AN: Hi, y'all! Sorry this one took me so long. I really struggled with this chapter and ended up rewriting in a couple times. I'm still not sure if it's exactly what I envisioned, but I think it's good regardless, so here you go!
REVIEWERS!:
Acecove: Yep. Good, and good! Wonderland is a physical place, so yes, Emma does physically go there, but the way she see's it happen and the way it happens from other people's perspectives are two completely different things. She sees a bunch crazy stuff where the two worlds collide, everyone else, not so much... But no, Jack wouldn't be able to find her until she returned. And excellent. Hiccup/Cat was in that chapter a lot, so thinking about him is only natural.
Eris: Yeah, Emma's story is confusing, but that's good because she's going crazy. And sorry I didn't post earlier, but hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait...
Music: "What Shall We Die For?" from Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
NOTES!: "Sometimes the world is wrong. And this is one of those times. Because I know you've got something special inside you, kid. Don't let them tear you down."
Chapter 25: What Shall We Die For?
His head ached with pulses in time with the loud beating of his heart, or was that Toothless's heart? He wasn't sure. He stayed still, laying on the small cot with an arm thrown over his eyes as he willed his body to stop hurting. He was so sore and achy he couldn't sleep, but he was also exhausted.
After sailing for all day and all night for three days, the Pirates and the residents of Tortuga finally arrived at a small island with a hidden storehouse. It was an emergency supply for just such an occasion, though the island was closer to a different sanctuary than it was to Tortuga because no one had ever considered Tortuga falling to be much of a probability.
It took them a few hours after arriving to get organized, and Talia had struggled a bit in trying to figure out what to do, but she managed to pull through with a plan that seemed to satisfy most people. They arranged for lesser pirates to take the residents of Tortuga to the other sanctuary, which meant they wouldn't be in the line of fire again if the Ministry pursued them immediately. The Pirate Lords and their crews set a guards schedule, trading shifts every few hours so that everyone could get some rest after such an unsettling experience.
Cat and the dragons hadn't bothered landing when they arrived, opting to scout immediately to ensure they hadn't been followed. When the first team of guards were set in the watch-towers, they finally landed and Cat ordered his flock to eat and rest. They would regroup when the Pirate Lords came together to gather their forces.
While the other dragons had gone off to hunt or sleep, Cat and Toothless had disappeared into the gathering of tents that had been put up while they were gone. Finding the main tents, he sought out the one that was most likely Talia's or Eret's and collapsed on the cot. The fight and then the long journey followed by a scouting mission had taken a serious toll and he was too tired to feel much else besides the pain.
He heard the rushing footsteps long before they reached the tent however, and when Talia burst through the flap, he was already bracing himself for the assault on his ears.
"Where have you been?!" She exclaimed, pulling his arm off his face to look him in the eye, but he kept them squeezed shut against the light. "Silver said he saw you come back over an hour ago and then you just walk off without even checking in?!"
"Calm down, lass. Cat can handle himself and the last few days haven't been easy." Eret entered the tent more slowly, his rumbling low in his chest as his eyes flicked from Talia, to Cat squinting at them both from his laid back position on the cot, and then back to Talia.
"Don't tell me to calm down! My stress is your fault for putting this all on me!" Talia snapped at Eret, crossing her arms over her chest as she shot him a glare. Her gaze softened when she turned back to Cat though. "You should've come to the front tents to check in. I was worried."
"I'm fine, Talia," Cat tried to force out as he pushed himself towards a sitting position, but pain shot up his right side and he curled forward with a groan, grabbing his side.
"Apparently not!" Talia retorted, sitting down beside him on the cot as Eret drew closer, concern washing over both their faces.
"Talia!" Cat yelped as she grabbed his wrist and held his arm up in the air, using her free hand to lift his shirt. Her sharp intake of breath told him there was no point struggling against any more.
"How did this happen?!" Talia demanded, her eyes fixating on his face as she pointed at the giant purply-black mark that covered almost his entire right side.
"It's nothing." He muttered, releasing a heavy breath as he realized he probably wouldn't be sleeping any time soon.
"Cat, you are bleeding internally." Talia told him, obviously not getting why he wasn't concerned about this.
"We need to get you to the infirmary tent. You need a medic!" Eret insisted, reaching for Cat's free arm, but he wave both of them away, cringing a bit in pain.
