at her sudden appearance, but quickly recovered his stony stubborn expression on his face.
"You were told? By who? Some random person? Please," He gave a great harumph as he turned away.
She poofed from her spot and appeared directly in front of him once more.
"I was told by Zeus, and I'm not going to leave here until you train me." She said, surprising him yet again with backbone.
"After my last apprentice was killed by Cerberus, what on Earth makes Zeus think that I want to train another one?" Grumbled Phil at her as he made to walk away from them again. "Well I've got one thing to say to you about that-"
Only when he was several feet away, and she was about to poof in front of him once more did something terrifying happen. Two lightning strikes landed right near him, making them all jump, and Ingrid yell out in alarm, bringing up her arms around her face as she ducked and looked away.
The ground was still smoking, Phil on his buttox on the forest floor when Ingrid looked back up.
"Ok!" Phil gasped.
"So you'll do it then?" Asked Arjana. "You'll really train her?"
"What made you change your mind?" Bujune still looked suspicious.
"Can't really ignore a command from Zeus." Phil stood up, dusting off his robes. He turned around to give Ingrid a stare down as she stood back up herself. "All right then. One year?"
She nodded.
"Then we should get on the move. I have a place up north in Arandale." He explained.
"Arandale?" Asked Ray. "Then why were you here in the Enchanted Forest?" Asked Ray.
"Because I had a duty to fulfil. Once I fulfil this duty, then we will go North where your proper training can begin."
"What is this… duty?" Asked Bujune.
"I was here to find a plant. A flower, as it were." Phil replied. He turned his right hand palm facing upward and a magical image of a flower the same shade as Ingrid's eyes appeared. He happened to look up at Ingrid when she was looking at the image. "I saw this in a vision, as it were. A blue flower, getting ready to bloom in the woods of the Enchanted Forest."
"Did you find the flower?" Asked Ingrid, completely oblivious to the hidden meaning behind this dream that Phil was describing.
For the first time since they met, Phil actually smiled. He suddenly looked much younger. Much less the grumpy, stubborn man they'd known previously.
"I think… In a sense." The image of the flower vanished. "Dreams can be funny sometimes. Now… What about your wolf friends?" He looked over at the three. "Are they going to be tagging along for your year long training with me?"
Ingrid looked over at them.
"I know I am, I'm not going to miss any part of this." Arjana said at once. "We're friends, and I said I'd stick with you until you got your memories restored, and found your family again."
"Really? I'm not going to force this on you, or anyone. I know how hard it is to be away from home." Ingrid said.
"Please, no offense, but right now you can't even remember where that is. You probably don't even know the Enchanted Realms all that well and would be lost without us." Bujune waved a hand.
"Exactly. We're staying with you, through to the end. No matter where it may lead us." Ray nodded.
Ingrid's eyes were welling up. She turned away from them as she wiped them on the back of her hands. She never liked having anyone seeing her cry for anything. She couldn't put it into words how much it meant to her. She felt like she'd gained a family somehow with the three of them.
"All right, weepey." Phil commented. "If we're going to do this, we're going to do this right." He went on as she turned to look at him. "First off, from here on out you call me Master. As you will be my Apprentice. Secondly, you can't go wandering around the Enchanted Realms looking like that."
"What's wrong with how I look?" Asked Ingrid.
"You know, Phil does have a point." Ray said. "Ladies in the Enchanted Realms never dress the way you do. I mean, look at Arjana here."
Ingrid looked at the robes and cape Arjana wore and realized they all had a point.
"Come here-" Phil said, so she stood in front of him. He looked her up and down for a few moments before waving his right hand, palm facing her, above her.
She seemed to transform right before their eyes. Her cape wasn't any different, except for five pointed stars appearing towards the bottom. She also now wore a deep blue knee length, comfortable high-low gown with a u-neck, and long sleeves to her wrist. She hand knee high black boots on and wore black gloves with the fingers cut off. Her bag was still draped around her shoulders, her sword now concealed by her cape. Her silver sword necklace was now visible as well.
"Your other wardrobe is safely in your bag." Phil stated as Ingrid was looking herself over and spinning around on the spot. "But at least now you won't stand out like a sore thumb anymore as we travel."
