Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom, Stargate SG-1, Reign, or anything else I reference.
Chapter Eight: A Cruel Gift
Danny stood before the chained Goa'uld who was glaring at him with pure hatred in those eyes with glowing yellow sclera. For most people it probably looked intimidating, but it did nothing to him. He could make his irises glow on command as well.
"I demand to speak to Nirrti slave." Setesh growled at him with the voice of the Goa'uld making it a deep booming growl.
"I am not a slave and Nirrti is very far from here. You should be happy here after being on the run so long that you are here. This is a place where none of your kind can find you." Danny said as he flicked Setesth on the forehead which sent it slamming into the pole behind him. They were currently in this universe's version of the ghost zone. It was where this body had been in stasis mutating since the Lantean city-ship fell in the war with the Wraith. This dimension as far as he could tell was empty so no one would find them here. It was similar also to the Other Side as in it was a parallel dimension to reality and not a higher plane, so he did not need to worry about the ascended messing with him here or claim that he was trying to ascend.
"You must be a very arrogant fool to believe that you can capture and torture a god." Setesh said.
"You are bounds in chains, tied to a pole, and unable to move with nowhere to run. I am pretty sure I captured you." Danny said as he shook Setesh's head left and right. "Now for torture I am capable of that as well, but I do not want to bring your host any more pain. I think he has suffered enough."
"Your sympathy makes you weak. I have had this host for two years now. His soul is lost." Setesh said.
"Then when I am finished with you, I will give him a nice funeral before joining you with your siblings." Danny said as he grabbed on to Setesh's chained shoulders.
"What are you doing?" Setesh asked.
"Doing something the Goa'uld are famous for. Taking what I want." Danny said looking into the Goa'uld eyes as he searched for important information. He wanted to know where Setesh held his remaining containers of nish'ta were. His compound was currently being searched for it, but this could save everybody some time.
"You will get nothing from me." Setesh growled deliberately pushing back on his attempt to get answers.
He tried to move memories, hide the answers between lies and false thoughts, even trying to lead him elsewhere with strange tangents. He was doing better than Laurent had but the result was still the same. He would get there eventually.
"Stop fighting me. It will only make it more painful for you." Danny said as he tightened his grip and pushed deeper. The strain on Setesh's face showed his continued struggle and eventually caused a nosebleed and that caused Danny to let go of him.
"Hah. I knew that you were weak." Setesh said with a smile showing that there was also blood on his teeth.
"No, I am just not willing to break my new toy so easy." Danny said as he walked to the edge of the cave and stared at the glowing green sky. "I got what I wanted anyway." He snapped his fingers and a portal opened to the ship.
0-0-0-0-0-0
(Space)
"Hello Prince/King Francis." His captor said being followed behind by three of his guards. The white-haired demon had a smile on his face and that was not a good sign. It probably meant that he had taken someone new hostage. The last prisoner brought aboard this ship he had seen was Sebastian and despite all that had happened between them he did not wish this fate upon his brother.
"What is it now?" Francis asked as he stood up and stared at his enemy. He had long lost track of the days but what he had not lost was his anger at his situation. He had been stolen away from his wife, from his family, and from his country. There would be no forgiving this man for his crimes. His execution would make Francis Dereham and Thomas Cromwell look pleasant.
"I have come today to bring you a gift." He said with a smile.
"I doubt any gift you give me would be something that I would want." Francis said waiting for the noise to turn on. The racket that it made may have hurt his ears and caused a headache, but it would be preferable to listing to his captor talk.
"I had been hoping for you and your brother to start talking to one another again. Unfortunately, you both have been rather stubborn. I will have you two share the room and try to get back your friendship. Consider it a gift." He said as he walked closer to the cell.
"I refuse your gift." Francis said glaring at him. He did not know what he was planning but he knew that letting him talk with his brother was some sort of trap. A way to blackmail his family further perhaps. Perhaps a threat against his other siblings? Whatever it was he would have no part in this.
"Prince/King Francis you are being stubborn. All I want is to see two brothers find peace." He said as the cell wall in front of him vanished and his soldiers came into the room.
