"Hector."

Hector jerked and his eyes snapped open. He was standing…or maybe floating…really, it was more like he was just existing, in a blank dark plain that felt terrifying, but also incredibly like home. It took Hector a second to realize that it felt like the Great Tree. It was the same loneliness, with underlying magic.

"Hector."

He turned and found himself face to face with Zhan Tiri. She was lacking the mischievous look in her eyes. For once, she looked completely genuine.

"What do you want?" Hector growled. He seethed as he realized that while he could hear things it didn't fit quite right. Something was different. Hector couldn't identify what, but he instinctively knew why. "And I thought that you were going to stay out of my dreams."

"I fully intended to." Zhan Tiri said. "But I needed to talk to you."

"Why couldn't you just talk to me in person?" Hector asked. "It wouldn't be the first time."

"I wanted this to be just between us, and you still haven't figured out how to talk to me without speaking out loud." Zhan Tiri said. "You'd just draw attention to yourself."

"So this has nothing to do with you not wanting to give me my hearing back?" Hector scowled.

"Well, that too." Zhan Tiri shrugged. "I have a proposition for you, and I think you'll really be interested in what I have to say."

"I know what you're going to say." Hector said. "You want me to convince Varian and Rapunzel to fight for some reason, and in return you'll give me my hearing back." Hector crossed his arms. "I'll pass."

"Yes, I gathered as much." Zhan Tiri said. "I had something else in mind, and I think you'll be interested in hearing what I have to say."

"Here's my final offer." Zhan Tiri started to circle around Hector. "Your family has a plan to get rid of me, and you're the key. All I ask is that you pretend to do what they say, and then tell them that you truly did it. In return I will give you your hearing back, and I will leave you alone. You'll never see or hear from me again. As far as you'll be concerned, I'll be gone."

Hector blinked. That was not what he had expected. "You'll leave? You're not just messing with me?"

"No." Zhan Tiri said. "No manipulation, no trick."

"And why should I believe you?" Hector asked.

"I suppose you shouldn't." Zhan Tiri said. "But it's the truth."

"Why would you do that?" Hector asked. Even as he asked the question he realized what the answer was. "Their plan will actually work, won't it." Hector laughed as he felt raw joy in his chest. "They'll get rid of you for good. Why should I help you when everything you're offering to me will be mine anyway?"

"Possibly not everything." Zhan Tiri said. "I know you have your doubts about whether you'll get your hearing back if I'm trapped again. You may be rid of me, but you might be depriving yourself of your hearing for the rest of your life."

"Might." Hector said. "Meaning I might not." Hector thought it was just as likely that his hearing came back as it was that it was gone forever.

"Possibly." Zhan Tiri admitted, her tone not leaning one way or another. "But are you really willing to take that chance?"

Hector didn't answer right away, and Zhan Tiri saw this as an invitation to continue. "I know I've used some cruel nicknames for you, Hector, but we both know you're not an animal, and you're not a fool." It was only at this moment that Hector realized that Zhan Tiri had been calling him by his name instead of calling him pet, cur, mutt, or any of those stupid names.

"You're smarter than you give yourself credit for." Zhan Tiri said. "I know you recognize a good deal when you see it."

Hector hated that he was listening to her. He knew that it was a mistake, but he was scared. He wanted to be left alone, and he wanted his hearing back. He could be given that, but at what cost?

"What would you do after leaving?" Hector asked. He knew that her powers were limited right now.

"Does it matter?" Zhan Tiri asked. It just steeled Hector's resolve.

"I wouldn't be asking if it didn't." Hector said. "Now answer the question."

"Fine, fine." Zhan Tiri sighed. "I'll probably find another way to get my body back. The simplest way would be to have the magic of the moonstone and sundrop in conflict. If I was sealed away by their power united, I could return to my former glory if their powers were against each other. Now that the alchemist and princess are back on good terms, it'll take a lot of time and effort to stir something up between them again, and even then it's not a guarantee. I'll probably have better luck trying something new."

"Do you really think I'm just going to sit here and let you do that?" Hector growled.

"Yes." Zhan Tiri said plainly "I know you, Hector. I know that you care little for people outside of your family. What should you care what I do as long as I leave you and those you care about alone?"

"You don't know a thing about me." Hector said furiously.

"Oh?" Zhan Tiri raised an eyebrow at him. "What did I just say about you not being a fool? I've been in your head for months now. I know you as much as you know yourself."

Hector chuckled. "Like I said, you don't know anything." More often than not Hector didn't feel like he knew himself at all.

Zhan Tiri pouted, making her actually look like a child, and deceptively innocent. She looked like she was about to say something, but she interrupted herself before she could. Zhan Tiri looked around curiously before she sighed. "Just consider what I said, Hector." Zhan Tiri said almost gently. "I know you'll do the smart thing."