"There is one thing we neglected to mention," Ray said.
"What's that?" Asked Phil.
"Well… I do have one enemy in this realm. I don't know if you've heard of him, Master? Sher Khan?" Ingrid shot Ray a look before turning back to Phil.
"Ah… the Tiger. Then we will have to move with extra caution. I can poof us to certain distances at the very least. And it will cut back on our travel time." Said Phil after thinking a moment.
"He took away my memories of who I am, and everything." Ingrid told Phil. "I can't remember who I am apart from my name, and what I can do to survive."
Phil looked at her.
"And what is your name?" He asked.
"Ingrid Snow." She replied.
"I see. That name definitely sounds like it could be from Arandale." Phil answered. "And your friends… Bujune, Ray and Arjana from the Jungle Wolf clan right?"
They all nodded.
"Well then, let's be on our way. The farther you get from this Tiger, the safer you'll be for our training." He looked at all of them in turn before they all vanished from the spot.
They didn't know or see how moments later, a group of people came to that very spot in the woods. Emma lowered the hood of her cloak, looking around at the empty patch of forest.
"This looks like a good spot to take a breather." Said David.
"You ever get the feeling that maybe… We keep missing her somehow?" Asked Emma, looking around. Feeling like her daughter was just there.
"I'm sure she's all right Swan, she is our daughter after all." Killian had a hand on his wife's arm to reassure her.
"And if what that Ati said was true, then we'll find her." Snow smiled. "It's just going to take time."
"But if what Ka'a said was true… Time is a luxury we don't have." Sighed Emma, looking back at her family.
"Don't give up, Emma. We will find her again." Snow said. "Just like we found each other, many times."
"I know. Finding each other… No matter the distance… It's kind of what our family does." Emma looked over at her mother, who gave her a reassuring hug.
"Aye, Swan. Besides, we named Ingrid that because her name means hope. And if we give up hope on finding our lost duckling, then what chance does that give her?" Killian nodded, taking a swig from his flask of rum.
Emma gave a small smile. She remembered that moment not long ago it seemed, when she was woken up swearing she heard Ingrid singing in her sleep. Ingrid might not remember them, according to the parrot messenger, but there were certain things Ingrid still knew at least. That no magical curse could take away.
It was evening, several days in on the journey up north to Arandale. Ingrid was seen walking in the woods with her eyes to the ground as she was looking for something her Master told her to find. It was a rare flower found only in this kingdom, known as Corona, and it would be useful in her training. She had just found the Sun Drop flower when a low growling caught her attention.
"What's this? A little witch caught off her guard?" Sher Khan sneered.
Ingrid sighed.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" She asked, using her magic to pick the flower from the ground.
"Can't do that." Replied Sher Khan rather simply, rushing at her as he turned back into a human. He grabbed her neck to start choking her. "You will die, never knowing who you really are, and my revenge will be complete."
"Revenge? On who?" She coughed. To which Sher Khan chuckled.
Since she didn't get an answer, and Ingrid could feel her head starting to ache, she reached for her sword rather than using her unpredictable and unreliable magic. With a swipe, she caught Sher Khan off guard, cutting into him, spilling his blood on the forest floor.
"Come on, use your magic!" He roared at her as he was forced back. "You weak and pathetic little witch. What kind of witch do you hope to be if you can't even control it?"
"I may not have full control over my magic yet, but there is one thing I know and can control. And it seems I have cut to the point on that matter." Smiled Ingrid. She could hear the sound of rushing footsteps towards them.
Sher Khan made a lunge at her, but for the first time she managed to cause true damage than just a knick on the surface. Her sword cut through the air, slicing over his left eye.
"Well played, apprentice." Said Phil approvingly as Sher Khan stumbled backwards.
"We are not done." Snarled Sher Khan, with a hand over his left eye.
"Oh I think we are." Retorted Ingrid with her sword still directed at him.
Sher Khan transformed into the tiger, backing away as her friends and Master surrounded her. When he was gone, they finally relaxed.
