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Tortuga

In Arendelle, sometime after Merida and those aboard the Black Pearl had already left, Lord Arawn used the Beast’s Mirror to contact his master again.

When the image was clear the Master looked to him from the mirror’s view and asked “Did you find the princess?”

Reluctantly he answered “We…have not, Master. We tracked her to Arendelle but….it would seemed we’ve missed her. And….and there’s more.”

Even as angered as the Master was they said “Speak.”

“It…it would seem that she’s freed Elsa, the ice queen. And Lord Hans has been imprisoned for treason.” Seeing how more angered his master was Arawn then said “But I know where she’s gone! She and her friends made way for….” He looked back and asked his prisoner “Where was it again?”

Clapped in irons was none other than Kristoff, along with Sven. Both of them had been brought before Arawn by his group of Prydain soldiers, all dressed in armor and armed with swords and arrows. They looked as tough as they acted while handling the ice seller and his reindeer. Kristoff had already looked beaten with a swollen eye and a cut on his lip.

When asked, Kristoff had answered “Tor…Tortuga. They said they were going Tortuga. That’s what I overheard.”

Hearing this the Master hummed with interest before saying “You’ve proven to not be a complete waste, Arawn. Very good. Now return to me at once.”

He gave a confused looked and asked “But….but what about Merida?”

“You need no longer worry. She’ll be brought to me by other means.”

Without another word the image of the Master faded and Arawn sighed as he did not know what to expect now. He only turned back to his men and the imprisoned Kristoff and Sven, indicating they were free to go. Once released Sven came to his own and licked his face while giving saddened grumbles at his injuries.

As Arawn and his men left Kristoff asked “Why? Why are you doing this? Why is that princess so much trouble?”

Arawn stopped but did not look back as he answered “Because she is a menace. An enemy to everything. You would be wise not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

“And what are you then? You think stopping her will save the world?”

At that Arawn turned back, showing how serious he was, and answered “Yes.” Before turning and leaving the young man and his reindeer.

********************

In the hidden base the Master of Worlds had finished the conversation with Lord Arawn, revealing that they were using the Magic Mirror once owned by Queen Grimhilde to speak with him.

When the image of Arawn was gone, instead of the floating head of the spirit trapped within the Mirror was the face of the ghost seer Madame Leota. She looked to be in pain as her head floated in the mirror’s glass. The Master, having put her there, turned away and ignored this and instead looked to a servant that stood in the room.

“Send word to the pirate king, Pete.” The Master commanded. “Tell him to find the princess and bring her to me. The rest he can do whatever he wishes. Meanwhile I need to start making a few house calls. Starting with the Sultan of Agrabah.”

The servant bowed before walking off, the Master watching as he exited before taking flight on his mounted beast. From the room the Master watched through the window as they flew off in a great distance in so short a time.

Now alone the Master began to use a spell that, after complete, formed a familiar looking portal in front of him.

********************

As the Black Pearl continued its trip towards Tortuga, many of those from Arendelle were undergoing a wardrobe change.

Merida, sitting with Elsa, had already changed her look to a more pirate-like outfit. She was provided a dress with a vest and short skirt that exposed her arms and legs. She had long boots on her feet and a bandana wrapped around her head, even with most of her hair sticking out in the back.

She held up a picture to Elsa, one she’d made, and said “Try something like this.”

Elsa had glanced at it before giving an odd look to Merida, showing how she wasn’t too sure about it. But after Merida gave her an optimistic grin she sighed before using her powers to change her dress. Her body glowed as she gestured with her hands to control her powers while forming the dress. As she did she changed her hair as well. When she was finished she now looked as Merida had remembered, her blonde hair wrapped in a long, curly tail while wearing a flowing blue dress.

“Like this?” she asked the princess when finished.

Merida had nodded before Mary Poppins, who was nearby, said “I’d suggest making a few adjustments, your majesty. At least for the sake of ‘fitting in’, as it were.”

Realizing what she meant Elsa took a moment to think on it before using her powers to alter her dress. When she was finished her new outfit had looked more pirate like, with a corset dress and a white undershirt with puffed outs sleeves. She added gloves and a bandanna to her hair like Merida only it was blue. Finally she added boots but these were shorter than the ones Merida wore.