"Would you both stop!" He said without much heat. "It will heal on it's own... You know I heal faster than normal people." He muttered the last part, gingerly placing his foot and prosthetic on the ground as he sat up fully in the cot.
"Why didn't you say anything? When did this happen?" Talia questioned him, not looking any less distressed over the situation, but she couldn't deny that he was right about the healing thing.
"...I may have overdone it with the magic a bit. Back when I was fighting the Ministry ships at Tortuga." Cat admitted, finding no use in hiding it from them.
"Define 'overdid it'." Eret said. His tone left no room for argument, and Cat rolled his eyes a little at the parental vibes Eret was giving off.
"Just what I said. I used a lot of magic that night, and I used all my energy keeping it under control, so it burned me a little." Cat replied, giving a small shrug. "Toothless tried to get me out of there, and he's already lectured me for pushing myself too hard, but it was my choice. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing."
"...You can't do that!" Talia shouted, launching to her feet after a moment of visible internal struggle. Cat and Eret were both surprised by her outburst and looked at her in bewilderment. "You can't keep throwing yourself into needless danger like that! You should've relied more on Toothless and the other dragons! You should have called for back up! What if something had happened to you? What if that turned out to be a lot worse? What if we lost you?" She took a breath and turned away, her hands locking together at the back of her head.
"Talia...?" Cat started, but he didn't know what to say. Talia was a fighter, a swordswoman. She wasn't one to get emotional over battle injuries, even if they were possibly avoidable. When she dropped her arms and looked back at him, he noticed the bags under her eyes and the stressful pinch between her brows.
"We lost Tortuga." Talia said, the fight draining out of her to be replaced by heightened emotion of stress and fear. "One of the greatest Pirate fortresses in history is gone, and now we're struggling to pull ourselves together as we wait for the Ministry of Magic to appear on the horizon. And now everyone's counting on me... I'm a trainer; a supporter. I'm not meant to take the lead and be in the front. I can't be the Pirate King! I especially can't do this without both of you by my side. I rely on you guys."
"Talia, Tortuga's fall wasn't on you. It was already lost before the fight even started, and you made the right decision in making an immediate evacuation." Eret said, reaching in three long strides and placing both hands on her shoulders as just a few tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes. "This fight was coming no matter what decisions we made, most of the Pirate Lords have known that for a while now. And the reason I voted for you is because despite what you may think, I truly believe you can pull us through this war."
"What even gave you that idea? It was only a year ago that I was horrified at the idea of being a pirate at all!" Talia blurted out, swiping the dampness from her eyes. Eret paused for a long moment before releasing a long breath and looking Talia straight in the eye.
"Talia, you have a strong heart, and you're determined to always do what's right." Eret said, smiling down at her. "I've had the honor of watching you grow and learn that what's morally right isn't always the same as what's legally right. You're clever and tactical, and you have this uncanny ability to inspire people to be better. I didn't vote for you because I wanted a puppet or because I was trying to keep someone else from getting it, I voted for you because I believe that you can become the very best of us."
"He's right, you know." Cat interjected when he saw the hesitation on Talia's face. He slowly stood and moved closer as Eret smiled at him. "I think you could be a leader that people want to follow. I already do." Cat smiled at Talia as she stared at him in surprise.
Cat looked back at Toothless as the Night Fury walked over to them. Cat reached into one of the larger saddle bags and pulled out a simple sword tucked inside it's sheath.
"Grimbeard's sword?" Talia recognized it immediately.
"I believe in you, too. I think you're going to be an amazing Captain, and every Great Pirate needs a good sword." Cat told her, holding the sword and sheath out to her with both hands. Talia just stared at it, her gaze darting back and forth between the sword and Cat's face. "You asked me to be your Champion when the time came." He reminded her.
"Do you really think I can do this?" She wanted to know, looking at both Cat and Eret for answers.
"Of course we do!" Eret assured her with an encouraging smile. "And we'll be fighting right by your side as we do it."
She hesitated, but a slow smile came to her face and the overwhelming stress was replaced with relief and gratitude. She placed a hand on the sword Cat held for her, and Eret put a hand on each of their shoulders as they all grinned at each other. Eret pulled them both in for a hug, and Talia laughed before pulling away.
"Together, then." She stated, finally taking the sword from Cat.
"Always." Eret nodded.
They both looked at Cat, and for a moment he said nothing, before he settled on one word; "Ohana."