"Are you all right?" Asked Phil, turning to her as she sheathed her sword. Apparently swordplay was not one of the things she needed to learn.
"Yes, I found it!" She said excitedly, carefully picking up the flower from the ground.
"Hmmm." Phil looked at it, as a vial appeared in his left hand. The cork popped out as the color seemed to drain from the flower taking the shape of a small golf ball sized orb of light which hovered for a moment. Swirling, shimmering like a marble the orb floated above the hole of the vial, where it then liquified itself as it poured, filling the vial.
"What's that for?" Asked Ray.
"The power of light from a Sun Drop flower in Corona is worth a lot. It will be what we trade for safe passage north to Arandale." Phil explained. "Very few people can resist it and it's potential. I always keep some handy for myself if I ever need it for anything."
"I've heard of this flower…" Ingrid said, thinking about what she's read from her many books. "There are rumors that it can save someone, keep them alive even if they are an inch from death."
"Much like unicorn blood," Nodded Phil. "But without the dependency afterwards."
"So where are we headed next?" Asked Bujune as Phil then used magic to turn the flower to dust, scattering it along the forest floor.
"There is a village along the coast line where we can procure a vessel to lead us north. Teleportation can only take us so far depending on the kingdom you're in." Phil answered, before they all vanished from the spot.
A few weeks later they were in a village by the coast. It was a bustling village, full of people from all walks of life. For the first time, Ingrid felt like she was able to blend into a society. She could watch all the goings' on, observing small details in people's lives as they went from bar to bar looking for someone. Phil relied on Ingrid's power to find a crew they could trust to get them to their destination- Arandale. And so far, there had been none. Until they reached a certain bar by the water. In the meantime, he was still giving her basic training, boosting her confidence and self worth along the way.
"What do you think, my Apprentice?" He asked.
She looked at the building for a long moment, adjusting her cloak. She had her hood over her head to avoid being detected by Sher Khan
"Yeah. I got a good feeling about this place." She said as a group of people walked out. She could've sworn she'd seen them before, but there was no time to ponder this, so she put it out from her mind as they walked into the bar.
"I'll get us some food and drink," Said Ray as Arjana and Bujune sat on either side of Ingrid, while Phil took the other side of the table.
From beneath the hooded cloak, Ingrid was able to look around at all the patrons. She politely thanked the waiter as he brought the food and drink, while Ray sat down on Phil's side of the table.
"Them." She said at last, once the waiter was gone.
There was a group of Rowdy pirates enjoying pints of rum.
"Pirates?" Bujune looked extremely skeptical.
"So long as they are paid well, pirates are some of the best sea fairing folk." Ingrid didn't know where she got this information, but it came to her like it was second nature.
Phil ate his meal before going over to negotiate with the pirates. It apparently took some doing, from Ingrid's perspective but eventually with the promise of the light from a Sun Drop Flower, as well as gold for a down payment, the captain of this particular group of pirates walked over.
"So, you are the other three that's part of the group Phil mentioned." He said, sitting down. He spotted the necklace that hung around Ingrid's neck, the sword was indicative to him that she hailed from a legacy of Pirates.
"Will you help us?" Asked Arjana as the Ingrid and this Captain stared at each other for a long moment.
"Aye." This Captain had red hair, as well as a red beard with green eyes. There was indeed a rough, well worn look about him as though he certainly spent many a day at sea plundering and pillaging. There was also something else that Ingrid could see. Something of a different nature to this pirate.
Arjana was looking between this man and her friend, Bujune was just looking almost stony faced at him,
"Phil was it? You got yerself a crew. We leave at first light." He said.
"So Captain, is there any other name to refer to you by?" Asked Ray.
"Captain RedBeard is what most call me as lad. You will find us readying the find vessel known as the Morning Star." He said, to which his crew gave a jolly holler.
Ingrid thought back to walking by the pier docks earlier. Recalling seeing the grand ship with the very moniker painted on the front with a mermaid carved on the front.
"The beautiful ship with the mermaid?" She asked.
"Aye, love. You have good taste." Smiled the pirate. It seemed to relieve Arjana that he could do something so simple as smile.