After Elsa asked Merida what she thought the princess nodded before saying “You know….I think I like it.”

Elsa gave a little laugh at her approval before Flynn walked over and said “Yeah. Now you look like part of the crew.” He then came closer and gave a more flirtatious “Though I’m starting to wish we’d brought you on sooner.”

She gave him an awkward look before pushing him away and asking “Tell me again why we’re doing this?”

“All for the sake of show, Queen Elsa.” Mickey said as he walked over, dressed as a pirate with an eye patch. “We’re heading for Tortuga after all. And the one thing that pirates don’t like to see in a pirate controlled island is anyone not a pirate.”

“Sort of like a private club deal.” Flynn commented. “Only instead of just tossing you out, we keelhaul you.”

“How…charming.” Elsa said before commenting “At least Captain Sparrow seems to be enjoying it.”

Everyone looked over to Jack who was giving one command after another to the Arendelle sailors who’d been given the pirate makeover as all. Obviously he was still in charge of the ship which made him in charge of them while helping to crew it. He’d wasted no time in giving menial tasks to some and more laboring jobs to others. Even Mulan was helping to keep them in line during the voyage.

Anytime they looked to Elsa, giving her a look that basically said it was ridiculous to take order from a pirate, she only responded with “Do as he says.” Making them do their duties.

Merida then looked to Mary Poppins, who was sitting on the side. She’d not changed her outfit at all, making her the one to stick out the most out of anyone on the ship.

The princess walked over and said “You know you still have plenty of time to change before we reach Tortuga.”

The nanny kept her highborn composure as she said “With all due respect, princess, I do not feel the need to indulge in this silly charade or pretending to be, of all things, a buccaneer. I’m perfectly content with waiting on the ship until we find whoever this man is who can show us to Neverland.”

At that Elsa turned and asked “Merida? You seem to know a lot more than others about secret things. Any idea what we can expect when we do get to Nerverland?”

Before Merida could answer Aladdin, swinging down from a rope from one of the masts, said “Yeah! I hear it’s some sort of sanctuary or something, right? A place where dreams come true.”

She could see everyone looking to her for an answer, to which she could only reply “Well I’ve never been there myself. But I have heard it’s a pretty amazing place. Though at this point it wouldn’t surprise me if the place is like a prison now.” Seeing the worried look Elsa had from that remark Merida quickly said “Not that I think there children there are in prisoned! It’s just this whole thing with Peter Pan. I knew him from my history, and he never kept children in Neverland for so long. He’s always send them home eventually.”

Mulan, who was nearby, had commented “I think you need to start accepting the fact that not everyone’s the same as you remember, princess. And the sooner the better.”

As she walked off Merida gave a cross look before adding “You can say that again.”

The others waved this off before Abu, jumping down from the masts above, screeched something which Aladdin translated as “Wreck. Off the port side!”

Everyone who heard this moved towards the port side of the ship, even some of the other sailors turned pirates who eventually caught eye of what the others were looking at. A small spit of land poked out from the ocean where the ruined remains of a ship was. Everyone could see how the hull was mostly intact but looked as though something had rammed into it. Masts were scattered along with the sails that had been tattered.

As Jack used his spyglass to inspect the wreckage Mulan asked “Any survivors?”

After a moment he dropped the glass and answered “None." He removed his hat and placed it over his chest while saying "Poor souls..."

“What did this?” Elsa asked, still looking at the wreck.

Aladdin was the one to answer with “Enemy ship, maybe.”

Flynn, however, retorted with “Nah. No sign of cannon fire. Something else attacked that poor girl.”

“Something else?” Merida asked, looking a little more worried.

Jack, having stepped down from the upper deck to join the rest of the group, explained “There’s a great number of terrible beasties roaming these waters. Some are content to let people be. But others….” He finished by indicating the wreckage. “That’s part of the price when sailing through the ruler of the seas waters.”

Merida looked to him and asked “Ruler of the Seas?” She thought for a moment before saying “You mean King Triton?”

Aladdin, and the others, all looked as he asked “You know him?”

