This is a shorter chapter, meant to lay the final groundwork before the climactic battle that this series has been building towards. I'm trying to write as much as I can whenever I can find the time, because I do really want to finish up this series and finish it up well.

A big thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story and those that have only recently found out.

A review would mean a lot, I appreciate all feedback.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions, I always try to reply.

Enjoy!

Chapter 17: Spirit

CJ waited patiently. It was a few hours after the little interaction she and her associates had had with Solomon, but CJ's seething anger had not died down in the slightest. She was still shaking in a fit of pure, unadulterated hatred. What Solomon had done, and how he had so casually and maliciously bragged about it to her, made CJ lose any semblance of reason she had once maybe possessed.

The image of Archer just standing there like some empty husk hurt her to her very core. Archer had not been perfect, but he was the one who was there for her when it mattered, and he was the person she loved. She had no trouble admitting that to herself now. After all, it wasn't like things could get much worse…

Solomon deserved to have every horror CJ could imagine brought down upon him. The same went for Uma and Harriet, those heartless wrenches…

After she had been escorted back to camp, with Jay and Evie holding onto her arms for the entire journey, she had hidden herself away in her tent and refused to see anyone. Both Freddie and Mal had at one point tried to approach her, but quickly retreated after getting numerous items tossed at their heads.

CJ knew that everyone else wanted to sit tight and save their strength for the eventual final battle to come, but she had other plans.

Solomon most likely expected everyone on the Auradon side to be at their wits' end, and he was partially right. Ben, Mal and pretty much everyone else had no plan other than 'strengthen the defenses as much as possible and hope for the best'. No one on CJ's side thought of possibly going on the offensive. No one other than her.

Seeing Archer, and the way he was being controlled, was the last straw for CJ. She didn't want to just sit around and wait like a lamb to the slaughter. She had always been the one to strike first and take advantage of her talent for sneaking and slashing. Now, with no other suitable option, she had decided to once again take matters into her own hands.

It was almost midnight, and the camp was almost eerily silent. CJ was packed and ready. She was travelling light, with only her armor, two swords and a small bag of assorted items that could either prove necessary or useful during her exploits. Her plan was to sneak out of the Auradon camp, travel to the villain camp, and somehow find a way to put a blade through either Solomon's heart or throat.

She knew that this wouldn't be easy, more like insanely difficult, but she was truly past caring. She did not relay her plans to anyone on the Auradonian side, because she knew that they would only try to stop her. She also did not feel the need to say goodbye to anyone before she would head out on this suicide mission.

Taking one last look through her things, CJ decided that, yes, this was what she wanted to do. She stepped outside into the cool night air, taking extra care to make as little noise as possible.

"CJ!?" Someone hissed before she could take a single step.

CJ basically jumped a foot into the air from fright before hastily turning around to see who had spotted her.

Freddie was sitting to the right of the entrance to CJ's tent, having seemingly used her jacket to lie down on before CJ had come out. As of right now, the two were simply staring at each other in confusion, with only the moonlight illuminating them somewhat.

"What are you doing?" Freddie asked, rubbing her eyes a little. "Where are you going?" She added, letting her eyes wander suspiciously over the items CJ was bringing with her.

"It- It's nothing, Freddie… What are you doing here anyway? Why aren't you at your tent?" CJ replied, trying not to seem too guilty. She had honestly not expected to run into Freddie. This could very well complicate things.

"I wanted to talk to you." Freddie told her as she scrambled up to her feet and dusted off her legs. "You seemed really distraught after… Well, you know, after today…"

"I'm fine." CJ lied. "Go to bed, Freddie. You need your rest."

"Where are you going?" Freddie repeated, seeing straight through CJ's lies. It was annoying that she could read her so well.

"I can't sleep." CJ quickly responded. "I'm just gonna walk around a little, maybe inspect the perimeters… Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and some undead will show up for me to kill…"

"You're lying." Freddie immediately stated. She was not guessing. "What are you doing, CJ? Please don't do anything stupid!"

"Keep your voice down!" CJ hissed. The last thing she needed was for anyone else to spot her as well.

"You're leaving!?" Freddie went on, her expression changing from a worried to a frightened one. "Now!? CJ, please don't make any rash decisions!"

