Chapter 4. The Sea Witch and the Scarred Hunter
Captain Hook's ship was still lost at sea. Jafar was extremely irritated with him.
"Give me that map, and I'll take myself to the Sea Witch!"
"Er…you can't, sir," said the captain. "There is a specific place she wanted to meet you, and she says that if you try your fancy magic to go to her cave you won't get in. And I know where the specific place is. And it isn't on that map."
"How can her magic keep me out? I am the most powerful sorcerer in the world!"
"Yes, but you see, Ursula is not a sorcerer. She is a demigod, daughter of Neptune himself. Changed into an octopus to pursue a pretty sea-nymph, he did."
"Oh. I see."
"Aye, sir. It's not a story most land folk know, but it's part of the sea-lore."
"I see another ship, cap'n!" said one of the pirates. Captain Hook took a small spyglass out of the pocket of his coat. Jafar took a bigger one out of the pocket of his robe.
"Well, shiver me timbers!" said Captain Hook. "It's that pirate the street rat was sailing with! And he's commandeered a new ship! A bigger ship! A faster ship! A better ship!"
"A more capable of killing us ship?"
"Yes! That kind of ship!"
"Steer us closer to that island. That's where the Sea Witch is."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I see the Sea Witch sitting on it."
"Damn your bigger telescope!"
"Well, it would seem that you, sir, are quite the loser. For as it happens, I can teleport to any place I can see. Salaam!" In a puff of smoke, he left the deck of Hook's ship just as a ship flying a flag emblazoned with a hand holding a scimitar pulled up alongside it.
On the island, Jafar saw a creature that had the upper body of a rather large woman and the lower body of an even larger octopus. She gestured with one of her tentacles for him to come closer.
"That pathetic pirate told me he'd bring you here. Let's not waste time. You want to know where the City Gate of Atlantica is."
"Why, yes, I do, but how did you know that?"
"You don't look like you have much interest in ruling the sea for its own sake. But tell me, why should I help you find the Gate?"
"I will give you the sea when I have all of the Gates."
"It doesn't work like that, sweetheart. You can't just take over the world then say 'Thank you, Ursula, here's a nice new sea for you!' To rule the sea, you gotta have the trident."
"Why haven't you been able to get it?"
"Triton and I are evenly matched in power, and you aren't equal to either of us."
"I could manipulate the trident right out of his hands."
"I tried the same thing."
"I have heard the story, Ursula. If you hadn't been killed by that Prince, you would have been ruler of the seas. I hardly think that was a failure. How did you come back?"
"Nifty little ability that came with my father being an immortal god. Of course, it took me a while to be able to return to this plane of existence, but I did."
Jafar was reminded of something he had once heard. That is not dead which can eternal lie, he said to himself. Actually, he had been on quite good terms with the person who'd written it, before Abdul had gone mad and died. That put a damper on their relationship, as Jafar thought necromancy impractical and a bit disgusting.
"I take it harassing Ariel and her prince is no longer on your agenda?"
"They have their kingdom and I will have mine. Unless they interfere again, I see no need to chase after them."
"That…is quite refreshing. You would not believe how single-minded some of the other people I am working with on this plan are. There's someone in Paris who refuses to excavate under his palace for the Gate because he's looking for a gypsy girl. Then there's Queen Grimhilde. Promise me you would never turn over a City Gate for something as inconsequential as the heart of a princess?"
"Oh, I promise. Sounds like you're working with a bunch of ignoramuses."
"I am, Ursula. I'm glad someone can see the big picture. The sea will be yours."
"So you'll get me that trident if I tell you where the city Gate is?"
"It appears we are at an impasse. For you see, if you tell me where the city Gate is, I will feel no obligation to give you the trident. Yet, were I to get you the trident first, I do not trust you to uphold your end of the bargain either."
"You got that right. Whichever one of us gets what we want first is just gonna skitter off with it and leave the other one in the lurch. How about we come up with a plan that gives us the trident and the Gate at the same time?"
"Can we?"
"Sweetie! King Triton would do anything for his little girl, even now that she's a land princess. Of course, he'll be expecting me. You on the other hand…why, a dashing man like you could walk right into Triton's palace and spirit that old fork away before he knew it. We just need a way to distract the princess. I'll let you know when I've found one."
Jafar gave Ursula a crystal ball like the one he had given Lady Tremaine. "As soon as you find one, tap this. I can depend on you to work on our plans alone. Now I must away to Paris. Judge Frollo is not nearly so reliable."
Ursula patted Jafar on the back with one of her tentacles. "Come back when you can stay longer," she said, leering at him, as he got out a map.
"That no-good pirate! He swapped out one of his maps for my good map while I wasn't looking! Paris isn't marked!" A marked map was important when teleporting to anywhere you can see extended to anywhere you could see on a map. Jafar's good map was, therefore, so good that it would be a prize for anyone, especially a man with delusions of being a great pirate. He supposed it was in Captain Ammand's hands now. Ah well, at least he deserved it somewhat more than Hook did.
"It should be about there," said Ursula, moving her tentacle off of Jafar and using it to point at the map. Jafar put his finger on the map next to the tentacle, and vanished.
He landed in a small village that was most definitely not Paris.
"Mama! Mama!" a small girl called. "A man just appeared in the square! One minute there was nobody there and the next there was a tall dark man in black!"
"Quiet with such talk! At least when the master of the asylum is about!"