“Well not him, exactly. But I’ve met his daughter. At least the daughter from my world.”

“Then you’d better hope some piece of that friendship made it over into this one, love.” Jack said before explaining “Rumor has it that the sea king died years ago and the whole undersea kingdom went into a big frenzy over who would inherit the throne. Then there’s some business with a prince who apparently died and all other manner of unpleasantness.”

“That was during the great stormy season.” Flynn added. “For weeks the seas as dangerous as taking on a dragon with your bare hands. And when everything finally clamed, they say the monsters who used to be under control now roamed freely through the oceans. Unchecked and attacking at random.”

After saying that Flynn and everyone looked nervously around at the open ocean they were still in. Jack cleared his throat and ordered for increased speed, Mulan making sure the crew did so efficiently, while everyone else wandered about the deck with a little more tension in the air.

Merida and Mickey still looked out to the wreckage even as they’d already passed it before the princess pulled out her list. Following down the list she could see Ariel’s name unmarked, making her hope that her friend was still somewhere out in the world. She had noted how she’d not seen either her or Prince Eric at the ball, only making her question how their story had changed.

After Merida gave a deep sigh Mickey looked, seeing the list, and asked “What’s that?”

“Just something to help me remember.” She answered. “In case something should happen where I start to forget.”

Mickey smiled and shrugged as he said “Well, if you don’t mind me saying, you’ve done a pretty good job remembering everything so far.”

“I know. It’s just….” When she stopped Mickey asked what troubled her before she asked “Can you keep this between you and me?”

He held his hand over his heart while holding the other up before saying “I swear to it, Princess Merida.”

She nodded before saying “Okay. And you can just call me ‘Merida’.” She sighed before explaining “I’ve been having these weird dreams lately. And in them….I saw Master Yen Sid.”

Mickey, looking surprised by this, asked “You mean your Master Yen Sid? Or…mine?”

“I…I really don’t know.” She answered, leaning against the ship now. “It’s odd. He speaks as if he knows me, but so far as I know I ever met him in this history.” She looked to him and asked “Have you ever had a dream like that?”

“Not anything like that.” Mickey answered. “But I have seen him in my dreams before. Though….they’re more like memories of him.” Merida could see the sad look in his eyes before he asked “What was he like in your world?”

“Well he seemed very wise.” She began. “Stern but nice. And he always seemed to act like he knew more than he would say, just to be as mysterious as possible.”

Mickey chuckled a bit and said “Yep. Sounds a lot like mine.”

Merida then continued with “But when I first met him he was….dead…sort of.” Seeing Mickey’s confused expression she said “It’s complicated. It doesn’t matter though. Because when he and I tried to take down Lord Arawn, he didn’t exactly have any sort of backup plan. At least not one I heard about. He never talked about other worlds or anything like that, did he?”

“Not to me.” Mickey answered. “And not to anyone else I think. He spent most of the time advising the queen and teaching those like Master Scrooge and my friend Donald.” He was quiet for a moment before asking “What about these dreams of him? Does he say anything to you?”

The princess sighed before answering “He told me to remember. Said I was forgetting something.” She looked at the list and continued with “But I have remembered everything. Everything I can remember from the moment I woke up in this world. It’s all here.”

Thinking on it Mickey then asked “Do you think there’s something you did forgot? Or overlooked?”

“No. I mean….at least I don’t think so.” She tried to answer. “But…sometimes I do feel like there is something missing. Like that feeling you’ve got a memory in the back of your head you just can seem to find. And I feel like if I knew it, then I’d have some more answers. But it’s….UGGH! It’s just so annoying!”

After Merida held her head in her hands Mickey patted her shoulder and said “Give it time, Merida. It’ll come to you. Maybe if you talked about the things from your world, it’ll help spark something.”

Hearing this she nodded and said “I suppose that could help.”

“Good.” Mickey said before adding “Why don’t we start with how Queen Minnie and I are married.”

Merida looked to him and saw the coy smile on his face before returning it. She should’ve seen this was what he was leading around to and yet admired how passionate Mickey was to know. With that in mind she figured telling him would help in his conviction to see everything returned to the order as Merida remembered. And, after taking a deep breath, Merida began to tell him everything she knew well into the afternoon of the day.