Before Hector could retort and say that this was further proof that she didn't know him, since he never did the smart thing, Zhan Tiri disappeared. Hector's surroundings vanished just as suddenly and he suddenly felt very heavy-headed. Hector groaned soundlessly as he felt a pressure on his shoulder, shaking him. He rolled over and squinted his eyes open to see Varian looking at him. The kid had shaken him awake.

Varian shoved a notebook into his hands. Hector rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked at the page crammed with writing. It took him a long moment to understand just what he was reading.

They were instructions for Hector's role in this plan of theirs. Despite the amount of words that Varian used, the instructions were fairly straight forward. Apparently he and the princess had been working on a sphere, and all Hector had to do was throw it at Zhan Tiri and hopefully she would be trapped. It was simple enough, and if Zhan Tiri's desperation was anything to go off of it would probably work.

Varian handed him a glass sphere with intricate gold and silver trimmings around it. There was a grayish, somewhat shiny slime or something inside of it. Hector recognized the basic design of Varian's spheres. This was the thing that he was supposed to throw at Zhan Tiri, or at least claim he had.

Hector had two very simple solutions laid out in front of him. They would both give him what he wanted, even if neither would give him everything. Either way he would be rid of Zhan Tiri, but that wasn't all he wanted. He wanted his hearing back, and he was only guaranteed to get that if he did what Zhan Tiri wanted. It was tempting, but there was something else that Hector wanted, and to get it he needed to not just be rid of Zhan Tiri, he needed to trap her. He needed to keep her from getting what she wanted, even if by doing so he just hurt himself.

It was frustrating. Hector had dedicated so much of his life to trying to push down this part of him, the instincts that had been ingrained in him. Taking revenge was fine and all, and Hector even thought that it could be healthy, but not like this. Not when taking revenge was just going to end up hurting him too.

That type of revenge was reckless. It was stupid. It was animalistic. Hector was better than that, or at least he was trying to be, except…except Hector found himself thinking of a distant memory that he had done his best to forget. It wasn't a good memory, but it was important, and now he found Edmund's words echoing in his head.

Hector made writing motions and Varian quickly handed him a pencil. He turned a page, wrote something down, and stood up to show it to Edmund.

Do you remember when you told me it's okay sometimes to bite back at people, even if it's not wise?

Edmund frowned slightly in confusion for a moment before his expression darkened. He clenched at the notebook as he slowly nodded. Hector grabbed the notebook and pulled it out of Edmund's hands. He wrote something else in it.

Does that still apply?

When Edmund read these words he snatched the pencil from Hector and wrote something in it before he shoved the notebook back to him.

What are you planning?

"I was wondering the same thing." Hector jumped when he heard Zhan Tiri's voice. He whipped around to see Zhan Tiri watching him carefully. It was the first time that he had seen her in a while, but he was more concerned with the fact that he could hear anything at all, even if it was just this demon's voice. Everything else was still silent.

"You can't honestly be considering this." Zhan Tiri said. "And for what? Petty revenge? Don't you remember what happened the last time you acted rashly without thinking and let your primal instincts take over?" Zhan Tiri's voice shifted into that of a young man. Hector hadn't heard this particular voice for years, but it still sent a spark of fear, humiliation, and fury through his veins. Hector tightened his grip on the sphere in his hand. "You nearly got yourself kicked out of the only home you ever knew, all because you made the vain attempt to reclaim the illusion of dignity."

"Is the loss of your hearing really worth a brief moment of satisfaction?" Zhan Tiri asked. Hector knew he was supposed to say no. That would be the smart thing to do, but it wouldn't be the truth. As far as he was concerned this would definitely be worth it. To see the look on Zhan Tiri's face as she learned the same lesson that Hector had taught to those jerks all those years ago.

Dog or not, Hector's bite was so much worse than his bark.

Without giving it a second thought Hector threw the sphere. Zhan Tiri's eyes widened in alarm. She began to vanish in an attempt to escape, but she wasn't fast enough. The sphere hit her. Hector half expected the sphere to pass right through her, so he was pleased when he saw her get knocked back when the sphere hit her.

Nothing else seemed to happen at first. For a terrifying moment Hector was scared that all he'd accomplished was angering Zhan Tiri. What if he'd just ruined his one chance of actually getting rid of her? The moment passed when a black rock shot out of the ground, passing right through Zhan Tiri, and piercing the glass, causing it to shatter.

Zhan Tiri looked genuinely panicked as the gray goo began to spread over her, engulfing her. Hector wasn't ashamed to admit that he found a lot of satisfaction at the sight. Zhan Tiri tried in vain to brush away the goo, but it just stuck to her hands, making it spread faster. She seemed to be trying to use her magic to stop it, but nothing worked. Zhan Tiri was almost completely trapped.

The demon looked at Hector with wide, fearful eyes, but Hector couldn't find it in himself to feel even remotely sorry for her. She'd been tormenting him for months. This was the very least that she deserved.

"Good riddance." Hector muttered, and even though he couldn't hear it himself it still felt really nice to say. Zhan Tiri's face darkened and she screamed at him, but her cry was soon cut off when the goo covered his mouth and face, and she was completely imprisoned. In an instant Zhan Tiri was gone. It was over.