Before they could say anything else, the tent flap was shoved aside again, flooding the space with light from outside as No-Name stood in the entrance with a hardened expression on his face.
"Captains, the scouts have returned." He said, his breathing a little ragged. "The Ministry fleet is within a days travel."
"They'll be slowed by their size and numbers, but it still doesn't give us much time." Eret muttered, his hands fisting at his sides.
"Gather the other Pirate Lords. We'll convene by the dock." She told No-Name who nodded and hurried off. Talia turned to Cat. "You stay here and rest. Get something to eat after you've slept. I need you ready to fight." She said, though she looked clearly uncomfortable with the idea.
"No, I'm coming with you. I'll be standing by your side when you face the other Pirate Lords." Cat said, refusing to accept any other course of action. He intended to take his role as her Champion seriously for as long as he could.
Within half an hour Talia, Eret, and Cat stood before all the Pirate Lords and their combined forces, as well as some of the smaller pirate crews who had decided to stay and fight alongside their new King. The sun had set and torches had been set up in a large circle to illuminate the clearing which was the only space big enough to accommodate all of them at the moment.
"The winds are at their side, and their numbers are slowing them down, but even still I wager they'll be here by dawn." The head scout said as he finished relaying the report of their mission.
"This is madness! They have an entire fleet of vessels!" Alvin growled, looking around at all the Lords before letting his gaze rest on Talia. "It's foolish to try and face them. They've at least ten more ships than us!"
"We have survived worse odds individually. Who's to say we won't succeed in abundance when we band together?" Esmeralda argued as her Sail-Maidens nodded in agreement.
"Unfortunately, I have to agree with her." Sinbad said, throwing a hand in Talia and Cat's general direction. "We survived Fort Sinister. So even though this is definitely within the top five worst ideas I've ever heard, I can't say I don't have some faith we could manage to pull this off."
"Captain Zarina says that they may have magic, but we have the dragons and their Master..." Zarina's first-mate interpreted for the fairy, and everyone looked over at Cat. He tilted his head at the title, a little surprised, but he didn't bother trying to correct them.
"Dragon Master or not, we're going to need a plan if we're going head to head with a Ministry fleet." Silver rumbled, rolling his shoulder where it connected with his prosthetic.
"Our plan of attack should be up to the King to decide." Captain Hook remarked, extending his arm towards Talia. She stepped forward, raising her chin high.
"We won't stand a chance if we're not ready when they get here. Prepare every vessel that floats. I want a report within the hour telling me how many ships we'll have in this fight and the man power aboard each one." Talia instructed firmly, looking around at all the gathered pirates. "At dawn, we fight."
"Aye!" The shout went up across the mass of gathered pirates, and many of them hurried to begin a night of hard work preparing for the Ministry's arrival. Talia let out a breath and her back relaxed a little before she turned to Cat.
"Go and get some rest. I need you at your best to lead the dragons." She told him, and he couldn't really argue with that, so he just nodded. "And if you happen to dream up some crazy, brilliant strategy that will get us all out of this alive, let me know." She added, only half joking, as she walked off to gather the other Pirate Lords to discuss their strategy.
Toothless leaned over his shoulder, pressing close to his back, and Cat reached his hand up to pat the dragon's nose. "Come on, bud." He murmured. "There's something I wanna do before we go back to bed."
Morning came with a heavy fog laying over the coast. All of their ships, twenty in total, were prepped for battle with the BlueBlazer positioned at the front of their makeshift fleet. Cat stood with Talia at the front of the ship, their eyes fixed on the horizon even though the lookouts had a better vantage point from the crows-nest. Eret stood back and the wheel, holding the ship steady as they all waited for any sign of enemy approach. It was eerily quiet, the only sounds being the creaking wood of the ships and the occasional flicks of the sails, the sloshing of waves against the boats.
"They're here." Cat whispered. He didn't move, and neither did Toothless, but he knew that Talia heard by the way her head dropped forward and she glared at the horizon.
"The Enemy Is Here!" The shout came from the ship next to them, and many of the lookouts began echoing the cry just as the first ship emerged from the wall of fog. Battle cries quickly followed as everyone eagerly awaited orders.