So the next morning, bright and early Phil led his group to the ship where Captain RedBeard greeted them.
"Welcome! Welcome aboard the lovely Morning Star," He bowed to the ladies as they passed.
Ingrid had never actually been on a real pirate ship before. At least not that she could remember. The men were bustling about on their business with the rafters, unfurling the banners, etcetera as the ramp was pulled away from the docks. She pulled out her enchanted mirror when she found a place where she wasn't in the way. Arjana, Bujune and Ray right by her side.
"Show us the way to Arandale." She told her mirror, which glowed briefly. At least for today, there seemed to be smooth seas ahead of them.
Back on shore, there were lots of people gathered to watch the Morning Star as it set sail, banners caught high in the breeze. With a touch of magic from Ingrid, the gentle yet strong breeze ensured a swift journey.
After a time, she put her mirror back in her pouch to watch as the shores drifted farther, and farther away. She swore she could've seen a glint of metal from something along the shoreline as it faded into the distance. Finally, she lowered the hood of her cloak.
"Well now, that's more like it," Said Captain RedBeard, making them jump. "You certainly reminds me of someone, love."
"I do?" Asked Ingrid, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Bujune picked up on this, standing right in front of her.
"Easy there, Captain." Ray warned.
"I'm not intending her no harm, lad. But that sword necklace isn't worn by just anyone." Captain RedBeard commented.
Ingrid reached up to grip the necklace.
"Really?" She asked.
"Generally it's given to someone from a pirate. A high ranking pirate. I can sense it. You come from pirate lineage." Replied Captain RedBeard.
"You think it's true?" She blinked.
Captain RedBeard grinned.
"You don't really know who you are, do you miss?" Captain RedBeard commented.
"That's enough." Said Phil in a commanding voice. "You will not pester my apprentice. Who she is or is not is neither here nor there. The important thing is that you get us to Arandale, safely. Then you will get your Sun Drop Light."
The Captain made a bow to them.
"It's all right. I meant no offense. You can rest assured that we'll reach Arandale swiftly and safely." The Captain gave Ingrid a look of significance. "Lieutenant!" He called out to a man with one eye. His left eye was closed with a scar over it.
"Yes Cap'n?" He said, rushing over.
"Show our guests to their cabin. It may be a bit cramped," RedBeard looked at the group. "But at least you'll have a place of rest."
He then turned away to tend to his crew, barking out orders, pointing here and there. Yelling at certain members like he obviously always did.
"Ingrid, are you ok?" Arjana asked her friend.
"Yeah," Nodded Ingrid, still holding her sword necklace.
"Don't get too smitten by him or his charms." Phil warned, having sensed there was a certain attraction between his apprentice and this pirate. "Pirates are a rough and rowdy bunch of people. Loves with pirates rarely end well."
"The Savior married a pirate," Interjected Ingrid matter of factly as they were led to where the cabins were.
"Yes well, that's the Savior." Shrugged Phil.
"This journey will be long," The Lieutenant interjected, apparently not having heard a word that just passed between the passengers. "Make yourselves comfortable. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything." He showed them to their cabin. There were a perfect amount of cots for everyone, even a small couch, some chairs and a table.
Ingrid and the Lieutenant locked eyes for a moment. She blinked when a chill went down her spine. She smiled all the same, however. To remain polite.
"Laboratories are down the hall." The Lieutenant pointed the way. "Enjoy your stay aboard this vessel."
"Thank you," Phil said in a clear tone of dismissal.
The Lieutenant nodded to each of them before leaving. Once he was out of ear shot, they went into their living quarters.
"Well, it's not a castle, or a fine inn. But considering where we are, it's not bad." Phil commented as he looked around. There was even a few windows over looking the ocean. He glanced back at the expression on Ingrid's face. "What is it?"
"It's that Lieutenant." She replied.
"We can't trust him?" Ray asked, catching on right away.
She nodded.
"I don't know why, but I got some really bad vibes off him. He wasn't with the crew when we were in that pub." She said. "But now that we met… We need to be careful around him."
"Well, you've not steered us wrong yet with this power of yours, so I see no reason to start doubting now." Arjana sighed. She looked at her brothers, who both agreed.
