The celebration had died out and everyone had dispersed. The bar at Granny's was empty, except for a few drunks passed out on their tables or on the floor. The new barmaid- whose name Rapunzel still hadn't learned- was cleaning glasses behind the bar. A half hour ago, she had brought Rapunzel a tankard of brown liquid. Rapunzel didn't know what it was and she didn't drink it. She stared into her cup, going over the ultimatum Meg gave her.

She already knew if she chose her home and brother, she'd never be welcome on The Damned again. But, if she chose The Damned, would Meg forbid her from ever going back home once this was all over?

Rapunzel realized that was irrelevant. If she fought with The Damned against Corona, she'd be wanted in her kingdom and would never be able to return or she'd be arrested and executed. Maybe she could stay with The Damned just until they arrived in Corona, and then she could abandon ship and find her brother…

Rapunzel shook her head. That would never work. Surely, Gaston had to know they were coming. He'd have his Navy waiting for them. The Damned would be attacked on sight. There's no way Rapunzel would be able to get off the ship without anyone noticing and sneak around the Navy to get on shore.

No matter how she looked at it, choosing The Damned meant never returning home.

"You're up late." Rapunzel looked up as Phoebus approached her table. "Can I join you?" he asked.

Rapunzel nodded. "Please."

Phoebus sat down across from her. He took her drink without asking. She let him. He took a long drink and made a face, before setting the tankard in the middle of the table.

"Something weighing on you?" he asked her.

"Sort of." Rapunzel ran her hand through her blonde hair as she reclined back in her seat. "I'm leaving the crew. I won't be joining The Damned when it departs this morning."

Phoebus raised the tankard. "That makes two of us," he said, before taking another drink. He set the tankard on the table with a thud. "It's none of my business, but why are you leaving?"

"Corona is my home and Meg made me choose between it and The Damned." Rapunzel shrugged. "There's nothing about being part of The Damned that's worth losing my brother and never returning home."

"Nothing?" Phoebus repeated. "What about Flynn?"

Rapunzel smiled to herself at the thought of Flynn, but it quickly faded. "Things with Flynn are complicated. He refuses to get close to anyone in fear that they can be used as a weapon against him. He won't let himself have a real relationship with anyone after he and Sinbad became estranged."

"He and Sinbad?"

"Sinbad is Flynn's older brother." Rapunzel shook her head. "You know, I had this crazy idea that if I could help them fix whatever happened between them, then maybe Sinbad could learn to be the man he used to be and Flynn would open himself up to a relationship. It was stupid. Sinbad will never change and Flynn will never see things differently."

Phoebus anxiously ran his fingers over the cup's handle. "You don't think Sinbad can change?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "What do I know? It's not like he and I have ever exchanged two words with each other. Besides, it's unimportant. I'm done with The Damned, and that includes Flynn and Sinbad." She cleared her throat and looked up at Phoebus. "Why are you leaving the crew?"

Phoebus still stared at the tankard. "I have my reasons."

"And do those reasons have anything to do with why you were leaving Sinbad's room in the middle of the night?" Phoebus' eyes snapped up to her, in what Rapunzel thought might be panic. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"It was just business," he explained. "Meg wanted me to talk to him."

Rapunzel raised her eyebrow. "Phoebus, no one leaves someone's room in the middle of the night looking broken hearted over business. Look, you don't have to explain or defend yourself to me. But, you also don't have to lie to me. Who you love-"

"I don't love him."

"My mistake. But- whatever Sinbad is to you- if he's important to you, work it out before he goes to war."

"And what if I want to kill him?"

"Then do it now, before someone else does. I imagine the line to kill Sinbad is a long one. But, I don't think you want to kill him."

"No. I don't. And I don't want to talk about Sinbad," Phoebus said. "I'm leaving the crew because I can't follow our new captain into this war."

Rapunzel nervously played with her hair. "I shouldn't be saying this, but… I think Meg has snapped. I mean, what happened is truly terrible. But, to start a war and try to kill a prince in his own kingdom? It's just…"

"Insane?"

Rapunzel nodded. "We all hate Gaston. But, Meg's hatred for him is on a whole other level. Even before what happened to Hercules. To go this far when Gaston wasn't even the one who killed Hercules… And, we don't even know for sure Gaston had anything to do with what happened. Kale is a killer, everyone knows this. Yes, Gaston was with him, but what if Kale acted on his own?"

"Do you honestly believe that's possible?"

Rapunzel sighed. "No. But, that makes more sense than Gaston wanting Hercules dead and not killing him himself."

Phoebus finished off the drink. "Kale wasn't after Hercules. He was after Meg. Hercules was protecting her."

"That makes even less sense."

"Nothing about Hercules' murder makes sense. But, if you ask me, I don't think Meg going after Gaston has anything to do with avenging Hercules. She's wanted Gaston dead for a long time and Hercules' death finally allows her to go after him. When Hercules was alive, he was the captain and he kept her reigned in. With him gone, she's free to take charge and nothing's holding her back."

Rapunzel eyed him. "That sounds suspiciously like you believe the rumor that Meg was a murderer before she joined The Damned."

"Don't you?"

"No. Meg has always been angry and short-tempered. And she does what she has to to survive. But, she's not evil."