Cat and Talia kept their eyes on the horizon, though, as more and more ships became visible through the retreating mist. First there were about twenty ships and then the fog revealed thirty and forty, but as the sun rose higher into the sky and the day's warmth chased away the heavy blanket, the Pirate forces faced a fleet of more then fifty ships. The cheers of the Pirates slowly died as they realized the odds of the coming battle, staring directly at the Ministry's Armada.
"They must have called for reinforcements. There weren't that many at Tortuga." Cat gritted his teeth.
"It's not over." Talia muttered, looking up at the sails as the winds picked up.
"There's still a fight to be had." Cat agreed as Eret came over to join them.
"We have an armada against us." Eret said, looking first at Cat and then at Talia. "And between their numbers and their magic, there's no chance."
"There's only a Fool's chance." Talia agreed verbally, but her voice held no tone and she remained mostly unmoving as her gaze returned the ships positioned opposite of them.
"This is madness!" Alvin's voice carried from his own ship as he shouted out to them. "There's no fighting the Ministry of Magic! It's certainly not something I'm willing to die for!"
"And if we run? They'll only continue to hunt us down and kill us anyway!" Silver bellowed from his ship on their other side.
"Enough, both of you! Let the King decide!" Eret barked, effectively silencing both before looking at Talia who turned to him.
"They're right." She murmured, and Cat stepped forward, wanting to disagree and offer her some kind of encouragement, but she held out her hand to stop him. "Then what shall we die for?" She continued, her eyes locking onto the faces of each and every crew member standing before her.
"You will listen to me." She said, stalking forward into the crowd. She leaped up onto the ship railing, holding onto a rope to balance herself, and she shouted for the attention of all the ships. "Listen!" She turned back to the BlueBlazer crew, speaking to them directly. "The Brethren will still be looking here to us. To the BlueBlazer to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilge rats aboard a derelict ship? No. No, they will see free men! And Freedom!" She called out, her gaze sweeping the crowd before locking with Cat's, but all he could do was look up to her in awe. "And what the enemy will see is the flash of our canons! They will hear the ring of our swords, and they will know what we can do! By the sweat of our brows, and the strength of our backs and the courage of our hearts! Gentlemen... Hoist the Colors."
"Hoist the Colors." Cat told No-Name, who looked at him, startled from his reverence before echoing in a louder cry. Cat only nodded to Talia as the shouts continued to grow, reaching the other ships as flag by flag, ship by ship, the colors were raised.
"The wind's on our side! That's all we need!" Ug cried out as men drew their swords and cheered.
"Eret, get to the helm!" Talia ordered, and the older Captain nodded as he dashed for the wheel. She turned and Cat raised his chin. "Cat..."
He smiled and raised his hand to his mouth. With a sharp whistle, his dragons appeared from the belly of the ship. Hookfang slithering along in the blink of an eye, and Stormfly jumping out right behind him as the others followed. Sharpshot flew out and went to his usual perch on Talia's shoulders as Cat swung into his saddle. Toothless shot up into the air and the other dragons followed along with echoing war cries of the Brethren.
The BlueBlazer started forward, gaining speed quickly as she cut through the water with the wind in her sails. Cat and the dragons rushed ahead and met the Ministry ships first. Shouts went out as the flew overhead, and arrows and canon balls were aimed at them. Toothless weaved and rolled out of the way easily from such a distance as they waited for their opening.
Meatlug flew in low and rammed into the side of a ship, knocking half way towards capsizing before it finally rocked back the other way. The crew was left scrambling just to stay on their feet, and Toothless dove with a piercing shriek as Cat pressed his left palm against Toothless's forehead, sharing his strength.
The blast put a hole in the deck, but didn't strike the hull. With a burning ship, but still afloat, the crew continued to scramble as the dragons made their escape to higher altitudes.
"You can't hold back! This is War! If we let them live our pack-mates will die!" Toothless rebuked him as they leveled out high above.
"And what happens if I can't stop?" Cat retorted, his stomach twisting. He knew Toothless was right, but not being able to kill is what brought him to where he was today. "I won't be like them. I won't be what they believe I am."
"Then let me take this burden. I'll take more time to ready my fire, and you hold our defense." Toothless told him gently, offering some understanding despite their extreme circumstances.
Before a second opening could present itself, the BlueBlazer and the Ministry's lead ship met side-by-side and canon fire rang through the air. Shouts and yells echoed across the waters as men swung on ropes onto the opposing ship, drawing their swords and attacking without mercy.