********************

At night arrived Mulan told most of the deckhands on the Black Pearl that she would take over their shift for the time being.

A couple of the other “Arendelle Pirates” remained on deck to handle basic tasks but Mulan didn’t mind. She’d been carrying a bow and quiver of arrows along with a target board.
With the deck to herself Mulan stuck the target board on the main mast by sticking a dagger through the string on it. After that she counted her steps. Until she was as far away as possible from the board. She readied her bow and arrows before firing, managing to hit the board.

Even with the ship rocking Mulan had managed to make every shot hit the board, two of them hitting bull’s-eye. After using the six arrows she’d carried she went back to recover them, sighing to herself as she was reminded of her first time learning to shoot properly.

She returned to her spot with all her arrows and readied to fire again, only for another arrow to suddenly fly out and strike the target right in the center. Mulan looked to the side and saw it was Merida, who’d used her own bow and was standing at the door leading down to the lower decks.

The princess turned to Mulan and gave a little smile while saying “Though I heard arrow practicing going on and wanted to check for myself.”

Mulan only gave an annoyed look before saying “You should be resting.”

Merida shrugged and said “Been having trouble doing that lately. Besides, I like to do a little archery myself. Maybe you and I try to see who the best between us is?”

Mulan huffed and said “I don’t think that’s hard to figure.” She then fired an arrow that struck right into the bull’s-eye next to Merida’s arrow, she saying “I’ve trained with some of the best from my homeland.”

Merida looked at her shot before turning back and smirking as she said “Let’s make it a wager then.”

“Usually pirates do it with money.” Mulan stated before Merida, surprisingly, pulled out a small bag of coins and put them on a nearby barrel.

After Mulan sighed and put her own bag out Merida said “Hang on. One more thing. If I win, I’d like to hear about your time in the army. Before your home was invaded by the Huns.” When Mulan seemed ready to protest Merida added “If I lose, I won’t speak to you the rest of the time I’m on board.”

Mulan then asked “Why do you even care? Not like you can change anything about it.”

The princess shrugged and said “You might be surprised. But then again, if I’m wrong, then you’ve got nothing to lose. Except a few coin, maybe.”

After a moment Mulan sighed and agreed to the deal. Merida had a more confident smile as she let her go first, the pirate woman readying herself before firing her arrow. It struck dead center into the target board. She gestured for Merida to go next, the princess standing in the same spot and taking a few second longer to ready herself. After getting used to the sway of the ship Merida fired, her arrow going right through Mulan’s and hitting the target.

The stunned pirate looked to the princess before she said “I’ve been practicing every day since I was a wee girl.” She walked over and picked up both bags of coin before, to Mulan’s surprise, she tossed hers back over and said “I don’t care about it. I just want to hear your story.” Seeing Mulan’s reluctance Merida added “A deal’s a deal after all.”

Something caught Mulan’s eye for a moment before she smiled and said “Alright. But not now. Later.” When Merida asked why later Mulan pointed behind her and answered “Because we’ve arrived.”

While Mulan began to wake the crew Merida turned and saw the island they were approaching. She could see a small town lit from the shore while hearing the feint sounds of gun fire and music playing. Merida could now understand why they needed to stay in disguise while entering the pirate town of Tortuga.

*********************

When the Black Pearl had docked a small group consisting of Merida, Jack, Mickey, Elsa, Aladdin and Abu, Mulan and five other Arendelle disguised sailors agreed to search through Tortuga while the others remained aboard.

Looking around those unfamiliar with the nature of the town were taken back but how chaotic it all seemed. All over the place there were pirates about doing one thing after another that seemed so unruly and yet so natural to them. Some were fist fighting while others drank rum, even though they looked drunk enough as it was. The newcomers could see a man being hoisted out of a well only to be dropped back in for the fun of it. One man was chasing, or rather hoping, after a dog that had his wooden leg in its mouth. Some of them men were being wooed by the “ladies of the evening” wandering about and trying to find easy money. And all the while music was playing from one place or another from the many different buildings and huts about.

After seeing a game of cards turn into a fight Elsa commented “All of these people are crazy!”