"In the mean time, I say it's time for some more magic lessons. There's a lot to teach you while we're at sea before we actually reach Arandale." Said Phil, putting on his teacher's voice and attitude.
She sighed, knowing by now when it was time to get to 'business' with training.
It was late at night aboard the Morning Star. Ingrid couldn't sleep, she often had trouble resting at night since she woke in the jungle all those months ago. So she decided to quietly go for a stroll around the ship. She wasn't touching anything as she walked up the narrow hallway and heard voices from a room.
"Everything is going according to plan. The crew has already started doubting the Captain, trust will be torn apart from within."
Ingrid stopped. The voice sounded familiar, but it wasn't Sher Khan. It was a female voice talking to someone. Quietly as she could, she saw the small cabin window on the door, but it was blacked out. She saw the crack in the door as she ship rocked gently on the waters. So timing it as well as she could with the creak of the wood on the ship, she opened this door just enough that she could see who it was talking. It was a woman who looked so strongly familiar that she swore she'd seen her before. The woman was talking to a hand mirror, quite different from her own.
"You just keep up your part of our plan, and the brat will be thrown overboard before we reach Arandale." The woman said, transforming into the Lieutenant that had shown them the way to their cabin.
Ingrid almost let out a startled gasp which caused the 'Lieutenant' to look around. As Ka'a looked around Ingrid poofed quietly out of sight on to the deck of the ship. It happened so quickly that Ka'a figured it was just a creak of the ship when she flung the door wide open.
"Is everything alright?" Asked Sher Khan.
"Stupid doors on this vessel swing open at the slightest change of air pressure." Hissed Ka'a, making sure the door was closed even though she had to really lean on it.
Looking around at the deck, she decided to walk around a bit more. That woman was planning something, and she would need to be on her guard around here. She didn't know who aboard the ship she could tell, she barely knew these people. Plus without evidence other than her word, it's not like anyone would believe her. So she decided that so long as she kept her distance from this Lieutenant, she could be ok.
Walking to the bow of the ship, she looked upward to the crystal clear sky admiring the stars and the banana crescent moon.
"Beautiful night, isn't it love?" The Captain's voice from behind startled her and she looked around.
He strode up beside her as she gave an awkward smile.
"What is it?" She asked.
"What? Can't a Captain enjoy a beautiful night sky with a lady?" He blinked.
She continued to give him a raised eye brow sort of look. He gave an awkward sort of cough.
"So, how has your stay aboard the vessel been thus far, love?" He asked, obviously trying to break some ice.
"It's been pleasant." She said simply.
"Pleasant?" Blinked the Captain.
"I don't have many sea faring adventures like this to go off from. That I remember anyways." She shrugged, leaning against the railing of the bow.
"You haven't traveled around much then?" He asked, genuinely curious as to what she meant by that.
"Well, I've been from one forest to another, but other than that, no. Not that I can remember." She repeated the last sentence.
"So you don't know who you are?" He was surprised.
She shrugged.
"So you really don't know who you got that necklace from then… Interesting." He reached into his tail coat jacket pocket, pulling out a glass flask of rum. "Nip?" He asked, offering it to her.
"I prefer to keep my wits about me, thank you very much." She said.
"That is where you and I differ, love." He chuckled, taking a swig on his own.
"Oh, I'm sure we differ in a great many ways, Captain." She retorted.
In her hands appeared a steaming mug of hot cocoa, with cinnamon.
"So you're a witch?" He asked.
"I don't really know you well enough to give you my life's story, what I can remember of it anyways." She replied.
"And shot down again." He laughed a little. "I over heard your Master talking about your magic and abilities to you. I thought you said you trusted the Captain?"
"I trust that you will get us to Arandale safely. That does not mean that I trust you to spill everything there is to know to a complete stranger." Replied Ingrid. She finished her cocoa, making it clear she wasn't about to divulge anything vulnerable to this man just because they had one conversation. "If you'll excuse me, goodnight, Captain." And she poofed away in a cloud of smoke, leaving the Captain to drink more rum as he pondered the mysterious and slightly grumpy witch.
