Chapter 5

Three days later…

As the light from the late afternoon dimmed ever so slightly to signal the beginning of evening, Ruth sat with her legs tucked under the cabin's main chair and worked to untangle a stubborn knot at the end of her hair. It is because fingers don't make very good combs that she had purchased a new comb from The Black Pearl's last stop.

Kingston, the industrial heart and capital of Jamaica, had been a like a breath of fresh air for her legs, a golden opportunity to explore an area outside of her limited space onboard the ship. Not only had he ship stopped to allow the crew to burn off a bit of energy, but also to pick up supplies.

Staying rather close to Jack's side, she warily ventured through the bustling marketplace, one in which someone could easily find themselves swept away within a crowd of people. When Jack stopped to ask for directions, Ruth's eyes wandered over to the adjacent stand. There, sitting upon a woven cloth, was a beautifully crafted wooden comb. With hair that currently seemed to house rats within itself, it seemed to call out to her.

As Jack finished, he noticed her fascination with the table, and that she held the smooth body of a wooden comb in her hands.

Jack walked over and inquired the price.

"Oh no," said Ruth suddenly putting it down like it had the plague, "Please, Jack…it's fine. I couldn't possibly let you do that."

"Love…," he said, pulling a money bag from his coat pocket, "As a woman, you need to learn to let men buy pretty things for you. Besides, your hair is very long, so I won't worry about it going to waste now, will I?"

And that was that, after a healthy stream of "thank yous", the comb was hers.

As she reflected back to this memory, which had taken place only hours ago, she found that she had only a small part of her hair now to detangle. Jack had knocked on the door earlier, telling her that only an hour or so remained until they would be arriving. Although Jack had not told her what exactly would be happening, he only divulged that he would be visiting a friend on serious business. He didn't reveal anything specific, and because of this, Ruth decided that if had wanted to, he would've and that it would be wise not to press the matter.

A knock suddenly interrupted her thoughts. She set the comb on the desk, and opened the door.

"Hello Jack."

"Ello' there Ruth," he said as he entered, taking a quick glance about his cabin as if to find something. Ruth stood at a distance, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Are we almost there?" she asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact…we are." Jack seemed to be in a trance, and a look of sheer concentration wrinkled the tops of his eyebrows.

"Are you looking for something?"

Jack averted his eyes to her, "Yes…but…," he inclined his head toward her, "could you perhaps tell me first-mate that I've run to find something and that I'll be up in a minute?"

Nodding obediently, she ran up to the deck, and carefully scanned the hectic area, until she saw Gibbs guiding the wheel.

After Gibbs had acknowledged her presence and answered her message with a tepid grunt, Ruth dodged the crewmen who shouted brief messages and orders to one another in preparation to drop anchor and retrieve the spare boats, and threw her gaze to an island, which, by its closeness, was evidently their stop.

She found herself so entranced with the tropical essence of their destination that she didn't realize that she had approached the railing and was now grasping it with a strange firmness, as if afraid that its beauty would lure her to jump into the water...

The island looked almost free of human contact, until she saw a rather large opening toward the center, with greenery of all sorts twisting this way and that. Directly below it, a trail of water claimed a pathway into the darkness of the jungle that lie below its wall of foliage.

"What sort of business could this possibly be?" she wondered as she gazed into the island's intimidating "mouth".

…………………

As the small boat inched its way into the heart of the jungle, Ruth shuddered as the dank air brought goosebumps to the tops of her arms.

"Here, love," Jack said, as he began to shrug his jacket off, "Why don't ye take this?"

"Are...are you sure, Jack?"

"Oh, don't worry, dearie. The cold here doesn't bother me."

With the heavy jacket draped about her shoulders, Ruth's eyes leapt from one part of their path to the other at a rapid, somewhat anxious pace. The darkness seemed strangely ominous, and as she rested her eyes upon a gnarled, mammoth tree, she thought that she saw a figure dart out of sight. The only light that seem to find its way through the shield of various shaped leaves and meandering branches only came in thin beams, creating the illusion of glowing raindrops, while in some areas, the light held more space, and softly lit and shone upon the waxy, silky surface of the leaves.