"I assure you, Mistress, your daughter is quite sane. I truly did just appear in the square, and if this master of the asylum wishes to take people away for saying it, I can prove it," said Jafar. "Tell me, where am I?"
"You are in the village of Plaiche, in the principality of Lecroix."
"Am I near Paris?"
"Near enough, I suppose. The richest of the townsfolk visit the great city occasionally. We've been hearing nought but trouble out of Paris these days, though. I'd advise against visiting."
"Why might that be?"
"They say the Minister of Justice has gone quite mad, and is rounding up the gypsies! I am sure, with all due respect sir, that he would take you for one! It would do you well to stay in Plaiche and take advantage of the town's hospitality. There is a tavern right over there, where you can rent a room and find yourself something to drink and eat."
Jafar snapped his fingers and was wearing the clothes of a shabby, but clean, knight. He walked into the tavern.
"Care for a pint of ale, sir?" asked the barman. "I also have cider, wine and hot tea."
"Wine, then. And I would like to rent a room."
"Certainly, sir. How long do you plan on staying?"
"I will most likely leave tomorrow."
Jafar gave the man several coins to cover the price of the room, and gave his name as Sir Theophilus. He heard some mumbling at a table at the back of the room.
"Pardon me, gentlemen. May I join you?"
"We were just talking about how we could do with a good strong knight around here. Gaston used to be the best at everything, but ever since he stumbled back here barely alive from the Beast's castle he hasn't been the same. Oh, how stupid of me. I say the Beast, but I really ought to say Prince Adam. Who would have thought we had a real prince, under a spell, right near our village!"
"Who broke the spell?"
"An inventor's daughter! We all thought the both of them were insane, but she wasn't one to hold a grudge, and the people of Plaiche are thriving under her and Adam's rule. Well, except Gaston."
"Where is Gaston?"
A burly man with black hair and a big scar on his face staggered into the tavern. He grabbed a pint of ale, gulped it down, and slammed the stein back on the counter. One of the men sitting at the table with Jafar pointed at the big fellow.
"Ah. I see. Would I be correct in assuming that this man also tried to woo the inventor's daughter?"
"You would be, sir. Have you been unfortunate in love yourself?"
"You could say that," said Jafar. It was not a lie. Anyone could say it, though if they did, it would be inaccurate. His love for power was the only love he had, and he had certainly been unsuccessful many times in pursuit of that. But a rejected young man—more than that, a man who had been rejected for the first time—and saw Theophilus as a confidant would be delightfully easy to manipulate. Though rather insignificant on the world political map, Lecroix was one of the Seven Cities, and its Gate was tended by the Green Enchantress. With any luck, this town hero turned town zero would be the perfect guide to the Enchantress. Jafar beckoned him over.
"You look like you have a sad story to tell, sir," he said.
"And who are you?"
"A wandering knight. Sir Theophilus by name. Tell me, why are you in such distress?"
"Belle! The most beautiful girl in town! And she turned me down for a beast! And now look at me! I nearly died!"
"What happened?"
"I fell off a tower. It was only by quick thinking that I managed to survive. I tore my shirt off and spread it out over me, to slow my fall. I landed in a river and floated back to the village, where the village doctor tended to my broken arm. My face is scarred forever, though. I am sure the townsfolk think less of me."
"Nonsense!" said Jafar reassuringly, though he knew how much sense it actually was. "Do you think it was only your face they respected? Of course not! It was your skill, your strength, your perseverance! And you aren't going to show them that by moping about drinking ale, are you? There are other fish in the sea. Why, if you accompany me to Paris, I will introduce you to a woman even more beautiful than Belle." He had to get himself back into Queen Grimhilde's good graces somehow.
"You're going to Paris? Belle and the prince went there!"
"I have no intention of harming them. A knight respects the nobility."
"And I no longer have anything to gain by harming them, though I want to. What do you need from me,
though?"
"I merely wish to know where the Green Enchantress lives."
"Nobody's seen her for years, but Prince Adam," said one of the other men at the table.
"I haven't seen her, but I have a map that claims to have her location on it."
"Take it to Paris with you and give it to me there. It will be your payment for my taking you to Paris." He didn't mention Lorellia. The man's fate as Snow White's assassin was best kept a secret for now.
Meanwhile, in Prince Eric's castle, Aladdin and Jasmine were having a lovely dinner with Ariel and Eric when suddenly Captain Ammand ran into the dining room.
"Captain Ammand! What happened?" asked Jasmine.
"Captain James Hook shall trouble these waters no longer, milady," said Ammand. "And I learned some quite odd information. You see, I took his crew captive and offered them the chance to join my crew, which they did, and the crewmen I took from Hook kept talking about the odd man Hook had been carrying across the sea to see a witch. They said he was tall and very thin, with a pointed black beard and black robes, and that just before my crew boarded Hook's ship, this man vanished off it."
"Jafar!" said Aladdin. "Where is he going?"
"Apparently, to see a witch, and then to Paris, to see a judge about some odd magic thing buried in the city. I want nothing to do with you chasing after the sorcerer. I've had my revenge on Hook, and I'm off to sail the sea once more." He left.
"Wait! Ammand! Can you take us to Paris?" asked Aladdin, but it was too late; the good captain was already too far down the hall.
"We can get to Paris by land," said Eric. "We can prepare our carriages in the morning."