The Hammerhead sailed passed the locked ships to find their own portion of the fight, and the other ships were close behind. More and More Ministry ships drove forward, though. Soon the Pirates were being attacked from both sides in a fight that was more than two to one. Cat sent the dragons after as many ships as possible, evening the odds a bit by giving one dragon for one ship.
Smoke and gunpowder filled the air as canons fired endlessly. Cat and Toothless angled between Silver's ship and a Ministry ship, blasting the side to take out more than half of the canons. With that ship left vulnerable to Silver's attacks, they directed their attention to the next ship.
Arrows, canons, and fire shot through the air. Screams, shouts, and booms bounced off the ocean surface. The ringing of swords and echoing of splintering wood reached even Cat's ears while he was up in the air.
Cat tried hard to block it all out and focus on his own actions. Focus on protecting his comrades. It became easier when he realized they had their own problem as a large group of Ministry soldiers came flying towards them on broomsticks. Some of them held wands, but most brandished swords and other physical weapons.
Cat angled the tailfin, and Toothless spiraled into a dive straight down. The flyers followed, slowly surrounding them from behind, but then Toothless snapped out his wings and Cat snapped his heel back. All of the flyers shot passed them because of the unexpected stop and flew straight into the ocean at high speeds.
"Look out!" Stormfly squawked as she shot passed, and Toothless dipped to one side to avoid a bola that came at them from behind.
"There, Toothless!" Cat pointed at a Ministry ship poised next the Jolly Roger. Ministry sailors were grabbing hold of ropes, preparing to board as Captain Hook and his crew mirrored the same actions.
Toothless growled started towards them. As a dozen men from each ship jumped, swinging across the divide on ropes, Toothless and Cat flew through the middle. Toothless bit down on as many ropes as he could in the short window of time, and managed to drop five of the opposing men into the ocean. The last one nearly made it aboard the Jolly Roger, but just barely missed by his legs hitting the side of the ship and then his whole body tumbling down into the water as he screamed.
As one, they spun up into the air, looking down at the battlefield. Every one of the pirate ships was filled with people fighting with swords and daggers and the occasional pike or boarding axe. There were ships on both sides firing canons and shooting crossbows. There were still several Ministry ships holding their position, not yet entering the fight, but whether or not they would even need to was still uncertain. The pirates fought bravely, their swords skills matching and besting that of the Ministry soldiers at every turn, but the sheer numbers were overwhelming. Swords cut through flesh and stabbed through bodies, canons blasted through ships and crushed bones, and Magic but them at a disadvantage. The Ministry could disarm a pirate from the length of nearly half a ship, and other spells could leave people stunned or immobile. Other spells were far deadlier.
Cat wasn't sure where to go, or who to help first. The BlueBlazer fared decently enough with Talia at the lead, but even they were struggling against so many Wizard Soldiers, let alone those with little to no experience in fighting the magically inclined.
A loud screech made Cat's head snap around to the Ministry ships that were still keeping their distance from the fight. Hookfang flailed and struggled against massive chains that had been shot from two of the ships, tying him up and slowly dragging him closer and closer to the deck.
Cat looked back and forth from the pirates to Hookfang, his heart bounding in his chest. He could feel his blood pulsing through his veins, his magic burning under his skin. His ears were filled with the sounds of screams and flesh tearing and blood splattering...
"HICCUP!"
"What?!" Cat shook himself, suddenly aware of Toothless looking back at him.
"What do you want to do?" The Night Fury questioned, his gaze shifting across the battlefield, seeing everything Cat was seeing.
He hesitated, and his heart felt like it was trying to leap out of his throat, but he grabbed his chest and took a breath to steady himself.
"We have to get Hookfang. Loop around behind the Ministry ships and blast the chains." Cat said, hoping the small blind spot in their fleet would give the dragons enough time to get away.
Toothless flipped backwards and angled himself around the fleet as Cat told him. As they approached, Cat made note that these two ships seemed to be the only ones outfitted with these strange harpoon-like launcher with chains. A new toy of the Prime Minister's, no doubt. With that thought, Cat also made note of where the Minister's lead ship was near the back of the fleet.
His lip curling into a scowl, Cat turned forward and rested his left hand on Toothless's forehead, letting their power combine as Toothless charged his blast. Once they were close, Toothless blasted the chains, his fire exploding on impact and creating a large puff of smoke.