"There is something in it for you, but it is not peace." Francis said ready to fight the soldiers. Before now whenever they came into the cell to bring food, water, or clothes it was when he was asleep or restrained but right now, he was clearly awake and ready to fight. He may not win but he would make it impossible for them to bring them to his brother. Whatever images they wanted to send all they would show his family was that he was still fighting, and they should not give up.
The fight was painful but, in the end, he won as he fell to unconsciousness.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Can I help you?" Danny asked as he stared at the witch standing in front of him.
Are you the one that helped Qetsiyah?" The woman in front of him asked.
"Do you wish to make a deal?" Danny asked.
"My name is Esther Mikaelson and I wish to talk with you." Esther said.
"Alright Esther what do you want?" Danny asked.
"I want you to kill my children." Esther said.
'Wow.' Danny thought "I am going to need more of an explanation."
"I am the witch that created the vampire species. I want you to correct my mistake." Esther said.
"Tell me why you turned your children into vampires first." Danny said.
"It all began in what you call Norway..." Esther said as she began her tale. How she had been a simple witch that had been kidnapped in a Viking Raid alongside her sister. How she and her husband Mikael had fallen in love and gotten married. She made a deal with her sister to be able to have children. Her sister Dahlia had demanded in return that she take the firstborn child from her and each of her children to perform a spell for power and hurt her family. After losing Freya they fled to the New World and had a family. Their youngest son Henrik had been killed by werewolves and in his grief her husband asked to make his children immortal and indestructible to make sure nothing like this happens again. In anger her son Nikalus had killed her over what she had done to them.
'This is what Aunt Oma meant.' Danny thought to himself. "Why do you wish them dead?"
"I have seen the pain they have went through and I have been cursed to feel the pain of all of their victims as well." Esther said.
"Alright but how would I go and do this?" Danny asked. According to Laurent's memories the Originals cannot be killed.
"You need to use the wood from a white Oak. Carve that into a stake and stab them in the heart. That will end them, and all the vampires connected to them." Esther said.
"That is good to know" Danny said at this revelation of how to control the vampire species revealed itself. "We could do that, or I could make them human again."
"The cure is gone. Even if Qetsiyah helped you make another that would put them at risk. Dahlia will hunt them down." Esther said.
"I can move them to a place she will never find them." Danny said.
0-0-0-0-0-0
(Paris, France)
Danny walked alone through the castle and headed to the training ground to practice some archery. It would be a good way to pass the time while the nish'ta was being synthesized and for Prince/King Francis to wake back up from his beatdown.
"What are you doing?" Kenna asked as she came up to him in a rush.
"This is not lady-like behavior Lady Kenna. Whatever could be the problem?" Danny asked as she shook him like he owed her money, and she was coming to collect. He was not bothered. It saved him the time of having the Jaffa search for her. He would rather have a picnic with Kenna than shoot arrows at straw targets.
"You know what the problem is. What did you do to the Archduchess?" Kenna asked him.
"I think we should have this conversation somewhere more private." Danny said as he saw the servants around them no doubt listening either for Catherine or for gossip. He was not feeling like letting this secret out so he walked Kenna to the lake so they could talk in private. The Jaffa that are travelling with him as guards would make sure that no one would come to the area where they were having their conversation.
"Very well." Kenna said as she allowed him to take the lead as she held on to his arm.
'Kiol I want you to bring the picnic supplies we brought from the ship.' Danny thought to his servant as they left the castle walls and headed outside. Kiol arrived ten minutes later and placed the blanket on the ground for them along with the metal boxes and went to stand at his position a bit away from them.
"Do you not think this is a bit much?" Kenna asked him as she took a seat, and he went over to the metal box that was not holding the food.
"I think it gives us the perfect cover for us to talk. It also allows me to give you your present." Danny said as he opened the metal box and took out a smaller box.
"What is that?" Kenna asked as he opened the box revealing a ring but instead of a gem at the center there were twelve pearls connected in a circle. He had created each pearl before having a jewel crafter forge them with metal.
"It is something that I thought that you would like." Danny said with a smile as he watched her put it on. She was very similar to Nirrti in that something shiny was very likely to take their attention off of whatever had made them angry.
"Thank you for this gift it is beautiful but what happened to the Archduchess?" Kenna asked him as she stopped focusing on the ring.
"What do you mean?" Danny asked as he hid a smile on his face.