“Nothing of the sort, your nibs.” Jack called back as he led the way. “This is just how we pirates relieve the pressure of being on the sea for weeks at a time. Only healthy way to do it without truly losing yourself to cabin fever. All a matter of releasing tension.” He stopped when one of the ladies came over and said “Speaking of which….” He walked over with a smile and held his arms out, saying “Jillian, my darling!” She, in response, gave him a hard slap to the face before walking off. Most of the others looked surprised while Jack, not too faded by it, said “In all fairness, I should’ve seen that one coming.”

Suddenly another woman walked up and, in a more pleasant tone, said “Jack Sparrow!”

He turned and smiled, saying “Rebecca! There you are, love.”

She gave him a cross look and said “I’m Susanna!”

Before Jack could make an excuse he was slapped by her before she walked off, he commenting “That I didn’t expect.”

Merida leaned over to Aladdin and asked “Does this sort of thing happen to him often?”
Aladdin and Abu chuckled before he answered “A lot more than you’d think.” Abu then said something to which Aladdin replied “You can say that again.”

After Jack recovered he looked to everyone and said “Right. First thing’s first. We need to find an old friend or mine.” He started sniffing the air like a dog before turning and saying “And I think he’s that way.” He started walking to the right before suddenly going left and commenting “This way.”

Even as confused as they were the group followed Jack, eventually coming to a pig pen. They found a drunken man sleeping in the mud among them, looking so comfortable that they figured he must’ve been as drunk as could be.

“This is who we’re looking for?” Mickey asked.

Before Jack could answer a younger man nearby said “If he is, I doubt you’ll be able to get anything out of him until morning.”

Everyone looked to see him, a boy around Merida’s age who was dressed like a sort of junior pirate. He had a black vest jacket over a white shirt while wearing boots and pants and a bandana wrapped around his head and his spiky black hair.

Seeing him Jack held his arms out and greeted “Jake! There you are, you young rapscallion.”

The boy smiled and held his hand out, shaking Jack’s as he said “Good to see you again, Jack. Been a while. Last time I think I saw you running out of here like your pants were on fire.”

“Almost were as a matter of fact.” Jack commented, the two laughing at this.

Jake then looked to everyone else and asked “Aladdin, Mulan, Abu. Good seeing you guys too. But who’s the rest? New crew?”

Jack, helping to keep their cover, walked over while saying “Picked them up fresh from time in Port Royal. They were about to shake hands with the noose before I set them free. Almost singlehandedly in fact.” Some of them rolled their eyes at this before Jack introduced Elsa first, saying “This here is Blue Bell Jane.” Jake nodded to her before Jack moved to Merida and said “And this here is Red-Head Jenny.” Both of the young pirates nodded to each other, Merida smirking a bit at the flirtatious wink Jake gave, before Jack indicated Mickey and the others before saying “And this is…Carl. And the rest.” When Mickey gave him an annoyed look Jack whispered “I ran out of names.”

After the introductions Jake asked “So what brings you back to Tortuga?”

Jack looked to him and said “We’ve a need to find an old ‘acquaintance’ of yours. Goes by a lot of names, but I think you’d best know him as ‘Codfish’.”

Jake perked at this before asking “What do you want with the old Codfish? He owe you money or something?”

“I figure that be best left between me and old Coddy himself. Savvy?” Jack asked while leaning over towards him.

After a moment Jake nodded before indicating for everyone to follow him. Jack thanked him with an odd gesture from his hands before he and everyone followed Jake as he lead them to one of the nearby taverns. Music was playing inside and they could hear the dozens of pirates talking inside before Jake walked inside, everyone following.

The inside of the tavern looked larger than it did from outside, showing a second story with a large iron chandelier hanging from the roof. There were many tables that were crowded with people, pirates and women alike, while in the corner of the room was a spot where the band was playing light music at the time.

Jake took a moment to scan the room before seeing who they were looking for and saying “There he is. Right over by the bar, where he always is.”

Seeing him too Jack said “Much obliged, mate.” Before handing him one silver coin and leading everyone into the tavern.