Several days on, Ingrid was kept busy with lessons from Phil. The journey was going to be at least a few weeks so it wasn't like they could just put things on hold until they got to Arandale. Ingrid was already proving to be one of his best pupils since Hercules. Though Phil never said it. He kept up his gruff, harumphy attitude being a bit rough and harsh at times. But it seemed to be a good tactic with this young woman, who wholeheartedly threw herself into even the smallest task like creating food or making stronger attack blocking magic.
During breaks between lessons, Ingrid was found exploring the ship with one or more of her friends or sometimes on her own during which the Captain would suddenly pop up out of nowhere, trying to spark more conversations with her. One occasion she was going to be late when Phil turned up, saving her from any chattiness of the rum laden pirate. She over heard Phil telling the Captain to kindly back off, since it was clear that Ingrid had no interest in him. Though the Captain didn't seem too kind about taking heed the warning.
While Ingrid was eighteen technically, she had no memories of who she really was. Which meant if she wasn't careful, she could easily be taken advantage of by men like Captain RedBeard who- as Bujune gruffly pointed out- seemed to have taken a keen interest in her. Arjana made a fair argument that the whole ship was basically like a 'sausage fest' for want of a modern term, with there being nothing but men around. Even she was apt to only go about the ship with one of her brothers to keep her from being accosted by any of the crew mates.
One day when Ingrid woke, the ship was rocking ferociously being tossed about in a wild storm. She was just about to the door when the Lieutenant came in to wake them all, warning them that they could capsize if the waves were too friendly with the ship.
Ingrid suddenly found a moment of inspiration. She didn't know where she learned this particular spell, but it was one that she was confident in as she went up to the main water soaked deck.
"This storm isn't natural," Said Phil over the roaring thunder and crashing of waves. Only Ingrid seemed to actually hear him as the Captain rushed over.
"What're you lot doing out here?!" He demanded as the ship tilted dangerously over a roiling ocean.
"Saving your sorry arse!" Snapped Ingrid.
"You should be bracing yourselves for capsizing!" Shouted the Lieutenant as Ingrid shoved the Captain aside, walking over to the tallest part of the ship, holding onto the railings as the waves crashed over them.
"INGRID!" Shouted Bujune and Arjana as Ray held onto them both.
"If this storm isn't natural, then there's an unnatural solution." Said a now completely soaked Ingrid as one of the men rushed over to try and pull her away from the wheel. "I know a thing or two about these vessels and the kind of magic that works best with them."
She raised her right hand as lightning cracked and boomed across the stormy skies. There was a blast of magic that shot from her hand, which zoomed straight upwards. The clouds were gone, the wind died down. Thus so did the waves. The ship that was close to capsizing seemed to settle gently on a smooth as glass surface. Then the pirates and passengers except for Ingrid were nearly blinded for a moment by the early morning light.
"There you are," She said simply, walking back down to the lower part of the bow where her friends and the Captain were.
"Well done, my Apprentice." This was the highest praise, coming from Phil.
The crew mates who'd been harassing her and Arjana were now staring at her with respect. The Lieutenant was looking truly silently enraged, though he said nothing.
"That… Is strong magic." Said the Captain.
"You saved us all, lass!" Another man came forward.
"Aye, we owe you our lives. We could've all drowned in that nightmare." Another agreed with his crew mate.
"It was nothing, I'm just glad you're all alright." Ingrid now felt silly, almost half wishing she'd let them all drown. She was starting to feel very much selectively social, somewhat like an ambivert.
Arjana seemed to catch up on this at once.
"Well, considering she saved all your hides, I think the least you can do is give the lady some peace and quiet." She snapped at them all. There was no argument.
Once they were finally left alone, Ray turned to them.
"That's one way to win people over." He commented.
"Come on, let's get back to the cabin." Bujune was eager to get back to the land of privacy as well.
"Not so fast," The Captain said. "I'd like a word with the Apprentice, if possible alone."
Phil didn't look too thrilled at this idea. But she looked over at him.
"No," She looked back to the Captain. "Anything you wish to discuss can be said out here in the open. No secrets, no lies between my friends and I."