"You know very well what I mean. During the feast we went walking and you said you had dealt with the archduchess. I have been listening to nobles talk and they say the archduchess is sick and will not be leaving her room today." Kenna said.
"That is sort of true." Danny said as he started thinking on the memories that he absorbed from the duplicate when he teleported back to his rooms in the castle. He and Kenna had been dancing and enjoying the feast when he had seen King Henry sneak out with the Archduchess leaving a few minutes later. Seeing that the duplicate created his own invisible duplicate and waited outside the castle near King Henry's chambers for the Archduchess to be thrown from the balcony to the rooms a few feet below. The duplicate revealed itself to King Henry before he took her away to an empty room to rest while the transition took place.
"What do you mean sort of true? You said that you were going to make sure that the archduchess lived." Kenna said to him.
"I did save her. It is why she is not taking any visitors to her room right now." Danny said.
The moment she woke up she was going to drink human blood and complete the transformation. He already had the servant picked out that would provide the blood. It was going to cause suffering to Greer, but he had plans in place for that as well.
"I am making sure that she lives. It just required her to not feel well today." Danny said lying. The person that most assumed was the Archduchess was actually one of his Jaffa under a holographic disguise. It was just to last for today until the actual Archduchess could return.
"You promise that she will be, okay?" Kenna asked.
"By tomorrow she should be able to lift a horse." Danny said as he held her hands in his.
"So what else is in the basket?" Kenna asked as she started opening it.
"Chilled fruits, sour candies, cheeses, and many types of bread. I have other things in here, but it is still early after all." Danny said as he used his power on his watch and the hologram Jaffa band appeared behind them.
"What is going on?" Kenna asked.
"I wanted us to be here so that I could sing you this song." Danny said as the water in the lake began to rise and change shape. It started out with a image of detailed Kenna standing on a balcony the castle looking into the distance where a detailed image of him was standing on a flying carpet. He was singing lead while the Jaffa played backup.
I can show you the world
Shining, Shimmering, Splendid.
I can open your eyes,
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways, and under on a magic carpet ride.
The images of them changed to the magic carpet flying them over the castle, under the trees, and sideways through the clouds.
"What in the world?" Kenna asked shocked.
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us "No" or where to go
or say we're only dreaming.
The image shifted to him taking Kenna to places all throughout the world. The leaning tower of Pisa, Stonehenge, Machu Picchu, The Great wall of China, and other beautiful and famous places.
Unbelievable sights and indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky.
The image shifted again to them climbing higher and higher into the sky. The water swirling around them but kept controlled by his telekinetic grip on the water.
"This is amazing." Kenna said with a sparkle in her eye.
Don't you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see (hold your breath, it gets better)
A whole new world
(Every turn, a surprise)
With new horizons to pursue
I'll chase them anywhere
(There's time to spare)
Let me share this whole new world with you
(A whole new world)(A whole new world)
That's where we'll be
(That's where you'll be)
A thrilling chase (A wondrous place)
For you and me.
"That was amazing." Kenna said with a smile on her face.
"Thank you." Danny said as he sat back down on the blanket and caused the hologram Jaffa to disappear.
"There is one thing that would make me feel even better." Kenna said as she reached for his hands.
"What do you mean? What was wrong with the song?" Danny asked feeling a bit insecure. he thought that he had done a great job performing the song.
"It was not about the song but instead my friends." Kenna said looking at him with what would one day might be called a puppy dog pout.
"Queen Mary and Prince/King Francis." Danny said scanning her surface thoughts.
"Yes. I look at her every day she is separated from Francis and my heart breaks for her." Kenna said causing him to sigh.
"I told Queen Catherine and King Henry that if they wanted to talk about our deal, they had to bring me a real witch. They still have yet to achieve such an easy task." Danny said. Seriously it was like they were trying to fail at meeting his offer.
"They are trying as hard as they can, but do you not think that your standards are a bit high. I know they have brought over twenty people to the castle for you but there is something that you do not like." Kenna said.
Like the fact that none of them were actual witches. It seems that he would have to use the database based on Qetsiyah's knowledge if he wanted to find the location of actual witches. If he was going to do that then might as well activate plan b.
"Very well Lady Kenna. Gather your friends, the King, and the Queen in a couple hours and I will take you to see Prince Francis. I will not return him, but I can at the least let them speak." Danny said trying to sound as resigned as possible.