The strange hybrid of a bayou and a jungle was no doubt wondrous, but oddly familiar for some reason…

Jack looked straight ahead, contemplating his decision to allow Ruth to tag along. Jack knew that with a pirate as a father, she seemed to have an adventurous streak about her, and feeling that after her journey with him, her next guardians would strictly limit this freedom. Ruth certainly wasn't a stupid girl, but the fact that she was a woman would not help to fill her longing to see the world… The least he could do was satisfy that as much as he could. Besides, he could easily have another crewman watch her as he guarded the boat.

Finally, Tia Dalma's dwelling came into view. Although the wooden structure was modest, it also looked sturdy and somewhat cozy as she noticed a rich light illuminating one of the rooms.

As the boat approached the ladder, Jack stood, clearly eager to see his friend.

"Ruth, you wouldn't mind staying in the boat, now, would you?"

"Not at all," she answered.

"And don't fret, love," he added, "This area is perfectly safe despite its…dark demeanor…"

Ruth nodded.

"Alright, then," Jack barked, after he had climbed the short ladder, and now stood atop the platform, "You all are to remain outside until told otherwise, which does include you, Gibbs…" he ordered to a exasperated first-mate and to the rest of the crew that had come, who all sighed in disappointment.

"You are only allowed to leave the boat, if, and only if, an urgent and truly serious emergency arises, which I sincerely doubt, but if it does happen to occur, would ye all be so kind as to knock upon the door instead of trying to catch my attention through the windows? Tia Dalma seems to have a intense fear of trespassers, and she tends to place traps in unexpected places during the day…"

"What…kind of traps, Jack?" Ruth asked somewhat timidly.

Jack's face seemed to become slightly distorted, as if reminiscing upon a memory when he had fallen victim to one of her traps, "Trust me on this, lass, I really don't think you'd like to know."

As Jack turned his back on them, he muttered something under his breath, "And I don't think you'd believe me if I told ye."

………………

As Jack entered the shack, a strange unidentifiable smell slithered into his nostrils, and the hard glare of the candlelight that struck the many glass containers that hung from the ceiling caused him to squint.

When his eyes adjusted to light, the woman finally came into view. There, standing next to a desk holding a jar stood Tia Dalma in all her flamboyancy. A slow grin crept onto her darkly painted lips, and she casually left her latest activity to approach her visitor.

"Well, well, well," she said softly as she deliberately sashayed toward him, "…if it isn't de man that so unfortunately lost his compass to the de sea."

Jack seemed to be so enticed in Tia Dalma's strangely seductive composure, that it took him a moment to register her words.

"What?" he asked in mock disbelief, cocking his head.

In a sudden movement, Tia Dalma's hand shot up to slap him, but brought her hand to a sudden halt as Jack sharply turned his head to the side, gritting his teeth to prepare himself for the impact.

The voodooist chuckled eerily as Jack slowly turned his head back to her, a perplexed look upon his face.

"You really believed that I would slap ye, Sparrow?" she said with a playful smirk.

"Well, knowing my luck with women…yes."

Tia Dalma's chuckle lingered on her lips as she walked to her table, and she ran her slim fingers along its surface, absently playing with the various charms and figures that sat there.

"I must admit that it was…quite a disappointment when I finally sensed de absence of your compass," she continued, her accent heavily underling her words, "but it is only because that giving a compass such powers is not easily done."

"But it's still…possible, no?" Jack inquired, alluding toward the notion of receiving another.

"Of course," she said, looking up from her desk, her grin returning, "But I'll be blunt...I will demand a heavy price, and it won't only be for your clumsy mistake."

Being the overly proud man Jack was, he did his best to fake a small smile.

"So," Tia Dalma said, breaking an awkward silence that could have existed if it weren't for her intervention, "did you bring anyone else along…" She craned her neck in an attempt to see through her window.

"Well, yes, but just a few though this time," he replied as he stuck his hand in his pockets, confirming the presence of his potential pay. Tia Dalma strolled to her window, and what she saw struck her with sheer surprise. There, sitting in Jack's boat, sat a young girl, and even at an older age, and not to mention, with her head in the opposite direction, she knew all too well of her identity…

As she spun around, Jack glanced up from his search, and frowned at her peculiar expression. She suddenly seemed to storm toward Jack, and when she had stopped excessively close to him, she spoke in a voice thick with disbelief, even when her uncanny instincts pointed to her answer.