Jake nodded goodbye to them all before leaving, taking one look back to see them coming closer to the man they were looking for. As he left he didn’t see as a large group of other pirates, very tough by the looks of them, were approaching the tavern themselves.

Everyone looked and saw the pirate they’d been seeking, drunk as can be while wearing a very old and dirty crimson coat. His long black hair was musty looking and a crumbled hat with a bare feather sat next to him. One hand was hidden near his chest while the other held a freshly poured pint of ale. On his belt he had an empty scabbard for what was supposed to be a long, pointed sword.

After finishing the last of his drink in one large gulp he called “Another! And make it a double!”

Jack, approaching from behind, said “James, you old Codfish. How’ve you been?”

The pirate growled before saying “Jack Sparrow, you swabby sea dog, I told you to never call me ‘Codfish’!” He turned revealing his missing hand replaced with his iconic metal weapon before saying “The name is Hook!”

Merida gasped at this, some of the others a bit tense, before she walked over to Jack and pulled him aside saying “Hook? This is who we’re looking for?”

Jack nodded before saying “Unless you know anyone else who can get us to Neverland.”

“But he’s a villain.” She whispered. “This man is the scourge of the sea in his world.”

Hearing this, Hook said “Aye! That I was, lass.” He stood, mustering his bravado, as he said “I was once the most dangerous pirate to ever sail a ship! Looting and pillaging and causing all manner of mayhem!” He then stumbled back to his seat while his tone dropped and said “But…not anymore. My days of piracy are at an end. All that’s left is to drink myself into an early grave.”

Seeing this Elsa walked over and said “But we need your help. We’re trying to get to Neverland, and you’re the only one who knows the way.”

Hook now looked at her with a mix of surprise and fear before saying “Neverland!!?! That forsaken place? Why I’d never even dream of setting foot or hook back there.” When Mickey asked why he answered “Because of that wrenched flying cur, Peter Pan. That’s why!” He took a moment to catch his breath before explaining “It wasn’t enough that he took my hand and through it to the crocodile. Or that he humiliated me time and time again. But then he had to go and drive my ship and crew out of Neverland after declaring war on us. Him and his blasted little children army were relentless!” He slumped over the bar and started weeping while saying “I was a laughing stock after that. My crew abandoned me. My ship was claimed by the new pirate king, and I was left hear to rot. And rot I shall. If these be the final days of Captain Hook, they’ll be crawled inside a bottle of….Rum!” he was calling to the barkeep now and saying “Bring me some rum!”

Those who didn’t know Hook like Jack and the other pirates were surprised by his actions, Merida most of all. After the stories she’d heard of him she was surprised to see how broken he was in this world. After a moment she thought of something and walked over in time to stop Hook from drinking anymore.

“What if I could help Captain Hook’s last days be for revenge?” she asked, getting his attention. “We’ve a need to make for Neverland, and that means going back to face Pan. But what if this time you finally managed to pay him back for taking your hand? And your pride.”

Mickey whispered “What are you doing?” before Merida waved him off in order to talk with Hook.

The pirate began to stir with interest and asked “And you can promise me that?”

“I can only promise that you’ll get your chance at revenge.” She said. “With a little extra help. I think, given your situation, that’s about as much as you could ask for.”

Hook looked back to the drink still in his hand and then to Merida and the others. He was debating with himself on what he should do, accepting or declining her offer. For a moment he seemed ready to just drink down more run but, to everyone’s relief, he pushed it away and stood while brandishing his hook.

“When do we leave?” he asked.

Before anyone could answer someone from behind called “None of yous are going anywhere.”

Everyone turned just as all the others in the tavern went silent, including the band. They looked to see a dozen or so tough looking pirates, human and animal like Mickey, being led by a familiar face. Merida, Mickey, Jack and his crew recognized him more than Elsa and the others. He was dressed as a fancy pirate captain, somewhat like Hook, only he wore all black with a large matching hat and feather in it.

Mickey, more angered than anyone, stepped forward and stated “Pete!”

“Ah-ah.” He waved his finger at him. “That’s Pirate King Pete to you, runt! And I’m took take something an old friend of mine wants.” He finally pointed at Merida and declared “That’s you, girly!”