Quelling My Bloodlust
Chapter Thirty-Seven
"Oh God… what on earth just happened?" Regina uttered crossly once she awakened and struggled to sit up from the ground where she and the heroes all found themselves lying, as they quickly found they were no longer aboard the Jolly Roger. "And where the hell is Captain Dark One's ship?"
"Don't call him that," Mary Margaret replied despondently when her husband rose back to his feet and then leaned down to help her to stand as well.
Regina followed suit with Robin's help as he asked quizzically, "Why not? That's what he is now."
The Princess turned to her stepmother while she firmly answered, "Yes… But he never wanted to be. Killian was forced to become the monster Rumplestiltskin was in all the years we've known him. He's still a good man and Emma loves him. Which is why we still have to fight to save him."
"I agree with you, Mary Margaret, but first we need to find our daughter," David responded worryingly as he looked around them and found Emma wasn't among them. "Arthur must have ordered Merlin or Hook to take her back with them to the castle."
"We also need to help Merlin again," Robin stated as he began to check over his bow and the arrows within his quiver after he pulled it down from his back to do so. "However… it appears to be late. We ought to find shelter for the night. Especially for the children."
Henry looked at the archer in frustration and retorted, "I'm not a child anymore. You don't have to keep protecting me, or acting like I'm going to break in half. Besides, we just woke up from sleeping."
Robin shook his head while he replied, "I didn't really mean you. It was more about Roland and Neal. I mean… We all ought to just find someplace where we can gather ourselves together and come up with a new plan where it's not out here within the open."
"I agree with Robin," Leroy answered grumpily, just like his true name declared. "Tell me someone here has some idea which direction we should head in?"
"Perhaps we could be of some assistance," a voice called out to them from a short distance away, as those from Storybrooke swiftly prepared themselves to fight once again when they turned to see one of the King's knights walking towards them into the clearing along the shore from within the forest, followed by many other knights and their families which included Violet, who stood beside the man who had spoken. "Please… don't be startled. I assure you, we mean you no harm."
August immediately stepped out between the two opposing sides and looked between his friends while he said assuredly, "This man's telling the truth. All of these men are good men. I spoke to a number of them the day after the ball. Yes… they were loyal to Arthur, but some of them have expressed their concerns about Arthur being the traitor like we've tried to tell them he was. They're truly loyal to Camelot and to its people."
He turned to the man who spoke for the soldiers as he added, "Especially now that you know the truth?"
"We do," the leader responded sincerely, as the heroes all finally stood down upon seeing he spoke the truth, and Lancelot walked over to stand with his brothers in arms. "We've all been banished from our kingdom. Orders given by Arthur because we have refused to help him in his war to destroy our neighboring kingdoms. He hasn't begun it yet, but he will. In time. And now he has the power to do it even without most of his army behind him because he has the Dark One on his side."
"And Merlin too," David added as the worry he felt showed clearly across his face. "Only neither Hook nor Merlin are doing this by choice. They're being forced against their wills to help Arthur. We do have to figure out how to stop him. But we also have to find a way to save Hook and Merlin too. If all of you are willing… we would be grateful to have your help."
Lancelot and the man speaking for the others looked back among each of the men behind them as they all nodded in agreement, then the knight who has been a longtime friend to the Charmings, turned back to the heroes along with them all and replied, "It appears you have yourselves an army of your own to help you in any way we're needed."
The man still standing beside Lancelot reached out his hand to the Prince for him to shake in greeting while he continued, "My name is Sir Morgan. I believe you've already met my daughter, Violet. She's spoken very highly of you."
"She's spoken very highly of you too, Sir," Henry said respectfully as David took the knight's hand and returned the gesture of friendship between them.
"You said before that you know of a place where we can remain safe from any attackers who may wish to do us harm?" August questioned when he moved to stand beside one of their town's sheriffs and Mary Margaret.
Sir Morgan nodded and answered, "As a matter of fact, we do. Just after we were banished, we sent one of us to DunBroch to warn Queen Merida of Arthur's plans to invade her kingdom. Our envoy returned to us less than half an hour ago as he told us of the Queen's gratitude and invitation to join her there. In DunBroch."
Lancelot spoke again saying, "She'll wish to make sure that our banishment is not some sort of deception of the King's making in order to lull them into a false sense of security, but once we prove ourselves to her just as we've done to you… we will be welcomed there. Just as surely as she will want to welcome you and your family too. And your children, as well as some of the rest of you, will be given a horse to ride as well."
"That would be wonderful," Regina responded, as she wrapped her arm around her son and took Robin's hand with her free hand as well. "Thank you, Sir Morgan. And Lancelot. All of you really."
"It's the very least we can do, after all we've done to bring you to this point in time," one of the other knights replied regretfully. "After all… had we listened to you sooner, we might have been able to stop all of this from happening and we might have even been able to be back in our own homes, rather than a small army of disgraced soldiers on the run."
Another of them added, "It was also our fault that led to Arthur getting his hands on the dagger so he could control your friend. We deceived all of you in the fight earlier this afternoon and some of us even attempted to kill the Dark One, not really thinking too clearly since we know he can't actually be killed by our swords."
Lancelot continued, "But he is also your friend. If you wish to save him, along with Emma and Merlin, we will do whatever we can to help you do so. Come on. The journey to DunBroch isn't too far, but there are a lot of bandits living within this forest between here and there. We'll have to be careful."
"We've already had the pleasure of meeting some of those bandits," August answered in frustration. "In one of the villages also not far from here."
"I was among some of the men who were there the night of the Dark One's attack on them," Sir Morgan responded. "We feared bandits might attempt to loot what little of their belongings survived. Some of us should have stayed behind to help them longer in hope that our being there might have prevented another attack."
Archie spoke quietly stating, "They were surprisingly in good spirits when we spoke to them afterwards. In time, I think they'll be okay."
Mary Margaret whispered, "I hope you're right, Archie."