"Do ye have the slightest idea of who is sitting in your boat, Jack Sparrow?" she said in a low, though equally demanding tone.

Jack looked toward the window, realizing that the only new figure he had brought along was…

"Ruth?" he said.

She seemed to have recovered a slight grin, perhaps from realizing Jack's rather convenient advantage of having such luck.

"But…" she breathed, "did she ever mention her last name?"

This seemed to now strike Jack as odd. In her youth, he didn't seem to think that asking for her full name was necessary. Although, Ruth was no longer a child, and Jack felt lost for words as he wondered how he could have ever overlooked something so significant.

Suddenly, his eyes widened as he realized that her surname was not the only piece of information concerning her origin that he had failed to notice. It felt suddenly peculiar that any girl could declare Femina Sententia and be allowed to choose her fate.

"Wait a second…" he said, as this revelation dawned on him, "she claimed that she declared Femina Sententia when I rescued her from her last stay…but the girl had to

be-"

"The child of a pirate captain," she finished, smirking as Jack's eyes glazed over with shock as he gazed out the window as if in a trance.

"I knew there was something uncanny about her words," he said, "But how-"

Through with Jack's little knowledge in this policy, she gestured her arm to the doorway with a flick, "Go get the de girl, Jack," she said, a twinkle of excitement in her eyes, "I believe that we might have room for one more in our negotiations."

………………

When Ruth climbed the stairs and approached the doorway, she felt a tight knot form within her stomach as she pondered her purpose in those few seconds. As soon as she entered the house, though, she gently gasped as the golden light given off from the candles creepily illuminated the trinkets and various containers hanging from the ceiling and the range of preserved animal appendages, which were suspended within strangely shaped jars.

The whole area was littered with the most exotic, but yet disturbing objects. Ruth could not help but wonder what this person could possibly specialize in. When Jack's "business partner" came into view, she almost froze as another déjà vu overtook her. The environment outside seemed too vague to recover a memory, but the woman, the unique objects scattered about, and the golden light of the room seemed to give life and detail to a distant memory.

"This," Jack said, leading her to the woman, "is Tia Dalma."

"But don't you worry about introducing yourself, Ruth Celine Porter," she said with narrowed eyes as she took in her older counterpart "because I know exactly who you are."

Even as she sensed the familiarity of this place, her surprise left her almost speechless, she struggled to compose herself, "You…how do you know?"

Jack's gaped at the discovery of her father, "It all makes sense now, love! Your father's Captain James Porter! I knew you reminded me of someone I knew…but I could never put me finger upon it," he then studied her as he mused back to her previous speeches, " I swear, love, you sometimes act just like im'."

Tia Dalma laughed and approached her, "Your father came to me on a very important errand, and it happens to concern the very slip of paper that's in your pocket."

Ruth stuck her hand into her pants pocket almost protectively, "My certificate?" she asked breathlessly.

Tia Dalma held out her hand, curling and flattening her fingers to signal her desire for Ruth to hand it over, "Let me see it."

Glancing nervously at Jack, whose eyes seemed to bore into hers almost suspiciously, she retrieved a small piece of paper from her pocket, and placed it in Tia Dalma's outstretched hand. She gently lifted a corner of it, a grin gradually spreading across her face in time to the paper she unfolded.

She glanced at Ruth with mischievous eyes, "I remember when your father brought you to get it," she said, "You were very little though."

She then turned to Jack and held up the certificate by its worn corners, "Since I know you are a man that many times can overlook Femina Sententia, I'll take the time to explain. This certificate can only be given to an eminent pirate captain with his child at hand. After it is signed by me and de father…or mother in rare cases, then the child is allowed to declare Femina Sententia, but only if she has the certificate in her possession. Although de certificate can allow the child to choose whether to give her body or her cooking and cleaning abilities to the ship, this cannot keep the crew from hurting her, whether it be by abuse, by torture, or by murder. Usually, when the crew comes across a woman, though, they are not quick to kill her…especially if the woman can come in handy to the crew."

"Then anyone could simply forge a certificate then and be entitled to use it?"

The woman sighed and placed a fist upon her hips, "Do you take me as a fool, Jack Sparrow?" she said, her voice dripping with exasperation, "Of course…the certificate bears qualities that set it apart from others. Wait here."