"Thank you." Kenna said wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.
She had no idea what she was thanking him for.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Where are we going?" Leith asked confused.
"A new friend of mine is not feeling well. We are going to help her." Danny said as he walked in front of the cook. It was sad what was going to happen to the cook, but the duplicate had decided it when he saw the servant walking down the hall. Leith was another character Vlad felt sorry for during the show but that was not going to stop him from what was happening. He was not going to risk his first vampire being killed because she did not drink fresh human blood during her transition period.
"My lord I am not sure how much help I can be." Leith said with a nervous look in his eyes. His heart was beating faster as the seconds passed.
"Do not worry you will be just fine. Just follow my instructions." Danny said as they appeared before his chambers.
"My lord what are we going to do? We have no tools or medicine?" Leith asked.
"We have everything we need with us Leith. Do not worry." Danny said as he opened the doors to his chambers and walked inside to the closet where Sisilia was being stored.
"What is going on?" Leith asked trying to back up only to find out that the doors were locked.
Even if they were not locked there were Jaffa guards waiting for an order.
"You are about to do me a grand favor." Danny said as he pressed a button on the stasis chamber and watched as Sisilia began to rise from it dazed and confused.
"What is going on? Why do I feel so strange?" Sisilia asked as she started stretching.
"You feel strange because you are halfway between the living and the dead." Danny said.
"What are you talking about?" Sisilia asked.
He could also hear Leith's heart beginning to beat faster like he had just return from a long run. He did not know what was going on, but he knew that he would not like it. He began to try and turn the doorknob even harder as if that would magically cause it to unlock.
"You were killed last night but that was not your end because I had given you blood from my vampire. Now you have to feed on this servant to complete the process." Danny said puling Leith back to face Sisilia.
"You cannot do this." Leith cried out as he was placed in front of what would be the end of him.
"I cannot do this." Sisilia cried out as she struggled to fight the urge to attack the man in front of her.
"You have already changed Archduchess if you do not complete the change, you will be stuck in purgatory. All alone for the rest of eternity." Danny said explaining the Other Side to her in terms that she would understand.
"This cannot be happening." Sisilia said falling to her knees and crying.
Alright this seemed like it was going to take all day so he might as well cut to the chase.
"Sisilia look." Danny said as he walked to a desk and picked up a knife and a cup. He held the bowl in his hands and used the knife to cut Leith's face. With the blood flowing down he floated it into the bowl.
"I do not understand. Why do I crave it so?" Sisilia asked.
"That is because you want to live, and your instincts tell you that all you need is one sip." Danny said lifting the cup to Sisilia's mouth. She took a sip of the blood and he watched as the final changes set in.
"I feel so good." Sisilia said.
"How do you feel?" Danny asked taking a seat on a chair and watching his newest asset.
"It was like electricity coursing through my body- a million stars exploding in my mind all at once. It's like nothing I've ever felt before. It was amazing. And all I can think now is... I want to do it again." Sisilia said with a dark smile on her face.
"Good for you that you now have an entire human body waiting for you to drain." Danny said as she turned to face Leith whose eyes were wide with terror.
"My lady you do not have to do this. You are a good person." Leith pleaded but there was no stopping Sisilia now. She charged right at him with her fangs extended and took a deep drink. Eventually the light dimmed from his eyes as the minutes passed.
"I want more." Sisilia said in a ravenous tone.
She charged at him in tending to drink him dry as well.
"You get one chance because I know that you are newly turned. Attack me again and you will not walk away." Danny said his irises glowing as he held on to her neck. "I am your king not your lunch."
0-0-0-0-0-0
"You are an utter bastard." Lola said as she came charging at him.
"That is not untrue but what have I done today that has made you so angry?" Danny asked looking up from his pile of books. He was studying up on French History as he knew little to nothing about this country he was trying to take over and the Prince/King did not like talking with him.
"You told Kenna that I was pregnant with Francis' child." Lola said.
"You are though." Danny said with a smile.
"That does not matter. I wanted to figure out a way to deal with this." Lola said.
"I have been here near two months, and you have not told anyone anything. Soon you will have to stop hiding behind an illusion and show that you are pregnant." Danny said.
