Good afternoon, everyone! I have returned with another update! This will be the end of the first part of this story series, and the next portion will begin in the next update. For those who have read, I hope you are enjoying so far!
~That Night~
In the early hours of the morning before the sun rose, Gustav groaned when there was a loud knocking. Shirtless, he answered the door, rubbing his eyes to see Judge Hopkins and six of his supporters standing at the door carrying torches.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?" Gustav asked, Eliza lingering warily behind him.
"That is of no concern to me. What is of concern to me and this village is that there is a witch among us. That witch is suspected to be your very own daughter, and that she too is plaguing your son with her foulness!" He exclaimed.
"What?! Don't you dare say anything about my family!" Gustav growled. "Now get away from our house or I will have my whole Viking clan come here and-"
"Your unholy Paganism that you have brought with you has carried into the bloodlines of your children, and your presence here has defiled the purity of this town!" Hopkins exclaimed. "Now, you shall allow us inside willingly or we shall enter by force!"
"No!" Eliza cried, falling to her knees. "Please… I'll do anything, please don't harm our children!"
"Your daughter has been suspected of committing acts of vile nature and blasphemy against God, and she must be submitted to questioning!" Hopkins shouted.
"Please… she is just a little girl, why can you not believe me? I have lived in this town since before I was her age even, can you not take my word and go in peace?" Eliza begged.
"Absolutely not. You have been poisoned against the Puritan ways by this bastard son of his Norse clan- oh yes! I know of his broken ancestry!" Hopkins snapped as he held out a sword, keeping a distance between him and Gustav as he went to lunge at the judge. Gustav stared at him angrily, gritting his teeth. "The laws of Puritan standard are in place so that we may be blessed by the Almighty One, to ensure our survival! Child or not, your daughter shall not be shown an ounce of mercy if proven guilty. When her interrogation is complete, we shall assemble the evidence and testimony, subsequently deciding her fate. She must be judged!"
Eliza cried out, clinging to Gustav as Hopkins shoved him aside. As he and the others searched the house, Hopkins and his followers came into the living room angrily.
"What is it now, filth?" Gustav growled.
"Where have you hidden them?" Hopkins seethed.
"Wh- What…?" Eliza gasped, running to their bedrooms. "Gustav, they're- the children are missing!"
Gustav's expression softened as a mixture of fear and relief washed over him, pulling Eliza close as he held her protectively. "Who knows where they are, Hopkins… maybe calling on demons and spirits for all you know!"
Eliza screamed as Hopkins sliced a deep cut across Gustav's chest, falling to her knees as the Viking collapsed. "Move out! We must find those children before they pollute the village with their evil!"
As they stormed out, Eliza wrapped her arm around Gustav, going to the one place where they knew they would find help; once they reached the Van Dort's, Victor and Victoria ushered them inside upon being awakened by Eliza's distressed cries.
Meanwhile, the four children had been making their way through the woods, gasping when they heard commotion coming from the direction of the village. They had a lantern with them, their fear spiking when they saw torches in the distance.
"We have to put the lantern out!" Beth exclaimed.
"But how will we see?" James asked.
"I can see in the night… you must trust me." She said, James nodding as they did so.
They were at the edge of the forest, the moonlight shining down on the shore ahead as Victor pointed to one of the boats. "There, that one is mine!" He exclaimed, and the four made a run for it. However, the judge and his followers had caught up, and seeing them in the moonlight, they were easily able to snatch them up. Beth gasped for air as she hung back, hiding behind a tree.
"Grab the other boy also, he is conspiring with the witch!" One of his followers, Amelia, shouted.
As they were being dragged away, Beth gritted her teeth. Knowing this was her fault, the guilt and anger built up inside of her until she could stand it no more. As they were dragging away the three children, Beth screeched as she skittered towards them, lunging into the air and knocking Amelia down. The other adults stared in horror at what they saw to be an unearthly demon attacking one of their own, Beth hissing as she tried to free her friends.
"If you harm them, you shall suffer me!" Beth spoke in dual voices, sounding very much like her mother as she attacked. Hopkins shoved Aggie towards one of the other adults, growling as he lifted Beth from behind, throwing her aside. Beth jumped to her feet, her pupils shrinking and her sharp teeth glistening in the low light as she stood him down. As she charged forward, Hopkins scooped up a rock, making a direct hit as the hard object collided with Beth's head. She was knocked down, a few of the adults quickly binding her hands and legs with ropes. She glanced up at Aggie weakly as she cried out for her, the boys shouting her name as well. "Aggie…" Beth whispered. "… I'm sorry…" She spoke before falling unconscious, and they were all dragged away to the small courthouse.
~That Same Night, Wonderland~
Jack gasped, flying into an upright position. He was breathing heavily, holding his head as he tried to compose himself. When he suddenly noticed Alice standing beside him, he jumped, holding a hand over his heart. "Jeez… you scared me…"
"You had the vision as well." Alice said.
"Well… a nightmare, yeah…" Jack replied.
"No, Jack. It was not just a nightmare, it was a vision. Our children are in danger." Alice said.