After giving the two a quick glance, she left the room, leaving the two basking in an uncomfortable silence. Ruth suddenly felt nervous to leave Tia Dalma's dwelling, and find herself to be dependant on the woman or on others to spark a conversation between the two now that Jack knew the truth about her. She feared that because of her tremendous amount of lying, Jack would hesitant to trust her word again. She hoped that Jack would understand that she only lied to protect her father, and his legendary treasure, but now, the luck she had with dodging a suspicious interrogation from Jack would have gone to waste. It was clear that the reason of her presence was because of her knowledge of the treasure…

Jack almost opened his mouth to speak, but when he saw Ruth out of the corner of his eye, he reasoned that for the moment it perhaps wouldn't be wise. With the new faraway look of apprehension dancing nervously upon her eyes and her flushed face, he decided that it was best to leave her be.

Tia Dalma soon returned carrying a pot at arm's length, and in it, a plant so strange looking that although Jack had come across countless wondrous beings and objects in his past travels, he could easily label this as one of the most frightening, though oddly beautiful specimens he had encountered in his lifetime.

The plant, like the certificate, was a brilliant, distinct shade of orange with stalks that grew out from the base like the arms of fireworks. The leaves bore curled tips that looked almost golden, shone so brightly, that it could have easily passed off for the precious stone itself. Green thorns dotted the large stem of the plant in the same curled manner as its leaves. Ruth couldn't help but gasp.

"This," Tia Dalma announced proudly, "is none other than the Acidus Acies, or, if you prefer the translation: Sharp Keenness."

"Why, though, would such a name be given to a plant?"

Tia Dalma grinned, "That's one of the reasons I brought im' out…just watch."

She then picked up a stick, and slowly brought it inches away from the plant's stem. Instantly, one of its curled thorns, which eerily resembled the horns of a very intimidating breed of sheep, shot out like a frog's tongue, and grabbed hold of the stick. Tia Dalma tightened her grip upon the stick as the plant seemed to fight with her to take it. The thorns of the plant almost seemed to act like fingers.

"Come a little closer," she said, "and watch the end of its thorn."

Cautiously, the two inched closer, and craned their necks.

"What is it doing?" Jack asked.

Tia Dalma's hand quivered as she struggled to keep the stick in place, "There it goes. See it?"

It soon became obvious as the thorn pierced it and a small trail of golden liquid oozed from around the puncture of the stick.

"That is the highly poisonous venom of the Acidus Acies," she clarified, "The plant does that to defeat its predators or to kill its prey."

Ruth gazed at the plant, and almost regretted wondering why the plant was labeled as it was, while her fascination almost compelled her to move closer to the manic creature.

"Bloody hell," Jack breathed, "its like an animal."

"It is one of the most unknown of the plant kingdom," Tia Dalma said as she finally released the stick, and watched it drop it into its small territory of rich soil, "because I am the only one who has the Acidus Acies."

Jack and Ruth's trance was suddenly broken, and they brought their heads up to her level.

"What?" they questioned dubiously in unison.

She nodded, "The plants are only native to my area, and because we have such a valuable use for them, they are fiercely protected."

"And this is the plant that you use to make these…certificates?" Jack said, picking up the certificate that she had placed upon the table.

Tia Dalma confirmed this with another nod, "It is the only way that the certificate can be proven accurate, although it is a very tedious process to make them," she said, "because we must be extremely careful in handling them. In order to kill the plant without destroying its assets and unique qualities to make the paper, patience and skill are both required.

You don't have to worry about the poison, though," she continued, "the pouches that hold the venom are carefully removed."

She gently stroked the pot with the back of her fingers, "It's much too bad that you can't tame the little beasts, " she said, "they would certainly make interesting house pets."

………………

"So," Jack said the two as they sat around Tia Dalma's table, their hands gently wrapped around their mugs of tea, "I'd like to hear more about Ruth's part in our negotiations."

With her head cradled in her hand, she smiled, "Do you know anything about your father's treasure? The one that he left for you?"

Ruth averted her eyes into the pool of tea that sat motionless in her cup. There wasn't going back now, the two seemed already aware of what her past had to offer them now, "To be honest, I don't…" She then explained to them her situation with the letter her father gave her before she died, and the two nodded occasionally throughout her speech.

