Silhouetted against the moonlight, the massive forms of Giants and Ogres vaulted over the castle walls.
They formed a towering wall against the Red Guard, who responded to their interference in kind... only to be greeted by the audible clang of metal once their blades connected.
Sir Edgar was dumbstruck, but a closer look revealed to him that the Giants and Ogres were all clad from head to toe in full plate armour!
His shock was interrupted by the coming of a splitting migraine.
It felt as though his head was being torn in two, or that there was a battle raging on inside his own mind.
The truth, however, can be described as precisely that.
Heston had been floating in a void, surrounded by empty blackness save for a pair of angled elliptical holes in front of him.
It was through these that he could see everything Sir Edgar was seeing.
Sir Edgar had conducted a highly risky and dangerous experiment.
If it succeeded, he'd be able to crush all who dared stand against him.
He fused his very being with Heston.
Heston was willing to stoop to many lows, but apparently, combining his mind and body with that of his megalomaniacal master was one he absolutely balked at.
Especially since he could now hear and feel every single dark and unwholesome thought in Sir Edgar's mind.
His struggling felt futile, but Heston had already made up his mind that succumbing to exhaustion was the lesser of two evils compared to spending an eternity in Sir Edgar's demented mind.
"Charge!" bellowed Nish as he and his Ogres led the counteroffensive.
He was grateful for the magical armour granted to him by that second Fairy.
What was her name again?
Lucinda?
Regardless, it now allowed him to mop the floor with the Red Guard.
Payback for the day they stole their homes from them.
Char and his men ducked around a stone wall which provided vital concealment and cover from the battle raging a short distance away.
None of them dared sneak a peek, for fear that Sir Edgar and his Red Guard would spot them.
And now, more unexpected visitors.
Ella, Olga, Hattie, and Olive appeared, using the battle as a distraction so they could sneak in.
As per their training, Char's men swiftly formed a protective circle around him and brandished their swords at the four women.
"Who are you?" they demanded. "No one may harm the Prince!"
"Char, it's me, Ella!"
"I thought you broke up with me," Char panted in confusion.
"I promise I'll explain later," reassured Ella. "But we have to go! Now!"
As future King, Char knew that he'd need to make tough decisions, even ones that appeared out of the blue and with little knowledge or time to act on.
This was certainly one of those moments.
"Men," he ordered. "Follow me!"
The man perched on a nearby rooftop.
He was the lookout keeping a close eye out for the right moment to...
There!
Ella and her stepfamily were leading Prince Char and his men out of the Royal Palace.
He took a deep breath and blew the loudest whistle he could muster.
Mr Koopooduk fought like a lion, sending the Red Guard flying with every swing.
Brumhilda stomped over to Nish and scattered some more who were about to sneak up behind the Ogre.
That was when they all heard Benny's whistle.
"Fall back!" hollered Mr Koopooduk. "Fall back!"
All the Giants and Ogres stopped fighting and hastily retreated outside the Royal Palace.
As they escaped, the angry shouts of armed Knights and pounding hoofbeats of their neighing steeds grew louder and louder behind them.
Once the Giants and Ogres all thundered past a certain group of houses, several Elves led by Slannen hopped onto the rooftops.
They lobbed firecrackers onto the mounted Knights below, the sudden explosion of noise and light throwing their ranks into utter disarray as horses bucked off their riders and bolted off every which way they can.
In another part of Lamia, Lucinda and Mandy were circling over a pack of bloodthirsty scent hounds unleashed by the Red Guard.
Mandy summoned several dog whistles and channelled air into them simultaneously, the resulting sound cowing the ferocious dogs into submission.
Lucinda chucked bag after bag, each one loaded with the hottest chilli powders known to exist.
They exploded and dispersed their spicy contents which overloaded the dogs' sense of smell, sending them running and howling in agony.
"Who let the dogs out?" sang a victorious Lucinda. "Who, who, who, who, who?"
Everyone rendezvoused at the water fountain where several roads intersected.
Olga, Hattie, and Olive used up the very last of their teleportation elixir, drawing a gigantic pentagram circle in the cobblestone streets on which they stood on.
They all disappeared right in front of the Red Guard barreling towards them with thunderous fury, effectively leaving them in the dust and empty-handed.
"Is everyone here?" said Benny, walking towards the middle of the crowd formed by his friends.
Ella smiled.
A few hours ago, Ella decided to have Benny show her what Sir Edgar was doing, in case he still had any more tricks in store for them.
The sight of him fusing with a very reluctant Heston was all she needed to know.
But before they went to rescue Prince Char, she wanted Mandy to turn him back to normal.
It took a few tries, but she was on cloud nine when she finally got it right.
"Wait... " Brumhilda peered into the distance. "What's that?"
Everybody looked where she was staring at, trees being toppled and all manner of birds and woodland creatures fleeing for their lives.
Something was coming. Something big!
The treeline exploded to reveal a gargantuan serpent rearing up, towering over even the Giants.
It was red and black with a sickly green underbelly.
As the monstrous serpent hissed, flicking its forked tongue at them, Prince Char saw its eyes.
He made the connection.
"No... it can't be... Uncle Edgar?"
A/N
So now we know what Edgar's been up to.
He's now practically gone full Kaiju!