"I do not know what to do." Lola said as she started crying.
"Do not worry. I know of a way to make all your problems go away." Danny said as he started rubbing Lola's hand.
"Are you serious?" Lola asked.
"Remember back when we met before all of this happened. I came to you in your dreams and told you that I could help you. All you need to do is trust me." Danny said.
"How can you expect me to believe that when you are holding Francis and Sebastian prisoner?" Lola asked him.
"I already told Kenna that I plan on having the lot of you go and visit the place I am holding Francis." Danny said.
"The King and Queen would never go to a place where they could be taken hostage." Lola said.
"Who would take the King and Queen hostage. It is just going to be a meeting between friends." Danny said with smile while Lola gave a look of annoyance mixed with incredulousness.
"You are not funny." Lola said to him.
"If King Henry or Queen Catherine want to be stubborn then I guess their son can stay on my ship." Danny said not meaning it. Sisilia could just compel the two of them on to his ship if they were going to be difficult.
"Why are you doing all of this?" Lola asked him.
"I am on my vacation, and this is easier than launching a full war to invade France." Danny said as he returned to his book.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Great everyone is here." Danny said standing in front of the carriages. The few extra guards that they brought along were an unfortunate decision now since he had to split the group up to fit in two Tel'taks. They were standing in a large circle which had the tress and rocks cleared away until all that was left was soft soil for a landing site. This was the place where he had talked with Mary and Francis before separating the married couple.
"We have come to the forest like you wanted now how do we get to your ship?" King Henry asked impatient.
"The way is right in front of you." Danny said as he waved his hand and the ships revealed themselves.
"What are these?" King Henry asked.
"These are Tel'taks they are going to take us to my warship." Danny said as the end of the ship slid backwards revealing the entrance.
"Where did you get such a thing?" King Henry asked.
Looking into his mind he learned that Catherine had told her of his flying ships and Henry wanted to learn how he could use them to conquer Spain, England, and beyond. he dreamed of raining cannonballs down from the sky where no one could touch him.
"The goddess Nirrti provides wonders to her people." Danny said.
"I did not mean your pagan god where did you actually get the ship?" King Henry asked.
"I told you how. However horrible Ra and the others are they give you very nice things when you agree to help them." Danny said as he gestured for the group to go in the Tel'taks. He had duplicates driving the ships
"You believe in the Egyptian gods?" Lola asked him.
"Nirrti is an Indian goddess but she takes orders from Ra." Danny said to them as he went to the ship along with the Queens, Kenna, Lola, and one guard. King Henry got his own ship filled with his guards.
"How would your goddess feel about what you have done?" Mary asked him.
"She would see what I have done and state that I am too kind. I should just slaughter you all until I get what I want." Danny said as he leaned back against the wall. "How would yours feel about the slavery and murder of non-Christians? Why does he like burning people alive? and why if it is true as you believe that he will protect you has he not yet stopped me?"
"You will suffer for your arrogance. Either in this life or the next." Queen Mary said to him.
"I doubt that." Danny said as he felt the ship start to dock inside the Ha'tak. He wondered how they would react to learning exactly where they were going to be standing and what they could see if the ship rose just a little bit higher.
"Now let us be off." Danny said as the doors opened and they walked off of the Tel'Tak to the hanger where his other vehicles were being stored.
"What in the world is this place?" King Henry asked with amazement in his tone.
"This is nothing to what you will see later on." Danny said as he led them to the elevator platform. He hated slow elevators could be, so he had created a travel mechanism on his ships to transport things faster. It worked similar to the transportation rings. If you desire to go any higher than the floor above, you the platform converts you into light and energy contained within an energy field while the platform rises up at an accelerated pace. When you reach your destination, the platform combines your particles back together into the solid state you were before transport.
He had a smile as he led them through the tunnels to the room where he was holding Francis and Sebastian. It was not on the prisoner levels as he did not need them seeing any of the others on board.
It was time to activate plan b.
"Go inside and you will see both Francis and Sebastian." Danny said as he waved his hand and the door opened for them. Sitting at a table playing cards were Henry's two oldest sons.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"Francis." Mary called out as she rushed to her husband. The others were in the room as well, but she ran forward first.
"Mary what are you doing here?" Francis asked.
