Meg was seated at her large desk with a number of maps spread out in front of her. She twirled a knife in her hand as she studied them. She knew going after Gaston in his kingdom would be harder than any of their other missions. They couldn't just show up and kill anyone who got in their way. No, Meg needed to think bigger. And she needed to know what she was up against. That's why she sent John to find Rapunzel. Rapunzel was the only member of the crew who was from Gaston's kingdom.
Meg heard Rapunzel walk into the room and close the door behind her.
"You know why I wanted to see you," Meg stated, not looking up.
"Because I'm Coronian, like Gaston."
Meg nodded. "I've never been to Corona. In fact, I know very little about the kingdom." Now she looked up at Rapunzel. "What can you tell me about it?"
Rapunzel shrugged. "I can tell you everything. What would you like to know?"
Meg leaned back in her chair, still twirling the knife. "Does it have an army?"
"Of course."
"A good one?"
Rapunzel nodded. "Corona has never lost a war or battle."
"Does Corona have any allies or enemies?"
"We have a lot of allies, but very few enemies."
"And who is Corona's greatest enemy?"
Rapunzel hesitated while Meg watched her expectantly. Finally she said, "Agrabah."
Meg stopped twirling the knife and a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Well, that is wonderful news, isn't it?" she said, more to herself than to Rapunzel. "Tell me, Rapunzel: why is Agrabah Corona's greatest enemy?"
"That I don't know. The feud between our kingdoms began long before I was born."
Meg waved her hand dismissively. "That doesn't really matter. What matters is we have the princess of Corona's enemy kingdom on our crew." Meg stabbed her knife into the castle picture on the Corona map. "We'll bring war to his home."
"It's my home, too," Rapunzel said. "My brother still lives there."
Meg narrowed her eyes at her. "This ship is your home now. And this crew is your family. You have to decide where you loyalty lies: with us or with Corona. I will not tolerate a traitor on my ship. I suggest you stay the night at Granny's tonight and think real hard about your decision. If you choose Corona, don't ever step foot on this ship again. Now, find Jasmine and tell her I want to see her." Meg began rifling through the maps. "You're dismissed, Rapunzel."
X X X
It took almost an hour before Jasmine finally showed up to Meg's office. Meg was still seated at her desk. She had been trying to form a plan, but she knew nothing about warfare and strategies.
"You wanted to see me?" Jasmine asked.
Meg nodded. "Going after Gaston isn't going to be like going after Kida and Davy Jones. This is bigger than that. We're going to need real help. We're going to need Agrabah's Navy- your Navy."
"It's not my Navy," Jasmine corrected. "I'm no longer the princess or the heir to Agrabah."
"Maybe not. But, the Sultan is still your father. I'm sure you have more pull than you think."
"I can try," Jasmine promised.
"Good. When we leave in the morning, we'll be heading to Agrabah first."
"I can't make you any promises, Meg. My father was incredibly angry with me when I denied the crown to become a pirate."
"Do whatever takes, Jasmine. I will not lose." Meg motioned at the door. "You're dismissed."
X X X
Despite the noise on the island, the ship was silent. Meg had been alone since Jasmine left. This was the longest she had been alone since she lost Hercules. She had been purposely trying to stay busy and always have someone around, knowing she couldn't handle being alone.
Meg stood in front of her bed, where Hercules' sword was laying. Her plan was to eventually return to his home and bury the sword in lieu of a body and make sure Hercules has a proper tombstone so he won't be forgotten.
Everyone died eventually, but pirates tended to just vanish. Rarely was anything left behind when a pirate died. No body, no tombstone, no family; just a reputation that, more often than not, was exaggerated. Murderous pirates would be remembered by the stories they inspired. But, good pirates, like Hercules, would be forgotten quickly enough.
Well, maybe not. If everything Meg planned to do came to fruition, she had no doubt everyone would remember the war to avenge Hercules. Especially if it ended with the murder of a prince. The stories would be spun to make her look like the villain and make Gaston out to be the hero, but she didn't care. His death was all that mattered. She didn't care what happened after Gaston was dead. This started with him and could only end with his death.
Meg reached out and touched the hilt of Hercules' sword. A sob choked her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.
She let herself go back to the night Hercules died. She tried to remember the last thing she said to him, but she couldn't. What had been the last thing he said to her? She couldn't remember that, either.
They spent their last day together angry with each other. He may have even hated Meg for what she did. The truth of that squeezed her heart. A cry escaped her mouth and she fell to the floor. She didn't stop the tears or the thoughts invading her head.
Meg would never see Hercules again and he died with her being angry at him and him possibly hating her. She couldn't take any of it back. She couldn't say goodbye or tell him she loved him. She would never again hear him tell her he loved her. When was the last time he said that her? She didn't remember. Even the memory of their last kiss wasn't there. She had experienced all these lasts with Hercules, and she couldn't remember a single one.
A hand came down on her shoulder and she let out a small, startled scream. She looked up to see John standing over her. He looked as if he wasn't doing much better than she was. Hercules had been his best friend.
"I didn't mean to startle you," John said. "I heard you and-"
"Don't worry about it." Meg wiped her eyes and tried to force herself to stop crying, but fresh, hot tears kept pouring from her eyes. John tried to comfort her, but she flinched away from him. "This is all Gaston's fault."
If Gaston hadn't kissed her, she and Hercules wouldn't have been fighting. She didn't know Gaston's connection to Kale or even why Kale killed Hercules. Or, rather, why Kale had tried to kill her. Hercules died protecting her. Maybe that meant he hadn't hated her.
No. Hercules would have done that for anyone. It didn't prove anything.
"It's my fault," John said.
"W- what?"
"I saw Kale go after you two. I should have been there. I got to you- to him- too late. I could have stopped Kale."
Meg reached up and took his hand. "This isn't your fault. I don't blame you, and you shouldn't either."
John squeezed her hand. "I don't understand why Gaston sent Kale to kill Hercules. Was it to get his ship back?"
Meg shook her head and stood up. "I think Kale was supposed to kill me, but Hercules placed himself in front of me and Kale killed him instead."
"That makes even less sense. Why did Gaston want you dead?"
"I don't know. But, it doesn't matter."
"It matters to me. I want to know what Hercules died for. What did you do, Meg?"