"You are a wise person, like your father," Tia Dalma said bluntly.

"I know that you are aware that I'm here on business," Jack said to Ruth, his face no longer playful, but serious, "But I think that's time that I explain to you exactly what business I'm attending to here." It was then his turn to enter his own speech about his compass and how he lost the precious thing, never failing to mention why the compass was so valuable.

Ruth nodded throughout as well, but with an air of disbelief.

"And so the compass you lost…a compass," she said, emphasizing the fact that it was in fact an inanimate object, "could tell precisely what direction the holder's greatest aspiration lies?" she finished in a rather sardonic manner.

Jack and Tia Dalma both slowly nodded.

Ruth cocked an eyebrow, and nodded her head as if trying to accept this, and then seconds later looked away, placed a hand over her mouth, and strived to suppress her laughter. Jack inclined his head, and coerced a smirk, gently fingering the stubble growing over his chin.

"Something funny, love?" he said, trying to force a twang of annoyance from his voice.

"Not…entirely," said Ruth, her giggles evolving into laughter, "but if you two wish to use some sort of code to cover the true item that you've come here for, you could at least have made it a little more believable. I'm not a naïve child you know."

Jack shook his head at this, and shared an irked look with Tia Dalma.

"Well, child," said Tia Dalma, "do you know exactly what I…specialize in?"

Ruth's laughter suddenly faded, and she began to nervously, though softly, tap her fingers upon the table, and stole a glance around the room.

"Well…" Ruth began, eyeing a jar of what looked like compressed bugs, "I don't believe that I can truly say…"

"I'm a voodooist, child," she said.

A thick silence fell upon them for a moment.

"Oh," Ruth said awkwardly, "That would certainly explain a lot."

Jack then slammed his hands upon the table, but not too loudly, just loudly enough to break the unpleasantness of their current conversation, "Right then," he declared, "moving on…"

Tia Dalma and Ruth happily cooperated, "Let's discuss your father's treasure," Tia Dalma said, "You don't know what he left you?"

Ruth shook her head.

"Well," she began, "he left you quite a bit…but not so much in coins, mind you, in precious stones…"

Ruth looked expectantly at her, while Jack lifted his mug to drink his now tepid tea.

"Opals."

Jack luckily hadn't finished sipping his drink, because if he had, he would have sent a spray of tea all over a stunned Ruth and Tia Dalma.

"What?" Jack exclaimed, "You mean to tell me that her father left her a store of opals?"

"I didn't stutter, Jack," Tia Dalma said.

Jack, now even more stunned then Ruth, set his mug down, a grin spreading wide over his face.

"That being said, child," Tia Dalma said, returning to the heart of the matter, "what I mean to say is that I need several opals from that store, but trust me," she paused to say, touching her arm reassuringly, "you will find that you will have many to spare…and since your skillful captain here has not only a able-bodied ship, but a crew to match, and enough experience to hunt for treasure, you will not only be able to find your treasure, but you will also have more than enough to pay Jack Sparrow for his services. That pay will be in turn used by Jack Sparrow to barter for his precious compass, so in the end, everybody wins," she finished, throwing her hands up in the air.

Jack Sparrow nodded somewhat solemnly, and stared at Ruth, who held the power to ultimately decide if the proposition would be agreeable.

He slowly put his hand out, and touched Ruth's wrist, "There's no pressure, love. If you don't feel right about this, I can manage."

Ruth smiled at Jack and Tia Dalma, "To be truly honest, Jack," she said, "I don't feel that there's much to lose from this. Ever since the day I found that I discovered that you weren't the man I expected you to be, I've felt that I could trust you with this. In the past few days, I even contemplated telling you about my father's treasure," she glanced between the two, her grin gradually becoming more and more certain and confident, "You've done so much for me Jack, even when I failed to declare Femina Sententia," she chuckled, "it's the least I can do. I…I think I'll do it. Yes, I trust you Jack," she then stood, "I'll do it."

Jack jumped from chair, unable now to contain his happiness, "You really will love?"

"Yes, I will," she exclaimed, tears of joy springing to her eyes.

He then laughed, looping her arm through hers. They then proceeded in dancing about the room, laughing as freely as children would.

