"Alexandre! Help us right now!" Lafayette demands, throwing open the door of Alexander and John's room.
John winces, sincerely hoping that Eliza is not inside, cuddling with Alexander or doing something else.
To his surprise, Alexander is standing alone in the middle of the room, looking lost in thought. He jumps when Lafayette barges into the room, shaking the walls as he slams the door.
Upon further investigation, Alexander is holding an empty wine glass that he certainly has not been drinking from, given that the glass is still completely covered in dust. He is also smoking, something that John has not allowed him to do since they got married.
Somehow, despite the enormous volume of Lafayette's door-slamming antics, Alexander does not turn around at the noise. He seems lost in thought.
Lafayette places his hands roughly on Alexander's shoulders, and rather than startle, Alexander turns around and light flies out of his fingers and pulls Lafayette's hair out of place and toward him.
To his credit, Alexander finally displays some emotion.
"Oh no!" He gasps, staring at his fingers as though they have wronged him. "How did that happen?"
Lafayette smirks at the expression on Alexander's face.
"You are the savior. I knew you had to have some sort of magical capabilities. You've been unimaginably boring so far." He says, mock yawning.
Alexander turns to John in surprise and extends his hand. "Jackie…."
John is still quite annoyed at Alexander's behavior in regard to Eliza just a few hours earlier, and so he pretends to still be miffed.
In truth, he is truly a little frightened by the sudden light that shot out of Alexander's fingers moments earlier.
"Wh-what is that?" John curses himself inwardly for his curiosity and his shaking voice.
"I-I don't know. It just happened. I have never had that happen before." Alexander says, uncertainly.
John considers Lafayette appraisingly again. "You said it's because he is the savior?"
"Yes." Lafayette replies simply, thankfully leaving out his usual sarcasm.
"Well then you must be intended to save the town from something." John concludes.
Lafayette snorts. "No duh. That has been obvious since before you both arrived here. You are slower than I pegged you for, Jackie."
John bristles. "You are not permitted to use that name for me. And I am sorry if all this madness isn't self-intuitive."
Lafayette softens very slightly. "Alright, well...I will tell you what is written in the book that details the events of the Enchanted Forest."
So he does.
When he finishes, Alexander and John just look at one another blankly, trying to comprehend what they are being told.
"Is that true?" Alexander asks in a borderline offensive tone of disbelief.
Lafayette wisely chooses not to answer rather than saying something sharp.
"Well, I suppose that I must get to it!" Alexander says, cheerful in a way that seems almost inappropriate.
John stares at him with his mouth open in surprise, but he doesn't say anything.
X
"Thomas!" Alexander calls as he strides into City Hall, slamming the door open and with John and Lafayette close behind him.
He pulls up short when he sees what Thomas is doing.
He seems to be muttering something under his breath, reading from a small book in his lap.
"What are you doing?" Alexander demands.
Thomas murmurs one last word that Alexander does not catch, ignoring Alexander's question entirely.
Having murmured this word, Thomas looks up at Alexander. Suddenly, there is a flash of seemingly unexplainable lightning.
John falls unconscious, and Lafayette catches him in order to avoid a head injury.
"Ah! Success!" Thomas exclaims gleefully.
Alexander rushes to his husband's side.
"What have you done?" He exclaims angrily.
"I've created a curse that sends everyone that you love into an unconscious sleep!" Thomas's glee remains in his voice. "That includes John and...most likely your parents."
"No!" Alexander exclaims. "Undo it!"
"Sorry, I don't feel like it." Thomas casually inspects his fingernails.
"Lafayette, please leave us. I wish to discuss with Alexander in private."
Lafayette obliges silently.
Just as Thomas opens his mouth again, he is interrupted by the door slamming open.
"Sir! Philip has fallen unconscious!" He says anxiously.
Alexander sees the reaction in Thomas's eyes before he hears it out loud. "Oh no."
Thomas shoves roughly past the servant and runs up the stairs. Alexander apologizes quickly as he picks up John and hurries after Thomas.
Alexander finds Thomas bent over Philip, who has been placed on his bed.
"You-you weren't supposed to love him!" Thomas points an accusing finger in Alexander's direction.