CJ rolled her eyes. "Well, someone needs to be a little rash around here! Look around! Everyone is acting like terrified sheep! I want no more part in it! Solomon won't expect me! I'm gonna put an end to him and to all of this!"

After that statement, CJ resolutely turned her back to Freddie and started walking towards the outskirts of the camp. She hoped that that last outburst had effectively rocked Freddie in a way that would prevent her from trying to apprehend her, but she was wrong.

"What!? CJ!? No!" Freddie snapped, hastily chasing after CJ. "You're going after him alone!? Are you insane!?"

"No. Just tired and angry." CJ replied, quickening her pace.

"So, that's it!? You're just gonna throw your life away like that!?" Freddie sneered, angry tears appearing in her eyes.

"Better this way than wait for death to come to me." CJ muttered.

"But what about us!? What about Auradon!? What about our friends!?" Freddie went on, reaching for CJ's arm to pull her back.

"I don't care." CJ hissed, pulling away from Freddie. "I don't care anymore! I never cared about this place, and I don't care about the people in it! I don't care about Mal! Or Ben! Or anyone here! I just want all of this to be over!"

Now Freddie was actively blocking CJ's path, even going so far as to spread her arms. "And what about me, CJ? Does our friendship mean nothing to you anymore?"

CJ sighed heavily. "It does… Of course it does… But I can't sit around anymore and watch us both slowly await a miserable death, okay? That's just not who I am…"

"But going on a suicide mission and just basically handing yourself to the enemy is?" Freddie questioned. "Please think this through, CJ!"

"I have." CJ protested.

"I don't think so." Freddie interjected. "You're not stupid, CJ! But this plan is!"

"What else would you have me do, eh!?" CJ snapped. "Join you and the others as we wait for Solomon to wipe us all out? That's even more stupid and cowardly than anything I could ever come up with…"

"We might win…" Freddie shrugged.

"That's bullshit, and you know it." CJ sneered. "Sorry, Freddie, but we can't win… Not anymore…"

Freddie scowled at CJ, her eyes filled with tears. "I never thought you'd be such a coward…"

CJ's anger flared. "A coward!? I'm trying to end this fucking war, and I will probably lay down my life doing so! How am I a coward!?"

"Because after all this… After getting into Auradon, after Archer and after everything we've been through together, you're still scared to grow attached to anyone or anything!" Freddie lamented.

CJ was shocked into silence by this outburst, and simply kept looking at Freddie as she took several deep breaths.

"Seriously!? You would rather die alone than fight alongside people who care about you? And they do care about you, CJ! You know that!" Freddie went on.

"I cared about someone too." CJ retorted, her voice a little hoarse. "And look what happened! That's what always happens! You know what, I've had enough!"

"We've all lost people, CJ!" Freddie countered. "Archer was my friend too. What happened to him is terrible, but it's also why we must keep fighting… We have to free him…"

"That's what I plan on doing right now." CJ snarled, again turning away from Freddie. "I know he will probably die… But that's a better fate than him continuing to be Solomon's puppet…"

Freddie took a few careful breaths. "We all want what's best for Archer…" She eventually stammered.

"Then why try to stop me?" CJ complained. "I'm trying to do something good here."

"All you will do is get yourself killed." Freddie scoffed. "And that's of no help to anyone. I-If anything, you will only be hurting our chances to possibly win the fight…"

"What if I succeed though?" CJ shrugged. "I could end this without any further bloodshed… So what if I might die? Seems like a small price to pay…"

"Please don't say that, CJ…" Freddie pleaded. "I don't want you to die…"

CJ felt as though she had been stabbed through the heart. In all the chaos of the past weeks, she had basically forgotten what it was like to have someone truly care for you. Freddie had always been the person closest to he heart, until Archer came along at least, and a part of her felt extreme gratitude that their bond was still intact.

"And I don't want you to die…" CJ told her best friend. "So I'm gonna do something that could help…"

"Well… Well…" Freddie stammered, clearly a little flustered by CJ's brazen mix of bravery and stupidity. "Well, then I'll just have to come along with you!"

"Not a chance!" CJ protested.

"Why not? If you're going, then I'm going! It's always been that way!" Freddie countered.