Her three friends all beamed at her, while the Captain scowled.
"Fine. Why did you do it?" He asked.
"Do what?" She asked in return.
"Save us. You're a witch. You could've just let us all drown and be done with it." Snapped the Captain.
There was a long silence.
"You could've taken all the cargo and treasure we have aboard the ship and run off with it after us drowning, and you saved us from the freak storm when you've made it quite plain you wish not to be comrades. Why?" The Lieutenant pressed in as well.
"You must be blind to not know magic when you see it," Phil snorted.
"Excuse me?" Blinked the Lieutenant.
"That was no mere fake storm." Said Phil rather gruffly. "Didn't you hear what my Apprentice said before she went up there to save your sorry hide? That a magic problem requires a magic solution? You lot should be thanking her instead of berating her."
"It's ok, Master." Ingrid stared at him. She then turned back to the Captain and his Lieutenant.
"So why'd you do it then? People don't just go about saving other people without reason. What? Were you hoping to make glory and a name for yourself? You fancy yourself a savior of sorts?" The Lieutenant jeered.
"Well?" Asked the Captain.
"You want to know why I saved everyone here? You want an honest answer?" She asked, drawing herself up in an impressive stance her friends had not yet seen in her. She seemed almost royal. "Because it was the nicest and kindest thing to do. I don't care about your treasures, your stupid gold in the hold below. I don't even care about becoming some great hero… All I wanted to do was help you lot. Because it was nice, kind and right to do. I may be a witch, but I don't like to see people suffer or be in pain."
There was a long silence after this pronouncement.
"Even though you're in pain yourself…" The Captain said.
"Excuse me?" She blinked.
"You suffer, I've seen it. Yet you saved the rest of us from suffering a drowning death." The Captain commented.
"Because she's foolish and a liar!" The Lieutenant exclaimed. "There' no such thing as a good witch. Look at Gothel, look at the wicked Witch from Oz!"
"Enough!" Growled Arjana, stepping between the Lieutenant and Ingrid.
"I agree, let's go my Apprentice." Phil said a little kinder than his usual, gruff tone.
The group of men on the ship parted respectfully.
"Watch your back, witch! Just because you saved us this one time doesn't mean we all trust you!" Shouted the Lieutenant.
"Lieutenant!" The Captain snapped, grabbing him by the arm once they were gone. "You will show more respect to the lass who saved all our lives."
"Why? What makes her different from any of the other witches we've come across?" Snapped the Lieutenant.
"The fact that she saved us all for one," Another of the men said as they passed by.
"Don't tell me you're already being seduced by her." Growled the Lieutenant. "Didn't you used to go on about not being able to trust a woman? Let alone a witch?"
"No, that was you if memory serves." Replied Captain RedBeard. "Now if you don't mind, I'd prefer it if you left our guests alone. And leave me to my work. Unless you want to be demoted a rank aboard this ship."
The Lieutenant frowned after the Captain as he stormed off.
Ingrid was looking out at the now peaceful seas as the ship moved closer to Arandale through a window in the cabin they were staying in as Arjana was braiding her long, black hair again this time in a different style which she said was 'more akin to a lady being at sea'.
"You were right about that Lieutenant," Bujune commented.
"Even I can sense there's something not right about him." Ray nodded, sitting nearby.
"We just have to use caution around him. There's only a week more to go, then we'll be in Arandale." Commented Phil. "The Captain was also right about another thing…" Phil took a seat next to the four friends. "You suffer. The loss of your memories… of who you are… it weighs heavily on you."
"I know I need to press forward… But it's hard. I have these dreams at night… I think they're memories… But I can't recall who the people are in them. I can't put names to faces and the voices don't really make sense to me." Ingrid turned to look over at her master.
"Perhaps I can help some with that." He said.
"You can lift the curse?" She asked hopefully.
"We shall see. I don't want to get your hopes up." He added.
"I'm willing to try anything." She said in a pleading voice.
"Then face me, apprentice, and close your eyes. Listen to my voice… Clear your mind… breathe slow… Easy…" Phil told her, raising his right hand over her head as she did so.