Everything was silent for a long minute, and Hector was worried that Zhan Tiri hadn't been bluffing when she'd said that his hearing wouldn't return unless she actively gave it back. It was a scary thought, but not bad enough to make Hector regret his decision.

There was a light shuffling behind him, and Hector turned to look over his shoulder towards the sound. His hearing wasn't gone after all. He didn't think he'd ever been so happy to hear anything.

Varian had been shifting closer to Hector, but the boy froze when he turned to look at him. Varian's eyes were wide. "U-Uncle Hector? Did it work? Can you hear me?"

"...It worked." Hector said. He smiled broadly at the sound of his own voice. This felt wonderful. "It worked! Kid, it worked!" Hector cheered loudly and pulled Varian into his arms, squeezing him tightly. "You did it."

"You did it." Varian embraced Hector tightly. "So she's really gone? It's actually over?"

"Yeah, it's over." Hector said.

"How do you feel?" Quirin asked.

"Like a massive weight that I didn't even know was there has been lifted." Hector said. "And like I can sleep for a week." He thought he'd caught up on the lack of sleep, but right now it felt like all of his fatigue caused by Zhan Tiri was hitting him in the face.

"I don't blame you." Adira said.

"At the same time, sleep is the last thing I want to do." Hector said. It had been far too long since he had felt complete peace while he was awake. He wanted to enjoy it. "I need to run. I need to hunt." Hector looked at Quirin. "Are you up for it?"

"Not this time." Quirin admitted, and that was fine. "It's been a long few days, and I'm ready for a rest."

"So am I." Varian admitted sheepishly.

"I can join you." Edmund said, even though Hector knew he didn't like this kind of hunt. "It's been some time since I've taken Domino for a casual run. I know that she'll appreciate it."

"I don't know what you guys are talking about, but sign me up." Eugene said.

Hector had never done one of his hunts with Eugene, but maybe this was the chance that he needed to get to know the prince.

"You'll be torn apart." Hector grinned mischievously, chuckling when Eugene looked just a little bit nervous. It was so easy to mess with his prince. "I can't wait.

"Ho, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Eugene looked at Rapunzel. "If I don't come back, tell my story, and don't be afraid to lie to make me look more heroic and extraordinary."

"Of course." Rapunzel gave a small laugh. She gave Eugene a kiss on the cheek. "Have fun. I'd better get back to the castle before my dad sends out a search party. He's already asking where I was yesterday."

Eugene frowned slightly. "Your dad has some serious control issues." Eugene said.

"He's just worried about me." Rapunzel said. "It's really not that bad."

"Sometimes you don't know how bad it is until someone else points it out to you." Hector said. He tried to ignore the looks that Edmund, Quirin, and Adira all gave him. He really wasn't in the mood for holding his tongue, straightening his back, and pretending that he was a well-adjusted man. Hector was an absolute mess, and that was the very reason why he had been able to bring himself to get rid of the demon, regardless of the possible consequences.

Hector wasn't always proud of who he was, but right now he wouldn't change it for anything. He still hated what brought him here, and he always would, but at least for the moment he wasn't ashamed

"Enjoy your hunt." Quirin said. He put a hand on Varian's shoulder. "I think we're going to say hello to an old friend. It's thanks to him that we got the elements we needed for the sphere. The least we can give him in return is the chance to catch up." Varian didn't look nearly as excited as Quirin did, but he nodded in agreement.

"If you're back in time for dinner make your way to Xavier's forge." Quirin said. "Xavier's been wanting to meet my family for years."

Hector had never been a fan of meeting strangers, but for the most part anybody that was a friend of Quirin's had to be at least a semi decent person. And Hector didn't want to owe a favor to any Coronans. If this Xavier had helped him, even though he didn't know him, then Hector could bear through a meal.

Besides, he wasn't about to say no to free food.

"We'll be there." Hector said. Hunts could last for a while, but if it was as early as it felt then they should be home with plenty of time before dinner. If Hector had slept in more than he'd meant to, well, he could always cut off the hunt early, stop for a break, and then get right back to the woods that night.

Have fun." Quirin said.

"I always do." Hector said. He rolled his shoulders and adjusted his cloak. He helped Edmund put Domino's saddle on as the king told Eugene a little bit about what to expect. He made Hector's hunts sound more terrifying than they really were. It was just a bit of fun, nothing too bad.

Finally they were ready to leave this chamber. Hector was ready to get back outside. He had almost forgotten how much he didn't like being inside without even a glimpse outside. Hector ran outside of the chamber into the tunnels, barely taking the time to wait for Edmund and Eugene, even though he didn't know his way through these tunnels.

Hector didn't look back towards the chamber, or the trapped Zhan Tiri. He had no reason to. Hector only had eyes for what was right in front of him. He didn't know what waited ahead, but it couldn't be any worse than what he was leaving behind.