Alexander chooses to ignore that remark and turns to Philip. "Is he alright?"
"For now. But the curse will expire after a certain amount of time and then the cursed people will be beyond help." Thomas is visibly distraught.
Alexander softens. "So undo the curse."
"I-I can't!" Thomas wails.
"Why not?" Alexander inquires, not as impatiently as he would have if not for the look on Thomas's face.
"There is only a limited amount of magic in the kingdom and now the city. I used the last of it to curse your loved ones." Thomas says, almost apologetically.
Alexander remembers that Thomas is the cause of this mess to begin with, and almost wants to walk away, what with John unconscious in his arms. Then he remembers Philip and decides that he can put their rivalry aside for now.
"Well, what can we do then?" Alexander asks.
"I must first ask James if your parents have been taken over by the curse." Thomas says, remarkably matter-of-factly given the situation.
"Then do that." Alexander agrees.
Thomas strides off to his mirror. He returns a few minutes later.
"James says that your parents are fine." Thomas replies.
Alexander feels slightly hurt that his concern for his parents was not strong enough to extend the curse to them, even though it is technically a beneficial element in the circumstances. Well, he hasn't even met them yet, so that may have something to do with it. He only remembers their faces from when he was very young and in the pictures that Lafayette has showed him.
He brushes that thought aside for the moment.
Thomas calls to one of the guards. "Please summon Lafayette back in here."
"Right away." The guard obliges, ducking quickly out of the room.
"Lafayette knows everything about magic, even more than I do, and I have possession of the book." Thomas says by way of explanation.
Alexander wonders exactly which book Thomas is talking about, but decides not to ask, as it does not seem strictly relevant.
Lafayette comes in within a minute or two, having obviously been walking with hasty steps.
"Lafayette, how can I break this curse? I have made a tremendous mistake." Thomas asks.
Lafayette bites his lip to avoid saying that most of his actions are mistakes, so this is unsurprising.
"In the Enchanted Forest, there is a golden dragon egg that contains enough magic to break the curse. You will need to find the egg, slay the dragon, and bring it back within 36 hours to break the curse." Lafayette answers nonchalantly.
Thomas steps forward. "I will go and retrieve it." He says gallantly.
"Not so fast, Jefferson. Philip matters to me too. Not to mention John. I'm going with you." Alexander interjects.
"No!" Thomas says firmly.
Lafayette chimes in suddenly. "Well, the predictions say that the mission requires both of you…." He trails off.
Thomas looks like he wants to argue. "But-but…."
"You heard him, Thomas. Let's go. We have a limited amount of time." Alexander concedes.
"Where do we depart from?" He faces Lafayette again.
"You both must stand in front of James and ask him to transport you. You will not be transported to the forest; you must journey from where you are deposited. You will not be permitted to use magic for anything." Lafayette answers. "Oh, and you both have 35 hours remaining."
"Oh no! Damnit!" Thomas curses.
Despite the stress that he is also feeling, Alexander manages to raise an eyebrow and lean slightly away from Thomas. "Mayor Jefferson! What uncouth language!" He teases.
"Shut up, Hamilton." Thomas is not amused.
"Alright, let's go. Bring your map." Alexander instructs.
Thomas is tempted to ask how Alexander knows about any map, but decides that it can be an inquiry made after they've saved Philip.
Thomas retrieves the map and they congregate in front of Thomas's magic mirror.
"James, send us to our destination." Thomas commands. "Please." He adds after a brief pause.
James raises his eyebrows, making it clear that politeness is not something that Thomas is habitually known for.
However, James obeys without protest, and soon both Thomas and Alexander are spiraling to another location, the map fluttering in Thomas's deathly tight grip.
A/N: Hello everyone! This is the beginning of the end. The journey will take place, and then there will be a few chapters of epilogue. Today marks one year since I published this story, unbelievably. I began it for M.J., and although I am not sure if M.J. is still reading this, I hope whoever is reading enjoys this story. Happy birthday to M.J. and Anthony Ramos once again! Thank you all so much for reading! Reviews are appreciated!
-HamiltonAsparagus