Sorry that it's been a while. I was busy with my other stories. Plus, I was beginning to lose hope for this story, but I'm back.
If you want to, leave a review after reading. Feedback is always appreciated.
Special thanks to Jesus' girl 4ever and Master Skywalker 121 for the recent reviews.
Elsa enters Merlin's cottage and meets him in the dining room, where he was having a cup of tea.
"Merlin, I need to speak with you," said Elsa.
"Sit down, my dear," said Merlin. "Tea?"
"That would be lovely," replied Elsa.
Elsa takes a seat as Merlin pours her a cup of tea.
"So, I assume the mission on Takodana was a success?" asked Merlin.
"We returned Maui back to his homeworld," replied Elsa.
"I hope he wasn't much trouble," said Merlin.
"He wasn't," said Elsa. "A fight broke out and he held his own. That magical hook of his, pretty interesting."
"I suspected as much, considering your friends' behavior and the type of people on that planet," said Merlin. "So, what do you wish to speak about?"
"It's about Rey," said Elsa. "I worry about her."
"It was Peter's idea to include her on this mission," reminded Merlin.
"The aggression. The brutality. Killing without reason. I do not understand why Peter continues to tolerate this," said Elsa.
"It's obvious that Peter would rather listen to his heart than his mind," said Merlin. "It's a centuries-old debate."
"I know. I've heard of it," said Elsa.
"And what of you? Mind or heart?" asked Merlin.
"Is it wrong that I use both?" questioned Elsa.
"Word of advice, my dear, it is safer for your conscience if you make a choice," said Merlin. "Conflict within is never healthy."
Before their conversation can continue any further, a certain teenager in red and blue tights walked into the house.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," apologized Spider-Man.
"No problem, young one," said Merlin. "What is it?"
"I just wanted to ask if you can come with me outside. I have some... questions about the fountain," said Spider-Man, trying his best not to draw any suspicion. "I thought learning more about magic might help."
"Well, if you wish," replied Merlin.
Merlin stands up and follows Spider-Man outside. Elsa, who still sitting on the table, was puzzled by Spider-Man's tone. She has a feeling that he could be lying, so she decided to walk outside to watch him. After Elsa left the house, Rey comes out of hiding.
"Alright, you old fox, what are you hiding?" she muttered quietly.
Rey heads to the elderly wizard's bedroom, but his door was protected by magic.
"Damn it," she cursed. Before she could lose her temper, she realized something. "Wait a minute. He left his wand downstairs."
After taking the wand, Rey returns to Merlin's bedroom door.
"Now, how does this work?" she wondered. "Right. I wave it."
Rey slowly waves the wand before tapping it against the door, removing the magical shield. She turns the door knob and walks inside. Inside Merlin's room is a bed, a wooden table, a cabinet, and a hat rack, filled with many pointy hats.
"Looks cozy," she said.
Rey started snooping around, trying to find something that may help her discover what Merlin is hiding. She looks into the drawer of the bedside table and found an orb. She picks it up and pokes it, replaying some sort of voice message.
"Merlin, the Council is growing weary. You have twenty-four hours to fix this crisis or we will intervene."
Rey was confused, but she knew this leads to something. She puts the orb back in the drawer and leaves the room. She uses the wand to cast a magic shield on the door to avoid attracting suspicion. She places the wand on the exact spot on the table where she found it.
At the fountain, Spider-Man was asking as many questions as he can think of to keep Merlin from heading back inside his cottage.
"Are there any limits in using the fountain?" asked Spider-Man.
"Well, you can't use it to answer 'yes or no' questions, that's one thing," answered Merlin.
Spider-Man turns his head and saw Rey. She winks at him, telling him that she is finished.
Spider-Man tells Merlin and says, "Well, thanks for answering my questions."
"No problem, my child," said Merlin.
Spider-Man walks away from Merlin and approaches Rey under an apple tree.
"Well, what did you find?" asked Spider-Man.
"I found a message," answered Rey. "Something about a council of some sort, telling Merlin that he has 24 hours to fix this dimensional problem."
"The greatest wizard of all time answers to a council?" questioned Spider-Man, sounding surprised and confused at the same time.
"Apparently," replied Rey. "And once Merlin runs out of time, they will be the ones to clean up this mess."
"So, what are we supposed to do?" asked Spider-Man. "Should we tell the others?"
"No," said Rey. "We keep this to ourselves for the moment."
"Okay, let's recap," said Spider-Man. "You said that Merlin is already fully charged with magic, and yet, he still leaves the exploring to us. There's a council of wizards who expect him to find the source of this chaos in less than a day. If we're not gonna tell the others, what are we supposed to do?"
"We play along," answered Rey.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Spider-Man. "I mean now we know why Merlin's stressed, but there must be a reason he doesn't want the council to handle this."
"You think this council is corrupt or sinister?" guessed Rey.
"Judging by Merlin's determination and stubbornness, yes," replied Spider-Man. "Look, even if Merlin is hiding something big from us, I still trust him. We have to tell the others. If not now, then after the next mission."
"If that's what you wish, bug boy," said Rey, rolling her eyes.
"For someone who lacks emotion, you can still feel annoyed," commented Spider-Man.
Rey can sense someone watching them. She turns her head and saw Elsa, watching them from the distance. Elsa immediately looked away, trying not to draw suspicion to herself.
"Elsa's onto us," said Rey.
"Great," said Spider-Man sarcastically.
"Just keep your mouth shut and kiss me," said Rey.
Rey removes Spider-Man's mask halfway and the two lock lips once again, trying to show Elsa that they're having a moment.
This probably wasn't worth the wait, but it's not easy planning a decent story. Don't worry. On the next chapter, the quartet is gonna be visiting the world of Toy Story. Now that should be fun, right?