"I came.. we all came to see you." Mary said as she pulled back and started looking at the bruises on Francis' face.
"What happened to you?" Mary asked.
"Me and Bash were just working out our issues. Someone tried to kill Bash the night he left the castle and he thought it was me. It took some time, but I was able to convince him it was not me." Francis said.
"It may not have been Francis, but someone still wanted me dead. I want to find out who it was." Sebastian said.
"What are you talking about?" Mary asked horrified. She could not believe what had happened since she had last seen Sebastian. She knew that he was supposed to be going to Spain, but she thought that would have been to keep him safe and help him deal with everything that happened. Not be an attempt on his life. Why would anyone want him dead?
"There is someone with a grudge against me. I just have to get out of here and find out who it might be." Sebastian said.
"I wish the two of you could leave and come back to the castle." Mary said wishing that they were not forced to meet under such horrible conditions.
"I have no doubt that you will find some way to free us." Francis said as he tried to put on a brave face.
"Is that gas?" Alain one of the King's chosen guards asked looking up.
As she followed his direction Mary looked up and could see two different colored gasses pouring into the room.
"This another one of his tricks. We have to get out of here. Who knows what this gas could do to us." King Henry said and they all rushed to the closed door and began banging hoping that someone would have mercy on them and open the door. "He is there watching us with a smile on his face.
"What is going on?" Greer asked terrified.
"He is planning on killing us." Catherine said horrified. "We have failed in his task and now he is going to kill us. This visit was just a horrible trick to get us in one place."
"I do not believe that he is planning on killing us." Kenna said.
"What makes you so sure. You heard the tales that Mary told us. He can turn fire to ice, He has ships that can fly, and we cannot tell what go on in the mind of a man like that." Greer said as she started shaking Kenna back down.
"Greer calm down." Mary said as she tried to reach Greer. It was getting harder and harder to breath. If she was not careful, she would fall into darkness.
"No shake the girl harder for her foolishness. Surely you have heard gossip about what her and that sorcerer get up to. He probably has already given her an antidote to whatever poison this is." Catherine said full of paranoia.
She had heard rumors but doubted them given that French court was always full of poisonous gossip and that Kenna was still in love with King Henry even though how much of a bad idea it was.
Alain pulled out his weapon and began to hack at the door. It did not even leave a scratch.
Eventually she fell to her knees and her eyes closed. She only hoped whatever happened next was not painful.
0-0-0-0-0-0
"How are you feeling?" Danny asked with a smile as the group woke up and looked at him. There was a duplicate standing in front of each one of them before they joined back into one. Prince/King Francis and Sebastian had already been gassed which is why they had been able to stick to the script and play along. If it had been them before they got sprayed with nish'ta than they would have warned their family and friends to stay away long before they all entered the room and the doors closed.
"We feel honored to serve you." They all repeated with a smile as they bowed. There was a duplicate standing in front of each one of them but the moment they bowed before each version of him the duplicates were absorbed back into him
Good. Now that he has truly conquered France, he could start focusing on all the other things that he had put off while he waited to find the nish'ta. He had to capture the Original Vampires, study the information the Antarctic base he had excavated revealed, study the information he received from Qetsiyah, have the dinner with Nirrti, and find some actual witches to study.
He had a lot of work to do.
"I have some great news for the lot of you. I will release Francis and Sebastian back into your care." Danny said and he could feel the joy and happiness in them at that revelation. The thing about nish'ta was that it did not change who people were at their base. It just made them open to suggestion and extremely loyal to the person they first viewed upon awakening. Which was why he had a duplicate waiting in front of each of them to make sure there was no chance of an accident.
"Thank you." Queen Catherine and King Henry said as they kneeled before him and kissed his emerald ring.
"When you go back have a feast and celebrate the joyous return of your Prince/King and his brother." Danny said with a smile.
"Is there anything you want?" Queen Mary asked him.
"No but I do have to talk to Greer when we get back to the castle." Danny said. Not to mention make sure that Sisilia had not drained the castle dry or burned herself to death under the sun.
"What can I do for you?" Greer asked.
That was a loaded question if he ever heard one but now was not the time.
"It is better to talk about it when we are alone." Danny said feeling that telling her about Leith's death was going to be a lot easier now.