They flew passed, but Hookfang still struggled against tight chains, and as the smoke cleared Cat saw that the blast hadn't done any damage to the chains at all.
"What?" Cat felt his breath rush from his lungs in shock and a little fear. If the Minister had discovered some kind of magic to use against dragons...
"A gift from my own friends in these Northern wastelands." The Prime Minister's voice carried from the top deck of his grand vessel. He held his wand to his throat, amplifying his own voice. "Quite impressive ingenuity these Dragon Hunters have... For a group of Muggles."
"Grrah!" Cat snarled at the satisfied look on the old man's face, but then he looked down at the problem itself. "Dragon-proof chains, huh? Well, a chain is only as good as it's winch. Let's go around again, Bud, and blast the winches!" Cat urged, and Toothless snorted in determination.
They circled again, Cat always keeping the Prime Minister within his peripherals, and this time when the lined up for the shot, they aimed slightly lower. Cat pushed his magic towards Toothless this time around and the power felt like it was crackling along their scales like electricity.
This time, they shot four separate blasts in quick succession, blasting the winches into splintered pieces and leaving gaping holes in the deck of the ship. Toothless roared triumphantly as he angled upward, catching up with Hookfang who now easily shrugged off the loosened chains.
Without stopping, the two dragons started back towards the battlefield, but Cat released his prosthetic from where it connected to Toothless's tailfin, engaging the new locking mechanism so he would glide on his own. Toothless's head snapped to the side, his eye going wide and his pupil thinning as he met Cat's eye.
"I'm Sorry." Cat whispered, the words coming out on a shuttered breath.
He used the magic that usually connected them to create a burst of energy between them. The sonic boom shoved Toothless, and even Hookfang, back towards the pirate ships, sending them toppling into the ocean on the more friendly side of the battlefield. Cat went the other way.
The fall was fast, wind roaring in his ears.
He managed to catch the main mast and some of the ropes there to somewhat balance himself before gravity continued shoving him face first towards the ship's deck. He assumed it didn't look as clumsy as he felt because when he rolled into a deep crouch, he found himself completely surrounded by armed and terrified looking men. He kept his body low, looking up from below his brows and eyelashes to glare at his new position.
Prime Minister Claude Frollo walked forward calmly, the soldiers parting for him with nervous glances between him and Cat. Like they weren't sure who was more dangerous.
"What a surprising turn of events." Frollo spoke clearly, conversationally. "Have you come to accept my offer?"
Cat slowly eased back off of his hands and rose to his feet, standing across from the Prime Minister. His skin crawled just looking at the man. "If I go with you, you'll leave? You won't hurt anyone of the Brethren Court or the dragons?"
The Prime Minister held Cat's gaze, and without breaking eye contact, he spoke to the man beside him. "Signal all of our ships to retreat. This Brethren Court is of no concern to us."
"As you wish, your magnificence." The soldier ducked into a bow as he backed away and then hurried to signal the ships.
"Satisfied?" Frollo asked, and Cat slowly forced himself to relax from his defensive stance.
"I won't fight you." Cat muttered as he watched the white flare shoot into the sky. The noises from the battlefield shifted from those of fighting to those of soldiers shouting and ships moving. The Brethren Court would be left in peace, and Talia and Eret would look after his flock. That's what mattered.
"Excellent." The Prime Minister smiled, and then a shadow fell across his face as his mouth fell into a frown. "Restrain him!" He commanded, thrusting a long, bony finger towards Cat.
He didn't fight as the soldiers closed in. One of them forced him to the ground, pressing his face into the wood deck and yanking his arms behind his back as they clamped shackles onto his wrists and ankles. He only panicked when he saw one soldier step forward with a syringe, but when he tried to jerk away, a rough hand grabbed his hair and yanked so his neck was exposed.
His breathing was hard and his instincts were screaming at him to Fight, to Fly, to Do Something. The number of soldiers holding him down prevented any movement, though, and he'd given his word he wouldn't fight. He wouldn't use his magic.
As the needle pressed into his neck, Frollo and a man wearing a captain's uniform came forward to stand over him. Cat's vision was quickly blurring, his hearing muffled, but as he began to drift off, the Prime Minister spoke to the sailor.
"Send the rest of the fleet back to the Allied Kingdoms, and set a course for Azkaban..."
The Prime Minister's voice grew more and more distant until Cat couldn't fight the creeping darkness anymore, and he passed out.