A magic aura emanated from the palm of his hand, wrapped around her head and glowed brightly. Before Phil's hand started to tremble.
Bujune took a step forward, but Arjana held a hand out to stop him. Which was a good thing. Moments later a blast sent Phil flying backwards across the cabin.
"Master!" Exclaimed Ingrid, rushing over to help him back on his feet.
"What the heck was that?" Demanded Ray.
"Black Magic. And powerful black magic." Phil accepted Ingrid's offered hand to get back on his feet just as the door to their cabin swung open.
"What the heck are you magicians doing in here?" Demanded an irate Lieutenant with other men behind him.
"Trying to break a curse that was placed on our friend, if you don't mind." Snapped Arjana, liking this man less and less.
"Breaking a curse?" Came in the Captain, having heard his Lieutenant shouting.
"None of your business." Snapped Ingrid.
"It is if it's going to affect my ship," The Lieutenant retorted.
"Excuse me?" The Captain turned as the Lieutenant appeared to catch himself in his own words. "But who owns this ship?"
"You do, Cap'n." The Lieutenant was full of resentment.
"And who paid your salary?" RedBeard snarled.
"Don't you mean pays?" The Lieutenant wasn't looking the captain in the eyes.
"No. Paid. You just earned yourself a one way ticket off MY vessel once we've reached the shores of Arandale. This is my ship, and it's going to bloody well stay that way." RedBeard indicated for the now former Lieutenant to be taken away from his sight.
"Captain," Ingrid said, a little more respectfully causing the man to turn to look at her again. "Don't trust him. He's like a caged animal now… And he could lash out."
"Well that's a little cryptic." RedBeard looked amused rather than alarmed. "But aye, I agree. Something's off about him, ever since the Enchanted Forest. I'll leave you lot in peace to continue whatever it is you're doing here with the magic and whatnot."
"It's a curse…" Ingrid said. "We were trying to break a curse that was placed on me, months ago."
The Captain looked over at her.
"A curse?"
Arjana, Ray and Bujune all looked at Ingrid.
Ingrid nodded.
"I'm heading to Arandale with my Master and friends so I can train as well as I can, and maybe find a way to break it." She said.
"Now that is a noble quest indeed…" The Captain pulled out a flask of rum once more, raising it to her. "Rest assured my crew and I will help you, love."
Ingrid got a funny look on her face when he called her that.
"What?" He asked.
"Nothing. I think… Maybe someone used to call me that. I dunno… Maybe I'm just imagining things." Ingrid looked away.
"Don't be too sure, lass. If that necklace of yours is any indication, you may have indeed known another pirate in your life. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to my work." Captain RedBeard put his flask of rum away.
Once the Captain was gone, Phil closed the door with a wave of his hand.
"Why did you tell that man the truth?" He demanded.
"Because honesty is the best weapon that I have against whatever his Lieutenant is." She replied without skipping a beat.
"They could use that against us. I advised you to use caution, and here you are telling him-" Phil began but she cut across him.
"No more than he needs to know to make an informed decision. You saw what he did to his now former Lieutenant when he overstepped his bounds. And he's right, this is his ship." Ingrid stated.
"And what if he makes us walk the plank before we get to Arandale? Or puts us in the brig, sending us straight to Arandale's queen?" Demanded Bujune.
"I trust that he won't! That's why I told him, if I hadn't told him the brig or bottom of the ocean is right where we'd be right now." Snapped Ingrid.
"You trust that he won't? Because of this special power of yours?" Phil turned away from Ingrid, running his hand through his hair. "In case you hadn't noticed, he's a pirate! He could turn on us on a dime!"
"Not until they've been paid in full. Which won't happen until we reach Arandale." Ingrid said in unusual confidence.
"How do you know so much about pirates?" Asked Arjana, a little more quietly than her brother or Phil would've done.
"I have no idea. All I know is what I know. And these men won't betray who they're working for. Without a good enough reason." Said Ingrid. "Which is why I told the Captain. Many pirates believe in good form versus bad form, whatever you may have been told or experienced."
"I just pray that you're right, my apprentice." Growled Phil.