Jack shook his head as he furrowed his brows. "Alice… there's no way that… I mean, we just visited them not that long ago, everything was fine!"
"Things can change at the drop of a hat, Jack. You know this. One moment you are standing on the ice, the next, you are drowning. We must hurry, there is not much time. I know I told you that we should keep our distance, to allow Eliza and Gustav to raise them as their own, but they are in dire need." Alice said.
"Okay… okay, we… we'll get them out of this jam… then everything should be fine, right? Then we can go back to our own problems." Jack asked.
"Precisely. Those who attempt to harm our children will be severely punished." Alice helped Jack to his feet, the two setting off to the states.
~A Few Hours Later, Burgess~
Beth groaned as she blinked her eyes open, inhaling sharply as her head stung. She whimpered lightly when she discovered her hands were tied behind her back, her legs tied together as well. She bit her lip, everything from the previous night coming back to her. She clenched her teeth, struggling as she tried to free herself. Her legs were nimble, the rope around them loosening and falling to the ground once she was able to pull them all out one by one. Now, she had to undo the binds around her hands. Having the ability to disjoint her arms, she did so, twisting them over her head, wincing as she did so. Once they hung in front of her, she raised her wrists up to her lips, her sharp teeth biting and gnawing into the ropes. A few minutes later, she tossed the ropes aside, her eyes darting as she now needed to find a way out of this prison cell. She pursed her lips, looking past the metal bars and gasping when she saw a key ring hanging on a hook on the opposite wall. Noticing no one was around, she hatched an idea, turning around and biting her lip as she hoped to aim right. She shot out silky material used to make webs, the sticky material landing on the key ring. Beth smiled, turning around to pull the keys off the wall and dragging them along the floor until they were close enough for her to grab, sticking her arm past the bars to snatch them up. She then hurriedly skittered over to the door, unlocking it and exiting the cell. Remaining stealthy, she carried the keys with her, searching the area for her friends. She gasped when she found another group of cells, hearing the sound of James crying and Victor trying to comfort him from the cell next to his.
"James, Victor!" Beth exclaimed, hurrying to them and fiddling with the keys to free them.
"Beth!" James cried. "Beth, I heard the judge convening with the rest of the council…" He said tearfully. "They are sentencing my sister and I to death, beginning with her!"
"No…" Beth breathed, frantically going over to free Victor. "We have to stop it!"
Once this was done, the three of them made their way up the cold, dank stairs until they reached the main part of the courthouse. Outside, the judge was making a proclamation to the village, his followers behind him and Aggie was standing on a wooden platform, crying fearfully as a noose was tied around her neck. Eliza and Gustav had been restrained, Eliza shrieking Aggie's name frantically as Gustav struggled to get free. Victor Sr. and Victoria also were being held back.
"Bernard, have you lost your senses?!" Victor Sr. exclaimed. "She's a little girl!"
"Agatha Larson is a conjurer of demons and monsters alike! One of which we have in captivity now!" Hopkins shouted. "We shall destroy her and her brother thereafter, of whom also his soul has been polluted by these Pagan heathens! May God have mercy on their wicked souls!"
Just then, as the judge was about to give the command to hang Aggie, he gasped when a knife was flung, hitting the tree standing inches to his left from his head. Beth took this opportunity, screaming as she wrestled the judge to the ground before hopping up, making her way to Aggie. As the judge tried to get up, he was met with the sight of Alice, glaring at him darkly as she yanked her vorpal blade out of the tree, pointing it at him threateningly.
"Make one move and you shall suffer dearly for it." Alice spoke lowly.
Jack descended then, freezing the feet of any who tried to flee or get to Aggie. He gasped, seeing Beth going to Aggie to safely free her from the noose. James and Victor freed their parents, and Eliza fell to her knees to hold her son's shoulders.
"Listen to me carefully. You cannot stay here; your father and I will go back to Berk. You must take your sister and flee from here. We will see each other again, but you must save yourselves! Now go, run!" She cried. James gave her one last hug before he and Victor fled.
Beth hugged Aggie tightly, the girl sobbing fearfully. "Beth, I owe you my life!"
"No, Aggie, this is all my fault, if I had not written that letter this would have never happened!" Beth exclaimed.
"What do you mean, that letter was-"
"It was a trick!" Beth frowned deeply. "I am a terrible friend, Aggie."
The girl gasped lightly, narrowing her eyes. "Yes… it was a terrible thing you did… but you saved me."
"Please… please forgive me…" Beth cried.
"I do forgive you, Beth… but remember… bad things happen to people who do bad deeds… I promise… the judge and his followers will be cursed for what they have done." Aggie said.
As the four began to flee, Alice raised her blade, the judge cowering. "Please… please, have mercy upon me!" He shouted.
Beth was helping Aggie when they both stopped suddenly, Aggie's eyes wide. "Beth…" She whispered.
"What is it, what's wrong?" Beth asked.
"I… see her…" Aggie whimpered.
"Who?" Beth furrowed her brows.