"Were going to be rich! Were going to be rich! Ha Ha! Ha Ha! It's true, it's true!" they sang, waving their arms about, "I'm going to be rich," Ruth sang, placing her fingertips upon her chest "I'm going to be rich!" Jack sang, doing the same.

They paused.

"You're going to be rich!" they exclaimed in unison, Ruth pointing to him, while Jack pointed to her. They then burst out in a sort of wild, manic laughter, each bending over to clutch their waists as the laughter tightened their stomachs.

Tia Dalma shook her lowered head in disbelief, and placed her own fingertips upon her forehead. She then stood, "Can we please return to our business now!" she shouted, trying to overpower their raucous laughter, her hands now upon her hips.

When their laughter finally subsided, they gradually regained their composures, and Ruth gently worked the wrinkles out of her shirt while Jack crossed his arms over his chest.

"You still haven't opened your father's letter, which, as you mentioned, contains important information about the treasure's whereabouts," she then raised an eyebrow at Ruth, "if you did happen to bring it along, do you wish to open it here, or upon the Pearl?"

Ruth and Jack exchanged glances, as if trying to communicate by thought.

"I don't want to cut our meeting so short, love," Jack said to Tia Dalma, "but I believe that it would be best if we opened it aboard the Pearl. I don't think I should keep the crew I brought waiting for much longer or else they might cause a riot. It's been a long day, too."

Tia Dalma nodded in agreement, "Very well then," she said, her mischievous grin returning, "but first, I want to fetch something for you Ruth."

She then entered her storeroom, and shortly returned with a small pouch.

"Wait until you're back on the Pearl to open this," she said, placing it in Ruth's cupped palms, "Hopefully, you'll remember them. You seemed to thoroughly enjoy them as a child."

"Thank you," Ruth replied graciously, as she put the bag in her pocket.

"Well," Jack said, "It was good to see ye again, love. I truly hope that we'll find success in this little hunt of ours…"

"Oh, don't you two worry," she replied to his comment, " I have faith in both of you."

They then exchanged embraces and goodbyes, and exited Tia Dalma's home. The crew looked up from their various tasks that they had resorted to in their boredom, like picking at the dirt in their fingernails, or practicing knot tying with the ropes on the floor of the boat, and their eyes brightened with sheer relief at his return.

"Thank you so much, Tia Dalma," Ruth turned to say to the woman, who stood behind her with her hand upon the doorknob.

Ruth thought that she saw tears surface to her eyes. Tia Dalma simply nodded and placed a hand upon her shoulder, "Your father would have been so proud of you Ruth, you know that?" she said.

………………

As the boat slowly rounded a corner, Ruth glanced back to see the lights of Tia Dalma's house gradually become smaller, until they seem to resemble stars in the night sky.

She then turned to the lights that finally came into view as the boat passed cracks between twisted branches that twinkled from the Black Pearl, the ship that suddenly not only became her shelter, but her new home…at least for the moment.

As the lights became brighter, and as the glory of the ship became more apparent, she gently smiled, and turned to Jack, who gave her a genuine, but almost tired smile. She suddenly realized her own exhaustion, and placed a hand over her mouth as she yawned. She couldn't wait to find the comfort of a bed and then awake to a new day, to new opportunities, and to the beginning of a new future.

Author's Note: The hunt is finally on! What kind of information will Ruth's dad give her to find the treasure? Find out in Chapter 6!

Important Note to the Reader: I don't know if I should label this story aRomance just yet. Do you guys think that it would be inappropriate to allow Jack and Ruth to share a romantic relationship in later chapters? I'm just worried that their age difference will spark some controversy. I really would like Ruth's age should remain sixteen. I'm not sure if the movie producers intended to make Jack a bit younger than he is in real life… POTC took place in the 1700's right? Their life spans should have been quite significantly different to our expected life spans… I just don't want to weird myself and other people out! What do you guys think?

YAY! I hope you guys enjoyed that! I liked writing this chapter. I'm sorry that I have to get past all these explanatory parts before I can get to the really action-packed parts, but I hope that I'm making it enjoyable to read for you guys nonetheless…PLEASE, please, please review if you're a registered member of the site, pretty please, with sugar on top (the writer here makes excessively huge Bambi eyes)? Your reviews mean so much to me.