"This isn't some petty robbery on the isle, Freddie!" CJ sneered. "There's about a 110 percent chance that I'm gonna die doing this. You have to stay here!"

"Why?" Freddie stubbornly crossed her arms.

"Because you don't have to die!" CJ rolled her eyes. "You can stay here, with these people, and live a good life, okay?"

"So can you." Freddie argued.

"Not anymore." CJ disagreed.

"Not if you're gonna get yourself killed before ever giving it a real chance, you aren't!" Freddie retorted.

CJ grew unintentionally annoyed at Freddie's behavior. Why couldn't she just let this go!? Why couldn't she just let 'her' go!?

"Don't you get it, CJ?" Freddie persisted. "I get that you're angry, a-and lost, and sad… And all those other things… But you are still loved. Archer loved you, and actually laid down his life to try and make things better for you and everyone in the camp behind me… But I love you too, CJ… And I love all our friends… A-And I just want everyone to be happy and to get along…"

"Freddie…" CJ sighed. She wanted Freddie to stop ranting, partly because the noise would surely attract unwelcome onlookers, and also because she was almost overcome with compassion for her friend, who, she only now realized, had also suffered immensely under the thumb of Solomon. He had taken her magic, and had since then done everything in his power to take away every good aspect of the life that Freddie had managed to build for herself in Auradon.

"Auradon was so good to me!" Freddie went on. "I was so sick of living on that godforsaken island, and Auradon gave me a way out! I had friends here, a-and then you came to live here as well! Everything was good! But… But I guess people like us just can never have anything good, can we?"

CJ hung her head in shame. She had been so busy with feeling sorry for herself or hatred for Solomon, that she had barely taken the effort to check on her best friend. Hearing Freddie talking like this made it sound like she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Freddie had always been too good for this world, especially the isle, and there was no one more deserving of a happy ending, according to CJ at least. What she said was true though. It was as if the entire universe was playing some cruel prank on any and all kids from the isle that were trying to do good. Even the likes of Mal were still constantly faced with adversity. It was indeed like people like them could just never have anything good.

"But that's not true…" Freddie continued, suddenly appearing more confident.

CJ, who had temporarily been wallowing in misery, was surprised by this sudden shift in tone.

"We can decide for ourselves whether or not we at least 'want' something good." Freddie stated. "And if we do that, we can fight for it! That also means helping others and not leaving them behind, and I believe that especially counts for our own kind!"

CJ kept on listening. Despite her earlier resolution to go out on her impossible mission, she now heard a nagging voice in the back of her head that told her to stay behind, and it was all because Freddie was pouring her heart out.

"So, there's that…" Freddie concluded. "You say you're helping things by going out alone on your helpless mission, but you're not, CJ… I know things look bleak… Probably bleaker than they've ever been, but I still have hope… Call me stupid… Call me a fool, but I will continue to have hope for a better future… And, like it or not, we stand a better chance of winning with you on our side, and you know that… So, you should stay, a-and you might survive… If not for yourself, then please stay for everyone else… And if not for them, then please stay for me… Please…"

CJ's shoulders sagged. She was unwillingly impressed. Just a few minutes ago, she had had nothing but bloodthirst and vengeance on her mind, but it was as if Freddie had reminded her that there was still something good out there… Something worth fighting for… Something not necessarily worth dying for…

"Please…" Freddie repeated, looking at CJ with wide, pleading eyes.

CJ sighed. "Okay…" She said with a soft voice. "Okay…"

Wordlessly, Freddie closed the few remaining feet in between them and pulled CJ into a strong embrace. CJ didn't protest, and instead simply placed her arms around Freddie's waist whilst simultaneously burying her face in the crook of her neck. She really didn't deserve a friend like Freddie.

"Can we rejoin the others?" Freddie eventually asked. "Could you handle that?"

CJ just nodded before slowly letting go of Freddie. She hadn't just immediately returned to her former self, but did feel slightly reinvigorated. Freddie's words had been just the thing she needed to hear. The others might not completely understand her position, but they were at least people that CJ could somewhat fall back on during these times.

Freddie escorted her back to the camp, and the next morning she faced her associates and pretended like nothing had gone down the previous night.

Now, there was still a fight to be had, and CJ… CJ was still a fighter…