"… the Queen of Hearts… your mother…" Aggie's eyes widened more, inhaling shakily as she slowly turned to look towards Alice from afar.
When Alice was about to strike down, Hopkins growled, foregoing his pitiful demeanor and shooting his hand out to grab Alice's wrist, wrestling the blade from her. Shoving her aside, he turned to see Aggie in the distance, rearing his arm back as he flung the blade. "May God have mercy…"
"… Beth…" Aggie breathed, slowly looking at her. "… we were meant to be enemies… that's why… this is happening…" As the knife embedded into her back, she cried out painfully as Beth, James and Victor screamed her name. "… we are cursed, Beth… and so shall we… curse others…"
Beth inhaled sharply, emitting a blood curdling screech as she caught Aggie before she could fall. Alice trembled when she saw the scene play out before her; her own blood daughter murdered by her own blade, she slowly turned to look at judge Hopkins, her eyes crazed. She grabbed him, twisting his head in one quick motion, breaking his neck. Jack, who had been helping Eliza and Gustav flee, fell to his knees when he sensed Aggie's life fading.
"Ag- gie…" Beth cried, she and the boys kneeling around her as she gently pet the girl's hair. "No… I was supposed to save you…"
Alice flew over to them, falling to her knees as Beth looked up at her fearfully. Alice stared at her, her eyes widening when she looked upon her. Her face hardened, taking Aggie into her arms as Jack painfully tried to get the rest of the village folk under control.
"I know exactly who you are." Alice spat. "And you brought this upon my family. Take her brother and bring him to safety. Her blood is upon your hands… if you wish to be rid of your wretched mother's influence, you will do what I tell you."
"Beth…" Aggie whispered, her last moments of life trickling like the blood upon her back. "… don't forget to read a story each night like we did… remember everything I taught you…"
"I will…" Beth whimpered, slowly backing up as she and Victor were painfully forced to drag a screaming James back.
As Aggie became still, Alice's face contorted. "Make haste, they will come for you also if you do not leave here!"
"NO! No, please, Aggie! Agatha!" James cried, Beth scooping him up as the three made their escape to Victor's boat.
When the village was clear, Jack ran over to Alice, running his hands through his hair and falling to his knees as they both wept over Aggie. Jack slowly took her into his arms, hugging her close as he stood to his feet.
"We'll take her to Berk." Jack said quietly after some time. "She was always welcomed there."
Alice slowly nodded, looking at him. "I hoped with all my heart this wouldn't happen… but Jack… the Queen's words rang true… my bloodline, and hers, are cursed." She trembled as she glared darkly as the dead judge Hopkins lying not far from her. "But so will they… anyone so heartless as to murder a child is already."
~The Following Day~
In Berk, the Vikings gathered along with Jack, Alice and the other guardians, all mourning the passing of Aggie as they gave her a funeral similar to how they had done for Stoick the Vast; as Gustav pulled back on the bow string to shoot off a flaming arrow, his arms began to tremble, clenching his teeth as emotion overwhelmed him. Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him strength as he was finally able to release it. The flaming arrows shot far, setting the boat, carrying Aggie's body and flowers to honor her, aflame. As the ship burned, Gustav turned, embracing a weeping Eliza as she sobbed. Jack bit his lip, tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched the ship carrying his child's corpse burn to ashes.
"I was a fool to think I could challenge fate." Alice sighed, closing her eyes.
"We have to get James back." Jack said.
"No. It is still too dangerous in Burgess, they need to stay away. But when it is safe, he shall come back to live out his days there. I only hope he will have that chance." Alice said.
"What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"Do you have any idea who he is with? Right at this very moment?" Alice asked.
"I… I'm not sure, Alice… everything was just… with Aggie… it was such a blur…" Jack replied.
"… when we defeated the Queen over a decade ago… I discovered that within the ruins of that volcano, she concealed a creature within the caverns deep inside. That creature was a child she had birthed not long before her demise. It is that very same offspring that is sailing out to sea with our son." Alice said.
Jack's eyes widened. "A- Alice, how… how could you let him go with it?!"
"SHE… means him no harm. She has made poor choices, but means no ill will towards our family… for now. But I see her, Jack… I see the Queen lurking, slithering just behind her eyes. She is there still, and I have no doubt that she shall continue to influence her daughter to be as evil as she once was, if not more so." Alice said.
"So how do you know that won't change while they're trying to get to England?" Jack asked.
"The child will aid him in his journey. But when it is safe enough for them to come back… I wish to separate them." Alice said.
As they all continued to look on at the burning ship, Alice took Eliza's hand as she came over to her. Soon, they all held hands, bowing their heads as they paid their respects. As Alice had feared, Aggie had suffered an ill fate caused by her cursed ancestry, and hoped with all her heart that James would not also suffer a similar future.
End of Story One
Indeed, this ended on a somber note... there will be many heartbreaking scenes in this series, but the lives of the guardians and those close to them are not always happy and joyful. Conquering these difficult times will be a part of what makes them strong, what makes them relatable and more wholesome as characters. Please let me know what you think, and enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thank you for reading!
